Australian Car Advice | News Blog

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Laguna has for a long time lead the charge for the French as being a symbol for innovative and intelligent automotive design, a datum other cars aspire to, which was a point well validated when BMW purchased Sandouville’s Laguna build number one. Sadly perhaps we Aussies just don’t get it, and more often than not pass up the opportunity to own one - maybe this time round all that will change.

Voted 2008 Company Car of the Year (in France) and The World’s Most Beautiful Car (Estate variant) at the Automotive Festival of Paris, the new Laguna is a stylish and sophisticated modern car with ideals set to challenge convention in much the same way French cars always have. Although at times Renault styling has been quirky, the reasoning behind it is usually sound, and now with the Phase III Laguna conquering showrooms back home, there’s a suggestion sound French reasoning may have finally surrendered to German good looks.

Estate due in Australia from December

From almost any angle, the car is stunning, quite Bavarian in sculpt, and although I’m not personally a fan of the tail light positioning (hatch), just about every other angle of the car strikes a chord for aesthetic pleasure. It’s not quite majestic, but it is certainly striking, sleek and rather elegant, with well proportioned, slippery lines and a free flowing energetic feel.

It also feels very well built. The doors shut beautifully and just the lightest touch will see the weighting take care of the rest, something I’ve not experienced since playing with old Jaguars. Panel fit is uniformly tight all over and the assertively styled Mille Miles 18 inch alloy wheels still manage to hold a certain decorum in those large, slightly flared arches whilst at the same time maintaining grace and purpose. The bright work around the windows contrasts wonderfully with the Charcoal metallic paint (no cost option) and with large headlamps adding a slightly overwhelming look, the front seems bold and insistent, like a larger GT car.

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After spending a whole week with all four cars and undergoing extensive testing, the results are sure to ruffle feathers, but it won’t be hard to see that the market is rapidly changing. So stay tuned for this mega test.

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I mean, just take a look at the latest version of the Subaru Impreza. That’s the Ugly Duckling story in reverse if ever there was one.

But with Honda’s latest Accord, all is back to normal. In comparison to the previous generation Accord (distinct from the Accord Euro - that was a good looking car), the new model is certainly a beautiful swan.

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GM Holden has taken a pretty bold move with the introduction of its new VE Commodore based Sportwagon. The previous VZ’s target market of commercial users saw the wagon stereotyped as a bland, boring ‘rep-mobile’.

Enter 2008 and the successful VE Commodore. Holden wants to clear that ‘rep-mobile’ image with a Chrysler 300C-esque station wagon that appeals to a broader market, including families and people with active lifestyles.

Speaking at Holden’s media launch of the Sportwagon, Chief Designer Richard Ferlazzo said the design philosophy was to create a vehicle that was tailored to those buyers considering an SUV. The Sportwagon is considered by Holden to be a compromise between function and form, with an emphasis on ride quality and design.

Holden’s Sportwagon is based on the Commodore short-wheel-base platform and not, as in the past, on the WM long-wheel-base platform. The Sportwagon maintains the same length as the sedan but still manages to be one of the most spacious wagons on the market.

The tailgate cuts into the roofline to allow easy access when parked against walls and other cars. The Sportwagon needs just 268mm of clearance to swing the tailgate open, meaning that hectares of room aren’t required to load the shopping or the kid’s soccer gear.

$110-million was poured into the development of the Sportwagon (on top of the $1.03-billion spent on Commodore and $105.1-million spent on the Utility program) with just over half a million kilometres spent on the road testing.

The sporty design comes at a cost to interior volume though. The outgoing VZ station wagon could house up to 1402-litres with the rear seats up, while the Sportwagon can facilitate just under two-thirds of that volume at 895-litres. The rear is more accessible though, with the load height being increased by some 36mm.

The drive route had the assembled journalists drive across a variety of surfaces including bumpy asphalt, gravel and twisty mountain roads.

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From the purposeful stance to the throaty note when you fire the engine, the Evo X – Mitsubishi’s 10th iteration of its rally-bred performance car – is something special.

Not that its humbler origins aren’t apparent in the neatly designed but still a bit too plastic interior that cannot be disguised by the leather and cloth Recaro seats.

But let’s cut to the chase, fire the 2.0-litre, twin cam, four-cylinder engine with its twin-scroll turbocharger that generates an impressive 217kW of power at 6500rpm and 366Nm of torque at 3500rpm, slip the gear lever into first and if you’re lucky enough to have the all-new Twin Clutch Sport Shift Transmission (official acronym TC-SST) at your disposal, simply nail the throttle pedal and hang on – because all hell is about to break loose.

With everything in the right setting performance is quite literally shattering, Mitsubishi is coy about 0-100km/h times but we believe they’ve recorded something close to 5.6 seconds and we also believe that under optimum conditions this car could go close to or under the 5.0sec mark.

Stopping is equally improved with huge Brembo brakes front and rear. Both the Lancer Evolution and MR models employ the same size rotors (350mm diameter in front and 330mm diameter in the rear), and the MR uses new two-piece rotor construction to reduce weight. Both use four-piston callipers in front and two-piston callipers in the rear.

There is so much in this car that is new, innovative or just a little bit exotic – like the aluminium roof, bonnet and front guards - that it’s hard to know where to start.

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The world’s first driverless car is the Land Rover Defender. I’m sure you didn’t think you’d hear those words…ever. Well ladies and gentlemen, it’s true – sort of. More on this later though!

