Articles by James Lisle

James Lisle

Content producer

James Lisle (aka J3) likes all things cars.

Cynical and enthusiastic in equal measure, James loves to clamber into anything with a steering wheel and a decent amount of grunt.

Although it may seem the J3 glass is half empty on first acquaintance with a new ride, he maintains a balanced approach and will happily lose himself in technical details relating to even the most common, mass market models. Bore and stroke ratios, specific output stats, and thermal efficiency figures are his guilty pleasures.

This could be the step-sister of all MX-5 V8 engine swaps!

By James Lisle · 10 Apr 2018

Dumping a V8 into the bowels of an MX-5 isn't particularly revolutionary.

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Will Australia get the Bullitt in black?

By James Lisle · 10 Apr 2018

Following the Bullitt special edition's Detroit motor show debut in January, this prototype has been spied wearing 'Shadow Black' black paint.

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Car ads generally aren't worth watching, but these five are

By James Lisle · 05 Apr 2018

Let's be honest: ads suck.

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Can you really trust Autopilot?

By James Lisle · 03 Apr 2018

Bring up Tesla's Autopilot to most people and they'll probably think about the 'Minority Report' and 'i, Robot'.

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5 cars with boxer engines that AREN'T a Subaru, VW, or Porsche

By James Lisle · 28 Mar 2018

You may know the three brands as being synonymous with boxer or 'flat' engines, but there's actually plenty of other fish in that sea.

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We know the yanks loved the last Commodore, but what about a VP?

By James Lisle · 27 Mar 2018

Imagine this: an American reviewing an Australian car while on holiday in New Zealand. Sounds like an odd combo, right? Well, it only gets better.

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Toyota Corolla 2018 review: ZR hatch

By James Lisle · 23 Mar 2018

There’s no questioning the success of the Toyota Corolla. Whether you compare national sales figures - or ones from abroad - the small-car merits of the good-ol’ Corolla are almost second-to-none. How else has it managed to stick around for the past 51 years? That, and garner an impressive cult following. But it

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Is BMW aiming its sights at Range Rover?

By James Lisle · 21 Mar 2018

Following the unveiling of the BMW X7 iPerformance concept at Frankfurt earlier this year, recent spy photos have surfaced of a pre-production X7 development mule undergoing testing in Germany.

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What happened to variable-geometry turbos?

By James Lisle · 21 Mar 2018

Not to say that they've disappeared entirely, but 10 years ago they seemed to be one of the hottest bits of new engine tech on the market.

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Kia Picanto manual 2018 review

By James Lisle · 16 Mar 2018

For many, micro cars are probably not top-of-mind when it comes to spangling new vehicles. But they're often front-and-centre for young, first new car buyers, as well as a more mature group looking for reliable, comfortable and convenient transport. And on that basis, you have to hope the little Kia Picanto is going

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