No comments

CITROEN C4 TAKES THE HARD ROAD TO COMFORT AND ECONOMY

  By ,

Ninety years ago, in 1925, a Citroen 5CV became the first vehicle to complete a full circuit of Australia. Almost a century later, Citroens are still going round: an upgrade of the Citroen C4 hatch is one of the French maker’s latest models to land in Australia. Thanks to the adoption of PSA Peugeot Citroen’s award winning PureTech, Euro 6, petrol turbo powerplant featuring stop / start technology, mated with the latest six-speed Aisin automatic transmission, the new C4 offers greater power and performance from less fuel. As a bonus… Read more

No comments

MAZDA MX-5 WINS – AGAIN

  By ,
Masahiro Moro, the president of Mazda North America holding the 2016 World Car of the Year trophy

It seems that the car credited with the re-invention of the convertible, the great little Mazda MX-5, roadster can do no wrong. The fourth generation MX-5 won the 2016 World Car of the Year award last week; this week it added the World Car Design of the Year trophy. It is the first time in the history of the awards that the same car has taken both titles. World Car of the Year has a judging panel of 73 journalists from 23 different countries; the announcement was made at the… Read more

No comments

COMMON SENSE SAVES LIVES

  By

Common sense saves lives, and no more so than on the roads of Australia. Let’s look at two very different drivers and a pair of driving situations. One is a 19-year-old bloke in a 22 year-old Toyota Corolla. So the car is older than he is – and it has seen better days. Though technically it is roadworthy, the Corolla has tyres that are barely legal, the absorbers don’t damp particularly well as they have done a lot of work over the years and have never been tested. Likewise, the… Read more

No comments

JAGUAR XE: BRILLIANT BRITISH SPORTS SEDAN

  By ,

The British upmarket marque has always been known for sports models, be it the iconic E-Type, or the many low slung sporty saloons it has developed over the years Jaguars have been admired by those looking for more soul than its German competitors that tend to be efficient more than fun. The F-Type is certainly a strong starting point for the XE. The all-new Jaguar XE is pure sports sedan, with a range of supercharged engines powering dynamic chassis and a fair dose of the traditional British interiors. STYLING When… Read more

No comments

KIA OPTIMA 2011 – 2015

  By ,
2011 Kia Optima

Kia Optima is a medium large four-door sedan from South Korea. Importation had been on and off in the Australian market for several years from its first introduction in 2001. Then an all-new model arrived in January 2011 sparked sales and things finally started to take off in the sales race. Firstly, the new shape was a work of automotive art from the company’s design studio headed up by German Peter Schreyer. Optima suddenly started to grab a lot of visual attention. The domed upper surface and high waistline are… Read more

No comments

LEXUS LUXURY ON A NUMBER OF LEVELS

  By ,

The Lexus IS 200t is a success on many levels. Pricewise it’s positioned between the upper medium passenger sedan and lower premium car market; and it performs like a luxury sedan or a spritely sports coupe depending on how the driver sets up the controls. Finally, the IS 200t offers a level of comfort and convenience normally found in vehicles positioned well into the luxury car market. Which is aimed at further broadening its appeal. A replacement for the IS 250, sharp prices characterise the IS 200t range which consists… Read more

No comments

PLYMOUTH BARRACUDA

  By

The Plymouth Barracuda was first released in 1965 in response to the Ford Motor Company’s successful launch of the Mustang. This Ford completely rewrote the sales records of that time following its April 1964 launch. When the Mustang was released it became known as a ‘pony car’, a term which was used to describe new style sporty compact vehicles. Chrysler’s response was very quick but it was fortunate in having a suitable car, the Valiant, on which to base the new Barracuda. With some quick modifications to Valiant tooling Chrysler… Read more

No comments

JAGUAR F-TYPE COUPE IS A STUNNER

  By ,

Almost three years ago Jaguar took the unusual step of introducing the F-Type convertible before the coupe version, it’s usually done the other way around. Now an F-Type coupe has spent a week in our possession and we have enjoyed every minute in it. As is normal the coupe is lighter than the convertible because the open body needs additional strengthening to make up for the loss of a fixed roof. Meaning there’s a bit more bang for your buck. Jaguar arranged for us to review an F-Type S coupe… Read more

No comments

FORD FALCON SPRINT: SIMPLY BRILLIANT

  By ,

Ford Australia’s latest engineering and styling project, that of the Falcon XR6 and XR8 Sprint will go down in the minds of all concerned as one of their all time favourites. The car industry is full of enthusiasts, and their eyes light up in delight when asked to significantly improve performance and add new shapes.. Let’s start at the hearts of the latest hot Australian Fords: Falcon XR8 Sprint is powered by an uprated version of Ford’s 5.0-litre supercharged V8 that develops 400 kW and 650 Nm when on overboost;… Read more

No comments

AUDI SUV WITH AN ENTRY-LEVEL CHALLENGE NOT TO BE TAKEN LIGHTLY

  By ,

Like eager children on a school excursion, members of the Australian motoring media milled around. Then instead of piling onto a motor coach, paired-up ‘pupils’ clambered aboard examples of the new Q7, Audi’s latest addition to the large sports utility vehicle market, and literally rode off into the sunset. The early evening destination was Spicer’s Canopy, a spiffy campsite near Cunningham’s Gap, inland from the Gold Coast. The following day’s drive consisted of an extended loop north and east, ending up on the Sunshine Coast. The vehicle in question was… Read more