Articles by Ewan Kennedy

Mazda3 has been at the top of the sales races in Australia many times in the last few years. Today we take a look at how honourable ancestor, the Mazda 323, fares in the used-car market. The 323 was offered with a full range of bodies: four-door sedan, four-door hardtops, five-door hatch and station wagon. While the

Ewan Kennedy road tests and reviews the Infiniti Q50, with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Ewan Kennedy road tests and reviews the used 2002-2010 Jaguar X-Type.

New Hyundai Sonata has considerably more style than before.

Ewan Kennedy road tests and reviews the Audi A3 Cabriolet, with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Ewan Kennedy road tests and reviews the Toyota Kluger GX with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

During the 1960s and into the '70s the original VW Beetle was a major player in the Australian market. It was built here for most of that time and was often in the top three in the sales race; beaten only by Holden and Falcon. It grew increasingly out of date and was eventually replaced by the Volkswagen Golf. When the New Beetle arrived in Australia in 2000 many past VW owners looked at it with loving eyes and fond memories. Some bought New Beetles for themselves, though more often than not they were purchased for a lucky wife or daughter. Underneath the cute body of the New Beetle is a modified Volkswagen Golf platform, Golf components are also used in most of the mechanical areas of the car. New Beetle is a three-door hatchback, but is better regarded as a a coupe because the back seat isn't all that large. Luggage space is OK, but again it's more coupe than hatchback in its capacity.There's also a cabriolet version, launched in 2003, that adds a new dimension in fun to the New Beetle range. The roof is an old style soft-top that folds down in a somewhat untidy bulky fashion when compared to modern cabriolets. Somehow this doesn't matter in a retro car like this. Check out the big loss of rear vision during your own test drive.All but the shortest of drivers will find themselves closer to the back windscreen than the front. There's a huge dash panel that seemingly stretches forever in front of you and the windscreen pillars can confuse the view out. The front seats are comfortable and support well. The dashboard and instruments are typically VW in being logically laid out and easy to read. Handling is good for a hatchback, but doesn't really come into the sporting coupe class. A variety of four-cylinder engines is mounted in the front (not the back) of the new Beetle. Both petrol and diesel powerplants are offered. The petrol units have capacities of 1.6, 1.8 or 2.0 litres, the diesel is a 2.0-litre unit. The 1.8 is turbocharged and is used in the Beetle Turbo. Performance from the 1.6 may be marginal for some tastes, the 2.0 is generally regarded as a better choice. The Beetle Turbo has decent performance but isn't really as sporty as it may appear. Because of its added weight the cabriolet uses only the 2.0-litre engine. The Beetle TDI diesel was introduced in 2005.Transmission is to the front wheels and is through either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic in most variants. The turbo-diesel comes only with a five-speed manual. The automatic from 2008 has six forward ratios so is a better bet if your budget can find the extra dollars.A car like the New Beetle just cries out to be optioned up in special editions and the marketing guys haven't disappointed. Examples are: Beetle Ikon, sold from 2002 until 2005; Beetle Miami (a hatchback, not the convertible the name suggests) from 2004; and the Beetle Sunshine, 2001 only. An interesting model called Black-Orange, with paints in those colours, was introduced in 2011 to help clear out the last of the old stock as sales had slowed in latter years.A new generation of the Beetle arrived here in early 2013. While it retains many cues the shape introduced way back in 1936, the new new Beetle is less feminine than the original New Beetle. The stylists even say there are elements of the American hotrod in the lines of the car. If you use a bit of imagination you might just see that for yourself, particularly in the extended, flatter roofline.The biggest and best changes in the 2013 Beetle are in the interior. There's no longer the feeling you're sitting in the back of the car and peering over a vast expanse of dashtop through a small windscreen. Interestingly, its semi-upright windscreen gives you better visibility than in many modern cars.At this stage the only powerplant in the front of the latest Beetle is the familiar Volkswagen 1.4-litre Twincharger. This engine uses a supercharger and turbocharger to provide strong torque. It runs beside a double-clutch automated manual gearbox (DSG in VW terms).Though the New Beetle has only sold in comparatively small numbers, it's backed by one of the world's largest car makers, many of its parts are borrowed directly from the Golf. This means spare parts and servicing are available in many places in Australia, not just in major cities. Body panels are likely to be the only holdup if you need them a long way from a major population centre. Spare parts are about average in price for an imported midrange car. You can do a fair bit of routine servicing of a New Beetle yourself. The underbonnet area is reasonably accessible and the layout restively simple,. Leave all the safety related items to the professionals.Insurance charges are higher than average for a three-door hatch, but acceptable for a coupe sold in rather limited numbers. If your are considering a Turbo check whether your insurance company charges high premiums to cover it.WHAT TO LOOK FORInteriors of Volkswagens generally stand up well, but some older cars that have been kept in the open continuously may suffer from drying out of dashboard tops. Cracks are a real no-no as repairs can be pretty expensive.Check the interior of a New Beetle cabriolet carefully in case it has been caught in the rain with its top down. Get permission to lift the floor mats and move the seats out if you are suspicious. Engines should start quickly (even the turbo-diesel, as it has fast-acting glow plugs). Listen for odd engine noises, especially when the oil hasn't built up to its full pressure.Look for smoke from the exhaust when the engine is worked hard, particularly on long uphill slogs. Make sure a manual gearbox doesn't baulk or crunch on fast downchanges. The clutch pedal should be reasonably light, even during these quick downchanges. Check that automatic transmissions are positive in their shifts and don't take too long to go into Drive or Reverse from Park or Neutral.Feel and look for uneven tyre wear, particularly on the front wheels. Be aware that some sellers may swap tyres around to try and hide the wear. If in doubt, ask for professional help.CAR BUYING TIPNiche cars often lead gentle lives at the hands of loving owners. A fully maintained set of service books is an excellent indication this has occurred.

