Archive for the ‘Sports Cars’ Category
No, its not a new bike by Alfa Romeo, but rather very special Alfa 147 inspired by our own two wheeled magician, Casey Stoner and his 2007 MotoGP world title.
- Anthony Crawford
Alfa Romeo and Ducati, two great Italian companies have combined their creative juices to produce this warmed up Alfa 147 with a 1.9 JTDM 16V Q2 125kW (170bhp if you live in Perth) together with a whole swag of exclusive performance parts.
2008 TRD Hilux 4000SL vs. LS3 HSV Maloo R8 Review & Road Test
Models tested:
- Review by Matt Brogan & Paul Maric. Photographs by Matt Brogan.
When we decided to run two of Australia’s favourite sport utes head-to-head this week, it was bound to cause some heated discussion around the CarAdvice office. Despite the pair of pick-ups having a slightly different application, they are still essentially the same high powered, tail happy tradie trucks that offer something just a bit above the boring old workhorse - real horsepower.
With an awesome 310kW of power, Ford Performance Vehicles’ (FPV) new turbo-charged F6 sedan is one of the best performing six-cylinder vehicles on the Australian market.
“The F6 is a phenomenal car with performance equal to or better than many European sports cars, but at a fraction of the price,” Ford Performance Vehicles General Manager Rod Barrett said.
Luxury car manufacturers have today responded to the Government’s proposal to increase the luxury car tax from 25 percent to 33 percent.
Porsche, BMW and Audi have all released statements openly criticising the tax rise which has been labeled as counter-productive and harmful and that it will add to Australia’s inflationary burden.
Our predictions were right, FPV has today released official power figures associated with their new FG FPV range.
Arguably the flagship of the FG FPV range will be the F6 310. Powered by Ford’s turbocharged inline-6 cylinder motor, the engine will produce some 310kW at 5500RPM and a face-altering 565Nm of torque at 5200RPM.
After a recent outing in country Victoria, one of our photographers happened to have his equipment on him when he spotted what is believed to be Ford’s new twin-turbo V6 testing in a BF Falcon mule.
Although we can’t mention the car our photographer was in – to keep their anonymity – it was a quick, V8-powered vehicle capable of getting to 100km/h from a standing start in around five seconds.
The Phillip Island Classic is already the largest annual historic motoring event in the Southern Hemisphere, but this year all the stops have been pulled out to ensure that prestigious title is not lost.
Capped at 550 entrants, the Classic covers eight decades of motor racing history up until the late 1980s. The three day, thirty three event program will this year be based on the theme of Australian Legends.
It is no secret that the UK manufacturing plant producing super cars for the distinguished Aston Martin brand is struggling to meet demands, with waiting lists stretching to as long as five years.
It has been revealed that several bidders are all vying for the position to produce some of the most beautiful sports cars in the world, meaning Aston Martin’s would for the first time be produced outside the UK.
“I honestly wasn’t expecting the kind of explosive performance that the VXR Turbo delivers, it’s a dead set point to point weapon”
Test Model: 2007 HSV VXR Turbo with six-speed manual transmission driving through the front wheels.
CarAdvice rating: 
Options Fitted
None. It’s pretty well appointed but the highlights are the huge 19-inch wheels and superb leather trimmed Recaro seats.
Recommended Retail Price: $42,990
There’s only one model in the VXR range and numbers are limited as they are fully imported from Vauxhall in the UK. An auto version would open this car up to many more punters in Australia and I’m told they do, or have done, an automatic version in the UK. So I’ll check on that and report back.
Where it sits
The VXR is the entry-level HSV car and it does the badge proud. There is a significant jump in price (around $20K) to get into an R8 ClubSport, which is the next price-point in the HSV line-up.
There are plenty of pretend sports models out there with try-hard sports badging and non-aerodynamic body kits that do more to retard a car’s performance than enhance it.
Worse still, is when carmakers use the term ‘race bred’ to promote cars which are more likely to be lapped by a Porsche FS Evolution bicycle.
The VXR Turbo is race bred all right. Try the hard core; take no prisoners racing that is the BTCC (British Touring Car Championship) where this car has run as part of Vauxhall’s (the GM brand in the UK) VX Racing team since 2005 when the VXR was launched.
And that’s not the only good news. That Gospel of handling, Lotus, was called in to tune both the suspension and steering with what was an already accomplished set up on the road going VXR.
This is a seriously quick hatch that can cook a Golf GTI and smoke Honda’s S2000 and Civic Type R, straight out of the box.
Starting this angry child for the first time is nothing spectacular. In fact, Suzuki’s mildly warm, Swift Sport, has a similar idle note from what I remember of that car.
