Articles by Stephen Ottley

Stephen Ottley

Contributing Journalist

Steve has been obsessed with all things automotive for as long as he can remember. Literally, his earliest memory is of a car. Having amassed an enviable Hot Wheels and Matchbox collection as a kid he moved into the world of real cars with an Alfa Romeo Alfasud.

Despite that questionable history he carved a successful career for himself, firstly covering motorsport for Auto Action magazine before eventually moving into the automotive publishing world with CarsGuide in 2008. Since then he's worked for every major outlet, having work published in The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Drive.com.au, Street Machine, V8X and F1 Racing.

These days he still loves cars as much as he did as a kid and has an Alfa Romeo Alfasud in the garage (but not the same one as before... that's a long story).

The new brands on the rise around the world

By Stephen Ottley · 10 Sep 2023

Empires rise and fall, it has been that way since the dawn of time. Don’t believe me? Ask the Romans…

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Rivian R1T 2024 review

By Stephen Ottley · 09 Sep 2023

It's an all-new, all-electric carmaker - but it's not Tesla. Rivian is following a similar path but has chosen to focus on more adventurous models, specifically the R1T ute.CarsGuide.com.au scored an exclusive Australian first drive of the would-be electric rival to the likes of the Ford Ranger Raptor and Toyota HiLux Rogue.

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This is the electric ute we need in Australia

By Stephen Ottley · 09 Sep 2023

Hyundai can’t do it. Neither can Mercedes-Benz or BMW. Tesla has become the name in electric vehicles and has cornered the market, with the Model 3 and Model Y outselling all of its sedan and mid-size SUV competition.

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Why Ford is making the 'Gen Z' Mustang

By Stephen Ottley · 06 Sep 2023

Ford's decision to build the all-electric Mustang Mach-E SUV caused an uproar amongst die-hard Blue Oval fanatics - but it also saved the V8-powered coupe.

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Ford preparing to bring back famous names

By Stephen Ottley · 04 Sep 2023

The seventh-generation Ford Mustang hasn't landed in Australian showrooms yet, but there's already reason for Blue Oval fans to get excited about the future. While this latest model is launching with the new Dark Horse special edition, the famous Bullitt and Mach 1 nameplates are likely to join the party during the current lifecycle.

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Why we need a new kind of ute

By Stephen Ottley · 03 Sep 2023

Australians love two types of vehicles at the moment - mid-size SUVs and utes. Together, those two segments make up more than 40 per cent of the new cars bought in this country so far in 2023.

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Would you buy a four-star crash-rated car?

By Stephen Ottley · 02 Sep 2023

No-one should question the great work the Australian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) has done to improve the safety for motorists. But, what is coming under increasing question is whether or not Australian new-car buyers are getting a clear picture of what is and isn’t a safe car.

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Ford Maverick 2024 review

By Stephen Ottley · 01 Sep 2023

The Ford Maverick is a smash hit in the USA. So we headed to America to find out why, driving the 'baby Ranger' in a rare Australian review.The Maverick XLT combines elements of the Escape and Bronco Sport SUVs with the Ranger and F-150 to produce a vehicle that looks like a ute but drives like an SUV.

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Is Ford the coolest car company in the world?

By Stephen Ottley · 27 Aug 2023

There are hundreds of cars revealed every year that we write about here, and only a handful elicit the kind of reaction the Ford Mustang GTD did when it was revealed recently.

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Why the MG5 is missing key safety features

By Stephen Ottley · 26 Aug 2023

MG has vowed to continue to offer affordable models to Australian customers, despite that likely coming at the expense of a five-star safety rating from independent body, ANCAP.

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