Table of contents for October 2017 in Wheels

 I’M RELIABLY INFORMED THAT PERSPECTIVE AND INSIGHT ARE WONDERFUL THINGS, YET HAVING EXPERIENCED A DOSE OF BOTH THIS MONTH, I’D ARGUE THEY CAN ALSO BE DECIDEDLY UNCOMFORTABLE. MY MOMENT OF ILLUMINATION ARRIVED AS I CONSIDERED THE CLOSURE OF Try as I might, I just don’t feel as upset as when I think about the fates of Ford and Holden Toyota’s Australian factory and pondered why, try as I might, I didn’t feel as upset as when I thought about the fates of Ford and Holden. The core of my conundrum is simple, of course. Unlike Australia’s own, which produced generations of exciting, lust-worthy performance variants and then threw them around the nation’s racetracks to ensnare new fans with their snarling V8s, I have no emotional connection to the cars produced…

With the same power output as the current, limited-edition ‘30 Jahre M5’, the sixth-gen BMW M5 sends a clear message to its rivals – work smarter rather than harder. Despite the addition of all-wheel drive, the 441kW M5 is 15kg lighter than its predecessor, and that traction makes it decisively quicker, the 0-100km/h time tumbling to just 3.4 seconds, which is lineball with its arch-nemesis, the Mercedes-AMG E63 S. Keep the throttle pinned to 200km/h and the M5 opens up a 0.3sec advantage on the AMG’s 11.4sec time. In comes a carbonfibre roof and an eight-speed automatic transmission, along with a torque-vectoring rear diff and the ability to switch into a rear-drive mode if the standard torque split feels all a bit Ingolstadt to you. Options include carbon-ceramic brakes, identifiable…

“MANY people talk about us in the same breath as Holden, yet we don’t even talk about Holden within these walls,” Ford Australia president Graeme Whickman says matter-of-factly. Think about that. Our motoring lives have been built on a Ford versus Holden rivalry that dates back nearly 80 years and a Falcon versus Commodore rivalry that dates back nearly 40. But just like the assembly lines from which these treasured Aussie nameplates came, so this legendary rivalry is being deconstructed. Nowadays Ford is just one of more than 60 imported brands that fight for a share of Australia’s 1.2 million new vehicle sales. Interviewed by Wheels in the lead-up to the first anniversary of the end of production of the Falcon and Territory, Whickman is talking about the changes that…

But I wanted to tick that box, so we organised accommodation in wonderful Wanaka – nearest to the family-friendly Mt Cardrona – arranged a car, some skiing lessons, and away we flew. The anxiety level that had started humming when I organised the car, stepped up a couple of thousand revs at the rental desk at Queenstown airport. I knew why. I’ve been in this motor-noting caper for 35 years (eeek!) and in that time, I’ve had a whole encyclopaedia of automotive experiences. I’ve driven flat out on a bunch of motor racing circuits around the world, including the Nurburgring, in a variety of mostly fast cars. I’ve even raced at Bathurst. My 100 percent win rate should stay intact, provided I never go back a second time. I’ve driven…

Model Volkswagen Golf GTI Engine 1984cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v, turbo Max power 169kW @ 4700-6200rpm Max torque 350Nm @ 1500-4600rpm Transmission 6-speed manual Weight 1329kg 0-100km/h 6.7L/100km Economy 6.4sec (claimed) Price $41,490 On sale Now AT A dinner party recently, I ran into a friend who’s poised to buy a hot hatch. He’d been researching for months, he told me, and then, with the wild look of a man who has spent too much time in front of a computer trawling through spec sheets, he exclaimed, “We’re in a hot-hatch boom!” I could see his point. Today’s hot-hatch buyer is spoilt for choice with cutting-edge all-wheel-drive systems, ever-rising outputs, and exotic-sounding modes that start with ‘Drift’ all jostling for position. All of which has had an interesting impact on VW’s…

Model Mini Countryman John Cooper Works All4 Engine 1998cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v, turbo Max power 170kW @ 5000-6000rpm Max torque 350Nm @ 1450-4500rpm Transmission 8-speed automatic Weight 1555kg 0-100km/h 6.5sec (claimed) Economy 7.4L/100km Price $57,900 On sale Now THE MINI Countryman JCW is an odd thing. It’s a small SUV from a brand that continues to cash in on the iconic imagery and racing history of the pint-sized ’60s ‘brick’. Yet despite the ham-fisted historical and visual cliches, this range-topping John Cooper Works version of the new-gen Countryman is a neat package that treads the line between tuned performance and everyday useability with finesse. The JCW handiwork brings with it a more powerful engine for the Countryman, with an improved cooling package and upgraded four-piston Brembo front brakes, along with…

