Table of contents for February 2020 in Wheels

DUE MAR SUBARU F FORESTER e-BOXER Watch out, Toyota RAV4 Hybrid: Subaru’s petrol-electric e-Boxer is coming our way. A lithium-ion battery pack supplies power to the motor, which in turn supplements the 110kW/196Nm 2.0-litre atmo flat-four engine. The XV also gains the same all-wheel-drive, CVT-equipped hybrid powertrain. DUE APRIL JEEP GLADIATOR In crude terms, it’s a Wrangler with a ute tray. The Gladiator will be offered with the trusty atmo 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 (213kW/353Nm) with either a six-speed manual or eight-speed auto. Expect prices north of $60K when the four-door dual-cab lands down under. Doorless off-roading awaits. DUE APR PORSCHE MACAN GTS Slotting between the S and Turbo, the $109,700 Macan GTS offers 280kW/520Nm from its 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6. With PDK and Sport Chrono it’ll reach 100km/h in 4.7sec.…

Model Porsche Cayenne Turbo Coupe Engine 3996cc V8 (90°), dohc, 32v, twin-turbo Max power 404kW @ 5750-6000rpm Max torque 770Nm @ 1960-4500rpm Transmission 8-speed automatic Weight 2200kg Economy 12.3L/100km 0-100km/h 3.9sec (claimed) Price $253,600 On sale Now BRAND IDENTITY is important. Think Porsche and two things come to mind: high-performance road cars and on-track success. Not a style and market-driven niche SUV... However, the Cayenne has proven it fits Stuttgart’s USP. And now there’s a swoopy, coupe-like version. Opinions on the design vary, but Porsche’s attempt at the genre created by BMW’s X6 is good. The Coupe range starts with the $128,000 base Coupe, steps to the $166,200 S before ramping up to the $253,600 Turbo, and tops out with the $292,700 Turbo S E-Hybrid. All variants drive all four…

1 AUDI RSQ8 Let’s see, which Wheelsstaffer least likes large, expensive, hi-po SUVs? Er, that would be John Carey, so he’s the perfect bloke to report on Audi’s new SUV flagship, the mighty RSQ8. Powered by the company’s 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 in its highest state of tune to date – 441kW/800Nm – this high-riding heavyweight packs every dynamic aid available, but will it dodge the ire of our most pragmatic veteran? 2 BMW X5 xDRIVE 45E PHEV We’re keen to test the real-world range of BMW’s X5 plug-in hybrid next month, given the official numbers suggest it can travel nearly 80km on electric power alone. The X5 PHEV pairs a 210kW 3.0-litre turbo-petrol six with an 82kW motor and lithium-ion battery pack, for a combined system output of 290kW and…

Conceived as a race car, the M1 famously launched the letter M to enthusiasts, and, not coincidentally, BMW Motorsport WHEN I FIRST lay eyes on the M1, it’s pointing nose-out in front of the BMW Classic service area. I’ve waited 40 years to drive this car – BMW’s rare mid-engined coupe – and for the next two days, this white 1980 M1 is mine. But something prevents me from rushing to the driver’s door. Some secret power forces me to pause, to savour its slender form, to absorb Giugiaro’s masterpiece. Better to slowly walk around it, soaking up the gentle wedge, recognising the importance of the slim, horizontal line that runs the full length of the body and connects so many different elements of the M1’s so-pure shape. Then walk…

1 STATIC POKE AND PROD After a short presentation on each model’s genesis, the judges inspect its every orifice. Exterior and interior design, packaging efficiency, seating, cargo space and versatility are all assessed. There’s also a standardised test for connectivity and the full standard safety rating for each model in the range is discussed. 2 RIDE AND HANDLING: SEALED ROAD (4.0KM) Used for ride and handling assessment, bitumen ESC effectiveness, braking stability and steering characteristics. 3 RIDE AND HANDLING: GRAVEL ROAD (1.4KM) Slippery sand over hard-packed clay, and a slight crown. Used to assess handling and ESC effectiveness. Also offers a different acoustic signature for NVH verdicts. 4 DOUBLE LANE-CHANGE (120M) Simulates emergency avoidance manoeuvre at 80km/h for low COG vehicles and 60km/h for high-sided vehicles.…

