Articles by Tony O'Kane

Tony O'Kane

Contributing Journalist

Don't let the glasses fool you: Tony is terrible at maths, which is why he didn't get into engineering at uni and instead decided to glue words together for a living.

Words about cars, specifically. After cutting his teeth doing online motoring news and reviews, Tony moved over to Australia's most respected car mag Wheels to cut his teeth into even sharper points in the realm of print journalism.

His mouth may be a dentist's worst nightmare as a result, but with a decade and a half of experience in writing about cars Tony has the knowledge to cut through the specs and spin and deliver you, the reader, the unvarnished truth about the cars you're interested in.

Servicing costs for MG ZS-rivalling 2023 BYD Atto 3 electric car changed after customer backlash, but warranty terms remain confusingly complex

By Tony O'Kane · 05 Sep 2022

As a concession to customers that aired their angst about BYD walking back on its promise of a seven-year warranty and announcing high standard servicing costs, the Chinese automaker has revised its scheduled maintenance price list for the Atto 3 electric

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Finally! 2023 Subaru Outback gains two turbo flagship grades as five-seat SUV looks set to continue sales dominance over Kia Sorento, Mazda CX-9 and Hyundai Santa Fe

By Tony O'Kane · 02 Sep 2022

Subaru Australia has announced the arrival of two potent turbocharged additions to the Outback range, bringing more power and torque, greater towing capacity and the arrival of significant infotainment updates.Priced at $52,190 before on-road costs for th

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Prices up for 2023 Venue, Santa Fe, N and N Line models as Hyundai passes on rising costs to customers

By Tony O'Kane · 01 Sep 2022

Prices on new Hyundai models have risen by up to $2000 as the cost of building them jumps up due to the prices of raw materials and upward pressure across the industry from global inflation.

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Hyper hatch heroes! The 2023 Audi RS3 Sportback has just landed in Australia, so how does it stack up against the reigning Mercedes-AMG A45?

By Tony O'Kane · 27 Aug 2022

These days, the upper echelon of the hot hatch segment is a veritable arms race between just two hi-po superpowers: Mercedes-AMG and Audi Sport. Since Mercedes made its first attempt to muscle in on the Audi RS3’s turf back in 2013 with the first-generation A45 AMG, it’s been a tit-for-tat exchange between the mad scientists in Affalterbach and Neckarsulm as they both compete to make the fastest f

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2023 Kia Seltos gets new look and more gear, but no hybrid in sight for Toyota Corolla Cross, Honda HR-V, and Nissan Qashqai rival

By Tony O'Kane · 22 Aug 2022

Kia Australia has announced a raft of updates for its Seltos small SUV range, with a styling update giving the budget-friendly tall hatch a fresh new face for 2023, along with a bevy of in-car tech upgrades to boost its level of comfort and convenience.

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Better in every way? The BEST things about the 2023 Honda Civic Type R, and why the Volkswagen Golf R, Subaru WRX and Hyundai i30 N should be worried

By Tony O'Kane · 20 Aug 2022

Should you hold off on putting an order in for a Volkswagen Golf GTI, Hyundai i30N or Subaru WRX and save your dollars for Honda’s hero instead? Here are the highlights of Honda’s newest hardcore hot hatch to help you decide.

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2023 BMW X1 price and features announced as all-new Mercedes GLA, Audi Q3 and Lexus UX rival nears launch

By Tony O'Kane · 28 Jul 2022

A bigger body, greater interior space, cutting-edge multimedia tech, better handling and an all-electric option are the headline changes for BMW’s incoming third-generation X1, set to launch in the final quarter of 2022 as the brand’s SUV entry point.

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2023 Nissan Navara SL Warrior price and specs: Ford Ranger Raptor-taming off-road ute on a budget!

By Tony O'Kane · 27 Jul 2022

Nissan has cleaved more than $10,000 off the price of entry to its trail-conquering Navara Warrior with the release of the SL Warrior – a stripped-back, bare-bones sibling to the feature-rich Pro-4X Warrior that was released late last year.

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Tired of waiting for your new Toyota RAV4 or Ford Ranger? A car subscription service might be a shortcut to a new car, but there are things you might not like when you subscribe

By Tony O'Kane · 24 Jul 2022

Can a car subscription be a way of sidestepping the new-car shortage, at least until supply catches up to demand? Could you nab yourself a new(ish) set of wheels within a matter of days rather than waiting more than half a year for your next vehicle?

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Gone too soon? Mercedes-Benz X-Class, Mitsubishi Express, Ford Endura and more of Australia's shortest-lived cars

By Tony O'Kane · 23 Jul 2022

Are these mercy killings, or the cruel hand of fate? Not all short-lived cars deserved to die young, but then again the candle that burns half as long doesn’t always burn twice as bright.

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