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ALVIS TE21

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At the outbreak of war in September 1939 Alvis was producing four different models but during an air raid on Coventry in 1940 the car factory was severely damaged with much of the essential equipment destroyed beyond repair causing car production to be suspended for the duration of the war. When car production resumed the first car to go into production was a four-cylinder model, the TA14 whose engine was based on the pre-war 12/70. Whilst this was a reliable and attractive car it reflected the typical austerity forced on… Read more

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CUTE FIAT 500 GETS MAKEOVER

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It’s hard to believe the new Fiat 500 is approaching its tenth year. The little Italian classic has been a huge success in Europe, though a slow starter in Australia it has taken off in the last few years and is now a common sight on big-city streets downunder. Unlike its two big rivals, the BMW Mini and VW Beetle which have been fitted with completely new bodies, albeit following the original theme, the Fiat 500 still has its original shape introduced in 2007. It has just been facelifted, as… Read more

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MITSUBISHI MAGNA AND 380 1991 – 2008

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2004 Mitsubishi Magna VR-X AWD

Australian designed and built, the Mitsubishi Magna showed Holden and Ford a thing or two about family car design when introduced in 1985. A smooth, refined ride and excellent noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) suppression were big features of the Magna, even more so in the upmarket Verada versions of the Magna. After many successful years, the Mitsubishi 380 replaced the Magna in October 2005. It was based on an American Mitsubishi model, rather than the Japanese Sigma that the Aussie designers improved and enlarged to create the Magna. The… Read more

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LATEST LEXUS LOOKS TO TRADITION

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Many automobile makers are trying their hardest to wring as much performance and fuel economy out of vehicles through force-fed ‘mini me’ motors with five, four, or even three cylinders. Then there are those companies that are run by old-school car enthusiasts who value performance and responsiveness courtesy of eight pots and above, pumping out power to burn. One such unlikely manufacturer following the tradition is Lexus, the luxury arm of Toyota, with its F Series designed to attract a new type of customer – one with a passion for… Read more

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PEUGEOT 208 GT-LINE IS HEAPS OF FUN

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The 208 range hasn’t exactly set Australian sales charts on fire, but has been a fine return to form for the French manufacturer after a couple of duffers. Its top-of-the-range GTi has, however, got plenty of attention for the most convincing attempt to reboot the beloved 205 GTi. Not every wants or can afford that range-topper, however, but with its excellent ride and handling on offer, Peugeot has sent the 208 Allure to finishing school to create the GT Line. VALUE While the 208 range starts at $15,990 with a… Read more

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DS 5 – EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN

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The subject of this week’s road test review is the Citroen DS5. Actually, that’s not quite true because Citroen has decided to follow the direction taken by a number of other brands by creating a luxury sub-brand and calling it DS. In doing so Citroen has resurrected one of most recognisable of automotive names; the Citroen DS19, launched in 1955, was one of the most charismatic and influential cars of its era with its distinctive styling and revolutionary hydro-pneumatic suspension system. Although the name may be familiar the DS badge… Read more

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2015 PEUGEOT 208 ACTIVE REVIEW

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When the Peugeot 208 first landed in Australia four years ago it had a big job to do. The French company had been on the slide for a while, with the weak efforts of the old 308 and 207 undoing all the hard earned reputation of the cars they superseded. The 208 had a quiet start but seems to have caught on with people looking for a credible alternative to the Japanese and German light hatches. In 2015, the Peugeot 208 range got an update in the form of a… Read more

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AUDI R8 IS BIG, POWERFUL AND AGGRESSIVE

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When a brand like Audi decides that it’s time to bring out a supercar, you know things are getting serious. There had been rumblings that the four rings were after a slice of Porsche’s action and rightly felt they were entitled to it. Audi’s motorsport heritage was a pretty good one and, with the benefit of hindsight, its assault on the Le Mans series, endurance and GT3 racing has given it a global profile DTM, the German touring car series, could only dream of doing. Almost a decade ago, the… Read more

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NEW PEUGEOT 308 GTI HAS ARRIVED

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Peugeot is finally back in the hot-hatch business after an absence of almost 20 years. Sure there have been Peugeots with ‘GT’ on their badges in the intervening years, but they were on the tame side when compared with an ever increasing number of rivals from Europe and Japan. The eagerly awaited Peugeot 308 GTi has finally arrived in Australia – and it’s a real belter. Stylish, but not overdone, ‘understated aggression’ is the phrase that comes to mind, it’s powered by an exceptional turbo-petrol engine that drives through well-controlled… Read more

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HOLDEN COMMODORE 1997 – 2015

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2011 Holden Commodore Redline SS V

Big, tough and built for Australia, the Holden Commodore is perfectly suited to our driving conditions and meets the needs of drivers who demand more than simply transport in their family sedans and wagons. Handling is impressive for a car of this size. Yet the Commodore provides comfort even when being bashed along bush roads that have seen better days, not to mention corrugated dirt roads. Surfaces that trouble very expensive German cars of the same size class as the Holden are simply shrugged off by our Aussie machines. Commodore… Read more