Mazda Australia is one of the shining stars in the Mazda firmament. In recent years it has risen from being one of many quality importers to being outright number one. That has largely been due to the huge success of the Mazda3, the car that has outsold everything else downunder More
The relentless march of the South Korean car industry continues. A combination of style, low prices and decent dynamics is proving attractive to an ever increasing numbers of Australian buyers. Kia’s new Cerato sedan is a classic example. It is longer, wider, lower, with shorter overhangs than the second-generation car, More
Mitsubishi Pajero is an important vehicle in the history of 4WDs in Australia. Prior to the Mitsubishi’s launch in the early 1980s buyers could choose between a 4WD that was truck-like, or find a lot more money and go for a very expensive Range Rover. Then Pajero arrived at an More
The in-dash push button engine start / stop is becoming an automotive affectation. Originally it was fitted to unique racing cars and their highly tuned road-going derivatives. These days it is increasingly finding its way into vehicles of all brands and price tags. Ironically, such a system will not work More
What a beast! Jaguar’s XKR-S makes its presence felt a hundred metres away, even when being driven in gentle sociable manner. Its supercharged V8 engine roars, spits and burbles. It idles with a gruff grumble to tell you that it would rather be revving to the heavens than idling. In More
The brothers Alan and Richard Jensen began their motor-building activities by re-bodying an Austin Seven in a form which proved particularly pleasing to the eye. The chief engineer of the Standard Motor Company was suitably impressed with its appearance and in due course had a Standard chassis delivered to the More
Australians are moving away from large cars into smaller ones, but many are refusing to accept any loss of comfort or performance. And if possible they would like a solid dash of prestige at the same time. Audi invented the premium small-car category way back in 1996 and has worked More
In the quest for alternative power sources Toyota and Lexus have been at the forefront of the development of petrol/electric hybrid technology for many years. While Toyota concentrated on conservative models such as the Prius, Lexus took it a step further by using electric power to add sporting performance. At More
Toyota has continued its release of special Altitude packages with the introduction of a special edition Kluger SUV Altitude. Features that Toyota tells us are valued at over $9000 have been added to the Kluger. It’s available in two-wheel drive with a recommended retail price that starts at $44,490, the More
During the latter stages of the life of its ill-fated Tiida, Nissan Australia conducted research into the significance of model names to potential buyers. While it came as no surprise that the Pulsar name had been greatly missed, what did raise eyebrows was the fact that the SSS name rated More
