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KIA SELTOS: ADVANCED INFORMATION

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Kia Seltos is an all-new SUV from the South Korean manufacturer. Teaser information has been provided to the media in preparation for it going on sale in Australia in October. Seltos is smaller than the Kia Sportage but the dimensions are yet to made public. Photographs show its lines are chunky and certainly standout from mainstream shapes in this hotly contested market segment. Of particularly interest are the very high lines at the rear-sides. Kia tells us, “Seltos stands apart from its rivals thanks to its sophisticated, sporty design and… Read more

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LAND ROVER FREELANDER 2007 – 2015

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2007 Land Rover Freelander

Though it’s generally used only as a suburban wagon, Land Rover’s Freelander is capable of tackling mild to moderate bush, beach and desert conditions that would strand just about everything else in its class. Which is hardly surprising as it comes from the company that gives us everything from the down-and-dirty Land Rover Defender to the highly competent (and very expensive) Range Rover. Freelander first went on sale here early in 1998 making it arguably the first upmarket compact SUV, several years ahead of the big name Germans. These originals… Read more

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PORSCHE ADDS NEW HIGH-PERFORMANCE 718s

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Porsche 718 Cayman GT

Two hot new models have been added to the Porsche range; 718 Spyder and 718 Cayman GT4 claim top spot in their model series. Interestingly, for the first time they share a technical base. This includes the newly developed 4.0-litre six-cylinder naturally aspirated and a six-speed manual gearbox. The boxer engine generates up to 309kW (420hp). It is based on the same engine family as the turbo engines in the current 911 Carrera model series. Both break the 300km/h top speed barrier: the 718 Spyder reaches 301 km/h, the 718… Read more

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HAVAL H9 HEAVY LIFTING; PRICES STAY PUT

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US President Donald Trump may be ramping up the trade war with China, all the while the Asian manufacturing megalith continuing to wheel out the big guns in the global automobile market. Latest additions to its Haval H9 put the heavy-metal sports utility vehicle up against some of the world’s best in the premium SUV market at prices the opposition can only dream about. Continuing its foray into the seven-seater four-wheel drive SUV, the Chinese automobile manufacturer has added to an extensive suite of safety features without lifting he price… Read more

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RILEY RM SERIES

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1952 Riley RME

Although this story is about the RM series of Rileys which did not appear until 1945, the real heyday for Riley cars was in the 1920s and 1930s when the company made its reputation with a series of well-built saloons and small sports cars which were true thoroughbreds of their time. With these cars the Riley company, which was founded in 1898, built up a strong racing record but, by the late 1930s, finances were looking shaky and the Nuffield organisation took the company over in 1938. Even under the… Read more

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EXTRA VALUE FROM JEEP NIGHT EAGLE SPECIAL EDITIONS

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Jeep has released special edition Night Eagle versions of its Cherokee and Grand Cherokee mid-sized and large SUVs. They use the same dark appearance which has worked well for Jeep in previous Blackhawk special editions and in the Cherokee Night Eagle that was sold here in mid-2018. The Night Eagle models are based on the entry-level AWD variants of each model (Grand Cherokee Laredo and Cherokee Longitude) but according to Jeep add over $10,400 worth of customer value for only $5500 in the Grand Cherokee and more than $6400 for… Read more

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2019 MERCEDES-BENZ A 250 HATCH

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The all-new Mercedes-Benz A-Class has not only grown in size, but also in maturity. It can be regarded as a smaller version of the Mercedes C- and E-Class ranges – but at a significantly lower price. The range begins at just $42,300 for the A180 hatch, with our test car, the A 250 FWD, costing a pretty reasonable $48,800. As usual you have to factor in on-road costs. New A-Class is larger inside in all directions, with more shoulder space, elbow room and headroom in both the front and rear… Read more

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MAHINDRA UPGRADES ITS XUV 500 SUV

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The XUV500 is a large seven-seat SUV from Indian manufacturer Mahindra that’s been on sale in Australia since 2012. Originally sold as a diesel manual the latest just-released model comes with a Euro 5 2.2-litre turbo-petrol engine mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. Mahindra says the new turbo-petrol/auto combination in the XUV 500 is likely to boost sales numbers – not that we’ll know because Mahindra has chosen not to supply them to the FCAI for inclusion in the industry standard VFACTS sales reports. The XUV500 is well-equipped seven-seater that… Read more

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TAKATA AIRBAG RECALL: STATE BY STATE

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Takata airbag recall website ismyairbagsafe.com.au

The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), the peak body for the automotive industry, has announced a state-based campaign to raise awareness of the Takata airbag recall. Tony Weber, chief executive of the FCAI, said that while a national advertising campaign had been successful in helping to locate over a million of the faulty airbags, there were still many outstanding. “We are now trying a state-based approach, letting each state and territory in Australia know how many airbags have been rectified, and how many are still to go in their… Read more

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HONDA JAZZ, CITY 2008 – 2017

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2017 Honda Jazz

  Jazz is the smallest Honda model that’s sold in Australia. It was initially launched here in October 2002, but we will only cover from the second generation of September 2008 in this review. Not only is the 2002 getting on years but the 2008 is significantly larger to make it more suited to adults in the rear seats. It has better in-cabin refinement and overall equipment levels. Handling was given a slightly more sporty feeling though, as it’s intended as a city car, the emphasis still leans to the… Read more