Articles by Emily Agar

When Hyundai first launched the new Santa Fe, the exterior design proved to be a little polarising but the two new adventuring XRT Packs might be exactly what this model needs to win over new fans.

The Skoda Octavia Wagon has had a minor facelift with its design and technology. Is the mini-makeover enough to keep it relevant in a world dominated by SUVs?

Mazda has launched another SUV that essentially replaces the popular CX-8 model and slides into their premium SUV range. Despite a confusing naming convention, the CX-80 carves out a family spot with seven seats and more passenger room than the model it replaces. But do we need another Mazda SUV?

The new Skoda Scala brings a trim line-up and a base model that has seen its features list reshuffled. While the design has only had a minor facelift, it might be enough to secure the Scala a place on the shortlist for those wanting a hatchback that has the boot space of a medium SUV.

The 2025 Mercedes-AMG EQE53 SUV is a high-performance fully-electric vehicle (EV) from Affalterbach and that means expectations on speed and power delivery are high. Is this the answer for the AMG lovers who want to go green or something else entirely?

Every family will have different requirements on what is considered a 'must-have' feature. For my family of three, lots of seats aren't a requirement but a comfortable ride is because we do so many road trips.When it comes to the top five must-have family features I'm always drawn to the features that make my daily commute as a parent easier.First cab off the rank are retractable sun blinds in the second and or third rows. These are ridiculously handy for all passengers but for kidlets, they're a must have.They make the rear cabin darker, which encourages little ones to nod off (or stay) asleep. They extend the patience of kids, which means there can be longer spaces between stops because they're not hot and irritated. They also protect passengers from the sun, which is paramount in a country like Australia.The second feature is climate control in the rear but one that is accessible from the front — bonus points if the rear has directional air vents positioned on the B-pillar and or ceiling (these are the most effective).Being able to adjust the temperature for the rear without having to awkwardly reach behind the middle console to fiddle with settings you can't see or worse, having to pull over and stop the car, is so practical. Nothing wakes a kid up faster than a stopped vehicle! Also, if your kid is in a child seat, they won't be able to reach the climate control panel as well, so you'll get a good seven-years worth of use out of this feature.The third is the right upholstery and what I mean by that is non-fabric upholstery. Synthetic leather/ leather upholstery is easier to keep clean and maintain. There's no way to sugarcoat it, kids are messy.Yes, you can get seat covers but if you throw them in the wash and decide to risk not putting them back on - you WILL get a poonami (for those not in the know, this is a poo explosion from a nappy). I may or may not be speaking from experience. Learn from my mistakes.The fourth feature is having charging options in the second and third rows (if you have one). Preferably two USB ports per row and a 12-volt socket is always handy. On a long trip, there are only so many I Spy games you can play (or 'are we there yets' you can hear) before a trusty device or DVD player comes out to play a nice and quiet show.The last feature on the list, a handsfree powered tailgate, always felt a little gimmicky to me before I had a child, but it is definitely a must-have feature now. Life is also made a lot easier if it has a proximity function; where if you approach the boot with the key fob on your person, the boot will automatically open for you.Why is it handy? Having to juggle holding keys, a pram, shopping bags, little hands and then trying to open the boot is stressful on a good day. Being able to easily open the largest storage area of the car and quickly deposit all the gear you have can take the sting out of a brewing child tantrum or grizzly baby.By no means is the above list exhaustive but the features have certainly made my family life a little more peaceful.

After a slight delay in its launch to ensure its local tuning was on point, the Kia EV5 has hit the market strongly with sharp pricing and an even sharper features list. But is it enough to topple the market-leading Tesla Model Y?

This is the list that's most fun to write but it’s sometimes hard to pick winners when you review as many cars as I do!This year has proven (once again) that the market is ruled by SUVs and Australia’s love affair with them isn’t slowing down any time soon. So, you may be surprised that only a few of them made the cut.Out of all of the cars I’ve been cruising in this year, these were my favourites (in no particular order).The LandCruiser got me good. There are enough old-school elements mixed in with premium tech and features to satisfy everyone (it has a CD/DVD player!). Rear passengers enjoy the same luxurious comforts as front rowers and you get one of the most practical shaped boots I’ve sampled. For adventuring families, it has great off-road and towing capabilities with effortless power and grunt. It also drives like a dream and is a comfortable road tripper. I love it and miss it.Station wagons are my favourite type of family-hauler. Technically this sits in the same category as a Toyota Prado (ahem) but it looks and behaves like a wagon. This is one of the smoothest driving experiences you can have. It has AWD and the old-school elements are seamlessly blended with easy-to-use tech. High comfort for longer journeys and its only downside was being a bit thirsty.It hurt my soul to hand the keys back. The driving experience is finely tuned with great power delivery and on-road comfort. The sedan/wagon hybrid style took a little while to get used to, but the practicality was a big win for my little family of three. It could fit the hubby’s golf clubs, do a big grocery haul and carry all the junk my eight-year-old seems to accumulate over a week. The boosted sound experience on the engine is one you simply have to hear once in your life.The Touareg is a great looking family SUV that caters to everyone with comfort and tech. It’s smooth to drive with power that is promptly delivered. The on-road experience is also a lesson in refinement, which a few other European brands can take notes on. Efficiency and ongoing costs are also good – what’s not to like?It made the list last year and the updated model won my heart again. Just a solid all-rounder that delivers great on-road comfort, steers well, has decent power and good features for a base model. The hybrid efficiency is hard to question and it’s a smart-looking sedan thanks to the substantial facelift. Annoyingly, it is heavily associated with ride-share and taxis but I’d have one in a heartbeat.It’s only fair to include my eight-year-old's top-five cars, as he tests them with me and is very loud with his opinions on them.He loves the ambient lighting in Mercs and whooped with joy whenever I had to get up to speed. The engine sounded cool and there were enough comforts in the rear.He loved all of the features in the second and third rows, including cupholders that are well-positioned on the doors.He loves a good ute and the manly internal styling won him (and my husband) over. The tray was the winning feature and acted as a cubby house.His nickname for it was the Batmobile. That really sums up how much he liked it.

The most popular model in the Cupra stable gets another plug-in hybrid variant but this time with the snazzy features of its top petrol grade. Is it a model we need?

What is the darkest legal window tint Australia? Generally speaking, tinting laws in Australia are very similar in every state but the darkest legal tint accepted Australia-wide it 35 per cent VLT on front side windows, and 20 per cent VLT on any windows behind the driver.