The most popular new car reviews of 2018

Let it not be said that 2018 was a quiet year at WhichCar.com.au. Over the course of 12 months, our army of expert journalists published an incredible 685 new car reviews.

Some cars we were happy to give back, others we struggled to hand over the keys and, in a handful of cases, returning the car was so traumatic that the author bought one of their own.

It’s fascinating to see the articles you – our readers – found most interesting and useful. Just one passenger car review featured among nine SUV and ute stories in the top ten. Here are the most popular car reviews of 2018.

With more than 24,000 sets of eyes reading our number-one review, the Mitsubishi Outlander generated a significant amount of attention. And the Japanese go-anywhere SUV is not just popular on our web pages.

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As one of the few mid-sized models to offer seven seats and some compelling value deals, the model is popular with buyers too and ranks eighth in overall mid-sized SUV sales this year.

Second and third places are occupied by the universally popular Toyota Landcruiser. When 4x4 got its hands on a mean looking customised version of the 200 Series, you flocked to see its intimidating front end, heavily modified chassis and tuned turbo V8.

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And it’s the same story for the venerable Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series, which sits in third place. Its core design has remained essentially unchanged for decades, but that doesn’t stop Australians admiring and buying the boxy Landcruiser in droves. Could it be the most Australian car that isn’t actually Australian?

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After a period of lacklustre sales and ailing popularity, Honda needed a saviour model and it got it in 2015 in the form of the Honda HR-V small SUV. Sustained strong sales and interest in the little high-rider since its launch has kept a steady stream of readers coming to this range review ever since, placing it in fourth position.

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It might be ranked fifth, but our Kia Cerato range review is the only one in the top ten to feature a passenger model. Australians love the small hatchback and sedan from South Korea for its familiar nameplate, dependability and value package.

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Can you believe the first Subarus available in Australia were sold out of farm machinery retailers? Since then, the Japanese brand has come a long way and part of its popularity is thanks to the most off-road focused model of its portfolio – the Subaru Forester.

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Even though a look back at the best four-wheel drives of the ages was published in 2015, it continues to be one of our most popular reviews and was the seventh most viewed in 2018. Have a browse of the most influential all-terrain vehicles and see which ones you would add to that list from the new hardware that’s emerged in the ensuing three years.

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Another Mitsubishi review is placed eighth, highlighting the strong Australian audience for the Japanese brand. The Mitsubishi Triton continues to offer a comprehensively well rounded one-tonne ute that acts as the tradie’s workhorse in the week and family wagon on the weekend.

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In the depths of winter and in response to unprecedented demand for dual-cab utes, we arranged a one-tonner mega test that brought together nine dual-cab ute models from all price ranges and brand representatives. Read which one reigned king of the hill here and you might be surprised at the results.

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Speaking of popular brands, Mazda is somewhat of an anomaly in Australia with an incredibly high number of sales per capita when compared with other global regions – including its native Japan. It should come as no surprise that its second best seller made it into the top ten reviews of 2018, with this Mazda CX-5 range review.

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