New cars at the 2010 Sydney Motor Show

Whether you can't make it to Sydney to see the show, aren't sure whether admission is worth AU$20 or are just curious, here's a look at the cars on display at the 2010 Sydney Motor Show that will soon be heading for showrooms across the nation.

The Polo-sized luxury car goes on sale in early 2011 and will initially come with just one engine (a 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine), with either a six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

Standard features include six airbags and stability control, while the company's MMI entertainment and navigation system, as well as a suite of customisation options (some of which are pictured above) are available at an extra cost.

Two trim levels will be available: the Attraction, which kicks off from AU$29,990; and the Ambition, which starts from AU$32,650. The dual-clutch transmission adds AU$2350 to the price. All prices are inclusive of GST, but exclude dealer and statutory charges.

Utility vehicles that do double duty as business workhorses and leisure vehicles have been an Australian speciality since the early 1900s. So, it's no surprise that Ford HQ tasked Australia with developing its new Ranger ute, which will be sold in 180 markets worldwide. Unfortunately, the car won't be made in Australia; our cars will be built in Thailand.

The car on show misses out on passenger car niceties, like sat nav, but does come with a full set of airbags and can be specified with reversing sensors and a six-speed automatic transmission.

Having just made its world debut at the 2010 Sydney Motor Show, the company has yet to release specifications and pricing for the new Ranger. Three engines have been revealed so far: four- and five-cylinder turbo-diesels, and a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol.

If the Ranger is a bit too butch for you, Mazda will also sell a mechanically-similar BT-50 that's been visually tweaked to fit in with the corporate Mazda look.

Not long after its debut at the Paris Motor Show, the smallest Range Rover ever, the Evoque, has landed in Sydney. The car goes on sale late in 2011, with a five-door model available somewhere down the line.

Note: photo taken at the 2010 Paris Motor Show.

The Evoque will come with a choice of four-cylinder petrol and turbo-diesel engines. Front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive versions will be available.

Note: photo taken at the 2010 Paris Motor Show.

The Evoque's interior is clad in leather and plastic trim that feels suitably upmarket. Like recent Jaguars, the Evoque features a pop-up dial that controls the automatic transmission.

Note: photo taken at the 2010 Paris Motor Show.

For many this will be the first chance to see the upgraded Commodore range. Visual differences are quite minor: new headlights, grilles, wheels, badging, boot lip and the like.

Under the bonnet, though, the changes are more significant with the 3-litre V6 and V8 engines now compatible with E85 fuel.

Visual changes are more easily spotted on HSV's range of hotted up Commodores.

All members of the Commodore family now come fitted with a new touchscreen entertainment system, dubbed Holden iQ. This system (depending on the model) can be had with internal storage to store ripped CDs, a USB interface, reversing camera and navigation. On HSV models it comes fitted with data-logging equipment that can store your lap times, g-forces and the like.

The current Patrol has been on sale for quite a while now, but the new Patrol on display at the Sydney Motor Show won't be on sale until 2011 at the earliest, with right-hand drive production yet to commence.

From its torque-laden 298kW/560Nm 5.6-litre V8 and four-wheel drive system to its countless helper systems, including Hydraulic Body Motion Control System and Hill Descent Control, the Patrol is meant for serious off-roading.

Mind you, tackling the Birdsville track will no doubt leave the lovely leather-clad interior worse for wear. Interior gizmos include a nav system, hard-disk music storage, multi-screen entertainment system and an "around view" camera system.

The updated Falcon GT features the 5-litre V8 that debuted recently in the Mustang, but with an important difference: there's a locally developed supercharger package strapped on.

With its 335kW of power and 570Nm of torque, the new engine package develops more power than the outgoing, heavier 5.4-litre V8. Three models are available (GT, GT-P and GT E), with prices ranging from AU$71,290 to AU$81,450. Prices include GST, but exclude dealer and statutory charges.

The supercharged 315kW/545Nm 5-litre V8 nestled under the GS' bonnet is, according to FPV, faster and more efficient than the outgoing 5.4-litre V8, although the company has yet to quote official figures.

Once marketed on safety alone, Volvo has long since abandoned its styling policy of taking a brick and adding wheels to it. Witness the new S60, which is lithe, sexy and coupe-like.

As expected, the S60 packs a tonne and a half of safety gear, including Pedestrian Avoidance Technology that we recently saw in action.

Note: photo taken at the 2010 Paris Motor Show.

The S60 goes on sale in Australia from December 2010, with variants, such as the V60 wagon (above), to follow down the track.

Note: photo taken at the 2010 Paris Motor Show.

Let's just say that if, at first glance, you mistake Peugeot's RCZ with the Audi TT that you wouldn't be the first. Peugeot badges aside, the RCZ features a distinctive double-bubble roof and rear windscreen, and contrasting roof arch.

Both the 1.6-litre petrol turbo engine and 2-litre turbo-diesel retail for AU$54,990. The car on display at the show is fitted with the optional carbon fibre roof, JBL sound system and 19-inch alloy wheels.

On the inside, the RCZ is decked out in leather, and there's a sound system with USB MP3-player connectivity and Bluetooth hands-free.

About a year after going on sale overseas, the Insight is finally about to arrive on these shores, with sales set to start at the beginning of December 2010.

A 1.3-litre petrol engine is paired up with an electric engine and a continuously variable transmission. In official testing, the Insight drinks just 4.6L/100km and emits 109g of CO2 per kilometre.

While its fuel economy and carbon emissions can't quite match the Toyota Prius, it will retail for considerably less, with prices starting from AU$29,990 including GST, but excluding dealer and statutory charges.