Crown Utility (1965-71) Toyota assembled the Crown locally to take on Holden and Falcon. The body-on-frame construction lent itself brilliantly to workhorse duties. The redesigned S50 from 1968 was reportedly created with Oz in mind. But Toyota pushed Crown upmarket in the 70s, leaving hauling to the Hilux. Avalon Mark III (2003-06) The 2000 original flopped, though the Melbourne design team’s facelift infused some essential early-millennial attitude. But in the days of the high-flying BA Falcon, the Avalon’s nip and tuck (with local engineering upgrades) wasn’t enough. As you’d expect from a model Toyota stalwart John Conomos described as having buyers “in God’s waiting room”. Camry Hybrid (2009-17) The Camry Hybrid has gone down in history as the only petrol-electric vehicle to ever be manufactured in Australia, and to date…

ON OCCASION, it’s better to forget what you thought you knew; to chuck out all those old tropes, heuristics, and pub knowledge you’ve accumulated about the cars we’ve assembled here. They’ll do you no good. The game of oneupmanship in the medium executive class has moved at such breathtaking pace that perhaps it’s time to reset the datum and look over the best of 2017’s crop with a fresh set of eyes. The Alfa Romeo Giulia was the catalyst for this comparison. We adored the 375kW Quadrifoglio rocketship, but wondered whether shearing more than 200kW from that figure would leave the Super version feeling a bit overmatched and underbaked in this company. We clearly needed to include the big three German marques, so the Mercedes-Benz C250, Audi A4 2.0 TFSI,…

A CAR is the most technically complex consumer product people buy and the second-most costly purchase for most of us. And while dynamic dissection to sort the diamonds from the duds is a Wheels cornerstone, sifting through the new car market to separate the buyer’s picks from the money pits is the work of our annual Gold Star Value awards. The devil (aside from non-deductible car loans) is the insidious depreciation, which makes up the biggest chunk of the cost of owning a car in the initial years from new. A good car will only lose about 30 percent of its new price in three years, while a poor one will only retain 30 percent... Clearly, it’s worth knowing which cars are good at holding their…

1st Mazda 2 Neo Mazda 2’s Gold Star Value campaign was almost flawless. Among the least-expensive to buy, with the strongest resale, it’ll lose less to depreciation in the first three years than any other light hatch. It’s not quite the most economical, beaten by smaller-engined rivals, but there’s only a bit more than 100 bucks in it over a year. Elsewhere, the 12-month service interval (with lifetime capped-priced servicing) and bargain $682 annual comprehensive insurance are highs. The three-year warranty is the norm (for now) and the only rivals that do better – Kia, Renault and Hyundai – aren’t near enough to the Mazda against other scoring criteria to mount a challenge. 2nd Toyota Yaris Ascent The Yaris snags the silver by being reasonably competitive against each value criterion,…

1st Kia Cerato S While our light- and sub-light champs represent good driving and top value, in the small class the law of diminishing returns is yet to set in. Yes it will cost more to own a Kia Cerato than a Picanto or Rio, but even compared with the littlest Kia, the step to the Cerato in terms of depreciation cost is only about $1000/year. Is the extra expense justified by a roomier body, perkier 2.0-litre engine, an available six-speed manual and extra features? We’ll let you decide. Either way, you get Kia’s excellent seven-year warranty and a 12-month or 15,000km service interval, and it’s not as though the insurance premium goes through the roof in the upsize, at a very reasonable $635 per annum. 2nd Hyundai i30 Active…

1st Holden Commodore Evoke For our local Lion, going out at the top of its game beats fading into obscurity hands down. Not only is the VFII a superbly honed version of a locally developed legend that’s been around for more than a decade, it still stacks up as great value. The entry-level Evoke V6 starts by being a bit less costly than its podium mates, and backing that with slightly better resale. Predicting the actual future v values of the last Aussie-built, rear-drive Commodores is potentially tricky. Will used values slump when the new model arrives? We think so. But will they rise again long-term? Ditto, though perhaps more for a mint SS-V than a base car. Then again, a rising tide lifts all boats... or, erm, cars. Meantime,…

1st BMW 318i Sport Line You might think a 1.5-litre three-cylinder BMW 3 Series sedan would kill the premium medium class on fuel economy alone, but that doesn’t allow for the fact Munich’s cross-town rival has a formidable foe in its entry-level Audi A4 1.4 TFSI. Despite identical 56 percent three-year resale forecasts, it was on depreciation that the BMW landed its first blow, because it’s $600 less costly to buy. At 5.4L/100km the 318i is also officially 0.1L/100km more economical than the A4 – negligible in the grand scheme, but another win all the same. The pair progressed with identical three-year, unlimited-kilometre warranties and 12-month service intervals, while the Audi costs $101 more to insure for a year, at $1082. A photo finish, then, which might leave brand and…

1st Suzuki Ignis GL The fact depreciation is by far the biggest component cost of ownership of any car allowed the Suzuki Ignis manual to ride its class-low $15,990 purchase price all the way to the top step of the podium. You see, despite its 45 percent three-year resale being out-done by most key rivals, being between $4500 and $11,000 less costly to buy in the first place means it will only lose about $8800 over the first three years, about $1500 less than the Mazda CX-3. None can beat the 820kg, 1.2-litre Suzi’s 4.7L/100km official consumption – and only the 200kg-heavier three-pot Citroen C4 Cactus matches it – yet having saved plenty on the dealership and petrol station forecourts, the Ignis set about resting on its laurels, with an…

