No comments

JAGUAR PICKS UP THE PACE WITH POLISHED PERFORMER

  By ,

Once upon a time Jaguar lagged behind other luxury automobile manufacturers by not offering a sports utility vehicle. The likes of BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Audi and Lexus all boasted a prestige SUV. Even fellow Brit, Bentley recently got into the SUV scene, albeit at a hefty price. Now the advent of the Jaguar F-Pace has put the British marque into the thick of one of the most crowded markets in the industry. Jaguar thinks enough about Australia to have allowed its design chief Ian Callum to travel Down Under to… Read more

No comments

NEW AUDI Q2 ON THE ROAD

  By ,

By EWAN KENNEDY in Zurich, Switzerland Audi Q2 is a small-medium SUV set to arrive in Q1 in Australia. Its body is stylish, but retains a fair amount of practicality. Customisation is very much part of the Q2’s package, something that we describe in a separate story. Suffice to say it’s theoretically possible for five million different vehicles to leave the factory. Sales of small and midsize SUVs are booming worldwide, not just in Australia. Many are being bought by people with no desire to go off-road, but who want… Read more

No comments

LEXUS LS 2000 – 2016

  By ,
2008 Lexus LS460 Sport

In 1989 the Lexus LS400 was the first Japanese car to tackle the upmarket German machines Mercedes S-Class, BMW 7 Series and Audi A8 head on. Jaguar’s XJ was also in Toyota’s sights (Lexus is controlled by Toyota), though the British marque wasn’t doing particularly well at that time. Lexus tells us ‘LS’ stands for Luxury Sports, however there’s a lot more luxury than sport. Handling is certainly safe and secure but doesn’t provide the sporting enjoyment of the big name Germans and British sedans. The most noticeable feature of… Read more

No comments

OPTIMA GT TURBO: GAME-CHANGER FOR KIA

  By ,

We recently reported on Kia’s success in the 2016 JD Power Initial Quality Study (IQS), the USA car industry’s benchmark for new-vehicle quality. The South Korean company was number one. While the result will have surprised many it is anything but a surprise to those of us that have been watching the steady rise of the giant Hyundai/Kia group. We’ve just spent a week in the latest version of the Kia Optima, released late last year, and quality is the word that immediately sprung to mind. This isn’t just a… Read more

No comments

CUE TO A NEW SUV DIRECTION WITH AUDI Q2

  By ,

By EWAN KENNEDY in Zurich, Switzerland Audi Q2 takes a fascinating new direction in upmarket SUVs. Taking cues from the Audi A1 hatchback the upcoming new Q2 offers buyers a staggering choice of customisation options. Indeed, it’s mathematically possible for five million people to buy a Q2 without having one that’s identical to any other. It all begins with a palette of 12 body colours. The door mirrors can either match of complement the rest of the body. The grilles also offers colour choices and can have a contrasting shade… Read more

No comments

NEW MERCEDES E-CLASS IS A TECHNOLOGICAL TOUR-DE-FORCE

  By ,

The latest, tenth generation, version of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class model is due to be released here within a few weeks. We’ll be attending the Australian launch and will provide a full review of this luxurious, prestigious and stylish medium-large car at the time. To avoid the information overload that would otherwise occur, Benz has given us a pre-launch overview of the remarkable range of technologically advanced safety and other features within the car. While many of these have been seen previously there are a number of new features that combine… Read more

No comments

2016 MAZDA MX-5 REVIEW

  By ,

Mazda’s evergreen MX-5 has weathered not one but two pretty impressive financial meltdowns – the huge Asian financial disaster in the nineties and the global crisis that is still causing drama. Cars like the MX-5 are usually the first to go during tough times, but has motored on to its much-anticipated fourth generation. What’s even rarer is a carmaker leaving alone a winning formula like the MX-5’s and cutting the price at the same time. It must be quite something… VALUE The ND series MX-5 comes in two trim levels… Read more

No comments

PRE-PRODUCTION HONDA NSX SUPERCAR GIVES A GLIMPSE OF THE FUTURE IN AUSTRALIA

  By ,

Honda’s NSX supercar has been a long time coming, and it’s not quite here yet. On July 8 a pre-production NSX went on display at Melbourne dealership, Yarra Honda and is about to head off on a tour downunder. Honda Australia last sold the NSX in Australia between 1991 and 2002. That ultra-long production run resulted in an odd result. At the 2001 Tokyo Motor Show I saw the NSX in two different halls; the first was of display of the NSX’s umpteenth update in the new-car display hall. The… Read more

No comments

TOYOTA PRIUS 2003 – 2015

  By ,
2011 Toyota Prius

Toyota Prius wasn’t the first petrol-electric hybrid to go on sale in Australia, that honour belongs to Honda with its quirky Insight two-seater. But while Honda hybrids have come and gone over the years Toyota, and its luxury offshoot Lexus, have stuck consistently with hybrids. However, while Toyota has improved the Prius in the 15 years it has been on sale in Australia it hasn’t made big strides as seen in other hybrids, such as recent arrivals from Honda, Mitsubishi, Audi and BMW. This is possibly a result of Toyota’s… Read more

No comments

PORSCHE 911 1998 – 2016

  By ,
2013 Porsche 911 GT3

By EWAN KENNEDY CAPTION: A. B. C. BODY COPY Porsche 911 is now in its 54th year and while it has changed significantly over the years it continues to follow the same iconic styling theme and mechanical layout. The 911 is a pure sports machine that used to have a relatively affordable price tag but which has become pretty expensive in recent years. The price rise is the result of the German company trying to push itself up into the lower end of the supercar field that’s dominated by the… Read more