Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2016 i Wheels

The F1 lap record around the 5.9km Silverstone GP Circuit (which was modified in 2010) is 1min 30.874sec, set by Fernando Alonso in 2010 driving a Ferrari. That’s an average speed of 233km/h. Aston Martin and Red Bull say the AM-RB 001 will be even faster – yet it will have headlights, airbags, a passenger seat and numberplates. By way of comparison, the La Ferrari, Porsche 918 and McLaren P1 hypercars lapped the shorter Silverstone National Circuit in a little over 58 seconds for a magazine test. It doesn’t have the GP circuit’s long straights, but the 163km/h average speed is a long way off the F1 car’s 233km/h. Aero is a big part of AM-RB 001’s plan for dominance, and it’ll need big power to achieve F1 speeds; something…

350km Usable range between recharges $55K Expected price when it lands in Oz in 2018 6.0sec Claimed 0-100km/h sprint time TESLA is already looking to improve its much-hyped Model 3, yet it has only just been revealed and is two years from going on sale in Australia. The first of two planned reveals for the car show a futuristic-looking four-door sedan with a hatch-like profile. Within days of the cheering-and-chanting reveal, Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to Twitter to say there is “some tweaking underway” when quizzed about the nose of the car, also adding that “edge and contour refinement are ongoing”. Musk also hinted there could be interior design updates: “Wait until you see the real steering controls and system for the 3. It feels like a spaceship.” The…

IS THE Vision Next 100 simply an example of Bavarian big-birthday self-indulgence? This concept car was the star of a party thrown in Munich on March 7 this year, exactly 100 years after the BMW name was first registered. The hour-long spectacle was staged inside the hall built for the 1972 Olympics, near BMW’s headquarters. While the museums of BMW Group’s other brands were raided to provide a rumbling chorus-line of wheeled talent, the Vision Next 100 was the only car wearing the blue-and-white roundel. The company’s leadership obviously wanted to emphasise a point; that BMW is a carmaker more interested in thinking about the future than the past. From my seat in Munich’s Olympic Hall, the concept could have been a prop for a big stage show, but that…

We are in another golden period of motoring in Australia DAYS OF THUNDER It seems as though we are in another golden period of motoring in Australia. As evidence I put forward the Holden Commodore VF Series II with 304kW; HSV with 430kW; Ford’s 345kW Falcon selling out; and now the Jeep Trackhawk with 527kW once it comes to Oz. Has there ever been a better time to be looking for a high-performance car? The dollars per kilowatt must represent exceptional value. People talk about the old days, but look what is right in front of us. Buy one while you can; history shows it may not last. Ashley Mathews, Pascoe Vale,Vic COUPE DE GRACE I can see how the Ford Mustang and the Holden SS-V Redline are in the…

Model Holden Spark LS Engine 1399cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v Max power 73kW @ 6200rpm Max torque 128Nm @ 4400rpm Transmission CVT automatic Weight 990kg 0-100km/h 12.0sec (estimated) Economy 5.5L/100km Price $15,690 On sale Now A QUESTION started to form in my mind as we were pushing the all-new Holden Spark around a challenging, hilly section coiled over one corner of Holden’s vast Lang Lang proving ground. When was the last time a model went from worst-in-class to the segment’s best, in the space of just one generation? It’s too early to say for sure if that’s the case for Holden’s new microcar, but there’s no doubting that the improvements the Spark delivers over its utterly unloveable and woefully underdone predecessor are vast. The outgoing model saw no local involvement from…

Model Skoda Superb 206 TSI 4x4 Engine 1984cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v, turbo Max power 206kW @ 6500rpm Max torque 350Nm @ 1700-5600rpm Transmission 6-speed dual-clutch Weight 1573kg 0-100km/h 5.8sec (claimed) Economy 7.3L/100km Price $50,990 On sale Now EUROPEANS love wagons, and so do motoring journalists. Combining SUV-beating space with the manoeuvrability of a low centre-of-gravity and the dexterity of an elegantly sized body, you’d think choosing a wagon would be a no-brainer. But that isn’t how it works in real life. Skoda buyers, on the other hand, have sporty wagons in their DNA. Biggest-selling variant in Skoda’s Aussie line-up is the Octavia RS wagon, so it wisely paid close attention to this when decking out its new Superb range. Indeed, our ‘base’ Superb scores the Octavia RS’s excellent 162kW/350Nm 2.0-litre…