1st Mitsubishi Outlander LS Pricier larger seven-seat SUVs were edged out by more affordable entry-level variants in this category, with the Nissan X-Trail and Honda CR-V just falling short of earning a place on the podium. This year’ s top step goes to the Mitsubishi Out an er , which at just over $30 K and with a reasonable 48 percent three-year resale forecast , mounts the most convincing retained-value case. Sure, the Hyundai Santa Fe can match its five-year warranty, and the Kia Sorento’s seven-year guarantee trumps it, while new seven-seat player, the fifth-gen Honda CR-V, can go cl se to the 6. 6L 100km combined-cycle economy. But no model brings together the wide-ranging cash-saving credentials of the Outlander. 2nd Kia Sorento Si The Kia’s $41K price-tag is at…

Tax: the right sort of write-off If you use your car for work or business, you can claim for the costs that you incur. It could also be possible to claim the cost of the car itself. If you run your own business, you may be able to immediately write off the cost of a car costing less than $20,000. More expensive vehicles (and all vehicles used by employees) are depreciated over several years. There are two ways to work out your claim – cents per kilometre and logbook: Cents per kilometre. Claim a flat rate of 66c per kilometre for every business kilometre you cover. You’ll need to keep a diary of all work-related journeys so you can work out how many kilometres you’ve travelled for work. This method…

1st Audi RS3 German compacts and a coupe worked up to a seriously high-performance state made up the entire $75K-plus podium for 2017. In this pricey realm, bulk grunt happened to pip dynamic purity, with the Lotus Elise and Alfa Romeo 4C sitting just outside the top three. The Audi RS3, a bit like the TT RS in third, puts big outputs in an all-paw package to place point-to-point pace ahead of ultimate driver involvement. But there’s no arguing with its impressive mix of low-fours to 100km/h and fuel economy inside the 10s (in all three medallists). Yet the RS3 delivers it for less dough than the TT, and with significantly stronger resale than its arch-rival, the A45. 2nd Mercedes-AMG A45 The A45’s 53 percent resale isn’t bad in the…

BACK in around 2002, I used to cycle past a Volvo dealership not far from where I lived on Sydney’s lower north shore. I swear if the wind was blowing right, you could hear the morose howls from the dealer principal as he surveyed his ghost-town forecourt, and you could just about watch the cobwebs growing around the mirrors of the undesired C70s and S80s. Amazing how a change of ownership can reinvigorate a brand. Chinese giant Geely bought Volvo from Ford in late 2009, and immediately set about giving the Swedes access to Chinese finance, paid for a new Chinese manufacturing base and generally gave them the resources they needed to revitalise the line-up and produce relevant, competitive cars. Global sales last year were 534,127, almost exactly 200,000 units…

THE STENCH of burning rubber is demonstration of Subaru’s EyeSight. It’s unmistakable. Acrid and sulphurous, the Japanese car maker’s autonomous and filling the Impreza’s cabin, pulled in emergency braking system and has just done by the air conditioning system. for me exactly what it’s designed to do. The Moments before, I’m travelling along reason the Impreza reacted soon becomes the freeway at 80km/h. Traffic is heavy but clear; four damaged vehicles are stalled in moving well as everyone tries to get home the fast lane, the drivers out and exchanging at the end of another busy week. Suddenly, details as they survey the aftermath of the without warning, the dash lights up red and peak-hour nose-to-tail conga line. the car beeps urgently as it automatically The Impreza was able to…

THERE’S an old line about complimenting someone on their antiques – “what antiques?” – that comes to mind as Geoff Morse explains his field of specialty. As does another old line: choose a job you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life. When Morse, 68, started repairing cars in his original service station 43 years ago, Leyland Australia was still manufacturing cars like the P76 and Mini, and a significant number of cars on the road were British. That was especially true among sports cars, with dominant 1960s machines like the MGB and Austin Healey Sprite, by then even more affordable on the used market. Morse’s servo in Sydney’s Beacon Hill gained a good reputation because he put his money where his mouth was. He…

THE CLAIM of “an F1 race car for the road” is one that has been trotted out plenty of time before; the reality has invariably been a road car that incorporates limited technical elements that happen to be shared with a prototype racer. However when Mercedes-AMG announced it would build a road-legal hypercar with a drivetrain lifted directly from Formula 1, it was time to take notice. The Mercedes-AMG Project One truly has an F1 heart beating in its carbonfibre chest. The drivetrain’s centrepiece is a mid-mounted 1.6-litre V6 with two electric motors – one bolted directly to the crankshaft to provide additional torque, the second to eliminate lag for the engine’s massive turbocharger. To allow for the stratospheric maximum engine speed of 11,000rpm, the four overhead cams are gear…

