Category: Road Test

Road Test Review

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CITROEN C4 SHINE

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The Citroen C4 may look like an SUV, Citroen describes it as a blend of car, hatch and a coupe. Whatever floats your boat. There’s just the one model coming Downunder, the C4 Shine, priced from $37,990 plus on-roads. STYLING It sits high enough to be an SUV and has, lower protective plastic cladding, and it’s categorised as an SUV for statistical purposes. But the rear hatch and steeply sloping rear roof line lend an athletic, coupe-look to the profile. The front with its slimline lights’ highlights “Citroën LED Vision”… Read more

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LEXUS LX600 ULTRA LUXURY LIVES UP TO ITS NAME

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Effectively an upmarket version of the Toyota LandCruiser, the Lexus LX large premium SUV has been around since the mid-1990s. The latest (fourth generation) LX arrived here at the end of 2021 shortly after the new LC300. It comes with petrol or diesel power, four equipment variants, three seating options and a host of new safety and tech features. The four variants are base LX, Sports Luxury, F Sport, and Ultra Luxury. The first three are available with either petrol or diesel engines, the Ultra Luxury is petrol only. Prices… Read more

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LEXUS ES300h SPORTS LUXURY

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The ES300 is one of just two sedans that Lexus continues to sell. A four-door sedan, it’s based on the same platform as the Toyota Camry, but you’d never know. This one has a hybrid under the bonnet. It comes with power-operated everything and a back seat that would make Emirates first class proud. STYLING Think sporty but with chrome bits. Lexus expects 85 per cent of customers will opt for the hybrid. Leather-accented upholstery, bamboo trim inlays, tri-zone climate control with Nanoe X, heated steering wheel, power adjust steering,… Read more

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2022 SUBARU WRX GT SPORTWAGON

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Subaru WRX, often tagged as the “Rex” is high-performance machine that’s been a longtime favourite with Australian drivers since it first arrived Downunder in 1994. The latest model is offered as a sedan and station wagon. It comes in four variants: base, RS, GT and tS, and two engine/transmission combinations. Our test car was the GT Sportwagon and we thoroughly enjoyed our week’s road test as it operates in all conditions in the country or the city with not only stunning performance but quite good comfort that makes it suited… Read more

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JEEP’S TRAIL-RATED COMPASS TRAILHAWK

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Compass is the baby of the Jeep family and looks like a downsized-version of Grand Cherokee. Introduced in 2007, Compass and sibling the Patriot, a reskinned, rebadged version of the car, were the first of Jeep’s softer crossover offerings. Compass was rounder, cuddlier and generally more citified twin, while the Patriot which was dropped in 2016 was a bit squarer and more macho. Survivor Compass continues to fly the flag for the iconic American brand, targeted at first time buyers and those whose driving is confined mainly to paved roads…. Read more

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2022 BMW 430i GRAN COUPE

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The BMW 430i Gran Coupe is a fascinating mix of pure-bred sports car and family hatchback. It’s capable of carrying five people, though see the Driving section of this review for comments on that, and is low enough to look sleek. It certainly grabbed the attention of people who saw it on the road during our test period. Either when we were on the road or in carparks. STYLING Gran Coupe has the sometimes-criticised very-large front grille, but in the 4 Series the sheer size of the car means the… Read more

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LEXUS UX250h AWD SPORTS LUXURY

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It’s been a couple of years since we last drove the Lexus UX, a compact SUV in name that sits not much higher than the hatch it replaces. It all looks and feels very familiar which suggests not much has changed in that time, but let’s find out. Hang on, that’s right – there’s now a fully-electric version (but it’s not the one we’re driving here). STYLING Launched here in 2019, the front of the SUV is dominated by what Lexus calls its prominent ‘spindle’ grille. At the rear the… Read more

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POLESTAR 2 TWIN

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I must admit to having a soft spot for anything Swedish. I’ve had several business trips there with Volvo and Saab and on a couple of occasions have stayed on at my own expense to have a holiday after the official part of the event was over. Sweden is in the forefront of thinking when it comes to global warming and is working hard on reducing emissions from its vehicles. Polestar is a sub brand of Volvo and shares some components with the Volvo XC40 Recharge that we tested recently…. Read more

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VOLVO XC90 B6 AWD R-DESIGN

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The XC90 is the largest of Volvo’s three SUVs. There are four grades: Momentum, Inscription, R-Design and the Recharge plugin hybrid. The current model dates back to 2015, while Volvo has been upgrading the tech and gradually replacing the original powertrains with hybrid or plug-in hybrid setups. One of the car’s defining features is the large, vertically mounted tablet-style infotainment touchscreen from which the driver is able to control most of the functions of the vehicle. Being a Volvo, safety and more recently reduced engine emissions are a given and… Read more

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HS +EV IS MG’S FIRST PLUG-IN HYBRID

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The ongoing growth in Australian sales of MG vehicles continues to gather pace with the Chinese importer now sitting in seventh place of 2022 year-to-date sales at the end of April. The company’s success is all the more impressive given that there are only three models in its range, the MG3 hatchback, ZS small SUV and HS mid-sized SUV. The two SUVs are offered with different levels of electrification, the ZS is fully electric while the HS is a plug-in hybrid. Both come with the choice of Excite and Essence… Read more