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ISUZU F SERIES DELIVERS FAR-REACHING TRANSPORT SOLUTIONS

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Isuzu FRR

Recent research has shown that road haulage in Australia is predominantly the territory of Japanese medium-duty trucks, 95 per cent of which start and finish within the same state or territory. This puts Isuzu in the box seat to take advantage with its all-new F Series, rolled out for the media to sample in and around Brisbane. Has the Japanese-developed-and-built range got what it takes? With nine variants on show Isuzu appears to have ticked all the appropriate boxes and more by harnessing the advantages of low- displacement, high-output engine… Read more

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BENTLEY SPEED SIX

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1930 Bentley Speed Six

Bentleys came to be regarded as the archetypal vintage sports cars following their many successes at Le Mans. Introduced in 1929 the 6.5-litre six-cylinder model was designed to give the marque a more prestigious, quieter performance model. On the 6.5-litre and the later 8-litre models the camshaft was driven by a system of coupling rods which were quieter than the shaft. In all other cars Bentley kept to the single overhead-camshaft layout until the time of his unsuccessful 4-litre model of 1931, by which point his company was on the… Read more

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2016 LEXUS RX350 REVIEW

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In the Lexus naming system the letter ‘X’ stands for cross country. Not cross country as we understand it in Australia which means off-road work, but cross country in European speak; a vehicle suited to long distance on-road running. Grand touring with a little less emphasis on speed. Lexus RX is the midsize model in the range, sitting between the NX which is an on-road wagon and the LX which is a big beast, basically a Toyota LandCruiser with body mods and heaps more luxury bits. The fourth generation of… Read more

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JCW MINI CONVERTIBLE FLIES DOWNUNDER

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Hot on the heels of the announcement of the standard convertible versions of the third generation Mini comes information on the hottest of them all – the John Cooper Works (JCW). Powered by a highly tuned version of the Mini 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine, the JCW unit produces 170 kW of power between 5200 and 6000 revs, and 320 Nm of torque that’s on tap all the way from 1250 to 4800rpm. Sitting beside the engine is a six-speed sports automatic transmission that can be overridden by paddle shifters. A… Read more

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FERRARI GTC4 LUSSO UNVEILED IN SYDNEY

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The Italian word ‘lusso’ translates into ‘luxury’ in English so Ferrari Australia’s choice of a multi-million dollar Sydney harbourside mansion as the venue for the southern hemisphere debut of its equally luxurious new GTC4 Lusso couldn’t have been more appropriate. Among the dignitaries at the launch was Flavio Manzoni, Senior Vice President of Design at Ferrari who penned the original sketches of the Lusso. He had previously worked on a range of models including the F12 Berlinetta and California T. The GTC4 Lusso replaces the previous Ferrari FF, so named… Read more

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2016 JAGUAR XF SUPERCHARGED V6 REVIEW

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Jaguar XF is an upmarket medium to large sedan / saloon that has a sporting flair in all models that’s not always the norm in its market segment. While not an out and out performer in the manner of the SVR (nee R-Sport) range, the standard XF definitely sits to the sporting side in the eternal sports / handling compromise. Drivers love if for that and we’ve just spent a most enjoyable week behind the wheel of an iconic British machine. STYLING The newly launched Jaguar XF has a strong… Read more

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TOYOTA TARAGO 1990 – 2015

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2012 Toyota Tarago

Toyota Tarago has been sold in Australia in large numbers since the early 1980s and was one of the earliest examples of what later became known as people movers. However the first Taragos were nothing more than delivery vans with extra seats, side windows and a bit of added trim. Toyota decided to make a complete change in direction and from 1990 Tarago was a pure people mover with all that means in the way of added comfort and safety features. Though so-called ‘Egg-shaped’ 1990s Taragos are getting on in… Read more

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2016 SUBARU OUTBACK PREMIUM 2.0D REVIEW

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‘Commonsense’ is a word that’s almost guaranteed to appear somewhere in any road test on Subaru cars. The Japanese company makes its own way in the automotive world producing sensible products that appeal to conservative drivers. At least in the standard range of cars, the WRX is a notable exception! This review is about the latest version of the Subaru Outback SUV in Premium 2.0D turbo-diesel format. The changes for MY2017 are more about sensible additions to the vehicle. Added sleekness to the lines and more chrome plating? You will… Read more

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AUDI A3 1997-2015

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When launched in Australia in 1997 the Audi A3 opened a new era in upmarket German car design – that of semi-affordable luxury cars. Prior to the Audi A3 you had to spend upwards of $65,000 to get into one of the big German brands. The A3 dropped the starting price to under $40,000. Many said that selling small cars would seriously harm the prestige ratings of the large expensive models. But Audi was proved to have made the correct decision and BMW and Mercedes-Benz began designing small cars. The… Read more

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NEW AUDI A3 ON THE ROAD

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Last week we detailed the extensive makeover of the Audi A3 for the 2017 model year after we attend its global reveal in Germany. At the time we were asked not to immediately disseminate our findings on how the cars drove, as journalists from many other countries were still waiting to drive the A3s. The embargo has lifted and here are our findings on the range of Audi A3 models, the biggest selling model in the Audi range in Australia, so extremely important to them. The most interesting powerplant is… Read more