Tired of waiting for your new Toyota? Beat the queue with these RAV4, HiLux, Corolla Cross, Fortuner and Yaris GR alternatives we think might be better

The 2020s has really turned into the decade of waiting. Waiting for normality. Waiting for travel. Waiting to see our friends and loved ones. Waiting for new cars.

The latter was certainly not a foreseeable event as we headed into the pandemic, but the fact is, there are long delays with most car makers nowadays.

However, some are longer than others. If you order a new Toyota this year, chances are you might have to wait until winter in 2022 or longer before delivery occurs on some models. That’s how in-demand stalwarts like the HiLux, RAV4, LandCruiser and others are.

And things may get worse before they get better, with microchip shortages globally causing Toyota to nearly halve production over the next few weeks, idling plants in Japan and Thailand and probably elsewhere, too.

Read More About Mitsubishi Outlander

You think it's hard to find a new car now? Toyota HALVES production across RAV4 Hybrid, Corolla and more as it idles almost every factory it has New Toyota HiLux delivery delays: Longer wait times expected for best-selling ute and related Fortuner SUV due to parts shortage Toyota GR Yaris sold out! Brand stops taking orders as pocket-rocket demand outstrips supply

Plus, it’s not just existing vehicles already on sale that are affected either. Upcoming models like the hugely awaited LandCruiser 300 Series as well as the very promising Corolla Cross crossover may be pushed back.

But fear not because all is not lost. For every RAV4, Corolla Cross, Fortuner, HiLux and Yaris Cross, there are alternatives that are at least as good in many ways and might be here sooner.

Like George Michael said, you’ll need to have faith, because some aren’t even here yet, but we’re hearing exciting things and so believe they’re safe enough for you to take a punt.

Beats endlessly waiting…

Toyota RAV4 shoppers should instead consider… 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander

Here’s the deal.

The current Mitsubishi Outlander is nearly a decade old, and unless you run a car-rental or ride-hailing firm and need a reliable and long-lasting SUV for your fleet right now, we suggest you forget about it and look to the not-too-distant future. Like, November.

That’s because November’s when an all-new Outlander lands, and pretty much nothing’s been carried over from before.

Larger and far-better resolved stylistically, the look inside and out is box-fresh, early overseas reviews are glowing and reasonably keen pricing has just been announced. Plus, there’s a 5+2-seater option again, for larger families needing that extra bit of versatility, while the famous plug-in hybrid EV (PHEV) won’t be too far behind either. Throw in the diamond brand’s 10-year conditional warranty and how can you lose?

We predict big queues for the long-lived Mitsubishi mid-size SUV, so we’d take a punt and order away ASAP to get in before Christmas. Done.

Toyota Corolla Cross shoppers should instead consider… 2022 Nissan Qashqai

We know more than a few of you are impatiently awaiting the Corolla Cross.

However, if the thought of hanging out until late next year is making you, well, cross, then may we instead suggest that pioneer of chic small-car-based crossovers, the Qashqai?

No, not the 2014-vintage old bus, but the all-new third-generation, J12 series that’s winning over critics in its native UK for the many areas that it’s improved in, including performance, efficiency, interior design, quality and refinement. And we hear that the coming e-Power EV version will definitely be worth hanging out for.

The styling is also a balanced mix of the earlier models’ handsome proportions and Nissan’s striking new design language, which might give the Qashqai owner an edge over the quite Corolla Cross’ pleasant if homely styling.

As with the 2022 Outlander, get in as soon as those order books open soon, and you’ll be in your highly reviewed all-new crossover not too far in the new year. Win-win.

Toyota HiLux shoppers should instead consider… 2023 Ford Ranger

The internet is abuzz that a new Ford Ranger is coming, and if the latest spy shots and rumours are to be believed, next year might be the time when the world’s only all-Australian designed and engineered truck is renewed.

We can’t say for sure if or when that will happen, but given that some sources are quoting a year’s wait for a Toyota HiLux, wouldn’t it be wiser to get in touch with your Ford dealer to let them know when the order books will open for the newest iteration of a local legend?

The current Ranger is still the best all-round one-tonne pick-up, so if the wait is still too long for the next-gen version, you would still be out in front snagging the current version.  

Toyota GR Yaris shoppers should instead consider… 2022 Subaru WRX

Still sad you missed out on the sensational GR Yaris this time last year when prices were $40k driveaway for the first 1000, then $45k driveaway for the next 100, and even when Toyota hiked them up again to over $55k driveaway?

Well, cheer up, because while Toyota slaps a “temporary pause” on the order-taking of this three-pot turbo AWD pocket-rocket until who-knows-when, the daddy of all Japanese rally legends, the Subaru WRX, is waiting quietly in the wings.

Just weeks away from bursting back with a whole new look and feel, the fifth-gen Rex is pencilled in for a quarter-one 2022 release in Australia, to tempt GR Yaris and Golf R buyers back into the boxer fold with a host of developments that have our appetites well and truly whet.

Besides a chunky new design, expect an equally hot-off-the-press 2.4-litre turbo-petrol boxer four-cylinder that’s said to pump out about 220kW of power; that’s a 10 per cent jump. With a six-speed manual option too, mercifully, or an improved continuously variable transmission (CVT) – all underpinned by a modified Subaru Global Platform unused in the WRX until now.

Get fresh with your Subaru dealer and by autumn next year you’ll be thinking the GR Yaris is SO 2020! All it takes is 20-20 vision.

Toyota Fortuner shoppers should instead consider… 2022 Isuzu MU-X or 2021 Ford Everest

Born and bred for Australian conditions, the existing, T6 Ranger-based Everest has been head-and-shoulders above the body-on-frame 4WD wagon rivals since it surfaced more than six years ago, setting class standards for comfort, refinement, steering, handling and driver enjoyment.

We have yet to pit the promising 2022 Isuzu MU-X that’s just been launched against the underrated Ford, so cannot categorically say which is better, but we are hearing really good things about the newcomer, especially in terms of standard driver-assist safety and interior design and packaging.

So, we’re including both, particularly as production hiccups seem to mean endless delays on the Fortuner, which is not our favourite Toyota by any means, anyway. What we’re saying is that both the Isuzu and Ford might shape up as the more appealing prospects, so no need to wait.