Featured | The Motor Report: Auto News And Reviews

2008 BMW 125i Coupe Road Test Review

Some things are just plain wrong. Like pineapple on pizza. Like bicycle pants. And like putting “BMW” and “bargain” in the same sentence. That’s gotta be wrong. So what’s going on with the BMW 125i Coupe? Who ever heard of a BMW-badged two-door coupe, a growling three-litre straight six in the snout (like we’re talking [...]

2008 Ford Mondeo XR5 Turbo Road Test Review

The British motoring press wait on new model releases like saltwater crocodiles. They are every bit as reasonable and forgiving. They are like that, paradoxically, because Poms love their cars in a wholly unique way. And love – passion – can hurt; it can exalt and disappoint in equal measure.

All those defining British marques - [...]

2009 Mitsubishi Colt to Receive Lancer Facelift

Caught at a promotional photo-shoot in Berlin, Germany, the 2009 Mitsubishi Colt is clearly sporting the current generation Lancer’s distinctive shark-nose treatment up front (those neat lines having been penned by Aussie designer Peter Arcadipane), with similar Lancer-style taillights out back. Not a bad thing in my book.

Ford to Offer Traffic-Monitoring Sat Nav on All FG Falcons

Ford has just announced that all Falcon models are now available with a new in-dash satellite navigation system, which in an Australian-first will feature a live traffic monitoring system to inform drivers of upcoming jams, accidents and other delays.

Holden Puts Hand Up for Chevy Volt, GM Says “Maybe”

Holden chairman and MD Mark Reuss has indicated that he’d like to see Chevrolet’s upcoming Volt plug-in hybrid come to Australia in the near future, possibly wearing a roaring-lion badge.

Australian Prius Sales Pass 10,000

Toyota Australia has announced that local sales of its petrol-electric hybrid Prius has passed the 10,000 mark. The milestone car was sold to IT manager David Balkin and council worker Shannon Larkin, a young couple who purchased the hump-backed hybrid to lower their fuel bills.

Frank Stephenson to Join McLaren

The name might not be familiar but his work certainly is - Frank Stephenson has been involved in the design of the modern MINI, the Fiat 500, Alfa’s MiTo, and BMW’s X5 to name but a few.

2009 Audi RS6 Sedan Previewed Ahead of Paris Debut

Audi has revealed all on the sedan version of their head-stompingly powerful RS6 well ahead of the model’s anticipated launch at the Paris Motor Show in October. As we suspected, the sedan gets the same twin-turbocharged 5-litre V10 used in the RS6 Avant wagon, which went on sale in Europe in April.

Opel Insignia Destined for Oz

Good news for Lion fans today as it looks like Holden has made the smart choice to bring Opel’s new Insignia down-under. The move will give Holden a competitive one-two punch in the mid-sized market as the prestige-oriented Insignia will sell alongside the economy-conscious Epica.

New Lightweight Supercar coming from Gordon Murray

If you’ve heard of the McLaren F1 or the Caparo T1, and who hasn’t, then you’ll have seen Gordon Murray’s handiwork before. With these credentials, it’s not hard to understand why the automotive blogosphere is buzzing with news that Gordon Murray has plans to produce a lightweight ’supercar for the street’.

What Grinds My Gears: The Pedestrian Council

Of late, one of my least favourite people is a certain Harold Scruby. He’s the ‘chief executive’ of the Pedestrian Council - a private organisation started by Scruby. Scruby, in case you are unaware, is the crank who petitions the government with mostly crackpot schemes for “improving pedestrian safety”.

2008 Holden SS V Sportwagon Road Test Review

Spend a week in the Sportwagon, and the strength of the package is irresistible. [...] Quite simply, at $46,290 for the SS V8 manual (rising to $53,790 for the SSV manual), it’s far and away the best wagon of the moment.
Show me someone who does not respond to the bellow of a V8 under the [...]

2008 Ford FG Falcon Scores Australian-first 5-Star ANCAP rating

It might be facing trouble in the form of declining big-sedan sales, but Ford’s latest iteration of the perennial Falcon sedan has carried out a major coup by attaining the first ever 5-star ANCAP rating for an Australian-built car.

