Wheelsの September 2021 の目次

AS AUDI LOOKS ahead towards a future where electric vehicles reign, its designers have been busy taking their inspiration from models of old. Its next chapter will take influence from three new concept vehicles: the Sky Sphere (pictured), Grand Sphere, and Urban Sphere. The three ‘Spheres’ are an insight into Audi’s future design language and a preview of the technology the German manufacturer will explore moving into an ICE-free world: a sporting cabriolet, a grand tourer, and an SUV-styled concept respectively. At the prestigious Monterey Car Week at Pebble Beach golf course in California, Audi revealed the first of the electrified trio, the Sky Sphere. A radical two-door cabriolet with its rakish bonnet and low-slung, sculpted side profile. This is where that not-so-ancient-history kicks in. The Sky Sphere is influenced…

DUE DEC BMW 2 SERIES Entry-level 220i starts at $59,900 while range-topping M240i xDrive starts from $89,990. Based on a version of the CLAR platform used by the G20 BMW 3 Series, with an eight-speed auto the only option for both engines: 2.0-litre turbo for 220i and B58 twin-scroll turbocharged 3.0-litre six for the M240i, which claims 0-100km/h in 4.3sec. DUE Q4 ISUZU MU-X All-new wagon arrives with both 4x2 and 4x4 drivetrains, but adds safety tech in line with D-MAX. The range starts at the $47,900 4x2 LS-M and tops out at $65,900 for the LS-T 4x4. Isuzu’s diesel 3.0-litre four makes 140kW and 450Nm, while the only transmission option is the Aisin six-speed automatic. Also has part-time four-wheel drive with a locking rear diff. DUE 2022 NISSAN QASHQAI…

AFTER D-Max’s ascent from earth-salted alsoran to Mister Popularity of the dual-cab set, Isuzu will be hoping its wagon-bodied technical twin, this second-gen MU-X reboot, can drink from the same well of success. And why not? Properly off-road capable, offering 3.5 tonnes of braked towing capability, and in localised specification, this seven-seater on stilts appears fit for the pursuit of great Aussie long-haul adventure, family loaded up and caravan hitched. Thing is, this ladder-framed wagon business doesn’t quite ring with the conceptual clarity of the dedicated ute they’re based off, nor the urban SUVs they hope to match on practicality. Unless LandCruiser is branded to its rump, go-anywhere passenger propositions can be a tough sell, regardless of bundled, multifaceted talents. Isuzu’s thrown lots of everything at new MU-X, heavy on…

Most EV motors use three-phase power to create the pulsing forces that push their rotors round. Not the innovative motor developed for the rear axle of the EQS. It uses six-phase power. Engineer Xenia Kressner explains what this means with a comparison to an internal combustion engine. It’s like joining two four-cylinder engines to create a V8, she says. Doubling the number of phases doubles the frequency of the electric motor equivalent of power strokes, but without any great increase in the motor’s physical size. The change also makes the motor run more smoothly.…

FORMULA 1 IS A VICIOUS environment. Only the ruthless survive and success requires exceptional ambition. Even those perceived as “nice” are as they are talented. At any level, you don’t make it in F1 unless your ability is supported by supreme self-belief and political savvy. You need to be astute as well as skilled. Sink or swim. Kill or be killed. Dog eat dog. Nowhere to hide. Every cliché about elite sporting achievement applies to F1. Mainly, though, it is riven with the excesses of obscene amounts of money. F1 teams this year have had their operational spending capped at US$145 million – down from as much as US$400 million – but it is still an outrageous cost. So much is at stake that as well as bringing out the…

IM MID-2020, Sydney’s tight Ferrari community began hearing rumours of a remarkable barn-find. Reputedly a 1967 330 GT, the V12-powered two-plus-two Pininfarina-styled coupe. According to the rapidly circulating gossip at the time, the mystery car was being hawked around classic-car dealers. A friend of a friend, who is a serious Ferrari collector, was told that if he wanted to know more, he should ring a number the following evening. Intrigued and eager to learn the truth, he spoke to the mechanic tasked with selling the V12 Ferrari on behalf of the owner’s widow. Told the car had been sitting in a garage undriven for 46 years, my friend, who wants to remain anonymous (let’s call him Franco) was justifiably sceptical, despite being assured, “It’s actually a 330 GT in a…

IF THE ESSENCE of good design is all about intuitive ease of operation without the need for an instruction manual, then things were off to a good start recently when the Palisade copped a puncture. Let’s face it, us blokes know that reading instructions is a sure sign of weakness, right up there with the inability to perform a humane spider removal. I could see the spare wheel mounted externally underneath the rear of the car, so how hard could it be to whip it out from under there and bolt it on in place of the flat left front? The answer was right there in the sub-floor of the cargo space: a small plastic cap with ‘spare tyre’ written on it. So I grabbed the tools and jack, and…