Daihatsu's tiny Terios was never a huge seller in Australia, possibly because was considered too small for its tough-guy market segment, but did steady business from the time it went on sale here in 1997 until its withdrawal in 2005. Daihatsu is one of the world leaders in small-vehicle design and has long had a

Ewan Kennedy road tests and reviews the 2014 Mercedes-Benz S 300 Bluetec Hybrid.

Hyundai is keen to lift its image in Australia with an all-new upmarket model called Genesis. Though the Genesis has been sold in other countries since 2009 it has previously been built only with the steering wheel on the left. That situation has been rectified in the second generation Genesis so imports to Australia can begin.That's the good news, there's minor bad news in that the V8 models still aren't being made with the steering wheel on the Australian side. However, after driving hundreds of kilometres in the 3.8-litre V6 that is coming downunder we feel it offers more than enough performance for most drivers.Hyundai Genesis is a large car, being slightly bigger than Commodore and Falcon. It's also larger than the cars Hyundai sees as Genesis' biggest competitors - Audi A6, BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Tackling the big name Germans sounds ambitious? Yes, but Hyundai arguably has bigger ambitions than just about any other car maker. We've visited the company's head office in Seoul several times over many years, and have come away with doubts in our minds when we've heard its longterm plans – only to have been proven wrong in the past.Conservative sleekness is probably the best way to describe the Hyundai Genesis. Though it's not as radical in its looks as the smaller Hyundai models, its slightly toned down look is just right for this upmarket area. Interestingly, the body design is chiefly the work of an Australian born Korean, Casey Hyun.The body theme is based around a new single-piece grille that works nicely to our eyes. This grille theme will eventually become the face of Hyundai as it's introduced in others in the range.The side profile is nicely curved and almost comes into four-door coupe territory. However, there's good headroom in the rear, something that's not always found in this semi-coupe class.Tail treatment has a built-in spoiler lip and a wide stance that gives Genesis a powerful look from the rear.Interior style and quality are particularly impressive; there's leather with a hand-stitched look, real timber, suede and aluminium. The in-cabin feel is likely to be a major selling feature of the new Genesis.Only one engine is to be offered in Australia, a modern 3.8-litre direct-injection petrol V6 developing 235 kilowatts of power and 400 Nm of torque. Transmission is by an eight-speed automatic to the rear wheels. Rear-wheel-drive is considered mandatory in every vehicle in this upmarket class.The Hyundai Genesis is crammed with the latest in in-car entreatment, including a 17-speaker Lexicon audio system. Bluetooth, USB and Aux inputs are installed.There are numerous crash avoidance or minimisation features, including all-round electronic vision, automatic emergency braking, lane keeping, radar cruise control, and a large, coloured head-up display. The Genesis even helps to protect your licence. Using satellite navigation information it automatically slows the car as you approach fixed speed cameras, then returns to its original speed when the danger zone has been safely negotiated.Seat comfort is very good and there's enough support without the seat bolsters being overly aggressive. The rear seat provides good head and legroom. Three can be carried, but as is the norm in rear-drive cars some foot comfort is stolen by the necessary transmission tunnel. The centre armrest in the rear folds down to provide access to many functions such as the ventilation system, even the satellite navigation settings, the latter displayed by screens in the rear of the front seats. Given the upmarket feel of the rest of the interior the plastic mountings for the rear-seat screens aren't to the high standard anticipated.Hyundai's 3.8-litre V6 engine is a stunner, it is not only responsive and torquey throughout its range, but also provides the sort of intake and exhaust sounds drivers love to hear when the car is punted hard. The car may be relatively conservative, but the aural output is anything but. We love it.The body is strongly built and this helps damp noise and vibration to impressively low levels. We've obviously yet to pit the body and suspension against Australia's notoriously harsh coarse-chip surfaces, but will do so when the first shipment arrives towards the end of the third quarter this year and bring full reports then.Our test vehicles were to Korean specifications as final testing in Australia is still to be completed. Ride comfort is generally good, but some midsize potholes did catch it out at times. Generally buyers in this class put comfort ahead of sporty road grip, although most Australians do like a bit of feel and feedback as well.Road grip is safe and the car is nicely balanced. Attacking bends on winding roads brings in more body roll and understeer than we like – but see the aforementioned remarks about buyers preference for comfort in cars like this.