Category: Road Test

Road Test Review

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HONDA ACCORD FAR FROM JOURNEY’S END

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Few vehicles can match the Honda Accord for longevity. On the road in Australia since 1977, the award-winning sedan, now in its eleventh generation, shows no sign of going away anytime soon. Surprisingly, despite it being one of the maker’s most important nameplates, the latest Accord, a petrol-electric hybrid, stands alone in its bid to keep the opposition at bay. In doing so the Accord e:HEV RS – touted as the best Honda Accord ever – claims ‘to deliver an unbeatable combination of style, efficiency, performance and connectivity’. But does… Read more

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GENESIS G70 3.3T SEDAN

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Although it’s been on sale in overseas markets since 2016 and in Australia since 2019, the Genesis brand remains largely unknown here. During our week-long road test of the Genesis G70 we regularly had to explain that it was the luxury sub-brand of Hyundai, akin the relationship between Lexus and Toyota. The G70 is a mid-sized sports sedan or station wagon, the latter variant coming with the rather ostentatious title of Shooting Brake. The name harks back to pre-automotive days and referred to horse-drawn carriages that were used for transporting… Read more

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GENESIS G70 3.3T

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Although it’s been on sale in overseas markets since 2016 and in Australia since 2019, the Genesis brand remains largely unknown here. During our week-long road test of the Genesis G70 we regularly had to explain that it was the luxury sub-brand of Hyundai, akin the relationship between Lexus and Toyota. The G70 is a mid-sized sports sedan or station wagon, the latter variant coming with the rather ostentatious title of Shooting Brake. The name harks back to pre-automotive days and referred to horse-drawn carriages that were used for transporting… Read more

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GREASED LIGHTNING: AUDI EV STRIKES

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It’s not the destination, it’s the journey, so the saying goes: and there is no better way to sum up Audi’s new all-electric supercar, the RS e-tron GT. With a limited top speed of 250km/h (the destination) and a sprint from zero to 100 kilometres per hour (the journey) in 3.3 seconds in boost mode, both are unlikely to be called on in full off track. Claimed is a range of 488km (WLTP). However, this is no scary monster on the high street. Around town, the sleek grand tourer is… Read more

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HONDA CR-V E:HEV RS

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The Honda CR-V e:HEV isn’t the Japanese company’s first petrol-electric hybrid. It’s the latest in a long line of hybrids that started with the cutting-edge, two-seat Insight way back in 2001. But the CR-V e:HEV (it’s a mouthful) has a big role to play as Honda fights to find a place in the new order of things that started with the move to SUVs, then the swing to electric vehicles and finally the arrival of the Chinese — in full force. You might say it’s time to shape up or… Read more

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LONG WAY ROUND FOR SANTA FE

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Millennials and Gen-Xers are not noted for being fans of the great outdoors, or so I thought, but according to research neither is averse to channelling a touch of Tarzan of the Jungle. With this in mind, Hyundai has come up with the ‘Open to More’ concept of expanding customers’ experiences by connecting inside with the outside. Enter the fifth-generation Santa Fe, a spacious and well-equipped SUV with fuel-saving hybrid technology. A triple-trim line-up is out to appeal to the young tech-savvy Tarzan or Jane with curved panoramic instrument display,… Read more

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HONDA CIVIC TYPE-R

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Honda’s hot hatch is a car that never seems to lose its appeal. It’s probably the closest thing we mere mortals will ever get to a Ferrari-like driving experience. The Type-R goes hard, stops hard and is engineered to thrill, but is not a car that will appeal to everyone. And at $73K price creep threatens to put it beyond the reach of the very group of drivers at which it is targeted. STYLING Priced from $73,600 driveway, the Type R has gone up $1000 since we last tested it…. Read more

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CANNON FIRES FIRST SHOT IN HEAVY ARTILLERY EV CAMPAIGN

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The GWM Cannon has become the first full electric utility in Australia, the Alpha Ultra Hybrid muscling in between the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Isuzu D-Mac and the full-sized pick-ups from Chevrolet, Ford, Ram and Toyota. The Cannon dual cab flagship also strengthens GWM’s New Energy Vehicle strategy, becoming the brand’s sixth NEV offering following the Jolion Hybrid, Tank 300 and 500 hybrids and Ora EV. Coming in three variants with a 2.4-litre turbocharged diesel engine, or 2-litre turbo petrol motor, the latter linked with a hybrid powertrain, all… Read more

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LEXUS LM 350H AWD SPORTS LUXURY

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Back in the old days people thought the world was flat. They thought that if you sailed far enough you would eventually fall off the edge. Lexus engineers seem to think the same thing, because the front doors of its new LM people mover won’t stay open on a slope. Then there’s the heavy, power-operated, second-row seats which won’t move forward and stay forward to access to the third row when the vehicle is also parked on a slope. For a luxury vehicle with a price tag to match, it’s… Read more

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HIGH HOPES FOR TURN TOWARDS THE YOUNG

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Toyota has a storied modern history of innovation: remember the World Rally-based Celica GT-Four, the quirky Tarago ‘egg’ people mover and the revolutionary Prius petrol / electric hybrid? Now, the Japanese auto giant has continued carrying the stylish high-tech torch with the C-HR GR Sport. This edgy looking cross-over is the flagship of the all-new second generation premium compact, which brings stylish European design and economic performance together in the small SUV segment. The three-version Coupe-High Rider, says the maker, presents an elevation in luxury and performance compared with the… Read more