Table of contents for July 2018 in Wheels

EQC is the cornerstone of Mercedes-Benz’s new EV-only EQ sub-brand. It will be followed, in quick succession, by the smaller EQA, and larger EQE and EQS models. The company is also converting its three-model Smart city car brand to 100 percent electric drivetrains by 2020. Daimler boss Dieter Zetsche has promised Mercedes and Smart will have a total of 10 pure electric models by 2022. Four Mercedes EQs plus three Smart EQs is seven, so what will the remaining three be?…

Micro saving? Chevrolet is one manufacturer that has already injected 3M’s product into its vehicles. The 2016 Corvette uses plastic body panels that, thanks to the use of Microsphere technology, save about 10kg from the final kerb weight. Okay, this might not sound like much, but as more materials are developed to incorporate the tiny bubbles, far greater weight savings will be possible. What is it? A tiny innovation from 3M that’s having a big impact on materials technology. Minute hollow glass spheres, manufactured using a secret process, can be incorporated into a wide range of materials at the manufacturing stage to reduce the density and weight without compromising other core properties. At about 17 microns in diameter (a quarter the width of a human hair), the spheres are microscopic…

JULY-AUGUST AUDI A8; ASTON MARTIN Vantage and DB11 Volante; BENTLEY Bentayga V8; BMW i8 facelift and i8 Roadster; CHEVROLET Camaro; JEEP Grand Cherokee update; KIA Sportage facelift; LAND ROVER Range Rover P400e plug-in hybrid; MERCEDESAMG C63 S update; MERCEDES-BENZ A-Class; SKODA Karoq; TOYOTA Corolla hatch; VOLKSWAGEN Mk6 Polo Beats and GTI, and Tiguan Allspace SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER AUDI A7 Sportback; BENTLEY Continental GT coupe; FORD Focus; GENESIS G70 and G80 sedans; HYUNDAI Ioniq; MAZDA CX-3 update, MX-5 update and CX-9 facelift Alpine A110 France’s hottest supermodel since Marie Antoinette is mere months away from its Oz debut, starting at $97K for the driver-focused A110 Pure with its lightweight Sabelt sports seats and Renaultsporttuned dynamic excellence. The Legende ($103,500) gets six-way ‘comfort’ seats in brown or black leather, a Focal audio system, climate…

Recently while sitting at an intersection waiting my turn, a fairly constant conga line of Commodores and Falcons passed me by. I called out each model as it passed:VT...VE... EL...VZ... FG.. BA...VF... AU... anotherVZ... The procession of A Aussie metal made me lament the passing of Australian car manufacturing. It also got me wondering: what will that conga line of cars look like in 10 years when these older Aussie cars finally get to the end of their working lives? What will these Commodore and Falcon drivers replace their beloved Aussie car with in the future? Not a rear-drive local that is going to give the length of service or be better value for money. In other words, all the reasons why they bought their Australian car in the first…

Base MY18 US Mustangs retain analogue instruments (with new graphics) but even our Ecoboost will get an all-digital instrument cluster with Normal, Sport, and Track designs. The ‘Sport’ version (left) features a tacho that curls up from the left and across the upper dial section like a ’60s strip speedo, whereas Normal displays two round gauges and Track reverts to a flat tacho band across the top and a large digital speedo on the right. ‘MyColour’ lets you experiment with different colour combos.…

For its first EV, Jaguar placed almost as much importance on connectivity and artificial intelligence as the powertrain. Within two weeks, your I-Pace will know you well enough to predict your regular drive routes and cabin temperature preferences. If you normally call your partner at a particular time each day but forget, the I-Pace will remind you. F Forgot your phone? The Jag will realise it’s not in the car and prompt you for that too. It can also connect you to your house and allow heating and lights to be switched on before you arrive home. When you get there, Amazon Alexa will keep you updated with vehicle information including whether there’s enough charge to get you to work.…

