Hitting a cattle grate at 130km/h is no problem for the Audi RS6 Avant. This $225,000 wagon-only may have been engineered as a autobahn-stormer but it is also utterly adept at dealing with Aussie outback bitumen, as our local first drive proved. Audi Australia imported three RS6 Avants two months before the model�??s official on-sale to coincide with the launch of its first local advertising
by Unknown on 03:02
Shuffling through the Audi A1 Sportback range tests the definition of the term �??hot-hatch�??. The $29,900 Audi A1 three-door squeezes a Golf�??s 90kW/200Nm 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine and six-speed manual into a 3.95-metre, 1100kg body. The upshot of being a light hatchback with a turbo engine is 0-100km/h in a claimed 8.9 seconds, just 5.3L/100km official combined consumption and
by Unknown on 03:02
The Mini Countryman JCW marks the first time the John Cooper Works badge has adorned an all-wheel drive vehicle. Combining JCW performance enhancement with the practicality of five doors, and the promise of some light off-roading capability, the most athletic Countryman has now officially joined its spirited siblings in the local seven-car range. At $56,800 the Mini Countryman John Cooper
by Unknown on 03:02
The concept of an electric off-roader might conjure images of a 4WD that�??s all hat and no cattle, but the Land Rover Defender Electric is a surprisingly capable all-terrain vehicle. While most EVs (electric vehicles) are built with emissions reduction in mind, the Land Rover Electric Defender was created on a very different remit, when a South African game park commissioned Land Rover to
by Unknown on 03:02
The federal government�??s proposed changes to the fringe benefits tax might pass through the senate before the election, if Kevin Rudd has his way. Mr Rudd has been in contact with numerous world leaders in regards to the G20 summit and is rumoured to be making preparations to attend the event before an election is called.� This would likely delay the federal election until October. The net
by Unknown on 03:02
Four-hundred Holden employees in South Australia will clock off for the last time today as the voluntary redundancies announced by the local car maker in April take effect. The workers at Holden�??s vehicle assembly plant in Elizabeth represent 80 per cent of the employees planned to leave the company as part of the April job cuts, with a further 100 engineering staff from Holden�??s product
by Unknown on 03:02
It isn�??t quite a wolf in sheep�??s clothing, the Jaguar XF 2.2D, but it definitely is a four-cylinder diesel with big alloys and sports trimmings. Make of that combination what you will, but our optioned-up Jaguar XF 2.2D test car is a surprisingly alluring package. Surprising, first, because even when the $76,500 XF 2.2D Premium Luxury is optioned with 35-aspect 20-inch gloss black alloys
by Unknown on 03:02
Tata Motors has confirmed its entry into the Australian market, with new independent distributor Fusion Automotive set to introduce a range of light-commercial vehicles in the final quarter of this year. Fusion will launch the Tata Xenon across Australia in November, offering 4�?2 and 4�?4 versions of the Toyota HiLux-sized ute in single- and crew-cab body styles. The Indian-made Xenon will
by Unknown on 03:02
On paper the Renault Megane GT 220 Sport Wagon looks like an ideal blend of performance and practicality. Up front there�??s a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 162kW of power and 340Nm of torque. Out back there�??s 524 litres of boot space, or 1600L with the rear backrest and front passenger seat folded. Cloaked with a sports bodykit and black 18-inch alloys wheels, and
by Unknown on 03:02
The BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo has landed in Australia, expanding the German manufacturer�??s popular premium mid-sized range with new a niche that blurs the line between sedan and wagon. BMW Australia�??s 3 Series GT range comprises three grades �?" 320i GT, 320d GT and 328i GT �?" each one commanding a premium of slightly more than $10,000 over its 3 Series sedan equivalent. Priced from $
by Unknown on 03:02
The Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class sedan will start almost $15K higher than its A-Class sister car when it arrives in showrooms in October. The local division has confirmed a $49,900 price tag for the entry-level Mercedes-Benz CLA200, making it $14,300 more than the less-powerful A180 base model hatch and $9000 pricier than the mechanically identical A200, though Mercedes-Benz Australia points out
by Unknown on 03:02
The Lexus IS-F Coupe has been caught in public as it prepares to take on the might of the mid-sized German luxury performance models. Lexus has yet to even officially confirm it will produce the two-door version of the new Lexus IS, which was previewed by the LF-CC concept. But here�??s the evidence the company will expand the number of body styles for its BMW 3 Series rival. The
by Unknown on 03:02
First official images and details of the new Honda Jazz have been released ahead of the car�??s Japanese launch in September. Honda�??s third-generation Jazz city car embraces a new design language dubbed �??Exciting H Design�?? and features upgraded drivetrains across the range. The Honda Jazz Hybrid benefits most from the overhaul. The hybrid teams a newly developed 1.5-litre four-cylinder
by Unknown on 03:02
Land Rover�??s second-generation Range Rover Sport has been officially launched in Britain�??s idyllic Cotswolds this week, headlined by a global drive program for the international press. The new Range Rover Sport represents the latest in a line of hugely successful designs from iconic British car maker, including the Range Rover Evoque (launched in 2011) and the more recent fourth-generation
by Unknown on 03:02
The Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG has been revealed ahead of its official unveiling at September�??s Frankfurt motor show. The all-new S63 AMG will become the performance flagship in Mercedes-Benz Australia�??s sixth-generation S-Class sedan line-up, arriving in local showrooms in December with an anticipated price tag close to $400,000. The new Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG is powered by a retuned version
by Unknown on 03:02
The Ford Mustang is returning to Australia but a bigger surprise is that the Blue Oval�??s American large car, the Taurus, is not set to replace the Falcon from 2017. A return of the famous US muscle car has been expected after Ford announced in 2012 that the Mustang would be produced in right-hand drive and become the latest member of the line-up to be sold as a global vehicle under the
by Unknown on 03:02
The Skoda Rapid Spaceback has been officially revealed ahead of its unveiling at September�??s Frankfurt motor show. The Rapid Spaceback hatch joins the Rapid liftback sedan in the Volkswagen-owned Czech brand�??s new small-car family. Skoda Australia public relations manager Kurt McGuiness told CarAdvice the Skoda Rapid Spaceback would arrive in local showrooms in the first half of 2014.
