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SKODA WAGON ADDS UP TO A LOAD OF SENSE

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If today’s sports utility vehicles are the winkle-pickers (Google it) of the automotive world, all-wheel drive wagons are the lace-up brogues; what your mother might call ‘sensible shoes’. For those with little history, think Sean Connery, rather than Johnny Depp; ruggedly handsome, against off-beat and quirky. The Skoda Octavia Scout is a perfect example of the former; always has been. STYLING Octavia Scout maintains the robust character of its predecessor. There’s no missing the bold Scout-only bumpers and added body protection. The radiator grille now carries the Scout badge The… Read more

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2017 AUDI A3 CABRIOLET

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There is something about being able to lower the roof of a car and have the wind in your hair and sun on your face that speaks to the pure enjoyment of life. Sure, you probably won’t be enjoying life that much when you are trying to remove the knots from your hair but that’s a mood spoiler you can leave for later. Audi’s immensely popular A3 range, one that basically defined the luxury small car segment, also boasts a beautiful Cabriolet which we were happy to put to the… Read more

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ON THE FACE OF IT, NOT A CIVIC AS WE KNOW IT

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Whoa! What’s this? Anybody could be forgiven for that reaction on first sighting the new Honda Civic hatch, for what was once a compact, economical city runabout has morphed into a savage looking coupe-like car keen to devour the kilometres and anything in its way. First seeing the light of day in Australia in 1973, with its challenging face, swept-back profile and equally bold rear styling, the tenth generation hatchback is like nothing that has come before, or is in the highly competitive small-car segment now. The hatch slots in… Read more

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2017 SUBARU IMPREZA 2.0I-S REVIEW

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Subaru expects big things of the new Impreza. The Japanese manufacturer has spent more than a billion dollars in the development of the new platform and it is an investment it hopes to collect on – with this small car line-up and the other Subaru products that will use it as their foundations. This new Impreza, available in both sedan and hatch, is almost entirely new from the ground up with only the odd bolt and window lever borrowed from the outgoing edition. The range offers three choices starting with… Read more

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BRISTOL 401

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The Bristol Company is probably best known for its aircraft ranging from early biplanes to the Bristol bombers which featured prominently during World War II as a major part of the RAF attack force. After the war the Bristol Company ventured into car manufacture and their first model, the Bristol 400 introduced in 1946, looked very much like the pre-war BMW on which it was based. The Bristol 401, announced in 1949, was only the second model built by the fledgling car builder. As it was a car built by… Read more

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2017 RANGE ROVER SPORT SVR REVIEW

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Range Rover Sport SVR is one of hardest accelerating 4WDs on the planet. Its 405 kW 5.0-litre supercharged V8 has it screaming from zero to 100 km/h in just 4.7 seconds. Note the term ‘4WD’ in this opening par, because this isn’t an SUV, it is a genuine off-road vehicle that can handle harsh conditions that would have many so-called competitors stuck within the first few metres. For example, wheel travel remains identical to the standard Sport, with 260 mm at the front and 272 mm at the rear. Wading… Read more

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BT-50 MAINTAINS STRONG MAZDA CHARACTER

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We might have seen the last of the Mazda BT-50 as we know it because Mazda is about to get together with Isuzu to produce their next generation pickup trucks. Isuzu already makes Mazda trucks for the Japanese market, now it is going worldwide. The current BT-50 shares many components with the Ford Ranger and much of the design was carried out by Australians. When the BT-50 was launched in 2011, Mazda went down a new track, creating a utility with the personality of a passenger car – well, sort… Read more

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RENAULT KOLEOS 2008 – 2015

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2011 Renault Koleos

Renault Koleos is a crossover, both in the where it can be driven – as well as where it is built. It is a French design using a drivetrain sourced from Nissan in Japan and is built in South Korea at the Renault-Samsung manufacturing plant. Launched in Australia in September 2008 it followed the increasingly common feature of being offered in 2WD (front wheels) or 4WD. Koleos’ rear tailgate has a clever ‘clamshell’ design allowing many options for access and load-carrying. You can fold the front passenger seat back to… Read more

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HUMBLE HYUNDAI ACTIVE HATCH SETS NEW ‘I-MARK’

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Hyundai says it refuses to treat i30 owners as second-class automotive citizens and says it gives potential buyers of its third-generation goodies usually within the domain of more expensive models. The entry-level Active variant, starting at $20,950 plus on-road costs, is $500 less than the model it replaces, despite having $2000 of extra standard features. These include a fully integrated satellite navigation system with 8.0-inch touch screen display, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility and DAB+ digital radio. It also has16-inch alloy wheels, LED daytime running lights, automatic headlamps, hill-start… Read more

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NEW KIA PICANTO FOR 2017

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After a successful toe-in-the-water test on the last of the previous generation Picantos, Kia Australia has just launched the new third generation of its smallest model downunder. The biggest feature of new Picanto is its bold styling. There is nothing harder in the automotive business than making a boxy car with good interior space attractive. Kia’s designers in the company’s styling studios in South Korea and Europe, the two biggest markets for the model, have done an excellent job. Though it carries a family resemblance to the just superseded Picanto… Read more