The week that was: Le Mans wrap-up, EOFY specials and Australia's best value cars

I just got back from Europe where I watched Toyota win the 87th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. What a race, and what incredible dominance by EV-obsessed Toyota, whose two cars were fastest in practice, qualified 1-2 for the race, then crossed the line first and second – but in the wrong order! If Toyota can bring that kind of dominance to its Gazoo performance road car arm, look out AMG, quattro and BMW M!

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Back in Australia, WhichCar’s end of financial year coverage deepened with this round-up of EOFY specials, we identified seven cars that fall below the $30K write-off cap, and took an in-depth look at claiming car expenses on your tax return.

We also published our video reviews of the new Mazda 3 hatchback, the Lexus UX baby crossover, and put five new SUVs together to find the best mid-size family SUV in Australia (hint: It’s not a Mazda). We also anointed our best value sedan and best value performance car, and looked at three ‘little brother’ sports cars that offer almost as much bang as their big brothers for a lot less buck.

We learned that the Mercedes-Benz X-Class has been recalled due to a faulty operator’s manual, and that the new Chevrolet Camaro ZL1’s standard Goodyear tyres are good enough for Australia. We spoke to Genesis boss Manfred Fitzgerald about how this luxury upstart plans to leapfrog its German rivals and become the new world standard in luxury cars.

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We took a look at some new cars that are a steal if you wait for the depreciation beast to take huge bites out of their resale value, and we discovered it’s sometimes illegal for passengers to use mobile phones. Oh, and some enterprising American lady turned a brand new Tesla Model 3 into a ute. Now here’s an electric car Australians can surely relate to…

Last weekend we aired the 20th and last episode of WhichCar TV, Season 1. If you missed any of the segments, they’re all online at WhichCar.com.au/TV, so enjoy!