IF YOU’RE GOING to have an identity crisis, then best make it a fabulous one. Case in point: the Volkswagen Touareg. Is it a more-affordable Audi Q7? An everyday Bentley Bentayga? A Porsche Cayenne in drag? Or a bit of everything? After all, these four distinct large SUVs share the Volkswagen Group’s MLB Evo modular longitudinal architecture. So, is the Touareg – now in its third generation, and priced from $79,490 for the entry-level 190TDI – a conspicuous bargain as a result of such rarefied genes? Or is it just an expensive Volkswagen? The answers are a qualified yes to both, since our top-spec Premium model – normally from $85,490 with standard air suspension, heated/vented/ massaging front seats, Matrix LEDs, gesture control, QI phone charger and 20-inch alloys – arrived…

IS THE LEAF the most significant new model at COTY? Maybe. Though the ZE0 original barely made a blip in Australia, and Tesla and others have since offered speedier and more stylish EVs, only the plucky Nissan has been around long enough to now be into its second generation. With nearly half a million sold since 2010, no other EV series in history has been more successful. And that’s the whole point. The Leaf is an easy and relatively affordable entry into the brave, uncertain world of electrification. With its approachably dorky design, comfy interior and simple controls, Nissan’s masterstroke was to make the unusual seem normal for the mainstream while still appealing to early adopters. The brand is still attempting to please both, though the new ZE1’s toned-down, squared-off…

“I’d much rather drive a BMW M2 or an Alpine A110 on a challenging road”ANDY ENRIGHT DESIGNED AND ENGINEERED in Germany, but not only by Germans, and assembled in Austria, this product of a 2012 agreement revives a Japanese legend last produced in 2002. Toyota insists the new Supra would not exist if it had not done a co-development deal with BMW, and the Germans say that without their Japanese partner the business case for replacing the Z4 roadster would not add up. The closely related pair of rear-drive two-seaters are produced in the same Magna Steyr-owned factory in Graz, Austria. To say the two-birds-with-one-stone origin tale of the new Toyota Supra is more complex than the average car’s is an understatement. But there’s nothing complicated about the Supra line-up…

REALLY, WE SHOULD have known. After all, the writing was on the wall 12 months ago when the Jaguar I-Pace rocketed to the front of the pack during COTY 2019. The Jaguar’s advantage was so clear at the end of round one that deputy editor Andy Enright asked if we should all just go home. “Do we really need another four days of testing?” he mused, only half jokingly. “I just can’t see how the I-Pace can lose.” But lose the Jaguar did. Issues with its real-world range, various technical gremlins, plus packaging shortfalls saw the I-Pace’s seemingly unassailable lead cut away at the knees. But the stage was set. Any manufacturer who could field a comparable EV in a more complete package would surely be a shoo-in… Enter the…

VOLVO V60 T5 INSCRIPTION Price as tested: $72,390 This month: 882km @11.3L/100km “YOU’VE DONE well there, champ!” Beg your pardon? “Your V60; it’s the pick of the trio!” We’re at the Holden Proving Ground in Lang Lang and Ash Westerman has just stepped away from the three Volvo COTY contenders. When ‘Big Red’ gives a car his seal of approval, you know you’re on a good thing. A man of his vast car testing experience is never shy to point out a vehicle’s misgivings. But while his approval was reassuring, by now you’d be aware the Swedish combo of S60 and V60 were not sufficiently outstanding to deliver Volvo the elusive COTY hat-trick. The segment occupied by these models is hotly contested, and the new pair just don’t drastically advance…

