Given that the LS is the pinnacle for the Lexus range they have thrown everything in there and its luxurious and extremely comfortable.

Its hard to choose whether to sit in the drivers seat or be chauffeured around in the spacious rear seat with its extendable foot rest and massage functions.

The LS is powered by the smooth 3.5-litre twin-turbocharged V6 petrol engine producing 310kW and a sublime 600Nm from 1600-4800 rpm.

Or the LS 500h features a naturally aspirated V6 of the same capacity with a multi-stage hybrid system offering 264 kW for the perfect blend of performance and economy.

This drives through a 10 speed AT, that matches perfectly to the engine characteristics.

Given that this is meant for executive transport one little niggle was that the rear seat entertainment screens seemed a little intrusive and would perhaps be better integrated into the front head rests.

The Lexus LS 500 is in a rarefied segment of large limousine style vehicles.

Pricing for the LS is from a little over $195,000 through to a little over $202,000 plus the usual costs.

TO LISTEN TO THE LEXUS LS 500 RADIO REVIEW CLICK BELOW

Quick Lexus LS thoughts

What is good?

• Engine is smooth with excellent economy
• Simple and easy to drive
• Luxurious

What is not so good?

• Ridiculous mouse pad
• Rear seat entertainment screen intrusive
• Small boot space

Some other Lexus LS Articles

• 2018 Lexus LS 500h Review
• Lexus LS 500 2018 Review
• Lexus LS500 Twin Turbo V6 Review
• 2013 Lexus LS 600H F Sport Review
• 2009 Lexus LS 600hl AWD Hybrid Luxury Video Review

Also Look At

The Lexus LS 500 sits in rarefied air, the large luxury saloon segment has shrunk dramatically over the last few years.

Buyers could look at the Genesis G80, Audi A8, Jaguar XJ, Maserati Quatroporte.

*MLP Includes GST and LCT but excluding statutory charges, dealer costs and dealer delivery. See your dealer for RDAP. Does not include price of options. Some features mentioned in the article are options. RDAP means Recommended Drive Away Price (without options but including all other charges)

Lexus LS Model walk

Pricing from: MLP*

Sports Luxury options:

• White, Black, Chateau and Hazel trims with premium ornamentations are no-cost options.
• Other trim and ornamentation combinations are available for an extra $10,000.

1-LS 500 and LS 500h F Sport and Sports Luxury highlights

• Adaptive Variable Suspension
• Height adjustable Multi-link Front and Rear Air Suspension
• Clearance and Reversing Sonar (8 head) with Front Cross-Traffic Alert and Rear Cross-Traffic Alert+Brake
• LED Headlights with BladeScan³ Adaptive High-beam System
• LED Daytime Running Lights (DRLs) with Sequential Indicators
• Tilt and Slide Moonroof
• Touchless (foot sensing) Power Boot Lid
• Keyless Smart Entry (4 door) with Smart Key Card
• Soft Close Doors
• Rain Sensing Wipers
• Illuminated Door Handles with Front Puddle Lights
• Auto Retractable, Heated and Self-dimming Exterior Mirrors with Memory
• Digital Rear View Mirror
• 3″ Multimedia Touch-display and Lexus Remote Touch-pad Controller
• 23 Speaker Mark Levinson®² Audio with Subwoofer
• Apple CarPlay®⁸ and Android Auto⁹ compatibility
• DAB+ digital radio¹⁰
• DVD player, USB (x4) and AUX Input
• Satellite Navigation System
• Colour Head Up Display
• Lexus Climate Concierge with Infrared Body Temperature Sensors
• Heated and Ventilated Front Seats with Rear Heated Outer Seats
• 28-way Power Operated Front Seats with Memory
• Driver Seat with Easy Access Functions
• Heated Steering Wheel
• Smart Start and Push Button Start
• Electric Rear Sunshade

Safety

• Pre-Collision Safety System including pedestrian and daylight cyclist detection
• Front Lateral Side Pre-Collision System
• Active Steering Assist
• All-speed Radar Active Cruise Control
• Lane Tracing Assist with Curve Speed Reduction
• Parking Support Brake
• Road Sign Assist (detects certain speed signs)
• 4-camera Panoramic View Monitor
• Blind Spot Monitor
• Lexus Connected Services including Automatic Collision Notification, SOS Emergency Call and Stolen Vehicle Tracking

