Monthly Archives: August 2006

2006 Mitsubishi Colt Review & Road Test

By Alborz Fallah | August 30th, 2006

Mitsubishi Colt Review Road Test

Test Model: Mitsubishi Colt VRX 1.5L MIVEC CVT Automatic (06MY VR-X Hatchback 5dr CVT 1sp 1.5i)

Options Fitted: None

Recommended Retail Price: $21,990

On Road Price: Around $25,000 but definitely shop around

Where it sits: There are three models in the Mitsubishi Colt range starting with the manual only ES, followed by the LS with a five speed manual or CVT Automatic. The VRX is the ‘sports look’ model although you can step up to the high performance Colt Ralliart and join the ‘Hot Hatch’ club, if that’s your thing.

HOW IT GOES

With a 1.5L MIVEC engine (Mitsubishi’s revered Lancer Evolution IX uses this same technology) matted to their Continuously Variable Transmission or INVECS III CVT as it’s known, the Colt VRX has plenty of go whenever you plant the right foot. That said, driving this car with a CVT Auto is a little strange at first, as there are no actual gear changes, given that there’s no actual gearbox! A bunch of pulleys and belts have replaced the gears. The real beauty of this transmission type is that drivers are rewarded with smooth and progressive acceleration with better than average fuel economy. While I had this car, I took the opportunity to drive the GETRAG 5-speed manual version and can happily report that the CVT was easily the more responsive drive.

(For those of you who are unsure about the CVT transmission, don’t be. This technology has been around for a while. The famous Dutch truck company D.A.F produced small cars in the late 1950’s with their version called “Variomatic” transmission. Other versions of the CVT are currently employed by many car companies including Audi, Honda, Nissan and Mercedes Benz due to their performance and fuel saving characteristics). For more information, you can check out Car Advice’s entry for CVT

HOW IT HANDLES

While the VRX CVT is not a sports car, more sports styling, it is however, fitted with a set of larger alloy wheels and tyres than you get with the Mitsubishi Colt ES and LS. Also on board are four wheel disc brakes (fronts are ventilated) with ABS, EBD and a brake assist function, all of which provide superior levels of braking in this class.

This car has been tuned for Australian roads and as such produces a reasonable balance between cornering stability and comfort. The car handles corners and grips quite well although, there’s some body roll when driven with enthusiasm but I can live with that, given its tallish shape and the benefits that provides. The steering is electric power-assisted and while not overly direct, is well weighted and provides a predictable response. Given that most cars in this class are purchased by city dwellers, the Mitsubishi Colt VRX is a cinch to manoeuvre in tight spaces although the thick front pillars can block vision in some situations.

STYLING

Most small cars these days offer lots of bang for your buck. They have to. Buyers in this segment want all the benefits and features of larger and more expensive choices. The Mitsubishi Colt VRX is a standout among the busy small car market with its ultra modern shape described by Mitsubishi as a “one–motion form that flows from the length of the body”
Everything about this car works, from the ground up.

The five-spoke alloys coupled with the meaty Dunlop SP Sport 3000 tyres speak “sports”. The deep front grille with mesh inserts and fog lights look the business, and the front headlight assembly looks like something out of the movie “I-Robot”.

Even the side mirrors have a swoop back, aerodynamic design which apparently repels water droplets. Also worth a mention, is the rear light assembly with the high mount stop lamp, similar to that on the super safe Volvo wagon family. There’s clearly a lot of thought gone into the overall design of this car, right down to the chrome look badging on the grille and rear hatch, which all look good.

BEHIND THE WHEEL

2006 Mitsubishi Colt VRX The modern design and feel of the Colt continues when you step inside. My first reaction is that this feels like a much bigger car. There is loads of rear leg and head room due in part to the high roof design. I put my cousin in the front seat and at 188cm (six-foot two inches) he still had heaps of headroom There are proper sports seats up front with decent levels of side bolster to hold you squarely in the seat through the bends. The leather covered sports steering wheel is a treat to hold, and is the same as fitted to the performance Ralliart version. Disappointing though, are the lack of audio control buttons on the wheel which in my opinion should be standard kit on this car. Rear seats are set higher than the front similar to that in the Mercedes Benz A-Class and Honda Jazz, so that rear passengers have clear forward vision.

Gearshifts are via a push button activated column shift which is surprisingly easy to use and frees up space between the front seats. Instrumentation is very clean with sports look dials (these look great when illuminated), while the switchgear is well laid out and simple to use. Alloy Pedals add to the sports look, as does the chrome exhaust extension on the VRX.

SPACE, STORAGE AND PRACTICALITY.

