Articles by Stephen Corby

Stephen Corby
Contributing Journalist

Stephen Corby stumbled into writing about cars after being knocked off the motorcycle he’d been writing about by a mob of angry and malicious kangaroos. Or that’s what he says, anyway. Back in the early 1990s, Stephen was working at The Canberra Times, writing about everything from politics to exciting Canberra night life, but for fun he wrote about motorcycles.

After crashing a bike he’d borrowed, he made up a colourful series of excuses, which got the attention of the motoring editor, who went on to encourage him to write about cars instead. The rest, as they say, is his story.

Reviewing and occasionally poo-pooing cars has taken him around the world and into such unexpected jobs as editing TopGear Australia magazine and then the very venerable Wheels magazine, albeit briefly. When that mag moved to Melbourne and Stephen refused to leave Sydney he became a freelancer, and has stayed that way ever since, which allows him to contribute, happily, to CarsGuide.

Who builds batteries for electric cars? EV battery manufacturers explained
By Stephen Corby · 24 Oct 2023
There are a number of manufacturers around the world who supply the batteries used in Electric Vehicles (EVs). In 2020, the top five manufacturers controlled a huge 77.3 per cent of the market. 
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Hybrid vs plug-in hybrid: What's the difference?
By Stephen Corby · 20 Sep 2023
The main difference when looking at a hybrid vs a plug in hybrid is that the former is powered by both a petrol-fuelled internal combustion engine and a battery-powered electric motor that can work either independently or simultaneously, whereas the latter is powered chiefly by an electric motor and will only use its internal-combustion engine as a back-up should your electric motor’s battery run
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Electric cars vs petrol cars: What are the pros and cons of going electric?
By Stephen Corby · 20 Sep 2023
Although cars with internal-combustion engines have been the norm for well over a century now, they are slowly but surely on their way out due to the development of vehicles like electric cars that are far better for the environment.
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EV charging apps: The top 5 electric car apps for owners
By Stephen Corby · 30 Aug 2023
One of the major advantages of driving a petrol-powered car is that unless you’re deep in the outback or have taken a serious wrong turn in the middle of nowhere, you can always rest easy knowing that a petrol station where you can refuel is never too far away. 
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Electric utes: The 8 best EV utes we would love to see in Australia
By Stephen Corby · 07 Jul 2023
Utes are as intrinsically Australian as a John Farnham comeback concert - we invented the, after all - so it’s no huge surprise to learn that the two best-selling vehicles here last year were the Toyota HiLux and the Ford Ranger. 
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Rolls-Royce Spectre 2024 review
By Stephen Corby · 04 Jul 2023
Charles Rolls, one of the founders of Rolls-Royce, predicted that electric vehicles would one day be the gold standard of motoring, back in 1900, and it's taken just 123 years for his company to nail the brief with its first EV, the Spectre, a spectacular combination of beauty and power on wheels. So, with the company pledging to be fully electric by 2030, does the Spectre succeed?
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Lamborghini Huracan 2023 review: Sterrato
By Stephen Corby · 23 May 2023
It sounds like a joke, or an after-market fever dream, and it looks a bit like one, too, but the Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato is actually a thing - the world's first All-terrain Supercar. A V10-powered wild thing designed to be driven sideways, at speed, on dirt. Who doesn't want to get gravel rash on their half-a-million-dollar Lamborghini, eh?
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Mazda CX-60 2023 review: Diesel
By Stephen Corby · 14 Mar 2023
No matter what kind of power source you like, Mazda's CX-60 has an option for you, unless you want an electric car, of course. The PHEV is the range topper, the exciting petrol version is still to come and we've just been allowed to drive the 3.3-litre diesel in Japan, where the car feels very large indeed.
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Not a Genesis or Lexus clone! 2023 Mazda CX-60 will target premium buyers from BMW, Mercedes-Benz and more, but don't expect a return of the Eunos brand!
By Stephen Corby · 03 Mar 2023
Mazda admits it is definitely going after cashed-up customers who would have bought German cars, or a Lexus, in the past with its new CX-60 SUV, but the company never considered creating a separate, premium brand, as Hyundai has recently done with Genesis.
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Burning bright? Exec says diesel will be the main engine for the Volvo XC60-rivalling 2023 Mazda CX-60 range
By Stephen Corby · 28 Feb 2023
Despite European countries legislating to ban diesel-powered cars, Mazda still believes it’s a fuel source with a future, and describes the Skyactiv-D 3.3-litre, six-cylinder diesel in its new CX-60 as “the main power unit” for its attractive assault on the premium SUV market.
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