News - Car Broker - Peter Lloyd

Car Resale Value

Posted on April 4, 2015November 22, 2016 by admin

Car resale value depreciation is normally the greatest expense during ownership of a motor vehicle. Our research indicates that the cost of depreciation over 3 years for a selection of popular vehicles is 3.5 times the cost of fuel. This is an eye opener to the majority of car owners. Consequently car resale value is a prime focus by us on your behalf. We will assist you to reduce the impact by intelligent vehicle selection, a great price, brand reputation, and other mitigating factors. There ...
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Mercedes-Benz AMG CLA45 S

Posted on August 4, 2020 by admin

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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Electric Cars Are Too Expensive To Make

Posted on July 31, 2020 by admin

Dyson spent a billion and gave up.....and Tesla burns billions..... It sits beneath a dust cover in the back of a hangar in Hullavington, UK. James Dyson’s billion-dollar folly is an SUV with seven seats, sleek styling, some beautiful interior design quirks, a claimed range of 965km and no viable business case. See - Dyson's Electric Car Not Viable “Electric cars are very expensive to make. The battery, battery management, electronics and cooling are much more expens...
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Big Dollar SUV’s in the Mountains

Posted on July 21, 2020 by admin

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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Audi S6 – Tourer with Grunt

Posted on July 18, 2020 by admin

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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Get Your Car Ready for Baby

Posted on July 14, 2020 by admin

These suggestions should help you to prepare your car. There’s no shortage of things to consider when you start a new family. You’ve got to stock up on clothes and nappies, decorate the nursery, childproof the house, find a paediatrician, check out child care centres and join a parents’ group. Phew! But what about the car? Here’s a simple guide to getting your car ready for when your tiny bundle of joy arrives. Car seat selection One of the most important decisions you can make...
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Mazda 3 Astina

Posted on July 9, 2020July 9, 2020 by admin

In recent years Mazda has consistently been at the top of Australian buyer’s minds in the small car segment, but the latest generation Mazda 3 has had other ideas. Instead of targeting hard-won buyers of the previous generation - as it's done so successfully with the CX-5 - Mazda has taken the new 3 into a more premium space with a commensurate rise in price. WhichCar has picked up a range-topping Mazda 3 G25 Astina to sample the new range over the longer term and on initial im...
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Compact SUV’s – Best of the Best

Posted on July 3, 2020 by admin

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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Prevent Car Theft

Posted on June 29, 2020 by admin

Cars are stolen in Australia at an alarming rate. Let's make it more difficult for the thieves...... According to the latest figures from the National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council, Australian car thefts increased by 9.0 percent in 2019, with more than 58,000 vehicles stolen nationwide. A majority of the thefts - nearly 30 percent - were reported in Victoria, Queensland has the unenviable title of second with nearly a quarter of the national figure, while New South Wales repr...
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Electric Car Not Viable

Posted on June 27, 2020 by admin

James Dyson cancels his electric car program James Dyson had a dream of producing an electric car - and if anyone could do it, it would be genius Englishman who reinvented the vacuum industry. It wasn't too be, however, with the billionaire pulling the pin late in 2019. Here he talks about the Battery Electric Car and what went wrong. "In 1983, early in the development of my cyclonic technology which separates particulate from an air stream, I visited a spinout company from the...
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2020 Audi S7 First Australian Drive

Posted on June 22, 2020 by admin

Four-door sedans and coupes are being outsold by SUVs. The joy of driving though, on the main, still resides mainly in sedans and coupes. The world has gone mad for the SUV and that’s a crying shame, because it puts luscious machines like the 2020 Audi S7 under more pressure than they need to be. I mean… just look at it! Sharp yet subtle, stern yet sensuous… the S7 is a blend of sensible and sass that puts the boxy dimensions of a typical SUV – even the sporty ones – in sharp contras...
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Escape up North

Posted on June 18, 2020 by admin

Time for an adventure in the Top End. AS THE colder months take hold in the southern states of Australia, a lot of us are thinking of escaping to the warmer climes of the north. At this stage, 2020 probably isn’t going to be a year for travel, but as you’re shivering in your Uggies this winter, start making plans to ensure some respite in the years ahead. The Top End of the Northern Territory is a destination on the bucket list of most, if not all 4x4 travellers. Not only does it offe...
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Volkswagen V8 Touareg

Posted on June 18, 2020 by admin

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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AMG E53 Up to Mount Hotham

Posted on June 8, 2020 by admin

What a great way to spend a day...... “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 Gippsland Coast to the alpine resort of...
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Is the Dual Cab Bubble needing to Burst?