2-LS 500 and LS 500h F Sport exclusive features

• 20″ Dark Metallic Alloy Wheels
• Badging, Grilles and Dark Metallic Accents
• High Performance Brake Package
• Dynamic Rear Steering
• Variable Gear Ratio Steering
• Active Front and Rear Stabilisers (LS 500 F Sport only)
• Dual Zone Climate Control Air Conditioning
• LFA-style 8″ Digital Instrumentation with slide-out meter ring
• Leather Accented Seats and Ornamentation
• Bolstered Front Seats
• Steering Wheel, Shift Lever, Clock and Pedals
• 10 SRS Airbags

3-LS 500 and LS 500h Sports Luxury exclusive features

• Sports Luxury 20″ Hollow Chamber Alloy Wheels
• Quad-zone Climate Control Air Conditioning
• 8″ Sports Luxury Digital Instrumentation
• Semi Aniline Leather Accented Interior
• Choice of Unique Ornamentations, some at additional cost
• Front Seat Relaxation System
• Dual 11.6″ HD Rear Seat Entertainment screens with HDMI input
• Power Operated Outboard Rear Seats with Memory
• Rear seat (passenger side) with Full Recline function and Ottoman
• Rear Seat Massage System for outboard seats
• Rear Armrest with Touchscreen Climate, Audio and Massage Controls
• Electric Rear Side Sunshades
• Rear Cooler Box (LS 500 only)
• Rear Ventilated Outer Seats
• Front Seat Easy Access Seatbelt Buckles
• 12 SRS Airbags (Additional Rear Seat Cushion Airbags)

Motoring Minute is heard around Australia every day on over 50 radio channels through the Torque Radio network. 

Our Motoring Minute has an average daily audience of over 550,000 listeners and they are also syndicated through various news sites around Australia.

Additionally Motoring Minute is also broadcast as part of Overdrive Radio Program, which is broadcast through the Community Radio Network across Australia

The post Lexus LS 500 and LS 500h 2023 review appeared first on Your Source for EV News & Reviews.

I had the stylish and new IONIQ 5 as well as the neat Kona EV. Both with an estimated range of over 400km, both at the forefront of the EV push and both really nice to drive.

TO LISTEN TO THE RADIO REVIEW CLICK BELOW

The IONIQ 5 is a purpose built Electric car that is designed for a family and comes in either a rear wheel drive or AWD version. It’s quirky and futuristic and above all quiet. I drove the AWD version and it certainly is stylish, packed with comfort, safety and luxury features and has an abundance of storage spaces.

The Kona electric is different it’s based on the smaller SUV Kona and is more traditional in its interior design and functionality.

For both cars there are choices of battery size, which also means different range availability.

When I was a kid we would often drive long distances of 1000km plus for family holidays. These cars are not designed for that type of driving. But would I have one for around city driving, where often the maximum distance driven a day is less than 100km. Yes I would, they are ideal for that and reduce localised emissions.

I would just have to clean out my garage so they fitted for charging

This is a Motoring Minute

Im Brianna Fraser

Motoring Minutes are heard around Australia every day on over 50 radio channels through the Torque Radio network. Motoring Minute has an average daily audience of over 150,000 listeners. That’s over 750,000 listeners a week

Motoring Minute is also broadcast as part of Overdrive Radio Program, which is broadcast through the Community Radio Network across Australia. 

Motoring Minute is also syndicated through numerous news sites across Australia such as Sydney News Today 

The post Hyundai Electric – Ioniq 5 and Kona EV 2022 Motoring Minute Review appeared first on Your Source for EV News & Reviews.

How Fuel Cells Work:

Hydrogen is stored in refilling stations at 700bar. A refill will take around 3 minutes and in for a range of 666km. A world record was set by our NEXO test car at 887.5km, well beyond the claimed range. No special provisions were made.

The gas to energy conversion takes place in a Fuel Cell Stack of over 400 individual plates, about the size of a case of beer. The electricity is transferred to the 120kw motor, to drive the front wheels through a single speed transmission.

