1971 Ford F250 Reviews

Australia’s peak motoring body has detailed its latest batch of data from real-world fuel use testing.

It’s been over five years now since COVID lockdowns started and in some way it feels like a lifetime ago. For a lot of people buying new cars during this period, however, there were long wait times. COVID lockdowns were a key reason for this, but another major reason for delays was the global shortage of semiconductors.

Despite a seemingly huge appetite for the ultra-cool Ford Bronco SUV and its mini-me Bronco Sport sibling, Aussie new car buyers have so far been denied access to the super-successful retro-futurist Ford models.Since its launch in 2021 the prospect of right-hand drive production has taken a back seat as the focus remains on satisfying strong US domestic demand.And that’s despite Ford’s global CEO Jim Farley telling CarsGuide way back in 2022 that, “(Ford) can do Bronco and Bronco Sport for the globe, for sure. But we have, like, a year or two order bank so we have a lot of work to do on our capacity before we can even consider something like that.”And so it is that close to three years later there are still Bronco and Bronco Sport-shaped holes on Ford’s local showroom floors. But news coming out of China overnight could fast-track new EV and range-extender hybrid versions of the Bronco for Australian consumption.Developed by the Ford/Jiangling Motor Chinese joint venture operation, the Bronco New Energy is a larger, re-powered version of the charismatic off-roader.To be produced at Ford/JMC’s Nanchang plant in South-East China, the new car’s arrival opens up the possibility of a fresh source for potential Australian market supply.CarsGuide contacted Ford Australia for comment on that possibility and a spokesperson said, "We have no news to share on any plans to offer the Ford Bronco in Australia”. But hey, that's not a no.The Ford/JMC JV already produces a version of the existing Bronco. To reduce cost it’s powered by a 205kW 2.3-litre four-cylinder petrol engine (supplied by a second Ford/Changan joint-venture business) rather than the 235kW 2.7-litre V6 petrol engine deployed in the USA.Documents published overnight by the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), and referenced by multiple Chinese sources, describe the new pure-electric and plug-in hybrid Bronco variants.Measuring 5025mm end-to-end the new models are just over 200mm longer than the existing four-door combustion Bronco, while retaining a similar width, height and identical wheelbase.The pure-electric version features a 105kWh battery delivering a CLTC-rated range of 650km and supports high-voltage fast charging. The plug-in hybrid version has a solid 44kWh battery with a 220km EV-only range, rising to around 1220km in concert with the 110kW 1.5-litre, four-cylinder range-extender petrol engine/generator.Motor and driveline specs are unknown at this point but the EV’s kerb weight is listed at a reasonably trim (for a BEV) 2630kg, while the hybrid weighs in at 2511kg.Like all Chinese versions of the car the new five-seat Bronco models wear an additional ‘Ford’ inscription on the grille, as Bronco isn’t a well-known model name in that market, and a Jiangling-Ford badge on the rear.In terms of exterior design, the leading edge of the bonnet has been made more prominent and the headlight treatment, while instantly recognisable, has also been tweaked.The Bronco New Energy sports a Lidar sensor at the front of the roof with over 30 additional “high-precision sensors/cameras” also onboard.

For so long seen as purely a tool-of-trade, in recent decades the ute has grown into a Swiss Army-style work/family/lifestyle multi-purpose machine. And in his second month with the Ford Ranger Platinum, Andrew Chesterton is appreciating the family side of its character more than ever.

Ford’s iconic muscle car is the first to cop a price increase due to penalties now in effect based on Australia’s new emissions laws. The price of a 2026 Ford Mustang has increased by $5000 across the board, with the entry point to the line-up now $71,990 before on-road costs.

Which Mitsubishi do you wish would make a comeback? Pajero? Lancer?  Well, Mitsubishi is currently undertaking a massive overhaul of its Australian line-up with several new models to come to fill the gaps. So while they're at it we’ve put together our wishlist of cars they really should really revive or bring here. The changes to the Australian Design rules (ADRs) in March this year meant Mitsubishi had to axe three vehicles from its local lineup.  These were the ASX small SUV, the bigger Eclipse Cross SUV and the Pajero Sport off-roader. This leaves Mitsubishi with just two cars on sale in Australia — the Triton ute and Outlander mid-sized SUV. Meanwhile Toyota has 23 models on sale.Now we're not suggesting that Mitsubishi needs another 21 models, Ford is managing just fine on pretty much the Ranger, Everest and Mustang, but I definitely think there are some essentials the brand could use and a few dream cars while we're at it.Probably the most obvious model Mitsubishi needs right now is the Pajero. Yep once-upon-a-1990s the Toyota Prado and Mitsubishi Pajero wrestled for dominance all over Australia, from the outback to suburbia. The Pajero eventually lost the battle and was axed by Mitsubishi in 2020 … or so we thought! Imagine the comeback. Just when the new generation Prado had arrived and was still gloating, the Pajero could make its return. Sure the Pajero Sport is coming back in 2026, but that’s a Ford Everest rival. The beauty is Mitsubishi could easily plonk another, posher-looking SUV body on the ladder frame and call it the Pajero. And they’ve already got the badges made up. You just just take the “Sport” bit off. Think of the savings.Next on our wish list is not really a car that would sell in high numbers, but it'd be the halo car in many ways the brand needs so badly right now —  a reborn Lancer, and yes, with an Evolution grade as well. Or maybe just a standalone Lancer Evo XI. I think we’re up to XI, I can't remember but I tested the very final one in 2015.Back in the final glory days of Ford Falcon versus Holden Commodore there were two other tribes going to war: Subaru WRX v Mitsubishi Lancer Evo. These days the WRX lives on, but it looks so lonely without the Lancer EVO to play with.Finally, and given the number of grey imports we see of this car, Mitsubishi needs to add the Delica people mover to its Aussie line-up. What’s not to like about a high-riding all-wheel drive six-seater van?A sixth-generation of the people mover is expected in the next two years and whether it looks anything like the futuristic and silly Delica concept Mitsubishi revealed at the 2023 Tokyo Motorshow is yet to be seen.A wishlist for Mitsubishi could go one forever, who wouldn’t want to see the Colt come back, or the Cordia Turbo? Or the 3000GT?In reality the ASX will be back and so too will the Pajero Sport, and that might be all Mitsubishi needs as it faces bigger problems.  Challenges like how on Earth will it adapt to a rapidly changing market that’s been inundated with excellent electric vehicles from brands which hardly existed five years ago. Currently Mitsubishi doesn’t even sell one purely electric vehicle in Australia at all.

There’s a new number-one seller in town. The Ford Ranger has run down the Toyota RAV4 at the halfway point of the yearly sales race.

Ford CEO, Jim Farley, has laid out some relatively candid opinions regarding the EV sales and manufacturing race and how China is changing the way legacy brands operate.

You hear the term all the time, but what is a muscle car? To be honest, there’s no hard and fast definition. Just as a coupe can be either a two-door or four-door car depending on your point of view, different enthusiasts will describe the muscle car concept differently, and there’s a range of debatable points on offer.

‘I’ve never had a customer tell us they want less choice.’