Caradvice

It's been a big month for electric vehicles. In Victoria, a new electric vehicle manufacturing facility has been announced for Morwell, bringing 500 new jobs to the LaTrobe Valley in the process. On a national scale, we've seen the announcement of a new brand-agnostic, 350kW ultra-fast charge network linking Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney. Charge stations – 21 of them in total, although that number could grow – will be set around 200km apart on major highways, making it easier to criss-cross our nation's east coast in a battery-powered vehicle. At the launch of the first of those charge stations in Euroa, Victoria, we had a good chat with Behyad Jafari, Australian EV Council CEO, and Tim Washington, JET Charge CEO. It was such an interesting conversation, in fact, we invited them to the Melbourne boardroom to sit down and talk all things electric. In this podcast special, Mike Stevens and Scott Collie speak with Tim and Behyad about the current state of electric mobility Down Under, where

On this week's show is Mandy Turner, Kez Casey, and Mike Stevens. In car news, Holden has halted production of the Commodore and Equinox, Porsche Mission E Cross Turismo has been announced for production, and the 2019 Audi R8 has been revealed. Plus, Ford has teased a possible hybrid Mustang model, and a hybrid is also on the cards for the Chevrolet Camaro. We talk to James Brock, team owner of Brock Race Engineering, and the driver of MG Motorsport’s MG6 Plus sports sedan in the 2018 Australian Production Car championship. Scott Collie attends the launch of Australia's first high charging network station in Euroa, Victoria, and chats to the likes of the new Jaguar Managing Director, Mark Cameron. We introduce our new off-road editor, Sam Purcell, who has disagreed on Trent Nikolic’s ‘Is Low Range Dead?’ opinion piece. Guess the exhaust is back, and you get a chance to win the Spintires: MudRunner video game either on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One.

Joining Mandy Turner this week is Mike Costello and Scott Collie. In car news, the Kia Picanto GT has been announced for a 2019 arrival, pricing and specs have been released for the Ford Mustang Ecoboost, Sydney has been called Australia's most congested city according to an AAA survey, and the Renault Alaskan could be set for a 2020 Australian launch. Jez Spinks reviews the 2019 Mercedes-Benz A200, and we speak to Thomas who has reviewed his 2018 Suzuki Swift GLX Turbo. We talk to JD Power Australia Country Director, Bruce Chellingworth, about its latest survey results that show how satisfied luxury car customers are. Reader comments are back, and we read out the best from the 2019 BMW X7 reveal story.

This week joining Mandy Turner is Alborz Fallah and Curt Dupriez, live from our Editorial off-site in Torquay, Victoria. Find out how the team went with a blindfolded motorkhana challenge in the Mazda MX-5 RF! Scott Collie and James Wong talk car news, that includes the European Parliament that has voted to cut emissions by 40% by 2030, and Peugeot's E-Legend Concept could become a reality. Plus, the Australian launch for the Porsche Taycan has been confirmed for 2020, and the 2020 Jeep Renegade plug-in hybrid has been confirmed. Curt chats about driving the Volkswagen Arteon World Time Attack, and Tony Crawford discusses his drive in the 2019 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. Paul Maric talks about his experience of driving the Swiss Alps with Joe Achilles in a BMW i8 Roadster and Audi R8 V10 Plus Spyder. We help Georgina on The Shortlist who is after a $15,000 car for her 18-year old daughter that is capable of long drives and dirt roads.

This week Mandy Turner, Kez Casey, and Mike Stevens are broadcasting from the winner of our man cave competition, Craig Jamieson. In car news, the Kia Niro EV/e-Niro will likely be set for Australia in 2019, NSW has imposed tougher drink driving penalties, Ford has announced pricing and specs for the 2019 Endura, and Volkswagen has moved to a five-year warranty only until the end of the year. Paul Maric, Trent Nikolic, and Mike Costello discuss the hits and misses from the Paris motor show. We talk to Scott Collie about the new car sales figures from September. Mike Stevens chats to Richard Ferlazzo, Holden Design director, and Ewan Kingsbury, lead creative designer, about the reveal of the Holden online concept car, the Time Attack Racer. Allison Hadfield joins us at Craig's man cave to talk about a book she's written about her father called, 'The Mad Scientist of Australian Hot Rodding: Rod Hadfield'. For your chance to win a copy, email podcast@caradvice.com.

