Top 10 new SUVs coming in 2024

If you thought 2023 was a big year for new SUV releases, think again!

That’s because 2024 is shaping up to deliver several massive new SUV (sports utility vehicle) launches from a number of the most popular new car brands in Australia.

As SUVs continue selling like proverbial hotcakes, accounting for around half of all new-vehicle sales in 2023, we’ve put together a list of the most important SUV launches taking place in Australia.

Grab a beverage and settle in because here are the top 10 new SUVs coming to Australia in 2024.

1. 2024 Toyota Prado

The wraps finally came off the fifth-generation 2024 Toyota Prado in early August 2023 and first Aussie deliveries of the all-new large off-road SUV are set for around August 2024. And you can bet your bottom dollar the boxy new Prado will be one of the hottest new models of 2024, with a long wait list to match.

The new-generation seven-seat SUV will be available from launch exclusively with an updated version of the current vehicle’s 2.8-litre turbo-diesel engine (now with mild-hybrid functionality but no extra power: 150kW/500Nm), but Toyota Australia is also eyeing off a muscular turbo-petrol hybrid powertrain (243kW/630Nm) that could power a top-spec Prado flagship.

About as long and wide as the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series, the new Prado will deliver significant improvements in space, refinement, technology, safety and off-road performance, with greater suspension travel and a sway-bar disconnect system.

Expect stronger towing capabilities and improved on-road behaviour and everyday drivability too, along with a considerably more modern and high-tech interior fit-out.

Price? Expect a $5000 to $10,000 premium on top of the current range, which is priced between $62,830 and $87,468.

2. 2024 Lexus GX

Australian confirmation of the 2024 Lexus GX was a huge deal – potentially as momentous as the new Toyota Prado launch – given the large luxury SUV has never been offered in Australia before.

Arriving here in the first half of 2024 – before the Prado on which it’s based – the Lexus GX 550 will be powered by a stump-pulling 3.5-litre twin-turbo petrol V6 (260kW/650Nm – down from 305kW/650Nm in the Lexus LX 600) that will help set it apart from the Prado.

Despite sharing its underpinnings and exterior dimensions with the new Prado, things differ greatly in terms of design inside and out, and naturally the GX is expected to be a much pricier proposition – most likely starting at around $100,000 compared to the Prado’s expected $70,000 entry point.

Because of its US-centric development no diesel engines will be offered, but Lexus will introduce a 2.4-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder hybrid powertrain down the track in the USA – and this could also make its way Down Under in due course.

3. 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe

Hyundai is following the Orinoco Flow right now, updating and changing its design philosophy with a level of certainty and courage that could pay dividends.

Arriving in Australia early in the second quarter of 2024 – around May – the new 2024 Santa Fe ditches its curvy styling for the rugged, boxy look favoured by North American buyers. Speaking of rugged, there’s already a dedicated off-road version already in the works. The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe XRT adds all-terrain tyres, extra body protection and increased ground clearance.

However, Aussie fans of the Santa Fe may be saddened to learn that the 2.2-litre turbo-diesel engine has been nixed, so when the longer and taller large SUV arrives in Australia it’ll be offered exclusively with a range of petrol engines. A 2.5-litre turbo-petrol engine (207kW/422Nm) is likely to be the mainstay.

Like most new models hitting the market in 2024, expect pricing to increase over the current model’s $46,050-$69,550 range.

4. 2024 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport

Australia will be one of the first global markets to receive the next-generation 2024 Pajero Sport, which has a strong chance of sneaking into Oz late in 2024 since Mitsubishi said it would follow the new Triton ute on which it’s based by 12 months.

The all-new 2024 Pajero Sport will almost certainly pack the Triton’s more powerful and more efficient 2.4-litre turbo-diesel engine (now with 150kW/470Nm outputs), matched to the eight-speed auto already in the current model (but not the new Triton), which should see towing capacity rise to 3500kg.

Expect to see the brand’s Super Select II 4x4 system make the jump from Triton to Pajero Sport too, along with a locking rear diff and plenty of ground clearance to facilitate off-roading. Other changes are likely to mirror the Triton, with improvements to the infotainment to include a bigger, more advanced 9.0-inch central touch-screen and a 7.0-inch digital instrument display.

Pricing remains unknown at present but given some Triton models have risen by $10,000, the Pajero Sport may no longer be a bargain-priced seven-seat family SUV.

