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PERFORMANCE UP, PRICES DOWN FOR SUBARU BRZ

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We seem to spend much of our road testing time behind the wheels of SUVs nowadays. As much as we appreciate the functionality and convenience of these vehicles they do fall down in one respect … they’re not a lot of fun to drive. So we’ve given ourselves a treat with this week’s road test, the Subaru BRZ, a delightful little 2.0-litre two-door coupe with six-speed manual transmission. Subaru BRZ has been on sale in Australia since 2012 although it didn’t hit the dealers’ showroom floors until 2014 with supply… Read more

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BMW i3 WITH ADDED GRUNT

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BMW has introduced a second-generation drive system to its all-electric i3, giving it about 50 per cent greater range, as well as increased performance. The batteries now have 94Ah (Amp hours), the original 2014 model i3 had 60Ah. The BMW i division and technology partner Samsung SDI have managed to gain the substantial battery capacity improvement without any increase in the exterior dimensions. We’ve just experienced a most enjoyable week in this ‘car of the future’, covering mainly suburban use with occasional runs on motorways to test the little electric… Read more

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FERRARI 812 SUPERFAST

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Don’t you just love the way the uninhibited Italians at Ferrari do things? Our very favourite vehicle at this year’s Geneva Motor Show is the Ferrari 812 Superfast. That’s right, Superfast. No nonsense in shouting out what it’s all about here – the Italians say it’s Superfast because that’s what it is. It’s also bright red, has a big V12 engine and sensational styling. Superfast, there we’ve said it again, is here to begin the celebrations of Ferraris 70th anniversary. It’s the replacement for the much admired Berlinetta. The 6.5-litre… Read more

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SUBARU GOES SPORTY WITH NEW XV

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Subaru is renowned for making solid, sensible vehicles, with styling taking a relatively minor place. The obvious exception is the sleek BRZ coupe, but the problem is it’s not what you would call a family road hauler. Back at the start of 2012 Subaru surprised us with a new model called XV, a compact SUV with a bit of style. The public took to it immediately and sales were strong from day one. A new generation 2017 Subaru XV went on display at the Geneva Motor Show and is based… Read more

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HYUNDAI’S SPORTY ADDITION TO SMALL-CAR CLASS

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Few cars can be found basking in the glow of the halo tag but the Elantra SR earns its place in the sun at the head of the sixth generation of the Hyundai line. The company’s ‘little big car’, the Elantra, has been given a leg up in the performance stakes with the addition of a 1.6 turbocharged direct-injection petrol engine. With links to the next-generation Hyundai i30 that’s due out soon, Elantra SR Turbo engine provides sporty capability to match its good looks, plus high levels of comfort and… Read more

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MERCEDES-BENZ SLK 2004 – 2015

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    By EWAN KENNEDY CAPTION: A. B. 2008 Mercedes-Benz SLK2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK BODY COPY Mercedes-Benz SLK is a small to medium sportscar that’s been a big success on the Australian market since it arrived here 20 years ago. Success that saw the waiting list stretch to over a year in the earliest years. These older models, from February 1997 are getting on in years so we will concentrate on the second generation SLKs that first arrived downunder in August 2004. Having said that, we often see the first generation… Read more

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HAVAL H6 IS COMPETENT FIRST ATTEMPT

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The Haval marque is still all-but unknown in Australia. Which comes as no surprise as the Haval H6, the subject of this week’s road test, only arrived downunder in September 2016. Haval is the SUV division of Great Wall Motors and given the ever increasingly popularity of SUVs worldwide the H6 is a number one seller in the midsize segment in its home country of China. So huge is that market that the H6 was the fifth biggest seller in its class globally during 2016. The first Great Wall Haval… Read more

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‘SEVENTH HEAVEN’ FROM THE NEW BMW 5 SERIES

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BMW has built a reputation on drivers’ cars: vehicles that deliver a sense of satisfaction in the act of driving, a perfect marriage of man (or woman) and machine. The new 5 Series, the seventh generation of the popular mid-size sedan from the German automobile giant, is no exception. It’s a technological tour de force clothed in a supremely well cut, if somewhat conservative, automotive equivalent of a Savile Row suit. Four models, with four or six-cylinder diesel or petrol power, are on offer in Australia on launch, beginning with… Read more

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‘WIZARDS OF OZ’ CAST SPELL ON COLORADO

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The upgraded Colorado is the shape of things to come for Holden. The ‘Wizards of Oz’ joined their Brazilian counterparts and Thai manufacturing technicians to come up with a vehicle that the maker says is ideal for Australia’s driving conditions. “The variety of roads in Australia and the ways Australians use trucks means the 2017 Colorado has to be versatile enough to handle everything thrown at it,” says Holden’s Lead Development Engineer, Amelinda Watt. “We know customers like to drive their Colorado off-road or on unsealed roads, but we also… Read more

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PANAMERA TURBO S E-HYBRID

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Porsche has announced details of the hottest Panamera of them all. Only a matter of weeks after the introduction of the standard versions of the Panamera to Australia the German sportscar maker is to show the new Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid at the Geneva Motor Show. Borrowing some engineering expertise from the petrol-electric Porsche 919 LMP1 Hybrid that took out the Le Mans 24-hour race last year, the road-going Panamera is a rocketship. The 4.0-litre V8 engine from the Panamera Turbo is combined with an electric motor, producing up to… Read more