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Month: November 2022

2023 Honda Civic Type R review

2023 Honda Civic Type R review

Unlike some, I didn’t have a strong connection with Honda’s last Civic Type R hatch, or even a desire to ever drive one, primarily because of the outrageously-styled body kit that inflicted it with an overtly cartoonish profile.

That was early 2018, before I ended up in the driver’s seat of a Championship White FK8 Type R and proceeded to systematically take apart a number of the more challenging sections in the Victorian high country in less than ideal conditions – it was a bit damp and a bit sketchy.

Just to make sure we didn’t drink too much of Honda’s Kool-Aid, we brought along two of its toughest rivals; the Ford Focus RS and Renault Megane R.S.

The Focus was my preordained favourite for its added poke and all-wheel drive stickiness on damp surfaces, while the Megane wasn’t far behind in the power stakes but also gained all-wheel

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Peugeot Rifter MPV under consideration for Australia, could offer EV

Peugeot Rifter MPV under consideration for Australia, could offer EV

Peugeot Australia is looking into offering the people mover version of its smaller Partner van, which would give the French brand a direct competitor to the Volkswagen Caddy.

The Peugeot Rifter is the passenger version of the Partner, based on the same platform as the latest Citroen Berlingo – a long-running van that is no longer sold in Australia – as well as the Opel/Vauxhall Combo, and the Toyota ProAce sold in Europe and the UK.

At the recent launch of the new Peugeot 308 Hatch and Wagon, managing director for Peugeot Citroen Australia, Kate Gillis, told media the compact MPV is not a sure-fire starter for our market, but it’s under consideration.

“We’re always looking at what’s being developed and seeing whether it’s right for our market. So it’s definitely not a no, and at this point it’s still under consideration,” Ms Gillis said.

“There’s definitely opportunity for

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New Lamborghini V12 hybrid to cost more than Aventador

New Lamborghini V12 hybrid to cost more than Aventador

The upcoming Lamborghini V12 hybrid set to replace the 12-year-old Aventador, which ended production this year, is likely to start at a higher cost – but the Italian brand insists that has more to do with the increasing cost of materials than hybridisation.

Set to be unveiled early 2023, the new flagship Lamborghini V12 will be utilising an all new chassis, V12 engine and a hybrid system that the Italian brand says is entirely in house. The new model already has over 3000 orders.

Speaking to CarExpert at the opening of the revised Lamborghini dealership in Brisbane this week, the brand’s regional director of Asia Pacific, Francesco Scardaoni, said the new model will have a price rise due to the rising cost of materials.

“The cost price will be slightly higher than Aventador, but not because of the hybrid but because of the materials, the cost of material, cost of

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This week in news: November 21-25

This week in news: November 21-25

We publish a ton of car news stories during the working week, and it can be tough to keep up with everything – which is the rationale behind this weekend list.

In short, here are some key articles from our news desk since Monday of this week summarised, just in case you missed them at the time.


Five-star Atto rating

The BYD Atto 3 has cleared one of the last stumbling blocks in its Australian rollout, receiving a five-star rating from safety authority ANCAP that applies to the budget electric vehicle locally.

It had received a five-star rating from ANCAP for New Zealand, but no rating was applied for Australia.

This was due to an issue with the placement of child restraint anchor points that had also led BYD’s local distributor, EVDirect, to suspend sales of the vehicle from October 21 until earlier this month.

FULL STORY: BYD Atto 3

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Mercedes-Benz subscriptions unlock more power in the USA

Mercedes-Benz subscriptions unlock more power in the USA

Mercedes-Benz will allow owners of some cars to unlock more power after purchase… for an annual fee, of course.

In the USA, owners of its electric EQE sedan and SUV and EQS liftback and SUV can now pay $US1200 per year (~$A2000) to shave up to a second from their 100km/h sprint times with software.

Mercedes-Benz Australia had “no announcements” to make about whether it will offer similar subscriptions locally. Currently, it only offers the EQS liftback Down Under, although the EQE sedan, and EQE/SQS SUV ranges are on track to arrive in 2023.

Power in the EQE 350 4MATIC jumps from 215kW to 260kW, while the EQS 450 4MATIC gains 55kW to pack 330kW.

The so-called Acceleration Increase subscription is listed with the following explanation on the North American store:

“Fine tuning of the electric motors increases the maximum motor output of your Mercedes-EQ by 20 to 24 per

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2023 GWM Haval Jolion S: Sporty new variant on sale from $36,990 drive-away

2023 GWM Haval Jolion S: Sporty new variant on sale from $36,990 drive-away

The GWM Haval Jolion is getting a performance boost.

