Wheels December 2016의 목차

 BUYING a car will soon be a very different experience, involving everything from a movie or a meal to a blast around a race track. “We’ve got to find new ways to engage customers in different places in new ways”– Peter Jamieson, Holden customer experience director Manufacturers exploring new dealership models are keen to take advantage of evolving urban landscapes along with changing customer expectations. Spearheading the trend is a new development at the Brisbane Airport precinct, where a $500 million megamall is on the drawing board. It includes a hotel, convention centre, 27 dealerships and a 2.5km Mark Skaife-designed circuit, allowing fast-paced test drives for customers. The Brisbane Auto Mall – the name will change – is opposite the airport and kilometres from residential zones, so it can operate…

DECEMBER ALPINA B3 Biturbo sedan and Touring, B4 Biturbo coupe and convertible; ASTON MARTIN DB11; AUDI A3/S3 facelift and S4; FORD Kuga facelift; HOLDEN Barina facelift; MERCEDES-AMG S63 Cabriolet; SUBARU BRZ facelift; TESLA Model X; TOYOTA 86 facelift JANUARY-FEBRUARY AUDI Q2 and Q7 e-tron; BMW 5 Series; HOLDEN Trax facelift; HONDA Civic hatch; KIA Rio; MASERATI Levante and Quattroporte facelift; MAZDA MX-5 RF; MERCEDES-AMG C63 S Cabriolet and C43 4Matic; MERCEDES-BENZ E300, E400, E350e and GLE-Class plug-in hybrid; PEUGEOT 3008 Holden Trax facelift A rare example of where the facelift is actually better looking than the original, Holden’s MY17 Trax ditches the raucous old atmo 1.8 for the 1.4-litre direct-injection turbo four previously reserved for the top-spec LTZ. Updated multimedia, improved refinement and a much prettier, more tactile Astra-esque interior…

YOU may not want to know how good the Spider version of the Ferrari 488 is. Because, on the off chance you’ve stumbled on $526,888 – $57,000 more than the 488 GTB – you’ll still have to join a queue that stretches almost two years before you hand over your money. Like the GTB, the Spider has more people desperate to own one than Ferrari is willing to produce. Key to its appeal is a hurricane in your hair while being able to blast to 100km/h in 3.0sec (exactly the same time as the GTB, despite carrying an extra 50kg or so). The roof, a carryover of the 458 Spider’s ‘Retractable Hard Top’, is the highlight. Press a button and the cover for the rollover hoops rises, allowing the two-piece…

THERE’S always been something compelling about a car with a wilful excess of power. And while it’s hard to say exactly what the TT-RS competes with, it’s fair to say that it outguns anything that could be legitimately regarded as a rival. While few people complained that the last RS TT was lacking in firepower – the later Plus version managed 265kW – this one boasts a new aluminium five-cylinder engine and a boost to 294kW. That’s more than a Cayman S, a BMW M2 or a Focus RS, or indeed the Audi RS3. The good news is the new TT RS is better to drive than both its predecessor and its hatchback sibling. Making faster progress in the first-gen RS often felt more like a challenge than an experience;…

MINI’S latest addition to its stove-hot John Cooper Works range is a classic case of two steps forward and one step back. Hugely improved interior with more standard equipment than ever: a profound step forward. Grunty 2.0-litre with proper hot-hatch performance and respectable 170kW/320Nm numbers: another forward stride. More approachable handling: now we’re going backwards. The JCW hallmark of agile, sometimes spiky handling set the previous-generation Convertible apart from most other fashionable drop-tops. Its go-kartish chassis would slap a broad smile on any driving enthusiast. A secretary’s car it was not. But in the search for more sales, Mini has naturally endeavoured to make its topless range-topper a little more civilised. So it’s not bone-rattlingly firm anymore, and the steering is no longer as tactile and involving as it once…

WE FIRST sampled the all-new second-generation Tiguan a few months ago in Belgium, and we liked it. A lot. We praised its packaging improvements, its slick, upmarket interior, refined engines and overall polish, all of which shot it straight to the pointy end of the booming mid-size SUV segment. But while all this was lovely, VW’s European drive route lacked the mix of roads, speeds and surfaces we needed to make a definitive dynamic call. So this Aussie drive is our first chance to dig beneath the Tiguan’s polished surface and see if it has the talent to rival the Mazda CX-5 and Hyundai Tucson. And the news is good. On lumpy, pockmarked roads around Byron Bay, Tiguan version 2.0 asserted itself with aplomb. The handling is not only composed…

NOW THAT THE DOMESTIC FOUR-DOOR IS LIVING ON BORROWED TIME, WHAT WILL VALUE-FOCUSED SEDAN BUYERS TURN TO IF THEY LIKE PERFORMANCE WITH THEIR BOOT? Remember when a zero-to-100km/h time in the seven-second bracket was quick? I mean really quick? In the ’80s you needed either plentiful displacement or a turbo to get there, and in the Noughties a proper hot hatch or a home-grown warm sedan with at least six pistons under the bonnet. Now that the domestic four-door is living on borrowed time, what will value-focused sedan buyers turn to if they like performance with their boot? Possibly a Honda Civic RS, Mazda 3 SP25 or Hyundai’s freshly baked Elantra SR Turbo. According to Hyundai Australia’s research, small sedan buyers are active rejectors of hatchbacks and SUVs, hence why…

