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NISSAN 370Z GETS A FRESH LOOK

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The Nissan 370Z has been given a styling refresh for the 2018 season. Smoke is the name of the game on this old-style sportscar that refuses to die. And nor should it die, it’s extremely affordable and gives plenty of driving pleasure. Smoked front and rear lights, a smoked finish on exterior door handles and new design of 19-inch alloy wheels. This is set off by an excellent new shade of red, with the richer Cherry Red replacing the superseded Bordeaux. Other colours are on the palette, check with your… Read more

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THE FASTEST MUSTANG EVER

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Ford Mustang is all about performance – and for the 2018 edition Ford is offering even more of it. Tagging it quite simply as ‘The Fastest Mustang Ever.’ The 5.0-litre V8 engine has been thoroughly reworked and now develops 450 horsepower (339 kW). This power increase has been achieved with the first application of Ford’s dual-fuel, high-pressure direct-injection and low-pressure port fuel injection. The result is solid low-end torque, high-rpm power, and improved fuel efficiency. Peak torque is now 556 Nm. For obvious reasons the V8 has been the big… Read more

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HYUNDAI I30 2007 – 2016

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2013 Hyundai i30

Hyundai’s public perception has increased markedly over the years, moving up from the cheap n’ cheerful brigade to building quality cars. The Hyundai i30, first sold here in October 2007 has arguably had the biggest influence in this change. Interestingly, the i30 was designed for the European market rather than the South Korean one. Some are made in the Czech Republic though the majority sold here are from Korea. Engineers from Australia and South Korea have tailored the suspension and steering to our conditions. Result is good dynamics, high levels… Read more

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NEW JEEP WRANGLER HAMMERED DOWNUNDER

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Ahead of its arrival in late 2018, the all-new JL Jeep Wrangler has just completed its first Australian engineering assessment in some of our country’s most unforgiving driving conditions. A two-door Wrangler Rubicon powered by a new design 2.0-litre, four-cylinder engine with 201 kW of power and 400 Nm. And a four-door Rubicon with the latest version of the 3.6-litre Pentastar V6(213 kW and 353 Nm). Came Downunder. These vehicles are the first test units of six prototype stages that are built before the final ‘job-one’ production version. The key… Read more

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MAZDA MX-5 RF LIMITED EDITION

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Mazda has introduced a limited edition to its MX-5 RF retractable fastback range. A serious car the Limited Edition features the Kuroi Sports Pack, aerodynamic additions, Brembo brakes and significant suspension upgrades. Small winglets near the front of the wheelarch openings direct air away from the wheels and along the sides of the body to smooth out the rush of air created by the little sports machine. A front strut bar links the front suspension towers to increase chassis stiffness. New design 17-inch diameter BBS alloy wheels are part of… Read more

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CUSTOMERS SPEAK, SORENTO LISTENS

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Despite walking away with a range of motor industry awards since its launch more than two years ago, Kia’s seven-seat sports utility vehicle, the Sorento, had, according to some observers, a few shortcomings. The South Korean manufacturer has taken these on board and has come up with mid-cycle changes that address these. The changes include Kia’s in-house eight-speed automatic across the range, a new larger capacity long-stroke petrol engine, a higher and longer body for increased internal space, revised and improved ride and handling characteristics to better suit Australian conditions,… Read more

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MAZDA3: THE HEART AND SOUL OF THE COMPANY

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When you’re on to a good thing . . . no need to tell Mazda that, the company, line with its Kodo – soul of motion – philosophy in which colour is a prime element of form, has splashed out on a new exotic exterior colour for its popular Mazda3. This follows the success of Soul Red Crystal in the top-selling CX-5 SUV. Since its debut, the colour has proven a fast favourite with customers, with around 22 per cent of CX-5s sold being in colour. Unfortunately, our test vehicle,… Read more

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2018 TOYOTA LANDCRUISER PRADO KAKADU

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For the 2018 season Toyota has upgraded its Prado range, with a facelift and tail tuck, a revised interior and additional infotainment and safety technology. Our test vehicle was the LandCruiser Prado toplne model, the Kakadu. Not cheap at $84,490 but do you get a substantial amount of vehicle for your money. And the price has been trimmed by $1121 compared to the model it has just superseded. STYLING The new grille is big and bold with broad vertical bars flanked by restyled headlamps (bi-LED on GXL, VX and our… Read more

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NEW MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE CROSS

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Mitsubishi has long been a leader in SUVs in Australia, with the Pajero, launched in the mid 1980s, proving you can have comfort and off-road ability at the same time. A new model has just joined the Mitsubishi SUV range, the Eclipse Cross. Sitting between the ASX and Outlander it joins many others in this class in being is as much about style as function. It has a sloping roof that’s more coupe than wagon. Hence the ‘Cross’ in the name indicating it’s a crossover. The rear has an interesting… Read more

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BUSINESS AS USUAL FOR BIG-SELLING CAMRY

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The end of the Australian automobile construction industry over the past 18 months is likely to have differing effects on each of the three affected companies. Ford has bitten the bullet and discontinued the Falcon while Holden is gambling on its loyal buyers moving to a German-built Commodore. By contrast the switch from locally-produced to imported Toyota Camrys is likely to be seamless given our feeling that a fair proportion of current owners aren’t even aware that their car was built at the company’s Altona, Melbourne plant. New Camry comes… Read more