Category: Road Test

Road Test Review

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2017 HOLDEN COLORADO 4X4 REVIEW

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The Australian love affair with dual-cab utes shows no sign of losing that fresh flush of romance with the vehicle’s ability to service both work and family commitments a major drawcard. The segment is highly competitive filled with all manner of temptations including utes that look like utes but drives like cars (well, almost), utes that have such a premium feel you couldn’t imagine getting it dusty, utes that are better off-road, those that are better on road, utes that can haul heavy trailers, others that would battle with an… Read more

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GREAT WALL STEED – A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE

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Few would deny how far utility vehicles have come in the past two decades. Any doubts can be quickly dismissed by getting behind the wheel of the latest Great Wall Motors Steed. The Dual Cab is so last century. While there are some positives about the latest version of the pickup – toughness, reliability, and most of all, price (from $24,990 driveaway) – there are question marks against the Steed’s safety. Don’t just take my word for it. Here’s what independent vehicle safety advocate, the Australasian New Car Assessment Program,… Read more

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2017 FORD MONDEO TITANIUM WAGON REVIEW

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In an interesting twist Ford and Holden have decided to go in different directions with their post-Commodore and post-Falcon largest passenger cars. While Holden has chosen to re-badge its Insignia model as Commodore, Ford has opted to drop the Falcon name altogether and retain the Mondeo moniker. With Commodore still being built locally it’s too early to say whether Holden buyers will switch en-masse to the Insignia (or NG, for next-generation, Commodore) but Ford’s strategy seems to be working with Mondeo sales booming both from downsizing ex-Falcon buyers as well… Read more

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2017 MAZDA CX-5 TOURING REVIEW

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Mazda CX-5 has been a hit in Australia since it arrived here just over five years ago. Now the second generation has been introduced. It features interesting style, improvements to the powertrains and uprated technology. A new Touring model has been added to the CX-5 range. Sitting between the Maxx Sport and CX-5 GT, the new Touring was our test vehicle as Mazda was keen to get us into one to promote it. And thus increase its sales from the already healthy figure of over 115,000 CX-5s sold to date…. Read more

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2017 HYUNDAI TUCSON REVIEW

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The Hyundai Tucson is one of the Korean brand’s most popular offerings, a five-seater medium-sized SUV that is big on all-round comfort and stays true to the manufacturer’s good-value proposition. It replaced the ix35 here in 2015 and while most will remember the Tucson name from a previous iteration, this time around it is a much for formidable foe for competitors including the Mazda CX-5, Volkswagen Tiguan, Honda CR-V, Kia Sportage and Toyota RAV-4 Ranging from $27,990 to $47,450, there is a Tucson that fits most needs and Hyundai currently… Read more

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BOOST FOR KLUGER BIG-TIME

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Nondescript would be a good way to describe the Toyota Kluger when it emerged 14 years ago. Then, the mid-size sports utility vehicle sheepishly stood between the RAV4, Toyota’s cute compact SUV, and the Japanese company’s superhero, the all conquering Land Cruiser. Not any more. The Kluger has since muscled in on the big wagons to join stablemate Prado and take up a premium position among the seven-seater crowd. There have been about 140,000 sales since the first-generation model arrived. Since 2008, it has topped 10,000 sales a year and… Read more

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2017 RENAULT CLIO REVIEW

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The facelifted Renault Clio not only has a stronger look but also added features and – best of all – it’s prices have been trimmed by $2000. The range now starts at $15,990 for the Clio Life manual, and stretches up to a still pretty reasonable $22,990 for the Clio GT-Line and the Clio Intens, the latter two come only with automatic transmission. Note that on-road charges have to be factored in, but you still get a lot of French flair for a pretty modest outlay. As a sweetener to… Read more

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2017 PORSCHE MACAN GTS REVIEW

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Porsche is introducing new members to its Macan midsize SUV at a rate that’s hard to keep up with. Late in 2016 it came up with a low-cost 185 kW four-cylinder model retailing for just $80,410. Earlier in the year Porsche had added a Performance Package to the already hot Macan Turbo. With a tag of $133,800 it wasn’t exactly cheap, but having 324 kW under your right foot made it a proposal for those who are cash rich. So, it seemed like a good time to get behind the… Read more

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TOYOTA STYLE PARIS FASHION

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Safety and style: it appears Toyota is covering all bases with its revised light passenger vehicle, the Yaris hatchback. It has class-leading safety systems available across the range and is clothed in an interesting shape from the Toyota ED2 design studio in the south of France. The result is premium safety that’s standard on the top-of-the-range Yaris ZR we drove, and a $650 option on the Ascent and mid-range SX variants. Yaris hatches are well equipped, featuring cruise control, a display audio system with controls on the steering wheel spokes,… Read more

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NEW AUDI S4 HAS CLASS AND FLAIR

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The new Audi A4 has made a lasting impression in the past 12 months, its understated manner unable to cloak the brilliance beneath the surface. Now, the S4, the first sport variant in the line-up and the first S4 to dip beneath $100,000 is also starting to make its presence felt. STYLING As with the A4, critics more comfortable with sporty cars that scream their worth loud enough to raise a dead man from his slumber, have turned their attention to the S4’s considered demure appearance. Slippery ground that. I,… Read more