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NISSAN ALTIMA 2013 – 2016

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Despite being well regarded in many countries as a maker of high-performance cars (think GT-R), Nissan in Australia is seen by most as only competing in the sensible everyday segment. To try lift its image the Japanese giant entered the world of V8 Supercars in 2012 with a hot Nissan Altima V8 sedan. At the same time it introduced a road going version of the Altima which, to be honest, is a sensible everyday car and doesn’t have a V8. Which may sound like a bit of a putdown, but… Read more

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TOYOTA WORKHORSE NOT READY FOR KNACKER’S YARD

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The farmers’ friend; the miners’ mate nearly didn’t make it. In some quarters it was thought Toyota’s LandCruiser 70 Series workhorse, after more than three decades, had run its course. However, they had not reckoned on a cohort of Aussie owners who had used the ‘go almost anywhere’ 70 Series in the most challenging terrain to do the toughest jobs. So five years ago Toyota set chief engineer Sadayoshi Koyari and a team of Australian engineers and their Japanese counterparts the task of coming up with a new model worthy… Read more

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RENAULT KOLEOS: FRENCH FLAIR AND PRACTICALITY

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Australia was chosen as the first country in the world to get the new Renault Koleos as the French marque if obviously well aware sales of medium to large SUV crossovers are selling like hotcakes, or should that be crepes? downunder. New Koleos is a about half a size larger than the previous model, making for family friendly interior space and good luggage room. The entry level Koleos Life comes only with 2WD (the front wheels) and is priced at an impressively low $29,990. It has 17-inch alloy wheels. This… Read more

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IMPORTED HOLDEN COMMODORES: FIRST DETAILS

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Holden has released initial details of the fully imported Commodore ahead of its Australian launch in early 2018. This of course, follows the cessation of local manufacturing by Holden at a date yet to be revealed late in 2017. In an interesting move, journalists have been provided with an extensive array of details on many areas of the NG (code for Next Generation) Commodore. Much of this is under strict embargo, with dates to be provided later for releases of various items; infotainment, safety, technology, driver assistance, and more. Being… Read more

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BEST-SELLER OUT TO MAINTAIN MAZDA’S WINNING WAYS

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Like the Queensland State of Origin rugby league team, the Mazda3 has continued to feed off a winning formula for more than a decade. Regarded by the Japanese auto maker as ‘The Mazda’, the small car has become the brand’s most popular model around the world. The current Mazda3 arrived in Australia at the start of 2014 as the third model to join Mazda’s new-generation product line-up. Now the new version has gained the latest in small-car styling, plus a raft of innovations, including G-Vectoring control, Mazda’s new-generation vehicle dynamics… Read more

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MERCEDES-AMG CABRIOLET: FIRST DRIVE

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Last week Mercedes Australia launched C-Class Cabriolets, with both standard and AMG variants being announced. The C 200 and C 300 convertibles are on the road now, as is the C 43 AMG version. The C 63 won’t be here till early 2017. However, Mercedes did bring in a couple of early examples of the AMGs and we were able to drive a C 43 following the drive program for the standard models. Our ride in a C 63 S will have to wait till later. Cleverly, the Mercedes-Benz PR… Read more

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JAGUAR F-PACE IS BEAUTIFULLY STYLISH

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Famed for making low slung sedans for many decades it’s no surprise that the British marque’s first every SUV, the F-Pace, takes the stylish low slung direction. Not low slung to the extent that it becomes impractical, the F-Pace sits somewhere between a conventional station wagon and a 4WD in its shape. We love it. Jaguar is far from alone in this hardest fought of all upmarket automotive market segments; Audi, BMW, Lexus, Mercedes, and Porsche are already there and making nice profits, thank you. STYLING The large grille with… Read more

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MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS CABRIOLET

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Mercedes-Benz Australia has added to its line-up by introducing an open-top C-Class Cabriolet in both standard and AMG variants. Given the obvious love of the high-performance models – Australia is number one globally for AMG models as a percentage of overall sales – there’s a big emphasis on using Mercedes-AMG components in every Cabriolet coming here. To make the convertible usable at short notice, its soft-top can be opened and closed in 20 seconds at speeds up to 50 km/h. We prefer the use of a soft-top to a folding… Read more

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BUGATTI TYPE 57

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As the 1930s progressed, Bugatti sportscars became even more flamboyant. This was necessary to compete with other well-known cars of the time including the Delages, Delahayes and Bentleys – the market leader with a range of large-engined brutally fast cars prior to its takeover by Rolls-Royce in 1931. The Bugatti T57, first seen in 1934, was fitted with a 3.3-litre twin-overhead-camshaft straight eight engine mounted on a strong steel chassis with a body built by Bertelli and designed by Eric Giles. During its production life the T57 was sold in… Read more

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BMW’S LITTLE HOTSHOTS GET MAJOR UPGRADE

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BMW M240i Convertible

  BMWs 1 and 2 Series models have received major upgrade in their engine and technology departments, with a further emphasis on improving fuel efficiency in their already impressive drivetrains. By way of explanation, the BMW 1s are the everyday small five-door hatchbacks – if you can ever describe any BMW as being everyday – whereas the 2s are the specialty variants based on the 1 Series. Special in that the ‘2s come with coupe and convertible bodies. Both are offered with high-performance versions that further improve driver involvement. Given… Read more