Holden has revealed its latest concept car, the Time Attack Racer online. Damn, it looks good. It's a slightly different concept to the ones we're used to from the Lion Brand, but there's still a fascinating story behind the Time Attack Concept Racer's conception, design and creation. Mike Stevens and Scott Collie talk to Richard Ferlazzo, Holden Design director, and Ewan Kingsbury, lead creative designer.

Mandy Turner is joined by Paul Maric and James Wong this week. In car news, an Australian debut has been confirmed for the Ford Focus Active, Daimler has appointed a new CEO, the 2019 Hyundai i30 Fastback N has been revealed, and the Mazda CX-5 2.5 turbo petrol has appeared on an Australian Government database. For this week's review, we chat to Trent Nikolic about the 2018 Range Rover Velar. Mandy catches up with Australian entertainer, Shane Jacobson, to see what's currently in his garage. Mike Costello speaks with record-breaking nine-time Le Mans winner, Tom Kristensen. To round out, we talk about a major CarAdvice announcement.

The VACC celebrated 100-years last weekend with a centenary cavalcade, believed to have been the first in the world. One car from each year from the past 100 years convoyed 124-kilometres from Calder Park Raceway to Bendigo, the town where the automotive association was founded. We caught up with various car owners to learn more about their special car, and spoke to Australian entertainer and car tragic, Shane Jacobson.

On the podcast this week is Mandy Turner, Mike Stevens, and Scott Collie. In car news, we cover off all the Supra news, the Mercedes-AMG A35 and Audi e-tron Quattro has been revealed. Pricing and specs for the Ford Focus have been released, and we cover Ferrari's five-year plan which includes the SUV. We speak to Paul Maric for his review on the 2019 Toyota Supra prototype drive. Kon contacted us for The Shortlist, and we chat to him about why he wants to sell his 2011 Audi A4, and we give him some advice for a $60,000 medium SUV or sedan replacement. Lastly, after writing, Is Australia charged for EVs?, we talk to Bruce Chellingworth, Director and Country Manager for Australia at J.D. Power Singapore.

Mike Costello and Kez Casey join Mandy Turner this week. In car news, the 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLE has been revealed, the 2019 HSV Camaro pricing and specs have been announced, and the Bugatti W16 engine will 'the last of its kind'. Also, Takata alpha inflator affected cars in South Australia won't be registerable from November 1. Jez Spinks talks about driving the 2018 Range Rover Sport SDV6 SE. We speak to Geoff Fear, Hyundais official N tech from N Performance Australia, about how the i30 N got its exhaust sound and answers a listeners question on manufactured exhaust notes. Mandy chats to David Dowsey, Head of Marketing at VACC, for its centenary celebrations in an event that is believed to be the first in the world. With thanks to Isuzu UTE, we have two doubles passes to give away to the 2018 Deni Ute Muster, and for your chance for us to record the podcast in your mancave, email photos to podcast@caradvice.com.

This week Mandy Turner and Trent Nikolic are recording from Tasmania at the CarAdvice event where five readers got the chance to experience being a motoring journalist for a day while driving the 2019 Mazda CX-9. In car news, the 2020 Mercedes-Benz EQC has been revealed, Apple has reported its first self-driving crash, the Ford Endura ST-Line has been confirmed for Australia, and the Lexus UX will be launching without Apple CarPlay Down Under. Scott Collie talks through August VFACTS - the new car sales figures. Trent talks about his drive in the 2018 Holden Colorado LT and briefly compares it to the 2018 Ram 1500 Laramie while touching on some reader comments of the Ram. We catch up with Michelle and Stuart, two of our competition winners, and we talk to professional driver, Karl Reindler who is in charge of the Mazda driving event.

Joining Mandy Turner this week is Mike Stevens and Scott Collie. In car news, JLR has designed a self-driving pod with 'virtual eyes', Honda has decided to take a step back from electric cars, Audi has halted production of the RS3, and the 2019 Kia ProCeed has been teased. Scott talks about our long-termer, the 2018 Skoda Kodiaq 132TSI Sportline, and what the rest of the office thought of it. Mandy speaks to Tony at the German Auto Show who put a 2008 Volkswagen Golf R32 engine into the back of a Kombi. Mike Costello and Kez Casey discuss the seven-seater large SUV mega test, and we announce the winner of the Chamberlain DIY garage door opener for father's day!