Model Hyundai Elantra Active Engine 1999cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v Max power 112kW @ 6200rpm Max torque 192Nm @ 4000rpm Transmission 6-speed automatic Weight 1275kg 0-100km/h 9.5sec (estimated) Economy 7.2L/100km Price $23,790 On sale Now IT MAY be Hyundai’s biggest-selling model globally, but the Elantra is up against it in Australia, where four-door sedans are being steadily usurped by SUVs. On paper the sixth-generation Elantra doesn’t look much; fuel use has increased, the boot is smaller and prices have edged up. The reality is more appealing, starting with a crisper design that emphases the sloping roofline rather than the boot. The step from a 1.8- to a 2.0-litre engine brings a modest increase in outputs – 2kW and 12Nm – but a more meaningful kick-along to mid-range flexibility thanks to an…

Model Mini Cooper S Convertible Engine 1998cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v, turbo Max power 141kW @ 5000-6500rpm Max torque 280Nm @ 1250-4000rpm Transmission 6-speed automatic Weight 1370kg 0-100km/h 7.2sec (claimed) Economy 5.8L/100km Price $45,400 On sale Now THERE ARE some cars that seem made for a manual gearbox, and the Mini has always been one of them. But the new Mini Convertible will be the first variant where that’s not offered, at least in Australia (though, if you insist, they’ll build one to special order). Apparently the number of people who like to use a clutch in any BMW product, even the M3 and M4, is now just five percent or less, and the demand for it in the female-friendly Mini was seen as being roughly zero, even though 40 percent…

If you missed out on the sold-out 911 GT3 RS, and you feel like paying more for less, then the car pictured below is the Porsche for you. Dubbed the 911 R, it was officially revealed at the Geneva motor show. The bodyshell and suspension are the same as a GT3’s, while the 368kW/460Nm 4.0-litre flat-six is out of the GT3 RS. The sole gearbox offered is a six-speed manual and the R comes with a titanium exhaust, carbon-ceramic brakes, plastic windows and no rear seat or air-conditioning. This makes it light, the 1370kg kerb weight making this the lightest model in the 911 range. Only a handful will come to Australia and they’re not cheap. Priced from $404,700, the R will be the second-most expensive 911, trailing only the…

Model Mercedes-Benz E400 4Matic This new E-Class is even more clever than the flagship S-Class, so it’s kind of a big deal Engine 2996cc V6 (60°), dohc, 24v, twin-turbo Max power 245kW @ 5250-6000rpm Max torque 480Nm @ 1600-4000rpm Transmission 9-speed automatic Weight 1750kg (estimated) 0-100km/h 5.3sec (claimed) Fuel economy 7.7L/100km (EU) Price $140,000 (estimated) On sale Q4 2016 ’VE been dead for quite a while now. Pretend-dead, that is. I’m hurtling along a Portuguese freeway at 120km/h and two minutes ago, the bearded German sitting alongside told me to do the most peculiar thing. “Now is time for some theatre,” he smiled through his whiskers, which are so long they tickle the top of his name badge. It reads Constantin. “I ask you to have a heart attack.” He…

COULD I be happy with a highly equipped – and I mean loaded – Korean car? It’s something I’ve long wondered, yet I always thought I knew the answer (erm, no). But along the way things have changed. First of all, today’s Korean car is a generally far more solid, much better handling machine that those of a decade ago. I’ve changed too. With kids, I’ve slowed down a bit, and living in Sydney’s inner ring means I now prioritise comfort and conveniences; dynamics don’t matter so much when the road is inevitably a car park. However, I can only take this view because I not only have the luxury of a dedicated daily driver – the Optima – but also a pair of cheap, lightweight, once-were-performance cars for relief.…

“OOH, Daddy, it’s a Mercedes!” These words, uttered with the shrill delight of a seven-year-old on first sighting of the Volvo XC90, could be music to the ears, or a dagger through the creative heart of the Swedish SUV’s designers. To be fair, it was dark and my poor kid has never quite got over the loss of our previous ML350 long-termer. But I still might get her eyes checked as, while our XC90 bears a passing resemblance to several other large, black and blinged-up SUVs, the Merc isn’t one of them. While it’s possible to pick elements of Jeep, Range Rover and even BMW in the XC90’s statuesque silhouette, it ultimately comes together into something that is uniquely Volvo. I like that it’s not overly embellished, that the designers…

UNHEALTHY as it is, consuming a gullet-load of drinks and washing it down with some fast-food gloriousness at 1am is a great way to bond with fellow humans. Some of the finer conversational details may be lost in the process but there’s a warm-and-fuzzy feeling associated with letting rip in fine company that can seal a friendship. That’s how I feel about the C63 S. Initial misgivings over its brusque and unforgiving nature – especially when tackling low-speed traffic snarls and bumpy urban roads – have transitioned into a much more tolerant, almost lovey-dovey relationship phase. Having fully stretched 1DF-6IS’s muscular legs over the past two months and 1700 kays, including a soon-to-be-published comparo, I now fully comprehend what this 375kW slingshot is capable of. It’s an intensely serious sports…