I’ve already said this car has loads of head and leg room but I have a problem with the design of the 50/50 split-folding rear seats and how that affects the load carrying capacity.

While there is reasonable carrying space behind the rear seats, it’s not class leading. If want to extend the load area, the rear seats do fold all the way forward (and you won’t need to remove the head rests) but not flat into the floor. This means that you can’t use the space as a flat cargo area or tray as you can in the similar styled Honda Jazz. The other issue I have is that there is no cargo area illumination, not even a centre mounted roof light. You have to rely on the front mounted map lights or carry a torch, should you need light back there.

However, there’s plenty of clever storage built into the Colt. There’s deep side pocket storage with separate bottle holders in both front door sides although the rear door pockets are too small to be effective. There are two retractable cup holders which pop out of the front dash, with the rear passengers accommodated by two sliding cup holders as part of the ‘centre console system’. There’s a roof mounted sunglass holder and business card holder together with additional storage spaces under the steering wheel and below the audio system. The glovebox is huge and can hold a tonne of nicks and knacks. Oh yeah, there are luggage tie down hooks in the rear cargo area as well as hooks where you can hang your shopping bags, which really are useful.

Gone is the traditional handbrake which has been replaced by a foot-operated parking brake which simply provides more room between the seats and makes sliding across seats (if you do that sort of thing) much easier. Let’s hope that the push button operated electronic park brakes found in some of the luxury German and Japanese cars end up in small cars like the Colt sometime soon.

INTERIOR COMFORT

Interior comfort and features is where the Colt VRX sings louder than most. First of all, you get privacy glass. For those of you who need a translation, that’s dark tinted windows on the passenger and rear tailgate glass. This is great if you have got kids and want the sun off them. It also helps keep the interior temperature down in our scorching summers. The audio system is a 6-CD, 4-speaker in-dash stacker with MP3/WMA compatibility (you can plug in the ipod) with reasonable sound quality.

Remote keyless entry and engine immobiliser are standard along with power windows and mirrors. However, you also get one touch electric folding mirrors which are great for use in car parks and tight garages which can also be activated from you remote key. Should you forget to fold the mirrors back before you drive away, don’t panic, they will do it automatically when you hit 30km/h.

There’s a driver’s armrest and footrest for highway comfort and of course air conditioning – with a pollen filter. The wipers are speed sensitive with intermittent control and are particularly effective across the large front windscreen area. You also get a rear wiper with intermittent control which is useful when backing up in the rain.

There are a number of nice metal accents throughout the car which along with some carefully chosen two-tone plastics, add to the European look and feel of this car. One of the few options on the VRX is an electric-tilt and slide sunroof and at $1600, is not bad value these days.

SAFETY FEATURES

All models in the Colt range come with SRS front airbags for driver and front passenger however, you can add Side and Curtain airbags but that will set you back another $1,200.

ABS and EBD together with a Brake Assist function is also standard across the range, with the VRX adding four-wheel disc brakes. Front seatbelts are height adjustable three-point with pretensioners and force limiters while in the rear, you get two-three point belts but the centre is only a lap belt.

The Colt also benefits from Mitsubishi’s RISE (Reinforced Impact Safety Program) which provides additional body stiffness and “directs impact forces away from the passenger compartment during a collision. Side door impact bars with a rigid door structure are also built into the car, as are a collapsible brake pedal and steering wheel which can all lesson the extent of serious injury in accidents.

COST OF OWNERSHIP

With an extensive list of features and contemporary styling, the Colt VRX with CVT represents very good value for money at $21,990. Even better, when you consider Mitsubishi’s 5/10 warranty on the car. That’s five years from bumper to bumper and ten years on the powertrain (engine and transmission). Fuel consumption on the CVT model is listed at 5.6 litres of standard unleaded/100 kilometres although; you tend to zip around in the VRX which probably means 5.9 litres/100 kilometres in the real world. I should mention that the fuel tank capacity has grown from 42 litres to 45 litres which is above average for a car this size.

COLOURS

You’d be hard pressed not to find a colour you liked in most new cars today given the emphasis on styling, and with Mitsubishi’s Colt, it’s no different. You can get it in the following flavours;
White, cool silver (Metallic) Butterscotch (leave this colour alone), Red (Metallic) Gunmetal (Pearlescent), Black (Pearlescent and my pick)

However, like the Honda Jazz, Mitsubishi charge an additional $300 for either the metallic or pearlescent option. White is OK, but for 300 bucks, I’d go for one of the optional colours as it will make a difference at re-sale.

MY OPINION

The Mitsubishi Colt VRX oozes style and is loaded with so many ‘big car’ features that it must be considered a class leader in the busy small car segment.

