Category: Road Test

Road Test Review

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MAZDA SEVEN-SEATER COMFORTABLY CARRIES RECORD NUMBERS

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Everything about the new Mazda CX-9 sports utility vehicle is big – from its seven-seat capacity to the large numbers sold since it launch in July 2016. It’s a significant improvement of the original model in style, technology and particularly in engine efficiency. New Mazda CX-9 is offered in eight models, in four grades – Sport, Touring, GT and Azami – incorporating front or all-wheel drive. Prices have been trimmed from those of the old model, the CX-9 Sport starts at $42,490, plus on-road costs, a reduction of $1280 over… Read more

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2016 BMW 230i REVIEW

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The BMW 2 Series received a major upgrade a few months back, with an emphasis on what’s under the skin rather than in facelifting and tail tucking the body. The emphasis was on added performance and further improvements to already good fuel efficiency. New-design engines are a big feature. The 2 Series range is closely related to the 1 Series, but comprises the sportier models, the coupe and convertible bodies. Somewhat oddly, there’s also a station wagon, the Active Tourer, which is aimed at the sporting family wanting to transport… Read more

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JAGUAR F-PACE REVIEW – SPEED AND FUNCTION

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The just-launched Jaguar F-Pace medium-large SUV has put the prestigious British marque into the battle of one of the most crowded markets in the industry. Audi BMW, Lexus, Mercedes and Porsche all have a range of SUVs in their lineup. Even the very British Bentley is in there, albeit at a premium price. We recently reported on a four-cylinder F-Pace, now we have spent a great week in the high-performance Jaguar F-Pace S and spent a lot of time smiling while behind the wheel. Jaguar has been a champion of… Read more

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NISSAN WORKHORSE BOWS OUT

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Want to buy a brand-new classic old truck for a bargain price? If that question sounds like a weird contradiction let’s look at the truck in question, the Nissan Patrol Y61. The Nissan’s Y61 Patrol (wagon) and UY61 (cab-chassis) have been on Australian roads, backroads and completely off-road for the last 20 years. A throwback to simpler times, the Patrol Y61 was superseded by the Y62 series in other countries four years ago. However that huge American-oriented wagon was sold only with an equally huge petrol V8 engine – and… Read more

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2016 INFINITI QX30 REVIEW

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The new Infiniti QX30 sits on the same platform as the Infiniti Q30 we recently reported on, but is 35 mm higher and has a more aggressive appearance. It’s part hatchback, part SUV, with a solid touch of coupe in its shape. It shares some of its underpinnings with the Merc – the automotive world is a strange place at times. Interestingly, the Australian-market Infiniti QX30 is assembled in the Nissan / Infiniti plant in England, which makes sense because they drive on the ‘proper’ side of the road in… Read more

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TUCSON JOINS THE HYUNDAI CELEBRATION PARADE

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Is it, I wonder, an attempt at quirky Korean humour that the new Hyundai Tucson, celebrating 30 years in Australia, requires turning the ignition key to start the engine (no push-button fire-up) and eschews satellite navigation. It certainly takes me back more than a quarter of a century to the times when Hyundai was a funny little cheap-an-cheerful car. How things change. Hyundai is now consistently in the top three sellers in Australia with 10 or more per cent of total sales and has a huge range of quality vehicles…. Read more

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TAKING IT TO THE STREET THE HYUNDAI WAY

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There’s always been nothing like the Hyundai Veloster. From the word go the ‘two-and-a-half’ door coupe has stood out from the crowd and has been the go-to car for the budget conscious automotive individualist. Now Hyundai has gone even further with the introduction of the Veloster Street Special Edition, which brings $3000 of exclusive additional spec and other goodies above the Veloster Series II SR Turbo + on which it is based. Having already claimed a prime spot in the quirky corner of the coupe market, with only 200 to… Read more

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FIAT 500X IS READY FOR ACTION

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Only the Italians could get away with a TV commercial that links a performance-enhancing ‘little blue pill’ with the transformer-like conversion of a small hatchback into a muscular SUV. That’s what Fiat has done in a brilliant ad that sees the pill eventually dropping into the fuel tank of a Fiat 500 hatchback and bulk it up into the 500X compact SUV with the closing line – “bigger, more powerful and ready for action”. Check it out on YouTube if you haven’t seen it. Great fun. The 500X was designed… Read more

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MAZDA3 JUST KEEPS ON KEEPING ON

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Mazda has been enjoying steady growth over the past decade on the Australian new vehicle market overtaking both Holden and Ford on its way to currently sitting second in the overall sales hierarchy, behind Toyota. The star performer throughout this period has been the Mazda3 small hatch and sedan which has been having a ding-gong battle with Toyota Corolla for top spot, initially in its category but in the past few years as Australia’s overall biggest-seller. Now into its third generation, launched here in January 2014, the Mazda3 first went… Read more

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2017 INFINITI Q70 S PREMIUM REVIEW

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Infiniti, the upmarket Japanese car maker operated by Nissan, is pushing hard at the moment with new models in several segments, particularly in the small hatchback and SUV arenas. Now, the Infiniti Q70 is joining the sales push, with major changes for the 2017 season. It has refreshed styling front and rear, as well as in the cabin as well as improved NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness) features that add to the upmarket feel. The Infiniti Q70 S Premium grade we have just tested also has suspension changes which not… Read more