Category: Used Car Review

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FORD KUGA 2012 – 2017

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2015 Ford Kuga Trend

By EWAN KENNEDY, Marque Motoring CAPTION: A. B. C. BODY COPY Kuga replaced the Ford Escape, which was a genuine 4WD, in February 2012. Ford Australia had been slow to realise that buyers wanted crossovers and the 2012 model had been on sale in Europe for four years before it reached us downunder. Like many SUVs these days the Ford Kuga is it’s aimed at the suburban user than the bush basher. However, some Kugas have have the added traction of all-wheel-drive and can be used tackle bush tracks and… Read more

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TOYOTA 86 2012 – 2018

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2012 Toyota 86

Toyota 86 is a small 2+2 sportscar that’s aimed very much at the purist driver. It’s also aimed at those who don’t have the means to spend upwards of $40,000 on a new car. Ten of thousands less than anything else that provides so much pure driving enjoyment. If you find the name of 86 a bit on the bland side, try Hachi-Roku it’s title in Japanese. Sounds good, doesn’t it? You could even call it the Subaru BRZ as the two are closely related twins and come from a… Read more

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LEXUS IS 2013 – 2018

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2017 Lexus IS300h F-Sport

Lexus IS can make an excellent used car buy, particularly if it has been maintained by the book and driven sensibly – many are, so take your time to hunt down the best one. These are often sold as used cars at Lexus dealers, which may make them more expensive, but it’s usually worth any added cost. Lexus launched the third generation of its IS sedan range in July 2013 and went way out in styling. The smallest Lexus sedan was designed from the start to have sporty, balanced dynamics,… Read more

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SUBARU IMPREZA 2012 – 2018

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2012 Subaru Impreza

Subaru Impreza is a stalwart of the Japanese marque’s range having been on sale here since 1993. Amongst other things it signalled that all Subarus from then onwards would be driven by all four wheels. This unique selling feature added to the brand’s reputation for safety. (Yes, we know the Subaru BRZ / Toyota 86 are rear-drive sportscars, but we reckon it’s highly likely that the other Subies will continue the AWD tradition just about forever.) The added traction provided by all-wheel-drive (AWD) makes Imprezas big sellers in Tasmania and… Read more

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AUDI Q7 2006 – 2018

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2006 Audi Q7

The first Audi Q7 was imported to Australia from September 2006. It was designed as a semi-serious 4WD not simply an SUV. Keen on proving they would work in the harshest areas of Australia, Audi sent no fewer than 15 Q7s to take part in a 7000 kilometre trek. Departing from Sydney it traversed the country to Broome, being driven hard on unsealed roads through Sturt’s Stony Desert and the Tanami Desert, as well as tackling the biggest sand dune of the Simpson Desert, the famed Big Red. Top of… Read more

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TOYOTA PRIUS 2009 – 2018

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Toyota Prius is not an electric car, rather one it’s mainly powered petrol engine, which is assisted by an electric motor. Originally it had a four-cylinder 1.5-litre petrol engine. This was increased to 1.8 litres with the June 2009 model change, at the same time the electric motor’s output was also upgraded. These 2009 models are the first being examined in this used car review. Note that the Toyota Prius sold in Australia is not a plug-in electric car. Plug-ins are sold in other countries but Toyota Australia feels they… Read more

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NISSAN ALTIMA 2013 – 2017

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2013-17 Nissan Altima

Nissan Altima has been on sale in Australia since November 2013. At the time SUVs had yet to take over the Australian new-car market and the Altima competed with other family sedans. Chief competitors are the Toyota Camry, with Ford Mondeo, Mazda6, Subaru Liberty and VW Passat also in the mix. Altima has seating for four adults with good leg and headroom, five isn’t too much of a squeeze, but as is often the case two adults and a child in the rear works better. A fascinating feature of the… Read more

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FORD FOCUS 2011 – 2018

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2015 Ford Focus ST

Ford Focus is a small-medium European model that has never had the success it deserves in Australia. In its market segment it struggles to sell a tenth of the number of the market leader in its class, the Toyota Corolla. The Mazda3 and Hyundai i30 also trump the Ford by large numbers. Why? Principally because dual-clutch automatics, sold from 2011 till 2015 had many problems and these led to the complete car being given a poor reputation. See our What To Look For section). The dual-clutch was replaced by a… Read more

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MAZDA CX-5 2012 – 2018

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2012 Mazda CX-5

A combination of style and the brilliant red paint finish has had the Mazda CX-5 sitting at the head of the sales race in its class virtually all the time since it arrived here in February 2012. Mazda’s Kodo styling theme with its big grille, long bonnet and deeply sculpted sides works even better in the CX-5 than in the rest of the range. This is a comfortable five-seater if those in the back aren’t overly large, as is usual in this class two adults and a child makes more… Read more

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JAGUAR XJ 2010 – 2018

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2013 Jaguar XJR

The all-new 2010 Jaguar XJ has sleek, almost futuristic, lines. Externally, the ‘Jaguar grille’ was the only major carryover from the past. Though the body has ultra-modern styling, the interior has could be optioned with traditional leather-and-wood options – the best of both worlds that please the traditionalists who loved the original XJ models. There’s a nice wrap-around effect that carries the dash area neatly into the doors. So good is the shape of the 2010 Jaguar XJ that it’s largely unchanged nine years later. There were minor facelifts in… Read more