AS THE Pope smiled for TV cameras while stuffed into a very unlikely Popemobile – a Fiat 500L – it was easy to envisage Olivier Francois’ fist punching the air at the marketing coup. Few companies could convince the world’s top Catholic into their wares, especially when it’s one of the world’s smallest cars. A few months earlier I’d been chatting to the Frenchman in charge of Fiat, a passionate marketer who also controls the external image of other Fiat Chrysler Automobiles brands such as Jeep, Dodge, Ram and Chrysler. Francois is responsible for some of the more daring and memorable car commercials in recent times. Think Charlie Sheen racing Abarths in his house, Jennifer Lopez cruising New York in a 500, P Diddy in the desert, Clint Eastwood in…

FIRST MAZDA 2 MAXX Little cars are not as basic as they used to be, but it still makes sense to choose a mid-spec machine over a bare-bones base model. You’ll enjoy the car more with a few niceties, and it will make a more appealing second-hand proposition when it comes time to sell. The Mazda 2, like its podium mates, sticks closely to the lower limit of the category at $17,690, and one of the things the extra $2700 buys is a slightly more powerful version of the 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine that actually makes the 2 slightly more economical. A 52 percent Glass’s three-year retained value figure supports our theory that a specced-up hatch will be easier to move for a good price than a boggo special, at a…

FIRST HYUNDAI i30 ACTIVE CRDi The i30 CRDi’s 1.6-litre turbo-diesel engine is the Gold Star equivalent of bringing g a sawn-off to a knife fight – its 4.9L/100km economy gives it the upper hand against the petrol Cerato (7.1L/100km) but it’s actually ffair game as there’s no oil-burning alternative in the Kia showroom. You’re paying a premium for the oiler in the base Active’s $26,350 price, while the extra on the upper-spec Cerato S Premium all goes into extra equipment. So w what will it be, niceties or frugality? Given a substantial early lead on the fuel-saving front, this category was the Hyundai i30’s to lose. But the brand’s five-year warranty keeps it in the hunt with Kia, while smashing the Civic’s three-year cover. Similarly, the 12-month service interval is…

FIRST HOLDEN COMMODORE EVOKE Although the broad view is that large cars are on the nose, the Holden Commodore remains a terrific car and a decent value proposition. The Commodore Evoke’s 3.0-litre V6 isn’t the most economical engine in the category, yet hard work by Holden ensures it uses 8.3L/100km, while mustering what was once HSV-level power (185kW) on regular unleaded. The entry-level Commodore is well priced at $35,490, which helps in the context of a 39 percent three-year retained value. Yes, all big cars are resale shockers, but the Commodore matches the third-placed Superb and fares better than Falcon. It’s also inexpensive to insure at $866.68. The fact that the homegrown Holden remains a top-ten seller suggests the average Australian has the nous to know a great car –…

FIRST MERCEDES-BENZ E200 Luxo-barges with small engines populated 2016’s Premium Large pointy end, reflecting the engine-downsizing movement prevalent in passenger cars. So while it’s certainly still possible to have a hulking big engine in your executive express, each of the circa-1600kg misers here is powered by a turbo-fed engine in a size once more common in small and medium cars. The 2.0-litre four-cylinder Benz ties with the 520i on a respectable 6.4L/100km and, like the 520i, the E200 can go for as long as 24 months between mechanical check-ups, depending on driving conditions, which earned them the full complement of points in that field. The Merc’s 48 percent retained value isn’t great in an outright sense, but it’s the best of the top trio. SECOND BMW 520i LUXURY Pricier insurance…

FIRST HYUNDAI SANTA FE ACTIVE CRDi Hyundai’s turbo-diesel Santa Fe conquers the Large SUV category convincingly. It’s about $2K less expensive than its Kia counterpart (which places second) because Hyundai offers a six-speed manual and Kia doesn’t. This also helps the Santa Fe deliver commendable 6.3L/100km economy (compared with Sorento’s 7.8L/100km) to save bucks at the bowser. Then there’s the Santa Fe’s superior 56 percent three-year retained value – though there’s only four percentage points between the top three – and its class-cheapest insurance premium. The only field the Hyundai doesn’t have its Korean kid brother’s measure is warranty, but five years is hardly stingy. SECOND KIA SORENTO SI Auto-only Sorento diesel might make more sense than the manual Santa Fe in the ’burbs (the latter is also offered as…

FIRST FORD FIESTA ST Whether your idea of performance is straight-line squirt, sweet handling or both might dictate your own order for this category. But being cheap to buy, with a tenacious grip on new value, remains a car-buying recipe to stick to for spendthrifts with a sports slant. Circa-$30K sports coupes and Light hot hatches are where it’s at, and the Fiesta ST gets off to a flying start at $25,990. It’s quicker than the MX-5, costs a similar amount to fuel each year, and is cheaper to insure. The Ford’s 52 percent retained value is 10 percentage points worse than the Mazda’s, but the $6K saving on purchase price prevented it from undoing a stellar campaign. SECOND MAZDA MX-5 Mazda’s 6.1L/100km economy is to be believed. And if…

FIRST MITSUBISHI TRITON GLX Mitsubishi’s Triton may not be the most capable 4x4 ute off-road, nor the most refined dual-cab on-road, but we don’t need a spreadsheet to tell you it’s well ahead of the competition in value-for-money. For starters, at $39,490 it’s $10K less than the Ford Ranger in second and this, with resale similar to the immediate alternatives at 52 percent, is enough to put it on the top spot. The Triton is also more economical than the bigger-engined Ford and the Toyota Hilux (which has a similar 2.4-litre turbo-diesel). It benefits from a five-year warranty, while other brands settle for three. SECOND FORD RANGER XLS The Ranger’s big 3.2-litre five-cylinder diesel delivers pulling power and a pleasant note. The higher fuel consumption isn’t enough for it to…