By Anthony Crawford

Toyota Aurion V6 Economy

By Alborz Fallah | August 30th, 2006

Toyota Australia today confirmed its new Aurion V6 will have the most power and best fuel economy of the Aussie ‘big six’ family cars. Toyota has advised the Department of Transport and Regional Services that the Aurion 3.5-litre V6 will deliver 200kW of power on regular unleaded petrol (ULP) and 204kW on premium unleaded petrol (PULP).

This will make Aurion the most powerful vehicle ever sold by Toyota in Australia – and more powerful than its naturally aspirated six-cylinder competitors in the large-car market. It will also be the most fuel-efficient six-cylinder car in the segment, consuming just 9.9 litres/100km, based on the official combined cycle (city/highway ADR81).

Aurion’s fuel economy will be at least nine per cent better than the Holden VE Commodore. Toyota Australia will build Aurion at its Altona plant in Melbourne. The vehicle will go on sale later this year and will be Euro IV-compliant for emissions.

Toyota Australia senior executive director sales and marketing David Buttner said Aurion’s unique combination of performance and fuel efficiency would set a new standard in the Aussie ‘big six’ market.

“Aurion will be a great alternative to the current range of six-cylinder family cars,” Mr Buttner said. “Among the Aussie six-cylinder family cars, it will be the leader in performance, delivering the power demanded by Australia’s large-car motorists.

“At the same time, it will achieve fuel efficiency that can’t be matched by its large six-cylinder competitors.“

Other locally built six-cylinder models in the large-car segment develop maximum outputs of between 175kW and 195kW.

2007 Toyota Camry Altise Road Test

By Paul Maric | August 29th, 2006

To me, the Toyota Camry has always been quite a bland, conservative and boat like vehicle. It was never able to handle anything like its Aussie competitors and was always styled to appeal to a broad range of people – of whom many were bowls goers.

Well, there has been a massive shake-up in Camry-land. From now, the new Camry will only use a 4-clylinder engine – the V6 has been reserved for the up-coming Aurion. The new Camry also uses an all-new chassis and styling over the previous model. Toyota is promoting the new Camry as being “equal or superior to many of its imported competitors,” at first I was quite sceptical, but as I found out it was a different story.

I was thrown the keys to the new Camry Altise which sits at the bottom of the Camry range.

The interior isn’t too bad. The steering wheel, although feeling a little plastic-ish is a great size and features tilt and reach adjustment. It features audio steering wheel controls and cruise control. Although the audio controls are backlit, the cruise control isn’t and it is hard to figure out which direction to push the stalk, due to not being able to see the inscribings at night time.

The speedometer and tachometer fascia is very new-age and looks quite sporty. The HVAC controls are large – very large in fact – and are very easy to use and make sense. They do feel quite flimsy and hollow though. The display screen used for radio and CDs looks quite funky at day and night, the only concern at night is the utter brightness of the darn thing. There is no way to reduce the brightness of the outer blue lights and they can get quite distracting during night-time driving.

Changing gears is now accomplished through an S-gate style shifting mechanism. The only issue in that regard is the slight confusion when selecting Drive; it’s all too easy to shift into ‘4’ opposed to ‘D’. The handbrake also feels like it’s miles away from the driver, it is positioned to the far left of the central cluster and requires a bit of back bending to reach. There are several little cubby holes hidden in the dashboard that hide away nicely when not in use. There is also a very generously sized glove box on offer too.

Driver and passenger seats are quite comfy and relaxing to sit in. They have upper and lower side bolsters that subtly hug you into position. The driver also receives electronic lumbar adjustment; the other seat adjustments require manual labour. There are also power windows on all 4-doors as standard equipment, with driver auto-up function.

One thing that took me by total surprise was the amount of room inside the new Camry. With a figure like mine, the driver’s seat always ends up in the furthest back position. With this position in action, rear seat passengers still had a very commendable amount of room – and dare I say it, as much as, if not more room than Commodore and Falcon. Rear seat passengers receive no armrest though; the seats are 60/40 split-fold.

Australian manufacturing traits seem to have reared their ugly heads on some interior components. The roof liner for example would not stop rattling during normal driving; it drove me absolutely bonkers as the only way to stop the rattling was to constantly push the roof liner upward. Some of the plastics used on the interior are also of questionable quality; they feel far too cheap and nasty to be at home in a vehicle that looks as fine as the Camry does.

The outer –

I get a chance to drive a variety of cars, some flashy and some not so flashy. Up until now the Mitsubishi Evo IX and Lexus IS250 have taken the limelight as the most gawked at cars. Well, the Camry has knocked them off their respective high horses. During the week with the new Camry I had more looks than I can remember, some people bent over backwards to check out the new Toyota and it’s no surprise, this car is damn good looking.

