| 2012 Kia Sorento Platinum Review |
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Apart from the Carnival people mover Kia is best known for producing small cars, which could be one reason why it's large SUV, the Kia Sorento seems to be a well-kept secret with sales averaging just a few hundred each month. It's a pity as Sorento has a lot to offer - particularly the top-of-the line Platinum variant.
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| 2012 BMW X3 xDrive20i Review |
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In this era of the double economy - the haves and have nots - there is growing pressure on car companies to produce more for less. When it's a luxury sports brand like BMW that means bringing out a model or two that beat the luxury car tax barrier, but perhaps not the sound barrier. Enter the BMW xDrive20i a compact luxury SUV wagon that after dealer add-ons and government charges sneaks in under the $60,000 threshold.
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| 2012 Mazda CX-5 Review And Road Test |
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‘Zoom-Zoom’ goes the Mazda brand hook - but in the case of the new CX-5, the Japanese automaker’s latest addition to the SUV jungle, maybe it should be just ‘Zoom’.
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| 2012 Honda Civic Sport Review |
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We have just spent a week in the new Honda Civic Sport which provided a slightly scary moment. Primarily because we can recall when the first Honda Civic was launched 40 years ago. An elderly neighbour - who had always driven Holdens - was an early adopter and bought a new Civic and was literally raving about it. Back then in the era of large family sedans Civic was almost a micro car. We thought he had lost it until he offered us a drive. WOW.
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| 2012 Kia Optima Review |
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Exterior chrome trim has traditionally been used in Europe to impart a sense of luxury in a vehicle. Like a silk tie with a Savile Row suit. It seems the idea has travelled to Korea where Kia has taken up the trend in its latest Optima. The medium-size four-door sedan sports a distinctive chrome strip down each side from the back of the bonnet up the A-pillar across the top of the doors to the C-pillar and boot hinge.
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| Holden's Barina Has Grown Up |
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Over almost three decades since its introduction as a Holden-badged Suzuki, the Holden Barina has grown into a sporty small car, with impressive looks similar to both its cheap and cheeky Spark and mature mid-size Holden Cruze siblings.
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| 2012 Mitsubishi Lancer Limited Edition |
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When car makers release `special edition' cars it usually means buyers get more bling for no extra cost. And, to make sure that vehicle is noted as being special there is badging to prove the point which always helps when you go to sell that vehicle. Mitsubishi celebrated three decades in Australia and we were fortunate enough to have a week in a 30th Anniversary Edition Mitsubishi Lancer hatch.
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| 2012 Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet Road Test |
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Although convertibles and cabriolets with hardtop roofs have become common in recent years, there is still plenty of demand for traditional soft-top convertibles. Purists of open-top cars have no interest in driving something that looks like a closed coupe when the roof is up, so will find the new Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet most attractive.
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| 2012 Hyundai Accent CRDi Review |
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How much would you pay for a small four door car with a 1.6 litre turbo-diesel, six airbags, stability control, can tow 1100 kg and average 4.5 litres/100 km? We would guess many people would throw in a ball park figure of around $23,000. After all this is an offering from Korea not the Republic of China. Try $19,490 before on roads. It's the most affordable diesel in Australia. It comes from Hyundai and after a week at the wheel of the Hyundai Accent CRDi we'd be more than happy to have one grace our driveway.
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| 2012 Holden Cruze Hatch Review |
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As “Australia’s Own” small car, the Holden Cruze hatchback was largely designed at Holden’s Port Melbourne design studio, is built in Adelaide, and has undergone extensive local engineering. It's also destined to be sold in more than 60 countries, being badged as a Chevrolet in most of them.
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| Honda's Hybrid CR-Z Is A Real Surprise Packet |
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The all-new Honda CR-Z, billed as the world’s first hybrid sports coupe was a real surprise packet, not just to us but also to the ‘Wheels’ magazine judges who selected it as their 2011 Car of the Year.
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| 2012 Mitsubishi Outlander VRX Review |
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It was a coincidence we picked up the 2012 Mitsubishi Outlander VRX at the same time the all-new Outlander was being revealed at the Geneva Motor Show. For some people the new Outlander drops a design bombshell - no longer will Outlander have an aggressive front that features prominently in the Mitsubishi Australia TV commercials `Love that Car' campaign.
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| Kia Optima Aimed At Euro Car Buyers |
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Aimed at people who want to buy a European car, but can’t afford it, the chromed Kia Optima certainly makes a styling statement. The company’s mid-size four-door sedan uses chrome aplenty. The radiator grille has traditionally been the foremost factor in car style and on the Optima it carries a shiny chrome border.
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| 2012 Renault Koleos Review and Road Test |
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Before I married my Indian wife a friend gave me some advice. `Mate,' he said. 'Don't marry that woman ... mixed marriages will never work.' I was about to take his block off when he finished the sentence,' ... just remember, men and women will never get along.' (LOL) Of all the mixed marriages in the automobile world the one between France and Japan - Renault and Nissan - seems to be surviving nicely. A product of that marriage is the Renault Koleos, the first Renault SUV, launched in 2008.
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| 2012 Mazda BT- 50 Review |
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It may seem like a small thing: A quiet ride down the noisy M1 from Brisbane to home on the Gold Coast. This is about the noisiest surface of any major road in Australia - a disgrace - and turns most non-luxury car interiors into decibel hell boxes. Not the new Mazda BT 50, the Australian designed and engineered sibling to Ford's Ranger. The decibels and power train in these two vehicles has to be not heard to be believed.
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| 2012 Renault Megane Hatch Diesel |
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DSG transmissions have been around for a few years now after first appearing for public use in Volkswagen Group vehicles. Renault has now joined the dual clutch party with a six speed transmission called Efficient Dual Clutch (EDC) which it is showcasing in the Megane hatch diesel.
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| Mazda3 Breaks New Ground |
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Mazda3 has done exceptionally well in the sales race in Australia, particularly in the last couple of years when its outstanding style caught the attention of many buyers. Almost radical in its front end appearance, the Mazda3 walks the fine line between being over-the-top and futuristic.
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| 2011 Ford Territory Diesel |
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Platinum is the new motoring jargon for one with the lot. Not that we expect to see a Platinum Big Mac any time soon ... but you never know. Our test car for the week was a Ford Territory Platinum featuring almost all the bling plus the 2.7 litre common-rail turbo diesel best known for hauling around Jaguars and Land Rovers.
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| 2012 Skoda Yeti Review |
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Skoda has again hit the mark with its latest offering, the enticingly named Yeti. It’s a compact five-seat SUV with car-like handling and some off-road ability with the AWD variant. Yeti benefits from hand-me-down petrol (FWD only ) and diesel engines from parent company Volkswagen as well as six and seven speed automatic DSG transmissions. That’s a big plus.
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| 2012 Skoda Yeti Road Test |
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Skoda has again hit the mark with its latest offering, the enticingly named Yeti. It’s a compact five-seat SUV with car-like handling, and some off-road ability with the AWD variant. Yeti benefits from being able to use many components from its parent company Volkswagen.
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| 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan Road Test |
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On sale in Australia since late 2008, Tiguan was Volkswagen’s first entry into the booming compact SUV market. The latest Tiguan, released here in October 2011, further expanded its appeal by adding a two-wheel drive alternative to the all-wheel drive models.
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| 2012 Hyundai Accent 5 Door Hatch Review |
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To give something a nickname is usually a term of endearment - an acceptance that you like what you see. So our weekly test car, a Hyundai Accent 5-door hatch became known as Kermit. A jolly green frog of a car. But what we liked was not so much the love-it or hate it colour, but what lay under the skin of this all new Accent. Nick names are earned, not simply given. Kermit – aka Hyundai Accent - is that sort of small car. You can't help but like it.
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| 2012 BMW 1 Series M Coupe Review |
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A new M Series BMW is always an eagerly anticipated event among automobile enthusiasts and for the latest, the BMW 1 M Coupe, it is no different.
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| 2012 Toyota Yaris 5-Door Hatch Review |
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Toyota Yaris YRS five-door hatch we have just tested dropped back to Toyota after a week’s review has an efficient engine and transmission and comes with urban-friendly driving characteristics.
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| 2012 Range Rover Evoque Review |
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Unless you are into boxes on wheels that are able to leap tall mountains at a single bound you have probably never considered owning a Land Rover. From this stable of British-built, Indian-owned, boxes comes a work of art. An anachronism that is both evocative and practical. The Range Rover Evoque.
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| 2012 Kia Grand Carnival Review |
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Kia Grand Carnival Platinum lives up to its grand title by being positively replete with quality features. Inside, the big Kia people mover is a genuine eight-seater. Its versatility is highlighted by three rows of seats that can be folded every which way to take up to 2380 litres of luggage.
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| 2012 Hyundai i40 Wagon Review |
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Who says station wagons have to be boringly practical in their looks? Certainly not the stylists at Hyundai who penned the company’s i40 Tourer that is the subject of this week’s road test review.
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| 2011 Nissan 370Z Review |
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The story goes that when the first Nissan ‘Z’ sports car – the 240Z – was launched 40 years ago, in Canada it was written up in one publication as the Nissan 24oz as in avoirdupois.
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| 2012 Peugeot 508 Road Test |
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Peugeot 508 is an interesting new model in that it replaces two cars, the Peugeot 407 and 607, sitting roughly halfway between the two and superseding them both. Peugeot hopes to capture buyers from both camps.
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| 2012 Range Rover Evoque Road Test |
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Range Rover Evoque breaks new ground for the British marque that pioneered the concept of a 4WD that can be both competent and comfortable. Prior to the introduction in 1970 of a vehicle simply called ‘Range Rover’ it was considered normal for working vehicles to be just that, trucks with a crude 4WD system to give them traction in harsh off-road areas.
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| 2012 Skoda Superb 103TDI Wagon Review |
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In this season of ‘Car of the Year’ awards we’d like to hand out one of our own: the most under-rated car company. And the winner is ..... Skoda. With many car buyers Skoda is simply a blip on the radar. This low-profile division of the Volkswagen Group, with cars built in the Czech Republic, benefits greatly from flow-down technology developed by Audi and VW.
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| 2011 Toyota Corolla Road Test |
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Toyota Corolla is a huge seller in Australia, with well over a million having been put onto roads downunder. There are no signs of sales slowing despite that fact that Corolla is no longer made in Melbourne, but is imported from Japan. Indeed, it topped the overall sales charts on several occasions during 2011.
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| 2012 Renault Sport 250 Trophee |
Let me say from the start, the bright yellow seat belt clashed with every shirt I wore during my short time with the Megane Renault Sport 250 Trophee. And this from the country – France – that sees itself as the arbiter of haute couture in the world.
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| Lexus CT200h Road Test |
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Lexus introduced the CT200h to Australia in an unusual way, by lining up cars at the Albert Park Grand Prix circuit for the Celebrity Race. After the silently-whirring petrol-electric hybrids had completed a fun filled race Lexus sales people sat back in their showrooms and waited for the orders to come in.
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| Honda Jazz Offers Excellent Value For Money |
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The first thing you notice when you step into the Honda Jazz is how much natural light there is. With its large windscreen and rear window, low waistline and tall styling there’s a bright, airy feel that contrasts with the dark interiors that characterise many European marques.
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| 2011 Kia Optima Road Test |
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It takes a lot to turn the head of a BMW owner. Take a female X5 driver, for example, who was only one of many who commented enthusiastically on the seductive lines of the new Kia Optima I had in my possession.
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| Renault Clio Gordini Road Test |
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Renault Gordini is back – and Australia now gets access to the red hot special editions, including the Renault Sport Clio Gordini RS200 Edition, the subject of this week’s review.
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| 2011 Kia Rio Hatch Road Test |
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The Korean marques have taken an all-new tack in styling in recent years and the Kia Rio is an excellent example of how small cars can be both pretty and practical. It costs significantly less than European cars of its size, yet offers many of the upmarket features that make the Euro models stand out in buyers’ minds.
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| Sizzling Roadster: The 2011 Nissan 370Z |
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Nissan’s 370Z Roadster comes from a long line of high-performance machines built by the Japanese company that prides itself on providing a lot of bang for not too many bucks. And unusually in this class - it looks the part, whether the roof up or down.
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| A Tale Of Two Amaroks |
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Volkswagen Amarok is a typical pickup, with a high stance for off-road ability and a well-proportioned cabin blending with a no-nonsense tub. The only decorations are wheel-arch flares, standard on Highline and Ultimate, and offered with optional 17-inch, 18-inch, or 19-inch wheels.
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| Kangoo Can Do |
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The Kangoo has sold more than 1.5 million units worldwide and is Europe’s best selling van in this market segment – a title it has held for the past 12 years. A must test-drive for anyone looking at compact delivery van.
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| Volvo S60 Has Stunning New Engine |
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Volvo’s all-new S60 has a strong sporting appearance, with a shapely front and a domed roof that swoops down in a continuous line to where it meets the rear windscreen. This gives it a look that’s almost four-door coupe, but clever design means it has good rear headroom, something that’s not always a given in this class of car.
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| 2012 Volkswagen Touareg Review |
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I vividly recall the first Volkswagen Touareg I drove: a V10 twin-turbo diesel monster with enough torque - all 750 Nm of it - to tow Tasmania back to the mainland. It ate many sports cars for breakfast. One suspects that VW introduced that engine at the beginning of Touareg’s life back in 2003 to create a talking point: to set the SUV apart from all the others in this competitive luxury segment. And it did set tongues wagging.
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| 2011 Renault Kangoo Review |
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If you were told you were getting a test car that was at this years Melbourne F1 Grand Prix that could be pretty exciting. A Renault, yep, that gets the blood pumping. At worse it would be a Renault Megane Sport 250 that ran in the support race, the Red Bull Race Off. Wrong.
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| 2012 Honda Accord Euro Test Drive |
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Honda Accord is one of the most enduring nameplates on the Australian car market having been on sale here continuously for almost 35 years. We’ve just spent a week in the latest version of Accord Euro, an upgrade of the second generation model that has been here since 2008.
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| 2011 Renault Latitude Road Test |
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As part of the strong revival generated by the all-new management team at Renault Australia, a new low-cost model called Renault Latitude is being imported. It comes from South Korea rather than France and is built by Samsung Motors.
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| 2011 Lexus CT200h Review/Road Test |
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Hybrid cars are not vehicles we have warmed to: cost and driveability the major issues. Until now. We have just spent a week in a Lexus CT 200h compact-size five-door hatch. There is no doubt Toyota/Lexus have taken the hybrid to a new level that will find more fans from those who choose which cars they drive, as opposed to fleet buyers. They will also like the bottom line - the Lexus CT200h starts from just $39,990 for the ‘Prestige’ model.
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| 2011 Ford Focus RS Review |
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Boy racers are these days about as politically correct as rugby league brawls, racism and sexism. Yet, there is something addictive about a brutal hot hatch like Ford’s Focus RS. The RS has been in Australia since late last year with just a few hundred available. Most have sold and there are only a handful left. It is, without doubt - in the current climate of speed laws and anti-hooning legislation - at the upper end of politically incorrect.
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| 2011 Porsche 911 GTS Road Test |
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Though an all-new Porsche 911 is due next year, the iconic German marque hasn’t yet finished with the existing, very successful, 997 Series. Something that pleased us as we enjoyed a great week in a model that’s a sort of swan song for the range.
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| 2011 Ford Focus RS Road Test |
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Ford Australia’s decision to import the Focus RS was a smart one. It joins the Falcon XR6 and XR8 models, and can stand beside the FPV high-performance models without any embarrassment. The impressive Focus offers full-on sportscar performance.
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| 2011 VW Eos Review And Road Test |
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There’s an old saying that says ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ You could easily apply that to the new Volkswagen Eos coupe-cabriolet. Volkswagen have tinkered around the edges - added a bit here and there - but in essence the Eos has changed little from the previous model. It was always a good thing, somewhat conservatively styled, and this latest model continues that tradition.
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| 2011 VW Caddy 4Motion Road Test |
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Volkswagen Australia has added its all-wheel drive 4Motion system to its options list for its Caddy range. VW is aiming the all-wheel drive option at buyers who need a van or people mover because they either carry supplies or people from the blacktop onto roads that are gravel or snow covered.
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| BMW's Stunning New 6 Series |
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BMW has introduced an all-new 6 Series convertible for the 2012 season. These are large comfortable open-top cruisers if you push the correct button and full-on sports machines if you go for other electronic selections. New 6 Series is longer, wider and lower than ever before. We love the fact that it maintains BMW’s long tradition of having a perfect 50/50 weight distribution.
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| 2011 Volvo XC60 T5 Review |
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There’s nothing new about Volvo using small engines to power big, solid cars. They’ve been doing it for years with the company taking the view that it’s reputation for safety innovation took precedence over all else. We have just had a week long road test of the Volvo XC60 entry-level T5 variant which continues the Volvo tradition that gained traction decades ago with the ‘ boxy’ 144 and 244 four-cylinder models.
