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HONDA CR-V 2007 – 2017

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2013 Honda CR-V

Honda CR-V was an early entrant into the SUV market when it arrived Downunder 21 years ago. Since then it has pretty well followed the typical path of vehicles in this class. That is, it began as a reasonably serious small 4WD that had an external spare wheel and gradually morphed into a large station wagon with limited off-road ability. We are looking here at the CR-V Series 4 models from October 2007. These took a major step to being family wagons, with added interior space and slightly softer suspension… Read more

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MAZDA INTRODUCES UPMARKET CX-3 AKARI LE

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Keen to hold onto second place in the hard fought Australian sales race Mazda has introduced what it describes as a, “premium range-topper” to the small SUV market – the Mazda CX-3 Akari LE. The emphasis is on the interior where the seats are finished in Dark Russet Nappa leather, the centre console and armrests are have colour matched synthetic leather. All are finished with white stitching, offset by Pure White synthetic leather panelling on the seats, doors and dash. Dash mounted air vents are accented with a Pure White… Read more

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MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE CROSS EXCEED

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Mitsubishi’s Eclipse Cross sits somewhere between the Japanese marque’s ASX and Outlander but has a personality all of its own. Its compact dimensions belie its spaciousness and complemented by generous inclusions, this SUV is punching above its weight. The Eclipse Cross is offered here in Australia in three grades, the mid-level LS, the newly arrived entry-level ES and the top-spec Exceed. The versatile crossover is pushing hard to make its mark in a segment that surprisingly still has some wiggle room. STYLING The Eclipse Cross may very well be one… Read more

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TRIUMPH TR6

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Car manufacturers don’t really set out to make bad quality cars, but the 1970s were notorious for cars with serious defects. The Triumph TR6 was one of the numerous makes that embodied serious defects due to shoddy quality control. The Triumph TR1s, TR2s and TR3s of the 1950s and 1960s were great little sports cars and even though they required the occasional bonnet lift to fix their odd little quirks, this was accepted and even considered part of the fun of owning a sports car at the time. As British… Read more

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HYUNDAI i30 N LINE

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Building on the success of the new Hyundai i30 N hot hatch the South Korean marque has introduced a new i30 N Line which replaces the previous i30 SR range and is priced from a pretty reasonably MLP of $26,490. Hyundai i30 N Line has more aggressive looking front and rear bumpers, sits on 18-inch alloys with high-performance Michelin tyres, and a sports suspension tune. It can easily be identified by N Line badges. Inside there are front sports seats, an N Line steering wheel and gear knob, red highlights,… Read more

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PORSCHE MACAN S GETS BIG-POWER V6 TURBO ENGINE

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Porsche has expanded its Macan range with the introduction of a new 3.0-litre turbo-petrol engine in the Macan S. The engine delivers up to 260 kW and has a maximum torque of 480 Nm. When fitted with the optional Sport Chrono Package, new Porsche Macan S accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in just 5.1 seconds. Macan is very much a sports SUV and features staggered tyres working with the Porsche Traction Management 4WD system. On the front axle, spring forks made from aluminium replace the previous steel components to… Read more

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2019 MITSUBISHI TRITON

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A couple of months back Mitsubishi Australia gave us information on what is virtually an all-new Triton. Now the Japanese maker has provided us with pricing. At a date yet to be announced in January 2019 the media launch will be held, probably in Tasmania. In the meantime we have had the chance to sit in the Triton and crawl over and under it, Triton has a huge front face using the Mitsubishi Dynamic Shield design. While it has been used in others in the Mitsubishi range, this shape works… Read more

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AUDI Q8 INTRODUCED

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An all-new model in the Audi lineup, the Q8 is a large SUV. While many SUVs have become sleeker, indeed almost coupe-like in their shape in recent years, Audi’s designers have endowed their Q8 with an imposing stance. The huge Audi single-frame grille with vertical strakes and a heavily contoured front spoiler make the big Audi instantly recognisable. The bold shape continues along the sides with large wheelarches, and the slope down of the roof towards the rear is minimal. Interestingly, though, the Q8 has frameless doors. Interiors are something… Read more

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THE $1.5 MILLION NISSAN GT-R50

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Nissan has confirmed the production design of the Nissan GT-R50 by Italdesign and has opened the order books for the 50-vehicle limited run. The car’s exterior is virtually unchanged from the prototype first shown in July at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in England. Nissan collaborated with Italdesign to create the model, based on the latest Nissan GT-R Nismo, in commemoration of the 50th anniversaries of the GT-R in 2019 and Italdesign in 2018. While the prototype vehicle was finished in a special grey with gold accents, customers will be… Read more

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KIA RIO 2011 – 2017

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2012 Kia Rio hatch

Kia Rio is a small South Korean car that has improved significantly in the generations being reviewed here. In fact it’s up with the best in its class from the 2011 third-generation car onwards. This is not only due to constantly improving build quality, but also to the fact that significant handling and suspension changes were made to the Rio following extensive work by Australian and South Korean engineers in this important field. Australians really do enjoy driving and pre-purchase test drives often swing them to Kias against others in… Read more