People of all ages synonymise the word Camry with such words as slow, old person and Sunday driver. I think most people were surprised and even more so flabbergasted at the new Camry design. It’s really not Toyota-like; it has changed – for the better. Of the people that stopped me to ask questions, most liked the front-end the most, it just carries that unique appeal that Camry’s have never had.

Up the front the smiley front look features halogen projector headlights and a big grille intake for air-induction. It’s a very simple front end that isn’t overly fussy and is a total change from the norm.

The Altise gets a set of Dunlop Sport radials that measure up 215/60 R16 worth of tyre, it’s a pretty decent footprint for a Front Wheel Drive (FWD) car such as the Camry and they manage to stick to the tarmac pretty darn well. Unfortunately, the Altise gets no alloy wheels as standard equipment.

As you are probably aware, Toyota owns Lexus and it seems that some titbits have made their way over. In most Lexus’ of today, when you lock and unlock the vehicle you get a series of beeps in return to advise you of what operation has been completed. These audible beeps have made their way over to the new Camry to bring it up a class or two.

On the tarmac –

Another thing that totally surprised me was the handling in the new Camry. One of the first things I noticed was the firmer ride and spring quality. The Camry is no longer a cruise ship in terms of handling either, throw it into a bend and you receive very taught and rigid chassis composure throughout the corner. The amount of body roll is nothing special when compared to real sports cars but it’s pretty damn good for a Camry.

One thing that totally let the team down was the engine. The new Camry uses a 2.4-litre, 4-cylinder motor that produces 117kW at 5700RPM and a meagre 218Nm of torque at 4000RPM. The engine also utilises Toyota’s VVT-i system (much the same as Honda’s VTEC) and is pronounced when you head north of 3000RPM.

Weighing in at 1500KG, the engine simply can’t keep up with the car. It just feels totally lifeless and doesn’t work in sync with the 5-speed automatic gearbox. If you give the go pedal a stab, the gearbox drops a couple of cogs and the revs start rising, the only problem is that nothing really happens. Sure, the car increases speed but it takes an eternity and really doesn’t suit the large Camry shell. It’s absolutely nothing like the new Camry commercials depict it to be on television.

In the wet the Camry breaks into wheel spin far too easily. This is due to the rather sensitive throttle at standstill. If you tap it too hard, the engine lays down a platter of power far too quickly and before you know it you are sitting there battling for grip – not the best situation in peak hour Melbourne traffic.

Camry’s behaviour on gravel and un-sealed roads is also quite exceptional. The cabin noise is minimal and the handling is quite predicable when thrown around a bit on dirt. According to Toyota, Australia receives a custom tuned suspension setup that is tailored for Australian conditions. This setup also makes its way into Camry models in the Middle East, New Zealand and, in sports mode, the USA.

The brakes are very tough and rugged. They have plenty of bite and when you really drop the anchors they comply with an insane amount of action, they were far better than I expected. They also held up quite well from constant 100km/h – 0 braking.

You can expect to achieve around 9.15-secs from a naught to one-hundred dash, not bad but nothing revolutionary. Fuel consumption wasn’t all that impressive. Toyota claims a combined fuel consumption figure of 9.9L/100KM for the automatic Toyota Camry. I struggled to achieve 12.5L/100KM, let alone 9.9L/100KM. The Camry seems to be more at home on the highway, where it turns over just 2000RPM at 100km/h.

Price, safety and features –

Along with putting on some weight, the new Camry has also put on some dollars. The base model being driven is valued at $29,500, in addition to this; the test vehicle also had the optional Safety Package which includes front side and full length curtain SRS airbags.

Safety features on the Camry Altise include: Driver and passenger SRS airbags; ABS brakes with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD); Brake Assist (BA) and Toyota Safe-T-Cell.

Other features that come standard on the Toyota Camry Altise include: Power steering; power windows on all four doors; central locking with panic alarm; air-conditioning; cruise control; single-disc CD-player with MP3 and WMA compatibility; auto-on/auto-off headlights and engine immobiliser.

The new Camry range also boasts a 3-year / 100,000km warranty.

Conclusion –

As much as I never thought I’d be saying this, the new Camry is fantastic.

The interior is extremely spacious, functional and most important of all, easy on the eyes. The boot is absolutely huge and easily caters for objects of all sizes.

You only need to glance at the outside of the car to fall in love with the easy-going looks. The new Camry is a car that easily stands out from the rest of the crowd.

At the end of the day I was surprised at just how many people took a liking to the car. I wasn’t expecting such a big reaction from the public and it simply proves that Toyota have hit a winner with the new Camry.

