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2018 RENAULT KOLEOS INTENS TURBO-DIESEL

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New Renault Koleos is significantly larger than the model it superseded in August 2016. Increases to cabin space make it well suited to families with children well into their teenage years. Luggage room has also benefited. The topline Renault Koleos Intens diesel 4WD we road tested had genuine leather trim, heated and ventilated front seats (Yippee! seat ventilation always saves the day in Queensland); ambient cabin lighting; an electric panoramic sunroof and a hands-free power tailgate. The Intens also has added safety features (more about this in the Safety segment… Read more

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HOLDEN’S FAMILY FRIENDLY EQUINOX

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Extremely keen to take an all-new direction following the closure of its factory Holden has introduced an all-new vehicle, tagged Equinox, into the hotly contested SUV field in Australia. The timing couldn’t have been better as buyers are almost queueing up to get into these practical vehicles. Though the Equinox isn’t a direct successor to Holden Captiva, with continues in some variants for a yet-to-be-announced period, it comes pretty close. Equinox is a far more modern vehicle than Captiva in every way. Modern styling, larger interior, high-tech drivetrains and, possibly… Read more

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NEW MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE CROSS

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Determined to stay in tune with Australians love for SUVs Mitsubishi has added a third model to its range. Called Eclipse Cross it sits between the compact ASX and the medium-large Outlander. The Eclipse name does have some history for Mitsubishi having been used in a mid-sized sports coupe sold in overseas markets between 1990 and 2012. During much of that period a closely related model called Mitsubishi Galant was built at the company’s Tonsley Park plant in Adelaide. The timing of Mitsubishi’s early preview of the Eclipse Cross is… Read more

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COOL, MAZDA CX-5 SO EASY TO TAKE

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From pollies to TV celebs to eating-out spots, popularity polls are, well, as popular as ever. The same could be said for automobiles, with cars of the year of all hues coming out of the woodwork at this time. Mazda’s CX-5 SUV is sitting high in the sales race. Launched in 2012 as Mazda’s first new-generation model featuring Kodo design – the Soul of Motion – and Skyactiv Technology, the Next-Gen CX-5, the second generation, Mazda says, refines every aspect of the company’s current technology and design. Australia’s most popular… Read more

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FORD FIESTA 2004 – 2016

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2004 Ford Fiesta

Ford Fiesta is a European sourced small car that has the of on-road dynamics that please keen Aust drivers. In particular they love the hot-hatches, like the Fiesta Zetec, ST and the XR4. Though it dates back to the mid 1970s in Europe, Ford Fiesta wasn’t sold here till 1984 when Ford Australia realised it was losing sales to Holden because local buyers weren’t keen on the cheap n’ cheerful Ford Festivas that were imported from South Korea. The earlier models were built in Germany, from 2010 they came from… Read more

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MIDDLE TRAX EXTREMELY WELL CONNECTED

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While the Holden Trax small sports utility vehicle showed a 25 per cent increase in sales in Australia in 2016, Holden is not standing on its laurels and has added to the range with a mid-spec LT. Slotting in between the LS entry-level and range-topping LTZ, this intended to put Holden at the leading edge of in-car connectivity in the small SUV segment. Holden says it is estimated around 77 per cent of Australians own at least one smartphone and check them more than 150 times a day, so the… Read more

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KIA SPORTAGE SI PREMIUM REVIEW

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My first time in a Kia Sportage was on a sneaky trip to Byron Bay to escape the UK winter. That it features in my memory alongside an unforgettable Byron Bay adventure, will forever cloak it in fondness. It matters not that that Sportage was boxier in appearance and certainly included far fewer niceties than it does today. A bond was formed. The Sportage Si Premium that visited with us for the week looks a world apart from that first experience, with its rounded hourglass grille, sleeker lines and plastic… Read more

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2017 TOYOTA 86 SPECIAL EDITION

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In a world that’s moving at breakneck speed a five-year old car like the Toyota 86 needs a serious freshen-up to keep it in the minds of potential buyers. A clever marketing move is the introduction of limited editions – not ‘special’ editions which can be moved off the showroom floors in volume and soon fade from the mind. Limited editions take on an aura of exclusivity hence the Toyota LE. Only 60, all in a wild orange shade, came Downunder a couple of months back. We’ve just spent a… Read more

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STYLISH NEW TOYOTA CAMRY

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Out with the old, in with the new. New Toyota Camry is most certainly an eye opener when compared with its honourable ancestors. Sadly the Camry is no longer made in Australia, it now comes from Japan. The build quality on the ones we have seen to date is every bit as good as what we have seen coming out of the Altona, Melbourne factory for the past 20 years. Let us jump straight to style because, believe it or not, that’s what people will be talking about in the… Read more

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DROWSY DRIVERS DIE

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A recent report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the USA has found that “Fatigued (sleepy) drivers kill more people [16.5%] than all of the drivers exceeding the speed limit [7%] or running a red light [2%].” Inattention is by far the biggest cause of road fatalities, unfortunately the technology companies that manufacture speed and red light cameras cannot supply camera technology to detect inattentive drivers. So there is no revenue in detecting fatigued drivers and inattentive drivers. Roadside cameras are being used by some Australian police… Read more