Luxury Reviews

I always thought the best way to tour Europe was in a first-class seat on the Orient Express.When I spend an all-too brief trip on the classic train from London to the English Channel, I wanted the journey to roll on forever.But forever is a long time and things change. I thought I would always be a Coke man, but now I prefer Pepsi. And my devotion to Allan Moffat and Ford eventually flipped when I became a friend of Peter Brock and drove the best of his hot-rod Commodores.Just this week my passion for the Orient Express was overturned by a car. But not just any car.As I wafted across France in the latest Rolls-Royce, the new $1.1 million Phantom Coupe, I honestly could not think of any better way to travel.And to put that price in perspective, you have to keep remembering that this car’s buyers are not slaves to any of the commitments of the life you and I live. A mortgage? Not likely.A Rolls-Royce owner typically has about $80 million available for a snap purchase, owns at least two houses and has a garage with four or more cars in the Ferrari and Porsche class. So we're talking about Lindsay Fox or Nicole Kidman or John Laws.To them, a Phantom Coupe — even with a seven-figure bottom line before you tickle it with rear cupholders at $8000 or custom paint at who-knows-what price — is just another nice car.To us, the wage slaves of the world, it is an unbelievable extravagance.Why would anyone happily pay $1.1 million for a car that does the same basic job as a $15,000 Hyundai Getz, with about the same cabin space as a $35,000 Holden Commodore and less performance potential than a $70,000 FPV Falcon F6 turbo?That was why I was sitting in the foyer of the Rolls-Royce factory at Goodwood in Britain as an $8 million cavalcade of Phantoms, from six new Coupes to a long-wheelbase limousine to follow with the baggage, was assembled for a small group of lucky journalists. This was an episode torn from the pages of lifestyles of the poor but influential.But do not think for a second that the Phantom Coupe is perfect. Or that life in this world is so far different from suburban Australia.The cupholders in the British beauty are useless and the first roundabout sent two bottles of water skidding under the pedals to give me a nasty fright.And not even the Spirit of Ecstacy on the bonnet can clear the early-morning commuter traffic on the road to the cross-Channel train.And when you drive a Phantom Coupe on to the tunnel train, you have to share space with trucks . . . because the Rolls-Royce is so enormous.Minutes later we were also sharing the new Coupe with a dozen schoolchildren, all excited at the sight of an amazing car. And that was a powerful reminder of the importance of Rolls-Royce and its place in the world. ON THE ROADThe next reminder came at the end of the day. We had been driving for close to 12 hours and had covered more than 600km, yet it felt as if we had been going for about an hour.That's the best thing about the Coupe. It is a little more lively than the four-door Phantom and noticeably crisper any time the road starts to wander, and considerably quieter than the Drophead convertible.But, compared with any ordinary car, it's a serene cocoon that crushes kilometres without any apparent effort. It gives the sort of regal ride the maharajas would have enjoyed on the back of an elephant in the days of colonial India.You can see and feel the serenity in a Phantom Coupe. The seats are armchairs, the car is so quiet you can talk normally to your passenger without strain, there is plush luxury in everything you can see and touch and smell and hear, and yet the car will easily twist the speedometer from 80km/h to naughty-naughty with one firm call on the throttle.As we motored along we struggled for words to describe the tour group. We were wafting almost effortlessly, just as the Titanic would have done before the iceberg. Not that we were thinking that way. Perhaps a cavalcade? Or a parade? Or just a flurry, a flock or a fantasy of Phantoms?But reality returned with a rush when the sky turned grey, then black as the first splatters of rain turned to an incessant torrent and the clouds became thick fog.This final run to Geneva should have been the time to discover if the Phantom Coupe really can be a sporty car and deliver on the brand's impressive promises. But there were too many trucks and turns, and the road was slick and a serious threat to a $1 million machine.So I was forced to look at what I had, and what I had learned. This runs to underdone cupholders and satellite navigation that is well behind the times, and a package of luxury knick-knacks that falls well short of a Lexus LS600h. There's a slightly sharper response, but not of the sporty feel of a Porsche or even a Calais V.The Roller also needs sharper steering, a smaller wheel, some form of manual transmission control and more-supportive seats to sustain its sporty claims. And the view out of the rear window is second worst this year behind the stupidly flawed BMW X6 four-wheel drive.But, as the sun broke through and we turned into another five-star refuge to complete the trip, I was still won over by the Phantom Coupe.You can apply all the logic you like, and ask all the hard questions you like, and be as cynical as I like, and rate the car as an overdone relic with a grand past and no real future.But some things in life exist only because they can. And because we have to have standards. The Phantom Coupe is not perfect, but is one of the world's best cars. I like it.And, at the end of the day, would you? I would, and you would too if you had taken the English express and also won the lottery. 