What Emissions result from Fuel Cell Use?

Clean water is the only by-product, however FCEVs also clean the air by filtering pollutants to provide clean air supply to the fuel cell. I’m not sure I’d want to drink it, but we are told you could if you wanted to.

Will FCEVs Replace Hybrid and BEV cars?

FCEVs refill in minutes, compared to a much longer time for EV. While some EVs can take advantage of fast charging, continued use of fast charging adversely affects the longevity of the battery backs. Battery packs have a finite life, and are extremely heavy and expensive. Then, there is recycling or disposal to consider.

What is NEXO?

NEXO is Hyundai’s large 5-seater SUV. The Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) is powered by electricity through a 120kw/395Nm motor.

Construction is a mix of high strength steel, and plastic. Front mud guards are 100% plastic, a first for Hyundai.

The cabin uses bio-plastics in the cabin. 34kg of the material is used in carpets, headliner, doors, seats, console, and other parts of the interior trim.

Not only does the use of this material result in a reduction of weight, but more importantly, 12kg reduction of CO2 during manufacture.

NEXO uses a slippery shape to aid aerodynamics, which includes flush door handles that only appear when required. The co-efficient of drag of 0.32 helps extend range.

How Quiet is NEXO?

There is no mechanical noise apart from the slight whine from the electric motor. Low speed reversing activates an audible signal to warn pedestrians.

At driving speeds, the cabin is blissfully silent, and around town the only noise is the air from the vents.

How does NEXO Handle?

Nexo has a feel similar to other electric cars which use batteries to store power. Steering is extremely light, with drive modes making little difference to the ethereal feel of the passenger experience. The tanks are fairly heavy, and are placed over the rear axel.

Ride feels quite luxurious.

Audio comes thanks to a rather evil sounding “Krell” premium system. You’d get one just to say, “I have a Krell.”

In twisty bends, NEXO feels heavy-ish, but never feels like it will let go.

One glorious bend after another is dispatched easily, and highways are a like a string of ribbon. It is, after all, a large SUV, albeit an on-road one.

What gadgets does NEXO have on board?

There is a fancy automated parking system which I suspect will see little use. The digital dash on the other hand, is a triumph. Putting a blinker on brings up a camera view along the side of the car, which ever way you’re turning.

Lane departure and lane centering are just a few of the driver aids. It has everything you get on any other current model Hyundai. Although there is high beam assist, the wipers are intermittent only.

NEXO got a top safety rating form ANCAP, so that should assuage concerns over the flammable fuel.

How Safe is Hydrogen?

The tanks are over engineered. Hydrogen is 14 times lighter than air, so tends to disperse fairly quickly, should there ever be a leak.

Why Hydrogen?

There are advantages to both hydrogen and BEVS. Naysayers point to the rarity of hydrogen refuelling, ignoring the complete absence of public electric charging stations only a few years ago. Others will prefer bits of ancient dinosaur as being the best. As always, the market will decide.

Several manufacturers have been developing fuel cells, citing environment at the main reason for sinking such enormous sums into a futuristic system.

Mass transit systems, freight, and shipping, could take advantage of local manufacture., and ships could make their own hydrogen from onboard plants. After all, they already produce fresh water for consumption at sea.

Conclusion:

All things considered, NEXO was fun, quiet, and comfortable.

It is very likely that public acceptance will be the key to a hydrogen future. Arguments over dinner tables will rage, but one thing is sure, fuel cells can be used anywhere electricity is required, without the need of batteries.

For the time being, the size of the tanks will limit the size of vehicles to those on the larger size, but, this is just the beginning. Elon Musk mocks FCEVs, but he would wouldn’t he. His business is batteries.

The post Hyundai NEXO Hydrogen Fuel Cell SUV Review appeared first on Your Source for EV News & Reviews.

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing sports body kit includes a squared more aerodynamic front bumper, a bold lower grille, thick horizontal bar and revised fog lamp bezels that sit lower, high-grade LED lighting front and rear, white brake callipers with GR logos on the front, and GR emblems at the front, side, and rear.