IF VARIETY and balance are the keys to an interesting and successful life, then this Holden Spark LS should be the yin to my old C63 long-termer’s yang. From a $170K twin-turbo V8 to a $14K price-leader with a plastic steering wheel, plastic hubcaps and a teensy 73kW atmo 1.4. Hardly enough to get the pulse racing, but I have a deep affection for small cars and can honestly admit to being a bit excited about seeing this nimble little Spark parked out front. Having been slightly underwhelmed by the CVT-equipped Spark LT wearing 16-inch alloys in our three-car comparison ( Wheels July), I thought I’d take a punt on the simple pleasures of a base LS with 14-inch wheels, a five-speed manual and an RRP of…

ONE of the best things about parting company with a long-term test car is the final tub. I like to do it by hand with a thin cleaning cloth, so you feel every sinew, curve and edge. It’s really quite intimate, and you get to appreciate things that might have escaped you in the hurly burly of daily life. For example, I haven’t often stopped to appreciate the Lexus RC200t’s butt. Usually I only ponder the edgy front end, which never really won me over, but those sleek taillights, square exhausts and straked vents behind the rear wheels are the business. Another thing that struck me as I worked my way down its flanks and over the bonnet is how small this coupe is. It shouldn’t have come as a…

1 BMW i8 266kW Sleek two-seat carbonfibre body keeps weight down while electric motors bolster power from the 1.5 turbo. Combined, it makes the revolutionary i8 the world’s fastest three-cylinder car by a long shot. 2 MINI COOPER 100kW Same basic engine as the i8, but without the electric assistance. Still, the 100kW it punches out is backed by a delicious 220Nm that thrums to life early in the rev range. 3 BMW 318i 100kW BMW’s take on the three-pot first seen in a Mini translated to the return of the 318i badge that was once the brand’s top seller. More weight in the 3 detracts slightly from the 1.5’s playfulness, though. 4 PEUGEOT 308 96kW Peugeot’s most convincing model houses its most convincing engine, a 1.2-litre turbo triple (it…

Mitsubishi has tweaked its Outlander range, adding an electric handbrake and digital radio as well as revised suspension to improve dynamics. But the big changes are with active safety. The Exceed flagship picks up partial auto emergency braking, lane-departure warning, active cruise control, blind-spot warning, auto high beam and rear cross-traffic alert. Mitsubishi has also added an LS Safety Pack to the range, which adds some of the Exceed’s active features – active cruise control, auto braking, lane-departure warning and auto high beam.…

IN THE latter half of the 1960s, if you wanted a Jaguar sedan (sorry, “saloon”) you had plenty of choice. The pride of Britain offered the compact Mk2 (later dubbed 240/340), the king-size Mark X and, in between, the S-Type and the 4.2-litre 420. Even the gorgeous E-Type was available as a 2+2 from 1966. But nobody wanted Jaguar’s saloons. They were selling slowly and ageing rapidly. By 1968, Jaguar was ready to drop a four-door bombshell, on the scale of the E-Type five years earlier. The XJ6 sedan was developed over four years as Project XJ4 (XJ for “experimental Jaguar”). This period included Jaguar’s merging with British Motor Corporation (July 1966) and Leyland (January 1968). Project XJ4 used many existing Jag elements including the XK dohc six-cylinder engine (since…

SEEING RED  “The best thing people can do for us is slow down a bit and look in your mirrors, don’t just stop – we will always indicate where we want to go,” says fire appliance driver Lisa Catty. “And when we stop at lights, we leave a gap in front in case we get a call. So please don’t jump in there.” LISA Catty refers to her work vehicle as an “appliance”, but that’s in no way disparaging of what you might think is a characterless little hatchback. ‘Appliance’ is the correct term for the 15-tonne fire trucks that Catty routinely drives in her work as a firefighter at the City of Sydney fire station. To Catty, 39, eight-metre-long trucks are little hatchbacks. She’s one of very few female…

Tickford confirmed The Tickford badge will return this year to selected Fords, as Wheels reported in the October issue. Supercars team Prodrive Racing Australia is behind the return, with customised Ford Rangers and Mustangs the first products to be launched. Unlike the 1990s Tickfords, which rolled off the Ford production line, the new models will allow customers to choose from a range of options (powertrain, suspension, styling upgrades, etc) and packages to enhance their vehicle. The reborn Tickford claims its upgrades will result in a 15 percent increase in power and 20 percent more torque. Tracking Godzilla Nismo, Nissan’s performance sub-brand, is finally coming to Australia. The Japanese carmaker says the 441kW version of Godzilla will be the first Nismo model to arrive early next year, wearing a stratospheric $299,000…

 RENAULT Sport has revealed that performance hybrids and even a full EV model have a place in its future line-up as the French brand strives to regain the upper hand in the cut-throat hot-hatch market. “The thing you lose is the noise, but an electric motor has a lot of torque...” – Patrice Ratti, Renault Sport Renault Sport boss Patrice Ratti told Wheels his engineers are focusing on emerging hybrid and battery technologies – including drivetrain elements shared by the next-gen Nissan GT-R – to ensure it stays ahead of its rivals. But don’t fret that the fast-car company is turning away from its analogue, driver-oriented philosophy. Wheels has learnt Renault’s next-generation Megane RS will feature segment-exclusive four-wheel steering and the option of a manual gearbox as it takes the…

