Articles by Byron Mathioudakis

Here are our top 10 cars released in the first 25 years of this century.

No new car is perfect. Far from it.But some are so profoundly disappointing, falling so short of expectations, that they tarnish reputations and even lead to dire long-term consequences. Especially if they replace something beloved.Presenting our line-up of the biggest duds of the first quarter of this century in Australia.Note that this is not a list of flops, since some on our shame file sold well, while other, far-worthier cars over the last 25 years failed to fire, even ones objectively better than their predecessors. So, no Mitsubishi 380, Holden ZB Commodore or four-cylinder Ford FG Falcon EcoBoost here.Plus, low-hanging fruit like early Havals, Cherys, LDVs and MGs are also excluded, as nobody expected much besides cheapness from such brands.With all that in mind, let’s go!

Many so-called “all-new” models aren’t all that new. In fact, a sizeable chunk are reskinned versions of what came before, with fresh sheetmetal over the same general hard points.

With 2025 marking the 26th year since this century started on January 1, 2000, it’s time to look back at some of the seismic events that helped shape the automotive industry this millennium.

What are the Top 5 cars of 2024? Some of the previous years’ top-five still resonate strongly today – namely the Honda Civic Type R, Subaru WRX, BMW 5 Series and Kia EV9. Will any of the class of 2024 do the same in 12 months’ time?

The first Holden small car in history turns 60 – and it's not what you think it is!

In 2025, no other car company in Australia will offer quite the combination of body styles and powertrain choices for buyers seeking an SUV or crossover with three rows of seating as Hyundai.

Smart is back as an EV-only brand, with the #3 Brabus being the fastest, most expensive... and most compelling? Not only does the dual-motor AWD small SUV look like a Mercedes-Benz GLA AMG 45, it goes like one too, with blistering acceleration and athletic dynamics to match the racy styling. A Mercedes and Geely co-op, the #3 is related to the Volvo EX30, so brims with lots of safety and tech.

The small-car segment is stagnant at the moment and consumers are starting to wonder where the replacements for the ageing Toyota Corolla, Mazda3 and Hyundai i30 are, amongst others. Well, some are coming, others may not, and Kia may just have the answer you seek.

There’s no love lost between these two competitors!Hyundai and Kia may belong to the same family, but to the outside world they are fierce rivals that fight tooth and nail against each other.In fact, they were bitter enemies for decades, until Kia’s bankruptcy during the Asian financial crisis of 1997 led to Hyundai’s takeover (outbidding a determined Ford), to create what we know today as the Hyundai Motor Group (HMG).Since then, both brands have risen to global prominence, particularly in electric vehicles (EVs), sharing technologies which Hyundai has long maintained that it led the development of.Fair enough, but Kia was first with a seven-seater EV SUV in the striking shape of the highly-acclaimed EV9 in 2023. In North America — the market it was designed to conquer — it is now firing on all… electrons. It’s a big hit.Almost two years later, Hyundai has responded with the Ioniq 9, claiming that while it may share DNA with the colossal Kia, much has changed and improved in the interim years, creating a superior product.With Australian sales set to commence before the middle of next year, here are nine reasons to wait for an Ioniq 9 instead of buying an EV9 right now – and three good reasons to stick with the Kia.This one’s a no-brainer, since the Ioniq 9’s 110.3kWh allows for a WLTP range of up to 620km, versus the 99.8kWh version of the EV9’s current-best effort of 512km.Range anxiety is less of a concern in the newcomer.The Hyundai EV SUV’s grander dimensions are music to the ears of many potential buyers of family-sized three-row SUVs.For the record, the Ioniq 9 measures in at 5060mm long (+50mm over the EV9), 1980mm wide (no difference), 1790mm high (+35mm) and with a 30mm-extended wheelbase of 3130mm.Not only does that translate to more room for humans, it also means more space for luggage. Some 620 litres (preliminary figures) to 1323L, versus the EV9’s 573L to 1233L, depending on whether they’re in seven or five-seater modes.Hyundai said this is the longest-wheelbase vehicle of any model it produces.When the Ioniq 9 launches sometime in the second quarter of next year, the most powerful version with dual motors is expected to offer about 320kW of power. The Kia equivalent, in the meantime, musters 283kW.Yes, the intriguing EV9 GT has been announced for North America with power figures that are expected to be north of 360kW, but there is no confirmation of it coming to Australia just yet.Hyundai said the Ioniq 9 breaks new ground for the brand with its elevated interior quality and presentation, calling the cabin a “natural lounge” that provides a “calm and caring space”.Of course, we’ve only seen (and driven) specially-prepared prototypes of the Hyundai, so we won’t know for sure if the production versions are as alluring. But the brand is making a big song and dance about this, as well as the acoustic laminated side glass, triple door seals, reinforced body structure and available Active Noise Cancellation tech.That EV9 GT promises to provide some outstanding acceleration and speed, but in HMG’s hierarchy of sub-brands, the Hyundai N division is the apex performance predator, focusing on eclipsing BMW M and Mercedes-Benz AMG’s efforts.N’s first EV model, the Ioniq 5 N, pushes out boundaries like a nuclear blast. If they apply the same brilliance to an Ioniq 9 N, it would be one heck of an electric family hauler.At the Ioniq 9’s reveal party, Hyundai admitted that the delay in getting its version of the EV9 to market had to do with redesigning and/or evolving the E-GMP architecture in a number of areas.These have led to the introduction of a revised front power electronics (PE) system for better suspension control and packaging, changes to the rear PE’s gear ratios for more effective hill climbing, a new two-stage inverter to boost efficiency, dynamic torque-vectoring tech for improved handling and stability, a rough-terrain traction-control set-up with AI assistance, self-levelling dampers for a more-isolated ride, second-gen regenerative braking control and more.Plus, the floor is now flatter to enhance comfort and cargo capacity.The Ioniq 9’s body debuts the use of aluminium in new areas of a Hyundai, including in the front, side and rear panels.Of course, this makes for a lighter yet stronger body, and lowers the centre of gravity in the process, boosting dynamics as well as overall efficiency.Hyundai has managed an impressive drag coefficient of 0.26 Cd for the most aerodynamic version of the Ioniq 9 (smaller wheels, digital exterior mirrors), compared to the EV9’s 0.29 Cd.EV6-aside, many of Kia’s latest EVs are beginning to look like Matryoshka dolls, or Russian dolls, in their samey, cookie-cutter way. The coming EV3 seems to be a shrunken version of the recently-released EV5, which looks like a smaller EV9.In contrast, the Ioniq 9’s design appears to have nothing to do with the crisp Ioniq 5 hatch and ultra-smooth Ioniq 6 sedan.That all said, here are three reasons to just go out and buy the fabulous EV9.In the metal, the Ioniq 9 is a pleasant design, with a few provocative styling elements, but it plays it safe.Meanwhile, the EV9 is a stunning piece of automotive design, with breathtaking lines that perfectly and precisely telegraph the brilliant advanced electrification tech underneath, whilst also being timeless and utterly original – at least until its cookie-cutter siblings came along.Is there a more-stunning three-row SUV in the world today?The two extra years in Kia’s seven-year warranty is all the peace of mind you need, especially when Hyundai refuses to budge from five years.Word on the street is that the EV9 GT will shoot to 100km/h from standstill in less than 4.5 seconds, while no Ioniq 9 for now can dip below 5.2s – at least, not until an N version comes on stream. We can only dream!