Inhaltsverzeichnis für November 2016 in Wheels

 A NUMBER of high-profile past and present Ford Australia employees are fighting head office over plans to move the company’s extensive archive to the US. “We will be doing everything necessary to try and stop them”– Peter Fry, former Ford Australia product planner If Ford HQ in Dearborn has its way, the archive, which dates back 90 years to when the company first started operating in Australia, will be moved to a centralised site within the Henry Ford Museum, along with national archives from Germany and the UK. Ford Australia has started preparing the archive to be shipped, and Wheels understands a representative from the US is currently here to help prepare the material for export. Ford told us it plans to move the archive “by the end of the…

“This ‘sailing’ technology could lead to some frustration” SMALL PROBLEMS The move by European and Asian manufacturers to design and produce smaller-capacity engines means we now have motors ranging in size from 0.9 litres through to 1.6 litres. Admittedly, design and manufacturing have moved ahead in leaps and bounds in the past three or four decades and I am well aware of the worldwide pressure on manufacturers to reduce emissions, but I have concerns about the reliability and longevity of them, especially as some now boast twin turbos. In this wide, brown land of ours, and the distances we can travel in one day, I have my concerns as to whether these high-revving teenyboppers will go the distance. I remember years ago changing from an Australian-built motor vehicle to a…

THE AUDI A4 Allroad has always been the thinking person’s SUV. Compared to its in-house Q5 equivalent, the recently released B9-series Avant wagon based newcomer is roomier, lighter (by 175kg!), faster, less thirsty, more athletic, comfier riding, lovelier inside, and only fractionally smaller boot-wise. But with a $10,000 price advantage, the more modish SUV will prove way more popular. And that’s a pity, especially as this second-series A4 Allroad stands virtually alone as a medium-sized crossover from a premium brand. To better avoid rocks, there’s hill-descent control, 34mm extra ground clearance (at 173mm – though that’s still 27mm shy of the Q5), and a fresh part-time AWD system dubbed Ultra. Chunkier bumpers, bodyside cladding, different alloys, and a unique rear diffuser give the Allroad that obligatory streetwise attire. Like Heidi…

PLUS & MINUS Reversing beeper; cabin oversights; performance on discharged battery Frugal; comfy cabin; decent value over Prius; Corolla practicality Model Toyota Corolla Hybrid Engine 1798cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v + electric Max power 100kW @ 5200rpm Max torque not supplied Transmission CVT automatic Weight 1365kg 0-100km/h 10.9sec (claimed) Economy 4.1L/100km Price $26,990 On sale Now A GLANCE at the brochures would have you believe the Corolla Hybrid is a no-brainer compared with the Prius, the car that has defined Toyota’s petrol-electric line-up for 15 years. More power, more gear and eight grand left in your bank account to whisk one silently into your garage. Then you realise you’ll be driving a Corolla, not a Prius. Some may like the relative anonymity of whooshing around town in a car whose biggest…

FLAT-FOUR ENGINE IS NOW DIRECT-INJECTED BUT HAS JUST 5kW MORE POWER AND UNCHANGED TORQUE “T’S just a phase.” That’s what optimistic parents say when their offspring start listening to Norwegian death metal and dressing in dark colours. “They’ll grow out of it soon.” Subaru’s Impreza has been through ‘a phase’ of its own in recent years, if a little less dramatic and rebellious than the average metal-loving teen. In fact, it’s been the polar opposite. The Impreza, long associated with gravel-spraying Scandinavian flicks and WRC trophies, popped a Valium and mellowed out in 2007 with the GH generation, a safe-as-Panadol small car that ditched the quirky design spunk of its predecessor for more sedate sheetmetal, a bland interior and an incredibly dull hatchback silhouette. Yes, there were fast WRX and…

