Category: Road Test

Road Test Review

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JEEP SPREADS WINGS WITH HIGH-FLYING TRAILHAWK

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The new Jeep Renegade Trailhawk lives up to its name by not fitting in with rival compact sports utility vehicles. Designed to desert the bitumen for some stiff off-road stuff, there’s nothing namby-pamby about this little Jeep. On the other hand, it’s no utilitarian bare bones transportation, owing little to Wells Fargo or Cobb and Co in the comfort and convenience department. Designed in the United States and put together by Fiat in Italy, it calls on high level automotive technology coupled with European style. In a bid by Fiat… Read more

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MAZDA FLAGSHIP FLOATS INTO SAFER HARBOUR

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Australia’s most popular mid-sized imported car, the Mazda6, has just ducked under 50 grand. As a bonus safety features have been added to the 6 Sport, Touring and GT models at no extra cost, while the range topping Atenza receives a price cut in view of the safety equipment added to the GT. The Atenza with the 2.5-litre petrol engine drops by $1030, while the 2.2-litre diesel alternative is down by $1380, making the entire Mazda 6 range now available for less than $50,000, without on-road costs. Mazda6 is available… Read more

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2016 LAND ROVER DISCOVERY SPORT REVIEW

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The all-new Land Rover Discovery Sport is not a toy SUV masquerading as a 4WD, it is the real deal – an all-terrain vehicle from the old school. One that can be taken into tough off-road conditions where, believe it or not, even the rather crude Land Rover Series 1 would have struggled when it was launched 68 years ago. Yet the Discovery Sport will meet all the requirements of on-road comfort and handling today’s buyer demand. This seeming impossible combination of on-road sophistication and off-road ruggedness shows design expertise… Read more

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SENSATIONAL AUDI R8 V10 PLUS

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In 2015 Audi’s first generation R8 supercar bowed out, to be replaced by the so-far V10-only second generation. The Australian range consists of two cars, the V10 Coupe and the V10 Plus, the former weighing in at $354,900, the latter $389,900. Visually, you can easily tell the two apart. From the front the Plus’ big grille is a glossy black. There’s a huge, DTM-inspired carbon fibre wing on the back, replacing the Coupe’s electric-lift wing that pops up at 120 km/h. The bigger differences are under the skin. Both run… Read more

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MORE POWER ADDS FINISHING TOUCHES TO A FINE MX-5 TRADITION

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The latest iteration of the Mazda MX-5 compact two-seater sportscar has won more than 65 major international awards, including the prestigious European Red Dot “Best of the Best” award, which recognises exceptionally ground-breaking design, the UK Car of the Year, and the 2015-2016 Japan Car of the Year. The fourth generation MX-5, coded ND, was first seen in Australia with a 1.5-litre engine hooked up to either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. Now a 2.0-litre version has been added. With either engine it comes in two variants –… Read more

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2016 LEXUS RX350 REVIEW

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In the Lexus naming system the letter ‘X’ stands for cross country. Not cross country as we understand it in Australia which means off-road work, but cross country in European speak; a vehicle suited to long distance on-road running. Grand touring with a little less emphasis on speed. Lexus RX is the midsize model in the range, sitting between the NX which is an on-road wagon and the LX which is a big beast, basically a Toyota LandCruiser with body mods and heaps more luxury bits. The fourth generation of… Read more

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2016 JAGUAR XF SUPERCHARGED V6 REVIEW

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Jaguar XF is an upmarket medium to large sedan / saloon that has a sporting flair in all models that’s not always the norm in its market segment. While not an out and out performer in the manner of the SVR (nee R-Sport) range, the standard XF definitely sits to the sporting side in the eternal sports / handling compromise. Drivers love if for that and we’ve just spent a most enjoyable week behind the wheel of an iconic British machine. STYLING The newly launched Jaguar XF has a strong… Read more

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2016 SUBARU OUTBACK PREMIUM 2.0D REVIEW

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‘Commonsense’ is a word that’s almost guaranteed to appear somewhere in any road test on Subaru cars. The Japanese company makes its own way in the automotive world producing sensible products that appeal to conservative drivers. At least in the standard range of cars, the WRX is a notable exception! This review is about the latest version of the Subaru Outback SUV in Premium 2.0D turbo-diesel format. The changes for MY2017 are more about sensible additions to the vehicle. Added sleekness to the lines and more chrome plating? You will… Read more

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MIX AND MAXX FOR MAZDA COMPACT

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In a world where connectivity is king and social media, like a hatchback, can lay bare through the ‘rear window’ even the most personal information, there are people, usually older, who prefer to hang on to their privacy. In automotive terms the latter are the sedan folk who like to lock away possessions out of sight in a car boot. Mazda has tipped its cap to them by introducing a sedan version of its popular Mazda2, leaving the hatch to attract the younger, more connected, buyer. Available in Neo and… Read more

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JEEP RENEGADE – EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN

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The Renegade nameplate is one that Jeep has used frequently in the past on variants of its heavy-duty Wrangler models. It’s now been resurrected as a model in its own right principally targeting the blossoming 2WD soft-road SUV market but with some Wrangler characteristics in its 4WD Trailhawk variant. We reviewed the Trailhawk recently so will concentrate on the urban models (Sport, Longitude and Limited) here. While Renegade isn’t the company’s first venture into the 2WD market it certainly beats its two predecessors, Compass and Patriot. Externally there’s no doubt… Read more