Articles by Neil Dowling

Neil Dowling
Contributing Journalist

GoAutoMedia

Cars have been the corner stone to Neil’s passion, beginning at pre-school age, through school but then pushed sideways while he studied accounting.

It was rekindled when he started contributing to magazines including Bushdriver and then when he started a motoring section in Perth’s The Western Mail.

He was then appointed as a finance writer for the evening Daily News, supplemented by writing its motoring column. He moved to The Sunday Times as finance editor and after a nine-year term, finally drove back into motoring when in 1998 he was asked to rebrand and restyle the newspaper’s motoring section, expanding it over 12 years from a two-page section to a 36-page lift-out.

In 2010 he was selected to join News Ltd’s national motoring group Carsguide and covered national and international events, launches, news conferences and Car of the Year awards until November 2014 when he moved into freelancing, working for GoAuto, The West Australian, Western 4WDriver magazine, Bauer Media and as an online content writer for one of Australia’s biggest car groups.

He has involved himself in all aspects including motorsport where he has competed in everything from motocross to motorkhanas and rallies including Targa West and the ARC Forest Rally.

He loves all facets of the car industry, from design, manufacture, testing, marketing and even business structures and believes cars are one of the few high-volume consumables to combine a very high degree of engineering enlivened with an even higher degree of emotion from its consumers.

Is hybrid really cheaper than petrol?
By Neil Dowling · 03 Jan 2022
Toyota has been less than subtle about rolling out hybrids, with the eco-friendly tech expanding to 10 of the brand's 23 models in Australia.The attention is on "hybridising" existing models as Toyota feels customers are more comfortable buying a well-kno
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Is a hybrid really the answer?
By Neil Dowling · 18 Dec 2021
Subaru joined the electrification bandwagon a relatively short 20 months ago, adding a hybrid option to its Forester and XV SUV range that claimed similar power to its existing petrol models, but with less fuel consumption.No complaints there as it's part
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Hybrid, PHEV or EV, which is cheapest?
By Neil Dowling · 27 Nov 2021
According to some people in suits in Glasgow, electrifying transport options can be one of the fastest ways for cities to clean the air and eliminate noise pollution.Electric trams, trains, buses and taxis aside, does opting for an electrified vehicle as
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Isuzu trucks to launch with EV in 2022
By Neil Dowling · 02 Nov 2021
Isuzu aims to launch an electric truck as early as next year as it embarks on its “rapid acceleration” carbon-neutral strategy towards zero-emission products by 2040.
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Isuzu’s latest light truck launches
By Neil Dowling · 01 Nov 2021
Isuzu Trucks has come in swinging on the side of drivers and fleets with a comprehensive, car-like safety upgrade to its giant-killer N Series of light-duty trucks backed by a longer six-year warranty.
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Petrol, diesel or turbo-petrol?
By Neil Dowling · 30 Oct 2021
If you feel there’s already a mind-blowing number of choices in the new-vehicle market, here’s more things to ponder.
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Is going hybrid really worth it?
By Neil Dowling · 18 Sep 2021
Hybrid cars will save you a bundle of cash in running costs, make you an infrequent visitor to the service station and elevate you to the new age where mobility doesn’t necessarily have to impact on the environment.
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Be prepared to wait for your new Kia
By Neil Dowling · 17 Jun 2021
The new-car delivery delays caused by various factors has become more than just frustrating for Kia, so much so that the brand was almost forced to bin plans to launch its flagship plug-in hybrid Sorento this year.Kia has been one of the hardest hit by th
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VW expects vehicle delivery delays
By Neil Dowling · 16 Jun 2021
Volkswagen has warned of delays for some of its most popular models as the impact of the global semi-conductor shortage continues to hit at production volumes for most car manufacturers.It said it wanted to make customers aware of the potential delays and
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Suzuki Australia fights hard for supply
By Neil Dowling · 09 Jun 2021
Keen to snap up a brand-new Suzuki Jimny?
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