Car Reviews

The Alfa Romeo MiTo is the Italian marque’s first city car since the much lauded Alfasud from the late 70’s. Created to take on class favourites like the MINI and Fiat 500, the MiTo aims to be a fun and inexpensive offering targeted at young urbanites. Refreshed and reloaded for …

The last time I took a second look at a city car was when a P-plater zoomed past in a white Audi A1 with the registration plate “THX-DAD”. I thought to myself: “Lucky Girl”. Most city cars are about as interesting as a phone directory. But not this one. Based on …

The BMW X5 is, arguably, the pioneer of the current crop of luxury urban SUV. When the first generation was released in 1999, the X5 shaped a whole new movement amongst premium vehicle manufacturers. BMW even created a new acronym for the vehicle – SAV, or Sports Activity Vehicle. Back …

The Hyundai ix35 replaces the Tucson as the Korean carmaker’s second attempt at the highly competitive compact SUV segment. Going against the likes of Nissan Qashqai, Holden Captiva 5, Ford Kuga and Mazda CX-5, the ix35 promises to offer style, practicality and versatility in an affordable package. 2014 sees the …

When it comes to online shopping, there’s Amazon. When it comes to executive sedan, there’s the BMW 5 Series. For decades, the propeller badged saloon has been the benchmark in the executive class, eclipsing the Audi A6, Mercedes E-Class and Lexus GS. Things have started to change in recent years, however, …

Like me, most of you are likely to see Skoda through a pair tainted lens, a legacy of the brand’s humble Eastern Bloc origin. Think Skoda 105, 120 and 125 – a trio of painfully basic models that were produced from 1976 to 1990. Loved by Hollywood for car-chasing scenes …

For the past 60 years, the Jeep Wrangler has been the symbol of freedom on four wheels. While the world has progressed from analogue to digital, the Wrangler has seemingly refused to move an inch away from its roots. But who cares? People want a no nonsense offroader that is …

R-Ding-Ding-Di-Ding-Di-Di-Di-Ding-Ding Bop-Bo-Bop-Bo-Bop-Bop-Booop-Bop-Bop-Bob Be-Bob-Bob-Bob-Bob-Brrim-Brram Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba WEEE…. If this page could sing, you might recognise the song – The Crazy Frog Song. It invaded mobile phones all over the world and is arguable one of the most annoying ring tones, ever. Yes. That one. If you still have no idea what I’m …

The Jeep Grand Cherokee is one of Australia’s most popular SUVs, and it’s not hard to see why. When we drove the 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland, we loved its driveability, off-road abilities and the long list of standard equipment. With the range starting at just $43,000, this soundly engineered SUV hits …

If the naughties were the golden age for the SUV, the teenies is definitely the golden age for the hot hatch. At last count, there were no fewer than eighteen of them in Aussie showrooms, ranging from the Ford Fiesta ST we have on test here – which can be …

After taking a seven-year sabbatical, the Lexus ES is back in Australia. Now in its sixth generation, the company hopes the new model will rekindle the flame with loyal Lexus customers who bought 7,000 ES between 1992 and 2006 – 2500 of which still returns to Lexus dealers for regular …

The Lexus IS 300h completes the last piece of the jigsaw in the Japanese premium marque’s hybrid offerings. Every model in the Lexus’ line up now has a petrol-electric variant, as the brand hopes for hybrid models to make up half of its total sales. The IS 300h is the …

The Holden Barina RS is the latest addition to the company’s city hatchback. Joining the lineup as the sports model, the RS’ extra punch comes from a 1.4-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol engine pinched from the locally made Holden Cruze. It produces 103 kW of power at 4,300 rpm and 200 …

The last-generation Nissan Pathfinder was an unapologetically rugged SUV, with genuine rock climbing and mud crawling abilities. Built on a tough ladder-frame chassis shared with the Nissan Navara work horse, it came with a full set of low range gears and lockable diff. Its off-road abilities meant refinement and comfort …