“I JUST KNOW THE IMPACT FORD AND MANUFACTURING HAS HAD ON THIS COUNTRY.IT WILL LEAVE A BIG HOLE”BRIAN MAKIN, 42 YEARS SERVICE AND just like, that Brian Makin’s face crumples. His cheeks redden, his eyes become glassy and he brings his hands to his face, embarrassed to be brought near to tears by my question. Makin is a Ford lifer. He’s spent nearly 42 years doing his best for the Blue Oval in Australia in a variety of roles that started with an apprenticeship when he was just 17 years old. But when he finishes with Ford, so too Ford finishes as a manufacturer in Australia. “How does that make you feel?” I’d asked. “Really bad ... yeah, I uh…” he’d started to reply. And then the emotion had overwhelmed…

I’m here to do some driving, ask a few dumb questions and generally get in the way TIME is money on the set of a big-budget motion picture, so I’m determined not to waste a moment. I’m seated in the star of the show, a ‘Rosso Fuoco’ coloured Ferrari California T, roof open to a cobalt outback sky, waiting for instruction from the production’s creative director, an infectiously enthusiastic chap named Ben Garland. To deliver an Oscar-worthy performance, I figure I need to fully understand my character; I need Ben to guide me as to which acting great I should be channelling. Should I be a brooding, edgy, early-De Niroin-Taxi Driver type, looking in the car’s rear-vision mirror, demanding to know who’s talking to me? Or should I be more…

THERE’S one validation of a car’s greatness that isn’t always discussed, and that is the difficulty in saying goodbye. Like anything in your life, if you treasure your time together, separation smarts. Nine months in a twin-turbo C63 S with ceramics and semi-slicks will do that to a person, yet I’m glad it has come to this. Mutual appreciation (I hope!) and a bond ’til the end of days. What began as a slightly frosty introduction has grown to the point where I honestly feel like this Iridium Silver C63 S is mine. All mine, I tell you! I baby it like a doting father, parking it away from other cars in multi-storey lots, and as close to the gutter as possible in our narrow street without kerbing its star-spoke…

THE rise of the Korean car from a budget alternative to somewhere near the top of the average family car shopping list has been happening for a decade, yet six months ago it was still to sink in with me. I thought I already knew the answer when I wondered at the start of my time with the Optima GT whether I’d get along with a highly specced Korean. Turns out I was wrong. While I still struggle with some aspects of the not-quite-hot Korean hatch, I’ve been won over by one of this country’s more pragmatic machines. Whereas I find it impossible to do without a degree of X-factor and a dose of dynamic nuance in a high-performance car, it’s relatively easy to do so in a family machine…

1 Standard discount Where two-door XAs and XBs had carried a price premium over the four-door sedans, the sales-cratering XC hardtops were cheaper 2 Sequential disorder A confusing break from the 351/302 engine build sequence was that Cobra #001 (sold to manufacturing boss Ted Gardner’s secretary) had a 302 V8, and #351 had a 351 3 Oval engineering The XC½ Falcon, introduced in April 1978, was the first Australian-made Ford to wear the famous Blue Oval badge in its grille 4 Telltale letters Moffat’s two 1978 Cobra racers were the actual ’77 Bathurst 1-2 cars; they still carried the XB bonnet lettering 5 White over blue Painting a snake ain’t easy; the Cobras were produced in blue, then masked and the Sno White painted over in several layers…

AUDI has confirmed that an SUV about the size of a BMW X5 and the shape of a Range Rover Evoque will be the first full EV it markets in Australia. Expected to be badged Q6 e-tron, the dedicated EV is set to be unveiled in 2018 ahead of a 2019 local launch, when it will take on the new Tesla Model X. The timing would likely beat rivals from Mercedes and BMW to market. Audi’s long-term electrification strategy kicked into gear in 2015 with the A3 e-tron petrol-electric hybrid. Next will come the Q7 e-tron hybrid in early 2017. Audi Australia GM Andrew Doyle said the Q6 e-tron will be the ideal springboard for full EVs here because of Australia’s growing love affair with high-riding luxury SUVs. “The great…

SMALL SUVs could grow to be the third-biggest market segment off the back of a surge of new arrivals – and an insatiable Aussie appetite for anything with some off-road design flair. Hyundai and Kia are each gearing up to launch $20K-plus five-door SUVs in 2017 to tackle the might of the class-leading Mazda CX-3 (above right) and its rapidly growing opposition. Even earlier in the year, Toyota will finally enter the fray with its C-HR, a crucial pillar for the brand as it embarks on boosting its lacklustre SUV share, having been surprisingly caught off guard in the shift towards pint-sized soft-roaders. Expect the C-HR to sell big – Toyota is by far the biggest player in the local market and it has SUV ground to make up (see…

