Category: Road Test

Road Test Review

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SUBARU FORESTER IS A TRIED AND PROVEN MID-SIZED SUV

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Subaru Forester was one of the pioneers of the SUV trend which has been such a feature of motor vehicle sales not only in Australia but around the world. The first Forester was launched here in 1997 as a relatively mild looking station wagon but subsequently evolved into a stylish medium SUV with genuine off-road capabilities. Within a year it had become Subaru’s best-seller and has remained so right through until 2018 when it was pipped at the post by its precocious smaller SUV sibling the XV. Unlike most of… Read more

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2019 FORD FOCUS REVIEW

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Ford Australia is looking at its latest, fourth-generation, Focus to boost the company’s flagging passenger car sales and ease pressure on the Ranger ute which currently accounts for around two-thirds of all Ford sales. Launched here in December last year all new Focus models are built in Germany, previously lower-spec models came from Thailand. According to Ford it has been developed from the ground up. Four model grades at offered: Trend, Active, ST-Line and Titanium. Body types are five-door hatch and station wagon, the latter only available with the S-Line… Read more

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JAG ON THE PACE WITH COMPACT SUV

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Jaguar continues apace (pun intended) to cover all automotive bases with the recent addition of the E-Pace compact SUV to its vehicle roster. It seems the move downscale has paid off for, by all accounts, they are selling their socks off. In fact,E-Pace is well on its way to becoming the company’s best seller Down Under. So, what’s on offer? It comes in 38 variants thanks to what Jaguar calls its ‘Ultimate Customer Choice’, which allows you to build just about any kind of E-Pace you fancy. Specification runs through… Read more

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GTI THE ALL-ROUND GOOD GUY OF GOLF CLUB

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Over seven generations, the Volkswagen Golf GTI has led a highly competitive cohort of hot hatches on the way to attaining the status of an icon. The MY19 model is tasked with holding the line. Following production hiccups, the lone variant of the five-door Golf GTI range has finally made it Down Under. The newbie calls on the drivetrain of the 2017 three-door Performance Edition 1, including the same 180kW / 370Nm tune of the 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four, seven-speed wet-clutch DSG transmission, electro-mechanical front differential lock and ventilated front and… Read more

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2019 SKODA KAROQ 110TSI

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Skoda Karoq is a midsize SUV from the Czech Republic that shares much of its underpinnings with the Volkswagen Tiguan. Its biggest attraction to many potential buyers is that it, like other Skoda models, sells for significantly less than approximately equivalent VWs. The Karoq we tested was the 110TSI, with a recommended retail price of $29,990, compared to slightly higher price of the Tiguan 110TSI. This comparison isn’t apples-with-apples as there are differences in equipment, but it does give you something to work on depending on your preferences. Some of… Read more

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ADDED VITALITY FOR LONG-RUNNING VITARA

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A little over 30 years ago Australia was showing off to the world with Expo 88 in Brisbane, around the same time Suzuki had the first Vitara small sports utility vehicle breaking cover. Now it is the turn of the Vitara Series II to carry the banner. Since, the Vitara, with a grandiose detour to the name of Grand Vitara, has been a mainstay of the Japanese company’s offerings to the automotive world. Now it is the turn of the Vitara Series II to carry the banner. With diesel fast… Read more

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NISSAN INTRODUCES QASHQAI ST+

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Nissan has introduced an additional model to its Qashqai range. Qashqai ST+ sits between the entry grade Nissan Qashqai ST and the higher-spec Qashqai ST-L. At the top of the four-model range is the Ti. Qashqai ST+ has all of the features of the ST but adds privacy glass; a 7-inch touchscreen with digital radio, satellite navigation with traffic alert; a 360 degree Intelligent Around-View monitor with moving object detection; and power-folding and heated door mirrors. Qashqai has 430 litres of rear cargo volume, increasing to 1598 litres with the… Read more

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2019 BMW X4 M40i REVIEW

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Coupe-styled SUVs are an interesting juxtaposition. On the one hand, their swooping rear end appears to challenge the practical nature of SUVs, yet on the other hand they can and do work. The X4 M40i may be a case in point. With a body somewhere between an SUV and a medium-sized hatch and the heart of BMW’s performance machines, there is little question about its ability to impress. STYLING With its sloping back, wide stance and pronounced grille, the BMW X4 M40i cuts an arresting figure. What it lacks in… Read more

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A ‘TONNE’ OF WORK IN TRITON CHALLENGE

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The Triton has carried the weight of Mitsubishi light truck expectations for more than 40 years, and with the model year ’19 range, there’s no sign of them being offloaded any time soon. As I write this the Triton lies in overall third spot on the vehicle sales charts in Australia. Mitsubishi Australia is keen to keep its place in a weakened vehicle market, with the current model Triton, it says, combining the pick-up truck with passenger car levels of comfort for private and commercial purposes. It carries over, and… Read more

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RENAULT KOLEOS ZEN REVIEW

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Unlike many of its rivals that have up to five different SUVs in their range Renault has settled on just two models, the compact Captur and, the subject of this test, the mid-sized Koleos. A relatively late arrival on the SUV market Koleos went on sale in Australia in 2008. After facelifts in 2011 and 2013 the current, second-generation, model was released here in 2016. Built at the Renault Samsung Motors plant in Busan, South Korea it shares the same platform, engine and transmission as the Nissan X-Trail. Three variants… Read more