Articles by Justin Hilliard

Justin Hilliard
Head of Editorial

Justin’s dad chose to miss his birth because he wanted to watch Peter Brock hopefully win Bathurst, so it figures Justin grew up to have a car obsession, too – and don’t worry, his dad did turn up in time after some stern words from his mum.

That said, despite loving cars and writing, Justin chose to pursue career paths that didn’t lend themselves to automotive journalism, before eventually ending up working as a computer technician. But that car itch just couldn’t be scratched by his chipped Volkswagen Golf R (Mk7), so he finally decided to give into the inevitable and study a Master of Journalism at the same time.

And even with the long odds, Justin was lucky enough to land a full-time job as a motoring journalist soon after graduating and the rest, as they say, is history. These days, Justin happily finds himself working at CarsGuide during the biggest period of change yet for the automotive industry, which is perhaps the most exciting part of all.

In case you’re wondering, Justin begrudgingly sold the Golf R (sans chip) and still has plans to buy his dream car, an E46 BMW M3 coupe (manual, of course), but he is in desperate need of a second car space – or maybe a third.

Citroen C4 2023 review: Long-term | Part 3
By Justin Hilliard · 13 Oct 2022
If the Citroen C4 Shine is to succeed in the highly competitive small SUV segment, it has to really stand for something - and that it does. Yep, comfort is the key focus here, and when it comes to driving, one particular French feature helps to deliver it in spades.
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Citroen C4 2023 review: Long-term | Part 2
By Justin Hilliard · 30 Sep 2022
The new-generation Citroen C4 has a clear focus on design. After all, it's a hatchback, fastback and SUV all rolled into one. But does its style-centric approach mean practicality has taken a big hit? Thankfully, the answer's no. In fact, this French model has a few surprises up its sleeve...
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Citroen C4 2023 review: Long-term | Part 1
By Justin Hilliard · 29 Aug 2022
The third-generation Citroen C4 is a hatchback, liftback and SUV all in one, and now it's the next model to enter the long-term CarsGuide garage. But could this menage a trois actually be good value for a French model? Spoiler alert: yes.
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Suzuki Ignis 2022 review: GLX long-term | Part 3
By Justin Hilliard · 19 Jul 2022
Three months have come and gone, and it's now time to farewell the Suzuki Ignis GLX. As it turns out, the 'light SUV' is well suited to the urban jungle, although its overall performance is far from perfect.
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Suzuki Ignis 2022 review: GLX long-term | Part 2
By Justin Hilliard · 06 Jul 2022
We're now in our second month with the Suzuki Ignis GLX and a key question has arisen: is one of the Australia's smallest new cars actually practical? You'd be surprised. What isn't up for debate, though, is the light SUV's distinctive exterior design. It really does separate itself from the pack.
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2022 is the year of the new crossover
By Justin Hilliard · 30 Jun 2022
Light and small cars have been rapidly declining in popularity for years now as new-vehicle buyers have flocked to crossovers and larger SUVs in increasing numbers.
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2022's best new SUVs revealed
By Justin Hilliard · 30 Jun 2022
There's no denying that the SUV is Australia's favourite type of new vehicle. After all, it has accounted for more than half of local sales for a few years now.
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Suzuki Ignis 2022 review: GLX long-term | Part 1
By Justin Hilliard · 20 Jun 2022
New car prices are going up and up, so those looking for relatively affordable motoring have fewer and fewer options. While it's become more expensive, the Suzuki Ignis remains one of the cheapest 'SUVs' money can buy in Australia. So, we've got the GLX flagship in our garage for three months to find out if it's worth it. The short answer? Yes... and no.
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Cupra Australia details hot new Ateca SUV
By Justin Hilliard · 08 Apr 2022
Cupra Australia has detailed the standard equipment – but not pricing – of one of its three performance-focused launch models, the Ateca small SUV, which is due mid-year
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Cupra confirms specs for new Formentor SUV
By Justin Hilliard · 08 Apr 2022
Cupra Australia has detailed the standard specification – but not pricing – of its most important launch model, the performance-focused Formentor small SUV, which is set to enter local showrooms in July with a four-strong line-up, including a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) option
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