Category: News

No comments

2018 COMMODORE VXR REVEALED

  By ,

Late last year Holden released initial details of the fully-imported NG (Next Generation) Commodore ahead of its Australian launch in early 2018. In an interesting move, journalists have been provided with an extensive array of details much of them under strict embargo. It comes as no surprise that the big emphasis of the latest release is on the hot Commodore VXR flagship. It will come with a V6 engine putting out 235 kilowatts of power and 381 Newton metres of torque through a nine-speed automatic transmission to an all-wheel-drive system…. Read more

No comments

HYUNDAI’S NEW i30 N HOT HATCH

  By ,

Speculation on when the South Korean car marques would enter the hot-hatch scene have been around for years. Though keen to become major players in the global scene, both Hyundai and Kia sensibly decided to concentrate on mainstream vehicles and leave the esoteric models till later. Well, later has finally arrived and Hyundai is well and truly onto the high-performance scene. It has published extensive details and photos of the i30 N hot-hatch. The ’N’ tag comes from Namyang, Hyundai’s huge R&D test arena (which we have driven on several… Read more

No comments

AUDI SQ5 IN THE TRUE TRADITION OF PERFORMANCE WITH PRACTICALITY

  By ,

The phrase sports utility vehicle, or SUV, these days is applied to anything from a compact two-wheel drive ‘shopping trolley’ to a large genuine off-roader that, in most cases, can carry up to seven occupants. Deconstructing the segments there are few that justify the tag ‘sports’, or even ‘utility’. However, German auto maker Audi has just dropped off in Australia a vehicle that does fit the bill The second-generation Audi SQ5 is the successor to one of the most popular Audi performance models to have made it to these shores… Read more

No comments

NEW LAND ROVER DISCOVERY IS HERE

  By ,

Land Rover chose one of Australia’s most iconic and recognisable locations, Uluru, to launch the latest version of its Discovery SUV. You will need to take our word for this because, in respect to the wishes of the traditional owners of the land, no photographs will be published showing the new bigger Disco in front of the old, and much, much bigger, red rock. When the first Land Rover Discovery was produced in 1989 it was a cross between the capable, but rather crude Defender and the luxurious Range Rover…. Read more

No comments

2017 AUDI Q2 1.4TFSI REVIEW

  By ,

The new Q2 is the fourth Audi SUV added to the Australian market in the last few years joining the Q7, Q5 and Q3 in formidable line-up that is capturing the interest of those SUV buyers who are a tad partial to a touch of luxury. The Q2 is designed, priced and equipped to appeal to the younger, edgier crowd who want elegance and performance and some head-turning too wrapped into one. STYLING Polygonal shaping differentiates the Q2 from the rest of the Q family at present with that design… Read more

No comments

MAZDA’S LONG AUSTRALIAN HISTORY

  By ,
Who would have thought of a six-cylinder small car? Mazda did (1991)

Mazda Australia is proud of the fact that its Mazda3 is chosen by more Australians than any other car. Pointing out that while Toyota Corolla sometimes outsells the Mazda3 overall, many Corollas are bought by company fleets. But when buyers make their own choices more go for the Mazda3. Splitting hairs? Perhaps, but it is certainly a valid point that given a choice, the ‘3 is number 1. Mazda3 began its life as Mazda 323 just on 40 years ago and to celebrate its 40th anniversary Mazda invited a select… Read more

No comments

LEXUS LC: A LOVELY COUPE

  By ,

You may remember the Lexus LFA supercar of a few years back? It was an ultra-expense, limited-edition model and production ceased in 2012. However, many of the skilled engineers and designers who crafted the LFA were then transferred to the Lexus LC project. That lovely coupe is about to go on sale in Australia and at a considerably lower price than the $750,000 Lexus LFA… Sensibly, Lexus doesn’t charge extra for the hybrid as it has done in the past. Both LC models share a recommended price of $190,000, to… Read more

No comments

2017 BMW 530e ARRIVES

  By ,

Being a relaxed and comfortable driver plays a big part in road safety if you live in our more ever more frantic cities. This thought crossed my mind as I sat in a new BMW 530e in a Sydney traffic jam with rain pelting down and watching drivers getting irritated with one another. And feeling rather relaxed despite these surroundings. The new BMW was silent because we were in full-electric mode so the petrol engine wasn’t running. I smiled when a readout on the dash told me the 530e could… Read more

No comments

NG COMMODORE SUPERCAR RACER REVEALED

  By ,

Holden Holden has revealed the first official concept images of the next generation (NG) Commodore race car that will be introduced into the Supercars Championship in 2018. At this stage it’s only a computer-generated image by GM Design Australia Exterior Design Manager Peter Hughes. The Supercars version of the NG Commodore is currently undergoing a design and development process in partnership between Holden and its official factory racing team, Triple Eight Race Engineering. The design work includes simulation and aerodynamic evaluation using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling. In an interesting… Read more

No comments

RENAULT MEGANE SEDAN AND WAGON NOW IN AUSTRALIA

  By ,

Renault is continuing its strong marketing push in Australia by adding sedan and station wagon variants of its Megane. The very stylish Megane hatchback has been a success downunder since its launch in October 2016 and the sedans and wagons have a fair bit of French flair in there rumps as well. However, buyers are tending to – somewhat illogically in our opinion – opt for SUVs these days and the new Renault wagon may struggle to sell in significant numbers. The sedan should make its niche for itself in… Read more