Following the introduction of the efficiency-focused Jolion Hybrid earlier this year, the Chinese brand is introducing the 2023 GWM Haval Jolion S, a more powerful sports variant complete with a more sophisticated independent rear suspension system priced from $36,990 drive-away.

Bridging the gap between the Jolion Ultra ($33,990 D/A) and the Jolion Ultra Hybrid ($41,990 D/A), the Jolion S gets a 130kW/270Nm version of the base car’s 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine – increases of 20kW and 50Nm – and swaps out the torsion beam rear suspension of other Jolion models for a multi-link rear setup that claims to offer “enhance ride and handling performance befitting of the S nameplate”.

Drive continues to be sent to the front wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Oddly, GWM Haval claims the Jolion S uses 0.6L/100km less than other non-hybrid variants,

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Volkswagen rolling out specialist conversion models with factory backing

Volkswagen rolling out specialist conversion models with factory backing

Volkswagen Commercial is rolling out a range of ‘turn-key’ specialist vehicles such as a wheelchair-ready Caddy, and Crafter-based tippers, cold storage trucks, and luxury motorhomes.

Rather than needing to buy base vehicles and take them to a specialist converter, these for-purpose commercials are (or will be) available ready-to-go from VW dealers – with warranties. 

The conversion work is being done by Volkswagen-approved (OEM level) third-parties in Europe and the UK with longstanding VW dealings, or by partner organisations in Australia such as Jayco, Walkinshaw and ARB.

Seven ‘conversion’ variants – either confirmed for Australia or under evaluation and testing –were unveiled at the new Volkswagen Group Australia office and training centre at Essendon Fields last week, to promote the division and generate market interest. 

Already a major focus for the company at home, Volkswagen’s Commercial Vehicles division says it sees this as a big

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Find used cars on the market on Auto Trader UK

Find used cars on the market on Auto Trader UK

Used Cars

Best Certified Pre-Owned Car ProgramsEdmunds.com lists which carmakers supply the 10 greatest certified pre-owned (CPO) packages, based mostly on their warranty protection and other benefits. As a possible used-car purchaser, there’s so much to consider before handing over your hard-earned money.

Sell your car. It’s straightforward and quick

You would possibly be able to negotiate a better price, too. It’s necessary to keep in mind that while many used car heaps certify their autos, you aren’t likely to find a certified, pre-owned car for under $5,000. The subsequent thing to do is get an thought of maintenance prices on any car you are considering.

The best part about Civics is that there are a range of fashions, all of that are inexpensive. In fact, you have obtained the coupe, sedan and even a hybrid to choose from. There are all the time a lot of Civics on the market, and … Read more

Why isn’t Toyota bringing the sleek new Prius to Australia?

Why isn’t Toyota bringing the sleek new Prius to Australia?

OPINION: Imagine my surprise at seeing the new-generation Toyota Prius when it was revealed this week.

The world’s biggest car company fretted over how to reinvent its hybrid icon in an era defined by full-electric vehicles, settling on giving it some newfound panache.

It looks great – sleek, stylish and entirely unlike what we’ve come to expect from Toyota’s longstanding eco leader. A new lease on life, as it were.

The old model was all creases and weird proportions, while multiple earlier generations were perhaps less awkward but also more boring, which is worse.

And yet it’s this latest version, which has me all starry-eyed, that will be the first Prius Toyota won’t sell in Australia.

In making this decision, it took the wrong lesson from the old model’s failure to resonate, and pulled the pin at precisely the wrong time.

It’s true that Prius sales plummeted of late,

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2023 Honda Civic Type R priced from $72,600 drive-away

2023 Honda Civic Type R priced from $72,600 drive-away

Honda will open orders for the Civic Type R on December 1, with the first customer deliveries scheduled to begin in February 2023.

It’s priced from $72,600 drive-away, or $25,400 more than the base VTi-LX. For reference, the outgoing model closed out its run with a price tag of $54,990 before on-road costs.

It will be the final variant to join the local 11th-generation Civic range, slotting in at the top above the imminent e:HEV LX hybrid.

The Type R is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine with 235kW of power and 420Nm of torque, up 7kW and 20Nm on the outgoing model.

A six-speed manual remains the only transmission option.

Over the previous model, it includes numerous new performance, safety and convenience features. These include:

  • Blind-spot monitoring
  • Rear cross-traffic alert
  • Traffic sign recognition
  • Intelligent speed limiter
  • Driver attention monitoring
  • Dual front knee airbags
  • Active exhaust
  • 10.2-inch digital
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