Road Test Review
Chinese brand Chery is back with a couple of SUVs and the promise of more to come. The name hasn’t been seen in these parts for 10 years, not since its cheapo hatches and SUVs fell foul of the safety police. That was then and this is now, with its latest offering, a small SUV called the Omoda 5 scoring a full five stars for safety when crash tested by ANCAP. It’s got plenty of cut-through too, with a style and shape that makes it stand out in a crowded… Read more
Crosstrek is the smallest of Subaru’s three SUVs, sitting below the mid-sized Forester and larger Outback. It competes against vehicles such as MG ZS, Mitsubishi ASX, Kia Seltos and Mazda CX- 30. While the name is new, Crosstrek has actually been on the Australian market since 2012 as the XV. Five Crosstrek variants are offered: 2.0L, 2.0R, 2.0S (petrol), plus Hybrid L and Hybrid S, with prices ranging from $34,990 to $45,090 plus on-road costs. Our test was in the top-spec Hybrid S. As with all Australian Subaru models, except… Read more
Well, hello. We’d almost forgotten about the other Korean – you know, SsangYong. After some financial woes, restructure and change of ownership, SsangYong is back in business selling cars, with two SUVs and a 4×4 dual cab ute to offer. Originally launched here in 2004, Musso was available as both a ute and SUV, the former called the Musso Sports, which attracted buyers with a bargain price and Mercedes- sourced turbo-diesel. These days ute and SUV have parted company, but it’s the Musso 4×4 dual cab ute that we are… Read more
Every now and then we get into a car that seems to grab attention wherever it goes. So it has been with the Great Wall Motors (GWM) Ora. Perhaps it was the combination of cute styling, a standout powder blue finish and then ew Ora badge that looks much like an exclamation mark. It drew comparisons with the New Beetle and old Nissan Micra and had us fielding questions throughout the week. Ora is GWM’s first EV and joins the growing list of affordable fully-electric compact vehicles to come out… Read more
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, earlier this year, by a new entrant in the automotive scene – KG Mobility. SsangYong currently has three models in its range, the Musso ute and two SUVs, mid- sized Korando and, this week’s test vehicle… Read more
The MG HS +EV is a mid-sized SUV from the Chinese manufacturer that is making such an impact on the Australian market. The name can be a little misleading because it’s not fully-electric but rather a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and so comes with a petrol engine together with a battery that can be charged in the same manner as an EV. Plug-in hybrids are an excellent concept but in practice, at least at this stage of their development, they don’t make a lot of sense. Firstly, they are typically at… Read more
The Toyota LandCruiser dates back to the days when such vehicles were called wagons – none of this sports utility vehicle nonsense. Unfortunately, they behaved as though they, at worst, had wooden wheels with iron rims; at best, solid rubber tyres. One such ‘wagon’ was the LandCruiser, which made Aussie landfall in the 1950s on the Snowy Mountains Hydro Scheme. It has not looked back. The latest LandCruiser 300 came to market two years ago, with Toyota at pains to supply the vehicle with a stack of the latest automotive… Read more
It appears the CX-60 has inveigled its way into the Mazda sports utility vehicle family with the bearing of an imperious European aristocrat. Indeed, an industry specialist who deals with vehicle brands daily says, at first sight, the CX-60 reminded him a lot of a Jaguar. Mazda makes no bones about taking the Yellow Brick Road to a spot ‘over the rainbow’ inhabited by the best mid-size SUVs around and the CX-60 debuts with three sophisticated new powertrains – inline-six turbocharged petrol and diesel engines, in mild hybrid guise, plus… Read more
Where has the time gone? It’s been five years since we last drove the Civic Type-R. It was incredible then and it’s still an amazing car to drive, engineered to deliver a thrilling driving experience and without doubt one of the best hot hatches in the world. Even so the Type-R’s days are probably numbered as the world moves with increasing speed towards an electric future where all cars will be lightning quick. Think about that for a moment. STYLING Type-R is priced from $72,600. That’s a national driveaway price… Read more
The Tank. Yes, that’s right the Tank, is something a little different from the Chinese Great Wall Motors — known simply as GWM these days. It’s a mid-sized, five-seat SUV, with a catchy name and quirky good looks, that combine to set it apart from and perhaps a little above the competition. But don’t be fooled by the decorations, because it’s a fair dinkum 4×4 with all the necessary bits and bobs, including low and high range gearing. Also, in a departure from practice, while it’s an SUV, Great Wall… Read more