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| 2012 VW Golf BlueMotion Review |
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While the war on global warming rages, automobile manufacturers around the world quietly (as much as marketing departments will allow) go about cleaning up their act.
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| 2011 Volkswagen Eos Road Test |
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For 2011 Eos has been given a minor facelift and equipment upgrade. It’s now joined Golf and Polo in getting the latest family frontal styling with its three horizontal bar grille as well as revised headlights. Changes to the rear include a new bumper and two-part LED taillights.
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| 2011 Kia Grand Carnival Revamp |
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Grand Carnival is hardly the most glamorous vehicle in the ever sleeker Kia range of vehicles, but those who appreciate its practicality and value are more interested in how the Grand Carnival works than in pretty visuals. Now the Kia Grand Carnival is getting a major revamp, with new features, more power and the introduction of a fuel efficient six-speed automatic transmission in every variant.
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| 2011 Porsche Boxster Road Test |
Though the iconic Porsche 911 is the most common choice in the range of famous German sports models, it’s smaller brother, the Boxster is actually a purer machine. That’s because it is mid-engined, meaning the engine is installed within the wheelbase, not behind the back wheels as is in the 911.
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| 2011 Toyota FJ Cruiser Road Test |
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There’s no doubt the great looking FJ Cruiser meets a major marketing need for Toyota. In Australia it’s keen to get away from the perception it only produces unexciting vehicles with limited appeal to the younger generation. Hence the importation of the FJ Cruiser and the Rukus.
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| 2011 Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion Road Test |
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The Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion uses a 77 kW 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine modified to perform with optimum fuel efficiency while cutting exhaust emissions. Officially measured fuel consumption for this engine has been cut from an already good 4.9 litres per 100 km in its standard format, to a minuscule 3.8 L/100km.
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| 2011 Toyota FJ Cruiser Review And Road Test |
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The old bloke in the local shopping centre car park summed it up pretty well. “Mate,” he said, “I’d buy one of those ... if it had a diesel.” We had a short conversation about what a good looking 4WD the FJ Cruiser is, and how the suicide doors were so practical, and then he headed off back to his 4WD - a diesel-powered two door.
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| 2011 Jaguar XJ Road Test |
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After too many years of designing retro-look cars, Jaguar has taken an all-new direction with its latest sedan. The new Jaguar XJ is positively futuristic in its style, particularly when viewed from the front three quarters and in profile.
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| 2011 Volkswagen Passat Wagon Review |
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In the halcyon days of the station wagon they were the dumb blondes of the automotive world. Plenty of space, not a lot of nous. These days they are not even called ‘station’ wagons and space between the doors has given way to safety, practicality and intelligence. Enter the new Volkswagen Passat wagon.
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| 2011 Alfa Romeo Guilietta Road Test |
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Alfa Romeo has revived the Giulietta name in the prestige small-medium car segment. It’s great to see Alfa Romeo use the evocative name Giulietta instead of a boring numerical handles it has given its beautiful cars in recent times.
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| 2011 SsangYong Korando Review |
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Not only have the heavyweight Korean car makers, Hyundai and Kia, lifted their game in recent years, so also has lesser-known Korean brand SsangYong. The ‘other’ South Korean recently launched its fourth generation Korando compact SUV, and it’s far and away the best looking vehicle to wear the SsangYong badge.
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| 2011 Holden Cruze Road Test |
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Holden engineers and stylists carried out a lot of design work on Cruze from its earliest days, with some of our guys spending months at a time living near the Daewoo centres in South Korea. This is very much a global car ...
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| 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee Road Test |
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The latest, fourth-generation, version of the Jepp Grand Cherokee has smoother, more refined lines while still retaining the basic Grand Cherokee shape. If anything the vehicle looks more athletic.
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| Fiat 500C Is So Cute |
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The little Fiat convertible buzzes around corners neatly and is a ton of fun with plenty of Italian verve. Rough road surfaces can upset the ride, but we have felt worse. Noise generated on coarse-chip roads means you need to crank up the audio system to drown it out.
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| 2011 Land Rover Discovery 4 Review |
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‘STUPID boy!’ These two words used so disdainfully by Dad’s Army officer-in-command Captain Mainwaring against the hapless young Home Guard volunteer Pike were rattling around in my head as we turned the Discovery 4 to the south towards Sydney.
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| 2011 Volvo V60 Road Test |
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Volvo has long been famed for building sensible station wagons, with words like ‘square’, ‘boxy’ and ‘practical’ being found in just about every review written. Now the Swedish marque has branched off into another station wagon niche with the introduction of the all-new V60 wagon.
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| Mercedes R-Class Is Big And Practical |
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Mercedes-Benz is well aware that it’s easier to sell big station wagons if they have the tough SUV look and so gave the R-Class a major facelift at the end of 2010. The Benz stylists revised the complete front end and increased the size of the wheels to 20 inches in diameter, thus giving the R-Class a bolder semi-SUV look.
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| 2011 Mini Countryman Road Test & Review |
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The new Mini Countryman is a stylish beastie that can be customised in a multitude of ways, both inside and out. The Countryman we reviewed was the Cooper S with the petrol engine, surely the Mini of choice for the driving enthusiast.
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| California Dreaming In A Ferrari |
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Ferrari tells us its California is less hard-edged than other machines in its range, that it’s aimed more at the grand touring driver than the would be race car driver. But, rest assured that there’s still plenty of Italian automotive fire and passion in this classy Italian convertible.
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| 2011 Suzuki Swift Road Test & Review |
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The 2011 Suzuki Swift is an impressive small car that builds on the excellent reputation on the model it supersedes. While styling isn’t quite as sharp and aggressive as previously it follows a similar theme and provides a more mature look. It seems certain to gain plenty of new friends on the showroom floor, as well as pleasing existing owners who want to move up a class in sophistication.
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| 2011 Range Rover Vogue Road Test |
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Range Rover received a major upgrade for 2011. The biggest news is the option of a new design of twin-turbo diesel engine sitting behind an eight-speed automatic transmission, but there are also enhancements to its already good off-road systems
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| 2011 Porsche Cayenne Road Test |
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The Porsche Cayenne S Series 2, introduced to Australia in July 2010, is significantly different to the original in precisely the way we would expect from this iconic German sportscar maker. Because all the changes are important improvements.
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| 2011 Subaru Forester S-Edition Road Test |
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Subaru's Forester S-Edition is effectively an off-road version of the Impreza WRX STI. The STI is the quickest of the WRX and the S-Edition borrows much of its technology from it.
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| 2011 Ford Fiesta Hatchback Review |
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Your ordinary garden-variety Ford Fiesta has been overshadowed - or as a model perhaps highlighted - by the clever Ford Fiesta Econetic TV commercials. Either way people now know about Fiesta which is a big step forward for Ford which for decades was a one-trick pony with Falcon, everything else aside from Territory SUV making up the numbers.
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| 2011 Lexus IS 350 Road Test |
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The new Lexus IS 350 Sports Luxury sedan is one of a number of models aimed at getting away from the conservative image normally associated with this upmarket branch of Toyota. Lexus Australia has been lobbying for right-hand-drive variants of the Lexus IS series since before the IS 250 was launched here in 2005. The IS 350 had been available in the US for several years, now Australians can enjoy its dynamic performance.
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| 2011 Volkswagen Polo Review |
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A FUNNY thing happened on the way to the Volkswagen dealership. The day I was to pick up the new WV Polo 77TSI test car, the little hatchback picked up one of Australia’s premier automotive gongs as 2010 Wheels magazine Car of the Year.
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| 2011 Ford Fiesta Sedan Road Test And Review |
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Ford Australia has expanded the Fiesta range by adding a four-door sedan to the Fiesta range. More conservative in its appearance than the striking looking hatch, it’s likely to attract more mature buyers, though it must be said many of the baby boomers still enjoy trendy vehicles.
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| Kia Optima Grabs Attention |
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The all-new Kia Optima is the latest work of automotive art from the South Korean company’s German designer Peter Schreyer. So it goes without saying that the large sedan has the now-familiar ‘Schreyer’ radiator grille with its indented upper and lower horizontal surfaces.
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| 2011 Isuzu D-Max Review |
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About the most practical vehicles on the road today are dual cab utes, and the flexibility these vehicles offer to tradies and active families mean that market segment is booming. Isuzu Ute Australia is a one-trick pony in that it only offers utes in it’s short, but impressive, menu: the all purpose D-Max in various guises.
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| Volvo S60 Takes The Style Route |
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Volvo’s new S60 sedan is one very stylish machine and shows yet again just how far the Swedish marque has moved away from the once dowdy (though very practical) cars it used to produce. The front of the latest S60 has a strong sporting appearance with quite a few cues to the shape of the pretty little Volvo C30 coupe. The S60 has a domed roof that swoops down in a continuous line to join the back windscreen.
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| 2011 Kia Sorento Review |
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It is only when slip behind the wheel of an overtly Korean car - in this case a Kia Sorento - that you realise how far the Korean car industry has come both as manufacturers of quality vehicles and the perception. No doubt one has led to the other with the bottom line the stigma of being ‘built in Korea’ is now all but gone, although some buyers remain badge conscious.
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| Punchy Polo From Volkswagen |
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Volkswagen’s latest high-performance model is the Polo. Based on the car that has just taken out the Wheels Car of the Year award, the GTI version of the Polo gives you stronger performance both from the engine and chassis. Yet the Polo is remarkably well priced.
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| Insight Sparks Renewed Rivalry |
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The Insight is a small five-door hatchback, its sleek design influenced by the hydrogen powered Honda FCX Clarity car, plus aerodynamic elements of the original hybrid. The flat under-body with strakes in front of the tyres helps the Insight cut through the air with minimal drag.
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| Insight sparks renewed rivalry |
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Believe it or not, pre-Prius the hybrid car had a life in Australia. For example, Honda wheeled out the petrol/electric powered Insight in 1999, only to see it run out of steam due to things such as lack of boot space because of the need for battery storage, funny looks to meet an aerodynamic target and high price to help pay huge development costs.
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| Hyundai i20 Offers Style At A Budget Price |
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The Hyundai i20 is a small hatchback designed to replace the Hyundai Getz. Styling is a big feature with Hyundai as the South Korean company makes a major push on world markets. The front of the Hyundai i20 has the wide-mouth air intake, as well as the swooping headlights that are a feature of all Hyundai’s ‘i’ series cars.
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| 2011 Nissan Micra Road Test |
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The all new 2011 Nissan Micra is extraordinarily well-priced, with the model we reviewed costing only $13,990 to put into your garage, with Nissan picking up all the on-road costs. That’s for a Nissan Micra ST 1.2 with a five-speed manual gearbox, and is a special introductory offer.
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| Mercedes E-Class Wagon Is Practical |
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We were scheduled to review a Mercedes-Benz R-Class this week, but the Brisbane floods put paid to our plans. Rather than swap out of the E-Class wagon and into the new R-Class we were stuck with the E-Class for another week. That is if ‘stuck’ is the right word for spending extra time in a luxurious vehicle like this.
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| Mazda’s Sporting SUV Is Great Fun |
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When the Mazda CX-7 was launched in Australia in late 20006 we described it as “a hot hatch cunningly disguised as an SUV,” That tongue-in-cheek description really does cover the Japanese vehicle beautifully as can be seen from the sales success it has enjoyed ever since. The Mazda’s sleek shape works extremely well, with a big grille that reminds us of the low-slung Mazda RX-8 rotary-engined sports coupe.
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| BMW Z4 35is - Little ‘S’ Stands For Big Pefrormance |
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BMW’s just launched Z4 sDrive 35is convertible is a hard-edged, no-compromise machine for the keen driver. Power comes from a 250 kilowatt twin-turbo engine, which is significantly up from 224 kW on the standard Z4 sDrive 35i.
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| Cerato Hatch Looks Good, Works Well |
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When Kia launched the latest version of its Cerato in January 2009 only a four-door sedan was offered. Buyers wanting a five-door hatchback were left out in the cold until October 2010 when the five-door finally made it downunder. Australian buyers are unusual in preferring hatches to sedans, hence the delay.
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| Hot Luggage Hauler - The Holden SS Commodore Sportwagon |
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No longer is a Commodore station wagon a semi-commercial vehicle with a huge load area, the latest model puts fashion ahead of function to give buyers a sleek body that works very well. Holden's stylists have done a brilliant job of the appearance and their car can hold its head high amongst a range of boutique wagons from upmarket marques.
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| Volkswagen Passat CC Is A Classy Coupe |
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Two years ago I travelled extensively in the UK on a business/holiday trip in a VW Golf station wagon with a five-speed manual gearbox. I’m just back from a similar trip, but this time decided to go in a bit of style by opting for a classy coupe, a Volkswagen Passat CC.
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| 2010 Peugeot RCZ Review (2) |
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THERE’S something slightly oxymoronic about the words ‘comfort’ and ‘sports car’. Without shelling out the equivalent of the national debt it’s often hard to reconcile the two.
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| 2010 Mazda6 Wagon Review |
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SINCE its launch in Australia eight years ago, the Mazda6 has become the country’s best-selling medium import. End of story. Well, not quite because a new Touring wagon has just been added to the family.
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| Awesome AMG Gullwing |
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We have just spent a stunning week road testing a new Mercedes SLS AMG Gullwing in and around our home base on the Gold Coast and have been immensely impressed with it. However, those looking for a cool cruiser to impress others should be aware that this is a car for serious drivers who are willing to put an effort into the car. If you aren’t prepared to drive it correctly you may be disappointed. Which is exactly the way it should be in a full-on sports machine like this.
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| Camry Hybrid Is Pleasant To Drive |
Toyota Australia, keen to expand on the Japanese giant’s extensive knowledge in the petrol-electric hybrid field, has launched an Australian-built Camry Hybrid. The 2010 Camry Hybrid uses imported parts for the hybrid drive system and these are installed in locally made Camry bodies in the Melbourne factory.
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| 2010 Peugeot RCZ Review |
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What, you may ask, has Kylie Minogue's well-publicised and exposed derrière got to do with Peugeot's RCZ sports coupe? Not a lot, but what resemblance there is sets the little Pug apart from the opposition. There's a lot about this Peugeot – besides the amply rounded roof line that imitates Ms Minogue lying face down on a beach in the French Riviera – that tickles the emotions.
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| 2010 Suzuki Kizashi Sport AWD Review |
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Suzuki in Australia is a bit like the boy with the wheelbarrow ... they have the job in front of them. That job is simply to get bums on the seat of their new mid-size Kizashi sedan for tests drives. If they can achieve this we have no doubt Kizashi will be a huge success for the company, until now, regarded as a small car and compact 4WD specialist.
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| Impreza XV Fills A Fun Niche |
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Subaru’s new 2010 Impreza XV fills a neat niche in the Japanese company's model range, a niche created by the movement of the Subaru Forester to a larger body. Forester began its career as a station wagon with extra ground clearance, but expanded in size, particularly in height, with each new model.
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| 2010 Suzuki Alto Review |
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Let's get the bad news out of the way first. Suzuki Alto GL sounds like an angry lawnmower. There's no power controls for the external rear-view mirrors. And the boot is about the size of a LandCruiser glovebox. But, don't be fooled by the Suzuki Alto ... it's a very clever car, punching well above it's category in the sub-light category.
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| High-Speed Diesel Golf |
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Volkswagen Golf GTD is a sign of the times in Australia. A high-performance turbo-diesel would have been unheard of in Australia only five years ago, now this VW diesel is grabbing a lot of buyer interest. Our road test review of the all-new 2010 model shows why.
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| 2010 Suzuki Kizashi Review |
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It's not that often you witness a major car manufacturer make a significant change to it's stable ... but that's just what has happened with Suzuki and the new mid-size sedan Suzuki Kizashi.
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| Maserati Grancabrio Is Simply Stunning |
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Maserati GranCabrio reached Australia only a few short weeks ago and we have had the pleasure of spending a weekend road testing it for this review. This open topped automotive masterpiece from Italy is almost a full four-seater, not the two-seater we have reviewed in our previous road tests. At least that’s our excuse for once again sampling one of our favourite marques.
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| 2010 Mitsubishi ASX Review |
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When it comes to combinations Mitsubishi has hit the nail firmly on the head with the new ASX wagon ... apart from one option. This is a 2010 nuclear-family car offering what most people want: high driving position, AWD for safety and some off-road excursions, the practicality a wagon and class-leading economy from the 1.8 litre diesel engine option. So, what's missing? Right now the Mitsubishi ASX diesel comes only with a six speed manual shifter. This will cut some buyers out of the market for the ASX oil burner.
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| 2010 Toyota RAV4 2WD Review |
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Toyota's popular RAV4 has lost a part of it's hardware ... the bits that make the small SUV an all wheel drive. For buyers this means a $3000 saving up front compared to the AWD, plus reduced running costs through improved economy.