TO LISTEN TO THE RADIO REVIEW CLICK BELOW

There has been some suspension retuning lowering the car by 15mm along with tuned shock absorber damping, coil spring rates and stabiliser bars.

Inside the GR theme continues with body-hugging black leather-accented front seats, leather-wrapped steering wheel, dark silver highlights around the instrument panel and door garnishes, piano black surrounds for the centre console and power-window switches, and a GR-branded ignition button.

Priced from $37,665 plus the usual costs the C-HR GR provides a sporty look with slightly better handling and a lot of visual appeal but disappointing performance.

Im Rob Fraser

Also look at

• VW T-Cross
• Citroen C3
• Peugeot 2008
• KIA Stonic
• Nissan Juke

*MLP Includes GST and LCT but excluding statutory charges, dealer costs and dealer delivery. See your dealer for RDAP. Does not include price of options. Some features mentioned in the article are options.

Motoring Minutes are heard around Australia every day on over 50 radio channels through the Torque Radio network. Motoring Minute has an average daily audience of over 150,000 listeners. That’s over 750,000 listeners a week.

Motoring Minute is also broadcast as part of Overdrive Radio Program, which is broadcast through the Community Radio Network across Australia and has a weekly audience of over 450,000.

The post Toyota C-HR GR Sport SUV 2021 Radio Review appeared first on Your Source for EV News & Reviews.

It is not selling well. The big winner in this class is the MG ZS.

The Kia comes with some or all electrification. The basic hybrid, the plug in hybrid and the all electric model.

The interior of the Kia is neat and modern with a dashboard layout that integrates  well with a 7 inch infotainment screen that is designed into the facia not appearing like it was stuck on after.

TO LISTEN TO THE RADIO REVIEW CLICK BELOW

These good room for this size of vehicle and a rated at a highly credible 3.8l/100km

The road noise is high perhaps aided by the quietness of the hybrid.

The basic mild hybrid is priced at $40,000. Kia is currently offering to add only $2000 for on road costs. A non-hybrid MG costs $22,000 drive away.

Some Other Kia Niro Articles

• KIA Niro PHEV Sport 2021 Review
• KIA Niro Full 2021 Review
• Is the NEW Kia Niro 2021 any good?
• Kia Niro – Mild Hybrid, Plug-In or Full Electric?
• Kia NIRO Australia enters the electrified market

What is good?

• Fuel Economy
• Good room even for second row of passengers
• Neat and functional interior

 What is not so good?

• Price
• Mild Hybrid
• Road Noise

 Also Look At

• MG ZS
• Hyundai Kona
• Subaru XV

• *MLP – Manufacturers List Price includes GST and LCT but excluding statutory charges, dealer costs and dealer delivery. See your dealer for RDAP. Does not include price of any options.

• Motoring Minutes are heard around Australia every day on over 50 radio channels through the Torque Radio network. Motoring Minute has an average daily audience of over 150,000 listeners. That’s over 750,000 listeners a week.
• Motoring Minute is also broadcast as part of Overdrive Radio Program, which is broadcast through the Community Radio Network across Australia and has a weekly audience of over 450,000.

The post Kia Niro Hybrid 2021 Review appeared first on Your Source for EV News & Reviews.

The PHEV (pronounced fev) is probably the best mix as you can drive everyday on all electric power if you don’t go too far and if that runs out you have the backup of the hybrid petrol power. It’s good for about 50k a day and then you go home and plug it in to charge for tomorrow.

It’s perfect for me as I do about 45k to work and back each day and I’ve driven it all week and still have about 600k till empty with petrol.

TO LISTEN TO THE RADIO REVIEW CLICK BELOW

The shape and size is good, plenty of room, like a mix between a hatch and a small SUV.  It’s a breeze to park yet has enough room in the boot for everything I need.

The seats are really comfortable and the instruments are clear and easy to read. I like the large central tablet for the infotainment and connectivity. Hooking up my IPhone is simple.

The other thing I like is that the NIRO is packed with the latest safety features and has a five star rating.

The KIA Niro PHEV Sport is priced from about $53,990 plus the usual costs and you get a lot for that as well as  7 year warranty roadside assistance and capped price service..

