Wheelsの January 2017 の目次

 HOLDEN Special Vehicles’ future is just weeks away from being locked down, with the performance sub-brand set to resign with the Walkinshaw Group for a five-year deal. “If we define our customer as wanting a rear-drive Aussie V8, we are out of business” – HSV MD Tim Jackson The deal, which has been months in negotiations with GM executives in Port Melbourne and abroad, means the Clayton-based manufacturer will continue tweaking GM products until at least 2022. However, HSV will back away from its big-power heritage and instead focus on “exciting, aspirational” vehicles that could be as broad as a rally raid-style off-road ute or go-fast SUV. In what is set to be the most challenging period for a brand known for its Commodore-based high-performance V8s, the surety of a…

HIGHLIGHTS Citycar buyers came out in force in November, pushing sales in the segment 89.6% higher. The big small-car winner was the Mitsubishi Mirage, though with only 434 sales. Sports cars again had a good month, up 9.1% on the back of the Ford Mustang’s 389 sales, the equivalent of one in every three ‘budget’ two-doors sold. Kia, meanwhile, rose 18.7% compared with the same month last year. In contrast, sister brand Hyundai fell 5%. LOWLIGHTS It’s not private buyers putting the heat in the market; business, government, rental and commercial sales are up while private sales are either flat or down. The figures tell all; a pair of trade utes, the Toyota Hilux (3839) and Ford Ranger (3410), outsold the best-selling passenger car, the Toyota Corolla. Year to date,…

MY OLD MERCEDES-BENZ 6.9 I liked Michael Stahl’s re-visitation of Rendezvous , Claude Lelouch’s 40-year-old film of his mad car journey through Paris ( An Illicit Affair , December). To me it was a reminder that I once owned a Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL 6.9. It was six years old but must have had a very hard life. It certainly was no Ferrari. It had a three-speed auto and its 6.9 litres lost interest at around 5000rpm, but up to that level it was powerful for its day as it quietly thundered out its 550Nm of torque – very satisfying! I owned the SEL for a couple of years, at which point it had become my enemy. There were many component failures, including air-cell suspension units…

WE SHOULDN’T view the new Toyota C-HR as just a car. It’s also an apology; recognition from Toyota that it has been trying to sell some very dull mid-sized cars in parts of the world that are no longer interested in them. As such gestures tend to be, the C-HR is close to being an overblown try-hard, yet if you’re prepared to accept something so visually radical wearing a Toyota badge, the result is pretty impressive. Categorising the C-HR is a challenge. The name officially decrypts as ‘Coupe – High Riding’ and we’re told to regard it as a dynamically focused crossover. Underneath the radical styling it has five-door practicality, and in size terms it’s slightly smaller than a RAV4 and almost exactly the same length as its most obvious…

DONALD Trump will hate the new Q5. Until now all Q5s for the world (except China) flowed from Audi’s Ingolstadt factory. But from now on all Q5s (except for China) come from a new plant in Mexico. Forget possible tariff walls; Audi is convinced Mexico can build a premium SUV that matches anything from Germany. Despite any conspiracy theories from The Donald. Understandably, then, Audi held the first drive on Mexico’s Baja peninsula in pre-production cars fresh from the Puebla plant. Based on Audi’s impressive MLB architecture (shared with the A4, A5 and Q7) for longitudinal engines, the new Q5 is up to 90kg lighter (2.0-litre TFSI, 1720kg) and brings a 185kW 2.0-litre TFSI petrol engine and 140kW 2.0-litre TDI diesel at launch in Q3 2017, with a range-topping 3.0-litre…

Wheels caught up with Daniel Ricciardo on the grid at Bahrain, and he was keen to pay tribute to Webber’s contribution to his F1 career. “I was aware of previous Australians who had done well and were champions, but Mark was the guy that I could see when I was growing up,” he says of the man he replaced at Red Bull Racing. “It wasn’t reading about him in a book, I was watching him at races, so that made it a bit more realistic that I could follow his path and achieve the things he’d done. “Then he was somewhat of a mentor, trying to help me out in little situations along the way. It’s the little things that go a long way. It was good to get the…

