Table of contents for October 2019 in Wheels

DUE OCT MASERATI LEVANTE TROFEO The most powerful production model Maserati is ... an SUV. Such is the world we live in. Powering the Trofeo is a Ferrari-built, 440kW/730Nm 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8, shifting the 2170kg SUV to 100km/h in 3.9sec and on to a top speed of 304km/h. The price is also whiplash-worthy at $330,000 ... ouch. DUE OCT MERCEDES-AMG A35 SEDAN While the hatch arrives in September, we’ll have to wait another month for the Audi S3-rivalling A35 sedan. As the booted sibling to the Benz hot hatch, the sedan gains the same M260 2.0-litre with a twin-scroll turbo. It produces 225kW/400Nm and gets this jigger to 100km/h in 4.7sec. DUE NOV BENTLEY CONTINENTAL V8 It’s the ‘lesser’ variant, but when the entry-level offering reaches 100km/h in 4.0sec and…

WITH THE EXCEPTION of a handful of high-end high-performance models, all electric vehicles use a simple single-speed transmission to send power from the motor to the wheels. The solution is cost effective, and the incredible torque characteristics of an electric motor ensure swift acceleration even with one gear. But now an innovation by transmission giant ZF is about to take EVs up a gear – literally. Its new universal drive unit, offering a turn-key drivetrain for manufacturers looking to develop a mainstream EV, incorporates a 140kW electric motor and, crucially, a game-changing two-speed gearbox. At low speeds and in stop-start traffic, an electric motor is at its most efficient, offering regenerative braking to recoup power under deceleration and without power-sapping drag to fight. But at cruising speed, the rapidly spinning…

Model Alpina B5 Touring Engine 4395cc V8 (90°), dohc, 32v, twin-turbo Max power 447kW @ 5750-6250rpm Max torque 800Nm @ 3000-5000rpm Transmission 8-speed automatic Weight 2120kg 0-100km/h 3.7sec (claimed) Economy 11.1L/100km (claimed) Price $217,000 On sale Now THERE’S SOMETHING profoundly pleasing about a barnstorming wagon. It’s a case of pragmatism meets performance in the best kind of way. The Alpina B5 Touring embodies this theory, with an added dash of luxury and exclusivity for your $217,000. From the outside, the Touring’s appearance is understated, the traditional 20-spoke alloys, quad exhaust pipes and prominent Alpina badging the most obvious cues to what lies beneath. Even the V8 heart is hushed until provoked. Step inside, though, and you’re in a space ostensibly BMW 5 Series at face value yet overtly Alpina in…

Model Porsche Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid Engine 3996cc V8 (90°), dohc, 32v, twin-turbo, parallel hybrid Max power 500kW @ 5750-6000rpm Max torque 900Nm @ 1500-5000rpm Transmission 8-speed automatic Weight 2490kg 0-100km/h 3.8sec (claimed) Economy 3.7L/100km Price $288,000 (estimated) On sale Q4, 2019 SHOULD you even bother with a Porsche Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid? It’s a valid question. Does it really offer much over its battery-free Turbo sibling? After all, you’ll pay a premium of $46,400 for an SUV that, in the real world, isn’t noticeably quicker yet tips the scales at 315kg heavier. And the fuel economy benefits? Well, if you’ve reached the station in life where you can throw over a quarter of a million dollars at a luxury SUV, are you really going to be wincing every time…

one THEM’S THE BRAKES The Taycan Turbo S is fitted with massive 415mm carbon ceramic discs clamped by 10-pot calipers up front and 365mm discs with four-piston calipers at the back. It can decelerate at .38G via regen through the brake pedal alone without using the pads. Harvesting power this way rather than upon deceleration offers a more natural feel for passengers. two ALL YOU CAN EAT APPLE Apple CarPlay is USB-enabled from launch with wireless CarPlay arriving shortly thereafter. Porsche fits a data SIM into the car, enabled for three years from the date of purchase, and has individually curated playlists available via the Apple Music app. Android users are out of luck. Porsche justifies this decision by stating that 80 percent of Taycan buyers will be Apple owners.…

