Passenger Cars

2013 Fiat 500 Review

Like polka-dots skirts and giant, thick-rimmed sunglasses in retina-shearing colours, it seems retro is back in vogue. There are not many cars that invoke this nostalgic feeling better than the Fiat 500. What’s more, I successfully came into this world thanks to the original Fiat 500. No! I wasn’t conceived …

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2013 Kia Rondo Review

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 …

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2013 Holden VF Calais V Review

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 …

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2013 Holden Malibu Review

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 …

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2013 Holden Commodore SV6 Ute Review

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 …

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2013 Volkswagen Golf 7 Review

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 …

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2013 Holden VF Commodore Evoke Review

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 …

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2013 Volkswagen Beetle Review

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 …

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2013 Holden Barina Review

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 …

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2013 Holden Cruze CD and CDX Review

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 …

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2013 Holden Volt Review

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 …

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Opel Astra Review: 2013 Astra OPC

Photos by: Dario Duno Australians are spoiled for choice when it comes to affordable performance. There are no less than 10 models to choose from, all costing less than fifty big ones, from the Toyota 86 to the benchmark of the current hot-hatch crop, the Renault Mégane RS265. It also …

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