Although I feel let down by some questionable build quality and seismic fuel consumption, it doesn’t detract from the fact that the new Camry is a capable car. As long as you don’t expect stellar performance from the engine, it should serve its purpose relatively well.

If you had of asked me last year if I would recommend buying a Camry as a family car, I would have laughed at you. If you were to ask me again today, I would laugh at you for not considering it as a serious option. The new Camry has changed and I think it’s the beginning of a new revolution for Toyota; that said I can’t wait for the new Aurion…

- by Paul Maric

CarAdvice rating (out of 5):

Audi RS 4 Cabriolet

By Alborz Fallah | August 28th, 2006

Audi has today confirmed that its new RS 4 Cabriolet will go on sale in Australia. Audi introduced the current generation Audi RS 4 Sedan in may and is awaiting the Audi RS 4 Avant later in October. The Audi RS 4 Cabriolet, which Audi says is one hell of a car (and I certainly agree) will be limited to just 25 vehicles and should arrive mid January 2007. If you are after this magnificent car, be quick because Audi has already sold 15 of the 25!

The RS 4 is powered by a 4.2 Litre FSI V8 engine while the electro-hydraulic hood can be opened entirely automatically in 21 seconds and can be operated up to speeds of 30 km/h. The V8 engine outputs 309 kW, or 420 bhp. Th engine has a peak torque of 430 Nm at 5,500 rpm.

Audi says that 90 percent of the total torque is available between 2,250 and 7,600 rpm. Audi has confirmed that front and side airbags are standard features, as are the rollover bars that extend behind the rear seats in the event of the car overturning.

The standard specification of the new Cabriolet is the same as the highly equipped Sedan and Avant models, however this very special vehicles also features:

Sports seats with electric adjustment and memory function for the driver. Also includes easy entry function for the rear.
Silk Nappa leather with a choice of black or silver with contrasting piping.
S4-style exterior mirrors in RS matt aluminium finish with automatic dimming and memory functions
Front seat heating.
Wind deflector

Audi says that out of the 25 vehicles being sold, each will also be identified with a limited edition ID plate.

From Audi :

Exterior Design

An RS 4 constitutes racing technology in civilian garb. Visually, there is much that is reminiscent of the corresponding models in the Audi A4 car line. But the RS 4 models are more than just faster versions of Audi’s successful midsize category. Both the technology beneath its bodywork and countless details of its exterior design drive this fact home.

The diamond-pattern radiator grille, the additional air inlets in the front end as well as wheels developed specifically for the RS 4 clearly differentiate the car from a standard Audi A4. Flared sills and lower door trims coordinated with the sills are other differentiating features.

The ride height has been lowered by 30 millimetres. The developers have also widened the front and rear track, resulting in a widening of the vehicle body, with correspondingly flared wheel arches.

The car not only sits more unwaveringly on the road as a result, but also handles better.

The interior

Inside, the RS 4 combines the functionality of a sports car with the luxurious ambience so typical of all Audi models. Leather, aluminium, and carbon fibre are the predominant materials. But at the same time the RS 4 comes with all the additional qualities typical of a genuine sports car.

This becomes clear as soon as you sit in it and is where the RS 4 Cabriolet differs from its Avant and saloon counterparts. The Cabriolet comes with Sports seats as standard, though the inflating RS bucket seats can be ordered as an option at no extra cost. What all versions have in common is the flat-bottomed RS sports steering wheel and the engine start button on the centre console. These, too, provide echoes of motor sport, as do the aluminium pedals.

The Sport button on the steering wheel delivers even more dynamic performance when required. The accelerator characteristic changes progressively, so the engine is perceived to respond sooner.

The RS 4 represents the first time that a manufacturer has combined petrol direct injection with a high-revving concept. Engine speeds of up to 8,250 rpm are possible. Another highlight is the suspension with the latest generation of quattro permanent four-wheel drive with asymmetric/dynamic torque split and Dynamic Ride Control.

The new RS 4 Cabriolet will take its place at the top of the top-down market in Australia, following its introduction in early 2007.

Audi has confirmed the prices at :

Audi RS 4 sedan $164,500
Audi RS 4 Avant $168,100
Audi RS 4 Cabriolet $ 187,500

If you want one, order it now before its too late!

Honda CRV 2007 Official Photos

By Alborz Fallah | August 28th, 2006

I recently posted a brief and short article with spy shots of the new 2007 Honda CRV. Apparently Honda aren’t too happy with all these images floating around the internet as they had requested an image embargo till the 1st of September. But you know what? Honda needs to realise that the Internet doesn’t have embargos. Thats the whole bloody point!