IN ROUGHLY 30 YEARS as leader of the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin showed the world just what communism can do; most notably the deaths of around 20 million citizens through imprisonment, famine and state-sanctioned murder. Odd, then, that super-commie Stalin was a fan of American limousines. The Soviet Union’s ZiL state automotive concern began in 1916, with the founding of the AMO factory near Moscow to produce licensed Fiat trucks. However, the Russian Revolution stalled production until 1925 – around the same time that Stalin began engineering his dictatorship. In 1931, Stalin renamed the car and truck maker Zavod imeni Stalina (ZiS) after himself. From 1936-1941 the ZiS factory produced around 9000 ZiS-101 state limousines, taxis and ambulances, until the German invasion forced a switch to decentralised, military production. Just…

IT’S HARD TO keep a secret in the automotive world. Everybody now has a camera on their person, once privileged testing locations are now plastered all over the internet, and spy photographers with drones can now surveil even the most locked-down proving grounds. Therefore it came as a huge surprise when Sony unveiled its Vision-S Concept electric vehicle at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this January. The Japanese were at pains to stress that the vehicle was, for the time being at least, merely a rolling shop window for an impressive suite of Sony sensors, but dig a little deeper and the company’s ambitions are obvious. At CES in 2015, then-CEO Kazuo Hirai made an off-the-cuff remark. “This growing automotive segment has enormous potential,” Hirai told the crowd…

15,664 That’s the power-to-weight ratio (in kW per tonne) of the Bloodhound LSR jet car. To put that rocket-assisted figure into perspective, it’s double that of the fastest Top Fuellers, while an F1 car makes a mere 1200kW per tonne. A Bugatti Chiron, by comparison, makes a paltry 553kW per tonne, which means that the Bloodhound is around 28 times more potent than Bugatti’s best. BRING OUT YOUR DEAD Lexus sold three new LFAs in 2019, despite production ending in 2012. Unregistered vehicles had sat in dealers for that long, waiting for values to peak. According to Lexus’s own figures, there are still four brand spankers left for sale in the States. If the screaming LFA doesn’t appeal, how about a box-fresh Viper? That went off sale in 2017, but…

“WE BORROW THE RESULT OF OTHERS’ HARD WORK, FRUSTRATION, AND DISAPPOINTMENT” ALL CARS BUT NO RESPONSIBILITY I CONCUR with the proposition (Wheels, Yearbook 2019) that Australia is behind the eight ball when it comes to industry leadership, mainly because it comes cheaply, and with none of the development and research nightmares, stuff-ups, and toxic outcomes. We dodged a nuclear-industry bullet, and, until recently, extracting oil from once-pristine oceans. And so it will go for shiny new objects of interest. Even if we had developed world’s best technology, population numbers couldn’t justify the expense. Hence our dependence on the rest of the world to do its dirtiest work for our secondary interest and benefit. We’re a lucky country because we borrow the result of others’ hard work, frustration, and disappointment. Who…

Model Audi A6 45 TFSI quattro S-Line Engine 1984cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v, turbo Max power 180k W @ 5000-6000rpm Max torque 370 Nm @ 1600-4500rpm Transmission 7-speed dual-clutch Weight 1695kg 0-100km/h 6.0sec (claimed) Economy 7.3L/100km Price $105,200 On sale Now IT’S TAKEN a long time for Audi to repeat the engineering highs of its aero-tastic C3 100 model from the 1980s, but this C8-generation A6 executive sedan may finally be it. Smooth, slick, suave and sophisticated, the latest A6 does pretty much everything you could want for a six-figure sum. Even a base A6 can fulfil a tech-lover’s fantasy. As the first Audi equipped with the brand’s new-gen infotainment (dubbed Connect Plus), its party tricks include: the ability to continue listening to digital radio when you lose the signal via…

THE GENESIS G70’S fate was sealed when all bar one judge marked it as being below average value for money. If you’re a car from Korea and you are perceived as being overly expensive, the transporter out of Lang Lang’s waiting for you. Finito. Doneski. Next. Let’s rewind a little to 2018. During that year’s COTY, the G70’s cousin, the Kia Stinger, made it out of the proving ground and into the pointy end of proceedings. Ponch summed it up by noting, “We truly hope it sells, because genuine driver’s cars – even charmingly flawed ones – are becoming increasingly thin on the ground.” That’s still the case, and the Genesis has set about forensically excising many of the Stinger’s dynamic flaws. It’s sharper and more focused. The ESC system…

