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CUE TO A NEW SUV DIRECTION WITH AUDI Q2

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By EWAN KENNEDY in Zurich, Switzerland Audi Q2 takes a fascinating new direction in upmarket SUVs. Taking cues from the Audi A1 hatchback the upcoming new Q2 offers buyers a staggering choice of customisation options. Indeed, it’s mathematically possible for five million people to buy a Q2 without having one that’s identical to any other. It all begins with a palette of 12 body colours. The door mirrors can either match of complement the rest of the body. The grilles also offers colour choices and can have a contrasting shade… Read more

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NEW MERCEDES E-CLASS IS A TECHNOLOGICAL TOUR-DE-FORCE

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The latest, tenth generation, version of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class model is due to be released here within a few weeks. We’ll be attending the Australian launch and will provide a full review of this luxurious, prestigious and stylish medium-large car at the time. To avoid the information overload that would otherwise occur, Benz has given us a pre-launch overview of the remarkable range of technologically advanced safety and other features within the car. While many of these have been seen previously there are a number of new features that combine… Read more

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2016 MAZDA MX-5 REVIEW

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Mazda’s evergreen MX-5 has weathered not one but two pretty impressive financial meltdowns – the huge Asian financial disaster in the nineties and the global crisis that is still causing drama. Cars like the MX-5 are usually the first to go during tough times, but has motored on to its much-anticipated fourth generation. What’s even rarer is a carmaker leaving alone a winning formula like the MX-5’s and cutting the price at the same time. It must be quite something… VALUE The ND series MX-5 comes in two trim levels… Read more

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PRE-PRODUCTION HONDA NSX SUPERCAR GIVES A GLIMPSE OF THE FUTURE IN AUSTRALIA

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Honda’s NSX supercar has been a long time coming, and it’s not quite here yet. On July 8 a pre-production NSX went on display at Melbourne dealership, Yarra Honda and is about to head off on a tour downunder. Honda Australia last sold the NSX in Australia between 1991 and 2002. That ultra-long production run resulted in an odd result. At the 2001 Tokyo Motor Show I saw the NSX in two different halls; the first was of display of the NSX’s umpteenth update in the new-car display hall. The… Read more

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TOYOTA PRIUS 2003 – 2015

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2011 Toyota Prius

Toyota Prius wasn’t the first petrol-electric hybrid to go on sale in Australia, that honour belongs to Honda with its quirky Insight two-seater. But while Honda hybrids have come and gone over the years Toyota, and its luxury offshoot Lexus, have stuck consistently with hybrids. However, while Toyota has improved the Prius in the 15 years it has been on sale in Australia it hasn’t made big strides as seen in other hybrids, such as recent arrivals from Honda, Mitsubishi, Audi and BMW. This is possibly a result of Toyota’s… Read more

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PORSCHE 911 1998 – 2016

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2013 Porsche 911 GT3

By EWAN KENNEDY CAPTION: A. B. C. BODY COPY Porsche 911 is now in its 54th year and while it has changed significantly over the years it continues to follow the same iconic styling theme and mechanical layout. The 911 is a pure sports machine that used to have a relatively affordable price tag but which has become pretty expensive in recent years. The price rise is the result of the German company trying to push itself up into the lower end of the supercar field that’s dominated by the… Read more

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SUZUKI EXPANDS ITS VITARA RANGE WITH NEW TURBO-DIESEL

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Suzuki has added a turbo-charged diesel engine to its stable of Vitara SUVs – an engine that delivers more than twice the torque of the entry-level Vitara – and sips distillate at a miserly 4.9 litres per 100 km. It’s an impressive addition as we found out on the Queensland launch of the vehicle between Cairns and Cooktown via the Daintree Forest in Far North Queensland. Suzuki pioneered what we now know as compact SUVs – well before the segment was defined – way back in 1988 with the first… Read more

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ROLLS-ROYCE CORNICHE

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1979 Rolls-Royce Corniche

The Corniche was Rolls-Royce’s coupe and convertible version of the Silver Shadow produced between 1971 and 1996. With the release of the Silver Shadow range in 1965, which had an all-in-one chassis less four-door body shell it was incorrectly considered that the release of this model would see the end of special-bodied models. Up to that time coachbuilders found it easy to construct coachwork for fitting to models with a separate chassis but almost impossible to do the same thing on cars built as a monocoque structure. Rolls-Royce overcame this… Read more

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THOUGHTS ON THE FUTURE

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I recently wrote a comment piece bemoaning the fact that cars are getting boring. Boring because less and less skill is required to get the best from them. Acceleration testing on a hot Jeep SRT had just been completed and I bemoaned the fact that all that was required only that you push the right buttons on the computer and it will get maximum response from the engine, tyres and transmission – no skill required. The BMW M2 is a full-on sports machine. We road tested the manual version the… Read more

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2016 SUBARU FORESTER TS SPECIAL EDITION

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Subaru was one of the earliest Japanese carmakers to tackle the Australian market, with imports dating back to 1973. It did moderately well in the sales race in its initial years – then took off at breakneck speed with the introduction of the high-performance WRX in1994. The WRX’s stunning combination of turbocharged power and the road grip offered by all-wheel-drive grabbed the imagination of keen Aussie drivers and it’s no surprise that other hot models followed, including some based on the Subaru Forester SUV. We initially drove a Forester tS… Read more