Category: Road Test

Road Test Review

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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

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2018 FERRARI PORTOFINO REVIEW

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Ferrari Portofino is named for a fishing village on the Riviera coast in Italy, a name we feel is much is more appropriate than Ferrari California, the model the Portofino replaces. Portofino is the entry level model in the Ferrari range. ‘Entry level’ that is if your automotive budget is under half a million dollars, indeed you can pick one up for just under $400,000 plus on-road costs. STYLING Top up, or preferably down, Ferrari Portofino is simply brilliant from any angle, perhaps the best looking of all the Italian… Read more

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2018 HONDA HR-V RS

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Following our recent two-week outback holiday in Queensland driving a Honda CR-V we moved across into the HR-V’s smaller brother, the Honda HR-V. In particular a newly introduced model, the RS which is a semi sporty variant. The introduction of the RS brings the 2018 HR-V range to four model grades: VTi, VTi-S, RS and VTi-LX. STYLING The HR-V RS has 18-inch alloy wheels, black chromed main grille, honeycomb lower grille and foglight garnish. Keeping up the dark theme it has black door mirrors; dark chromed door handles; and a… Read more

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ECLIPSE SHEDS LIGHT ON MITSUBISHI SUV FUTURE

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With the Eclipse Cross, a new spin has been given to the Mitsubishi sports utility vehicle orbit. Launched earlier this year, the all-new Eclipse Cross is the first of a new generation of Mitsubishi SUVs and joins the brand’s current lineup of the ASX, Outlander, Outlander PHEV hybrid, Pajero Sport and Pajero. Initially, three variants were offered in Eclipse Cross LS and Exceed specification levels. Recently, an entry-level ES was added to the range, taking the line-up to four models. Weighing in at a competitive price of $29,990, plus on-road… Read more

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2019 PORSCHE PANAMERA SPORT TURISMO TURBO

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Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo adds another dimension to the prestige German marque’s range. A body that’s part way between that of a station wagon and a five-door coupe. It attracted plenty of attention from those who know Porsches during our week’s road test, though some initially failed to recognise that it was a wagon, which may be exactly what the designers were aiming at. Our test car was the big gun – the Panamera Sport Turismo Turbo, which is simply sensational. STYLING The new generation Panamera coupe has been on… Read more

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HONDA CR-V: OUTBACK ADVENTURE

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Julie and I were both overdue for a long relaxing holiday and the offer of a press test of the new fifth generation Honda CR-V arrived at just the right time. It would be hard to pick a better vehicle for reasons that will become evident later in our review. We took the Honda from our Gold Coast home to far western Queensland by way of the Warrego and Landsborough Highways through Roma, Charleville and Barcaldine to Longreach. We spent several days on Longreach, touring the Qantas Founders Museum, the… Read more

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HYUNDAI GIVES IT A GO WITH NEW TUCSON STARTER

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To coin a phrase, it’s all systems ‘Go’ with the MY19 Hyundai Tucson adding a new eponymous entry-level variant to the company’s most popular sports utility vehicle range. Not to be outdone by the Tucson Go, the other models – ActiveX, Elite and Highlander – have also come in for a mid-cycle makeover, which includes up-dated interior and exterior styling with new wheel designs, and tablet-style multimedia with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto standard across the range. And, as is the case with most Hyundai models, the Tucson ride and… Read more

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JUST ENOUGH CHANGE TO KEEP CX-5 FANS INTERESTED

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Mazda, who presented us in 2012 with a CX-5 package that was to become Australia’s most popular sports utility vehicle, has no intention of letting the top spot go, recently upgrading the mid-size wagon. The 2.2-litre diesel engine has been given a power and torque boost while the 2.5-litre petrol unit has adopted cylinder deactivation to reduce fuel consumption at steady speeds. Other updates to the petrol engine range have accounted for a 1 Nm increase in torque for the 2.5-litre variant, and a 1 kW increase in power for… Read more