2009 Large Car Comparison

Ford Falcon vs. Holden Commodore vs. Nissan Maxima vs. Honda Accord vs. Toyota Aurion vs. Skoda Superb
Models Tested:

2009 Ford Falcon G6E Turbo; 4.0-litre, six-cylinder, petrol; six-speed automatic; sedan – $57,490
2009 Holden Commodore Calais V-Series; 3.6-litre, six-cylinder, petrol; six-speed automatic; sedan – $56,790
2009 Nissan Maxima Ti; 3.5-litre, six-cylinder, petrol; CVT gearbox; sedan – $46,990
2009 Honda Accord [...]

2009 People Mover Comparison

Honda Odyssey vs. Hyundai iMax Shuttle vs. Kia Grand Carnival vs. Mitsubishi Grandis vs. Toyota Tarago

Models Tested:

2009 Honda Odyssey; 2.4-litre, four-cylinder, petrol; five-speed automatic; wagon – $43,990*
2009 Hyundai iMax Shuttle; 2.5-litre, four-cylinder, diesel; four-speed automatic; wagon – $42,490*
2009 Kia Grand Carnival; 2.9-litre, four-cylinder, diesel; five-speed automatic; wagon – $41,990*
2009 Mitsubishi Grandis VRX; 2.4-litre, four-cylinder, petrol; [...]

Mazda MX-5 Retro Road Test

The legend 20 years on
Models Tested:

1989 Mazda NA MX-5; 1.6-litre, four-cylinder; five-speed manual; roadster – $29,550 (price when new)
2009 Mazda NC MX-5; 2.0-litre, four-cylinder; six-speed automatic; roadster – $53,655 (price as tested)

The original Mazda MX-5 was launched in Australia in October 1989, and was immediately an unprecedented success for the Japanese brand.
So with the [...]

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.

Holden Cruze vs Ford Focus Diesel

Who will win the battle for diesel supremacy?
When it comes to buying a decent small to mid size diesel car, it’s slim pickings at this end of the price scale, but with the recently released Holden Cruze throwing the metaphoric cat – or is that lion – among the pigeons, we thought we’d pair [...]

Ford Falcon XR8 vs Holden Commodore SS

Well it’s been a little over a week now, and we’ve finally pulled together all the results for our Ford Falcon XR8 versus Holden Commodore SS AFM fuel economy challenge.
To take you back a few steps, and perhaps as a means for summarising the situation, the idea for this little test came about after a [...]

Ford Falcon XR8 vs Holden Commodore SS AFM fuel economy challenge

Dyno testing
Performance testing
Economy testing
Final results and conclusion

Leaving Melbourne on an early, and slightly chilly autumn morning, our destination is Tarcutta, NSW.
The reason behind our choice is that the small farming town sits exactly halfway between Melbourne and Sydney on one of the busiest major highways in the world – the Hume.
Historically, this town was once [...]

V8 Shootout – Ford Falcon XR8 vs Holden Commodore SS

Last Thursday we embarked on an all Aussie V8 Shootout. We put Ford’s FG Falcon XR8 on the dyno with Holden’s VE Commodore SS (AFM) to determine which produced more power. On top of that, we also attacked our private circuit to determine straight line acceleration and braking figures for both vehicles.
The results, although not [...]

BMW M3 versus Lexus IS-F

BMW M3 vs Lexus IS-F

- photography Paul Maric & Matt Brogan
Model Tested:

BMW E92 M3 M-DCT, 4.0-litre, seven-speed dual-clutch, sedan – from $145,000 (RRP)
Lexus GSE20R IS-F, 5.0-litre, eight-speed automatic, sedan – from $127,400 (RRP)

Most tests involving upmarket sport sedans provide you with a few laps of a track, and little else. While this may indeed be [...]

Holden vs. Ford The Base Model Challenge

Holden vs. Ford – The Base Model Challenge
 
Ford Falcon XT vs. Holden Commodore Omega

 Models Tested:

2009 Ford FG Falcon XT 4.0-litre, five-speed automatic sedan – $36,790 (RRP)
2009 Holden VE Commodore Omega 3.6-litre, four-speed automatic sedan – $37,290 (RRP)

- Photos by Paul Maric.
It has to be one of Australia’s leading causes in bar fight rivalry or backyard [...]

2009 CarAdvice Light Hatch Comparison

 
2009 CarAdvice Light Hatch Comparison
 
Honda Jazz vs. Kia Rio vs. Toyota Yaris
Models Tested:

2009 Honda Jazz VTi, 1.5-litre, automatic, five-door hatch – $21,490
2009 Kia Rio LX, 1.4-litre, automatic, five-door hatch – $16,990
2009 Toyota Yaris YRS, 1.5-litre, manual, five-door hatch – $16,990

Options:

Honda: Metallic Paint $300
Kia: Metallic Paint $300 (Fitted)
Toyota: Metallic Paint $300; Safety Pack $750

- words by [...]

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