Just months from the scheduled end of production in October, Ford has increased the price of its once top-selling Territory SUV. From the base TX rear-drive petrol to the top Titanium-spec AWD turbo-diesel, $1000 has been added to the RRP, something that could make life tougher for Territory in the competitive seven-seat SUV segment – especially with the imminent arrival of Mazda’s all-new CX-9. The price increase brings no extra equipment or changes to the Ford SUV that won our COTY award in 2004. Falcon ute and sedan models built in the same plant escaped the price rises.…

Tesla has added a partial self-parking feature to its optional Autopilot self-steering functionality. Called Summon, the system allows the car to be controlled via the Tesla app from outside the car – provided it is within the range of the keyfob. It allows the car to be remotely driven up to 10 metres forward or backwards to allow it to be manoeuvred into a tight space – or to show off to friends. Tesla says it has Australian regulatory approval for the system to be controlled via the app, but not the keyfob, as it is overseas. Summon is free if you have Autopilot, a system that adds $3800 to the price of a new Tesla or $4500 for the software update if you’ve already taken delivery.…

IN 1973 Lamborghini’s Countach sliced up our expectations of a supercar. The V12-engined wedge, in production for 17 years, was always going to be a hard act to follow. And to sit in. And to see out of. And to actually drive or park. Lamborghini naturally turned to the same designer, Marcello Gandini, for its successor. The process of developing Project 132, the highly anticipated replacement, began in 1985, when the company was under the ownership of French sugar barons Jean-Claude and Patrick Mimran. In 1987, however, the Mimran brothers sold the company to Chrysler, run by turnaround king Lee Iacocca. Chrysler baulked at the P132’s exaggeratedly angular lines and had its own Detroit studio repeatedly refine the design. The resultant development delay begat the 1988 stop-gap Countach 25th Anniversary…

Trailblazer is go Holden is set to introduce the Trailblazer name for its upcoming seven-seat SUV. To replace the Colorado7 nameplate that some thought linked the car too much to the Colorado ute it’s based on, the Trailblazer was previewed as a thinly disguised concept at the recent Bangkok motor show. As well as the styling tweaks that bring the new Holden/Chevrolet corporate grille, the car will get extensive updates to refinement and dynamics, with Holden engineers playing a lead role. POCKET ROCKET “Luxury doesn’t know any limits … people go crazy about it” Power war D-Day Audi’s technical development boss, Stefan Knirsch, has admitted the power war may be coming to an end. He says that, while there is still room to “increase power still a little bit”, he…

The G70 will maintain the bold cues and dimensions of the NYC show car IT’S officially a concept, but the unimaginatively named Genesis New York Concept is anything but. Think BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar – they’re the marques Hyundai’s fledgling luxury brand has in its sights with the sweeping rear-drive four-door. The company says the New York Concept (NYC) forms the basis for the upcoming Genesis G70, slated for production in 2017 and due in Australia the following year. While it’s being touted as a crucial mainstream player against the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class, its sleek roofline will position it against sportier sedans such as the BMW 4 Series GT, Mercedes-Benz CLA and Audi A5. While exact measurements are yet to be revealed, the G70 should be…

MERCEDES’ bold new product strategy will add at least 10 extra body-style vehicles to the 32-strong existing range within four years. Daimler AG board member Ola Kallenius – who replaces Thomas Weber as Mercedes development chief from January 1 and is widely tipped to succeed Dieter Zetsche as Daimler chairman in 2019 – revealed the ambitious expansion plan to Wheels at the New York motor show, confirming Mercedes will have more than 40 different body-style models by 2020. “If you count the way we officially count – individual body styles – we have 32 now and we have laid a plan going up to 2020 to go slightly above 40,” said Kallenius (right). “So we have another 10 or so new models that don’t have a predecessor coming in the…

IT’S all about the roof with the newest member of the MX-5 family, known as the RF (for Retractable Fastback). Revealed at the New York motor show, the Mazda MX-5 RF puts the emphasis on design with a more distinctive teardrop profile to its coupe-like roof. “The retractable fastback represents a new type of MX-5 that aims to be a compact sports car with a natural charm that anybody and everybody will find beautiful,” said chief designer Masashi Nakayama. This is the second MX-5 with a folding hardtop and maintains the latest model’s clever thinking, with a roof that folds in just 12 seconds, making it the fastest-folding hardtop on sale. Now it can be retracted on the run, too, albeit only at up to 10km/h. Mazda Australia marketing director…

