Luxury Reviews

Craig Duff road tests and reviews the 2015 Mercedes-Benz SL400, with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Derek Ogden road tests and reviews the Lexus MX300h F Sport with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Porsche purists are still whining, but the fact of the matter is that if Porsche doesn't do SUVs, the purists are unlikely to get machines like the 918 Spyder or Cayman GTS. So that argument is pretty much over for the rest of the internet, thank goodness.Porsche's challenge now is to continue to grow its SUV line-up while maintaining the balance between sporty and utility. It's started from a good base, both technologically and financially - you can have either the diesel or petrol Macan S for a long way south of $100,000.The Macan's current range starts with the $84,900 six-cylinder turbodiesel and then the two twin-turbo petrol V6s, the 3.0-litre S and the strangely-named 3.6-litre $122,400 Turbo.Our car was the mid-spec $86,700 petrol-powered S. Standard on board is an eleven-speaker stereo with Bluetooth, USB and inbuilt hard disc, dual-zone climate-control, alarm with motion sensor, rear-view camera and front and rear parking sensors, trailer sway control, hill descent control, electric front seats with memory, satnav, auto bi-xenon headlights, power mirrors, auto wipers and active ride suspension.Added to the S, and from a substantial options list, was a panoramic sunroof ($3790), full leather ($3720), sport chrono package ($2690), handsome 20-inch wheels ($2130), side skirts ($1920), brushed aluminium interior package ($1090), front heated seats ($890), triple zone climate control ($830) and black roof rails ($750).While this brings the price up to a whopping $104,510, it doesn't make the Macan any faster because it's all cosmetic apart from the sport chrono package. This little lot adds a stopwatch to your dashboard but also adds the Sport Plus button which brings faster, sharper shifts and throttle response. It may not make you faster, but it will feel it.The Cayenne is a bit of a mess stylistically, and the Macan's front end is probably a little too close to big brother's bloated bonce. Move to the side, however, and things improve immeasurably. The falling roofline lands in a very cool homage to the 911, with slim LED lights and all the right angles to make the Macan look quick.Naturally, this bites into the boot space and also appears to shift the rear seats a little further forward than might be ideal, rendering rear leg room marginal for anyone over about five and a half feet.The front of the cabin is very Porsche, so you have to take the good with the bad. It does look terrific (good) but there seems to have been a nasty accident at a button factory (bad). There are buttons everywhere across the dash and down the console and it takes a while to learn what they all do and mean.Some people like the technical feel of lots of buttons, others don't, but once you learn what they all do, it's not a bad place to be at all. The leather is smooth and soft, the big steering wheel is perfectly sized if a little flat in the face for some tastes and the seats fantastically comfortable.The central console is high to give the impression you're sitting lower than you might expect. It makes the Macan feel low and snug. The three-dial dash is very clever, with a traditional speedo and tachometer and a third screen that can be changed around to suit your needs - trip computer, satnav, whatever takes your fancy.A 7.8-inch screen sits in the middle of the Festival of Buttons and controls everything from your phone and music through to satnav. The eleven-speaker stereo is a good one, with great sound and was very easy to set up, despite the controls being shared between console and steering wheel.The Porsche V6 is quite a thing - from 3.0 litres and two turbos comes 250kW  and 460Nm (the Turbo ups the figures to 294kW and 550Nm). With stop-start and a seven-speed DPK (dual-clutch) transmission, the Macan S sprints to 100km/h in 5.4 seconds.It uses a claimed 8.7L/100km. In the real world, you'll see low double figures fuel consumption.Drive is to all four wheels through the seven-speed transmission, with a clear bias to the rear wheels.The Macan is home to eight airbags, stability and traction control, load-limited and pre-tensioned seat belts, ABS, EBS and brake force distribution.There is no ANCAP safety rating for the Macan.Straight away this feels different to your average fast SUV. It doesn't have a lumpy ride or feel compromised through the steering. While its close relative, the Audi SQ5, is a great car, there are a few things about it that might not appeal, the ride in particular.Porsche's active ride system irons everything out in Comfort mode, giving a firm but compliant urban ride quality while never stuttering on the fast or high-frequency stuff.Switch everything up to Sport and the car's character changes considerably. The engine becomes a lot more vocal and the shifts become super-fast, almost imperceptible. What's most impressive is that free-spinning twin-turbo V6 - it cheerfully winds out to the redline without the hesitation in that last few hundred rpm many forced induction engines suffer from.It's terrific fun in the fast stuff, too - always willing, with little understeer and a proper slingshot feel out of the bends.

These performance SUVs are twins under the skin - but one is driven by diesel and the other use petrol power.

