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Mercedes-Benz X-Class X250d

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Mercedes-Benz X-Class X250d
Arrives with anticipation from many............. UNTIL the arrival of the X-Class this year, the 4x4 ute segment was a mostly classless zone; a safe space free of badge-cred posturing. Owners displayed their affluence via a higher model grade, or perhaps some flash aftermarket equipment. Now, with Mercedes’ three-pointed star sitting Frisbee-sized on the bluff snout of the Spanish-built X-Class, all that has changed, and on a construction site, at least, it threatens to be as divi...
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Hot Hatches Fight It Out

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Hot Hatches fight it out
These mighty midgets are loads of fun....but can we pick a winner? ENGLAND’S immortal Mini Minor may have started the pocket-rocket phenomenon some six decades ago, but it’s France, Germany and Italy that have nurtured the class in the intervening years, with a bevy of belting superminis brandishing evocative badges like GTI, RS, ST, Ti and Turbo. And let’s not forget Japan’s Suzuki either, the unlikely survivor on the Australian hot-hatch scene, supplying an almost unin...
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New Audi Q8 Review

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New Audi Q8 Review
Another Prestige SUV Contender Lands in Australia. WHAT IS IT? Audi’s foray into large coupe-profiled SUVs. Not only is the Q8 an all-new model to join the four-ring fellowship, it accepts the mantle from the Q7 as the flagship of the SUV line-up. Audi is attempting to plug as many gaps in its high-rider range (and nomenclature) to avoid losing sales to the rapidly burgeoning portfolios on offer wearing BMW and Mercedes badges. WHY WE’RE TESTING IT In this weird...
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Subaru Forester vs 3 Rival SUVs

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Subaru Forester vs 3 Rival SUVs
New model Subaru improves the offering. YOU’RE a prospective medium-SUV buyer, lost, alone and confused in the woods, surrounded by a thicket of lookalike crossover choices. What do you do? Happily, we’re here to help, having already sorted through the good, the bad and the ugly to arrive at the cream of the crop as rivals for Subaru’s new, fifth-gen Forester, with not a dull or dreary drive in sight. The evergreen Subaru Forester has been rooted in the medium-SU...
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New Mercedes-Benz B-Class due Mid-2019

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2019 MERCEDES-BENZ B200
A more spacious B-Class enjoyed by Europeans but slow to be adopted by Australians. WHAT IS IT? A-Class with altitude. Built on the same platform as Mercedes-Benz's new small hatch, the B-Class has the same wheelbase and uses identical core technologies, drivetrains included. While the B-Class's extra height increases roominess and flexibility, its proportions provide a tough challenge for the design department....  WHY WE'RE TESTING IT The inte...
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Mercedes-Benz V6 Ute Review

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Mercedes-Benz V6 Ute
L Slovenia serves as our intoduction to Merc’s V6 crew-cab ute. WHAT IS IT? This is the X-Class many people have been waiting for. Mercedes-Benz launched its Navara-based dual-cab ute at the end of 2017, but this V6-powered version, called X350d, is the first to get a proper Mercedes-Benz drivetrain rather than a carry-over four-cylinder engine and gearbox from Nissan. And it’s a radically different vehicle as a result, not only to the Navara but to the four-pot...
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Jaguar I-Pace Electric SUV Review

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Jaguar I-Pace Electric SUV
Jaguar steals the electric march on rivals. WHAT IS IT? Jaguar’s first electric car and an all-new, all-electric luxury SUV built on a bespoke platform that places a bank of lithium-ion batteries along its floor. WHY WE’RE TESTING IT The I-Pace has just gone on sale locally and is the first all-electric SUV from a traditional luxury car maker, giving the British brand a big head start on its predominantly German rivals. Built on a ground-up electric arch...
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2019 Mercedes GLE-Class

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Mercedes GLE-Class
Merc’s all-new family all-rounder is a technological livewire WHAT IS IT? Here is Mercedes-Benz’s original – G-Class excluded – and best-selling SUV, now in its fourth-generation. What began as the M-Class in 1997 is now laden with more technology than ever before, and set to land in Oz by mid-2019 in a three-tier line-up of all-wheel-drive seven-seaters. WHY WE’RE TESTING IT The outgoing GLE has been struggling to keep its head above water against prem...
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How Does the M340i xDrive Stack Up?

