Renault Clio v Ford Fiesta v Kia Rio v Volkswagen Polo

Light hatchbacks have never been this polished. The Renault Clio, Volkswagen Polo, Kia Rio and Ford Fiesta all make a convincing case for spending $19,990-plus on a high-grade light hatch, rather than a base model larger hatch.

The catalyst for this comparison test is the re-introduction of the regular Renault Clio models, in new fourth-generation form. The $19,790 Expression tested here offers a 1.2-litre turbocharged four-cylinder and six-speed dual-clutch automatic, exactly matching the configuration of the Volkswagen Polo in this test, although the $21,490 77TSI Comfortline scores an extra ratio for its dual-clutcher.

Although the Clio finally ends the VW Group’s monopoly on downsized, turbocharged engines in this class – as opposed to larger engines without a turbo that is the norm – the Ford Fiesta will soon, too.

2013 New Mercedes-Benz E63

At no point has any Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG driver thought this big, burly, twin-turbo V8 sedan needed more power. Not one.

Yet power is exactly what AMG, the Mercedes-Benz specialist performance division, continues to give the flagship E-Class. Prior to this facelift the E63 made 386kW of power and 720Nm of torque, with an optional Performance Pack taking those figures to 410kW and 800Nm; that optional extra and grunt advantage is now standard.

A new E63 AMG S-Model has been introduced, however, taking power to 430kW, and reducing the 0-100km/h sprint from 4.1 to 3.6 seconds.

To properly harness all that extra grunt the E63 AMG has migrated from being rear-wheel drive to all-wheel drive in S-Model guise only. Fears that an E63 sending partial drive to the front wheels would dilute the classic, tail-out oversteer antics for which AMG products are renowned are partially addressed by a fixed torque split – 67 per cent of drive always goes to the rear wheels, with only 33 per cent to the axle that does the steering.

Land Rover increasing focus on customisation

Land Rover’s design chief says the company is working on an expanded range of technical and cosmetic enhancements for customers looking to take the personalisation of their cars to the next level.

Land Rover design director Gerry McGovern told a small group of Australian journalists including CarAdvice at this month’s New York auto show that he has designers in his team working specifically on bespoke ETO (Engineered to Order) projects.

“That’s becoming an area of much bigger focus for us,” McGovern said. “It’s very important to our business.

“I split the studio into exterior design, interior design, and I have another one that looks at colour and materials and special projects including ETO, so I have designers in my department that are working specifically on ETO.

“We’re looking at ETO, what we can do in terms of offering more personalisation, which has to include higher-performance technical aspects, not just cosmetic ones.”

Sports Car Comparison: Porsche Cayman v Audi TT RS v Lotus Exige S

It’s been variously belittled as a Boxster with a roof, or the Porsche that tells people you can’t afford a 911 … but the Porsche Cayman emerged in 2005 to quickly establish itself as one of the great driver’s cars.

Named after a type of alligator rather than the tax-haven islands whose residents certainly could afford far more expensive Porsches, the Cayman arrived in 2013 in all-new form for the first time in eight years.

We’ve reviewed the new Porsche Cayman in isolation both overseas and on home soil, but how does it fare against two natural rivals?

We’ll be honest and reveal that this comparison wasn’t exactly strategically planned and was more a case of sports car planets aligning fortuitously.

Lotus test vehicles tend to be thin on the ground, and the one day an Exige S became available we just happened to have both a Cayman and the hottest version of the Audi TT in the garage.

It means it’s not quite the perfect match-up in terms of power.

Proton GEN.2 Hybrid

Remember the Lotus Exige 265E? The Exige powerd by E85 fuel containing 85 percent renewable ethanol alcohol and 15 percent petrol. 0-100 in 3.88 seconds. Not bad for ethanol!

It was obvious from that incarnation that Lotus and its parent company Proton were spending some serious money on alternative fuels. Now Proton has unveiled its first Hybrid prototype at this year’s Geneva Motor Show.

2013 Jaguar XF 2.0 Petrol Review

The launch of the new 2.0-litre turbo-petrol Jaguar XF represents the British throwing their union-jack-woven gauntlet (that’s glove if you don’t hail from the 15th century) down at the Germans and Japanese.

For too long the full-size XF sedan has been similarly priced to the 5 Series, E-Class, A6, and GS establishment, yet has offered mostly inferior engines – particularly the base diesel and petrol V6.

