Articles by David Morley

Audi's been developing its hybrid and pure-electric e-tron offerings for more than a decade and the SQ8 e-tron sits at the premium end of the German brand's product spectrum. Does a large, luxurious, indecently quick battery-electric SUV add up for you? Dave Morley can help you make that call.

Most of us are now familiar with the app-based Uber rideshare service, but since 2019, the platform has been diversified to offer a next-level rideshare experience.

Maybe you’ve heard the expression “There’s no such thing as a cheap luxury car”.The fact is, there’s at least some truth to it, because by their very definition, a luxury car costs more than its more prosaic counterpart.Maybe affordable luxury cars is a better description. Or even low-priced luxury cars or budget luxury cars.And if that’s the case, what else makes a car a luxury car? And, by default, what is a cheap luxury car?A lot of people start with the badge the thing wears. Just as there are luxury clothing brands and luxury furniture manufacturers, so too does the automotive industry contain luxury or prestige brands.But even a more mass-market carmaker can include a luxury line-up at the top of its range, so clearly that’s not the only criterion.Typically, luxury cars are the first to market with the latest tech and safety features. That’s purely because they have a higher profit margin for their manufacturers, so they can still be sold profitably even though they cost a lot more to make.Luxury cars, traditionally, have also stood apart form the sports car tag although, lately, those lines are becoming increasingly blurred as powertrain technology (EVs, mainly) offer up mind-blowing performance even in a big, heavy luxury car.Certainly, though, having ample performance has always been important for any luxury car.So, having made the leap that your next wheels will be a prestige make or model (or both), what’s the best way to get luxury cars for cheap?Without a doubt, the answer is to shop second-hand. There are several really sound reasons for this.The first is that cars get cheaper as they age and rack up kilometres. And it doesn’t matter how luxurious a model once was, if it’s now an older car with 200,000km on its odometer, we can guarantee it will change hands for a fraction of its new cost.Yes, there are the odd exceptions, but those surround cars that are, for whatever reason, considered collectible or super rare.The second reason is that luxury cars just tend to be better built in the first place, and, therefore, better equipped to handle those years and kilometres.So they’ll often age a bit more gracefully than their cheaper counterparts which were originally built down to a price.Thirdly, there’s what’s called the funnel effect. This is when there are enough high-fliers and executives to buy a batch of high-end cars brand-new, but not enough private buyers willing to shell out when those cars hit the market at the end of their lease term.That’s when you’ll see the laws of supply and demand in action. Less demand means lower prices, and suddenly, you’re buying a car that was super-expensive just three years ago, at a bargain price.Okay, so why not a luxury car for your next ride?This is another reason luxury cars are often second-hand bargains; people are scared of them. They’re frightened of the price of parts and repairs for high-tech, often imported cars where there’s a lot more to go wrong in the first place. The luxury car price tag could just be the beginning of the spending if you get the wrong one.This is a real concern, too, and anybody who has received a repair estimate that’s more than the car is worth will know the feeling.Fortunately, there are plenty of independent repairers out there who specialise in one luxury brand or another and will usually be a cheaper option than dealership servicing and repairs.You might also find insurance will cost more on a luxury car as the underwriter hedges their bets a little.And as with anything imported right now, supply chain hassles might mean a wait on parts from overseas.So how about a list of the cars we reckon are going to make the best budget-beating luxos?We’ll stick to best luxury car under $50K. but we’ll also throw in a couple of real speculators that represent the best cheap luxury cars under $10K, which, if nothing else, should start a few debates.As for where to search, well, the online classifieds like Autotrader or CarsGuide are a great place to find cheap luxury cars for sale.Price: From $19,000This model 7 Series was a victim of its own controversial styling. The odd bootline and upside-down face kept some buyers away and while that didn’t matter too much to captains of industry buying them brand-new, it meant they sat around as used cars.There were six-, eight- and 12-cylinder engines offered, but the V8 is probably the nicest. The V12 is glorious but will bankrupt you if it goes wrong. But this is a great example of one of those cheap cars that looks expensive.Watch out for: Cars with broken adjustable suspension, high-miles (some were hotel limos) tatty interiors and worn transmissions.Price: From $12,000When it comes to the best cheap luxury cars Australia is often overlooked as a source. But the later Caprice models were proper luxos with loads of equipment and good (if not brilliant) build quality. And as one of the cheapest luxury cars to maintain, Australia does it again.The best buy is the V8 which better suited the role of hauling a big car across a big country in style. The V6 was definitely the poor relation and often saw taxi duty thanks to the availability of an LPG option from the factory.Watch out for: Really tired mechanicals, worn camshafts and lifters, sagging headlining, glitchy electronics.Price: From $25,000The original Lexus LS400 rewrote the book on luxury cars and gave the established players a huge fright. But those still around have often been to the moon and back (because they will) so a newer LS model looks like good buying.There was a great V8 petrol engine and even a hybrid version, but which ever way you go, you’ll be buying a superbly quiet cabin and impeccable build quality. Not the sportiest cars ever made, these are nevertheless 100 per cent Quality Street.Don’t be worried about the Toyota connection, either. Many Japanese and Korean brands have tried an upper-shelf luxury branding exercise (Mazda, Nissan and Hyundai to name just three) but Toyota pulled it off best with Lexus.Watch out for: High miles, sticky dashboards, incomplete service record.Price: From $4000No discussion of classy cheap cars can ignore the W124 Mercedes. When new, they cost about the same as a house, but now – thanks to age and fear of repair costs – they’re almost free to a good home.Not many people associate Mercedes-Benz with the cheap luxury car brands, but in this case, it’s entirely justified.Grab a six-cylinder version as performance and refinement are better than the four-cylinder, and be amazed at how well something this old drives and how brilliantly the interior has held up. This could be the best value luxury car ever.Watch out for: Blown head gaskets, insane mileages, glitchy ABS.Price: From $9000At a time when Volvo was casting off the bowls-hat image and getting semi sexy, the C70 arrived in hardtop and soft-top form.Power came from a five-cylinder turbocharged engine with a hot-rod version if you wanted to go faster. A four-speed automatic was most commonly fitted, but that was replaced by a five-speed auto in 2001, so that later car is the one to find now.Solidly built and decent to drive, they also somehow exude a bit of classiness that isn’t evident in all Volvos. There’s plenty of leather and standard equipment and the looks have aged pretty well. The ride is slightly firm, though, which was a Volvo thing at that time.Watch out for: Trashed gearboxes, rattly suspension, split cylinder bores (on the hotter, T5 model).

