Category: Road Test

Road Test Review

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2016 HYUNDAI i30 SERIES II SR

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Be afraid, be very afraid: that seems to be the message Hyundai is sending out to rivals of its best-selling i30, after the hatchback became Australia’s favourite vehicle for the first half of the year. Almost straight away the South Korean car maker fired a further shot across the small-car market bow by adding upgrades to the sporty Series II SR and SR Premium variants. Now it has taken the wraps off the next generation i30, to hit the streets early next year, which it says digs deep into the… Read more

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SWIFT SWITCH A WAKE-UP FOR LITTLE SUZY

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Once upon a time, the Suzuki Swift was small car among many. Then an epiphany; the little hatchback took on a more aggressive stance with a hands-on-hip look-at-me style. The Swift took off. Meanwhile, the company’s Vitara, eschewing the funky refashioning of some rivals, trundled on as a comfy, albeit conservative, compact sports utility vehicle. This year the Vitara was reinvented, taking on an up-to-date chic urban spirit. Not satisfied, the Japanese maker, who pioneered the genre, has added all manner of modern accessories and engine turbocharging which takes the… Read more

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HOLDEN SPARK IS CUTE AND COMPETENT

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Holden Spark replaces the company’s previous Barina Spark – and is significantly better thanks to having a considerable amount of Australian input. New Spark is built on an all-new, stronger platform. Engine size has increased from 1.2 to 1.4 litres; an efficient CVT automatic sits beside it, though there’s also a manual should you want one. The Holden Lang Lang proving ground south-east of Melbourne was used extensively during Spark’s design and testing stages. GM-Holden is keen to point out this facility will remain in operation as a key part… Read more

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BMW 440i CONVERTIBLE IS GREAT FUN

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Springtime, Gold Coast, Convertible – what a combination! To make life even better the convertible is a BMW powered by the most powerful engine in the range, the new 440i unit. Sometimes road testing can be a bit of a chore, it certainly wasn’t last week with the hot Bimmer sitting in the garage just asking to be fired up. And fired up it was, with several trips to the scenic hinterland behind the Coast during the week – to keep us away from the weekend roads crowded with wandering… Read more

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JEEP WRANGLER 75TH ANNIVERSARY

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Jeep Wrangler is a descendant of the World War II Jeep, which has been referred to as, “the car that won a war”. That versatile little 1941 4WD played a major part in communications and the movement of the men and equipment on all fronts during that horrible period. Jeep has introduced a 75th anniversary version of the Wrangler to celebrate that original military Jeep. Renegade, Cherokee and Grand Cherokee have also been built, but our road test vehicle this week is the Wrangler – the roughest, toughest Jeep of… Read more

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MAZDA OUT TO MAINTAIN LEADING EDGE WITH FLAGSHIP

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Relax, everything’s under control . . . well, almost everything, with the Mazda6 2.5-litre Atenza petrol automatic sedan I’m driving. Already the possessor of the latest in safety technology, the Mazda flagship has been endowed with more of the same, putting the driver and passengers at even more ease than before with no added wallet anxiety. For example, the new Mazda6 still keeps an eye on pedestrians with Smart City Brake Support, now with the upper detection speed range increased from 30 km/h to 80 km/h. Smart Brake Support, which… Read more

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RENAULT KOLEOS: FRENCH FLAIR AND PRACTICALITY

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Australia was chosen as the first country in the world to get the new Renault Koleos as the French marque if obviously well aware sales of medium to large SUV crossovers are selling like hotcakes, or should that be crepes? downunder. New Koleos is a about half a size larger than the previous model, making for family friendly interior space and good luggage room. The entry level Koleos Life comes only with 2WD (the front wheels) and is priced at an impressively low $29,990. It has 17-inch alloy wheels. This… Read more

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BEST-SELLER OUT TO MAINTAIN MAZDA’S WINNING WAYS

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Like the Queensland State of Origin rugby league team, the Mazda3 has continued to feed off a winning formula for more than a decade. Regarded by the Japanese auto maker as ‘The Mazda’, the small car has become the brand’s most popular model around the world. The current Mazda3 arrived in Australia at the start of 2014 as the third model to join Mazda’s new-generation product line-up. Now the new version has gained the latest in small-car styling, plus a raft of innovations, including G-Vectoring control, Mazda’s new-generation vehicle dynamics… Read more

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JAGUAR F-PACE IS BEAUTIFULLY STYLISH

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Famed for making low slung sedans for many decades it’s no surprise that the British marque’s first every SUV, the F-Pace, takes the stylish low slung direction. Not low slung to the extent that it becomes impractical, the F-Pace sits somewhere between a conventional station wagon and a 4WD in its shape. We love it. Jaguar is far from alone in this hardest fought of all upmarket automotive market segments; Audi, BMW, Lexus, Mercedes, and Porsche are already there and making nice profits, thank you. STYLING The large grille with… Read more

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NEW HONDA CIVIC IS ON THE COMEBACK TRAIL

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Honda has unveiled its tenth generation Civic hatchback at the recent Paris Motor Show. It won’t arrive in Australia until next year but it does give us a good segue into our recent test of the gen-10 Civic four-door sedan that went on sale here a few months back. Civic has been a staple of the Honda range since it made its debut in 1973 Civic. Not only is it the Japanese carmaker’s all-time biggest seller, it also sits fifth on the list of the world’s all-time biggest selling passenger… Read more