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KIA RIO GETS SERIOUS UPGRADES

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Kia Rio competes in one of the most hard-fought sales segments in Australia so it made sense to give a full-on revamp with major mechanical changes to give it more weapons to fight with. The entry level Rio S is unchanged, with a 1.4-litre petrol engine mated to either a six-speed manual or four-speed automatic. Much bigger news is that the Rio Si and SLi models have been replaced by a new Kia Rio Sport. It has 17-inch alloy wheels and, importantly, a six-speed automatic that replaces the four-speed. It… Read more

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FUTURE FOCUS FOR ‘OLD GROWTH’ FORESTER

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If the Subaru Forester were a human timber-getter, he would be well past retirement age. However, the recently released popular Subaru all-wheel drive wagon, in its fifth generation, is confidently plugging away into the future. Subaru Australia Managing Director, Colin Christie, says it is 21 years since first generation Forester was launched in Australia, establishing a whole new trend by becoming the original compact SUV. “It was Subaru’s best-seller last year, with more than 12,000 vehicles sold, taking us close to a quarter of a million Foresters sold since launch…. Read more

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MAYBACH ZEPPELIN

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The name Maybach is as old as the motor industry. From its commencement in 1921 this car manufacturing company only continued in business for 20 years. The car was named after Wilhelm Maybach who was Gottlieb Daimler’s first designer. Maybach was a clever engineer who was also responsible for the cars that took on the Mercedes name in 1901. After completing his engineering studies Maybach eventually set up an aero-engine business with the airship designer, Count Zeppelin, in 1907. It was a family business with Maybach’s son Karl looking after… Read more

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PORSCHE PANAMERA 2010 – 2017

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2011 Porsche Panamera hybrid

Porsche Panamera is a large five-door sporting coupe that sits somewhere between a low-slung sportscar and a large luxury sedan. A grand tourer in the true sense of the words it can rapidly transport four in plenty of luxury over long distances. The first instruction to the designers of the Panamera was that it had to look like a Porsche. A statement that might not make sense to those with no interest in cars but one that means everything to people who care about marrying tradition with modernity. A major… Read more

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JAGUAR XF SPORTBRAKE – LONG, LOW AND SLEEK

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  Jaguar’s “Grace, Space and Pace” is one of the most recognised of all automotive advertising slogans. And it certainly applies to our road test car this week, the Jaguar XF Sportbrake. Let’s examine how the three important words have been translated into a vehicle to see Jaguar into the third decade of the 21st century. Had we suggested a decade ago that Jaguar should build a large diesel-engined station wagon you would have laughed uproariously. Yet the Jaguar XF Sportbrake First Edition 30d is a simply stunning machine. STYLING… Read more

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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 any kind of E-Pace you fancy. Specification runs through four levels… Read more

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LEXUS LS500h REVIEW

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Wow, just wow. Simple words, I know, but still ever so apt for the new Lexus LS500. Lexus has given the flagship sedan a new engine, suspension and a delightfully glamorous interior that will have genuine buyers and stickybeaks sitting up and taking notice. One would expect a car of such obvious comfort to be packed full of features and Lexus doesn’t disappoint. So, you can expect your LS500 Luxury Sport with heated and cooled seats, four-zone climate control, 22-way power adjusted massage seats, electric rear side sunshades, rear cool… Read more

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MINI KENSINGTON EDITION

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A limited edition Mini Kensington Edition is now on the Australian market. Just 60 are on offer in this country. Available on Mini Cooper and Cooper S three- and five-door hatches all are finished in a Pure Burgundy metallic hue. There are K’ badges on the side pillars. Both Kensington models have black roof and mirror caps and a black JCW roof spoiler Cooper has 16-inch black alloy wheels in ‘Victory spoke’ pattern, while 17-inch black alloy wheels in ‘Cosmos spoke’ are on the Cooper S. A large panorama sunroof… Read more

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LATEST TOYOTA KLUGER IS THE SAFEST YET

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Toyota has established itself a one-stop shop for 4WDs and SUVs, with seven models ranging from the urban C-HR through to the go-anywhere / do-anything LandCruiser 70 and 200 series. In between there’s the RAV4, Fortuner, Prado and this week’s review vehicle the semi-luxury Kluger. Kluger is aimed at the SUV buyer who wants to transport the family in comfort rather than tackling any serious off-road terrain. Having said that it does come with the option of all-wheel drive although that’s more likely to be used for recreational towing than… Read more

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SUNBEAM ALPINE

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1965 Sunbeam Alpine

Sunbeam was one of the very few British companies to seriously build, develop and race a team of Grand Prix cars. When it won the French Grand Prix in 1923 Sir Henry Seagrave became the first driver to win a Grand Prix in a British car. This feat was not repeated again until the 1950s. The company went into liquidation in 1935 and was eventually taken over by the Rootes Group, along with its sister company Talbot, to join the Hillman and Humber marques. The first two-seater Alpine came into… Read more