Articles by James Cleary

A second-generation Honda NSX is sitting in the CarsGuide garage, and it has sizable shoes to fill, because in the late 1980s the original NSX redefined the term ‘supercar’. Deputy editor James Cleary took advantage of our three-day loan for this compact review.

Porsche has joined the luxury SUV coupe club with a swoopy version of its full-size Cayenne. It looks cool, but does it still work as a day-to-day proposition?

Despite a determined bid for dominance by a growing stream of Q-badged SUVs, with zero-emission Es on the near horizon, Audi’s A-team of mainstream sedans, wagons, coupes, and cabriolets remains vitally important to the company’s product portfolio and bottom line.But in recent years the Bavarian maker’s mid-size A6 has been hiding in the shadows, unable to lay a glove on its natural enemies, the BMW 5 Series and Merc’s E-Class, in terms of new car sales in Australia.So, this sizeable piece of fresh metal is designed to push Audi up the leader board. It’s the all-new, fifth generation A6.

Revealed in Germany in early 2018, the new-gen A6 brings fresh engines, leading edge safety, upgraded media tech, and an evolution of the brand’s distinctive design language.The 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbo-petrol A6 45 TFSI is the entry-point to a three-model range, priced at $95,500, before on-road costs.Included on the A6 45 TFSI are 19-inch alloy wheels, matrix LED headlights with LED DRLs, dynamic cornering lights, automatic-dynamic headlight range control and rear dynamic indicators (the Matrix beam detects and blanks out oncoming vehicles or vehicles in front, but continues to fully illuminate other areas), keyless entry and start including a sensor controlled (leg swish) boot release, electric heated sports seats for the driver and front passenger (including memories for the driver), ‘leather appointed’ seat upholstery, three-zone climate control air, a leather-trimmed steering wheel, ‘aluminium fragment’ interior inlays, ambient lighting, and aluminium front door sill trims.Plus, ‘Audi Drive Select’ allows the selection of various driving modes, there’s Audi’s smartphone interface providing Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, ’Qi’ wireless charging, 10-speaker/180-watt audio driven by a six-channel amp and featuring digital radio, the 12.3-inch configurable ‘Audi Virtual Cockpit’ digital instrument cluster, 10.1-inch high-res colour media touchscreen, ‘Navigation Plus’ (with 3D map display including places of interest and city models), and a third 8.6-inch colour display for the climate control system (with handwriting recognition and a favourites list).The recently introduced ‘myAudi’ app also allows you to connect to the car and access real-time info on everything from how much fuel’s in the tank, to maintenance milestones, and service warnings. You can remotely lock and unlock the car, plan journeys (at home) and send destinations and routes directly to the car.Claimed fuel economy for the combined (ADR 81/02 - urban, extra-urban) cycle is 7.2L/100km.Safety is literally five star, the A6 scoring ANCAP’s maximum rating when the car was tested in 2018, and active and passive tech is amazing.Audi covers the A6 with a three year/unlimited km warranty, which is in line with BMW and Merc, but lags the mainstream market where five years/unlimited km is the norm, with Kia and SsangYong at seven years.That said, body cover runs to three years for paint defects and 12 years for corrosion (perforation).Recommended service interval is 12 months/15,000km, and ‘Audi Genuine Care Service Plans’ offer capped price servicing options over three and five years.

With three new models already in market, Audi Australia has confirmed an additional entry-level model is set to arrive in early 2020.

Audi new car sales in Australia have taken a backwards step in 2019, but the brand is set turn things around with a massive 2020 new model program

Audi is kicking off its Australian electric vehicle strategy with the e-tron and e-tron Sportback in the second half of 2020, but they're just the beginning...

Volvo's on a roll in the Australian new car market (appropriate given Volvo means 'I roll' in Latin) and the compact XC40 SUV is a key part of that success. How does the sub-$50K, entry-level Momentum fare in the urban jungle?

Aston Martin again proves less can be more with a cool and sophisticated convertible version of its DB11 GT.

Merc-AMG's new A 35 4Matic hot hatch fills yet another niche in the three-pointed star's compact performance range. It neatly bridges the gap between the mainstream A-Class line-up and the soon to arrive, second-gen A 45 S hyper hatch. Is it hot enough to wear the AMG badge?