Table of contents for December 2020 in Wheels

JUST WHEN you thought the V-max game was over, the SSC Tuatara has reset the world’s fastest production car benchmark, wrestling the title from the grasp of Koenigsegg, and kicking Nevadan desert sand in the face of Bugatti in the process. The Tuatara hasn’t just broken existing records, it’s completely obliterated them, recording a two-way average of 508.73km/h; a whopping 61km/h faster than the previous mark recorded by the Koenigsegg Agera RS in 2017. Like Koenigsegg, SSC used an 11km stretch of the State Route 160 highway outside of Las Vegas in Nevada, setting the record on the morning of Saturday, October 10. In order to claim an official world record, two speed runs must be made in opposing directions within an hour of one another, which is why the…

THE BRILLIANCE of VW’s Golf GTI has always been a skilfully honed duality of character: completely liveable as a daily driver, yet able to hold a sufficiently steely resolve when being spanked like the hot hatch it really is. But equally, VW has always known that a single-spec GTI can’t be all things to all people, which is why we’ve seen a steady run of higher performance variants filter in and out of the line-up over recent generations. But for Mk8, overseas at least, VW is launching a GTI Clubsport not too far after release of the regular GTI. But will we see it here in Oz, and if so, when? A spokesperson for Volkswagen Australia told Wheels there are currently “no plans to bring the Golf GTI Clubsport to…

JOHN LAMM, celebrated photojournalist and Wheels contributor, has passed away in California aged 76. His was a life spent shaping the look and feel of automotive photography and story-telling around the world. His work appeared in America’s Road & Track and Car & Driver, Japan’s Car Graphic and titles in the UK, Europe and of course, via his special bond with Australia. A unique talent, John Lamm’s images of some of the world’s great cars were matched by his award winning prose — but in a world where a picture is worthy of a thousand words it was his artistry with the camera that dominated. That’s the sort of man John was – a car guy through-and-through He was the writer and photographer behind the decadeslong globetrotting adventures of former…

Keep it tight (no more than 200 words) and do include your suburb if via email: wheels@wheelsmag.com.au You can also have your say on Facebook (search for Wheels Australia), Instagram or Twitter LETTER OF THE MONTH ‘The premium-model product planning strategy may have worked well before the pandemic, but now?’ NOBODY’S BARGAIN AFTER A CERTAIN amount of anger, grief and denial, I’ve accepted that the time has come to consider a replacement for our 13-year-old Mazda 3 (only one semi-careful owner; 250,000km). We’re looking for a small car or small SUV as a second car, so I‘ve been carefully reading each new edition of Wheels to help us make an informed decision about what to buy. What struck me as I finished reading the October edition of Wheels is that…

Model Mercedes-Benz A250e sedan Engine 1331cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v, turbo Motor single, gearbox integrated Battery 15.6kWh lithium ion Max combined power 160kW @ 5500rpm Max torque 450Nm @ 1600-4000rpm Transmission 8-speed dual-clutch Weight 1605kg 0-100km/h 6.6sec (claimed) Economy 1.6L/100km Price $66,000 On sale Now DEPENDING ON your point of view and intended usage, Merc’s new A250e plug-in hybrid is likely one of two things. Either a wellsorted daily EV providing the option of longer trips with zero range anxiety and the convenience of a quick petrol refill, or a well-sorted daily EV saddled with lugging around a few hundred kilos of internal combustion engine that fires up only a few times a year. Regardless of which camp you’re in, this new arrival into the electrified segment does bring some useful…

IT’S VERY EASY AT THE MOMENT to feel that the world has become a worse place than it was. A global pandemic that has merely punctuated a climate emergency, an economy on the verge of annihilation, increasing sections of society on the streets either protesting or living, racial tensions as though the civil rights movement of the’60s hadn’t happened. Sport has long been an escape for fans from bigger world problems, motorsport no exception. As crunch time approaches, it cannot ignore the environment in which its bubble exists – which is not a popular view among many fans. But it’s one that even F1’s biggest stars are confronting, none more so than Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel. The process is particularly illuminating with Vettel. Here is a guy steeped in…

TOYOTA SUPRA GT Price as tested: $85,036 This month: 254km @ 11.3L/100km OF EVERYTHING I thought I’d be assessing on a regular basis, the Supra’s suitability as a grocery getter wasn’t high up the priority list. Yes, sports cars must be enjoyable beyond the butter-smooth bitumen and swooping curves of your favourite driving road, but boot apertures and carrying capacities aren’t really their forte. With Victoria’s strict lockdown measures, the Supra has been mostly grounded at Kirby HQ this month. But that doesn’t mean it has been completely immobile; my partner has to merely begin the sentence “Honey, I think we are out of mi…” and I’ve got the keys in hand. With a claimed capacity of 290 litres, there’s a surprising amount of room for luggage in the Supra,…

