Articles by Nedahl Stelio

Nedahl Stelio

Family reviewer

Nedahl has been a journalist for two decades, spending five years as editor of Cleo magazine and has been an editor at Cosmopolitan, Good Food and the Fairfax ‘Health’ section. She’s written across various topics for a range of high-profile food, health, travel and fashion-focused titles. She’s also appeared on The Today Show, Sunrise, A Current Affair, various radio programs and has been a guest judge on Australia’s Next Top Model.

Since having two children, you’ll more likely find her at the beach with the family than at a fashion show, doing a bunch of yoga classes, or cooking healthy food while drinking a glass of wine. And of course, the right family car is critical to keeping it all moving smoothly. A roomy cabin, plenty of boot space and stylish interiors rate high on her priority list. She also believes pink is the new black (except when it comes to cars) and that we should ditch single-use plastics.

Ford Focus 2020 review: ST-Line wagon

By Nedahl Stelio · 18 Sep 2019

Are you looking for something just like a Ford Focus hatch, only bigger? Well, Ford has the answer for you - a Ford Focus with a bigger load area; the Ford Focus ST Line wagon. But is it big enough, really, for family life? We found out.

Read the article

Mitsubishi Outlander 2020 review: Exceed diesel

By Nedahl Stelio · 11 Sep 2019

The Mitsubishi Outlander is generally used as a five seat, mid-size SUV. That is, unless you get the Exceed model, which is the top-of-the-range and has two spare seats in the boot, propelling it into that small category of cars just that bit more practical than their five seat counterparts. It means it’s in competition with cars like seven-seat versions of the Honda CR-V and Nissan X-Trail, and the Holden Acadia, too.The Outlander Exceed costs $46,790 (about $50,000 on the road) and for 2020 the AWD version comes with a few new driving modes. Here’s how it did for this week’s family review.

Read the article

Mercedes-Benz B-Class 2020 review: B180

By Nedahl Stelio · 11 Sep 2019

The new B-Class from Mercedes is being pitched as a family car, even though it’s a five seater hatchback. Because sometimes parents want small cars and they make really good second run-arounds too, if you have a larger one already.To make doubly sure it was going to work for families, I tested it over a week with my family of four. I was in the B 180 - there is just one model in the range and you can spec it up with a number of packages on offer from Mercedes.As a base model it costs $46,400, before on-road costs, and competes with cars like the Audi A3 and the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer. Here’s how it did over seven days.

Read the article

BMW X7 2019 review: xDrive30d

By Nedahl Stelio · 27 Aug 2019

After a large car? With all the trimmings? And a price to match? You've come to the right page!

Read the article

Volkswagen Touareg 2019 review: Launch Edition

By Nedahl Stelio · 21 Aug 2019

If you’re after a large, good-looking SUV and have around $90K to spend (before extras), you’ve come to the right page.The new Volkswagen Touareg is a real step up from your usual VW and this 'Launch Edition' competes on the next level, with the Audi Q7 and Volvo XC90 - even though they have seven seats and the Touareg has five. I actually didn’t miss the two extra seats in the back this week. If you’re family of two or three, you usually need the extra boot space anyway and rarely use those seats. Here’s how it did with my family of four over a week of driving.

Read the article

Nissan Leaf 2020 review: family test

By Nedahl Stelio · 09 Aug 2019

The Nissan Leaf is a five-seater hatchback and it looks pretty good from the outside. You wouldn't guess it had an electric motor if it wasn't for the big 'Zero Emissions' stamped on the outside.

Read the article

Lexus NX 2020 review: Crafted Edition

By Nedahl Stelio · 31 Jul 2019

The Lexus NX 300 Crafted is a value-packed model. It takes some of the stuff usually reserved for the top-of-the-range variants and adds it to the entry-grade to give buyers a lot of luxe for their cash. Is it the pick of the range? Let's find out.

Read the article

Toyota RAV4 2019 review: GX 2WD

By Nedahl Stelio · 21 Jun 2019

Toyota’s RAV4 has come a long way since I reviewed the last one a year ago. It’s had a complete overhaul and I don’t think Toyota has kept a thing the same.It’s got a brand new design and this GX 2WD I drove is a hybrid, which keeps fuel costs down.The GX is the entry-point to the range and there’s a version with a regular 2.0-litre petrol engine that’s a few thousand dollars cheaper, but this 2.5-litre GX hybrid model costs $35,140, before on-road costs, making it the cheapest hybrid SUV on the market.This week was full of trips all over Sydney while I was wrapping up work to take a holiday, here’s how it did over a week of driving with my family.

Read the article

Renault Koleos 2019 review: Zen

By Nedahl Stelio · 14 Jun 2019

It’s nice to have a different mid-size SUV to choose from, rather than the usual players. Renault’s Koleos is a five-seat, mid-size SUV that competes with cars like the Nissan X-Trail, Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V, so it sways towards the large end of that category.I test drove the Koleos over a week where I had to go out and do a big fruit and veggie shop for the food co-op I’m in, so I really got to test how much it would hold!I was in the Koleos Zen, which is second from the bottom in a range of five. Here’s how it did over a week with my family.

Read the article

SsangYong Rexton 2019 review: Ultimate

By Nedahl Stelio · 12 Jun 2019

When your family has grown beyond two children, to three, four or five, you’ll be looking at seven-seat SUVs, which is where the SsangYong Rexton comes in.It’s made in Korea but this brand isn’t as well known as the other Korean car companies, Kia and Hyundai.It sits in a category with other seven-seat SUVs that are all built to go off-road: the Toyota Fortuner, Mitsubishi Pajero and Holden Trailblazer.I was testing the Rexton Ultimate which is the top of the range and sells for $52,990 drive-away.The SsangYong experience was completely new for me and I didn’t know what to expect. Here’s how it handled my family of four over seven days of driving.

Read the article