HYUNDAI is looking to use a lightweight plastic developed by BASF for its RN30 show car as a possible replacement for carbonfibre in production cars. The polyphthalamide material is among the highlights of the radical 280kW all-wheel-drive Paris show car, which demonstrated how far Hyundai could push the hot-hatch formula. The new material is used extensively throughout the RN30, while other components sourced from BASF were employed elsewhere, including the seats. The distinctively grained plastic is featured on the front splitter and rear diffuser, the dash and inside door skins, and even the spine-like fin that runs down the centre of the roof. A BASF spokeswoman told Wheels: “Our high-performance materials support making the car lightweight as well as providing more design freedom when compared to traditional materials”. Hyundai’s European…

2018 BMW 8 Series This next-generation two-door coupe flagship from BMW (opposite) could be the long-rumoured all-new BMW 8 Series coupe. Speculation suggests this imposing and stylish two-door will be badged 8 Series, signalling BMW’s return to the big coupe market vacated when the striking E31 iteration ended its 10-year run in 1999. The new one is likely to be built on a variation of BMW’s CLAR Cluster Architecture – a rear-wheel-drive platform designed from the outset to support hybrid and full electrification, as well as all-wheel drive.…

END OF THE LINE October 7 (The Day Falcon Died, WheelsMag.com.au) was the saddest of my car-enthusiast life, seeing pics rolling in almost live and tearing up as I saw the last three Aussie Fords with nothing coming behind them on the production line. At Ford’s peak they were pumping out 600 Falcons a day. It’ll be a long time before any imports match those numbers. It’s sad most of us have succumbed to the marketing psychology that has made us think we need something we really don’t. To turn our backs on the things we produce. To convince you that their smaller car will save you money because it chews less fuel. Because fuel is a car’s only expense, right? Worse for the environment? If you measure the carbon…

RENAULT’S fourth-gen Megane is here, and it represents a golden opportunity for the French automaker’s local operation. After years of being an also-ran in the super-competitive small-car segment, Renault at last has a contender that’s not only able to compete with its peers in terms of pricing, size and equipment, but a range that boasts more than a few unique points of difference. This is the most compelling Renault small hatch since, well, forever. Just look at it. The curvaceous current-gen Megane RS three-door may still flaunt some sexy curves, but the outgoing five-door hatch was a visual dud. Its replacement is a supermodel by comparison. Distinctive C-shaped LED daytime running lamps inject a bold look to the Megane’s front end, while LED taillights that stretch almost across the car’s…

THERE are plenty of things capable of causing sleepless nights for German car executives, but Infiniti’s presence in Australia is not one of them. Nissan’s luxury arm is a sales minnow here, selling just 574 cars last year. Mercedes moves a similar number every week. But optimism runs deep, and Infiniti is confident that this QX30 model, combined with its Q30 sibling, will bolster sales to the tune of 30 percent. Like the Q30 hatch, the QX30 is essentially a rebodied Mercedes GLA, and brings greater light-duty off-road ability over the Q30 with AWD, 30mm extra ride height and a bit of body cladding. Like the Q30, it aims to seduce would-be Mercedes-Benz buyers with sharper pricing and extra kit. Arriving in two spec levels (entry-level GT at $48,900 and…

THERE’S a strong chance that if you’ve ever considered buying a performance sedan, you wouldn’t have considered a Hyundai Elantra. Across six generations spanning 25 years, there’s never been one worthy enough. Until now. The Elantra SR Turbo’s sporting rhetoric begins with an engine transplant, in this case the familiar 1.6-litre direct-injection turbo-petrol four from the Veloster SR coupe. But this isn’t a parts-bin application. A new horizontal intercooler with shorter piping is said to reduce turbo lag and improve throttle response, but it’s the new HWIT mixed-flow turbocharger with electronic wastegate (instead of the Veloster’s twin-scroll Borg Warner unit with vacuum-controlled wastegate) that does the heavy lifting with response. More consistent boost-pressure control means optimum boost earlier, and maintained without fluctuation. The result is a seriously chubby engine for…

FOUR years old and counting, the Mazda 6 refuses to fall behind the pack. Barely 18 months after 2015’s mid-life update, Mazda’s flagship passenger car has scored more improvements. Playing catch-up to the excellent new CX-9, the changes focus on improving refinement, updating technology and making the top-spec Atenza’s cabin more special. But there’s also G-Vectoring Control (GVC), which is of greater interest to Wheels readers than a new satin-chrome glovebox latch. Mazda claims that GVC reduces fatigue and delivers smoother steering and less roll movement. And the updated 6’s steering indeed flows smoothly, with enough feedback to be both relaxing and entertaining for the keen driver, suggesting GVC achieves what it set out to do. There’s a linear and controlled feel to the way the 6 turns into corners.…

TOYOTA 86 GT V MAZDA MX-5 ROADSTER PRICE & EQUIPMENT 20 POINTS The $30K base GT manual became better value with the addition of the GTS-spec 6.1-inch touchscreen audio unit (with reversing camera) in a 2015 update that also brought suspension and minor cosmetic updates. No steering-wheel buttons, but it’s not a cost-cutting move – it’s to keep the column free of wiring and, therefore, friction. 18/20 Base MX-5 rides better on its 16s than the Roadster GT’s 17s. It would be difficult to overlook the 2.0’s grunt, but in stepping from the 1.5’s lesser power-to-weight to a virtual match for the 86 (with superior torque-to-weight ratio courtesy of the Mazda’s trim kerb figure), you’d also go from $2K more than the 86 to $4500 more. 15/20 INTERIOR & VERSATILITY…

