Articles by CarsGuide team

   

So many of the entries to win the 2013 Pirelli Calendar were great, and we spent ages reading and re-reading them. In the end, the winner was Julian Cartledge with: I'm always happy to see Pirelli safely leading us in a different direction. No cheap tread here! Love it! However it was close, and some of our favourites include: Gorgeous and classy - and wonderful to see Pirelli celebrating how sexy a pregnant woman can be. Sasha Vleeshouwer of Cairns. I'll be sadly saying goodbye to one month while eagerly anticipating the next. Keith Harkin. A classic that will outlast the test of time, stands out from the rest, one of Pirielli's best me thinks. Di Stephens of Ki. Great location, great pics and cannot wait to see it in the flesh - so to speak! Yes, please!! Monique Mennerich of Victoria. Steve McCurry has woven a tapestry where the setting and models echo the others vulnerability as well as their strength. It's a bit like the vulnerability of a car without the benefit of Pirelli tyres however with the protection of Pirelli tyres the car gains in strength. Jacqui Lagaluga of Long Jetty. Far too nice for limited viewing this will hang pride of place in my busy workroom otherwise known as the kitchen. Elizabeth Roseworn of Blacktown. Pirelli's artistic, sexy flare, would appeal to men and women everywhere. Women love artistic sleekness. Sensual women are men's weakness. Tania Foster. Forget the doomsday of the Mayan calendar! There's an abundance of life left in this year's Pirelli calendar. Debra Marr of QLD. Pirelli calendars always gain traction! This one even more so. Counter cultural, gritty, real world. I'll never get tyred of it!!!! Dan of Adelaide. Revved up..but not with the pedal to metal! Driving at a cruising Pirelli calender pace! Monica Scurlock. Pirelli Calendar, a Haiku: Snapshots of Brazil Drenched with classic female grace Mother would approve. Lloyd Jones of Brisbane. The Pirelli Calendar has gone from the car garage to the lounge-room coffee table - a work of art for not 50% but 100% of the population. Julius Toth of Brisbane. Power is nothing without control. Bravo to Steve for focusing on who these women are and what they have achieved through their power and control! NJ Joseph. Photogenic, Intuitive, Realistic, Eclat, Liveliness, Locale, and Innovation -- put them together, and they spell Pirelli!! John Kruger of St. Albans. The location lends itself to the inclusion of a vintage race car, sadly did not hit the intended spot. John Tzelepis of Melbourne.  

The question isn’t still bounces up from time to time. The questioners usually make their usual statements about ‘threatening driving’, ‘blocking vision of others’, ‘hazardous to pedestrians’ and so on. The phrase, “big, bad 4WDs” is still being bandied around all too often.One reason the 4WD question isn’t heard much these days is that almost 30 per cent of Australian buyers are now driving 4WDs, or all-wheel drives as most should more accurately be known. In fact, while many look like 4WDs, an ever increasing number are actually 2WDs.It’s not the big bad 4WDs that are selling in ever increasing numbers, small and compact vehicles make up the bulk of the new registrations. Sales of large truck-type 4WDs are either stagnating or rising very slowly. And many of the sales of the big ones are in the country, where they are all but essential to people living there.Big 4WDs that do sell in the city, or to be more accurate, in the suburbs, are generally being used as people movers. Their ability to carry up to eight people being appreciated by families with lots of children, or split-by-divorce families doing the weekend-kid-swapping bit. Or simply by people with plenty of friends.It can certainly be argued that those who want a people mover should buy one, not a large 4WD. Many who do buy a 4WD have a dream of venturing off-road one day, but they seldom do. Perhaps these people should think again about their choice of vehicle next time around. But who are we to kill their dreams?Some of the bigger 4WDs are becoming quite sophisticated in their makeup, being almost car-like in the way they handle. However their increased height means they are less safe, particularly when cornering or swerving, than cars. Driven correctly this isn’t usually a problem, but bad driving can cause serious crashes.Australian buyers want 4WDs and are voting with their wallets to get them. No, not just Australian buyers, we are looking at a worldwide trend here. Car makers who don’t supply them do so at their own peril.There's also a responsibility on the consumer to make sure they can’t get by without some other sort of vehicle. And to drive the 4WD in an appropriate manner, either on road or off.