Category: Road Test

Road Test Review

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2015 ALFA ROMEO GIULIETTA DISTINCTIVE REVIEW

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Good news has been very thin on the ground for the Alfisti for what seems like a decade. Sure the stunning little Alfa 4C has been a bright and shining light in a dwindling range as Fiat-owned Alfa’s masters dithered about what to do next, but there’s not been much for the fan to buy after the demise of the lovely 159. This is a great pity, because when the Giulietta first launched, it was very, very promising. With the recent launch of the Giulia, we thought it worth revisiting… Read more

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KIA CARNIVAL: FASHION AND FUNCTION JOIN HANDS

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The first all-new Kia Carnival in almost 10 years was long overdue when it arrived in Australia early in 2015. But rest assured the intervening decade hasn’t been wasted. Huge strides in body design and engineering have been made globally and the new Kia Carnival people mover has advanced significantly when compared with the old stager it has finally replaced. In fact, there’s one important area in which the big South Korean marques – Kia and its parent company Hyundai – have moved ahead faster than any other car maker…. Read more

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NISSAN PATHFINDER HEADS DOWN HYBRID PATH

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Growing up, the only use of the word ‘hybrid’ I knew was in relation to my dad’s tea-roses. Since then, the word has inveigled itself into everyday usage, especially in the ever fuel economy and environmentally more conscious automotive industry. These days, petrol-electric and diesel-electric hybrid vehicles, from exotic sports cars and SUVs to heavy transports, can be found around almost every street corner. Pathfinder began life as little brother to the Nissan Patrol. A seismic shift came with the introduction of the X-Trail, a compact SUV that took the… Read more

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BENTLEY CONTINENTAL V8 S CONCOURS SERIES BLACK

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Black is the new black in the high-performance car arena, particularly in the upper echelons. The latest entry, the Bentley Continental GT V8 S Concours Series Black provided sensational grand touring for us over the past weekend. Bentley has a strong history in motor racing in the 1920s and ‘30s. Its comeback with a victory at the Le Mans 24-hour in 2003 gave the British engineers a taste for winning and Bentley’s are proving pretty handy in current GT3 racing, including competing in the most recent Bathurst 12-hour. So, engine… Read more

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RENAULT’S FUNKY MINI-SUV HAS THE LOOKS AND THE PRICE ADVANTAGE

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The mini-SUV market has been hotting up over the past couple of years, culminating with the recent releases of the Mazda CX-3 and the French entry, the Renault Captur. The Captur finds itself under fire from all corners, with cars from Ford, Holden, Honda and Nissan also in the mix. The Captur is late to the party, with a long delay due to domestic demand. Renault Australia couldn’t get its hands on it quickly enough. Neither could we. VALUE The Captur range runs from the $22,990 Expression manual (with the… Read more

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CITROEN DS3 DESIGN DOWN TO FINE ART

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In automotive terms ‘sculpted’ is an overworked word often used to give a car arty design cred. However, sometimes there is a line of truth to the application. Take the new Citroen DS3, for example, whose lines bring to mind the curves and concave lines of a Henry Moore reclining figure, or the smooth marble surface of a Barbara Hepworth monolith, all classics of abstract 20th century sculpture. The Citroen DS3 DSport compact hatch and cabriolet exteriors exhibit bits of each artists’ unique signatures – clever curves, flowing lines, tactile… Read more

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DUKING ALONG IN A NISSAN JUKE

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Already a standout vehicle, even more so in the bright yellow model we’ve just stepped out of, Nissan Juke is now even more radical thanks to a major makeover that arrived a couple of months back. Nissan Juke is all big curves and unexpected angle. While not to all tastes, indeed only suited to those who like to be different, we fell in love with it when we first saw a swag of them during several European trips. So radical was the style, with huge foglights that look like driving… Read more

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HOLDEN COUNTRY COUSIN BECOMES STREET-WISE

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If I remember rightly, some years ago at its zenith, the Holden Jackaroo was voted the best performing off-roader on bitumen by an Australian motoring magazine. Somebody at HQ must have been going through the files because the Jackaroo’s slightly distant successor, the Colorado 7, has been upgraded to match its outstanding off-road capability on the street. In fact, the whole range of Colorado trucks and SUVs has been given the once-over taking it to a new level of comfort and convenience. Holden Director of Marketing, Bill Mott says the… Read more

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2015 BMW 228I CONVERTIBLE REVIEW

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The BMW 2 Series convertible follows on from the rather popular 1 Series convertible of the previous, E87-based generation. With better styling and a new range of engines, the new car joined the range earlier this year. The convertible 2 Series has a lot to live up to – it’s big brother, the 4 Series, is a terrific conversion and the 2 starts from behind with a cloth roof rather than folding hardtop. While the 220i was a good start, the 228i is the top of the four-cylinder tree, and… Read more

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NEW FORD MONDEO STEPS UP AS FALCON REPLACEMENT

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With the upcoming departure of the Ford Falcon the latest, fourth generation, version of the marginally smaller Mondeo, launched in Australia in April this year, takes on more importance than ever before. When Mondeo first arrived on the scene in 1992 it was marketed as the “world car” – hence the name, its French for world. Despite its success overseas, the dominance of the Falcon in Australia, and the fact that it didn’t come here until 1995, meant that Mondeo was never going to be more than a bit player…. Read more