Articles by Samuel Irvine

The special edition Ford Ranger Wildtrak X is making a return in 2025 with just 750 examples allocated for Australia.Priced at $77,640, before on-road costs, the rugged Wildtrak X variant is based on the 2.0-litre four-cylinder bi-turbo diesel Wildtrak ($69,640), delivering 150kW/500Nm to all four wheels through a 10-speed automatic and maintaining a 3500kg braked towing capacity.It goes a step further, adding a suite of off-road kit and design features for improved off-road capability and more distinct styling.Headlining those upgrades are a new remote reservoir, nitrogen-filled Bilstein position-sensitive dampers, a 30mm wider wheel track and 26mm more ground clearance, along with Asphalt Black 17-inch alloys wrapped in 265/70R17 General Grabber all-terrain tyres.The added off-road goodies and four-cylinder (rather than six) turbo-diesel makes the Wildtrak X a direct rival for the Toyota HiLux GR Sport, Isuzu D-Max Blade and Nissan Navara Pro-4X Warrior. Think of it as a sort of Ranger Raptor-lite and you're not far off.On the body, the Wildtrak X adds a flexible rooftop rack system, an off-road specific front grille, heavy-duty side steps, a front steel bash plate, an Asphalt Black front bumper and wheel arches, as well as Wildtrak X badging on the front doors and tailgate.New for the 2025 Wildtrak X is a 400W power inverter in the rear console and tub along with Ford’s semi-autonomous Pro Trailer Backup Assist program, which is designed to help drivers reverse their caravan or trailer with ease.Additionally, Ford has supplied Trail Turn Assist, Trail Control and Rock Crawl drive modes, the latter is typically reserved for V6 variants.Inside, the Wildtrak X gets uniquely branded suede and leather accented seats, upper glove box and all-weather floor mats, along with Cyber Orange stitching and Precision Grey accents throughout.Additionally, there is an overhead auxiliary switch bank, the Ranger’s standard 12.4-inch multimedia touchscreen and a premium Bang & Olufsen audio system.As standard, the Wildtrak X will come in Arctic White, though customers can opt for premium paint – the only additional option – for $700.New colours include Luxe Yellow and Blue Lightning, which will be offered alongside the returning Shadow Black, Meteor Grey and Aluminium.“The Ranger Wildtrak X brings together a number of elements that have made the Ranger family Australia’s number one choice of new vehicle two years’ in a row,” said Mathew Slade, Ford Australia's Ranger Product & Retail Marketing Manager.“It builds on the legendary Wildtrak nameplate, adds serious off-road chops thanks to the trick Bilstein Position-Sensitive Dampers, and clever everyday usability with the Flexible Rack System2 – a classic example of Aussie ingenuity!”Interested customers can order their Wildtrak X from today, with orders expected to commence in the first quarter (January to March) of 2025.

Mercedes-Benz has announced special ‘Night Edition’ exterior packaging is now a no-cost option on fully-electric EQA 250+ and EQB 250+ small SUVs.

