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BMW 650I GRAN COUPE – BEAUTIFUL, DISCREET AND GIGANTIC

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With BMW’s numbering scheme having gone a bit doo-lally over the past few years it’s hard to know what’s what unless you’ve done your research. The 6 Series nameplate was plastered on the rump of a questionable-looking GT over a decade ago and is now also to be found on the rear of a four-door coupe. Uh-huh. Doesn’t really matter, though, because once you’ve waded through the explanatory notes and found the 6 Series Gran Coupe, you’re in for a treat. A beautiful BMW with impeccable manners and stealthy grace…. Read more

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JAGUAR XJ220

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1992 Jaguar XJ220

In the late 1980s, prior to being taken over by Ford, Jaguar developed a prototype mid/rear engined Jaguar known as the XJ220, the 220 being intended as a reference to the anticipated top speed. It was to be designed around Jaguar’s famous V12 engine coupled to a four-wheel drive installed in a really beautiful body. Such a car was immediately attractive to those who could afford it so it was no surprise that even though the car had never been built, orders began to pour in at a time when… Read more

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PORSCHE BOXSTER, CAYMAN 1997 – 2015

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2005 Porsche Boxster

Porsche Boxster roadster and Cayman coupe are the same vehicle apart from the folding roof in the former and the fixed on in the latter. Cayman didn’t go on sale until 2006, nine years after Boxster. Interestingly, the Boxster and Cayman share quite a few of their front-end components with the Porsche 911. At the rear they are quite different machine visually, though there’s still a family resemblance. Boxster’s roof design is simply brilliant in that the roof acts as its own cover when the top is open. The roof… Read more

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2015 AUDI TT S LINE REVIEW

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Audi TT’s third generation is chiseled, refined and deeply, deeply pretty. The second generation didn’t have a lot wrong with it, but it wasn’t an individual design and the detailing kind of got lost and the base models weren’t that interesting to drive. This new one changes all that and brings us the sporty coupe on the VW / Audi impressively-light MQB platform. It also brings with it a truly innovative interior with a fully digital dash that has to be seen to be believed. VALUE New Audi TT can… Read more

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JEEP’S CHEEKY NEW RENEGADE

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There’s probably no more recognisable shape in the automotive world than a Jeep, and the iconic American maker has given us yet another model, the Renegade that cries out Jeep-Jeep when viewed from any angle outside or in. With a shape that’s chunky and cheeky the Renegade is almost toylike in its style, but is anything like toylike in its makeup. We’ve just emerged from the wilds of far north Queensland after a day of reasonable tough off-road driving. Jeep Renegade took big lumps and bumps, steep climbs and descents,… Read more

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VELOSTER SUCCESS STORY CONTINUES

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It’s been a long time, but well worth the wait. When the Hyundai Veloster first came out, with its out-there looks and unusual architecture, it shaped up to be a challenger to the hot-hatch mob. Unfortunately, somebody had forgotten about giving it the performance to match. The Veloster was held back by a naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine. Fortunately, we forgave shortcomings, much talk being of the sedan-cum-coupe styling, with two doors on the passenger side, only one on the driver’s side. The result was the dismissal of the inconvenience of… Read more

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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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1968 Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona

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