Renault Laguna Estate Review & Road Test

Finally, a French car without the complications.

Model Tested:

2009 Renault Laguna Dynamique Estate; 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-diesel; six-speed automatic; wagon – $46,990*

Options:

18-inch Alloy Wheels $1000; Metallic Paint $800; Panoramic Sunroof $2000; Xenon Headlights & Headlight Washers $1950

Value for money; build quality; engine; style
Rear leg room
CarAdvice Rating:
The French have always been a bit quirky. While [...]

2010 Subaru Outback Diesel

Update: Subaru Outback Diesel Review.
Subaru’s first diesel-powered vehicle is on sale today: the turbocharged Outback 2.0D .

Mated to Subaru’s renowned Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system, Outback 2.0D offers outstanding fuel economy and low emissions, already meeting strict EURO 5 standards.
It is believed to be the world’s first flat boxer diesel engine for a passenger car and [...]

BMW 330d Review & Road Test

BMW’s 330d is an extraordinarily capable car with performance and fuel consumption figures that seem utterly implausible until you drive it.
Model Tested:

BMW E90 330d; 3.0-litre, six-cylinder, turbo-diesel; six-speed automatic; sedan – $87,250*

Options Fitted:

Larger Navigation Screen with added functionality including Television and Voice recognition $4,100; Sunroof $2,290

Awesome performance and refinement
Gearshifts could be [...]

Mini D Global Green Challenge final update

It’s all over. After six days and more than 3,140 kilometres, the Global green Challenge cars crossed the finishing line in Adelaide’s Victoria Square with the South Australian Premier Mike Rann greeting contestants and delivering his welcome-to-the-new-technology speech.

And according to the winning criteria – the best percentage improvement over the manufacturers’ claimed fuel consumption figures [...]

Mini D Global Green Challenge update

Cars in the Global Green Challenge have reached Adelaide after six long days on the road and 3000km under their carefully inflated tyres.

Yesterday’s run was a comparatively straightforward 302km leg from Port Augusta and the wind gods relented, swinging the breeze from the headwinds encountered for most of the journey to a tail wind. Admittedly [...]

Mini D Global Green Challenge update

The sparkling waters of the top end of Spencer Gulf were a welcome sight today for drivers in the Global Green Challenge who had crossed the country from north to south, from the Northern Territory to the coast of South Australia.

After some 2500km the rivalry has become desperately intense. All that remains is a run [...]

Volkswagen launches greenest Golf yet

In July, CarAdvice brought you news that Volkswagen had announced a new, highly-efficient Golf model which returns 3.41L/100km on the combined cycle and emits just 107 g/km of carbon dioxide. Now a new model is available to order (not yet available in Australia) – the most efficient production Golf ever – which achieves 3.16L/100km combined [...]

Mini D Global Green Challenge update

Today was the longest day of the Global Green Challenge and after nine and a quarter hours in the cars, the novelty was starting to wear off.

The 685km journey down the Stuart Highway south from Alice Springs to the frontier-like Opal mining town of Coober Pedy should have been a piece of cake.
But long hours [...]

BMW 120d Review & Road Test

BMW 120d: the economic hot-hatch
Model Tested:

2009 BMW E87 120d; 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-diesel; six-speed manual; five-door hatch – $46,790*

Options Available:

See bottom of page.

Strong & frugal engine; intelligent stop-start system; on-road manners
Rear leg room tight for adults; some option pricing a little dear
CarAdvice Rating:
by Matt Brogan & Alborz Fallah
Marrying sharp driving dynamics and strong [...]

Mini D Global Green Challenge Update

The Global Green Challenge has reached Alice Springs, the psychological half-way point in the 3000km journey from Darwin to Adelaide, and the nerves are starting to show.

People are getting snappy, jumping on the poor bloke whose job it is to try to refuel the cars accurately and in a short space of time. Everyone is [...]

Mini D update from Global Green Challenge

Day One: Katherine – Vern Schuppan won the Le Mans 24-hour enduro in a Porsche 956, finished third in the Indianapolis 500, has won the Rothmans Formula 5000 championship – but until yesterday had never driven in an economy run. Or an Eco Challenge as organisers like to call them now.

“So, Mr Schuppan – how [...]

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