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| BMW X5 xDrive 3.0d Review |
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DON’T laugh, it could be an omen. The day I picked up the BMW X5 xDrive30d wagon, German, the Australian soccer team picked up a new head coach, Holger Osieck, also German. If the footy cards fall in line with this vehicle, in four years time Herr Osieck’s Socceroos could be featuring strongly in the next World Cup, the BMW wagon is that good.
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| 2010 Toyota Rukus Review |
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The name's Rukus. Toyota Rukus. Yep, the company that brought us styling `icons' (not) like the Prius, Camry, Corolla and Yaris has at last taken a bold move in Australia. That move is the Rukus, a boxy, fun set of wheels straight out of the back streets of Tokyo where square cars are cool and half the female population have the Beyonce look.
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| Excellent New Engine In Mercedes-Benz C250 CGI |
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Mercedes-Benz, not content with its C-Class being the most popular model in its Australian passenger car line-up, has given it significant upgrades. The turbocharged 2011 Mercedes-Benz C250 is the subject of this week’s road test review.
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| 2010 Subaru Impreza XV |
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After a week in Subaru's Impreza XV I have to admit I simply do not get it. The XV is essentially a jacked-up Impreza aimed at a younger market who want a commuter during the week and may require sporty soft-roader at weekends.
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| 2010 Mercedes E 500 Cabriolet Review |
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Despite the prospect of the icy fingers of winter wrapping around my head and neck I felt obliged to drop the top of the Mercedes-Benz E 500 Cabriolet to give the test vehicle a fair go.
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| 2010 Mazda2 Sedan Review |
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In the ever increasing competitive world of small cars - often aimed at Gen Ys – hatches have ruled the roost for many years. Mazda has bucked the trend and added a sedan to it's Mazda2 range – reviving a style reminiscent of its last small sedan, the highly popular `Bubble' 121, from 1990.
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| BMW 1 Series 2004 - 2009 |
The 1 Series is the smallest BMW built to date. It has proven a big success in Australia, one of the major reasons being that it comes with the longtime BMW feature of rear-wheel drive for maximum chassis balance. It is guaranteed to bring a smile to the face of all keen drivers.
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| 2010 Isuzu D-Max Dual Cab Review |
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After 13 days at the wheel of an Isuzu D-Max dual cab ute - my longest-ever road test - I have nothing but admiration for this relative newcomer to the Australian 4X4 scene. We covered 4,591 hard, dusty, confidence-inspiring kilometres in the 3.0 litre turbo-diesel, five-speed manual D-Max LS ute.
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| Mitsubishi i MiEV Really Works |
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The first electric car of the modern era to be sold in Australia is the Mitsubishi i MiEV. We tested it last year in Adelaide, Mitsubishi’s home town, later we drove it in the crushing traffic that's part of Tokyo life. Now we have lived with an electric i MiEV on a daily basis in Australia.
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| 2010 Nissan 370Z Roadster Review |
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PIGS really do fly – well, one certainly gives that impression, take my word for it. With fulsome flanks and a snazzy snout I can’t stop thinking of the new Nissan 370Z Roadster sports convertible as a prize winning porker in the nicest possible way.
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| Caprice Makes Magnificent Cruiser |
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A big car for a big country might sound like a hackneyed phrase. But there's no doubt that the Holden Caprice meets the needs of many Australian motorists. For the 2010 model year, Holden introduced a new range of V6 engines and our road test review Caprice was powered by the new 3.6-litre unit.
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| 2010 Nissan Murano Review |
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WHAT the Range Rover did for the four-wheel drive wagon, almost 40 years on, the Murano has done for the sports utility vehicle – given it style and substance. The Rangie made foreman material out of the Land Rover; the Murano has done a Professor Higgins on the Eliza SUV.
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| 2010 Audi A5 Coupe Review |
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After a week in Audi's A5 coupe – complete with stop/start technology designed to save fuel and reduce emissions - we are again wondering why car makers are bearing the brunt of this issue. While this technology is a step in the right direction, and after a while you don't even notice the engine turning itself off at lights, then turning itself back on, the savings are not exactly mind-blowing.
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| Bentley GTC Convertible Road Test |
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To hear winemaker Bill Harlen talk about Meadowood’s 1997 vintage Cabernet Sauvignon you could be forgiven for thinking it’s conceived as an offering to the gods. The subtle red wine reveals the winemakers’ skills, and the taste is sublime, leading to an unforgettable experience.
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| 2010 Audi S5 quattro cabriolet: Review/Road Test |
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After a week of cold, leaden skies we eventually got to drop the top on Audi's S5 quattro Cabriolet when the sun broke through on a fine Monday morning. No tin-top here, but an old fashioned rag-top which comes down quickly, and returns almost as fast. Some 15 seconds down and 17 seconds up. You should see the looks on passer-by faces as you deploy the roof at up to 50 km/h. Handy when it starts to rain.
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| 2010 Mazda6 Wagon : Review And Road Test |
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Mazda has given its big selling Mazda6 range a midlife makeover for 2010. We have just spent a solid week carrying out a road test review of the Mazda6 station wagon fitted with a turbo-diesel engine. The Australian importer tells us the Mazda6 is the most popular model with private buyers in this country.
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| 2010 Mercedes SLK 300 Review and Road Test |
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The Mercedes-Benz SLK to me has always shown the sensitive – dare I say feminine - side of the sports car. However, a continual ‘hardening’ over the years included a complete makeover of the roadster in 2008 which incorporated 650 new components.
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| 2010 Mercedes Benz B180 - Review - Road Test |
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When Mercedes earlier this year announced the demise in Australia of the popular A-Class they also promoted a new B-Class entry level car – the B180 petrol – which was $910 under the equivalent outgoing A-180. Pricing was noted at $36,990 – before on roads and statutory government charges, which take the pricing through to roughly $40,000.
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| Challenger Can Challenge The Bush |
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Mitsubishi Challenger returned to Australia in 2010 after an absence of five years. It's a genuine 4WD, not merely an SUV. As before, Challenger shares many components with the rugged Mitsubishi Triton pickup and so gives it the off-road toughness that stood out on our road test review.
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| 2010 Mercedes Benz C250 CGI Review |
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THE saying ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ rings true for many things but automobile makers in their desire to run their rivals into the ground continue to ‘fix it’ - damaged goods or not.
For example, Mercedes-Benz, not content with the C-Class being the most sought after model in its Australian passenger car line-up with 41 per cent of sales, has given the popular executive model what the maker says are ‘significant technical and standard equipment upgrades’.
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| 2010 Volkswagen Transporter: Road Test |
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Volkswagen’s light-commercial range, received a major upgrade for the 2010 season. There are some minor body changes, but the big news is the range of bigger-torque new engines.
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| Proton S16 Road Test |
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A quick glance at the Red Book used car guide confirmed my suspicions: Proton's S16 is, for the money, one hell of a car. In 1992, almost 20 years ago, Holden were selling the 1.3 litre Barina for $11,990, plus on roads, plus extras. That was the three door. The five door was a tad over $14,000. Proton is now selling it's 1.3 litre S16 G four door for $11,990.
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| Ford Probe 1994-1998 |
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Care to buy a stylish coupe at a bargain price? Then the Ford Probe may be just what the doctor ordered. It was sold here from 1994 until 1998 but didn’t enjoy the sales success it deserved.
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| Volkswagen Passat R36: Road Test |
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Few vehicles look more innocent on the road than mid-size blue station wagons. Call it childish if you like, but we have just played enjoyable games during our week’s road test in a 2010 Volkswagen Passat R36 station wagon.
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| 2010 Mercedes Benz S-Class |
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There's a theory that modern driving aids could be turning us all into lazy drivers. I’m not entirely subscribing to this view but there could be situations when automotive technology encourages drivers to loosen their grip on the tiller, so to speak, leaving the vehicle in command.
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| 2010 Subaru Liberty Exiga: Road Test |
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THE Exiga, not to be confused with the Lotus Exige (as if . . .), is Subaru’s final offering in its new-generation Liberty line-up, a six-seat wagon.
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| JCW Mini Cabrio 2010: Road Test |
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LIKE shelling peas, Mini has popped yet another model into its John Cooper Works colander of performance cars. The Mini JCW Cabrio takes its place alongside the Mini John Cooper Works hardtop and the John Cooper Works Clubman.
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| 2010 BMW 330D Convertible: Road Test |
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There's a remarkable similarity in BMW's 330D convertible between the two figures many drivers look at first: 0-100 km/h and fuel economy. The sleek, hard-top, diesel-powered Beemer will whisk you to 100 km/h in just 6.5 seconds. At the same time BMW claim it will return you frugal economy of 6.4 litres/100 km. So, in that sense, the 330D offers the best of both worlds: performance and economy.
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| Classy Fuel Sipper, The BMW 123d |
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A few years ago it would have seemed inconceivable in Australia. Anyone within BMW who suggested the importation of a smart little convertible with a diesel engine would have been given notice on the spot.
Yet we have spent the past week swanning around our home territory on the Gold Coast in just such a car - the BMW 123d.
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| 2010 Nissan 370Z Roadster: Road Test |
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The all-new Nissan 370Z Roadster provides a huge amount of open-top motoring for a very small outlay. Around $80,000 puts one on the road, making it about a third of the price of a Porsche 911 cabriolet.
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| Peugeot 4007 Road Test |
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Peugeot has just launched its fascinating new 4007 SUV in Australia. All Peugeot and very French in its stylish appearance the 4007 is aimed at the buyer looking for a something out of the ordinary in a practical people mover, someone who wants to make a statement on the road. A statement their vehicle isn't macho, but makes its own way in the style stakes.
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| Toyota Camry & Aurion 1999-2009 |
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The Toyota Camry and Aurion are medium-large cars that are Japanese designed but Australian built, in Altona west of Melbourne. Numerous changes were made to suit them to Australian driving conditions, in particular to our rough country roads and the harsh temperatures often encountered in tropical and outback conditions.
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| 2010 Honda CR-V Road Test |
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It was an ideal road test for our weekly set of wheels, Honda's upgraded CR-V: a long weekend away in Byron Bay. After throwing a couple of suitcases, shoe bags and pillows in the luggage area we were away on the National Highway to the haunt of hippies, druggies, and alternative lifestylers who mix shoulder-to-shoulder with the rich and sometimes famous.
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| Kia Carnival 1999-2009 |
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Kia Carnival is a South Korean people mover selling for a very modest price. Since going on sale in Australia in September 1999 it has been a success and has often hit the number one spot in its category.
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| Renault Clio 2001-2009 |
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Fancy something completely different in the small car field? Such as a French car with that has plenty of style – and more than dash of performance if you go for the ultra-hot variants.
In Europe, the Renault Clio is considered to be large enough for use as a family car. Though in Australia Clios tend to be used more as a premium alternative and are generally being driven by singles or couples.
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| Simply Astonishing Aston |
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Few, if any, car marques understand their customers better than does Aston Martin. As the iconic British marque closes on its 100th anniversary, the enthusiasts who run the company are extremely aware of the rising heat in the competition at the top end of the sportscar market.
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| BMW 650i Sport Coupe Road Test 2010 |
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The latest BMW 650i facelift gives an indication on how the times are a changing. It's no so much as face lift as a techno upgrade. The last freshen-up before a new model is released in 2012. Some might say it's overdue, but the 650i remains one of the most impressive looking grand tourers on the road and the updates in 2008 and 2009 have kept it fresh.
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| Hyundai's Very Stylish ix35 |
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Hyundai is the star attraction in the sales race in Australia at the present time, with the South Korean giant gaining bigger market shares in various segments. But Hyundai's biggest success has been created through styling. Just have a look at the shape of the newly launched Hyundai ix35 to see what we mean.
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| 2010 Land Rover Defender 90 Road Test |
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To market, to market – and just look at the expressions of envy on the fruit and veggie growers’ faces. I am using a new Land Rover 90 to cart honey pots to the local farmers’ market and some of the stallholders are green (pun intended) with jealousy.
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| 2010 Subaru Outback 2.0 D Road Test |
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A RECENT spruce-up of the Subaru Outback included the introduction of its largest petrol engine to date – the 3.6 litre six cylinder. Now, in another first, the Japanese manufacturer has added a diesel motor to the mix.
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| Elegant Sports Sedan From Jaguar |
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Big sports machines are one important area in which the Brits can challenge the Germans and the Italians without feeling in any way embarrassed. Take the subject of this week’s road test for example. The Jaguar XF R – the ‘R’ tells us it's from the high-performance division of Jaguar that tackles BMW's M Division, Mercedes' AMG and Audi's RS head on
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| Mercedes Benz E 250 CGI And CDI: Road Test |
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The hero car in any model range is usually a headline hog and when that car is the E63 AMG that's understandable. The fact that we've started a story about the more mundane E-Class cars referring to the E63 is a case in point. Put simply, the E63 AMG is one of the most impressive cars we have driven in the past 12 months.
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| 2010 BMW X6 M Road Test |
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We are usually reluctant to comment too much on car design as it is, after all, a matter of personal taste. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and all that. The BMW X6 M is an – or perhaps, the - exception to the rule in all the current vehicles available around the world.
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| 2010 Land Rover Discovery 4 Road Test |
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As a kid growing up in Melbourne I was for ever being chastised for coming home covered in mud. Not much has changed. I still like playing in the dirt. Then it was Tonka toys ... now it is vehicles such as the Land Rover Discovery 4. These days it's usually the car that comes home needing the bath. Unless something goes radically wrong through driver error there's no need for the driver to get his or her hands dirty.
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| Kia Sorento Platinum 2010 Road Test |
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There's something contradictory – at this stage – in the pairing of the words Kia and Platinum. Yet, that's we found ourselves driving for the past week. Kia no longer cheap and cheerful – some might consider costly and capable – with a $48,990 price sticker before on-roads. The Kia Sorento Platinum edition is the top-of-the-line Sorento AWD.
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| 2010 Mitsubishi Triton Road Test |
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It was every drivers' worst nightmare. I was stopped in a line of traffic and the rear vision mirror told me there was going to be a crash. I was the last in the queue waiting for lights to change – in a 2010 Mitsubishi Triton – and the rear view mirror was filled with the image of another Triton about to heavily collect my vehicle. I braced for the hit – there was nothing I could do, no where to go – and all I could think of was how to tell Mitsubishi their $44,490 Triton was a write-off.
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| Holden Cruze Road Test |
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The new Holden Cruze comes from South Korea and is no relation to the small Holden Cruze 4WD sold in Australia between 2002 and 2006. That first Cruze was Suzuki based, though it had a fair bit of Australian design input. The 2009 Cruze is a four-door sedan that's considerably larger than the somewhat toylike first Cruze. In the Holden lineup, the Cruze sits above light-car Barina and below medium-large Epica.
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| Mitsubishi Outlander VRX 2010 Road Test |
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It's surprisingly how quick Mitsubishi regained ground after the local-production Magna-380 chaos of a couple of years back. They are now a full-import company after disposing of the assets connected with local production in Adelaide. Rather than fighting the demons of local production the company is now concentrating it's efforts on marketing it's imported range.
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| Mazda3 Lets You Enjoy Saving Fuel |
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The Mazda3 MZR-CD is a rare beast amongst Japanese cars – it has a turbo-diesel engine in a market segment that's almost exclusively petrol powered. Though European car buyers, admittedly helped by big tax breaks, have embraced the economy of diesel fuel for decades, Japanese buyers simply don’t like it.
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| 2010 Mercedes Benz AMG E63: Road Test |
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WHAT did you think of it, asked the service department lad I handed the keys of my latest road test car to. “That’s a silly question,” I replied, the reason being the ‘it’ in question was the Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG sedan, a car of unparalleled performance in its class; one that was likely to satisfy any driver with a passion for . . . well, driving.
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| Mitsubishi Challenger 2010: Road Test |
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In these days of trendy SUVs – that look like 4WDs but drive like cars – genuine off-roaders are few and far between. The good news is those that are designed to take us into the Great Australian Outback are more than capable. You can add Mitsubishi's new Challenger to that elite list in the medium-size segment alongside Toyota's Prado and Nissan's Pathfinder.
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| Peugeot 308CC: Road Test |
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Sunroof, moon roof, cloth roof, retractable metal roof, panoramic glass roof – vehicle roofs have gone to great heights in recent years. Take the new Peugeot 308 CC, for example. The latest coupe/cabriolet to come from the French car maker, with its swoopy profile, is in keeping with the present 308 character.
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| Mercedes Vito Revitalised |
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Mercedes-Benz vans have proven to be most desirable to tradesmen in Australia. It has to be said the image of carrying a three-pointed star on your business vehicle plays its part, but there's a lot more to the Mercedes Vito than simply the ego boost it may provide.