Olivier Francois was born in Paris in 1961 and is a proud Frenchman who has learnt to love Italian cars. These days his home is Detroit, but he also spends plenty of time in Italy. Yet he never forgets his French heritage. To some small extent Francois puts his career path down to the women in his life. “I’m not French for nothing! French are romantic people … so that’s absolutely part of it. I would say [women] shaped my career but they also brought me luck.” Catching up with his wife is not always easy, though. He’s lucky to be home one weekend a month and sometimes has his wife accompany him on the multitude of international trips he takes each year.…

FIRST SUZUKI CELERIO As the least expensive vehicle considered in this year’s survey, the Suzuki Celerio certainly started its campaign on the right foot. Tiny engines are the norm in this class; however, the Suzi’s 1.0-litre three-cylinder is really small and, at 4.7L/100km, uses less fuel based on the official combined cycle test than each of its three- and four-pot rivals. Its annual insurance premium of $524.13 made the Celerio the second least-expensive car to insure of the whole field, while a 46 percent three-year retained value forecast means it sheds just over $7000 in three years, which is less than any other Gold Star contender. No car is cheaper to own. Only the Suzuki’s three-year, 100,000km warranty falls short of best practice. SECOND KIA PICANTO Si Kia’s tyke has…

FIRST KIA CERATO S Length of warranty is the chief difference between the Kia Cerato and the sub-$24K hatches below it. The Cerato is not the least expensive car on the podium, but at $19,990 it only costs $700 more than the Peugeot 308. It’s not the most economical, either, but 7.1L/100km on regular unleaded keeps it competitive. It is the least costly to insure among the top three, at $570 per year. But the quality that helps the Cerato pip rivals in this hard-fought category is the fact that after three years, when the Peugeot’s warranty has expired, the Kia’s seven-year warranty has that much and more remaining, while having two more years on the second-placed Hyundai i30. If something ever goes wrong, that has a dollar value. SECOND…

FIRST HYUNDAI GENESIS We bumped the category ceiling for 2016 to give every large car on sale the chance to excel. The thing with letting pricier cars in is that they’re unlikely to do well. Depreciation usually ends their hopes by making the cost of three-year ownership too high – which makes the Hyundai limo’s gold all the more impressive. At $61,500, it’s more than $10K costlier than its nearest rival, yet a retained value of 52 percent means it actually costs less after three years. Thirsty in the grand scheme but not by class standards at 11.2L/100km, the 3.8-litre V6 makes up some ground by happily slurping regular unleaded petrol. And, in this category, no brand can top its five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty. SECOND FORD G6E TURBO The least thrifty of…

FIRST AUDI A1 SPORTBACK 1.5 TFSI It figures that the most cost-effective Premium Compact cars are the smallest of the breed. This is a genre that has found favour in recent years – as has the three-cylinder engine, which features in each of our podium finishers. Audi reckons it pioneered the segment (don’t they all?) but has certainly perfected the beautifully finished interior, which makes the A1 a compelling luxury hatchback. In another Ingolstadt tradition, the small-engined variants of its various models are often the best steers, and that’s certainly true of the charming turbo-triple A1. Even more importantly here, it uses just 4.2L/100km, which combine with low-cost insurance and sound resale to help this $27K ‘base’ hatch to the gold. SECOND MINI COOPER The Mini Cooper’s engine condition-based servicing…

FIRST MAZDA CX-3 NEO It’s not often the case that the best drives turn out to be the most cost-effective cars to own, but that’s certainly true of the Mazda CX-3 Neo. In what is almost a clean sweep of the scoring fields, the Mazda is the least expensive to buy, with an identical 12-month service interval and three-year warranty as its nearest rivals, an equal-best three-year retained value of 50 percent, and the least costly insurance premium – just $620. The only area in which the CX-3 doesn’t lead the pack is fuel consumption. But then the 109kW 2.0-litre four-cylinder is hardly thirsty at 6.3L/100km and it’s bigger than the engines in its rivals. In terms of aesthetics, the CX-3 strikes a cool look that transcends its size, genre…

FIRST KIA SPORTAGE Si It’s a happy coincidence that our affordable Medium SUV podium reads like a shortlist of the best steers in this booming class. The Kia Sportage, like its rivals here, is a front-drive machine, which saves you in both purchase and fuel costs, and takes little away from its sealed-road handling capability compared with all-wheel-drive versions. It’s a bit pricier than the CX-5 and Tucson because it comes with a standard six-speed auto while its rivals are manuals. Given this is at least partly a ploy on the part of Mazda and Hyundai to be able to advertise lower starting prices, it’s pleasing to see it isn’t enough to derail the Kia’s charge, with the brand’s seven-year warranty powering it over the line. SECOND MAZDA CX-5 MAXX…