But don’t be fooled. Under the bonnet of the VXR lies a red-hot 2.0i 16v ECOTEC-4 turbo punching out 177kW at 5600rpm and 320Nm of the all-important torque, from a low 2400rpm.
If you don’t quite get the value of these numbers. I’ll make it easy for you.
Volkswagen’s 2.0L Turbo Golf GTI puts out 147kW and 280Nm, which is good for a 0-100km/h sprint in 7.5 seconds in six-speed manual guise.
The VXR with run between 6.2 – 6.4 seconds, as maximum turbo boost nudges 1.2 bar or 17.5 plus psi.
It will even outgun Volkswagen’s normally aspirated V6 rocket, the R32 and that’s no mean feat.
By now, you’ll be thinking that’s a lot of mumbo for the front wheels to handle all by themselves and you’d be quite right.
When you blast off in the VXR, it’s not all-smooth sailing. There’s torque steer for sure, but it’s not a pig like the Mazda3 MPS. You just need to use a little finesse with the throttle and things will work out fine. Just take it easy in the wet!
Acceleration from second to third is ferocious and feels almost bike like (that’s like a Yammy R1) such is the surge in velocity. Third to fourth, even better, thanks to the wide torque curve. It even pulls hard in sixth. You seriously need to watch the Speedo when behind the wheel of this thing, that needle can get away from you!
You can hear the forced induction (Darth Vader style) every time you hit the clutch as you swap gear ratios with the speed and ease that this box allows.
England’s “A” roads (motorways) are generally very good as are parts of our major freeways here in Australia. I did say “parts of” whereas in the UK, you can pretty much stay on fast moving tarmac from London to Scotland.
But they also have their B roads, which are as rough as most of our suburban goat tracks and the Poms do like to whinge about their B roads, as much as we whinge about ours.
What I’m leading to here is that the suspension set-up on the VXR has been designed to run on these B roads with a reasonable degree of comfort in mind.
And they haven’t done a bad job, given the racecar like chassis and those extra large 19-inch alloys. Speed bumps and general potholes are absorbed via the old school McPherson Strut front suspension and a torsion-beam rear axle.
I’m no engineer, but I can’t help wondering what this car might be like or rather, how much better this car might be, with a more modern multi-link suspension system on board.
There’s also a small and rather insignificant “Sport” button on the centre stack, which I’m ashamed to say I overlooked during my time with the car. I’m usually first to hit these suspension stiffening devices but missed the opportunity entirely. Apart from the shock treatment, throttle travel is shortened and steering response is quicker. Just what the doctor ordered, I say.
The 19’s are shod with 235/35 Continental SportContact 2 rubber, and grip – with the exception of flat chat launches – is Velcro like. Don’t worry about body roll either- there isn’t any.
An IDS chassis control system with Electronic Stability Control utilising traction control, ABS and Brake assist work hard to smooth out what is a serious dose of torque levelled at the front wheels at times.
You also need some decent fade-free brakes to pull this thing up effectively when sheer youthful enthusiasm gets the better of you…
Don’t bother looking for fancy Brembo brake systems with multi piston callipers and that kind of kit on the VXR. There’s none of that. What there is though, are bright blue single piston callipers front and back, with some dinner plate sized rotors which have no trouble hauling in this ‘Fast and Furious’ like machine.
Steering is via an electro-hydraulic power assisted unit, which provides superb feel and weight. It’s a big call, but it feels similar to that of the EVO 1X, in that steering response is very quick and accurate.
We didn’t seek permission to test this car on track but that’s the only place you could effectively explore the corning limits of the VXR.
The sculptured leather Recaros are top shelf and supremely comfortable although, quite firm. You also get a proper sports steering wheel, which is grooved and looks to be hand stitched. The shifter is also a showpiece. All the important stuff seems to be here.
I can’t be so kind to the largely Astra interior though. There’s way too much faux metal look plastic throughout the car. It covers the entire centre stack, some door trim and bits on the steering wheel.
It’s a pity Vauxhall didn’t pay closer attention to the Golf GTI, which is a class or two above when it comes to the quality of materials. Shame, because the VXR deserves better.
Mind you, there are plenty of the usual luxury items; electric windows, climate control air conditioning, six stack CD player (but no MP3 jack receptor as on the E Series Holdens) steering wheel audio controls, multi function trip computer, heated front seats and cruise control
I found the instrument cluster hard to read and suggest VXR drivers would benefit enormously from a digital Speedo readout (again found on the R8 ClubSport and GTS models).
There’s reasonable load space in the rear (312 litres) as the load bay is quite deep and the rear seats can split fold 60/40 or both flat for bikes and boards etc.
The full leather rear seats are more comfortable than most other performance hatches – they are well bolstered. Rear leg space is more for kids than adults though.
