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MITSUBISHI ASX IS SOLID, RELIABLE AND GOOD VALUE

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For such an unassuming character, the Mitsubishi ASX sure has a faithful following. Regularly in the top three of the compact SUV segment, the ASX is a tried and trusty performer with its lack of airs and graces winning it a legion of followers. Offered in both diesel and petrol, manual and automatic, front-wheel and all-wheel drive, the ASX range extends from $25,000 to $37,000 and offers a fair bit of bang for your buck. It is sturdy and comfortable, spacious with quality features and adapts well to singles, families… Read more

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AUBURN SPEEDSTER

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1935 Auburn Speedster 876

The name Errett Lobban Cord is inextricably tied up with American motoring of the 1920s and 1930s. Cord was a Californian car salesman who was also good at selling himself. The Auburn Automobile Company was struggling to survive in 1924 when they came in contact with Cord. Or maybe Cord came in contact with Auburn; nobody seems to know actually how it all came about. Auburn had established a reputation for producing cars which cost less but looked to go faster than their rivals. In some ways they were considered… Read more

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MINI COUNTRYMAN IS NO LONGER MINI

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New Mini Countryman is no longer mini sized. At 4299 mm long it’s 199 mm longer than the Countryman it succeeds. Width has increased by 33 mm to 1822 mm; height is greater by 13 mm, now 1557 mm. By way of a fascinating comparison, fellow-Brit the iconic LandRover Defender 90 is shorter and narrower than the upsized Mini Countryman… Most importantly, the Countryman’s wheelbase is significantly greater, being 75 mm up to an impressive 2670 mm which makes for significantly more legroom inside. There’s also 59 mm more elbow… Read more

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EXTRA FASHIONABLE JAGUAR XF WAGON

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How the world changes. Had you suggested a decade back that Jaguar should design a large station wagon and power it with a diesel engine people would have laughed uproariously. Yet the latest Jaguar XF Sportbrake will soon be a major new entrant in the premium estate wagon segment in Australia. The XF Sportbrake by Jaguar keeps the curves of the large XF saloon but gradually shapes a graceful roofline to the rear without too much loss of the practicality buyers demand from a wagon. Jaguar tells us rear occupants… Read more

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SUBARU BRZ 2012 – 2016

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2012 Subaru BRZ

Subaru BRZ is a small rear-drive Japanese sports coupe selling for a pretty reasonable price, particularly when compared with the cost of the typical European equivalents. The Subaru’s closest competitor is the Mazda MX-5. The BRZ is a full-on sportscar that’s simply delightful to drive, with true RWD handling, excellent throttle control and steering that talks to you. Just perfect for early morning Sunday drives on your favourite bits of road. It’s even fine as a daily commuter thanks to the precise gearshift and light clutch. The Subaru is offered… Read more

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HOLDEN BARINA 2005 – 2016

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2005 Holden Barina

Holden Barina is a small car that’s generally tough in its build and put together to a good standard. It has a good reputation for being simple to drive and park and long lasting if driven and serviced correctly. It was the smallest car sold in Australia by Holden for many years, an even smaller model, called Barina Spark and later just plain Spark was sold from 2010, but isn’t the model being surveyed here. The first Barinas were made by Japanese Suzuki and introduced here in 1989, then from… Read more

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2017 HOLDEN COLORADO 4X4 REVIEW

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The Australian love affair with dual-cab utes shows no sign of losing that fresh flush of romance with the vehicle’s ability to service both work and family commitments a major drawcard. The segment is highly competitive filled with all manner of temptations including utes that look like utes but drives like cars (well, almost), utes that have such a premium feel you couldn’t imagine getting it dusty, utes that are better off-road, those that are better on road, utes that can haul heavy trailers, others that would battle with an… Read more

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SUBARU WRX AND STI UPGRADED

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Subaru WRX STI Spec R

Subaru WRX and WRX STI have both been upgraded for the 2018 season. Most changes are visual and some additional spec has been added to the lower cost models. Biggest news is the introduction of a new range topping model – the WRX STI spec.R, featuring Recaro seats amongst other items. There have been no mechanical changes as the already full-on engines and transmissions have proven more than adequate in the opinion of many owners. However, there’s an old saying that, “you can never have too much power” so perhaps… Read more

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FIRST DRIVE: HONDA CR-V FIFTH GENERATION

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Honda was one of the earliest players in the family SUV business and has an excellent reputation amongst existing owners. Many of them have remained loyal and moved to each new generation as they’ve been launched. This is likely to be the case with the just introduced fifth generation Honda CR-V. This CR-V moves up in size and is offered here for the first time with third row seats. One interesting feature is that ground clearance has been increased to 208 millimetres from the 170 mm of the just superseded… Read more

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TVR GRIFFITH

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The TVR Griffith is, in many ways, similar to the Porsche Boxster. Whilst it was not the steel-bodied sophisticate, with monocoque body powered by a multi-valve, mid-engined marvel of German engineering this automobile from Blackpool made up in force what it lacked in technology. It had a tubular chassis with a body of plastic and many recognised that the final car was quite phenomenal. The Griffith was the first of a new generation of TVRs and the one that did more than any other to advance the image from one… Read more