Overview Released in Australia in May 2005, the Volkswagen Mk.5 Golf GTi was available as a three- or five-door hatchback. Manufactured in Wolfsburg, Germany, the front-wheel drive VW Mk.5 Golf GTi was powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine that was mated to either a six-speed manual or double clutch transmission (DCT or Volkswagen’s […]
Author: Stephen Tomlinson
Review: Volkswagen Mk.3 Golf Cabriolet (1995-03)
Review: Volkswagen Mk.3-I Golf Cabriolet (1995-98) Overview Released in October 1995, the Volkswagen Mk.3 Series I (Mk.3-I) Golf Cabriolet was a two-door, four-seat convertible with a power-operated soft-top roof. The VW Mk.3 Golf Cabriolet was initially solely available as the GL variant, powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine mated to either a four-speed automatic […]
Review: Volkswagen Mk.6 Golf Cabriolet (2011-15)
Overview Released in November 2011, the Volkswagen Mk.6 Golf Cabriolet was a four-seat convertible with a soft-top roof. The VW Mk.6 Golf Cabriolet was initially available with a 1.4-litre turbo and supercharged petrol engine (the ‘118TSI’ variant) mated to either a six-speed manual or seven-speed double clutch transmission. The Volkswagen Mk.6 Golf Cabriolet was 4337 […]
Review: Tesla Roadster (2011-12)
Overview Released in March 2011, the Tesla Roadster was a two-door, two-seat electric vehicle. The rear-wheel drive Roadster had a monocoque chassis constructed with resin-bonded and riveted extruded aluminium. Furthermore, the chassis, windscreen, dashboard and fabric roof were shared with the Lotus Elise. However, the Tesla Roadster was fitted with a three-phase, four-pole AC induction […]
Review: Suzuki JA XL-7 (2001-05)
Review: Suzuki JA.I XL-7 (2001-03) Overview Released in July 2001, the Suzuki JA Series I (JA.I) XL-7 was a seven seat, four-wheel drive wagon. Manufactured in Hamamatsu, Japan, the XL-7 was powered by a 2.7-litre V6 petrol engine that was mated to either a four-speed automatic or five-speed manual transmission. The XL-7 was initially offered […]
Review: Tesla Model S (2014-on)
Overview Released in Australia in August 2014, the Tesla Model S was a five-seat, electric-powered liftback. Manufactured in Fremont, California, the Model S was powered by a three-phase AC induction motor. The Model S range initially consisted of 60, 85 and P85 variants. All models, however, had a single speed fixed gear with a 9.73:1 […]
Review: Suzuki GY SX4 (2007-13)
Review: Suzuki GY.I SX4 (2007-09) Overview Released in February 2007, the Suzuki GY Series I (GY.I) SX4 was initially available as a five-door hatchback, with a sedan following in August 2007. Manufactured in Shizuoka, Japan, the GY SX4 was powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that was mated to either a four-speed automatic or […]
Review: Suzuki LY Vitara (2015-on)
Review: Suzuki LY.I Vitara (2015-18) Overview Released in September 2015, the Suzuki Vitara was a compact SUV. Manufactured in Hungary, the Suzuki Vitara was powered by a 1.6-litre petrol engine that was mated to either a five-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. While the Vitara RT-S was front-wheel drive, the Vitara RT-X was equipped with […]
Review: Suzuki Mk.6 Swift (2011-17)
Review: Suzuki Mk.6-I Swift (2011-13) Overview Released in February 2011, the Suzuki Mk.6 Series I (Mk.6-I) Swift was a small, five-door hatchback. The front-wheel drive Mk.6 Swift was initially powered by a 1.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that was mated to either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission. In February 2012, a Sport variant was […]
Review: Suzuki Mk.7 Swift (2017-on)
Overview Released in Australia in June 2017, the Suzuki Mk.7 Swift was a light, five-door hatchback. For Australian delivered-vehicles, the front-wheel drive Suzuki Mk.7 Swift was manufactured in Sahara, Japan, and powered by 1.2-litre naturally aspirated and 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol engines. The Suzuki Swift Sport was released in Australia in January 2018; it was powered […]