Category: Road Test

Road Test Review

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2017 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF ALLTRACK REVIEW

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When Volkswagen decided to give the Golf a mid-life spruce up, the Alltrack was also invited to the party and presented with a range of trendy updates that will keep its dance card filled. For starters, there are two more variants to accompany the 132TSI – the 132TSI Premium and a diesel, the 135TDI Premium – that will offer buyers greater options. And there are tweaks to design, infotainment and safety features to add more value to the proposition. The Alltrack is well-equipped with standard features with options packages for… Read more

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SUBARU LEVORG BLENDS STYLE WITH PERFORMANCE

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The crew from Monty Python may well have had the Subaru Levorg in mind when they coined the phrase “And now for something completely different …” because there’s nothing else on the Australian market that can quite match this Japanese station wagon’s combination of stylish looks, high-performance, practicality and value. For starters it’s a station wagon which makes it something of a rarity in this SUV-centric era. Add the fact that it shares much of its underbody componentry with Australia’s favourite performance car, the Subaru WRX. About the only ugly… Read more

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2018 HOLDEN TRAX LTZ REVIEW

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When the Trax first arrived here in 2013, it was a clear indication that Holden was taking a punt that the small SUV segment would grow into the juggernaut that is the medium and large SUV market. Other manufacturers soon followed suit and small SUVs have become the new battle ground for enticing the younger, edgier crowd. With the big players like the Mazda CX-3, Honda HR-V and Toyota CH-R, bringing their A game, Holden is hopeful that refreshing the Trax will keep it in the game. We put the… Read more

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BMW 740e IS A STEP INTO THE FUTURE

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BMW has always been noted for its sporty models but for the past decade it has also been seriously researching and building full-electric, and petrol-electric hybrids. Electric vehicles like few others, because there’s a strong emphasis on sportiness melded into these emission reducing vehicles. Indeed, BMW has set up an iPerformance division to develop and market these cars of the future. We’ve just spent a fascinating week road testing a BMW 740e iPerformance. It has the same standard specification of the established 740i pure-petrol and is priced at $229,000 plus… Read more

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TRAFIC GOES LONG WAY TO TAKING ON FAMILY’S NEEDS

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After 18 consecutive years as Europe’s number one van maker, it could have been hard to come up with something new. Renault has done just that, combining a people mover and van in one vehicle. At almost five-and-a-half metres, the long wheelbase twin turbo Trafic Crew people mover-cum-load carrier, with a second row of seats, retains a full four cubic metres of cargo capacity, more than one tonne of payload and the ability to tow up to two tonnes. The Trafic Crew is also available to special order with two… Read more

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2017 NISSAN PATHFINDER TI REVIEW

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Of late, the Nissan Pathfinder has proved something of an enigma for the Japanese manufacturer. This model, released here in 2014, has not found as much favour amongst families as they expected, so a little bit of jouging was needed to pique the interest. Nissan has tweaked the ride and design, adjusted a few of the functions and made it even quieter than before. We took the range-topping Ti home with us for the week. STYLING This Pathfinder now sports Nissan’s V Motion grille and new headlights and a few… Read more

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HOLDEN’S NEW WORLD TAKES SHAPE WITH ASTRA SEDAN

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Home-grown Holdens may have been consigned to the realm of the dinosaur, but the Australian arm of General Motors is keeping up with the times, cherry picking the latest vehicles from around the globe. A recent arrival Down Under is the Astra sedan, which slots nicely into the gap between the hatchback, launched late last year, and the wagon, to be unveiled by year’s end. It makes sense, for in these days of sporty hatches, sleek coupes and versatile SUVs, there still appears to be a place for the traditional… Read more

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2018 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER PHEV REVIEW

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Mitsubishi continues its push to be at the leading edge of hybrid and electric vehicle design. Which hardly comes as a surprise as the Japanese company is one of the world’s biggest players in the electric items. Our test vehicle for the past week has been a 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (Plugin Hybrid Electric Vehicle). It first arrived in Australia in 2014, but such is the breakneck rate of electronic technology that it recently received a range of revisions. Obviously these concentrate on the powertrain, but there are changes to… Read more

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2018 NISSAN NAVARA ST REVIEW

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Two years into its lifecycle, the Nissan Navara has found itself on the right end of a few twerks and tweaks. It is unusual, yes, but also gives a strong indication of how important this ute is to the motoring giant. Complaints of ride quality have followed the 2016 model and Nissan has worked hard to revise the suspension, made changes to the front and rear shock absorbers and stiffened the rebound dampers. Nissan has also taken this opportunity to add a further variant to the range, the SL, a… Read more

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2018 AUDI RS 3 REVIEW

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The Audi RS 3 is the first Audi small sedan to carry the RS high-performance tag. This hotrod provides strong driving enjoyment for those who want it all and want it now – it is both a full-on sports machine and a family car. STYLING The body is 25 mm lower than on the standard A3 sedan. This, combined with an aero body package, gives it a sporting look without going over the top. The RS 3 we have been testing for the last week was enhanced by an extended… Read more