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The cars we wish were sold in Australia in 2020

From beefy, all-American SUVs to under-the-radar wagons and muscle cars – these are the overseas models we crave.


We don't want to sound like we're complaining, but sometimes being a small, far-flung, right-hand-drive country has its downsides.

While being an Australian certainly has some perks (we'd list them but we just keep coming back to Tim Tams, sprinklers slung over Hills Hoists in summer, and outstanding '80s cricket moustaches), it also means we miss out on a bunch of overseas car brands and models we'd rather like to take for a spin.

To see which particular models were eliciting the highest levels of FOMO, we asked our readers for their picks on Facebook and Instagram – and some names popped up more than others.

Overwhelmingly, you were calling for a small handful of the same brands to make their way to our shores. These included US-based performance brand Dodge, Honda luxury division Acura, Volkswagen Group's Spanish subsidiary Seat, and Ford's luxury division Lincoln.

Additionally, a number of models were mentioned by more than one reader on more than one occasion, so we took that as scientific evidence there's an appetite for these models locally and decided to round up all the most popular answers into one list.

Below, the cars from overseas that we'd love to see sold in Australia (in alphabetical order).

Honda's premium marque – which is to Honda as Lexus is to Toyota, or Genesis is to Hyundai – has never made it to Australia, despite proving popular in the US market.

When asked about the decision in the past, Honda chairman Fumihiko Ike has reasoned that Honda's brand presence in Australia and Asian markets is so strong, Acura is simply not needed.

We do, however, feel that we need the RDX – a premium crossover SUV that starts at under US$40,000, offers a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged engine producing 203kW and 380Nm and provides plenty of kit for its price point.


One of the most-mentioned names in responses from our readers was that of the Cadillac's large luxury SUV, the Escalade.

Maybe it's the distinctive looks, the choice of petrol V8 or turbo-diesel inline-six, or perhaps it's the lure of seven or eight seats (or a ridiculous 36 speakers), but this big, brash SUV holds plenty of allure for Australian shoppers, it seems.

Alas, we're unlikely to ever see it on our shores because Caddy doesn't make cars for right-hand-drive. Also, the super-long Escalade ESV might not even fit on a boat.


Turns out you all crave huge SUVs – and Australia's biggest offerings simply aren't big enough. Enter, the Chevrolet Suburban and Chevrolet Tahoe, the US brand's whopping great full-size SUVs.

The 2021 versions of both were unveiled in late 2019, giving buyers the option to have up to nine seats in either car and V8 power as standard on both. The Tahoe measures 5351mm long, while the Suburban measures 5732mm – putting the 5165mm Nissan Patrol to shame.

While neither car is likely to be made available in Australia anytime soon, the Suburban was actually once sold here under the Holden nameplate from 1998 to 2001.


Fast and the Furious fans will be familiar with the particular brand of American muscle cars Dodge churns out – the customised Dodge Charger driven by lead character Dominic Toretto in the movies has a cult-like following.

Now a part of the wider Fiat Chrysler Automobiles group, Dodge was the birthplace of the Ram brand of pickup trucks that have since made their way to Australia, but Dodge itself hasn't been seen here since 2016, when it began making its exit after only offering the Dodge Journey people mover for eight years.

Still, readers are keen to see the Charger and Challenger performance models converted to right-hand-drive for Australia – much like Ford did with its iconic Mustang – as well as Dodge's Durango SUV. We wouldn't say no to the berserk Hellcat V8 engines offered on the Charger and Challenger either.


By far and above the most-mentioned wishlist pick from readers was the F-150, Ford's large pickup offering.

The model is hugely popular in the North American market, where Ford apparently sells one F-Series pickup every 30 seconds.

The 2021 iteration is set for a July reveal, with an all-electric version (previewed as a current model, below) also on the cards for 2022. Given the success of the Ford Ranger in our market, it's likely the bigger, more powerful F-150, which offers six engine choices including a naturally aspirated V8, would find similar success.

A number of readers specifically called for the off-road-ready Raptor variant to come Down Under.


"Big, classy and attractively priced," was how we reviewed Kia's large, seven-to-eight-seater SUV back in November 2019.