Model Volvo V60 T6 Engine 1969cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v, turbo/supercharged Max power 235kW @ 6000rpm Max torque 400Nm @ 2200-5100rpm Transmission 8-speed automatic L/W/H 4761/1850/1427mm Wheelbase 2872mm Weight 1654kg 0-100km/h 5.8sec (claimed) Economy 7.6L/100km (EU) Price $73,000 (estimated) On sale Q4 2018 IN THE face of it, Volvo’s all-new V60 should have ultra-high achiever plastered all over its handsome visage. It has Wheels COTY pedigree in the bloodline, after all. Riding on the same SPA platform as our reigning XC60 winner, it uses the same drivetrains, similarly lovely interior architecture and features, claims slightly more boot space, and delivers all of this from within a body that takes the centre of gravity from around waist height in the XC60, and drops it closer to your knees. The other point to…

Like Audi, exxy options lift X2’s ambience, but overall design is a happy amalgam of contemporary BMW interiors. Compared with related X1, occupants sit 20mm lower on redesigned front seats with extra bolstering, facing so-called ‘black panel’ instrumentation. Rear seatback recline is a boon, but roof-mounted centre-rear belt and ceiling light not ideal for hapless adults stuck in the middle. You get run-flat tyres so miss out on a spare. Boot volume varies from 470-1355 litres. Ground clearance is 182mm.…

Despite employing a stiffer version of the UKL2 platform that underpins the X1, many suspension and steering components are X2 exclusive, and no exterior panels are shared with its wagon sibling. New hot-formed door steel is said to be dent-resistant. Squared arches, greater grille girth and higher-set headlights reveal the future look of BMW SUVs. Roundel returns to the C-pillar, 1965-’75 CS coupe style. Improved seating, instrumentation and trim further separate the German relatives…

Model McLaren 720S Engine 3994cc V8 (90°), dohc, 32v, twin-turbo Max power 527kW @ 7250rpm Max torque 770Nm @ 5500rpm Transmission 7-speed dual-clutch L/W/H 4543/1930/1196mm Wheelbase 2670mm Weight 1419kg 0-100km/h 2.9sec (claimed) Economy 13.8L/100km (test average) Price $515,080 ($697,941 as tested) On sale Now THERE’S something of the night about the McLaren 720S. While most supercars are a primary coloured fizz of fluting operatics and sunny feel-good, the 720S dons the visage of a deep-sea ambush predator. On first acquaintance it’s almost sinister, with its vast, indented eye sockets looking like something grotesque and monochrome dredged from the abyssal plain. Designer Robert Melville has forged a singular design language for McLaren; one that’s innovative, technically intriguing but, on some instinctive level, fundamentally unsettling. So, when offered a few days with…

IF THERE’S ONE MODEL HERE TO REMIND US WE’RE IN THE LIGHT COMMERCIAL WORLD, IT’S THE D-MAX REPUTATION is king in the truck world, especially when you’re supplying other manufacturers with their vehicles. Build ’em tough, make ’em last. It’s something Isuzu has traded on since the stylish KB20 kicked off in the 1970s, providing generations of pick-ups wearing Chevrolet LUV, Bedford KB, Holden Rodeo/Colorado and – in the not-too-distant future with the next-gen version – Mazda BT-50 badges. So how has today’s D-Max finished last while the related Colorado has clawed its way up the rankings? Are toughness and reliability no longer enough? The Thai-made pick-up received a thorough makeover only last year, with a fresh face, extra gear, a stronger yet more efficient powertrain, a quieter interior and…

THE TRITON SURPASSES EXPECTATIONS BY BEING CAPABLE IN ALMOST EVERY AREA THEY SAY sex sells, so why on earth is the divisively designed Mitsubishi Triton a regular podium visitor in the pick-up truck sales race? Look past the styling and even a cursory glance at the Thai-made Triton Exceed’s spec sheet will reveal several compelling truths. At $48,000 all-in, the range flagship comfortably undercuts most mid-level rivals, and then packs a wallop with sat-nav, leather, heated front seats, climate control, reverse camera, Apple CarPlay/ Android Auto, DAB+ digital radio, HDMI port, paddle shifters, keyless entry/start, HID headlights, side steps and a sports bar. Box-tickers will run out of ink cataloguing this. And that’s on top of Mitsubishi’s five-year/ 100,000km warranty. It’s classic more-for-less marketing. Even smaller alloys than the class…