KISSED BY A FROG I’ve read every issue of Wheels since the early 1960s and my links to the magazine sprang into sharp focus on reading Robbo’s Bourke and Back in a Day (Classic Wheels, April). I was the next owner of the HQ in question, bought from a New South Wales North Coast Holden dealer as an “as new” Holden special that had arrived direct from the factory in the previous fortnight and only driven by the local sales manager. It was sold as a demonstrator and I received a small discount off new price. My girlfriend (now wife) named it the Green Frog. Its first big trip was to the 1972 Hardie Ferodo 500 at Bathurst. I loved the sports wheels, white upholstery, all the extras and the…

Model Subaru Forester 2.5i-S Engine 2498cc flat 4, dohc, 16v Max power 126kW @ 5800rpm Max torque 235Nm @ 4100rpm Transmission CVT automatic Kerb weight 1568kg 0-100km/h 9.9sec (claimed) Economy 8.1L/100km Price $39,490 On sale Now A LOT has happened since the Subaru Forester won the Wheels SUV Megatest. A nine-car brawl between an armada of rivals – including Mazda CX-5, Ford Kuga and Honda CR-V – saw the Subaru come out as the best dirty weekender. That was August 2014. Over the intervening 18 months, Forester has faced increasingly stiff competition from younger, prettier rivals as the medium SUV market has become the bloodiest battle in local showrooms. For the same $29,990 kick-off, the 2016 Forester has been given a fresh set of bumpers, a new grille, LED running…

Model Volkswagen Passat Alltrack Engine 1968cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v, TD Max power 140kW @ 3500-4000rpm Max torque 400Nm @ 1750-3000rpm Transmission 6-speed dual-clutch Weight 1671kg 0-100km/h 8.0sec (claimed) Economy 5.4L/100km Price $49,290 On sale Now SUBARU’S Liberty-on-stilts, the Outback, has been kicking up dust successfully on the high-riding wagon trail for two decades, yet despite Volvo following soon after with the XC70, there’s been only an incremental expansion of the breed since. Volkswagen didn’t come around to the idea until 2011 with the Alltrack, while retaining the top-selling Passat namplate. Now we have the second Alltrack iteration, applying the same formula of rugged looks and light off-roading ability to the latest, eighth-generation Passat. Exterior changes include the front scuff plate, matte-black body trim, extended sills, roof rails, exclusive 18-inch Kalamata…

Model Mercedes-Benz SL500 Engine 4663cc V8 (90º), dohc, 32v, twin-turbo Max power 335kW @ 5250rpm Max torque 700Nm @ 1800-3500rpm Transmission 9-speed automatic Weight 1720kg 0-100km/h 4.3sec (claimed) Economy 9.0L/100km Price $280,000 (estimated) On sale July RARELY has a car suited its location so perfectly. I’m standing atop a sunny Californian mountain, peering into the valley below while the 4.7-litre V8 of a Mercedes-Benz SL500 ticks loudly as it cools behind me. Below are glimpses of a sinewy, hairpin-infested road, and the air is pierced by howling SL engines as other journos charge up the mountain. It takes a single glance to know the SL’s mid-life facelift has been a successful one. The old car’s styling divided opinion, especially around its beaky nose, but this refreshed look is much more…

At 7000rpm, the 911 GT3 RS’s 4.0-litre flat-six was making 21,000 loud and lovely bangs every minute. But this particular bang was orders of magnitude louder than the rest. And terminal. I backed off. A warning message came on telling me the engine was in reduced-power mode and that I should take it to my nearest Porsche service centre straight away. By the time I’d finished reading that alert, the engine had lost all power and great plumes of white smoke were billowing out behind the bright orange 911. I put it in neutral, coasted the stricken Porsche off the road and got out, engulfed by what I quickly realised was oil smoke. My first thought was, ‘What have I done?’ My second was, ‘Is it going to catch fire?’…

Ask a range of people what they think of Neville Crichton and you’ll hear the same words a lot: “not on the record”, “competitive”, “tough” and “bastard”. There are rumours of some friction between Crichton and Ferrari over its decision to take the brand back in-house locally, but Herbert Appleroth, CEO of the local arm, barely has an unkind word to say about him. “I have enormous respect for Neville as a businessmen as well as a sportsman,” Appleroth says. “What he has been able to achieve in business as he also has done in sport is a credit to his determination and competitive spirit. However, on the flip side, like in sport, Neville likes to win and not give an inch.” Compatriot and former teammate Jim Richards says he’s…

