1967 Toyota Crown Reviews

Kia has reiterated its focus on affordability in Australia, with the imminent K4 five-door hatchback to slot alongside the K4 sedan released earlier this year to help it fight off cut-price alternatives from China.Sourced from Mexico but designed for global markets including Europe, the Cerato hatch replacement may even start from under $30,000 (all prices are before on-road costs), matching the Hyundai i30 Sedan (from $29,000).But, even if the K4 Hatch goes slightly over that price, it would likely still undercut the best-selling Toyota Corolla Ascent Sport Hybrid (from $32,110), as well as the Mazda 3 Pure (from $31,310) and Hyundai i30 N-Line (from $36,000) hatchback equivalents.With the Picanto city car from $18,690 currently Australia’s cheapest new vehicle, as well as the Stonic S small crossover from $25,660, K4 Sedan from $30,590 and Seltos S from $30,750, the K4 Hatch should substantially boost Kia’s fortunes at the bottom end of the new-car market.Feeding into consumer preference for hatchbacks over sedans in the small car segment, the sharply-styled K4 five-door looks – and is – shorter, yet has a larger (and more practical) cargo area, at 530 litres versus the four-door’s 508L.Plus, as with many other models, the newcomer has undergone an Australian-road tuning program run by engineering specialist, Graeme Gambold, giving it a distinct advantage against many other small-car alternatives.According to Kia Australia product planning manager, Roland Rivero, Kia is committed to providing accessible small cars that Australian buyers want, especially as competitors abandon them for crossovers and SUVs.“Picanto not going anywhere anytime soon, and it remains our entry into the Kia brand. And we're pretty happy with what Picanto has done for us, and that's going to be around for a long, long time yet,” he told CarsGuide.“And as for K4 is not going anywhere either, and K4 is going to have a full life, and we've committed to the Mexican factory to do our respective share. So far so good.”While the sedan version has tripled the preceding Cerato hatch and sedan’s January to July sales this year compared to the same period last year with 3322 registrations, it will be the hatch that presents the most promising volume opportunity in Australia.“Obviously, we can't wait for the hatchback to come along,” Rivero admits. Because that's what the market appetite is for. What was the split that we had with Cerato hatch to sedan? I think it was, like, 65 per cent hatch, versus 35 per cent sedan… (Australia) is a hatch market.”Of course, it isn’t just benevolence driving Kia’s move to offer greater small-car choice, since it seeks to better-offset their smaller carbon footprint against the larger, thirstier and dirtier SUVs (as well as the Tasman ute), reducing the likelihood of coming New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) penalties.That’s why the K4 Hatch will switch to an Atkinson Cycle 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine – as found in the current Seltos as well as the related i30 Sedan 2.0P – that is more efficient and emits, according to Rivero, some 30 per cent fewer emissions than the regular, 112kW/192Nm version found in the K4 Sedan. The trade-off is a slight loss of power and torque, at 110kW and 180Nm respectively.Given the Hatch is poised to be the K4 volume seller, that should help Kia’s bottom line in more ways than one.

Lexus has used one of the world’s most high-profile automotive events to unveil what it is positioning as a “progressively styled, future-focused yet truly authentic sportscar”, with the clear potential to form the basis of the upcoming LFR, a successor to the brand’s iconic V10-powered LFA supercar.‘The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering’ is an exclusive cornerstone of Monterey Car Week, as the name implies, a week-long celebration of the motor car consisting of everything from casual cars & coffee-style meet-ups to high-end auctions and VIP-only concours events.The event is held at the Quail Lodge & Golf Club in Carmel on the central California coast and the sinister, sweeping two-door machine, said to “signal the way forward for Lexus design” was its surprise centrepiece.The new Lexus concept’s long nose and fat haunches point to a front engine rear-drive layout which aligns with what’s known of the Lexus LFR, the likely LFA successor.Pre-production LFR prototypes have been snapped on the Spa-Francorchamps circuit within the last 12 months with reports out of Japan suggesting the hybrid V8-powered machine is a Lexus variation of 2022’s Toyota GR GT3 concept.In 2022 Toyota Racing Development President David Wilson confirmed a link between the GR GT3 and a future Lexus model and later that year images leaked from an apparent Lexus dealer conference in the US showed a Toyota GR GT3 silhouette with a Lexus badge and no rear wing.Japanese publication BestCar has referenced its usually reliable industry sources backing up the adoption of a front-mounted hybrid 4.0-litre, twin-turbo V8 engine driving the LFR’s rear wheels, the engine alone expected to produce 530kW with total output of around 660kW (885hp).This compares to the 420kW/480Nm produced by the LFA’s screaming 4.8-litre, naturally aspirated, Yamaha-developed V10 boasting a rev ceiling of 9000rpm.Just 500 LFAs were produced between 2010 and 2012 (plus 64 'Nurburgring Package' examples) but the LFR is expected to be a no-limit full-production model.Lexus is staying tight-lipped on any technical details relating to its latest concept, saying simply, “This inspiring concept car features a wide, low-profile two-door form that blends dynamic and emotional elements into a vision for a next-generation sports car.”Is this the 2026 Lexus LFR hiding in plain sight? Stay tuned…

Toyota has sunk its flagship sports car in Australia.

Where does the Kia Tasman go from here? Is having a conventional diesel engine as the sole choice enough to run with the best-sellers? Should the Tasman follow the lead of the Ranger Raptor by going down the off-road performance path, to create a halo model for the rest of the range to bask beneath? Or is going hybrid the answer? The answer may shock you!

The 2026 Toyota HiLux continues to take shape, with leaks and design sketches now paving the way for a next-generation Toyota Fortuner to take the fight to the hot-selling Ford Everest.

Diesel as a fuel source might not be dead yet, but the vultures are circling, waiting for their prey to finally stop moving. Don’t believe me? It doesn’t take a crystal ball to see into a future already so clearly laid out, and not just by newcomer brands, but by some of the biggest proponents of diesel engines in the history of the fuel.

The Australian new car landscape is getting reformed in front of our eyes. July sales figures released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), showed the cars and brands Aussies are loving and the ones we are falling out of love with.

The new Toyota HiLux will borrow from its greatest rival when it launches in Australia later this year, with international media reportedly scooping offical exterior design sketches that show one of the Ford Ranger's key features on display.

They call it the Toyota LandCruiser (two words) but to Australian eyes it looks like what we affectionately call a Prado. But it’s what’s underneath the surface, beyond the name, that makes this car so interesting.

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