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).

Renault Captur gets sporty upgrade

By Stephen Ottley · 29 Mar 2022

Renault has given its compact SUV a sporty makeover to create the Captur RS Line. This new addition to the range has just gone on sale in Australia, given the French brand a key point-of-difference between itself and its more mainstream rivals - the Mazda CX-3, Toyota Yaris Cross and Hyundai Venue.

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Top five slimline child car seats

By Stephen Ottley · 29 Mar 2022

Keeping your children safe is the top priority for any parent - and that includes when you’re in the car.

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Are you making the EV switch?

By Stephen Ottley · 27 Mar 2022

Fuel prices are soaring, conventionally powered cars are getting more expensive, governments are offering incentives for making cleaner purchases and the choice for alternative fuel models is growing - have we reached the tipping point for electric vehicl

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Why did Subaru axe the WRX STI?

By Stephen Ottley · 26 Mar 2022

"Subaru Corporation will fast-track their investment in future performance technologies, today confirming there will be no STI variant for the new generation Subaru WRX."And with that short sentence one of the great performance cars of our time died a sud

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Why Maserati's new Grecale is a triple threat

By Stephen Ottley · 23 Mar 2022

After years of teasing, Maserati has finally taken the wraps off its mid-size SUV to take on the likes of the Mercedes-Benz GLC, BMW X3 and Audi Q5. Known as the Grecale, the smaller sibling to the Levante will also go head-to-head with the likes of the Tesla Model Y, Mercedes ECQ and upcoming Porsche Macan EV with an all-electric model coming in 2023.

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Where are the small affordable EVs?

By Stephen Ottley · 20 Mar 2022

There's no question electric vehicles (EVs) are a lot more appealing in 2022 than they were a decade ago.Back in 2012 your choices were limited to the tiny Mitsubishi i-MiEV and slightly larger Nissan Leaf; or if you had more money a Tesla Roadster, but f

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Cars are disappearing and it's our own fault

By Stephen Ottley · 19 Mar 2022

Saying utes and SUVs are popular isn't a cutting insight on the Australian automotive landscape.

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Here's why new cars are now more expensive

By Stephen Ottley · 13 Mar 2022

As CEO of Stellantis, Carlos Tavares has a lot of cars to sell. So when he says he’s worried about how affordable new models are and admits he’s concerned that if prices continue to rise, “the middle classes would not be able to buy new cars”, it should raise alarm bells.

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Why Mazda is taking on Audi, BMW and Mercedes

By Stephen Ottley · 13 Mar 2022

Australia’s love of Mazda is set to reshape how the brand positions itself around the world, pitting it in direct competition with the likes of Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

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The new-car buying revolution

By Stephen Ottley · 12 Mar 2022

Forget what you think you know - buying a new car is changing rapidly as the automotive industry throws out the techniques and tactics it has used for the better part of a century.

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