Category: Article Type

Powerhouse Nismo Patrol breaks cover

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Nissan has taken the wraps off a NISMO high performance version of the Patrol 4×4 wagon. NISMO (short for Nissan Motorsports) represents the pinnacle of Nissan performance, engineering, and innovation. Every NISMO is designed to deliver an adrenaline-packed driving experience and the all-new Nissan Patrol NISMO blends the robustness of an SUV with the precision of track-inspired engineering. Australia already has the off-road focused Patrol Warrior by Premcar, with a 5.6-litre V8 that produces 298kW and 560Nm. However, the track-inspired Nismo eclipses this, with a specially tuned twin-turbo petrol V6… Read more

You can drive the Tasman ute away

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In case you missed it, Kia is offering driveaway deals on its new Tasman dual cab Ute. Prices start from $46,490 driveaway, for the 4×2 S with steel wheels — dare we say workhorse of the range.  Though steel, the wheels are finished in black by the way. The rest of the range is 4×4, topping out at $77,990 driveaway for X-Pro. The latter boasts 17 inch black alloys with all-terrain rubber, a locking, electronic locking diff, different drive modes for different terrains, heated and cooled seats, Harman Kardon sound… Read more

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AUDI Q7 45 TDI QUATTRO

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After a week in the futuristic Audi Q4 EV, the diesel-powered Q7 marked an almost welcome return to normality. We were headed out west for a few days, to visit friends and taste some wine and it meant not having to worry about when and where to charge the car.  Country folk know all about diesel and support the technology. Dating back to 2015, the updated Q7 is currently Audi’s third most successful model, behind its smaller and cheaper siblings the Q5 and Q3, and offers the same kind of… Read more

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JAECOO J7 – CHINA’S BEST YET?

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Another name to grapple with as the surge in Chinese imports gathers strength and they not only coming with quantity but also quality. This time we’re looking at Jaecoo which joins Omoda and Tiggo as sub-brands within the giant Chery group, the fourth-largest of China’s plethora of manufacturers and, along with SAIC one of its largest exporters Although Chery did make a brief and unsuccessful attempt to enter the Australian market about 10 years ago it has only just re-launched here and remains largely unknown. Which is a blessing in… Read more

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HAVAL H6 PHEV DRIVES YOUR DOLLAR FURTHER

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Great Wall Motors (aka GWM) continues to lead the way in China’s surge into the Australian new vehicle market, currently sitting in seventh place overall. Nearly two-thirds of these sales come from the Haval sub-brand and its Joleon and H6 SUVs. The larger of the pair, the H6, has been here since 2017 and has grown steadily in the highly-competitive medium SUV segment against big-hitters like RAV4, Outlander, CX-5 and Sportage. Originally petrol-only, it added a conventional petrol/electric hybrid variant in 2022, followed in early 2025 by GWM’s first ever… Read more

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THE ICE AGE LINGERS WITH ‘JURASSIC’ PAJERO

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In the face of the red-hot advance of electric power, one internal combustion engine vehicle is moving at glacial pace to extend the ICE age. The Pajero Sport landed Down Under more than a decade ago and, with its long-standing diesel motor, is sticking steadfastly to the fossil-fuelled task. The MY24 large seven-seat family SUV is betting on competitive pricing and the slow-to-thaw roll-out of public fast charging infrastructure for the EV upstarts, leading to a pandemic of ‘range anxiety’ among owners. The ladder-frame Pajero Sport competes with other rugged… Read more

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SAHARA: SHIFTING SANDS OF TECH AND SAFETY

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How time flies . . .not! It’s been a full four years since the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series had the rule run over it by the maker. The last upheaval to the LC 300, which first made landfall Down Under in the Snowy River Scheme more than half a century ago, was in 2021. Who’d have thought then that the premium Sahara would be knocked off its pedestal by, not only one but two claimants – the ZX and GR Sport – to the Cruiser crown? Slow forward to this… Read more

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AUDI Q4 SPORTBACK 45 e-tron

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I had zero expectations of the Audi Q4. I hadn’t driven one before, let alone an electric one. I later learned Q4 comes only as an EV and is available in compact SUV and Sportback coupe form. Launched in 2021, the five-seater shares a platform with sibling the Q5 e-tron along with cousins the Skoda Enyaq, Cupra Born and Volkswagen ID.4. Interestingly, the Q4 e-tron is the first Audi to be built in the city of Zwickau since the pre-war era of the company. It is here that Audi and its… Read more

Nissan turns over a new LEAF

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Nissan has taken the wraps off an all-new, third generation electric LEAF. The new LEAF (leading, environmentally-friendly, affordable, family car) promises increased range and faster charging speeds, along with tech that Nissan says will make the daily drive easier. Now an SUV rather than hatchback, Nissan believes LEAF offers a “compelling” alternative to conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) powered vehicles. No word on when or how much it will cost yet, but the car will begin to roll out in the United States from September, with other regions to follow… Read more

Polestar gets Abbey Road mode

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No one’s using the words The Beatles, but the Polestar 3’s audio system just got Abbey Road Studios Mode. Available exclusively for the Bowers & Wilkins audio system, the over-the-air update brings a listening experience inspired by the iconic London recording studio. The optional Bowers & Wilkins audio system in Polestar 3 features 25 strategically placed speakers, including the proprietary Continuum cone and is complete with a 1610 watt power output, 3D surround sound, Dolby Atmos capability, and active road noise cancellation. Abbey Road mode adds four entirely new sound… Read more