20 June 2022 by Justin Hilliard
New car prices have been going up and up for years now, with costs surging during the pandemic as car brands continue to grapple with several supply-chain issues. Point being, new cars are becoming more and more expensive to own, let alone run. Which brings me to this long-term UrbanGuide review of...Read more
14 June 2022 by Tim Nicholson
There’s no shortage of models to choose from if you’re after a family-friendly medium SUV. The problem is, it might take a while to get your hands on one, with lengthy wait times for some of the best sellers due to current delays caused by a global parts shortage and supply chain dramas. But there...Read more
10 May 2022 by Tim Nicholson
In just a few years, Skoda's SUV line-up has increased from zero models to three. And with the Enyaq EV expected in the next year, that will soon rise to four. Sitting at the bottom of the line-up is the Kamiq small SUV that, in just over a year, has developed a reputation as a solid, capable...Read more
3 May 2022 by Byron Mathioudakis
Why aren’t there sportier versions of Australia’s most popular vehicles? Given how successful the XR6 and SV6 were in their respective Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore ranges, you’d expect similar souped-up and/or go-faster grades in the top-selling Mazda CX-5 , Hyundai Tucson and Toyota RAV4 . Now...Read more
26 March 2022 by Tom White
Australia is experiencing a mass extinction event. Like the dinosaurs before them, and hopefully not the bees in the near future, the sub-$20,000 car is nearing the bitter end. An evolutionary dead-end, as higher emissions and safety regulations relegate older models (read Mitsubishi Mirage ) to...Read more
25 March 2022 by Tom White
Small SUVs are all the rage, and Mazda has no shortage of options for prospective buyers. While other brands delineate quite clearly between their SUV models though, it seems like Mazda has a fair amount of overlap. The CX-30 we’re looking at here is a size up from the CX-3 but sits alongside the...Read more
21 March 2022 by Tom White
The Toyota Yaris finds itself in a precarious position in the Australian market. This new-generation car launches as the decline of small cars in Australia seems to be in full swing, and while it brings hybrid tech to the Yaris nameplate, it’s priced dangerously close to its popular Corolla big...Read more
25 February 2022 by Richard Berry
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 could well be the ultimate urban car. And what better way to test this claim than with the ultimate urban best friend – Spot. Yes, as you’ll see in the video above I tested the Ioniq 5 with the world’s most advanced robotic dog, and his name is Spot. At least I think it’s a him...Read more
17 February 2022 by Tom White
If you’re having trouble finding stock of a small SUV or even a hatchback in 2022, I’d strongly recommend you look at a sedan. The majority of buyers will engage in puzzling mental gymnastics to convince themselves they need to pay more for a trendy small SUV. Yet, it'll have a smaller boot than...Read more
14 February 2022 by Tim Nicholson
Almost 10 years since the launch of the previous generation model – and nearing on 20 years after the birth of the original – Mitsubishi has finally introduced an all-new Outlander . The new model will share its underpinnings with the next-gen Nissan X-Trail , expected later this year, and it has...Read more
9 February 2022 by Byron Mathioudakis
Most medium-sized seven-seat SUVs fall between stools. Neither off-roader adventurers nor people movers, they awkwardly straddle the middle ground instead, and as such aren’t brilliant at either task. Blame the compromised packaging as a result of stuffing a third row of seats in the cargo area of...Read more
4 February 2022 by Byron Mathioudakis
The difference between ‘cheap’ and ‘inexpensive’ is the difference between the Kia Picanto and most sub-$20,000 cars. Kicking off from $15,990 before on-road costs (ORC), the popular hatch represents Australia’s only complete sub-B supermini experience, with a full range, affordable pricing,...Read more
1 February 2022 by Tim Nicholson
The Jeep Compass is something of a unicorn among the long list of small SUVs sold in Australia. It is now the only model in either the light or small-SUV category that is available with a diesel engine. That diesel is found under the bonnet of just one variant – the rugged Trailhawk which is also...Read more
19 January 2022 by Tim Nicholson
The launch of a new-generation Volkswagen Golf is usually met with quite a bit of fanfare. It’s an iconic moniker that has set the benchmark for small cars for decades. But the launch of the Mk 8 Golf in 2021 didn’t have the same impact of previous generations. The new Golf uses the same Volkswagen...Read more
12 January 2022 by Tim Nicholson
Three years after the fourth-generation Cerato small car rolled into Australian dealerships, Kia launched a mid-life facelift for the sedan and hatch range in mid-2021. It ushered in styling tweaks including new headlights and Kia’s new logo, as well as more safety tech and a multimedia upgrade. At...Read more
11 January 2022 by Byron Mathioudakis
Can it really be eight years since we first lay eyes on the current-shape Mini – and 20 seasons since the BMW-led brand revival burst onto the scene? With much input from now-defunct Rover , the 2001 R50 was all about reinvention, attitude, fashion and athleticism for the new millennium. These also...Read more
11 January 2022 by Byron Mathioudakis
Volkswagen’s biggest selling vehicle line globally as well as locally isn’t the Golf or Polo, but the Tiguan. A latecomer to the medium SUV party when launched in Australia during 2008, the Golf small-car based high-riding crossover that combines ‘tiger’ with ‘iguana’ for a name hit its stride when...Read more
24 December 2021 by Tim Nicholson
Kia is on a roll with its SUV line-up. The Stonic light SUV is selling like hotcakes, the Seltos small SUV is hugely popular with long wait lists for higher grades and the large seven-seat Sorento has won a lot of praise from reviewers. That means there’s a bit of pressure on the new-generation...Read more
14 December 2021 by Tom White
In the now oversaturated mainstream small SUV market, there seems to be one particularly poorly filled niche, the sporty SUV. While there are world-famous hot hatches with decades of pedigree, it seems only just now are manufacturers exploring the bounds of what consumers are willing to ask from an...Read more
