Car Reviews

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, …

Every once in awhile, we come across two different variants of the same model which, apart from sharing the name and looks, are two totally different cars. And no, we are not talking about a BMW M3 vs a BMW 320d, but a run of the mill Holden Cruze CD/CDX …

Sometimes as car testers, we seemed to forget that not everyone is as critical as we are when it comes to cars, just like food critics forget that not everyone gets annoyed if the skin on the roast potatoes isn’t the right shade of brown, or the spring onions are …

The small car segment is arguably one of the most hotly contested markets in the car industry and not without good reasons. With almost every major car maker in the game, some offering models starting at just below the $20k mark, buyers are spoilt for choice. The expectations are high …

Electric cars aren’t new. In fact, the first electric vehicle was created around 1890, when an American with the name of William Morrison installed an electric motor into a six-passenger wagon. It had a top speed of 23km/h. But with cheap oil in abundance, the electric vehicle didn’t get much …

Since the first Volkswagen Touareg was introduced in 2003, it has built up a reputation as an all-rounded SUV with proper off-road capability while retaining good road manners. It does all this without the boxy shape so common of other full size offroaders at this price range. Building on this …