Top 5 SUVs to look for in 2020 - Malaysia

Have you been planning to buy a brand-new SUV but haven’t made your decision yet? Well, if you have waited till the end of the year, perhaps, waiting a bit longer wouldn’t hurt because there are various SUVs which are expected to be launched in Malaysia in 2020. Here are the top 5 names to keep an eye out for next year.

Audi RS Q8

We already have the Audi Q8 in Malaysia. It was launched in March 2019 and is undoubtedly one of the best SUVs available in the country. However, in 2020, we might have an even better version of the Q8 in the form of the RS Q8! It is the RS badge that has all the magic.

Audi revealed its sportier RS Q8 at the 2019 LA Auto Show in California earlier this year. Thanks to the RS-specific kit which includes features like a single-frame front grille, tinted Matrix LED headlights, RS rear spoiler, and whatnot, the RS Q8 is a totally different car from its sibling.

The main highlight of the Audi RS Q8 has to be the engine. It is powered by a massive 4.0-litre bi-turbo V8 engine that churns out a whopping 600 PS of power and 800 Nm of torque. These are some crazy figures even for an SUV. The RS Q8 can do 0-100 km/h in just 3.8 seconds and 0-200 km/h in 13.7 seconds!

Mitsubishi Pajero Sport

At present, Mitsubishi Malaysia only has the Triton, Outlander, and ASX available in Malaysia. However, we are expecting to see a new name gets added to its product line-up for 2020. It would be the highly popular Mitsubishi Pajero Sport.

The new Pajero Sport made its debut in Thailand in July this year. Mitsubishi has worked upon various aspects of the SUV to make it more lined up with the rest of its global products. To begin with, the new Pajero Sport now gets Mitsubishi’s latest Dynamic Shield design language,

which we have already seen in cars like the Triton and Xpander, that takes care of the SUV’s aesthetics. Some of the key interior features of the new SUV are 8-in infotainment system, new instrument cluster, 12-in display at the rear, soft-touch materials, etc.

Driving the new Pajero Sport would be a 2.4-litre 4-cylinder turbodiesel engine that produces 181 PS of max power and 430 Nm of torque. It would be mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission. There would also be 2WD and 4WD options. As for the pricing, the new Mitsubishi Pajero Sport is expected to cost around RM 220,000.

Haval H9

Bringing something new to the table in 2020 would be the Chinese car manufacturer Haval. Haval teased its new H9 SUV on its Facebook page earlier this year. In fact, it was back in 2018 when we became acquainted with the H9 for the first time and it was supposed to be launched here in Malaysia in mid-2018. Unfortunately, that never happened. However, we are hoping Haval would take things seriously and bring its H9 in the country in 2020.

Haval H9 is a large SUV with a very prominent front grille. Its design might not ignite that much attention as some of its rivals but maybe Haval has focussed more on practicality than aesthetics.

Under the hood would be a 2.0-litre GW4C20 turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol engine with 215 bhp of max power and 324 Nm of torque. For handling off-road duties, it would also get an AWD system having Auto, 4L, 2H, and 4H modes. We are expecting to see 3 variants of the H9 being launched in 2020 with a starting price of around RM 125,000.

Borgward BX7

Borgward doesn’t have a huge presence in Malaysia. It only has a single product to offer - the BX5 which was launched earlier this year. Now, it is being anticipated that Borgward is planning to expand its product line-up and would be bringing the BX7 in the country next year. Borgward has also opened up a brand-new showroom in Glenmarie.

Borgward BX7 is like an elder sibling of the BX5. It looks very similar to the BX5 just bigger in dimensions. We think it has a somewhat neutral design; it doesn’t excite us nor we are disgusted by it. However, we do think that it has borrowed various design cues from different cars. Can you spot those features?

The Borgward BX7 would be powered by a 2.0-litre engine with 224 PS of max power and 300 Nm of torque. The same engine also handles duties in the BX5. Borgward might price the BX7 somewhere in the RM 107,000 - RM 110,000 range.

Subaru Forester GT Edition

Subaru Forester GT Edition was previewed in Singapore last month during the Subaru Palm Challenge. It has been built by the creative minds at an engineering company Giken and with the contribution of former Subaru chief designer Masahiko Kobayashi who has designed various generations of the Impreza and Legacy, the current WRX and WRX STI.

As the name suggests, the Subaru Forester GT Edition is a sportier version of the Forester. It is based on the range-topping 2.0i-S EyeSight variant and gets numerous sporty elements like deeper side skirts, black tailgate spoiler, 18-in two-tone alloy wheels with GT-badged centre caps, redesigned leather upholstery, a new touchscreen head unit with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality and a 360-degree camera system.

What hasn’t changed is the 2.0-litre naturally-aspirated engine under the hood. It churns out 156 PS of max power and 196 Nm of torque and is mated to aLineartronic CVT and comes with a Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system. It is being anticipated that the Subaru Forester GT Edition would find its way into Malaysia in the first quarter of 2020.

These were the top 5 SUVs that would be launched in Malaysia in 2020. Out of these, which one would you wait for?

Also Read: Borgward BX7: What to expect?