2017 TOYOTA TACOMA TRD PRO FIRST LOOK

The 2015 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro arrived just before the midsize truck was updated for 2016, and the Japanese automaker wasted no time following up with the off-road-focused model for 2017. Debuting at the 2016 Chicago Auto Show, the off-road-ready 2017 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro is based on the Tacoma TRD Off-Road 4×4 Double Cab Short Bed model.

Update from the 2016 Chicago Auto Show: Toyota group Vice President Bill Fay says Toyota sold about 1,200 2015 TRD Pros, and he expects to sell twice as many 2017s, which enter production in August. “It’s been a real halo vehicle that is attracting a younger, mostly male audience of more affluent buyers. The TRD Pro helps us brand our 4×4 vehicles. There’s not a lot of volume, but it adds a nice dimension to the offerings we sell.”

2016 Skoda Rapid Spaceback Monte Carlo Review

There’s a lot to like about the idea of a small wagon. Subaru won plenty of fans in the late 1990s and early 2000s with the Impreza hatch, and now, arguably one of the most ‘Euro’ of European small wagons, the Skoda Rapid Spaceback, has been has been updated for 2016.

First confirmed for our market back in July 2015, the Skoda Rapid Spaceback tested here is the flagship Monte Carlo (named for the iconic rally that dates back to 1911).

Priced up to $7800 above the entry-level Skoda Rapid Spaceback, the Rapid Monte Carlo is available in two guises: one manual, one automatic.

Spend $22,990 (before on-road costs) and you get the same 81kW/175Nm Euro 6-compliant turbocharged 1.2-litre four-cylinder and six-speed manual transmission as the base model.

Lash out the $25,790 (before on-road costs) for the Steel Grey car pictured here, though, and you step up to a 1.4-litre Euro 6-compliant turbo-four with 92kW of power at 5000rpm and 200Nm between 1500-4000rpm. You also gain an extra gear, with the larger capacity engine buddied up to a seven-speed dual-clutch DSG automatic transmission.

2016 Isuzu D MAX LS Terrain 4×4 Dual Cab Ute Review

Keeping things simple in a changing market can be difficult.

Considering there are more than 200 choices available to buyers looking for a new dual-cab ute in Australia, it is reassuring to know that the Isuzu D-Max has stayed relatively true to its no-nonsense workhorse heritage.

We say ‘relatively’ true as the 2016 Isuzu D-Max LS-Terrain is the dressed-up and lightly flashy top-spec model.

Things are going well for Isuzu in Australia: the brand has seen annual sales grow by almost 26 per cent in 2015, and 4×4 pickup models have almost doubled in sales since 2013.

New Volvo S90 Oficially

Volvo has finally unveiled the highly-anticipated S90, at a special event in Gothenburg, Sweden.

The Swedish automaker is better known for its SUVs and estates, but now with the launch of the S90 makes a giant step up into the premium sedan segment. The new car is a stylish and attractive sedan with a low roofline, and sits on the same scalable architecture as XC90 SUV, that makes it slightly longer and wider than its predecessor, the S80. The S90 features the same Thor’s Hammer LED daytime running lights introduced with the XC90, and C-shaped LED taillights at the back.

Inside the new Volvo S90 comes equipped with the Sensus Connect touchscreen for the infotainment system and a fully digital instrument cluster and minimal amount of buttons.

2016 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport Review

It’s a segment that barely existed in Australia several years ago — an off-road capable SUV based on a commercial vehicle. But, fast-forward to today and the segment includes vehicles like the Ford Everest, Toyota Fortuna, Holden Colorado 7, Isuzu MU-X and now, the Triton-based 2016 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport.

2016 Volvo V60 Cross Country Review

The description ‘rough and tumble’ has slipped casually into CarAdvice vernacular in an attempt to square up a once unorthodox set of vehicle specifications tailored to suit the unorthodox needs of particular buyers.

How many so-claimed ‘needs’ are actually non-essential ‘wants’ can be hotly debated, though there’s little argument that Volvo played a big part in pioneering plastic wheel-arched, jacked-up, wagon-esque not-really-off-roaders, perhaps with trekking into the Arctic north of the carmaker’s Gothenburg HQ in the forefront of product planners’ minds.