Articles by Chris Riley

The beauty of this car is the big rear seat. There's oodles of room back there even for tall people with long legs. With more than a metre of rear legroom we even managed to accommodate the needs of a friend with an artificial leg. Rear seat occupants are cosseted with leather-accented seats, NanoeTM-enabled climate control for added comfort and electric rear sunshades as standard equipment.Lexus ES is available in two flavours as a V6 or Hybrid, in Luxury and Sports Luxury grades. Standard features include leather-accented interior, dual climate air, satellite navigation, reversing camera, parking sensors, blind spot monitor, sun roof, 10 airbags, eight-speaker audio, smart entry and start, digital radio, plus Lexus Remote Touch and Drive Mode Select.The Hybrid is $63,00. the V6 is $65,000, the Sports Luxury version of the hybrid $72,000 and the top of the line Sports Luxury V6 tips the scales at $74,000.The hybrid powertrain combines a 2.5-litre four cylinder petrol engine with a 105kW electric motor. The combined output is 151kW with drive to the front wheels, unlike most Lexus cars which are rear wheel drive.The hybrid employs a CVT style auto transmission and can sprint from 0-100km/h in 8.5 seconds. It can operate on electric power alone in reverse and at speeds up to 45km/h in a forward direction. Fuel consumption is rated at just 5.5 litres/100km with standard unleaded.The primary focus was on creating a spacious, comfortable and quiet sedan. But Lexus recognised the previous model was lacking in terms of dynamic ability and engineered a new platform that is more rigid, lighter, longer and lower than what had previously been planned. The overall result is a higher level of comfort and straight-line stability but also a more rewarding experience for the driver.It's designed to get five stars and scores highly in US tests but is yet to receive a rating here. But with 10 airbags and a multitude of safety and driver assistance systems, there's little doubt it will get the maximum five stars. We should point out however the base model hybrid misses out on Active Cruise and the Pre-Collision Safety System that are bundled as a $3000 option pack.Almost ran out of fuel the other day. Got to the servo only to find we'd misplaced our wallet. The low fuel warning light was already on but we had no option other than to return home and get it. Our little adventure had an upside however because we can report that driven normally the car is capable of achieving 850km from a single tank (at the end it was almost dead empty).The ES offers a smooth ride and extremely quiet interior, quiet enough to make conversation easy between front and rear passengers. And while it’s a large interior in which to set the climate, tri-zone airconditioning allows front left, front right and rear seat cabin temperatures to be controlled independently.

We turn the spotlight on the Jeep Grand Cherokee and ask the crucial questions, including the biggest -- would you buy one?

