Road Tests

2010 Mercedes-Benz E500 Coupe Road Test Review

THE CLK IS DEAD, and no amount of defibrillating is going to bring it back. Despite its popularity with moneyed-up motorists, Mercedes-Benz has changed tack for its mid-range coupe product line-up and replaced the CLK with the all-new C207 E-Class Coupe.

That’s not the only thing that’s changed. Mercedes-Benz [...]

2009 BMW Z4 sDrive35i Roadster Road Test Review

ASK TEN DIFFERENT PEOPLE what they are looking for in a new car and you’ll likely get ten different answers.

For the most part however they’ll agree that reliability, practicality, efficiency, safety and value for money are the most desired qualities. But what if their life circumstance [...]

2010 Toyota Camry Ateva Road Test Review

TOYOTA’S STALWART CAMRY has been its frontline soldier in the Australian market for over two decades. As reliable as sunrise, it is absolutely dominant in its sector, commanding over 40 percent of the mid-size car market.

A success-story for Toyota Australia’s export program, it is currently Toyota’s third most-popular vehicle - after the [...]

2010 Volkswagen Jetta V 125TDI, 147TSI, 77TDI First Drive Review

2010 Jetta V 125TDI, 147TSI, 77TDI First Drive Review

TOYOTA HAS A PROBLEM. It is called Volkswagen. And it’s breathing hard down Toyota’s neck for the global number one spot for car manufacturers.

Interestingly, where Toyota ‘zigged’ ten or so years back, choosing to put its technological eggs in the Prius basket, Volkswagen ‘zagged’.

Volkswagen’s answer to the [...]

2010 Mercedes-Benz E350 Elegance Sedan Road Test Review

EARLIER THIS YEAR Mercedes-Benz launched the latest additions to its passenger car range: the W212 E-Class sedan and the C207 E-Class Coupe.

Both body-styles arrived on our shores with the choice of a 3.5 litre V6 or 5.5 litre V8 petrol engine, while a range of thrifty diesels [...]

2009 Skoda Octavia RS Diesel Wagon And Petrol Hatch Road Test Review

“Škoda… one word; Octavia… next word.” I correct a friend of mine for the third time that morning. He has a habit of referring to the white Octavia RS parked in front of our breakfast venue as a “Skodavia.”

He’s mucking around, but there’s [...]

2009 Honda Odyssey Road Test Review

HONDA’S ODYSSEY is a surprising car. It is surprisingly responsive, unusually spacious, and, most unexpected of all, is an enjoyable steer.

This was my first time at the wheel of Honda’s ‘Battlestar’. It had always seemed to bypass me and, fact is, I’d never had that much interest; didn’t seem [...]

2009 Holden Calais V AFM Road Test Review

WE’RE NO STRANGERS to Holden V8s. Whether it’s the 6.0 litre Gen 4 in the SS Commodore or the HSV-tuned LS3, we’ve driven – and adored – the GM small-block on many occasions.

But how can you make the package better? Extracting power is a no-brainer (just ask [...]

2009 Suzuki Jimny Sierra Road Test Review

SOMETIMES IT’S THE SIMPLE THINGS in life we enjoy the most. Case in point: the Suzuki Jimny Sierra.

It’s existed in fundamentally the same compact two-door layout since 1970. And although today’s third-generation model is far less utilitarian than its ancestors, we’d be way off the mark if we said the current [...]

2009 Suzuki Swift S Automatic Road Test Review

WHEN IT COMES TO NAMEPLATES that evoke a reaction, there are plenty out there.

Some of them adorn the noses of supercars, others rock-crushing 4X4s, yet others are simply loved (or reviled) for their style.

But some nameplates, not surprisingly, find recognition and admiration for the simple virtues [...]

2010 Hyundai Santa Fe First Drive Review

ALTHOUGH IT WON’T be in showrooms until December, Hyundai Australia has decided to jump the gun and launch its updated Santa Fe a month ahead of dealership deliveries.

Timed to coincide with the new Santa Fe’s involvement in the 2010 Global Green Challenge, Hyundai used the launch to highlight the car’s [...]

2009 Jeep Wrangler First Drive Review

THERE IS NOTHING BUT SKY filling the windscreen as the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon, with consummate ease, hauls itself up the steep slope and over the crest of the rise.

Just what you would expect from a vehicle named after the famed, and feared, Rubicon Trail in the US.

Our effort on a much less fearful slope, [...]

2009 Skoda Superb V6 3.6 FSI Elegance 4×4 Road Test Review

SKODA ROLLED OUT its first Superb back in 1934, yet the average Australian would seem to be blissfully unaware of both the badge and its long history.

In fact, we’d be guessing that the average Aussie will see the Superb badge and think Skoda has tickets [...]

2010 Jeep Patriot First Drive Review

ALMOST TORRENTIAL RAIN, something some parts of the country can barely remember, is pounding the windscreen of the Jeep Patriot as we head off the bitumen road and onto the rain-sodden gravel track.

Despite the rain, the Patriot feels surprisingly sure-footed as we hit the dirt. So, ignoring the lever [...]

2010 Kia Sorento First Drive Review

THE 2010 SORENTO is an important model for Kia, and yes, that’s a line we seem to use a lot when talking about the smaller Korean’s recent new models.

Trying to bust out from under the shadow of its bigger brother (Hyundai) has KIA having to work harder to get its new models noticed, let [...]