CARGO BAY WILL BE REWORKED TO ACCOMMODATE THE WIDER GUARDS AND LARGER WHEEL AND TYRE COMBINATION. EXPECT A SLIGHT REDUCTION IN LOAD CARRYING ABILITY GETTING RID OF THE LEAF-SPRUNG REAR END FOR A MULTI-LINK SET-UP SHOULD HELP BOTH RIDE AND POWER-DOWN TRACTION NO TWIN-TURBO ECOBOOST V6 FOR OZ; EXPECT HIGHER OUTPUT TURBO-DIESEL FIVE-POT OR BIG-BOOST DIESEL FOUR THE MOST highly anticipated ute release of 2018 is finally official: a beefed-up, high-performance Ford Ranger Raptor is coming to Aussie roads. To be sold under the Ford Performance umbrella, the Raptor flagship will showcase Australian-led engineering and usher in a host of performance and off-road upgrades to cement its place as Australia’s most extreme trade ute. Key to this will be an upgraded platform and a host of mechanical changes including a…

IS THIS a case of tearing up the formula for what was one of the world’s best affordable driver’s cars? To fans of the outgoing Megane RS hot hatch, its replacement is virtually unrecognisable. The Megane family dropped the three-door bodystyle when the new-generation model launched last year, and the top-tier RS will now be strictly a five-door proposition – though with fatter guards measuring 60mm wider at the front and 45mm wider at the rear, it’ll stand apart from garden-variety Meganes. Other paradigm shifts include the availability of a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission for the first time, as well as a manual, while Renault’s 4Control four-wheel steering hardware, introduced on the Megane GT in 2016, also slips onto the Renault Sport’s spec sheet. Hydraulic bump stops are said to…

“Given Robbo’s credentials when it comes to exotica, we can take his appraisal as a given” SIGN OF THE TIMES Not sure how Andrew Austin (Inbox, August) claims to be a motoring enthusiast when he says some of our ridiculously low speed limits are faster than they need to be. He may be a competent 54-year-old driver but he wasn’t quite born when I started driving, and in those days we had no open road speed limits. I had no trouble commuting from my country work place to home every couple of weekends sitting on 80mph (about 130). Since then cars, tyres, and roads have become infinitely better, yet speed limits have been reduced. Perhaps the skill of drivers has been reduced as well, with more time spent texting and…

Yet having one of everything makes a huge amount of sense to premium manufacturers trying to increase their volumes beyond long-since saturated segments. In these days of matrix platforms and flexible factories, the costs of creating a different variant have fallen dramatically, hence the Venn Diagram product planning that leads to a proliferation of ungainly SUV coupes. The logic is to have an answer to every question, to enable that slick sales executive to outflank any showroom objection. So if you go in to look at the BMW X5 and then decide it’s a bit too staid, you’ll be shown an X6. If that won’t fit in your garage, how about an X4? Still too tall? Try this 4 Series Gran Coupe on for size. Meanwhile, Audi seems determined to…

Model Nissan 370Z Nismo Engine 3696cc V6 (60°), dohc, 24v Max Power 253kW @ 7400rpm Max Torque 371Nm @ 5200rpm Transmission 6-speed manual Weight 1480kg 0-100km/h 5.6sec (estimated) Economy 10.6L/100km Price $61,490 On sale Now THE 370Z notched up eight years in the Australian market in April, which, in automotive terms, qualifies the Zed for a letter from the Queen. So yes, it’s old, but now two things have happened – the standard 370Z received a price adjustment in August that saw the manual coupe dip below the $50K mark for the first time, while the sharper 370Z Nismo, available overseas for the past two years, is now here at $61,490 for the six-speed manual or $63,990 for the seven-speed auto. And the Nismo Zed isn’t just a pensioner sports…

THE NEW millennium was a hive of activity at Toyota’s Altona HQ, with no fewer than three concept vehicles designed and engineered to show off the substantial Aussie talent within. First cab off the rank was the 2003 X-Runner Concept. Nobody will argue that it’s the sexiest Avalon ever, this monocoque-bodied coupe utility employed a longer wheelbase than the standard sedan, and featured a 3.0-litre supercharged V6 driving all four wheels via an AWD system nicked from the Lexus RX. The rear suspension was also modified over the donor sedan to incorporate the torsion beam from a Tarago AWD. While the production potential for such a workhorse/ weekend plaything was obvious, the 2004 Sportivo Coupe Concept that followed was truly motor-show flight-of-fancy, albeit a world-class one in terms of design…

ROBERT van Gisbergen dances around the Holden Barina rally car and leaps into the air so high there’s no way you would believe the bloke’s got a serious back injury. “F__king awesome,” he shouts into the drizzle. It’s an emphatic reaction made even more startling because he’d been so low-key just seconds before. Then he’d been playing down any chance he had of matching his son’s speed in the Barina. His son just happens to be Shane van Gisbergen, the 2016 Australia Supercars Champion and perhaps the best racing car driver going around in Australasia right now. “It’s pretty close,” Shane had said as the Barina cooled, tinking and tonking, mud and spray camouflaging its signwritten sides. “Well, you do this for a living so I’m glad I gave you…

