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AUDI’S ULTRA-HOT WAGON LEADS A DOUBLE LIFE

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Thoughts of a muscle car conjure up a redhot coupe or sedan – certainly not a station wagon – with power to burn. However, there are exceptions to this rule. Take the Audi RS 6 Avant, for example. The hot German wagon has performance in the supercar class with acceleration to 100 km/h from rest in just 3.7 seconds. A top speed of 305 km/h is claimed with the Dynamic Package Plus. The 4.0 V8 TFSI engine’s prodigious power is put to the road via an eight-speed tiptronic automatic transmission… Read more

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TOP-OF-THE-CLASS COUPE KEEPS UP STANDARDS

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It’s a case of more for less with the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class halo car. The C 63 S AMG coupe has arrived Down Under carrying with it more than a few pleasant surprises. This is borne out by a cut in engine capacity from that of the model it replaces. Last time the 6.2-litre naturally aspirated V8 engine was a carryover from the previous model and when fired up launched the car to 100km/h in 4.4 seconds thanks to the 336 kW on call at 6800 rpm and 600 Nm… Read more

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JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE SRT NIGHT

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The guys and gals at Jeep Australia have noticed that black is the new black in buyer choice when it comes to adding extras to their Jeep Grand Cherokees and heading to the aftermarket areas. So they’ve come up with a smart limited edition called Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT Night featuring the sinister shade. The Sport and Racing Technology (which is what SRT stands for) Night has black 20-inch 10-spoke wheels, blacked out areas of the front grille, black leather interior trim and a few other dark touches that set… Read more

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KIA STUNS THE AUTOMOTIVE WORLD

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Kia Soul

South Korean vehicle maker Kia has taken the automotive world by surprise in a big way. Kia has become the first non-premium brand to top the JD Power Initial Quality Study (IQS) in 27 years. Beating 32 other makes sold in the USA to do so. Now in its 30th year, the annual JD Power IQS analyses responses from new vehicle owners in 26 segments. IQS is determined by vehicle owners evaluating the driving experience, engine and transmission performance, and a range of quality-related problems within the first 90 days… Read more

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SUNBEAM ALPINE

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1953 Sunbeam Alpine

Sunbeam was one of the very few British companies to seriously build, develop and race a team of Grand Prix cars. When it won the French Grand Prix in 1923 Sir Henry Seagrave became the first driver to win a Grand Prix in a British car. This feat was not repeated again until the 1950s. The company went into liquidation in 1935 and was eventually taken over by the Rootes Group, along with its sister company Talbot, to join the Hillman and Humber marques. The first two-seater Alpine came into… Read more

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BMW 5 SERIES 2000 – 2016

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2011 BMW 5 Series Touring

BMW 5 Series is a quality midsize sedan or wagon that leans in the sporting direction in the endless compromise between sports and luxury. Handling is brilliant due to the near-perfect weight distribution that’s the result of rear-wheel drive and the positioning of the engine well back under the bonnet. Yet this handling is achieved without upsetting comfort to any extent. Some bad roads may sometimes catch it out, but it generally makes light work of rough surfaces. This makes it a quality grand tourer in the true sense of… Read more

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DAIHATSU SIRION 1998 – 2005

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2004 Daihatsu Sirion Sports

Daihatsu Sirion is a stylish well-built Japanese hatchback with an excellent reputation for reliability and low running costs. It wasn’t as successful as big brother Daihatsu Charade on the new-car market, but it’s a tough little critter and there are still plenty on the roads today. They can be kept on the road with a minimum of expense if you choose a good one, drive it properly and keep the maintenance schedule up to date. The new Daihatsu Sirion, released here in April 2002, was substantially bigger than the first-generation… Read more

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2016 MAZDA CX-3 MAXX REVIEW

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Small SUVs are all the rage at present and Mazda’s stylish new CX-3 is sitting high on the popularity list. Interestingly, both 2WD (front drive) and 4WD CX-3s are coming to us downunder. Mazda Australia feels some owners will want the added traction of all-wheel-drive for use in slippery conditions, such as in snowfields. Perhaps even in gentle off-road running when exploring forestry trails and the like. Two familiar Mazda model names, Neo and Maxx, are used for the CX-3, but are joined by two new ones; the upper-middle CX-3… Read more

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NEW SUBARU LEVORG IS A SPORTY GRAND TOURER

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Subaru Levorg is a sports wagon that’s has been on sale in Japan since June 2014. It was originally intended as a Japanese only speciality model but received such glowing reports by Subaru enthusiast who visited Japan and published information online that the decision was made for Levorg to go global. Late last year we travelled to Japan as guests of Subaru Australia to attend technical presentations and test drives on a closed road course of the Levorg in the mountains around Isu City. Now the Levorg is finally in… Read more

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VOLVO P1800

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1964 Volvo P1800

The Volvo P1800 was shown publicly for the first time at the Brussels Salon in January 1960. Although nobody was surprised that Volvo had once more decided to produce a sports car, the `un-Swedish’ lines were something of a surprise. One of the most popular accessories were the spoked wheels which were fitted using the ordinary wheel nuts and looked the real thing. A new 75 kW B18B engine gave the car excellent performance and proved to be an extremely hard wearing sports car engine. Volvo was careful to point… Read more