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Take a trip through the CarAdvice archives... People often say “don’t forget where you came from”. Although we’re focused on every new car, every last detail here at CarAdvice, we have an extensive back-catalogue of news stories, lifestyle yarns and reviews.Here’s a look at what happened on the week of August 14 in years past.15 August 2017: Honda CR-V range reviewAlways a paragon of practicality — as is the brand’s wont — the new CR-V instead brings improvements to the drivetrain, ride and handling, cabin design, and relative value. It also brings to the table a seven-seat option to rival the X-Trail, Mitsubishi Outlander and Skoda Kodiaq – Mike CostelloWatch the video above, and read the written comparison here15 August 2016: MY17 Subaru BRZ revealedTwo years ago saw the Subaru BRZ get its mid-life refresh, brining revised looks, a power bump for manual versions, and an upgraded … [Read more...] about Time Machine Tuesday: 14 August 2018

The slinky all-electric concept bound for Pebble Beach has been previewed once again in new video. A new video has given the world a peek at the upcoming Mercedes-Benz EQ Silver Arrow concept, set to launch at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.Initially previewed as the Aesthetic Progressive Luxury, the slinky concept pays tribute to the legendary Silver Arrows racers of the 1930s. The streamlined racers went head-to-head with Auto Union, regularly hitting more than 300km/h – Rudolf Caracciola even took a W125 to 432.7km/h in 1938.Modern fans of Mercedes-Benz will know the name has more recently been applied to the brand's Formula 1 team.The latest teaser doesn't reveal any further details about what the EQ Silver Arrow will actually represent when it's revealed. There are rumours it'll point the way for a new sporty flagship to the burgeoning EQ sub-brand for Mercedes, although timelines are still up in the air.Previous 'aesthetics' concepts have eventually led to the … [Read more...] about Mercedes-Benz EQ Silver Arrow teased

'A production autonomous vehicle that can go anywhere, anytime isn't available at your local car dealer and won't be for quite some time. We aren't there yet.' The current crop of semi-autonomous driver assists aren't proper substitutes for hands-on attention, according to a new study from the US Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).According to the non-profit's research, current semi-autonomous systems like lane-keeping assist and adaptive cruise control displayed behaviours ranging from "the irksome, such as too-cautious braking, to the dangerous".Five cars were put through their paces as part of the tests: a BMW 5 Series, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Volvo S90, Tesla Model 3 and Tesla Model S. Their adaptive cruise control systems were put through their paces on a track, with the goal of finding out how they handled stopped cars, cars leaving their lane, and the way the accelerate/decelerate.The first test involved driving at 50km/h towards a stationary car with adaptive cruise … [Read more...] about Semi-autonomous systems ‘aren’t robust substitutes for human drivers’

MPV. SUV. LCV. Three acronyms. Three different styles of vehicle designed to shift large families. The Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV) camp is represented by the Kia Carnival that accounts for about half of all people-mover sales in Australia. Released in 2015 in third-generation form, the Korean eight-seater has been given an update for 2018. Wearing the seven-seater Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) badge is the second-generation Mazda CX-9 introduced in 2016. Okay, technically, the Volkswagen Multivan is also an MPV, but we’re putting it in the Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) camp as ostensibly it’s a multi-seat variant of the Transporter van. Our specific Kombi 70 Special Edition is a new variant of the latest-generation Multivan released in 2015, marking 70 years since the world’s most famous campervan was first previewed. Think of it as more of a retro tribute rather than a spiritual successor (which is tabled for a 2022 release and previewed by the I.D Buzz concept). The … [Read more...] about 2018 Kia Carnival v Mazda CX-9 v Volkswagen Multivan Kombi 70 comparison

New electric hatchback spied with only a few minor exterior changes. The upcoming Mini Electric hatchback has been spied undergoing evaluation on public roads in southern Europe.The prototype features a grille element with only a small horizontal air opening, and no tailpipe. On the inside, the car has a small completely digital instrumentation screen ahead of the driver and a different transmission shifter.Unlike the 2017 Mini Electric Concept, the prototype doesn't feature Pac Man-style headlight graphics, Union Jack tail-lights, or alloy wheels with fibreglass inserts.We do expect some of the electric hatchback's finer details to be altered in the lead up to its launch, because last month the company teased production car's grille and alloy wheels, and those pieces look remarkably similar to the ones used by the concept.BMW and Mini have yet to announce details about the electric Mini's drivetrain, although one line of thought points towards it sharing key components with the … [Read more...] about 2019 Mini Electric spied inside and out