Eastern Creek Raceway to go World Class

The Australian Racing Drivers Club has today announced that massive works would be undertaken in its plan to turn Eastern Creek Raceway into a world class venue, to ensure Eastern Creek’s viability into the future as a venue of choice for international racing events.

Copped a Fine? Check The Speed Camera Online

As of earlier this week, motorists can now jump online to check speed camera calibration certificates for any fixed speed camera in Victoria.

Car Shopping in the USA, Part II: What Makes a Future Classic?

Last week I was overjoyed to hear that my 63-year-old mother was finally in the market for a new car. My secret master plan was to pick out a future classic for her so that when she was ready to sell it, I’d have a golden opportunity to buy the mintest little-old-lady car on Earth.

Lotus Evora Convertible on the Way

Before the regular hard-top model’s even dropped and only weeks after its initial unveiling at the London Motor Show, Lotus has confirmed that a convertible will be joining taking up a slot in the Evora line.

Ferrari Outsells the Porsche 911 in July

This news is surprising to say the least. We’ve just received a press release confirming that Ferrari outsold the Porsche 911 (according to official VFACTS figures) for the month of July.

Burnout Paradise Update Brings the Bikes

Due this month, the latest downloadable update for Burnout Paradise will breathe some life back into Paradise with the inclusion of night-time racing (as if zooming through Paradise City wasn’t hair-raising enough already!), and motorcycles.

New BMW Will Read Speed Limit Signs

BMW has unveiled the latest technology to feature in its upcoming models, this time a system that will read speed limit signposts and variable speed limit signs, displaying the posted limit in the dash.

Nurburgring: Lords of The Ring

There’s been a lot of talk of late, and growing competition between car companies, about who holds the fastest lap times around some extremely long old racing circuit in the Eiffel mountains of Germany. It’s got to the point where it’s faintly ridiculous.

Park Your Maserati on Your Balcony

When the day comes that you can no longer expect to find a parking spot on any of the streets within an hour of your apartment—even though you’ve got a parking permit, damn it all—German company CarLoft may have just the solution for you.

Gran Turismo TV Debut on PlayStation 3

If you’ve got a PlayStation 3, and I suspect you do, then you’ll be keen to know that Gran Turismo TV is debuting this weekend. For a small fee, you’ll be able to download episodes of Top Gear, Japan’s Best Motoring, and much more.

2008 Yamaha Vino 125 - Affordable Mediterranean Cool

At a low $3299, and with petrol prices sucking wallets dry, Yamaha’s new XC125 Vino scooter will be sure to find a lot of friends. That price, in case you’re unaware, is a full $1200 less than when the Vino was released in 2006.

2009 Subaru Impreza WRX Powers Up

Subaru knows that it’s going to have a real fight on its hands in the near future. Mitsubishi has been steadily turning up the wick with each new announcement and model release and it looks like Subaru is readying itself to return fire with the 2009 Impreza WRX.

Third Party App Turns iPhone Into iDatalogger

Wish you had something akin to the GT-R’s multifunction display in your hand-me-down Corolla? Well, if you’ve got an Apple iPhone, you could transform that slab of plastic and metal into a bona-fide performance meter/datalogger.

Mazda Divides 6, Gets 2010 Mazda3

Word is that an aggressive-looking MPS version of the new 3 is definitely on the cards, into which Mazda is expected to shovel the 5-cylinder turbo from the Ford Focus XR5, offering in the vicinity of 190kW.

Anglo-Italian Alliance: 2010 Elise to Underpin Abarth Roadster

The folks over at Autocar have confirmed that Lotus is collaborating with Abarth on their new mid-engined sports car project, which will be based upon the same extruded aluminium chassis of the third-generation Lotus Elise that’s due to drop sometime in 2010.

2009 Porsche 911 Targa Details Revealed

Porsche’s new glass-roofed 911 Targa is on its way to Australian shores later this year, and is set to feature the latest in Porsche technology.

General Motors Working on Visibility Augmenting HUD

GM is looking at improving visibility on what is traditionally what you’re looking for outside the windshield: the road. Using cameras to watch the road, the system uses a computer and a laser drawing system to “draw” the road onto the windshield.