Anyway, I managed to get my hands on some new photos of the CRV thanks to Autoweek. Have a look. Tell me what you think? I am not a fan of the CRV to begin with, but the new one looks okay, wonder how it drives?

Reports from around the globe suggest that Options for the new CRV include a satellite navigation system and 270-watt stereo while the engine is still the same old Honda’s 2.4-liter inline four-cylinder, however with a little more juice (an additional 10 horsepower – now 166 horsepower/161 ft-lbs. of torque). Further changes include the exclusion of a manual version, and a standard 5-speed auto across the range.

No official news from Honda Australia. Information may be inaccurate for the Australian version of the car. Will keep you posted as information filters through Honda.

The Citroen C6 Garage

By Alborz Fallah | August 28th, 2006

The Citroën C6, which arrives in Australia in October, is now available with a unique optional extra, a designer garage that Citroen says, will match the unique style of Citroëns range-topping model. The garage is designed exclusively for the Citroen C6 and incase you are wondering, yes its not cheap. The unique structure comes with a $281,000 AUD price tag.

The designers, Tapio Spellman and Christian Grou who had their hands in projects such as the Munich football stadium, the Allianz Arena, are the designers for the Citroen garage. Drawing inspiration from the pronounced architectural forms of the Citroën C6 itself, the garage is formed by three solid strands, which create the skeleton of the main building that stands 3m tall and covers 50m2.

Okay so I hate to admit it, but having a transparent garage is relatively cool. Nonetheless, I am not sure how much “credit” your neighbours will go you. Okay so you have lots of money, but you are simply telling the world, that you have so much money, that you can stand on the roof of your garage so you can point and laugh at people walking below!

Constructed out of light transmitting concrete with transparent sliding doors to the sides, which allow the vehicle to enter from either the front or the rear, the building securely encloses the C6 in the traditional sense of a garage, but at the same time allows it to be displayed to the passer-by. I am not sure how many people are willing to have their car up for public display, but nonetheless if you have a Ferrari, I can see this garage being worth the money, but for a Citroen C6? Well.. maybe if your French.

The transparent sliding plates have been constructed from reinforced, environmentally friendly polycarbonate sheets with coloured LCD layers in the sheets allowing for opacity when the car owner switches on the privacy mode. According to Neutrals Christian Grou, the garage encourages a visual dialogue between the inside and outside, and between the car and its environment as a result of the use of materials of different transparencies.
Hmmm you know when you think about, given that an average house costs about $600,000 depending on where you live, a $281,000 garage isn’t actually that expensive! Nonetheless, perhaps the garage would be better suited housing cars of Italian blood.

Car Theft Australia Statistics

By Alborz Fallah | August 27th, 2006

You know you wouldn’t really think in this day and age many cars would get stolen, but latest figures from the National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council (NMVTRC – long bloody name) tell a different story. The latest figures from NMVTRC state that every 6 mins, a car is stolen somewhere in Australia. Which makes it about 240 cars a day, 1680 cars a week or 6720 cars a month! Amazing! So if you have never had your car stolen, you’d think this shouldn’t really affect you, but it does, because every year insurance companies charge $1 billion dollars more for higher insurance premiums due to car theft.

The Australian Capital Territory is the worse place to live if you care about your car. With a theft rate of 0.002, in otherwords, 1 out of every 500 cars gets stolen every year! If you think about it, 1/500 isn’t as odd as you might think! However the stats don’t exactly apply to all cars evenly as older, less secure cars attract more attention from theives than newer, more secured cars (more on this later). So hows does your state rank?

Chance of your car being stolen

ACT – 0.002%
NT – 0.0015%
SA – 0.0015%
TAS – 0.0013%
VIC – 0.0011%
WA – 0.0011%
QLD – 0.0009%

Most of the time when your car is stolen, you tend to get it back, one way or another, however, different states have different recovery rates. Tasmania seems to be the best place to have your car stolen, since you have a 92% chance of getting it back. List of all states below

Chance of getting your car back after having it stolen

TAS 92%
ACT 78%
NT 75%
QLD 70%
VIC 67%
NSW 63%

So, in the first 3 months of this year 18,733 vehicles worth $137 million were stolen around Australia. So from begining of April 2005 till end of March 2006 (12 months) 76,959 vehicles were stolen! So maybe your car isn’t as safe as it looks? It all depends on the car. Theives have for the most part given up trying to steal cars with half decent security systems. The once thief magnets like the Subaru Impreza WRX are no where to be seen on the most stolen list due to Subaru’s introduction of PIN coded start systems.

