Articles by James Cleary

There’s something about spotting a Honda S660, Subaru Sambar or Suzuki Hustler in local traffic. A pang of regret that we’re denied mainstream access to the Kei car smorgasbord on offer in Japan.

Leapmotor hit the Aussie new-car market in early 2025. One of what feels like a never-ending wave of new challenger brands arriving from China in the last 18 months.And its C10 is yet another option in the crowded mid-size SUV segment, in this case offered in petrol-electric hybrid and pure-electric form.Its sharp pricing and generous spec were marked as big pluses in our first drive reviews. As was its space-efficiency and comfy drive characteristics.But another unifying theme was its relatively unrefined ADAS crash-avoidance systems. Which, to its credit, the brand has addressed head-on with an over-the-air software update.Timely then, to get behind the wheel and see if that high-tech tweak has made a discernible difference to an already solid package.At $49,888, before on-road costs, the top-spec C10 Design grade we’re testing here undercuts the Tesla Model Y RWD Single motor ($58,900, BOC) by the best part of $10K and puts the heat on other electric SUVs in its orbit like the Cupra Tavascan ($60,990), Kia EV5 Air 2wd Long Range ($61,170) and VW ID.4 Pro RWD ($59,990).  And that price includes a heap of standard features like 20-inch alloy wheels, a (fixed) panoramic glass roof (with power sunshade), dual-zone climate control air, electric front seats (heated and ventilated), 12-speaker audio, a power tailgate, synthetic leather seat trim and multi-colour (interior) ambient lighting.There’s also adaptive cruise, built-in sat nav, a 360-degree camera view, a heated steering wheel and heaps more. Impressive for a car sitting under the $50,000 threshold.Not too many straight edges on the C10 with curves and soft character lines the order of the day in terms of exterior design.While the flush-fit door handles deliver obvious aero benefits, the way they flip out and hinge from the front gets a black mark from me. They’re an ergonomic miss that force you to twist your wrist at an awkward angle to more or less push the door open. The entire handle pulling out parallel to the body is always a better solution.The cabin is minimalist to the max. Virtually no physical buttons and the 10.25-inch instrument cluster and 14.6-inch central screen are the only standouts in a sea of smooth, mid-grey surfaces. If you like Tesla’s cabin design ethos you’ll be onboard with the C10. But before you even get inside, access is weird. For a start, the ‘key’ is a sizeable plastic card which needs to be held against the driver’s side exterior mirror to lock or unlock the car, which obviously isn’t ideal if you want to open up the boot or passenger side doors.Owners have access to a smartphone app which includes a proximity unlocking function, but even that sounds overly complex just to get in the car. That said, the interior is super spacious for a car just over 4.7m long with a 2825mm wheelbase. Lots of breathing room up front and sitting behind the driver’s seat, set to my 183cm position, I have hectares of leg, head and shoulder room.There are cupholders all over the place, map pockets, big bins in the doors as well as a lidded cubby between the front seats and another storage area underneath the ‘flying buttress’ centre console.There are multiple USB-C and USB-A jacks, a wireless phone charger and 12-volt power for other devices, but, shock, horror… no Android Auto or Apple CarPlay functionality. That’ll be a deal-breaker for some.Boot space is handy at 581L with the 60/40 split-fold rear seat upright and 1410L with it lowered but another black mark goes against the lack of a physical spare tyre. A repair/inflator kit is your only option, which isn’t good enough.Outputs from the rear-mounted permanent magnet synchronous motor, powered by a 69.9 LFP battery, are 160kW/320Nm and Leapmotor quotes a WLTP range of “up to 425km”.Maximum DC charge rate is a relatively modest 84kW for a claimed 30-80 per cent charge time of “approximately 30 minutes”. AC charge rate is 11.0kW and V2L (Vehicle to Load) functionality is a welcome addition.Official WLTP energy consumption is 18.5kWh/100km and during our week with the car we saw a dash-indicated figure of 13.4kWh/100km, which is excellent for a roughly 2.0-tonne SUV.Claimed 0-100km/h acceleration is 7.5 seconds and the C10 feels sharp with the ability to effortlessly negotiate city and suburban traffic.   Steering weight is adjustable through ‘Light’, ‘Standard’ and ‘Sport’ settings, although none of them add any meaningful road feel to the equation. Ride comfort, however, is terrific and all signs of the previous, overly assertive ADAS crash-avoidance systems are gone. Lane keeping, lane centering, even the over-speed warning, deliver subtle inputs and only when required.The C10 BEV is also quiet (even for an EV) with the 245/45 Dunlop e.Sport Maxx rubber remaining low-key with wind noise minimal, even at freeway speeds.The C10 is covered by a six-year/150,000km warranty, which is competitive and includes roadside assist for the duration, while the drive battery is covered for eight years/160,000km.Service is recommended every 12 months/20,000km which is more frequent than some pure-electric competitors (typically at two years/40,000km). And capped-price servicing is available for five years at $2000, or $400 per service, which is on the high side for an EV, even in this class.Crash-avoidance safety systems include auto emergency braking (AEB) front and rear, blind-spot monitoring, lane keeping assist, lane departure warning, rear cross-traffic alert, driver fatigue monitoring and tyre pressure monitoring.There are seven airbags onboard, including a front centre bag, three child seat top tether points across the rear seat (as well as ISOFIX anchors on the two outer positions) and multi-collision brake to minimise the chances of subsequent impacts after an initial crash. The C10 scored a maximum five-star ANCAP assessment from testing in 2024.

