Motoring
TESTED: Nissan Micra 1.2
Posted on May 20, 2011 | COMMENTS (0)
Nissan Micra’s 1.5-litre ST-L fared well in our recent four-way comparison also involving the Ford Fiesta CL, Hyundai i20 Active and Suzuki Swift GLX (see City Slickers, The Road Ahead magazine, April/May).
By Barry Green. Testers were impressed with Micra’s safety and standard equipment inventories. Count six airbags (front, side and full curtain), three-point seatbelts, anti-lock brakes (ABS) and electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD), electronic stability…
Comment
RACQ joins call to arms on road safety
Posted on May 20, 2011 | COMMENTS (0)
The United Nations’ Decade of Action for Road Safety, aimed at stabilising and reducing the number of deaths and injuries on the world’s roads by 2020, was launched globally on May 11. Queensland’s launch took the form of breakfast forum at Parliament House, an initiative of the RACQ, CARRS-Q, Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads, International Roads Assessment Program, Leighton Contractors,…
Flood-proofed roads key to freight productivity
Posted on May 10, 2011 | COMMENT (1)
Flood-proofing roads and highways should be the main focus of efforts to make Queensland’s road freight transport system more productive, according to the RACQ. In a submission to Infrastructure Australia’s National Land Freight Strategy Discussion Paper, RACQ emphasised that increased funding for road and rail infrastructure was required to achieve growth in freight productivity.…
Driven: Mazda MX-5 Roadster Coupe
Posted on April 21, 2011 | COMMENTS (0)
I’ve had the good fortune to have driven most of the various iterations of the Mazda MX-5 since the model’s launch in 1989, including a stripped-down, race version at Queensland Raceway. You could say it’s something of a personal favourite.
By Barry Green Never – say again, never – has this purest of modern-day sports cars failed to leave a smile on my dial. That is, until a week spent with the current…
Odyssey receives upgrade
Posted on April 14, 2011 | COMMENTS (0)
Honda’s Odyssey 2011 people mover has undergone a makeover.
The interior has been updated with silver metallic panels replacing the previous wood grain.
The entry level Odyssey at $41,990 (MLP) gains A-pillar mounted Bluetooth and reverse parking sensors.
The…
Can’t see the trees for the Foresters
Posted on April 14, 2011 | COMMENT (1)
The all-wheel-drive Forester has set a new benchmark to become the best-selling Subaru model ever in Australia, passing the 150,000 mark. Forester has been Australia’s top-selling compact SUV for the past three years.
Launched in 1997, it established a new class of vehicle on the Australian market and has gone on…
Lakeside celebrates 50 years
Posted on April 14, 2011 | COMMENT (1)
Tribute To The Originals, the first of four planned 50th anniversary events for the former Lakeside International Raceway (now known as Lakeside Park), got off to a flying start on the weekend of April 9-10. With nearly 100 competitors watched by more than 5000 fans across the weekend, Tribute To The Originals brought Lakeside Park at Kurwongbah, north of Brisbane, to life with an appropriately…
MINI back on world rally stage
Posted on April 14, 2011 | COMMENTS (0)
The countdown is on to the return of MINI on the international motorsport stage. This season, MINI will compete at selected rounds in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC). The aim is to gain valuable experience, in order to be prepared for the complete…
Get your motor runnin’
Posted on April 14, 2011 | COMMENTS (0)
A motoring enthusiast's heaven and a great family day out, RACQ MotorFest 2011 is set to attract more than 800 vintage, unique and collector cars, motorbikes and more to Eagle Farm Racecourse on July 17. Car enthusiasts who wish to display their pride and joy should register now to take advantage of discounted early bird registration. Early bird registration of $15 per vehicle is open…
Call to compensate motorists for carbon tax
Posted on April 5, 2011 | COMMENTS (3)
Fuel taxes should be reduced to compensate motorists for the impact of a carbon price, Queensland’s key motoring body said today. RACQ’s executive manager for public policy, Michael Roth, said there were fairer and more effective ways to reduce carbon emissions than hitting motorists with higher fuel prices.