If outright power isn’t high on your priority list, Genesis has an offering that could be right for you. Along with the twin-turbo V6 trio, the G70 can be specified with a 2.0-litre turbo four delivering 179kW and 353Nm. Matching the spec level on our V6 test car is the base 2.0T, which starts at just $59,300. At the top of the four-pot spec tree is the 2.0T Ultimate, retailing for $69,300, and fitted with a level of equipment that would require extensive box-ticking were you trying to mimic it on the 330i.…

1. AUDI Q8 Audi’s slightly austere interior design is countered by the dazzling tech on offer. Three screens – 12.3-inch for the driver, 10.1 for infotainment and 8.6 for settings – eschew most of the buttons used for things like climate control and driver-assistance aids. It’s complex, and requires a familiarity, and the touch-only inputs can be a bugbear on bumpy roads. Despite this, overall feel-good factor is high. 2. BMW X7 Familiar BMW design is modernised with a 12.3-inch digital driver’s dash, equally large infotainment screen and a smattering of lovely touch points finished in silver and black. Updated iDrive software is quick-witted, and there’s now touchscreen input to complement the rotary controller. Our main quibble is Apple CarPlay (no Android Auto) requires a laughable $179 annual subscription to…

Project boss NICOLA MATERAZZI “I was nervous and reluctant about the F40 proposal, because I already had so much work to do. I only accepted because Enzo allowed me to progress the project on my own, without wasting time in meetings to share decision-making. At the end of our meeting, he wrote a note in his diary: ‘Materazzi; no pain in the ass’.” Designer LEONARDO FIORAVANTI “When Enzo talked to me about his desire to produce a ‘true Ferrari’, we both knew that it would be his last car. Extensive research at the wind tunnel went into aerodynamic optimisation, its style matches its performance — the low bonnet with a very tiny overhang, the NACA air vents, and the rear spoiler, all made it famous...” Test driver DARIO BENUZZI “The…

FORD RANGER RAPTOR Price as tested: $76,790 This month: 855km @ 10.7L/100km IF FORD could only tell you one thing about its Ranger Raptor, it would be that it has Baja mode. That’s its desert-busting, hump-jumping setting that allows the big unit to launch off the crest of any convenient sand dune. That’s what the Blue Oval chucked down our throats from the moment it first told us that it had a performance-focused ute coming – and with good reason. A lot of development – including local – went into creating this beast, and plenty of that was focused on perfecting what happens when you engage that Baja mode – its moniker a reference to the great Mexican desert race of the same name. While the Fox dampers soak up…

TOP THREE CELICA PIKES PEAK I really have to focus hard to drive this car. It was originally built as a dirt car and we haven’t changed anything apart from the tyres. It has slicks on it now, but it’s still pretty loose in terms of roll stiffness. It’s not optimised for a pavement event like Leadfoot, but I’m not going to change it. It’s not ideal for here, but it’s just such fun. TOYOTA TUNDRA Over in the States I have a Lexus RC F but I just don’t drive it. On the other hand, I have this 15-year-old Toyota truck and I use it all the time. When I travel cross-country I’ll take the truck because I can stop at antique stores and pick up stuff. The days…

IT’S A STRANGE concept to fathom, but in the near future cars like the Nissan Leaf will act as both an energy source and a storage system to support the smooth operation of electricity grids. The process, known as vehicle to grid (V2G), will essentially optimise the electric car’s potential as both a receptacle and provider of electrical energy. It’s widely accepted that 90 percent of cars aren’t in use 90 percent of the time. But while you can’t do much with your petrol or diesel car when it’s parked in the garage, the same can’t be said for electric vehicles and hybrids, which have both electrical charge and storage capacity when in a static state. Hence why V2G works in a bidirectional fashion, meaning it can both enable the…

LETTER OF THE MONTH “MANUFACTURERS WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO IMITATE A BUNCH OF OSTRICHES” MAKE US A LEMON AID I’VE USED Wheels magazine as a reference guide for all things automotive for over 40 years – back when Robbo was young and we could both do the 100 metres in under 12 seconds (shanks’s pony, that is). Here’s an idea for Wheels to keep its spot as a hard-copy reference guide to the 60-years-plus brigade: with the class action against Toyota’s 2.8-litre diesel DPF system, the petrol and oil dilution problem in Honda’s 1.5 turbo, VW Dieselgate and so on, it would be great if Wheels could have a ‘lemon’ column which identifies current automotive issues and the manufacturers’ actions to correct or clarify them. Not only could we…

