Singing the Blues over Merc Trial

Strong performer: There are many positive aspects  to the Mercedes-Benz E250CDi.

The Mercedes-Benz E250CDi has been kicking around the office for a couple of months and we have chalked up more than 5000km in the sleek, four-door beast.

Add Comment

Wicket ute

Cop bait: The F6 ute packs a punch like a rocketship.

The F6 ute is an outstanding car that could make "green" tinged people cringe.

Add Comment

Hatch supremo

Impressive award-winner: Volkswagen’s Golf GTI is one of the best.

Volkswagen's Golf GTI hot hatch lives up to its name and reputation.

Add Comment

Street savy

Edgy: The styling of the ix35 is a stand-out.

The Hyundai ix35 is a big step forward for the Korean car maker.

Add Comment

Hybrid racer unveiled

Innovative: The new GT3 R Hybrid brings new technology to race cars.

Porsche featured its radical new GT3 race car with hybrid drive at the Geneva Motor Show this week.

Add Comment

Formula Vees rev up

ENTHUSIASTS will be able to enjoy the rare spectacle of single-seater car racing at Mareeba in three months.

Add Comment

Buff Triumphs with sports car

TRIUMPH sports car enthusiast Michael Klaassen has stumbled across and acquired a piece of Australian motorsport history.

Model T Ford restored to glory

THE Gordonvale owner of one of the most famous Fords of all time has given some tender loving care to 'Tin Lizzie' just four years short of her centenary.

View Comments

Grand tourer

Three flavours: BMW’s Grand Turismo comes in three styles.

At almost 5m long, BMW's 5 Series GT is no shrinking violet.

Add Comment

Silver express

Everyone wins: The Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG Estate is a car both mum and dad will love.

Driving the fastest family station wagon in Australia is mind-blowing.

Add Comment

Born to be wild

Maxed: The Camaro 2SS is priced around $135,000 plus on-road costs and charges.

Queensland outfit Performax International has beaten Holden to the punch with Australia's first right hook Chevy Camaro.

Add Comment

Ross Dunkerton backs motor show

ONE of the legends of Australian rallying, Ross Dunkerton, is throwing his support behind a new motor show in the Far North.

Add Comment

3-day power test

Hot competion: Nicole Tremain’s 1972 Holden LC Torana is one of the 800 street machines competing at the 2010 Powercruise at Eastern Creek Raceway.

If you are into modified cars, you will not want to miss Powercruise at Eastern Creek Raceway.

View Comments

Dualis in front with upgrade

Upgrade: Nissan’s Dualis crossover hatch comes with plenty of extras.

Nissan's Dualis crossover hatch won't win any beauty contest but scratch the surface and things start looking up.

Add Comment

Golf wagon aloft

New addition: Volkswagen’s new family-style Golf Wagon is more economical to drive.

Volkswagen has filled a rare niche with a quality small family wagon

Add Comment

WIN TV reception fails Top Gear fans

FAR Northern Top Gear fans have been left seething after many were unable to watch the show's debut on WIN TV because of reception problems.

View Comments

Covers off frugal Coupe

Unveiled: VW Coupe sprints to 100km/h in 8.6 seconds, with fuel consumption of only 4.2 litres/100km.

Volkswagen whipped the covers off a new coupe with heaps of appeal at the recent Detroit Motor Show.

Add Comment

Silence of the Cams

So much more: The Hybrid Camry is quieter than the standard petrol model and provides a better ride, handling and slightly better acceleration.

One of the most impressive aspects of Toyota's new Hybrid Camry is how quiet it is.

Add Comment

Cairns motorists in Toyota Prius recall

THIRTEEN Toyota Prius hybrid cars in Cairns are part of a global recall of the make to fix a brake pedal feel problem.

Add Comment

Cairns taxis first off rank with Toyota Hybrid Camry

THE first petrol-electric car built in Australia, the Toyota Hybrid Camry being launched in Melbourne today, is expected to be snapped up by Cairns' taxi operators.

Santa Fe steps up

Urban assault: Hyundai’s Sante Fe is good value for money.

Hyundai's Sante Fe SUV is destined to be one of the great improvers of 2010

Add Comment

Hotshot in the cold

A hottie: The new Golf R is a hot hatch.

Volkswagen's new hottie, the Golf R, sports a turbocharged four-cylinder engine just like the incredibly popular GTI.

Add Comment

Dream TV episode for Italians

<strong>Perfect landscape: </strong>Italian film makers Emerson Gattafoni and Valeria Cagnoni have shot an episode of the Far North that will be shown in September to 2.5 million viewers in Italy. Picture: CHRIS HYDE

ITALIANS will soon get a guided tour of the Far North from the comfort of their living rooms. 

Add Comment

Cairns dealers look to better year

MOTOR dealers in Cairns are hopeful of a brighter 2010 after new vehicle sales last year fell by nearly 15 per cent.

Mazda6 facelift

Classy upgrade: The new-look Mazda6 is due to arrive in Australia in autumn.