IT’S ONE thing to narrowly avoid a cataclysmic accident on your own. It’s quite another to flirt with disaster when your in-laws are perched in the back seat, their unsuspecting (yet ever-judging) eyes distracted by their smartphones. The wife’s parents were visiting from interstate for a long weekend and happily, things had been going smoothly. Until the blue Hyundai appeared that is, its faded and dinted passenger door doing its best to shoulder-charge the XC60’s handsome nose. It’s often hard to fathom the stupidity of others, but in this instance, despite the Hyundai’s callous recklessness, I could kind of empathise. He’d probably been sitting at the intersection for a long time, his patience slowly starting to simmer and then boil as he tried to turn right across two lanes of…

Flat feat The 2212cc EJ22G engine, a parts-bin peculiarity to the 22B, had a closed-deck block with stock WRX rods, forged pistons and EJ20K heads with sodium-filled valves. Turbo was a single IHI VF23, though a larger, laggier VF22 was optional. Official outputs were 206kW and 360Nm, via a (disappointing) five-speed ’box, twin-plate clutch and driver-variable torque split. Zero to 0-100km/h took 4.7 seconds. Three-door’s down The STi coupe body was 10kg lighter than sedan, hatch, but 22B’s bulged guards (on 20/40mm wider front/rear tracks) and aero package brought kerb weight to 1270kg. Nozzles in bonnet scoop sprayed mist over the intercooler. Down under were a quicker steering rack, Eibach springs, Bilstein dampers and 17-inch BBS wheels, covering ABS-less discs with STi calipers. Strip show The STi 22B might have…

A FEMALE racing driver with the name Dominique Chaleyer (pronounced ‘shallayyeah) sounds like someone who raced, say, at Le Mans in the 1930s in an Alfa Romeo 6C 1750. In fact, Dominique Chaleyer is racing in Australia today, albeit in a suitably romantic 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT in the popular historic Group S series. “One of my heroes is Hellé Nice,” says Dominique, 33. “She was a very prominent racer in the early 1930s; there’s a terrific book about her called The Bugatti Queen . In fact, I’ve got a tattoo of her.” Dominique’s steeped in exotic high-performance and collectible cars too, as former media and digital marketing manager for the world-renowned Dutton Garage emporium in Melbourne. Chaleyer was to the spanner born. Her father,…

If the GTV isn’t enough to get you juiced, Alfa boss Tim Kuniskis announced plans to resurrect the Alfa Romeo 8C badge, last seen in 2010 on the gorgeous, LHD-only 8C Competizione, a riot of carbonfibre panels draped over a steel chassis. This time round, the sleek 8C will be built around a proper carbonfibre monocoque. A mid-mounted twin-turbo engine will send power to the rear axle, while electric power delivers torque to the front wheels. A system output of over 522kW will result in a sub-three-second sprint to 100km/h.…

THE LANDSCAPE is Spaghetti Western, and so is the scenario. Southeast Spain was a location for famed films like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. And we’re here for a Sergio Leone-style long-lens glimpse of the distant stranger heading for town... The Mercedes-Benz EQC is still a long way off. While production of the battery-powered SUV will not begin until sometime around the middle of 2019, right after launching it will drive straight into a shootout with the Tesla Model X and Jaguar I-Pace. Will the German be able to outgun the Yank and the Brit? Might it achieve Clint Eastwood-grade stardom? Or is it more likely the EQC will be the corpse lying in the dust when the bullets stop flying? Mercedes-Benz has already revealed some key EQC…

Mercedes plans to offer the EQC with a choice of drivetrains, according to a reliable Wheels source. The 300kW drivetrain of the prototype seen here will top the line-up, but apparently there will be the option of a less-powerful, two-motor AWD version, plus a single-motor non-AWD variant. This strategy means the EQC should be able to undercut the prices of its rivals. Expect the single-motor EQC to wear a tag of $100,000 or so, around $20,000 less than the least costly models in the Model X and I-Pace line-ups.…

SPECS Model Audi A6 50 TDI Engine 2967cc V6 (90°), dohc, 24v, turbo-diesel Max Power 210kW @ 3500-4000rpm Max Torque 620Nm @ 2250-3000rpm Transmission 8-speed automatic Weight 1825kg 0-100km/h 5.5sec (claimed) Fuel economy 5.6L/100km (EU) Price $125,000 (estimated) On sale Q1 2019 TECHNOLOGY has advanced more rapidly over the last five years than in any five-year period in the history of the car, so the fact that Audi’s new C8-generation A6 represents the model’s biggest advance yet is no great surprise. Significantly, the A6 has caught up and is ready to play ball with traditional rivals the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class, which both underwent generational leaps in the past two years. Underpinning the A6 is a revised version of the previous chassis, built using the same MLB Evo…