IT’S BEEN many years since we stopped advising against South Korean cars on principle. These days, the likes of Hyundai and Kia have their acts well and truly together, and the seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty on the latter helps make that point. That said, there’s no denying the frantic pace being set in the global small hatchback/sedan segment and, well, the four-year-old Cerato is looking and feeling a bit left behind by some newer designs in this cut-throat segment. It starts from the moment you step into the cabin and discover mis-matching textures, plasti-chrome chintz and a slippery-rimmed steering wheel that looks like a crying emoji. The radio’s graphics are equally cheap, though nice touches such as a digital speedo and decent front seats help balance the ledger. But we still can’t…

FRENCH flair seems to be an on-again, off-again phenomenon at Renault. Over the past two decades, its small-car staple – the Megane – has oscillated between conventional and challenging with each generation, meaning we were overdue for something with a bit more spunk this time around. Thankfully, Megane IV introduces a design theme that is subtly avant-garde, rather than wilfully polarising. This $27,490 Zen variant might be only one level up from base (see sidebar), wearing fairly understated 16-inch alloys, but it steals the show with LED running lights at both ends. The dominating, claw-shaped front pair subscribe to the theory that you can never have too much running-light bling, yet it’s the tasteful red glow of the horizontal-strip rear LEDs that mark the Megane Zen as high-tech and sharply…

FORD may have gradually toned down the scalpel-sharp dynamics of its era-defining small car over the years, but the Ecoboost-powered Focus Trend proves that keen driving spirit remains a touchstone for the Blue Oval brand. Introduced here in mid-2015, this major facelift of the third-generation Focus debuted a brand new 132kW 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine – replacing the torqueless old 2.0-litre GDi donk – as well as a revised chassis with a stiffer front-end, re-tuned dampers and a new electric-steering calibration to significantly enhance its driver appeal. But there has also been a tangible increase in the perceived value of the Focus. With the povvo-spec Ambiente relegated to history, the entry-level Trend treads a similar path to Holden’s Astra R in that it conceals the fact you could only afford the…

TWO YEARS ago the Peugeot 308 wowed Wheels Car of the Year, placing as a finalist amid staunch competition. Going into this Megatest, there was mild concern it may not have held up well enough to tangle with the top contenders. Shame on us. If anything, the 308 Active is now a more persuasive value proposition than it was then, despite the $27,990 outlay making it the priciest here. For MY17, Peugeot has ditched the price-leading Access variant and added gear to the now base-model 308 Active. It’s a fully featured ensemble that extends Peugeot’s resurgence by nailing down the practical necessities in an elegant hatchback that’s truly entertaining to drive. The most convincing element of the package is the 1.2-litre turbo triple. Numbers of 96kW and 230Nm are easily…

Passo del Giogo isn’t particularly high, but it looms large in the story of Ferrari FROM up here you can see the Autodromo del Mugello. This modern racetrack lies like some brilliantly realistic Scalextric set in the green Tuscan countryside below. Stop, listen carefully, and you’ll even hear the distant rasp of the Formula Abarth open-wheelers practising there. But right now isn’t the time for soaking up scenery and sounds. Behind me, the engine barks three times. Once for each downshift, braking hard for the approaching tight right. And then there’s a rising yowl as the 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8 thrusts the 488 Spider towards the next corner… and deeper into the web of history. Topping out at 882 metres, the Passo del Giogo isn’t particularly high. But this pass looms…

THERE are a few things that make my life whole. One of them is yoga; another is a sense of adventure. So with the Renegade’s return date looming and the key firmly grasped in my hand, it was time to test the Trailhawk-branded Jeep on rougher roads. But not without a quick visit back to its maker. From the moment I collected ‘Hillary’, I noticed an occasional out-of-sorts noise from the engine bay. For a while, I hoped it would disappear, but when it became more prominent after a drive to Daylesford, I thought I should get it checked. According to Fiat-Chrysler Australia, the noise was “an airflow resonance from the induction system”, mainly noticeable under part-throttle. Any unsavoury noises in a car are cause for alarm, but this was…

