Motor Torque with David Berthon

At last, a French car this week – I was really looking forward to driving the Renault Megane E-Tech SUV. Visually, this electric Megane has a great silhouette more like a hatchback with large 20-inch alloys tucked right into the corners, the styling impressive and giving it a more premium feel although the resultant high tail tends to limit rear visibility. With a 60kWh battery pack feeding...

The Chinese Leapmotor B10 will claim the title of the most affordable electric SUV when it goes on sale next month priced from $38,990 drive- away. The small B10 SUV follows the larger Leapmotor C10 launched late last year and will arrive in two models – the B10 Style will offer a 361km range under WLTP standards and feature a 56.2kWhour battery pack while the B10 Design LR with larger 67.1k...

According to a report published in Autocar, Bentley is the latest company to back pedal on plans to go fully electric – the luxury brand said to be planning pure petrol successors to its Continental GT, Flying Spur and Bentayga SUV. The move reverses the decision it announced in 2022 that it would move to pure electric production by the end of the decade. Porsche and Audi have already announ...

Driving the Lexus GX550 4WD seven-seat wagon – it comes in three grades the entry Luxury, the mid-spec Overtrail and the flagship sports luxury. I drove the entry GX550 Luxury at $130,554 drive-away which shares its underpinnings with the Toyota LandCruiser Prado, but instead of the 2.8- litre diesel engine the GX550 is powered by a 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine linked to a 10-speed...

Driving the Lexus GX550 4WD – the GX550, a dressed-up luxury take on the popular Toyota Prado 4WD. Importantly, the Lexus GX550 is a full on 4WD not an SUV – it comes in three seven-seat grades- I tested the entry GX550 Luxury at $130,554 drive-away. It shares the Prado’s proven 4WD underpinnings but instead of the Prado’s 2.8-litre diesel the GX550 is powered by a 3.4-litr...

For many years the Mitsubishi ASX SUV was the firm favourite at the most affordable end of the market - a new generation model is due in showrooms shortly albeit at much higher prices. Three models, the LS, Aspire and top level Exceed the new ASX range features a new 1.3-litre turbo four-cylinder engine paired to a seven-speed dual clutch automatic. Prices start at $37,740 for the LS, $42,690 for...

The 2026 Hyundai Palisade SUV arrives this month in one all-wheel drive high grade Calligraphy variant priced at $89,000 plus on-road costs – some $25,000 dearer that the most affordable version of the old model. To be available with all-wheel drive hybrid power and a choice of seven or eight seats the new Palisade will offer new technology, a larger body, a redesigned interior and higher eq...

Driving the new six-generation Subaru Forester SUV – now in seven AWD models – four pure petrol and three petrol/hybrids. I drove the entry Forester hybrid – a new strong hybrid system has made a big difference to this popular constant all- wheel drive SUV – the previous Hybrid Forester was old generation technology and not very fuel efficient - the new system blending the...

Driving the new Subaru Forester SUV – there’s now seven AWD models – four pure petrol and three petrol/hybrids. I drove the entry Forester Hybrid at $46,490, this latest Hybrid a big step up, far more refined, more equipment, more fuel efficient and with sharper ride and handling. Off-road ability a high point. The Forester remains Subaru’s best-seller, highly popular since...

Volkswagen’s Polo has long been a firm favourite – the European five door hatch will gain a new model come November, a step-up model from the entry Life called the CityLife – this takes to four the number of models in the Polo range. It retains the frugal 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine linked to a seven-speed dual clutch automatic. Priced at $32,790 plus on-road costs the Polo C...

Czech brand Skoda is adding to its latest Kodiaq SUV range with the arrival next month of the popular flagship Kodiaq RS. This performance skewed favourite representing up to 50 percent of Kodiaq sales promises much for $69,990, some $600 cheaper to the 2024 model. The latest Skoda Kodiaq seven-seat range starts with the entry Select at $54,990, the mid- range Sportline $58,990. The Kodiaq RS&rsqu...

Driving the latest top end Range Rover P530 Autobiography 4WD – a simply stunning vehicle, the build quality on the test vehicle exceptional and one could argue at $349,000 it should be. However, keep in mind some upper luxury 4WD’s are twice this price yet the Range Rover Autobiography sets a benchmark. Once its won you over on fit, finish, comfort and materials its ability for a larg...

