SUBARU WRX AWD RS MANUAL

I remember the first time I took my father-in-law for a blast in a WRX. It was the Club Spec Evo IV and it was the year 2000, or thereabouts. “Are you ready?” I asked, preparing to floor it on a long straight. He nodded. Wooshda! “Geez!” he managed, holding tightly to the armrest as he was forced back in his seat. Tony’s dead now but nothing much has changed since those days 25 years ago. The WRX – it’s just the WRX these days – is still one of… Read more

HONDA ACCORD FAR FROM JOURNEY’S END

Few vehicles can match the Honda Accord for longevity. On the road in Australia since 1977, the award-winning sedan, now in its eleventh generation, shows no sign of going away anytime soon. Surprisingly, despite it being one of the maker’s most important nameplates, the latest Accord, a petrol-electric hybrid, stands alone in its bid to keep the opposition at bay. In doing so the Accord e:HEV RS – touted as the best Honda Accord ever – claims ‘to deliver an unbeatable combination of style, efficiency, performance and connectivity’. But does… Read more

GREASED LIGHTNING: AUDI EV STRIKES

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

HONDA CR-V E:HEV RS

The Honda CR-V e:HEV isn’t the Japanese company’s first petrol-electric hybrid. It’s the latest in a long line of hybrids that started with the cutting-edge, two-seat Insight way back in 2001. But the CR-V e:HEV (it’s a mouthful) has a big role to play as Honda fights to find a place in the new order of things that started with the move to SUVs, then the swing to electric vehicles and finally the arrival of the Chinese — in full force. You might say it’s time to shape up or… Read more

NEXT GENERATION HONDA ACCORD ON SALE NOW

Honda Accord has come a long way since it first arrived in Australia in 1977 as, believe it or not, a 1.6-litre three-door hatchback. As well as growing in size over the years Accord has also grown in quality and is now bordering on luxury status but without the luxury price tag of its German rivals. Previous models came with the option of a station wagon body but the SUV invasion quickly put paid to that. Honda has now released details of the latest, 11th generation, Accord. It’s longer and… Read more

MORE THAN A FIGURE OF SPEED FROM AUDI

One of the most popular pastimes in the world, Monopoly, and the Audi RS Q3 sports utility vehicle have much in common. The board game deals with high finance and real estate, the SUV high performance motoring; both rely heavily on figures. The latter has just added a lot more of the latter to the list with its RS Q3 Sportback Edition 10 Years, as the suffix suggests with reference to its decade of success. Audi is making only 555 specials in celebration, with a ‘healthy number’ slated for Down… Read more

FORD FOCUS 2011 – 2022

  Ford Focus is a small-medium European model that has never had the success it  deserves in Australia. That’s probably because dual-clutch automatics sold from 2011 till  2015 had many problems and these led to the complete car being given a poor reputation.   The dual-clutch was replaced by a six-speed conventional torque convertor automatic  transmission in September 2015 as part of a major makeover of the complete range.   Ford Focus is pretty well made these days, though generally not to the extremely high  standards of the Asian models…. Read more

COMPELLING ENYAQ RS ON THE WAY

Skoda Australia is getting set to introduce the Enyaq EV next year, topped by the latest 250kW RS version. It will be the most powerful vehicle ever offered by the brand. Upgraded Enyaq RS debuts in Europe in both five-door SUV and SUV Coupe body styles, with a range of up to 547km (WLTP). It dispatches the dash from 0 to 100km/h in just 5.5 seconds. Enyaq 85 (previously called 80) moves to 210kW of power, with up to 576km range, rear- wheel drive and 0 to 100km/h in 6.7… Read more

RS LAST BOXSTER WITH ICE

Porsche has unveiled its most powerful Boxster yet, in the form of the 718 Spyder RS. It’s the first time, the high-revving naturally aspirated power plant from the 911 GT3 has powered an open-top, mid-engine sports car. As the last new 718 to feature an internal combustion engine, the Spyder RS marks the crowning achievement of the model line that was launched in 2016. The new 718 Spyder RS is a counterpart to the 718 Cayman GT4 RS. The same lightweight powertrain with its high-revving engine characteristics also powers the… Read more