Things are looking good for the new year. Here are our five new cars to watch out for during 2013.

RANGE ROVER IV

With weight savings of up to 420kg - that's almost four Jeremy Clarksons - the new Range Rover is as quick with six cylinders as the current model is with eight. It will also cost more, but is likely to be worth it.

MAZDA 6

It's already a top seller in the sedan and wagon business, but the new car with advanced petrol and turbodiesel engines is likely to set the cat among the pigeons in the mid-sized family and fleet business.

MITSUBISH MIRAGE

An old name returns with his wee fellow, a three-cylinder, 1.2-litre, five- door, five seater with all the fruit and CVT for under $19,000. It could be a good year for Mitsubishi with this on top of the new Outlander.

TOYOTA RAV

Longer, wider, lower and more spacious, the archetypal light SUV is relaunched in early 2012 with two and four-wheel-drive options, a choice of petrol and diesel, and a posher interior.

NISSAN ALTIMA

We'll see this new Nissan on racetracks next year as the latest entry in the Aussie V8 Supercars, and the new showroom model, a 2.4-litre four, will be the company's first mid-sized sedan here for years.

- © Fairfax NZ News