“RACQ accepts the…
SE Qld motorists miss cheap fuel days
Posted on March 9, 2012 | COMMENTS (0)
South-east Queensland motorists were cheated of two ‘cheap fuel days’ in February when a 15-day price cycle – the longest on record – and a 12-day cycle kept unleaded petrol prices higher for longer, RACQ’s latest fuel price report reveals. RACQ spokesperson Lynda Schekoske said motorists were also impacted by four-year record high oil prices, which forced up the price of unleaded fuel at the bowsers.
“The Tapis crude oil…
Australia’s Best Cars – the name says it all
Posted on November 18, 2011 | COMMENTS (0)
By Barry Green (an Australia’s Best Cars awards judge) It’s nearly that time of the year again when we name Australia’s best cars, all 15 of them.
This long-running national annual new car awards program is much more than…
Australias Best Cars winners
Posted on December 10, 2009 | COMMENT (1)
Hyundais i30 and iMax, BMWs 135i Coupe (pictured), Audis TT-S and
Land Rovers Discovery all made it two wins in a row in the prestigious
2009 Australias Best Cars annual awards.By Barry Green Each saw off some stiff competition from a host of newcomers and incumbent challengers in their respective categories to take the crown.
Now in its 10th year, Australia’s Best Cars…
The wrong fuel could be costly
Posted on February 23, 2012 | COMMENT (1)
Motorists who fill their vehicles with the wrong fuel risk damage bills of up to $10,000, the RACQ has warned. RACQ Executive Manager Technical and Safety Policy Steve Spalding said the state’s peak independent motoring body was hearing of more ‘mis-fuelling’ incidents affecting mainly diesel-engine vehicles.
“It’s too easy to…
Three Doors Down
Posted on February 23, 2012 | COMMENT (1)
By Russell Manning Hyundai’s new Veloster offers an elegant, albeit quirky, solution to the perennial problem of accessing the rear seats of a coupe – it has one door on the right and…
Climbing Jacob’s Ladder
Posted on February 23, 2012 | COMMENTS (0)
By Barry Green Viewers of the Top Gear television series would be well acquainted with the Stelvio Pass, a stunning switchback of a road high in the Italian Alps. It’s regarded as one…
VW Powers On
Posted on February 23, 2012 | COMMENTS (0)
By John Ewing It’s a first for VW, with global sales in 2011 exceeding eight million vehicles (8,160,154) making them, numbers-wise, the planet’s number two auto maker behind General Motors. It’s been full…
DB7 headlines classic car auction
Posted on February 23, 2012 | COMMENT (1)
An Australian-delivered Aston Martin DB7 is going under the hammer with no reserve at Shannons upcoming Melbourne Autumn Classic Auction on March 5. Regarded as one of the world’s most beautiful cars when it debuted at the 1993 Geneva Salon, the Ian Callum-designed DB7 with its supercharged 3.2-litre, DOHC in-line, six-cylinder engine was…
LPG fuel tax to hit Qld motorists
Posted on December 12, 2011 | COMMENTS (11)
Rural, regional and outer metropolitan drivers who use LPG fuel will suffer a blow from the start of December with the introduction of a new Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) tax, Queensland’s peak independent motoring body has warned. RACQ Executive Manager Technical and Safety Policy, Steve Spalding, said the implementation of the new tax came just days after the first win for an LPG – powered car –…
XV joins Subaru line-up
Posted on December 22, 2011 | COMMENTS (0)
Another Subaru new for 2012 is the XV crossover model which has morphed from the current Impreza variant to a standalone model which slots into the range beneath Forester. It’s largely Impreza based but has higher, 220 mm, ground clearance and off- road ability that its parent doesn’t.
The XV line-up will include three variants. The entry 2.0i with…