This car needs rear parking sensors as standard equipment, no ifs or butts. The rear window is tiny and next to useless as far as rear parking visibility goes.
Styling is definitely ‘go fast’ and extravert. You only need to look at the four colours on offer; Black Sapphire, Magma Red (as was our car) Star Silver and Arden Blue. They stand out.
The lowered stance with all round body kit and unique centred trapezoidal exhaust tip, do a lot to set this car off amongst the sports hatch club. The 19-inch, multi spoke spinners put it at the top of the category.
Fuel tank capacity is 52 litres, fine for a car which is shorter than a Ford Focus. The VXR likes premium unleaded, nothing wrong with that either, we use it in the family Liberty.
But here’s the thing, official fuel consumption is listed at 9.2L/100 km but don’t expect anywhere near that when you’re on song at 5000 plus rpm, more like 14 L/100 km. I’m not complaining mind you, it’s the price you pay for performance motoring. Just glad this thing weighs in at 1393kg and not a kilo more.
Safety is not forgotten either, and includes driver and passenger front and side airbags, as well as full-length curtain airbags.
There’s a song called “I like fast cars that go boom” by a band called Hellbent. The HSV VXR Turbo is one of those cars”
By Anthony Crawford
2007 Jaguar XKR Convertible Road Test
CarAdvice rating:
Recommended Retail Price: $249,900 - 6sp Auto only.
Options Fitted: Adaptive Cruise Control ($4,500); Luxury R Interior ($6,000).
The Jaguar XKR isn’t so much a car as it is an emotive experience – from approach, right through to the drive. Jaguar’s lifelong affinity with racing can be dated back to the ‘50’s with the C-type sports car. Over the years, the brand has evolved to cater for the needs of a large cross section of punters, ranging from those after luxurious appointments, right through to those looking for road-tearing performance.
Climb inside and behold lashings of carbon fibre and precise attention to detail, this is what the Jaguar experience is meant to be. Hit the starter button and this seemingly sedate cat fires to life. A bevy of electronics and controls are piloted through the LCD touch screen located on the dashboard.
Getting used to the Jag’s size takes a bit of time. The driving position is quite low, which is great for enthusiastic driving, but can become tedious in tight car parks or when trying to battle peak hour traffic. Forward and sideward (not to be confused with ‘sideways’) visibility is good for a convertible.
Line up a set of corners and prepare to be stunned – and that’s being modest. In-line with Murphy’s Law, it rained the entire week I had the drop-top XKR, none the less I was keen to give it a shot through one of my regular test routes.
Although the XKR is a sedate mover on the highway, everything changes the second you shift the gear lever into the ‘Sport’ position. The ZF Sachs 6-speed cog box does an absolute stellar job of taming the XKR’s supercharged V8. After a few minutes of monitoring the driver’s inputs, the gearbox literally reads the driver’s mind. Every time I jumped on the anchors for a corner, the gearbox was on the ready to grab a lower gear for the exit of the corner.
With a starting price of $249,900, the XKR convertible isn’t cheap. But, take into consideration that BMW’s M6 Convertible costs nearly $50,000 more than the Jag. Mercedes’ SL500 also costs around $50,000 more than the XK-R – making the Jag considerably good value in comparison.
After opening the forward facing bonnet, a 4.2-litre, supercharged V8 bears itself. At 6250RPM the screaming V8 produces a walloping 306kW, while at 4000RPM; the maximum torque of 560Nm is reached.
XKR standard features include: 20” Senta alloy wheels; cruise control; electric windows and mirrors; auto dimming rear vision mirror; heated seats; electronically adjustable driver and passenger seats; dual zone climate control; electrically adjustable steering wheel; front and rear parking sensors; adaptive bi-xenon headlights; tyre pressure monitoring system; leather seats; premium sound system with 6-disc CD changer; auto headlights and windscreen wipers; satellite navigation; Bluetooth functionality and keyless entry and start.
Suffice to say – Jaguar’s new XKR is no pussy. The long-lived Jaguar stereotype of cardigan wearing chaps couldn’t be further from the truth when it comes to this potent mix of power and ability.
The XKR takes what is an impressive car – the XK – and turns it into a nose-bleeding lout which relentlessly outdoes any misconception one could possibly have about the Jaguar brand. Although I haven’t driven the BMW M6 Convertible, or the Mercedes SL500, both would have to be pretty damn special to even consider spending the extra $50,000. I think it would be difficult, actually…make that very difficult to improve on the XKR Convertible’s proposition.
The new Jaguar XKR is a car that will most certainly not grow long in the tooth any time soon.
- by Paul Maric
Not everyone is destined to drive a Porsche in their lifetime – let alone own one.
