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KIA OPTIMA 2011 – 2016

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2011 Kia Optima

Kia has expanded rapidly in Australia in recent years to such an extent that it has now stepped out of the shadow of Hyundai and is seriously considered a significant brand in its own right. High scores in build quality and customer satisfaction have played their part but the introduction of Kia’s seven year / unlimited distance warranty in 2014 is probably the biggest factor of all. Kia’s Optima is a medium-large four-door sedan and was often chosen by those downsizing from a Commodore of Falcon because the kids have… Read more

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NARVA LIGHTS UP THE NIGHTS

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The days are getting shorter but the weather is still warm so it’s a great time to carry on camping. To light things up Narva has launched a new range of tough, high-powered, LED 4×4 work lamps. These are aimed at people who spend extended periods off road in recreational and competition four wheel driving. To meet the rigours of more demanding applications, Narva has engineered these new 9-36V multi-voltage lamps with a powerful, bright white light output ‘Cree’ LEDs. The range starts with the 72358 lamp, which is equipped… Read more

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BUCHANAN COBRA

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Combining eye-catching styling, excellent design and a low purchase price, the Buchanan Cobra looked to have everything needed for success. But, sadly, it joined the long list of Australian automotive failures. The Cobra was designed and built by Nat Buchanan of Sydney, who had started in the car-making business by producing fibreglass bodies to fit sports car chassis. In 1956 he sold a self-designed fibreglass shell with styling influenced by the Aston Martin DB3S. This low-cost body converted the ‘square-rigger’ MG TC/TD to a sleek, streamlined ‘racer’ and 35 were… Read more

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ALL-NEW BMW X2

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BMW X2 Sports Activity Coupe (SAC) is based on the BMW X1’s platform. Original shipments are on their way Downunder and will be in showrooms from March. At this stage only the front-wheel drive X2 sDrive20i, priced at $55,900 plus on-road charges is being offered in this country. Others are likely to follow, but BMW Australia isn’t providing information at this stage. Interestingly, the bottom section of the iconic BMW ‘kidney grille’ is wider than the top for the first time – probably signalling a new generation of the grille…. Read more

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2018 RENAULT KOLEOS INTENS DIESEL

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Last year was one of Renault’s most successful in Australia with sales here almost doubling those achieved in 2016. The Koleos, the French marque’s five-seater medium SUV, can claim much of the credit for the increased interest. The new diesel arrival is likely to bolster that further. It is $3500 more than its petrol stablemate, but still presents good value when compared to the equivalents offered by the segment leaders – Mazda CX-5, Volkswagen Tiguan and the Nissan X-Trail. Renault Koleos has much in common with the Nissan X-Trail given… Read more

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NISSAN X-TRAIL 2007 – 2016

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Now in its 18th year, with total Australian sales approaching 200,000, the Nissan X-Trail continues to be an important vehicle for the Japanese giant. Indeed at this time Nissan Australia is only selling SUVs, not passenger cars. We will review models from the second generation, launched in November 2007 onwards. These were larger than the initial X-Trails and can carry four adult in comfort, three juniors plus mum and dad with ease. Seven seats, offered from the third generation in 2014, are pretty cramped in the back and really only… Read more

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2018 MASERATI QUATTROPORTE UPGRADES

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Maserati Quattroporte has received a suite of change for 2018 season. The Quattroporte S version of the famed Italian company’s sedan is now powered by a new version of the Ferrari made twin-turbo V6 producing 321 kW, with torque of 580 Nm on tap all the way from 2250 to 4000 rpm. Resulting in a zero to 100 km/h time of 5.0 seconds. Visually, changes are minimal, with the Quattroporte GranSport receiving a gloss black grille to differentiate it from other versions in the range. Electric power steering (EPS) supersedes… Read more

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HARD-CASE MAZDA HERO GIVEN A SOFT CENTRE

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Has the MX-5 gone soft? The ‘everyman’ Mazda, born in 1989 in the tradition of the compact British cloth-top convertibles of the post-war era from the likes of Triumph, Austin-Healey, MG and Lotus, was soon to become the best-selling sports car in the world and later became something of a cult. The lightweight two-seater with front engine, rear-wheel drive, had minimal mechanical complexity, limited only by legal and safety requirements, while being technologically modern, reliable and cheap. Since then, the MX-5, through a series of iterations, has maintained its spot… Read more

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AMC JAVELIN

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The AMC Javelin was released in the American autumn of 1967 and was intended to finally give AMC a car to counter the Mustang. It was born from the marriage of Nash, Rambler and Hudson and followed a series of cars released after the Mustang first appeared in 1965, none of which were any match for it either in looks or performance. In its SST form the Javelin had a 5.62-litre 209kW V8 motor which placed it in between Mustang’s highest and lowest output and closely aligned it with its… Read more

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HOT-ROD LAND ROVER DEFENDER

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Land Rover has revealed a limited-edition high-performance version of the Defender to celebrate the Land Rover marque’s 70th anniversary in 2018. The somewhat improbable Defender Works V8 is the most powerful and fastest version that Land Rover has ever created. The 5.0-litre naturally-aspirated petrol V8 produces 400 horsepower (297 kW) of power that’s backed up by 515 Nm of torque. All four wheels are driven through an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission with sport mode. It will accelerate from zero to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 5.6 seconds, while top speed… Read more