FIRST KIA SORENTO Si FWD The criteria of seven seats shakes up the Medium SUV ranks because some brands only offer seven-seaters in up-spec variants, while others don’t give you the option at all. Kia’s Sorento crests the value summit by giving buyers seven seats and big petrol power for entry-level front-drive money. Not having to fork out for a diesel saves cash up front, but you do pay for it over time, courtesy of the 3.3-litre V6’s 9.9L/100km consumption. But that’s about the only area in which the Kia costs more than the average rig to run. It has stout resale (54 percent), is inexpensive to insure, has a convenient 12-month service interval and a generous seven-year warranty. SECOND MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER XLS There’s no seven-seat version of the base…

FIRST AUDI RS3 Audi’s uber-hatch displaces last year’s winner, the Mercedes-AMG A45, in just one crucial scoring field – resale. According to Glass’s, the furious five-pot Audi will shed a third of its value in three years, while the Benz will drop 47 percent – a $10K difference. And the RS3’s relatively low purchase price with stout resale goes a long way against its sleeker rivals. So it seems financially smart to choose a weapon-quick, practical point-and-shoot machine over mid-engined coupe purity, at least for those who can use the turbo five-pot’s 270kW sparingly. SECOND LOTUS ELISE S Colin Chapman’s ‘Simplify, then add lightness’ philosophy has positive effects beyond chassis dynamics; it helps the 870kg Elise S deliver real-world fuel, tyre and brake savings, too. THIRD ALFA ROMEO 4C The…

Travelrite International is offering motor enthusiasts the opportunity to visit some of Europe’s most prestigious Concours of Elegance, the finest auto museums with exclusive tours of factories and prestige auto collections. Each of the three tours have amazing highlights, including either tickets to the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Monaco; the Silverstone Classic in England or the Goodwood Revival Festival. You will have the opportunity of driving a selection of super cars including Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche and Lotus. The highlight of each tour is the visit to Nurburg and to drive the famous Nurburgring, nicknamed The Green Hell by Jackie Stewart, and widely considered to be the most demanding and difficult purpose-built racing track in the world. You will stay in luxury hotels and each tour is fully escorted by…

I DON’T mean to brag, but I’m rather musical. I can play the trumpet, you see. At one point I was even performing brassy tunes on my gleaming horn at least once a week. Impressive, yes? Sure is, if you ignore the fact that I am and will continue to be quite shite at playing the trumpet. Like many kids, I learned to play as a teenager, discovered I was terrible and then ditched it the instant I could drop music as a school subject. But even though I suck at it, I can still legitimately say I can play the trumpet. Just like Audi can claim the TT is a four-seater. It has four seats, therefore it can fit four people. Right? At 5’8” I’m not a tall guy,…

THE Volkswagen Group stands as arguably the greatest exponent of platform-sharing in the automotive business. In an era when the development costs of a new vehicle platform or drivetrain can run to hundreds of millions, the notion of sharing drivetrains and platforms across multiple models makes obvious business sense. While it might be common knowledge to the learned Wheels reader, not every consumer would know, or care, that the Audi beside them at the lights carries the same beating mechanical heart and underpinnings as the VW they’re driving, or the Skoda they’re eyeing in their mirror. We could add Seat to that list, too, if they were sold here. The latest addition to our fleet, the Skoda Superb Wagon, is one example of the plentiful fruit that springs from this…

Falcon, Australia’s longest-living automotive nameplate, is no more. The 3,005,880th Ford Falcon to roll off the Broadmeadows production line, 56 years and seven generations after the first, officially ended the carmaker’s 91-year run of building vehicles in Australia. The Kinetic blue XR6 was a fitting model to send off the Falcon, the 4.0-litre Barra six having been cast in nearby Geelong. Under its carpets are the signatures of the men and women who built it, though Ford’s decision to not apply a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) means it can never be sold or registered. The car will become a museum piece. The penultimate car down Broadmeadows’ production line was a Ford Territory, Australia’s first and only SUV, and the only vehicle of its kind to win Wheels Car of the…

MERCEDES-BENZ is rushing towards a Tesla-fighting electric future and estimates that up to 25 percent of its sales will come from the new EQ sub-brand announced at the recent Paris motor show. The Generation EQ concept seven-seat SUV hints at the first of at least seven Benz-branded battery cars to come by 2025. Mercedes’ head of car development, Thomas Weber, says the tipping point is approaching where battery advancements will allow its new vehicles to strike the right balance of affordability, capability and performance. Generation EQ (which stands for ‘electric intelligence’) previews a new electric architecture. Its stackable battery technology allows for a range of up to 500km, which Weber says is just the beginning. Heady outputs of 300kW and 700Nm reflect a desire to build electric cars that don’t…

LUXURY brand Genesis is planning a low-emissions future based on high performance. The brand plans to lead the way with alternative powertrain technology within the Hyundai group as it looks to establish itself against competitors such as Mercedes, BMW, Audi and Lexus. And it’s in the performance sphere where the likes of plug-in hybrid technology and pure electric propulsion could make its biggest impact for the Korean marque that arrives in 2017. Speaking to Wheels , Genesis chief Manfred Fitzgerald said PHEVs and EVs would play a key role in redefining performance. “Performance as we know it is in the past,” Fitzgerald said. “I think it will shift to... performance in terms of having a very well balanced car, performance in terms of handling. “Sheer horsepower, sheer…

FOLD yourself in half, slide into the low-slung seat of the Huracan rear-driver, then close your eyes. It’s easy to imagine hearing the cheers of the Lamborghini powertrain team when they first learned, back around 2009, that they could finally bin the front driveshafts of what would become the Balboni edition of the Gallardo. We cheered, too. If you buy into brand values and image, then surely a Lambo should be edgy, extroverted and just a little threatening. The security of AWD should be left safely clutched to the bosom of parent Audi. Now open your eyes, hit the starter button and prepare for orchestral heavy metal, Italian-style. And rear-drive fireworks. From relative low-rev docility, the note hardens, the growl drops a few octaves and its chest opens. Work it…