NOVEMBER-DECEMBER ALPINA B3 Biturbo sedan and Touring, B4 Biturbo coupe and convertible; ASTON MARTIN DB11; AUDI A3/S3 facelift and S4; FIAT 124 Spider; FORD Kuga facelift; MERCEDES-AMG S63 Cabriolet; SUBARU Impreza and BRZ facelift; TESLA Model X; TOYOTA 86 facelift; VOLKSWAGEN Amarok V6 TDI; VOLVO S90 JANUARY-FEBRUARY AUDI Q2 and Q7 e-tron; BMW 5-Series; HONDA Civic hatch; KIA Rio; MASERATI Levante and Quattroporte facelift; MAZDA MX-5 RF; MERCEDESAMG C63 S Cabriolet and C43 4Matic; MERCEDES-BENZ E300, E400, E350e and GLE-Class plug-in hybrid; PEUGEOT 3008 Aston Martin DB11 James Bond’s new ride is just around the corner. Flagged by John Carey as “hugely important” to the Brit luxo brand’s future, the DB11’s all-new and all-aluminium architecture will underpin a generation of road cars that will include a fastback coupe-styled SUV foreshadowed…

CRASH TACKLE The message that car crashes will happen but safer cars will reduce the severity of injury ( Meet the TAC’s human designed to survive a car crash , WheelsMag.com.au ) is not the message modern work places promote. The real message from the TAC seems don’t change the way you drive or your attitudes to road safety and let ‘Graham’ and his mates, in conjunction with safer cars and roads, reduce the severity of injuries. Reduce the severity from what? Spare me! Just don’t have a crash in the first place. The biggest lever to make driving safer is for people to behave more safely. A person in the workplace is not permitted to operate equipment until that person is adequately trained and…

AUSSIES have always appreciated ruggedness. Whether it’s a bloke who knows how to stump a fence or a car that never quits, there’s something about having the ability to tackle any challenge that rallies our troops. How else do you explain the rise of the separate-chassis, seven-seat SUV? Holden joined the fray four years ago with the agricultural Colorado 7 which, as its name implied, was a commercial chassis with a wagon body on top. But it’s amazing what three years of re-engineering can achieve. Colorado 7 is out and Trailblazer is in, sporting handsome new front-end styling, new 18-inch alloys on up-spec LTZ and a heap of refinement-focused upgrades introducing some decorum. Co-developed with GM Brazil and Thailand, but driven by our market’s more sophisticated demands, Trailblazer is a…

Abarth’s engineers have made the 124 feel fiestier, racier. And more Italian YOU KNOW you’ve hit peak weird when even the Japanese – a culture famous for talking toilets and selling dirty underwear in vending machines – stop and stare. I’m at the wheel of a bright blue Abarth 124 Spider and next to me, squashed unceremoniously into the passenger seat, his expansive 180kg frame spilling into my side of the intimate cabin, sits a mostly naked and very sweaty sumo. This is central Tokyo on a baking 32-degree day and, as I reverse our car down a narrow one-way street towards a tiny Italian restaurant, I realise we’re causing a scene. People point, others wait in silence, their stony faces masks of frustration (I later realise they’re too polite…

TRAVELLING IN CONVOY WITH OUR XK, A CURRENT FALCON G6E BOOKENDS A HALF-CENTURY OF UNBROKEN DNA NO HOLDEN CAN CLAIM TOP FIVE EPIC DRIVES THE OLD HUME HIGHWAY ORDINARY working types smoked Turf or Craven A cork tips, but for the Brylcreem boys and other flash Harrys it was Senior Service. They had proper filters, you see, and if you think this unimportant, the reality was 60 percent of Australian men were on the darts. The missus was at home where a Bex powder and a good lie down was a ritual, which they later found out led to kidney failure. There was no Maccas, at least none you could eat, but say it out loud and plenty of blokes would answer to it. Not many homes had “the phone…