Class ceiling There is no upper limit on the price of cars eligible for Gold Star Value analysis. The fact that the money lost in three years on 2017’s biggest depreciator would buy you 19 of the winning sub-light car illustrates how the figures tend to take care of themselves at the top end of town. Depreciation The biggest cost of ownership for most new cars. Of the 2787 cars number-crunched, Glass’s forecast three-year retained value figures ran from 29 percent (the Great Wall V240 ute) to 73 percent (Audi TT RS and Porsche 911 Carrera and GTS). Fuel Annual fuel cost calculation based on ADR combined-cycle consumption figures. These aren’t real-world representative, but they let us compare cars. Annual distance travelled is the ABS Australian average of 13,716km (2015-16)…

1stMazda 2 Maxx  Mazda’s well-established brand appeal is reflected in its 55 percent Glass’s resale figure, which is superior to any rival within cooee. From this cracking start, the mid-spec Mazda 2 hatch – which gets a negligible 2kW and 2Nm boost over the Neo – powers on with good economy on regular unleaded, a generous 12-month or 10,000km service interval, and cheap-as-chips annual insurance at $701. The Kia Rio S gave the Mazda a good run on the strength of its w warranty, though didn’t quite have the overall mix of value credentials to topple the Japanese hatch. 2nd Suzuki Swift GL Navigator The Suzuki Swift’s long-held value credentials are stronger than ever in the new model – only the hybrid Toyota Prius C officially uses less fuel than…

1st Hyundai i30 Active CRDi DCT The arrival of the PD series has seen the Hyundai i30 come of age, bringing newfound style, quality and driver appeal, while our analysis suggests the model’s long-held value credentials carry into its new chapter. The stout 54 percent three-year resale reflects the i30’s – and Hyundai’s – broad appeal and hard-earned reputation for reliability, and it no doubt helps real-world values that a three-year-old i30 still has two years’ warranty left. With a sharp $26K price tag for an Active CRDi with a seven-speed dual-clutch ’box, the i30 is off to a flying start. Can rivals compete with the 4.7L/100km 1.6-litre turbo-diesel Hyundai? Well, they could if they offered an equivalent engine… As it stands, only the petrol/electric Corolla Hybrid can put up…

1st Hyundai Genesis Hyundai’s ‘base’ luxo-barge costs substantially more than the two cars it beat for the gold, yet its superior three-year resale figure illustrates again how important future value is in the total running cost of a car. Granted , large cars as a whole are not great, but 52 percent, or almost $30K lost in three years, still beats 37 or 41 percent. Hyundai’s five-year warranty is an asset, as always, but the old-school 3.8-litre V6 is a liability, drinking 11 .2L/ 100km on the official combined cycle ( at least it’s happy on 91 RON). The Genesis proved pricier to insure than its key rivals , at $1055 per year, but out-did the Holden with a 12-month service interval. 2nd Holden Calais V We still can’t get…

1st Kia Sportage Si The automatic-only, entry-level petrol 2.0-litre front-drive Sportage and the manual Mazda CX-5 go virtually head-to-head on price – and power output, at 114kW apiece – but the latter’s slightly better three-year Glass’s resale means the Kia needs to work harder elsewhere. A neat interior, tidy dynamics and good refinement, with a pleasingly low annual insurance premium and a 12-month s service interval, e ensure the driving and value fundamentals are sound. But it’s the Korean brand’s seven-year, u unlimited-kay warranty that springboards it to the top of tthe Medium SUV podium. 2nd Mazda CX-5 Maxx Sharp pricing and 56 percent three-year resale set the Mazda CX-5 Maxx’s Gold Star Value campaign off to a terrific start. And its 6.9L/100km combined-cycle economy and reasonable annual insurance bill…

1st Mitsubishi Triton GLX If a dual-cab ute represents your ideal work/family rig, you’re not alone – this increasingly popular segment regularly contributes some of the country’s best sellers outright. Some of these models win sales through refinement approaching a car, loads of equipment and a butch image, while others, such as the Mitsubishi Triton, generate their appeal by delivering a hefty value payload. The diamond-star ute starts with a sub-$40K price tag which, with sound 52 percent three-year resale, means less lost to depreciation than any key rival. What the turbo-diesel four-cylinder lacks in capacity (and refinement), it makes up with better than average 7.6L/100km official combined-cycle economy. A five-year warranty is a standout in this class (matched only by the Isuzu D-Max) and the 12-month service interval is…

1st Fiat 500 Pop Cabrio Meet the car that beat its nearest rival by a greater margin than any other in Gold Star Value 2017. The Fiat 500 Pop Cabriolet amassed 50 percent more points than its nearest rival, most of these on the back of a $22,000 purchase price that makes it the least-costly drop-top in the land, and some $17,000 more affordable than the Mini Convertible. The Fiat’s three-year resale is decent , at 54 percent, and sees it lose around $10K in the initial years – around half what key rivals shed. A little atmo 1.2 works with the 945kg kerb weight to deliver 5.0L/100km official economy, to undercut all comers on the fuel-cost front, and the Fiat boasts tthe cheapest a annual insurance, too. 2nd Mini…

