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FORD TERRITORY 2004 – 2016

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2011 Ford Territory

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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2004 Holden Astra CD

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

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VOLVO XC40 T5 R-DESIGN

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Volvo has executed a complete turnaround in the last couple of decades. Once regarded as having boring but very practical shapes and concentrating heavily on safety the Volvo XC40 is now very much a style leader. Yet, despite its bold lines, the XC40 retains a solid degree of practicality. While it doesn’t have the van-like capacity of the much-loved square-tailed old Swedish wagons it still has decent carrying capacity. If the XC40 isn’t big enough for you there are its big brothers, the XC60 and XC90. There are also high-riding… Read more

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JAMES BOND ASTON MARTIN DB5

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The most famous Aston Martin of all time, the DB5 driven by Sean Connery as James Bond, is back. This new DB5 is a close collaboration between Aston Martin and EON Productions, EON is the company that produces the James Bond films. Just 25 Goldfinger DB5 ‘continuation editions’ will be built. These will be based on James Bond’s legendary car from 1964 and built by Aston Martin Works at Newport Pagnell, the original home of the DB5. These days AMW concentrates on restoring old Astons so is the ideal place… Read more

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MOTORCLASSICA 2018

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Motorclassica, now in its ninth year, will again be staged at Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building from 12 to 14 October. As well as the usual magnificent display of classic cars, there are special features that include Schools Program and the Future Lab. Both of which inform young people about the opportunities for careers and involvement in the automotive and restoration industries. Motorclassica’s Live Restoration Theatre will feature five separate workshops, each demonstrating live various stages of the vehicle restoration process under the watchful eye of Greg Maskell of Shepparton’s Maskell’s… Read more

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BUDGET PRICED HYUNDAI KONA

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Hyundai is in the midst of launching a series of ‘Go’ models, these being vehicles with less standard gear at appreciably lower prices. The latest Hyundai Go is the Kona. It’s no stripper, having 7.0-inch infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, USB charging, reversing camera, automatic headlights and roof racks. However it runs on 16-inch steel wheels. Kona Go is powered by the same 110 kW 2.0-litre engine driving through a six-speed automatic transmission to the front wheels. It is priced at $23,500 to which on-road charges… Read more