Articles by Ewan Kennedy

Ewan Kennedy road tests and reviews the 2003, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2016 Porsche Cayenne as a used buy. When sportscar maker Porsche entered the SUV market with the big Cayenne SUV in June 2003 many thought it would ruin the company's image. How wrong they were, the SUVs (there's also the smaller Porsche Macan) saved

Porsche has introduced a Performance Package to its compact SUV, the Macan Turbo.Porsche has introduced a Performance Package to its compact SUV, the stylish Macan Turbo. It has a newly developed brake system, lowered body, controlled sports chassis, Sport Chrono Package and sports exhaust system.The Package includes 21-inch wheels in the 911 Turbo design with lateral spokes painted in high-gloss black, LED headlights with PDLS Plus and stealth black elements. Black continues into the leather interior with Alcantara elements.Porsche's twin-turbo 3.6-litre V6 engine has been upgraded to deliver 440hp (324kW) of power, a handy 10 per cent up on the standard Macan Turbo.Torque is even more important than power in real life and the Macan Performance Package sees it increased from 550Nm to 600Nm. The miracle of modern electronics means this 600Nm is there all the way from 1500 to 4500 revs.The seven-speed PDK transmission is tuned to give extremely short response times, optimum switching points and increased torque during gear changes for maximum acceleration.This suite of changes trims the Macan's zero to 100km/h time to 4.4 seconds, a healthy reduction of 0.4 seconds. Top speed is up from 266km/h to 272km/h.Get in quick if you're planning a trip to the Northern Territory as there are rumours the new government there is keen on bringing back speed limits. Painful!Grooved brake discs with a diameter of 390mm are fitted at front, these are 30 millimetres larger than the discs on the regular Macan Turbo. Six-piston callipers with a red paint finish add a visual statement to the immense stopping power.The hot Macan Turbo comes standard with air suspension and Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM). Ride height is reduced by a further 10mm from the already lowered Macan Turbo which sits 25mm down on the standard Macan.Macan's Sport Chrono Package; when the Sport Plus mode is engaged, sets the chassis, engine and transmission to maximum advantage. We are told this setting is, "accompanied by an even more emotional sound from the sports exhaust system." by the Porsche engineers. We are yet to hear it for ourselves as Australia has yet to receive its first shipment of Macan Turbo with Performance Package.The Macan Turbo with Performance Package is available for order now in Australia. It's priced from $143,500 excluding statutory and dealer charges.Local deliveries expected from March 2017. Stay tuned for our reports as soon as that month rolls around.

Ewan Kennedy road tests and reviews the 2016 Mercedes-Benz C200 Coupe with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Ewan Kennedy road tests and reviews the 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 Kia Cerato Koup as a used buy.

Ewan Kennedy road tests and reviews the 2016 BMW M3 Competition with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Ewan Kennedy road tests and reviews the 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2009 Holden Adventra and Crewman as a used buy.

Ewan Kennedy road tests and review the 2005, 2006, 2011, 2014 and 2015 Toyota Yaris as a used buy. The Toyota Yaris is a smaller brother to the big selling Toyota Corolla but is still a reasonable size and may well be all you need if you only ever need to carry one or two people. Indeed, a Yaris can be used as a

Ewan Kennedy road tests and review the 2016 Mercedes-AMG C63S sedan with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Ewan Kennedy road tests and reviews the 2017 Holden Colorado at its Australian launch.

Ewan Kennedy road tests and reviews the 2002, 2005, 2007 and 2016 Mazda 2 as a used buy. While the Mazda 3 and CX-3 have been grabbing all the headlines in the sales race, the smallest model of all, the little Mazda 2 hatchback has been quietly working away in the background and keeping its end up. The Mazda2 is quite