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M340i xDrive
Germany's Big Three Barnstormers vs Others Fresh from its unveiling at the Paris Show, BMW’s latest G20-generation M340i looks to reassert Munich’s position as the driver’s choice in its class. In recent years that dominance has waned a little, but with a wider track, a lower centre of gravity, a chassis that’s 50 percent stiffer than before and a trick e-diff, the latest Three looks to be back and firing. We’ve yet to get behind the wheel of the M340i xDrive range toppe...
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2019 MX-5 is Even Better

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Even Better MX5
Sweeter engine dominates Mazda MX-5 Upgrade. WHAT IS IT? An update of Mazda’s 4th-generation, COTY-winning sports car, focusing on improving the 2.0-litre engine, adding safety and convenience features, and tweaking a few weak spots. WHY WE’RE DRIVING IT It’s our 2016 COTY winner, and some excellent roads in the Gold Coast hinterland beckoned. Be rude to say no. MAIN RIVALS Toyota 86, Subaru BR-Z, Abarth 124 Spider THE WHEELS REVIEW THE YELLOW ...
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VW Polo GTI vs Clio RS

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Polo GTI vs Clio RS
Mini Hot Hatch Comparison THE HOT hatch formula has always been a simple one. Take a diminutive chassis, plonk a relatively large engine under the bonnet, and let the good times roll. In recent years hot hatches have been in a renaissance, growing into brawlers with flared haunches and fire-spitting attitudes. Power has skyrocketed, with some next-gen models rumoured to be 350kW+ all-paw monsters. The physical size, and prices, of the enthusiast main stay have also become bl...
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Audi R8 Continues to Roar

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A power injection plus other niceties improve the offering.... WHAT IS IT? Audi’s mid-engined supercar gets a refresh for 2019, but no messing with the basic V10, all-wheel-drive recipe. WHY WE'RE TESTING IT It’s the last gasp of the naturally aspirated V10, and tweaks make it more powerful than ever. Can it retain its daily-driver supercar crown? MAIN RIVALS McLaren 570S, Lamborghini Huracan LP610-4, Mercedes-Benz AMG GT-R THE WHEELS REVIEW AUDI has freshened ...
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New Model RAV4 in April

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New Rav 4
Not a facelift - this is a new car! WHAT IS IT? The fifth-generation of the world’s best-selling SUV (811,000 in 2017), which is now offered in hybrid form for the first time. This all-new RAV4 adopts Toyota’s TNGA (Toyota New Global Architecture) engineering philosophy and brings an aggressive, truck-like appearance. It also provides further proof of the rise-and-rise of SUVs, as the RAV4 is now America’s most popular passenger vehicle outside of pick-ups. WHY WE'RE...
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SUV Comparison – Italy v Germany v Sweden

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Can the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Tackle BMW and Volvo? “The estate car market will never be quite the same again now that the Range Rover has been introduced. It is, after all, just as much an estate car as anything else…” – LJK Setright, Car, February 1971 WHETHER you like it or not, the SUV is the modern evolution of the wagon. Resist the temptation to aerate this messenger in a hail of bullets and consider that for a moment. Buyers have voted with their wallets and wagons now sit a ...
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Italy vs Germany vs Sweden SUV Comparison

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How good is the Alfa when up against BMW and Volvo?
How good is the Alfa when up against BMW and Volvo? “The estate car market will never be quite the same again now that the Range Rover has been introduced. It is, after all, just as much an estate car as anything else…” – LJK Setright, Car, February 1971 WHETHER you like it or not, the SUV is the modern evolution of the wagon. Resist the temptation to aerate this messenger in a hail of bullets and consider that for a moment. Buyers have voted with their wallets and wagons now sit a l...
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We Compare German Coupe Blatburgers

