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2017 FORD MONDEO TITANIUM WAGON REVIEW

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In an interesting twist Ford and Holden have decided to go in different directions with their post-Commodore and post-Falcon largest passenger cars. While Holden has chosen to re-badge its Insignia model as Commodore, Ford has opted to drop the Falcon name altogether and retain the Mondeo moniker. With Commodore still being built locally it’s too early to say whether Holden buyers will switch en-masse to the Insignia (or NG, for next-generation, Commodore) but Ford’s strategy seems to be working with Mondeo sales booming both from downsizing ex-Falcon buyers as well… Read more

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2017 MAZDA CX-5 TOURING REVIEW

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Mazda CX-5 has been a hit in Australia since it arrived here just over five years ago. Now the second generation has been introduced. It features interesting style, improvements to the powertrains and uprated technology. A new Touring model has been added to the CX-5 range. Sitting between the Maxx Sport and CX-5 GT, the new Touring was our test vehicle as Mazda was keen to get us into one to promote it. And thus increase its sales from the already healthy figure of over 115,000 CX-5s sold to date…. Read more

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TOYOTA AVENSIS VERSO 2001 – 2010

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2001 Toyota Avensis Verso

You would go a long way to find a more versatile passenger vehicle than the Toyota Avensis, a seven-seat people-mover that drives more like a car than a van or SUV. When launched in December 2001 Toyota told us it hoped the Avensis would appeal to the many people using 4WD vehicles around the suburbs. That appeal was a failure, Toyota apparently not realising that drivers like to be seen in rough ’n’ tough SUVs and 4WDs and consider vehicles like Avensis to be rather sissy. However, those who are… Read more

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MG TC

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No model made a greater contribution to MG’s fame than the TC, produced from 1945 to 1949. The first MG to reach volume production status – 10,000 in four years – it became Britain’s first postwar export success. Just over 2000 were shipped to the USA, where it was a cult car, and the two-seater also sold strongly in Australia. The TC design was derived from the 1939 TB which, in turn, was a development of the 1936 TA. Although dated when it appeared, the 1.25-litre TC proved enormously popular… Read more

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JAGUAR MARK V

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1950 Jaguar Mark V saloon

The Mark V was the first completely redesigned post-World War II model to be produced by Jaguar Cars Ltd, and it continued many of the pre-war traditions of Jaguar cars in terms of style, opulence and the general level of fittings. It continued to use the 2 1/2-litre and 3 1/2-litre engines, previously sourced from Standard but now made by Jaguar after buying the machine tools from Standard. Whilst design of this car did not vary significantly from the pre-war Jaguars it did have a totally new, extremely stiff, box-section… Read more

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2017 HYUNDAI TUCSON REVIEW

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The Hyundai Tucson is one of the Korean brand’s most popular offerings, a five-seater medium-sized SUV that is big on all-round comfort and stays true to the manufacturer’s good-value proposition. It replaced the ix35 here in 2015 and while most will remember the Tucson name from a previous iteration, this time around it is a much for formidable foe for competitors including the Mazda CX-5, Volkswagen Tiguan, Honda CR-V, Kia Sportage and Toyota RAV-4 Ranging from $27,990 to $47,450, there is a Tucson that fits most needs and Hyundai currently… Read more

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AUDI SQ5 IN THE TRUE TRADITION OF PERFORMANCE WITH PRACTICALITY

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The phrase sports utility vehicle, or SUV, these days is applied to anything from a compact two-wheel drive ‘shopping trolley’ to a large genuine off-roader that, in most cases, can carry up to seven occupants. Deconstructing the segments there are few that justify the tag ‘sports’, or even ‘utility’. However, German auto maker Audi has just dropped off in Australia a vehicle that does fit the bill The second-generation Audi SQ5 is the successor to one of the most popular Audi performance models to have made it to these shores… Read more

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CHRYSLER CROSSFIRE 2003 – 2009

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2004 Chrysler Crossfire coupe

Want to buy a used Mercedes-Benz sportscar at a pretty modest price? Then take a look at this Merc with a different body. An American one. Daimler and Chrysler were partners for a while and Chrysler Crossfire sits on underpinnings of a Mercedes SLK. The shape is great, featuring a huge grille, strakes on the long bonnet, vents in the front guards, and a short cabin that runs all the way to a curved-down tail in the coupe. And the roadster’s minimalist top looks great. Simply stunning and real head-turners… Read more

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BOOST FOR KLUGER BIG-TIME

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Nondescript would be a good way to describe the Toyota Kluger when it emerged 14 years ago. Then, the mid-size sports utility vehicle sheepishly stood between the RAV4, Toyota’s cute compact SUV, and the Japanese company’s superhero, the all conquering Land Cruiser. Not any more. The Kluger has since muscled in on the big wagons to join stablemate Prado and take up a premium position among the seven-seater crowd. There have been about 140,000 sales since the first-generation model arrived. Since 2008, it has topped 10,000 sales a year and… Read more

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2017 RENAULT CLIO REVIEW

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The facelifted Renault Clio not only has a stronger look but also added features and – best of all – it’s prices have been trimmed by $2000. The range now starts at $15,990 for the Clio Life manual, and stretches up to a still pretty reasonable $22,990 for the Clio GT-Line and the Clio Intens, the latter two come only with automatic transmission. Note that on-road charges have to be factored in, but you still get a lot of French flair for a pretty modest outlay. As a sweetener to… Read more