Posted on June 2, 2020June 2, 2020 by admin

Australia’s love of the dual-cab ute is a concern. It’s not so much an elephant in the room as dinosaurs in the driveway. Anywhere you look, our roads are choking with dual-cab utes. Always popular, they now dominate, to the point where the best- and second-best sellers wear Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger badges. Celebrated and lately even feted, they’ve become ingrained in our national psyche, in much the same way Holden and Ford utes (and for a brief period during the 1970s, p...
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Porsche Cayman GT4 Review

Posted on May 28, 2020May 28, 2020 by admin

How Porsche’s Cayman GT4 shot for the moon but missed Perfection may well have to wait for the sharpest scalpel in Porsche’s portfolio Overall Rating Plus & Minus Plus - Stunning chassis; gutsy powerplant; aggro styling; capable on both road and track Minus - Hideous gear ratios; so-so acoustics; starting to feel a little dated inside; expensive The Wheels Verdict: The Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 isn’t without some fairly fundamental caveats, but the majo...
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The Very Popular Pub in the Paddock – Tasmania

Posted on May 24, 2020 by admin

Definitely worthy of a visit when in Tassy. NESTLED in the quiet rural village of Pyengana, around two hours’ drive from Launceston or just one hour from St Helens, the Pub in the Paddock is a great place to wash away the dust (or mud) after a day’s four-wheel driving in some of Tassie’s most spectacular country. The Pub in the Paddock has been licenced since 1880, and today it’s managed by the friendly and entertaining Rowena and Scott Codyre. On the day we showed up at the fron...
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Isusu D-MAX & MU-X I-Venture in Tasmania

Posted on May 19, 2020May 19, 2020 by admin

A terrific challenge - Tasmania's brutal Climies Track. As 13 vehicles rolled to the beginning of Climies Track on an icy cold summer’s day in Tasmania, adrenalin was high yet scepticism lingered. Were we really expected to overcome a highly technically 20km track with a convoy of D-MAXs and MU-Xs, three of which were unmodified and wearing 18-inch wheels? “Hell, why not? Let's give it a crack,” seemed to be the overwhelming consensus from the group, despite relentless ...
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Wagons Are Back

Posted on May 11, 2020 by admin

These prestige offerings from Europe are more than a match for equivalent SUVs. Wagons are back. What if you wanted to break free from the new norm and go back to something more traditional? Yes, of course, we’re talking about the mass migration to SUVs that seems to know no limits. However, a wagon will do just about everything the modern SUV is tasked with, the only downfall being a lack of raised ride height and very few drivers need that. So we’ve got the new Volvo V60 and the B...
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New Mazda CX-5

Posted on May 6, 2020 by admin

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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SUV 7 Seaters – Which One for You?

Posted on April 26, 2020 by admin

The Santa Fe now has a V6, a 2-edged sword. The Mazda CX-9 is a favourite in the Wheels office. It wouldn’t be a Car of the Year winner if it wasn’t. However, the latest generation Santa Fe presents as strong competition – and now it’s endowed with 206kW of V6 power to take on the benchmark. So, which is best? EQUIPMENT AND VALUE At $51,000, the Elite designation renders this Santa Fe V6 variant the middle-ground, value-for-money proposition within the range. Still, it’s d...
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Ford Ranger is Top Dog for 4×4 Sales

Posted on April 16, 2020 by admin

Ford, Toyota, and Mitsubishi remain 4x4 sales charts leaders. The Ford Ranger, Toyota Hilux and Mitsubishi Triton once again occupy the three top spots in 4x4 sales according to the latest VFACTS report for February 2020. The Ford Ranger grabbed a whopping 25.7 per cent of the 4x4 ute segment in February, ahead of the Toyota Hilux with 23 per cent, leaving the others to fight for the other half of the segment. In year to date terms, Ford ha...
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Safe Cars for New Drivers