by Unknown on 03:02
Sebastien Loeb has won the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado, smashing the previous record by more than 1min 30sec. Behind the wheel of the 652kW Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak, the nine-time World Rally Champion covered the famous 20-kilometre, 156-turn course at an average speed of 145km/h to complete the �??Race to the Clouds�?? in 8min 19.878sec. Significantly quicker
by Unknown on 03:02
The sixth-generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class will arrive in Australia earlier than expected, in the fourth quarter of 2013. Speaking at the international launch of the all-new S-Class, Mercedes-Benz Australia corporate communications manager David McCarthy confirmed that two bodystyles and three spec levels would launch initially, with more to follow. Arriving between October and December this
by Unknown on 03:02
The price of the Mazda 3 has been cut to $19,990 driveaway as Mazda Australia takes one final shot at the Toyota Corolla and the 2013 sales crown. The aggressive driveaway pricing comes on the back of the international launch of the third-generation Mazda 3, which is destined to arrive in local showrooms in January/February 2014. The $19,990 driveaway price tag applies to the Mazda 3 Neo
by Unknown on 03:02
Official production details of the BMW i3 have been released ahead of its full unveiling later this month. The German manufacturer�??s first mass-produced electric car is entirely new from the ground up. The i3 is based on BMW�??s unique �??LifeDrive�?? vehicle architecture, incorporating a predominantly aluminium chassis and a carbonfibre-reinforced plastic passenger cell, as well as the
by Unknown on 03:02
The 2013 Lexus IS range gains a hybrid model as the Japanese brand aims to counter fuel-efficient diesel models from its German luxury rivals. The Lexus IS300h joins the IS250 and IS350 models for the third-generation version of the company�??s rival to the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class. IS300h sits in the middle of the range, priced from $58,900 and offering a combined
by Unknown on 03:02
Eerie though it is, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class can see things before its driver. A total 28 cameras, radars and sensors surround the sixth-generation S-Class, some of which are responsible for a duo of world-first technologies �?" Magic Body Control, where the windshield camera reads the road ahead and adjusts the dampers as it hits bumps; and Night View Assist Plus, which in the dark
by Unknown on 03:02
To any sane onlooker, a Hyundai Veloster tackling a high-speed wet lap of the famously treacherous 21km Nurburgring Nordschleife should make for some very uncomfortable viewing. This place isn�??t known as the �??Green Hell�?� for nothing. You need to be brave, if not downright courageous, to drive flat-out here. And that�??s on a dry track. But with the South Korean maker becoming the latest
by Unknown on 03:02
The Mercedes-Benz S500 Plug-in Hybrid has been shown ahead of its official debut at the Frankfurt motor show in September. CarAdvice and other Australian media were among the first to see the S500 Plug-in Hybrid, which in long-wheelbase test-car form was rolled out for the first time at the Mercedes-Benz S-Class launch in Toronto, Canada �?" curiously, earlier waves of foreign media were not
by Unknown on 03:02
Performance utes such as the HSV Maloo R8 are a quintessentially Australian beast. Up there with Vegemite and Aussie rules football, people not from our great land often can�??t quite understand our local passion for them. With the new Gen-F version now unleashed, though, it might just prove to be the perfect conduit. At $68,290 the HSV Maloo R8 is the flagship ute in Holden Special Vehicle�?
by Unknown on 03:02
A Jeep Grand Cherokee that can�??t take on the outback? Not so long ago, such an idea would have been deemed sacrilegious �?" but times have changed. Not even America�??s famous 4�?4 brand can ignore the buyer trend towards two-wheel-drive SUVs that still look the part but come with fuel efficiency benefits. Jeep introduced front-wheel-drive versions of the Compass and Patriot locally in 2012
by Unknown on 03:02
A� BMW X4� prototype has been spied testing for the first time, providing an early look at the production model. Caught by CarAdvice�??s spy photographers wearing only light camouflage, the BMW X4 prototype masks very little, with most details clearly visible. Compared with the BMW X4 concept car unveiled at this year�??s Shanghai auto show in April, the prototype is noticeably tamer. At
by Unknown on 03:02
The smallest Jeep 4WD yet will become a competitor for the likes of the Toyota Corolla and Volkswagen Golf. Jeep CEO Mike Manley has told US motoring media the yet-to-be-named model will be 4.2 metres long, making it about the size of a Golf and nearly half a metre smaller than the Jeep Cherokee. Manley told US website Edmunds he expects buyers to cross-shop the junior Jeep with hatchbacks
by Unknown on 03:02
To call the Bentley Continental GTC V8 the �??baby�?? of the range doesn�??t do this mega-luxury four-seat convertible justice. Yet that is what the V8-engined versions of Bentley�??s second generation coupe and convertible are. Having exclusively utilised a heavy and thirsty 6.0-litre W12 engine since the first generation models launched in 2005, Bentley has now installed a �??little�??
by Unknown on 03:02
It isn�??t back-handed to call the Citroen C5 Tourer one of the most obviously French new cars on the market. In the often bland mid-sized class, this sub-$50,000 turbo-diesel wagon is brimming with character. But it is also full of tangible features that make it successful in being what the badge on its rump says �?" a Tourer. Only two years ago the Citroen C5 Tourer Exclusive HDi tested
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