Car Buying Tips

                                                  Wall to Wall Special Editions.....The Choices are Fantastic. Choosing the right Ford Ranger in 2020 is proving to be quite the challenge. There are more than 30 different variants in the Ford Ranger line-up (talk about a growing family!), each with a different combination of engine, suspension set-up, or body design. However, there are some versions that bring a little extra to the table in the battle for your hard-earned money. Of the 2020 F...
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This Korean is on the money Overall Rating Plus & Minus  Plus - Exterior and interior design; comfort; space; equipment; ease of operation; cruising refinement  Minus - Minor diesel engine vibes at idle; petrol engine and lower spec models untested The Wheels Verdict: Nailed it! A hugely persuasive large SUV thanks to the ease and completeness with which it fulfils its intended function. More than that, though, new Sorento imparts a feel-good factor thank...
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How does the new Defender compare to the legend? If there’s a gene that predisposes a person to like the original Land Rover Defender, I’m afraid I don’t have it. I appreciate that people are sentimental about these things, but really, the previous Defender was – and still is – the worst car I’d ever reviewed on a public road. The third-generation Defender – code-named L663 – thankfully comes from different stock, and is tasked with the hardest job of all; placating the cynical f...
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The formula is much enhanced by the 3-pointed star. The original GLA copped a bad rap. Roundly panned by the press, it was criticised for the simple fact it wasn’t very convincing. It lacked room and ability, plus it couldn’t shake the perception that it was merely an A-Class in stilettos. Of course, none of this really mattered. It still sold remarkably well, though now we have a second-generation GLA. And Mercedes has moved to address the original’s shortcomings with more space, smar...
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We like what Isuzu has done.... At the risk of reading from the Captain Obvious handbook, it’s clear that plenty of 4x4 ute buyers do not work from same priority list as car buyers. If strong fundamentals of the driving experience, and inclusion of the latest multimedia and safety tech were 4x4 prerequisites, then the outgoing Isuzu D-Max would have never achieved the level of sales success it has. No, it’s clear that to regularly nudge the overall top 10 best sellers in the coun...
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Is the Hyundai eight-seater good enough to knock off Toyota's segment hero? Hyundai has drummed up enough reason to wedge in another SUV to its Australian range, with the Palisade eight-seat SUV also representing the brand’s flagship product. Seldom do we see eight-seater SUVs gracing the Australian new car market, marking a distinction between the Palisade and the current seven-seat load-lugger of Hyundai’s line-up, the Santa Fe. It may appear that there’s little difference b...
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Mercedes-Benz has made some changes to the GLA and is obviously targeting BMW X1. BMW had a good thing going ten years ago. The introduction of the X1 premium small SUVs was a stroke of genius, offering the high-riding BMW at a more palatable price point and at a time where it wasn't being challenged by other manufacturers. That is until Mercedes-Benz threw its hat into the ring, upsetting BMW’s monopoly in 2013 with its first-ever GLA. While the X1 was a high watermar...
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Now we have quattro available in the Q3. What do we think? What is it? The second-generation Audi Q3 small SUV launched in Australia early last year, offering a single entry-level, front-wheel-drive variant known as the 35. Now, Audi has upped the ante with a more powerful, all-wheel-drive version of its Goldilocks-sized SUV. Known as the Q3 40 TFSI quattro, it sells for a shade under $54,000, or around $10,000 more than the 35. That’s a pretty big jump in price, but it comes...
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Affordable SUVs abound. Here are our thoughts. Choice means competition and competition is great for the customer, and never more has that rule applied than in the small SUV market. With so many competitors fighting for attention in the dinky high-rider segment, the plethora of brands are forced to be hyper-competitive in terms of features, equipment and price. And that's good news for you. There are more than 15 models vying for your money in the small SUV class, but we’re ...
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  Has this one got points of difference? For a new car, the Volkswagen T-Roc is pretty well seasoned. Perhaps 'new to us' would be a better description, as the T-Roc concept first appeared at the 2014 Geneva Show. It arrived in European dealers in 2017, but has taken another three years to finally make landfall here in Australia. Volkswagen is adopting a toe in the water approach with this car, initially just offering a premium all-wheel drive 140kW version as driven here, but...
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    By Tim Robson, 27 Jul 2020 Reviews Is this the car for all seasons, budget aside? The Audi RS6 Avant sits, or more accurately squats in the small Hunter Valley town of Denham, its cartoonishly huge rims already shaded with the efforts of numerous hard stops. Its paint is battle scarred with the internal bits of a thousand insects. Its barely existent tyre sidewalls are caked in that curious ochre of dust and road grime. And yet, I am head over heels in love. My first gl...
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The choice between the CLA45 S coupe and the A45 S hatchback is interesting. While the Mercedes-Benz AMG CLA45 S is mechanically very closely related to that of the A45 S hot hatch – hyper hatch if you like – it chases a rather different buyer. One looking purely for the driving experience has an easy choice: the hatch. It’s an action hero and it’s more than up to the task of entertaining. But it’s not exactly a sex symbol. Anyone who considers style an important aspect to a car w...