“I LOVE RACING … THE COMPETITION. IT’S HARD TO SAY THAT SOMEONE IS A BETTER ACTOR THAN SOMEONE ELSE, BUT IN RACING IT’S CLEAR-CUT” – PAUL NEWMAN, 1995 These were not short-stint celebrity drives, but the real deal. So good was Newman that his flair and passion for motor racing almost sidelined his acting career. The bloke who starred in films such as Hud, The Sting, Cool Hand Luke and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid eventually forced movie producers to work around his racing schedule. Motoring journalist Howard Walker spent a weekend at the Daytona 24-hour race in February 1995, when Newman’s Ford Mustang won the GT class, and two weeks later at the Indycar series opener in Miami, to see Newman in action and to talk to the…

A Commodore-based HSV is unlikely, but a V8 could still be part of the brand’s future. The recent expansion of the Walkinshaw Group into right-hand-drive conversions of Ram trucks opens the door to local conversions of the Chevrolet Camaro, something HSV has been investigating intensely. With all Camaros produced only as left-hookers, it makes HSV a prime candidate for a high-quality local conversion. HSV boss Tim Jackson refused to discuss the prospects of the Camaro arriving Down Under wearing an HSV badge, but hinted a V8 model was on the wish list. “Transforming the business doesn’t mean we forget our heritage and passion for certain style of products,” he said. Given the sharp pricing of the Camaro’s most obvious rival, the fast-selling Ford Mustang, it’s likely HSV would focus on…

Dodge Charger Speaking to Australian journalists at the LA Auto Show, recently appointed FCA Australia chief executive Steve Zanlunghi said he believed the demise of the locally made Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore could leave cheap performance ca holes in the Australian market. FCA Australia see the next-gen Challenger and Charger as a perfect fit. Kia GT Due late in 2017, the four-door ‘coupe’ will start from about $40,000 and get the option of a 270kW 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6. Rear-drive configuration will keep the enthusiasts happy, while Kia’s value-for-money play is expected to ensure decent value. Subaru Liberty Subaru’s mid-size sedan will like also appear on the shopping list of those considering the 2018 Commodore. Th Japan offering has decent size on its side its side, an impressive spec sheet,…

2019 Ford Mustang Even as it seems we can’t get enough of the current Mustang, Ford is already hard at work making it even more desirable. The sight of Shelby GT500-style quad exhaust pipes hanging out the back of this prototype gives rise to the hope that the 5.0-litre V8 will gain performance upgrades. We’ve also noted a restyled front and rear, as well as a big lip spoiler hanging off the bootlid. The facelifted Mustang may have been revealed at the Detroit Motor Show by the time you read this. Get all the details at Wheelsmag.com.au…

NECESSITY might be the mother of invention, but for the Mazda MX-5 Retractable Fastback, it delivered a new solution to an old problem: how to make a folding hardtop convertible actually desirable. According to design chief Masashi Nakayama, the latest-gen convertible’s shorter wheelbase meant there was no longer enough space to package the intended entire roof system from the previous RC Roadster Coupe without both uglifying the line of beauty and severely curtailing an already tiny luggage capacity. The answer was probably staring at his teenage self from the wall of his bedroom because the 1977 Ferrari 308 GTS (star of the ’80s hit Magnum PI) provided the inspiration. The RF’s flying buttresses – those flowing rear pillars – came about after exterior designer Masanori Minamisawa sketched a sleek silhouette…

EVERY brand has its icons. Volkswagen has Golf. Mazda has MX-5. And Infiniti? Well, clearly its six decades of front-engined, rear-drive, high-performance sports/luxury coupes, right? Since (re)launching in Australia in 2012 with the G37, that’s what Japan’s BMW has been all about, bridging an important line dating back to the 1962 Prince Skyline Sports Coupe. Hence our big expectations. And in some ways the V37-series Q60 – released initially in 155kW/350Nm 2.0-litre turbo guise from $62,900, with a 298kW/475Nm 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 from $88,900 following in March – delivers. For starters, the design, which is both lower and wider than the preceding 2007-vintage V36 series, is dramatically distinctive, like every good coupe should be. Additionally, Infiniti has put thought into the interior, which manages to effortlessly convey class. Generous room…

DON’T laugh, but the new E63 has a drift mode. Going sideways was never a problem in previous generations of AMG-fettled E-Classes, of course – sometimes even without intent as their less-advanced stability control systems fought to keep their V8 engines in check But the all-new W213 version now runs all-wheel drive and therefore no longer wants to smoke its rear tyres. Hence the arrival of the hoon function, only accessible from Race mode, although I doubt its inclusion in this quarter-million-dollar super sedan will cause anything like the level of tabloid outrage it triggered in the Focus RS. Drift mode aside, the new E63 has grown up, but it’s definitely not slowed down. Power comes from a retuned version of the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 that we’ve already seen in…

