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AUDI TT STILL TURNING HEADS

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When Peter Schreyer and his design team at Audi came up with the TT in the mid-1990s, it turned the compact sports car segment on its head. The helmet shaped two-door coupe was soon touted as being in line for classic status, honouring the original Volkswagen Beetle, even the Toyota Tarago ‘egg’. The third generation TT, which landed in Australia recently, is no different. It still stands out in a crowd, arguably more so than the gen-two, which was a bit generic in its shape. Importantly, weight has been shed…. Read more

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PORSCHE 911: ALL-NEW ENGINES, REVISED STYLING

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Porsche 911 has just been announced and the biggest change is the introduction of turbocharged engines in all models. This hardly comes as a surprise as the other German marques have all been gradually switching to turbo units to meet ever tightening emission regulations. At the same time the iconic shape of Porsche 911 has been given a mild revamp for 2016, and Porsche Communication Management (PCM) system has been upgraded. Though instantly recognisable as a Porsche 911 the Carrera has been visually modified. New headlights, with four-point daytime running… Read more

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2015 HYUNDAI i30 ELITE CRDI

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Hyundai’s i30 has been shaking things up in the sales race for a few years, now more than ever – in June 2015, it beat the mighty Corolla onto the top step. That’s guaranteed champagne territory for the ever-ambitious South Korean car maker. On cue, there’s been a mid-life refresh for the hatch and wagon, bringing a new transmission to a package that has had a lot of work done under the skin to help maintain the momentum. VALUE From the $20,990 manual 1.8-litre petrol i30 Active, it’s a long… Read more

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PEUGEOT 208 GTi 30th ANNIVERSARY EDITION

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Back in 1984 Peugeot re-wrote the book on hot hatches when it released the 205 GTi, a lightweight three-door that quickly became the benchmark for its growing number of rivals and led to a revival by the iconic French carmaker. By the time the first 205 GTi arrived in Australia in 1987 its fame had preceded it and keen local drivers quickly grabbed them up. Peugeot GTi variants were subsequently included as the little Pug evolved through the 206, 207 and 208 models but none quite captured the excitement of… Read more

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TOYOTA PRADO GETS NEW TURBO-DIESEL

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Toyota has launched the first leg of an engine trifecta with its all-new 2.8-litre turbo four-cylinder diesel power plant. The impressively quiet, yet torquey oil burner makes its debut in a mid-life upgrade of the Prado 4WD, with the HiLux workhorse to come followed by an all-new model, the Toyota Fortuner SUV, both due in dealerships in October. This engine replaces the 3.0-litre turbo-diesel. The first turbo-diesel to grace Prado came in the year 2000 and by 2006 diesel-powered Prado overtook petrol sales. This new turbo diesel engine produces up… Read more

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2015 AUDI A6 1.8 REVIEW

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Audi gamely continues to sell their 5 Series competitor, the A6. The high-rider A6 Allroad takes most of the attention, but if you keep an eye out, you’ll see an A6 sedan every now and again. Look even closer – really close – and you’ll see that there’s been a recent upgrade. VALUE At $79,900, the 1.8 is the entry-level, front-wheel drive model and comes in $500 cheaper than the rear-drive BMW 520i. Standard is cruise control, parking sensors front and rear with reversing camera, blind spot sensor and rear… Read more

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MAZDA R100

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In the late 1960s Mazda launched onto the Australian market the R100 Coupé (known in Japan as the Familia) which was the first standard passenger car to be equipped with a rotary engine. Felix Wankel patented his rotary device in 1933 but it was more than 30 years later that a rotary-engined production car hit the market. More than 2000 rotary engine designs have been patented but the Wankel has so far been the only one to be successfully mass-produced. The two-rotor rotary engine had its low speed performance improved… Read more

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PORSCHE 911 C4 GTS: AFFORDABLE SUPERCAR

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After spending a great week road testing a Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS we have promoted it to the top of the list of the seemingly endless variety of models offered in the 911 range. Why? Because it works just as well as a daily driver as a weekend track car, has huge performance, makes the right noises if you select the Sport settings and looks just so right. Yet is reasonably priced for a supercar. Reasonably priced in that its rrp is just $284,100. Perhaps not in everyone’s price… Read more

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FORD FOCUS PREPARES FOR SALES BATTLE

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Ford Australia was given the honour of hosting the Asian media launch of the facelifted Focus. Journalists from many Asian Pacific countries were flown to Adelaide to drive new Focus and sit in on multiple in-depth presentations. Ford’s head office is obviously keen to show off the strength of the Australian Ford operation. We were amongst the Aussie journalists included in the invitation. Sadly, Ford will cease manufacturing cars in this country next year, instead becoming a full importer. So it’s important to show Australian car buyers the company will… Read more

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CITROEN BACK TO ITS INNOVATIVE BEST WITH THE C4 CACTUS

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Let’s get the prickly subject of the name of Citroen’s new C4 Cactus compact SUV out of the way from the start. To choose a name that in Australian slang means – to put it as politely as possible – something that is broken beyond repair would seem to be inviting trouble. But Citroen is a carmaker that loves to be different and, once the initial reaction to the name has passed, this quirky little car is sure to grab plenty of attention for all the right reasons, most noticeably… Read more