Sedan

Audi’s A8 is the third member of the big German luxury sedan crew, sharing marketplace space with the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class. It boasts the same sharply-cut-suit looks as its peers but, in some ways, is the more technically advanced car. Somehow, however, it was never as popular as the other big Germans. Which is not to say it isn’t worth looking at now.Code-named the 4H series in Audi-speak, the 2010 A8 was available in long- and short-wheelbase forms and with a choice of either a 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel with 184kW or a 4.2 litre petrol V8 with 273kW. Just for something left field, Audi also offered a 4.1-litre twin-turbo diesel V8 with 258kW but a stonking 800Nm of torque.All variants used an eight-speed automatic and the A8 was all-wheel drive, which is something its major competitors didn’t have.The car was facelifted for the 2014 model year at which point the magnificent petrol V8 was dropped from the line-up and two revised turbo-diesels appeared. The first was a V6 with 190kW and the other a V8 with 283kW and now 850Nm. The latter was available only as a short-wheelbase car.Standard equipment levels and inbuilt safety were major features of the big Audi and it remains an impressive car to drive and look at. The A8’s other big selling point was its aluminium chassis which helped offset some of the mass of the 'quattro' all-wheel drive system.The A8 is a lovely car to ride in and a decent thing to drive as well. It was set up with comfort in mind, but the quattro all-wheel drive system also lends an added margin of safety in terms of grip in slippery conditions.If anything, though, it lacks the imposing visuals of the BMW 7 Series or Mercedes-Benz S-Class, and from some angles, looks like an enlarged A4 or A6. The interior is pure Audi, which is another way of saying excellent.Because new tech – including safety gear – is usually first seen in the high-spec models from each carmaker, the A8 hit the market as a very safe car for the time. Even now, it boasts some equipment that is still optional on cheaper brand-new cars.Sophisticated cars often wind up with sophisticated problems later in life. The Audi is not perfect in this regard, but it is well made and used quality materials. The fundamentals are good although, like any car, poor maintenance and servicing will show up eventually. And when repairs are needed on a high-end car like this, they won’t be cheap.The first thing to look for in an A8 is any evidence or history of crash damage. That’s because the aluminium chassis and body is difficult to repair properly and requires a specialist workshop to get it right. Even the factory used specialist techniques to build the cars and a lot of the bodywork and panel alignment was somewhat hand-finished. So a close check of the frame and underbody is a must.The A8 was also caught up in the Volkswagen family’s shameful 'Dieselgate' scandal where many brands and models were fitted with devices and software designed to trick the official fuel consumption test for a better number than the car could actually achieve in the real world. The V6-powered A8s were part of this and should, by now, have been returned to Audi for a software update to negate this 'cheat'.On 4.2-litre petrol V8 variants, some owners have reported a problem with carbon build-up on the intake valves. This is due to the direct-injection system where fuel is sprayed directly into the combustion chambers rather than across the back of the intake valve. As such, the valves don’t get washed clean and carbon can build up, affecting performance. To be perfectly fair, this is not an Audi-specific problem and can affect many engines using direct-injection.The A8 hasn’t had too bad a run with safety recalls, but that’s not to say there haven’t been some recalls over the years this generation A8 was on sale.Recalls for the A8 have included problems with the glass sunroof suddenly shattering, transmission oil leaks, power steering leaks in V8 models, engine-bay seals leaking, a potential for incorrect deployment of both front airbags and seat-belt pretensioners and another to check on the oil supply to the engine’s turbochargers.You can find the full details on these recalls by visiting: https://www.vehiclerecalls.gov.au/ .There’s no specific year to avoid here, but the one A8 we’d be very wary of would be an ex-hotel limousine. Flash Aussie hotels often used big German sedans for this task, so take a close look at the rear seat (which will be as worn as the driver’s seat in a hotel limo) and the rear bumper which could be scratched from having a million suitcases dragged