HYUNDAI VENUE ELITE Price as tested: $26,940 This month: 139km @ 11.5L/100km I’VE LONG HELD the view that the word ‘funky’ should only be used in association with James Brown or something extremely pungent. Outside of those parameters, it seems to get thrown around far too much to describe anything that’s out of the ordinary or quirky. While ‘funky’ has been used to describe Hyundai’s Venue, I have to agree it is a rather boldly designed small SUV. The Acid Yellow may be harmful to people with sensitive retinas, but I like it – bold design warrants a bold colour. When the light hits the little Venue at the right time it accentuates the body creases, flared guards and cladding. The interior is in no way mind blowing, but the…

ON THE EVE of the Bathurst 1000, Supercars finally revealed (part of) its technical regulations for the 2022 season. The big news is the category has successfully negotiated with GM to use the IP of the Chevrolet Camaro from 2022 for the ‘Gen3’ rules. Supercars also confirmed the first technical details for the new rulebook. The chassis will be an evolution, but with a lower front roll hoop, lowering rooflines by 100mm, and widening the body by the same amount. Supercars hopes this will fix the Frankenstein proportions of the current Mustang. Making sure the racers resemble their road-car counterparts, Supercars has mandated that doors, roof, windows, and bonnet must all be interchangeable between the two. The technical change with the biggest impact on racing will be a significant reduction…

PORSCHE HAS REVEALED the fastest version of its updated Panamera, mating turbo V8 grunt with plug-in electric shove so each member of the family can have their face rearranged in unison. The Panamera Turbo S e-Hybrid (it rolls oh so easily off the tongue) is good for 0-100km/h in a claimed 3.2 seconds, and a top speed of 315km/h. In order to slow the two-tonne-plus heifer back down, ceramic composite brakes are standard, along with every chassis and control system that is optional on lower-grade Panameras. A 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 that makes 420kW on its own is paired with a 100kW electric motor and 17.9kWh battery. Combined outputs are an eye-widening 514kW and 870Nm. Woof. That makes the Panamera Turbo S e-Hybrid comfortably the most powerful car you can buy…

Civic Type R’s first round of tweaks are more than just the usual cosmetic fiddles. The control software for the adaptive dampers now evaluates road conditions 10 times faster for improved damper reactions, while the rear bushings for the lower B-arm have been stiffened for better toe-in characteristics under load. At the front, new lower-friction ball joints are claimed to deliver sharper steering feel, while the front brakes move to new two-piece floating discs bit by better pads. Oh, and there’s an app-based data-loging system so track enthusiasts can see where they’re quick … and where they’re not.…

DUE APRIL FORD MUSTANG MACH1 Deliveries for the new Mustang flagship are a way off, but if you want one it’s time to call a Ford dealer pronto. Only 700 are coming to Australia, and demand is high. Ford is expecting to price the Shelby-inspired replacement for the Bullitt around $85,000. DUE DEC KIA STONIC Kia’s SUV onslaught continues, with the Stonic joining the family below the Seltos. Three variants will be on offer, starting with the S and Sport using a 74kW/133Nm 1.4-litre atmo four-cylinder engine, while the flagship GT-Line will be powered by a 74kW/172Nm turbo three- DUE FEB DEFENDER 90 Short-wheelbase Defenders will arrive with a choice of five engines, and extra safety equipment as standard. There will be a total of 12 variants to choose from,…

Lucid is a brand-new car company but listening to its story, it’s hard not to be captivated – with the car, with the pragmatic approach and with the engineering and design integrity of the project. Driven by Rawlinson’s infuriating refusal to set targets, his team has instead been forced to make every aspect of the car as high-performing and as efficient as possible. The Dream Edition will cost US$170K – a Taycan Turbo S is US$185K – but a US$80K version will follow, in line with Rawlinson’s objective to make EVs better and more affordable using special tech. As for Australian prospects? Lucid needs to nail its own domestic market first. 1 THOUGHTFUL PACKAGING A curve to the underside of the battery feeds into the diffuser, reducing drag 2 TINY…

Model Mazda BT-50 XT 4x4 manual Engine 2991cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v, turbo-diesel Max power 140kW @ 3600rpm Max torque 450Nm @ 1600-2600rpm Transmission 6-speed manual Weight 2060kg 0-100km/h 10.0sec (estimated) Economy 7.7L/100km Price $49,360 On sale Now TO AN OUTSIDER, the jumping in and out of bed between car companies must make it look like it’s the’70s all over again, with swingers’ night in the suburbs in full flight, and house keys piled high in the bowl. Consider Mazda and Ford; they were hot in the cot together for the PK Ranger/BT-50. But that was last time; now Mazda and Isuzu have been getting all steamy for the third-gen D-Max and new BT-50. It’s surely exhausting, but these are the tech- and development-sharing partnerships that are inescapable in the capital-intensive…