Model Mazda 6 Atenza sedan Engine 2488cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v, turbo Max power 170kW @ 5000rpm Max torque 450Nm @ 2000-4000rpm Transmission 6-speed automatic Weight 1620kg 0-100km/h 6.8sec (estimated) Economy 7.6L/100km Price $47,690 On sale Now “YOU’VE asked for it, and we’ve delivered.” That’s how Mazda Australia kicked off the launch of its significantly overhauled medium-size sedan and wagon range, adding a turbo engine option for the first time since the short-lived, manual-only Mazda 6 MPS (2005-’07) huffed its way into the history books. But this isn’t just any turbo engine. It’s the same Skyactiv-G unit that helped power the larger, heavier Mazda CX-9 to our 2017 Car of the Year title. Producing the same outputs as in the CX-9, this turbocharged debut is but one of a series of…

Model Audi RS4 Avant Engine 2894cc V6, dohc, 24v, twin-turbo Max power 331kW @ 5700-6700rpm Max torque 600Nm @ 1900-5000rpm Transmission 8-speed automatic Weight 1715kg 0-100km/h 4.1sec (claimed) Economy 8.9L/100km Price $152,900 On sale Now WANT to buy a fast Audi? No problem. There’s a broader range of Audi Sport models to choose from than ever before. Where the performance offshoot once produced only a single RS model at a time, more factories are now churning out more RS cars for more people. But it’s the iconic RS4 that started it all. Back in 1994 it was launched as a B4-based superwagon called the RS2, developed with a little help from Porsche. Today’s B9 RS4 draws a direct line down the family tree from that car, and there’s another Porsche…

Jaguar designed the I-Pace to honour the first principles of driving e enthusiasts, including the way it sounds. In addition to the natural whine from a pair of electric motors, the Digital Sound Scape feeds an artificial noise through to the cabin via the stereo system. The level of augmentation can be altered and is louder when the drive mode is switched to Dynamic. At its most vocal, the result is a weirdly appealing blend of electric motor whistle, Jetsons hover car and Freightliner exhaust brake rumble.…

No, the image of the shell you see pictured to the right is not the basis for a new Wiggles staff car. The red sections indicate the use of ultra-high-strength boron steel – claimed to be the strongest type of steel currently used in the automotive industry – forming the V60’s safety cage. Orange sections are extra-high-strength steel; yellow is ‘very’ high-strength. Green sections in the engine bay are aluminium to reduce weight. It’s stiffer and roomier than the old V60, and better to crash in, although more advanced safety systems reduce that likelihood.…

No, this isn’t an erroneously inserted F-Type fascia – just an E-Pace S with $13K of options. Paddle shifters for R-Dynamic only; door grabs are a highlight. Conventional shifter requires annoying trigger-press for every motion – where’s XE/XF’s rotary dial? Just as in the Q2, the rear seats neither slide nor recline, but the Jag brings three USB sockets, cupholders and massive door bins. Backrest release in boot, which is the biggest of the bunch from 484-1141 litres, with a space-saver spare. Ground clearance a useful 204mm.…

For E-Pace, Jaguar didn’t just clone the larger F-Pace. Instead, it aimed for a sort of F-Type-infused crossover, as seen in the familial front and rear light shapes, muscular haunches, coupe roofline and dashboard. Aluminium bonnet, front guards, roof and tailgate combine with one of Jaguar’s stiffest body structures (behind I-Pace and F-Type), built in Austria. E-Pace’s highly modified (though still Ford ownership-era derived) D8 platform is from cousin the Rangie Evoque. Changes include a sophisticated four-link rear suspension, in the name of greater dynamic prowess.…

IT’S X-CLASS WARFARE AS MERCEDES-BENZ BLEACHES THE BLUE-COLLAR DUAL-CAB WORKHORSE INTO A SPARKLING WHITE SHOW PONY. BUT IS IT SUFFICIENTLY THOROUGHBRED TO MAKE EIGHT RIVALS EAT ITS DUST? DUAL-CAB utes (and their various iterations) are now Australia’s third most popular vehicle group after small cars and medium SUVs. The Toyota Hilux tussles with Ford’s locally developed Ranger for the title of this nation best-seller, and within the next few years, Korea and France will most likely field their own contenders. With the Mercedes-Benz X-Class entering the fray and BMW openly contemplating following suit, their relevance, as well as popularity, will continue to soar. But with ‘The Best or Nothing’ three-pointed-star brand blazing an upward trajectory for the genre, has the dual-cab ute actually evolved in terms of dynamics, comfort, refinement…