Model Porsche 996.1 GT3 Engine 3600cc flat-six, dohc, 24v Max power 265kW @ 7200rpm Max torque 370Nm @ 5000rpm Transmission 6-speed manual Weight 1350kg 0-100km/h 4.8sec (claimed) Price $224,600 (1999), from $160,000 now PORSCHE WEAVES A seductive line in fairy tales. Half-truths often become legends while nods and winks gently coalesce into established facts. It’s our fault, really. We want to believe. The romance of Porsche’s competition pedigree is an intoxicating backstory that has us teasing out the mitochondrial DNA of the most tenuous motorsport connections. But Porsche didn’t have to bother gilding the lily with the Porsche 996 GT3. To contextualise the genesis of this car, you need to understand nothing more abstract than cooling. More specifically, water cooling. The 996 generation might have seen the 911 switch from…

Model Tesla Model 3 Performance Motors Asynchronous (f); permanent magnet (r) Battery 75kW/h Max power 335kW Max torque 640Nm @ 0rpm Transmission single-speed reduction gear Weight 1900kg (estimated) 0-100km/h 3.4sec (claimed) Economy 18kW/h/100km (estimated) Price $91,200 On sale Now SLIDING INTO the driver’s seat of Tesla’s Model 3 is initially a little startling. It’s like coming home to find your sleek Scandinavian-inspired apartment has been burgled, and all that’s been left by the thieving bastards is your iPad. So my first question is: do you still call an instrument panel by that name if there are no instruments involved? ‘Minimalist’ doesn’t even begin to describe it. Anyway, get familiar with that 15.0-inch tablet, because everything – from adjusting the height and reach of the wheel, even opening the boot and…

SECOND chances don’t often come around in the Australian motoring business. This is an unforgiving market that can see companies and models chewed up and spat out without a moment’s thought. Hyundai knows this all too well. Its Genesis luxury sub-brand arrived in Australia in late 2014 comprising just a single large luxury sedan. The G80 (nee Hyundai Genesis) didn’t grab luxo buyers’ attention, struggling to sell outside the limo-driver market, and was eventually dropped. But now Genesis is back for a second crack as a premium brand, and its letter of intent is the G70. This midsizer is the real hero for Genesis, with a six-model line-up on offer, and a choice of two engines. We’ve skipped the 2.0-litre turbo four and gone straight for the 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6…

DOES ANYONE recall a time when two blokes with a truck were just removalists, rather than ‘relocation solution providers’? It’s become one of those inescapable business buzz-terms, and everyone’s in on it. Your local coffee guy probably calls himself a ‘caffeine solutions provider’ on his LinkedIn page. JET Charge, founded by 35-year-old former corporate lawyer Tim Washington, actually is an ‘EV charging solutions provider’, but perhaps even more crucially, Washington himself is a human-powered solutions provider. Where you or I may see hurdles, Washington sees opportunities. When naysayers throw up commonly held barriers to mainstream EV ownership in Australia, Washington has a steadfast, unshakeable determination to either hurdle over them or navigate around: “If we accept there’s only one way to achieve a zero-emissions transportation future – and that’s how…

RENAULT MEGANE RS280 CUP Price as tested: $50,180 This month: 1287km @ 7.4L/100km WHEN WAS THE last time you went out for a drive just for the fun of it? Unfortunately, a no-particular-destination solo blast on great roads isn’t something many of us block out time in the diary for. Life has a habit of getting in the way. A Sunday when my partner was overseas and nothing particular needed doing raised exactly that opportunity for me, so I juiced the Megane RS up the previous night and pointed it at the Reefton Ring. You might know this drive loop, even if you’re not a Melburnian. It’s a 124km jaunt that runs through Warburton, Healesville, Marysville, Reefton and back to Warburton accessible from any point on the circuit. It includes…

