Category: Road Test

Road Test Review

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PEUGEOT 508 – MEDIUM IS THE NEW LARGE

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The jostling continues among imported car makers to occupy the void that’s about to be created when local production of large passenger cars ceases over the next 12 months or so. Previously ‘medium’ cars will in future carry the mantle of large cars and are likely to attract increasing buyer interest when, or if, the current SUV bubble ever bursts and traditional passenger cars come back into fashion. Among the jostlers is Peugeot with the largest model in its range, the 508. It’s sold in sedan and station wagon format,… Read more

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AUDI A4 ALLROAD QUATTRO

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Allroad quattro models are becoming an increasing feature of the Audi lineup in Australia. A cross between an SUV and a standard station wagon, allroads make more sense than the former and have all the advantages of lower fuel consumption and ease of driving of the latter. As its name suggests the Audi allroad is designed to work well on all roads, it’s not intended to be an off-road explorer, but to perform capably on sealed or unsealed surfaces likely to be chosen by adventurous families on big touring trips…. Read more

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FAVOURITES FEATURE IN LEVORG BLOODLINE

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The Subaru Levorg is a hybrid of sorts; not in petrol-electric power terms but in character. Its part sports machine, part sensible family station wagon. A combination that’s likely to appeal to many who enjoy their driving. Levorg is powered by the 197 kW four-cylinder turbocharged engine found in the sporty WRX and in practicality and size is a descendent of the Liberty GT wagon. Available exclusively with Subaru’s Lineartronic continuously variable transmission, it comes basically in two variants – 2.0GT and 2.0GT-S. In Australia, however, a third version –… Read more

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SEDAN SUPERB BY NAME AND NATURE

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Rarely does a vehicle go anywhere near living up to its title. However, Skoda’s Superb, the latest version of the large sedan from the Audi VW affiliate, goes mighty close. The third-generation flagship comes to market in the Oliver Twist manner of more, more, more in many ways over its well-credentialed predecessor. For example, the new model offers increased interior space for occupants and luggage and more driver assistance derived from upper-class vehicles. Car companies tend to supply test vehicles with cost costly – options. Skoda had the confidence in… Read more

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‘HOBBY HORSE’ POWERS INTO LEXUS LEXICON

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The birth of the Lexus GS F was something of a cloak-and-dagger affair with team leader, engineering boss Yukihiko Yaguchi, bypassing official channels to begin work on what was to become the Lexus IS F V8 sedan. Those after-hours sessions led to Yaguchi-san being involved in the RC F coupe and LFA supercar. Now comes the GS F four-door sedan. Yaguchi is still there, this time as emeritus chief engineer on the project. Heart of the GS F is a 351 kW 5.0-litre V8 mated with an eight-speed transmission driving… Read more

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2016 MERCEDES-BENZ C 200 COUPE REVIEW

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Yet another model has been added to the huge Mercedes-Benz range, this time a coupe version of the latest C-Class. It joins the existing four-door sedan, the vehicle that took out the award for World Car of the Year in 2015. Crammed full of safety and infotainment technology the new C-Class coupe is larger yet lighter, stronger and quieter than the model it replaces. Advanced lightweight construction with a higher proportion of aluminium is the secret. Light-alloy components include the front guards, bonnet and bootlid. The stiffer body not only… Read more

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MAZDA BT-50: LATE SCRATCHING AN UNAVOIDABLE HANDICAP

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A day at the races – Melbourne Cup, Magic Millions or Cox Plate – usually involves putting on appropriate clobber and catching a short ride, probably in a limo, to the track. That is unless it’s the Birdsville Races. The idea was to pick up Mazda BT-50 utilities at Leigh Creek and drive them ??? kilometres up the Birdsville Track to the famous races recently. However, Mother Nature intervened by dumping an ocean of rain in the area, leaving the south-west Queensland town an island of disappointment to members of… Read more

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2016 BMW M3 COMPETITION REVIEW

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For those drivers who feel that lots of performance isn’t quite enough BMW Australia is now importing the BMW M3 Competition sedan, and M4 Competition coupe and convertible. Our test week in the hottest BMW M3 sedan was an extremely enjoyable one. M3 Competition has even stronger engine performance, recalibrated steering, suspension and stability settings than the standard M3. Its springs are 15 per cent stiffer and the Adaptive M suspension has firmer damper settings across Comfort, Sport and Sport+ modes. Anti-roll bars and bushings are also changed to suit…. Read more

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BIG BMW X5; CLEAN – AND QUICK

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BMW already has the cleanest range of cars in Australia when measured on grams of CO2 produced per kilometre travelled. Far from being content with this, the German marque has just introduced a petrol-electric, plug-in hybrid model to the X5 range. BMW X5 xDrive40e; the ‘e’ obviously indicates ‘electric’; the important part of the name, though, is the ’40’. Because the eDrive has similar performance to the ’40’ performance models in the BMW range; that is those with mid-sized V8 engines or turbocharged sixes. STYLING The BMW X5 has a… Read more

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COROLLA TURNS ON HYBRID EFFICIENCY

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While other automobile manufacturers take varying roads to low emissions, Toyota is steadfastly sticking to the petrol / electric hybrid route with its new addition to the genre, the Corolla Hybrid. With official fuel consumption put at 4.1 litres per 100 kilometres on the combined urban / highway cycle, this is good enough to give the vehicle a range of almost 1100 km depending on driving style. The fifth hybrid in Toyota’s Australian line-up, joining Camry, Prius, Prius c and Prius v, the hybrid version of the popular Corolla arrives… Read more