VEHICLE STANDARD ADR 85/00 – Pole Side Impact Performance – doesn’t sound anything out of the ordinary, but for the Lexus IS300 it’s the Grim Reaper. Drafted into legislation in December 2015, it started a countdown clock which, when it hits zero on November 1st this year, means the non-compliant IS, along with the sexy RC coupe and the unsexy CT hybrid potato, can no longer be sold without a modification that the local importers reckon is cost prohibitive. Factory orders ceased on June 30, which means that if you want an IS 300 Luxury, you’ll need to start scouring dealer stock. Here’s my advice to you. Don’t buy one. As much as I’ve enjoyed running this car, it’s my job to offer you solid consumer advice and there is…

THESE DAYS, NO automotive niche is left unplugged. So it’s surprising to reflect that, at the beginning of 1972, when Holden and Ford between them held 55 percent of the market, Holden’s new HQ range had no V8 performance sedan to counter Ford’s mighty Falcon GT. Conversely, Ford had no V8 two-door rival to Holden’s Monaro GTS. It had been this way for five years, since the Bathurst biffo began with the Falcon XR GT in 1967 and Holden counter-punched with the Monaro GTS 327 in 1968. Yet to come, in June of 1972, was the ‘supercar scare’ that snuffed development of Bathurst homologation specials. Ford’s XA GT hardtop arrived in March 1972; fully a year later, Holden would add a four-door Monaro GTS (in part, to help arrest the…

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THE INTERNATIONAL Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) published, in late July, a report analysing the life cycle of emissions from Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) as opposed to ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) vehicles. But in Australia, there’s a perception to some that our reliance on fossil fuels is still high enough to offset any positive effect an EV might otherwise have. Time, then, for a localised fact check. Key findings from the ICCT’s research includes a claim that EVs can produce anywhere between 19 and 68 percent less emissions than a petrol car depending on where the car was built and driven. Specifically, cars in India and China form the less effective half of this, while Europe and the USA are the upper half. The report splits the average emissions produced…

THE FORTHCOMING NEW Audi RS3 comes equipped with a new Torque Splitter rear-axle torque-vectoring system that does away with rear differential gears and replaces them with two ‘wet’ clutch packs. The downside of a conventional differential is that it allows one wheel to spin if it loses traction, and in powerful cars that becomes a problem. The traditional solution is a limited-slip differential (LSD), which does just that: reacts if one wheel begins to spin by limiting the difference in the speed of rotation between left and right wheels. These can be controlled either mechanically or electronically. Audi’s new Torque Splitter is a complete departure from its earlier systems in that it places no differential gears in the rear axle at all. Instead, a pair of bevel gears transmit the…

THE HONDA Jazz is gone, as is the Renault Clio. And the Ford Fiesta survives only as an ST. Light hatches are dwindling in Australia. But Citroen remains optimistic about the C3 – perhaps because it remains a sales success worldwide – and has given the third-generation model a styling refresh and equipment upgrade. The tweaks are subtle. For instance, the front badge’s lower blade drops into the headlight housings. That central radiator grille is now more trapezoidal-shaped, while the air bumps – Citroen’s trolley-friendly plastic elements – house three cushions. That’s down from seven. New-look 16-inch wheels feature, while the rear pillar sports a new pattern where the roof and body colour meet. At $28,990 before on-roads, it’s positioned upmarket from mainstream rivals like the Mazda 2, Volkswagen Polo…

SWIFT, SILENT AND slippery, the EQS has the essential attributes of an excellent assassin. And that’s exactly what it is. This big, luxurious and techladen electric sedan is the car that kills the S-Class. Mercedes-Benz, without being explicit, confirmed in late July that the just-launched and all-hybrid W223 S-Class will be the last of the line. From 2025, all new-vehicle architectures the company launches will be electric-only. So that’s the fate of the S-Class, for decades Mercedes-Benz’s flagship model, effectively sealed. Only the timing of the funeral remains unknown. Will the W223 run its natural lifespan of seven or so years? Or will the EQS strangle it to death earlier than 2027? Whenever it happens, it won’t be a tragedy. Not only is the EQS a machine in tune with…

The fourth-gen Kluger appears to have its finger on the pulse of Australian wants and needs IT’S TEMPTING TO pour scorn on McMansions, the relatively new phenomenon of enormous, cookie-cutter, brand new homes proliferating profligately in outer suburbs across the nation. They’re easy targets after all. Architectural fast food, stamped out by the hundreds at our suburban frontiers, they trade subtlety and sophistication for other objectives. Media rooms, double walk-in wardrobes, and butler’s pantries are priority one, and everything else – including elegant design and sympathetic landscaping – is secondary. But contain thy smugness, for as maligned as they are, these dwellings are also a reflection of what the average Australian wants. We want as much room and as many features as possible, but we also want value for money.…

