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GENESIS GV80 IS THE COMPANY’S FIRST LUXURY SUV

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Genesis has teased us with the first official images of the GV80, the first sport-utility vehicle for the very ambitious South Korean marque. The photos are deliberately fuzzy but do give a fair idea of what it will look like. Obviously, addition pics will be released in coming weeks and months. Though it visually looks like a large SUV, the GV80 is a competitor for the BMW X5, presumably leaving space for an even larger model, possibly tagged GV90. Genesis GV80 will be built on a rear-wheel-drive / all-wheel drive… Read more

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SPECIAL EDITIONS: LAND ROVER DISCOVERY SE and RANGE ROVER SPORT SE

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Land Rover Discovery

Sales of 4WD and SUVs are running hot globally, with Australians being amongst the market leaders in this race. Range Rover was arguably the first company to provide four wheel driving in upmarket civilised vehicles. So and Range Rover and its parent company Land Rover have introduced special editions in a plan to grab a larger slice of the sales pie. Range Rover Sport SE and Land Rover Discovery SE are each fitted with more than $20,000 in extra equipment at no extra cost. Both special editions are available from… Read more

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MITSUBISHI PAJERO SPORT UPDATED

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Mitsubishi has given its Pajero Sport a solid update for the 2020 season. It has a facelift, improved lighting, a revised dash and console area, added comfort in the seats and clearer instrument and infotainment screens. Finally a powered tailgate on most models makes loading simpler. The stylists have given the latest iteration of the Dynamic Shield styling, with the projector headlamps positioned outboard of the daytime running lights in a continuation of the grille. There’s a higher bonnet leading edge. The aim is to give a ‘Tuff’ look, something… Read more

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KLUGER ‘CLUB’ TURNS INTO BIG FOLLOWING

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Like the classic hymn book, there’s something ancient and something modern about the Kluger. For starters (literally) the engine in the entry-level GX is fired up by turning the ignition key in a steering column-mounted lock, rather than a push button – old school. Then the parking brake is operated by a pedal – a thing of the past that still hangs on in one or two new vehicles. Not that the large Toyota sports utility vehicle is creaking at the joints. Among the latest in automotive technology on board… Read more

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MITSUBISHI PAJERO 2006 – 2018

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Mitsubishi Pajero was arguably the first affordable 4WD that was a family wagon rather than a truck-based 4WD when it was launched here in 1983. It was originally a body-on-chassis 4WD, but became a monocoque for improved ride and comfort in 2000. Good engineering meant the post-2000 models retained similar strength to the chassis models. Almost all of these early Pajeros are all likely to by past their use by date, so we will begin the used review with the the new generation in December 2006. Midway through 2013 Pajero… Read more

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HYUNDAI VENUE FITS THE BILL

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Released here in July 2019 Hyundai Venue is the newest, and smallest, member of the Korean carmaker’s growing SUV range. At a smidgeon over four metres in length it’s one of the shortest of all models in the compact SUV market. Three variants are offered: Go, Active and Elite at prices ranging from $19,990 to $25,990 plus on-roads. With the Accent hatchback now dropped Venue becomes the entry-level model in the Hyundai range. STYLING Venue’s chunky body is neat and functional without the fussiness of many of its competitors. The… Read more

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2019 NEW CAR SALES DOWN

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The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) has released new vehicle sales results for calendar year 2019. A total of 1,062,867 new vehicles were recorded as sold, a 7.8 per cent decrease on full year 2018. The 2019 figure of 1,062,867 is the lowest annual sales result reported in VFACTS since 2011. On a monthly basis, 84,239 new vehicle sales were recorded for December 2019, a decrease of 3.8 per cent from December 2018. Tony Weber, chief executive of the FCAI, commented at the release of the sales results. “Regarding… Read more

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BALENO EARNS ITS OWN MEASURE OF SUCCESS

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Suzuki must be doing something right: there’s close to a two-year wait for buyers of the latest Jimny, the ‘mighty mouse’ 4×4; Swift sales are ticking over, albeit in low gear; and the Baleno in November sold 415 cars, up nearly 83 per cent, behind only Toyota Yaris (889) and Kia Rio (438). In 2017, Suzuki injected performance and lower fuel consumption into the Baleno with a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine. However, all this came at a price – $22,990, plus on-road costs, to be exact – with buyers… Read more

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MAZDA CX-3 2015 – 2018

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2017 Mazda CX-3 sTouring

Sold in Australia since April 2015, the Mazda CX-3 was classed as an SUV but is better regarded as a sensible crossover between a hatchback and an SUV. It was immediately popular so even the oldest ones are now available in quite large numbers on the used car scene. Styling is another major factor in the big sales numbers, with a continuation of the Mazda Kodo theme with its distinctive from and long bonnet. The familiar Mazda model names of Neo and Maxx are used for the CX-3, but are… Read more

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RAM TRUCKS SUCCESS DOWNUNDER

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The 5000th RAM truck has rolled off the production line in Melbourne. The Granite Crystal grey 1500 V8 Hemi Laramie is one of the team that has the brilliant catchline of, “Eat utes for breakfast”. The very American RAM range is very varied; light duty (1500) and heavy duty (3500 and 2500). They can tow anything from 3.5 tonnes up to 6.9 tonnes. “This is truly an Australian automotive success story,” says Neville Crichton CNZM, Executive Chairman of the Ateco Group and originator of the idea to convert left-hand drive… Read more