So then, theifs are after older cars, and whats more scary is that the older cars have a much lower recovery rate than newer cars, mainly because older cars aren’t just stolen for joy rides, but they are usually sold off or kept for spare parts! Reports show that in 2005 only 6% of expensive ($30,000+) cars were never found while more than 50% of cars that were not recovered were worth less than $6000 and 75% of cars not recovered were worth less than $15,000.

Most stolen cars in the first quarter of 2006:

Holden Commodore VN, VH, VL
Ford Laser KB, KC, EA
Ford Falcon EA, XF
Hyundai Excel X3
Tarago YR22

To read the whole report, click here

Audi Q7 Australian Launch

By Alborz Fallah | August 25th, 2006

Audi today confirmed that the Audi Q7 SUV will be officially launched in Australia on the 7th of September 2006. Audi plans to celebrate the occasion by starting a 7,000 km cross-country odyssey. 15 Audi Q7s will start a three week journey, known as the Audi ‘Trans-Continental Crossing’, the journey will take the cars between Sydney and Broome.

Audi Australia’s managing director, Joerg Hofmann, believes the Q7 Trans-Continental Crossing is the best way to showcase this important new SUV.

“The Q7 is a true performance SUV. It offers a combination of sportiness, luxury, and endurance. Australia is known for its wide open spaces and harsh climates and whilst the Q7 will predominantly be driven in metropolitan areas, it is essential for our customers to know that their new vehicle is infinitely capable of conveying them across the country should they decide to embark on their own ‘trip of a lifetime’,” Mr Hofmann said.

“Audi is a company known for its pioneering heritage and this event reflects our high-performance, innovative approach to vehicle sales,” he added.

Split into four stages, the event will ensure that all guests who participate will have the opportunity to thoroughly test both the 3.0 V6 TDI and 4.2 V8 FSI engines available from launch, on and off the road.

The four stages include:

The Harbour City (Sydney) to the Silver City (Broken Hill) from 3 – 5 Sept
The Silver City to the Red Desert (Birdsville) from 7 – 11 Sept
The Red Desert to the Red Centre (Uluru) from 11 – 15 Sept
The Red Centre to the Pearl Coast (Broome) from 19 – 24 Sept

Audi Australia has not released any pricing details or specifications for the vehicle. More news and details are expected closer to the launch date. We will keep you posted!

Lexus SC430 Safety Upgrade

By Alborz Fallah | August 25th, 2006

Lexus today announced that it had increased the passive safety features of its SC430 retractable hardtop coupe, by adding an additional two SRS airbags. The new and improved Lexus SC430 will come with a driver and front passenger knee SRS airbags.

So alltogether the Lexus SC430 now comes with a tota of six SRS airbags as standard equipment – driver and front passenger SRS airbags, front seat side airbags, and knee airbags. Another cool feature of the SC430 is it’s ability to detect if there is a passenger in the passenger seat and make sure the air bag doesn’t go off for no reason in the event of a collision.

Furthermore the SC430 now has front-seat SRS airbag indicators in the instrument cluster and a front passenger seatbelt warning buzzer if the belt is not buckled. All the new safety features will come standard for all Lexus SC430s built from this month (August 2006).

The Lexus SC430 has a 4.3-litre VVT-i Quad Cam Multi-valve V8 engine that delivers 210kW of power at 5600rpm and 419Nm of torque at 3500rpm and is matched to an electronic six-speed automatic transmission, the SC430 gets from 0-100 in 6.4 seconds and costs around $161,000 AUD plus on-roads.

The vehicle comes standard with:

9 Speaker Stereo
ABS (Antilock Brakes)
Adjustable Steering Column – Power
Air Cond. – Climate Control
Airbags – Driver & Passenger (Dual)
Airbags – Side for 1st Row Occupants (Front)
Airbags – Driver & Passenger Knee SRS
Alarm
Blue Tooth System
Body Colour – Bumpers
Body Colour – Fittings
Brake Assist
CD Stacker – 6 disc In Dash/Cabin
Central Locking – Remote/Keyless
Chrome Grille
Coil Springs
Control – Automatic Stability + Traction
Cruise Control
Data Dots – Part Identifiers
Disc Brakes Front Ventilated
Disc Brakes Rear Solid
Disc Brakes Rear Ventilated
EBD (Electronic Brake force Distribution)
Electric Seat – Drivers with Memory
Electric Seat – Passenger with Memory
Engine Immobiliser
Fog Lamps – Front
GPS (Satellite Navigation)
Hardtop – Power Foldaway
Headlamp Protectors
Headlamp Washers
Headlamps – Active (Cornering/steering)
Headlamps – High Intensity Discharge
Headlamps Automatic (light sensitive)
Headrests – Integrated 2nd Row
Heated Seats – 1st Row
Independent Rear Suspension
Leather Trim – Full/All
Multi-function Control Screen – Colour
Multi-function Steering Wheel
Navigation System – DVD Audio
Navigation System – DVD Video
Power Antenna
Power Steering – Speed Sensitive
Radio Cassette
Remote Boot/Hatch Release
Remote Fuel Lid Release
Scuff Plates (on door sills)
Spoiler – Rear
Stainless Steel Exhaust
Wind Deflector
Wood/Leather Steering Wheel
Woodgrain – Centre Console
Woodgrain – Dash Board
Woodgrain – Gear Knob
Woodgrain – Inserts