2010 Commodore Berlina 3.0 SIDI Road Test Review - The 1000km Challenge

2010 Commodore Berlina 3.0 SIDI Road Test Review

IT’S LATE, IT’S COLD, the light is fading and I’m standing on the side of the Hume highway funnelling petrol into a car. To be honest though, this is a good result.

The day started at 6:00am in Melbourne with two cars and one objective: to see how [...]

2010 Golf GTi First Drive Review

SHARPER, FASTER, tighter, leaner… yes, the benchmark for the sector is even better. Volkswagen’s new Golf GTI, now built ‘at home’ in Wolfsburg Germany, sets a new standard for the affordable hot-hatch, but at a familiar price.

If you enjoyed the old GTI (and who didn’t), you’re going to love this [...]

2010 Toyota Prius i-Tech Road Test Review

FOR YEARS THE TOYOTA PRIUS has been the car of choice for the environmentally conscious among the über-residents of Hollywood. It’s become a ‘must have’ addition to the celebrity garage.

We haven’t checked, but that’s probably also true of Saint-Tropez.

Toyota’s Prius is a defining car of the age and sits at the sharp edge of a [...]

2009 Toyota Corolla Conquest Sedan Road Test Review

THE TOYOTA COROLLA. One of the longest-lived model nameplates in automotive history. A sales success everywhere - from ‘day one’ four decades ago - the Corolla has built an enviable reputation as a solidly-built, well-engineered small car.

For most people though, the Corolla doesn’t conjure up much in the [...]

2010 Mitsubishi ZH Outlander First Drive Review

MITSUBISHI’S OUTLANDER may not immediately bring the image of a jet fighter to mind, but the prosaic family wagon now has just that look. This is thanks to the integration of the well-regarded Lancer Evolution X nose.

The more aggressive, and, we have to say, very appealing look, was first [...]

2009 Holden Cruze CDX Petrol And Cruze CD Diesel Road Test Review

2009 Holden Cruze CDX And CD Diesel Road Test Review

MAKE NO MISTAKE, Holden’s Cruze has some big shoes to fill. Without the perennially popular Astra and the budget-conscious Viva in Holden showrooms, the Cruze needs to be a lot of things to a lot of people.

Globally, General Motors has tagged this car with the responsibility [...]

2009 Holden Barina 3-Door Hatch Road Test Review

HOLDEN’S KOREA-SOURCED BARINA city car has been on sale in Australia in its present TK-chassis form since 2005.

The facelifted MY 2009 model arrived just over a year ago. In that time, despite stiff competition in a crowded segment and lacking some of the dynamic qualities of its [...]

2010 FPV F6 E Road Test Review

WHEN WE REVIEWED FPV’s F6 sedan in June, we marvelled at its effortless ability to slip between relaxed, everyday cruising and full-throated hammer.

‘Jekyll and Hyde’ was the analogy used (cliched, we know).

Now FPV has wheeled out a new version, the F6 E, based on that ballistic F6; a version [...]

2009 Suzuki SX4 Sedan And SX4 4X4 Road Test

2009 Suzuki SX4 Sedan and SX4 4X4 Road Test

THE SMALL CAR SEGMENT in Australia is where the action is right now. While large cars and mid-sizers stagnate in the sales charts, the small car class has turned into a hive of activity.

But it’s a densely populated market segment.

Manufacturers have not been slow to recognise [...]

2010 HSV E Series 2 First Drive Review: Clubsport R8

IT’S DIFFERENT, that’s for certain. When HSV released the first pics of its restyled E Series 2 range of sedans and utes, opinions on internet forums were sharply divided about HSV’s new design direction.

It’s easy to see why. Compared to the line-up it replaces, HSV’s E Series 2 range is bolder and far less [...]

2010 MN Triton GLX-R And GL-R First Drive Review

IT’S GRUNTIER, is considerably more refined, uses less fuel, has a longer and larger cargo tub, and is more comfortable at the wheel than the outgoing 3.2 litre turbo-diesel ML Triton.

So, Triton enthusiasts, you can stop panicking now. The new MY10 MN Triton is better. It’s as [...]

2010 Kia Cerato Koup Road Test Review

MAKE YOURSELF a list of every attractive two-door coupe available now in Australia, brand new, for under $25,000. If you’ve got it right, it’s a list of one - you’ll see the 2010 Kia Cerato Koup there and, well, nothing else.

Stretch the dollars to $30,000 ($29,990 to be exact) and you’ll get the Citroen [...]

2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara DDiS Road Test Review

WE HAVE TESTED Suzuki’s Grand Vitara in several guises over the past six months, varying from the cheerful three-door with a petrol inline four to the luxury-spec five-door V6 Prestige.

However, one variant that had escaped the keenly-honed ‘nitpickery’ of TMR’s finest brains was the diesel-powered [...]

2009 Ford PK Ranger XLT SuperCab Road Test Review

PUT ANYBODY in a modern 4X4 ute, drive them around for a bit, and before long they’ll come out with something like, “Goes alright this, doesn’t it?”

And they’d be right. The days of the ‘tradie-fourby-ute’ being a loose conglomeration of tin and cheap vinyl, with an agricultural [...]

2009 Kia Cerato SLi Long Term Review: Part 4

2009 Kia Cerato SLi Long Term Road Test Review

IT SOUNDED like a plan. Take the Hume to Sydney, have a bit of a look, then drive back to Melbourne along the New South Wales South Coast.

Yeah, I was up for it. Why not? After all, we had TMR’s long term Kia Cerato SLi itching for [...]