Dual-cab utes are expected to be more versatile today than ever before. Rough and tough is not enough. The flagship versions must be comfortable inside, safe, and look the part because people want show ponies as well as workhorses. Consider, for a moment, that the eight most popular dual-cab models managed 193,000 sales in Australia last year, which equals 16 per cent of the entire new vehicle market...
They’re more likely to carry dirty nappies and road bikes than a bale of hay, but all eight of the cars on our 2018 dual-cab mega test are, you know, dual-cab utes. That means they still need to be fit for hard work. Has the transition to a life of luxury undermined the inherent practicality of these one-time work vehicles? Here’s a look at how the tray on each stacks up...
In such a competitive segment, there can be a lot to take in when purchasing your next ute. As a result, Bluetooth user-friendliness and quality often gets overlooked, but generally, it is one of the most used features for drivers - especially tradies - as a lot of business calls are conducted while on the move...
Holden thinks it finally has a convincing mid-sized SUV, addressing a major gap in its range. The model is called the Equinox, and the company calls it “Australia’s most user-friendly SUV”. But if the now full-importer brand wants to make a splash in one of the market’s key segments, it’ll need to stack up against the top-seller – Mazda’s CX-5, itself relatively recently into its second generation...
The newcomer versus the champ: this isn’t some naff reference to a big money fight, but by the same token, it kind of is – because here we have the much-lauded European that’s all about swagger, going against the stalwart chart-topper with a tremendous record...
The sales growth of pint-sized SUVs seems to have become stunted in 2017 despite an expanding category, yet they still account for about 10 per cent of Australia's new-car market. Two of the top-sellers can’t be accused of resting on their laurels, either. Both the Holden Trax and Mazda CX-3 have been given notable updates this year...
There’s no doubt whatsoever that the small SUV segment is the hottest battle ground in Australia right now – certainly in terms of the market volume that is rushing to it in large numbers. Some manufacturers are so enamoured with the concept, they even have two entrants in the segment – think Audi Q2 and Q3 for example, which effectively sit in very similar parts of the market even though the marketing blurb will claim otherwise...
For all the hoo-ha about booming sales of SUVs, the so-called 'small car' segment remains the market's most popular, still accounting for almost 20 per cent of all new vehicles sold in Australia. Of this, the majority are hatchbacks instead of three-box sedans, which draw people in based on their improved practicality and generally less conservative design approaches...
For many family buyers, a conventional people-mover like the Kia Carnival or Honda Odyssey is the ultimate manifestation of apathy. A sure path to social death. The end of dreams and youth, alike. Whether this is a furphy or not, seven-seat crossover SUVs such as the popular Mazda CX-9 and just-launched Skoda Kodiaq are widely seen as a more respectable path (usually tarmac-coated) to take...
Who would have thought there’d be enough action in the small sedan segment of the market to warrant yet another comparison test – our fifth such test since the beginning of 2016? Yet here we are, in a world where the small car is increasingly being seen as a great alternative to the mid-size sedan because, essentially, these new ‘small’ sedans offer better space for your spend than vehicles in the next segment up...
While the car industry seems intent on reinventing and cross-pollinating shapes, sizes and themes to create a different family vehicle, equally families who buy and use such vehicles can be incredibly diverse in terms of needs and wants...
