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FORD FALCON 2002-2016

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2006 Ford Fairmont Ghia

In October 2016 the last Ford Falcon left the assemble line, not long after its 56th birthday in Australia. What does this mean on the used-car scene for the period being examined here, 2002 – 2016? At this stage the answer is we simply don’t know’ though speculation suggests the sporting models may become desirable as years go by, perhaps even increase in value. That is the Falcon XR6, XR6T, XR8, Sprint, GT, and any with supercharged or turbocharged engines (except for the four-cylinder turbos). Trouble is, there are so… Read more

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TUCSON JOINS THE HYUNDAI CELEBRATION PARADE

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Is it, I wonder, an attempt at quirky Korean humour that the new Hyundai Tucson, celebrating 30 years in Australia, requires turning the ignition key to start the engine (no push-button fire-up) and eschews satellite navigation. It certainly takes me back more than a quarter of a century to the times when Hyundai was a funny little cheap-an-cheerful car. How things change. Hyundai is now consistently in the top three sellers in Australia with 10 or more per cent of total sales and has a huge range of quality vehicles…. Read more

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NO-CHARGE CHARGING AT WESTFIELD SHOPPING CENTRES

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In a strong sign of the future of the automobile, BMW and Westfield have teamed up to install 40 new electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in 10 Westfield shopping centres across NSW, Queensland and Victoria. The charging stations can be used by any electric vehicle not just BMWs and there’s no charge for the charging. By March 2017, electric vehicle owners will be able to access four charging stations per centre at Westfield Bondi Junction, Chatswood, Miranda, Sydney, Warringah Mall, Carindale, Chermside, Doncaster and Southland. Speaking for Westfield, Tim Roberts,… Read more

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NEW HOLDEN COMMODORE: FIRST PHOTOS

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Holden has released the first official pictures of the fully imported Commodore ahead of its Australian launch in early 2018. This of course, follows the cessation of local manufacturing by Holden at a date yet to be revealed late in 2017. It’s a big, bold design and is visually way ahead of the previous generation Opel Insignia which was on sale briefly in Australia a couple of years back. The new model is virtually identical in size inside and out to the outgoing Aussie designed Commodore. The NG is slightly… Read more

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TAKING IT TO THE STREET THE HYUNDAI WAY

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There’s always been nothing like the Hyundai Veloster. From the word go the ‘two-and-a-half’ door coupe has stood out from the crowd and has been the go-to car for the budget conscious automotive individualist. Now Hyundai has gone even further with the introduction of the Veloster Street Special Edition, which brings $3000 of exclusive additional spec and other goodies above the Veloster Series II SR Turbo + on which it is based. Having already claimed a prime spot in the quirky corner of the coupe market, with only 200 to… Read more

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CADILLAC SEVILLE

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1977 Cadillac Seville

By the early seventies large American cars with their powerful V8 engines were dominant. Every manufacturer had models similar to the Cadillac Eldorado which gobbled up 25 litres of fuel for every 100km travelled. War in the Middle East in 1973 saw Arab nations raise oil prices by 387 per cent, which, for a country like America that consumed so much, it was a nightmare. Petrol station queues became the norm and two car owners ensured they had both an odd and even ending number licence plate so they could… Read more

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AUDI SQ7 TDI IS ONE HOT SUV

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Australians appetite for hot versions of cars shows no sign of abating, particularly in upmarket German vehicles. Even SUVs are getting the treatment these days, with the just released Audi SQ7 TDI a striking example. Only a few weeks after the launch of the standard Q7 SUV the warmed over S version has arrived. Note the ‘TDI’ in the title indicating this Q7 has turbo-diesel power. This will come as no surprise to motorsport followers given that Audi diesel-electric hybrids dominated the prestigious Le Mans 24-hour race for many years…. Read more

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FIAT 500X IS READY FOR ACTION

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Only the Italians could get away with a TV commercial that links a performance-enhancing ‘little blue pill’ with the transformer-like conversion of a small hatchback into a muscular SUV. That’s what Fiat has done in a brilliant ad that sees the pill eventually dropping into the fuel tank of a Fiat 500 hatchback and bulk it up into the 500X compact SUV with the closing line – “bigger, more powerful and ready for action”. Check it out on YouTube if you haven’t seen it. Great fun. The 500X was designed… Read more

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MITSUBISHI ASX 2010 – 2016

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2010 Mitsubishi ASX

By EWAN KENNEDY CAPTION: A. B. C. 2015 Mitsubishi ASX BODY COPY Mitsubishi has long been a major player in the Australian 4WD and SUV sales race. Beginning with the ground-breaking Pajero almost 40 years ago when it was the first affordable 4WD designed with comfort, not just off-road ability, in mind. Though Pajero was, and still is, a success the Japanese giant dabbled in the small SUV field in Australia in various ways for many years without a huge amount of success – until it began to import the… Read more

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CHEAPEST EVER PORSCHE: THE FOUR-CYLINDER MACAN

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The cheapest ever Porsche has just gone on sale in Australia. The midsize Macan SUV can now be ordered with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine. At $76,610 it sits around $16,000 under the V6 petrol. A huge saving when you consider you’re only missing out on a couple of cylinders and you still get 185 kW of power and 370 Nm of torque. (The V6 in S trim has 250 kW.) It seems that every second European car we road test these days has an engine that displaces 2.0… Read more