Car Reviews

People movers, like Kevin Rudd and boat people, aren’t very popular in Australia. I can count with one hand the number of MPVs (multi-purpose vehicle) that are in our showrooms today. There’s the aging Honda Odyssey, the rarer than a Victorian tea-cup Peugeot 5008, the clumsy Chrysler Voyager, the everybody …

Car makers these days pay a great deal of attention on lower emissions, better fuel efficiency, reduced weight and smaller displacement engines. Of course at the top of the crop there are still big powered V8 saloons but they don’t change hands for anything under six figures. Fortunately, that’s not …

Colour Head-up Display, Blind Spot Monitor, Lane Departure Warning, Forward Collision Alert, Automatic Park Assistant, keyless entry and start, the list goes on. These could have come from the brochure of a Japanese or European luxury brand, but they weren’t. These, and much more, is straight out of the 2013 …

Holden’s all-new Malibu is the company’s second shot at the mid-size segment after its previous mid-sizer, the Holden Epica, disappointing sales performance. That means the Malibu has to once again take on the segment’s long time favourite, the Toyota Camry. Not an easy task but in view of how well …

Photos by: Dario Duno Having driven the latest Holden Commodore Evoke a couple of weeks back and came out mightily impressed, jumping into the VF Commodore Ute SV6 is like swapping legs with Tyson Gay – one of the world’s top sprinters. With two less doors and only a pair …

If you are looking to buy the 2013 Volkswagen Touareg R-Line, chances are you are either contemplating if it’s worth the extra $30k over the standard Touareg for a more powerful V8, or if you are better off saving $20k over an Audi Q7 4.2TDI, which is, mechanically the same …

The original Ford Kuga was launched in Europe in 2008. However, it didn’t arrive in Australia until last year, towards the end of its model cycle, as Ford Australia scrambles to grab a piece of the lucrative mid-size SUV market. A few found homes but due to its high thirties …

Today’s estates, tourers, wagons or whatever you like to call them, are more than just luggage carriers. Looking good is now an important selling point as crucial as space. And at first glance, the 2013 Opel Insignia Tourer looks to have both covered. But still, it faces a pool of …

How do you improve on a car that already sets the benchmark for others to follow? Load it with even more features and enhance its dynamics, safety and fuel efficiency without costing any more. Welcome to the all-new 2013 Volkswagen Golf 7. As more and more Australians are deserting large …

I approached the Holden VF Commodore Evoke with slight melancholy, because I know this gleaming new car will be the last of its line – the last truly indigenous Commodore. Like the Sumatran Tiger which has fewer than 400 in the wild, the Commodore is high on the automotive endangered …

Photos by: Dario Duno This is the 2014MY Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X MR. Yes, I know. I wish I could say it’s all-new too, but it isn’t. Besides the “new” mildly revised front bumper…. And the “new” coloured multi-information display…. And the “new” chunkier side skirts…. And the “new” body …

The highly competitive urban SUV segment in Australia is getting increasingly crowded, especially with the launch of yet another newcomer – the 2013 Holden Colorado 7. But wait, the Colorado 7 is, more appropriately, a full size SUV aimed at competing with it, not in it. That’s because, unlike other SUVs …

Photos by: Dario Duno The Volkswagen Beetle is one of the brand’s oldest models. The original was launched in 1938 and has since sold more than 22 million units worldwide. It was “the people’s car” – simple, affordable and dynamically robust. Unlike its humble forebear, the latest generation Volkswagen Beetle …

The Mitsubishi ASX 1.8 Diesel Manual we tested last year was a competent little number that comes with a sprightly engine mated to a smooth shifting six-speed manual. There is technically nothing wrong with the drivetrain, except the Australian motoring public’s affinity with automatic transmission. Available only as a manual, …