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| Ford Fiesta ECOnetic 2010: Road Test |
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The bottom line with all cars whether they be sports cars, four wheel drives, wagons, utes or roadsters is that day-in-day-out you have to live with that car for the duration of ownership. The same goes for the latest technology cars aimed at fuel efficiency and low emissions. You may feel warm and fuzzy inside about helping the environment, but you still have to be able to enjoy the driving experience as well as other practicalities. Compromise only goes so far.
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| Ford Mondeo Zetec: Road Test |
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In its early history it is said Australia rode on the sheep's back ... it was the bread-and-butter industry that helped develop a young nation. Much the same could be said about Ford and the Falcon. For five decades Ford Australia rode on the back of the popular rear-wheel-drive Falcon. In recent times the goal posts have changed, not just for Ford but also arch-rival GM Holden and the Commodore.
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| Ford Territory TS 2010 Road Test |
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As our only home-grown SUV the Ford Territory is a remarkable achievement. It has been compared in favourable terms to BMW X5 which is no mean feat. Early this year Ford announced Territory had achieved a five star ANCAP safety rating, thanks to seat belt sensors and warnings when the vehicle was underway.
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| Simply Superb: The Latest Mercedes S350 Saloon |
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The flagship of the Mercedes-Benz range, the S-Class saloon, received a major makeover late last year and we have just spent a most pleasant week wafting around in the new for 2010 model.
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| Mercedes Benz S350 Road Test |
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The flagship of the Mercedes-Benz range, the S-Class saloon, received a major makeover late last year and we have just spent a most pleasant week wafting around in the new for 2010 model.
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| Hyundai Santa Fe 2010 Road Test |
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A wise man once said it's the small things in life that trip you up. The example he gave was someone running through the bush. They're more likely fall over a small branch than run headlong into a tree. It's the attention to small, practical detail that makes the 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe an impressive family machine. They have got almost all the small details sussed and in addition have the big ones covered too: like the new R Series 2.2 litre turbo-diesel and six speed auto transmission, plus handling and suspension.
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| Kia Cerato - A Lot Of Car At A Modest Price |
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Kia is keen to give a European feel and look to its cars, at the same time sell them for considerably lower prices than the Euro machines. This is a worthwhile ambition, one that seems sure to help consumers. The latest Kia Cerato, launched in Australia at the beginning of 2009 is arguably the South Korean marque’s best attempt yet at this difficult task.
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| Toyota Prado Wagon 2010: Road Test |
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In a world of `pretend' four wheel drives Toyota's new Prado stands out like a beacon to those who genuinely need a capable off-roader from time to time. Like most other 4WDs Prado will spend the majority of its time on the black top, most likely ferrying kids to school and home again. With that in mind we did not take our top-of-the-line Prado Kakadu onto our favourite bush test tracks.
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| Audi A5 Cabrio: Road Test |
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First, the bad news. The A4 convertible has been dropped from the Audi playing roster. The good news is a new A5 Cabriolet has been added to the German car maker’s mid-size premium league team sheet. In keeping with Audi’s constant balancing on the cusp of technological improvement in its products the new addition to the A5 range has a few surprises up its sleeve.
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| 2010 Toyota Prado 3 Door SX: Road Test |
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There are two great choices to be made by today's `grey nomads' – the caravan and then what vehicle to tow that van around this great island we call Australia on the `Big Trip'. It's a mix-and-match that needs to be complementary for towing purposes plus the vehicle must take on additional duties as transport on and off-road. There's no doubt Toyota have targeted this market segment with the all-new Prado three door.
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| Mazda CX -7 Classic: Road Test |
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Much of what we do in our lives has to do with compromise. That's just a simple fact of life. Cars are no different. We've just had a few days in what has to be about the sexiest SUV going around, Mazda's CX-7. Styling, beauty ... call it what you like ... is always a matter of individual taste. But, if there's one thing many Aussies agree on it's the CX-7.
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| Holden Calais V-Series AFM V8 |
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Holden may have missed celebrating it's birthday but the Calais turned 25 in 2009. This top-of-the-line Commodore was launched in 1984 along with SL and Berlina in what was the VK series. So it was with some birthday good cheer were collected our road test Calais for a longish stint over Christmas – New Year. Our test car was the Calais V complete with 6.0 litre AFM V8. AFM stands for Active Fuel Management which means the engine has the ability when not under load to shut down four cylinders.
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| Volkswagen Golf GTi 2009: Road Test |
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Volkswagen's Golf is living proof no car company should be without a staple-diet small car. It is hard to imagine VW falling for that trap given its roots with the ubiquitous Beetle. We have just spent a few days road testing the GTi Golf – a genuine pocket-rocket if ever there was one.
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| Nissan Dualis AWD 2009: Road Test |
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Nissan Dualis is a stylish crossover vehicle that's partly family hatchback and partly SUV. The name Dualis is a reference to the dual-purpose nature of the vehicle.
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| Korean Kyron Keeps Purists Happy |
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Those who like ‘real’ 4WDs should take a serious look at SsangYong's Kyron. Because it is unusual in its class in being a true 4WD, with a ladder-frame chassis and a two-speed transfer case. There's the choice of two-high, four-high and four-low ranges, but no neutral position. Shifts between ranges are controlled from a turn-knob on the dash.
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| Maserati Quattroporte GT S |
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Grand touring is what the Maserati Quattroporte is all about. Grand touring in a very sporting manner in a machine that's unashamedly over the top in style, is loaded with brio and has superb dynamic performance. Though many tend to think of the famed Maserati marque in terms of its sports coupes it has been in the four-door sedan market for many years.
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| 2010 Toyota Prado: Road Test |
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Australia is an extremely important market for the Toyota Prado, ours being the second largest in the world in sales volume for the tough ladder-frame 4WD. So it came as no surprise to learn that the Prado's chief engineer, Makoto Arimoto, came to Australia for two extended visits with test vehicles in the early stages of development of the all-new fourth-generation Prado.
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| Maserati GranTurismo S Automatic |
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It is an unfortunate fact of life that I will never be able to park a Maserati in my driveway. More on that later. I have just spent four days road testing the Maserati GranTurismo S automatic. To describe the car in two words is easy: refined brutality.
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| Kia Cerato Koup 2009 Road Test |
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The marketing people at Kia will probably not agree with this, but their latest two door offering is as much about making a statement as it is about filling a market niche. We are talking about the Kia Koup – a two door variant of the Cerato sedan. Kia has conservative aspirations for Koup and in cricket parlance Koup sales haven't bothered the scorer all that often since it's release in September. But, we suspect there's more to Kia bringing the stylish Koup into Australia than sales.
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| Liberty Wagon Is Spacious Load Hauler |
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The Subaru Liberty station wagon has always ranked as the sort of vehicle you buy if your budget won't run to a Volvo wagon. Like the Swedish load carrier, the Japanese Liberty leans in the direction of function before fashion. Forget the pretty ‘boutique’ wagons from some other marques, this Subaru is a real proposition
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| Renault Laguna Estate 2.0 dCi |
Firstly, I promise not to use the word `quirky' in this story about a French car. Oops, too late. The reasons I made that rash promise is simple: Renault's Laguna Estate goes against everything French when it comes to the automobile. It is not q ....y at all. It's a blend of clever and practical with a couple of dislikes on the way through.
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| Alfa Mito Is Lively Italian |
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Alfa Romeo tells us that MiTo is a contraction of the names of two Italian cities, Milan and Torino, but we reckon it stands for Me Too. If you have ever driven, or simply had a ride in the passenger seat of this little car, you too will want to relive the experience time and again.
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| Aston Martin V8 Vantage |
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I have great memories of being hurled around a race course on an airfield in Reno, Nevada, and the Ascari circuit in Spain in the passenger seat of the Bentley Speed 8 race car, which won Le Mans in 2003.
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| Maserati Quattroporte (2009) |
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We car nuts give thanks every day to great designers, great engineers and great drivers, and we should all pause and pay homage (once again) to Pininfarina. Among many design milestones in the fabled history of this exclusive Italian carrozzeria, we applaud the heart-breakingly beautiful Maserati Quattroporte sedan in its latest iteration.
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| Nissan Dualis 2WD Road Test |
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If there's one thing to be thankful for it's that Nissan Australia did not opt to stick with the European branding when it introduced the crossover Dualis early in 2008. In Europe the car is known as the Qashqai and is a runaway best-seller. Even with the more acceptable Dualis moniker this cross between a hatch and a soft-roader SUV has struggled to make an impact down under.
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| Mercedes-Benz E350 2009 Road Test |
In an era when speed seems to be blamed for just about everything on our roads it is satisfying to see leading manufacturers tackling some of the real issues that cause road crashes. Up there with a cure for cancer is the real cause of many crashes, which no car company has yet been able to find technological cure for: bad attitude and/or stupidity.
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| 2010 Volkswagen Golf GTi : First Drive |
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We have just spent a great day in the Snowy Mountains region in Victoria road testing the new sixth-generation 2010 Volkswagen Golf GTI.
Before talking about that delicious day of driving, let's look at the new GTI in detail. Because the new looks may turn out to be controversial.
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| Kia Sorento 2010 Model |
Move over Japan ... South Korea is coming through. Hot on the heels of Holden's success with the Korean-built Captiva and Hyundai's great little i30, Kia has introduced an all-new Sorento that pushes standards from the South Korean maker into territory held by Japanese manufacturers. Mark the new Sorento down as a contender for SUV of the year.
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| Suzuki Alto 2009 Road Test Review |
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f there's one thing you need to do when talking about Suzuki's new light car, the Alto, it is to put the car into it's proper perspective. For instance the asking price is around the same as you might lose in depreciation as you drive from the dealership after buying a prestige or luxury European marque.
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| Stunning Mercedes E500 Coupe |
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Isn't this a gorgeous looking coupe? Mercedes' days of conservative styling have long gone, and the prestigious German company is now frequently in the vanguard of new automotive shapes. With the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class, and particularly the coupe variant that's the subject of this week’s review, the lines don’t really show to their best advantage in photographs.
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| Hyundai iMax Road Test |
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The history of the term `station wagon' goes back to where else but the U.S. These were literally large cars and small trucks used to convey train passengers to and from the railway station. They were generally cheaper models and often appeared unfinished as the timber framework were left exposed to cut down on cost.
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| 2009 Jeep Patriot And Wrangler |
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Jeep Australia has launched a refreshed Patriot compact SUV as supply of the vehicle gets back on track following Chrysler's bankruptcy issues and take-over by Fiat In July. As Chrysler's future was held in the abeyance, manufacture of the Patriot suffered – along with some other models - causing a shortage of stock.
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| Brilliant Lexus Convertible |
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Cool cruising in a luxury convertible is just about perfect at this time of the year, particularly if, like us, you are on the Gold Coast and can make the best of the cafe, beach and hinterland scenes. And cool cruising is even better if you are in one of the newly released Lexus convertibles, the IS250C.
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| Alfa Romeo MiTo: Road Test |
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Car companies love calling on their heritage when they launch a new model or when an anniversary of the very beginning is to be celebrated. Audi does it, so does BMW, Mercedes-Benz and down under Ford and Holden are past masters of the art. But they all pale compared to Italy's Alfa Romeo.
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| Bigger, Better Prius |
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Thankfully, the current public concern for the environment appears to be continuing. That's unlike the last time the focus was on the future of the planet in the late 1980s, when there was a huge public outcry – that fizzled away almost as though the environment was simply the fad of the moment. Toyota knew the state of our planet was potentially serious and has been working on petrol-electric hybrids during the intervening two decades.
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| 2010 Mitsubishi Triton Dual Cab |
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When Mitsubishi launched it's new-look Triton dual cab in 2006 it took a gamble with a love-it or hate-it body style. This was the curved tray that allowed rear seat passengers to lean back instead of sitting bolt-upright as in many dual cab utes. The gamble paid off. In 2006 Triton sold 886 units. Fast forward to the end of 2009 and Triton to date is sitting on almost 1500 sales ... a remarkable effort considering the rivals include Toyota HiLux, Nissan Navara, Ford Ranger and Mazda's BT 50.
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| 2009 BMW 730d Road Test |
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Yes, you would buy a BMW 730d on economy and emissions alone. You would feel good about doing your bit for the environment. Less fuel burned means less pollution. And with BMW claiming 7.2 litres/100 km, running costs are significantly less than the petrol burner.
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| Range Rover Sport Is Tougher Than Ever |
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There's a mistaken perception that the Range Rover Sport is somehow aimed at the person who wants style and speed, but who never intends to use it in anything but soft off-road conditions. Just how incorrect that the is was brought to our attention in a big way as our Range Rover Sport crawled its way along a fast flowing burn in the Scottish border country.
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| Mazda MX-5 Is Sporting Benchmark |
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Mazda's MX-5 roadster has completely altered the automotive world since its introduction in 1989. Prior to then it had been assumed the open-top roadster was a thing of the past, that it had been killed off by safety regulations and buyer interest in the greater comfort offered by fixed-head coupes.
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| 2009 Lexus RX 350 Road Test |
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I have to admit being a little bit like the kid in the lolly shop ... wide mouthed, in awe of what was on offer, but unable to make a decision. The decision was what to play with first, and the lolly shop was the 2009 Lexus RX 350. Since Lexus introduced the RX here in 2003 with the RX 330, this model has pioneered technology for the up-market Toyota brand.
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| MY 2010 Range Rover |
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Eastnor Casle in Herefordshire, England, is a special place for those who love their Range Rovers. It's the location of a series of major off-road test courses that are sometimes available to Range Rover owners for driving, or simply for getting together with one another to enjoy socialising and chatting about their favourite vehicles.
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| Road Test: 2009 Skoda Superb 4X4 V6 |
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I must admit to always feeling a little sorry for former Australian Rules Football player Richard Champion. The Brisbane Lions defender who retired in 2000 had a lot to live up to with his surname and it may have even placed unfair expectations on his AFL career. Sounds silly – after all it's just a name – but human nature being what it is, Richard needed to be better than the rest to live up to his name. Tough gig in the rough-and-tumble world of AFL.
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| And Now For Something Completely Different |
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Here is another entrant in the Australian family car market. One that's so completely different it may not be noticed the first time you draw up your short list of vehicles. Skoda Superb comes from the Czech Republic; the company is a major part of the Volkswagen Group and uses mechanical components designed by the Germans, often with changes to suit the specific needs of the Czech people.
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| MY 2010 Subaru Outback |
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Flying back to the Gold Coast from a cold, wet launch of the all-new 4th generation Subaru Outback I was seated next to a Melbourne couple three young kids. We got chatting and they asked me where I had been and they said they loved Subaru cars. In fact early last year they sold their Subaru Forester, but only because it was too small for the growing family. I was intrigued to find out they had purchased a Fiat Ritmo, as it better suited their needs. Some way down the ownership track the Ritmo is still revered by the family, so it works for them.
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| MY 2010 Subaru Liberty |
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Bigger is not always best , but in the case of the 5th generation Subaru Liberty it is both bigger and better as the sedan flagship of the Japanese maker celebrates its 20th year. The MY 2010 Liberty sedan is 80mm longer and higher and the benefits are passed on to passengers with more space - bordering on limousine-size leg room for back seat passengers.
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| 2010 VE Holden Commodore Ute |
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Holden has upped the safety ante in light commercial vehicles with the model year 10 Commodore ute not only gaining new 3.6 litre SIDI V6 engine but also six airbags as standard across the range. Side impact and curtain airbags make the ute Australia's first light commercial to offer six airbags. The entire Commodore and WM range, including the ute, also get a steering column shroud energy absorber that helps to reduce driver knee injuries, and a passenger seat belt reminder. Holden is hoping the new ute will achieve five star ANCAP safety rating when it is tested later this month.
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| 2010 VE Holden Commodore |
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Holden has struck the first blow in the race to make locally manufactured family cars leaner and meaner. Last week it gave the Australian motoring media a preview of the all-new 3.0 litre V6 SIDI (Spark Ignition Direct Injection) engine, with impressive results. On a road test economy run between Melbourne and Albury one scribe returned just 6.8 litres/100 kms (41.5 miles per gallon) on one leg of the test. Others randomly returned 7.1 litres/100 km to 7.9 litres/100 km on the 400 km, four leg run.
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| Jeep Wrangler's Unlimited Ability |
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One of the benefits of owning a four wheel drive, as well as testing them, is the ability to have a control vehicle.
This means I can run my off-roader on a track, checking for entry, exit, ramp over angles as well as clearance, wheel travel, engine braking and general rock-hopping ability.
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| Save The Planet - And Keep Smiling |
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The Mini was very much part of the social scene way back in the swinging Sixties, a time when social consciousness began to emerge as a powerful force. Now the new MINI is taking up where the original one left off with a new economy turbo-diesel variant.
