First Drive

2014 Kia Optima adds styling tweaks and added safety features to the top-spec Optima Platinum. Pricing is up slightly across the range.

Subaru has created an exciting all-wheel drive giant killer that doubles as a sedate family car and a track-ready terror. But does it deliver true sportscar fun?

Subaru has added some plastic cladding and underbody protection to the Outback to make a practical car a little tougher looking and a little more practical for those living in the bush.

The i30 hatchback and the Elantra sedan might be from the same family just with different names, but a slight styling tweak and improvements to ride and handling give it a character all of its own.

The Accord is a well-built, stylish car, affordable at the entry level but becoming pricey at the top end. It is more luxurious, more comfortable and more refined than the car it replaces, but we still prefer the better-resolved Accord Euro.

When Mazda gets things right, it really hits the nail on the head. The Mazda3 dominates its category; the Mazda2 is right up there with the leaders in the tiddler class and the Mazda6 keeps the flag waving in the highly competitive mid-size category.

The Corolla became Australia’s best selling car in 2013, the first Toyota to achieve such a record, and the company is hoping the new one will retain the crown.

The Volkswagen Golf Wagon range starts with the 90TSI, steps up to the 103TSI and tops out with a diesel variant. For our money, we’d go for the 90TSI because it’s almost impossible to feel the extra 13kW from the larger engine.

The new Kia Soul shows how fast Kia is developing as a brand. The quality, fit and finish are top notch, it rides very well indeed and the boxy shape makes it ideal for young families, empty nesters, small business owners, almost everyone.

The BMW 116i may be an entry-level model as far as BMW is concerned but it doesn’t have an entry-level price. Tony Bosworth asks if the five-door hatchback represents good value for money, and does it really deliver the goods?

Tony Bosworth reckons we’re looking at a future classic in the shape of this latest and greatest Holden Commodore SS-V sedan.

It’s one of the best-looking BMWs and when a twin-turbo diesel beats under the bonnet, Tony Bosworth reckons the 520d is also one of the most efficient luxury cars you can buy.

Paul Murrell reckons there’s no practical reason why you’d spend the extra dollars to buy the V8 when the Maserati Quattroporte S V6 is such a capable and enticing engine. But what’s $80,000 between friends?

Despite being the cheapest Mercedes-Benz sedan (it comes in a full $10,000 under the already-good-value C-Class), the CLA 200 will sell on its appearance, as much as the three-pointed star in the grille.

The compact-SUV segment is becoming very crowded, and it just got even squashier with the arrival of the new Peugeot 2008. Paul Murrell takes it for a drive to work out if beauty is only skin deep.