THE KEYS to Kia’s cheapest and smallest offering, the Picanto, have only been in my frost-bitten Queenslander mittens for a couple of weeks, and I’m already warming to this plucky little car. The name Picanto seems to be derived from the Spanish word picante , which translates roughly to mean ‘spicy’ or ‘zesty’ in English. And so far, my little orange spice pot has put plenty of zest into my daily commute. When fitted with a five-speed manual gearbox, the Picanto is a very keen $14,190. My car has just one option fitted: Pop Orange metallic paint costing $520. It should be noted the only paint colour not charged for is the Kelvinator-inspired Clear White. That manual gearbox has me high-fiving myself, especially after my panning of…

FERDINAND Porsche is rightly hailed as a genius engineer and a key automotive figure. In 1898, aged just 23, he designed an all-wheel-drive, petrol-electric hybrid; later came the Mercedes-Benz SSK, the radical Auto Union rear-engined racers, and, proving his versatility, some of Germany’s most fearsome WW2 tanks. Then there’s the small matter of the Volkswagen ‘Beetle’ Type 1, whose 21.5 million units make it still the world’s biggest selling car (rather than nameplate). In 1931, in conjunction with Zundapp, Porsche began developing an economical, rear-engined car, the Porsche Type 12. Porsche had already designed an air-cooled, horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine. At the 1934 Berlin motor show, German chancellor Adolf Hitler challenged car makers to produce a car to sell at 1000 Reichsmarks, about half the typical price for a car…

DESIGN: SLIM LIGHTS AND LOW-SET KIDNEY GRILLE EVOKES STYLING OF THE Z8 CHASSIS: TIN-TOP FANS WILL HAVE TO LOOK TO TOYOTA’S SUPRA COUPE, WHICH WILL SHARE Z4’S UNDERPINNINGS WHEELS: 20-INCH WHEELS MIGHT BE TONED DOWN FOR PRODUCTION, ALONG WITH BLADE-THIN DOOR MIRRORS INSIDE: SOME FAMILIAR CABIN CUES, BUT DEEP-DISH WHEEL AND DUAL-TONE TRIM UNDOUBTEDLY COOL ENGINE: NO OFFICIAL WORD ON DRIVETRAINS, BUT TURBO FOURS AND SIXES ARE ALMOST CERTAIN TOPLESS: Z4 EXPECTED TO FEATURE LIGHTER FABRIC TOP; ‘SPEEDSTER’ DOMES MAY NOT MAKE THE CUT BMW’S long-awaited Z4 Concept, unveiled at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, marks a welcome return to a more elegant aesthetic for the company’s open-topped sports model. It also represents a decisive end to the residual styling influences of the Chris Bangle era, mirroring the clean lines…

THE PRICES listed in Showroom from page 136 are what you’ll need to outlay to park a given model in your garage, but they are not the cost of owning that car, as our annual Gold Star Value awards reveal starting on page 104. Running costs such as fuel, insurance and servicing contribute significantly to the cost of ownership. However for most models the cost of depreciation by far outweighs these expenses. Spoiler alert: the Kia Picanto S won the Gold Star Value City Cars category and, with a top score of 93.3 out of 100, it could be considered the overall Gold Star Value Awards winner too. The $14,190 Kia is cheaper to own than the vast majority of new cars, and its 46 percent Glass’s three-year resale is…

As a novelty act, it’s great fun, like ballroom dancing with a silverback SPECS Model Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk Engine 6166cc V8 (90°), ohv, 16v, supercharger Max Power 522kW @ 6000rpm Max Torque 868Nm @ 4800rpm Transmission 8-speed automatic Weight 2433kg 0-100km/h 3.6sec (claimed) Fuel economy 16.8L/100km (estimated) Price $140,000 (estimated) On sale December IF YOU think the old “where do babies come from?” question brings a challenging conversation to have with a small child, give yourself an uppercut. It’s nothing compared to explaining to a curious kid the rise of the ultra-performance SUV. Dad: “We’ve bought the world’s most powerful SUV, son. We’ve got 522 killa-whatsits under that hood...” Boy: “Oooh goodie, so we can go camping?” Dad: “No, son. It’s not designed to go off-road.” Boy: “Oooh, so…

Model Jaguar F-Type Coupe Engine 1997cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v, turbo Max power 221kW @ 5500rpm Max torque 400Nm @ 1500-4500rpm Transmission 8-speed automatic Weight 1525kg 0-100km/h 5.7sec (claimed) Economy 7.2L/100km Price $107,300 On sale November PORSCHE can clearly get away with a four-cylinder sports car, but can Jaguar? Based on initial impressions of the four-pot F-Type, the answer is yes. Because when you jump in the new entry-level F-Type, it quickly impresses with its agility, performance, and – to a certain extent – even its sound. A four-cylinder F-Type wasn’t in the original plan, but then along came Jaguar Land Rover’s new four-cylinder Ingenium engines. “As soon as we started producing that engine, I knew we had to do this car,” says project boss Erol Mustafa. The on-paper benefits of…