THE SMOOTH FIVE-BANGER RESPONDS EAGERLY WITH A WELCOME WAD OF LOW-REV TORQUE STYLING aside, there was a time when you could recommend Mazda’s BT-50 in the same breath as the Ford Ranger. Underneath the vastly different aesthetics, the models share a platform and major mechanicals and that meant the pair brought similar talent to the one-tonne market. But that was 2011 and in the ensuing years both models have followed very different evolutionary paths. While Ford has built on the Ranger’s good looks and strong platform foundations, Mazda has left the latter alone and instead fussed over the styling – including a facelift earlier this year involving a new grille, squared off front bumper and other more minor cosmetic revisions. There’s still shared DNA in the form of the lusty…

MERC’S ENGINEERS HAVE DONE AN IMPRESSIVE JOB, GIVEN THEIR STARTING POINT WAS THE LACKLUSTRE NAVARA UNTIL the arrival of the X-Class this year, the 4x4 ute segment was a mostly classless zone; a safe space free of badge-cred posturing. Owners displayed their affluence via a higher model grade, or perhaps some flash aftermarket equipment. Now, with Mercedes’ three-pointed star sitting Frisbee-sized on the bluff snout of the Spanish-built X-Class, all that has changed, and on a construction site, at least, it threatens to be as divisive as a baked cheese tart whipped out amongst the pies at morning smoko. Yet on plenty of levels the X-Class feels well overdue, given the mostly average standard of dynamics, presentation and safety that’s pervaded this class. The moment you open the door, the…

BRED, IF NOT BORN, LOCALLY, THE RANGER BEHAVES LIKE IT IS MADE EXPRESSLY FOR OZ IN THIS post Australian-vehicle manufacturing world, the significance of the Ranger’s massive success – both critically and commercially – is more profound than ever, seeing as it is now the only new vehicle left in production anywhere on earth designed and engineered here. Think about that for a moment. And therein lies the reason the Ford has performed so strongly and consistently in this Megatest. Bred, if not born, locally, the Thai-made Ranger feels and behaves like it’s made expressly for our tastes and environment on a number of fronts, starting with the rugged design that still conveys a broad, muscular aesthetic nearly eight years on – in much the way Holden’s VE Commodore did.…

VW SHOWS THE FIELD HOW TO BEST BLEND THE DISPARATE DEMANDS OF ON-ROAD REFINEMENT AND OFF-ROAD CAPABILITY @wheelsaustralia 103 WHAT’S the old adage about it being tough to get to the top, even tougher to stay there? Whatever it is, no-one has told the Amarok. VW’s contender rose to comfortable ascendancy at our last 4x4 ute Megatest (May 2016), and here it is again, this time in V6 spec, still showing the field – and new arrivals – how to best blend the disparate demands of on-road refinement and off-road capability. It’s the only contender here with six cylinders; an advantage it doesn’t squander. The V6 is, by a fair margin, the most powerful and torque-rich of this group, and delivers performance that’s swift and punchy. Its 0-100km/h of 7.9sec…

Model Mercedes-AMG GLC63 S 4matic+ Engine 3982cc V8 (90°), dohc, 32v, twin-turbo Max power 375kW @ 5500-6250rpm Max torque 700Nm @ 1750-4500rpm Transmission 9-speed automatic L/W/H 4682/1931/1625mm Wheelbase 2873mm Weight 1935kg 0-100km/h 3.8 sec (claimed) Test fuel average 18.5L/100km Price $164,900 On sale Now REMEMBER when the term performance SUV was still an oxymoron? Rewind 20 years or so, when there was no Porsche Cayenne, no BMW X5, certainly no Jeep Trackhawk, and, outside of the Dakar Rally, no other jacked-up wagons worth looking at for driving fulfilment, regardless of their straight-line performance. Lumbering SUVs with bulk power used to be a quick way to end up shiny-side down in a marshy ditch, but decades of progress fuelled by the demands of consumers have yielded a compelling smorgasbord of high-performance…