This is a Motoring Minute

Im Rob Fraser

What’s good

• Engine is best of both worlds
• Daily EV Range
• Fast charging ability

What’s not

• Design seems a little dated
• No full size spare tyre
• Expensive

Also Look At

• Hyundai Kona EV
• Nissan Leaf
• Citroen C4
• MG ZST 

*MLP – Manufacturers List Price includes GST and LCT but excluding statutory charges, dealer costs and dealer delivery. See your dealer for RDAP. Does not include price of any options.

Motoring Minutes are heard around Australia every day on over 50 radio channels through the Torque Radio network. Motoring Minutes have an average daily audience of over 150,000 listeners. This is more than 750,000 listeners a week.

Motoring Minutes are also broadcast as part of Overdrive Radio Program, which is broadcast through the Community Radio Network across Australia and has a weekly audience of over 430,000.

The post KIA Niro PHEV Sport 2021 Review appeared first on Your Source for EV News & Reviews.

We’ve driven the Hybrid and PHEV over the last few weeks, so here are our thoughts:

Niro exterior:

Niro lacks the road presence of Sorento and Seltos. There, I’ve said it. Well someone had to!

Niro is front wheel drive its the familiar tiger-nose grille, and has a strong resemblance to the previous generation Sorento.

Sadly, only the Sport variant gets LED headlights.

Niro Cabin:

Niro feels cosy, with mood lighting is adjustable to your favourite. The colour scheme is all dark and moody, intones of black and grey.

The infotainment screen sits flush with the dash. There is DAB radio, but the wireless Apple CarPlay has been a little moody. It also connects by USB, but occasionally the connection either fails.

Sound is very good as befitting a car of this price range.

Buttons and switches are backlit, and well laid out.

Interior space is well used with rear seat riders having enough room for shorter trips. Rear seat warnings appear on the dash to make sure you don’t leave someone napping when they shouldn’t be.

Niro Drive:

Ride is quite smooth. Like all cars with big batteries, there is a certain intangible feeling about them the handling.

Both the EV and PHEV have a small electric motor between the engine and 6-speed DCT. Power is 104kw and 265Nm, which is more than enough for city use.

Niro feels subdued, but slip the DCT in to Sport, and it really comes to life. The PHEV makes the best use of the stored energy. After the 50-60km of range depleted, the PHEV operates like a regular hybrid. Remember, hybrids charge themselves with relying on wall chargers.

Highway speeds make great use the driver aids such as lane assist and active blind spot monitor. You should plan overtaking by selecting the Sport mode in the gear lever.

A 6-Speed DCT is unusual in an EV, and is much preferable to the dreadful CVT we normally find.

COVID prevented local tuning for this model. Instead, KIA has used the European/Korean tuning, which takes a softer approach. The new model is due in a year and will have Graham Gambold’s sporty edge.

We mainly did  city driving, with only brief freeway speeds of 100kph. Niro is slightly noisier than Seltos or Sportage, even in EV mode.

Fuel economy is good, with 3.8L/100k for the hybrid, and 1.3L/100k in the PHEV. The latter no doubt includes regular wall charging. If a buyer charges each night, most of the time will be spent in EV mode. In that case, KIA suggests running the petrol tank down at least every 6 months.

As in most hybrids, excess energy is stored in the batteries to be used later.

Finally, there is a space-saver spare for the PHEV and hybrid. I have a strong aversion to repair kits which never seem to work.

Conclusion:

With on-road costs, the EV tops out the range at $70,990 (in NSW) and that is a shedload of money. Our Sport PHEV is $53,990, which is $3,500 over the MRRP.

While Niro has a neutral feel on the road, we would like to try it with Australian tuning. We judged  the PHEV to be the best proposition and balance between price and performance. In an ideal world, the EV would not be $15,000 more.

Australian government is against any kind of zero emissions technology and will stand in front of it whenever it can. Most other countries in the developed world acknowledge the importance of reducing pollution of all kinds, but without Australian government help, Australian buyers will continue to pay the price of their negligence.

The post KIA Niro Full 2021 Review appeared first on Your Source for EV News & Reviews.

The MG is a smart looking car, has good features and safety credentials.

Its range is stated as 260km which is similar to the Nissan Leaf EV.

