Technology

Even the most hardened motoring enthusiasts - the type who wear their driving shoes to pop to the shops and who mutter under their moustaches about the woes of automatic gearboxes - rarely complain about cars with automatic parking programs, otherwise known as cars that park themselves. And that's because, no

Why are some carmakers selling new cars with GPS maps two years out of date?

John Carey dons VR goggles to steer an unreal wheel and X-ray an Audi's innards.

Are the Mercedes salespeople telling the truth that there are delivery issues for all models with head-up displays? They say it's because of Japanese supply issues.

Australia’s first commercially available hydrogen-powered cars will be on the road by 2018, with the ACT Government today lodging the first-ever order for 20 Hyundai Fuel Cell Electric vehicles.

Your next Ford has just been taught how to speak "Australian".

I've just had the 45,000km service done on my Hyundai Tucson Highlander diesel and, when booking it in, did my usual rant about the poor Bluetooth. I also asked for a software update for my entertainment system as the kids complain there's still no Apple CarPlay. Well, I'm pleased to tell you I now have Apple CarPlay — and decent Bluetooth. Wonder of wonders, I can now talk to clients on the car Bluetooth and not on my little Garmin GPS. So our complaints must have had something done at Hyundai Australia. 

I'm still pleased with this car, after 10 months, as basic service costs have been cheap, it has consumed just two air filter elements and a set of wiper inserts. The $600 Continental tyres are now showing some wear but having five to rotate will see them do another 45,000km, hopefully. It's a great car for my city sales rounds and 2000km non-stoppers back home to the Gold Coast.

Tesla's all-electric Model X SUV can cover 0-100km/h in 3.1 seconds and boast a towing capacity of 2500kg – but would it be able to cross a river?Speaking at the Model X's launch on Wednesday Tesla spokesman Heath Walker said he was not sure what the SUV's wading depth would be."It's secure from all water – like on a rainy day," Walker said."To be honest I haven't seen a wading test done to check if the seals would be broken but I wouldn't imagine so. Like any normal manufacturer we have to pass all those tests."Walker said that although it's unlikely Model X owners will take the SUV through deeper water, they will expect it to cope with a range of adverse driving conditions."I don't think wading through water is going to be done often, but in terms of where this car is going to go in Europe with snow and those sort of things we're going to see this car used on what would be deemed not normal road conditions."Why it handles so well in those conditions is due to that heavy weight down low, the all-wheel drive and the low end torque as well to generate you out of a tricky situation."When crossing rivers off-road, the risk vehicles with combustion engines face is water entering the engine through the inlet manifold and causing instant destruction as the pistons try to compress water of significantly greater density than air.The Model X wouldn't face the same issue, but ultimately, electricity and water aren't the best of friends.Built on a slightly longer ‘skateboard chassis' than the Model S sedan, the top-spec Model X P100D is all-wheel drive with an electric 193kW/330Nm motor at front axle and 375kW/600Nm at the rear with the batteries stored under the floor.

Tesla's Model X may be the fastest SUV on the planet, but its towing credentials might also surprise you.

Tesla has launched a full-frontal assault on its supercar rivals, announcing a battery upgrade for the Model S that will produce a blistering zero to 100km/h sprint time of just 2.7 seconds.