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ALFASUD 1.5ti

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1977 Alfa Romeo Alfasud Ti Coupe

When the Alfasud 1.2ti was first introduced it was hailed as one of the world’s best and most popular small sedans. With the introduction of the bigger-engined and facelifted 1.5ti the car’s reputation went even higher. Externally the changes were not significant; a keen eye could spot the differences such as the change in styling of the rear spoiler, the addition of a front air dam and the black moulded wheel arch flares. The car was also slightly longer and slightly wider but the same wheelbase was maintained. The 1.5-litre,… Read more

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MAZDA CX-3 UPGRADES

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Mazda continues its fast paced assault on the Australian car market, this time with its smallest SUV, the CX-3 receiving a facelift, major interior changes, added comfort and improved engines. The frontal styling of all current Mazdas is arguably the biggest reason for its success and the shape has been refined with a bolder grille built around strong horizontal lines. There are also changes to the shaping of the front foglight surrounds as well as to the rear lights. It’s not just the shape that’s selling Mazdas, the Soul Red… Read more

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BMW Z4 M40i FIRST EDITION

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BMW chose the famous Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance for the world premiere of the new BMW Z4 M40i First Edition. Powered by a powerful 250 kW/340 hp, straight-six engine driving the rear wheels via an electronically controlled M Sport differential. Its zero to 100 km/h time has been measured at 4.6 seconds. The large BMW kidney grille has a striking mesh design and sits in front of a beautifully long bonnet. The two occupants sit well back and the high-performance Bimmer has 50:50 weight distribution. The new BMW Z4 M40i… Read more

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AUDI RS4 AVANT

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Turbochargers are the way to go if you need to meet ever tightening emission regulations and still want plenty of power and torque. So the biggest change in this fourth generation RS4 Avant lies under the bonnet where the previous 4.2-litre naturally-aspirated V8 has been replaced by a biturbo 2.9-litre V6. STYLING The Audi single-frame grille is wider and flatter than before and of course has the honeycomb structure typical of what’s a trademark of the RS series. The latest RS4 Avant is longer (by 62 mm) and wider (by… Read more

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FORD TERRITORY 2004 – 2016

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Ford Territory is a large SUV designed and built in Australia. Launched in May 2004 It was based on the Ford Falcon and shares some of its mechanical components however, many parts are unique to the big wagon. Time was against it as Ford Oz was struggling in the sales race and didn’t have the budget to design an all-new Territory. Seven years after its introduction it did receive a major makeover in May 2011. As well as styling enhancements significant changes were made to rides and handling, with less… Read more

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CARNIVAL ATMOSPHERE CONTINUES

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Living with the latest Kia Carnival finally put paid to the notion that people movers (also known as crossover utility vehicles these days) are vans with sparse seating, pokey windows down both sides and access to a take-it-or-leave-it luggage area through an ungainly back door. The third generation Kia Carnival has just had a mid-cycle makeover that centres on comfort and safety upgrades. The model range – Carnival S, Si, SLi and Platinum – stays the same. So do the petrol and turbo-diesel engines on offer. However, the latter are… Read more

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PORSCHE CLASSIC BUILDS A CLASSIC 911 USING GENUINE PARTS

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Nostalgia is the flavour of the moment with carmakers. We recently did a piece on Aston Martin’s replica James Bond DB5. Now comes news from Porsche Classic has built a highly desirable collector’s item, the last 911 Turbo with an air-cooled engine – 20 years after the end of series production. The 993-generation 911 Turbo is based on an original bodyshell, and the vehicle’s appearance is just as special as its history, being painted in Golden Yellow Metallic as featured on the 2018 911 Turbo S Exclusive Series. The black… Read more

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MG LAUNCHES LATEST MG3 HATCHBACK

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The Chinese-owned MG company has taken another step forward in its bid to make an impact on the Australian market by launching the latest version of its MG3 five-door city hatch. The previous MG3 was on sale from October 2016 but with negligible sales due to a lack of marketing, uncertain build quality and the absence of an automotive transmission. Things have changed quickly and MG, a subsidiary of the giant Chinese automaker SAIC, now has a factory-based headquarters in Australia that is promoting the brand with print and television… Read more

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MASERATI LEVANTE S: DELIGHTFULLY AURAL ENGINE

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Okay, I’m going to cut straight to the chase in answer the question I’ve been bombarded with, ”Does the new petrol Levante sound like a Maserati?” Yes, it does! There’s something about the purposeful roar of this Maserati-designed Ferrari-built engine that makes all car lovers smile with joy. When Maserati launched its Levante SUV in Australia in 2017 it came only with a diesel engine. At that time all petrol Levantes had the steering wheel on the wrong side for Australia. A silly mistake that has now been rectified. So,… Read more

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HOLDEN / OPEL ASTRA 2004 – 2017

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From 1996 the Astra was imported from the Opel in Europe but rebadged as a Holden. Holden Astra was sold as the AH Series from November 2004 until 2009. However, Holden chose to sell low-cost models of the otherwise-superseded TS series when the AH series was introduced. These had the title of Astra Classic. A major makeover of the AH in March 2007 saw a facelift and improved engine performance. Then came the start of some marketing mistakes. The Astra AH models discontinued in 2010 to be replaced by cheaper… Read more