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JAG ON THE PACE WITH COMPACT SUV

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Jaguar continues apace (pun intended) to cover all automotive bases with the recent addition of the E-Pace compact SUV to its vehicle roster. It seems the move downscale has paid off for, by all accounts, they are selling their socks off. In fact,E-Pace is well on its way to becoming the company’s best seller Down Under. So, what’s on offer? It comes in 38 variants thanks to what Jaguar calls its ‘Ultimate Customer Choice’, which allows you to build just about any kind of E-Pace you fancy. Specification runs through… Read more

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MITSUBISHI CHALLENGER 2009 – 2015

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2012 Mitsubishi Challenger

Back before SUVs became the flavour of the year and cars were king of the sales charts, Mitsubishi launched its Challenger in 1996. It was a seriously tough vehicle, virtually a Triton pickup with a wagon body it was very good off-road, though often on the harsh side in daily road driving. It became smoother as gradual changes were made. However, the virtually all-new Challenger of 2009 being reviewed here, while still based on the pickup, is more sophisticated and tuned to suit family SUV buyers. Testing and tuning of… Read more

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PORSCHE CAYENNE S COUPE

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Porsche will launch another powerful Cayenne Coupe variant early next year, but has provided significant details to the Australian media on our imports. The Cayenne Coupe S has a 2.9-litre V6 engine with twin turbochargers to develop up to 440 horsepower (324 kW) and torque of a heady 550 Nm. The Coupe S accelerates from a standing start to 100 km/h in 5.0 seconds in combination with the standard Sport Chrono Package. This figure drops to 4.9 seconds with the optional lightweight sports packages. Cayenne Coupe remains a four-door but… Read more

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DRIVING LIKE THERE’S NO TOMORROW

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The saying “He’s driving like there’s no tomorrow” has been around for many years. Referring to someone who feels their world is about to come to an end, so doesn’t care how they act behind the wheel, it paints a frightening picture in the minds of other road users. The driver’s ‘no tomorrow’ may be anything from a death in the family, to a relationship break-up, loss of a job, or a just diagnosed illness. All of which are extremely sad and destabilising – but are no excuse for driving… Read more

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MERCEDES X 350 d EDITION 1

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In July, Mercedes will import an Edition 1 X 350 d special model. Black is the new black in the pickup truck market at the moment so the Edition 1 has gloss black 19-inch twin-spoke alloy wheels, a black Mercedes star; twin-louvre radiator grille; front and rear bumper-bar valance; foglight surrounds; side door handles; rear tailgate handle; nomenclature badges; beltline trim strip; and roof rails. Sports stripes in grey adorn the bonnet; side mirrors; V6 badge surrounds; lower sidelines and tailgate. Inside are floor mats with Edition 1 embroidery and… Read more

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NISSAN NAVARA 2005 – 2017

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2014 Nissan Navara

Nissan Navara has built up an excellent reputation over many years as a tough, no-nonsense vehicle when worked hard in rugged Aussie conditions. Nissan Oz was arguably ahead of the field in realising that dual-cab pickup trucks were going to be major sellers in Australia, the modern day family car. From November 2005 it began importing a second Navara model, designated the D40 Navara, it sat aside the existing workhorse D22 Navara. Nissan D40 Navara is sold in a variety of bodies, everything from a bare cab-chassis, though single cab… Read more

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RANGE ROVER GETS NEW ENGINE OPTION

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Range Rover will soon be offered with a new high-tech Ingenium 3.0-litre straight-six engine. This unit, called Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle (MHEV), is cleaner, uses less fuel and provides immediate power delivery. Its electric supercharger delivers virtually immediate boost by spooling in half a second to 65000rpm and coordinates with the twin-scroll turbocharger, to virtually eliminate turbo lag. Based around a new stop-start system it’s paired with an electric motor that can harvest energy through deceleration and store it in a 48V battery. This energy can then be re-deployed through… Read more

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TOYOTA RAV4 GENERATION FIVE

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Twenty five years after the first Toyota RAV4 arrived Downunder, Toyota is about to launch the fifth generation. In the intervening years SUVs have begun to dominate the market and now outsell passenger cars. Toyota is number one overall in our market and wants to make the midsize RAV4 a major player in its segment. New RAV4 is slightly shorter and lower than the model it supersedes, but has a wider body. It sits on a longer wheelbase and has wider front and rear tracks. The rear load space has… Read more

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UPDATED RENAULT MEGANE R.S. RANGE

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Renault has made major changes to its Megane R.S. range. The biggest news is the introduction of an Efficient Dual Clutch (EDC) automatic to the Cup chassis model. The auto is already in use in the Sport chassis and has been strengthened to withstand the torque and revs of a high-performance engine. Based on the required take-off acceleration, in-gear acceleration and maximum speed, the Renault Sport engineers specific shift patterns: Comfort, Normal, Sport and Race. The EDC transmission also receives Multi-Change Down and Launch Control. Multi-Change Down drops several gears… Read more

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LDV T60 TRAILRIDER IS AN AUSSIE SPECIAL

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LDV has launched the Limited Edition T60 Trailrider special edition. The Chinese pickup provides suspension developed by the Walkinshaw Automotive Group in Melbourne. The emphasis is on ride and handling in tune with Australian consumer preferences. Trailrider is based on the range topping LDV T60 Luxe and only 650 vehicles are being built As well as the suspension re-calibration the LDV T60 Trailrider also has an additional equipment package: 12-spoke 19-inch black wheels; black grille, nudge bar, sports bar and side steps; and a lockable Mountain Top roller tonneau for… Read more