IF WHEELS COTY INCLUDED an award for ‘most improved over its predecessor’, then the new Q3 would almost certainly be headed out of Lang Lang with a medal pinned to its compact-SUV chest. Instead, it struggled to overcome a key criteria that’s been a regular COTY stumbling point for modern Audis, but also dipped against a less-expected one. More predictable was the strong start in terms of design, cabin packaging and general user-friendliness. Early points were scored for the now-larger interior’s greater flexibility, with the sliding and folding rear seat enabling extra legroom or greater boot space, depending on daily requirements. The typical high-quality Audi interior was also noted, along with the beautiful integration of the slick multimedia screen. The move to a version of the ubiquitous VW Group MQB…

EVERY YEAR AT Wheels COTY, there’s one contender that doesn’t progress beyond the first round, but nevertheless distinguishes itself as a very good thing. Last year it was the Hyundai Santa Fe; the year before, the Volkswagen Arteon. This year’s claimant was the BMW X5. Toby Hagon reckoned it was amazingly car-like for such a large SUV and loved its composure through our coned lane-change test. It was perhaps only bettered by Volkswagen’s Touareg in this discipline, but the VW had the advantage of an $8K R-Line pack that included a pair of electromechanical anti-roll bars to stabilise it. The BMW felt more natural through the flick-flack, our GMH hosts allowing us to gradually up the speed until we were matching the speeds of non-SUVs. Of the two cars along…

“They’ve really nailed the styling and design – it’s a beautiful small car”BYRON MATHIOUDAKIS FROM A DISTANCE Audi’s second-generation A1 looks good. Really good. Elegant curves and a slit in the bonnet inject genuine personality into a B-segment hatchback. Mathioudakis was all but writing a cheque. Priced from $32,350, it also undercuts the (larger, more convincing) entry points of luxury rivals by about $10K. German luxury at a mainstream price looks good on paper, the four rings a tempting alternative to the Asian emblems that dominate at this price. But dig beneath the surface and there’s lashings of Volkswagen Polo DNA tempering the premium positioning, from that entry 30TFSI through to the 35TFSI and 40TFSI. The new A1 and Polo share architectures and, in some cases, engines, making direct comparisons…

GENESIS G70 ULTIMATE SPORT Price as tested: $79,950 This month: 647km @ 11.8L/100km IT WAS ONLY Day One of COTY, and already my inner 13-year-old was bouncing around my head and trying to escape via my mouth. Andy Enright was delivering his presentation of the Genesis G70 pair to the judging panel, and there was lots of detail to absorb as to how the Korean sedans stacked up against the criteria. If you’ve arrived at this page having made your way via our COTY coverage, you’ll know that the G70’s packaging wasn’t celebrated (rear legroom tight; boot aperture small), nor was the efficiency of the V6. Curiously, the G70 doesn’t even have an idle-stop system, much less any mild-hybrid tech to try and pull the consumption number down. All of…

COSMONAUT HERO YURI GAGARIN RIDES IN A 111V TO THE KREMLIN 1961 187 111/111A/111V MODELS BUILT FROM 1958-’63 EUROS FOR A GUTTED PROJECT 111A FOR SALE IN LITHUANIA 450,000 112 MODEL DESIGNATION OF 1962 ZIL SPORTS ROADSTER, TEST BED FOR LIMOS’ V8 ENGINES COPY THAT, CHIEF The 111’s cast-iron, 5980cc ohv V8 has misty origins, but the single-carb V8 claimed 149kW/441Nm and drove through a two-speed, push-button automatic, evidently copied from Chrysler’s PowerFlite. The ladder-frame chassis carried independent coil-spring front suspension, a leaf-sprung de Dion axle at the rear, and boosted all-drum brakes. POSITION OF POWER ZiL’s 111Vconvertible phaeton was the full monty for communism’s more-equal-than-others.The dash housed an array of push-pull controls and the novel four-button panel for the auto. Power windows and the huge canvas soft-top were hydraulically…