SUZUKI JIMNY Price as tested: $24,490 This month: 902km @ 7.1L/100km SAD PANDA – that’s the best way I can describe the way I felt last month when I sold my ’05 Mazda 3 SP23. I get to drive some amazing cars for Wheels but I never hated jumping back into it. The fact it had a manual ’box made it a lot more of an engaging drive than some of the newbies I get to steer. This is where the Jimny comes in and fills that gaping hole in my life. Yes, the shift throws are long, 75kW isn’t stunning, and it’s damn noisy, but having the ability to control the revs and holding gears as long as possible makes the driving a lot more fun. Sneaking into small…

Model Range Rover Evoque P200 R-Dynamic S Engine 1997cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v, turbo Max power 147kW @ 5500rpm Max torque 320Nm @ 1250-4500rpm Transmission 9-speed automatic Weight 1845kg 0-100km/h 8.5sec (claimed) Economy 8.1L/100km Price $65,650 On sale Now WE HAVE a bit of a problem with this Range Rover Evoque. Park it next to our reigning Car of the Year, the Volvo XC40, and they appear the most natural of rivals. The Swedish incumbent is a few millimetres longer and taller, not to mention a little more generous in wheelbase, where the second-gen Evoque is broader in the beam. Their footprint on the road is virtually identical, and both will appeal to those looking for a non-German premium compact SUV. In the Star Wars  stormtrooper specifications as seen here, they…

Model Jaguar F-Pace SVR Engine 5000cc V8 (90°), dohc, 32v, supercharger Max power 405kW @ 6000-6500rpm Max torque 680Nm @ 2500-5500rpm Transmission 8-speed automatic Weight 1932kg 0-100km/h 4.3sec (claimed) Economy 11.7L/100km Price $140,262 On sale Now IN AN ERA of adding batteries rather than cubic inches to find extra power, Jaguar’s F-Pace SVR feels like a bit of an anomaly. Shoehorning an old-school supercharged 5.0-litre V8 into its mid-size SUV is a (wonderful) case of modern sensibilities be damned. The net result is a 405kW/680Nm uber SUV for a relative bargain ask of $140,262. Along with the bigger engine, the SVR gains new bumper treatments front and rear which, combined with bonnet vents and quad exhaust tips, add some much-needed aggression to the styling of Jaguar’s first SUV. Inside, standard…

Model Audi Q7 50 TDI quattro Engine 2967cc 6cyl, dohc, 24v, turbo-diesel Max power 210kW @ 3500-4000rpm Max torque 600Nm @ 2250-3250rpm Transmission 8-speed automatic Weight 2165kg 0-100km/h 6.5sec (claimed) Economy 6.9L/100km Price $110,000 (estimated) On sale Q1, 2020 AUDI’S UPDATE program continues apace, and its XL-sized Q7 is next in the queue. Debuting in 2015, the second-gen seven-seat SUV has done solid numbers since then, despite starting at just under $100,000. This mid-life facelift arrives early in 2020, and while prices aren’t finalised yet, it’ll head north of its current position. It’s hard to impart runway glamour to a large wagon, but Audi has blended the ruggedness of the Q7 with the modernity of the Q8. Sharply angled LED headlights add authority to the front end, and new machined-face…

Model BMW X3 M Competition Engine 2993cc 6cyl, dohc, 24v, twin-turbo Max power 375kW @ 6250rpm Max torque 600Nm @ 2600-5600rpm Transmission 8-speed automatic Weight 1970kg 0-100km/h 4.1sec (claimed) Fuel consumption 10.6L/100km Price $157,900 On sale Now THE BMW X3 M Competition is aptly named, because it has plenty of it. It’s the latest arrival in a packed market segment full of quality players like the Mercedes-AMG GLC63 S, Alfa Stelvio Q, Jaguar F-Pace SVR and Porsche Macan Turbo. BMW is a little late to the party, but has the advantage of seeing what its rivals have come up with before wading into the fray. Only the top-spec ‘Competition’ variants of the X3 M (and its quasi-coupe sibling, the X4 M) will be coming to Australia, which means 375kW/600Nm from…

