CAR ADVICE

There was a lucky escape for basketball players – and the driver of an out-of-control Mercedes hatchback – after it crashed through the wall of a sports centre in Belgium. A speeding Mercedes-Benz hatchback has crashed in spectacular fashion in Belgium, launching through a roundabout and flying through the wall of a basketball sports centre. The accident, captured on CCTV, occurred just after a practice session had finished, and the players were in the changing room. The crash caused significant structural damage to the building after impacting the top section of the gym wall. According to Google Maps, the distance from the roundabout to the gymnasium is approximately 50 metres, almost twice the length of a basketball court. Excessive speed was clearly a factor in the crash. Photos shared on social media platform Twitter show extensive damage to both the car and the sports centre – and illustrate the distance between the roundabout and the building wall. Bloody goo...

The joke is on you, news cycle. We beat you to it! We’re big fans of an April Fool story here at Drive, with the annual ‘prank’ day one of the best at getting the team’s creative and comedic juices flowing. Sometimes we hit, sometimes we miss… but occasionally our satire is a little close to home. Here are five times our April Fool jokes have come true… 2016 – Ford Ranger PHEV Back in 2016 we shoved an extension cord into the front fender of a PXII Ranger and ‘faked’ a spy photo, but in 2024 we can do it for real! The new-generation Ford Ranger is expected to arrive with a plug-in variant next year, allowing the ute to minimise fuel consumption around the city but still manage long distance towing and touring without compromises to range. Read the original April Fool here Read about the forthcoming Ford Ranger PHEV 2017 – The Landwind Labrador Sport The new Landwind SUV, which was inspired by the design of the Land Rover Discovery Sport, seemed to have a ridiculo...

In the market for a new family car in 2023? One of these picks might just hit the spot.  In 2023, Australia’s best family cars have to work harder than ever. It now goes beyond just child seats and big boots, with modern-day buyers craving impressive fuel economy, advanced safety technology, low ongoing ownership costs and powertrains that don’t sacrifice driver enjoyment.  Thankfully, carmakers are answering the call with some seriously family-friendly offerings, providing powertrains and specification grades to suit every lifestyle and budget.  Luckily, the Drive team had the opportunity to narrow down the plethora of appealing options to a sharp shortlist during our testing for the 2023 Drive Car of the Year .  Here are our picks for the best family cars of the moment… Best medium SUV for families: Nissan X-Trail The long-anticipated new Nissan X-Trail was worth the wait – providing family buyers with a poised, practical and premium-feeling medium S...

Slowing down cars to less than walking pace is a smarter solution to banning them, one council Australian council believes. One Australian council says it has come up with the solution to the road toll in its region: 0km/h speed limits. The Manningside Regional Council says banning cars and trucks is impractical, but will soon begin a second round of trials with a speed limit reduction. “Our pilot trial found that reducing the speed limit from 50 to zero kilometres-per-hour resulted in a 97 per cent reduction in the road toll within our council area,” Mayor Karen Smithee told Drive. “We make no apologies for putting our residents’ wellbeing ahead of the wants and needs of local hoons.” While the Federal Government mandates the Australian Design Rules for new cars, and state governments set rules for which cars can (and cannot) be registered, local councils set speed limits for all local roads – excluding freeways. “Manningside welcomes tourists via the freeway, but we ask ...

Supply of three of Skoda’s four best-selling models are about to improve, after extended stock shortages and production slowdowns. New batches of Skoda Octavia mid-size cars, Kamiq small SUVs and Karoq mid-size SUVs are en route to Australian showrooms, after years of production delays in the wake of COVID-19 and semiconductor shortages. Skoda has confirmed new stocks of the Kamiq , Octavia and Karoq are available to order now, ahead of the arrival of the first examples soon “entering dealerships”. The company is aiming to have stock of key models in the country for near-immediate delivery, depending on colour and variant – or if a customer wants a particular specification, wait times for custom orders of less than six months. It follows consistent stock shortages since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic three years ago – and the war in Ukraine over the past 12 months – including recent shortages for the Octavia due to a lack of reversing cameras. “Specification that ma...

