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QASHQAI MAKES OWN WAY ON HYBRID DRIVE

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  The Qashqai compact Nissan SUV has turned its back on the past to embrace petrol/electric power with the company’s own unique innovative e-Power hybrid powertrain. Upgrades stretch across the whole range from the entry-level ST-L, where prices start at $45,640, plus on-road costs. The Ti comes in at $49,640 and Ti-L $53,640. A new N- Design Nissan’s Ti-L e-Power jumps to $52,365, while the new N-Design e-Power tops off the range at $54,140. On test was the mid-spec Ti-L e-Power. Nissan’s e-Power system, a series hybrid where a 1.5-litre… Read more

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FOTON TUNLAND … A LOT OF UTE FOR THE MONEY

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Foton’s Tunland diesel hybrid utility, that’s diesel hybrid — could make a few punters sit up and take notice. For starters it’s larger than your average 4×4 sports ute and although it is surprisingly well equipped, it costs a lot less. Tunland is billed as a full-size ute, but in reality, sits somewhere between the Ranger and Ram 1500 in terms of size, with prices starting from $39,990. If the name sounds familiar, that’s because the Chinese brand had a crack back in the 2010s but failed to break into… Read more

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TOYOTA KLUGER NOW ONLY HYBRID AND AWD

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Toyota Kluger is a semi-luxury seven-seat family SUV that has been on sale in Australia since 2003. Like most other model updates Kluger has grown in size progressively through its life and the latest (fourth) generation, launched here in mid-2021, and is no exception coming in at just under five metres in length. Note that the Kluger name is only used in Japan and Australia. It’s the Highlander in all other markets but that name had already been taken by Hyundai for some of its top-spec variants. Kluger was given… Read more

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JEEP WRANGLER RUBICON UNLIMITED

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Jeep Wrangler needs no introduction. If you’re into off-roading, it’s up there with the best of them. In fact, out of the box, Wrangler probably delivers more 4×4 capability than just about anything, with plenty of room for further customisation. But this ability comes at a cost, because it’s not the most comfortable car to drive and these days it is available only with a petrol engine which is a major drawback. STYLING In the UK the 4×4 scene is about mud and bog holes. In the United States, it’s… Read more

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LITMUS TEST FOR MG EV

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There’s nothing new about the phrase ‘fit for purpose’ in automobile terms. History records MG (Morris Garages) fitting the bill from the 1920s with a family of British sports cars, reaching its zenith post-World War II with the MGA, MGB, MGC, MG Midget and MG TF. Now, following several changes of ownership, Chinese automobile giant SAIC Motor has taken MG from premium priced sports specials to the opposite end of the price spectrum with the introduction of its MG4 EV Urban to Australia’s most competitive electric vehicle market. Already well… Read more

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GAC AION V REVIEW

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In a recent review we introduced another in the growing list of new Chinese brands to arrive in Australia. This time it was from the Guangzhou Automobile Group aka GAC. Although it has been around for more than 70 years and is currently the fifth largest Chinese carmaker, GAC is largely unknown here it does have well-established joint ventures with both Honda and Toyota vehicles where it builds vehicles for the Chinese domestic market. That previous review was of the GAC Emzoom, a compact SUV and the only conventionally-powered model… Read more

CUPRA Leon VZx Sportstourer AWD

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Here’s something you don’t see very often, a new station wagon. A what? A station wagon — the thing we drove before the advent of SUVs. Part hot hatch. Part active lifestyle. The Cupra Leon VZx Sportstourer AWD has been confirmed for Australia. Joining the refreshed Leon lineup introduced in late 2025, the Leon VZx Sportstourer completes the Australian wagon range alongside the existing Leon VZe Sportstourer plug-in hybrid and introduces all-wheel drive (AWD) to the Leon range. Designed, developed and built in Barcelona, the new flagship variant combines genuine high-performance capability with the practicality and… Read more

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MORE STING FOR YARIS FLYER

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Like sports nutritionists, Toyota engineers continue to feed the company’s motorsport stars with performance enhancing – legal, of course – characteristics. Latest to follow the trend is the GR Yaris hot hatch. Upgrades, developed last year from motorsport competition, have found their way into the latest road-going models in the form of steering features, including race-bred Bridgestone Potenza tyres for the flagship GTS. Enhancing the steering is an expanded operating range for the electric power assistance, while the steering wheel itself has been trimmed from 365mm to 360mm with a… Read more

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TOYOTA RAV4 . . . ALL NEW? WELL, NOT REALLY

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The all-new Toyota RAV4 made its debut Downunder in April. As one of its best-selling models, the RAV has an important role to play in the continued success of the world’s number one automotive manufacturer. But as the RAV sits on the same platform as its predecessor, is the same size and is powered by the same basic hybrid setup — it’s not all new really. Certainly, it represents a generational change for the popular five-seat SUV, but we are yet to meet a new model that isn’t larger and… Read more

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LATEST MITSUBISHI ASX HAS A FRENCH CONNECTION

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  Mitsubishi ASX is the smallest vehicle in the company’s four-model SUV range beneath  the Eclipse Cross, Outlander and Pajero Sport.   ASX (the acronym stands for Active Sports Crossover (not Australian Stock Exchange)  has been around since 2010 and for much of this period, it has been a consistently strong  performer for Mitsubishi thanks to its combination of sensible design, functionality and  sharp pricing.   By the time the all-new second-generation ASX, that we’re testing here, arrived in late  2025 the scene that changed significantly and it now competes… Read more