Category: Road Test

Road Test Review

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2019 KIA RIO GT-LINE

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Kia’s fourth-generation Rio first arrived here in January 2017 and received a major upgrade in November 2018. The subject of this week’s road test is the sporting Rio GT-Line. It sits in an interesting position in that it’s not a hot-hatch but rather provides added driving appeal and a bit more power than the standard models. It’s a warm-hatch rather than a hot-hatch, which leaves room for a hotter model at some time in the future. Kia Australia won’t comment on this, but stay tuned and we will bring you… Read more

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ISUZU SUV MAKES BIG IMPRESSION

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Dealing, these days, mainly with SUVs that would run a mile rather than tackle tough terrain, it was good to get behind the wheel of a genuine off-road wagon in the shape of the Isuzu MU-X. While celebrating a decade of business in Australia, as well as noting feedback from local customers, Isuzu Ute Australia (IUA) has upgraded its D-Max utility and MU-X seven-seat sports utility vehicle to maintain growth in two of the most competitive market segments – one-tonne ute and large SUV. The D-Max ute has come in… Read more

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NISSAN JUKE STAYS TRUE TO BREEDING

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The Nissan Juke, with its jagged body lines, numerous cut-outs and contrasting highlights, presents the perfect example of what could be seen as automotive architectural anarchy. Even so, with the resulting sharp appearance, there’s no reason the compact sports utility vehicle should not join its more traditional rivals and enjoy a mid-cycle makeover. Already with an enthusiastic fan base, the Juke in ST and Ti-S six-speed manual and Ti-S CVT automatic variants, Nissan is aiming to grab a thicker slice of the market with modified exterior styling, plus three MyJuke… Read more

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MAGNIFICENT ‘SEVEN’ FROM MAZDA

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To most people ‘affordable luxury’ in a vehicle would seem as far out of reach as a winning lottery ticket. However, there are those who are fortunate enough to know the feeling of it. Enough, indeed, for Mazda to cater for these lucky folks with its luxury CX-9. Now, the importer has just landed a super-luxury version of the CX-9, the Azami LE, Down Under. What’s more, the new seven-seat ‘palace’ on wheels will set back its buyer a mere $1500 – petty cash – over the existing Azami range-topper…. Read more

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ALFA ROMEO GIULIA VELOCE

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Alfa Romeo Giulia is a stylish Italian sports sedan built on an all-new rear-drive platform and is designed to tackle the market segment currently dominated by the big name Germans and Brits. A couple of months back we road tested the red hot variant, the 500 horsepower (375 kW) Giulia Quadrifoglio Verde powered by a 2.9-litre, twin-turbo V6 developed in co-operation with Ferrari. The QV is a truly brilliant machine, but at $143,900 it’s way out of our relatively modest budget. So this time we’ve spent a week in the… Read more

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NISSAN NAVARA ST-X REVIEW

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The big news in the Australian new car scene in recent years has been the rapid growth of SUV sales which saw them overtake conventional passenger cars for the first time in 2017. Only slightly less spectacular has been the jump in sales of pickups / utilities with Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger occupying the top two spots in overall vehicles sales last year – and certain to do so again this year. While Nissan Navara sales lag a fair way behind HiLux and Ranger it still accounts for almost… Read more

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MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE CROSS EXCEED

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Mitsubishi’s Eclipse Cross sits somewhere between the Japanese marque’s ASX and Outlander but has a personality all of its own. Its compact dimensions belie its spaciousness and complemented by generous inclusions, this SUV is punching above its weight. The Eclipse Cross is offered here in Australia in three grades, the mid-level LS, the newly arrived entry-level ES and the top-spec Exceed. The versatile crossover is pushing hard to make its mark in a segment that surprisingly still has some wiggle room. STYLING The Eclipse Cross may very well be one… Read more

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JEEP COMPASS HEADS IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

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Jeep Compass has been on sale on-and-off in Australia since 2007 and was the iconic American company’s first foray into the compact SUV field. The subject of this week’s test, Gen 3 Compass, was launched at the start of 2018.There are five models in the Compass comes range with a choice of petrol and diesel engines, two- or four-wheel drive and four specification levels: Sport, Longitude, Limited and Trailhawk. Prices range from $28,850 for the 2WD petrol manual Sport through to $44,750 for the AWD diesel automatic Trailhawk. ENGINES /… Read more

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ASX PACKS MORE INTO ‘COMPACT’ THAN STRIKING DESIGN

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Mitsubishi has given its compact sports utility vehicle, the ASX, a thorough spring clean, with upgrades across the range and the addition of a new entry-level variant, the ES. This brings the 2019 range to three specification levels – ES, LS and Exceed – or four with a $1000 optional safety package for the ES, which includes blind spot warning, lane change assist, lane departure warning, rear cross traffic alert and forward collision mitigation, along with reversing sensors, dusk sensing headlamps and rain sensing wipers. All variants are powered by… Read more

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JEEP CHEROKEE TRAILHAWK

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Looks may be subjective but when they prevent sales, car manufacturers have little choice but to take notice. The Cherokee, Jeep’s mid-sized SUV, has been at the centre of this kind of talk for a couple of years with its polarising nose finding little favour with buyers. Now, however, Jeep has taken steps to put the Cherokee back in the race with smart new exterior styling and a better all-round value-for-money offering. We put the range-topping Trailhawk through its paces. STYLING This new Jeep Cherokee debuts a more conventional look,… Read more