THE most noteworthy aspect of the new Infiniti Q50 Red Sport is not that it’s fitted with v2.0 of the company’s controversial no-one-else-does-it ‘by-wire’ steering. And it’s surely not the new-to-Q50 two-mode electronically adjustable dampers. It may not even be the new twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6, which cranks out a class-leading 298kW and 475Nm. No, most compelling is that it’s finally an Infiniti that feels as though it has a USP, a proper reason for being, rather than just making up (minuscule) numbers. And that it’s actually quite a likeable premium sports sedan, if ultimately a little underdone in a couple of key areas. The engine is an extensive redevelopment of Nissan’s venerable VQ-series V6, now with twin turbos and a pair of water-to-air intercoolers. Power is not far short of…

FROM the driver’s seat it would be easy to dismiss Volvo’s latest flagship as undernourished. Aside from the 9.0-inch pinch-and-squeeze touchscreen and the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, the S90 is somewhat sparse. Yet in an elegant way, with wood and metal in abundance and a cluster of buttons and knobs. However, the technology is cleverly concealed. The ESC and idle-stop are controlled through the central screen, as is anything to do with a phone, tablet or song. The S90’s elegance continues in the rear, which is configured to make two comfy but will deal with three, albeit with the centre occupant dealing with a sizeable transmission tunnel. The biggest story lurks beneath the skin. Sitting on Volvo’s SPA architecture, it exclusively uses four-cylinder engines. There are four 2.0-litre units, for…

EXPECTATION can ruin reality in many ways. Like the pictures on the McDonalds menu, or online dating profile photos. For Mercedes-Benz, nothing builds expectation and promises excitement like an AMG badge, but its current crop of highly focused performance cars should be furthest from your mind when approaching the new Mercedes-AMG E43. This mid-range mid-sizer is not like the other AMGs, yet unlike fast food outlets who overpromise and underdeliver, the crew from Affalterbach need not be ashamed. As with existing halfway-house models (C43 and GLC43), this polished sports sedan serves to broaden the scope of AMG’s portfolio. AMGs haven’t always been uncompromising, and in some ways the E43 is a return to the Q-car. It’s the first performance variant of the new E-Class, ahead of E63, and uses AMG’s…

T’S 8:45am on Friday, October 7, and I’m at Tullamarine to collect snapper Wielecki for our bittersweet roadtrip. This will be my first big drive in an HSV, and not just any model but the newly minted Clubsport Track Edition, complete with bigger brakes, a more responsive engine and racier suspension, making it the most track-focused HSV to date. Perfect for a blast to the greatest race track in Australia, Mount Panorama. Bittersweet because my first drive in an HSV could also be my last. It’s not my fault I was born in 1993, six years after HSV began, or that I only got my licence as HSV celebrated its 23rd anniversary, when the 375kW W427 was already two years old. And I’m definitely not to blame for getting to…

IT IS as instantly recognisable as a spinning Cragar mag on a Highland Green Mustang, or a helmeted, racecar-steering driver raising one hand to shield his eyes against the high-altitude Colorado sun. The camera angle is low, the film grainy, the light murky over the cobbled streets of pre-dawn Paris. Then there’s the soundtrack: the urgent strain of a high-revving V12, its mechanical noise and punctuating gearshifts betraying a time when supercar engines were the most complicated of all, not the most clinical. In the decades between the first, flickering viewings of C’était un Rendezvous 40 years ago and its release on DVD in 2003, mythology had added another 1000 revs to the redline, triple digits to the top speeds, terrifying realism to the tyre-squealing. The driver was rumoured to…

THE notion that some cars are duds while those at the other extreme represent driving bliss is at the core of any comparison – just as the idea that some cars are money-pits while others are inherently easier on the wallet is central to Wheels’ annual Gold Star Value Awards. Considering that a car is the second-most expensive purchase most people make, and the most complex product almost anyone buys, it’s important to have the right advice on both fronts. When fine dynamics and fiscal shine coincide in a decent-driving, value-packed product, you have a Gold Star car. The dominant cost of car ownership is depreciation – the chunk of the initial outlay that vanishes over the first few years, much of it (as popular perception suggests) the moment you…

FIRST MAZDA 2   It’s virtually impossible to invoke financial ruin buying a $14,990 Japanese car like the Mazda 2 Neo. The only cars that cost less are in the Citycars class and, while cheaper, they’re not necessarily better value for money. Let’s compare the Mazda to the rest of the Gold Star field for a bit of context. The Commodore Evoke, which won the Large category, will lose more to depreciation in three years than the Mazda costs. The Large category-winning Hyundai Genesis will use twice as much fuel and the Mercedes E200, which won Premium Large, will cost nearly three times as much to insure. This year’s most costly placegetter, the Audi A6, will cost $47,500 over three years, including depreciation, fuel and insurance – the Mazda 2…