In 2009, way back in the dim, distant first decade of this century, ‘Kevin ‘07’ was a couple of years into his tumultuous prime ministership, England regained the Ashes and Toyota was boring.Despite leading the market with - you guessed it - a 20 per cent share, dealer showrooms were filled with what now looks like a classic bunch of whitegoods on wheels.A bland Corolla, timid Yaris and by-the-numbers Camry. The ageing Tarago was still on offer and the LandCruiser 200 Series wasn’t exactly pushing the envelope, while the 70 Series soldiered on in a retro-technical time warp. Not a Celica, Supra or MR2 in sight.The dangerously adventurous could opt for a RAV4, Prius or even an Aurion Sportivo… naughty! But the Avensis Verso brought the brand crashing back down to earth. Has there ever been a more vanilla car?However, 2009 was also the year Akio Toyoda, grandson of the man who founded what is now Toyota Motor Corporation, rose to lead the Japanese giant; then as now, the world’s largest carmaker.Having been in the company since the mid-’80s and on the board from 2000 the new CEO and President came to the top job with some big ideas in mind.While some see him as a poseur with ‘Master Driver’ on his business card and a motorsport pseudonym on his crash helmet, I think his ascension was a huge moment in time, not just for Toyota, but the global car business. Here’s why. First and foremost he’s an enthusiast, not just a number-crunching business proprietor. Like the giants of Detroit’s golden era - Lee Iacocca, John DeLorean and Bob Lutz - Toyoda-san is a ‘car guy’. One who’d been working the angles behind the scenes as TMC’s Executive Vice President since 2005. And he hit the ground running.A key supporter of the FJ Cruiser, which managed to wrap heritage and modernity into a super-fun package with (cost-saving) Prado underpinnings, he was also a fan of the Rukus.  Arriving in 2010, the squared-off wagon wasn’t a screaming success here (or elsewhere, for that matter) but it was an infinitely bolder, more interesting car designed to be customisable for goodness sake.  And soon enough it was followed by the pure and simple 86 (made viable via co-production with Subaru) and a new Supra (a JV with BMW).Exciting Toyotas were back, with the rest of the brand’s line-up basking in the new found excitement.Like all good strategic objectives, Akio’s ‘Making ever-better cars’ mantra is simple on the surface but brilliantly flexible in practice.On a purely operation level it’s led to the development of the TNGA (Toyota New Global Architecture) platform that, since its arrival in 2015, has delivered not only cost savings and improved manufacturing efficiencies but dynamic, more engaging products.Have you driven a TNGA Camry lately? It’s really, really good.His long-term position on hybrid propulsion has proved to be another winner, with Akio expanding the concept out from the Prius program to underpin Toyota’s broader powertrain philosophy, standing his ground while other global carmakers made furious all-in bets on pure-electric tech.That continuing success with hybrid has laid down a marker for other brands, including the latest crop of Chinese challengers, to follow.Then there’s the off-beat Gazoo Racing, GR for short, with an occasional hardcore extension to GRMN (Gazoo Racing Masters of Nurburgring).BMW DNA aside, the GR Supra was a mark of ongoing intent with the rip-snorting GR Yaris and GR Corolla (the latter with a GRMN version reportedly in the offing) and of course the just-landed GR GT following. The MR2 and possibly Celica are set for a comeback any tick of the clock (and stand by for the uber-cool LandCruiser FJ).Even though he was no doubt part of the decision to select reverse on F1 (in 2009) Akio saw sports endurance racing as a better bet for hybrid development and promotion with five Le Mans victories and four World Manufacturers Championship titles in the last decade vindicating the move.Even though he stepped down as Toyota CEO in early 2023, his ongoing role as Chairman has allowed Akio to continue making a mark on the company’s brand direction and personality.Ongoing development of hydrogen, in fuel-cell and internal-combustion form, is part of Toyota’s ‘multi-pathway’ program also covering internal combustion engine (ICE), hybrid and battery-electric vehicle development.In short, Akio Toyoda is an automotive superhero that’s had the courage to take a multi-faceted giant to new heights thanks largely to a focus on products that are not only reliable, well-made and cheap to service but daring, innovative and fun to drive. More power to him! 

