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ALL-NEW CADDY FROM VOLKSWAGEN

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The biggest news about the latest Volkswagen Caddy is that the glovebox now has a lid – previously it was just a gaping hole in the dashboard. Which sounds like a strange way to open a story, but it illustrates the new direction in which VW is aiming the Caddy. That is, moving it mildly upmarket. The complete driving area of the Caddy has been given a working over to make it less van like and more in the manner of a car. Good idea, we’ve never understood why van… Read more

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FORD FOCUS ST: GENUINE HOT HATCH

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It’s way too early to call time on the ‘hard stuff’ from Ford. The Blue Oval ‘home brew’ – making cars in Australia – may be about to go down the gurgler but there is still plenty of spirit there. For example, the new Mustang is selling its socks off here; the Falcon is duking it out with arch rival Holden in the V8 Supercar championships – and the new Focus ST is taking it up to the hot hatches of Europe. The LZ series Focus ST, is the latest… Read more

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2015 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF ALLTRACK REVIEW

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Volkswagen Golf Alltrack is the latest Golf 7 variant to reach us downunder. A smaller brother of the Passat Alltrack, it has a tougher look than the standard Golf station wagon it’s based on and may appeal to some looking for a mild SUV, but don’t want to be seen as the macho type. While not really an SUV this Alltrack sits higher off the ground and has some off-road ability. In fact it this Alltrack competes in a market segment with many SUV lookalikes that only have 2WD, so… Read more

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NISSAN 350Z, 370Z 2003 – 2015

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2009 Nissan 370Z Coupe

The first Datsun Z car was shown at the 1969 Tokyo Motor Show under its domestic name of Fairlady Z. It turned out to be a landmark car, not only for Nissan, but for the entire Japanese car industry, because it proved Japan could produce a classic sportscar. As the name suggests the 240Z came with a 2.4-litre engine. Over the following 26 years the engine size increased progressively, through the 260Z, 280ZX and 300ZX. To the disappointment of many, the Z series was discontinued in 1996, a victim of… Read more

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CITROEN DS19

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The DS 19 Citroen was in production without fundamental change from 1955 to 1975 and was as far ahead of its time when introduced as the 7CV Traction Avant before it. One of the principal features of this car was the unique hydro-pneumatic suspension system which had the interesting effect of flattening rough roads and enabling ground clearance to be varied from 16.5 cm to 29.5 cm. This same hydro-pneumatic also controlled the DS’s brakes and transmission. After a year the DS19 was joined by the less expensive ID models… Read more

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2016 MINI JOHN COOPER WORKS REVIEW

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Mini’s rebirth has brought some great things to our roads. The garagiste name, John Cooper Works, is certainly one of those things. With the new range from the British-based maker well and truly out, BMW-owned Mini has brought out the last-but-one of its big guns – the JCW. VALUE Based on the current Mini hatch – more commonly seen with a three-cylinder – the 2.0-litre turbo kicks off at $47,400 for the six-speed manual. With this sobering figure, you’ll be buying plenty of good stuff; body kit, 18-inch JCW wheels,… Read more

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FALCON SPRINT SPRINTING IN NEXT YEAR

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After months of waiting and gossip Ford fans have the good news they’ve been waiting for. Ford Australia has confirmed it will release a limited-edition Falcon XR Series sedan sometime in 2016. Continuing the waiting game is obviously part of Ford’s marketing plan. May we suggest that if you are halfway serious about buying the latest limited-edition a call to your local dealer should be made sooner than later. “There has been a lot of speculation around what our plans are for Falcon in 2016 and today we’re happy to… Read more

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2016 BMW M5 NIGHTHAWK REVIEW

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BMW’s M5 is an automotive icon in its own right – the big fast Bavarian autobahn-crusher is the consummate all-rounder, blending a high level of luxury with astounding performance. The twin-turbo monster isn’t what you’d call cheap, though – the standard car used to cost a fair bit more than the Audi competition. Now with the stripped out M5 Pure landing at $185,000, BMW whipped out the spreadsheets and had some fun with the specification to produce the Nighthawk and White Shadow editions while at the same time cutting the… Read more

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FRESH HOT HATCH LEAVES ICON STANDING

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The human condition of growing old has been described as ‘the mind making a promise the body can’t keep’. This could apply equally to automobiles, a fact well illustrated recently when Peugeot previewed its new 308 GTi in Australia. The Peugeot people wanted to give the media the chance to compare the new, which will go on sale in February, with the old, in this case the iconic 205 GTI, which as far as hot hatches go holds a special place in the lexicon. After a decade of stellar performance,… Read more

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MAZDA MX-5: BRILLIANT LITTLE SPORTS MACHINE

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At last we’ve had a chance to spend a week in a Mazda MX-5. We were a bit slow at putting up our hands to borrow one to drive on our home territory after the successful media launch drives early in the year. When we say slow, we are talking about being a few seconds late off the mark. The tiny Mazda roadster has proven as popular with the motoring press as it has with owners. Close to 200 MX-5s with the ‘big’ 2.0-litre engine were sold before the first… Read more