Melrose Drive in Phillip – home to many of Canberra’s car dealers. Photo: Supplied.
New car sales have been slumping across Australia for the past couple of years. But even so, and despite predictions of a massive recession, it seems 2020 still didn’t see anyone forced to get around on a penny-farthing.
Scrub that … I did legitimately see someone riding one along the Monaro Highway a few weeks ago.
Anyway, according to registration figures from Access Canberra, here are the new vehicles Canberra bought last year:
Corollas present a compelling combination of reliability and value. Photo: Toyota.
1. Toyota Corolla
As top-ten listicles go, we’re off to a heart-thumping start here. Sarcasm aside, there’s no doubt the Japanese hatchback and sedan duo offer a compelling package of value, reliability and practicality to those who just want somewhere to sit while toing and froing between letters of the alphabet. It’s the fourth year in a row the Corolla has taken the number-one spot.
Pricing starts at $27,065 driveaway for the most basic Ascent Sport model.
Hyundai tunes its vehicles to cope with Australia’s challenging roads. Photo: Newspress Australia.
2. Hyundai i30
The fact that Hyundai has come from the hateful Excel to this in the last couple of decades warrants an A+ for improvement, and Canberrans have given them that.
Hyundais also benefit from a suspension system that’s designed specifically to cope with Australia’s prolific ruts, bumps and potholes. The hot and highly praised i30 N has probably helped boost its reputation as well.
Pricing starts at $25,490 driveaway for the entry i30.
The RAV-4’s expanded its range and girth in middle age. Photo: Toyota.
3. Toyota RAV4
Does anyone else remember when the RAV4 used to be a 3-door, funky little off-roader? Well apparently, Toyota has forgotten because it’s now jolly enormous.
But both a Toyota and an SUV, what could possibly go wrong? Pricing starts at $35,953 driveaway.
The Golf’s a German Corolla with a little more finesse. Photo: Volkswagen.
4. Volkswagen Golf
There are the people who go to Fantastic for furniture, and those who go to IKEA. VW’s Golf is the car for the latter, doing everything a Corolla would do but with slightly more finesse (if slightly less reliability).
There’s also a model for every day of the week, from the frugal diesel TDI to the all-wheel-drive R wagon that can sprint from 0-100 km/h in five seconds.
A new Golf is coming out later this year, with prices expected to start at about $33,000 driveaway.
The Ranger is sturdy, capable and downright luxurious if you have the money. Photo: Newspress Australia.
5. Ford Ranger
We’re being pushed to down-size and go electric, but a big old ute has still made it to the list of best sellers. It’s a sturdy and capable machine and higher up in the range, honestly quite luxurious. It isn’t just popular with tradies – look around and you’ll see plenty of white-collars mounting curbs in these urban assault vehicles.
Pricing starts at $32,890 driveaway for the two-wheel-drive, single-cab tray version, and rises to $83,638 for the diesel Raptor dual-cab.
Mazda Mazda3 – a great car with a silly name. Photo: Newspress Australia.
6. Mazda 3
Technically, it’s called the Mazda Mazda3, but that’s just stupid.
So, the Mazda 3 was bound to pop up in the list at some point, and here it is, albeit a little further down the list than in previous years. Mazda has been trying to rebrand itself as more premium and that’s coming at a cost to the average buyer. The cheapest Pure model starts at $28,855 driveaway.
At the end of the day, though, you’ll have a car that looks like a Ferrari from the back.
Kia’s worked hard to build a reputation based on reliability and value. Photo: Newspress Australia.
7. Kia Cerato
Kia’s slogan is “The power to surprise”, and they have.
The Cerato comes with lots of bells and whistles, including a 7-year unlimited-kilometre warranty for what is generally regarded as a smart little hatchback and sedan, starting at just $22,490.
The sporty GT version comes with added red bits, more tech, and possibly the most irritating car ad ever made (and that’s a hotly contested field). The compensation is the fact the GT is available for around $32 k (a lot less than its pricier hot hatch competitors).
The CX-5 is unmissably ubiquitous and looks great. Photo: Newspress Australia.
8. Mazda CX-5
Mazda’s SUVs used to look frankly hideous (Google “2007 CX-7”), but the CX-5 takes their sudden burst of style and adds a 5-year warranty and a family-friendly layout. It’s almost impossible to go a day without seeing at least one.
Pricing starts at $38,240.
The CX-3 offers small car value and easy accessibility. Photo: Newspress Australia.
9. Mazda CX-3
Like the Mazda CX-5, but smaller. Hence the smaller number. My nana and pop just bought one, in part because the high-but-not-high ground clearance makes it incredibly easy to get in and out of. And it came with gloss-black wheels.
The Neo Sport starts at $24,990.
With the Falcon’s demise, the Camry is the first choice of taxi drivers and Uber drivers. Photo: Toyota.
10. Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry has long haunted the list of best-selling cars, and there’s a good chance you’ll travel in one this year as the hybrid version is the first choice of Uber drivers everywhere. It’s a car in the strictest dictionary sense: five seats, a boot and an engine, starting from $32,829 drive away. And the Toyota badge means it’ll go forever.
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