Mazda Australia has confirmed Australia's favourite imported medium car, Mazda6, will receive a facelift in 2010 with the new range adding design and specification upgrades and an all-new Touring wagon.

Add Comment

Falcons are still flying

Sticking around: Ford says the Falcon’s future in Australia hasn’t changed.

The car that has served Australia since 1960 is not doomed, Ford says.

Add Comment

Serious SUV

All-rounder: The Mitsubishi Challenger is smooth both on and off the beaten track.

There's nothing soft about the latest Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) from Mitsubishi.

Add Comment

Cairns used car bonanza

Westco dealer principal Chris King

GOOD quality used vehicles at the right price are about to hit the market in Cairns.

Santa fe ahead of the pack

New changes: Santa Fe has received a mild facelift inside and out.

Hyunda's mid-size SUV receives more kit and some clever practical features in its latest update.

Add Comment

The future is here

Preview: Check out what's new in 2010.

Here are some of the newcomers that will draw buyers to showrooms in 2010.

Add Comment

Irelands offers driver training

MORE than 2400 Far Northern drivers will receive free training to improve their driving skills this year.

Add Comment

Golf sales rise on the cards

VOLKSWAGEN Golf sales are expected to spike in the Far North following the vehicle being named Wheels Car of the Year this week.

Add Comment

Cairns car group's $7m expansion

A $7 million expansion by the Trinity Auto Group includes a new dealership at Portsmith and new showrooms in the inner city.

Add Comment

Falcon fans rally to save Aussie car

<strong>Rally:</strong> Owners of a variety of Falcon models drove from Cairns to Port Douglas yesterday in a bid to show Ford management the level of support for retaining the Falcon as an Australian-built car. Picture: SEAN DAVEY

IF the Australian-built Ford Falcon is to be replaced by an American-built car, it won't be through lack of trying to prevent the move by a group of diehard Far Northern Falcon fans.

View Comments

Cairns to test plug-in Prius

ONE of the first plug-in electric cars in Australia will undergo testing in Cairns later this year.

Add Comment

Cairns dealer tops in regional Australia

A CAIRNS luxury car dealer has been named the best regional Lexus dealership in Australia.

Add Comment

BMW rolls out diesel

BMW has started an aggressive diesel roll-out, with 10 new 1 and 3 series models.

Add Comment

Massive Cairns auto event planned

<strong>Promoters:</strong> Pedro Martinho (left) Tobia Kipper and motor sports competitor Colin Thompson are excited about the Motorshow NQ 2010 planned for late June next year.             Picture: SEAN DAVEY

THE first economy drive in the Far North will be a feature of a motoring extravaganza next year. 

Add Comment

Cairns car dealers brace for sales surge

CAR dealers are expecting a mad scramble as small business owners leave signing up for a new vehicle under the Federal Government's 50 per cent tax break to the last minute.

Add Comment

Cairns taxis to snap up hybrid Camry

CAIRNS taxi drivers are expected to soon start using this newly unveiled Australian-built hybrid car.

View Comments

Riding with Charley

<strong>Charley in Port:</strong> More information about touring Far North Queensland is available at cairnsgreatbarrierreef.org.au

THERE he goes, being a right Charley. Or rather doing a Charley, his trademark rolling wheelstand on the BMW R1200GS as we thunder up the hill toward the Rex Lookout north of Cairns on the Captain Cook Highway.

Add Comment

VW golf is the stand-out best

VW Golf

THE Volkswagen Golf has topped a field of more than 100 new arrivals in Australia over the past year to be named 2009 Carsguide Car of the Year,.

Add Comment

Motoco opens $1m showroom

MOTOR dealer Motoco Group Cairns has completed the first of its $1 million-plus expansion plans.

Add Comment

Golf full of sporty performance

OUTRIGHT power and all-wheel drive isn't necessarily the "be all to end all" in the sporty small car game.

Good looks, cheap price

THE most amazing thing about Great Wall's new 4WD is the price.

Add Comment

Standout sports star

A SPORTS car has emerged as the standout of the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show.

$642,500 home with the lot

Fully equipped: David Berryman with the $642,500 Winnebago Classic motorhome and (inset) the home’s interior.

A Cairns car salesman has made a 5000km round trip to deliver his biggest sale ever - a $642,500 luxury motorhome.

Add Comment

Spark back in Holden line-up

Top model: Engine performance and efficiency is improved on the SIDI.

SIDI is the winner in the Model Year 2010 Holden Commodore.

Add Comment

Put yourself behind the wheel

Rare opportunity:  Here’s your chance to drive the 2010 Range Rover Vogue Autobiography turbo-diesel V8.

The grand daddy of Range Rovers has arrived in Cairns for exclusive test drives.

Add Comment

Tuscan slick city option


Versatile: The Tucson is perfect for people who want a good-size vehicle that does not look like a people mover but delivers a spacious load at an easily accessed height.

Value for money, simplicity and sensibility sum up Hyundai's Tucson City SUV.

