Category: News

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ELECTRIFYING NEWS FROM RANGE ROVER

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Following the recent announcement that from 2020 all new Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles will be electrified comes the news that the first such model will arrive in Australia in April next year. The Range Rover Sport PHEV is the British company’s first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. Badged P400e it combines a 221 kW 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine with an 85 kW electric motor. As the two units reach peak power at different times the maximum combined output is 297 kW. Turbo plus electric guarantees plant of grunt – an… Read more

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RED LETTER DAY FOR FERRARI LOVERS

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Tim Schenken is still Australia’s only Ferrari factory driver. Hopefully we will see others in the future

Ferrari has announced that Australia’s only ever Ferrari factory driver, Tim Schenken, Schenken will lead a parade of more than 100 Ferraris from Albert Park, Melbourne’s home of the Formula One Australian Grand Prix, on Tuesday 10th October. He will be at the wheel of a Ferrari 70th Anniversary limited edition LaFerrari Aperta as part of the famed Italian marque’s official 70th anniversary celebrations. Tim Schenken’s Ferrari racing career began in 1971 when he was signed up by Enzo Ferrari in a Monza hotel (where else!) to driver Ferrari sportscars…. Read more

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FORETASTE OF NEW LEXUS LS FLAGSHIP

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The Lexus LS (Luxury Sports) sedan was the first vehicle launched by the then newly created upmarket division of Toyota back in 1990. Despite dire predictions that it could never beat the upmarket Germans and Brits at their own game the Lexus marque has now been operating for almost 30 years. An all-new fifth generation LS flagship sedan is coming to Australia in April 2018. Lexus assures us it will further build on its reputation for smoothness, ride quietness, craftsmanship and attention to detail. New LS is longer and lower… Read more

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HYUNDAI ACCENT UPGRADES

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Though it was only introduced a few months back the Hyundai Accent has now received a makeover. It has a bolder mesh-style front grille with dark chromed surrounds, brighter headlight bezels and a bolder front bumper shape together with a brighter range of exterior colours. Pulse Red and Blue Lagoon bodies make a pleasant change from whites, black and silvers are all the rage at present – though it has to be said Hyundai is also offered in these shades. Hyundai Accent sedan and hatchbacks have new front end styling… Read more

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LDV JOINS THE UTE COMPETITION

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Somewhat bizarrely the pickup truck market continues to dominate sales of new ‘passenger’ vehicles in Australia. Now a new Chinese competitor has arrived to try and grab a share of this lucrative segment, the LDV T60. This is a serious commercial vehicle not a toy truck, the LDV pickup comes as a double-cab, dual-range 4WD. It’s powered by a 2.8-litre turbo-diesel that sits behind either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. Alloy wheels, side steps and roof rails are standard. Luxury features in all models include air conditioning, a… Read more

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NEW ALFA ROMEO STELVIO

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Alfa Romeo is joining everyone else in the automotive world with a new SUV model, its first, called the Stelvio. The Stelvio is named for the Stelvio Pass, one of the world’s famous driving roads. Based on the underpinnings of the Alfa Romeo Q4 all-wheel-drive the Stelvio is instantly recognisable as an Alfa with its huge shield dominated grille. Indeed the Stelvio probably looks more Alfa Romeo than anything else in the Italian marque’s range. Give Italian stylists all the frontal real estate and there’s no way they would deliver… Read more

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2017 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE SRT REVIEW

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The Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT is a bit of a conundrum. A thundering V8 in a hulk of a 4WD designed with who knows what in mind, offering a thrill in a straight line and some competence off the tarmac – it is head shaking stuff. Yet because of all this, rather than in spite of it, the SRT is also decidedly likeable. I’m partial to a V8 despite its impracticality, and the Grand Cherokee SRT offers the sort of value for money and stirring drive that deserves a second… Read more

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LONELY PLANET’S EPIC DRIVES OF THE WORLD

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Lonely Planet’s new hardcover book, Epic Drives Of The World, is beautifully illustrated hardcover book follows on from the well received Epic Bike Rides of the World published in 2016. It features 50 classic driving routes across the world (from Argentina to Zambia), and 200 ideas for great drives. These range from easy-going cruises to some fairly serious back-country adventures. Australia is represented by six driving routes, “The Great Ocean Road”, “A Short Hop from Hobart to Queenstown”, “Across The Kimberley: The Gibb River Road”, “Following the Captain Cook Highway”,… Read more

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2017 RANGE ROVER VELAR REVIEW

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A fourth member of the Range Rover has just been introduced in Australia. Sitting neatly in the gap between the Range Rover Evoque and the Range Rover Sport, the new Range Rover Velar is priced from $70,662 to $135,762. There’s also a special First Edition launch model priced from $168,250, more about it later. Land Rover chief designer, Gerry McGovern, tell us, “We call the Velar the avantgarde Range Rover. It brings a new dimension of glamour, modernity and elegance to the brand. The Range Rover Velar changes everything.” Naturally… Read more

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2018 KIA STINGER: FIRST AUSTRALIAN DRIVE

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Kia is an extremely ambitious car maker and is keen to lift its image in Australia above that of being sensible and affordable. So is importing the five-door Stinger hatchback, a family car that will sell in the $45,990 to $59,990 price range. In European sedan terms Kia Stinger is more Jaguar than Bimmer, Benz or Audi in that it’s low slung and sporting. Like the Jag the Stinger loses some interior space particularly in height. So it may not work as a full-on family car if the kids are… Read more