Car News

The 2018 BMW X3 has been awarded a five-star rating from independent crash-test authority ANCAP. With a total score of 35.41 out of 38 for adult occupant protection, the X3 returned a perfect score in the side-impact test, and 7.3 out of 8 for the pole test. The car also scored well in child occupant protection testing, with a score of 84 per cent, and offers good pedestrian protection (70 per cent) too.

The seventh-generation Jeep Wrangler has been unveiled at the Los Angeles motor show, ahead of an Australian launch late in 2018. The new SUV is larger than before, with a bigger wheelbase, and will be offered in three variants (Sport, Overland and Rubicon) with a choice of 2.2-litre diesel or new-generation 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 engines. All engines will mated with an eight-speed automatic transmission in Australia, with no manual option at launch.

Holden hopes a couple of big new investments into its Australian dealer network and proving ground will convince doubters that parent company GM is committed to its future. The newly fledged sales, marketing and development company announced it will co-fund a $150- to $200 million cash injection, with its franchise dealers, into its 200-site network.

Volkswagen has announced a new special edition Touareg for Australia. Dubbed the Monochrome, the black-and-white edition brings a raft of styling add-ons and interior equipment compared to the existing Touareg 150TDI on which it's based. On the outside, you'll be able to tell the Monochrome apart from regular Touaregs thanks to its unique badges, black mirror caps, dark grille and roof rails, along with dark tinting on the tail-lights. The car rides on 19-inch 'Moab' alloy wheels, too.

Some people dream of being woken up by the sound of a legitimate race-tuned Ferrari 458 GT Challenge car, but rest assured, it's not always as fun as it sounds. Pardon the pun. Following a 20-hour flight from Australia, we loaded into a TRD Toyota Tacoma and made the five-hour drive from LA to Las Vegas.