Josh Dowling's more recent review declared: "The Kia Telluride looks like the business, is one of the roomiest SUVs available, and will appeal to large families. We just hope Kia can mount a business case to bring it to Australia."

Priced between the Australian dollar equivalents of $50,000 and $70,000 in the US, this could prove a worthy rival to existing offerings like the Mazda CX-9 or Nissan Pathfinder with more room to move than the current seven-seat Sorento.

As for whether it will ever make it to Australia? That's a TBC at this stage – but at least it's not a hard 'no'.


This Russian export hasn't been seen in Australia for more than 20 years, but it's safe to say we'd welcome a return with open arms.

With a very subtle update for 2020 revealed in late 2019, the boxy SUV still skips an infotainment system and a driver's airbag (okay, that could be a problem), but possesses plenty of charm to make up for it.

Sold as the Lada 4x4 in Russia after General Motors claimed rights to the Niva name, the off-roader remains the most affordable SUV available in Russia. We're just not sure how it'd stack up in today's ANCAP safety ratings, but we can certainly guess.


As previously mentioned in this story, Ford's luxury arm, Lincoln, came up more than a few times in reader comments.

The two cars that were specifically name-dropped were the Aviator mid-size SUV and Lincoln's Cadillac Escalade competitor, the large Navigator SUV.

Neither is slated for Australian arrival anytime soon, but the Aviator in particular – with its premium interior and plug-in hybrid powertrain option – could be a smash success here.


We already know Australians love Mercedes-AMG cars and motoring enthusiasts love wagons, so why not combine the two?

With a 450kW, 4.0-litre turbo V8, 670L of boot space and a top speed of 300km/h, the wagon version of the Mercedes-AMG E63 is the fun way to do family hauler.

Sadly, however, we have been denied the option of buying one in Australia – possibly because SUV fervour has somehow made it a niche proposition.

Nevertheless... pretty please, Mercedes-Benz?


Based on the Nissan Navara ute, this seven-seat four-wheel-drive landed in 2018 and is primarily sold in South East Asia, but is unlikely to make it to Australia.

Why? Because the cost to upgrade it to meet local standards is, for now, deemed prohibitively expensive.

"The markets where Terra does exist today are very different from our market and therefore there are also some existing challenges (than) simply... importing them," Nissan Australia boss Stephen Lester told us last year.


Spanish brand Seat sold cars in Australia between 1995 and 1999, but it hasn't been seen here since because, as we've previously reported, Skoda has been deemed the more viable low-price Volkswagen subsidiary in Australia.

Still, that doesn't stop us from craving two of Seat's models – the Ateca SUV and the Leon hatchback and wagon range.

The Ateca is essentially the Spanish Tiguan, while the Leon is a viable Golf challenger – both cars Aussies love.

While they're at it, we'd love parent company Volkswagen to bring Seat's performance brand, Cupra, along for the ride.


The Toyota section of the wishlist was broad and wide-reaching (much like Toyota's grasp on the Australian auto market).

Amongst several requests, the more popular demands included the mid-sized off-road-friendly 4Runner SUV, the iconic Japanese Crown luxury sedan, the large Sequoia SUV, the mid-size Tacoma pickup and, finally, the Tacoma's bigger and more powerful pickup sibling, the Tundra.

Knowing the appetite for Toyota in Australia, they'd all probably perform well here.

Except, perhaps, the Crown... as evidenced by most of the inclusions on this list, SUVs are having a major moment and leaving sedans in their dust. With the glory days of turbo sixes and V8s behind it the 15th-generation Crown range and its range of turbo four-, hybrid four- and hybrid six-cylinder engines might not have the same impact outside of chauffeur drive services as it once did.

Have we missed your favourite overseas model? Let us know in the comments section.

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Susannah Guthrie

Susannah Guthrie has been a journalist for over a decade, covering everything from world news to fashion, entertainment, health and now cars. Having previously worked across titles like The New Daily, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, People Magazine and Cosmopolitan, Susannah now relishes testing family cars with the help of her husband and two-year-old son.

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