TO LISTEN TO THE RADIO REVIEW CLICK BELOW

The Kona has a bigger battery and a very good range of about 480km. But the top spec Hyundai will cost over $71,000 to get it on the road.

The MG currently has a drive away price of just under $44,000.

Buying a car usually has some compromises.

It is not hard to see that as Australia is a highly urbanized country many would accept charging one to three times a week in order to save some $27,000 on the purchase price.

Motoring Minutes are heard around Australia every day on over 50 radio channels through the Torque Radio network. Motoring Minutes have an average daily audience of over 150,000 listeners. This is more than 750,000 listeners a week.

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The post MG ZS Electric – A lower priced electric vehicle SUV appeared first on Your Source for EV News & Reviews.

The first thing you notice is the unusual design that either people seemed to like or dislike. Its neither SUV, Wagon nor hatchback. It is a four door design but with rear suicide doors, and a large boot and long bonnet and distinctive grill and front lighting area.

TO LISTEN TO THE RADIO REVIEW CLICK BELOW

Initially there are three mild hybrid models with one engine and transmission

MX-30 M Hybrid range combines a 114kW 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with Mazda’s own M Hybrid system. This system sends drive to the front wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission. There is no electric only drive in this version.

It is typical of all Mazda cars in that it is put together well, quiet, rides well and does nothing wrong.

It is however very confusing as to why it was actually designed. It appears to be very different for difference sake.

Priced from just under $34,000 plus the usual costs it will be interesting to see buyers appetite for something so different. I wonder why Mazda didn’t simply introduce all electric versions of their existing models.

This is a Motoring Minute

Im Rob Fraser

What is good?

• Quiet ride
• Mazda build quality
• Excellent seat heaters

What is not so good?

• Unusual design
• Tight rear seats
• No electric only drive

Also Look at:

• Peugeot 2008 GT
• Subaru XV Hybrid
• Toyota Corolla Hybrid
• MG HS Hybrid
• Skoda Scala

*MLP – Manufacturers List Price includes GST and LCT but excluding statutory charges, dealer costs and dealer delivery. See your dealer for RDAP. Does not include price of any options.

Motoring Minutes are heard around Australia every day on over 50 radio channels through the Torque Radio network. Motoring Minutes have an average daily audience of over 150,000 listeners. This is more than 750,000 listeners a week.

Motoring Minutes are also broadcast as part of Overdrive Radio Program, which is broadcast through the Community Radio Network across Australia and has a weekly audience of over 430,000.

The post Mazda MX-30 Astina Mild Hybrid 2021 Review appeared first on Your Source for EV News & Reviews.

The hybrid helps reduces but does not minimise fuel consumption. A full electric is a commitment to reducing pollution particularly at the local level.

TO LISTEN TO THE RADIO REVIEW CLICK BELOW

A plug-in hybrid could be the best of both worlds for people who do occasional long trips.

But Kia predicts that the plug-in hybrid will be the smallest seller as Roland Rivero their product manager notes

All a lot of it will be supply driven. And currently the minimum quantity that we’ve we’ve got agreed with KIA headquarters is about 100 a month. And that breakdown works out to be around about 20 units a month for the EV and about 70 units a month for the hybrid. And the gap 10, ten or so units a month is obviously the Plug-In hybrid.

What’s good

• Choice of three engines
• Range
• Fast charging ability

What’s not

• Design seems a little dated
• No full size spare tyre
• Expensive in EV model

Also Look At

• Hyundai Kona EV
• Nissan Leaf
• Citroen C4
• MG ZST 

*MLP – Manufacturers List Price includes GST and LCT but excluding statutory charges, dealer costs and dealer delivery. See your dealer for RDAP. Does not include price of any options.

Motoring Minutes are heard around Australia every day on over 50 radio channels through the Torque Radio network. Motoring Minutes have an average daily audience of over 150,000 listeners. This is more than 750,000 listeners a week.

Motoring Minutes are also broadcast as part of Overdrive Radio Program, which is broadcast through the Community Radio Network across Australia and has a weekly audience of over 430,000.

The post Kia Niro – Mild Hybrid, Plug-In or Full Electric? appeared first on Your Source for EV News & Reviews.