Category: Road Test

Road Test Review

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2015 RANGE ROVER EVOQUE DYNAMIC COUPE REVIEW

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It’s a bit of a cliche, but there’s no denying that if you can design a car with just three strokes of the pencil, it can’t help but look good. The Range Rover Evoque Coupe is just such a thing. As with many niche vehicles released by makers with a brand history as affectionately regarded as Range Rover’s, the car dropped to howls of mud-covered, lamb-chop wearing aficionados moaning about the Toorak Tractor association that Victoria Beckham brought, the selling-out to the SUV fad and the fact that it wasn’t… Read more

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2015 MAZDA2 NEO REVIEW

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Mazda’s 2 has been doing the business in the light car segment for a long, long time. The previous car felt like it had been around for yonks, almost as long as Toyota’s seemingly-unchanging Yaris. The old car was quite good, but shared the failings of its bigger brothers, namely sub-par noise suppression and some dodgy interior materials. Mazda has slowly been sorting that out across its entire passenger range, with big gains in the Mazda6, the Mazda3 and CX SUVs. The new ‘2 has to tread the line between… Read more

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SONATA: KEY THEMES TRANSPOSED FROM CLASSIC COMPOSITION

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Key changes to the Sonata have put the seventh generation of the Hyundai sedan in harmony with its classy upscale cousin, the Genesis. Not only that, the car also takes advantage of some first-rate Australian engineering input. So what’s not to like about the car? Not much, really. Maybe the old-fashioned ignition key with no keyless entry and engine start; the awkward foot-operated parking brake in lieu of an electronic one, or lack of factory satellite navigation in the entry-level model. The new Hyundai Sonata comes in three variants –… Read more

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MAZDA CX-5 RUNS HARDER AT THE OPPOSITION

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To be honest, at first I found the CX-5 hard to warm to. At its launch in February 2012, the Mazda sports utility vehicle showed a distinct lack of get up and go. At the time I said: “Zoom-Zoom goes the Mazda brand hook . . . but in the case of the new CX- 5, the Japanese automaker’s latest addition to the SUV jungle, maybe it should be just Zoom”. In the intervening years, however, the maker has obviously put in the work on the vehicle’s performance, because the… Read more

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SUPER-VALUE SUBARU LIBERTY

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The imminent departure of Australia’s previous market-leading Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore family cars is opening up opportunities for a variety of mid-sized sedans that have previously sat in their sales shadow. One of the best-known of these contenders is the Subaru Liberty which has been on sale here continuously since 1989. The latest, sixth generation, model was released late in 2014 with some styling changes, engine tweaks and extra equipment. But the biggest news is some serious price-cutting that has seen Subaru Liberty drop below the $30,000-mark for the… Read more

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AUDI LAUNCHES NEW A6 ALLROAD QUATTRO

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Sometimes it’s nice to spend time in a car that has a cult following such that the company that sells them doesn’t seem especially bothered by the expense of a relatively low-volume proposition. The Audi A6 allroad quattro is one of those cars and Audi freely admits that its customers are rusted on (which might explain the allroad-exclusive brown hue available as an option). It’s also nice to see an option available if you don’t want a big SUV. In the past, three quarters of A6 Avants sold were allroad… Read more

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2015 LEXUS NX 200T REVIEW

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The three big German marques are at it hammer and tongs in the Australian sales race at the moment. No more so that in the crossover SUV field. The very British Land Rover is starting to get involved as well with its just introduced Discovery Sport. So it’s no surprise Lexus has joined the fray, with additional models, sharp pricing and a major advertising campaign. When launched the Lexus NX crossover came only as a hybrid, the NX 300h. Lexus NX 200t, the subject of this week’s road test, arrived… Read more

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PEUGEOT 308 WAGON IS A TERRIFIC LITTLE LOAD-LUGGER

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Peugeot’s all-new 308 is a belter of a car in basic hatch form and this station wagon has to work a bit harder to impress. VALUE The Peugeot 308 Allure SW, which stands for station wagon, opens the bidding at $35,490. This buys you 17-inch alloy wheels, a six speaker stereo, dual-zone climate control, reversing camera, parking sensors front and rear, keyless entry, cruise control, sat-nav, auto headlights and wipers, puddle lamps, power windows and mirrors and tyre pressure sensors. Options include $3100 Nappa leather trim, 18-inch alloys ($700) and… Read more

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NISSAN JUKE’S BOLD NEW FACE

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Nissan Juke arguably has the boldest shape its class, arguably of any vehicle currently on sale in Australia. Now it’s even more radical thanks to a major makeover front and rear. Juke is all about funky style. The front and rear wheel arches bulge up and out to give it a muscular stance. The disguised rear door handles make it look as though it’s a coupe-like three-door, but the handles are there and provide the convenience of four-door entry that most are demanding these day. What appear to be large… Read more

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2015 PEUGEOT 308 GT DIESEL

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Peugeot 306 S16 and GTI were terrific cars and attracted cult status after their respective deaths around a decade ago. Since then, the 307 and 308 have been pretty dull cars. Peugeot has been wise to avoid soiling the 306’s reputation with warm or hot versions of either successor. The new 308 is an altogether different proposition – an excellent base to start from and some real money behind a program that has given us the 308 GT. The Peugeot 308 GT can be had with either petrol or diesel… Read more