Can you guess what’s the most viewed one?
Doing car reviews, we have a unique opportunity to track developments and trends in the automotive industry first-hand. We can see how perception is shifting, how trends bud and develop, how manufacturers respond to them and how all that shapes future direction and development.
Moreover, being a channel that is mainly focused on ‘regular’ cars, we get the opportunity to speak to a very large audience. In simple terms, while testing a supercar against an F1 car on the track would be immensely fun to do and watch, the real-world side of most people will be more interested in the latest Kia Carnival or Suzuki Vitara.
While older videos have had more time to accumulate views, you may be surprised to learn that the most common videos in the top 20 are 2-3 years old, including the most viewed one.
Speaking of which, while all the other most viewed videos go in line with the market trends, the most viewed one is in a class of its own.
So, let’s have a look at the top 5 list.
SUVs with lots of space have been popular for decades now and the Patrol is among the longest standing names. This more spacious segment of the market is also represented past the top 5 in the likes of the Toyota Prado. This segment of the market seems destined to stay popular, but it is giving a large chunk of the sales figures to the segment whose representative we see at position 4.
Yep, it’s the compact SUV segment that is taking over the market by storm. The Honda CR-V is a great car in all its generations, coming with famed reliability and solid build quality, albeit a bit more reserved design. The CR-V obviously has buyers who appreciate the familiarity of the brand and the model and this is also reflected in the views.
However, the CR-V has more accolades to enjoy. Compact and subcompact SUVs are all the rage and it seems that there are but a few specialized manufacturers who don’t offer at least one model that will fit within these segments of the market. Sitting strongly at number 4, the CR-V is obviously held in very high regard by the crowd. Past the top 5, this segment also has many representatives among our top viewed vides in the likes of the stunning latest Hyundai Tucson, the previous ix35, 2019 Suzuki Vitara and even the less common but obviously popular Mahindra XUV500.
The oldest review of the top 5 introduces yet another mid-size SUV that actually has respectable space inside. Yes, it did have a lot of time to build up the view count, but even the newer versions are very popular. And for all the right reasons. Hyundai has made huge steps in the right direction with many of its models and the latest Santa Fe is a great example of this. Still, it is good to remember that even before the recent leap, Hyundai fared pretty well with the buyers.
Some other examples past the top 5 include the Isuzu MU-X and the luxurious Range Rover Sport, the difference in the target market for these two just further emphasizing the scope of the SUV segment.
But, not all hope is gone for the
Yep, a good old hatchback to break the SUV mould. It is an older model, so it had time to ramp up views, but we are yet to find an i30 video that is performing badly. The newer versions are also extremely popular and with the Elantra becoming the i30 Sedan and the sporty i30N that easily competes with the giants like the Golf GTI, the i30 is obviously here to stay.
And it is not the only one. Past the top 5, at position 6 in fact, we see the Mazda 3 and a bit after it the Suzuki Swift and the Toyota Corolla. Yes, SUVs are all the rage, but hatchbacks seem here to stay and we’re pleased that is so.
Honourable Mentions
Before we reveal the top pick, we need a few honourable shout outs for representatives of the market segments that did not make it to the top 5, but that are still highly regarded by our viewers. These include UTEs and people movers, both of which are very popular in Australia and have lots of views. The most popular UTE among our reviews is the Ford Ranger Raptor, followed by the Landcruiser 70, Nissan Navara and Isuzu D-Max.
In terms of people movers, the top position goes to the Kia Carnival by a large margin and for all the right reasons. While it hasn’t been the most stylish creation very often, it is consistently among the best choices if not the very best for anyone looking for something that can carry many people in reasonable comfort.
Lastly, we need to mention the car that sits at position 7 and that proudly defends the sedan fortress – 2014 Volvo S60. We have other, more recent popular sedan videos that are gaining views quickly, these being some Genesis models, for example, but it is obvious that sedans are losing the market battle to SUVs. For this reason, kudos to the brave S60.
Now to the top pick!
With more than double the views of the i30 that follows, the Jimny is by far the most popular review on our website, despite its relatively young age. And it is not some quirk; it is genuinely that good at what it is supposed to be.
In the era when a good old AWD sedan is often more capable off-road than a small SUV, the Jimny offers an amazing combination of ability, agility, heritage and value. It is a proper off-road SUV that you can take well off the beaten track and feel equally comfortable with in the city. The Jimny comes with a huge heritage and an awesome reputation, both of which are well deserved. Good job, Suzuki.
The final word
So, what did we learn, aside from the thing we all knew which is that SUVs are taking over the industry?
First of all, many luxury cars reviews also have lots of views, but they cannot compete with more affordable models. We do have very popular Genesis SUV models, as well as large Land Rovers with lots of views, but not even close to the popularity of a Hyundai Tucson, not to mention the Jimny. Many of us car people watch reviews for the fun of it, but, apparently, most people still watch them to research the model they are interested in.
Secondly, our market is still far from accepting electrification. We have reviewed a number of electric and hybrid models and even the hydrogen fuel cell Nexo. They get great response from enthusiasts, but the general public in Australia is still not at the point of buyers elsewhere when it comes to electrification. Much of this is due to the lack of government incentives that keeps electric cars at a higher price bracket. Let’s hope that changes soon.
Lastly, that Jimny is just so damn awesome.