1. HYUNDAI PALISADE With 311 litres of cargo capacity with the third row raised, there’s more space in the Palisade’s boot than a Toyota Corolla hatch. Drop that third row, and a full 704L luggage space is yours to fill. Need more? The second row seats can be dropped via a pair of buttons on the left wall, and there’s also a sizable amount of under-floor stowage and a 12-volt outlet for gear like portable fridges. 2. TOYOTA KLUGER Kluger has just 241L behind its third row, increasing to 552L with the third row folded and 1150L with the second and third row stowed. Not as generous as the Palisade, but nevertheless 46L bigger than the third-gen Kluger. There’s a small amount of under-floor storage too, but that’s best used…

AGEING GRACEFULLY ISN’T an easy task and it’s rarely successfully pulled off. In the SUV realm, the first-generation Volvo XC90’s 12-year run seems to be best innings of them all. Narrow down the form factor and do some light digging and it won’t take long to discover that the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross and Honda HR-V aren’t exactly spring chickens. In fact, the latter’s origins can be found as far back as 2014 (although it landed in Australia in 2015), while the former, despite gaining a significant revamp at the end of 2020, first launched in 2017. The problem facing this pair is that a lot has changed since their respective inceptions – and that’s without even factoring in a global pandemic. Both play in one of the most, if not…

I’VE NOW SPENT nearly two months in the Cerato GT, and so far I can’t fault it as an affordable sporty warm hatch that could almost double as a full-time family car. First up, the ride is firm, as you’d expect, but not excessively so. The Michelin Pilot Sport 4 225/40 ZR18s are most likely another contradiction when thinking of comfort on potholed, cracked, suburban streets, but on a nice piece of twisting tarmac, they are simply fantastic and allow you to make a corner feel much more exciting even without blowing the speed limit. Further, I’ve only experienced modest torque steer when punting it hard out of an uphill corner; otherwise the front end is pretty well-behaved. So while I think Kia’s local suspension tuners have done a great…

IN ITS 2.0-litre petrol form, with no turbo to give it a shove, this Tucson is certainly the least adept option for getting up hills in a hurry – particularly with a full manifest. It’s also the cheapest option in the range, coming in at $4000 and $6000 more affordable, respectively, than the 1.6-litre turbo petrol and 2.0-litre turbo diesel versions – both of which add more gears and all-wheel drive, where our long-termer has six forward gears and front-wheel drive only. But, despite these relative shortcomings, my experience has been positive – and as always, I can thank my partner. Because, where I’m the one to bemoan a lack of grunt (“for overtaking, for towing!”), she has the wisdom to know that in our day-to-day driving – even with…

IF YOU THOUGHT the sadness around the death of the HoldenVFII CommodoreV8 in 2017 (and Australian manufacturing in general) was almost too much to bear, then the demise of the Chrysler 300 SRT could be triggering. Right here marks the end of aV8-engined, rear-drive, sports-sedan heritage that began in this country with the Ford Falcon GT in 1967 and has ended with the Chrysler 300 SRT in 2021. That’s not a bad innings – 54 unbroken years of (relatively) affordable bent-eight bad boys, or even longer if you include the Ford Customlines and Fairlanes, Chrysler Royals and the Valiant Regal V8 that preceded the XR GT by virtue of their cylinder count. But it’s the performance sedans that have always resonated strongest in our grunt-obsessed nation. The latter-day Chrysler 300…

BMW IS DEVELOPING a new rear-wheel-drive M2 performance coupe, as part of a future compact M car line-up that will include an all-wheel-drive M2 Gran Coupe and a 1 Series with around 300kW. The second-generation M2 coupe, which takes the internal codename G87, is scheduled to go on sale in Europe in 2022, making 2023 likely for Australia. It will bring with it a detuned version of BMW M’s latest six-cylinder petrol engine, sourced from the new M3 and M4. Despite the heavy camouflage of this newly spotted prototype, it looks as if the M2 will feature angular front-end styling influenced more by the Z4 and M8 than the controversially big-grilled M3 and M4. Flared arches, big wheels and a quad-exit exhaust will be the most obvious visual differentiators from…

TOYOTA MAY dominate the new-car sales charts but none of its vehicles features among the top 20 fastest sellers in Australia. We’ve used the latest VFACTS industry data to compile a list of the vehicles growing the fastest in the country. Our top 10 focuses only on passenger cars, SUVs and utes, and any model selected has a sales volume exceeding 250 units. We’ve also sifted out models which have big year-to-date percentage increases skewed for a certain reason – such as a new-generation version launching close to the middle of 2020. (See panel, upper right.) 01 MG ZS/ZST ▲ 434% MG’s compact SUV has stormed into the lead of an intensely competitive segment thanks to sales surging from 1704 in the first half of 2020 to 9093 for the same…