Ranger’s steering stands head and shoulders above its rivals WHILE it was once possible to consider the Mazda BT-50 and Ford Ranger the same, a 2015 facelift introduced noticeable mechanical and cosmetic differences. Unlike previous Mazda/Ford joint developments, which were mostly the work of the Japanese brand, the Ranger was engineered by Ford in Australia, is built in Thailand, and up until recently differed only in its spring rates, which were slightly softer than in the Mazda. In the facelifted Ranger, the biggest departure is evident as soon as you turn the wheel. A new electric power steering system (the BT-50 retains the old hydraulic system) provides light, smooth steering at parking speeds. It’s at odds with the butch look but isn’t a bad thing, making the Ford easy to…

IT WASN’T much of a vacation at all, not least for the littlest Suzuki, when my geologist partner needed to make a trip to look at, umm, rocks – a 1300km return run to the ACT. The Celerio was not our first choice of chariot, unsurprisingly. After all, it’s not like this little city car is meant for the many rigours of the open-road joust, which often include strong winds and meandering semis driven spare by stupefyingly low speed limits. The tiny Suzi doesn’t even have cruise control as an option. We need not have worried. Heaving with geological paraphernalia – tools, flasks, weather-proof (and fashion-proof) clothing, boots and camping gear for two – 1FU-3RE hit the blacktop with quite a burden. Yet the Thai-made tearaway was still strong enough…

ONE great thing with electric cars is that you’re never torn between listening to the sound of what’s banging away underneath the bonnet and the latest chart-topper that you can’t get out of your head. Except that the standard sound system in my A3 e-Tron is a tad disappointing, especially when it’s not working properly. Our car has an intermittent problem whereby an amplifier or speakers go on the blink. It always seems to happen when Slash is winding up for Paradise City, at which point cranking the volume has little effect, except for early onset distortion. That lack of engine noise also creates its own hurdles. I’ve had the occasional private disagreement with the A3 on when it should start. Or, at least, when I think it should have…

WHAT’S the protocol with leaving the roof open when parked? When parking at a coffee shop, can I get my morning take-away and expect my work bag will still be on the passenger seat when I come back? What about when I go to the barber’s for my monthly mop lop? Okay, in this instance, I’m not naïve. But what if there’s nothing in the cabin? Can I leave the roof down and expect to not find a cigarette butt or litter in the cabin (both of which have happened)? These are the weighty first-world conundrums I tackled after taking over our long-term Mazda MX-5 Roadster 1.5. It was also a month of compulsory roof-down motoring. Every single trip the lid was off, unless it was raining. Putting the roof…

Hyundai has added more gear to its ageing van with seats, the eight-seat iMax people mover. A reversing camera teams with a new 7.0-inch touchscreen with voice control. There’s also climate control functionality for the air-con, and mirrors that fold in electrically. Side airbags protect those up front, but there are still no curtain airbags. And the diesel auto versions finally pick up cruise control. Prices for the Series II iMax – identified by new front bumper, grille and revised 16-inch alloys – have crept up about $1500 to cover the new gear.…

“THE AMERICAN LEARNS THAT [PHOTOGRAPHER STEVE] STRIKE’S INFECTIOUS CHORTLING IS A SIGN HE IS DRIVING ON THE WRONG SIDE”– JOHN CAREY, 1995 Carey’s December 1995 story explained that during an editorial planning meeting, Automobile associate editor Mark Schirmer had wondered aloud if the right place to test the new Legacy Outback wasn’t, well, the Outback. Schirmer’s idea quickly became his assignment. So it came to pass that Carey, Schirmer (on his first visit to Australia) and Alice Springs-based photographer Steve Strike left Sydney to drive through the Outback to Alice Springs via Broken Hill, then across the Flinders Ranges to Arkaroola and Uluru. Which Schirmer insisted on climbing. “In the States, you wouldn’t be allowed to climb it,” he told Carey. “It’s so dangerous.” In four and a half days…

“What we conceived is a car that is as fast if not faster than an F1 car around a track”– Andy Palmer IT’S all about the details with Aston Martin’s first hypercar, the AM-RB 001. With a target of lapping a race circuits like Silverstone faster than a Formula One car, the mid-engined hypercar will team a twin-turbocharged V12 with electric motors for La Ferrari-beating performance. With the first of just 99 global deliveries slated for late 2018, the upcoming flagship Aston Martin’s drawcard will be impeccable aerodynamics courtesy of Red Bull F1 design guru Adrian Newey. “What we conceived is a car that is as fast, if not faster than an F1 car around a track,” says Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer. “When you imagine that, you start to…

