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PEUGEOT 205GTI

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1984 Peugeot 205 GTI

With the introduction of the 205 Peugeot set itself the challenge of producing from scratch a small hatchback which would stand out in a crowd. Not only did they achieve this but they created one with such street cred that it became a cult car almost overnight. Such an achievement was quite remarkable. Introduced in 1983, a total of 2.74 million cars were produced during its production life. Most remarkable of all is that it was Peugeot that achieved this, not Volkswagen or arch rival Renault. Suddenly, it seemed, Peugeot… Read more

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NISSAN NAVARA N-TREK

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Nissan Australia worked with automotive product development and engineering experts, Premcar, to develop, engineer, manufacture and validate a halo grade Navara. “The market has shifted considerably in the last two years with ute sales leading the way, but ute buyers are looking for a higher level of specification that deliver both capable and functional improvements, while making their vehicle stand out,” said Nissan Australia managing director Stephen Lester. Based off the Nissan Navara N-TREK Dual Cab Pickup 4WD Premcar enhanced the suspension, including off-road capable springs and dampers, resulting in… Read more

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FORD MUSTANG R-SPEC IS ON ITS WAY DOWNUNDER

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Ford Mustang R-SPEC is coming to Australia from early 2020. With a strictly limited run of just 500 units it is the result of a collaboration between Ford Australia and Herrod Performance. It will have Ford dealer network-backed and be the first supercharged Mustang. Distinguished by a series of exterior design and interior elements, each Mustang R-SPEC will be individually numbered and badged. Recommended Manufacturer List Price (MLP) is just $99,980. Power from the third-generation Coyote V8 engine has increased beyond the standard Mustang GT’s 339kW, and will surpass the… Read more

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GODZILLA IS FAR FROM EXTINCTION

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Never thought it possible to use the word ‘naff’ in connection with the Nissan GT-R supercar, but 50 years on, it has happened, for written across the rear of the celebration edition is ‘50th Anniversary’ in cursive script straight out of a Hallmark-style greetings card. Now, remember, this is on the bum of a race-bred beast (aka Godzilla) sporting a twin turbo V6 motor that can shoot it from zero 100 km/h in a claimed under-three seconds on the way to a top speed of 315 km/h. It might seem… Read more

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NISSAN ALTIMA 2013 – 2017

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Nissan Altima has been on sale in Australia since November 2013. At the time SUVs had yet to take over the Australian new-car market and the Altima competed with other family sedans. Chief competitors are the Toyota Camry, with Ford Mondeo, Mazda6, Subaru Liberty and VW Passat also in the mix. Altima has seating for four adults with good leg and headroom, five isn’t too much of a squeeze, but as is often the case two adults and a child in the rear works better. A fascinating feature of the… Read more

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DANGEROUS COUNTERFEIT PARTS

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The Australian automotive industry is issuing an urgent alert on counterfeit parts after large batches of spark plugs purchased online have been confirmed as fake. Placing vehicles at great risk of major damage, 60 per cent of the hundreds of spark plugs purchased in trap buys are verified frauds, passing off low quality materials and inferior construction as genuine parts. The low-quality counterfeits could cost drivers thousands in engine repair costs. With poor ignition causing poor fuel economy and poor engine start up, the fake spark plugs’ low grade composition… Read more

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FORD ENDURA TITANIUM REVIEW

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After a gap of too many years Ford Australia finally had an SUV to replace the very successful Ford Territory. The Ford Endura arrived late in 2018 but hasn’t created a lot of waves in the sales race at this stage. We anticipate this changes as potential buyers become aware that it’s here. Ford Endura is very much set up for American drivers who tend to have different tastes to Aussie ones. see the Driving section of this review to get our opinion after spending a week behind the wheel… Read more

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FORD FOCUS 2011 – 2018

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Ford Focus is a small-medium European model that has never had the success it deserves in Australia. In its market segment it struggles to sell a tenth of the number of the market leader in its class, the Toyota Corolla. The Mazda3 and Hyundai i30 also trump the Ford by large numbers. Why? Principally because dual-clutch automatics, sold from 2011 till 2015 had many problems and these led to the complete car being given a poor reputation. See our What To Look For section). The dual-clutch was replaced by a… Read more

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LEXUS RX: HIGH-TECH NEW HEADLIGHTS

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Lexus has recently announced many changes to its medium-large SUV, the high-tech RX series. The most fascinating feature on the Lexus RX F Sport and Sports Luxury grades is an LED adaptive high-beam system (AHS) with world-first “blade-scan” technology. Compared with existing technology that points LED lamps towards the road, the new technology directs the lamps back towards a blade mirror rotating at 12,000rpm. Blade-scan technology utilises the reflection of light off the mirror to increase high-beam brightness and expand its reach down the road. It also more finely controls… Read more

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NEW CAR SALES SLUMP CONTINUES

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The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, the peak body for the automotive industry in Australia, has released new vehicle sales figures for the month of September 2019. According to Tony Weber, chief executive of the FCAI, new vehicles have now seen the eighteenth consecutive month of decreasing sales in the Australian market. “It is clear the slower sales rate the market is experiencing is in line with the broader economic environment in Australia. “Of particular concern to the industry is the restrictive regulatory lending conditions currently facing consumers,” Mr Weber… Read more