Car Buying Tips Archives • Page 6 of 7 • Peter Lloyd

Mercedes-Benz X-Class X250d

Posted on February 1, 2019February 1, 2019 by admin

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

Posted on January 31, 2019January 31, 2019 by admin

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

Posted on January 24, 2019January 24, 2019 by admin

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

Posted on January 22, 2019January 22, 2019 by admin

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

Posted on January 17, 2019January 17, 2019 by admin

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

Posted on January 15, 2019January 15, 2019 by admin

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

Posted on January 11, 2019January 11, 2019 by admin

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

Posted on January 9, 2019January 9, 2019 by admin

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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2019 MX-5 is Even Better

Posted on January 4, 2019January 4, 2019 by admin

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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Audi R8 Continues to Roar

Posted on December 27, 2018January 1, 2019 by admin

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

Posted on December 23, 2018December 23, 2018 by admin

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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7 Seat Holden Acadia

Posted on November 4, 2018 by admin

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

Posted on October 26, 2018 by admin

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

Posted on October 22, 2018 by admin

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

Posted on October 16, 2018 by admin

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

Posted on October 15, 2018 by admin

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 Subaru Forester: Points of Interest

Posted on October 3, 2018October 3, 2018 by admin

In September first shipments arrived on our shores. 1. Everything has changed But at the same time, it’s stayed the same. Forester now sits on the Subaru Global Platform that first appeared under the current Impreza and XV, and the rest of the car has been overhauled to suit. It’s a big step forward, but Subaru hasn’t thrown the baby out with the bathwater. Much of what has made the Subaru Forester appealing in the past to a legion of buyers has carried over. It may be all-new, but ...
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New Ford Focus on Focus

Posted on September 3, 2018 by admin

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

Posted on August 30, 2018August 30, 2018 by admin

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

Posted on August 21, 2018 by admin

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 Mercedes-Benz X-Class First Drive

Posted on June 10, 2018June 10, 2018 by admin

Who would have thought it......a Mercedes-Benz Ute! MERCEDES-BENZ’S foray into the 4x4 dual-cab ute market has begun, with the Australian launch of the X-Class.The workhorse Benz is available in three models – Pure, Progressive and Power – with a total of 13 variants (including some 2WD variants in the base-spec Pure) across this three-model spread.There is a choice of two diesel powerplants: a single-turbocharger 2.3-litre four-cylinder (dubbed X220d and putting out 120kW and 403Nm), or...
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Ford Predicts Huge Power per Litre

Posted on June 5, 2018 by admin

European Head of Ford Performance says future performance cars will boast prodigious grunt REPORTS of the next-generation Focus RS boasting ‘over 400 horsepower’ (294kW) appear to be on the money, if the words of Europe’s Ford Performance boss are anything to go by. Speaking to Wheels, European director of Ford Performance Leo Roeks says he envisages 200 metric horsepower (147kW) becoming the new norm for specific output – the measure of how much power per litre an engi...
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Kia Picanto – Extended Test

Posted on January 22, 2018 by admin

This is a surprising car! It was an innocent query from a co-worker: “So, how’s life with the Picanto going as a long termer?” Yet it was a question that caused a bit of soul searching for myself and my little Korean companion. “Brilliant!” was my reply. And I was serious. For the past three months I’ve seriously enjoyed my time with the Kia Picanto. But that wasn’t a satisfactory answer for old mate. “Come on! Surely there is something you don’t like about it so far? It ca...
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Holden or Chevrolet for Australia?

Posted on January 11, 2018 by admin

Both is the answer HOLDEN won’t become Chevrolet. Holden insists that Chevrolet is an addition to the stable in Australia, not a sign of a name change. Holden showrooms will add Chevrolet-badged Silverado trucks and Camaro sports coupes from next year after the brand’s go-fast division, HSV, last week announced it would convert Chev-badged vehicles from left-hand drive and sell them through Holden’s distribution channels – the same channels it used when it created amped-up versions of th...
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2018 Jeep Trackhawk with 522 KW – OMG!

Posted on January 7, 2018January 7, 2018 by admin

The Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk sports a 6.2-litre supercharged Hemi V8-engine - in an SUV! Jeep Australia last night pulled the wraps off what will stand as the third most powerful vehicle sold here, and the most powerful SUV globally. It will burst from 0-100km/h in 3.7 seconds, and wind out all the way to a top speed of 289km/h. Oh, and did we mention it would cost just $134,900? That’s at the very low end of media speculation over pricing. “This is seriously good v...
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Which Kia Stinger For You?

Posted on January 4, 2018 by admin

Priced From $45,990 The Kia Stinger is a stylish and very well equipped four-door sports sedan with a sleek coupe-like roofline. It comes with a choice of 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo or 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engines, with the latter providing impressive performance. It has a sophisticated and spacious cabin that’s comfortable for long-distance cruising. What might bug me? The scratches on the leather steering wheel caused by y...
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Mazda CX-9 Enhanced

Posted on November 11, 2017November 11, 2017 by admin

Improvements for the Mazda CX-9 bring a price hike. Mazda isn’t resting on its laurels with its award-winning CX-9. Instead the Japanese car maker is introducing tweaks to the CX-9 to further improve handling with the addition of G-Vectoring Control (GVC) as standard across the range, alongside a raft of safety upgrades and measures to reduce NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) levels. Tweaks to the reigning Wheels Car of the Year see its pricing rise by $1400 across the whol...
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Alfa v BMW vs AMG Road Test

Posted on May 7, 2017May 7, 2017 by admin

QV vs M3 vs C63 .......Interesting! I attempt to hold station with a well-driven Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio. The Italian car is all sinew and suppleness, as if gently pressed to the road’s ruts, compressions and decreasing radius corners by a benign celestial hand. The Mercedes-AMG C63 S I’m driving instead adopts a different philosophy, attempting to bludgeon Australia’s impertinent topography into submission through sheer surfeit of Newton metres; hopping, kicking, shunting and w...
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Isuzu D-Max Ups the Offering

Posted on March 3, 2017 by admin

Improvements are Significant ISUZU’S facelifted D-Max one-tonne ute range has arrived in Australia with a cleaner, gruntier new engine coupled to six-speed manual or automatic transmissions in place of the old five-speed units. More standard equipment, additional noise and vibration deadening, subtly updated styling and, for the first time, a capped-price servicing offer also come with the update. Behind the restyled bonnet, front bumper, radiator grille and headlights is a heavily revise...
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New Toyota Kluger

Posted on February 10, 2017 by admin

Some noteworthy improvements for 2017 TELL ME ABOUT THIS CAR Since its launch in Australia three years ago, the third-generation Toyota Kluger has been a big seller in Australia because of its size, packaging, pricing, ease of operation, and brand reputation for reliability and resale. With the MY17 facelift, the company builds on that with small but important updates to the V6 powertrain to improve both performance and economy, including an all-new eight-speed automatic transmission, ...
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