Articles by Byron Mathioudakis

Byron Mathioudakis

Contributing Journalist

Byron started his motoring journalism career when he joined John Mellor in 1997 before becoming a freelance motoring writer two years later.

He wrote for several motoring publications and was ABC Youth radio Triple J's "all things automotive" correspondent from 2001 to 2003.

He rejoined John Mellor in early 2003 and has been with GoAutoMedia as a senior product and industry journalist ever since.

With an eye for detail and a vast knowledge base of both new and used cars Byron lives and breathes motoring.

His encyclopedic knowledge of cars was acquired from childhood by reading just about every issue of every car magazine ever to hit a newsstand in Australia.

The child Byron was the consummate car spotter, devoured and collected anything written about cars that he could lay his hands on and by nine had driven more imaginary miles at the wheel of the family Ford Falcon in the driveway at home than many people drive in a lifetime.

The teenage Byron filled in the agonising years leading up to getting his driver's license by reading the words of the leading motoring editors of the country and learning what they look for in a car and how to write it.

In short, Byron loves cars and knows pretty much all there is to know about every vehicle released during his lifetime as well as most of the ones that were around before then.

Byron started his motoring journalism career when he joined John Mellor in 1997 before becoming a freelance motoring writer two years later.

He wrote for several motoring publications and was ABC Youth radio Triple J's "all things automotive" correspondent from 2001 to 2003.

He rejoined John Mellor in early 2003 and has been with GoAutoMedia as a senior product and industry journalist ever since.

With an eye for detail and a vast knowledge base of both new and used cars Byron lives and breathes motoring.

His encyclopedic knowledge of cars was acquired from childhood by reading just about every issue of every car magazine ever to hit a newsstand in Australia.

In short, Byron loves cars and knows pretty much all there is to know about every vehicle released during his lifetime as well as most of the ones that were around before then.

Has Honda got it right after all? Why new small-car and SUV buyers cannot afford to ignore the car industry's comeback kid | Opinion

15 July 2023 by Byron Mathioudakis

How Kia is futureproofing the 2025 Tasman ute against the Ford Ranger and coming all-new Mitsubishi Triton, Nissan Navara and Toyota HiLux rivals

9 July 2023 by Byron Mathioudakis

Kia has revealed that the upcoming pick-up truck (thought to be called...Read more

Is this Kia EV a future electric car of the year? Past form and present trends are indicating this could be a Tesla Model Y and Toyota bZ4X beater!

8 July 2023 by Byron Mathioudakis

Is this going to be the electric vehicle (EV) that Australian families...Read more

BMW iX1 2023 review

4 July 2023 by Byron Mathioudakis

The world is full of shock brand announcements. Remember the time Coke suddenly changed its cola recipe? Or when Apple decided to take on Nokia with iPhone? Nobody saw those coming. We all know how the latter turned out and even the former eventually became a marketing masterstroke. Read more about...Read more

Kia Tasman Raptor rival: What we know so far about the explosive Ford Ranger Raptor-chasing high-performance mid-sized pick-up

2 July 2023 by Byron Mathioudakis

Kia has dropped its strongest hint yet that rivalling the class-leading...Read more

Kia Telluride update: If Korea builds it, it will come (to Australia) - and with turbo hybrid power and economy to boot!

1 July 2023 by Byron Mathioudakis

With apologies to fans of the 1989 film, Field of Dreams, another...Read more

Cupra Leon 2023 review: VZe

25 June 2023 by Byron Mathioudakis

Behold the beautiful Cupra Leon VZe. Like its name and multimedia screen, this enigmatic hatchback needs some decoding to make sense to Australians. Essentially, the Leon VZe is a variation of today's eighth-generation Volkswagen Golf. Except it's built in Spain by VW Group subsidiary SEAT (...Read more

Kia Kosciusko anyone? How the production Kia 'Tasman' ute will be Australian in name and nature as it takes on the Toyota HiLux, Ford Ranger, Isuzu D-Max and more

25 June 2023 by Byron Mathioudakis

Kia is serious about infusing as much of an Australian flavour in its...Read more

Waiting for cheaper Kia EVs, including in EV6 and Niro EV? Here's what to expect from one of the world's most in-demand electric car makers

24 June 2023 by Byron Mathioudakis

Kia is on a roll when it comes to electric vehicles (EVs), due to the...Read more

Move aside, Mahindra Scorpio! From a Suzuki Jimny-style SUV and MG ZS EV-rivalling electric car to Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series-esque 4WDs, here are other brand-building Mahindras Australians might love

24 June 2023 by Byron Mathioudakis

Mahindra is on the rise in Australia.

After nearly 20 years of...Read more

Kia Tasman electric ute set to shape the expanding EV pick-up scene in Australia - will it beat Ford Ranger and Mitsubishi Triton EVs to market?

18 June 2023 by Byron Mathioudakis

Kia has a secret weapon under its long-awaited Tasman pick-up, and it's...Read more

Run, Tesla, run! 2024 Volvo EX30 electric car set to be Australia's biggest Swedish chart-topper since ABBA, and ruin the Tesla Model Y party | Opinion

18 June 2023 by Byron Mathioudakis

Does your mother know that it’s out? If not yet, she soon will.

The cheap Kia cars are still coming, and they will stay affordable while Toyota, Ford, Mazda, MGs and others price themselves into premium territory

17 June 2023 by Byron Mathioudakis

Kia has confirmed it will double-down on its passenger-car offerings...Read more

The Aussie influence grows: Mahindra Scorpio, XUV700 and other SUVs get tested locally

14 June 2023 by Byron Mathioudakis

Move over, Ford, Hyundai, Kia and others.

Toyota Prado's worst nightmare? The latest on the Ford Everest-based VW SUV, and why an electric car version might make it happen after all

13 June 2023 by Byron Mathioudakis

Is a Volkswagen SUV 4x4 based on the Ford Everest coming or not? It...Read more

Move over, Ford Ranger: Why the 2025 Kia Tasman is a new type of Australian dual-cab ute, with timings and more confirmed!

10 June 2023 by Byron Mathioudakis

It’s true. It’s happening. And it could end up being the most...Read more

Old versus new! Original Volkswagen Amarok to continue on beyond 2023 alongside Ford Ranger-based second-generation model, but where can you buy it?

10 June 2023 by Byron Mathioudakis

Fans of the first Amarok rejoice.

It will still be possible to...Read more

Lexus UX 2023 review: 250h Luxury

9 June 2023 by Byron Mathioudakis

Most cars get secretly cheapened as they travel through their model lifecycles. Yes, while facelifts often usher in headline advances like updated electronics and more equipment to boost attention, in too many cases, engineers are forced to cut costs, especially where they cannot be very easily...Read more

Look out, BYD Atto 3! The Mahindra XUV.e8 wants to be Australia's leading affordable mid-sized SUV EV alternative to the Tesla Model Y, Kia EV6, Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Toyota bZ4X

9 June 2023 by Byron Mathioudakis

Mahindra is set to challenge the medium SUV electric vehicle status quo...Read more

Rush that order in now! 2024 Kia Sportage hybrid here from January to take on the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, Honda Z-RV Hybrid, Haval H6 HEV and more

8 June 2023 by Byron Mathioudakis

The wildly successful Toyota RAV4 Hybrid is about to get its strongest...Read more

Articles by Byron Mathioudakis

Byron Mathioudakis

Contributing Journalist

Pages

Get the latest news, reviews and advice every week