FIRST SUBARU LIBERTY 2.5i Sometimes all the figures tell you that a car will be economical to own while experience suggests the opposite, but that’s certainly not the case with the Subaru Liberty 2.5i. Armed with road-test experience, we’d guess that a Liberty would be a sound long-term proposition, if you value dependability and affordability. Plug its vitals into a spreadsheet and the hard data agrees. The Subie sedan is among the least expensive in its class, yet it gets more gear than most rivals, including all-wheel drive. The Liberty’s reputation translates into a rock-solid 55 percent three-year resale figure that’s much better than most and enough to give it the gong by a good margin, which is handy because it’s not the thriftiest in its class, and uses premium…

FIRST VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT 140 TDI HIGHLINE It’s interesting to observe how a high-end Volkswagen sedan and an entry-level Audi compare in the moderately expensive mid-size realm. The VW costs $8K less than the Audi, despite them being the most highly equipped Passat and the least kitted-out A4. Meanwhile, the Passat offers 150Nm and 30kW more than the 1.4-litre turbo-petrol A4, courtesy of a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel that uses less juice to contribute to a 26 percent (or $260) annual fuel saving. The Passat, however, doesn’t hold its value as well as the A4, according to Glass’s forecasts. You’ll see $23,745 go down the drain in the VW compared with $22,755 in the Audi, thanks to respective 50 and 59 percent three-year resale figures, which narrows the ownership cost difference between these…

FIRST KIA SPORTAGE PLATINUM The tables have turned – instead of wondering whether Korea can build a convincing high-end SUV, we’d now question whether it’s worth spending more on a premium Euro model. A diesel, all-wheel-drive-only affair sees Kia’s priciest Sportage, the Platinum, triumph on the back of a catalogue of cash-saving credentials. The 2.0-litre oiler gives a stout 400Nm with 6.8L/100km cycle, backed up by cheap-as insurance, a convenient 12-month service interval and a confidence-inspiring seven-year warranty. The only field it didn’t rank first in was depreciation. The Sportage Platinum’s value equation is as impressive as its cabin finish, refinement, luxury and active safety equipment, and efficient engine. SECOND HYUNDAI TUCSON HIGHLANDER Picking between the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage is a matter of aesthetics and brand preference when…

FIRST KIA RONDO Si Kia’s Rondo is a class act as far as budget big-family transport goes. There aren’t many cheaper ways to shift seven people, and the Korean wagon’s cash-saving credentials don’t end there. The Rondo is also decently economical for a petrol; to do better you’d have to bear the costs of a diesel, which our analysis suggests doesn’t stack up from a value point of view (at least within our three-year timeframe). The budget-beating bus is also the least costly of the podium finishers to insure, only needs a service every 12 months and has Kia’s seven-year warranty. The fact its three-year retained value of 48 percent is not brilliant hardly matters considering the low initial $31,490 outlay. SECOND CITROEN C4 PICASSO Citroen’s second-placed C4 Picasso comes…

FIRST FIAT 500C POP Being the smallest, least-expensive convertible on sale virtually guarantees the Fiat ragtop a Gold Star gong. Its attainable $22K purchase price doesn’t contribute directly to its score, but works with Glass’s three-year retained value of 58 percent to contain the drop in value to a manageable $9240, little more than $3K per year. This figure easily outweighs other costs, including low insurance (under $800) and fuel use. A three-year warranty, while not industry-best, is as good as many. SECOND FIAT ABARTH 595C You won’t take a bath (sorry) on cost of ownership in this hotted-up Fiat 500 derivative, which offers twice the torque of its more sensible sibling and consumption that’s just 1.1L/100km higher. THIRD CITROEN DS3 DSPORT Our bronze medallist puts a Gallic slant on…

THE thing that annoys my wife most isn’t my laziness (that’s what she calls it, at least; I call it relaxing) or my reluctance to mow the grass. It’s not even my tendency to leave dirty laundry on the floor. It’s how I park. Or to be more exact, it’s where I park. I’m quite fussy about where I leave a car, especially in underground shopping centre car parks. My biggest pet peeve is emerging from the shops to discover someone has opened a door onto our car, or clipped it with a trolley. It’s infuriating. So, to avoid this, I park as far away from other cars as possible, preferably next to a cement pole. This drives the wife bonkers. “Are you sure this spot is okay?” she asks…

As it awaits the Giulia – a car it believes will change the luxury game – Alfa Romeo has sharpened the smaller (and much older) Giulietta. Key to the tweaks are mild styling updates, new model names, including Super and Veloce, and a revised logo. The base manual-only Super gets a new 110kW tune of the 1.4-litre turbo four. The Super TCT picks up a twin-clutch auto and the familiar 125kW tune of the same engine. The TCT also ups the manual’s 16-inch wheels to 17s and adds front parking sensors. The Veloce gets a revised 177kW version of the 1.7-litre four-cylinder to go with more fruit, including 18-inch alloys, leather, a rear diffuser and a flat-bottomed steering wheel. Still no reversing camera, though.…

Mercedes-Benz’s new naming strategy has hit the SLK two-seat roadster, now known as SLC. Despite the change to the name that’s existed since 1996, the SLC is little more than a facelift of the SLK, with the biggest visual change its new diamond grille. A new 115kW/250Nm 1.6-litre turbo graces the SLC180 that arrives with a price some $17K below that of the former price leader. SLC200 and SLC 300 get different tunes of the same 2.0-litre four-cylinder, with sharper pricing to match. It’s the SLC43 that’s the most controversial, replacing the glorious V8 from the SLK55 with a 270kW/520Nm twin-turbo V6; the claimed 0-100km/h is 4.7sec, slightly slower than the 55 it replaces as the SLC hero.…