Now, the entry-level XF is priced from $68,900, $10K less than the old turbo diesel starter (which now begins at $69,900…). And it’s powered by a really rather excellent 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine, shared with the Land Rover Evoque and Freelander, and Ford Mondeo and Falcon, albeit in a different state of tune.

Lamborghini Egoista: 441kW ‘selfish’ supercar revealed

The Lamborghini Egoista has been unveiled in Italy, taking the brand’s reputation for extreme models one step further.

Revealed at a ceremony in Sant’Agata marking the end of the Lamborghini 50th anniversary grand tour, the Lamborghini Egoista is designed as “a gift from Lamborghini to Lamborghini”.

Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak: Loeb wins, smashes record

Sebastien Loeb has won the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado, smashing the previous record by more than 1min 30sec.

Behind the wheel of the 652kW Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak, the nine-time World Rally Champion covered the famous 20-kilometre, 156-turn course at an average speed of 145km/h to complete the ‘Race to the Clouds’ in 8min 19.878sec.

Significantly quicker than last year’s record-setting run of 9min 46.164sec achieved by Rhys Millen, Loeb’s new time set the trend with the top three finishers all beating the 2012 record.

Toyota 86 TRD: limited edition model set for UK release

The limited edition Toyota 86 TRD has been revealed ahead of its UK release next month.

Limited to only 250 examples, the Toyota 86 TRD is the first Toyota created for the UK specifically using genuine TRD (Toyota Racing Development) parts.

Available with either a six-speed manual transmission or six-speed automatic, the Toyota 86 TRD (Toyota GT86 in the UK) gets a new deeper front lip, more aggressive side skirts, rear diffuser, 18-inch TRD cast alloy wheels and a fast-response quad-exhaust system.

Ford Focus ST v Renault Megane RS265 v VW Golf GTI: Comparison Review

The Ford Focus ST has blown onto the hot-hatch scene. Will it cause a hurricane to rip through the rock-solid Volkswagen Golf GTI and Renault Megane RS265? Words: Jez Spinks. Photos: Chris Brasher.

Hands up if you still think you can only have fun in a rear-wheel-drive car. If you’ve lifted one of your upper limbs then you need to get behind the wheel of the best exponents of the front-wheel-drive hot-hatch breed.

And we have three of the finest here.

BMW M6 Gran Coupe Review

The BMW M6 Gran Coupe lands to compete with two sets of segments – fast sedans, and fast coupes – but it aims to neatly blend both of them.

Gran Coupe stands for a four-door version of a two-door coupe, in this case the regular BMW 6 Series. It shares its engineering fundamentals with a proper four-door sedan, the M5, which costs $70,000 less; and its styling and low-slung driving position with the M6 coupe that costs $8500 more.

BMW insists that the M6 Gran Coupe is a sportier drive than the M5 – thanks primarily to a low-slung driving position, wider tracks and a lower centre of gravity – but it equally admits the extra charge over the M5 is down to lashings of leather on the dashboard, sexier styling and not much else.

Holden Malibu Review

Holden Malibu – it’s the fifth medium car nameplate Holden has used in around three decades, yet Malibu is also its first targeted offering in years.

Designed primarily for North America where it is badged as a Chevrolet, based on a European platform, and built in South Korea, the Holden Malibu draws from the globe to arrive here with one clear aim – to poach Toyota Camry buyers.

The Holden Malibu is larger than the Toyota, and in base $28,490 Malibu CD petrol grade costs $2000 less than the equivalent Camry Altise. It is also substantially better equipped, and the top-grade $31,990 Malibu CDX further drives the high equipment/low cost equation (read here). An optional ($4000) diesel engine, available on both grades, arrives to combat the Camry Hybrid in the fleet-fuelled war against fuel consumption.

Mercedes-Benz AMG C63 Edition 507, E63 S-Model pricing announced

The facelifted Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG S-Model will arrive in Australia in October as a single sedan specification priced at $249,900, replacing both the entry and Performance Pack E63 models. Meanwhile the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Edition 507 also replaces the Performance Pack in the smaller compact rear-wheel-drive range, but the entry C63 AMG model is retained.

The Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG S-Model rear-wheel drive costs $8485 less than the old Performance Pack model, which produced 20kW less power. The new S-Model also adds a locking rear differential, auto-parking capability, and full-LED headlights over the previous performance edition’s specifications.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X TMR Bathurst Edition Review

What happens when you take a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X, add 30 kW and 70 Nm of additional torque, lower it, improve its suspension and give it a meaner look? You get the Team Mitsubishi Ralliart (TMR) Bathurst Edition Lancer Evolution.