5. 2024 GWM Tank 500

China’s answer to the Toyota Prado hasn’t been officially confirmed for Australia yet, but carsales understands the seven-seat family SUV is almost certain to launch in Australia in 2024, priced at least $10,000 below its Toyota rival.

Following ADR approval from the government late in 2023, the upper-large SUV looks set to deliver a premium interior fit-out with genuine off-road chops.

The 2024 GWM Tank 500 is also big unit, its 5078mm length making it bigger than the both the Toyota Prado and LandCruiser 300 Series, and entry-level Tank 500 models are likely to be powered by a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol hybrid powertrain (258kW/615Nm) – the same engine as recently tested in the GWM Tank 300 Hybrid – but there’s also a butch V6 turbo-petrol hybrid powertrain (300kW/750Nm).

We’ve already driven it in China and we expect to test on local soil in the first few months of 2024.

6. 2024 Kia Sorento

While the 2024 Kia Sorento looks like an all-new family SUV, it’s actually an all-embracing facelift that will improve the award-winning large SUV from early 2024. As well as brandishing a fresh new look front and rear, it benefits from significant interior updates including next-generation curved digital screens for front occupants.

Top-spec GT-Line models get twin 12.3-inch digital screens joined at the hip for a super-wide-screen look and feel, while other high-tech upgrades include the fitment of a fingerprint authentication.

The upgraded Sorento misses out on new engine options, sticking with the same petrol, diesel, hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains as the current model. Expect to see reasonable price rises over the existing model’s $47,650-$81,080 positioning.

7. 2024 Skoda Kodiaq

Set to arrive in Australia by late 2024, the new-generation Skoda Kodiaq promises to bring a higher level of European luxury and convenience to the large SUV segment in Australia – but the advanced hybrid tech offered overseas won’t be offered locally.

The large seven-seat SUV’s headline powertrain is a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol hybrid set-up, which has a decent 25kWh battery pack that delivers an impressive 100km EV driving range and plenty more when switching to petrol power.

Instead, Aussie versions of the new 2024 Skoda Kodiaq will be powered exclusively by a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine worth 150kW.

8. 2024 Subaru Forester

One of Australia’s more popular mid-size SUVs has been completely renewed – but you wouldn’t know it from 50 paces away. Indeed, the exterior design is more evolution than revolution, but given that Subaru owners are some of the most loyal new-car buyers, it probably won’t matter one iota.

Arriving in Australia in the second half of 2024, the new sixth-generation Forester is longer and wider than its predecessor but looks like soldiering on with the same 2.5-litre flat four-cylinder engine in current models (134kW/241Nm), with slightly less power but a bit more torque.

Headline features include a modernised interior centred around a big 11.6-inch portrait-style touch-screen – the same one seen in the latest Subaru Outback and WRX. The Japanese brand’s EyeSight safety system has been upgraded as well.

9. 2024 Mazda CX-80

First it was the mid-size CX-60, then came the large CX-90 and in 2024 the Mazda CX-80 will make its Australia debut, essentially replacing the now-axed Mazda CX-8.

A stretched version of the narrow-body Mazda CX-60, the large SUV from Japan will offer seven seats and won’t be as expensive as the wide-body CX-90, which tops out above $100,000 before on-road costs.

The upmarket three-row Mazda SUV will be packing the same 3.3-litre turbocharged inline six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines as seen in other CX models. The AWD CX-80 is also expected to offer a (four-cylinder) plug-in hybrid powertrain.

10. 2024 Volkswagen Touareg

Although it won’t attract as many buyers as the new Toyota Prado, the new-generation 2024 Volkswagen Touareg is already generating a lot of buzz among the VW faithful. Arriving in Australia in March, the next Touareg sports a sophisticated new exterior design and a more premium cabin fit-out.

Indeed, the Touareg is the German brand’s flagship SUV and comes with a massive 15-inch central touch-screen to match.

Along with the beefed-up digital screens – including a 12-inch instrument display – the upgraded large SUV will bring upgraded USB-C ports that pump out 45 Watts (up from 15W), which will please passengers who want faster smartphone charging.

Several model grades will once again be offered locally and five powertrains are in the mix globally, including a big and burly 340kW plug-in hybrid system for the Touareg R flagship, which will finally come Down Under as part of the facelifted SUV range.

Honourable mentions:
Lexus LBX – H1 2024
MINI Countryman – Q3 2024
SsangYong Torres – mid-2024
Chery Tiggo 8 – late 2024

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