Not sure where they have crossed over from, but the idea remains basically the same - to move more than a standard car load of people from point A to B. Unfortunately the finished product is generally large, box-like and unattractive - often the object of disdain.Enter stage right the new and much improved Kia Carnival, launched this week at the New York motor show. The Korean dynamo has done its best to make the car desirable with a long bonnet, steeply raked windscreen and plush interior - a DUV if you like ...THE HISTORYLaunched here in 1999 the Carnival soon became a family favourite, based on  price, features and its seven-seat capacity. There have been some hiccups along the way like the failure of some Rover 2.5-litre V6s fitted originally, but Carnival soon managed to overtake the Toyota Tarago as the vehicle of choice for those with a tribe.Larger, second generation Carnival arrived in 2006 with a 2.7-litre homegrown V6 and expanded eight seat capacity, with the addition of a more expansive Grand Carnival with the boot space to match. Along the way the V6 has grown to 3.5 litres and a 2.2-litre turbo diesel has also been added.THE NEW MODELThe Kia revolution continues. Following close on the heels of the restyled Rondo, Carnival is the last model in the lineup to receive the Schreyer treatment, the German designer and author of the Audi who has almost single handedly put the brand on the map.With the arrival of a larger, more directly aggressive Honda Odyssey, Kia is poised to hit back with the launch of an all new, more stylish Carnival. To put this in perspective, Carnival has slipped from 36 per cent market share in 2013, to just 19 per cent this year, behind Odyssey and just ahead of the Hyundai iMax - the other main player in the segment (month on month the position is even worse).ENGINESThe current 3.5-litre V6 has been replaced by a slightly more powerful direct injection 3.3-litre V6, with 205kW of power and 336Nm of torque, together with a six-speed automatic. This compares with the 202kW of the current engine.Although they produce exactly the same 336Nm of torque, the new V6 delivers its torque higher in the rev range, at 5200 instead of 4500 revs which is less desirable. You want all the torque you can get as quickly as you can get it to make a car as responsive as possible.The new V6 should however produce a dramatic improvement in fuel consumption, currently rated at 10.9 litres/100km. A three-step Variable Induction System (VIS) automatically adjusts the volume of the air pulled into the combustion chamber to create the optimal air-to-fuel mix. No word yet on the fate of the current 2.2 litre turbodiesel but is likely to carry over.SAFETYIt's downplayed, but the current Carnival is only a four-star car, not five which is the kiss of death where families are concerned. The airbags do not extend to the third row of seats and centre seating positions in the rear miss out on three-point seatbelts.The new Carnival is expected to address these issues. Roll Over Mitigation (ROM) and Cornering Brake Control (CBC) have been added to the list of driver assistance systems, with advanced systems such as Forward Collision Warning System (FCWS), Smart Cruise Control (SCC), Blind Spot Detection (BSD) and Rear Cross Traffic Alert also available.SEATINGNew Carnival comes in seven or eight-seat configuration, with a 40mm longer wheelbase that provides more legroom for all rows. Access to the rear is via sliding doors either side like the current car.In seven seat form the two middle seats are separate and slide from side to side as well as backwards and forwards, with fold out foot rests like aircraft seats. But Australia will be taking only the eight seater which in the car we saw in New York consists of two full size seats, with a smaller, child-size removable seat linking them.The third row seats are split 60:40 and can be folded into the floor when not in use. The interior is a major step up in terms of quality, a trend that Schreyer says will continue with future models.CONNECTIVITYUnfortunately we miss out on the new UVO connectivity system, the Kia App store and all of the wonderful possibilities it promises. Apparently Australia does not have the necessary infrastructure to support it yet.OTHER GOODIESThere will be three grades and the top of the line model should get all of the safety items. It also comes with 18 or 19 inch wheels, LED daytime running lights, 2.1amp USB and 240w AC power outlets, a power tailgate that can be opened remotely and surround view camera designed to make parking easier.WHEN DO WE GET IT?New Carnival could be here in time for Christmas if we're lucky, early in the new year at the latest. No word yet on the price but expect them to be competitive with Odyssey priced from $35,100. The current model starts from $38,990 through to $56,290 for the top of the line diesel.

We turn the spotlight on the Isuzu D-Max LS-Terrain auto crew cab and ask the crucial questions, including  the biggest -- would you buy one? What is it? Once a Holden now an Isuzu, the D-Max is the result of the split between the two companies that saw the birth of two utes sharing the same architecture but with

Not many car makers have the gumption to show their new model alongside the old one. But Nissan had the confidence to do so at the launch of the new X-Trail. And comparing the two cars was something of an eye opener. PRICE / RANGE New X-Trail is available in three grades, the familiar ST, ST-L and Ti - in two or

Some hybrids are better than others, while some focus on performance and others fuel economy if only they were all as good as the ES300h.

Memo to Subaru. Please stop trying to remove the character from your cars. The Forester XT is a case in point. It's the go-fast version with the new turbocharged engine.  It looks and goes well enough, but why oh why remove the bonnet scoop --  it's always been such a defining and 'exciting' feature of Subarus.

The S-Cross is the replacement for the compact SX-4 hatch cum four-wheel drive. The old one sold largely on price and though larger this one will struggle at the price against a sea of competitors.

The MU-X is a seven-seater based on the same underpinnings as the D-Max ute which in turn is itself based on the same platform as Holden's Colorado/Colorado 7.

The rapidly-rising Jeep range is notching up further success with the significantly uprated Grand Cherokee range. Sales of the Grand Cherokee have shot up by 3.5 times since the new generation arrived in 2011 and Jeep dealerships in Oz have doubled from 51 to more than 100. The latest iteration introduced an