over it. The mileage is also likely to be higher than the average A8 thanks to a lifetime of slogging between the city and airport and sitting in traffic in between.And, obviously, any big, sophisticated car like this must have a complete and up to date service history or you could be buying all sorts of trouble down the track.Aside from those ex-hotel limos we were talking about, the A8 doesn’t seem to rack up huge mileages. So, an example with less than 200,000km showing and a clean service history should be able to offer plenty of life for the next owner.Even with its all-wheel drive and aluminium structure, the A8 was hardly a sporty car in an overall sense. So why not make the most of the luxury on tap and find a long-wheelbase version which will also accommodate lanky teenagers in the back much better. And the all-wheel drive will be a great safety bonus when those same kids start learning to drive.While the turbo-diesels have the potential to be very frugal, the Audi 4.2-litre petrol V8 remains one of the sweetest, most sonorous production V8s ever made. So that’s the one we’d go shopping for.There’s a rule in the luxury car market when it comes to second-hand examples. And that’s called the Funnel Effect. Fundamentally, it suggests that while there are enough captains of industry to lease luxury cars brand-new, there aren’t enough private buyers willing to spend that sort of money for a second-hand one. And that’s when trade-in values plummet. The Audi A8 is far from immune to this.Which means there are some great buys out there for a fraction of the cost of the walk-up price when the cars were brand-new. You’ll find decent 4H A8s out there now for $20,000 or so, and they won’t necessarily have huge mileages on board. Pony up to about $30,000 and you are in the realm of some seriously good second-hand A8s.Many of the A8’s driveline components are shared with other high-end Volkswagen Group makes and models, so even though the A8 itself was a fairly niche model, there’s plenty of knowledge and parts available.The Audi brand is also popular with enthusiast motorists, too, so there’s a big online community offering support and parts supply.You need to bear in mind, also, that the Audi is a large, heavy, relatively powerful vehicle so it will consume its fair share of tyres and brake pads and this needs to be factored into annual running costs.

It’s been more than a year since Jaguar’s rebrand and the reveal of its Type 00 Concept, and now the brand has revealed the first glimpse of the production version’s interior.The 2027 Jaguar Type 01, to give it the recently confirmed production name, will be revealed properly in New York on 6 October 2026, but the EV’s design still remains a mystery in terms of many details.Now, Jaguar has revealed a few images of its interior, which looks to be closely related to the interior shown in the controversial Type 00 concept.A blend of minimalism and unfamiliar design philosophy, the interior certainly confirms the words of Jaguar Managing Director Rawdon Glover in that it’s “an interior like no other”.Inspired by the travertine limestone and brass of the concept, the colour palette and materials in the Type 01 also follow the ‘copy nothing’ philosophy set out upon the brand’s relaunch.With its name revealed in May this year not long after a preview drive afforded to select media - including CarsGuide - the Type 01 will be the brand’s first car to debut in its new era.The large electric four-door GT has a long bonnet, a total length of 5200mm over a 3200mm wheelbase, and space inside for four separated by a central ‘spine’ - the one made of limestone in the Type 00 concept.Under the cabin, a 120kWh battery should mean a range around 700km, though its brisk performance provided by three motors (two at the rear for 706kW, one at the front with 206kW) might tempt some to use up that power rather inefficiently.On our preview drive, we estimated a 0-100km/h sprint of under 4.0 seconds.Thomas Holden, Chief Interior Designer for Jaguar, said the “unmistakable drama” of the Type 01’s interior aims to “define the modern luxury automotive interior of the future”.“Our holistic design philosophy translates the vehicle’s exterior presence into a distinctive interior architecture,” he said. “In contrast to the horizontal interior design norm, we emphasise its dramatic longitudinal nature through the central spine - an architectural statement that creates four individual spaces.“With authentic materials, technology on demand and reductive flowing surfaces, Type 01 presents unmistakable drama and theatre that will define the modern luxury automotive interior of the future.”

