Tag: GT

No comments

MORE STING FOR YARIS FLYER

  By ,

Like sports nutritionists, Toyota engineers continue to feed the company’s motorsport stars with performance enhancing – legal, of course – characteristics. Latest to follow the trend is the GR Yaris hot hatch. Upgrades, developed last year from motorsport competition, have found their way into the latest road-going models in the form of steering features, including race-bred Bridgestone Potenza tyres for the flagship GTS. Enhancing the steering is an expanded operating range for the electric power assistance, while the steering wheel itself has been trimmed from 365mm to 360mm with a… Read more

No comments

PEUGEOT 5008 HYBRID GT PREMIUM

  By ,

Now in its third generation, the ”all-new” Peugeot 5008 was launched early 2024, but took a while to get here. Based on the Stellantis group’s STLA Medium platform, it is essentially a stretched version of the smaller 3008. Cast your mind back and you may recall this car originally came with a turbo petrol or turbo diesel engine. Back in 2013 it was described as a people mover, presumably because it offered seven seats. Now a large SUV, the latest version is a hybrid and has seven seats too. There’s… Read more

No comments

MAZDA NUMBERS GAME IN PLAY FOR SUV BUYERS

  By ,

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

No comments

MAZDA CX-70: A MATTER OF GIVE AND TAKE

  By ,

As the Merlin of Mazda would say: Pick a number between 60 and 90, say 70. Now add CX and GT or Azami, then take away two seats and cap it off with a $10k-plus price advantage over its seven-seat twin. You now have the CX-70, the fourth SUV from the Japanese auto maker’s new rear/all-wheel drive ‘Large Product Group’ platform. It’s the same size as the ‘wide-body’ seven-seat CX-90 flagship, with the third row removed, Then there are the CX-60 and CX-80 twins, the latter riding on a wheelbase… Read more

No comments

INTRODUCTION TO MAZDA RULING CLASS

  By ,

As in life, the automobile world lives by its own class system. So-called social stratification rules cover rungs strictly on a wealth basis. With vehicles measured on price, pedigree and performance the story is replete with strictly observed grades with little or no upward mobility. Most automobile manufacturers over time have stuck to the model playbook of ‘horses for courses’. Now, one of their ilk, Mazda, has broken ranks with a bid to take its larger SUVs upmarket, starting with the CX-60. Mazda has form in this, in the 1990s,… Read more

No comments

GREASED LIGHTNING: AUDI EV STRIKES

  By ,

It’s not the destination, it’s the journey, so the saying goes: and there is no better way to sum up Audi’s new all-electric supercar, the RS e-tron GT. With a limited top speed of 250km/h (the destination) and a sprint from zero to 100 kilometres per hour (the journey) in 3.3 seconds in boost mode, both are unlikely to be called on in full off track. Claimed is a range of 488km (WLTP). However, this is no scary monster on the high street. Around town, the sleek grand tourer is… Read more

No comments

MAZDA3 SEDAN

  By ,

Mazda3 has been on sale here for almost 20 years on the Australian market. Indeed, you can make that 45 years if you include the 323 that preceded. The ‘3’ has been a consistently high seller for most of its life often contesting the top spots in both its small-medium segment as well as overall sales against perennial rivals like Toyota Corolla, Kia Cerato, Nissan Pulsar and Hyundai i30. The latest, fourth generation, Mazda3 arrived here in February 2019 year in five-door hatchback form with the four-door sedan joining it… Read more

No comments

PEUGEOT 2008 GT ROAD TEST

  By ,

In the absence of the 208 hatch, the 2008 has become by default the baby of the Peugeot range. But it’s a baby that the French company can justifiably be proud of, at once stylish, fun to drive and technologically advanced. Even better, it uses very little fuel. What’s not to like? Read on. STYLING The 2008 is a genuine work of automotive art. The detail that has gone into the design is amazing with a black roof, concave radiator grille, sculpted front fascia and sharp plunging LED lights. Look… Read more

No comments

MAZDA CX-60 G40E AZAMI HYBRID

  By ,

The Mazda lineup is becoming increasingly difficult to understand. Once upon a time there was the Mazda2, Mazda3, and Mazda6 and it was easy to follow the progression (not forgetting the MX-5 and RX-8 sports cars). Then along came the SUVs, denoted by a CX in front of the number — CX-3, CX-5, CX-8 and CX-9. All good so far, except perhaps for CX-3 which actually sits on the same platform as Mazda2, making it smaller than its name might suggest. More recently the CX-30 and MX-30 were added, including… Read more

No comments

THERE’S AN AURA AROUND GWM ORA

  By , ,

Every now and then we get into a car that seems to grab attention wherever it goes. So it has been with the Great Wall Motors (GWM) Ora. Perhaps it was the combination of cute styling, a standout powder blue finish and then ew Ora badge that looks much like an exclamation mark. It drew comparisons with the New Beetle and old Nissan Micra and had us fielding questions throughout the week. Ora is GWM’s first EV and joins the growing list of affordable fully-electric compact vehicles to come out… Read more