“IT’S like a modern car,” says Rene Olma, pointing to the C111. “You can drive it as you want on the road.” “Are you sure?” I respond, disbelieving, “In the rain?” Olma, the head of communications for the Mercedes-Benz Classic division, smiles and tells me Auto Motor und Sport , Germany’s leading motoring magazine, recently ran the 46-year-old Mercedes classic through its contemporary road-testing process in a genuine comparison with today’s SL. During the 18 months planning for this story, I always asked if this drive of the C111 could take place on Mercedes’ famous Unterturkheim test track inside the huge Stuttgart works. Only when we arrive at the M-B Classic workshops does Olma tell me that’s impossible; the track is in constant use testing R&D department…

BRAND Korea has fortified its market position over the years by being tenaciously cheap and cheerful. Value-for-money covers a multitude of dynamic sins in the eyes of many a shopper who, at this end of the market, often buy on spec rather than ability. But the value equation starts to get a bit harder to rationalise when once bargain-basement cars become more expensive relative to the competition. Such is the fate of the Hyundai Elantra Active. At $24,250 with an automatic, the entry-level Elantra sits in the thick of these affordable heavy-hitters. The rest of the kids have come to play in its sandbox. Outwardly, Elantra does a decent job of looking the money. Its coupe-styled roofline, large hexagonal grille and slim headlights do their bit to eschew a pseudo-premium…

MAZDA’S successful 3 line-up kicks off with the Neo base model, but it’s the $24,890 Maxx that looks like the value-for-money sweet spot. That said, you don’t get frills like keyless entry or climate control but, like interior presentation that seems a bit plain yet has quality where it counts, you do get sat-nav and a leather-clad steering wheel. The rotary controller for the menu-driven MZD Connect system works well, too. The Mazda also has great seats in the front, with plenty of bolstering, and even the rear bench is sculpted to give passengers a dash of lateral support, even though it makes the rear-centre position more of a perch. Rear knee-room is a bit tight, however, and we’re tempted to point the finger at Mazda’s current cab-rearward design language…

ONE OF the new Astra’s biggest selling points is likely to be the fact that, based on appearance and equipment levels, you’d never pick it as the entry-level version. The smooth, Euro lines stamp it as one of the better-looking hatches around at any price, and the standard kit leans towards the upper end of things. Okay, you don’t get keyless anything and there’s no sat-nav or climate control, but with a starting price of $24,190 for the 1.4 auto, that shouldn’t play against the Astra too much. Holden is clearly playing on the fact that, long after you’ve tired of the gadgets, that high-end ambience will still be making you smile. So will the standard digital radio, which boasts the most dropout-free reception we’ve encountered. Bar none. The front…

ON THE evening of September 8, 2014, Jaguar unveiled the XE, its long-awaited successor to the long-forgotten X-Type. And I, for one, didn’t quite know what to make of it. Those first hero shots of the sedan in the desert, finished in Italian Racing Red and propped on 20-inch Propeller 10-spoke alloys, looked for all the world like the lovechild of the original XF (Jaguar, not Falcon) and VE Commodore SS… which, though boldly macho yet beautifully proportioned, also seemed somewhat derivative. When your rivals include the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes C-Class and Audi A4, a striking first impression is non-negotiable. Would the new Cat on the block have enough cut-through? I needn’t have worried. Nearly 12 months later, at the Australian launch, the XE persuasively lured me in with…

IT’S really easy to bag technology for bombarding us with crap. Near-constant phone and email access, and an inability to remain calm for any longer than a few moments without fingering a smartphone says that ‘switching off’ should be a matter of sanity, not laziness. If you’re an audiophile, however, and your life requires a constant backing track, then right now is a damn fine time to be alive. Not only has the youth of today rediscovered the texture and warmth of the vinyl LP, but we have unprecedented access to more music than we know what to do with. And, even in something as basic as our Holden Spark, the facility to enjoy said mountains of music in crisp, clear quality. I remember thinking the digital-tune, four-speaker tape deck…