The original Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution has long been one of the best ‘affordable’ sports cars thanks to its brilliant handling, great looks and street credibility.

Much like its main rival, the Subaru Impreza WRX STI, the EVOs are bought by car fans that adore motor-sports. By those that admire a car for its ability to conquer corners at ferocious speeds and do it with technical brilliance. It’s also bought by those that want to improve on the existing package.

The modification business comes in all forms and sizes from minor brake upgrades to new turbos, intercoolers, fuel pumps and much more. In the case of the TMR EVO X, it’s a complete repackaging of a brand new car, sold new with full warranty.

2013 Porsche Cayman Review

It’s hard to believe Germans have viewed the Porsche Cayman as the poor man’s Porsche since the model was introduced in 2005.

Regarded as one of the great-handling sports cars and half the price of the 911 (at least in Australia), it’s also surprising the compact coupe is the company’s lowest-volume car in a majority of international markets.

It does lack some crucial details, of course, for buyers looking for the 911’s iconic silhouette, race-bred status or its speed.

Subaru WRX: 2.0-litre turbo sedan to be fastest-ever Rex

he next-generation Subaru WRX is less than a year away from being shown in production form, after this design concept was revealed at the 2013 New York auto show.

Although Subaru was tight-lipped about specification details and timing, executives did confirm that they expect this to be the fastest-ever Subaru WRX model; that it will use a downsized 2.0-litre direct-injection turbo; and it will be offered as a sedan only with different styling to the regular Impreza.

Asked directly whether the next Subaru WRX will be faster than the outgoing 2.5-litre turbo model, which claims 0-100km/h in 5.3 seconds, company spokesperson Masashi Uemura replied “we hope so”.

Subaru of America president Tom Doll was more specific about the powertrain options, saying that “I think you can probably guess that with the 2.0-litres that are currently in the Impreza that a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine is coming…

2013 Maserati Quattroporte Review

The all-new Maserati Quattroporte really does reflect the Italian car maker’s determined effort to challenge Germany’s luxury marques.

The second generation of the modern Quattroporte (the sixth generation Maserati large sedan overall) launched in Europe earlier this year ahead of its planned Australian introduction in September.

The new Maserati Quattroporte has grown in size – it’s now 166mm longer, 63mm wider and 43mm taller than its immediate predecessor – ostensibly to leave room in the line-up for the forthcoming, mid-sized Ghibli sedan.

Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion Review

The Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion uses just 3.8 litres of diesel per 100km. That’s less than the Toyota Prius and without all the fancy hybrid gear.

Buying a current-generation hybrid has all of a sudden become an almost pointless exercise. You can now buy a German built Volkswagen Golf that uses less fuel and costs thousands less ($28,990).

The Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion is the most fuel efficient Golf of all time. Its 1.6-litre, four-cylinder turbo-diesel 77kW engine (250Nm of torque) uses 0.1L/100km less fuel than the all-mighty Prius and it doesn’t even need to carry around batteries and an electric engine. It’s also the second most fuel efficient car on sale in Australia (after the Ford Fiesta Econetic).

Mitsubishi Triton Diesel Super Select 4×4

Mitsubishi Australia has announced the arrival of a new upgrade to its Triton four-wheel drive utility range across the diesel VR, GLX-R and GLS models.

They now boast Mitsubishi’s advanced Super Select four-wheel drive system as found in the highly specified passenger four-wheel drive Pajero wagon.

2013 Nissan Navara Review

The Nissan Navara ute was given a major update in 2012, bringing more equipment and price reductions to the popular One-Tonner.

An all-new Navara is due in 2014 but the current model remains one of Australia’s biggest-selling models.

The Nissan Navara is getting on a bit compared with a raft of new rivals that include the Ford Ranger, Mazda BT-50, Holden Colorado, Isuzu D-Max and Volkswagen Amarok.

The private sector (60 to 70 per cent) continues to fuel growth in the ute segment with many of those folks using their dual cab pick-ups as a both a work vehicle during the week and as the family chariot over the weekend.

The big seller in the Nissan Navara line-up has been the ST dual cab 4×4, which now has a more powerful 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel engine producing 140kW (up 11 per cent) and a not too shabby 450Nm  (up 12 per cent) torque. That’s marginally less than the BT-50 and Ranger, which share the same 147kW/470Nm powertrain.