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| 2009 Octavia RS |
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Skoda’s mid-sized Octavia model is based on a stretched version of the platform of the Volkswagen Golf and Jetta. So the Octavia is a larger car all round with plenty of legroom in the back seats as well as a generous boot.
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| Toyota Upgrades Its LandCruiser Workhorse |
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Toyota’ LandCruiser 70 Series are serious 4WD workhorses, not pretty SUV toys. Though they still look a lot like they did at their introduction almost 25 years ago, they have received numerous upgrades over the years. These changes have almost invariably been of a practical nature, though there have been some styling modifications as well.
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| New Nissan 370Z Gives Astonishing Value |
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The latest Nissan Z-car, the 370Z, follows along brilliantly from its honourable ancestors. Nissan has long held a sporting reputation, one that's complemented by amazing value for money. Just $67,990 (plus on-road costs) puts you in the driving seat of a machine that provides similar dynamic performance to European sports machines costing many tens of thousands of dollars more.
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| Road Test 2009 Mazda6 Luxury Sports |
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With apologies to moggy lovers, it's an old cliché that there's more than one way to skin a cat. In recent years the motor industry has gone to extreme lengths to make engines more efficient. More efficiency means better use of fuel which in turn results in driving each dollar spent on petrol – or diesel – further along the roads and highways.
Mazda have taken a different approach to the same problem with the 2.5 litre engine that powers the Mazda6 range.
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| Road Test: 2009 Nissan Maxima 250 ST-L |
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After a week in Nissan's 250 ST-L Maxima I suggest it should be given a new name: Minima. If you reckon that's a negative, think again. Over the years I have driven many Maximas – usually the top-of-the-line Ti variety – and have always considered the car to be Nissan's luxury marque. It is a wonderful touring car.
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| BMW Provides Frugal Fun |
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Like all thinking car marques BMW is working hard at lowering emissions and fuel consumption. Unlike others, it has been doing so for decades, thus giving it a head start in today’s enlightened world. But BMW has made a determined decision that low emissions should not get in the way of performance and, even more importantly, driving enjoyment.
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| Enjoyable Volvo C30 Coupe |
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More than any other car maker in the last decade, Volvo has managed to change its public image. Once seen as safe and staid, the Swedish marque has managed to create a name for itself in the styling stakes. Nowhere more so than in the subject of this week’s road test, the 2009 Volvo C30 coupe.
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| Mondeo Makeover |
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Ford Australia imports its smaller vehicles from Europe not from Asia, and plans to use this strategy against its biggest rivals, all of whom have connections with the countries to Australia's north. This ties in neatly with the tough and sporting reputation Ford has enjoyed over the years.
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| Audi's R8 Gets Even Bigger Engine |
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For those folks to whom 420 horsepower simply isn't enough, Audi now provides a new version of its R8 supercar – with 520 horsepower. That stunning power comes from a V10 engine displacing 5.2 litres and producing peak power at a racecar-like 8000 rpm. It also has a very handy 530 Newton metres of torque, although this may not appear until the tacho needle points to 6500 revs, but there's decent grunt from the engine from a ridiculously low 2000 rpm.
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| Holden Cruze Is Good Value |
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The new Holden Cruze comes from Daewoo in South Korea and is no relation to the small Holden 4WD of the same name sold here between 2002 and 2006. That first Cruze was Suzuki based, though it had a fair bit of Australian design input, particularly in the body.
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| 2009 Mazda MX 5 |
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In these days of road rage, rising registration fees, high insurance, and speeding fines designed to bolster the coffers of greedy state governments, it's no wonder the joy of motoring is becoming a lost pleasure. Talk about being over-regulated. We decided to turn back the clock.
Last week we picked up a new 2009 Mazda MX-5.
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| 2009 Mercedes-Benz C 200 Kompressor |
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Just what can you do to a car that has already achieved many awards for excellence? At Mercedes-Benz they decided the bread-and-butter C-Class saloon could be given a limited edition make-over. A Sporty touch up. The C-Class is a junior executive offering from the Tristar make. It is also the favoured wheels of many a well-heeled retiree.
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| Mercedes' Hot AMG C63 |
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It's about the sound of this stunning high-performance car as anything else. We found ourselves powering down the windows of the Mercedes AMG C63 more and more often as our week’s road test of the car passed all too quickly. That was to savour the sound of the exhaust note from the huge V8 engine.
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| Rarefied Range Rover |
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Some people buy the Range Rover as a mobile lounge room, not as a mere car. Having just spent a week driving the special edition Range Rover ‘Autobiography’ we can understand their motives. This is a vehicle that reeks style, perhaps not style in a subdued manner, because some will regard the body details and the interior styling as verging on the garish.
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| Santa Fe Is A Neat Size |
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The biggest news in the 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe range is that it's aimed even more than before at the person who wants a genuine 4WD. The Koreans have always shied away from the ‘pretty toy’ area of the SUV market and produced genuine off-road vehicles. The Australian importers of Hyundais just love this and have further improved the Santa Fe by offering a Trek ‘n’ Tow suspension package.
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| Honda's City Makes A Lot Of Sense |
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Honda's new City is more than a Honda Jazz with a boot instead of a hatchback. Though there are many out-of-sight similarities in the two models, as well as in the visible areas of the cabin, the City has a totally different body and sits on a longer wheelbase.
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| 2009 Mazda MPS |
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Mazda has introduced the halo model to its popular Mazda3 range. The newest model in the MPS (Mazda Performance Series) range, the 2009 Mazda3 is an impressive follow on from the just superseded original series. The biggest difference between the two is in the styling particularly at the front end ...
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| Open Top Lexus IS250 |
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From Lexus comes yet another competitor in the fiercely-fought convertible market in Australia. The upmarket Japanese marque is pushing hard to be seen in the same light as the Europeans, so it makes sense for it to tackle the likes of Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Saab and Volvo in the open-top game with the just introduced Lexus IS250C. The ‘C’ after the ‘250’ stands, of course, for convertible.
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| 2009 E-Class Coupe |
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Mercedes' E-Class coupe has arrived in Australia just two months after its world launch in Germany. This shows the importance of our market to the upmarket German marque. The early arrival of the E-Class coupe, that is also here as a sedan, saved the local importer quite a bit of embarrassment.
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| 2009 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Sedan |
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The 2009 Mercedes-Benz E-Class is one of the safest cars going around. Technology and 150 in-house crash tests have seen to that. Technology is also the key hallmark of the 2009 car ... and this time the latest in safety gizmos are aimed at the most important safety factor in any car – the driver. Cars rarely cause crashes: drivers do.
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| Hyundai Offers Affordable Safety |
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Hyundai is proud of the fact that its 2009 iMax people mover and iLoad cargo van have just obtained four stars out of five for occupant protection in the latest crash testing carried out by ANCAP (the Australian New Car Assessment Program). Only two, more expensive, German vans managed to equal the efforts of the Hyundais, no vehicle received the full five stars.
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| Focus On Diesel In This Ford |
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Ford Australia is now seriously into the turbo-diesel market in Australia with the release of a European-sourced Focus TDCi running on this economical fuel. This new for 2009 model Ford Focus that we have road tested over the past week is not only powered by a diesel engine, but also runs the latest in fuel-saving transmissions, in the form of what it calls a ‘PowerShift’ six-speed double-clutch gearbox.
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| 2009 Suzuki Alto |
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Suzuki describe it as a car 'for these times' and let's face it, times are tough. A five door, four seat sedan with six airbags and a chronic distaste for petrol. The new Alto doesn't sip fuel, it licks it as a cat licks its fur.
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| Benchmark Honda Civic Type-R |
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Honda Civic Type-R comes from England. Which may seem somewhat odd at first, but the Europeans are far more into the hot-hatch scene than anyone else, so the long established Honda factory in the UK is a logical place to manufacture the latest in a long line of full-on performance machines from the Japanese giant.
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| BMW's High-Performance Turbo-Diesel |
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A few weeks ago we attended the launch of a new six-cylinder, 3.0-litre turbo-diesel in BMW's flagship 7 Series. We came away impressed with the performance provided by the 180 kW / 520 Nm engine. In a car weighing 1865 kg the big six provided strong acceleration and the ability to overtake and/or climb hills with ease.
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| Peugeot's Latest Coupe-Convertible |
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Peugeot has long been a leader in folding hardtops. Indeed, the French marque invented the concept some 75 years ago. So the introduction of the new Peugeot 308 CC for 2009 has been eagerly awaited.
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| Ford's Wild New Ranger |
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It has taken a while but Ford's Ranger is starting to have an impact in the dual cab 4x4 ute segment, one of the most hotly contested groups in the commercial automotive world. Ford's Wildtrak - a sports take on the tradies' workhorse - is designed to capitalise on the growing popularity of these light trucks as recreational vehicles, a segment pioneered some years back by Nissan Navara ST-R.
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| 2009 Audi TT Diesel 2.0 litre |
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Audi, riding high on record sales of diesel-powered vehicles, has boldly introduced it's first oil-burning sports car to the Australian market.
The popular TT coupe is now available with a 2.0 litre turbo-diesel linked to a six speed manual transmission and quattro all wheel drive. Audi claim fuel efficiency of a meagre 5.3 litres/100 km.
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| 2009 Audi RS 6 Road Test |
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Firstly, apologies to the motorist on the Canungra to Beaudesert Road, in the Gold Coast Hinterland.
It was not my intention to frighten you. It just happened. One second I was getting ready to pass, checking for on-coming traffic and in a fraction of a second I was out and past and back in the left lane. To the other driver it must have been just a black flash.
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| 2009 Alfa Romeo MiTo |
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The just released Alfa Romeo MiTo isn't so much a hot hatch as a stylish coupe, though there's plenty of heat in the equation as we will describe in a moment. Fresh on the roads of Europe early in 2009, the new small Alfa is positively stunning in appearance and we were intrigued by them when we visited Italy on a business/holiday trip a few weeks ago.
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| Porsche Boxster Upgraded |
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Boxster is the purest sportscar in the Porsche range. That’s because it has its engine sitting within the wheelbase rather than behind the back wheels as is the case in the iconic Porsche 911. The Boxster's mid-engined layout gives excellent chassis balance, high cornering speeds and provides great driver control and on-road appeal.
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| Toyota Prius: Australia's Cleanest Car |
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Toyota Prius for 2009 is bigger and better than ever. Even more to the point it's cleaner and more economical than either of its scene-setting ancestors. Fuel consumption has been trimmed to just 3.9 litres per hundred kilometres when measured to Australian standards on the combined cycle. And CO2 emissions are just 89 grams per kilometre.
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| A Car With Soul |
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From Kia in South Korea comes a special car designed to challenge the European and American machines in the ultra-trendy arena. New for 2009, Kia Soul is aimed at those who would like to own a MINI or a Chrysler PT Cruiser, but who are about $15,000 short of their dream. Or, perhaps Soul may even sell to those who can afford one of these interesting machines from the UK or US, but who prefer the shape of the Soul.
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| New Golf Versus Old |
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Your correspondent owns a Volkswagen Golf 5 with 2.0L FSI petrol engine and six-speed automatic transmission. A recent trip to the UK had me driving one of the new 2009 VW Golf 6 models. So an in-depth direct comparison made a lot of sense. The Golf 6 we drove there was a GT TDi with the excellent 2.0 litre turbo-diesel, matched to VW’s latest DSG transmission.
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| 2009 Bentley Continental Flying Spur |
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Bentley’s Continental Flying Spur saloon has Grand Touring written all over it. If you were loading up the family and their luggage for a ‘Grand Tour’ across Europe, this is the car for you.
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| 2009 Audi A5 2.0 TFSI quattro Road Test |
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Car manufacturers are usually pretty good at pointing out the plusses of their vehicle against that of rivals. It's simply good marketing and they all do it. We are currently witnessing the fascinating diesel-versus-hybrid debate, but that's another story.
After a week's road test of Audi's 2009 A5 2.0 TFSi quattro we are wondering if there is any debate at all in this entry level A5 extinguishing another automobile. No, not from a rival, but the same maker. In fact within the same model line up. It's hard to put up a case for the previous entry level A5 Audi 3.2 FSI when it lines up against the new, four cylinder A5.
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| Elegant New BMW 7 Series |
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Having learnt the lessons of jumping too far ahead in the fashion stakes, BMW has taken a more mainstream stance with its latest 7 Series for 2009. This is a shame in some ways, because we like to see stylists in any arena, not just the automotive one, having a real go at pushing boldly into the future.
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| Forester A Sensible Choice |
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Though it’s classed as an SUV rather than a 4WD, the Subaru Forester has one of the big features loved by true 4WD enthusiasts, a two-range transfer case. It is only fitted to Foresters with a manual gearbox, Subaru explains that the torque multiplication provided by the converter in an automatic transmission gives all the torque that's required in moderately serious off-road driving.
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| Skoda Superb's Superb Interior |
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You would like to buy a spacious limousine, but have less than $45,000 in your motoring budget. Until this week you were hopelessly out of luck, now the 2009 Skoda Superb has just made your dream come true.
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| 2009 BMW 730d |
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BMW's new 730d may not only mark a defining line in the sand for the Bavarian maker, but also the future of the diesel engine across all brands.
That a car weighing almost two tonnes can return similar economy to a 1.8-litre Honda Civic Vti is a significant breakthrough.
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| 2009 Volkswagen Golf 6 GT Tdi |
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A long drive is certain to reveal a car’s good and bad points, so the 360 mile (580km) round trip from medieval Warwick Castle in the West Midlands to stunning Lake Windermere in the Lakes District was a great test of Volkswagen’s latest Golf iteration.
We’re in a Golf 6 GT TDi with the excellent 2.0 litre turbodiesel, matched to VW’s outstanding DSG transmission, and as we join the M6 north of Solihull the Golf is already humming along smoothly, quietly and comfortably in the light Sunday morning traffic.
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| Honda Odyssey For 2009 Is Sleek And Smooth |
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‘Low’ and ‘sleek’ aren’t normally words used to describe a people mover, but the 2009 Honda Odyssey we have just road tested certainly deserves the description. Lower than some conventional station wagons, with slim head- and tail-lights that could have been designed for an Italian coupe, a huge grille that again shouts out ‘sports’, a long bonnet, and a lowset roof that tapers down at the back. This is the sort of vehicle that the kids don’t mind being carted in.
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| 2009 Jaguar XFR and XF |
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I plonk myself down in the driver's pew of the new Jaguar XFR.
The start button is pulsing red. I push it and the circular, rotating gearshift wheel rises like a phoenix from the console. It is somewhat symbolic for Jaguar. The air vents, which were no where to be seen, are suddenly open across the dash. The new 2010 year model XFR is open for business. I rotate the gearshift to `D' and depress the right pedal to start the road test. From the four exhausts there's a roar ... a deep throated snarl that only a performance V8 produces.
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| Even More Refined: The New Lexus RX350 |
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The latest Lexus RX350 for 2009 is very smooth and supremely quiet, especially on roads that are in good condition. On smooth roads tyre and suspension noise is all-but inaudible, the engine is but a distant hum, and air rush over the body is minimal. Rougher sealed roads do increase the incidence of tyre noise, though it's still more than acceptable. You really do feel cocooned from the outside world when you travel in a car like this.
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| Honda MDX: Looks Good, Works Well |
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Honda's big MDX 4WD is a crossover vehicle that’s aimed at the American market rather than the Japanese one. It also fits beautifully into the Australian scene as, like the Americans, we prefer our cars to be big, powerful and spacious.
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| 2009 Holden V8 AFM SS Ute |
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In January this year Holden wheeled out its new V8 AFM technology into automatic variants of its Commodore, Ute, Sportswagon, Statesman and Caprice. AFM stands for Active Fuel Management and simply means that four cylinders shut down when in coasting mode.It took us a while to get behind the wheel for a road test of an AFM vehicle, and when we did it was the 2009 SS Ute.
We elected to conduct some simple tests, just to see under varying road conditions what the AFM meant in the real world.
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| 2009 Lexus RX450h Hits The Road |
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It takes some degree of bravery by a car company to put up its latest car against the vehicle it replaces. After all, the new car should embarrass the old one which means you are denigrating your own product. But, that's just what Lexus did at the Australian launch of the all-new 2009 RX450h – h standing for hybrid. We were able to road test the new against the old at Sydney's Eastern Creek race track, both on the track and sliding around a skid pan.
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| Upgraded Skoda Octavia |
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Skoda has given its Octavia a bolder, cleaner appearance as part of a mid-life makeover of a model that's four years old. It's a slicker, sharper looking vehicle when viewed from any angle. At the front there's a new radiator grille, headlamps, foglamps and bumper. Larger side mirrors have a new look and the side protective mouldings are now finished in body colour.
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| Ferrari For California Lands Down Under |
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Nowhere on this planet do people come closer to the Californian way of thinking than on the Gold Coast of Australia. So it made a lot of sense for Ferrari to choose Brisbane as a launch site for its new open-top cruiser – the Ferrari California.
