Ford Mondeo Titanium Road Test & Reivew

A well kept secret, Mondeo Titanium is a real crowd pleaser

Model Tested:

2009 Ford Mondeo Titanium; 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-diesel; six-speed automatic; hatch – $45,990*

Spacious; versatile; economical
Poor rearward visibility
CarAdvice Rating:
A well kept secret in its segment, the Ford Mondeo Titanium is solid, stylish, spacious, versatile and economical; this car has the potential to [...]

Jaguar XF-R Review & Road Test

Plenty of reasons to get excited
Model Tested:

2009 Jaguar XF-R; 5.0-litre, supercharged V8, petrol; six-speed automatic; sedan- $208,450*

Brilliant engine; dynamic handling; wicked personality
Fuel economy; interior plastics
CarAdvice Rating:
The Jaguar XF-R is a shameless exhibitionist. Behind the wheel you will be entertained, intrigued and find it near impossible not to warm to its wicked demeanor.
With [...]

Hyundai Getz Review & Road Test

Taking on the brand snobs.
Model Tested:

2009 Hyundai Getz SX; 1.6-litre, four-cylinder, petrol; five-speed manual; five-door hatch – $16,340*

Good safety; great audio spec
Dated design; heavy steering
CarAdvice Rating:
While the heady rush of buying luxury goods is hard to match, sometimes the generic brand value proposition is simply too good to ignore. If, at [...]

BMW 5 Series Review & Road Test

Germans do it better
Model Tested:

2009 BMW 530i; 3.0-litre, six-cylinder, petrol; six-speed automatic; sedan – $116,824*

Options:
Electric glass sunroof – $3495; sports leather steering wheel – $300; Professional Package is standard on the 530i and includes: Preparation for Bluetooth mobile Business, Control Display with 8.8-inch colour monitor, Professional Navigation, TV function and voice recognition, Comfort [...]

Light Hatch Comparison – Fiesta, Barina, Jazz, Getz, Yaris, Swift

These light cars are no lightweights.
Generally speaking, the word ‘light’ implies there’s something missing: less than the others; a lack thereof; insubstantial; skimping.
It rarely invokes a sense of excitement – light beer, for example. As far as the ‘light car’ segment goes, my expectations are immediately managed (down), and I’m ready to be underwhelmed.

Share this [...]

Nissan X-Trail Review and Road Test

2009 Nissan X-Trail Ti Review & Road Test

A steady performer that stands the test of time
Model Tested:

2009 Nissan X-Trail Ti; 2.5-litre DOHC four-cylinder; six-speed automatic; wagon – $42,490*

Options:

None fitted

Comfortable; spacious; versatile
Vague steering; dated looks

CarAdvice Rating:
By Nadine Armstrong
With its heated leather seats, a bright and voluminous cabin, an extremely versatile cargo space [...]

Kia Cerato – Long Term Update

2009 Kia Cerato SLi – Long Term Update

By Nadine Armstrong
The Cerato deserves a round of applause. It survived the school holiday family trip with ease, showing it has the performance, space, comfort and functionality required to cope with the ongoing demands of the average family.
Even our part-time pet, Alex the cockatiel (no he doesn’t come [...]

Comparison review: Honda City, Holden Cruze, Kia Cerato

2009 Holden Cruze CDX v 2009 Kia Cerato SLi v 2009 Honda City VTi-L

Small cars, big market…
By – Nadine Armstrong Pics – Paul Maric
Big cars are getting smaller, small cars are getting bigger, SUVs are multiplying like an alien life form and sexy hatches bring considerable street cred.
In an industry made up of more than [...]

Look out – here come the ‘petrosexuals’

It probably falls into the category of too much information but thanks to a survey just conducted in Britain we now know of a new strata in society – the petrosexual!

Just what is this strange beast, you may well ask, well it’s either male or female, in fact in almost equal numbers, and it has [...]

Long Term Update – Kia Cerato

After 12 months doing duty as the female voice of the CarAdvice writing and road test team Rose Harris is moving on to other things. We won’t be losing complete contact with Rose as she will continue to contribute to CarAdvice from time to time.
The change has meant that Rose’s long-term Kia Cerato has [...]

2009 Holden Cruze – Review & Road Test

2009 Holden Cruze CD Review & Road Test

The struggle to be noticed
Model Tested:

2009 Holden Cruze CD – 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, SOHC, turbo diesel, six-speed auto – $25,990

Options: none fitted
Positives: steering & handling; interior styling
Negatives: turbo lag; visibility

CarAdvice Rating:
- by Nadine Armstrong
With its homogeneous styling and extensive ‘small car’ credentials, the new Holden [...]

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