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 Hyundai i45 review: 2010-2012
By Graham Smith · 28 Feb 2014
Who would have thought that an Asian carmaker could produce a car as elegant as the Hyundai i45?
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Used Ford Fiesta review: 2010-2011
By Graham Smith · 18 Feb 2014
Graham Smith reviews the Ford Fiesta ECOnetic as a used buy.
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Used Kia Cerato review: 2009-2012
By Graham Smith · 13 Feb 2014
Once a thriving segment, the budget sports car market had shrunk almost to the point of extinction when Kia launched its budget-priced Kia Cerato Koup in 2009.
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Used Peugeot 308 review: 2008-2011
By Graham Smith · 13 Feb 2014
The choice car buyers have today would have been unbelievable even just a few years ago. No one could have envisaged the number of makes and models now on offer in our market. Buyers now have the choice of a vast number of locally produced and imported cars, among them the Peugeot 308. The French carmaker launched the
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Used Toyota Land Cruiser Prado review: 2009-2012
By Graham Smith · 23 Jan 2014
The fourth generation Landcruiser Prado brought new town-friendly refinement on a level never before dreamt of by fans of the popular mid-sized wagon.
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Used Mini Clubman review: 2008-2011
By Graham Smith · 10 Jan 2014
As cute as the new Mini was it wasn't the most practical car you could drive, but that was where the Mini Clubman came in.
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Used Volkswagen Passat review: 2008-2011
By Graham Smith · 06 Jan 2014
Most carmakers have a hot car division dedicated to turning mundane everyday drivers into fire-breathing, tyre-shredding, road-burners, and VW is no different.
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Used Volkswagen Jetta review: 2009-2011
By Graham Smith · 10 Dec 2013
Graham Smith road tests and reviews the used Volkswagen Jetta 2009 - 2011.
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Used Renault Megane review: 2010-2012
By Graham Smith · 29 Nov 2013
It's fair to say Renault hasn't set thee world on fire since it returned to the local market in the 1990s.
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Used Chrysler 300C review: 2010-2011
By Graham Smith · 15 Nov 2013
In a sea of similarity the imposing looks of the Chrysler 300C stood out and appealed to many buyers who wanted to be seen driving something fresh and different.
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