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| 2009 Holden Berlina V6 LPG |
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Ever been to a restaurant where the menu choices were so extensive that you become confused?
It's happened to me, mainly at Thai establishments. Too many delicious choices.
Right now the same applies to cars. Never in the history of the automobile have motorists have so many options, not just in makes, but models, body type, transmissions, engines and a plethora of add ons. Within the engine options we now have hybrid, petrol, diesel, and LPG, dual fuel, and electric plug-in is not far away.
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| Ford's 2009 Ranger Wildtrak |
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It's never easy launching a new model name in the automotive industry particularly when the previous name was well known and loved. Nissan found out the hard way when it replaced Pulsar with Tiida.
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| Nissan GT-R On The Road |
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Even before it hit the world’s roads we travelled to Japan to interview the engineers who designed the Nissan GT-R. Later, we flew south to Sydney to test drive it on the Eastern Creek raceway when it made its Australian debut. But now comes the toughest test of all for the hottest Nissan ever, that of driving the GT-R on normal roads, this time in our home area in south east Queensland.
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| Smart Wagon From Hyundai |
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Hyundai's new i30 cw wagon is a lot more than simply a hatchback with a different rear end. Because the wagon has been significantly extended in comparison with the i30 hatch, which been a big success on the Australian market since its launch in October 2007.
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| Subaru WRX 1994 – 2008 |
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Subaru's WRX, also known simply as the Rex, is an iconic high-performance machine worldwide, and nowhere more so than on the Australian market. It has been sold here since 1994 and has gained a strong following amongst those who like plenty of performance at a relatively modest price.
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| Upgraded Pajero Great To Drive |
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Mitsubishi has given its Pajero 4WD a midlife upgrade that concentrates on it being more useful rather than simply making it look different. Thus it comes with more power and torque in the turbo-diesel model. There's also improved noise suppression, an increase to the towing capacity and a bigger than ever model line-up.
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| Upgrades For Toyota's RAV4 |
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Toyota's unlikely pocket-rocket, the RAV4, late last year received an upgrade of mostly under-the-skin embellishments, most of which we are pleased to report were not required during our road test.
Most relate to safety, and the new equipment list enhances RAV4's appeal to the family market, the RAV4's staple diet, as a compact to mid size SUV.
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| Audi S3 Sportback S tronic |
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It's only when you push Audi's S3 with dual-clutch DSG transmission you realise just how quick it is. Lighting fast.
Faster than humanly possible. We're not talking about the car. We're talking transmission.
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| Chrysler's 300C Oil Burner |
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Cruising out in the Gold Coast hinterland in a Chrysler 300 C at the weekend it struck me I had the best of both motoring worlds.
A big, in-your-face, latter-day yank tank, with the economy of not-so-long-ago four cylinder cars.
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| Golf Makes An Excellent Cruiser |
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Volkswagen's Golf is one of the biggest selling cars of all time, so the arrival of the sixth generation Golf is an important event in world motoring. We have been driving a pair of new Golfs in a variety of countries over the last 10 days. One in Germany, Austria and Italy on a combined business/holiday trip; the other in our home area of the Gold Coast immediately after getting home.
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| MINI Diesel - The Best Of Both Worlds |
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Whoever coined the phrase “you can’t have your cake and eat it too” obviously hadn’t heard about the just-released MINI Cooper D. Translated into motoring terms the adage suggests that when selecting a car you can either have performance and driving pleasure or fuel economy, but you can’t get both from the same car.
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| More Variety From New Ford Ranger |
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Ford has launched the new PK Ranger workhorse, adding a stylish in-your-face-sports variant called Wildtrak. The new vehicle now has a tougher looking front end that features wrap-around head, three-bar grille, twin lateral nostrils and a raised bonnet, all inspired by the Ranger MAX show truck, revealed at the Thailand International Motor Expo last November.
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| Sleek New Mercedes Coupe |
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Mercedes' E-Class coupe is quite simply the most aerodynamic mass-production car you can buy. An exceptional amount of work has gone into the design to ensure this sleek body slips through the air more easily than any other car. Boasting a drag co-efficient of just 0.24, the big coupe produces fewer emissions because it uses less power to drive it.
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| 2009 Audi S4 Supercharged V6 |
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Not since the heady Auto Union days of the mid 1930's has Audi boasted a supercharged car. Then it was racer.
Today it's a high-performance sedan, the S4 launched in Australia this week. The 3.0 litre V6 supercharged engine replaces a 4.2 litre V8 in the previous S4, released here in November 2005.
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| Purring Pleasure - Mercedes CL63 AMG |
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I recently had the pleasure of being the pampered passenger in a Mercedes CL 63 AMG coupe driving from Stuttgart to Baden Baden in Germany for lunch…. As you do! Having just recently arrived in Europe I was not brave enough to take up the offer to drive this beautiful machine as it had been years since I had driven on right-hand drive roads in a left-hand drive car.
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| More Prestige In Polo |
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When it was launched late last year, Volkswagen's sixth-generation Golf received a lot of praise for its refinement, body rigidity and comfort. Now the German giant has moved the same technology down to Golf’s little brother the Polo. Riding in a Polo is now more akin to driving in a Golf, possibly even an older Passat model, thanks to numerous NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) measures. The result is likely to be a Polo that sits very high in the prestige stakes within its class.
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| Responsive, Sexy And Loves Curves |
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You know those “golden memories” you have? You don’t have lots of them. They are normally of innocuous events, simple things at the time until viewed in retrospect. Then they seem to be bathed in a golden light. Well a Saab convertible, my girlfriend and me created one of those memories the other afternoon.
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| 2009 Bentley Brooklands |
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Named after the famous British race circuit, scene of many Bentley victories, and bred from the Arnage sedan, and sibling to the Azure convertible, the Brooklands completes the range of big, grand touring Bentleys for a super small, but fanatical niche of wealthy enthusiasts.
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| Nissan's Navara King Cab Ute |
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You've got to feel sorry for tradies.
When it comes to decision time for their wheels of choice, never have they had it so good.
Which means it can become confusing, unless you know exactly what you're looking for.
Nissan have added to the confusion with their latest offering the Navara King Cab.
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| Alfa's Stunning Coupe |
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ALFA'S STUNNING COUPE: Though Alfa Romeo builds sedans and hatchbacks, even some station wagons, most people still think of the famed Italian marque primarily as a producer of sports coupes. Great looking coupes, that is, and few have ever looked better than the sensational Alfa Romeo Brera that was ushered into Australia midway through this year.
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| Sprinter For Slippery Surfaces |
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The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van and cab-chassis ranges are now available in Australia with all-wheel drive as an option. It's not there to offer off-road ability, but rather to aid vehicle traction in slippery on-road conditions. Though designed for snow and ice which are common occurrences in northern European winters, the 4WD system will also prove invaluable in muddy building sites in Australia, as well as in the outback after flooding rains have interrupted the droughts.
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| Maxima To The Max |
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Nissan Maxima in its about to be superseded format is one of the most stylish cars on Australian roads. Even five years after its introduction we find people give it a close look any time we drive one. Now the next generation has been shown to the motoring media and will be on sale from June 1.
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| Nissan X-Trail dCi |
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At the latest count there's 21 contenders in the compact SUV segment making it a hot spot for manufacturers and buyers.
Not bad for a market segment that was non existent less than 20 years ago.
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| BMW Hots Up Its X6 |
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BMW was known for its sports models long before it got into the 4WD/SUV field. So it comes as no surprise that the German company is harking back to what it knows best by building high-performance versions of the X5 and X6.
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| M3 Sedan A Stunner |
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M3 SEDAN A STUNNER: Competition at the ultra-sports end of the German car industry is running hot. BMW, Mercedes and Audi are introducing new high-performance models seemingly by the month in an attempt to outdo one another.
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| Refinement A Feature Of Isuzu D-Max |
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REFINEMENT A FEATURE OF ISUZU D-MAX: Though all but unknown in Australia until late 2009, the Isuzu D-Max is already becoming a recognised part of the local ute and pickup scene. Built in Thailand with specifications tailored to the Australian conditions and drivers desires, the D-Max is being imported by a new Queensland based company called IUA (Isuzu UTE Australia).
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| Astra Continues To Attract Buyers |
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The latest Holden Astra went on sale here in late 2004 and hindsight says its timing has been just right. At a time when buyers are looking to downside their cars from large family sixes Astra has struck a real chord with buyers.
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| Skoda Octavia RS (Lifestyle Extended Play) |
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YAMBA, THE NEW BYRON BAY: One of the great well-kept secrets on the northern New South Wales coast is Yamba. The reason for its hermit-like existence is just an hours drive north and is in the form of the over-rated, over-publicised township of Byron Bay.
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| Toyota Aurion - Refinement The Key To Aurion |
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REFINEMENT THE KEY TO AURION: Aimed very much at the Commodore and Falcon market segment, the Toyota Aurion, while slightly smaller than those big family cars is appealing to quite a few Australian buyers. Especially to those people looking to downsize a little in the interests of better fuel economy and lower emissions.
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| Volkswagen Caddy Maxi Life - Carries Seven Adults In Style |
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CADDY CARRIES SEVEN ADULTS IN STYLE: Two of the cleverest cars of all time are no doubt the VW pair, Beetle and Kombi. Forget classic looks, although these days this odd-couple are considered highly collectible cult cars. They revolutionised the small car market as well as creating the people mover concept.
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| Bigger, Better Citroen Berlingo |
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BIGGER, BETTER BERLINGO: Citroen Berlingo is virtually all-new from the ground up and is larger than ever before. Size is important in the light-commercial field and even in the smaller end of the market operators are finding the need for something a size up on last year’s model. Thus the Berlingo is now based on the platform from the Citroen C4 Picasso people mover a vehicle with a solid footprint on the ground.
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| Octavia Facelift Adds Impetus To Skoda |
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It's not easy launching a `new' car brand on the Australian market. In the past 15 months Skoda – a member of the Volkswagen Group along with Audi – has sold just 1200 cars. That's about as many Skoda Octavia's that were sold when Octavia was first released here in 1959 ...
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| Sonata Diesel Has A Euro Feel |
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There's something European in the feel of the Hyundai Sonata turbo-diesel we've been driving for the last week. Not so much in the dynamics, though we will talk about them in a moment, but in the fact that this is a mid-size car with a smallish engine and a manual gearbox.
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| Dodge Journey - Dodge Puts Function Over Form |
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DODGE PUTS FUNCTION OVER FORM: It is said every journey starts with one step. So just what trip is Dodge hoping to achieve with the Dodge Journey? It's hardly a fashion statement and apart from the distinctive Dodge cross hair grille it blends into the streets like an over-sized chameleon. What Journey lacks in style it makes up for in function.
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| Golf Adds Pirelli To Bag Of Tricks |
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GOLF ADDS PIRELLI TO BAG OF TRICKS: The Pirelli slogan `Power is nothing without Control' has a myriad of interpretations. Most obvious is political. This simple phrase says it all when it comes to the automobile.
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| Koleos In A Race Of Its Own |
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KOLEOS IN A RACE OF ITS OWN: Some people say, jokingly, mixed marriages won't work. Men and women, they claim, will never get along. There's ample evidence to suggest the contrary. One `mixed' marriage that has produced a remarkable offspring is that of French maker, Renault and Japan's Nissan.
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| Ford Territory Makeover |
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FORD TERRITORY MAKEOVER: Ford Territory is nothing else if not a sensible vehicle. Aimed at those who want good seating space, the ability to carry up to seven people (though some are sold with five seats), a large boot and a good view outside to keep the kids happy, Territory has been a big success for Ford Australia.
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| Jaguar X-Type Turbo Diesel - Fuel Saving Jaguar |
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FUEL SAVING JAGUAR: Somehow the thought of a diesel engine in a Jaguar just doesn’t seem right. Sure, there's plenty of performance in modern-day turbo-diesels, thus providing plenty of the pace for which Jags are famed. But refinement isn’t a diesel’s strong point. There's no doubt they're considerably more refined now than a few years back, but is that enough for traditional Jaguar buyers?
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| More From Mahindra |
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Mahindra has announced a major makeover of its 2009 Pik Up range to try and attract more Aussie buyers to its Indian-built vehicle. Though there are some changes to the appearance, the emphasis is on providing greater safety and even better value for money.
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| Holden Commodore SS |
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A FOUR-CYLINDER COMMODORE SS!: Keen to meet the needs of those who love to drive high-performance cars, but at the same time wanting to minimise exhaust emissions, GM-Holden has introduced a new high-tech V8 to its range. We have spent the last week enjoying life in a Commodore SS V8, usually with it running as a conventional V8, but at other times running on just four cylinders. That's right, a four-cylinder Commodore SS!
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| Practical With Prestige – The Audi S3 Sportback |
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PRACTICAL WITH PRESTIGE – THE AUDI S3 SPORTBACK: To many people this Audi S3 could be their ideal car. A small-medium car from a prestigious German marque, it offers plenty of style in an unpretentious manner. Styling that's more station wagon (Avant in Audi speak) than hatchback. Audi is a past master at wagons and is well respected in Europe for the models it offers.
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| Cute Micra Works Beautifully |
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CUTE MICRA WORKS BEAUTIFULLY: Nissan in Australia offers Japanese standards of quality and reliability at lower than average prices, nowhere more so than in the cute Micra. For just $14,990 you get a fully imported Japanese car with five doors and an automatic transmission. Normally cars in that price range are three-door models with a manual gearbox.
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| Volvo's Compact XC60 |
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VOLVO'S COMPACT XC60: Slow starters in the SUV field, probably because they thought the craze wouldn’t last, the Europeans are now hotly into the compact SUV market. The latest arrival is from Sweden. The Volvo XC60 is described by its designers as being a cross between a coupe and an SUV. But, we feel it's a genuine SUV, and would have it no other way from a company that specialises in sensible vehicles.
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| Outlander Pulling In Buyers |
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OUTLANDER PULLING IN BUYERS
The original Outlander 4WD was designed during a bold period in the car industry, a time when companies like Mitsubishi were experimenting in ways to push the boundaries. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t and consumers can be harsh judges.
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| Land Rover Defender - Defending The Tradition |
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DEFENDING THE TRADITION: Recaro sports seats in a utilitarian Land Rover Defender – the mind boggles. Yet these comfortable seats are a sensible part of the special edition Land Rover SVX 4WD introduced last year to celebrate the 60th anniversary of an iconic British 4WD. A vehicle in which we have just spent a most enjoyable week.
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| Ford Ranger - More Ruggedness |
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MORE RUGGEDNESS FOR RANGER: The Ford Ranger pickup replaced the company's long running Courier model in Australia at the end of 2006. The name change made sense because the Ranger is significantly larger than its predecessor. Ranger also had a tougher appearance in the manner of the modern ute and pickup. These days it's not enough for a light commercial to look like a basic working vehicle, it must have macho looks to go with the working man image.
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| Subaru WRX With More |
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WRX WITH MORE: Owners of Subaru WRX can be its greatest fans, but get them offside and they can prove to be the harshest critics. They know exactly what they want, and never hesitate to say so if they feel the factory isn’t giving it to them.
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| Mazda CX-9 |
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MAZDA'S BIG PEOPLE MOVER: Mazda's CX-9 provides an excellent combination of SUV styling and seven-seat people moving competence. A large vehicle, which is designed for the American minivan market rather than for customers in its home country of Japan, it has many features that are appreciated by Aussies.
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| Hyundai iMax - Maximum Space In Hyundai People Mover |
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MAXIMUM SPACE IN HYUNDAI PEOPLE MOVER: Fresh from its victory in the Australian Best Cars awards for Best People Mover, we have just spent a week road testing a Hyundai iMax diesel people mover.
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| Mercedes-Benz A-Class - Economy Mercedes Easy To Live With |
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ECONOMY MERCEDES EASY TO LIVE WITH: The Mercedes A180 is an extremely sensible small car with very good interior space. Space that should make it a serious option for those considering moving down to a smaller, more fuel efficient car.
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| MINI John Cooper Works |
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HOT MINI GREAT FUN: A coalition of wowsers and bureaucrats seem intent in taking all enjoyment out of motoring in Australia so it’s good to be able to drive a car like the new MINI. A car which lets you have pleasure when driving at low speeds, and which thrives on roundabouts aimed at slowing progress at every opportunity.
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| Grand Vitara Is Genuine 4WD |
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GRAND VITARA IS GENUINE 4WD: Suzuki has been a major player in the small 4WD field for four decades and is recognised worldwide as a master operator in this field. Its biggest accolades are handed out due to the fact that the Japanese marque makes genuine 4WDs, not pretend ones that look the part but aren't really intended to go into real 4WD territory.