Thermal Imaging for Pedestrian and Cyclist Safety BMW Night Vision

By Alborz Fallah | August 25th, 2006

For most of us it should be rather obvious that night-time driving is more dangerous than day-time driving. If you don’t believe me you only have to look Australian accident statistics which show that driving at night represents a significant potential danger with some 45 per cent of fatal road accidents occurring at night, even though more than two thirds of all driving is done during the day.

Most of us drivers blame Pedestrians and Cyclists who tend to walk around or ride at night on streets where visibility is poor. Its usually never our fault for not taking any extra steps to insure pedestrians and cyclists are not in the way.. right? Either way, BMW has made the job much easier. An innovative driver assistance system from BMW, which is unfortunately only available as an option in the top-of-the-range 7 Series, will enable drivers to better identify people at night.

The thermal imaging-based technology will in the near future become available in the 5 Series Sedan, 5 Series Touring, 6 Series Coupé, and 6 Series Convertible, opening up this new driver assistance system to an even larger group of Australian drivers.

“Driving in the dark is still one of the most strenuous driving situations and one which tends to bear greater risks,” said Franz Sauter, BMW Group Australia Managing Director.

“Figures from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau show that over 45 per cent of fatal crashes in the last two years occurred at night. BMW Night Vision can help drivers identify dangerous situations on the road at night much earlier in certain situations.

“BMW’s engineers have opted for a thermal imaging approach that places greater focus on detecting people and animals. Objects which radiate heat and which are thus potentially at danger are shown particularly bright and are therefore drawn to the attention of the driver.

“In urban areas lighting is usually sufficient for drivers to recognise dangers in time with the naked eye, but BMW Night Vision really comes into its own out on country roads where pedestrians, cyclists and animals can be detected earlier.

“The system also has advantages on unlit streets or dark courtyards and poorly lit car parks,” he said.

The way the system work is similar to the thermal imaging system available in the S class Mercedes Benz. A thermal imaging camera detects human beings, animals and objects in front of the car before they become visible to the human eye in the headlights. The image generated by the system is transmitted to the central Control Display within the car presenting objects detected with increasing brightness as a function of the heat detected by the camera – and therefore making human beings and animals particularly conspicuous.

The best thing about the system is that the thermal imaging camera covers a range of up to 300 metres (nearly 1,000 feet) ahead of the car. BMW Night Vision therefore offers the customer particular benefits when driving over land, down narrow lanes, through gateways leading into courtyards, and into dark under¬ground garages, significantly enhancing driving safety at night.

Other cool things that come with the system is how the image presented follows the road in a panning process and distant objects can be shown larger as a function of speed (zooming). So the system acts as an early warning system for on coming objects. BMW says after a while, using the BMW Night Vision system will become second nature like looking in the interior mirror.

So apart from the obvious, what are the other features of the new system?

- Reduction to the essential:
Far infra-red technology uses a thermal imaging camera high¬lighting in particular persons, animals and objects radiating higher temperatures. FIR intentionally does not present a detailed image of the respective traffic situation, which would only delay the recognition of a human being within the overall image. In other words, insig¬nificant details are cancelled out and do not distract the driver.
– FIR enables the driver “to look further”:
Covering a range of approximately 300 metres or almost 1,000 feet, FIR “looks” about twice as far as other systems. Hence, the driver is informed earlier on possible hazards – up to 5 seconds earlier at a speed of 100 km/h.
– FIR cannot be “dazzled”:
FIR cannot be dazzled by the headlights of oncoming traffic, by traffic lights, road lights and highly reflective surfaces such as traffic signs. And vehicles with FIR technology do not dazzle each other.

So obviously, this system is far too expensive to find in your local Commodore, nevertheless, its a nice peak into the future of car safety. Features which become available in 7 Series BMWs and S class mercs, tend to find themselves in cars like Holden’s Commodore in 10 or so years.
BMW Night Vision in the 7 Series will sell in Australia for $4,000 AUD.