Coupes under $50k
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- Best coupes under $50k
Whether you’re just starting to drive or heading into a mid-life crisis, coupes appeal to all of us. Luckily, these days you don’t need to spend big money to enjoy the thrills of the swept-back driving experience.
While you are able to buy a Subaru BRZ or Toyota 86 for less than $40,000, choices start to expand once you’re shopping under the $50,000 so let’s start there.

Toyota 86
It is getting a little long in the tooth, but the Toyota 86/Subaru BRZ combo still offers sports car thrills for an affordable price. Available in manual or automatic with a choice of specification levels, the Toyota 86 has stood the test of time despite external pressure to fill it with extra power.

Mazda MX-5
With the nameplate just celebrating its 30th birthday, there’s small wonder why so many flock to the Mazda MX-5 for an engaging top-down drive. Even if you’re more of a hard-top fan, Mazda now offers the RF version which includes a folding metal roof.

Hyundai i30 Fastback N
A relatively new player to the coupe game, Hyundai’s i30 N was transformed into a four-door coupe following the success of the hatchback. Sleeker styling marries with everything that made Hyundai’s first true hot hatch great

2009 Audi Q5 3.2 FSI Review
Ingolstadt’s mid-size SUV takes aim at X3.

2009 Audi Q5 3.2FSI review
Audi’ s second?proper SUV following the big?Q7 launched locally in 2006 takes a bite out of the healthy luxury compact SUV market.

2009 Hyundai i30cw review
Hyundai’s expanded i30 is more than just a hatch with a bigger boot…

2009 Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 review
New 5.2-litre V10 heralds a meaner, leaner – yet greener – baby Bull.

2009 Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera review
Handgun on his hip, the Arizona sheriff leans through the shallow driver’s window of Lamborghini’s new hardcore track weapon.

2009 Porsche Boxster S review
Wholesale powertrain upgrades deliver a Boxster S that’s not just better, it’s brilliant…

2009 Holden Calais review
Holden’s new Active Fuel Management system quashes the notion that a big V8 equals big fuel bills. Our run from Sydney to Melbourne on one tank provides the proof.

2009 Mazda MX-5 review
The MX-5 still represents enormous bang for buck in a tight little package.

2009 Mini Cabrio review
Like its pricey stablemate, the BMW M3 Convertible, the latest Mini Cooper S drop-top can put a smile on your dial while you get a 200km/h tan.

2009 VW Golf 103TDI Comfortline review
Four blokes pile into a Mk Vl Golf for a weekend getaway. Good thing the diesel derivative is punchy, swift and, errr, macho.

2009 Porsche Boxster and Porsche Cayman review
Not just a pretty facelift.

2009 Honda Civic hatch review
UK-built five-door has lots to offer Oz buyers … for a price.

2009 Kia Cerato review
Korean Corolla rival benefits from German influence

This week’s Wheels – Ford Fiesta LX
Prized progeny of the blue oval proves good drives can come in small packages.

Fiesta’s worth easy to gauge
Priorities in the Blue Oval’s new world car – safety, performance, fuel efficiency and road holding. How come the gauge needles don’t rate?

LAUNCHED: Lambo Murcielago LP670-4 SV
Lean beef that leaves you very full.

Positive spin – Toyota Prius
Geeks and greenies will love it unconditionally, but can Prius III also woo drivers?

Trued grit – Mazda 3 MPS
The second-gen of Mazda’s wild-child hot hatch is as wickedly potent as the first, but chassis changes have reined in the manic torque steer, and helped deliver handling that’s no longer a handful.

Indecent exposure – Audi TTS v BMW Z4 v Merc SLK 350 v Porsche Boxster S
Who needs sunshine when you have four of Germany’s hottest convertibles ready to unleash in the Aussie Alps?

LAUNCHED: Mini Cooper D
Outstanding efficiency in cute-as-a-button packaging.

The king and I – Porsche 911 Carrera S
Robbo lets rip in the latest iteration of a model that’s both infatuated and infuriated him over the last 40 years. So does the second-gen 997 retain its crown?

LAUNCHED: Audi A5 2.0 TFSI Quattro
Turbo four definitely not on the nose.

LAUNCHED: Volkswagen Polo
New-gen small car ponies up tiny turbo tech.

Bloom times – Lotus Evora
It’s the Lotus built for touring, not just track days. But is the Evora enough to see the British sports-car maker blossom into a mainstream contender?