Category: Road Test

Road Test Review

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CITROEN C4 PICASSO OOZES STYLE

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Buyers looking for something that doesn’t follow convention and who appreciate a real touch of French flair should certainly have the latest Citroen C4 Picasso on their short (often very short) list of potential cars. Just what is the Citroen C4 Picasso? It’s hard to define, being a mixture of a tall hatchback and a people mover, with a touch of SUV thrown in for good measure. This is not the first Citroen that refuses to slot neatly into any category, nor will it be the last. We love the… Read more

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2015 MERCEDES-BENZ B 250 4MATIC REVIEW

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Function seldom sits high on the list of priorities when it comes to car purchasing. Most people opt for style, or image, or prestige, even ego. Few go for sensible solutions to their motoring needs. Then there are the people who buy the Mercedes-Benz B-Class – in ever increasing number in recent years. It’s practical, with a tall body that makes for a spacious interior – you need a Mercedes S-Class saloon to get more rear legroom. It has a large boot and the variable luggage space can be arranged… Read more

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2015 PORSCHE CAYENNE DIESEL S REVIEW

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The Porsche Cayenne is a whopper. It’s a big, heavy SUV with tons of room for the family and a badge to keep the neighbours talking. It’s also got a planet-bending V8 diesel engine and an air-suspended chassis that has to be felt to be believed. VALUE The Cayenne Diesel S kicks off at a startlingly reasonable (hey, it’s all relative) $144,800. Perhaps against type, there’s a lot of stuff packed into the Cayenne and you could cheerfully go without ticking a single box on the breathtakingly long options list…. Read more

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VW JETTA GETS SHARPER SHAPE

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Though Volkswagen doesn’t like us calling the Jetta a Golf with a boot, that’s exactly what it is. Some buyers prefer sedans to hatches for a couple of reasons: you get a bigger boot in a sedan thanks to the car’s extra length, albeit without the large opening offered in hatches; and the ride comfort and body strength is even better in sedans than the equivalent hatchbacks. The latter is due to the fact that it has the added bracing underneath the rear window that’s obviously not offered in a… Read more

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PERKY PULSAR SSS SEDAN: PLAIN AND SIMPLE

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Forget the baseball cap-on-backwards, tatt-toting, doof-doof music-crazy drongo. Believe it or not, there are people out there who want to drive a pumped-up little car without appearing to show off. And have I got the package for you. The Nissan Pulsar SSS sedan ticks the boxes of a perky performer with restrained exterior and quality yet unremarkable interior; in effect a practical package with a stack of luggage space. Following the comeback of the Pulsar SSS hot hatch, the SSS sedan heralds the introduction of the Pulsar Series II, with… Read more

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2015 ALFA ROMEO GIULIETTA DISTINCTIVE REVIEW

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Good news has been very thin on the ground for the Alfisti for what seems like a decade. Sure the stunning little Alfa 4C has been a bright and shining light in a dwindling range as Fiat-owned Alfa’s masters dithered about what to do next, but there’s not been much for the fan to buy after the demise of the lovely 159. This is a great pity, because when the Giulietta first launched, it was very, very promising. With the recent launch of the Giulia, we thought it worth revisiting… Read more

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KIA CARNIVAL: FASHION AND FUNCTION JOIN HANDS

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The first all-new Kia Carnival in almost 10 years was long overdue when it arrived in Australia early in 2015. But rest assured the intervening decade hasn’t been wasted. Huge strides in body design and engineering have been made globally and the new Kia Carnival people mover has advanced significantly when compared with the old stager it has finally replaced. In fact, there’s one important area in which the big South Korean marques – Kia and its parent company Hyundai – have moved ahead faster than any other car maker…. Read more

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NISSAN PATHFINDER HEADS DOWN HYBRID PATH

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Growing up, the only use of the word ‘hybrid’ I knew was in relation to my dad’s tea-roses. Since then, the word has inveigled itself into everyday usage, especially in the ever fuel economy and environmentally more conscious automotive industry. These days, petrol-electric and diesel-electric hybrid vehicles, from exotic sports cars and SUVs to heavy transports, can be found around almost every street corner. Pathfinder began life as little brother to the Nissan Patrol. A seismic shift came with the introduction of the X-Trail, a compact SUV that took the… Read more

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BENTLEY CONTINENTAL V8 S CONCOURS SERIES BLACK

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Black is the new black in the high-performance car arena, particularly in the upper echelons. The latest entry, the Bentley Continental GT V8 S Concours Series Black provided sensational grand touring for us over the past weekend. Bentley has a strong history in motor racing in the 1920s and ‘30s. Its comeback with a victory at the Le Mans 24-hour in 2003 gave the British engineers a taste for winning and Bentley’s are proving pretty handy in current GT3 racing, including competing in the most recent Bathurst 12-hour. So, engine… Read more

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RENAULT’S FUNKY MINI-SUV HAS THE LOOKS AND THE PRICE ADVANTAGE

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The mini-SUV market has been hotting up over the past couple of years, culminating with the recent releases of the Mazda CX-3 and the French entry, the Renault Captur. The Captur finds itself under fire from all corners, with cars from Ford, Holden, Honda and Nissan also in the mix. The Captur is late to the party, with a long delay due to domestic demand. Renault Australia couldn’t get its hands on it quickly enough. Neither could we. VALUE The Captur range runs from the $22,990 Expression manual (with the… Read more