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| Mitsubishi Evo X Excels |
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MITSUBISHI EVO X EXCELS: It stands for Evolution Number Ten, is usually called the Evo X, or simply The Evo, and is one special machine that means a lot to those who understand the nuances of hot four-cylinder cars. Indeed, even the V8 boys understand what Mitsubishi's Evo models are all about – though they may not always approve of their lack of sheer cubic inches.
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| Paradise in a Porsche 911 |
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PARADISE IN A PORSCHE: There's something about the sound and feel of a Porsche 911 that separates it from all other cars. We have just spent a wonderful week in one of the latest Porsches in Paradise (Surfers, that is), and enjoyed very minute of it.
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| Peugeot's Small Van Is Stylish Yet Functional |
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PEUGEOT’S SMALL VAN IS STYLISH YET FUNCTIONAL: Peugeot was slow at getting into the light-commercial in the modern era, but has come in boots-and-all in recent months. Not only introducing a small van called the Peugeot Partner, but also a big mover titled the Expert. We have spent the last week shifting things around in a Partner and will soon get into its big brother as well.
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| Volkswagen Caddy Maxi |
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LIFE IN A VW CADDY
From time to time you will hear us muttering in disgust at car designers who insist on letting fashion stand in the way of function. Whether it be sleek rooflines that steal headroom from those in the back seat, stylish doors with skinny storage pockets that can’t even hold a normal wallet, or gorgeously designed and printed instruments that are hard to read, seats that don’t support properly but look great – and lots more.
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| Hot Honda Jazz |
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HONDA JAZZ WORKS BRILLIANTLY: Honda has given us an all-new version of its popular Jazz small car. Rather than trying a revolutionary new design the Japanese maker has given us one that’s an evolution of the old model, but which is improved in just about every way.
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| More Grunt For Pajero Diesel |
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MORE GRUNT FOR PAJERO DIESEL: Having just passed the milestone of being on sale in Australia for 25 years, Mitsubishi has given its Pajero 4WD a minor upgrade with extra power and torque for the diesel variant, improved noise suppression in all variants, increased towing capacity and an expanded model line-up.
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| Sleek New Citroen C5 |
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SLEEK NEW CITROEN C5: Citroen's latest version C5 model is a big car with a lot of character. Very Citroen in its looks and feel. The latter may appear to be a daft statement to anyone who is not into cars, but the French marque founded by Andre Citroen in 1919 has long been famed for doing things in its own inimitable fashion
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| A Very Practical Scout |
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A VERY PRACTICAL SCOUT: There's something nice and old fashioned about the Skoda Octavia Scout 4X4. A description that’s certainly not intended to be insulting, because many people are looking for a family wagon that’s easy to use and simple to drive. Scouts, the human type, worldwide would appreciate the description of the vehicle carrying their name.
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| Tiguan Practical And Enjoyable |
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TIGUAN PRACTICAL AND ENJOYABLE
Tiguan is Volkswagen’s first compact SUV. It was introduced to the Australian market in May this year, and has been the subject of a long waiting list almost since day one. It seems the Australians’ love of VWs due to the German marque’s reputation for making rugged long-lasting machines sparked an instant liking for Tiguan.
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| Hot Megane Diesel A Delight To Drive |
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HOT MEGANE DIESEL A DELIGHT TO DRIVE: Renault Sport, the high-performance division of the French marque has introduced a turbo-diesel model to Australia. A brave move because most Australians at this stage think only of fuel economy when diesel is mentioned.
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| Murano - Generation Two |
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MURANO - GENERATION TWO: The Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego in southern California seemed an appropriate venue for the introduction to the Australian press of the second generation of Nissan's Murano crossover. Because the radical styling of the SUV people mover ties in beautifully with the hard-edged character of the Hard Rock franchise.
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| Gorgeous Little Toy - Audi's TTS Roadster |
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GORGEOUS LITTLE TOY - AUDI'S TTS ROADSTER: Drive a car like this hot Audi roadster in the right conditions and your outlook on life immediately changes for the better. Obviously it’s great if the driving is done on your favourite roads with a favoured partner, preferably with no other cars in sight.
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| Nissan's Big Bold Dual-Cab |
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NISSAN'S BIG BOLD DUAL-CAB: There's something nice and old-fashioned about the Nissan Navara ute. While a statement like that may have seemed most insulting if made about a passenger car, ute lovers don’t necessarily like their vehicles to be in the ultra-modern mould. So the guys who have penned the Nissan Navara have made it big and bold in its shape, unashamedly blue collar in its makeup.
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| European Car From Honda |
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EUROPEAN CAR FROM HONDA: Honda's Accord Euro lives up even more to its name in its new format than previously. It’s very much aimed at the European driver who loves to get the best from their car, both in terms of sheer driving enjoyment and economy of fuel consumption. Considering that fuel costs close to twice as much as in Australia the latter hardly comes as a surprise.
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| Hyundai Santa Fe Improved |
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SANTA FE IMPROVED: Hyundai has introduced its 2009 Santa Fe range to the motoring press at an event covering some genuine four-wheel driving as well as an overnight camping trip. Just the sort of lifestyle dreamt of, but all too seldom achieved, by those who buy 4WDs.
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| Twin-Turbo Diesel For BMW X5 |
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The relentless push by BMW Australia into the turbo-diesel market continues. This time with the introduction of a clever twin-turbo turbo-diesel powerplant that produces the sort of power and torque about which engineers could only dream a few years ago.
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| HiLux Gets Facelift, Mechanical Upgardes |
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HILUX GETS FACELIFT, MECHANICAL UPGRADES: HiLux may not be the most glamorous vehicle in the Toyota range, but it’s one of the major sellers and has dominated its market segment for years. Indeed, it actually managed to be the number-one vehicle in overall sales in Australia in May this year. That’s overall, not just in its class.
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| Mazda RX-8 Sizzles |
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MAZDA RX-8 SIZZLES!: There's something very special about the electric smoothness of the rotary engine installed in the Mazda RX-8. Nothing else on the road feels like it, sounds like it or goes in the same manner. The fast throttle response and the buzz from this special engine as it eagerly leaps up the rev range is guaranteed to put a smile on the face of anyone who loves their cars and driving.
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| Holden Epica Diesel - Holden's Fuel Economy Special |
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HOLDEN'S FUEL ECONOMY SPECIAL:One of the exceptions to the diesel rule is the recently introduced Holden Epica CDXi. It joins the European Astra diesel in the Holden range. That car has been selling reasonably well, though most buyers are still choosing petrol powerplants.
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| Mercedes M-Class Makeover |
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MERCEDES M-CLASS MAKEOVER: Mercedes-Benz has given its M-Class SUV a major makeover in the styling department. The German designed SUV features a bolder frontal appearance thanks to a bigger ‘egg-crate’ grille with plenty of standout brightwork. The grille design is very much focused around the Mercedes three-pointed star, a strong selling point of what is arguably the most prestigious vehicle in this class.
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| BMW's Big Bold New 7 Series |
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BMW has launched the latest version of its 7 Series saloon and it’s a remarkable piece of automotive technology wrapped in an elegant new body.
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| Dual Roles For Nissan |
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DUAL ROLES FOR NISSAN: Nissan's new Dualis, so named because it has dual roles to play, was the first vehicle to be designed at Nissan’s new European design centre in London. Though Japanese in its heritage, Dualis is very much aimed at the world’s markets, particularly in Europe where its soft-roader abilities are more in touch with local tastes.
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| Isuzu D-Max In Australia |
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ISUZU D-MAX IN AUSTRALIA: One of the world’s biggest selling utes, the Isuzu D-Max, is now on sale in Australia. Built in Thailand with specifications tailored to the Australian market it’s being marketed by a new Queensland based company called IUA (Isuzu UTE Australia).
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| Nissan X-Trail dCi Diesel |
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NISSAN X-TRAIL DIESEL:These days the Nissan X-Trail, the smallest 4WD in the Nissan range is almost as long as Nissan Patrol. We didn’t believe our eyes when this became obvious as we parked alongside a Patrol, but it really is true.
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| Volvo XC60 Combines Style With Safety |
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VOLVO XC60 COMBINES STYLE WITH SAFETY: The days of Volvo being known for producing conservative and staid vehicles are now well and truly a thing of the past. Ever since the arrival of the stylish S60 sedan around ten years ago Volvo designers have produced a number of innovative and attractive cars.
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| Dodge Journey - The Journey To Flexibility |
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THE JOURNEY TO FLEXIBILITY: In this case the destination is not a town, but an end-result. Here is a new concept from Chrysler, called the Dodge Journey, and it gives new meaning to the word flexibility. Describing the Journey could lead to confusion – is it a people mover, a passenger car, SUV or station wagon? Actually, it’s all of these things and more.
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| Volvo V70 Wagon |
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VOLVO'S V70 WAGON: Volvo's new luxury-sport V70 estate wagon is a quiet, comfortable cruiser that seems certain to pick up quite a few customers. We wouldn’t be surprised if it enticed many of them away from large SUVs, because rising fuel prices finally seem to be slowing big 4WD sales.
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| Fiat's New Scudo Works Hard |
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FIAT’S NEW SCUDO WORKS HARD: Fiat Scudo is a smaller brother to the big Ducato van, the latter now in its seventh year on our local market. It seems a surprise that it as taken the Italian marque to long to introduce another van. This is probably because it has been concentrating hard on passenger cars over the last few years. Whatever the reason, Scudo is here to scud along Aussie roads, so we have just spent a week test driving one.
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| RAV4 V6: Smooth And Refined |
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RAV4 V6: SMOOTH AND REFINED: The latest model Toyota RAV4, launched in Australia early in 2006, is significantly bigger than previous models and is now aimed at the family car market rather than the trendy singles and couples that its honourable ancestors serviced.
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| Mercedes-Benz S320 CDI - High-Performance, Low Emissions |
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HIGH-PERFORMANCE, LOW EMISSIONS: It is now passe to use the terms luxury and diesel in the one sentence. Time has moved on, diesel engine technology has outstripped, at least for the time being, its petrol cousin, and oil burners with the latest common-rail injection systems are, well, common.
When Mercedes-Benz releases a diesel variant in its top of the range luxury S-Class in Australia, you know the diesel engine has arrived.
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| Grander Vitara From Suzuki |
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GRANDER VITARA FROM SUZUKI: Suzuki's Grand Vitara is becoming an increasing rarity in the 4WD field, because it really is a 4WD. This is not a people mover dressed up in a macho body and (sometimes) with drive to all four wheels. Grand Vitara is a genuine off-roader with a tough body that can cope with real off-road work.
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| Expert At Carrying Stuff |
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EXPERT AT CARRYING STUFF: Though there have been a number of private imports of Peugeot light commercials over the years, it comes as a surprise that this is the first time the famed French marque has decided to get really serious about the van market in Australia. So it has gone to a lot of trouble to source exactly the right variants for our demanding buyers.
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| Grand Voyager Is Spacious And Comfortable |
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GRAND VOYAGER IS SPACIOUS AND COMFORTABLE: Chrysler's Grand Voyager was one of the early runners in the people mover market and remains a major player in its home market in the USA today. While a relative newcomer in Australia, only dating back to 1997, it has won plenty of admirers in this country. While they realise the Grand Voyager is far from being the lowest cost vehicle, buyers who like minivans in the American style swear by them.
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| Great Little Ragtop From BMW |
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GREAT LITTLE RAGTOP FROM BMW: This little open-top car from BMW is a real blast from the past, yet ultra-modern at the same time. Because the German designers have gone for the best of both worlds. The use of a ragtop will appeal to those who like their convertibles to stand out from the crowd. The biggest drawback of a folding hardtop is that no-one knows it isn’t a fixed head coupe when the roof is up. Which, sadly, for most of us is most of the time.
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| VW's Hot R50 Touareg |
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VW'S HOT R50 TOUAREG: How times change, the first time I ever seriously tested a 4WD was at Oran Park Raceway in Sydney, way back in the early 1980s. But the testing of the old LandCruiser wasn’t done on the racing circuit, that simply wouldn’t have made sense. Indeed, to even consider driving the tough truck around bends would have been a joke.
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| Subaru Forester - A Smart Choice |
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FORESTER: A SMART CHOICE: It probably comes as no surprise that motoring journalists talk to one another about their favourite cars. The machines they would like in their garages, if they could afford them, that is. Also not surprising is that high-performance and upper-luxury cars sit high in their lists. Ferraris feature, Lamborghinis are in there as well.
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| Proton's Personable Persona |
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PROTON’S PERSONABLE PERSONA: Persona sedan is the latest car to come to Australia from the Malaysian car maker Proton. Virtually a four-door variant of the five-door Gen.2 hatchback that’s been here since 2004, it offers exceptional value for money. Positively stacked with the sort of equipment that’s usually only seen on upmarket European cars, Persona has a price list beginning at only $16,990.
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| Hot Ute From TRD |
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HOT UTE FROM TRD: Had a TRD HiLux ute on test all last week. For the first 10 minutes I hated it, because of the shrieking engine, firm suspension, squealing tyres and the high driving position. Then something clicked in my brain and for the remaining 167 hours and 50 minutes I loved this hot Toyota – because of the shrieking engine, firm suspension, squealing tyres and the high driving position!
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| Hot Ute From TRD |
Had a TRD HiLux ute on test all last week. For the first 10 minutes I hated it, because of the shrieking engine, firm suspension, squealing tyres and the high driving position. Then something clicked in my brain and for the remaining 167 hours and 50 minutes I loved this hot Toyota – because of the shrieking engine, firm suspension, squealing tyres and the high driving position!
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| Jaguar's Graceful XF |
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JAGUAR'S GRACEFUL XF: Jaguar takes the Australian market very seriously, and not just because our country is a former British colony. Australia is one of the most complex and hardest-fought automotive arenas in the world. So what works here can often be transferred to many other areas of the world.
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| Audi Q5 Is A Neat Package |
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AUDI Q5 IS A NEAT PACKAGE: Pleased with the success of its big Q7 SUV, Audi has just released a smaller brother to the range. Audi Q5 is a handy size, significantly so because the only real complaint we have ever heard about the Q7 is about its bulk. Its sheer size is due to the fact it was primarily designed for the US market.
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| Mazda6 A Superb Drive |
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MAZDA6 A SUPERB DRIVE : The latest Mazda6 is significantly larger than the previous model and may even appeal to those looking for a six-cylinder car but who are frightened off by uncertainty on fuel prices. Our recent week’s road testing confirmed our view that the new ‘6 has a feeling of refinement and quietness that’s comparable to a car a size larger.
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| Fiat Ritmo - Ritmo Has The Rhythm Drivers Love |
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RITMO HAS THE RHYTHM DRIVERS LOVE: Our Italian mates tell us that Ritmo is Italian for rhythm, which sums up the feel of this new hatchback from Fiat extremely well. Get this car on a good road and put it to the test and the flowing rhythm with which it handles the situation is sure to bring a smile to the face of any keen driver.
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| Kia Sorento - Good On-Road And Off |
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KIA SORENTO - GOOD ON-ROAD AND OFF: Kia's Sorento is a medium large 4WD that satisfies the needs of many buyers in this class. Kia's a relative newcomer to the SUV scene (Sorento was introduced here in 2003), so doesn’t have a much heritage compared to the Toyotas and Nissans of the world. But it has already gained a decent reputation among those looking for a genuine vehicle.
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| Lexus Excels In Luxury |
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LEXUS EXCELS IN LUXURY : Lexus has fitted just about every luxury item known to mankind into its just released third-generation LX series of 4WDs. Now tagged the LX570, the number indicating the capacity of its big twin-cam 5.7-litre engine, the large off-roader excels in many other ways. Because this isn’t purely luxury transport for a spoiled foursome, instead the LX570 is a full-scale people mover that provides comfort for up to eight people all of whom can be adults, though four adults and four children is a more practical arrangement.
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| FIAT'S FUN 500 |
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FIAT'S FUN 500: It’s all about style, because style and fashion are just as important in the automotive arena as in any other area of life. Of course, there are always people who buy purely for commonsense reasons, but for the others it’s vital to have the right product with the correct label at the exact time.
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| Ford's Fastest Territory: The F6X |
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FORD'S FASTEST TERRITORY - THE F6X: Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) has taken a standard Territory Ghia and turned it into a hot performance machine it calls the FPV F6 X-270. Though it’s subtle in appearance, the fastest Territory comes with some strong styling features.
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| Lancer Meets Demands Of Families |
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LANCER MEETS DEMANDS OF FAMILIES: Mitsubishi's revival in Australia continues. Once the Japanese company manufactured cars here as well as importing others from Japan. Now it’s purely an importer, and leading the charge in the sales race is the Mitsubishi Lancer.
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| Mercedes-Benz Vito - A Van For All Reasons |
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A VAN FOR ALL REASONS: In these days of high fuel prices, with threats of even bigger costs to come, many people are looking at ways to trim fuel costs. One method is to sell that second car and become a one-car family the way we used to be. Trouble is that finding one car to meet all needs is all but impossible.