PLUS, M5 and B5 compared, and the silliest Cygnet driven. When we're not creating it ourselves, the CarAdvice team spends a lot of time finding and consuming motoring content from all over the world.Here's a handful of the articles, videos and social media posts that most caught our eye last week. Some of them are brand-new, others have been online for a while.Enjoy them – just not too much, okay?2019 Ford Mustang Bullitt review – Matt Farah, TheSmokingTyreIt shares its name with a movie that came out in the Johnson administration. Unlike that movie, this car is good.The limited-edition Mustang Bullitt won't hit our shores until October, but if you can't wait to hear what the green Pony is like, Matt Farah from TheSmokingTyre has published a 'One Take' video review and a written version on the US's Road & Track.Read his thoughts hereBefore they were called 'Automobiles', cars had a lot of terrible names – Elizabeth … [Read more...] about Around the Tracks: Mustang Bullitt reviewed, funny car names

Could it be the EU-spec Ranger Raptor? Or is something else on the way? Ford of Europe has confirmed it will be revealing a "new performance vehicle" at the Gamescom convention in Cologne, Germany, which commences on August 21.Not much else has been officially confirmed about the new model, though the Blue Oval says the vehicle is "for drivers and gamers", that "promises to bring the fun back to on- and off-road driving".Going by the latter statement, and the fact the accompanying image is a Ranger Raptor (top), it seems Ford plans to reveal a Euro-market version of the Ranger Raptor at the video game convention.The new model will also be "added to a forthcoming video game", indicating a virtual debut for the ute is coming soon as well.In addition to the new model reveal, Ford's stand in Hall 8 will give visitors the opportunity to "test their driving skills on eight racing pods and a special 4D driving simulator".Stay tuned to CarAdvice for our coverage later this month.MORE: Ford … [Read more...] about Ford teases ‘new performance vehicle’ for Gamescom reveal

Electric car maker being taken to task about claims it has secured funding to go private Two class-action lawsuits have been filed against Tesla and its outspoken CEO Elon Musk, who announced on Wednesday the company had "secured" funding to delist itself. It has also been reported the company is under investigation from authorities over these claims.According to Reuters, the separate lawsuits by Kalman Isaacs and William Chamberlain accuse Tesla and Musk of issuing statements that are in violation of securities law, artificially boosting the stock price, and putting a squeeze on short sellers.Issacs claims Musks statements were false and misleading, and were a "nuclear attack" designed specifically to "completely decimate" people who have shorted Tesla's stock.On Wednesday Musk tweeted: "Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured."The company later published an email sent by Musk to the company's employees outlining how the company might be taken private, but … [Read more...] about Tesla, Elon Musk sued and official enquiries made over Twitter claims

With much of the disguise removed, we finally get a good look at the brand's first high volume electric car Along with the exterior of the Mercedes-Benz EQC, our spy photography agency has managed to snap the first pictures of the electric crossover's interior.Unlike earlier prototypes, we can now see the final shape of the headlight units, grille and bumpers.With flush-fitting trim pieces and a healthy absence of fake vents, the EQC's front-end looks pretty aerodynamic for a crossover, although it's nowhere near as futuristic as the "black panel" design featured on the 2016 Generation EQ concept.The side of the prototype doesn't look a world-removed from the concept car, although it does feature proper door handles and wing mirrors.Around the back, the EQC has a slim set of tail-lights, although it's not clear whether they're full-width units like those used on the concept.Although much of the cabin is hidden behind protective shrouds, the black slab housing the high-resolution … [Read more...] about 2020 Mercedes-Benz EQC spied with less camouflage, interior photographed too

Architecture reduction will reportedly help reduce costs and development times Hau Thai-Tang, head of product development and purchasing at Ford, told attendees at 2018 J.P. Morgan Auto Conference in New York about the company's new platform portfolio plan as part of its drive to cut US$25.5 billion ($34.3 billion) from costs between now and 2025.Ford's latest platform plan follows on from the successful One Ford strategy implemented by former CEO Alan Mulally during his reign, which began in 2006.During the One Ford years, the company reduced its architecture count from 30 to nine. This, along with mortgaging everything before the Global Financial Crisis hit, is widely credited for helping the automaker avoid bankruptcy, something its crosstown rivals were unable to manage.The five modular platforms will be:Rear- and all-wheel drive body-on-frame for pickup trucks and utesRear- and all-wheel drive unibody, which should appear first on the next-generation Ford ExplorerFront- and … [Read more...] about Ford to move to just five global modular platforms