Let’s get a couple of things out of the way here.First, we know electric cars are fast, Tesla fans haven’t stopped talking about this since the mid-2010s and there have been countless videos with evidence of the Model S leaving supercharged V8s in the dust at drag strips.Even ‘slow’ EVs feel quick due to their instant application of torque from stand-still. An electric car with a 0-100km/h time of 6 seconds can feel fast because of it.And since I’ve mentioned 0-100km/h, that’s the method we’ll be using to rank which of the electric cars available in Australia is fastest - not their top speed, given you’ll almost never be able to do anything with that.Finally, we are talking about production cars currently available through manufacturers in Australia, so hypercars like the YangWang U9 or anything Rimac is cooking up are off the list.Some of you will be happy to know this means you’re not seeing a photo of the Ferrari Luce here.Conveniently, this means we have five electric cars with a claimed 0-100km/h acceleration figure in under three seconds. Porsche’s frontiering Taycan might soon be on the chopping block according to rumours of an incoming VW model cull, but for now you can still get to 100km/h in a couple of smidgeons over two seconds. That’s if you have almost $300K to spare, given you’ll probably tick one or two boxes on the options list over its $419,000 before on-roads asking price.The Taycan draws power from a 93kWh battery, making 815kW and 1340Nm for all four of its wheels, and even without the Weissach pack removing some weight it’ll manage the run to the tonne in 2.3 seconds.Only second on this list because of alphabetisation, the top-spec Audi e-tron (the Audi RS e-tron GT Performance to give it the proper name) hits 100km/h in a claimed 2.5 seconds, on par with another Porsche.You won’t be surprised to know the e-tron shares a platform with the Taycan, though its most powerful version isn’t quite as vicious - 680kW and 1027Nm draw from a larger 105kWh battery, and it’s not quite as pricey either. A relative bargain at  $309,900 before on-roads, in fact.Tied for second place is this absolute unit, two-and-a-half tonnes of Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen (built in Bratislava, Slovakia, though) capable of hitting 100km/h in 2.5sec thanks to some frankly silly numbers.Its 850kW and 1500Nm outputs are available from even less than the two cars preceding it on this list, $272,100 before on-roads, and the 113kWh battery means the family SUV can travel up to 623km on a single charge, Porsche says.An oil-cooled rear motor, active aero, a drag coefficient of 0.25 and even the ability to tow 3500kg make the Cayenne Turbo a one-of-a-kind family car.England’s Lotus has ruffled feathers by ‘going electric’, likely something that would indeed upset founder Colin Chapman, but staying relevant in the 2020s probably required moving on from popping superchargers on Toyota engines and using them to power (extremely dynamic) cars about the size of shopping trolleys.Lotus claims the top-spec version of the Emeya, a $259,990 four-door grand-tourer with 675kW and 985Nm up its sleeve, can hit 100km/h in a very specific 2.75 seconds. It does weigh around 2.5 tonnes, so imagine how quick it would be if you took the classic quote often attributed to Chapman “simplify and add lightness” to the Emeya.Apologies to anyone hoping for variety in this list - we’ve got three Volkswagen Group cars and two Lotuses with essentially the same specifications.The Lotus Eletre R is two tenths slower to 100km/h according to the manufacturer, but the SUV uses the same 675kW/985Nm dual-motor drivetrain and 112kWh battery, it’s just a little heavier thanks to its SUV shape.It’s also a little more expensive, asking $20,000 more at $279,990 before on-roads.

Mercedes-Benz has priced its latest ultra-luxury V8-powered ride in Australia. The brand’s new S-Class sedan starts from $264,200 (before on-road costs) for S450, and the top-spec V8-powered S580 L priced from $353,900. The S-Class is $110,000 less than the Maybach SL680 convertible coupe ($463,900) announced by Mercedes-Benz earlier this year. It costs nearly $13,000 more than before to get into an S-Class than before, with the V8-powered model increasing more than $10,000.It still comes in cheaper than the BMW 7-series, starting from $277,900 that was also recently subject to a $5000 price increase. Here’s what is different for the new S-Class.Both the inline 3.0-litre six-cylinder and twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 engines have received boosts to output. The six-cylinder S450 now produces up to 280kW and 600Nm, compared to 270kW/560Nm, while the V8 makes 395kW and 750Nm, up from 370kW/700Nm.The S580L can now accelerate from 0-100km/h in four seconds, with the S450 taking 4.9 seconds. Both engines are paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission. The S-Class has undergone a significant redesign on the outside to give an enhanced road presence. There is a larger illuminated front grille, and extra bright headlights that can shine up to 600 metres in front of the car. The brand has further tweaked the rear light design so it shows off three triangular clusters.  Mercedes-Benz has made AMG styling standard across the S-Class range, featuring gloss block exterior accents and chrome highlights. It will ride on new 20-inch grey cross spoke alloy wheels.Changes continue inside the cabin, with a rim protection warning designed to prevent drivers from curbing the car’s wheels.The new S-Class offers heated front seat belts as an optional extra for additional comfort, found in the Comfort Plug Package priced at $13,900. This package also introduces massaging rear seats, and a system allowing the front passenger seat to be moved forward to create more rear legroom. There is a multimedia system boasting a 14.4-inch central touchscreen and a 12.3-inch digital driver display, along with an optional front passenger display.

