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).

Will cars get cheaper with new trade deal?

By Stephen Ottley · 16 Jun 2021

Australians may soon get access to cheaper cars from England thanks to a pending new free trade deal (FTA).

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Why Ford Australia needs the Maverick

By Stephen Ottley · 13 Jun 2021

Ford USA has unveiled another exciting new model, and Ford Australia has poured cold water on any chance of that exciting new model reaching local showrooms.Unfortunately, it's becoming an all-too-familiar story for Blue Oval fans (or just fans of interes

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Can Kia remain more popular than Hyundai?

By Stephen Ottley · 13 Jun 2021

Kia Australia is on a roll, having released several key new models in recent months including the all-new Stonic, e-Niro and updated Cerato and Carnival.

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Updated i30 N scores auto gearbox

By Stephen Ottley · 11 Jun 2021

Hyundai had already revealed many of the key numbers for the updated i30 N - 206kW of power, eight gears in the new dual-clutch transmission - but now we’ve got the most important figure, the price.

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Kia Cerato 2021 review

By Stephen Ottley · 11 Jun 2021

Small cars may be falling out of favour as the SUV wave continues to flood the local new car market. But there are still plenty of worthy contenders, and Kia has just upped the ante with a revised version of its Cerato hatch and sedan.

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Ford Mustang 2021 review: Mach 1

By Stephen Ottley · 07 Jun 2021

Ford's latest special edition Mustang is aimed at those who want a sharper, more dynamic driving experience. Does it live up to its lofty ambitions?

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Where are the tax breaks for EVs?

By Stephen Ottley · 06 Jun 2021

The idea of incentives for electric cars is a controversial and long-running topic in Australian motoring. It's often seen as an unfair way to treat motorists, favouring one type of buyer over another simply because of the vehicle they choose to drive.

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Do small SUVs even make sense?

By Stephen Ottley · 06 Jun 2021

People buy cars for all sorts of reasons.

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What models Nissan Australia needs

By Stephen Ottley · 30 May 2021

Tries hard but could do better. That would be the verdict on Nissan Australia if you were writing a report card.

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Why you should get a hot hatch now

By Stephen Ottley · 30 May 2021

Take a seat, hot hatch fans, we've got some good news and some bad news to tell you.First, the good news - we're about to enter a golden period for hi-po hatchbacks with the updated Hyundai i30 N and new Volkswagen Golf GTI arriving in a matter of months.

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