Ian Vaughan had a stellar career at Ford, but to him there is no doubt what vehicle was his greatest achievement. “The Territory,” he says without hesitation. “I was very proud of the Territory.” “We wanted to jump into that [SUV] market and be first, which we were. It taught us a hell of a lot about where the market was going. “We probably didn’t anticipate the size SUVs would eventually achieve and that it would suck it out of Falcon,” he admits. Vaughan worked at Ford Australia for 37 years in product development and he retired in 2001, three years before the Territory rolled into production at Broadmeadows in 2004. But in his role as vice president for product development in the 1990s he was instrumental in pushing the…

DOES it seem bizarre that Ford Australia chose to shutter forever its Broadmeadows factory on Friday, October 7 – the same day the V8 Supercars qualify for the Bathurst 1000 at Mount Panorama? The significance should not be lost. The Australian-built Falcon has been the weapon du jour of the Blue Oval’s racing campaigns since 1960, unsighted on the grid only during the era of international Group A cars between 1985 and 1992 (when the turbo Sierra was the Ford spearhead). The fanaticism and loyalty of local Blue Oval followers is legendary, even in the face of at times bewilderingly inconsistent Ford factory support for its revered drivers and hero teams. So while the Falcon may be no more, these are the motorsport memories that live on… HOLDING ALOFT THE…

THIS is new for me, in more ways than one. I’m not only the FNG at Wheels (which I’m assured stands for Fantastic New Guy), but barely a week had elapsed at my new desk before I was on my way to collect my brand new long-termer from the new car delivery garage at Audi Centre Melbourne, which was only recently renewed. Like the barely dry ink on my business cards, everything on my box-fresh Audi TT Sport, from its unblemished leather-and-microfibre upholstery to its glossy solid white paint, is fresh, sparkling and pristine. How long will it take for the lustre to fade? I’ll have six months to find out. On day one, though, it was time for induction. Salesman James put me through the standard customer-delivery process to…

THE big city. Is it any place for a loping Jaguar more naturally predisposed to prowling freeways and open highways? This month there were no long runs to once again stretch our XE 20d’s legs (and fuel mileage), but instead a period of forced captivity within a 10km boundary of the CBD. Short trips only. Home is within an inner-suburban labyrinth of cobblestone alleyways and sardine-tight backstreets, festooned with speed humps and potholes. Some are more like sinkholes. Great for short-cuts, these rat-runs are nowadays crucial in avoiding the many traffic snarls Melbourne’s long-promised Metro Tunnel and level-crossing removal programs have delivered. It’s commuter warfare out there. So is the Jag a catfish out of water, or is it merely water off the current segment dux’s back? Turns out the…

I’M SITTING on the couch on my porch right now, looking at the MX-5. I just moved house, so I’ve spent the day lugging boxes and beds up three stairs (no, not three flights, just three steps) and into the new joint. Downsized, I have, just like car engines of today. I went from a three-bedder with backyard and garage to a two-bedder with courtyard and shed. So a lot of man cave stuff had to go, including two spare wheels and a cargo-bay shelf – apologies for whichever test car they once belonged to. Molly the dog was unimpressed with her new, smaller abode, until she discovered she can run laps of the long weatherboard free-stander. Her current record, set in damp conditions, is 24 seconds. I reckon there’s…

DICK Johnson became a national identity in 1980 when, while leading Bathurst, his ex-police XD Falcon – literally home-built and home-funded – was taken out by a rock on the track. A spur-of-the-moment ‘telethon’ raised $72,000, a figure immediately matched by Edsel Ford II. As a frustrated Allan Moffat left the Ford fold, Johnson became the blue knight. “That was just bestowed on me, unintentionally,” reflects Johnson, now 71. “I was sorta the last man standing amongst those that were competitive. I’ve always been a loyal person and once I got into the Ford side of things, that’s where I’ve remained … There was no-one else really trying to hold the [Ford] mantle and I thought, for the good of the category, there needed to be somebody there.” The son…