Add Comment

City dealers turn on the savings

Great deal: Drive away in a BMW 320D at Westco BMW for $67,990.

It's a good time to negotiate some good deals on new and demonstrator stock at the city's six main franchise dealers this weekend.

Add Comment

Sporty Elfin offers big market appeal

Red alert: Ireland’s of Cairns is banking on the Elfin two-seater sports cars to turn heads in the Far North and generate overseas visitor interest.

The sale of Australian-built sports cars in Cairns is having a tourism export spin-off.

Add Comment

Focus on driving skills

On track: Peter Roggenkamp is behind the city's first purpose-built driver training facility.

Plans for the Far North's first purpose-built driver training facility deserve the support of the State Government, the Cairns Regional Council, motoring enthusiasts, the motor industry and the public in general.

Add Comment

Full of zest

All boxes ticked: The striking looks of the Z4 are matched in the dispatch department as well as in the steering, handling and braking stakes.

BMW has hardened up its Z4 roadster but at the same time made it more attractive to posers as well.

Add Comment

Aussie specific Merc unveiled

Just for us: Mercedes-Benz has tailored specifications on the E 63 specifically to suit Australian conditions.

The eagerly awaited Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG Sedan is being rushed to Australia following its Frankfurt debut.

Add Comment

Sporty Italian wins heart of Cairns teen

Love at fi rst sight: Luke Holm with his sporty Alfa Romeo GTV.

A hot-blooded Italian has won the heart of teenage motoring enthusiast Luke Holm of Mt Sheridan.

Add Comment

Best deals from showrooms

Great buy: Drive away in a  Mazda CX-7 at Westco Mazda for $46,950.

Shop around this weekend for the best deals in new cars, station wagons, SUVs, utes and four-wheel-drives at the city's franchise dealers.

Add Comment

Grand tourer

Beach work: The cars take to the sand at Cardwell.

Porsche has blended a high-powered sports car and a luxury four-door package with the economy of a four-cylinder car.

Add Comment

Avoiding Skippy

Secret's out: The top secret Porsche being filmed at Port Douglas last week is believed to be the hybrid version of the Cayenne SUV.pedestrians and automatically brake a car to avoid hitting them.

Nightmare comes true for seasoned driver.

Add Comment

Swedes good sports

Extra boost: The Volvo S40 T5 AWD is packed full of features.

Cool, calm and collected sums up Volvo's sporty Swedish sedan.

Add Comment

Bigger Liberty safer and quieter

Subaru has introduced generation five of the medium-size Liberty sedan and wagon, reports Peter Barnwell. 

Add Comment

Cool Cruising

Imagine driving a car from Port Douglas to Clifton Beach without braking, changing gears or touching the accelerator, reports NICK DALTON.

Add Comment

Swedish roadshow

Flagship: There's a rare chance to get behind the wheel of the pinnacle of the Volvo range in Australia, the $98,950 V8-powered S80 all-wheel-drive sedan at Trinity Volvo through this week.

THE Volvo Roadshow is back in Cairns with buyers able to experience some models not normally available in Cairns.

Add Comment

Road trip rates highway

THE state of the Bruce Highway from Cairns to Brisbane comes under the spotlight next week when The Cairns Post heads south on a three-day audit of the national roadway.

View Comments

Spark smashes petrol demands

Direct injection: The new 
Commodore V6 SIDI uses as little as 9.3-litres/100km in mixed driving, into the sevens on the highway.

Holden is smashing a fuel guzzling misperception head on with its new Spark Ignition Direct Injection Commodore V6s.

Add Comment

Ready for take off

Speed comes easily: Audi’s RS6 Avant reaches 100km/h in 4.6 seconds, with a top speed hitting 300km/h.

The RS in Audi's RS6 super wagon should mean "rocket ship".

Add Comment

Lakeside heyday revisted

Welcome return: Dick Johnson’s restored 1984 Australian Touring Car Championship-winning Greens-Tuff Falcon will be a highlight of the Lakeside Classic Speedfest.

The halcyon days of the Lakeside circuit, when Dick Johnson ruled and the circuit was the scene of some of the greatest touring car battles ever, will be re-lived later this month.

Add Comment

Wide choice of dealer savings

Time to buy: There are some fantastic savings at Cairns' dealerships.

Therr's a mixture of utes, four-wheel-drives, sporty sedans and luxury vehicles among the specials at the city's franchise dealers this week.

Add Comment

Fuel-thrifty Freelander 2

Start saving: The Freelander has achieved 20 per cent fuel savings in the stop-start nature of urban traffic.

Land Rover's greenest vehicle, the Freelander 2 TD4 e, also is its cheapest.

Add Comment

Driving madness

Traffic turmoil: Drivers in Indonesia and Thailand seem to make their own road rules.

Dirivng in Indonesia and Thailand is like being in the movie Fast and Furious.

Add Comment

Crossing barriers

Volvo value: The base model XC60 turbodiesel D5 is priced from $57,950.

Volvo's crossover wagons are proving to be the marque's best sellers in Australia.

Add Comment