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2016 AUDI A1 1.0 TFSI REVIEW

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The A1 is the thinking person’s mini – premium brand, competitive pricing but a restrained, forward-looking design rather than the fun, frolicking three-door BMW Mini. Last year Audi’s smallest car got an extra pair of doors after launching as a three-door and while A1s kept selling, the three-door did not, so the five-door Sportback is on its own. VALUE The A1 1.0-litre three-cylinder starts at a mere (for Audi, anyway) $26,900, which means a bare-bones spec with a five-speed manual transmission. Step up to the seven-speed dual-clutch, as the vast… Read more

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NEW PASSAT OFFERS PREMIUM QUALITY AT A BUDGET PRICE

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New model releases are proving a welcome diversion for Volkswagen Australia as the automotive giant counts the cost of the emissions scandal that continues to make headlines around the world. A couple of weeks ago, as the news of ‘Dieselgate’ broke, we attended the launch of the new Golf Alltrack. That’s been followed now by the release of the eighth generation (B8) version of the Passat mid-sized sedan and wagon. While understandably tight-lipped at the Golf event, VW Australia’s outgoing managing director, John White, was much more open when he… Read more

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MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE IN NEW MERC SUV

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The Mercedes-Benz GLE has repositioned itself, but it has done more than shuffled its feet and recrossed its legs. The model range continues to combine luxury appointments, state-of-the-art technology, versatility with the ruggedness of an SUV. To add to this the diesel models have taken up the 9G-Tronic automatic transmission and the innovative Dynamic Select handling system, as well as powerful, yet fuel efficient engines. On parade for the press around Melbourne and in the Yarra Valley were the entry-level GLE 250d, GLE 350d, with four-cylinder, V6 turbo-diesel V8 respectively…. Read more

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FERRARI 365GTB/4 DAYTONA

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The name Ferrari has become synonymous with everything a fast car should be and conjures up a special magic whenever it is mentioned. This aura has been built up, not only by the range of exciting fast cars produced, but by the unrivalled success of the blood red racing cars in almost every branch of motor racing. Many people believe the 365GTB/4 Daytona to be the ultimate front-engined Ferrari, perhaps because it was the last of a classic line of front-engined grand touring cars. The ‘365’ part of Ferrari’s designation… Read more

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2015 HYUNDAI SANTA FE SR

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The Santa Fe was the first of Hyundai’s range to burst through the $50,000 mark and it didn’t seem to bother Australians one little bit. Emboldened by the success of the $53,240 Highlander and seeing how sporty SUVs are doing alright for the Germans, the Santa Fe SR seemed like an answer to an obvious question. So the Korean company called in their increasingly busy chassis team to give the bruiser a going over before marketing slapped a $59,990 sticker on it. VALUE Based on the Santa Fe Highlander spec,… Read more

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AUDI Q3 UPGRADE IS WORTHWHILE

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Audi and its two prestigious German rivals are locked in serious sales combat in the midsize SUV crossover market. Audi’s Q3 recently received a midlife makeover to increase its fitness for the fight. Though normally used only on sealed roads, the Q3 has reasonable ground clearance that enables it to handle mild off-road driving conditions. Part of this revamp is the use of electronic stabilisation control that can be set up in two stages. The ESC off-road mode adjusts ABS and the electronic differential lock. STYLING Audi Q3 maintains the… Read more

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BMW 3 SERIES OFFERS INCREASED VALUE

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It’s now 40 years since the launch of the 3 Series name tag on the small-medium BMW car. Early this month [SUB October] the 10 millionth 3 Series was sold. Obviously the 3 Series is extremely important to the company in the never ending sales war, not only with its German rivals, but also with Jaguar and Lexus. Midway through the life of the gen-six model changes have been made to the 3 Series in Australia. These not only include styling alterations and major mechanical improvements, but also offer significantly… Read more

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SERIES II VF COMMODORE IS THE MOST POWERFUL YET

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With the clock ticking down towards the end of local production Holden has released the Series II version of its VF Commodore. Because the nameplate is set to continue as an import after the factory closes in 2017 Holden is aware of the importance of keeping Commodore up to date and so hasn’t ruled out another update sometime in 2016. However it’s safe to say that this will be the final major change to the car that has been such a feature of the Australian automotive industry for the past… Read more

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CISITALIA

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To aid post-World War II recovery of the motor car industry in general and the motor racing business in particular Piero Dusio, an Italian businessman, established a small firm in Turin to concentrate on car racing and body design. As production of the Fiat 1100 had been restarted and stock was becoming readily available he chose the Fiat 1100 engine, modified to yield 37kW or 45kW as the basis of his design, fitting them to a single seater sports car using a tubular space frame and suspension of advanced design…. Read more

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2015 MASERATI GRANTURISMO MC SPORTLINE

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Cars that have had this many birthdays on sale don’t really deserve to look this good, but the GranTurismo’s first impression is a good one – it’s so pretty and that Birdcage-inspired nose, if anything, is getting better looking. They don’t really deserve to be this engaging, either. Maserati’s range continues to expand with the Ghibli finally coming on line but the real attention-grabber remains the GranTurismo. And in this Sport Line guise, you get a bit of Stradale visual aggro without the chiro-inducing ride. VALUE The GranTurismo MC Sportline… Read more