Articles by Laura Berry

After testing cars for 15 years Richard Berry has dicovered what could be the best car ever made, after Kia's EV9 Earth came to stay with the family for three months.

Mercedes-Benz has updated its Sprinter van range with more safety equipment and comfort features, plus the addition of an all-electric eSprinter variant. The entry price into the line-up now kicks off at almost $5000 more than before.The Sprinter range now starts at $71,740 for the medium wheel base (MWB) 311 Panel van and tops out at $121,041 for the new fully electric long wheel base (LWB) eSpinter.All variants from panel vans to cab chassis body styles come updated with a large amount of safety tech including Active Lane Keeping Assist and Traffic Sign Assist.Two new safety items specifically tailored for commercial use are Moving Off Information Assist which monitors areas around the vehicles at speed below 10km/h and Side Guard Assist which supports the blind spot warning system but at lower speeds.A leather-wrapped steering wheel with touch sensitive buttons and hands-off detection is also new.The features join the Sprinters otherwise comprehensive safety list which includes AEB, crosswind assistance, load adaptive control and roll over mitigation.  A thorax airbag has been added as well to the existing front and side airbags protecting the driver and front passenger. Cabin media technology also gets a boost with a new 10.25-inch touchscreen and “Hey Mercedes” assistant with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android auto.The Sprinter range has lost its front wheel drive variants as it moves exclusively to rear-wheel drive with a 2.0-litre four cylinder turbo diesel engine powering the combustion engine line-up. The four-cylinder comes in several tunes producing: 84kW/300 Nm in the 311 Panel Van; 120kW/340Nm in the 315 and 415 Panel Van; 125kW and 400Nm in the 317, 417, 517 Panel vans and 517 Cab Chassis; and 140kW and 450Nm in 319, 419, 519 Panel Vans and 519 Cab Chassis.The new electric eSprinter is also rear-wheel drive and comes in panel van form only. The eSprinter is offered in a choice of MWB with an 81kWh battery and LWB with a 113kWh battery with a range up up to 440km (WLPT). Both eSpinters have a single electric motor making 150kW and 400Nm, and have a gross vehicle weight of up to 4.25 tonnes.As for ownership costs all Sprinters including the eSprinter are covered by Mercedes-Benz's five-year/250,000km warranty, while the eSprinter's electric battery is covered by an eight-year 160,000km warranty.  

The Jeep Wrangler Rubicon sits at the top-of-the-range and it’s available in a two-door body style for $83,950 and four-door for $90,450.Coming standard on the Rubicon grade are LED headlights, 17-inch alloy wheels, proximity key and push-button start, Nappa leather upholstery, power and heated front seats, 12.3-inch media screen, sat nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a nine-speaker Alpine sound system and dark tint windows.Powering all Wranglers is a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder making 200kW and 400Nm. An eight-speed automatic transmission shifts gears and sends the drive to all four wheels.The Wrangler has three-star score from a possible five-star ANCAP safety rating.

The Jeep Wrangler Overland sits in the middle of the range with a list price of $84,950.Coming standard on the Overland grade are LED headlights, 18-inch alloy wheels, proximity key and push button start, premium McKinley power and heated front seats, 12.3-inch media screen, sat nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a nine speaker Alpine sound system and dark tiny windows.Powering all Wranglers is a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder making 200kW and 400Nm. An eight-speed automatic transmission shifts gears and sends the drive to all four wheels.The Wrangler has three-star score from a possible five-star ANCAP safety rating.

The Jeep Wrangler Sport S is the entry-point into the range with its list price of $75,950. Standard features include LED headlights, 17-inch alloy wheels, proximity key and push-button start, heated front seats, A 12.3-inch media screen, sat nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a nine-speaker Alpine sound system and dark tint windows.Powering all Wranglers is a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder making 200kW and 400Nm. An eight-speed automatic transmission shifts gears and sends the drive to all four wheels.The Wrangler has three-star score from a possible five-star ANCAP safety rating.

There are car manufacturers that still offer wild and stunning colours. We’re not talking about supercar brands like Lamborghini or ultra luxury makes like Rolls Royce, nope here are the everyday car brands that do colours for the people ready to commit to a bright pink hue called Tuscadero.

How do you change the Jeep Wrangler, without changing anything, but making it better than before? Well, they've done it and we've tested the updated Jeep Wrangler at its Australian launch.

The Dacia Spring is oen of the most affordable electric cars in the world but can it go the distance?

Hybrids aren't a new thing but they are still relatively new for Kia. Following the Sorento, Kia has launched the Sportage Hybrid and CarsGuide has tested the entry-grade SX. It's quite a bit pricier than its petrol twin, so is it worth the fuel savings?

The Berry family has made it two months into their long-term test of the Kia EV9 fully electric seven-seater SUV but is it still the best car this clan claims it has ever tested?