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German Coupe comparisons
Is Audi's latest RS5 a concern for BMW and Mercedes? AUDI can’t build a sports car. Everybody knows that. Everyone apart from the engineers who built the revolutionary ur-Quattro, the borderline genius B7 RS4, the disruptive R8 coupe and the astonishing R10 TDI racer – a diesel that dominated at Le Mans even when Ingolstadt voluntarily used the same engines in the 24-hour race as it used in practice and qualifying. So it ought to be obvious that there’s a pool of hugely talented ...
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Car vs Road – Mercedes-AMG E53 Coupe

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AMG Straight 6 E Class Delight Sea to sky with AMG's superboosted straight-six “Because it's there,” was all the justification George Mallory ever needed to climb Everest. Our aspirations are a good deal more modest than old George's – and we're banking on a more gratifying outcome - but the rationale is much the same. Why would you drive from sea level to Australia's highest coach road? We'd prefer to ask why wouldn't you, especially when that road, from Lakes Entrance on Victoria's Gippsla...
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The Suzuki Jimny Has Returned

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Suzuki Jimny is back
Welcome back many will say! Cute but tough, old-school but new, fun but infuriating… at least there’s nothing dull about Suzuki’s reborn icon. WHAT IS IT? The Suzuki Jimny first appeared on the scene in 1970, and became an instant classic with off-road enthusiasts, thanks to its small stature, and giant-killing ability off the beaten track. This all-new generation Jimny hopes to emulate its forefathers, while fostering a new love...
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7 Seat Holden Acadia

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Holden Arcadia seven seater
Acadia joins the mix in Australia's 7-seat Marketplace As the popularity of SUVs continues unabated, it is astonishing that, in a century of Australian vehicle manufacturing, Ford’s late and lamented Territory was the only one ever made here. Today, post shut-down, could the gap that the Ford’s demise has left in the Australian psyche, as well as in the seven-seater segment, be plugged by Holden. Enter the Acadia – a formidably fashioned wagon starting at a razor-sharp...
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Mercedes-AMG C43 Coupe Review 2019

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Mercedes-AMG C43 coupe
The C63's restrained, all-wheel-drive sibling receives a round of tech upgrades to keep it fresh WHAT IS IT? An updated version of AMG’s entry-level C-Class, now with more power from its V6 engine and lots of small, but important, changes inside and out. WHY WE’RE TESTING IT As much as we like the V8 brawn of AMG’s hugely exciting C63, its blinkered thrill-seeking isn’t easy to live with every day. The C43, however, has dialled back the extroversion to a more liveable lev...
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Chevrolet Camaro 2019 – Pricing for Australia

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Chevrolet Camaro 2019
The HSV Camaro is more expensive than the Mustang, but it will be a lot more exclusive...... THE Chevrolet Camaro will cost nearly $86K. Yep, that’s a fair bit cheaper than most estimates but let’s not lose sight of the fact that Ford’s latest Mustang GT carries a sticker price that’s $20K more affordable, at a smidge over $66K. You’re going to need to ask yourself if exclusivity and novelty is enough to bridge that gulf. Of course, HSV is bullish about the car’s prospects ...
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We Compare 7-Seat Diesel Medium SUVs

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7 seater SUV comparisons
If your tribe is expanding this is the category that could easily fit the bill. THE FUN thing about Wheels Car of the Year is that you line up 22 cars and then 21 of them lose. This, in turn, means that almost all of our readers will disagree with the final choice. Every year in the wash-up from COTY, we learn that we have lost all credibility, are liberal milquetoasts and have our heads lodged in our fundaments. But 2017 was different. We were expecting the usual online shellacki...
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2019 Cheerokee