This year has thrown up two unforeseen events: the mainstream acceptance of electric vehicles (EVs) and the return of the sedan.Perfect timing, then, for the new Mercedes-Benz CLA electric.But, can the world’s oldest car company run with hip young things like the Polestar 2, Tesla Model 3 and BMW i4?And is this the Mercedes of compact EV sedans?The price leap going electric in this third-gen CLA four-door coupe is another surprise.Starting from $72,200 (all prices are before on-road costs), the CLA200 electric’s premium is a reasonable $5700 over the entry-level CLA180 petrol-electric hybrid version, and just $4000 more than the CLA200 hybrid equivalent.Now, most essentials are standard, with the following being standouts:a 14-inch central touchscreen and 10.25-inch driver display combo dubbed MBUX Superscreena fixed glass roofa heat pump for efficiency enhancing climate controlGoogle Maps with AI virtual assistant including car-to-X traffic communication for driving hazards alertsa 360-degree camera with parking assistartificial leather and suede-clad heated/powered front AMG sports seats with memory settingsAMG 18-inch alloys and body kitThen there’s the CLA350 4Matic Electric from $91,300, adding an electric motor up front for all-wheel drive, an 85kWh – rather than 58kWh – battery for longer range, faster charging and 19-inch wheels.But we recommend the Premium Package ($1800 in the CLA200/$2340 in the CLA350) for worthwhile kit like:head-up displayadaptive headlightskeyless entryan orchestral audio upgradea third, also 14-inch screen ahead of the front passengerSpeaking of which, compared to its Chinese-sourced Polestar 2 and Tesla Model 3 rivals, the German CLA does cost more, but Mercedes has been making cars for 140 years, not 14 years, and there’s some very advanced EV engineering going on underneath that pretty body.Distinctively Mercedes, the Ford AU Falcon force is still strong with this CLA.But thanks to the Stuttgart brand’s box-fresh MMA electric-first 800-volt platform, it matures as well as grows in every dimension, including in height and wheelbase, while super-slippery, aero-enhancing details promise to boost efficiency.The CLA’s interior aesthetics are dominated by the MBUX Superscreen slab that, with the Premium Package, is lit like a Christmas tree fever dream.Yet, when switched off and blacked out, one onlooker reckoned the dash is reminiscent of a Holden LH Torana’s. Iconic Aussie influences abound!Luckily everything including ambient lighting is configurable.Getting in and out is tight – a reminder that the CLA is essentially a four-door coupe.Once inside, though, the front seat area is amply spacious, including for heads, and there’s a lot to like, including the logical and slick operation of Mercedes’ latest, AI-enhanced multimedia system.Brilliantly supportive seats, a superb driving position, beautifully crafted textures and abundant storage also make this CLA appealing. The cheapness of old is gone, though the plastics below knee level feel disappointingly hard and hollow.And while we’re whining, the loss of buttons for the touchscreen-sited climate system, no overhead grab handles, cost-cutting absence of rear window switches for the driver (what is this, a Skoda?), and missing glass roof blockout are fixes for the facelift.On the flip side, that vast ceiling sky vista makes an already roomier rear seat feel even airier, while most expected comfort amenities are present.Further back, the boot is OK, though smaller than before at 405 litres and there’s no spare wheel. Boo.There’s also a 101L frunk up front – a first for a Mercedes.That’s because the CLA electric’s MMA platform diverges from its front-drive/transverse ICE counterparts by being rear-wheel drive (RWD) biased.This means the main, 165kW/335Nm permanently excited synchronous traction motor is located out back, sending drive to the rear wheels via a two-speed e-transmission.In the CLA200, the 0-100km/h takes 7.5 seconds, while a second electric motor up front in the CLA350 4Matic makes for a combined 260kW/515Nm, slashing sprint time down to a rousing 4.9s.And the EV changes don’t stop there, either, making the electric versions drive unlike any CLA that have come before.With its strong and linear power delivery, both CLA electrics step off the line rapidly, and glide along smoothly with a newfound sophistication and control, aided by a new multi-link rear suspension set-up and stiff architecture that, incredibly, relies on passive – rather than the ICE variant’s available active – dampers.This results in a ride suppleness alien to older CLAs and other modern smaller Benzes.Better still, over the warm dry roads of the Queensland hinterland as tested, the CLA200e has evolved athletically, brandishing a RWD attitude that allows it to seek out curves with a handling joy we’d frankly never have anticipated in this series. Balanced, fluid and confident.The CLA350 4Matic feels even more agile, and