Articles by Graham Smith

Graham Smith
Contributing Journalist

With a passion for cars dating back to his childhood and having a qualification in mechanical engineering, Graham couldn’t believe his good fortune when he was offered a job in the Engineering Department at General Motors-Holden’s in the late-1960s when the Kingswood was king and Toyota was an upstart newcomer. It was a dream come true.

Over the next 20 years Graham worked in a range of test and development roles within GMH’s Experimental Engineering Department, at the Lang Lang Proving Ground, and the Engine Development Group where he predominantly worked on the six-cylinder and V8 engines.

If working for Holden wasn’t exciting enough he also spent two years studying General Motors Institute in America, with work stints with the Chassis Engineering section at Pontiac, and later took up the post of Holden’s liaison engineer at Opel in Germany.

But the lure of working in the media saw him become a fulltime motorsport reporter and photographer in the late-1980s following the Grand Prix trail around the world and covering major world motor racing events from bases first in Germany and then London.

After returning home to Australia in the late-1980s Graham worked on numerous motoring magazines and newspapers writing about new and used cars, and issues concerning car owners. These days, Graham is CarsGuide's longest standing contributor.

Used Holden Captiva review: 2006-2011
By Graham Smith · 04 Mar 2016
Holden’s answer to the SUV wave seemed to fit the bill — initially New Holden was caught with its corporate pants down when SUV sales surged at the dawn of the new century. Quite simply, the brand didn’t have one. Ford was in a similar predicament and responded by building the Territory. Holden dithered,
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Used Nissan X-Trail review: 2007-2012
By Graham Smith · 19 Feb 2016
Towing or touring, the boxy family wagon had ample living room. New Until you got up close to the new X-Trail Nissan released in 2007 you could have been forgiven for thinking little had changed. It was the same boxy shape, but when you did get up close you discovered it was longer, wider and taller than the outgoing
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Used Honda Civic review: 2006-2011
By Graham Smith · 12 Feb 2016
Honda’s four-door excels at the duller virtues of safety and reliability. The dash is another matter. New There are few more respected badges in the car business than the Honda Civic. It’s been with us since the 1970s and its loyal band of followers wouldn’t drive anything else. Honda built its reputation on
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Used Audi Q3 review: 2012-2014
By Graham Smith · 05 Feb 2016
Graham Smith reviews the 2012, 2013 and 2014 Audi Q3 as a used buy.
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Used Suzuki SX4 review: 2007-2012
By Graham Smith · 29 Jan 2016
Graham Smith reviews the 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 Suzuki SX4 as a used buy.
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Used Nissan Patrol review: 2007-2012
By Graham Smith · 22 Jan 2016
The wagon earnt its place as a staple for off-roaders and caravanners. New Some of today’s wagons look like four-wheel drives, some even pretend to be tough off-roaders but when it comes to the crunch few cut it in the rough going like the Nissan Patrol. The Patrol, a genuine go-anywhere four-wheel drive, made no
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Used Nissan Tiida review: 2006-2013
By Graham Smith · 15 Jan 2016
Graham Smith reviews the first and section generation Nissan Tiida from 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 as a used buy.
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Used Toyota FJ Cruiser review: 2011-2014
By Graham Smith · 12 Jan 2016
Graham Smith reviews the 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 Toyota FJ Cruiser as a used buy.
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Used Ford Falcon review: 2008-2011
By Graham Smith · 05 Jan 2016
Take a tip: Go for a later model when you're out shopping for a G Series Falcon. New The G Series was a new range of sports luxury models Ford introduced with the FG Falcon in 2008. In effect it replaced the old luxury Futura/Fairmont/Fairmont Ghia but with greater emphasis on sportiness. The range comprised the G6,
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How to carry bikes with your car safely and legally
By Graham Smith · 26 Dec 2015
With the growing popularity of recreational cycling there’s a corresponding growth in the desire to take them with us when we hit the road. When we do we must do it safely and legally.
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