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Previously, it was reported that an even hotter Golf R Clubsport could be in the works, but new comments suggest the idea won’t come to fruition immediately. A senior Volkswagen executive has seemingly ruled out the prospect of a Clubsport variant of its Golf R performance hatch – at least in the near future – saying the brand is happy with what the latest update to the model offers. Speaking with Drive at the launch of the Mk8.5 Golf R in Sydney this week, Pedro Martinez Diaz, Head of Sales and Marketing for Volkswagen R suggested the 245kW offered in the updated R was enough, and that a Clubsport was just an idea, not a reality. “Our Clubsport… we have a lot of ideas. We are here to sell what we have on the market right now,” he said. “We’re happy that the 8.5 is such a great product, and then we’ll see in the future what is possible. But as I said, we’ll stick on the 333 horsepower [245kW] engine and it’s okay. MORE: Hotter Volkswagen Golf R Clubsport in development – r...

Using an old or fake parking ticket to avoid receiving a real fine has become somewhat of an urban legend, but does it actually work? Photo: iStock/CHUYN Using an old or fake parking fine to stop yourself from getting a real one is a trick almost as old as the parking meter itself. The idea is simple: save a parking ticket from when you last got a fine, or print out a fake one, to trick a parking officer into thinking that you’ve already been fined and don’t require another. RELATED: These fake parking fines could actually be illegal This practice has been popular on the “ Unethical Life Hacks ” Subreddit for years, with some users claiming to have seen success with it. “It’s worked for me at my university numerous times,” proclaimed one user. “That’s actually a pretty good idea, as long as you’re not in a disabled spot or similar,” said another. Others were quick to point out that it likely won’t work for a number of reasons. “The ticketers know whether they wrote you...

The SsangYong name is officially gone in Australia as the local distributor confirms it will “fully embrace” its new KGM branding from June 1, 2025. The SsangYong name will disappear from Australian showrooms next month, as the Korean carmaker’s new KGM branding is fully adopted. Globally, SsangYong was renamed to KGM two years ago when it was acquired by its KG Group parent company, but it retained the name in Australia with a rebrand to ‘KGM SsangYong’ on October 1, 2024. Less than 12 months later, it has removed SsangYong from its name to become known as KGM Australia from June 1, 2025. MORE: Exclusive – SsangYong rebranding to KGM within months The KGM SsangYong Musso won Best Dual-Cab Ute under $50K. The decision to continue in Australia as ‘KGM SsangYong’ was understood to transfer any brand cachet the old name had developed since it first arrived in Australia in the late 1990s – but the brand said it would now “fully embrace the KGM branding” with th...

The Japanese marque’s NKR light-duty truck is the smallest variant of its N Series range and will arrive in Australia in Q1 of 2025, with pricing competitively positioned against the Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux. Isuzu Trucks has used the 2025 Brisbane truck show as a platform to showcase the newest generation of its N Series light-duty trucks, which includes the Japanese marque’s smallest and narrowest light truck to attract more dual-cab ute buyers. Known as the NKR, the N Series addition will arrive in Australian showrooms sometime in January 2026, with order books opening in Q3 of 2025. While payload and towing measurements are yet to be confirmed, the recommended retail price on the smallest N Series truck starts from $73,361 before on-road costs for the NKR 65-150 MT D25 and extends to the NKR 65-150 DT D34, which carries a $77,431 retail sticker. For reference, the Isuzu Trucks NKR pricing is positioned close to mid-trim variants of popular dual-cab utes like the For...

Getting hit by LED headlights in oncoming traffic can feel like looking into a collapsed sun, but are they actually legal? Photo: iStock/John_Lamb Picture this: You’re driving down a dead straight stretch of road. It’s about 10 p.m. – you’re already on the lookout for potential hazards and your eyes wide. RELATED: Are headlights getting brighter? Over the crest, a 4WD with eBay LED headlights shuns your eyes with the force of a thousand daggers or mixed with the light of a dying star bright enough to bring light to the bottom of the Mariana Trench. You think to yourself, “that cannot be legal”. The reality is that headlights are certainly getting brighter, but as some commenters pointed out in a previous Drive story , the problem is not the standard LED headlights in cars but the poorly adjusted aftermarket options. “Mostly idiots in monster utes with badly adjusted lights. But no revenue in that, apparently,” said one Drive reader. “Why do 4WD and SUV vehicles have to ...