Audi has added a three-cylinder engine to its entry-level A3 hatch. The 1.0-litre turbo makes 85kW and 200Nm – identical torque but 7kW less than the 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbo it replaces. A 110kW 1.4 and 140kW 2.0 flesh out the rest of the A3 range, including the sedan and Cabriolet line-ups (which don’t get the three-cylinder option) while the S3 now has 213kW. All 2.0-litre models also get a new seven-speed wet twin-clutch transmission, which should prove more robust longterm than the dry-clutch systems typically employed for lower-torque engines. More features are also part of the deal, which kicks off at $35,900 for hatch or Sportback.…

QUICK question: who’s the current holder of the Peter Brock Trophy? If you’ve answered Will Davison or Jonathon Webb, most recent winners of the Bathurst 1000, you’re talking about a piece of Johnny-come-lately tinware. The real Peter Brock Trophy dates back more than 40 years, and marks a similarly sizeable achievement in its field of motorsport. It’s just that the motorsport is a lot smaller. The Peter Brock Trophy is one of the golden gongs in Australian 1:24-scale slot car racing. The annual, stand-alone race, held in recent years at King Willy’s Raceway in Melbourne, has been fought over since 1974. In the first year, Brock personally presented the trophy at Melbourne’s Quikslot track. The list of winners reads like a who’s who of the Open Group 7 category, in…

IT WAS in a stark, white room in the middle of Holden’s Salmon Street design studio where GM Australia Design Director Richard Ferlazzo first said to Wheels, “Let me introduce to you the fifth-generation Holden Commodore”. Before us sat a full-scale clay model of the car you see here, which has now been publicly revealed in all its glory. While these computer-generated images released by GM-Holden do have some slight perspective awkwardness, they’re representative of exactly what you’ll see in Holden showrooms come February 2018: a five-door liftback-sedan with a very racy roofline. It’s a significant departure from the traditional three-box Holden Commodore sedan shape, trading much of the VE/ VF’s chiselled masculinity for a more unisex, coupe-like form, yet there’s still plenty of presence in what will still be…

SOME of the latest crash avoidance systems on popular cars can be fooled by the high-riding design of utes and SUVs, according to an exclusive Wheels assessment conducted as part of our 2017 COTY testing. During testing, the autonomous emergency braking systems on some new cars failed to recognise the higher rump of a ute – closer in height to many popular SUVs – potentially leaving drivers exposed in common nose-to-tail crashes these systems are designed to avoid. The revelation comes after extensive independent testing at the Ford Proving Ground in conjunction with Insurance Australia Group. Cars from Jaguar, BMW and Volkswagen worked almost flawlessly when driven at a regular sedan test target at between 10 and 25km/h, reinforcing the usefulness of AEB systems. However, each failed to consistently identify…

JANUARY-FEBRUARY AUDI Q2 and Q7 e-tron; FORD Kuga facelift/rebrand; HOLDEN Trax facelift; HONDA Civic hatch; KIA Rio; MASERATI Levante and Quattroporte facelift; MAZDA MX-5 RF; MERCEDES-AMG C63 S Cabriolet; MERCEDES-BENZ E300, E400 4matic, E350e and GLE-Class plug-in hybrid; PEUGEOT 3008; VOLKSWAGEN Passat Alltrack Wolfsburg MARCH AUDI A5 Coupe; BMW 5 Series and M760Li xDrive; CITROEN C3, C4 Cactus petrol auto; HOLDEN Commodore special editions; INFINITI Q60 Red Sport; JEEP Grand Cherokee; MASERATI Ghibli facelift; MAZDA CX-5; MINI Clubman JCW All4 MINI Countryman; NISSAN Pathfinder facelift; PEUGEOT 2008; SKODA Superb S Mercedes-AMG C63 S Cabriolet This is the first time there’s been a ragtop version of the AMG-badged C-Class, offering a four-seat open-roof theatre to drink in that sonorous 375kW/700Nm 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8. With a 0-100km/h time of about 4.1 seconds,…