I USED to think the best way to evaluate the day-to-day ride quality of a hatchback was to find a poorly maintained bit of road and do some laps, but I was wrong. What you actually do is get carried away at the gym and give yourself something called a ‘vertebral subluxation complex’ between C6 and C7. Ride quality takes on an entirely new meaning when you feel as though someone has left a kebab skewer in your neck and you’re walking around like a droid that can’t look up or left. So you might imagine my life was hell standing in for O’Kane and looking after his Swift Sport for a few weeks. I’m already a big fan of the Swift GLX Turbo but this performance-enhanced version has stiffer…

SITREP from inside the Lewis household: life is good. French-Australian relations are in rude health with our Magnetic Blue companion slipping effortlessly into the daily routine. After a month and a bit together the 3008 and I are at a comfortable spot. We understand each other. I’ve now sampled the function of every button, cycled through all available menu options – of which there are many millions – and found a Goldilocks set-up that fits me just right. My favourite configuration keeps the customisable digital dashboard showing speed and trip data, and a neatly stylised road map in the centre to make finding side streets a cinch. That leaves the central screen free to display radio station and track name data most of the time, with climate control settings and…

THE SPORTS coupe has evolved. Alfa Romeo is working on a 447kW two-door version of the Giulia while Mercedes-AMG is looking to create an athlete in the shape of its next-generation 400kW C63 coupe. Both will feature fashionably downsized turbocharged powerplants and both will deliver tantalising diversions from the performance template for each marque. The coupe version of the Giulia was long-rumoured as a logical model extension on the Giorgio platform, but outgoing FCA boss Sergio Marchionne amped up expectation at the group’s Capital Markets Day, where the plans for the next five years are unveiled. The coupe will revive the classic GTV nameplate, a badge last seen on the underwhelming 916-series front-drive cars that last rolled off Pininfarina’s Giorgio Canavese line back in 2004. This one is very different.…

What’s a better way of celebrating your 70th birthday than stumping up your own surprise to burst from the cake? Porsche has done just that, revealing a 356-inspired, 911.2 GT3-based 368kW version of the 911 that tugs at the heartstrings of Porsche fans the world over. The white-on-silver colour scheme, buttresses, cut-down windscreen, bonnet-mounted fuel filler, and bullet wing mirrors all riff on Zuffenhausen’s heritage. There’s no word yet on a production run, though.…

THE BEND is open for business. Australia’s longest race track, and the world’s second-longest purpose-built track after the Nordschleife, has opened its doors to the public, offering what proprietor Sam Shahin describes as a ‘motorsport theme park’. The scale of the ambition at what was Mitsubishi’s test facility, some 100km southeast of Adelaide, is dizzying. As well as the main FIA Grade 2/ FIM Grade A-standard 7.7km circuit, there are also eight shorter track configurations, two skid pans, off-road adventure courses, gravel rally stages, a 34-garage pit facility, a 100-room Rydges pit-lane hotel, plus press facilities and function centres. Work is also being undertaken on an ANDRAapproved Group 1 drag strip, a proposed 2km Vmax straight, kart track, drift facility and a rallycross circuit with water splashes and multiple jumps.…

“The June edition subscriber’s cover took me straight back to Le Mans in 1970” SCREEN DREAMS I was amused and felt a certain bond with Editor Inwood after reading his Ed Start column (Wheels, June) about how the Porsche showroom at Willoughby left an “ineradicable mark” on him as a young boy. I too was marked when my father (a working class man from the western suburbs of Sydney) organised a family holiday at the Travel Lodge at Bondi Beach. Following a glorious day in the sun and fighting surf rips, we were taken to the George Street cinemas to see Le Mans with Steve McQueen. I was six years old and I remember being audibly and visually assaulted by those legendary Gulf liveried 917 Porsches as they roared around…