In the beginning there were prestige SUVs. They were big, lumbering behemoths with a token concession to luxury and the on-road manners of a bus in need of a wheel alignment.Then BMW built the X5 in 1999 and rebooted the soft-road segment with sedan-like interiors and respectable road manners.Performance SUVs suddenly weren't an oxymoron and everyone from the likes of Range Rover to Porsche looked to cash in on the newly created niche.But the X5 remains the people's favourite. Entry starts with the rear-wheel drive s25i at $83,900 and rises to $148,400 for the M50d. CarsGuide's all-wheel drive x30d is the sweet spot in price and performance at $100,400.Big horizontal lights and a stretched kidney grille are used to offset the height of the X5 but there's no disguising the slab-sided profile endemic to the SUV species. The positives of that mean plenty of head and leg room for back-seat occupants. The tailgate is a two-piece unit with the powered glass section and a manual-release lower section that doubles as a convenient picnic shelf.The interior is traditional BMW, dominated by a 10.2-inch multimedia screen linked to a 20GB hard drive. The ergonomics are excellent; the cabin is loaded with stowage spots.A reversing camera and decent side mirrors means parking the X5 isn't the chore its size might suggest. The light steering is a boon at low speeds, but it can't overcome the X5's poor turning circle.Cargo space is a more than respectable 650 litres. That's not class-leading but it will happily deal with four suitcases or a weekend's worth of camping gear.A head-up speed display proves its worth on camera-infested roads and the satnav gives advice well before the turns.Loping along freeways or looming up behind other drivers on country roads is the X5's forte. It is a big, comfy cruiser with very little body roll to unsettle the passengers and enough ground clearance to head off the beaten track.Hill descent control is standard on all-wheel drive models and reins in the two-tonne mass on steep declines without the driver having to ride the brake.Five power outlets ensure everyone can plug in a device of their choosing.This is where the x30d stomps on its prestige rivals. A 100km/h sprint time of 6.9 seconds can't be matched by rivals and that edge holds during roll-on acceleration.Feral can also be frugal, with the Beemer's claimed fuel use of 6.2L/100km is also better than the opposition. CarsGuide managed a respectable 9.2L/100km in predominantly city driving.The damping can be switched from Comfort to Sport and neither quite hit the spot. It is too soft in the former and too jittery for its target audience in the latter.The heavy diesel over the nose makes it want to steer straight on when pointed into a corner at speed, although the BMW retains the most car-like handling of the trio of Germanic marques.

Ewan Kennedy road tests and reviews the 2015 Mercedes-Benz C300 BlueTEC Hybrid with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Peter Barnwell road tets and reviews the Range Rover Sport TDV6 SE with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Not everyone, it would seem, wants a compact SUV on their drive.Sales of these 'quasi-fourbies' are through the roof but if you look at sales of the new Peugeot 308 Allure Touring (wagon) there may be life left in the traditional small family wagon.They've waxed and waned on the whim of consumers and right now, they're waning.But the new Pug wagon, with a classy, almost Audi look, could be a game changer or at least make people think twice when they shop for a set of 'sensible' new wheels.This is a totally new generation 308 that's been out in Europe for a year winning European Car of the Year along the way.The whole range has appeal with smaller capacity, more efficient engines being adopted across the board - except for the 308 diesel Touring we drove.It's the range topper at $37,490 and gets a 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine with 110kW/370Nm output driving the front wheels through a conventional six-speed auto with paddle shift. The engine in some form or other has been around for a while and can be found in other models (and brands).Competitors are numerous and impressive coming out of Japan, Europe and Korea.But the Pug is latest cab off the rank and as a result, enjoys a serious leg-up on a number of fronts. The Bluetooth phone and audio/multimedia system for example is as good as anything else on the market in terms of voice reproduction and ease of syncing. And it's among the safest new cars available right now.Peugeot was able to slice off 140kg (down to 1420kg) from the latest 308 Touring compared with the previous model through better materials and design.Their green tinge is more than skin deep with exemplary fuel economy from all models, petrol and diesel. This one does 5.0L/100km standing on its head.We actually cracked deep into the 4s at one stage - something you don't see too often.But you still have to unlock the filler cap with the ignition key to fuel it up. That's a pain.And another negative is the difficult removal and replacement of the rear cargo blind. We gave up and left it rolling around in the load space, which is large with the rear seats up as well as down. When down, the load space is large enough to sleep two adults, a reflection of the size of the vehicle.The rears are what Peugeot calls Magic Flat seats which means one touch up or down for the whole kit and kaboodle.It scores plenty of useful kit from a luxury and a safety point of view. There's cruise with speed limiter, electric power steering, hill assist, electric park brake, front and rear parking sensors and reversing camera, 9.7-inch multimedia screen, satnav, multiple wheel controls though some are on annoying satellite wands, dual zone climate control, aircon glove box, pollen filter, heads up display, digital speedo, multi trip computer, alloy roof rails, rain sensing wipers and auto headlights to name a few.Leather is optional but unnecessary as far as we are concerned because the cloth seats are great.We like the style of the new 308 inside and out with the former exhibiting a rather minimalist look dominated by the speedo/tacho pod and similar shaped control panel. And get this, there's a CD player tucked away under the second panel.This is where the new 308 really shines, the diesel Touring in particular. It has excellent performance with a slightly sporty edge - complemented by an impressive ride/handling package that takes Peugeot back to the good old days when they went around corners like a sporty car and yet offered the comfort of a luxury model.The feel comes from a fairly rudimentary strut front and beam axle rear set-up. Must be in the springs/dampers.The 308 Touring has a quality feel missing on the previous model - the one with that awful 'gaping maw' front styling. All touch points are soft and the switches click positively when you use them.It has a clever mix of new technology and tried and true engineering as well as passing stringent Euro 6 emissions regulations.

Paul Gover road tests and reviews the Hyundai Genesis with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Performance and luxury come in pint-sized packages these days. How does Audi's smallest hot hatch compare to the new Mini Cooper S?