Today, the Range Rover, more than 55 years on since its launch in June 1970, has more than earned its success and this upper luxury 4WD has set a benchmark that few have come close to. I’ve just driven the Range Rover P530 Autobiography 4WD at $349,000. And frankly, at that eyewatering price you’d expect it to be good, but it’s not just good its exceptional. Powered by a BMW sour...

The Australian New Car Assessment Program, better known as ANCAP has revealed new crash ratings for the popular Suzuki Swift and MG3 hatchbacks. Both fared badly in 1984 crash testing, the MG3 receiving a three-star rating, the Suzuki Swift just one star. The Swift result created an amount of controversy as European testing of the same model resulted in three stars. ANCAP had been informed of phys...

Spanish performance brand Cupra has taken the axe to its Formentor VZe plug-in hybrid (PHEV) SUV, cutting more than $20,000 off 2024 model year stock. Now $47,990 drive-away, down from around $67,990. The move follows a 70 per cent drop in sales following the removal of the Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) exemption in April, which cut around a third off the price of a plug-in hybrid when purchased throu...

Driving the Skoda Octavia wagon, the new entry Select model at $43,990 drive- away. This European sports wagon has real appeal, wagons still finding favour with certain buyers despite the shift to SUVs in recent years. I found the drivability of this updated medium sized wagon most rewarding – the 1.4-litre turbo 110kW engine drives the front wheels through a smooth eight-speed torque conver...

With SUVs now commanding 60 percent of the market station wagons have fallen from favour. One that still finds favour with buyers is the Skoda Octavia. The Skoda Octavia recently received an update, both liftback and wagon now available in three grades, a new entry Select grade plus Sportline and sporty RS. I tested the Octavia Select wagon at $43,990 drive-away, a nicely styled European wagon wit...

News out of China suggests discussions have taken place re a possible ban on pop-out retractable door handles over safety concerns. The concern over door handles that are flush with the body until activated by a pop-out mechanism or by a lever that, when one side of the handle is pressed, allows the other end to pop out. I experienced the latter on the Leapmotor C10 SUV , while several Range Rover...

The continued onslaught of new Chinese models each pushing the boundary of new technology at a lower price has really made the established car makers sit up and take notice. BMW is the latest car maker to announce a massive investment in new technology with a $17.8 billion dollar investment in new and updated high tech electric models. The radically styled high tech electric models are said to off...

I spoke earlier of MG’s hero model – the Cyberster Sports Roadster – a striking two door electric all-wheel drive launched last year to celebrate 100 years of the brand. The Chinese have done a great job with MG since 2007 and the local company now has 12 models in the market. The MG Cyberster features dual electric motors fed by a 77kWhour battery and a range of 443km - with 375...

Driving the electric MG Cyberster sports roadster - launched last year to commemorate 100 years of the MG Brand. The former British brand has been in the hands of the Shanghai Automotive industry Corporation since 2007 – the MG Cyberster, a hero model, as they say, marking a ground-breaking evolution for the MG Brand fusing technology of the future with the legacy of the past. And that is do...

Last month’s official new car sales figures released this week reflect the second-best August on record with 103,922 vehicles registered. Of these, 23,225 or nearly a quarter were Chinese-made – BYD, GWM, MG and Chery making it into the top ten sales list. Petrol vehicles still dominated with 38,515 sales followed by diesel with 30,459 while hybrids continue their march posting 17,381....

Whilst we’ve been captivated this year by the success of our Oscar Piastri in Formula One racing, we shouldn’t overlook the incredible international success this year by a young speedway rider from country N.S.W. 28-year old Brady Kurtz from Cowra has a chance next Saturday night in Denmark to take out the World Speedway Championship in his rookie year. Last Saturday night in Poland Ku...

We’ve seen many new Chinese EV’s and plug-in hybrid SUV’s arrive but few are set up to suit our driving environment, I’ve just driven the Leapmotor C10 - REEV – standing for range extender electric vehicle – as distinct from the pure electric C10 EV model, the C10 REEV gains a 1.5-litre petrol engine which acts only as a generator to charge the battery – 1...

Driving the Leapmotor C10 range extender petrol/electric hybrid SUV. The second Leapmotor C10 to grace our shores – the first, the C10 EV – then this C10 REEV, or range extender EV, is a plug-in hybrid, also with an electric motor driving the rear wheels, but adds a 1.5-litre petrol engine which acts purely as a generator to charge up the battery. Leapmotor claim 170km of electric driv...