The Polo 77TSI is a cracking drive, so we're salivating at the prospect of a GTI version packing the company's 1.4-litre turbocharged and supercharged engine.

A dual-clutch transmission and stability control will be standard, while swivelling bi-xenon headlights, LED running lights and sports seats will likely grace the options list.

The Polo GTI will be launched late in 2010. We wonder if it will fit inside a Christmas stocking?

The styling recalls the popular CR-X sports hatchback of the 1980s, but with a hybrid twist underneath the bonnet.

A 1.5-litre petrol engine is mated to an electric motor and, in a departure from hybrid car norm, a six-speed manual gearbox.

The car on display at the show has been given a styling makeover courtesy of Honda's in-house tuning arm, Mugen. Run-of-the-mill CR-Zs are due for sale in Australia by the middle of 2011.

Note: photo taken at the 2010 Paris Motor Show.

We've all seen dozens of photos of the SLS AMG painted in various shades of silver and white, but the SLS AMG on display at the Sydney Motor Show is the first and, so far, only to come dressed in matte black with red highlights.

With a 420kW/650Nm 6.3-litre V8, its signature gull-wing doors and extensive use of carbon fibre, the SLS AMG costs a pretty penny. Prices start from AU$464,000 including GST, but excluding dealer and statutory charges.

Ever since the current Impreza generation was launched in 2007, fans have decried the watered down looks of the WRX. With the latest update, Subaru is hoping to silence its critics.

The updated WRX features wider body panels that are also used on the top-of-the-range WRX STI model.

The company's Yaris-fighter has been reborn with a new body. The entry-level 1.2-litre three-cylinder engine sips just 5.9L/100km in official testing and has been awarded five stars by the Australian Government's Green Vehicle Guide website.

Bluetooth hands-free, air conditioning, an auxiliary jack-equipped stereo system, stability control and six airbags are all standard.

Top-of-the-range models come with climate control air-con, reversing sensors and, perhaps betraying the target market, handbag storage. Prices begin from AU$12,990, inclusive of GST, but excluding dealer and statutory charges.

Nissan will start selling its all-electric Leaf in Europe from early 2011 for just a smidge under €30,000 (AU$42,000). The Leaf is due on sale in Australia some time in 2012.

The Leaf is powered with an 80kW/280Nm electric engine that's limited to a top speed of 140km/h. Range is estimated to be 160km and the navigation system features an easy-to-access list of nearby charging points or Better Place battery swap stations.

For more information, check out the in-depth Leaf preview and photo gallery.

Do you like the looks of the regular A8, love its interior trim and gadgets, but find it, somehow, squeezy in the back? Well fret no more, Audi will soon offer an extended wheelbase version of its A8 limousine.

The A8L is 13cm longer than the regular version and will be launched in Q1 of 2011.

Since the release of the Soul and Sportage, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Kia's new mid-size sedan is dripping with loads of individual style.

The interior, as we've noted before, has a certain Saab-like feel.

Note: photo taken at the 2010 Paris Motor Show.

The new Optima is due to go on sale at the beginning of 2011, and Kia will release pricing and specifications around that time.

Note: photo taken at the 2010 Paris Motor Show.

It's not quite as exciting as the new Optima, but the Cerato is smart looking and comes with Bluetooth hands-free and keyless entry as standard.

With the regular CT200h having made its debut in Paris a few weeks ago, Lexus Australia had the honour of giving the F Sport version its worldwide debut.

The F Sport package doesn't inject any more power into the CT200h's hybrid drivetrain. So, while the combined power output from the 1.8-litre petrol engine and electric motor stays at 100kW, the sportier version gains tweaked suspension, a more aggressive body kit, new alloy wheels and unique interior trim bits.

There are three driving modes available: eco, normal and sport. The latter not only improves steering feedback and drivetrain responsiveness, but it also lights up the instrument panel a sinister shade of red and replaces the drivetrain gauge with a tachometer. The CT200h is set for release in the first half of 2011.

For those who have waited for a lustier, but not completely bezerk, IS sedan, the 233kW IS350 is a dream come true. Available shortly, the 3.5-litre V6 IS will start from AU$64,800.

The handsomely-styled Swift turned around Suzuki's fortunes, and for the latest generation the company hasn't tinkered with the formula too much.

Note: photo taken at the 2010 Paris Motor Show.

The interior seems to be a shrunk down version of the one found in the Kizashi. The new Swift will walk into dealerships in the first half of 2011. Specifications and pricing will be announced closer to then.

Note: photo taken at the 2010 Paris Motor Show.

This new tall-body hatch slots in beneath the regular Daewoo-sourced Barina.

The interior features an instrument cluster designed to look like a motorcycle's.

Available with a 49kW/107Nm 1.2-litre four-cylinder engine, the Barina Spark drinks 5.6L/100km and has earnt a five-star rating from the Federal Government's Green Vehicle Guide website.

Better late than never, the distinctive Yeti small four-wheel drive is due to arrive on Australian shores some time in 2011.

Pricing and specification levels have yet to be announced, but the Yeti will be available in front-wheel drive form with a 1.2-litre petrol turbo and in four-wheel drive guise with a 2-litre turbo-diesel.

In Europe, Skoda is seen as the Volkswagen Group's value-for-money brand. That view has yet to take hold in our market.

Named after one of Renault's most celebrated engineers, Amedee Gordini, this special edition of the Clio Renault Sport features sportier suspension, streaming Bluetooth audio, USB support and Brembo brakes.