Articles by Byron Mathioudakis

Byron Mathioudakis

Contributing Journalist

Byron Mathioudakis connected with cars right from the start.

His earliest memory is a dream of him driving an Austin A30. Soon after, Byron fell in love with movies watching Duel (1971) where a Valiant sedan takes on a murderous Peterbilt truck. Meanwhile, at Tottenham Primary, teacher Mr Chitty prised opened his world with Wheels magazines, later leading him to perform a one-person musical about the then-new Ford XD Falcon. Everyone thought he was strange.

Eager to keep his car passion separate from work, he graduated from Advertising at RMIT, but wasn’t happy in that industry, so did the ‘90s Gen X thing of back-packing, with stints in hospitality, exploring his love of music working in a record store, tending bar, acting, dancing, modelling and even being a singing telegram, thankfully in faraway Canada.

His eventual YouTube debut happened as an extra in a Violetine video of that era, You Know.

Anyway, by 28, Byron realised he wanted to write about cars and nothing else, and on the eve of his 30th, landed a job at John Mellor’s Australian Automotive Business, a predecessor to GoAuto, where he still feels he belongs after four decades, breaking through with an unsolicited road test of his mother’s Peugeot 306.

Going freelance in 1999, he worked at the long-defunct eauto.com.au (it’s still on Wayback Machine), then picked up a gig at Wheels magazine, citing 11 years of Car of the Year judging as a life-changing employment experience. Among scores of amazing people, it was there he became great friends with Peter Robinson, the editor of that first car magazine he devoured back in ’77. Do meet your heroes.

In 2020, Byron started at CarsGuide, where he is a Contributing Journalist to this day. Other regular media outlets he writes for include the RAC WA and Australian Plumbing Industry Magazine.

Note: though Byron has many old cars he loves, he has never owned an Austin A30, Valiant, XD Falcon or Peugeot 306. To paraphrase Bjork, to do so may break the charm.

You can find Byron on LinkedIn.

Education

Associate Diploma in Advertising, RMIT | 1987-1990

Awards

2024 Newspress Australia Road Tester of the Year

Featured Publications

GoAuto | 1997-2022
Wheels | 2009-2021
CarsGuide | 2020-present
RAC WA
Australian Plumbing Industry Magazine

Toyota Yaris Cross Hybrid 2021 review: 2WD

By Byron Mathioudakis · 19 Mar 2021

Toyota was very late to the light/small SUV party, but it's ensured that the right accessories are included - and in this case we mean petrol-electric hybrid technology. Available across each grade, it brings hitherto unheard-of economy, as well as low emissions. We take a long look at the least-expensive version - as well as Australia's cheapest SUV hybrid option - the $28,990 GX 2WD Hybrid.

Read the article

GWM Cannon-based Raptor rival in pipeline

By Byron Mathioudakis · 19 Mar 2021

Great Wall Motors (GWM) is working on a Ford Ranger Raptor-rivalling version of its newly-released Cannon pick-up truck range, promising more aggressive styling, greater off-road capability, a more luxurious interior treatment and upgraded technologies in

Read the article

Toyota reveals next-generation Aygo city car

By Byron Mathioudakis · 18 Mar 2021

Toyota plans to drop a baby bombshell on the struggling city car segment worldwide with the completely redesigned and strikingly reimagined Aygo for 2022.The concept-car-without-a-motor-show Aygo X Prologue reveals a higher-riding, more crossover-style ci

Read the article

Haval Jolion set to replace the H2 small SUV

By Byron Mathioudakis · 16 Mar 2021

Haval is set to replace the long-lived H2 small SUV in the near future with an all-new model that will directly take on the popular Kia Seltos, Hyundai Kona, Honda HR-V and Mitsubishi ASX in packaging as well as pricing.Called the Jolion, it will most lik

Read the article

Police on patrol: What they're driving now

By Byron Mathioudakis · 14 Mar 2021

For more than 70 years up, the choice would have been easy for our nation’s law-enforcement agencies seeking patrol vehicles: buy Australian-made.

Read the article

Toyota Yaris 2021 review: Ascent Sport manual

By Byron Mathioudakis · 08 Mar 2021

Toyota has rolled the dice with the latest Yaris, going from a cheapie to a premium supermini in its fourth-generation incarnation - the XP210 series. This means the base grade is now nearly $7000 more expensive, but the level of improvement is remarkable. Thanks to a completely redesigned body and all-new platform and powertrain, the Yaris has gone from segment under-achiever to a class leader.

Read the article

What we know so far about the new Lexus NX

By Byron Mathioudakis · 07 Mar 2021

Lexus Australia will likely pull forward the launch of the replacement of its most important model, the NX, to late this year or early 2022.

Read the article

Incoming electric cars to get pulses racing

By Byron Mathioudakis · 07 Mar 2021

Are you almost ready to go electric?

Read the article

Mazda CX-3 2021 review: Neo Sport

By Byron Mathioudakis · 02 Mar 2021

When the Mazda CX-3 was launched back in early 2015, there were not too many truly compact SUVs, and none as sporty or stylish as this. Now, more than six years on, it continues to set the pace in sales, but a series of constant improvements means the latest base grade - the Neo Sport - still holds more than a few surprises after all this time. The Japanese crossover remains a top quality choice.

Read the article

Lexus LS 2021 review

By Byron Mathioudakis · 26 Feb 2021

The Lexus LS has long been a quiet achiever - literally, so, given that the 1989 original set a new standard in refinement and comfort - and now, the fifth-generation's facelift aims to do the same. Painstaking effort has gone into making an already sophisticated limo even more so, while improving the cosseting and comfy ride too in the process. The result is an efficient, luxurious performer.

Read the article