SPECS Model Ford Mustang GT Fastback Engine 5038cc V8 (90°), dohc, 32v Max power 339kW @ 7000rpm Max torque 556Nm @ 4600rpm Transmission 10-speed automatic Weight 1681kg 0-100km/h 4.3sec (claimed) Fuel economy 12.7L/100km Price $65,990 On sale Now YOU KNOW there’s something in the air when the Ford Mustang clocks nearly 10,000 sales in a full year, reinforcing what we’ve always known – Aussies love muscle cars. And if that’s the case with the existing car in 2017, then how is this fresher, classier, better-equipped and sharper-driving 2018 version going to fare? Gone is the almost unbelievable entry price of the previous model. Today’s Mustang Ecoboost six-speed manual (due here in September) with a slightly torquier 224kW/441Nm 2.3-litre turbo-petrol four will set you back $49,990 before on-roads, while the meaty…

Model Kia Cerato Sport+ sedan Engine 1999cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v Max power 112kW @ 6200rpm Max torque 192Nm @ 4000rpm Transmission 6-speed automatic Weight 1320kg 0-100km/h 9.0sec (estimated) Economy 7.4 L/100km Price $26,190 (driveaway) On sale Now CONSIDER this: the Kia Cerato, so ordinary and unassuming, is responsible for a third of Kia Australia’s sales. What’s more, those stats are for the second-generation model, a distinctly average vehicle right at the end of its lifespan. How? Well, pricing has played a big part in the Cerato’s success – a key reason why Kia has retained a compelling $19,990 entry sticker for the Cerato S manual – but for the new-gen sedan price isn’t the only reason to give it a look-in. Styled to mimic the broad-shouldered and confident stance of…

Model Lexus LS500 F Sport Engine 3444cc V6 (60°), dohc, 24v, twin-turbo Max power 310kW @ 6000rpm Max torque 600Nm @ 1600-4800rpm Transmission 10-speed automatic Weight 2440kg 0-100km/h 5.0sec (claimed) Economy 9.5L/100km Price $190,500 On sale Now THERE’S something going on at Lexus. Known for its staid, conservative cars that trade on value for cashed-up buyers, Toyota’s luxury arm is now injecting a welcome dose of design and dynamic flair to its range. The latest model to embody this transformation is the brand’s flagship, the LS sedan. Now into its fifth generation, this version doesn’t just shake off the stuffy conservatism of its lardy predecessor, but slams the door behind it. Gone is the old car’s 4.6-litre V8 for a pair of all-new V6 engines that split between twin-turbo performance…

Model Jaguar I-Pace S Engine 2 x electric motors Max power 294kW Max torque 696Nm Transmission single-speed epicyclic L/W/H 4682/2011/1565mm Wheelbase 2990mm Weight 2133kg 0-100km/h 4.8sec (claimed) Price $119,000 On sale October ARTS, sardines, cobblestones and Ronaldo – just a handful of images that spring to mind when you think of Portugal. But the sliver of azure-fringed earth clinging to Spain’s western flank has another national treasure far more precious than all the custard-loaded pastries in the world. About an hour inland from the pretty town of Faro sits a 4.7km band of blacktop comprised of 15 corners and dizzying elevation changes, proudly wearing the FIA’s stamp of approval. It’s here at the punishing Algarve International Circuit Portimao that Jaguar has chosen to cut the umbilical cord on its first…

The I-Pace’s optional Active Air Suspension can lift the body by up to 48mm above the normal height setting at speeds of up to 50km/h. Should you manage to really get out of your depth off-road, the I-Pace also has an automatic ‘Extended Mode’ that will attempt to lift the body if it grounds or exceeds its 500mm wading depth. Even the standard coil-sprung I-Pace is fitted as standard with All Surface Progress Control (ASPC), which delivers off-road cruise control and hill descent functionality. Future developments may well involve Jaguar borrowing tech from sister company Land Rover, whose ‘Cortex’ is a project that aims to deliver Level 4 and Level 5 off-road autonomous technology. Cortex-developed vehicles are promised to be “fully capable in any weather condition: dirt, rain, ice, snow…

NOWADAYS, the way we use apps to dine, date, hail a taxi, and even watch TV seems incredibly normal, but did anybody foresee any of this a decade ago? Same goes for the fledgling subset of premium compact SUVs streaming into buyers’ consciousness the world over. Yes, we’d seen underwheeled frumps like the 2009 BMW X1 but until the Range Rover Evoque swaggered into view during 2011, cashed-up but compact-minded buyers simply didn’t have a seriously stylish SUV option in their sights. Since then, design-led premium-brand compact SUV contenders have spread like modernist furniture fanciers, driving a class that has jumped 20 percent year-on-year (or roughly the amount the premium medium set has slipped…), with the rather hatch-like (and set for replacement in 2019) Mercedes-Benz GLA currently wearing the small-SUV…