THE BALD FIGURES make for some sobering reading. In 2019, the number of lives lost on Australia’s roads jumped by 53 to a total of 1188, an increase of 4.7 percent compared to the previous year. Victoria’s figures were notably ugly, with 266 deaths in 2019, according to the state’s Transport Accident Commission (TAC) – 53 up on 2018. Jaala Pulford, Victoria’s minister for fishing, boating, roads and the TAC, described the result as heartbreaking. “It’s been a devastating year on Victoria’s roads with every loss of life someone’s mother, father, sister, brother, husband, wife or friend who will not come home tonight,” she said. “That’s why we’re cracking down on dangerous driving, building safer roads and working on the next road safety strategy – but every Victorian has a…

Model Toyota C-HR Koba Hybrid Engine 1798cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v + electric motor Max power 90kW @ 5200rpm Max torque 142Nm @ 3600rpm Transmission CVT automatic Weight 1420kg 0-100km/h 10.5sec (estimated) Economy 4.3L/100km Price $36,440 On sale Now IT’S IRONIC THAT Toyota chose to launch the Corolla sedan and the refreshed C-HR at the same event. The former represents the Japanese marque’s traditional staple of unassuming competence, a formula the ubiquitous car maker has built its empire on, while the latter couldn’t break that mould more if it tried. Style-driven and unashamedly aimed towards a younger, ‘hip’ audience, the C-HR is certainly a change of tack. Toyota has now updated its C-HR range with minor styling tweaks, and the welcome inclusion of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The 8.0-inch touchscreen…

Model Nissan Navara N-Trek Warrior Engine 2298cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v, TTD Max power 140kW @ 3750rpm Max torque 450Nm @ 1500-2500rpm Transmission 7-speed automatic Weight 2186kg 0-100km/h 9.9sec (estimated) Economy 6.8L/100km Price: $65,490 On sale Now TEN KILOMETRES on Victoria’s alpine roads is all it takes to realise that, after three revisions, Nissan has finally sorted the Navara’s coil-sprung rear axle that promised so much when it launched in 2016, but didn’t quite deliver. The elephant in the room is that it took an Australian independent vehicle developer to achieve the result that Nissan’s Japanese engineers could not. It’s not something you’ll hear Nissan Australia bragging about, but the beaming smiles of pride worn by the team at the Navara N-Trek Warrior’s launch spoke volumes. This new flagship of the…

THE DEVELOPMENT of any new car is a constant battle between the engineers and the accountants. Generally, the former want to spend the money and the latter want to save it. In creating the Toyota GR Yaris, the engineers definitely had the upper hand. This is a baby hot hatch with a carbon roof, aluminium panels, monster brakes, and a bespoke engine and all-wheel-drive system. Toyota has pushed all its chips in, and with good reason, for the GR Yaris is the basis for its next World Rally Car, set to debut in 2021. More importantly, it’s the first all-new, purely Toyota performance car since the 2001 Corolla Sportivo, if you’re feeling charitable, or the 1994 ST205 Celica GT-Four if you’re being realistic. No joint ventures here. There’s a significant…

THE BMW 3 SERIES was a shoo-in for the top three at Car of the Year this time round. The pre-event scuttlebutt even had some proclaiming it the favourite to trouser the big gong, the first BMW to do so since the i3’s controversial win in 2014. The G20-generation 330i had already aced a couple of Wheels comparisons against some illustrious rivals and the four-cylinder sedan was joined, for the first time in Australia, by the six-cylinder M340i xDrive. By most accepted measures, this formidable one-two combo had the punch to spark many of the other contenders out cold. Indeed, after the first round of voting, the 3 Series was second-favourite on the judges’ scorecards. But then something odd happened. Given that there was a tie in the lower orders…

