Tag: electric

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AUDI Q4 SPORTBACK 45 e-tron

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I had zero expectations of the Audi Q4. I hadn’t driven one before, let alone an electric one. I later learned Q4 comes only as an EV and is available in compact SUV and Sportback coupe form. Launched in 2021, the five-seater shares a platform with sibling the Q5 e-tron along with cousins the Skoda Enyaq, Cupra Born and Volkswagen ID.4. Interestingly, the Q4 e-tron is the first Audi to be built in the city of Zwickau since the pre-war era of the company. It is here that Audi and its… Read more

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MAZDA NUMBERS GAME IN PLAY FOR SUV BUYERS

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Mazda’s march upmarket with its reworked range of CX large sports utility vehicles, the new CX-80 only leads to a plethora of choices for potential buyers. But does it all add up? Mathematically, maybe but matching models with nomenclature could lead to confusion. In fact, Mazda admits there will be some subtle ‘nudging’ between the CX-60, CX-70, CX-90 and now by the CX-80 but is confident customers will have the nous to deal with the situation. Aping the three powertrains offered by its smaller CX-60 twin – an inline-six petrol,… Read more

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MG4 64 ESSENCE TICKS ALL THE BOXES

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MG has come a long way since its early, cheap and cheerful days. Well, more cheap than cheerful and we are not talking about the lamented British sports car. Rather we’re referring to the now Chinese-owned make of the same name which has begun pumping out EVs and hybrids. MG sold more than 50,000 vehicles in Australia last year, with the small MG3 its biggest-selling model. Released in 2022, its first EV, the fully-electric MG4, has become its second most successful model, with almost 7000 sales. The wedge-shaped five-door hatch… Read more

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‘UNWORLDLY’ DEBUT FOR JAECOO SUPER HYBRID

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By Jupiter, that was good! Cruising the open road (motorway) in the newly-minted Jaecoo J7 SHS plug-in hybrid I had just enjoyed the Planets’ Suite, by Gustav Holst, on the car radio. On sale in Australia from this week <subs: May 1>, the question is, does the rest of this Chinese plug-in hybrid – the SHS (for Super Hybrid System) – stack up against Holst’s classical Phil Spector-like ‘wall of sound’? With an appealing price point, striking looks, upper-end EV and combined driving range there’s plenty to like about this… Read more

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JEEP AVENGER EV ‘TOUGHS IT OUT’ IN THE CITY

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Buyer beware: while so-called ‘range anxiety’ can strike fear in the heart of the electric vehicle driver, there is another phrase that is doing just as much to dim EV appeal and that is ‘out of service’. More than once, I have been rebuffed by a public fast DC charging station with this uncontrollable (by me) message showing up on the information screen. For example, driving the new Jeep Avenger Summit, down to 40 per cent battery charge, had me facing disappointment and scrambling to find the closest compatible ‘fuel… Read more

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LEAPMOTOR C10

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There was a real feeling of déjà vu during our first encounter with the Leapmotor C10 which took us back to our recent test of the Deepal S07. Both are very new fully-electric Chinese mid-sized SUVs that are imported by well-established automotive companies, Deepal by Inchcape and Leapmotor by Stellantis. During our week behind the wheel of the Leapmotor C10 we didn’t find a single person who had ever heard of the brand. Not surprising, because the company was only formed in 2015 with its first model, the S01 EV… Read more

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GENESIS IN ALL-OUT ASSAULT ON LUXURY

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The Genesis GV70 has been given a ‘wash and brush-up’ with refined safety, comfort and convenience features for 2025. The already spiffy mid-size SUV has come in for a maker’s spruce-up to help it keep up with a highly competitive bunch of rivals, including the Audi Q5, BMW X3 and the Lexus NX. Genesis has shuffled the model range, dealing three grades – Advanced, Signature and Signature Sport – with the choice of a 2.5 litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, or 3.5 litre turbo V6 petrol, both mated with an… Read more

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FLASH OF THE FUTURE FROM ALFA PLUG-IN

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In the ideal automobile trifecta of performance, economy and little nasty pollution Alfa Romeo has its money on plug-in hybrid electric vehicle technology, with the Tonale Plug-in Hybrid Q4 carrying top weight. The new edition to the premium SUV line-up has form – sprinting from rest to 100km/h in 6.2 seconds, the ability to travel up to 60 kilometres on electric power alone with 34g/km CO2 tailpipe emissions. Top speed is135km/h in full electric mode and 206km/h in hybrid. While the figures speak for themselves, like SUVs of this ilk,… Read more

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CHERY OMODA E5 EX

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E5 is the fully-electric version of the Chery Omoda that we drove 12 months ago. It doesn’t look radically different from the rear or in profile, but the front has been extensively redesigned to accommodate the missing radiator grille. Any air still required for cooling is drawn in through a smaller, blacked out ribbed opening below the front bumper. Looks aside, the E5 is considerably more powerful than the petrol-model, which it is sold alongside, with significantly more torque available almost instantly when the accelerator is pressed. So, it is… Read more

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SUBARU SOLTERRA AWD TOURING

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Let’s be frank. Subaru’s first, fully-electric vehicle, the Solterra is basically a rebadged Toyota bZ4X. Named for the sun and earth, it’s the second collaborative effort by the two car makers after the Toyota 86/Subaru BRZ sports coupe. Unlike the coupe, however, which is powered by Sooby’s boxer engine, you’ll struggle to find anything uniquely Subaru about the Solterra. The junior partner in the relationship, Subaru reportedly had input into the car’s safety and all-wheel drive systems. The mid-sized, five-seat SUV went on sale in mid-2022 in Japan, US, Canada,… Read more