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Having fun with these high-powered high-riders In ancient Rome, there were certain fabrics so delicate and finely stitched they were called subtilis, literally ‘underwoven’. From that term came the English word ‘subtle’, the notion of qualities understated or concealed. By and large, production cars aren’t long on subtlety. In order for a complex product to communicate its appeal, it is often the case that a certain heavy-handedness is required to hammer home the sell. Take high-per...
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Here we go - a muscular Audi and the open road.... There’s no lairy wing at the back nor are the guards pumped to accommodate aggressively wide wheels and tyres, but then again Audi’s S-badged models have traditionally concealed their muscle so well you could argue the badge should stand for ‘Sleeper’ rather than ‘Sport’. So that’s how it is for the all-new fifth-generation S6 that again sets up a game of ‘spot-the-difference’ between it and the more junior A6 55TFSI, which ask...
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Compact SUV's Put To The Test Good design is thorough down to the last detail. Nothing must be arbitrary or left to chance. Care and accuracy in the design process show respect towards the user.” You may know this as one of Dieter Rams’ 10 principles of good design. Rams, one of the 20th Century’s great thinkers on industrial design, formulated these tenets in the 1980s but they’re as valuable today as they ever were, all underpinned by one central commandment: “Weniger,...
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Twin-turbo diesel power from Bentley Bentayga for VW's premium Touareg Volkswagen has revealed a halo version of its already high-achieving Touareg large SUV that packs a mighty 900Nm twin-turbo V8 punch and can beat a Golf GTI in a drag race. Dubbed the V8 TDI R-Line, the latest addition to the Touareg line-up will appear in Australian showrooms in the fourth quarter of 2020, adding a flagship variant above the existing V6 diesel-only range. Key to the new Touareg’s p...
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More safety, tech, and comfort for this benchmark mid-size SUV. Mazda has updated its popular CX-5 mid-size SUV for 2020, bringing new safety technology, quieter components and new off-road capability, while slightly bumping the price up across the board. A core model for Mazda, and a favourite for Australians too, thankfully the CX-5 has scored a bunch of new kit to offset the extra outlay of money you'll have to spend at dealerships. Familiar model grades are retai...
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Ford's new entrant tackles the XV benchmark. The Contenders You’d have to think that just about all automotive niches have been filled these days, but Ford proves it’s not the case with the genre-jostling Focus Active. What it is, even according to the company, seems hard to define. However, it’s definitely not an SUV, hatchback or crossover. Yes, we’re still confused, too. For $29,990 you receive a mid-spec Focus with 34mm of  added ride height and some ‘look at me, I can go off-...
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The new Mercedes GLE is up for a battle IT’S A cold, misty morning on Melbourne’s Chapel Street. Traditionally a location heralded as a hot-spot of fashionable excess, the famed strip’s gentrification has fostered an environment where expensive boutiques now mingle with commonplace stores filled with pragmatism. In a weird irony, the three luxury SUVs we’ve assembled reflect the street in which they’re parked. All are family-friendly, diesel-powered rivals that pro...
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Ride, style and infotainment go up a notch..... Overall Rating Plus & Minus Plus - Massive infotainment boost; new petrol engines are perky; Exterior styling improvements Minus - Standard suspension falls short on Australian roads; cabin shows age; some MBUX features aren’t available. The Wheels Verdict: We criticised the pre-facelift GLC’s ride for being too firm on the car's standard steel-sprung suspension. The Series II facelift addresses that concern. The ...
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Holdens large SUV '- made in the USA...is it good enough? It has been three years since the large American-sourced Acadia SUV was confirmed to arrive in Australia rebranded as a Holden, with the big SUV finally launching Down Under 12 months ago. Expectations were high for the Acadia, set to join the market at a time when Holden needed a large SUV hero. Time then for Wheels to put the finger on the sales pulse to determine how things have progressed. The data in this article ...
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8 Seat Flagship In Australia soon. Hyundai will be bringing a new flagship model to Australian shores in the near future, with the Palisade large SUV confirmed for local sale. Sitting above the Santa Fe, the Palisade will rival the likes of the Mazda CX-9, and Toyota Kluger for size, and offers genuine eight-person hauling ability just like the Toyota LandCruiser Prado. The Palisade was previously only build in left-hand-drive,...
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20 Sep 2019 Reviews Hyundai Venue - Cheap it is. Overall Rating Plus & Minus  Plus - Bold styling; refined ride and keen steering; spacious cabin; generous equipment  Minus - Lacklustre atmo engine; wind and road noise can be intrusive; tyres undersell chassis refinement The Wheels Verdict: The Venue is the cheapest SUV that we can recommend someone go out and spend money on and not feel guilty. While there are foibles, notably the gutless atmo engine,...
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