Lamborghini is playing a waiting game with electrification, but accepts that hybrids are the way of the future. Recently departed CEO Stephen Winkelmann said it’s inevitable, but that “electrification has to offer an added intensity” to performance. “Lamborghini can at best be a fast follower – we are too small and lack the funds to set trends,” he told sister magazine Motor. “Do we believe in PHEV? Absolutely. Can we afford it? Absolutely not.” The Italian carmaker previewed a hybrid drivetrain in the concept-only Asterion at the 2014 Paris motor show and will go turbo and/or hybrid for the upcoming Urus SUV, but remains committed to large atmo engines for its supercars – at least until batteries improve considerably, especially in terms of weight. “The situation may change once the…

THE supercharged Ford Mustang has come to Australia. From late April, you can order a Ford Performance-backed supercharged V8 Mustang packing 499kW that should destroy the sprint to 100km/h in less than 4.0sec. Renowned Ford performance-car specialist Rob Herrod will supply uprated Mustangs as fully complied models through his Melbourne-based operation, only a few kilometres from Ford’s soon-to-close Broadmeadows factory. The Herrod Performance Mustangs, as they will be officially known, will be fitted with factory Ford Performance parts – from the Eaton supercharger to suspension packages and more – shipped directly from Detroit, building on the 306kW peak currently offered by Ford in the Mustang GT. Starting at around $75K, they land in the heart of Clubsport R8 territory, but with more grunt than HSV’s 430kW $90K GTS flagship. Herrod…

The G70 has been tasked with tackling Germany’s finest but won’t have anything like the model proliferation to take on BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi. It’s expected to have far fewer engine options – the 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6 likely to be the sole choice initially – and body styles will be limited to the coupe-inspired four-door flagged by the concept plus a traditional two-door coupe. A convertible is a possibility, but our spies tell us it’s still awaiting sign-off. Don’t expect a wagon or regular three-box sedan, either. Not that the G70 won’t be pulling its weight. The rear-drive architecture will also underpin at least one SUV. The Genesis family is set for considerable expansion judging by recent nameplate registrations with IP Australia. In the mix is GC70 (the coupe version…

AMG will launch its second exclusive model in early 2019, Wheels can reveal. Codenamed X290, it will be a four-door designed to challenge the Porsche Panamera. The top-secret internal program to develop a four-door based on the architecture of the V8-powered GT will see the second AMG-only model wear a purpose-designed coupe-style body and is likely to share only front and rear graphics with the GT coupe. “The chance to do something as an additional car within our portfolio dedicated as a pure AMG is increasing,” AMG boss Tobias Moers told us. “We had a very successful 2015 … so now it makes sense to take it more into consideration, having the idea of another variant dedicated to AMG… another car.” Meanwhile, AMG also confirmed our…

It delivers a jet-fighter surge to the horizon Model Ford Falcon XR6 Sprint Engine 3984cc 6cyl, dohc, 24v, turbo Max power 325kW @ 6000rpm Max torque 576Nm @ 2750rpm Transmission 6-speed automatic Weight 1818kg 0-100km/h 4.5sec (estimated) Economy 12.8L/100km Price $54,990 On sale Sold out IT’S an undeniably sad time, this look at the last new (and thankfully wild) iteration of the Australian-made Ford Falcon breed, which disappears in October after a rich history dating back 56 years. But how good it is that Ford has tried really hard to make the farewell model one to remember. Straight sixes and bent eights have been the staple of Ford Australia local manufacturing, and big in the motoring lives of many of us, so it’s fitting that the Blue Oval has created…

Model Toyota RAV4 Cruiser AWD Engine 2494cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v Max power 132kW @ 6000rpm Max torque 233Nm @ 4100rpm Transmission 6-speed automatic Kerb weight 1600kg 0-100km/h 9.9sec (tested) Economy 8.5L/100km Price $44,490 On sale Now LIKE a black hole forever sucking in buyers of sedans and wagons, the medium SUV is an insatiable beast. At its heart sits the Toyota RAV4 – the first of the breed 22 years ago, spawner of scores of imitators since, and a key player in the plummeting fortunes of the homegrown Commodore and Falcon. This is what Australia’s modern family car looks like. However, a quarter of a million units on, things aren’t all peachy for the pioneering crossover. Today’s 40-series, launched in 2013, has been overshadowed by the (older) Mazda CX-5, making…