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2019 Jeep Cherokee
Revamped style, bigger boot, and upgraded safety for this genuine off-roader says....look at me now! WHAT IS IT Cherokee is Jeep’s mid-size SUV. It sits above Renegade and Compass and below Grand Cherokee in the American brand’s SUV line-up. This is a refreshed version of the fifth-gen Cherokee that aims to right the styling wrongs of the polarising model launched here in 2014. Otherwise, it retains genuine off-road credibility and a V6 engine, which makes it unique in its class. ...
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2019 Everest Review

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 Ranger Raptor’s turbo-diesel and other upgrades have taken Everest up a notch or Two! WHAT IS IT Ford Australia’s largest SUV has become an even more integral part of the portfolio since the demise of the much-loved Territory. Based on Ranger ute underpinnings, the Ford Everest has established a reputation as big and tough, if a little unsophisticated. Ford’s aiming to change that last point. WHY WE'RE TESTING IT With an all-new 2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel engine that will sit above t...
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2019 Toyota Corolla

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2019 Corolla Review
2019 Corolla Review Is there anything Toyota haven't changed? WHAT IS IT Toyota's 12th-generation small hatchback WHY ARE WE TESTING IT It's the Corolla! The world's best-selling car is now back and virtually everything about it is different, and it's now in Australia. Testing this car is simply non-negotiable. MAIN RIVALS Hyundai i30, Honda Civic, Volkswagen Golf, Mazda 3, Peugeot 308, Kia Cerato, Subaru Impreza. ...
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New Ford Focus on Focus

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Ford Focus Hatch
Euro handling and dynamics are excellent in the 4th generation Ford Focus small hatch. WHAT IS IT? The all-new fourth generation of Ford’s small hatch. WHY WE'RE TESTING IT Sales of the current third-gen Focus have trailed off to be a tiny fraction of those of segment leaders the Toyota Corolla and Mazda 3. The international launch in the south of France gave us a good indicator of this car’s chances to redress that when it arrives in Australia in November. MAIN RIVALS Mazd...
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New Mazda CX-8 Asaki vs Skoda Kodiaq Sportline 140TDI

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Seven seater comparison
Seven-Seaters Head to Head It takes a solid all-round performance to make it onto the podium at Wheels Car of the Year but that’s exactly what the Skoda Kodiaq did at this year’s competition. It wasn’t quite enough to edge out the overall winner the Volvo XC60, but the Skoda’s combination of excellent practical features, compelling price and rewarding driving dynamics still rate it as one of the most versatile and best value vehicles on the market. Just a year before...
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Kia Sportage Review for 2018

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Kia Sportage 2018 review
Intelligent improvements for Kia's midsize SUV. WHAT IS IT? A commercially crucial model for the Korean automaker that it says the upgrade boasts impressively broad appeal. WHY WE’RE TESTING IT With so many new entrants lobbing into the Aussie market since the current-generation Sportage first launched back in 2016, Kia has gifted the Sportage a facelift. Beyond some new body plastics there are also meaningful upgrades to the suspension, driveline and in-cabin fit-out, al...
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2018 Audi Q5 Turbo Diesel V6

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Audi Q5 Diesel Turbo V6
How do you boost performance? Add 2 cylinders and 1 litre. Audi now has a Q5 for the owner who loves performance but doesn’t want to shout about it. WHAT IS IT? The most powerful non-Audi Sport model in the Q5 range. With an uprated 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 under its handsome snout, this is Ingolstadt’s mid-size SUV for buyers with a penchant for understated grunt. WHY WE ARE TESTING IT? Orders are already open for the sportiest diesel Q5 in Austra...
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2019 Audi Q3 Revealed

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2019 Audi Q3 Reaveled
The popular SUV from Germany has a clean striking look. THE SECOND-GENERATION Audi Q3 has been unveiled in Germany, featuring bold design cues taken from the Q8 flagship to provide a more mature, but less dour look than its predecessor. Now able to pass on junior-SUV duties to the Q2, the new Q3 offers more family-friendly practicality and comfort than before, while sharing much of the infotainment, connectivity and latest advanced driver assist systems with the...
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