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© John Cadogan
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AutoExpert is all about cars from Australian automotive expert, journalist and engineer John Cadogan
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Mitsubishi's implementation of so-called 'driver assistance' technology is among the worst - in the latest models - and there is STIFF competition.I'm talking about ADAS - 'Advanced Driver Assistance Systems'. Although the first 'A' should more rightly be changed to 'annoying'.This is what happens when ANCAP pretends it's the dog, and carmakers act like the tail - driving is just about ruined as a satisfying experience.
I recently had the chance to catch up with the top engineer at Nulon (which used to be wholly Australian but is now owned by German chemical giant, Fuchs). What I learned at their headquarters in south-western Sydney basically inverted everything I thought I knew about additives - I even started using two particular kinds, with a view to heading off two particular modern engine problems.
Polestar erected a glorified plywood box inside the Volvo dealership in Penrith the other day. (Next to a floodway and snake swamp.) Apparently it's all part of saving the planet, of course. And - obviously - s-o-o-o-o incredibly newsworthy.
Vested interest is a conflict of interest, right? When a publisher is in bed with a carmaker, their review does (at best) quite a poor job serving the interests of you, the potential car buyer, in the audience. Thus, trust evaporates (but the publisher cops a big, fat earn).
Kia Tasman drives really well, has great powertrain integration, a classy interior, a great rear seat, a big tray, and heaps of cabin space.Unfortunately, that's insufficient to overcome its rampant ugliness, its mediocre engine and its sky-high pricetag, so people aren't buying it.Good news, if you want a big discount.
Hyundai cannot (seemingly) successfully sell, in particular the IONIQ 6 - so they've slashed the price. This is good for you if you're in the market for one, but of course it's bad for you if you already paid the full price for one.
Kia Tasman is - let's be kind - one of the most distinctive utes launched in 2025. Its aesthetics are contentious, the price is high, and the engine is ... mediocre.But in this video I take a look at how it's actually screwed, bolted and welded together. Did they do a decent job sticking the Tasman together?
Here's how you clean out your chassis and underbody components generally - after a thrash through the salt and mud.
The ACT (Australian Capital Territory) has a 'net zero' fire truck. Predictably enough, it's prohibitively expensive, and it doesn't work. Therefore, it lives up to its name, offering net-zero capability. Apart from that, though - it's all good.
Ford has released price and specs for the Ranger Super Duty - but it's not all good news.
The government's New Vehicle Efficiency Standard has forced Isuzu to up it's game ... a little
It really is pretty simple - get you car serviced on time, or when it clocks the distance, whichever occurs first - but some people continue to wilfully misunderstand...
During a recent crash test, the driver's seat in the MG3 just started to snap off - the first such failure in decades of crash testing.This basically answers every conceivable question about quality with respect to that car, and also all the questions regarding whether or not buying one is a good idea.
Fitting the genuine bullbar to your Kia Tasman seems like a no-brainer: It helps overcome one of the vehicle's main weaknesses (it looks terrible). But if you do that, some of the vehicle's advanced safety systems will cease to function ... so there's that.
The Kia Tasman has three attributes that are killing its sales:It's ugly AFIt's got a mediocre engineIt's over-pricedAnd hence it doesn't sell. You cannot do much about 1 & 2 (OK - you could give it an 'ARB facelift' but the fact that it's not selling gives you tremendous leverage on the price - if you're brash enough to exploit it.
Hertz has started using AI scanners to detect damage to rental cars when they are returned by customers. Predictably enough, the scanners are so good that they detect damage, even if it doesn't exist - of course.
What can you do when the dealership botches your oil change? Here's a real-life example of exactly rhis cavalcade of incompetence.
In the mad rush to embrace net zero, we're failing to implement safeguards for the most basic and foreseeable catastrophes - it's just a matter of time before someone is injured - or worse.
OK - so maybe the new warranty is seven years, kind of. But there is a list of caveats. It's substantial...
After dieselgate and gassing those poor monkeys, you'd think they'd pull their heads in, but, no. Volkswagen is the same dog, only with a new trick. Hopefully it won't catch on.
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