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Tesla is swinging the sales axe on its outgoing Model Y ahead of the updated model's release in May, offering discounts of up to $8000.Final pricing and stock availability will depend on which state you live in, as well as the additional features you add to your Model Y. Tesla's before on-road costs pricing factors in delivery costs and order fees.As a general rule in each state, though, at least $4000 has been wiped off the entry-level Rear-Wheel Drive’s starting price, $7000 off the mid-spec Long-Range All-Wheel Drive and $8000 off of the top-spec Performance.If you live in Queensland, you can snag the cheapest deal of all at $53,700, before on-road costs, for a Rear-Wheel Drive. That equates to a drive-away price of $55,475.That compares to $55,700, before on-road costs, for the cheapest option in Victoria, which gets a drive-away price of $59,544. It does add larger 20-inch Induction wheels, though.As standard, the Rear-Wheel Drive variant comes with a 60kWh lithium-ion phosphate battery pack that delivers 445km of WLTP-rated driving range and a single rear axle-mounted electric motor that delivers 220kW of power.Stepping up to the Long Range All-Wheel Drive version, this time it's South Australians who get the best deal. SA residents can snag a mid-spec Model Y for $64,300, before on-road costs, with a drive-away price of $68,171.The same car will cost you $69,437 drive-away in Australia’s next cheapest state – Queensland.In return, buyers get 533km of WLTP-rated driving range thanks to a larger 81kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) battery pack. All-wheel drive is also standard thanks to an additional front axle-mounted electric motor.The range-topping Model Y Performance is in far more limited numbers than the rest of the range, with only Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia showing available stock.A blanket $80,400, before on-road costs, price tag exists across all three states, but the cheapest drive-away pricing is found in Tasmania at $84,673.South Australia is priced at $84,915, while Victoria is the most expensive at $85,287.The Performance carries the same 81kWh NMC battery pack as the Long Range, but delivers an extra 127kW/150Nm for a total output of 413kW/660Nm.Its zero to 100km/h sprint time is clocked at a staggering 3.6 seconds, while its WLTP-rated range drops back to 514km.All Model Ys will be covered by a four-year/limited kilometre warranty, while the battery and drive unit are covered by an eight-year/192,000km warranty.Interested buyers should contact their nearest Tesla dealer quickly as the deal is only scheduled to run while stocks last.The updated Model Y will arrive in Australia in May under a special ‘Launch Edition’ variant.It gets a design refresh, additional technology and comfort features, as well as a steeper price tag of at least $7500 and $3500 over the current Rear-Wheel Drive and Long Range All-Wheel Drive variants, respectively.

It appears Suzuki is saving its most exciting releases for the Indian market.Debuting at the 2025 Bharat Mobility Global Expo in New Delhi last week were two new concepts of the brand’s most iconic models – the Swift ‘Champions’ and the Jimny ‘Conqueror’.According to Carscoops, though, Suzuki said the models are purely for demonstration purposes to gauge consumer responses.None of them actually feature chassis or powertrain upgrades, rather, they are just cosmetic and accessory upgrades.That said, it could signal that Suzuki is gauging demand for future special-edition Swift and Jimny variants, such as a successor to the Swift Sport as Suzuki looks at adding more fuel-efficient variants to its line-up.The brand has already confirmed the Sport will wrap up production in Japan next month, with Suzuki planning on releasing a special-edition ZC33S Final Edition Swift Sport in Japan from March.=Plans for Australia remain unconfirmed, however, Suzuki Australia General Manager, Michael Pachota, told CarsGuide he was hopeful a replacement was in the works after Suzuki switched the entire swift hybrid to a 1.2-litre mild-hybrid set up late last year.“I hope so,” he said. “At this stage, we haven’t been told if there’s going to be a vehicle that replaces Swift Sport down the track in the current guise.”That could suggest a mild-hybrid iteration of the current Swift Sport, which remains equipped with the previous-generations 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine that adds an additional 42kW of power over the mild-hybrid's 61kW.It could be a case of adding cosmetic upgrades as opposed to extra power, as is the case with the track-ready Champions concept, which adds an aerodynamic body kit with a rear spoiler, a front splitter and a small rear diffuser.There are blacked-out multi-spoke alloys wrapped in slick tyres with a white racing graphic, along with a huge Swift decal adorning front bonnet and door panels.Moving over to the Jimny, it too gets a fancy ‘Jimny’ and ‘4x4’ graphic in a rugged khaki and black paint scheme, along with all terrain tyres which literally spell out ‘All Terrain’ in white.Additionally, there's a front winch, roof racks with mounted recovery tracks, a rear-mounted spare tyre, ladder, a side-mounted cargo box and a miniature shovel.Maruti Suzuki, Suzuki's Indian arm, has also extended unique exterior treatment to other models, though none that are currently on sale for the Australian market.

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