DRIVEN’s top 10 car reviews for 2022: you might be surprised at the most popular cars (one’s a van!) – Reviews

The team at DRIVEN reviews hundreds of cars in a typical year and our testers certainly have their favourites. But more importantly, we watch the readership of individual reviews closely to learn which are favoured by readers.

Last year we published a story outlining our most read reviews of 2021, which has turned out to be  big hit in its own right – one of the top 20 most-read general news/reviews stories overall of this year. To find out which car was top, click on this link (although the picture below might be a clue).

So without further ado, we bring you the 10 most popular new-vehicle reviews of 2022. As expected, there’s a huge appetite for all things electrified, but you might also be surprised at the diversity of the cars in this list. We love that we have an enthusiast audience that’s hungry for knowledge about new technology and trends… but also one that still values old-school fun.

We’d also like to give to give a special mention to our Ultimate HEV, PHEV and BEV guides, which remain a valuable (and always up-to-date) resource if you’re looking to buy any kind of electrified vehicle. We haven’t included them in our top 10 count, because they don’t focus on just one vehicle, but they’re all up there for overall readership in 2022. Take a look below.

And now to the business of new-vehicle reviews. As always, click on the in-story links if you’d like to read the original reviews, or read more around these models.

BYD ATTO 3

The BYD Atto 3, best battery electric vehicle (BEV) in the AA DRIVEN Car of the Year awards for 2022, was also the most read car review of 2022. But with a catch: there are actually two Atto 3 reviews in the list, occupying the number one and two spots.

Top in terms of numbers by some margin was our epic Atto 3 road trip, covering 1000km in a day down the North Island and really putting BEV driving/charging to the test.

Click the link below to see the road-tip story and watch our video.

Read/watch our BYD Atto 3 review

Our initial launch drive of the same car (the very same car we took on the road trip, actually) was the second most read review of 2022. We’re awarding the BYD a single first place here to save shutting out another story, but have a read of that first drive piece here.

TOYOTA COROLLA CROSS

A new Toyota is always a popular story. A new Toyota hybrid is especially popular. A new Toyota hybrid SUV ticks all the boxes, and so it proved for the Corolla Cross.

Read/watch our Toyota Corolla Cross review

The Cross takes the iconic Corolla name into new market segments. It fits neatly between the C-HR and RAV4 models and covers a wide range of specification and pricing levels.

RAM 1500 LIMITED

Nope, it’s not all about EVs and SUVs in the top 10. Massive American-style pickup trucks are a small but significant niche in NZ and the Ram is one of the most established and recognisable.

Read/watch our Ram 1500 Limited review

We actually tested a number of Ram variants in 2021, but the most popular story by far was one of juxtaposition: we took a 1500 mild-hybrid petrol V8 south from Auckland and towed a Volkswagen Beetle back. Hardly felt it, to be honest.

FORD TRANSIT CUSTOM DCiV

It’s not just about utes, either. We spent Christmas 2020-21 in Ford’s Transit Sport double cabin in-van (DCiV) and the story proved hugely popular. What’s a DCiV again? It’s a long-wheelbase Transit, with the Sport’s uprated 136kW turbo diesel engine, and a five-seat cabin with a fixed bulkhead behind.

The ideal cross between a proper working van and a sporty SUV-style family wagon, in other words. And while it’s a big thing to drive around the city, it’s still shorter than a Ranger ute.

FORD RANGER

Okay, it is quite a lot about utes. The Ford Ranger, overall winner of the AA DRIVEN NZ Car of the Year award for 2022, was also one of the biggest news stories of the year. Because it was a new Ranger.

Read/watch our Ford Ranger review

We reviewed several variants of Ford’s one-tonner over the course of the year, including the XLT BiT, Sport V6 and Raptor, but our most popular story was our original launch report and video from Hawkes Bay. Or check out the new Ranger Platinum for 2023, which features the new V6 engine and Ford’s clever Flexible Rack System (FRS).

ASTON MARTIN DBX

Thanks to Covid-19, our time in Aston Martin’s first bespoke SUV was a long time coming. But we finally got a local drive in very late-2021 and our review of the “standard” (is there such a thing with the $330k DBX?) 405kW model carried through into big readership for 2022.

Read our Aston Martin DBX review

We’ve since accumulated quite a bit of other DBX experience, including a review of the super-fast 707 model and even some track time at Hampton Downs, but the original story remains the most popular. We even got it together with a DBS Superleggera coupe for the photo shoot.

MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER PHEV

The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, best plug-in hybrid in the AA DRIVEN NZ Car of the Year awards for 2022, has been a regular on the DRIVEN review pages. It was a highly anticipated model launch in our Clean Car market and we followed it through with a long-term test.

Read our Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV review

It’s one of our long-term reports that’s hit the top 10 here, where we detailed our time with the Outlander – impressed with the luxury feel of the cabin and an excellent EV range that hit 90km on occasion.

MG HS PHEV

Another top 10 story, another PHEV long-termer! MG rose to prominence in Clean Car Discount-dominated NZ with the ZS EV pure-electric SUV, but the larger HS PHEV has also been a real sales star for the brand – which is why we chose it as a long-termer in 2022.

Read our MG HS Plus EV review

Aside from the rather confusing (and misleading) “HS Plus EV” name, we found MG’s PHEV top quality and top value for money with the $5750 rebate considered. A few quirks in the driver-assistance systems, but you can’t argue with MG NZ’s seven-year unlimited km warranty either.

HYUNDAI IONIQ 5 VS KIA EV6

Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 was the most read DRIVEN review of 2021 and a landmark car for the NZ market. So when the Kia EV6 – a different model from a different brand, but built around the same platform and powertrain technology – was launched in 2021, it was only natural to compare them.

Read our Hyundai Ioniq 5 Limited versus Kia EV6 GT-Line review

There are huge similarities and yet also huge differences between them, not least the Hyundai’s SUV packaging and style versus the Kia’s family fastback design. We did pick a winner, though. Which? Read and find out.

CLEAN CARS COMPARED

In an attempt to clearly differentiate the different types of electrified technology vying for your Clean Car Discount dollars, we hit the road in a Toyota C-HR HEV, Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross PHEV and the now-pre-facelift MG ZS EV (BEV) to compare driving styles, running costs and… “filling” protocols.

Read/watch our Clean Cars Compared review

It was an illuminating road trip and a feature video to boot. Also a chance for our team to promote their own preferences. Which is most convincing is up to you. Read/watch, enjoy.