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

Mitsubishi Outlander 2021 urban review: PHEV

By Byron Mathioudakis · 23 Nov 2020

It's amazing that in the eight years since the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV launched to critical acclaim and commercial success, there has not been a rival mainstream medium SUV response.For 2021 - the final year before the next-generation debuts - the sporty GSR grade has arrived, with chassis upgrades designed to improve the driving experience.Is it a fitting swansong to a seminal eco warrior?

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Victoria Police confirms Ram 1500 purchases

By Byron Mathioudakis · 22 Nov 2020

Victoria Police has confirmed that it has purchased a small number of Ram 1500 pick-ups primarily for their towing capabilities, with more set to be on the way for law-enforcement departments across Australia.

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Nissan Juke 2020 review: ST+

By Byron Mathioudakis · 19 Nov 2020

The all-new Juke ST+ is a comprehensively better small SUV than its funky but flawed predecessor, ushering in newly-matured road manners, a roomier and higher-quality interior, improved safety, a quieter ride, updated multimedia and excellent economy. But the 1.0-litre turbo's delayed acceleration response can make it seem sluggish and jerky, especially around town, so drive one before you buy.

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Nissan mulls sub-Navara baby pick-up

By Byron Mathioudakis · 15 Nov 2020

Nissan has revealed that it is open to a sub-Navara pick-up for global markets, as ever-increasing emissions and growing demand for trucks worldwide drive carmakers to explore new avenues.

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Has Nissan done enough to boost the Navara?

By Byron Mathioudakis · 14 Nov 2020

Nissan has rejected the notion that the Navara facelift has not gone far enough against all-new rivals like the Isuzu D-Max and Mazda BT-50 as well as the facelifted Toyota HiLux and coming redesigned Ford Ranger and Volkswagen Amarok.

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Nissan Australia turns to Europe

By Byron Mathioudakis · 13 Nov 2020

Nissan Australia says it will be more ‘European centric’ in its model line-up moving forward, as the local organisation joins a more global region management structure that also encompasses Africa and the Middle East.

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Nissan to launch e-Power hybrid models in Oz

By Byron Mathioudakis · 12 Nov 2020

Far from watching helplessly from the sidelines, Nissan is preparing to take on the hot-selling Toyota RAV4 Hybrid with its own petrol-electric version of the next-generation X-Trail, known as the e-Power.

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Next Navara and Triton may not look the same

By Byron Mathioudakis · 11 Nov 2020

Nissan has strongly hinted that the next-generation Navara expected in about 2024 will look markedly different to its under-the-skin twin, the coming all-new sixth-generation Mitsubishi Triton – and might even edge upmarket as the long-awaited replacement for the discontinued D40 Navara.

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Volkswagen T-Roc 2021 review: 140TSI 4Motion Sport

By Byron Mathioudakis · 10 Nov 2020

At one end of the small SUV corner are all the mainstream combatants - Mazda, Toyota, Kia, Hyundai, Nissan etc - while at the other end are the premium players, as defined by Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus and Volvo. Nestled in between is the new VW T-Roc, attempting to muscle-in on both territories with style, swagger and - in racy 140TSI Sport guise - driver-focus spunk. Does it succeed?

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Nissan Patrol Warrior to join Navara Warrior

By Byron Mathioudakis · 10 Nov 2020

Nissan’s Patrol Warrior is back in development alongside its MY22 Navara Warrior stablemate, with upgrades said to be “worthy” of the name when both models hit Australian roads sometime later next year.

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