Category: News

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MASERATI LEVANTE: FIRST AUSTRALIAN DRIVE

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Prestige car buyers are embracing SUVs in a big way. Latest to join the lineup is Italian Maserati with a model tagged Levante. Note, however, that Australia’s Maserati chief, Glen Sealey, regards Levante not as a ‘prestige’ vehicle, but as an ‘exclusive’ one. His reasoning is that the big name Germans and Brits are dabbling in so many low-cost areas, and consequently have lost some of their prestige shine. Sealey says Maserati Levante can step into the gap the others are leaving. Those looking for Italian stye and panache as… Read more

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NEW ALFA ROMEO GIULIAS ARE STUNNERS

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Alfa Romeo has a long history in sports and racing cars, but has been relatively quiet in recent years. All that has changed with the next generation Giulia which is about to hit the road in Australia. Giulia is built on a brand-new rear-drive platform and is aimed fair and square at the big name Germans. The BMW 3 and 4 Series and the Mercedes C-Class are its targets. The very tasty icing on the Italian cake is the high-performance $143,900 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, with the BMW M division… Read more

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UPGRADED TOYOTA KLUGER: MORE POWER, LESS FUEL

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Toyota Australia has something for just about everyone in the SUV / 4WD field. The Kluger is aimed very much at the SUV lover who wants to transport the family in more comfort than the heavy duty LandCruiser 100 and the almost heavy-duty Prado. Kluger sits midway between Prado and RAV4 and has been popular during its 14 years downunder to date. Now Kluger has been updated, with a facelift, new technology and increased in-cabin comfort. By far the biggest news in the latest Kluger is that the long-running petrol… Read more

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2017 AUDI A3 SPORTBACK

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Late in 2016 the Audi A3 and S3 ranges were given a comprehensive upgrade. They have a facelift and tail-tuck, revised engines, additional technology, added safety assistance systems, standard MMI satellite navigation on all models, and higher levels of equipment across the board. Depending on the model, the Audi A3 / S3 has up to $7000 in additional value over the outgoing car. Which, incidentally was voted World Car of the Year in 2014. The breadth of the Audi 3 range models is impressive. It starts with the A3 1.0-turbo-petrol… Read more

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THE LAST EVER HOLDEN COMMODORES?

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Holden has announced some minor changes and upgrades to the Commodore on sale for the 2017 season. Will these be the last very Commodores? Or will the company come up with some surprises as the October deadline for the factory gets closer? We suspect the latter, but like everyone else, we will have to wait and see. In the meantime potential buyers are being encouraged by Holden to lodge their interest asap at their favoured dealer. Holden says high demands are expected. Customers are encouraged to order any personally configured… Read more

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FORD MUSTANG’S POOR CRASH RATING

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Independent vehicle safety advocate, ANCAP (Australasian New Car Assessment Program) has given a safety rating to the Ford Mustang of just two stars out of five. The tests were carried out in Europe by NCAP, but ANCAP nowadays follows the same procedures. ANCAP’s CEO, James Goodwin, says, “This result is simply shocking for such a newly designed and popular model. The safety of adult occupants, child occupants and the ability to avoid a crash all form the basis of our ratings and the Mustang falls short in each of these… Read more

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RANGE ROVER SVR HAS ASTONISHING GRIP – EVERYWHERE

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The Range Rover Sport SVR is one of hottest, hardest accelerating 4WDs in the world. Its 405 kW 5.0-litre V8 can blast it from zero to 100 km/h in only 4.7 seconds. Far faster than a Brock Commodore or a Falcon GT of the 1980s could ever dream of. There’s no secret as to how the big Rangie can do this. Obviously driving all four wheels and all-but eliminating wheelspin off the line is a big factor. But the biggest reason for that rocketship time is advancements in technology, not… Read more

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MAZDA MX-5 RF: FIRST DRIVE

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The fascinating Mazda MX-5 RF (Retractable Fastback) has finally arrived in Australia. Even before it hit our shores it had already attracted a lot of interest and many have put down deposits to be first to get themselves into one. A few months ago Mazda MX-5 program manager Nobuhiro Yamamoto visited us in Australia and told us the retractable hardtop accounted for more than half of all NC (third generation) MX-5s sold because it offered all-season comfort. The fourth-generation retractable hardtop model embodies the core value of Lots of Fun…. Read more

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NEW IGNIS NOT HELD BACK BY TRADITION

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Suzuki is getting very serious on the new-car market in Australia. Hard on the heels of the Suzuki Baleno bounce-back, the Japanese company that specialises in small cars and SUVs has breathed new life into the Ignis and has launched the compact sports utility vehicle onto our market. Coming to market in two specification levels – GL and GLX – the Suzuki Ignis is unusual in being offered in four and five-seat versions. The entry level GL manual comes to market at $16,990 driveaway, the CVT $17,990, while the GLX,… Read more

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ALL-NEW KIA RIO

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Kia’s fourth-generation Rio has arrived and it’s significantly better than the already good gen-three model. It features improved ride and handling, safety and has full connectivity for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Kia is very much a global player and was styled in the company’s design centres in Germany and California, overseen by the design Namyang, Korea. Naturally the company’s famed design chief, Peter Schreyer, kept a close eye on the work. The design is neat and tidy and already looks to be timeless rather than ground breaking. It has… Read more