FROM THE outside, my favourite Chinese tuckshop is – how can I put this – a sketchy proposition at best. Its facade hasn’t seen a lick of paint since the Dulux sheepdog was a weaning pup, and the tatty menus speak of times when coconut oil was still considered a viable alternative to sunscreen. But to sample its kung-po pork or its chicken and chive dumplings, served with a smile, piping hot and overflowing with an innate richness, speaks of more than just foodstuffs thrown together for profit. That’s why we return again and again. The fact that it remains incredibly affordable is an undeniable part of its latent charms. Now, rolling back into the pitlane of Wakefield Park after just a tantalising taste of Hyundai’s newest N, I’m feeling…

FINALLY, ALL THE frantic prodding on the new VW Golf GTI’s central touchscreen, while pulled over, yields a result: I find the screen that lets me choose the sweet spot, Sport, in the new threeposition traction-control system. (In case you ever need to know, and with questionable logic, it’s under Brakes, which in turn is under the Vehicle tile on the iPhone-laid-flat home screen.) Would a button be easier? It would, but let’s not condemn the Mk8 Golf for being too digital for its own good just yet. The turbo 2.0-litre engine’s been idling for the best part of a quarter of an hour, so there’s no doubt its fluid temperatures are ready for action. It’s the familiar EA888 motor, mildly tweaked for the Mk8 GTI with increased fuel-injection pressure…

MIDNIGHT, APRIL 1972. The Great Western Freeway between Adelaide and Melbourne is still, subdued by the heavy blanket of night. A pair of headlights streak across Victoria’s vast western plains, disrupting the peace and tearing into the darkness like a serrated knife through linen sheets. It’s a yellow LJ Torana, rego KSN 116, with a fresh-faced 21-year-old at the helm, pushing his galloping metal steed to near terminal velocity in a show of youthful bravado. Thinrimmed glasses help him peer into the inky blackness before him as the speedo needle swings around the dial – 100mph, 110mph, 120mph. It’s a relentless climb accompanied by a 308ci V8 bellowing in top gear – a guttural war cry sung to only the empty fields that stand as solitary witness to this high-speed…

FORD FOCUS ST Price as tested: $45,340 This month: 399km @ 12.0L/100km Overall: 1517km @ 11.5L/100km Kah-chunk. As the nozzle of the fuel pump slams back into its metallined holster, all I can think is, “So this is how it ends…” Standing on a lonely fuel station forecourt isn’t how I imagined farewelling the Focus ST from the Wheels Garage. I had hoped to give it one last hurrah; one farewell fling that would finally, after months of lockdown, give me the time to consider my growing list of strengths and weaknesses before settling on a verdict for this near-$50K hot hatch. But alas, we can chalk that up as another thing ruined by COVID. Still, while I haven’t troubled the ST’s odometer as much as I’d have liked, I…

AUSSIE SALES 2016 – 74 2017 – 515 2018 – 885 2019 – 661 2020 – 7 WHEN THE AXE FELL on BMW’s M140i in 2019, it sliced clean through what was once considered a core part of the company’s DNA – that is, a compact reardriver powered by a six-cylinder engine. And surely we all felt a twinge of sadness a few years earlier when hearing the news that the subsequent F40 generation would adopt BMW’s front-drive UKL platform. This is the company, remember, that once promoted its rear-drive strategy so vehemently that it had a print-ad campaign that depicted various animals – a rabbit, frog and racehorse – photoshopped with huge front legs, and the tag line: “That’s why we don’t have front-wheel drives”. The M140i, which made…

AT THE SAME time as signage is being removed from buildings and doors are being shut forever, Holden dealers are also being told by the newly formed GMSV to return any customer deposits they may have taken for the C8 Corvette. As it turns out, Holden dealers were being cheeky taking deposits in the first place. The GM distributor has issued a bulletin to buyers interested in the new Corvette, warning any deposits placed at Holden dealers do not guarantee a car. GMSV is yet to finalise a ordering process for the C8, as it nuts out how its own dealer network will be structured. It’s another step towards oblivion for the Holden brand, which is in the final stages of being shut down forever. Holden Aftersales will continue to…

IT’S BEEN A LONG time in development, but the big news for the updated Hyundai i30 N is the arrival, finally, of an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. This stands to help snare a whole raft of new buyers, but they’ll also be lured by the engine boost, weight reduction, brake upgrade and interior enhancements. Due in Australia in the first half of 2021, the facelifted and updated i30 N hatch wears a new look that incorporates sharper LED lighting headlight and tail-light accents, revised front and rear bumpers with aerodynamic improvements, and fat exhaust outlets bolted into unchanged metalwork. But more significantly, there’s genuine performance enhancements to get excited about. For a start, the 2.0-litre turbocharged four has been gently squeezed to liberate more torque, with the peak figure jumping by…

