I’ve just hopped off a plane from the United States, and I’m jealous.
Australia is an incredibly crowded car market, with more than 60 brands competing for a slice of a very small sales pie, but we still miss out on a lot of the most exciting metal on offer in the USA.
From small, sporty sedans to oversized electric pickup trucks, here are the five cars I saw on American roads I’d most like to see Down Under.
Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing
Manual, rear-wheel drive super sedans with V8 engines are incredibly rare in 2023, but Cadillac hasn’t given up just yet.
The CT5-V Blackwing is the internal-combustion flagship for Cadillac’s passenger car range in the USA, with a supercharged 6.2-litre V8 engine under the hood pumping out 498kW and 893Nm.
Forget about all-wheel drive, the Blackwing is rear-wheel drive only. Although there’s a 10-speed automatic on offer, the six-speed manual is the one enthusiasts crave most.
GM estimates a 0-60mph (0-96km/h) time of 3.7 seconds with the automatic transmission and a top speed of over 200mph (321km/h).
Inside, it looks suitably modern. Just because the drivetrain is old-fashioned doesn’t mean the whole car needs to be a dinosaur.
I only saw one CT5-V Blackwing in person, but I immediately knew what it was… and that I wanted one. Come on GMSV, give us the HSV GTS replacement we deserve.
Ford Maverick
The Maverick, like the Hyundai Santa Cruz, would slot perfectly into a gap in the Australian market.
For all that’s good about the Ranger, it’s way bigger and way heavier than most people will ever need. It dwarfs the Falcon utes of old, even in traffic controller guise, and drives like a refined truck instead of a car.
The Maverick has a tray with space for weekend warriors to fill with bikes, boards, or potting mix, and it has enough towing capacity to handle a trailer of motorbikes, a jet ski, or even a boat with the right option boxes ticked.
It can do most of the truck stuff the average Ranger or HiLux buyer demands, but without the baggage associated with actually piloting a ladder-frame truck.
A hybrid powertrain good for a claimed 5.9L/100km on the combined cycle is standard, but you can get more grunt and all-wheel drive if that’s what you’re into. Oh, and did we mention you can get one for the equivalent of $26,000 in the USA?
Most of the Mavericks I saw were lower-end models, but even without all the trimmings it’s a cool little truck.
Honda Civic Si
Honda has recently undergone a significant change in Australia, shrinking its volumes as part of the shift from a traditional dealership franchise sales model to a fixed-price agency model.
That means the new Civic is something of a rare sight on local roads. With 865 sold in 2022, it’s significantly rarer than the Volkswagen Golf (3223 sales) and Toyota Corolla (25,284) it once went head-to-head with.
In the USA, though? Civics are everywhere, both hatches and sedans, and the best-looking of the lot is the Civic Si.
With 149kW of power and 260Nm of torque, it isn’t going to blow you away with sheer performance. But peak power doesn’t arrive until just 500rpm before the 6500rpm redline, so you need to work it, and the only transmission on offer is a six-speed manual transmission.
Honda manuals are generally some of the slickest in the business, and we’d expect the Si to be no exception.
Given how much Australians love performance cars, the Si seems like a perfect fit. If only it was made in right-hand drive.
Rivian R1T
At risk of being mean to the LDV eT60, this is the electric ute we really want to see Down Under.
The R1T looks incredible in person. It has old-fashioned pickup truck presence, but its surfacing and minimalist lighting make it look far more modern than something like a Ford F-150 or Chevrolet Silverado.
You’re never going to mistake it for anything else on the road, that’s for sure.
The R1T has up to 505km of range from its lithium-ion battery pack, and the quickest model hits 60mph (97km/h) in just 3.0 seconds.
It can wade through water up to 1m deep, and has a payload of 800kg and a 5000kg trailer weight rating. Of course, carrying a load will eat into your range.
Rivian has previously flagged an interest in coming Down Under. Come on guys, make it happen.
Lucid Air
It’s easy to be jaded by the constant flow of new electric vehicles and brands rolling out at the moment, but the Lucid Air stands out from the crowd.
With a handsome design on the outside and a luxurious, spacious interior, it presents as a credible alternative to not only the Tesla Model S, but the Mercedes-Benz EQE and upcoming BMW i5.
You’ll get up to 836km from the Dream Edition Range on a single charge, so its has road trip warriors covered better than any electric vehicle on sale in Australia today, and the range-topping, tri-motor Sapphire hits 60mph in less than two seconds.
The quarter mile flies by in less than nine seconds, and flat out the Sapphire will do more than 320km/h.
Lucid says the Sapphire will be more than a straight-line missile. The rear motors can be independently controlled, so the outside motor can deliver full power while the inside motor regeneratively brakes.
If the CT5-V Blackwing is the ideal sports sedan for old-fashioned enthusiasts, the Lucid Air Sapphire is for the next generation.
