SEAT Leon X-Perience is a high-riding Leon ST Crossover

SEAT goes butch with the SEAT Leon X-Perience. SEAT seems to be launching the Leon X-Perience as a precursor to the arrival of a proper SEAT SUV in a year or two to get buyers used to the idea that SEAT can produce butch crossovers. That said, the SEAT Leon X-Perience is a valid standalone model – much in the mould of cars like Audi’s Allroad, the Citroen C5 CrossTourer and VW Passat Alltrack – as a butched-up estate car with some off-road pretensions and better equipped to deal with the urban jungle too.

2012 Toyota Land Cruiser V8 revealed

2012 Toyota Land Cruiser V8 revealed in Japan Toyota has revealed the facelift for the 2012 Land Cruiser V8 in Japan. The European version will debut in Brussels next month. Just to be clear, it’s the Toyota Land Cruiser V8 that’s had a facelift and appeared in Japan, not the smaller Land Cruiser we also have in the UK (which gets called the Land Cruiser Prado in other markets).

Mazda Kazamai preview

As we reported in June, Mazda has now confirmed it will unveil a compact crossover vehicle concept at the Moscow International Automobile Salon on 26 August. Called the Kazamai, which means "swirling crosswinds" in Japanese, the new vehicle is the sixth concept to employ Mazda's evolving 'Nagare' design language. The car's lines, inspired by crosswinds in nature, are claimed to evoke visual lightness, while its aerodynamic proportions accentuated by its bold front wheelarches and sleek roof line gives the design an emotional appeal.