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JAECOO J8 COMBINES HIGH QUALTIY WITH BARGAIN PRICING

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Yet another new name for Australian buyers to grapple with, Jaecoo is one of three sub-brands from the Chinese Chery brand. Chery is the leading exporter of Chinese vehicles worldwide with Australian sales more than tripling over the past 12 months. Marketed as the group’s premium brand, Jaecoo was launched here in March 2025 with the J7, a mid-sized SUV powered by either petrol or plug-in hybrid powertrains. It was joined recently by our test vehicle, the J8 family-size SUV. Although they are built on different platforms, they do share… Read more

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BYD SHARK IS COMING FOR YOU

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It’s BYD’s Shark and it’s coming for you. At least it is if you’re in the market for a ute because the Shark, or Shark 6 to be exact, has been a runaway success for the Chinese company. BYD has sold more than 10,000 examples of the dual cab utility since launch 12 months ago and just to set the record straight, it’s not an electric vehicle — but rather a plug-in hybrid (PHEV). That makes the Shark rather special but not quite unique with competitors such as the Ford… Read more

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MG CYBERSTER – FLAWED BUT SERIOUSLY IMPRESSIVE

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Wow. MG’s Cyberster is a knockout. You can see why the company lavished so much time and money developing a car that realistically few people will buy. The Cyberster (great name) provides a direct link between the modern Chinese company and the storied British manufacturer from which it takes its name. It’s a modern interpretation of a very old idea, based on such classics from the company’s past as the famous MGB sports car from the 1960s. MG says Cyberster isn’t just here to be another car, it’s here to… Read more

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KIA TASMAN IS GOOD … AND IT HAD TO BE

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Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll know that the Kia Tasman is Kia’s first ute. And it has a big task ahead of it as Kia attempts to acquire a chunk of the lucrative light commercial market. Now the number four brand in the Australian market, the South Korean car maker has come a long way in the past decade. But it can’t take the fight up to market leader Toyota without a ute as part of its arsenal — and what a ute it is. Together with… Read more

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BIG AND BOLD, ISUZU UTE MU-X IS A VERSATILE FAMILY SUV

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Isuzu Ute MU-X is a seven-seat family SUV from a Japanese company that has a long history of producing hard working vehicles. Indeed, Isuzu has a history dating back for over 100 years in light commercial vehicles including a couple of decades when they sold here rebadged as Holdens. The MU-X is one of only two vehicles offered by the Isuzu Ute brand alongside the D- Max utility with which it shares the same chassis and numerous other components. MU-X has been a major success in Australia. Sitting on the… Read more

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VOLVO LOOKS FORWARD TO A FULLY EV FUTURE WITH THE EX90 SUV

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Volvo has been given a hand-up to total automotive electrification in a big way by its bosses at Geely, the Chinese automotive group that is the parent company of the Swedish luxury marque. Both companies are involved in electric vehicle development, including the flagship large luxury Volvo EX90, which shares some of its technology and the Polestar 3 platform. Geely also produces its own vehicles, such as the Geely Starray Em-1, and sells a range of accessories for the EX90 through its Geelyevs website. However, is the swish seven-seater too… Read more

Benz showcases the future with Vision Iconic

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The Mercedes-Benz Vision Iconic concept car previews the look and technology that will be carried forward by models. The stylised grille has been a key design element of Mercedes-Benz vehicles for more than 100 years and has been reinterpreted for this show car. Introduced with the all-new electric GLC in September, Benz says the new grille enables its cars to stand out from the sea of sameness. The iconic grille draws inspiration from the upright grilles of legendary models such as the W 108, W 111 and the Mercedes- Benz… Read more

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FRONX … A UNIQUE NAME FOR AN APPEALING LITTLE CAR

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    Not sure what to make of the Suzuki Fronx. It shares a platform with the Suzuki Swift, so it could be described as the crossover version of Swift. The Fronx name is a portmanteau of “Frontier Next”, which was trademarked by Suzuki way back in 2014. They are a bit slow off the mark but apparently the idea was to create an SUV that is widely accepted by the market with existing resources, which could explain some things. Suzuki describes Fronx as the most comprehensively equipped Suzuki model… Read more

High hopes for MG’s HS Hybrid+

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MG has launched a new hybrid version of its mid-sized SUV the HS. At $40,990 driveaway, MG is hoping the “all-new” hybrid will help it regain some of the territory it has lost to competitors since the launch of the car back in 2019. Suddenly, that seems such a long time ago and the Chinese motoring offensive continues unabated, with new brands and models arriving seemingly every month. The self-charging HS Hybrid+ joins the HS Super Hybrid which is in turn a plug-in hybrid version of the vehicle. MG is… Read more

Turn your Raptor into a Desert Ranger

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What’s a Ford Ranger without some accessories? The more the better it seems, with Ford releasing a limited edition accessory pack for its already highly equipped Ranger Raptor. The Ranger Raptor Desert Pack transforms the vehicle into a trophy truck-inspired off-road machine with lots of lighting and bold visuals. Developed in partnership with ARB, inspiration is drawn from Raptor’s record-setting performances in the legendary Finke Desert Race. For the past three years, the Ford Australia engineering team and Ford Performance have taken a race-prepared ‘Stock Class’ Ranger Raptor to the… Read more