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).

Subaru confirms first EV for Australia

By Stephen Ottley · 13 May 2022

Subaru is officially joining the electric party. The brand has confirmed that the all-new Solterra - which has been co-developed with the Toyota bZ4x - will arrive in Australian showrooms in 2023.

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All the details on the Toyota Corolla Cross

By Stephen Ottley · 08 May 2022

Toyota was slow to enter the compact SUV contest but it is more than making up for lost time with the impending arrival of the Corolla Cross.

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Premium future makes sense for Mazda6

By Stephen Ottley · 08 May 2022

Rumours of the demise of the Mazda6 may have been exaggerated... or maybe not.There are various reports about what Mazda has planned for its flagship sedan.

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Why Ford's Territory successor failed

By Stephen Ottley · 08 May 2022

Ford made the hard decision to end local manufacturing in 2016 killing off the iconic Falcon in the process. But while most of the attention was focused on the end of the Falcon, it also meant the demise of one of the most overlooked Australian-made cars - the Territory.

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Walkinshaw walks away from Holden

By Stephen Ottley · 06 May 2022

Bombshell announcements are few and far between in modern motorsport, as teams tend to prefer evolution rather than revolution.

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Ready for an electric Ford Ranger rival?

By Stephen Ottley · 01 May 2022

It's been an on-and-off-again rumour for years, but not only is a new Ram ute on the way to take on the likes of the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger, but it will do so with electric power.Ram's current line-up starts with the 1500, which is considered 'regul

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Why the Mazda3 Turbo is the new MPS

By Stephen Ottley · 01 May 2022

The recent reveal of the long-awaited Toyota GR Corolla means most of the popular small cars now have a hot-hatch alternative. Volkswagen Golf? Check. Hyundai i30? Check. Honda Civic? Coming soon.

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Could the Mercedes X-Class have succeeded?

By Stephen Ottley · 01 May 2022

It had all the makings of a sales hit - a famous brand entering a booming market with a headstart thanks to a shared platform - but the Mercedes-Benz X-Class flew across the automotive sky like a three-pointed shooting star.

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Did the Honda CR-Z deserve better?

By Stephen Ottley · 30 Apr 2022

Ferrari has them, so does Porsche, Lamborghini and Mercedes-AMG.

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Holden's Subaru Outback failure

By Stephen Ottley · 29 Apr 2022

As Holden continues to fade from the automotive landscape in Australia, with dealerships transitioning and GM Specialty Vehicles stepping up, it's timely to remember the golden days for the brand.Back in the early 2000s Holden was riding high on the succe

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