Volkswagen Australia has reduced the payload of its Amarok ute range.But don’t panic, it’s actually good news for a lot of would-be buyers.The change has come about as VW brings its method of calculating payload into line with the rest of the dual-cab ute industry.Volkswagen Australia Amarok Product Manager, Ben Triebels, told CarsGuide that the change involves using the kerb weight of the Amarok rather than the tare mass when calculating the payload.Simply put, this involves weighing the vehicle with a full tank of fuel, rather than the 10 litres of fuel the tare weight method involves. There are no other physical changes whatsoever.“It’s a simple as that,” Triebels said.Of course, a heavier vehicle (one with a full fuel tank) reduces payload, but rather than that being a problem for the Amarok, Triebels sees it as an advantage.“We made the move to bring our specifications into line with what everybody else in the ute market does,” he said.“But then we had a few dealers and fleet managers contact us and tell us what a great thing the payload reduction was.”Which begs the question: Why?It turns out that in the case of many Amarok variants, that slight reduction brings the official payload below 1000kg. At which point, the vehicle is suddenly eligible for a novated lease where, previously, it wasn’t.Since many high-end dual-cabs are, in fact, user-chooser decisions purchased on just such a leasing plan, this has the potential for a sales uptick for Amarok.While the Aventura model already featured a payload under 1000kg thanks to its heavier 21-inch wheels and tyres and roller-cover for the bed, the Amarok Core, Style and PanAmericana have now all fallen below the 1000kg payload threshold for novated leasing.

The next 12 or 18 months will be a busy time for Volkswagen Australia as it launches multiple new EV models into its line-up.One of those is the ID.Buzz, the latter-day Kombi with an all-electric driveline, which is expected to begin deliveries by the end of this year as a zero-emissions alternative to the Kia Carnival and Hyundai Staria.And while we’re now waiting for pricing details, VW has let slip that the fastest ID. Buzz variant, the GTX, is also destined for Aussie shores.The performance version of the ID. Buzz will likely cost well north of $100,000 when it arrives, but its performance should balance that out.So would the presentation with VW Australia’s head of marketing, Nathan Johnson, confirming the GTX would feature a sporty, dark interior and would be available in two versions of two-tone red (black over red and silver over cherry red) harking back to the original Kombi.We’re likely to see the all-wheel-drive, long-wheelbase version when it arrives.More specifications were not forthcoming form VW Australia, but the GTX reportedly uses a 250kW all-electric driveline and can reach 100km/h from rest in a claimed 6.4 seconds.Mr Johnson also confirmed that the GTX would be the brand’s fastest ever MPV.The ID.Buzz will join the ID.4 and ID.5 electric SUVs, which are due to arrive in the middle of this year, in the brand's expanding EV range.The small ID.3 electric hatchback is expected to arrive in showrooms next year, too.

The VW Kombi and camping have gone together like a horse and carriage for more than half a century. And this imposing Crafter Kampervan is the brand's latest pitch to dedicated Aussie holidaymakers. Are you ready to take it on? Dave Morley has the lowdown on its pros and cons.

When it comes to an aftermarket long range fuel tank Ford Ranger owners are well catered for. But there’s always room for improvement, right?

There are several reasons to upgrade the suspension of your Ford Ranger (or any other type of off-road vehicle). Better ground clearance, more towing or load carrying capacity or simply a tougher look are the main reasons and they all have their pros and cons.

Ford’s Ranger continues to be a hugely popular vehicle with legions of happy customers. But when it comes to in-service issues, the Ford Ranger engine is far from immune to the common problems of modern, common-rail turbo-diesel powerplants. On top of that, there are also a few watch-outs specific to the Ranger’s engine line-up, and it pays to be aware of these when shopping for a Ranger.

When a vehicle like the Ford Ranger is so successful and, let’s face it, such a Swiss army knife of a thing to have, the idea of making it even more versatile was always going to be a thing.