Model Fiat 500 Lounge Engine 1368cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v Max power 74kW @ 6000rpm Max torque 131Nm @ 4250rpm Transmission 6-speed manual Kerb weight 930kg 0-100km/h 10.5sec (claimed) Economy 6.1L/100km Price $21,000 On sale Now ADMITTING a love for the Fiat 500 is like harbouring a secret passion for the music of Taylor Swift; as inexplicable as it is irresistible. The Fiat, which has just been facelifted (or software-updated) is too small to be useful, so lacking in power you feel you’re slipping into stasis going up hills, and almost intentionally cute and cuddly, which should be a sin in car design. But the styling – particularly in high-spec versions with patterned leather seats offsetting cool ivory steering wheel and accessories – makes sense when 80 percent of 500 buyers…

Model Renault Clio RS 220 Trophy Engine 1618cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v, turbo Max power 162kW @ 6050rpm Max torque 260Nm @ 2000rpm Transmission 6-speed dual-clutch Weight 1270kg 0-100km/h 6.6sec (claimed) Economy 5.9L/100km Price $39,990 On sale Now YOUNG person’s car. It’s almost like a back-handed statement from the Baby Boomer generation, bringing to mind an overstickered, heavily spoilered thing they wouldn’t be seen dead in, with a ride as brutal as the hip-hop thumping out of it. But what about a car that makes you feel young? A great hot hatch has that effect. With enough snot to embarrass the ‘big boys’ and enough handling to dislodge retinas from eyeballs, it’s amazing how a proper ‘on rails’ experience can make you feel young and cool again. Just like being asked…

Model Porsche Cayman GT4 Engine 3800cc flat 6, dohc, 24v Max power 283kW @ 7400rpm Max torque 420Nm @ 4750-6000rpm Transmission 6-speed manual Weight 1340kg 0-100km/h 4.4sec (claimed) Fuel economy 10.3L/100km Price $189,900 On sale Now Model Porsche 911 GT3 RS Engine 3996cc flat 6, dohc, 24v Max power 368kW @ 8250rpm Max torque 460Nm @ 6250rpm Transmission 7-speed dual-clutch Weight 1420kg 0-100km/h 3.3sec (claimed) Fuel economy 12.7L/100km Price $387,300 On sale Now THERE are moments of transcendent joy; moments where you need to pinch yourself to be sure what you’re feeling is reality. Then there are other times where you just need to slap yourself in the face, hard. A slap was what I needed, and deserved, after climbing out of Porsche’s gut-pummelling, knuckle-rapping 911 GT3 RS into its…

Andreas Preuninger, Porsche’s director of high-performance cars and motorsport, knows the engine of the 991 GT3 RS inside out. At the car’s launch last year he listed for Wheels the alterations that set it apart from the naturally aspirated 3.8-litre version of the company’s 9A1 flat-six family. “We’ve got different pistons, different crankcase, different bearings,” he said. “The machining of the cylinder block is completely different to enable the 4.0-litre displacement. The heads are completely different, the valves are lighter, the valvetrain is different, the exhaust is different.” The crankshaft is made from the same stuff as in the 919 Hybrid LMP1 racer – tempered steel remelted multiple times in a vacuum to produce a part of exceptional purity and strength. It increases stroke by 4mm over the…

JAPAN became an economic powerhouse through innovation, persistence and sheer long hours. There’s so much unpaid overtime, with almost five million people working (or at least at their desks) for more than 60 hours per week, that even the nation’s Prime Minister has criticised the corporate culture. What Japan needs is to take a sickie. And that’s exactly what I do on a recent trip to Japan, stealing just 36 hours – so as to get home in time for dinner – without ever straying farther than 100km from Tokyo, the world’s busiest metropolis and home to more than 37 million people. In perfect autumn weather, a Mazda MX-5 is just the ticket. The brand’s signature Soul Red colour now conspicuously peppers Japan’s streetscapes, which seem to be mostly bleached…

Private sales now account for a staggering 50 percent. Mums ’n’ dads are buying utes, too Ford Ranger Holden Colorado Isuzu D-Max Mazda BT-50 Mitsubishi Triton Nissan Navara Toyota Hilux Volkswagen Amarok 104 wheelsmag.com.au AUSSIES are long-term utilitarians. It’s a lifestyle choice that can be traced back to 1932, when a farmer’s wife asked Ford Australia for “a vehicle to go to church in on a Sunday and which can carry our pigs to market on Mondays”. Ford responded with its 1934 ‘coupe utility’ and so began a trayed union now spanning eight decades. Australia may have invented the ute, but today’s booming market segment is driven by imported dual-cab 4x4s from Thailand and Japan rather than our native rear-drive, sedan-based trayback heroes. Toyota’s Hilux headlines the Aussie ute boom…

