This new Skoda Scout review covers all aspects of this new, classy SUV. From performance to price…

Skoda Scout: review
http://www.carsguide.com.au/site/news-and-reviews/car-reviews-road-tests/skoda_scout_review?utm_source=carsguide&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=carreviewsroadtests

Think Forester before it morphed into just another high riding SUV and you’ve got the Skoda Scout. That’s not doing the Scout an injustice because as a small wagon with some off road ability it is a very practical and appealing vehicle.

Skoda (VW’s Czech subsidiary) has just added to this appeal with the addition of a ‘manumatic’ robotised manual gearbox that promises swift gear changes and frugal fuel consumption.

There’s just two models — the Scout and better equipped Scout Premium — and they’re both powered by the same 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine. It’s Volkswagen’s 103kW/320Nm direct injection diesel and can be paired with either a six-speed manual or the aforementioned six-speed DSG transmission. It’s the same engine that can be found in the Golf and other models in the Volkswagen range.

Priced from $39,490 the attraction in the case of a Skoda is the opportunity to purchase Volkswagen technology but at a greatly reduced price. The downside, if you can call it that, is Skoda’s low resale values but this will improve as time goes on.

What are your thoughts on the new Skoda Scout? Share below…

The new Audi TTS is certainly a head turner. Oozing Audi panache for the price of a Holden Calais…

Audi TTS: review
http://www.carsguide.com.au/site/news-and-reviews/car-reviews-road-tests/audi_tts_review1?utm_source=carsguide&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=carreviewsroadtests

TRUST me – it doesn’t matter how bad you look in the morning, you’d look sensational in this. This is Max Factor to the max, Revlon at full revs and Rimmel, er, that is guaranteed to swing heads. And probably hips.

The other good thing about the Audi TT – as if you needed another reason – is that it fits your body perfectly without incurring the monstrous cost of some of the more exotic sports cars. Yet it looks exactly like something from the planet Exotica.

VALUE

Just because it will change your sex life, don’t expect it to come cheap. Yes, it’s less expensive than some hot numbers from  Italy and Germany, but at $98,900 it will still make your bank manager cough. Audi makes a staggering eight distinct TT models priced from $65,450 to the stove-hot $139,900 TT RS so you can still get the look from the price of a Holden Calais. The TT S adds more mumbo and more panache – from the two-tone stitched leather seats to the premium sound system and the more powerful engine.

What are your thoughts on the new Audi TTS?

This Mazda BT-50 review and road test leaves no stone unturned. Everything from performance to price is unpacked…

New Mazda BT-50: road test
http://www.carsguide.com.au/site/news-and-reviews/car-reviews-road-tests/new_mazda_bt_50_road_test?utm_source=carsguide&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=carreviewsroadtests

Like it or loathe it, the new Mazda BT-50 ute is here to do business offering tradie and “lifestyle” punters a choice of body styles, three equipment grades, two turbodiesel engines and two transmissions.

The prices for the Thai-made truck range from $32,590 for the XT Freestyle cab-chassis 4×2 manual up to, gulp, $52,710 for the dual cab GT auto. Cheaper single cab-chassis arrives further down the track. Most current BT-50 sales were in base spec’ single cab-chassis to tradies but Mazda wants a larger slice of the lifestyle pie this time putting greater focus on dual cab 4×4.

A new one tonner is a rarity, they only go through generational change once in a blue moon. The new BT-50 marks a decided shift in styling direction away from a utilitarian and boxy workhorse look to a more rounded wedge shape. It’s big (200mm longer than before) and bold and polarising especially around the rear with almond shaped tail lights that leave nobody in doubt it’s a BT-50.

Have you driven, seen, or do you own the new Mazda BT-50? Feel free to share your thoughts below…