Keep it tight (no more than 200 words) and do include your suburb if via email: wheels@wheelsmag.com.au You can also have your say on Facebook (search for Wheels Australia), Instagram or Twitter LETTER OF THE MONTH “In 2013 HSV produced the car of my dreams which, in 2021, is quickly becoming the car of my children’s dreams” THE KIDS’ HSV IS ALRIGHT ALEX’S EDITORIAL (WHEELS, August) was magnificent, and struck such a chord that I was immediately driven to write to you. I don’t remember my first car ride but was told it was in a bassinet held in by the standard rear seatbelt of my father’s pride and joy, a cream 1970 Volkswagen Beetle. That was sold a few years later as my parents felt, without a front engine,…

THE NAME JEEP is synonymous with the term ‘4x4’. Having produced vehicles now for 80 years, the US carmaker has had plenty of time to perfect the art of creating, and constantly improving, off-road machines. But hold on, there’s a new sheriff in town calling all the shots, and it means big things for the brand which has defined itself as a major player in the 4x4 world since WW2. That new boss is… electrification. In recent weeks, Jeep has revealed key intel on its plans to move to an all-electric line-up and what this means for the future of its iconic design. The journey starts this year with the introduction of solar charging stations and the expansion of its 4xe hybrid range. First out of the gate is the…

THE PANDEMIC has seen the prices of second-hand four-wheel drives hit previously unimaginable highs, so what if we told you that you can get a new, high-spec seven-seat 4x4 wagon for under $55K? Enter the SsangYong Rexton Ultimate, which tops the two-pronged Rexton range with a fixed driveaway price of $54,990. That’s several thousand dollars cheaper than utebased rivals such as the Pajero Sport Exceed and Isuzu MU-X LS-T, and about $18K less than the Ford Everest Titanium. Based on the SsangYong Musso 4x4 ute, this second-generation Rexton recently underwent a significant facelift and is available in two variants: ELX ($47,990 driveaway) and Ultimate. Standard kit includes a 10.25-inch digital gauge cluster, leather power-operated front seats with heating and ventilation, heated outboard rear seats, and dual-zone climate control. Spending the…

THE FACELIFT to the midsized G70 sedan range completes the Genesis brand’s transition to its bold ‘Athletic Elegance’ design language. There’s more to the transformation than simply grafting the brand’s new crest grille and ‘quad lamp’ lighting. The front guards are new, the bootlid is reshaped and the dash fascia is revised to allow for hardware changes. It’s a slam dunk conversion nose-on, distinctly different in chase – where our flagship 3.3T Sport (with Luxury Package) flaunts new dual oval pipes and faux diffuser. One exception is the fetching new-look, staggered 19-inch black Sport-spec rolling stock. The old six-variant range has been trimmed to just two, a choice of turbo-four 2.0T and twin-turbo V6 3.3T Sport, with a Sport trim option for the former and further Luxury Package available atop…

one ONE VISION Hyperscreen is optional in EQS variants soon to go on sale in Europe, but is sure to be standard in high-grade cars for the Australian market. two BLACK OUT Massive centre touchscreen can be switched off for distraction-free night driving. Only the bottom section displaying HVAC controls remains lit. three THAT’S TOUGH Energy-absorbing extruded aluminium sections that connect Hyperscreen to the EQS’s body shell are designed to reduce the likelihood of it being damaged in a crash.…

SEGMENT CREEP. It’s that curious car industry phenomenon that sees every new model grow a bit bigger than the one it replaces. It’s innocent enough – hey, who wouldn’t want a slightly roomier next-gen model? – yet over generations amounts to an insidious shuffle of models into entirely new segments. Giving some thought to segment creep is key to getting your head around BMW’s G22 4 Series. Well, it was for me, anyway. You see, if you still view BMW’s E46 3 Series coupe as the stuff of legend, or even have a soft spot for the old E92, you might figure that a new 4 Series is the machine for you. After all, it’s a continuation of the same line, with the 4 Series amounting to a renaming of…

CRACKING OPEN my judging book from last year’s Wheels Car of the Year, I find the following note scribbled on the page dedicated to the Genesis GV80: “Lots of promise, but is it a genuine rival to BMW, Audi and Merc?”. Without knowing it, I’d just neatly summarised the one question that has loomed large over the GV80’s entire stint on the Wheels long-term fleet. And now, some seven months and 10,500km later, it’s time to provide an answer. So if you’re in the market for a Merc GLE, Audi Q7 or even a Lexus RX, should you be considering a GV80? The overriding response is ‘yes!’ but let’s not sugar-coat it, there are a few caveats… The one area where the GV80 has a clear and unabashed advantage over…