Despite very limited advertising, Land Rover has sold over 1.9-million Land Rover Defenders since its creation. Customers obviously aren’t buying the Defender for its stylish looks or its cutting edge feature set. They are buying the Defender its rugged off-roading ability and bulletproof drivetrain.

One guy commented on how impressive the Defender’s condition was for such an old vehicle. He received the shock of his life when I told him it was brand new – just several thousand k’s old in fact. The new Defender gets a revised bonnet and a modular panel structure to aid with repairs, just in case you couldn’t notice.

Driving the Defender can be a bit of a chore. A heavy clutch and rugged gearbox mean that a bit of effort is required to move things along. The turning circle is also woeful at some 14.36m, u-turns are done with heart in hand and five-point turns are of the norm.

The city is obviously not the Defender’s native territory. Head out to where the trees are vast and the mud is even vaster and the Defender soon lets loose. With 314mm of ground clearance, the Defender didn’t bottom out once during our trek through one of Victoria’s largest national parks.

The extremely wet and muddy conditions meant that the Defender had to work overtime to keep moving. The 110 model being test driven features traction control as standard equipment which worked flawlessly during testing. Traction control limits traction loss under acceleration which allows the Defender to move freely through loose surfaces such as mud and sand.

Excess wheel spin results in the tyres becoming bogged, so the traction control allows the optimal balance between grip and torque.

A permanent 4WD centre differential headlines the Defender’s 4WD equipment. A low-range gearbox and lockable centre differential make light work of hill climbs and rock hopping. The centre differential lock can be engaged/disengaged at any speed up to 60km/h, while the gearbox can be switched between low-range and high-range at up to 8km/h.

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The Sportage EX CRDi now not only comes with standard ESP but also gains a sweet common rail turbo diesel engine which, thankfully, has helped curb the mid-sized Korean SUV’s drinking problem. Along with a few minor aesthetic refinements, most noticeably colour coded bumpers, the most current Sportage has managed, if only just, to stave off old age a little while longer.

Fortunately it’s not only the looks that have improved for the cheerful Sportage, a few other refinements make this year’s model a quieter, better handling car that is also safer, more confident and more economical than the petrol variant for a very modest increase in price.

Whilst on the outside the Sportage’s looks are far from inspiring, they are passable and practical, offering good all round vision from a cabin that has a reasonably attractive decor, albeit with extensive use of dark grey plastic. The seating is generously proportioned and comfortable (driver has eight way adjustment) and all controls and switch gear, despite being rather basic, are functional and fall to hand readily.

Motivated by a capable 2.0-litre, SOHC, turbo diesel engine producing a modest 103kW at 4000rpm and a decent 304Nm of torque from 1800rpm, Sportage is hardly what I’d call brisk performer, especially in the middle reaches. But thanks to a decent spread of gears from the new six-speed manual (no auto for diesel - yet), it is certainly very capable, especially at urban speeds, and allows it’s considerable mass to be hauled with enough pep to keep par with most similarly rivals - even when loaded to the hilt.

The engine is fairly quiet once warm and cruising is even quieter than the petrol model tested last time. Fuel economy too has improved dramatically and when compared to the 2.7-litre V6, which drank like the best man at a buck’s party, offers a far more rational approach to consumption with a combined figure of just 7.1L/100km. Best of all, it’s real world achievable and even around town my figures hovered in the low eight litre range.

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It’s been a while since l attended the Australian launch of Hyundai’s (pronounced – hee-unday) own smart car – the i30, and I had forgotten just how good this car really is.

When you add a common rail diesel with an automatic box to the range, what you get is an incredibly attractive proposition for new car buyers looking for the most complete four-wheel package available today in the small car segment.

And I’m not talking about the tricked up, top end SLX CRDi auto, which retails for $27,990, just the base model 1.6 SX CRDi auto at $23,490.

However, there is still a $2000 premium over the manual transmission diesel with the same spec, and frankly, it’s about time that all manufacturers selling cars in Australia, got with the program (as has the been the game plan in the US for the last thirty-five years) and provided an automatic transmission as a no cost option. The economy of scale would have to favour the auto box these days and therefore, make this possible.

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Of course, driving a diesel economically is relatively easy. In fact, a few days ago, John and Helen Taylor set about teaching our politicians a thing or two about smart driving using a couple of diesel 308’s.

Driving an allocated route around Parliament House, the MPs managed an average consumption figure of 4.18-litres/100km, based on the Taylor’s driving tips.

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What’s essentially a Golf with a boot, Jetta offers buyers a similarly sized package, albeit a little longer, with all the bells and whistles expected from our favourite hatch - only in sedan form.

With somewhat more of an upmarket and grown-up feel about it, Jetta feels like a curious meld of Golf and Passat sharing styling cues from each sibling that work harmoniously in both interior and exterior ornamentation to offer a handsome combination that although still attractive, could do with a facelift.

Smooth, flowing panel work, that distinguishable VW front end, and elegant chrome trim work around the windows make for a body whose substance is almost outdone by its good looks, unlike the original Jetta whose ungainly squared off style had all the charisma of a home brand tissue box.

Volkswagen Jetta Mk I was awarded a Five Star NHTSA Rating

What has remained unchanged since Jetta’s humble beginnings is the five star safety rating and continued offering of a diesel engine which, fortunately for us, offers substantially more go than the original 1.6-litre whose 37kW was sure to struggle with the proverbial custard skin.

Under the bonnet these days a capable 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged diesel makes for an effortless 103kW@4000rpm, and with a very healthy 320Nm on hand from just 1750 revs, getting Jetta’s one and a half tonne mass moving is an easy feat indeed.

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