Articles by Richard Blackburn

Small cars are the big news at this year's Geneva motor show, with Japanese brands making a big splash at Europe's first car industry showcase for 2015.

Kia Grand Carnival and Hyundai iMax go head-to-head in this comparative review.

Kia's supersized Carnival takes eight, their luggage and all their devices.

Richard Blackburn road tests and reviews the BMW 228i with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Last week’s column about reversing cameras sparked plenty of healthy debate. Some readers agree with Mazda boss Martin Benders that reversing cameras aren’t a silver bullet, while others see them as a potential lifesaver.A silver bullet does exist.Almost five years ago, I attended a Nissan safety briefing in Japan where the company told media it was looking at developing technology that could slam on a car’s brakes if it detected anything in its path when the car was reversing.Emergency braking feature for reversing is still not commonplaceNissan engineering director Masao Fukushima said the technology would be relatively quick and inexpensive to develop as it used existing features such as parking sensors and blind-spot radar.But despite huge advances in safety tech, an emergency braking feature for reversing is still not commonplace, even on luxury vehicles.We have auto braking that can stop a car moving forward at low speed and there are even cruise control setups that can brake in an emergency.Mazda is the only mainstream maker to have a reversing emergency brake featureIronically, Mazda is the only mainstream maker to have a reversing emergency brake feature — available on its top-of-the-line Mazda6 sedan. The Infiniti Q50 also has it.But in Australia, it’s been left to a Brisbane aftermarket company to develop a solution. The Reverse Alert sells for about $1500 installed.The company is preparing to list on the stock exchange. It envisages the technology being used on forklifts, building sites — and, of course, the home driveway. It is estimated one child a week is reversed over.

Richard Blackburn road tests and reviews the 2015 Lexus RC F.

The entry level Neo model of the popular Mazda3 doesn't have a reversing camera, and many expected the brand to fit one as standard when it announced a pricing adjustment as a result of the free trade agreement with Japan.Instead, the brand made rear parking sensors and alloy wheels standard on the Neo, despite the fact that some of the cheapest cars on the market — including the Toyota Yaris and Honda Jazz — now have cameras as standard equipment."It might surprise you," Benders said, "but I don't have a string of customer complaints or comments saying, 'where's my reversing camera?'"There is no silver bullet to stop accidentsBenders said a reversing camera shouldn't be relied on to guard against driveway tragedies involving young children."I don't see the driveway as being a place where kids should be walking around in the first place," he said."I expect that people who drive cars take care and attention about how they drive their cars. Reversing cameras are not infallible. They're more an aid but so are reverse parking sensors and they will pick up obstacles in the same way."He later clarified his comments, saying he hadn't meant to be dismissive about the cameras, but was making the point that drivers had to take responsibility for road safety, rather than rely on crash-avoidance technology."There is no silver bullet to stop accidents," he said.

The Australian car market is so crammed with brands and individual models these days that it's extremely rare to come across a unique formula. But Nissan's found one with the market's only seven-seater powered by a supercharged hybrid four-cylinder engine. It's an unconventional path in more ways than one for Nissan,

Can Holden still play the patriotism card?

Richard Blackburn road tests and reviews the Hyundai Sana Fe SR with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.