Posted on April 12, 2020 by admin

We select our five safest entry-level picks for the inexperienced driver When it comes to buying the first car for your cherished offspring, safety is usually the number one priority for parents. Certain brands like Volvo were always synonymous with safety, but most other brands have caught up and today, even some of the cheapest cars in showrooms come with key safety features that will help prevent or mitigate an accident or protect occupants if a crash can't be avoided. ...
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Mercedes-Benz 5-year Warranty

Posted on April 6, 2020 by admin

Mercedes have moved to a 5 year warranty on all vehicles

The three German luxury brands have stubbornly stuck to 3-year warranties - until now. Every Mercedes-Benz car, van, and ute sold from April 1 will be covered by a five-year manufacturer’s warranty. The German manufacturer is the first luxury-car brand outside of Tesla to extend its warranty period beyond the industry-standard three years, and now puts it in line with mainstream brands such as Toyota and Mazda. Every model within Mercedes’ range is included in the five-year/unli...
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Mazda CX-30 – A New Mazda SUV

Posted on March 29, 2020 by admin

Another SUV offering in the Mazda mix - The New Mazda CX-30 Overall Rating Plus & Minus Plus - Striking design inside and out; high level of equipment; positive ownership proposition Minus - Suspension firm on Aussie roads; getting expensive; no SkyActiv-X… yet The Wheels Verdict: Mazda’s upmarket push is continuing at pace, and the stylish CX-30 bolsters this movement. Yes, you pay a premium for it, but the luxurious cabin belies the Ja...
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Mazda Quality Upgrades Shine Through

Posted on March 19, 2020March 19, 2020 by admin

Mazda continues premium push despite sales slump

Enhancements and luxury upgrades at the forefront of Mazda thinking Mazda’s premium push isn’t about to slow down, with the Japanese manufacturer happy with its positioning of the popular 3. Prices now start at $24,990 for the entry-level Pure manual and monthly sales are significantly down on the 3’s 2012 heyday. However, according to marketing director, Alastair Doak, the venerable hatch/sedan is tracking well for the brand and its expectations. “The standard equipmen...
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BMW axes Diesel

Posted on March 12, 2020 by admin

Diesel is "on the nose". DIESEL is fast regaining its infamous distinction as a dirty word with manufacturers dropping oilers from their respective line-ups down under. Frugal, small-capacity turbo petrol engines, hybrids, plug-in hybrids and full electric vehicles are becoming mainstays because of their economy, efficiency and emissions figures. BMW is the latest marque to axe a diesel variant, with the petrol-powered 320i...
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All New Mazda CX-30 – the Inbetweener

Posted on March 5, 2020 by admin

Another Mazda Winner..... Plus & Minus Plus - Striking design inside and out; high level of equipment; positive ownership proposition Minus - Suspension firm on Aussie roads; getting expensive; no SkyActiv-X… yet The Wheels Verdict: Mazda’s upmarket push is continuing at pace, and the stylish CX-30 bolsters this movement. Yes, you pay a premium for it, but the luxurious cabin belies the Japanese brand’s traditional bad...
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Porsche Cayenne Turbo Coupe

Posted on March 3, 2020 by admin

Coupe SUV - Porsche Enters the Fray Overall Rating Plus & Minus Plus - Prodigious power; stunning dynamics for an SUV; premium interior Minus - Hefty price of options; busy ride quality in Turbo; less practical than wagon The Wheels Verdict: If you desire a design-driven SUV with coupe pretences and devastatingly capable performance, the Cayenne Coupe fits the bill. However, if ultimate practicality and a cheaper price tag mean more, stick with the tradit...
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Driving Habits that Kill

Posted on March 1, 2020 by admin

Road rules are one thing (and unfortunately some drivers arrogantly ignore them) but here are some very dangerous driving sins to think about... Here are some of the driving habits that kill. We all know that making poor decisions such as reaching for your phone or having a few drinks can turn safe day-to-day driving into a dangerous form of transport. But you might be making a number of seemingly-innocent mistakes that put your own safety and the wellbeing of others around y...
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Holden is Leaving!

Posted on February 20, 2020 by admin

The rumours have crystallised.... The Holden brand will be retired by 2021 in Australia and local design and engineering departments will be shuttered, General Motors has confirmed. In what is monumental news for the Australian automotive industry, Holden’s Melbourne design studio and Lang Lang proving ground are expected to shut with up to 600 of 800 local jobs lost. GM President Mark Reuss said in a statement every effort had been made to retain the Holden brand. "At ...
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