A learner driver has learned the hard way after being caught drunk driving in Melbourne last night. A learner driver has been caught overnight with an alleged blood-alcohol concentration of 0.268 – more than five times over the limit for a fully-licenced driver. Victoria Police says the 26-year-old woman from Werribee in Melbourne’s west was driving unaccompanied, despite only holding a learner’s permit and requiring a fully-licenced driver to sit next to them. Highway Patrol officers observed the woman’s car allegedly driving with no headlights on Sydney Road in Fawkner in Melbourne’s north at approximately 8:10pm. After being intercepted, the woman’s learner’s permit was immediately suspended. While learner drivers are required to have a blood-alcohol concentration of zero, fully-licenced drivers are allowed to drive with a BAC level of up to 0.05. Police say the woman is expected to be charged on summons in relation to drink driving and other traffic matters. The post...

Victoria has introduced clearer guidelines for how drivers – and passengers – can use mobile phones, smart watches and other digital distractions. UPDATE: An important read as new laws come into play today. New driver distraction laws are being introduced in Victoria from 31 March 2023, with revised rules clarifying how motorists can use mobile phones, tablets, smart watches, and built-in infotainment screens, among other technology. As before, hand-held mobile phones cannot be used while driving, but the revised laws now bring ‘mounted’ mobile phones and tablets into line with the use of built-in infotainment and navigation screens installed on most modern cars. If a device has been mounted in the vehicle (in a cradle designed for the purpose or as part of the infotainment system), drivers can briefly touch it to: initiate, accept or reject an audio call play or stream audio material adjust volume levels use a function on the device designed to assist you to operate the...

The first examples of the new Ford F-150 destined for Australian showrooms will soon roll off the US production line ahead of local right-hand-drive conversions before deliveries start mid-year. US production of the first examples of the 2023 Ford F-150 destined for Australian showrooms will soon ramp up ahead of local conversions and deliveries from the middle of this year. Ford Australia CEO Andrew Birkic told media this week the F-150 program was “in full swing,” with the first stage of production about to begin in Dearborn, Michigan before the vehicles are shipped to Australia to be remanufactured in right-hand-drive. “F-150 is in full swing – so, very close in terms of production out of North America,” Mr Birkic said. “A lot of work happening out at Merrifield [in Melbourne’s north], at the RMA facility that will be doing the [remanufacturing on behalf of Ford].” MORE: 2023 Ford F-150 price and specs: US top-selling pick-up to start from $106,950 The F-150 –...

The Mazda MX-30 will undergo a small tweak to its paint options and interior equipment in the second half of 2023. The 2024 Mazda MX-30 is due to receive minor exterior and interior updates during the second half of this year, the car maker has confirmed. Announced for Japan late last year, the mild update for the MX-30 will be the first for Mazda’s small SUV since it arrived in Australia in April 2021, though the changes are limited to altered exterior paint options and a revised gear shifter. Since the Mazda MX-30 was launched in Australia, the hybrid G20e Astina and electric E35 Astina variants have been available with three ‘tri-tone’ paint finishes as a cost option. These have mixed black lower body cladding with Ceramic grey paint and a grey roof, Polymetal Grey paint and a silver roof, and Soul Red Crystal paint and a grey roof. For the Model Year 2024 MX-30, the Ceramic and Polymetal options are expected to be replaced by a pair of two-tone finishes – Jet Black (...

Our Christmas list just got a lot shorter and more specific. As they say in the classics, shut up and take our money! Have you ever felt the excitement on Christmas morning of opening your present to find an AFX slot-car set? Multiply that feeling by infinity as you can now buy what is possibly the greatest slot-car race track ever conceived. It might also be one of the most expensive slot-car tracks ever sold, as the auction – live now on US-based Bring a Trailer – is up to a bid of $US80,000 ($AU120,000) as of writing with no reserve and six days still to go. This 1:32 scale race track diorama not only depicts the Le Mans 24-hour race from the 1971 Steve McQueen movie of the same name, but it is also housed inside a replica Porsche 917 race car, sporting the same number-20 roundel and Gulf Racing blue and orange livery seen in the film. This is the car that McQueen’s character, Michael Delaney, crashes in the film’s 1970 race. If you haven’t seen it, enjoy...