Articles by Malcolm Flynn

Valtteri Bottas's victory is clearly the biggest buzz from Albert Park this weekend, but there was a whole lot of other cool things on show you probably didn't see on TV.

Two prototype examples of the upcoming Mercedes-Benz EQC all-electric SUV are in Melbourne this week, to showcase near-future tech and coincide with this weekend's Australian F1 Grand Prix series opener.

Kia Australia has confirmed that a sub-Sportage SUV will hit local showrooms in the fourth quarter of this year, finally giving the Korean brand an answer to the likes of the Honda HR-V, Hyundai Kona, Mazda CX-3 and Toyota C-HR. Speaking with CarsGuide this week in Sydney, Kia Australia COO Damien Meredith confirmed the timing of the new small SUV, which was previously tipped to arrive in early 2020. The new model is set to be revealed in the coming months, with the existing Niro and Stonic international options having been ruled for down under. It's expected to bear a very close resemblance to the SP Concept revealed in India 12 months ago, which would be very good news.Mr Meredith said the new small SUV would be bigger than the Stonic and the Kona from sister brand Hyundai, but still a step beneath Sportage and sit between Cerato and Sportage's $19,990 and $29,990 respective starting points. This suggests it will be closer in size to the Nissan Qashqai and Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross, and help distinguish it from the Mazda CX-3 and Toyota C-HR at the smaller end of the segment. The small SUV market continues to gather pace in Australia, with a 2.4 per cent gain over 2018 to the end of February according to VFACTS. This is compared to an 8.4 per cent slide for the total market over the same period.

Kia has crunched the numbers to extend its arguably industry-leading seven-year, unlimited kilometre warranty to last a full decade, if market forces deem it necessary.

The I-Pace's official driving range is 470km, but what does that mean on the highway in the real world?

After rising to the top of the Porsche tree in its first 4.5 years, can the updated Macan still compete with numerous newer SUVs?

The Porsche Macan S sits above the base Macan in the German brans’s mid-size SUV line-up, with its $97,500 list price sitting $16,100 above the $81,400 Macan. The next Macan Turbo performance flagship isn’t due until 2020, with a new GTS to sit between it and the S set for a 2021 arrival.The key Macan S feature you get for your extra money over a base Macan is an extra two cylinders and a significant performance boost thanks to its 3.0-litre tubocharged V6 engine producing 260kW and 480Nm. This enables a claimed 0-100km/h sprint in 5.1 seconds.Aside from its stronger engine, mechanical Macan S upgrades include bigger front brakes with an extra two pistons to total six, Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) adaptive dampers, silver dual exhaust outlets on either side and one inch larger 20-inch ten spoke alloys.Seat heaters and active cruise control will still cost you more on either Macan, but one omission I find quite surprising is that they still don’t get much in the way of active safety gear as standard. Unlike pretty much every other premium SUV on the market, you’ve got to pay extra to get AEB with the active cruise control pack.

The mid-cycle update for Porsche’s top-selling and price-leading Macan SUV arrives in Australian showrooms this week, but only in base Macan and second-rung Macan S spec levels.

Electric Macan to follow Taycan, but open the doors for Cayenne and Panamera.

The Pajero Sport's engine may make decent numbers, but can the relatively little 2.4-litre still manage decent performance and economy when pulling a decent load?