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MG QS . . . THERE’S ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT.

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The QS is a car that is going to do big things for MG, or so it hopes. The company’s first seven-seat offering, we’re told it has been designed with families in mind. And MG says it’s a true seven-seater, not 5+2, combining practical versatility with premium styling. But don’t expect an electric vehicle, this one’s powered by a good old conventional turbocharged petrol engine. STYLING There are two grades: Excite and Essence. Both are powered by the same 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine. Excite is front-wheel drive and priced from… Read more

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LEXUS UX 300H REVIEW

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The Lexus UX range of compact SUVs has been on sale in Australia since 2019, originally as the UX 250 with the choice of petrol or hybrid powertrains. A fully electric variant was added in 2021 with the current UX 300 replacing the UX 250 and dropping the petrol option. The UX 300e was discontinued earlier this year. We’re told the name stands for Urban Explorer which, sort of, identifies its target audience. A compact SUV, the UX 300 sist on the same platform as the Toyota Corolla hatch, Corolla… Read more

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BYD SEALION 7 PREMIUM

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Back in 2022, BYD was one of the first Chinese vehicles to enter the Australian EV market. It started as a one-car brand imported by the private company EV Direct with the Atto 3 compact SUV. Although popular with early EV adopters it didn’t make much of an impact on overall sales. Atto 3 was followed in 2023 by the Dolphin EV hatch and Seal EV sedan. The first BYD plug-in hybrid, the Sealion 6, arrived in 2024. A mid-sized SUV, it attracted strong sales and quickly became the top-selling… Read more

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NISSAN QASHQAI TI E-POWER .. A DIFFERENT TAKE ON THE HYBRID

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Qashqai is the not so small member of the Nissan lineup, sitting between the Juke and X-Trail, and sharing a platform with X-Trail. Originally known as the Dualis in Japan and Australia when it was launched way back when, it was called Qashqai in every other country where it was sold. The second generation, launched in 2013, was not sold in Japan and lo and behold was badged as the Qashqai everywhere this time, except that is for the United States where it was known as the Rogue Sport. Confusing?… Read more

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REAR VIEW IN FORESTER FOCUS

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The new Forester: Ah, that takes me back. While Subaru’s most popular model has taken up with the hybrid age, changes are mostly cosmetic, including cabin layouts that have not changed much over the past four years, no impediment to the many Forester fans of which there are many. Needless to say, there is an impressive list of standard equipment in the Forester, right down to the bargain basement. Things such as Subaru Intelligent Drive (Intelligent and Sport modes), X-Mode with hill descent, front cornering lamps and steering responsive headlights,… Read more

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LEXUS GX 550 . . . BUILT FOR THE BUSH, TARTED UP FOR TOWN

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If you look carefully, you can just make out the Toyota Prado that lurks under the skin of the Lexus GX 550. It’s more evident if you look at the car in profile, with its rising rear belt line, courtesy of the 1971 Holden HG Belmont wagon. Lexus has done a very good job disguising the Prado and the styling looks as though it has not strayed fast from the concept, especially the bold face with its spindle grille. The result is an arguably better-looking car than the donor, or… Read more

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SUPER HYBRID CHERY ON TOP

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The Chinese continue to carve off a sizable slice of the automobile cake worldwide, and with Chery on top, it’s hard to see this changing anytime soon. Last month the company claimed 3305-unit sales, putting it in the top ten Down Under. Now the fastest growing brand in Australia, Chery has done this on the back of the success of the Tiggo 4 and 7 SUVs, recently joined by the Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid, capable of travelling up to 1200 kilometres on one tank of fuel and a single charge…. Read more

Sky no limit for this one-off Roller

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The sky is no limit for this Rolls-Royce. Meet the Cullinan Cosmos, a one-of-one commission that celebrates the drama of outer space. Commissioned by a family who shares a fascination for the universe with their four-year-old son, this theme was brought to life through a constellation of Bespoke details. They worked with Rolls-Royce designers to create a unique Star Cluster motif, which appears as Bespoke embroidery on the door panels and headrests, and as a hand-painted artwork on the front passenger fascia. Cullinan Cosmos features the first fully hand-painted Starlight… Read more

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TOYOTA YARIS HYBRID … CHEAP LOW EMISSIONS TRAVEL

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Toyota’s small but practical Yaris is often overlooked in the rush to buy larger more powerful models. But for environmentally conscious buyers the hybrid-powered pocket rocket offers a very real alternative to fully electric vehicles. The three cylinder hybrid powertrain offers super low fuel consumption and with it incredibly low engine emissions. In many ways, you could say it is the perfect city car. STYLING Yaris has come a long way since the debacle over its name when introduced as the Toyota Echo back in 1999. It is now one… Read more

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HAVAL H6GT PLUGS IN TO A NEW WORLD

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With more than 32,000 sales in Australia, the Haval H6 has never been backward at coming forward. And that’s not about to change anytime soon if the brand’s first plug-in electric vehicle is anything to go by. PHEVs have been slow to take off, but with ballooning fuel prices, climate change through fossil-fuel pollution and the ever-present driver albatross of ‘range anxiety’, things are changing. And the new H6GT, with its bumper 35.4kWh battery, has gone straight to the top of the segment with an electricity-only range, with zero emissions,… Read more