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| Sporty New Wagon From Holden |
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SPORTY NEW WAGON FROM HOLDEN: Given our society’s current feeling that fashion is far more important than function, Holden looks to have timed its new Sportswagon brilliantly. Gone are the days of Commodore station wagons that were designed to be big, spacious and sensible, this new model puts style ahead of everything else.
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| Cut Price Workhorse From SsangYong |
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SsangYong has announced a new low-cost variant of its Sports Dual Cab. Coming to Australia at just $24,990 for the 4x2 with a modern common-rail turbo-diesel engine and five-speed manual it offers a lot of vehicle to the cash-strapped Aussie tradie. Hence the title of SsangYong Tradie.
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| BMW's Magnificent 650i |
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BMW's flagship 6 Series, offered in coupe and convertible format, is a large machine with just a touch of arrogance. The styling, it’s one of the later cars to be designed by the controversial Chris Bangle, works well and drew plenty of positive comments during our recent week with a coupe. It received a facelift and tail-tuck late last year, with the latter being the most recognisable change as it features a built-in spoiler.
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| A New Lotus Blows In |
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Let’s get this straight, up front. The Lotus Elise SC is no heavyweight sports car. What it can do is compete with the heavyweights on its own terms to deliver exhilarating performance, nimble handling and lots of chassis integrity. In fact after just a couple of minutes in the cockpit it is an initial impression of engineering and manufacturing integrity which conditions you to the personality and performance of the Elise SC. You think, “This car was made by people who know their stuff.”
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| Saab 9-3 Cabriolet Is Sporting Diesel |
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Saab has taken the interesting move of offering a turbo-diesel engine in its sporting convertible. Though diesel sports variants are common in Europe, Australian importers have been reluctant to introduce them in cars in this country, feeling the engines are aimed more at the buyer of economy models than at the sporting driver.
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| Honda's New CR-V Points To The Future |
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Those who continue to berate 4WD buyers as being environmental vandals are getting further and further out of touch with reality. Because many of today's 4WDs, more commonly called SUVs to differentiate them from the old-style 4WDs, are more on-road station wagons than off-road workers.
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| Sports Navara Range Expands |
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SPORTS NAVARA RANGE EXPANDS: Nissan Australia has greatly increased the range of body types on offer in its Navara D40 light commercials. Heading up the new choices is a spacious extended-cab, or King Cab in Nissan speak, variant. Using rear doors that hinge at the back makes for simply access through an area uncluttered by a side pillar. There are two occasional seats in the extended rear area. These fold down from the back as the area is normally used for secure stowage of cargo.
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| Hyundai i30 Takes The Euro Route |
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Hyundai's i30 is one of the most cosmopolitan cars on the Australian market today. Which is certainly no accident because the South Korean maker is very serious about competing on a global scale. So much so that it had the car styled in Europe and set up for the high speed roads that are such a feature of efficient driving over there.
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| New Jeep Cherokee |
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NEW JEEP CHEROKEE: New Jeeps have been popping out of the factory seemingly every few months, but most have been soft-road pretenders, not real 4WDs as defined by the purists. And few are more pure than the full-on Jeep lovers. So we announce with pleasure that the all-new Jeep Cherokee is the real thing. A tough vehicle aimed at hard off-road running.
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| Honda Accord: Spacious And Refined |
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Honda's Accord is bigger than ever and is now similar to the Falcon and Commodore in its dimensions. Indeed, in this format it’s officially classed as a ‘large’ car by the American official definition. This car has been designed for the American market and is a big success over there. However, the Japanese maker is well aware of the push for lower fuel consumption and emissions and has engineered its new Accord with these important matters very much in mind.
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| Peugeot's Partner |
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PEUGEOT’S PARTNER: As well as entering the fray of the light-commercial Australian market with a large van called the Expert, Peugeot is also importing a smaller van with the equally interesting title of Partner. Partner is less commercial than Expert, indeed in many other countries it’s sold with added seats as a tall station wagon. So the van variant benefits from the comfort and refinement built into the suspension and steering.
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| smart fortwo - How Smart Is This! |
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HOW SMART IS THIS!: I think I’ll scream the next time someone looks at a smart car and says, “Wouldn’t be much good on the open road, would it?” Because they are completely misunderstanding what the little car is all about. This is one very smart machine aimed at those who live in cities, who suffer from severely limited parking and who love to be able to come and go as they please.
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| Humming Along In The Suburbs |
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HUMMING ALONG IN THE SUBURBS: A few months back we put several new Hummer H3s through their paces in fair dinkum off-road conditions. And came away most impressed with its ability to scramble over and through deeply rutted muddy tracks, as well as up and down steep slopes with plenty of loose, slippery rocks. Harsh as those conditions were, the Hummer left us with the impression it could have done a lot more.
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| The Ferrari 430 Scuderia |
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THE FERRARI 430 SCUDERIA: This week I was invited to attend the launch of the Ferrari 430 Scuderia at EuroMarque, the official Ferrari dealer for Queensland. I was standing in for well known motoring journalist Ewan Kennedy, who was unable to attend the launch due to pressures of other launches.
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| Grand Grange From HSV |
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GRAND GRANGE FROM HSV: There's something very Australian about HSV cars. They are big, powerful, easy going, and just love working hard and playing hard. At one of the pinnacles of the HSV range sits the Grange. A large luxurious sedan with a hard edge, but one that’s not too hard because in the endless comfort/performance compromise there's a leaning towards the former. Though certainly not to the extent that these are soft cars.
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| Sizzling Type-R From Honda |
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The Civic Type-R is the latest entrant in Honda's long-running and highly-acclaimed range of specialised hot cars. To those who know about sporting automotive items, the very name of Type-R cries out about performance, styling and driving pleasure.
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| Magnificent Maserati |
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As a designer of purebred sports cars, the Maserati marque is not willing to accept compromises. So even the four-door Quattroporte saloon is aimed at the high-performance grand-touring driver, not at someone who is more interested in image than actuality.
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| New Patriot Is The Cheapest Jeep |
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NEW PATRIOT IS THE CHEAPEST JEEP: After years of avoiding the booming soft-road SUV market like the plague, iconic American 4WD maker Jeep has released its second such vehicle in six months. Following on from the March 2007 launch of the Jeep Compass comes the new Patriot.
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| Picturesque Picasso |
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Citroen C4 Picasso, is a good-looking seven-seat people mover that puts the famed French marque into a new segment in this country. The original, even more stylish, Picasso was considered for our market and many overseas tourists had been asking the local importer about it for ages. Their wish has finally been granted, though the loss of the amazing rear end on the first Picasso will be lamented. The new back end is very square and practical.
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| New Avenger Is Distinctively Dodge |
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Dodge has released the third vehicle in its Australian renaissance in the form of a mid-sized sedan called Avenger.
We’ve long admired the adventurous styling of Chrysler’s products and Avenger is no different. It is bold, aggressive and chiseled in that distinctively Dodge manner that we’ve previously seen in the Caliber and Nitro. Styling is likely to be a major selling point for this brash new American.
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| Saab Biopower: The Way Of The Future |
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We have just spent a fascinating week in a car that could point to the way of the future in automotive engines. A Saab 9-5 BioPower station wagon, a car that can run on petrol blends with up to 85 per cent ethanol. The 2.0-litre, turbocharged BioPower engines will run on any mix, from straight petrol through the 10 per cent ethanol that is becoming relatively common in service stations, all the way up to 85 per cent ethanol. With all ethanol/petrol combinations in between.
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| From India Comes Mahindra |
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When you learn that the Mahindra company in India began by assembling Willys Jeeps in 1945 and is today the world’s fourth largest maker of tractors, it gives you some idea what it is all about. Making no-nonsense vehicles for buyers more interested in value than in fancy frills. Which is exactly what you get when you buy one of the just-released Mahindra Pik Up utes.
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| Refined, Powerful New Tarago |
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There are those who feel that people movers should be utilitarian vehicles that work hard but don’t make any statements in the styling stakes. Toyota begs to disagree. Right from the start, over 20 years ago, its Tarago has been at the forefront of people-mover styling. Its latest model is sleek, almost futuristic, in its looks both inside and out and there's no doubt it benefits in the sales race because of this.
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| Kia's Smaller Carnival Is Well Priced |
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The latest Kia Carnival, the VQ series, comes with the choice between standard and long wheelbases. The latter has been out for about 18 months now, but the standard is a relative newcomer so is the subject of this week’s road test.
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| Toyota's Very Practical Yaris |
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Toyota Yaris is doing well in the Australian sales race. Partly because surging fuel prices have pushed buyers in the direction of smaller cars, but principally due to the fact that it’s a very good car with many pleasingly practical attributes.
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| Compass Takes Jeep In New Direction |
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COMPASS TAKES JEEP IN NEW DIRECTION: When it comes to 4WD vehicles Jeep enjoys an almost iconic status. Since the production of the first Jeep back in 1941 the name has been synonymous for rugged, go-anywhere vehicles but in recent years the company has been faced with the dilemma of addressing the desire of modern motorists for increased comfort and luxury in their vehicles.
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| Lexus RX400h Upgraded |
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LEXUS RX400h UPGRADED: Lexus is one of the leaders in the world of hybrid vehicles and in Australia has just sold its 1000th vehicle. Not a huge number in absolute terms, but an indication that people are becoming interested in reducing greenhouse gases and saving money on fuel.
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| Peugeot 207 Gets Up And Goes |
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Peugeot is selling a staggering variety of models in its 207 range in Australia. Which hardly comes as a surprise because the 207 is a major player in the European market and the French maker wants to offer something for just about everyone.
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| Conservative Camry |
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For some reason no car maker wants to pitch its products to the conservative buyer. Which really doesn’t make sense because there are plenty of just that sort of person in the market at any one time. People looking for a good car at the right price – and whose conservative lifestyle means they can afford to buy exactly what they need.
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| Stunning Value In Kia Magentis |
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Kia Magentis is yet another new contender in the medium-to-large car market in Australia. And in a very Korean way, the company has gone straight for the hip pocket in its marketing strategy. Pricing it from just $25,990 means Magentis is sure to attract the attention of the buyers searching for something big and comfortable for not a lot of cash.
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| Elegant Elantra |
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The new Hyundai Elantra is larger than ever before. The front seats are suited to full-sized Aussie males, they well shaped and provide good support. The driving position is suited to most and Hyundai gives four-way seat adjustment in the topline models, while the lower-cost Elantra has height adjustment only, so there's plenty of opportunities to tailor the seat to the driver’s needs.
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| First Class Economy |
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Midway through 2006, Audi added the option of a turbo-diesel to its topline A8 series. Thus becoming the first of the big German marques to offer an economy engine in its top line model. Diesels are renowned for their low fuel consumption, but there are those who question the need for fuel economy in a $210,000 motor car. That’s missing the point, because low fuel consumption also means lower emissions of greenhouse gases and rich people are often looked upon as trendsetters.
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| Chrysler 300C Now Offers Economy |
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The Chrysler 300C is selling up a storm in Australia, often topping its class in the upmarket sales stakes, so it makes sense for it to offer a model with a turbo-diesel engine. Thus upstaging its arch rivals Ford and Holden by becoming the first diesel engine in today’s under-$100,000 luxury-car class in Australia.
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| Alfa's Stunning 159 |
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ALFA'S STUNNING 159: The new Alfa Romeo 159 sedan looks simply superb from any angle, but in particular from the front where that extensive nose makes a real statement. Everyone who looked at the car during our recent week’s test was rapt in the shape and it was invariably the first thing they wanted to talk about.
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| BMW 130i A Real Delight |
Driving a BMW 130i for a week has reminded us why BMW chose not to go front-wheel drive. Because the balance and sporting feel of this small car is simply sensational. This is a five-door hatchback that even in its standard format is guaranteed to bring a smile to the face of all keen drivers. And the hot 130i we tested is far from being standard. It’s even quicker, either in a straight line or on demanding roads with lots of interesting twists and turns.
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| Alfa's 147 A Delight To Drive |
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We’ve just spent a most pleasant week at the wheel of the Alfa Romeo 147 – the European Car of the Year for 2001. That award is generally recognised as the motoring world's most prestigious of its type and it couldn’t have gone to a nicer little car. Styling has always been a major component of Alfa Romeo’s success and the Alfa 147 is a classic example of how well it can be done.
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| New Proton A Savvy Buy |
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Proton’s Savvy is – dare we say it – a savvy buy in this day and age of rising fuel prices. With low fuel consumption this new car from the Malaysian maker is a little city car of the type that roams the streets of Europe in huge numbers. From its pretty styling through its zippy driving feel to the superb suspension this little beastie provides a lot of driving enjoyment.
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| Blast From The Past – The PT Cruiser Cabriolet |
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Chrysler's icon PT Cruiser is now in the showrooms in a new format, as a great looking open-top special. One of the most interesting cabriolets we have seen for a long time thanks to its retro looks and feel.
The shape is a real blast from the past and grabbed attention wherever we took it during the week’s road test we have, sadly, just completed. With the electrically powered top down this is one of the most enjoyable vehicles we have ever ridden in.
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| Jaguar's New S-Type Diesel |
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Though it was originally hesitant about introducing diesel engines here, Jaguar in Australia may have got its timing just right. Upmarket European marques have smoothed the way, with German turbo-diesels now being offered in every significant market segment.
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| New-Look Odyssey |
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The third-generation Honda Odyssey, launched in Australia midway through 2004, was already a much lower, sleeker machine than we have ever seen before in a seven-seat people mover. Yet, not content with that, Honda's designers have given it an even sportier look as part of a midlife makeover.
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| HSV Clubsport Features A Race Car Look |
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HSV CLUBSPORT FEATURES A RACE-CAR LOOK: With the latest HSV models nearing the end of the line the Melbourne based supplier of hot Commodores has come up with strong styling changes guaranteed to grab serious attention. The front end has been revamped with strong angular lines in the intake ducts, the best news of all is that these now have race-car mesh grilles. Unusually, mesh is also used on the rear diffuser.
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| Big Range Of Audi A4 Models |
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Keen on becoming a full-on force amongst the prestige German car marques in Australia, Audi is offering a huge number of models to tempt the largest possible number of buyers. No more so than in the A4 range where there are engines with either four, six or eight cylinders, ranging in size from 1.8 to 4.2 litres.
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| Lexus IS250 Looks Great, Goes Well |
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The Lexus IS250 is a sports sedan in the true sense of that often misused term. Meaning it has excellent handling, a responsive engine and brakes well up to the task of hard driving. Launched in Australia in November last year it was all-new and replaced both the Lexus IS200 and IS300.
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| Supple Jaguar A Delight To Drive |
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In March 2004 Jaguar offered a six-cylinder engine in its largest sedan for the first time in seven years. The welcome return of the Jaguar six also resulted in the revival of the revered XJ6 tag for the car, a designation that had been used by the marque for decades and was very much part of the upmarket motoring scene worldwide. Somehow ‘XJ8’ just didn’t have the same ring to it as XJ6, in the ears of the purists.
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| The Hottest Crossfire |
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We’ve just spent a great week in the hottest of all the Chrysler Crossfire models, the supercharged SRT-6 roadster. And what a great little beast it is. Not a car for the faint-hearted, it will give the true driver a great deal of pleasure. Whether you’re running gently around your favourite haunts en route to the best cafes or, ideally, giving it a real blast over your favourite roads a silly smile is likely to be on your face all the time.
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| Citroen C4 Coupe |
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Citroen's just launched C4 sees a real return to the famed marque’s roots. The French maker is renowned for designing quirky cars with fascinating technology. Our test car this week was the fascinating three-door coupe version of the C4 range. Similar in style at the front to the five-door hatch, the coupe has a distinctly different tail using a steeply sloping roof and a glass rear panel.
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| Audi A3 Sportback Looks Great |
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There's a purposeful look about Audi's new A3 Sportback that will appeal to the no-nonsense person looking for a prestige car. The smallest Audi sold in Australia has the practicality of four passenger doors, something that’s missing from the hatchback variant launched midway through last year.
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| Alfa 166 Facelift Works Well |
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ALFA 166 FACELIFT WORKS WELL: There's just something about Italian women. Excuse my political incorrectness and over generalisation, but these ladies seem to be able to keep their looks and charm well past the age when women in most countries have long since given up trying. It’s something to do with the way they instinctively have good taste in their grooming and about the way they carry themselves when parading the streets of their fabulous old cities.
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| MG Sedan Has V8 Power |
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MG SEDAN HAS V8 POWER: The MG ZT 260 is a sensational machine that may just grab the fancy of muscle-car drivers in Australia. That’s because it uses one of our favourite formulas in having a big V8 stuffed into a small body. In this case a 4.6-litre unit already familiar to us from the Ford Mustang. The 260 in the MG's title stands for the output in horsepower, in metric terms that’s 191 kilowatts so there's plenty of grunt under the bonnet.
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