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REAL WORLD FUEL CONSUMPTION TESTING

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Checking the emissions of a Volkswagen Golf is an important business

The Volkswagen Group emissions cheating scandal has again brought up the argument that emissions and fuel consumption testing should be done in the real world, not in laboratories. Which sounds good in principle and I can understand why the general public is calling out for it. However, there are far too many variables in the real world so comparisons between vehicles require identical testing, which can only be done inside a building where temperature and weather are under control and cars are driven in an extremely accurate manner to follow… Read more

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NEW BMW 1 SERIES IS BETTER IN AND OUT

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A BMW for under forty grand? Not so long ago, that was a ridiculous idea, and even if the sticker had the magic 3 in the tens-of-thousands column, the market assumed you had to spend another ten grand to get an AM radio. Now, we’re used to the idea, and BMW’s upgraded F20 1 Series comes with a sharpening of the standard features list. The 118i replaces the 116i as the cheapest of the BMW line-up (not counting Mini, obviously) and in Urban Line still squeaks under $40,000 before on-roads,… Read more

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CASCADA IS HOLDEN’S NEW CRUISING CONVERTIBLE

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Another new name on the Australian motoring scene, Holden Cascada is the convertible version of the Holden Astra. The cars are sourced from Holden’s General Motors affiliate, Opel. Opinions are divided on the material used for convertible roofs. In the last decade or so there was a move away from the traditional fabric top towards a solid retractable roof, the logic being that buyers wanted the perceived advantages of the looks and security of a coupe when the roof is closed. Opel / Holden followed this trend with the previous… Read more

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FORD FIESTA 2004 – 2015

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2007 Ford Fiesta XR4

Ford Fiesta is the smallest car in the extensive range of Fords made in, or imported to, Australia. Ford Australia aims its cars at drivers who are looking for more than mere transport, so brings in many cars from designed for and built in Europe. This makes them slightly more expensive, but many keen buyers seem happy to find the extra cash. To this day some confuse the Fiesta with the model it superseded, the Ford Festiva, but they are completely different cars. Festiva was built in South Korean by… Read more

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FORD RESEARCH CENTRE IS BIGGER AND BETTER THAN EVER

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High-speed endurance testing in 1965 of the new XP Ford Falcon proved its suitability for tough Australian roads

Ford Australia may be pulling out of local manufacturing in 2016, but continues to expand in the design, engineering and testing fields. In fact there are more engineers employed than every before and the company is searching for more as I write this. Indeed, after the other two car makers, Holden and Toyota, close their factories in 2017 Ford Australia says it will be largest automotive employer on Australia. Some two billion dollars has been invested by Ford Australia in research and development (R&D) in the past six years, with… Read more

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AMILCAR COMPOUND

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1938 Amilcar Compound

This front wheel drive car with its unitary body/chassis was first produced in 1938 by Amilcar not long after this company was taken over by Hotchkiss. Designed by famed French engineer Jean-Albert Gregoire, it was introduced to the motoring world at the 1937 Paris Motor Show. Amilcar Compound was powered by a four-cylinder, side valve 1185cc engine with a fully synchromesh four-speed gearbox mounted in front of it with gear selection by cables. Drive was taken to the front wheels via short shafts and constant velocity joints. For all its… Read more

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FIAT 130

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The 3.2-litre version of the Fiat 130 appeared in 1971. Fiat’s ultimate saloon, engineered with little thought to cost, was pretty well sorted out by this time. The 130 had one of Europe’s most sophisticated drive trains that featured such niceties as vented discs all round and passive rear-wheel steering. It had a three-speed Borg Warner automatic transmission but could also be ordered with a five-speed ZF manual option. The 130 felt lusty and torquey to drive, with a responsive kickdown and a surprising sense of urgency but against the… Read more

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VITARA ON ROAD TO SWIFT ACTION

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Suzuki still gets it. The company that turned the Swift, an inconsequential small hatchback, into a raging sales success, worn as a good taste badge of honour by males and females of all ages, may have done it again. Its popular sports utility vehicle, the Vitara, has been given a makeover that blends the best of its solid SUV looks with modern, edgy styling to produce a head-turning yet practical crossover. The fifth-generation Vitara comes in two-wheel and four-wheel drive in two specification levels – RT-S and RT-X – the… Read more

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BENZ SUV PLUNGES INTO THICK OF THE ACTION

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The hunt for the missing link is over; that’s the hope of the folk at Mercedes-Benz Australia. With sales of mid-size luxury SUVs roaring like a summer bush blaze, the German auto giant had, for some time, been missing in action due to the lack of a right-hand drive model Down Under. Now the Mercedes GLC has landed and it was hard to take the smiles off the faces of Aussie execs at the recent launch of the SUV, for it’s not been achieved without some serious chivvying at Benz… Read more

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2016 JAGUAR F-TYPE COUPE

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Jaguar is a company that probably shouldn’t still be around. For almost four decades, the leaping cat traded on the long-faded glories of the E-Type and Mk II, the marque’s styling becoming progressively more timid under Ford’s stewardship when Jaguar was part of the ill-fated Premier Automotive Group. When Indian giant Tata bought in, many were aghast that one of the icons of British motoring was now in the hands of a former colony. Clearly, these people needn’t have worried (or, better still, checked their prejudice at the door). Because… Read more