Articles by Stephen Ottley

Stephen Ottley

Contributing Journalist

Steve has been obsessed with all things automotive for as long as he can remember. Literally, his earliest memory is of a car. Having amassed an enviable Hot Wheels and Matchbox collection as a kid he moved into the world of real cars with an Alfa Romeo Alfasud.

Despite that questionable history he carved a successful career for himself, firstly covering motorsport for Auto Action magazine before eventually moving into the automotive publishing world with CarsGuide in 2008. Since then he's worked for every major outlet, having work published in The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Drive.com.au, Street Machine, V8X and F1 Racing.

These days he still loves cars as much as he did as a kid and has an Alfa Romeo Alfasud in the garage (but not the same one as before... that's a long story).

Our buyers want 'something real': Why Chinese supercars like BYD's Yangwang U9 are dismissed by this historic brand, even as it develops its first all-electric car

13 April 2025 by Stephen Ottley

'We've still got a lot of work to do': Chery admits it needs to do better on active safety as it launches its BYD Sealion 6-rivalling Jaecoo J7 family SUV

12 April 2025 by Stephen Ottley

Chinese newcomer Chery has admitted it has work to do fine-tuning its...Read more

How Ford, Holden and Aussie-built Toyotas could have not only survived but thrived if the Australian government had introduced tariffs again | Opinion

6 April 2025 by Stephen Ottley

Could the Australian car industry have been saved?

It’s a...Read more

This Chinese brand won't follow Kia, Hyundai and GWM's lead and hire local experts to fine-tune its cars for Australian taste

5 April 2025 by Stephen Ottley

Chery won’t follow the lead of Hyundai, Kia and now GWM and hire local...Read more

Is China's answer to Jeep coming to Australia? Chery sub-brands Jetour and Exeed plans outlined but will its Toyota Prado and Tesla Model S rivals make it here?

30 March 2025 by Stephen Ottley

Chery is stopping at three brands… for now. But China’s answer to Jeep...Read more

How many is too many? Chery to spin-off Omoda into its own brand alongside Jaecoo in Australia as it looks to take on Toyota, Kia, BYD, GWM and more

29 March 2025 by Stephen Ottley

Chery may only have arrived in Australia a few years ago but the...Read more

Jaecoo J7 2025 review: AWD & PHEV - Australian first drive

28 March 2025 by Stephen Ottley

Yep, it’s yet another new brand. And, yes, it’s from China. You can be forgiven for not keeping up with the influx of new car brands in recent years, even as a professional I can find it challenging at times. But that’s why we’re here, to help you determine which brands to pay attention to and...Read more

Watch out BYD Sealion 6 and Toyota RAV4! The 2025 Jaecoo J7 is launching a new brand and going straight at some of Australia's most popular family hybrid and plug-in hybrid SUVs

27 March 2025 by Stephen Ottley

Jaecoo is positioning itself as a premium brand - but not an expensive...Read more

What happened to cool cars? I'd rather drive a Toyota than a Ferrari as modern supercars become too quick for their own good | Opinion

23 March 2025 by Stephen Ottley

Would you rather a Ferrari or a Toyota?

Admit it - you hate...Read more

Why you might not be forced into an electric car by 2030: Diesel dual-cab utes like the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Isuzu D-Max are like Coco Pops and Australia can't get enough of them | Opinion

22 March 2025 by Stephen Ottley

Lost amid all the talk of electric cars compared to petrol models, the...Read more

Porsche 718 2025 review: Spyder RS

20 March 2025 by Stephen Ottley

“If this is to be our end, then I would have them make such an end as to...Read more

Highest horsepower vehicles in Australia?

19 March 2025 by Stephen Ottley

You can thank/blame (take your pick) Scottish engineer James Watt for...Read more

Australia's best small cars

19 March 2025 by Stephen Ottley

In 2011 there was a seismic shift in the Australian car market - the...Read more

Utes are useless: They may be popular but modern utes such as the Toyota HiLux, Isuzu D-Max, Mitsubishi Triton, Ford Ranger and BYD Shark 6 seem less practical than ever before | Opinion

16 March 2025 by Stephen Ottley

I tried it lengthways, sideways and even on the diagonal, but despite...Read more

Not so easy: The new 2025 Ford Ranger PHEV may be the Blue Oval's new hero but the company reveals why it won't build a plug-in hybrid Ford Everest to trump the Toyota Prado

13 March 2025 by Stephen Ottley

The saga of the Toyota LandCruiser Prado’s unorthodox boot may have...Read more

Ford hits back at Toyota: Blue Oval dismisses Toyota's worry that ute sales will drop, with high hopes for Ford Ranger PHEV and Ranger Super Duty despite rise of the Toyota RAV4

10 March 2025 by Stephen Ottley

Ford has hit back at Toyota’s suggestions that the ute market is...Read more

Isuzu MU-X X-Terrain 2025 review: snapshot

8 March 2025 by Stephen Ottley

Isuzu’s updated 2025 MU-X range has a new flagship, the X-Terrain. To...Read more

Ford declares Ranger PHEV has no rivals, dismissing challenges from BYD Shark 6 and GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV

8 March 2025 by Stephen Ottley

Ford isn’t taking any prisoners when it comes to the introduction of...Read more

Isuzu MU-X LS-M 2025 review: snapshot

6 March 2025 by Stephen Ottley

The entry to the updated Isuzu MU-X range remains the LS-M variant, which...Read more

Ford Everest 2025 review: Tremor - Australian first drive

6 March 2025 by Stephen Ottley

Ford knows it’s in for a tough fight in 2025. The Blue Oval brand is facing the twin challenges of new ute rivals to compete against its best-selling Ranger, and the arrival of the all-new Toyota LandCruiser Prado to give the Everest a hard time. But Ford isn’t backing down. In fact, it has...Read more

Articles by Stephen Ottley

Stephen Ottley

Contributing Journalist

Pages

Get the latest news, reviews and advice every week