CAR SPECS

This week, everything old is new again! VW switch screens for buttons, the price of batteries is going up, and some Americans have made an electric Mustang sound just like a V8 one. Welcome to the new Drive Podcast ! Australia’s number-one automotive podcast! Each week, Trent and our other team members will bring you news, features, reviews and motoring insights. For episode eleven of the podcast , Trent and Josh chat about Volkswagen switching screens for buttons, the price of batteries going up, and the future of the Kia Stinger. You can stream the episode here, or subscribe and listen to the show on your favourite podcast platform: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | OnMy FM | Nine Podcasts Home We are still to receive a correct answer to our Episode 10 quiz too – have a listen and get your answer to askdrive@drive.com.au Next week, Glenn and I are back to chat about dashcams, Jimnys and whether a double-cab ute is the best way to spend nearly $70k. Podcast episode...

Due in 2023, the new-generation Mercedes-Benz E-Class will be the last model to be based on a platform built for traditional engines only – and not electric power – according to a German report. The 2023 Mercedes E-Class will reportedly be the final vehicle from the German luxury car giant based on a platform solely designed to accommodate petrol and diesel engines – and not offer the option of electric power. In an interview with industry publication Automobilwoche , Mercedes-Benz development chief Markus Schäfer said the forthcoming E-Class is the last model developed purely for internal-combustion (petrol and diesel) engines – and not electric power. “As things stand today, the E-Class and its derivatives will be the last Mercedes-Benz model to be created on a pure internal combustion engine platform,” Mr Schäfer said in the translated interview. It’s therefore suggested all future models after the new E-Class will sit on platforms designed for electric and petrol, ...

The iconic Toyota FJ Cruiser is still on sale in South Africa and the Philippines – more than five years after it left Australian and US showrooms, and after its 15-year run in the Middle East is just now coming to an end. Still want to buy a brand-new Toyota FJ Cruiser? It’s possible, but you will need to move to South Africa or the Philippines. Proving that even retro-LandCruisers can outlast modern rivals, Toyota has kept the FJ Cruiser in production in Japan more than five years after it left Australian and US showrooms. Now the Toyota FJ Cruiser has reached the end of the line in the Middle East after a 15-year run, with the company commemorating the model with a special ‘Final Edition’ (pictured). The FJ Cruiser went into production for left-hand drive markets in 2006 as a tribute to Toyota’s early FJ-series LandCruiser from the 1970s. Despite the old-school appearance, it shared its chassis and mechanical components with the then-new Toyota LandCruiser Prado . Ri...

Volkswagen’s new CEO says the German marque is set to bring 10 more electric cars to global showrooms by 2026, adding to its expanding range of battery-powered vehicles. German car giant Volkswagen is set to amp up its electric-car line-up, announcing 10 new battery-powered models are scheduled to launch by 2026. In a post on social media platform LinkedIn , recently-appointed Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schäfer said the car-maker is set to launch an additional 10 electric cars by the end of 2025, adding to its current ‘ID.’ range. Volkswagen’s current electric cars include the ID. Buzz van, the ID.3 hatchback, and the ID.4 and ID.5 SUVs. According to Mr Schäfer, a small car ( reportedly named ID.2 ) and a sporty SUV will make up two of Volkswagen’s 10 new electric vehicles, while the Golf-sized ID.3 hatchback is also set to spawn an SUV off-shoot.  As previously reported , the ID. Aero sedan is expected to launch next year, with the Volkswagen Passat’s electric equiva...

To celebrate the ‘Race That Stops a Nation’, here are the stories behind some of our favourite car logos featuring horses. Horses, an ancient symbol of power and independence. A symbol of nobility, endurance, triumph. A totem of strength and of courage. Above all, horses represent freedom, providing the ability to move unfettered. Humans began domesticating horses over 6000 years ago, putting the large mammal to work. We used them to till the soil, we used them in battle and to haul cargo. Most of all, we used horses as transport, the beasts of burden carrying us over vast distances with endurance and stamina. Horses and transportation have been intrinsically linked for millennia. Whether carrying people on their backs or hauling carts and wagons filled with cargo, horses have long done the heavy lifting for humans. The advent of the automobile in the late 19th century changed transportation forever, the humble yet effective horse and cart making way for the motor car which ...

Despite stock shortages, car makers haven’t pumped the brakes on their new car launch plans. Here’s everything confirmed for launch in Australia in 2022 and beyond. Just 18 months ago, the light seemed to be at the end of the tunnel for the Australian new car market, with regular record sales months suggesting the worst of COVID-19’s impacts had now passed. However, 2021 proved otherwise, with a global semiconductor shortage turning the industry on its head – extending wait times on most new cars by months – compounded by a fresh round of lockdowns. Regardless of whether buyers could get behind the wheel, manufacturers still launched a range of brand-new models, with the headline acts spanning everything from the hotly-anticipated Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series, to the new Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage, Volkswagen Golf and Mitsubishi Outlander. In 2022, there’s no shortage of new metal on the horizon – led by the new Ford Ranger mid-year, and accompanied by a trio of new Nissa...