Category: Road Test

Road Test Review

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POLESTAR 2 . . . TOP SHELF BUT PLENTY OF COMPETITION THESE DAYS

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Gosh it seems like a long time since the Australian launch of the Polestar 2 EV. It was fresh, it was entirely new and it was late November, 2021 — although the car had actually been in production since early 2020. In fact, the production version was officially unveiled in February, 2019 and made its first public appearance at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show that month. Yes, it’s been updated since then, but that’s still an awfully long time in the electric vehicle universe which is evolving and expanding at… Read more

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LEAPMOTOR LOOKS TO THE FUTURE WITH ITS C10 ELECTRIC SUV

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Ding-dong hell! What is the automotive world coming to, with in-car audible alerts and warnings all the go in EVs, especially, adding to the cabin cacophony, all that’s missing is Road Runner – beep-beep! Seriously, the family and I have just spent a week with the Leapmotor C10 SUV butting in to our conversations to tell us all was far from well with our driver, vehicle, road conditions, or the state of the Aussie dollar. No luck with the latest Lotto numbers, but. I digress. The C10 is an electric… Read more

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NISSAN ARIYA -THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME

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Already long in the tooth Nissan’s second fully electric vehicle Ariya takes up where the LEAF left off in Australia. And might we just say thank goodness for that, because LEAF was never one of our favourite automobiles. The Ariya could be though. The production version of Ariya was unveiled in 2019, but its launch was delayed because of the global chip shortage caused by COVID. This delay has allowed competitors to get the drop on the car and it will be tough playing catch up, but Nissan is no… Read more

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TOFFY TRITON BACK IN WORK GEAR

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Back in the day, most utes lived up their ‘utility’ tag, being up for almosanything. Since then, the tradies’ favoured transport has morphed into a cohort of shiny, lumbering limos, with dual cabs doubling as passenger compartments with all the creature comforts. With Ford and Toyota (not to mention RAM and other American muscle marques) leading the way, Ranger and HiLux have become genuine family favourites. Not to be outdone, Mitsubishi has its two ‘pennorth’ with the Triton GSR flagship. Now this, the Triton Double Cab Pick-Up, has been augmented… Read more

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PEUGEOT 5008 HYBRID GT PREMIUM

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Now in its third generation, the ”all-new” Peugeot 5008 was launched early 2024, but took a while to get here. Based on the Stellantis group’s STLA Medium platform, it is essentially a stretched version of the smaller 3008. Cast your mind back and you may recall this car originally came with a turbo petrol or turbo diesel engine. Back in 2013 it was described as a people mover, presumably because it offered seven seats. Now a large SUV, the latest version is a hybrid and has seven seats too. There’s… Read more

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ALFA JUNIOR ADDS CLASS TO HUMBLE HYBRID

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The first thing you notice about the Alfa Romeo Junior is the absence of chrome brightwork. That’s not to say the new small car is a ‘plain Jane’; it literally bears the Alfa Romeo stamp in words and brand marks all over. The car is iconic Italian design down to the ground and marks Alfa’s return to the compact car segment, all the while with the latest in electrification. The Junior comes in two variants – Ibrida (hybrid) and Elettrica (electric). The entry-level Ibrida comes to market from $45,900, plus… Read more

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JIMNY, FUN AND GAMES BY ANY STRETCH

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Jimny: it’s all in the name. Since its get-go the quirky small Suzuki SUV has been on a ‘fun run’, on and off road. Last year the maker invested more in the three-door compact, which had become something of a cult, adding two more doors and extended cabin space. Release the brakes, start revving the motor, the new Jimny XL five-door, after a bump in the road, has finally been let out on to Aussie streets, following a hold-up on sales for ‘an investigation into the model’ by the maker…. Read more

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CHERY PLAYS MUSICAL CHAIRS WITH ITS NEW OMODA BRAND

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It’s getting quite difficult to keep track of the constantly evolving brands and sub- brands within the giant Chinese Chery group. The most recent development is the establishment of what is effectively a new sister brand to Chery called Omoda Jaecoo, a premium brand that operates independently of their shared parent company. We recently reported on the two Jaecoo models (J7 and J8) that are currently on sale in Australia. This time we’re reviewing the first of the dedicated Omoda vehicles the Omoda 9 that went on sale here in… Read more

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EYE ON THE FUTURE – INSTER IS HARD TO IGNORE

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Ever been eyeballed by a car? Recently, while picking up a Hyundai test vehicle, I had the strange feeling the eyes (aka round headlamps with a ring of LED daytime running lights) of the Inster all-electric light SUV were following me. On top of this, positioned below was a wide grille with the superior look of a knowing smile? Creepy? The maker sees things differently, explaining the ethos of the Inster by saying the set-up makes for ‘a futuristic yet playful first impression.’ All flippancy aside, Hyundai’s smallest and most… Read more

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REXTON IS AN IMPRESSIVE SEVEN-SEAT SUV ALTERNATIVE

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Although Korean carmaker SsangYong has been in the Australian market for the past 20 years it has never been able to get close to the success of its compatriots Hyundai and Kia. The company has gone through financial difficulties over the years and been taken over at different times by SAIC, Daewoo, Mahindra and, in 2023, by a new entrant in the automotive scene – KG Mobility or locally as KGM SsangYong KGM SsangYong currently has five models in its range, the Musso ute, three mid- sized SUVS, Korando, Torres… Read more