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CROSSOVER ADDS TO INFINITI HAUTE COUTURE CATALOG

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Infiniti is in the process of rolling up its sleeves to present a fashion-plate face to the global automotive market across all segments and Australia is high on the list to benefit. The Japanese luxury car company stumped up no fewer than seven models Down Under last year, including the Q30, the company’s first foray into the premium compact crossover market. This is the company’s first vehicle to be built in Europe, using new production facilities in Sunderland, UK, designed to satisfy the high demands of premium vehicle manufacturing. The… Read more

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NISSAN PATHFINDER 2005 – 2015

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2011 Nissan Pathfinder

Nissan Pathfinder has had a mixed career in Australia since it arrived in 1986 as a tough, two-door 4WD wagon based on the Navara pickup. Then in 1995 Pathfinder became more of a soft-roader than 4WD. To cause further confusion, the Pathfinder from July 2005, has reverted to a full chassis for added toughness and is again virtually a Navara with a different back end. The direction changed yet again in 2013 when Pathfinder became a very large softroader. We will begin this used-car review with the third generation Pathfinder… Read more

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AUDI’S FIRST EVER Q2: ALL ABOUT STYLE

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Audi Q2 is a small-medium crossover SUV with interesting lines, a good degree of practicality and the latest in high-tech features, particularly in the area of infotainment. Sales of small and midsize SUVs are booming worldwide. Almost all are being bought by people with absolutely no interest in going off-road, but who want a practical vehicle. Station wagons are boring – SUVs are cool. Audi says it’s aiming Q2 at the young and the young-at-heart, with customisation being a major feature. Taking cues from the little Audi A1 hatch the… Read more

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RENAULT PLANS TO REMAIN IN LCV VANGUARD

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Renault Kangoo

When it comes to light commercial vehicles, in this case the Renault Kangoo and Trafic vans, less is more in the new range. Which is no surprise from the company that has been the maker of Europe’s number one van range for the last 18 years in a row. Thanks to a new 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine the Kangoo small family van comes up with better performance and fuel economy than many larger naturally aspirated engine. While to call the new Trafic Crew six-seater a mere van is to sell… Read more

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DANGEROUS SPARE PARTS BEING IMPORTED

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Australia’s Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) is warning that motorists are exposed to serious crash risks. As an example recent testing of non-genuine parts by GM-Holden engineers has revealed flaws as sub-standard materials are being used in imported bonnets. This could result in the bonnet of a VF Commodore suddenly flying up and slamming against the windscreen, leading to a loss of driver vision and control. The non-genuine part tested by GM-Holden was sourced from a self-certifying parts manufacturing and importing operation contracted to major Australian insurers, and which… Read more

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LAMBORGHINI COUNTACH

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Countach – the name comes from a Piedmontese exclamation of amazement which, very roughly translated into English, means something like `crikey’ and was an ideal name for the car that was to replace the Lamborghini Miura. First seen at the Geneva Motor Show of 1971, the Countach car was produced as the ultimate no-compromise high performance road car. To achieve this cost was barely a consideration, and the result was quite dramatic, to say the least. The designer, Bertone, included doors which did not swing outward but upward and forward… Read more

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MOUNTAIN HIGH FOR BMW RANGE PREVIEW

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BMW and Mini models

BMW took members of the motoring media to the top of the mountain to give them a clear view of what is in store for the German automobile giant’s Australian customers this year. With a line-up of more than a score of models it was more of a glimpse than a good look but was enough to get even the most cynical of scribblers’ juices flowing during a ‘range day’ up Mount Macedon in Victoria. Among the vehicles lined up to try were 22 BMWs, four Minis and four motorcycles,… Read more

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2017 AUDI A3 CABRIOLET

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Audi revamped its A3 range late in 2016 and we recently published a road test review on the Sportback version (Sportback being Audi speak for five-door hatch), now we’ve just been able to spend a pleasant week in an A3 cabriolet. Life can be tough for we motoring journos at times on these cool summer evenings on the Gold Coast … The good life was further improved by the S line sports package in our car. At $4200 it adds Alcantara / leather trim, leather bound flat-bottomed steering wheel with… Read more

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PORSCHE PANAMERA: SECOND GENERATION

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Porsche’s stylists have achieved the seemingly impossible, giving the second generation of their Panamera the looks of a full-on sportscar, not the shape of a low-slung sedan. The first generation Panamera, launched in Australia in September 2009, had a somewhat humpbacked roofline that created a fair bit of criticism. There’s an unconfirmed story going around that original designers penned a sleek roofline, but were forced to add a higher roof to suit the head of a 190cm senior German Porsche guy who felt squashed in the back seat. That’s history… Read more

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SHAPELY ASTRA WEIGHS IN WITH AUSSIE INGENUITY

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It’s no secret that when it comes to performance and low fuel consumption and emissions in cars, weight is the enemy. So it was with the development of the new Holden Astra hatchback, which is an impressive 140 kg lighter than the previous model, despite the take-up of more kit. Australia took the Astra into its heart when first launched here in 1996. Since then, motorists’ feelings for the small Holden, with its European looks and dynamics have not waned. Designers and engineers were given a clean sheet by Opel… Read more