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).

Toyota GR86 2022 review: Track test
By Stephen Ottley · 28 Apr 2022
A lot has changed in the 10 years since the Toyota 86 burst onto the scene, changing our perception of ‘affordable performance’ and the way we looked at the Japanese brand.
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Genesis puts GV60 to ultimate test
By Stephen Ottley · 27 Apr 2022
Hyundai is pushing its electric vehicles to the limit by taking on Australia’s most famous road rally - Targa Tasmania.
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Did ANCAP kill the Mitsubishi Express Van?
By Stephen Ottley · 26 Apr 2022
It seems a bad review can still kill a car. 
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Will Tesla ever build its new Roadster?
By Stephen Ottley · 25 Apr 2022
In December 2017 Tesla stunned the automotive world when it revealed its second-generation Roadster, promising a 2.1-second 0-100km/h acceleration time and even fly (briefly) with the optional 'SpaceX Rocket Thruster' package.
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Why the Toyota Camry deserves better
By Stephen Ottley · 24 Apr 2022
The Toyota Camry is the car that helped the Japanese brand establish its image as a maker of 'whitegoods on wheels'.
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Is this the start of a golden era for Ford?
By Stephen Ottley · 24 Apr 2022
It's been a rough few years for the Australian car industry, with the closure of Holden highlighting just how tough it can be, even for the biggest brands, to secure the right models to build a successful future.For those working under the belief that our
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Think EVs are boring? Think again
By Stephen Ottley · 23 Apr 2022
I am very excited by the future of electric vehicles (EVs) - which isn't an easy statement to make given my love of all things petrol powered.One of the most common complaints about EVs is that they are 'boring', in large part because they are quiet and t
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Can Mazda take on the BMW X5 and Audi Q7?
By Stephen Ottley · 18 Apr 2022
Mazda is on the verge of an SUV revolution, with not one but four all-new models coming in the near-future.
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Move over V8, the Big Six is back
By Stephen Ottley · 17 Apr 2022
Australians have always loved the idea of a V8 engine, after all they have powered some of our most iconic models, from the Holden Monaro, Ford Falcon GT and even the Leyland P76.
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Why Australians need to drive better
By Stephen Ottley · 16 Apr 2022
Nobody's perfect, I get that. I'm not saying I am the world's greatest driver and never do anything wrong.But...I continue to be astounded by the low standard of driving in the country.Australians, broadly speaking, are not very good drivers.
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