WHAT IS IT that sets a Porsche performance car apart? What are those elements that win industry awards with such metronomic regularity? You could argue that astonishing handling, detailed feedback, high-definition control integrity and a fundamental understanding of what keen drivers need, born from years of competition success, represent the special sauce. As sacrilegious as it sounds, it’s often not about the engine. Horsepower is an easily replicable attribute. Think about that in the context of the Taycan, Porsche’s first electric car of the modern era. Cynics might snipe that here is a vehicle trying to replicate something that Tesla achieved with its Model S in 2012, or that minus an internal-combustion engine, the Taycan is somehow commoditised; a generic skateboard draped in Zuffenhausen’s dress-up. Nothing could be further from…

1. BMW 330i New digital instrument cluster and infotainment is user-friendly, and offers operation via the familiar rotary dial. Finding the Goldilocks driving position is easiest in the BMW, which allows you to sit lower, with adjustable side bolsters. Rear seats have adequate legroom for an adult, but you’d need toes like Daryl Beattie to fit your feet under the front pews. More rear headroom than in the Genesis. 2. GENESIS G70 Infotainment system in the Genesis is touch-screen only, and feels a bit too Hyundai parts-bin for this type of premium application. Quality of materials also feels inferior to the BMW, with harder, scratchier surfaces. Front seats feel designed to accommodate larger body types, while rear bonce-room is less generous than the BMW; anyone over six foot risks headbutting…

YOU’D BE a genius if you could pick the next trend in SUVs. You’d also be rich, because our appetite for the car on stilts is unrivalled. The challenge is figuring out what that template looks like. BMW had the original monocoque soft-roader thing nailed down before the Y2K bug was given oxygen, and since then, the Munich giant has penned almost every conceivable size and body style – not all of them successful. Now, it returns to the original formula, albeit upsized. Enter the all-new X7, BMW’s first proper seven-seater. Its length extends over five metres to 5151mm and, importantly for a genuine seven-seater, its wheelbase extends to 3105mm. The only contender close to those proportions is the Mercedes-Benz GLS, measuring 3075mm between the wheels and 21mm shorter overall.…

MERCEDES-BENZ A250 4MATIC Price as tested: $66,640 This month: 1056km @ 7.8L/100km IS THERE A more intoxicating feeling than spending someone else’s money? It’s a sensation that I imagine only bank robbers and slippery-suited hedge fund managers must experience on a regular basis, but a few months ago, I was lucky enough to taste its heady heights. It all happened so fast. One minute I was talking to the nice PR man from Mercedes about a possible long-term A-Class, then the next I was shouting “YES!” or muttering “Hmmm, no, pass” as he read through the options list of what was to become ‘my’ A250 4Matic. The temptation to get carried away was strong, though with the level head of a man who agonises over whether 50c for an extra…

SUBARU FORESTER 2.5i-S Price as tested: $41,940 This month: 476km @ 10.3L/100km IF THERE’S ONE thing that fills me with terror on a road trip, it’s the thought of having to sustain conversation for hours on end. To mitigate any possibility of this nightmare scenario, I always make sure I have a failsafe back-up plan for music sources. In the Forester there’s the DAB radio, of course, and my phone is plugged in to provide Spotify via CarPlay. But just in case the Telstra network melts down, Chernobyl style, I also keep my trusty iPod Classic plugged into the auxiliary port. Then I remembered the two small red LED lights on the Forester’s centre stack, there to highlight the CD slot – yet another music source! I’d been remiss in…

“THE BASIC MANAGEMENT philosophy of our company is originality, and accordingly our goal has always been to spur demand by introducing products that only Honda can create.” With those words – absolutely true of Honda in 1969 – Soichiro Honda introduced his company’s biggest and most advanced car to that date, the 1300 sedan and coupe. Like Honda’s preceding kei-class sports (S500/600/800) and city (N360) cars, the 1300 was clearly from a different mindset than its rivals, the Toyota Corona and Datsun Bluebird. The Honda was front-drive, its all-alloy, 1.3-litre transverse four-cylinder engine being innovatively air-cooled, dry-sumped and redlined at 7500rpm. The base, single-carb ‘77’ version made 74kW, 10 percent more than Toyota’s 1.6-litre, while the top ‘99’ version had four carburettors and made an impressive 86kW at 7300rpm. Soichiro…