AS FAR as new-model build-ups go, the ZB Commodore’s 18-month journey from barely there prototype to full-production glamour model could be the most lengthy in Australian automotive history. Holden’s forthcoming all-new, size-reduced range-topper might be conceptually conceived and built in Germany, but the Aussies are determined to make it known that our next Commodore’s engineering character is very much Australian. Unique suspension tunes, steering calibrations, and even drivetrain configurations can do that to a car. Six months out from the ZB range’s debut, and barely two months before the demise of the rear-drive VFII Commodore line – and Australian automotive manufacturing as a whole – the next significant milestone towards complete range rejuvenation stands before us. Cue an undisguised ZB Calais and a still-camouflaged ZB V6 AWD – the very…

BEIGE cardigan? Appliance on wheels? Uninspired? Some Toyotas certainly deserve to cop a serve, but for every Avalon, Nagoya has provided a model that delivers driving nirvana, such as the 86, ’86 Celica and AE86 Levin/Sprinter/Trueno. Not one of these is even remotely Aussie-made, but that’s not to say the Melbourne-based factory didn’t turn out some gems over almost 55 years of operation. Consider the shovel-nosed 1964 RT40 Corona, the best of the locally built series by far. While the Pininfarina-assisted styling made it stand out, the real appeal lay in the Toyota’s dependable and user-friendly engineering, down to a slick manual column shifter and torquey 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine. Or, if you preferred, an incredibly smooth (but performance-sapping) two-speed Toyoglide. That family recipe was scaled down successfully in 1967’s KE10…

BILLION-dollar Bob will be turning in his grave. After decades of hard work and shuttle diplomacy, the lights are going out on his dream, the one he had for Toyota and Australia. Back in the day, Robert Henry Johnston was the only non-Japanese to run a major Toyota operation, the ramrod-straight man’s man who convinced Eiji Toyoda to part with a billion early-1990s dollars to make cars here. The result was our first new automotive manufacturing plant in 25 years – the gleaming Altona HQ for Toyota’s local manufacturing operations – which opened in April 1995. It was a massive bet and there’s no doubt who made it happen. Bob Johnston was the architect, the chief negotiator, government lobbyist, ministerial confidant and go-between who tipped the notoriously conservative Toyota Motor…

DESPITE DIFFERING ENGINE APPROACHES, BOTH CARS ACHIEVE SIMILARLY SCALDING PERFORMANCE IT’S PROBABLY not an adage, but maybe it should be: unless you’re Jason Bourne, don’t bring your fists to a knife fight. And similarly, if you’re Mercedes-AMG, don’t send just ‘any’ GT to a showdown with a 911. Porsche’s rear-engined icon may be in the twilight phase of its 991 model cycle, with an all-new car due in less than two years, yet fact is it’s never been more primed for war than in this 991.2 guise and specced to ultra-desirable GTS level. But before we delve into a full rundown of our combatants, a quick disclaimer: This two-car battle began as a stoush between a couple of Stuttgart-born stormers, but evolved into more of a tag-team tussle when…

1st Kia Picanto S Grabbing a bus, an Uber or a GoGet are among the less-costly transport alternatives to a Kia Picanto S. But if you’re intent on new-car ownership and want to do it at minimum cost, with a degree of driver appeal, then the Picanto is king. The model is offered in a single ‘S’ spec (for now) and opting for the five-speed manual saves you $1500 up front, and a further $120 each year at the bowser compared with the auto. The cost of depreciation here is about $2500/year, which is as good as it gets for a new car, and the Kia kicks goals with the brand’s generous warranty, a handy 12-month service interval and bargain annual insurance. 2nd Holden Spark LS Holden’s baby Spark is…

Make your car pay its way Make your car more affordable by turning it into a money spinner. Consider joining a ride-sharing service like Uber; according to comparison site Finder, Uber drivers earn an average of $35 to $40 per hour before Uber takes its 25 percent cut. Your car needs to be less than 10 years old, have air-con and four doors, and be in great shape to register with Uber. Or, become an Airtasker and use your car to earn some coin by delivering parcels or, if you have a van, moving furniture. Airtasker says it’s possible to earn up to $5000 per month. If you’d rather let the vehicle do the hard yards, rent your car out through sites like Car Next Door, and pocket $25-$40 a…

1st Mazda 6 Sport The Mazda 6 Sport completed a near clean-sweep of the scoring criteria, starting with the least amount lost to depreciation in the first three years among podium players, and backing that with a lowest a annual fuel ccost and a sensible 12-month/10,000km service interval. In fact, the only area where the entry-level mid-size Mazda did not beat both placegetters is in warranty, with its three years of cover trumped by the Kia’s seven-year guarantee. To live with, the base Mazda ticks boxes with its standard satnav and reversing camera, slick six-speed auto, gutsy four and tidy dynamics. If you long for leather, LED bling and Bose audio, the Touring spec above boasts similar value credentials, and brings the option of a thrifty turbo-diesel that could pay…

