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MORE POWER LESS WEIGHT FOR NEW FERRARI 488

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Ferrari Australia has unveiled its latest Super Series model, the track-ready 488 Pista coupe and convertible. The 488 Pista is a direct descendant of Ferrari’s first ever mid-mounted V8 the 308 GTB which was launched in 1975. It joins the 488 GTB that arrived here in 2015 but with a more powerful engine and lighter body for significantly improved performance. Ferrari 488 Pista was developed primarily for road use but as the name Pista suggests (it’s Italian for track) it is track ready and this is likely to be its… Read more

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LEXUS RX 450h RESEARCH VEHICLES

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Lexus Australia has become the first vehicle marque to partner with the Queensland government in a trial of advanced technologies designed to improve road safety and reduce congestion, emissions and fuel consumption. Two Lexus RX 450h F Sport SUVs will be fitted with sensitive equipment that will enable them to communicate with each other and with roadside infrastructure such as traffic lights, as part of a two-year trial. The study into cooperative intelligent transport systems (C-ITS) technologies will involve the two Lexus vehicles providing drivers with early warnings, including visual… Read more

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ASTON MARTIN VANTAGE

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Exuding style, the 1977 Aston Martin Vantage was a beautifully finished car. Inside everything smacked of luxury. It was a big car and inside there seemed to be acres of deep, wool pile carpet all leather edged. Although promoted as a sportscar the sumptuous 2+2 leather seats and interior body trim seemed more appropriate in a limousine, as did the burr walnut door cappings and dashboard. Under the bonnet, four cam covers and a large air intake topped an all-alloy 5.4-litre V8 four overhead cam engine capable of developing 280kW… Read more

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ECLIPSE SHEDS LIGHT ON MITSUBISHI SUV FUTURE

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With the Eclipse Cross, a new spin has been given to the Mitsubishi sports utility vehicle orbit. Launched earlier this year, the all-new Eclipse Cross is the first of a new generation of Mitsubishi SUVs and joins the brand’s current lineup of the ASX, Outlander, Outlander PHEV hybrid, Pajero Sport and Pajero. Initially, three variants were offered in Eclipse Cross LS and Exceed specification levels. Recently, an entry-level ES was added to the range, taking the line-up to four models. Weighing in at a competitive price of $29,990, plus on-road… Read more

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NEW MITSUBISHI TRITON : FIRST DETAILS

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Mitsubishi has announced information on its upcoming, virtually all-new Triton that will arrive in Australia in January 2019. Local pricing and specifications will be announced closer to the local launch date. Mitsubishi is of course a Japanese company, but Triton is built in Thailand and the factory proudly tells us the new Triton has been developed to be, “Engineered Beyond Tough”. A handy catchphrase in these times when small pickup trucks are the vehicle of choice amongst private buyers, and of course tradies. Triton has a front face that incorporates… Read more

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FORD KUGA 2012 – 2017

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Ford Kuga is an SUV of the modern type, that is it’s aimed at the suburban user than the bush basher. However, some Kugas have have the added traction of all-wheel-drive and can be used tackle bush tracks and fire trails. Others are purely two-wheel drive vehicles. Kuga replaced the Ford Escape – which was a genuine 4WD – in February 2012. Ford Australia had been slow to realise buyers wanted crossovers and the 2012 model had been on sale in Europe for four years before it reached us downunder… Read more

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2019 PORSCHE PANAMERA SPORT TURISMO TURBO

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Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo adds another dimension to the prestige German marque’s range. A body that’s part way between that of a station wagon and a five-door coupe. It attracted plenty of attention from those who know Porsches during our week’s road test, though some initially failed to recognise that it was a wagon, which may be exactly what the designers were aiming at. Our test car was the big gun – the Panamera Sport Turismo Turbo, which is simply sensational. STYLING The new generation Panamera coupe has been on… Read more

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FORD’S FASCINATING FOCUS: THE ACTIVE

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Ford Focus Active is a standard Focus that has extra ground clearance and some body add-ons to give it a semi-SUV look. It has as much as 34 mm additional ground clearance to give it an elevated driving position, something that can be handy in traffic. Focus Active is not a toy, though, because front and rear skid plates can let you tackle moderately serious dirt roads. Inserts in contrasting silver alter the Focus Active’s styling when compared with others in the Focus range. There are unique front and rear… Read more

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NEW HIGH-TECH ENGINE FOR RENAULT CAPTUR

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A fascinating new powerful turbo engine is now available on Renault Captur. With a capacity of just 1.3 litres it develops up to 150 horsepower, hence its title 1.3 TCe 150. In Australian terms that 110kW, torque is an equally impressive 250 Nm from an amazingly low 1600 rpm. Despite this added power and torque the fuel consumption is rated at just 5.4 litres per 100 km on the combined cycle. We’ve yet to road test this new model but will do so asap and get back to you. The… Read more

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2019 AUDI A7 SPORTBACK LAUNCH

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Audi A7 Sportback generation two has arrived in Australia, but at this stage only the topline model, the 55 TFSI is here. It’s the subject of this review and we have done extensive test drives of several cars. Audi A7 has long been one of our style favourites and it was great that Audi brought chief designer Andreas Koglin to Australia for a detailed explanation as to how he achieved the shape. (He also gave we journos some ideas on how to sketch cars on paper. Mine looked only marginally… Read more