Richard Berry's top 5 cars of 2022: From the Genesis Electrified G80 to the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV

This year I've driven more than 200 cars and the most of them have been pretty darn good, but there have been five standouts.

So, let me present to you my top five cars for 2022.

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5. Genesis Electrified G80

The G80 EV drives as smoother than Egyptian cotton sheets. 

The Electrified G80 will go down as the first car from Genesis to make me go “phffwhooooahwwwwwow!” That’s because until this point I’d seen Genesis as just the maker of extremely nice Hyundais. Which it is true, Genesis is the luxury sub-brand of Hyundai just as Lexus is of Toyota. But the current class of electrified Genesis versions of the GV70 and G80 give me the sense that Genesis has found its voice as a high-end, but stylish, off-beat EV brand that will be successful.

The Genesis G80 also comes with four-cylinder and V6 petrol engines, but forget them, it’s the electric powertrain in the Electrified G80 that perfectly matches this limousine’s futuristic, swooping and smoother-than-smooth good looks.

All-wheel drive, because there’s a motor on each axle producing a combined 272kW and 700Nm, the experience behind the wheel of this electric G80 is beyond serene. 

One of my CarsGuide colleagues described the way the G80 EV drives as smoother than Egyptian cotton sheets. 

I’ll have to take his word for it as I normally sleep in a pile of washing I was meant to put away three nights ago. But piloting the Electrified G80 is indeed so tranquil and easy it feels almost otherworldly.

So comfortable is the ride I would have bet everything on the Electrified G80 having air suspension, but I would have lost it all because instead it uses regular shock absorbers and springs with a multilink system front and rear, just engineered and tuned to near perfection. 

A sumptuous cabin makes life even more comfortable with beautiful seats, leather galore and an enormous media display up front and two seat-back screens for the rear passengers.

I took the Electrified G80 to meet some very un-electric car people - blokes who build hot rods and things that breath methanol. They liked that the Electrified G80 had a ‘grille’, they liked that it didn't look like a Prius, they even liked the solar panels in the roof.

But the cost of it shocked: $145,000 is the Electrified G80 Luxury’s list price. But I truly think you could spend double this on something German and not be as satisfied. 

4. Volkswagen Tiguan AllSpace Adventure

You won't find the Tiguan AllSpace Adventure in any other country.

Volkswagen Australia tells us that the Tiguan AllSpace Adventure came about because of the need to create a vehicle with components that were available at a time when the short supply of semi-conductor electronic chips was holding up production, causing huge delays. 

In less words: make a car people can buy and take home now.

The result is the Tiguan AllSpace Adventure. A unique Tiguan that you won’t find in any other country.

That’s right, made for Australia only with the bits that were on hand, the Tiguan AllSpace Adventure is a FrankenTiguan but also, in my opinion, the best Tiguan ever made. 

The list price is $51,990 before on-road costs, which is incredibly good value given that it has been fitted with the high-performance 162TSI engine that’s normally only found in the Elegance and R-Line for $5000 more.

Add to this better under-body protection, increased battery capacity, and a larger 180 amp alternator to power camping gear like fridges and lights. 

There are small 17-inch alloy wheels and big tyres which are better for bumpy dirt roads and no back seats.

Ok let me clarify - there’s no third-row seats. That’s right, no seats were available so now you have a bigger boot, 60 litres bigger at 760 litres in cargo capacity. 

The boot is also manually opened - yes by you… with your arms. And the seats aren’t power adjustable, but I have never found these functions convenient anyway, just time consuming and something else that can break.

Well done, Volkswagen, for putting together something with just what you had in the cupboard. Now, make dinner for my children with just potatoes and ham.

3. Kia EV6

EV6 has a menacing and aggressive style.

The Kia EV6 is the sibling of Hyundai’s ground-breaking Ioniq 5 which arrived in 2021. Like the Ioniq 5, the EV6 is fully electric but where the Hyundai version has a kind of cute, retro look the Kia has more menacing and aggressive styling.

You might see the EV6 as an overfed hatchback or an SUV, or a cross between the two, but it isn’t small at 4.7m long, nor light at 2.1 tonnes, but still with a motor at each axle the GT-Line with all-wheel drive can accelerate to 100km/h from nothing in 5.2 seconds. And that’s not even the GT version, which is even quicker.

A landmark car for Kia and the industry because, like the Ioniq 5, it announced that the era of mainstream desirable electric vehicles had arrived - look out Tesla.

2. Ford Mustang GT

While a lot of EVs are quicker, nothing beats the sounds of a 5.0-litre V8.

[Read in your best movie trailer voice] In a world where electric vehicles are poised to invade the Earth, there remains a lone outlaw with two doors, eight cylinders and carbon emissions prowling the badlands, and coming standard with a Dragstrip mode.

We're talking about the Ford Mustang of course, or really about the V8 version which, to me in Fastback form, is the most magnificent and true reincarnation of the original 1960s ’Stang.

And relatively affordable too at $52,590 before on-road costs for the manual version.

The 2022 Mustang was updated for this year (just before the new-generation model arrives in 2023) and among other goodies brought a line lock function for… ahem, better burnouts. Dragstrip mode is also a standard feature - for the track only, ok?

The 5.0-litre V8 is glorious in both its exhaust note and its 339kW/556Nm output for a 0-100km/h time of 4.5 seconds. Yep, I’ve driven many electric cars that are faster and with more grunt but none have sounded this good or made me feel this great.

1. Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV

This Outlander PHEV is now more composed and comfortable than its petrol sibling. (image credit: Marcus Craft)

My winner for 2022 is the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV - that’s the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle version. The regular version is good - my family and I lived with it for four months but the fuel usage was pretty high and the ride comfort was not great. But this hybrid version not only fixed the high fuel usage problem, but also how it felt to drive.

With a list price that starts at $54,490 you’re paying about $16,000 more for the plug-in hybrid version than the petrol variant. That’s a big ask, but it’s really not overly expensive compared to other non-hybrid rivals.

This spacious seven-seater SUV looks great, it’s equipped with outstanding safety and cabin tech and has an official combined fuel consumption of 1.5L/100km.

Being a hybrid has also inadvertently improved the ride. That’s thanks to the heavy weight of the batteries along the wheelbase and the revised suspension to manage that extra heft. This Outlander PHEV is now more composed and comfortable than its petrol sibling.

Finally - no need to step up to the top of the range Outlander PHEV - the entry grade really is the pick with its lower price and great value.