WHEN Hyundai revealed the 2017 i30 hatch in September, it wasn’t just flaunting its latest and greatest (and heavily Europeanised) product, it was showing the world its all-new small car platform, too. It has a near-identical 2650mm wheelbase as the current model, but everything is new under the skin. From the floorpan to the roof, from bumper to bumper, the platform is all-new, and we’ve learned it’s got built-in potential when it comes to upgrading the i30’s drivetrains. Chassis development manager Antonino Pizzuto told Wheels the new platform would enable the Korean automaker to squeeze a rear differential, tailshaft and driveshafts into the back of the i30 to give it all-paw traction, something that hasn’t been available to date. Hyundai makes no secret of its plan to cultivate the yet-to-launch…

AMG is readying a 50th anniversary present sure to ignite a hypercar war. Codenamed R50, the radical new two-seater will employ F1 technology, including a carbonfibre monocoque and V6 hybrid power. This will be a war won or lost with electrons and battery cells rather than pistons and petrol, with AMG employing electric motors and new lightweight battery packs as the artillery for what will be its fastest car. However, don’t expect the R50 production car to arrive in local Mercedes showrooms; at this stage the multi-million dollar hypercar is expected to be produced only with the steering wheel on the left. Like La Ferrari and the Porsche 918, though, well-heeled Australians could buy the car and keep it overseas – or confine it to race tracks. Designed to cement…

The rise in SUVs can cost – and it typically involves cannibalising existing segments. The jump in small SUVs has seen sales of light cars dive. Since 2011 sales of small SUVs have tripled, while light cars under $25K have dropped a third. Brands early to the small SUV space have benefited with big sales, but in most cases it has taken shine off their existing models. Holden has seen its Trax SUV slice Barina sales in half. Barina and Trax now combine for about the same sales Barina did on its own five years ago. Toyota has failed to capitalise on the enormous growth in SUV demand compared with rivals such as Mazda and Mitsubishi. Toyota has more SUVs than any other brand yet its SUV share is just…

Volkswagen Golf R The eighth generation of Volkswagen’s best-selling model isn’t due until late next year at the earliest, so we can expect a late-life refresh of the Golf VII to roll in well before then. For the Golf R (pictured with base-model rims), these spy images show that running tweaks may be limited to a redesigned front bumper featuring a much wider air intake. The headlight inserts, which keep the signature ‘W’ daytime running lights, also appear to feature full LED lamps for low- and high-beam, indicating the most expensive Golf you can buy will push its premium position even further. Toyota Camry Local production of Toyota’s mid-size sedan ends late next year, about the same time as the covers are whipped off an all-new model. The biggest change…

THE Renault Koleos is like a delinquent student who’s decided to quit hanging behind the bike shed and start sitting up the front of the class. The first-gen Koleos was a dud, but the all-new model’s improvement over its dated predecessor is massive, so much so that the Koleos has gone from being an utter dunce to having a shot at becoming dux. The old car was a backmarker in the increasingly competitive medium SUV segment, with frumpy styling, antiquated infotainment and below-par rear seat space. The last time we put a Koleos through the Wheels wringer we complimented its tidy handling and off-road nous, but lamented virtually everything else. Thankfully, the second-generation Koleos addresses the bulk of our criticisms. Sharing its platform and powertrain with…

PLUS & MINUS Ageing design; inconsistent steering; lack of safety tech; weight Reasonably attractive; decent interior; plenty of equipment sizzle Model Haval H6 Lux Engine 1967cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v, turbo Max power 145kW @ 5200rpm Max torque 315Nm @ 2000rpm Transmission 6-speed dual-clutch Kerb weight 1715kg 0-100km/h 9.0sec (claimed) Economy 9.8L/100km Price $34,990 On sale Now GREAT Wall Motors, the owner of premium spin-off Haval, has had a rough introduction to Australia. Hurt by a recall scandal involving asbestos, and working through challenging times with its former local distributor, the brand is now back in control and ready for the next chapter of its business venture. The H6 is the sportiest model to join Haval’s growing SUV range. Launched in China in 2011, it’s a RAV4-sized, front-drive wagon with what…

