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AUDI Q5 DRIVES UP TO THE AUTO HOLY GRAIL

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Could it be that auto giant Audi has grasped the Holy Grail of the industry with its most popular vehicle, the Q5? The most desirable, yet elusive, automotive properties claimed by the Q5 plug-in petrol / electric hybrid – outstanding performance coupled with miserly fuel consumption – stand as the chalice of Arthurian legend. The new Q5 55 TFSI e quattro S line showcases the manufacturer’s expertise in electrification and highly efficient internal combustion engine technology with a claimed sprint from zero to 100 km/h in a sizzling 5.3 seconds,… Read more

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FUTURISTIC HYUNDAI STARIA IS A REAL HEADER-TURNER

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Both come with a strikingly futuristic look with a steeply sloping front with a wide body-coloured radiator grille flanked by low-set LED headlights and a full-width horizontal LED strip above comprising a centre lamp and daytime running lights. Comparisons have been drawn to the now-defunct Space Shuttle. Both Staria models are engineered from the ground up on a dedicated platform shared with the Santa Fe. We’ll cover the Staria Load in another review and focus on the people mover here STYLING While it may polarise opinions, the Staria certainly has… Read more

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JEEP TAKES THE ALTERNATIVE TRAIL

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The Jeep Wrangler has changed direction, with the off-road icon, among other things, turning its back on bitumen soft-roading to step up in the rough with more pulling power at low revs. For the 2024 Wrangler, the Pentastar V6 engine has been retired in favour of a turbocharged four-cylinder motor, the latter forgoing 9 kW of power in favour of 53 Nm more torque and better fuel economy. Towing capacity remains unchanged at 2495 kg for a braked trailer. The MY24 Wrangler comes in four variants, all cheaper and with… Read more

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KIA CERATO IS WELL-EQUIPPED AND KEENLY PRICED

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Launched here in 2004, the small Cerato hatch or sedan has been one of Kia’s biggest sellers, often sharing the Australian sales podium alongside Toyota Corolla, Hyundai i30 and Mazda3. The current, fourth generation, Cerato has been on sale here since 2018 with an upgrade in 2021 adding new tech features as well as the fresh new Kia logo. The next generation Cerato is due early in 2025 but it will be given a name change, adopting the global name of K4. Let’s hope that Kia doesn’t face the same… Read more

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UPDATED GENESIS GV80 NOW COMES AS A (SORT OF)  COUPE

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Genesis has unveiled the upgraded range of its GV80 SUV and added a coupe variant to the range. You may well ask how a tall-boxy five-door SUV can merge with a low-slung two-door coupe. It certainly takes a bit of imagination. Think of it as an SUV hatchback cross and it makes more sense. But, what’s in a name? Genesis says the SUV/Coupe concept combines the practicality of an SUV with the dynamism of a sports car. Of perhaps greater interest, the Coupe represents a preview of bigger things to… Read more

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MINI ACEMAN SET TO CHALLENGE CHINESE EVs

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MINI Australia has announced details of its all-new Aceman fully-electric subcompact crossover SUV set to go on sale here in the fourth quarter of 2024. Aceman is MINI’s smallest SUV and its second EV after the recently-released Countryman SE. Built by Spotlight Automotive at its Jiangsu plant in China, Aceman is a joint venture between BMW and Great Wall Motor. The vehicle architecture of the new crossover model is based on a purely electric drive concept. At 4.07 metres long,1.75 metres wide and 1.5 metres high, Aceman will be positioned… Read more

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GREAT WALL EXTENDS THE RANGE OF ITS CANNON

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Great Wall Motor (GWM) has provided details of its largest vehicle to date the Cannon Alpha ute. Due here around mid-2024 the Alpha will be available with a choice of hybrid or diesel powertrains, potentially making it the first ute in Australia to offer a full hybrid powertrain. The addition of the Alpha will be the GWM’s sixth electric vehicle, joining Jolion Hybrid, H6 Hybrid, Tank 300 Hybrid, Tank 500 Hybrid & Ora EV. The range-topping 2.0-litre turbo petrol hybrid engine offers combined outputs of 255kW and 648Nm of torque… Read more

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NEXT GENERATION HONDA ACCORD ON SALE NOW

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Honda Accord has come a long way since it first arrived in Australia in 1977 as, believe it or not, a 1.6-litre three-door hatchback. As well as growing in size over the years Accord has also grown in quality and is now bordering on luxury status but without the luxury price tag of its German rivals. Previous models came with the option of a station wagon body but the SUV invasion quickly put paid to that. Honda has now released details of the latest, 11th generation, Accord. It’s longer and… Read more

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LEXUS ES300h SPORTS LUXURY

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The growth in SUV sales has seen a corresponding decline in demand for traditional four-door sedans. In the case of Lexus only two of the latter have survived, the company’s flagship luxury LS and the medium-large family ES. The ES comes with the choice of the ES250 powered by a 2.5-litre petrol engine with outputs of 152 kW and 243 Nm names ES250, and the E300h with a 131 kW/221 Nm Atkinson Cycle petrol engine combined with a 88 Kw / 202 Nm electric motor for a total of 160kW…. Read more