Category: Road Test

Road Test Review

No comments

NISSAN QASHQAI TI E-POWER .. A DIFFERENT TAKE ON THE HYBRID

  By ,

Qashqai is the not so small member of the Nissan lineup, sitting between the Juke and X-Trail, and sharing a platform with X-Trail. Originally known as the Dualis in Japan and Australia when it was launched way back when, it was called Qashqai in every other country where it was sold. The second generation, launched in 2013, was not sold in Japan and lo and behold was badged as the Qashqai everywhere this time, except that is for the United States where it was known as the Rogue Sport. Confusing?… Read more

No comments

REAR VIEW IN FORESTER FOCUS

  By ,

The new Forester: Ah, that takes me back. While Subaru’s most popular model has taken up with the hybrid age, changes are mostly cosmetic, including cabin layouts that have not changed much over the past four years, no impediment to the many Forester fans of which there are many. Needless to say, there is an impressive list of standard equipment in the Forester, right down to the bargain basement. Things such as Subaru Intelligent Drive (Intelligent and Sport modes), X-Mode with hill descent, front cornering lamps and steering responsive headlights,… Read more

No comments

LEXUS GX 550 . . . BUILT FOR THE BUSH, TARTED UP FOR TOWN

  By ,

If you look carefully, you can just make out the Toyota Prado that lurks under the skin of the Lexus GX 550. It’s more evident if you look at the car in profile, with its rising rear belt line, courtesy of the 1971 Holden HG Belmont wagon. Lexus has done a very good job disguising the Prado and the styling looks as though it has not strayed fast from the concept, especially the bold face with its spindle grille. The result is an arguably better-looking car than the donor, or… Read more

No comments

SUPER HYBRID CHERY ON TOP

  By , ,

The Chinese continue to carve off a sizable slice of the automobile cake worldwide, and with Chery on top, it’s hard to see this changing anytime soon. Last month the company claimed 3305-unit sales, putting it in the top ten Down Under. Now the fastest growing brand in Australia, Chery has done this on the back of the success of the Tiggo 4 and 7 SUVs, recently joined by the Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid, capable of travelling up to 1200 kilometres on one tank of fuel and a single charge…. Read more

No comments

TOYOTA YARIS HYBRID … CHEAP LOW EMISSIONS TRAVEL

  By ,

Toyota’s small but practical Yaris is often overlooked in the rush to buy larger more powerful models. But for environmentally conscious buyers the hybrid-powered pocket rocket offers a very real alternative to fully electric vehicles. The three cylinder hybrid powertrain offers super low fuel consumption and with it incredibly low engine emissions. In many ways, you could say it is the perfect city car. STYLING Yaris has come a long way since the debacle over its name when introduced as the Toyota Echo back in 1999. It is now one… Read more

No comments

HAVAL H6GT PLUGS IN TO A NEW WORLD

  By , , ,

With more than 32,000 sales in Australia, the Haval H6 has never been backward at coming forward. And that’s not about to change anytime soon if the brand’s first plug-in electric vehicle is anything to go by. PHEVs have been slow to take off, but with ballooning fuel prices, climate change through fossil-fuel pollution and the ever-present driver albatross of ‘range anxiety’, things are changing. And the new H6GT, with its bumper 35.4kWh battery, has gone straight to the top of the segment with an electricity-only range, with zero emissions,… Read more

No comments

MG S5 EV SETS A NEW BENCHMARK FOR ELECTRIC SUVs

  By ,

New vehicles from Chinese manufacturer MG are coming thick and fast. On the new and upcoming schedule are the QS seven-seat SUV, ES5 small electric SUV, MG7 large sedan, HS plug-in hybrid and the first offerings from the IM luxury sub-brand. The QS has just arrived and we’ll be reviewing it shortly but this time we’re looking another small-medium fully-electric SUV, the MG S5. While the name is new the S5 is effectively the replacement for the electric variant in the market dominating ZS range but, unlike the ZS EV… Read more

No comments

EV3 . . . NICE, BUT THE PRICE?

  By ,

  EV3 is the smallest of Kia’s electric SUVs, sitting behind the EV5 and EV9. They persist in calling the EV6 an SUV too, but it’s not. It’s really more of an over-sized hatch. By virtue of its size EV3 is also the cheapest too, if you can call $50,000 cheap by the time you put it on the road. This could be problematic for the Korean car maker, when cheaper, similarly-sized E-SUVs are fronting up every other week. Some of them are pretty impressive. STYLING EV3 replaces the Kia Niro. There… Read more

No comments

PLUG-IN POWER PLAY TO HYBRID HEIGHTS

  By , ,

With the landing of its Cannon Alpha plug-in hybrid electric vehicle in Australia, Great Wall Motors has shot its big ute into a leading spot in the segment, the Chinese maker claiming the PHEV sets a new yardstick in performance, range, and capabilities for electrified vehicles in the segment. GWM’s second model to enter the growing PHEV market in Australia, following the Haval H6GT PHEV, the Cannon Alpha PHEV comes in two variants, the Lux and Ultra on the market for $63,990 and $68,990 respectively, driveaway. The maker claims the… Read more

No comments

AUDI SQ8 … A PORSCHE COMPETITOR

  By ,

One of our all-time favourites is the superlative Audi S8 luxury sports sedan. Audi claims the S8 represents an extraordinary combination of high-performance motoring and absolute luxury. Got that right. With 420kW of power, 800Nm of torque and a 0-100km/h time of just 3.8 seconds, it certainly takes some beating. Then along came the SQ8 TSFI Quattro, pretty much the same deal but dressed in the practical garb of an SUV — which one to get? Think of it as a cheaper version of the Porsche Cayenne, Lamborghini Urus or… Read more