The BMW i4 electric sedan has received another round of updates with a more powerful M60 flagship and reduced energy consumption in the rear-wheel-drive grades for more driving range. The 2026 BMW i4 electric sedan has gained a new M60 flagship variant and more driving range for rear-wheel-drive grades – but Australian timing for the last two rounds of updates remains unclear. Following a styling update for the i4 launched overseas in 2024 – which is yet to arrive in Australia – the BMW i4 M60 xDrive will replace the current M50 from July 2025 production, with more power than before. Combined power output from its dual electric motors is now rated at 442kW – up 42kW from 400kW – to outmuscle the petrol-powered 405kW M3 CS and M4 CS on paper, while its 795Nm torque output remains unchanged. MORE: BMW Speedtop – V8-powered shooting brake revealed with ‘strictly limited’ production The 0-100km/h acceleration time for the all-wheel-drive i4 M60 is a claimed 3.7 seconds...

Hyundai Australia’s new boss has confirmed something his predecessors have done much to avoid – a new dual-cab ute to take on the likes of HiLux, Ranger and stablemate Tasman. Speculative Hyundai ute render, based on the Kia Tasman. The new boss of Hyundai Australia has confirmed a dual-cab ute is due in the brand’s local showrooms later this decade – but what form it takes is yet to be seen. A Toyota HiLux or Ford Ranger rival has long been a missing link in the car giant’s line-up, but Hyundai Australia executives have ranged from conspicuously silent, to interested in an electrified version, in their public stance on such a vehicle. Hyundai’s new local CEO, Don Romano – who arrived in Australia earlier this year after leading the company’s operations in his native Canada – has been far less cryptic on the matter. “I’ll be here for three or four years. And I want the program locked and loaded before I go,” Romano told Australian media at the launch of the Hyu...

Paying inside a petrol station after you’ve finished at the bowser is a normal experience in Australia. But one US tourist couldn’t believe what he saw. When you’re filling up at the bowser, you generally don’t think twice about paying for your fuel inside the petrol station after you’ve finished. While Australian drivers are accustomed to the normal driving etiquette, you might be surprised to know that paying for fuel after you’ve filled up isn’t the standard in other countries, as this US tourist found out. RELATED: ‘You’re not special’: Petrol pump etiquette divides Reddit Taking to the social media platform TikTok, user russflipswhips was baffled at how Australia’s fuel payment system works. In the 50-second video titled ‘they have major trust here’, russflipswhips explained, “You guys trust people to fill up their car and then come in and pay [after] like an honour system”. “I’m blown away that people in Australia don’t steal gas, this is just a mind-blowing concept...

Electric motors unlock a lot of potential for hardcore four-wheel-drives. To show what’s possible, Mercedes-Benz has done some clever things with its first electric G-Class. 2025 Mercedes-Benz G580 There’s a real sense that Mercedes-Benz has gone all experimental with the electric G-Class, officially known as the Mercedes-Benz G580 with EQ Technology. The brand could have taken the easy route and bolted in electric components where the combustion engine once lived, but Mercedes went much, much further. While it looks like a typical G-Class from the outside, the G580 sits on a bespoke ladder frame chassis. It’s there to support the massive 116 kilowatt-hour battery, and instead of the typical dual-motor electric drivetrain seen in most high-performance EVs, the electric G-Wagen features four motors, one driving each wheel, unlocking a lot of off-road potential. Range is a claimed 473km on the WLTP cycle, power is a massive 432kW combined, and torque is a mountain-moving 1...