Articles by Byron Mathioudakis

The Mini Cooper is now two different cars - the EV from China and the petrol hatch from the UK. The latter is a thorough facelift of its 2014 predecessor, using the same centre section, powertrain and platform, blended with a fresh face and tail, as well as a striking new dash. There have been other changes and updates too, though the same feisty Mini character remains. But is that enough, though?

Over 55 years and seven generations, the Nissan 'Z' car has provided style, muscle and affordability. But it's been in-house tuner Nismo that has worked its modification magic most effectively, creating modern performance classics. And the new Z Nismo is no exception. More power, a stiffer structure, improved suspension and sharper dynamics are the main changes. But are they worth an extra $20K?

What a way for the last-ever Australian designed and engineered mainstream vehicles to hush their critics and (eventually) bow out in glory.

The phenomenon that is the Suzuki Jimny continues to defy convention and expectations.Despite now being over half a decade old in Australia and with little to no change in specification since then, demand for the existing three-door shows no signs of slowing down, helping boost sales by over 50 per cent this year.It’s even surprised Suzuki, which anticipated the recently-released Jimny XL five-door wagon to surpass it, but instead sales are split fairly equally at 50/50.Things don’t look like subsiding either, since the continuing popularity of the nameplate here and abroad means wait times for all Jimnys are likely to grow, and not shrink, in the foreseeable future.According to Suzuki Australia General Manager, Michael Pachota, while the company is working hard to meet existing orders, the situation is not likely to improve at all any time soon – particularly for some of the more popular variants.“Orders for the three-door (Jimny) are still through the roof – especially for the automatic,” he recently told CarsGuide. “The wait times are roughly about six to eight months.”Unsurprisingly, buyers of manual versions in both body styles haven’t had to be so patient, as wait times for these are only between two to four months.There has been some respite from extended wait times for fans of the compact off-roader following the arrival of the long-awaited XL five-door wagon version late last year due to large shipments from India, but Pachota warns the generous production allocation afforded to Suzuki Australia looks set to dry up soon.“With the Jimny five-door wagon – we had an awesome flurry of production, after an opportunity was granted for us to get early high volumes,” he explained. “Even though its order rate is just as high as the Jimny three-door, the supply rate has been much better since the early part of its launch.“Which has been great for us, because we could get more cars out on the road quickly. And people that placed orders are only waiting anywhere up to three to four months, subject to colour obviously.“(But) we won’t be able to maintain that long term, based on that supply chain and the popularity of the car increasing overseas as well.”Pachota added that strong demand for the XL has occurred even though little to no promotional dollars have been allocated to it so far.“Our orders are continuously growing on that car,” he said. “And we still haven’t even advertised it.”What this means is that, if you’re after a Jimny of any shape or specification, you’d better get your skates on.Moving forward, it’s been reported that the Jimny may gain the long-rumoured ute version as per previous-generation models, while a mild-hybrid system is anticipated in the not-too-distant future for European markets. Suzuki has also confirmed that an all-electric model is under development for a 2030 release.All of these would simply amplify Jimny demand in Australia.

There are a handful of new-car bargain gems out there, with a combination of design, packaging, engineering, performance, economy and quality that belie their affordable pricing. We name our top seven picks.

The Mini Cooper is back, but this time in two very different versions, starting with a restyled petrol range. But only the all-electric 3dr hatch is truly all-new. Redesigned from the ground up, it sits on a fresh architecture, bringing a larger yet crisper body and a more minimal, intuitive and stylish interior. But has the Mini lost any of the fun athleticism the British brand is famous for?

Is the Suzuki Grand Vitara still in contention for Australia? A firm never-say-never is the response from the company's boss.

Ford is rolling out a new and improved Ranger divvy van for Victoria Police that builds on the success achieved with the earlier-generation PX III model back in 2021.

Japan is on a roll. Not since the heyday of the ’80s and early ‘90s has its car industry been so confident and progressive, taking wild chances when – in the past – things would have been played way too safe.

Holden may be gone, but – as Opel/Vauxhall’s recently-announced Frontera reminds us – it’s clear that a handful of the old names survive. They grace other, inevitably newer models from both within and beyond the broader GM family that once, of course, also included Holden. What do they look like today? Would fans of their Australian namesakes even recognise any sort of connection?