IN AN ERA of import-only COTYs, it’s refreshing to see an Australian influence in one of our contenders; the third-gen BMW Z4 was designed by Sydney-born Calvin Luk. It was the design that was an early topic of contention. Some were attracted to its rotund rump, but others felt things were underdone. Fashionista Carey declared it simply didn’t have the appeal he expects in a sports car. No complaints with the practicality, though, the Z4’s two-seat space and ergonomically sound cabin a plus. The return of a soft-top roof and its clever packaging that maintains all 281 litres of luggage space with sun or shade was also praised, as was the Bunnings-friendly ski port poking from boot to cabin. Throw in solid structural integrity and it’s clear the core engineering…

“Edge 2.5L feels unsophisticated compared to the hybrid”TOBY HAGON FEW 2019 MODELS have improved as much as the new RAV4. In fact, Marie Kondo would be proud at just how much of the old RAV4 was thrown out with the advent of this new fifth-generation. As with every one of the company’s latest monocoques, it adopts the Toyota New Global Architecture, offering a longer, wider and stronger platform with a lowered powertrain and passenger cell (bringing packaging benefits and an improved centre of gravity), yet slightly greater ground clearance. Substantially larger in almost every dimension, the unashamedly blocky RAV4 is now a properly spacious five-seater, offering easy entry/egress, an excellent driving position, great seats and generous storage. As for active safety, Toyota joins the class-leading CX-5 in democratising driver-assist technologies…

“Performance model is a huge leap over Standard Plus”ALEX INWOOD THE RED TESLA Model 3 Performance clawed momentarily at Lang Lang’s bitumen, then, like a slightly odd-looking aquarium fish fired from a slingshot, it flung itself to 100km/h in a scalding 3.5 seconds. That figure made it just 0.1sec slower than the fastest car in the COTY field, Porsche’s 911 Carrera S. But with the view from the Tesla a widescreen panorama across an ultra-low scuttle, the road appears closer and it actually feels faster than the German thoroughbred. So considering that a sports sedan needs to provide suitably sporting performance, it was unanimous that the Model 3 got off to a screaming start against the Function criteria. Inwood, normally a bit of a hard man when it comes to…

MAZDA 3 G20 EVOLVE Price as tested: $27,690 This month: 1093km @ 7.5L/100km Overall: 6025km @ 7.2L/100km A CHAT AT COTY with the affable but often purposefully contrarian John Carey got me thinking. Carey, in his infinite wisdom, was highlighting the profit margins car companies enjoy on certain models and how Mazda, as opposed to an outfit like Porsche, has far tighter parameters to work with. The monetary reward for the effort made is quite disparate. The research and development costs of the German sports car are far greater, of course. However, while Carey’s argument doesn’t render Porsche’s efforts with the astonishing 992-generation 911 any less impressive, you have to concede that its cash carrot for doing so is much larger. In a way, it made me look at ‘my’…

TOYOTA RAV4 GXL HYBRID Price as tested: $42,934 This month: 534km @ 5.6L/100km IF YOU ever want to idly entertain yourself, ask a Toyota salesperson how a RAV4 Hybrid’s all-wheel-drive system works. They’ll tie themselves in knots explaining how and why the front wheels have no physical connection to the rears. That’s right, there’s no propshaft that runs the length of the car. The petrol engine drives the front wheels, helped by a front electric motor. Then there’s another electric motor at the back that drives the rear wheels, connected by mere cabling. That motor adds 40kW but also piles on 55kg, so there aren’t too many performance benefits to be gained over the single-motor front-drive version. I’d wondered if I would see any value in the all-wheel-drive system. There…

TOP THREE JAGUAR E-TYPE Funnily enough, Horacio already owns an E-Type and all because of a man named Enrico, a wealthy member of the Argentine community where Pagani grew up. Enrico’s ’63 E-Type captured Horacio’s imagination with its red body and cream roof. As soon as he had the means, he bought one of his own. PORSCHE 917 “This is my all-time favourite,” Horacio says bluntly. It’s not hard to see why, with those stunning lines, the fabled history, and that incredible flat-12 engine. Just 25 of the original design were built, with an asking price around £16,000 in 1969. Horacio could expect to stump up $15m or so today. MERCEDES-BENZ W196 Another classic racer, but this time there is a personal connection. Horacio chose the W196 because it was…