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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

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ALL-NEW MAZDA CX-9 SHINES

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The first Mazda CX-9 was launched here just before Christmas 2007 and despite its age has been selling pretty well, being a long time favourite on the family SUV market. In recent years, though, buyers have been asking Mazda Australia to update it. That somewhat overdue new CX-9 is finally here and has the latest technology in infotainment, powertrain and suspension technology and offered in a number of models and drivetrains. Australia continues to be Mazda’s biggest selling market on a population basis so several important guests, including Mazda CX-9… Read more

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PORSCHE 924

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1981 Porsche 924

In the early 1970s Volkswagen planned to introduce a sports coupe to lift its image in some markets, particularly the USA. The car was to use as many VW parts as possible including a current engine to minimise retooling costs. The VW management approached Porsche to design the vehicle for them and the project soon got under way but as it approached finality the VW people suddenly dropped the whole project and it went into limbo. Fast forward a couple of years and there was suddenly a fuel crisis on… Read more

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TROPHY WINNER IN ‘HORSES FOR COURSES’ STAKES

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Horses for courses: it’s a throwaway line to explain something that doesn’t quite fit. The Renault Clio RS 220 Trophy is a case in point. With its added ‘horses’ – power, that is – the special edition is not always at home on the street. Compared with the Clio RS 200 EDC five-door hot hatch, the new limited edition features a more powerful engine with 15 extra kilowatts, up to 40 Newton metres more torque, a sportier chassis and an enhanced EDC (Efficient Dual Clutch) automatic transmission. The Clio RS… Read more

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MOTORCLASSICA 2016

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The seventh edition of Motorclassica, Australia’s automotive display of rare and exotic, historic, vintage, veteran, classic and collectable cars and motorcycles will be staged Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building over the 21-23 October weekend. As well as the hundreds of vehicles displayed inside the Building, an additional 200+ vehicles will be on show each day in the Club Sandwich car club displays outside the main hall. The event will begin on the Thursday evening with an exclusive opening night party, at which Mercedes-Benz will launch its newest luxury model. This year… Read more