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LEXUS ES300h SPORTS LUXURY

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The growth in SUV sales has seen a corresponding decline in demand for traditional four-door sedans. In the case of Lexus only two of the latter have survived, the company’s flagship luxury LS and the medium-large family ES. The ES comes with the choice of the ES250 powered by a 2.5-litre petrol engine with outputs of 152 kW and 243 Nm names ES250, and the E300h with a 131 kW/221 Nm Atkinson Cycle petrol engine combined with a 88 Kw / 202 Nm electric motor for a total of 160kW…. Read more

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HAVAL H6 – WHY FIX SOMETHING THAT AIN’T BROKE

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Not much has changed since we drove Great Wall’s mid-sized Haval H6 SUV a couple of years ago. But then why would it when the five-seater has reportedly been the best-selling SUV in China for the past nine years? The current model dates back to 2020, while the hybrid and a fastback version called the GT were added to the mix in 2021. The hybrid version that we are looking at here now accounts for 30 per cent of sales and all the signals suggest that it’s steady as she… Read more

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CURTAIN UP ON QUICK-CHANGE ARTIST

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  History has taken its time. But now the South Korean luxury car arm of Hyundai / Kia has put its foot on the accelerator, upgrading the GV60 electric sports utility vehicle just months after its debut Down Under. For the first time Genesis Connected Services gives access to a new level of safety and security conveniently through a smartphone, or embedded vehicle self-help, while on-air software gives owners wireless remote system updates. To add to this, Face Connect and Fingerprint Start lets users into the GV60 using facial recognition,… Read more

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ABARTH 500E TURISMO FULLY ELECTRIC HATCH

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The Abarth 500e Turismo looks the goods, flashy but at the same time restrained. It is described as the most responsive and exciting Abarth 500 ever, but we’ve heard that somewhere before. The real question and the one of most interest to buyers, is what does this electrified pocket rocket bring to the table over the cheaper, donor Fiat 500e? There’s Abarth badges, bigger wheels and sports body kit, and a bit more poke of course . . . but it’s not all gelato and espresso. Abarth 500e is offered… Read more

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MG4 XPOWER HATCH – IS IT HOT OR NOT?

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As we began this review of the MG4 XPower the company announced that it was switching to national driveway pricing for its entire fleet. In the case of the MG4 range the new driveaway prices replace the previous manufacturer’s RRP and equate to savings of around $3000 to $5000. The fully-electric MG4 was added to the MG range midway through 2023. Unlike the ZS and HS EVs which are modified versions of the respective petrol vehicles, MG4 is a dedicated EV and the first to use the innovative Modular Scalable… Read more

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NISSAN NAVARA PRO-X DUAL CAB UTILITY

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  Okay. Now I’m confused.   The Nissan Navara PRO-4X was replaced by the PRO-4X Warrior which in turn has recently been replaced by the much-hyped PRO-4X Warrior by Premcar.   Premcar had a hand in some or all of them, but here’s the thing . . . the Pro-4X is back.   Take your eye off the ball and look what happens. What’s more, there’s an SL Warrior by Premcar now too.    Who will be top dog?    STYLING To give Navara and the PRO-4X some context, there’s… Read more

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MORE THAN A FIGURE OF SPEED FROM AUDI

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One of the most popular pastimes in the world, Monopoly, and the Audi RS Q3 sports utility vehicle have much in common. The board game deals with high finance and real estate, the SUV high performance motoring; both rely heavily on figures. The latter has just added a lot more of the latter to the list with its RS Q3 Sportback Edition 10 Years, as the suffix suggests with reference to its decade of success. Audi is making only 555 specials in celebration, with a ‘healthy number’ slated for Down… Read more

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MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE CROSS ASPIRE PHEV

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I read somewhere that the Government was going to drop financial incentives for plug-in hybrids in April next year. I’m not surprised. While PHEVs look good on paper, with their ultra-low fuel consumption figures — the reality is very different. For example, vehicles like the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross PHEV are good for a claimed 1.9L/100km. But to achieve this figure, you need to recharge the battery every 100km, or the final figure is liable to be considerably higher. Basically, the battery provides 45km of petrol-free travel for the first 100km… Read more