TWO telling details stood out on the launch of the Skoda Kodiaq. The first was the presentation where Skoda execs introduced us to the company’s new SUV, where we got the full run-down on connectivity, active safety systems, design and the three-row seating before even passing mention was made of powertrain or chassis. The second came when we got to drive it, with the test routes on the Spanish island of Majorca not including any off-roading. On the basis of those two facts alone, you’ve probably worked out that this isn’t the sort of expedition-grade offroader you choose for a trip into the wilderness. Skoda is definitely pitching the Kodiaq at the lifestyle market, and it’s fair to see it as a bigger alternative for the Volkswagen Tiguan – size-wise…

FOR A fleeting moment, the windscreen is filled with nothing but crystal-blue Nevada sky. Then, in just a few body lengths navigated at about 2km/h, it’s filled with nothing but rocks as we stare into a plunging abyss leading down to the desert floor. The angle of the cliff seems ridiculously steep, but our spotter dude waves us forward. As we inch down, seatbelts cutting hard into our chests, we feel the right-rear corner part contact with terra firma, and the Grand Cherokee Trailhawk cocks its hind leg high in the air like a dog at a fire hydrant. Its ability to navigate this sort of terrain is testament to the Trailhawk package, which, along with extra underbody protection, brings crucial additional ground clearance and increased axle articulation. As we…

Audi A4 | Audi R8 | BMW M2 | Citroën C4 Cactus | Fiat Abarth 124 | Ford Mustang | Holden Astra | Holden Spark Honda NSX | Hyundai Elantra | Infiniti QX30 | Jaguar XF | Jaguar F-Pace | Kia Sportage | Mazda CX-9 Mercedes C-Class Coupe | Mercedes E-Class | Mercedes GLC | Mini Clubman | Porsche 718 Boxster | Renault Megane Renault Koleos | Subaru Impreza | Toyota Prius | Volkswagen Tiguan | Volvo S90 THE STORMING BMW M2 PROVES THAT BMW’S M DIVISION STILL KNOWS HOW TO PRODUCE A PURE SPORTS COUPE THERE have been some lacklustre COTY fields over the years – headlined by 2000’s startlingly drab Toyota RAV4, Volvo V70, Chrysler PT Cruiser and Subaru ‘Bug Eye’ Impreza finalists – but the Class of…

“VERY bastard!” yells the Bahraini flag marshal in his broken English, grinning as he hears me mention Mark Webber’s name, holding up his fists in approval at the Aussie’s famous fighting spirit. A Porsche 919 shrieks into view, its hybrid system whining like a dentist’s drill as it harvests energy into Turn 4 of the Sakhir circuit, before catapulting from the apex as if attached to some colossal cosmic bungee. Another marshal pulls a jacket out of his bag, orients it in the desert dust in the vague direction of Mecca and starts praying, oblivious to the fact that an Aston Martin has just appeared on three wheels. We’re a long way from Queanbeyan. Webber’s last race was always going to be emotional and, in a quiet moment prior to…

FORD Focus Trend HOLDEN Astra R HONDA Civic VTi-S HYUNDAI Elantra Active KIA Cerato S Premium MAZDA 3 Maxx PEUGEOT 308 Active RENAULT Megane Zen SKODA Octavia Ambition SUBARU Impreza 2.0i-L TOYOTA Corolla Ascent Sport VOLKSWAGEN Golf 92TSI DESPITE what urban myth might suggest, small cars are Aussies’ bread and butter. Have been since 2005, when total small-car sales outstripped what was once the bedrock of our car culture – the large-car class – for the first time. And the fight continues against the inexorable rise of the fast-approaching medium-SUV category. It’s a vicious battle for a slice of small-car glory. And it involves some of the best-known names in the business, spanning 14 separate models in this Megatest’s $23-28K auto hatch/sedan discipline. Only two failed to make the starting…

“AS LONG as you’re not looking for much, it has plenty,” quipped Stuart West, and right there is Toyota’s ever-popular Corolla in a nutshell. Built on a heritage spanning half a century and 11 generations, Toyota’s reputation for building indestructible Corollas exists for a reason. And the current Corolla is definitely one of the better ones. But how does ‘good for a Corolla’ fare in an era of innovation and all-round excellence? Better than we expected, as it turns out, though the 2016 Ascent Sport remains a deeply conservative car at its core. Headlining the Toyota’s steady-as-she-goes approach is its 1.8-litre atmo engine, now 15 years old and surely overdue for a rethink. In reality, it tries hard and makes a more likeable noise than the Korean pair’s 2.0-litre. Where…