Volvo’s front seats are superbly supportive and offer lofty views out, while XC90-inspired swipe-screen tablet and Art Deco vents add class. No-cost-option orange carpet, made from 97-percent recycled plastic, elevates and lightens while polarising opinion. Rear seats offer plenty of room, though lack under-thigh support, while window-line kink reduces vision for kids. Rear wind noise noticeable. Boot capacity scores with 460-1336 litres, with space-saver spare beneath. Ground clearance a sizeable 211mm.…

THE TWIN-TURBO DIESEL STEPS OFF STRONGLY AND IS SURPRISINGLY RESPONSIVE ON THE FLY THE NAMES, and even the brands, may have changed over time, but there have been Datsun or Nissan small trucks produced almost continuously since 1934. That’s the same year Ford Australia released the world’s first coupe-utility, by the way, highlighting a breadth of experience that has moulded Nissan’s reputation for outstanding reliability and durability. Nothing has changed with Navara, Nissan’s 12th generation ute, and donor vehicle for the Mercedes X-Class and (imminent) Renault Alaskan. That said, today’s D23 (released in 2015) has failed to capitalise on the critical and commercial success that its chunkier D40 predecessor enjoyed, prompting a worried Nissan to fettle the steering and suspension (yet again) for the 2018 Series III. With all this…

IT’S MORE UNKILLABLE THAN KEITH RICHARDS AND HAS EXCELLENT OFF-ROAD ABILITY HERE’S a tip for the easily offended: you do not want to be around tester Byron Mathioudakis when he starts uttering the ‘C’ word. At least not if you’re a Toyota executive. No, we’re not talking about that ‘C’ word. Actually, it’s one potentially even more offensive: ‘cynical’. That was Byron’s succinct summation of the Hilux, tested here in $48,560 SR spec (with optional alloys), although we wanted the SR5 for this exercise, which, at $56,440, adds equipment such as climate control, sat-nav, keyless entry, 18-inch wheels and more. Yes, the huge-selling Hilux has a bunch of virtues, which we’ll get to, but the inescapable facts are these: it’s slow, lacks refinement, and has a…

THE MORE TIME WE SPENT WITH COLORADO, THE MORE OBVIOUS ITS MANY STRENGTHS BECAME WHILE all eyes are on Mercedes-Benz’s newcomer and Volkswagen’s V6 powerhouse, let’s not overlook what is arguably the most significant of the nine vehicles here, the underrated Colorado. With sliding sales in Holden’s traditional segments coinciding with fresh potential found in the dual-cab ute arena, the Colorado could be the Lion brand’s saviour. And the heavily updated version absolutely has the credentials to do that. Completely revamped in 2016, it received far more than a few USB ports and a shot of Botox, bringing forth dramatic improvements that still stack up well even against more recent arrivals. Let’s call it the rebirth of Colorado. For starters, a cabin rethink brings an attractive and very functional dashboard…

I HAVE an admission to make. Having driven the Stinger GT for more than two months, I had yet to activate launch control and had a gnawing suspicion that my man card would be revoked if I ever mentioned this in the office. Upon further reflection, I realise that I don’t actually have a man card, so perhaps demolishing something rapid at the lights could render me eligible for some sort of standby list. It’s not that I was nervous about the mechanics of launching the Stinger. I’d done it many times at the drag strip with previous Stinger test cars. It’s just that when you run a long termer, you tend to baby it a bit, to treat it as if it’s your own. I haven’t cleaned the wheels…

SOMETIMES progress isn’t always, well, progress. Take the example of the Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). It’s been with us in one form or another for more than 120 years, but only really took off with Aussies in the late ’80s and early ’90s, thanks to enthusiastic adoption by certain Japanese brands. Most Japanese car makers today still sell CVT-equipped vehicles, typically as their chosen alternative to the ‘conventional’ torque-converter automatic. The slush-box or ‘slusher’ is far more familiar to Australian motorists, as it’s been the preferred two-pedal option for much of our modern motoring history. This is due in no small part to GM having had such a prominent presence in our market via Holden and, by extension, to the fact it was GM’s Cadillac and Oldsmobile divisions that first…