Coupes under $50k
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- Best coupes under $50k
Whether you’re just starting to drive or heading into a mid-life crisis, coupes appeal to all of us. Luckily, these days you don’t need to spend big money to enjoy the thrills of the swept-back driving experience.
While you are able to buy a Subaru BRZ or Toyota 86 for less than $40,000, choices start to expand once you’re shopping under the $50,000 so let’s start there.
Toyota 86
It is getting a little long in the tooth, but the Toyota 86/Subaru BRZ combo still offers sports car thrills for an affordable price. Available in manual or automatic with a choice of specification levels, the Toyota 86 has stood the test of time despite external pressure to fill it with extra power.
Mazda MX-5
With the nameplate just celebrating its 30th birthday, there’s small wonder why so many flock to the Mazda MX-5 for an engaging top-down drive. Even if you’re more of a hard-top fan, Mazda now offers the RF version which includes a folding metal roof.
Hyundai i30 Fastback N
A relatively new player to the coupe game, Hyundai’s i30 N was transformed into a four-door coupe following the success of the hatchback. Sleeker styling marries with everything that made Hyundai’s first true hot hatch great
Live Blog – Day 3: morning
The day began with car allocation for the road loop north, where the 18-man crew hope that the car they’re given to start off in is one on their bucket list.
Live Blog – Day 3: afternoon
This is what it’s all about: brilliant, challenging roads and equally matched performance cars.
Live Blog – day 2: morning
BMW is championing its sixth-generation 3 Series as a bigger yet lighter, and faster yet more frugal compact rear-drive sedan.
Live Blog – day 2: afternoon
The gods have turned Phillip Island from a wet, miserable place barely suitable for photographs to a glorious playground for our judges. Yet Ponchard wasn’t the first to spin – Curt Dupriez won that contest, and in the Cayman R, no less.
DRIVEN: Hyundai i40 Tourer
Maybe the i40 Tourer suggests Hyundai also realises the clock is ticking, because this mid-size wagon is just about the most interesting mainstream car the big Korean has launched in Australia.
It’s back: Motor’s Performance Car Cup 2011
Sixteen cars, a bunch of car nuts and one helluva a week. Welcome to MOTOR’s Performance Car Cup 2011.
Live Blog: day 1
We’ve assembled the fastest, baddest and meanest cars of the past 12 months, from screaming turbocharged four-pots, sweet sixes, atmo and turbocharged V8s and, for good measure a V10 too.
The world’s greatest cars by country
After much deliberation we’ve settled on a standout model from each of the major car building nations and quite a few minor ones too. In theory, they’ve all got an equal chance of impressing. In reality, it’s a mix of bona fide classics, exotic rarities and the obscure.
Funny Bumper Stickers
Funny Bumper Stickers
New BMW 3 Series revealed
BMW is championing its sixth-generation 3 Series as a bigger yet lighter, and faster yet more frugal compact rear-drive sedan.
Holden Colorado revealed
Styled in Brazil, built in Thailand, and finally free of engineering links with Isuzu Japan, the new-generation Colorado is GM’s freshly globalised ute for South East Asia.
New Fiat Panda revealed
Fiat has revealed the new Panda that will go on sale next year to mark only the third new model in its 31-year history. Fiat says the new Panda is safer, more comfortable and packs in more technology, yet is barely any bigger than before.
Mazda 3 geared-up for sales showdown
Mazda has launched its face-lifted 3 hatch and sedan range, with lower prices, extra equipment and a new fuel-saver variant added.
Top 10 Favourite Porches of all time
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Beep beep, new Barina is $15,990
After five years masquerading as an early-noughties Daewoo, the Holden Barina is out to restore its reputation with this Aussie-styled, Korean-built, and, crucially, Opel Corsa-platformed new model.
Auf widersehen, Frankfurt
The presentations are over, the press kits handed out, engineers and designers questioned, and now a bleary-eyed Wheels team are on long-haul flights back from the Frankfurt International Motor Show.
Peter Robinson’s blog: Day 2 of the Frankfurt show
No car at a Frankfurt show oozing with a record number of new production models and concepts was more significant than Volkswagen’s tiny, long-awaited and, to me, brilliant Up.
Frankfurt’s dark corners
Several interesting miscues at Frankfurt 2011, tucked away in the darker corners of the giant IAA exhibition halls.
Carey Frankfurt Show blog
Mark Adams and Rita Forst thought there would be nothing else at Frankfurt like their tiny, bubble canopied, tandem two-seat electric concept.
Girls of the Frankfurt Motor Show 2011
Girls of the Frankfurt Motor Show 2011
Supercars at Frankfurt Motor Show 2011
There are plenty of supercars at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. And they’re from the big hitters too.
WHEELS Magazine: Top ten of the Frankfurt Show
In no particular order, here’s the best of the 2011 Frankfurt show from our reporters on the ground. Stay tuned for further updates.
Frankfurt Blog – Bill Thomas, Wheels Editor
As expected, day one at Frankfurt was dominated by the Big Three from Germany – Mercedes, BMW, and the VW Group.