A CHAIN is only as strong as its weakest link, and sadly the Civic VTi-S sedan’s many virtues are compromised by one crucial weakness – its transmission. And that’s a tremendous shame because the 10th-generation Civic sedan comes so achingly close to returning Honda to its 1980s heyday, when cutting-edge VTEC engines, meticulous interiors and sophisticated suspensions were the norm. Dual camshafts are still missing from the spec sheet of the Civic VTi-S, but it is real-world performance, not box-ticking technology, that matters most. And, unfortunately for Honda, it’s the mediocrity of the base Civic’s carry-over drivetrain that prevents its promising return-to-form from truly materialising. Rather than employ a traditional torque-converter automatic, Honda has followed the lead of Toyota, Mitsubishi, Nissan and Subaru in opting for a CVT. And only…

PEOPLE want to like the Subaru Impreza. It’s one of those slightly oddball, endearingly reliable cars that marches to the beat of its own boxer engine, without ever quite upsetting the small-car status quo by being really bloody good. But this fifth-generation model has given it a red-hot go. Based on brand-new Subaru Global Platform architecture, this box-fresh Impreza is the first non-WRX model in more than a decade to offer genuine driver appeal. And it’s the first Impreza since the nameplate’s 1992 inception to offer rear-seat room that’s borderline class-leading. Lounging room, even. With airy spaciousness in all directions and stadium-style seating delivering a superb view, about the only black mark against the Impreza’s back section is a lack of air vents. And, if you’re a pedant, mismatching carbonfibre-esque…

WHENEVER the Mk7 Volkswagen Golf is thrown into a comparo, we have lofty expectations of it. And for good reason; it’s a former COTY champion and happens to win a hell of a lot. Why? Because when it comes to small cars that offer driveability, efficiency, comfort, luxury and quality in near-perfect equilibrium, there’s no vehicle that’s more complete than a Golf. Especially the brilliant base model. The 92TSI’s performance in this Megatest only serves to reinforce that notion. Sure, its 1.4-litre turbo-petrol four may have been eclipsed by the Astra’s similarly sized engine for smoothness and quietness, but the Volkswagen unit continues to prove exceptionally fuel efficient (averaging 7.7L/100km on this test), and it torques out more than enough performance. Impressive as the new Astra is, though, it can’t…

REMEMBER when phones were about making calls? And utes were about carrying things? In this modern connected world, phones seem more about playing music and games, watching cat videos, grabbing an Uber, or helping us not go around in circles. And utes are about loading up the family, towing caravans and carrying surfboards – among other things. Yet this month I learnt all about what utes can actually lug. It started with a couple of trips to the tip to offload the remains of a hedge that had decided to grow every which way but the direction I wanted. Then there was a bunch of beds and mattresses as part of a toddler shifting into a big bed (said toddler loves “the yoooot”, by the way). Next was a wine…

HUMANS are said to be creatures of habit, and I’m unashamedly a living embodiment of that statement. I will get up every morning at the same time, complete the same morning routine, which includes eating the same breakfast I have consumed since before I attended primary school, take the same route to work and park in the same car park. I could plot my daily routine on an Excel spreadsheet. This monotony is broken only on the hallowed weekend when alarm clocks are outlawed, breakfast can be a lottery, and a plan for the day can be as simple and carefree as “let’s just see what we feel like”. Repetition is handy when testing cars. Hitting the same pothole every day in different vehicles will tell you a lot about…

SOME cars stand above others by advancing technology, packaging or performance. But the Citroen DS, now incredibly more than 60 years old, actually floated above them. The DS – its name a play on deesse (goddess in French) – materialised at the Paris Salon de l’Automobile on October 5, 1955. It was immediately apparent to the stunned audience that here was a car ahead of its time. By the end of the show, 12,000 of them had placed orders. The styling alone, by Citroen veteran Flaminio Bertoni, was enough to set the new DS19 (and base-spec ID19) apart forever. The DS’s domed floorpan, concealed air inlets, faired rear wheels, tapered shape and semi-flush side glass contributed to a Cd of 0.34, which was not regularly matched by mainstream sedans until…