No comments

NEW RENAULT MEGANE

  By ,

Renault’s continuing strong push into the Australian market will be boosted by the introduction of an all-new Megane hatch. Aimed at offering a European car at a similar price to one from Japan or South Korea, French flair will be a major selling point of fourth generation Megane. Prices start at $22,490 plus on-road costs for a six-speed manual version with the interesting title of Megane Life; its the only variant with a manual gearbox, a sign of the times – all others have a dual-clutch seven-speed automatic. Moving up… Read more

No comments

EJ HOLDEN

  By ,

The EJ Holden saw the introduction of the ‘Premier’ optioned version of the Station Sedan and the introduction of two completely new six-cylinder engines. The first of these was rated at 100 hp with a 149 cubic inch capacity and a 33 per cent increase in power over the previous engine and the other a 115 hp engine with a 179 cubic inch capacity developing 53% more power. Not only did these new engines provide more power, but due to their newly designed combustion chambers and an 8.8:1 compression ratio… Read more

No comments

FORD AUSTRALIA’S FUTURE IS ASSURED

  By ,
he last Falcon, but it’s certainly not the end of Ford’s work in Australia. Ford Australia CEO, Graeme Whickman says the company is here to stay

Let’s look at the good news and forget about the bad. Ford may no longer making cars in Australia, but it is doing an ever increasing amount of work in design, engineering and testing as a major part of Ford’s global development team. Ford Australia’s, president and CEO, Graeme Whickman, says, “Ford will remain a major presence in Australia and we will carry forward the legacy of our manufacturing team by continuing to design and engineer world-class vehicles for Australia and the world for many years to come.” In fact,… Read more

No comments

FORD TERRITORY TITANIUM

  By ,

Sadly, Ford is no longer making cars in Australia, so it seemed like a good time for us to carry out our final test of one of the best models Ford ever designed – the Territory. The big SUV completely designed and developed in this country so is better than any other in the class at meeting Australian drivers needs and desires. When the Falcon FG X was introduced in 2014 the Ford Territory received a major refresh using some of the latest Falcon components, particularly in technology. This saw… Read more

No comments

HYUNDAI ELANTRA SR: FIRST DRIVE

  By ,

Last week we attended the launch of the Hyundai SR sedan, a model termed as a ‘warm-hatch’ rather than a ‘hot-hatch’ by Hyundai. While we published technical details in our article immediately afterwards, Hyundai put an embargo on drive impressions until today. Before getting into that here are some of the leading specifications: The 1.6-litre engine in the Elantra SR Turbo produces 150 kW of power, and 265 Nm of torque across a wide spread from just from 1500 rpm to 4500 revs. It has direct fuel injection, continuously variable… Read more

No comments

RENAULT FLUENCE AND MEGANE 2010 – 2015

  By ,
2010 Renault Megane

By EWAN KENNEDY CAPTION: A. B. C. 2010 Renault Megane Sport 250 BODY COPY Midway through 2010 a new Renault Australia management team was established and set about getting serious. It began by launching several new models, including, in November, the stylish Fluence four-door sedan, Megane five-door hatch, five-door wagon and even a coupe-cabriolet for a while. Small to medium cars, they offer buyers the chance to buy a stylish French machine rather than simply a sensible but not particularly exciting one from Asia. Sales have increased significantly in the… Read more

No comments

2016 HOLDEN COMMODORE VF SERIES II SSV REDLINE

  By , ,

Sadly, the VF Commodore Series II is likely to be the last ever Holden family car made in Australia, though Holden may surprise us by introducing a further update in the next 12 months. However, the VF II SSV Redline sedan we tested last week has the final major upgrades, any future versions are likely to be minor dress-ups perhaps with special editions. Given Australians love of driving it comes as no surprise that sales of the sporty Commodore models – SV6, SS, SSV and SSV Redline – are now… Read more

No comments

LAST CRUZE CRUISES OFF HOLDEN ASSEMBLY LINE

  By ,

Holden managed to almost completely hide the story of the beginning of the end of its manufacturing in Australia by burying it in a couple of other much larger events. The final Cruze rolled off the line on the same day as, (A) Ford shut down its factories and (B) the Bathurst 1000 weekend began. The final Cruze, an SRI Z-Series hatch, was driven off the assembly line at 8.30 on Friday October 7th. It, and a final Cruze sedan were donated to Holden’s longtime charity partner, the Leukaemia Foundation,… Read more

No comments

SECOND-GENERATION MAZDA CX-9 IS A SUPER CRUISER

  By ,

CX-9 is the largest model in Mazda’s Australian SUV range ahead of its compact CX-3 and mid-sized CX-5 siblings. Unlike the two smaller models which sit on top of the sales charts in their respective categories, the ageing CX-9 has struggled to compete against its segment’s big guns headed by the Toyota Kluger. The arrival, in July 2016, of the second generation CX-9 looks likely to provide a significant boost to sales with noticeable improvements throughout the vehicle headlined by an all-new turbo-petrol engine. Seven-seat SUVs such as the CX-9… Read more

No comments

AUDI RS Q3 GETS EVEN MORE GRUNT

  By ,

The weather gods smiled on us when we road tested the new Audi RS Q3 Performance crossover SUV in Albury to Bright and in the lower Snowy Mountain areas. Skies opened to drench the countryside as storms scudded their way across the southern areas of Australia. Temperatures plummeted as spring departed and winter took control again. Surely we are wrong in saying nature was being kind to us by making life on the roads miserable? No, because the harsh conditions let the hottest Audi Q3 show its ability on roads… Read more