Car Reviews

The Kia Carnival has grown from its humble beginning as a cheap and cheerful way of carrying many people to a household name for the segment. Now in its fourth generation, the Carnival continues to make big strides with a bold new design, revamped cabin and improved tech. Range and …

The Subaru Outback has some of the most loyal owners in Australia, with over one-third of its owners returning to buy an Outback when a new model comes out. Subaru’s strong brand reputation Down Under plays a role, but surely there’s something about the Outback that’s keeping owners hooked, generation …

The young and active are flocking to small city crossovers for multiple reasons. The so called ‘jacked up hatchback’ is perceived to be more fun and less domesticated than the traditional city car, the higher ride height also affords a more commanding view, and certain models have all-wheel drive which …

The last-generation Mazda BT-50 was often overlooked compared to its peers, especially the ever-popular Ford Ranger on which it is based. While Ford made continuous improvements to its star, Mazda sadly hasn’t been as diligent. The result is a dual-cab ute that feels its age and lacks behind the competition. …

With the popularity of utes as lifestyle vehicles, the ute-based SUV segment serves to build on that appeal with greater comfort and practicality. While Toyota’s HiLux ute has long been the undisputed best-seller in Australia, its SUV cousin, the Toyota Fortuner, hasn’t been as quite a hit. Returning to Australian …

The already saturated city crossover segment has welcomed yet another player. Arriving fashionably late, literally, the new Kia Stonic is set to shake up the segment with its striking and tasteful looks. “European styling with youthful character”, reads the Kia Stonic’s media release. And it’s not a false claim. If …

In a style and technology-led segment, the Hyundai Kona is one of the boldest small SUV you can get your hands on. It also comes with plenty of choices, with the quirky little model offered in no less than 11 variants, including one of the cheapest electric SUVs in Australia, …

This is my fourth drive in the Lexus RC F. For a car that’s been around since 2014, incremental update has been key to keep it fresh and it’s no surprise the number of times I have been behind the wheel – essentially after each update. With key rivals BMW …

The current Toyota GR Supra is essentially a BMW Z4 underneath, while the first-generation and the current second-generation Toyota 86 models were developed in partnership with Subaru. This means the last time Toyota built a sports car from scratch was in the late 90s with the Celica GT-FOUR. For more …

Four years ago, Kia wowed us with its low slung, 4 Series Gran Coupe-sized five-door ‘liftback’ Stinger flagship. It did amazing wonders in giving the brand much kudos beyond what its hatchbacks and SUVs were capable of. It was the first rear-wheel drive car the Korean brand has ever produced. …

The Lexus IS has been challenging the likes of BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class since the late 90s, an era where a slew of other left-field options also emerged in the segment – Jaguar X-Type and Alfa Romeo 156 just to name a few. Fast forward to 2021, the …

What do you do when you have mastered the art of making mainstream cars? You build luxury cars. But it is not as simple as it sounds. Toyota’s premium offshoot founded in the late 80s, Lexus, took a good part of two decades to establish itself as a formidable luxury …

Every decade or so, we see a drastic shift in BMW’s design philosophy. At the start of the new millennium, BMW gave us the ‘Bangle Butt’, the infamous and controversial rear decklid on the E65 7 Series designed by then chief designer Chris Bangle (hence the nickname). The radical design …

What do you do when everyone calls their mid-life update a facelift? You give it a fancy name, like ‘LCI’, or ‘Life Cycle Impulse’ in BMW-speak. So, let me introduce you to the 2021 G30 BMW 520i LCI M Sport. Now available only in the popular M Sport trim, the …