2017 Kia Rio SLi review
20 Feb 2017

Are Hyundai and Kia too similar?

Kia and Hyundai are growing, and fast, but the platforms are shared and now even the designs are converging, Paul Horrell wonders if they’re just too similar.

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77%
18 Feb 2017

2017 Jaguar F-PACE R-Sport review

Robert Pepper’s 2017 Jaguar F-PACE R-Sport review with pricing, specs, ride and handling, safety, verdict and score.

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88.33%
16 Feb 2017

2017 Land Rover Discovery Review

Andrew English’s first drive all-new 2017 Land Rover Discovery Review with pricing, specs, ride and handling, safety, verdict and score.

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14 Feb 2017

Toyota Supra name not confirmed, brochure fake

What is alleged by some publications to be a brochure of Toyota’s upcoming sports car, inspired from its FT-1 concept, turns out to be fake news.

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2017 BMW Range Day. Duneira Estate, Mount Macedon, Victoria, Australia. Thursday 9th February 2017. World Copyright: BMW Ref: Digital Image DSC_1021.NEF
14 Feb 2017

2017 Mini JCW Clubman… A very quick spin

Last week, Mini sneakily snuck a Mini JCW Clubman Down Under and added it to the range… I got just 15 minutes behind the wheel.

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2017 Audi S4 Review by Practical Motoring 85%
13 Feb 2017

2017 Audi S4 Review

Isaac Bober’s first drive 2017 Audi S4 Review with pricing, specs, ride and handling, safety, verdict and score.

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MINI Countryman price and range revealed for Australia
13 Feb 2017

2017 Mini Countryman pricing and features revealed

Mini will launch a four-strong model line-up of the new Countryman SUV when it arrives Down Under towards the end of March.

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75%
09 Feb 2017

2017 Maserati Levante Review

Robert Pepper’s first drive 2017 Maserati Levante Review with pricing, specs, ride and handling, safety, verdict and score.

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2017 Tesla Model X Review 83.33%
08 Feb 2017

2017 Tesla Model X 90D Review

Paul Horrell’s first drive 2017 Tesla Model X Review with pricing, specs, ride and handling, safety, verdict and score.

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Alfa Romeo Giulia QV Review by Practical Motoring 82%
08 Feb 2017

2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia QV Review

Alex Rae’s launch-based 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia QV Review with pricing, specs, ride and handling, safety, verdict and score.

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Ford to launch an electric SUV by 2020
05 Feb 2017

Ford to launch an electric SUV in 2020

Ford has announced it will launch an all-electric SUV in 2020, one of five SUVs arriving by the end of the decade.

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MINI Countryman review by Practical Motoring 73.33%
03 Feb 2017

2017 Mini Countryman Cooper S ALL4 Review

Paul Horrell’s international launch based 2017 Mini Countryman Cooper S ALL4 Review with pricing, specs, ride and handling, safety, verdict and score.

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Alfa Romeo Giulia QV Review by Practical Motoring
02 Feb 2017

2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia pricing, spec and availability

Alfa Romeo has revealed pricing and packaging for its new Giulia which will be available in showrooms across Australia from February 16th.

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Europe to get fast charging electric car network
01 Feb 2017

Total commits to electric vehicle charging stations

French oil company, Total, has committed to a network of electric vehicle charging stations across France.

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Following the announcement by ANCAP yesterday that the Ford Mustang had scored just two stars in crash testing, EuroNCAP has spoken out. THE FORD MUSTANG might be the only sports car to have been tested under stricter 2017 NCAP guidelines, placing emphasis on pedestrian safety and rear-seat occupant protection, but both ANCAP and Euro NCAP highlighted key issues. The main being the difference between "less wide ranging US consumer safety tests" and Ford's decision not to feature "life-saving technology like Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) that is available even on the Ford Fiesta," said Matthew Avery, Director of Research at Thatcham Research (EuroNCAP voice in the UK). “We have not given a Two Star Euro NCAP rating to any of the top 10 car brands since 2008”, comments Matthew Avery, Director of Research at Thatcham Research. “This really bucks the trend. Car buyers are increasingly benefitting from improved safety functionality and features, and this applies equally to cars in the sports roadster category as to family cars. We have concerns about the Ford Mustang’s crash protection of adults and children which also makes it unsuitable for having rear passengers," Avery said. “What really concerns me,” continues Avery, “is that Ford has made a deliberate choice. The car has been designed to score well in less wide-ranging US consumer safety tests and only minor updates have been made to meet required European (pedestrian) safety regulations. This has resulted in poor adult and child protection scores and the high-tech radar collision warning system that is available to US consumers, not being available here in the UK. The Two Star Euro NCAP rating is the consequence.” Speaking with Ford yesterday, Practical Motoring was told it believed it had performed well in key areas like adult occupant protection. But this is at odds with the findings of Euro NCAP and ANCAP. For instance, in the frontal offset test, the airbags of both the driver and passenger inflated insufficiently to properly restrain the occupants. In the full-width frontal test, a lack of rear seatbelt pre-tensioners and load-limiters meant that the rear passenger slid under the seatbelt, implying higher risk at abdominal injuries in real life accidents. In the side impact crash, the head of the 10-year dummy contacted the interior trim bottoming out the curtain airbag. "Ford has said that a face-lifted Mustang will be available later this year with Pre-Collision Assist and Lane Keep Assist as standard. Euro NCAP expects to test the safety of this updated model when it is available on the European market," Euro NCAP said. There is a suggestion that even if the refreshed Ford Mustang was re-tested that internal rules allow it to move only one star higher, Practical Motoring has contacted ANCAP for an answer on this. It says this on the ANCAP website: "In general, ANCAP does not re-test vehicle models within the same model series unless changes that would affect the rating are introduced. In these cases, vehicles may either undergo new physical crash test(s) or ANCAP may use technical evidence to determine a revised rating". However, retesting of cars is something that Euro NCAP has regularly done, allowing car makers to modify their vehicles to ensure safer cars are being sold. The most famous example was the BMW 5-Series which, in 2004, was tested by Euro NCAP before its release and the results were "disappointing". BMW then modified the vehicle and the subsequent re-test resulted in a five star score. Question: "a lack of rear seatbelt pre-tensioners and load-limiters meant that the rear passenger slid under the seatbelt, implying higher risk at abdominal injuries in real life accidents," said Euro NCAP... so, should the Ford Mustang be recalled to have its rear seatbelt fixed?
26 Jan 2017

Euro NCAP speaks out on 2-Star Ford Mustang rating

Following the announcement by ANCAP yesterday that the Ford Mustang had scored just two stars in crash testing, Euro NCAP has spoken out.

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