Ford CEO Jim Farley has gone on the record with his support for development of a new rear-wheel drive Ford sedan.

Despite a huge onslaught of fresh competition in the Australian ute market, November new car registration figures show established players continue to lead the category by a healthy margin.

Nissan's new best seller is not what you might expect.

If you're not first you've got to be better, and given the Zeekr 7X follows a long list of pure-electric mid-size SUVs hitting the Aussie market recently it has a big job ahead in cutting through the new-car clutter. We've tested the dual-motor AWD Performance version to see if it has what it takes to hit that goal.

Nissan North America may call it a “bold design with premium touches” but even casual observers of the global car business will pick the new Nissan Rogue Plug-in Hybrid as essentially a rebadged version of Mitsubishi’s Outlander PHEV.Set for a formal debut at this month’s LA Auto Show (November 21-30) and a possible preview of Nissan's approach to its upcoming Mitsubishi Triton-based Navara ute, the ‘new’ mid-sizer is little changed from its corporate cousin save for small tweaks to the upper grille, some minor massaging of the tailgate and a black-out treatment for exterior elements including the lower grille, rear diffuser panel and wheel-arch fenders.Positioned as “an important step in Nissan's electrification roadmap” the Rogue PHEV is powered by the same twin electric motors, 20kWh lithium-ion battery pack and 2.4-litre petrol engine as the Outlander.According to the USA EPA standard the Rogue offers a 61km EV-only driving (against a claim of 84km for the Outlander in Australia) with claimed overall range at 676km.But combined power outputs are identical to the Aussie-spec Outlander at 185kW/450Nm, the powertrain seamlessly switching between pure-electric power, internal combustion drive and a combination of the two.The 2026 Nissan Rogue is offered in SL and Platinum grades with standard features including 20-inch dark-painted wheels, all-LED exterior lighting, soft-touch materials throughout the cabin and acoustically (laminated) front door glass with (available) leather-appointed seats, door illumination and aluminium interior highlight trims on the top-grade model. That said, early reports out of the US have noted the Rogue’s interior is as per the 2025 model year Outlander PHEV with a 9.0-inch media touchscreen and nine-speaker Bose sound, rather than the MY26 version which incorporates a 12.3-inch multimedia screen and updated 12-speaker Yamaha audio.CarsGuide contacted Nissan Australia to determine if the new Rogue (due to hit US showrooms in early 2026) is a candidate for inclusion in the brand’s local line-up and a spokesperson told us Nissan does not comment on future product plans.

According to overnight reports out of the UK, Mercedes-AMG is applying its modern muscle recipe to the recently released Mercedes-Benz GLC EV, the result being a ballistic tri-motor beast capable of sprinting from 0-100km/h in under three seconds.

One brand sticks with 'no replacement for displacement' philosophy.