Porsche owners describe driving a Porsche as a sensual experience, one that can’t be replicated by any other car. With cars ranging from expensive, to very expensive, there is a Porsche to suit every level of success.
It’s the same story with the five levels of driver training offered by Porsche at their tailor made driver training program – the Porsche Driving Experience. Each level offers a different and unique experience, ranging from beginner courses in cars like the Boxster, Boxster S, 911 Carrera and 911 Cabriolet, right through to advanced courses in vehicles like the hard core 911 GT3 and even track time in the 911 GT3 Carrera Cup race car.
Level 1 – Precision
Before you get thrown the keys, you are taught the basics of car control, such as the differences between understeer and oversteer, along with the way to manage – and avoid – hazards, if and when they arise.
After a bit of theory, participants jump in to sample hazardous situations first hand. Professional instruction is constant, with drivers experiencing every aspect of control.
The Level 1 course runs for one day at Mount Cotton (Queensland) and is priced at $1,265. This is the perfect start for beginners and offers the perfect opportunity to get behind the wheel of a Porsche.
Level 2 – Precision Plus
Level 2 training builds on the basis offered in Level 1. Level 1 training is therefore a prerequisite for Level 2 training.
Perfect for those punters who enjoy decidedly sports driving, the Level 2 course offers attendees training on how to handle a vehicle and respond correctly during a hazardous situation.
Participants learn how to master bends under the mindful eye of a professional instructor, with a focus on road traffic hazards. Drivers are then offered a chance to experience exercises which simulate loss of control, with an emphasis on retaining control while driving at the vehicle’s limits.
The Level 2 course is a single day course and is available at Mount Cotton (Queensland) and is priced at $1,265. Remember, prior completion of the Level 1 course is required before being permitted entry into the Level 2 course.
Level 3 – Performance
With Level 2 and subsequently Level 1 as prerequisites, the third level of driver training offered delves deeper into the track aspect of Porsche driving.
Participants in the Level 3 course receive tuition on maintaining the racing line at high speeds, along with load changing reactions the vehicle emits with varied braking and cornering techniques
Circuit lapping is concentrated on, as is keeping the vehicle steady throughout all parts of a race track. Drivers are also given the opportunity to hone and test their skills on a specially designed ‘challenge circuit’, set to sort the good from the bad.
Instructors monitor your performance from a lead vehicle prior to offering further advice. It’s then onto the solo lap where the reins are yours to punt a Porsche around the track to test all the skills learnt.
Both Level 1 and Level 2 driver training courses are prerequisites for the Level 3 course. The third course is held at Queensland Raceway and runs for a single day. Entry into the course costs $1,540.
Level 4 – Master
Ladies and Gentlemen, this is where the men are separated from the boys. The Level 4 course not only brings on further honing of race techniques, it offers drivers quite possibly one of the best training vehicles known to man – the Porsche 911 GT3.
The 911 GT3 is Porsche’s road legal race car – so to speak. Punching out 306kW from its 3.6-litre motor, the 911 GT3 features adjustable dampers, roll bars and race tuned suspension – coupled with the ultimate in race tread, Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tyres. There is no better way to learn car control on a track than in the 911 GT3.
Level 4 participants drive 911 GT3s fitted with satellite tracking nodes that – after completing a race lap – can record precise information about the vehicle’s speed and braking habits, which are then compared to those recorded by the instructor.
One on one tuition with racing professionals, along with radio communication provides the perfect test bed to bring out the racer in you. Such an experience can only be found on a race track and there’s no better way to sample it than in a race-prepped 911 GT3.
Levels 1, 2 and 3 are prerequisites for Level 4. This one day event is held at Queensland Raceway and costs $2,997.
Level 5 – GT3 Cup
This is quite possible the ultimate driving experience on offer in Australia for a racing nut. Porsche’s Level 5 Driving Experience course offers up to six participants the opportunity to drive a race-prepped Porsche 911 GT3 Carrera Cup race car around Queensland Raceway.
This course isn’t open to anyone though. Drivers must have either completed training levels 1 – 4, or have a national racing license.
A professional instructor and Porsche engineer is on hand to work with you to improve your experience and explain aspects of the car and your performance around the track. After a few laps with the instructor to confirm braking points and racing lines, you are handed the keys to begin solo laps in manageable blocks – whilst being monitored from pit lane by the instructor and Porsche engineer.
At the end of this adventure packed day, participants will be provided with their own unique DVD which includes footage from in-car cameras to provide a memento to treasure for life.
Porsche’s Level 5 course is a one day event and costs $5,995 to complete. The event is held at Queensland Raceway.
For more information about Porsche Driving Experiences, please call Porsche Cars Australia on 1800 062 911.
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