BUCKING THROUGH the long, fast and lumpy Lausitzring right-hander, the rear tyres shufflestep sideways in time with the bumping beat. Up front, the gravelly flat-plane rasp of the twin-turbo V8 edges towards crescendo as throttle is squeezed on and steering lock wound off. Short straight. Accelerate. Other noises cut through the increasing engine thrash and exhaust blare. The suspension, from which every micron of cushioning rubberiness seems to have been eradicated, contributes some low-pitched thudding. Faint clunks and louder whines come from the transaxle behind the cabin. All this is randomly punctuated by the sharp rapping of track debris on the undertray. Welcome to the intoxicating intensity of the new Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series… This sixth Black Series is, according to its creators, the most extreme of them all. And…

Model Audi RS Q8 Engine 3993cc V8 (90°), dohc, 32v, twin-turbo Max power 441kW @ 6000rpm Max torque 800Nm @ 2200-4000rpm Transmission 8-speed automatic Weight 2240kg 0-100km/h 3.8sec claimed) Economy 12.1L/100km Price $208,500 On sale Now WHEN CAN you mount an argument that a super-sports SUV priced at $208,500 is decent value? Actually, probably never, but that’s not about to stop me trying. Here’s the rationale: Audi’s RS Q8 is the German brand’s flagship, built on a phenomenally well-sorted version of the VW Group’s MLB Evo platform. It packs a corking twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 punching out 441kW/800Nm, and delivers a beautifully crafted and richly specced interior. It is, plenty would agree, all the large hi-po SUV any sane person could desire, if your heart leans in this slightly bonkers direction.…

JUST WHEN YOU thought the McLaren 720S had more power and grip than you could ever need on the road, there emerges an even hotter version, full of bits from the Senna, called the 765LT. In McLarenspeak, LT, for Longtail, signals more driver engagement, optimised aero, and a drop in weight. The licence plate holder, for example, is now made from carbonfibre. Because this is a McLaren it uses a twin-turbocharged V8, and because it’s a Super Series car it displaces 4.0 rather than 3.8 litres. It’s not a bespoke power unit, starting life as the flat-plane-cranked, dry-sumped M840T found in the 720S. But from there it gains some specific LT upgrades. Grunt increases to 563kW and 800Nm courtesy of more boost, working with, among other things, forged aluminium pistons…

one BRAKES AND TYRES Not for the i20 N are fancy one-piece Brembos; instead, it uses sliding calipers from a larger Hyundai (we’re guessing Tucson) and rotors a full 42mm bigger in diameter than those on Fiesta ST. The P-Zeros, too, are coded by Pirelli so they can be easily sourced once they wear out. two CHASSIS KINEMATICS This is no shopping trolley chassis any more, says head engineer Koster. “We changed the front axle kinematics with a new [hub] knuckle to match the high performance requirements. We did a new rear CTBA [couple torsion beam axle], too, and that was no small investment…” three NO AUTO “There will be no dual-clutch version,” confirms Koster. “In the B-segment, the manual is just the way to go. For those customers who…

NISSAN JUKE TI Price as tested: $37,219 This month: 469km @ 8.0L/100km Total: 2091 km @ 8.0L/100km I’M CALLING IT. The last long termer I’ve run for Wheels is my favourite. That list includes a McLaren 570GT, a Range Rover Velar and a Kia Stinger GT, so there’s some talent in the back catalogue. I guess that’s the thing about pleasant surprises. The mark they leave behind is always that much more enduring. As Victoria has battened down the hatches, the Nissan Juke Ti has shone. Woolies, Coles, Bunnings click and collect, the sneaky long route through the hills and paddocks to the furthest point of the 5km arc, rain or shine, battered with bulldust, bouncing up the gravel-road corrugations to gain a distant view of the beckoning ocean –…

LEXUS RC F Price as tested: $165,797 This month: 546km @ 15.5L/100km Overall: 1498km @ 15.7L/100km HERE’S A TOP tip you won’t read about in any performance tuning guide or see on a YouTube tutorial. To make your car feel faster and more dynamic, just spend time in something a bit rubbish. Okay, that’s deeply uncharitable to the 4x4 utes I’ve been lumbering around in for the last few weeks, but you get the point. Jumping back into the RC F made the Japanese sports coupe feel like a Ferrari 458. To celebrate, I set the alarm early for a run up the iconic Old Pacific Highway north of Sydney. I would chase motorcyclists and dodge cops in what would likely be my last chance for a proper crack in…