MY FIRST, distant Falcon experiences stem not from my publican father, but his burly shearer brother. Uncle Dud only knew one speed – flat out – and I still smile at the memories of driving like the wind in his grey XY across shimmering north-west Queensland plains, windows down, hair troubled by the hot western wind. The destination was usually a shearing shed, or a rugby league game on a baked, grassless paddock in a distant, dusty town. I still recall the vicarious thrill of craning my neck to check the thin orange exclamation mark of the speedo, hovering relentlessly between 80 and 90MPH. Those early memories are of six-cylinder Falcons with plush suspension, column shifts and slippery bench seats. It took a couple of good wool seasons for Dad…

TOP FIVE EPIC DRIVES TWO 2004 ISSUE DATE: March 2004 THE DRIVE: Ford BA Falcon XR6 Turbo takes the European road testers’ routes HEADLINE: Flight of the Falcon WRITER: Peter Robinson THE BOLLOCKING that the 1998 AU copped in Oz resulted in its half-billion dollar BA successor being good enough to nab our 2002 COTY award – but what would Europe’s top road testers think? The nine-day, 3300km blast from Italy to the UK via Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, and France strung together the offices of several publications. Many months in the planning, the stock purple XR6 Turbo was chosen because it was “our greatest exponent of Aussie car craft”. According to Robbo, the logistics of the adventure was a nightmare. “This was an organisational epic, as well as an epic…

IN ANY group of people or things, there will always be examples that contribute more or stand out in some way, just as there will always be those that lurk around in the background, looking at their feet, nothing to add. The Ford Falcon is no different: some models have arrived in showrooms with the usual fanfare, but have quietly left the building a couple of years later without leaving any great impact. But against those models, there have been some Falcons that have burned brightly, and yet others that have burned the Blue Oval and its customers’ fingers. Either way, it’s the standout models that we’re looking at here. Just bear in mind that while the word ‘standout’ has a positive connotation on your kid’s report cards, when it…

MAN, I must have cut a forlorn-looking figure. Shoulders hunched, head bowed, eyes staring wistfully through hooded lids at the sign hanging over the front door of HSV’s Clayton HQ. It was all rather pathetic. I’d just returned my Clubsport and the reality of suddenly having a huge blue hole in my life was beginning to set in. The lady at the front desk didn’t help, either. Far from offering counselling, or even a small smile that I could interpret as a “there, there, you’ll be okay”, she’d snatched the keys from the counter with barely a glance, leaving me to wander aimlessly back into the carpark. Returning a long-termer is rarely easy. After all, unlike most of the cars that pass fleetingly through the Wheels office, these are the…

IMAGINE having a sexy performance coupe that impresses your friends, but having to drive it around with three of them in the car. All the time. That’s what the Lexus RC200t feels like, because it’s some 230kg heavier than the rival BMW 430i that also has a 2.0-litre turbo four and develops a similar 185kW and 350Nm. That’s a lot of extra weight to cart around, and it feels it. Even the equivalent Audi A5 has a 150kg advantage, and it has the added complication of all-wheel drive. On the plus side, all that extra weight makes the RC feel really solid, as if the car has been machined from a billet of steel. Maybe it has. It certainly doesn’t feel like a glorified Toyota, no matter what the knockers…

“IF RONNIE HAD BEEN OPERATED ON IN SWEDEN HE WOULD STILL BE ALIVE TODAY”– PIERANGELO (PETER) VAROLO, SURGEON, AUGUST 1997 George Harrison’s 1979 song Faster is a moving tribute to Ronnie Peterson, almost certainly the fastest Grand Prix driver during the 1970s. SuperSwede, as he was universally known, died after an horrific multicar pileup in his Lotus 78 at the start of the 1978 Italian GP. The story of Peterson’s apparently unnecessary death was first described in detail in my story Safe or sorry, which appeared in the August 1997 issue. How do I know? Because the last man to talk to Peterson as he lay dying in Milan’s Niguarda hospital was Peter Varolo, a Swedish-speaking orthopaedic doctor and, by coincidence, a friend and neighbour who lived five kilometres from…