It's a Sydney special! Joining Mandy Turner on the panel this week is CarAdvice CEO Andrew Beecher, Founders Alborz Fallah and Tony Crawford, Trent Nikolic, and Paul Maric. In car news, Holden has announced $28 million for autonomy and EVs, General Motors has stated there is 'no exit plan' for Holden, and GM has said it is 'certainly capable' of getting Cadillac to Australia. Also, Hyundai has detailed launch dates for the Ioniq, Kona Electric, and Veloster. Plus, the Aston Martin DB5 Goldfinger Continuation is making a comeback. Alborz speaks about the 2019 MINI Countryman S E All4 review and gives an update on our Lotus Elise. Tony talks through what it's like driving the Hakone Skyline in Japan in a Lexus GS F. Mandy, Curt Dupriez, and Jez Spinks jumps in the Toyota Corolla, Hyundai i30, and Mazda 3 for a hatch comparison. We chat to Paris about his owner review of his parents 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited. We are giving away a Chamberlain DIY garage door opener and universal remote valued at nearly $35

Mandy Turner, Paul Maric and Mike Stevens join you this week. In car news, smartphone use has topped road safety concerns in an Australian study, the Ford Ranger Raptor design patent has been confirmed for a North American launch, and another study has revealed semi-autonomous systems 'aren't robust substitutes for human drivers'. Paul reviews the updated 2019 Hyundai Tucson. On The Shortlist, Andrew is after some advice on buying a 4WD SUV priced between $44-$55,000 for camping and off-roading. Mandy talks to Australian Rally Championship driver and Subaru ambassador, Molly Taylor, while she's behind the wheel of the XV. Curt Dupriez chats about a range review he's conducted on the 2018 Porsche Cayenne. Lastly, coming up to Father's Day, we are giving away a Chamberlain DIY garage door opener and universal remote valued at nearly $350. Send us a recording of your own car or your favourite car for your chance to win!

Driving and reviewing cars is something we do best at CarAdvice. We pretty much know them inside-out, but when it comes to trucks, we’re not so knowledgeable. Every motorist shares the road with trucks, so we decided to take a look inside the world of trucks and their drivers, by riding shotgun in an International ProStar B-double truck with driver René Bueman. Correction regarding local manufacturing: Volvo Group Australia still builds trucks in Australia as does PACCAR (Kenworth and DAF) and IVECO.

This week you're joined by Mandy Turner, Mike Costello, and Kez Casey. We read the best comments from Trent Nikolic's opinion piece, The new Commodore is a bloody good thing… get over it. In cars, Tesla is wanting to go private, Australian's have revealed their worst habits behind the wheel, and a 30km/h speed limit is to be introduced in Melbourne's north. Also, Toyota Australia is wanting to 'make a stand' on CO2 emissions, and the 2019 Ford Territory has been unveiled. Mike Costello reviews the all-new Corolla and discusses July VFACTS. On The Shortlist this week Claire is wanting to replace her Volkswagen Tiguan for a gutsy SUV with a manual gearbox.

Three years after our exclusive chat with Amanda McLaren at the 675LT reveal, we once again had the chance to catch up with the McLaren brand ambassador and daughter of founder, Bruce McLaren, at the launch of the 600LT at Goodwood Festival of Speed. But this time, we got a bit more candid and personal.

On the panel this week is Paul Maric and Scott Collie. In car news, pricing and specs have been released for the Mercedes-Benz X350d, Mazda has announced a five-year unlimited kilometre warranty, a new website helps motorists identify if their car has faulty Takata airbags. Also, a diesel particular filter regeneration switch will be added to the Toyota Landcruiser Prado and HiLux, and a 40km/h limit past emergency services will be trialed in NSW. Trent Nikolic chats about the 2018 Audi R8, and on The Shortlist, Michael is after a diesel AWD car with a big boot. We talk to Winston about his owner review of a 2017 Ford Escape, and Mike Costello speaks to Tim Smith, the Managing Director of SsangYong Australia.

Welcome to the first ever CarAdvice podcast. We'll be on the air weekly with episodes released each Sunday. This week we chat about the latest car news, including the Beijing motor show and some of the reveals from the show. We also talk about the new Ford Mondeo, which James Ward has recently driven. Mike Costello joins us for his family SUV comparison that includes the new Mitsubishi Pajero Sport, Toyota Fortuner, Ford Everest, Nissan Patrol and Isuzu MU-X. We'll chat about the new Pirelli P Zero and Paul Maric's recent trip to Shanghai to test the new tyre.