1st Audi A1 Sportback 1.0 TFSI Just as downsizers stepping from big e early-century homes in the suburbs are choosing flash inner-city a apartments and townhouses, those stepping from medium and large cars are opting for designer babies such as the Audi A A1 Sportback rather than pedestrian small hatches. With a chirpy 1.0-litre turbo triple, Ingolstadt’s smallest model uses just 4.2L/100km which makes it the least costly to fuel of any Gold Star Value award recipient. The insurance cost is reasonable for a premium hatch at $776, while the 12-month service interval will save hassle and a few bucks. 2nd Mini Cooper Condition-based servicing means the cheeky three-door Cooper will tell you when it needs a trip to see the spannerman, and it could go up to two years…

Negotiating a better price Getting a good deal on your next car can come down to a blend of good timing and smart negotiating. Peak times of the year for great deals include the end of the month when salespeople can be keen to reach monthly sales targets, and the New Year when dealers are keen to shift cars built the previous year. The release of a new model can also offer opportunities to negotiate savings on the outgoing version. The end of financial year has been busier than usual recently, as small business owners rushed to take advantage of the $20,000 instant write down on new capital and equipment, yet dealers generally remain hungry for business at this time of year. Save too by skipping add-ons like premium paint…

1st Kia Sportage GT Line CRDi We can see the benefit of spending up on a highly equipped medium SUV. The typical owner spends plenty of time ferrying the kids in wagons of this breed, so they might as well enjoy it, and in kitted-out form these mid-size, high-rise wagons are a nice place to be. More iimportantly, the upper versions get all the safety fruit, such as autonomous emergency braking. The Kia’s $45,990 sticker is typical and its 53 percent three-year resale about average. The standout performances, meanwhile, include the brand’s generous warranty, the pleasingly low insurance premium, and the 12-month service interval. The oiler isn’t the most economical, but 6.8L/100km is decent and 400Nm breeds effortlessness. 2nd Hyundai Tucson Highlander The top Tucson has something its rivals don’t…

1st Kia Rondo Si A proper three-row MPV for mid-spec hatchback money – that’s the Kia Rondo in a nutshell. The underpinnings are familiar from a hatch too, with an atmo 2.0-litre allied to a six-speed auto driving the front wheels. At 1520kg, the 122kW/213Nm Rondo is a modest performer that manages decent 7.8L/100km official economy. The Kia family wagon’s three-year resale forecast is nothing special, at 46 percent, but that matters little in the context of its $31,490 sticker, which is $6K less than the Odyssey and undercuts its Carnival sibling by more than $10K. Elsewhere, the Rondo’s value vitals look healthy, including a 12-month service interval, low $740 insurance bill and, of course, the brand’s superb seven-year warranty. 2nd Kia Carnival S CRDi Kia’s other podium player settles…

1st Mazda MX-5 The broad ‘performance’ categories typically see a variety of machines battling in the value arena and Gold Star Value 2017 was no different, with Mazda’s MX-5 holding back a gaggle of turbo hot hatches and a Japanese coupe with a penchant for drifting (Toyota 86). The one thing they had in common was a circa-$30K price tag. However it was MX-5’s 65 percent three-year resale that effectively gave it the win from the outset, helping it hold onto between $2K and $4K more than key rivals over the first few years. The 1.5’s 6.1L/100km combined cycle was about average and the MX-5’s taste for premium fuel typical. The Mazda, like most, calls for a 12-monthly service, and the $826 insurance premium is between $67 and $159 more…

AN ‘EVERYMAN’S’ car (or ‘every-person’ in 2017) is something that harbours appeal in all sectors of society, oblivious to race, gender, social status or upbringing. The original Mini was one. The Type 1 Volkswagen was another. And you can add the sixth-generation Ford Mustang to that list. Even in brash Triple Yellow, beefed up with black multi-spoke 19s, this Mustang GT makes people happy. Kids take photos of it, adults want to talk about it, and other motorists regularly give me the thumbs up when I’m driving it. Hell, it even makes me happy. There’s something about sitting behind the Mustang GT’s vast, bulging bonnet and hearing the rumble of its enthusiastic V8 that acts like a tonic for a rubbish day. It’s a good-time companion; a bit rough around…

MY FATHER-in-law has never understood this job. He’s certainly never been impressed by it. Our relationship has been tense since I married his only daughter and transplanted her from Sydney to the greener pastures of Melbourne before the family could protest. He visits relatively often, probably to keep an eye on me, and the string of new metal parked in the garage has never elicited more than an acerbic remark about how modern vehicles ride too firmly. Any car conversation invariably comes back to the 1968 Jaguar 420 he once owned and adored, and was forced to sell when the realities of a life with four kids became too much. My wife and I became parents ourselves this month, and her dad came to see us again. Maybe it was…