Category: News

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STUTTERING START TO UPGRADED NISSAN SUV

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In one way or another, the Nissan Qashqai has been involved in ringing more changes than a crew of cathedral campanologists. Since its launch in 2007 the small sports utility vehicle has gone through a name change and a raft of iterations. It landed in Australia a year later under the name of Dualis as an all-wheel drive, added a seven-seat variant in 2010 and two years later had become this country’s most popular small SUV. The second generation Dualis reverted to the Qashqai moniker in 2014, at the same… Read more

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HOLDEN’S FAMILY FRIENDLY EQUINOX

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Extremely keen to take an all-new direction following the closure of its factory Holden has introduced an all-new vehicle, tagged Equinox, into the hotly contested SUV field in Australia. The timing couldn’t have been better as buyers are almost queueing up to get into these practical vehicles. Though the Equinox isn’t a direct successor to Holden Captiva, with continues in some variants for a yet-to-be-announced period, it comes pretty close. Equinox is a far more modern vehicle than Captiva in every way. Modern styling, larger interior, high-tech drivetrains and, possibly… Read more

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NEW MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE CROSS

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Determined to stay in tune with Australians love for SUVs Mitsubishi has added a third model to its range. Called Eclipse Cross it sits between the compact ASX and the medium-large Outlander. The Eclipse name does have some history for Mitsubishi having been used in a mid-sized sports coupe sold in overseas markets between 1990 and 2012. During much of that period a closely related model called Mitsubishi Galant was built at the company’s Tonsley Park plant in Adelaide. The timing of Mitsubishi’s early preview of the Eclipse Cross is… Read more

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STYLISH NEW TOYOTA CAMRY

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Out with the old, in with the new. New Toyota Camry is most certainly an eye opener when compared with its honourable ancestors. Sadly the Camry is no longer made in Australia, it now comes from Japan. The build quality on the ones we have seen to date is every bit as good as what we have seen coming out of the Altona, Melbourne factory for the past 20 years. Let us jump straight to style because, believe it or not, that’s what people will be talking about in the… Read more

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NISSAN STILL A BIG MANUFACTURER IN AUSTRALIA

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Nissan started assembling cars in Sydney over 50 years ago, in 1966. Then began full-line local production in 1972, eventually not only making Nissans here, but also Holdens for a while (some Astras were based on Nissan Pulsars). Though Nissan pulled out of full-scale manufacturing here in 1992, it continues to make car components to this day, and plans to do so well into the next decade. The Nissan Casting Plant (NCAP) in Clayton, Victoria employs 192 skilled workers, runs three shifts a day, seven days a week making approximately… Read more

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MERCEDES UTES – YES, UTES

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The eagerly awaited, though somewhat surprising, Mercedes-Benz X-Class ute is getting closer to Australia by the day. With the announcement of pricing – from $45,450 for a manual cab-chassis, to $64,500 for a luxurious dual-cab – the working Benz will compete with the top end of utes from more traditional sources. Or to be more precise, the top end of traditional utes with a stack of extras – because you will have to pay about $5000 to $15,000 extra for the Merc comparing like for like. Why is Merc selling… Read more

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ADVANCE INFO ON FORD ENDURA

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Many consider the Ford Territory was the best Ford ever designed and built in Australia, bar none. Sadly it disappeared when Ford Australia pulled up stumps. Ford Territory’s replacement has finally been announced and it’s called Ford Endura – which Ford tells us is short for endurance. Details are sketchy at this stage, as is the date it will arrive, other than that it will be sometime late in 2018. The fact that Holden is about to introduce its new Equinox SUV probably tells us why an Endura press release… Read more

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2018 HOLDEN EQUINOX: PRICING ANNOUNCED

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Holden has released pricing and further details of its new Equinox SUV, the model that’s replacing the ageing Holden Captiva in December. Equinox is an all-new vehicle developed by GM-Chevrolet with significant input from Australian GM-Holden engineers going back almost to the earliest stages of the design. This medium-large Holden will be powered by a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine producing 127 kW and 275 Nm; or a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol 188 kW and 353 Nm. These will be available at the launch of the Equinox in December. The turbo-diesel won’t come… Read more

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AUDI LAUNCHES Q2 TFSI QUATTRO SPORT

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Audi has introduced the final variant to its successful new Q2 range. The TFSI quattro sport use a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine with 140kW of power, and 320 Nm of torque. Naturally power goes to all four wheels by way of the Audi quattro drive system. It has a higher level of specification to the others in the Q2 range and has a recommended retail price starting at $48,500. Zero to 100 km/h performance is 6.5 seconds. Quick, but not super quick – we will have to wait for the S2… Read more

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2018 HYUNDAI SONATA HAS STRIKING LOOKS

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It would be unkind to call the previous Hyundai Sonata an ugly duckling, but a major facelift really has given it a striking appearance. Indeed, many seeing it for the first time would think it’s an all-new car. The front end is bang up to date, with a huge grille, sleek headlights, large DRL (Daytime Running LIght) housings giving a look that’s more coupe-like than family car. The tail has also received a sportier treatment, with slimmer lights and a bold shape to the diffuser. Though the Sonata’s sides remain… Read more