is stirringly quick point-to-point if you’re up for some fun. Just lovely.Some drivers might ask for more steering weight at lower speeds, but otherwise the connected dynamics, isolating refinement and advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) tech tuning are outstanding, and worth the three-pointed star premium alone.You can also thank the CLA’s aero prowess for providing impressive efficiency, with both electrics sitting underneath the already decent 14.4kWh/100km (CLA200) and 14.9kWh/100km (CLA350 4Matic) official consumption averages, dipping well below 13kWh at one stage, despite being driven enthusiastically over rural back roads.That MMA 800V ultra-fast charging capability is a bonus, as is the standard 22kW AC charging set-up.EuroNCAP have awarded the latest CLA range a five-star gong, with a similar ANCAP rating expected, too.Mercedes’ obsession with pushing safety tech is undeniable, with all ADAS autonomous emergency brake (AEB) and lane-support systems present. On the airbag front, a front centre item is fitted, taking that total to eight.However, Mercedes’ five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty is nothing but average nowadays. Service intervals are every 12 months or 25,000km, and only pre-paid servicing in three-year ($2455), four-year ($3620) and five-year ($4295) blocks are available.

MG has released full details including pricing for its MG07 range ahead of its Chinese launch.A fully electric four-door coupe is designed as a spiritual successor to the 1965 MGB GT while also tapping into the success of Chinese contemporaries like the Xiaomi SU7 and incoming Geely TT.Measuring in at 4886mm long, 1900mm wide and 1485mm tall, the MG07 is a relatively large liftback and an electric alternative to the MG7 combustion car currently sold in Australia.It features two battery sizes, either 67kWh at 400 volt or 91kWh at 800V granting it more than 600km or 800km of range respectively. Both batteries are from CATL and use semi-solid-state chemistry.All variants are front-wheel drive, with the base version producing 176kW/300Nm for a 6.9-second 0-100km/h sprint, while the 800V high-grade versions produce 235kW/350Nm, good for a claimed 5.9 second 0-100km/h sprint.Outside it features a new design direction for MG with clamshell-style front lights, and a bar-style rear light. It also features wheel options with white inlays clearly inspired (alongside other parts of this car) by the Porsche Taycan, and features an automatically deploying rear spoiler on the tailgate.Inside, the MG07 borrows high-end switchgear, hardware, and trims from SAIC’s IM luxury brand, while dressing it down slightly for MG’s lower price point.It still features a 15.6-inch 2.5k central multimedia touchscreen complemented by an 8.9-inch digital instrument cluster, over-the-air connectivity, dual phone charging bays and 256-colour ambient lighting.It features a 697-litre boot with an underfloor area that can be equipped with a 30-litre fridge/freezer, as well as a 168-litre frunk.The MG07 is priced between the equivalent of A$27,000 and $35,250 in China, suggesting a $35,000-$45,000 price tag once the usual premiums are added for the Australian market, if it were to launch here.If so it would serve as a rival to the likes of the Tesla Model 3 (from $54,900) and BYD Seal (from $46,990).Deliveries of standard 67kWh versions of the four-door liftback will start by the end of August in China, with long range 91kWh versions starting delivery in October.The MG07 is the latest in a trend of sporty Chinese domestic models designed both to move domestic brands upmarket, but also compete more directly with foreign brands in China.MG Australia has been contacted for comment to see if the MG07 is in line for an Australian arrival.As it stands, MG offers the MG7 2.0-litre turbo combustion equivalent (from $44,990), as well as the IM5 luxury electric sedan (from $60,990) locally.It begs the question - which of these trendy sporty models will be the first to launch in Australia? Geely’s recently-unveiled TT shares a similar format, but isn’t in the local division’s short term plans.The Xiaomi SU7 has been so successful in China that the carmaker can’t build cars fast enough to keep up with domestic demand, with waiting lists measuring in the hundreds of thousands of units.As to what’s next for MG in Australia, the future is unclear. The brand is expected to offer the LS8 and/or LS9 luxury large SUVs from its IM division as range-extender hybrids in the futureThe brand also revealed a new city-sized hatchback and lifted wagon destined for the European market at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed.MG has had a decent year in 2026, up 6.8 per cent (to 23,146 units) in the first half, but this leaves it only holding its ground against a surge of fellow Chinese rivals.It now sits behind the successful BYD (52,335 units), GWM (30,359 units) and Chery (24,964 units).

