Category: News

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AUDI A3 GETS MAJOR MAKEOVER

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By EWAN KENNEDY in Munich Audi A3 is the German marque’s biggest selling model and totally changed the face of upmarket cars when introduced almost 20 years ago. The A3 was a small car at a time when all upmarket models were large, medium-large – and expensive. What seemed to be a big gamble turned out to be a success and Audi A3 number one million will be built soon. Having seen that success Audi’s topline German competitors later followed suit with their own small machines. The latest A3 was… Read more

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HONDA CIVIC MAKES AN IMPRESSIVE COMEBACK

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Honda has launched the latest (10th generation) version of its small-medium Civic sedan. First released in 1973 Civic is not only Honda’s most popular car ever but also sits fifth on the list of the global best-selling passenger cars in history. The new Civic sedan will go on sale in the second week of June and it can’t come quickly enough for Honda with sales having slumped dramatically over the past two years. Honda’s latest Civic sedan has a sleeker, bolder fastback style which could be crucial because the updated… Read more

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HOLDEN TRAILBLAZER HEADING DOWNUNDER

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Holden Colorado 7 SUV is about to get not only a major makeover, but also a new name – Trailblazer. That name is used in other markets, particularly the USA where the SUV is sold as the Chevrolet Trailblazer. Changes to the front are evident in these photos of a Chevrolet model provided by GM-Holden show it is to continue the double-stacked grille look that’s been well accepted downunder. Describing the new shape Holden leaves no doubt about the sort of buyers it’s aiming at, “The 2017 Colorado has been… Read more

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MERCEDES-AMG C 63 S COUPE

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Sleek, low and purposeful, Mercedes-AMG C 63 S coupe is a serious machine

Australians are the biggest buyers of Mercedes-AMG cars on the planet when taken as a percentage of all Mercedes-Benz sales. Machines from the high-performance division sell to people who mean business and who want to get the best from their cars, and even more importantly, from themselves as drivers. The latest model in the range is the Mercedes-AMG C 63 S coupe with a 4.0-litre V8 bi-turbo engine producing 375 kW of power and a prodigious 700 Nm of torque. That sort of grunt permits acceleration from zero to 100… Read more

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BENZ COUPE STEPS UP TO THE PLATE WITH PLENTY TO SPARE

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The paint had hardly dried before the latest C-Class Coupe started attracting accolades. The Good Design Awards Australia bestowed on the Mercedes-Benz the 2015 gong for outstanding product design and innovation. Trim and technology are all well and good but how do they translate to performance and practicality? Pretty well, as I found out on a recent hit-out with a trio of models in and around the Yarra Valley in Victoria. First impressions are that of a sleek and stylish two-door in the coupe tradition stamped with the latest sporty… Read more

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BMW 3 SERIES 330e PETROL-ELECTRIC HYBRID

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Despite the fact that it already sells the cleanest range of cars on the Australian market, the Australian BMW importer is not letting up. It comes as no surprise that the German marque that’s well know for providing machines for keen drivers hasn’t let performance slip, in fact it labels its clean, green machines as the iPerformance range. Latest to join the BMW range is the 3 Series 330e petrol-electric hybrid. It joins the BMW X5 xDrive 40e we reviewed last month. These are the two biggest selling model series… Read more

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AUDI A4 AVANT

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Audi has added a station wagon (Avant in Audi terms) to its A4 range. It joins the sedan that was launched in Australia in February this year. The latest Avant is slightly larger than the model it supersedes, sits on a longer wheelbase and wider. Most of the extra size has gone into significantly increasing legroom in the rear, there’s also more elbowroom and headroom. Yet, clever engineering means the new model weight 70 kg less than the old. Styling follows the latest Audi theme of sharp lines and interesting… Read more

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PORSCHE 718 CAYMAN: ADVANCE DETAILS

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Porsche released Australian details of the 718 Boxster roadster three months ago, though deliveries aren’t to start till mid 2016. Now the importer has given us details of the 718 Cayman hardtop coupe. In an interesting move the Cayman is priced below the Boxster. Something that hardly comes a surprise as ever other maker charges more for their open top versions; the 718 Cayman starts at $110,300, the 718 Cayman S from $140,600. On-roads have to be added. The 718 is named in recognition of the Porsche 718 sportscars that… Read more

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KIA PICANTO: CAPABLE AND AFFORDABLE

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Kia has entered the Australian micro car market with a small five-door hatch called Picanto that combines cute looks, automatic transmission as standard, capable performance, and an appealing driveaway price of $14,990. Small city (aka micro) cars have historically been poor sellers in Australia with its sprawling suburbs and cheap fuel. However increasing environmental awareness has seen a surge in popularity of the segment which is populated by cars such as the market-leading Mitsubishi Mirage, Nissan Micra, Suzuki Celerio and Holden Spark. As with the other cars in the segment… Read more

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MINI’S FIRST CONVERTIBLE

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Mini has added to its lineup with the introduction of a third generation open-top car. This time around it is a pure convertible, not a cabriolet. That’s because the fixed rollover hoops have been replaced by a rollover protection system that automatically raises the bars when the car’s sensors detect rolling over is a possiblity. The gen-three open-top Mini is coming to Australia in Cooper and Cooper S variants, there is no lower cost Mini One. May we speculate a hot JCW version is in the design stages? To our… Read more