Driven flat-out, the Colorado is quickest in class HOLDEN’S entrant may have a face that clearly links it to the family, and a Lion logo the size of a Frisbee, but it was developed by GM in Brazil, has an Italian engine, is built in Thailand, and shares chassis and body hardpoints with the Isuzu D-Max. The tuneable bits (springs, dampers and anti-roll bars) received attention from Holden, with a softer tune to make on-road dynamics more palatable for buyers used to unibody SUV comfort levels. Before we get to that, though, we need to get past the lack of cabin ambience, the hard plastics, the flimsy storage compartment lids, the fussy and dated instruments, and the fact that even in this LTZ spec (a grade higher than much of…

Hilux provides a strong sense of off-road competence and durability TOYOTA’S ownership of this segment was once so absolute that ‘Hilux’ just about became the non-enthusiast’s term for anything that resembles a 4x4 ute, the way a non-barbeque enthusiast refers to ‘a Weber’. Intensifying competition saw Toyota really ramp up development for this eighth-generation model, as well as increasing Toyota Australia’s involvement in all aspects ranging from dynamics to load carrying and accessories. Given Toyota also had the advantage of targeting the class-leading Amarok, you’d rightly expect big things from the new Hilux. We sure did. You still get traditional Toyota virtues like rock-solid reliability and resale value, idiot-proof functionality and the confidence you’ve made a solid, gamble-free choice. However, you also get a 4x4 ute well short of best-in-class…

Amarok feels polished, with a sheen of sophistication IF THE rest of this field is clearly from working-class stock, it’s equally clear the VW is a cut above. The others may be solid blue-collar performers, but the Amarok creates the impression it’s the only one with a university degree, capable of not spending its life on the tools. It feels polished, with a sheen of sophistication. Take the refinemed and (relatively) revvy 2.2-litre twin-turbo four. At idle it’s nicely muted and clatter-free; feed it some throttle and the short first gear of the eight-speed torque-converter auto gets it moving smartly. Seamless upshifts make progress feel effortless compared to the other lumbering beasts here. Its 9.8sec 80-120km/h overtaking time may not seem special, but we’ll take the lack of coarseness and…

IF YOU read last month’s report, you’ll know I finished it by planning an early morning mountain blast to properly tap into the Astra’s dynamic ability. I’d been scratching at what felt like a promising depth of talent, conveyed by the Astra’s taut, well-controlled ride and grippy front axle, but needed a proper dawn drive to see if things got better or worse when push came to shove. Well, that didn’t happen. The ink had barely dried on my previous report when the phone rang with bad news. On the other end was Holden, telling me the Astra had to go back. “But,” I sighed into the receiver, “it’s not scheduled to return for another two months!” The problem was the Astra’s registration, which was due to expire later that…

THE time arrived for our CX-3 long-termer to leave the Wheels Garage and I realised I hadn’t given her a decent trip away from town, which is no way to treat a guest. So I arranged a long-weekend escape to finally give the poor girl a decent canter. Phillip Island in autumn can be a lottery, so we covered all the bases – thongs, shorts, hats, overcoats and umbrellas. But the weather was perfectly benign, with just the lightest of showers – enough to make me appreciate the automatic wipers but well short of what would be required for this car’s on-demand all-wheel drive to really prove its worth. Now I’m not saying we’re the lightest of packers, but all the crap for a long weekend away didn’t take long…

1 BMW i8 266kW A 96kW electric motor adds to the feisty 170kW 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol to provide 0-100km/h performance claim of 4.4sec. 570Nm of torque ain’t bad, either. Looks meaner than it goes. 2 BMW X5 40e 230kW Electric-only range of 31km is nothing special, but the X5 40e – with a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol and 83kW electric motor – makes up for it with decent power and 450Nm of torque. 3 BMW 330e 185kW Rounding out the BMW-e-thon is the new 330e, with a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol and 65kW electric motor. Closely matched to the 330i on outputs, the 330e can also drive 37km on its electric motor alone. 4 AUDI A3 e-tron 150kW A 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine blends with a 75kW electric motor for a combined 150kW, which is…

MENTION the surname Luff and many people will think of Warren, the hard-charging V8 Supercar, GT and Carrera Cup racer. But Wazza is merely a chip off the old block; his dad Ian has been at the forefront of advanced driver training and a fixture in Australian motor sport for more than 40 years. At 66, Luff is one of the funniest, most energetic and entertaining people in the automotive arena. Yet he’s deadly serious about driving, and has been since the day in 1972 when Peter Wherrett – the pioneer of driver training in Australia – began to channel Luff’s talents for driving and communicating. Luff was born in Melbourne, into a nonautomotive family. “But Mum would take me and my sister to the speedway every Saturday night, because…