The 2026 BYD Seal 6 has arrived, and not just at a lower starting price with a more electrified plug-in hybrid drivetrain, but with a wagon option, too. In fact, the Seal 6 Touring Premium wagon is the halo variant of the Seal 6 range, and its price matches the Camry’s entry-grade. Should Toyota be worried? We attend the Australian launch of the Seal 6 Touring to find out.

Although it was never a huge seller, the GM2 (Honda’s in-house code) Honda City four-door sedan was eventually replaced by the GM6 model, and with that update came a bigger car in pretty much every direction, further differentiating the City from the more popular Honda Jazz hatchback.The GM6 City was both longer and taller than the car it replaced and, crucially, there was an extra 50mm in the wheelbase, giving both a larger cabin and more boot space. Clearly, Honda had worked out that City buyers were a pragmatic bunch.Mechanically, not much had changed, though, and the 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine with its fairly meagre 88kW remained the only choice. You could still get a five-speed manual, but only in the entry-level version, and just about everybody who bought a City brand new specified the continuously variable transmission (CVT) anyway.Trim levels were also unchanged with the VTi the base version and the VTi-L for those who had a bit more to spend. The VTi-L step-up got you paddle shifters for the CVT (an affectation, to be sure) a leather-clad steering wheel, better stereo and 16-inch alloy wheels. Curiously, the VTi had simple, steel wheels of 15 inches.Generally, yes. Even though the City is built in Thailand and not Honda’s home-base of Japan, quality seems pretty good. You also get Honda’s engineering flair in the case of the zingy little engine with its variable valve timing and great fuel economy. But that doesn’t mean the City will appeal to keener drivers out there; the suspension is too soft and the steering too slow for that.If you don’t need the arguably more versatile packaging of a hatchback, then the City’s roomy interior and boot makes plenty of sense.Just bear in mind that `good’ doesn’t mean sexy.But in this case it does mean safe and the City scored the maximum five stars for safety in local independent testing.Like the vast majority of Hondas built anywhere in the world, the City seems to be pretty robust and able to go the distance. That, however, is on the proviso that it’s been maintained, but that goes for any make and model.Overall, instances of major failures and owner complaints are few and far between.Probably the most common problem exhibited by the Honda City is a CVT that shudders on take-off or slips or jerks when the driver applies a load to the driveline. The good news is that, unlike many CVTs from other makers, the Honda’s unit is a lot stronger (possibly due to the fact that Honda makes its own CVT to its own standards) and problems like these are often fixed with a change of transmission fluid to replace the old, dirty fluid.The exception is the model year 2014 City, a batch of which was fitted with an incorrect shaft within the transmission. Under high loads, this shaft could sheer off, leaving the vehicle with either no drive at all, or locked front wheels. A Honda dealer can check the VIN of a particular City and know whether it was affected by this.Most experts reckon the CVT fluid should be changed every 50,000km to keep everything running smoothly and reduce wear to a minimum.The exception to this good track record will be the City that has been neglected in regards to its routine maintenance. The complex little engine uses a maze of tiny oilways to power its variable valve timing and lift function (which gives the engine its sparkle). But if regular servicing has been missed, these oilways can soon fill up with sludge and dirt, at which point the engine can’t perform properly.The City also uses a timing chain, so that component should last the life of the car and not need periodic replacement like a toothed rubber belt in many other makes and models.The City GM6 was recalled twice, the first for that CVT with the dodgy internal shaft that could fail at any time. The other recall was for a batch of cars built across 2019 and 2020, in which the electric fuel pump could suddenly die, leaving you stranded wherever that failure occurred.You can search for more recall data at: https://www.vehiclerecalls.gov.au/That 2014 batch of Citys with the iffy shaft in their CVT are the ones to avoid now. Although if the car has been fixed as part of the associated safety recall, then the modified City should be just as robust as any other City. But if the City you’re looking at is a manual-transmission car, disregard the above as it was only the CVT that was affected.Beyond that, buy on