Car News

Toyota Australia has confirmed powertrain specifications for the 2019 RAV4, ahead of the all-new SUV's arrival in the second quarter of 2019. As we confirmed in July, the RAV4 will become the first Toyota SUV offered with a hybrid powertrain Down Under. Three engines will be offered, starting with a 2.0-litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine sending drive exclusively to the front wheels.

Performance cars have come a long way – these days a four-cylinder hatchback can be just as fast as high-performance heroes of a few decades ago. In this clip, Mat Watson from the UK's Carwow pits the current Audi S3 sedan against an older-generation 'B7' RS4 Avant to see how much progress the company has made in just 10 years.

Hyundai has recalled the latest (TM) Santa Fe over an issue with the rear curtain airbag, unrelated to the ongoing Takata airbag recall. According to the company, a protruding mounting bolt can damage the fabric of the curtain airbag, leading to less-than-perfect inflation or deployment in an accident. Hyundai is at pains to point out the fact there's no risk of shrapnel, the likes of which makes certain Takata inflators deadly, upon deployment.

BMW Australia has announced some running equipment upgrades for its X1 and X2 crossover ranges, headlined by enhanced technology and infotainment features. Available from October production, with deliveries to commence from January 2019, all versions of the X1 and X2 now get wireless Apple CarPlay integration as standard equipment – previously a $479 option.

On this week's episode of CarAdvice, Paul Maric and Trent Nikolic discuss Elon Musk's stock market snafu and production achievements, the Ford Territory's anticipated 'it's not a replacement' replacement, and the newly arrived Chevrolet Camaro. In the news, Elon Musk has been forced to step down as chairman of Tesla, after negotiating with America's SEC over some cheeky tweets about taking the brand private. On the plus side, Tesla has met Musk's promised production targets for the Model 3.