Mazda CX-9 2021 review: Touring snapshot

Justin Hilliard’s dad chose to miss his birth because he wanted to watch Peter Brock hopefully win Bathurst, so it figures Justin grew up to have a car obsession, too – and don’t worry, his dad did turn up in time after some stern words from his mum. That said, despite loving cars and writing, Justin chose to pursue career paths that didn’t lend themselves to automotive journalism, including a Bachelor of Arts with majors in International Studies and Criminology from Monash University. He eventually ending up working as a computer technician for Apple for four years. But that car itch just could not be scratched by his chipped Volkswagen Golf R (Mk7), so he finally decided to give into the inevitable and study a Master of Journalism at Monash University at the same time. And even with the long odds, Justin was lucky enough to land a full-time job as a motoring journalist with GoAuto and GoAuto Premium soon after graduating and the rest, as they say, is history. These days, Justin happily finds himself working at CarsGuide during the biggest period of change yet for the automotive industry, which is perhaps the most exciting part of all. In case you’re wondering, Justin begrudgingly sold the Golf R (sans chip) and still has plans to buy his dream car, an E46 BMW M3 coupe (manual, of course), but he is in desperate need of a second car space – or maybe a third. You can find Justin on LinkedIn. Education Bachelor of Arts | Monash University | 2010-2013 Master of Journalism | Monash University | 2015-2017 Featured Publications GoAuto | 2017-2019 GoAuto Premium | 2017-2019 CarsGuide | 2017-present