condition and service history rather than build date.The majority of Citys have never strayed too far from the, er, city. Nor have they been embraced by couriers and Uber drivers, so you don’t see too many with a lot of kilometres on board.That said, there’s absolutely no reason to think that a well-serviced City won’t push through the 200,000km mark with lots of life left in it. In any case, a high percentage of Citys for sale right now have less than 100,000km on their odometers, suggesting lots of reliable motoring still to be had.We’d often advise against the version of any car with a CVT, but the Honda’s in-house CVT seems a lot better than most of the rest out there. So there’s no problem with a City with two pedals if that makes life easier. It will certainly make the car a lot easier to unload come trade-in time, too.And since the price difference between the VTi and the ritzier VTi-L version is a lot less now than when the car was brand new, there seems little reason not to opt for the more luxurious latter variant as a second-hand buy.Prices for early GM6 Citys start at around the $9000 or $10,000 mark, but they’ll nearly always be high-mileage cars (say, 160,000km or more, if that bothers you).Prices top out at closer to mid-to-high teens and for that, you’ll be buying a low-kilometre car in excellent condition. Just don’t forget to check the service history.Even though the City was not a huge seller here, parts and servicing are no problem. You can tap into the Honda dealer network and pay a little more, but the popularity of the Honda brand means there’s a huge aftermarket and enthusiast scene for the brand.Global popularity for Honda products generally means there’s also a healthy online marketplace for sourcing spare parts, service items and accessories.The City sales story is one of steadily falling volumes as the years have passed. Although the car sold a few thousand units in its first year or two of sales, buy the end of 2019, that figure had fallen to just over 600 sales for the year.That’s not a judgment on the Honda, but the reality of the small sedan market in this country as we shifted to hatchbacks and, notably, SUVs.

The Lexus ES has never been regarded as a blue-blooded Lexus, being so clearly Toyota Camry-based. But that changes with the eighth-generation ES, ushering in a redesigned body and interior, fresh tech, a stronger platform, sharper steering, new suspension and adaptive dampers for the electric version as tested here in ES350e guise. Collectively, do they transform the Japanese luxury sedan?

BYD is preparing to kick petrol-powered cars to the curb with its latest EV boasting nearly 1000km of driving range. The Denza Z9 S is an electric sedan from BYD's luxury sub-brand that has just been fully revealed in China.Its rear-wheel drive single motor variant produces 370kW and offers up to 920km of driving range from its 102kWh battery. This is only according to generous CLTC standards, and not the more reliable WLTP, so don’t expect it to reach that figure in the real world, but it will still offer one of the longest driving ranges on the market. The range-topping tri-motor all-wheel set-up boosts power to a whopping 890kW, but driving range is reduced to 780km.This car looks to be the sibling of the Z9 GT that is one of BYD’s most anticipated new models landing Down Under this year.The Z9 S will launch in China later this year, but there is no official news on whether it will make it to Australia like the Z9 GT.The car is marginally smaller in every dimension than its wagon sibling.It will take on the hugely popular Xiaomi SU7 in China, while locally it is closest in intent to the Porsche Taycan or Audi e-tron GT.BYD is also prepping another new electric wagon, under its Fang Cheng Bao (Formula Leopard) sub-brand, the S GT, that will launch in the third quarter of this in China.It shapes up as a more family-friendly version of the Denza Z9 GT.The car will be offered with a single motor RWD variant, producing 300kW or a dual motor AWD set-up, that adds a front-mounted motor producing 190kW.It too has a substantial 850km range from a slightly smaller 92kWh battery.The S GT can tow up to 500kg, giving it some further lifestyle potential for buyers.Fangchengbao is the off-road sub-brand of BYD, but it will likely fall under the Denza name if it hits global markets, meaning it is not out of the question for Australia. Chinese brands have been increasingly targeting sedan and wagon markets globally as they seek profits outside of their domestic market.BYD has already started to see success on this front in Australia, with its Seal electric sedan and Seal 6 plug-in hybrid wagon. There are more examples on their way Down Under from China, including the Geely Emgrand PHEV sedan arriving next year.