It has taken a long time for Renault to join the four-wheel-drive club. There is no real reason for the delay, when you remember that it was Frenchman Thierry Sabine who created the famous Paris-Dakar off-road rally 30 years ago to spark a new European boom in 4WDs.Sabine is gone now, but Renault revived plenty of memories when it chose Morocco — always on the classic Paris-Dakar route — to preview its Koleos.The Koleos, named after a European butterfly, is far from a typically aggressive Dakar rally vehicle, even though it trumps the earlier Renault Scenic RX4 with genuine off-road capability.It comes thanks to Nissan. The Koleos gets the all-mode 4x4-i running gear from the latest X-Trail, even if it is tailored more for young urbanites with a sense of weekend adventure than intrepid transcontinental explorers.Renault admits it has been slow to join the 4WD movement, but plans to catch up fast.“We were a bit slow. It's a cultural thing: the French don't have much of a need for an SUV,” Renault's Christophe Deville says.“But now we want to be in this SUV segment because it is progressing,” he says.Based on the Nissan X-Trail and the first product of the alliance between the French and Japanese carmakers, Koleos is being built in South Korea by Renault Samsung Motors.Renault Australia senior communications manager Craig Smith says South Korean manufacture means pricing will be keen — starting at $30,000 and ranging up to the low $40,000 — when the Koleos arrives in Australia in September.There will be three trim levels, with 4x4 and 4x2 petrol models and a diesel 4x4, with a 4x2 diesel to come within six months of launch.Transmission options range from a six-speed automatic to a six-speed manual and continually-variable transmission.ON THE ROADQuite opposite to the boxy X-Trail, the 4.5m Koleos is elegant with a swooping roofline and rising waistline. The only hint of aggression is in the front and rear skid plates.The cabin is stylish and modern, with an attractive wave-design dashboard.Luxury features include a seven-speaker Bose system with subwoofer, cruise control with speed limiter, electronic handbrake, optional panoramic sunroof (about $2500), trip computer and a start/stop button.“It certainly won't be a spartan model,” Renault Australia senior communications manager Craig Smith says, even if Bluetooth and satellite navigation will not be available and iPod connectivity is only an option.Some interesting features are a chilled glovebox, a horizontally split rear tailgate with a 200kg limit on the lowered door, and automatically folding rear seats at the push of a latch by the tailgate.Other features are B pillar air vents with airconditioning fan controls in the rear and aircraft-style trays on the backs of the front seats.The 2.0-litre diesel engine will come in 110kW/320Nm and 127kW/360Nm. Renault claims fuel economy of 7.2 litres for 100km for the lower output model with CO2 emissions of 191g/km in the 4x2 six-speed manual.The diesel engine features in other Renaults and will be available in the X-Trail in Australia from July.The 2.5-litre petrol engine has 126kW at 6000 revs and 226Nm at 4400 revs, with thirsty fuel consumption ranging from 9.3 to 9.9 litres for 100km depending on transmission and drive, with emissions from 223-230g/km.Koleos is the first Renault with 4WD from launch. The all-mode 4x4-i drive system developed by Nissan for the new X-Trail can be operated in 2WD, auto and 4WD modes with a switch.In auto mode, it runs in front-wheel-drive until sensors detect slip. The electronic coupler then diverts a maximum of 50 per cent of torque to the rear.It takes into account wheel speed, yaw, forward and sideways acceleration, steering wheel angle and accelerator pedal position.Renault claims torque is split fast enough in most conditions to avoid intervention by stability control.From standstill, torque is evenly split for the first 50m for better launch grip and the Koleos also has an automatic hill-start assist.Safety gear runs from electronic stability control to anti-skid brakes and six airbags with curtain airbags that extend to the second row.The Koleos will be the second Renault in Australia with a three-year 150,000km warranty after the launch in July of the Laguna diesel hatch.Smith says Renault Australia plans to sell 100 to 150 a month, making it the biggest-selling model, topping the Megane sedan at 70-80.“We have 25 per cent of the market segments covered, but with Koleos that will lift to about 40 per cent,” Smith says.

Where other high performance cars tend to make many aggro, a Lambo turns them meek and mild, yielding out of their lane or giving way at cross roads as the sleek Italian supercar burbles by. If only they really knew what it is like to drive a car like the Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder, they would totally lose it.We have and we nearly did.It's everything you might imagine and more.The experience is almost mystical for the mechanically inclined, certainly a sensory overload and possibly the best ego massager money can buy apart from a private jet or multi- million dollar yacht which not many people can see you in anyway.They sure do in the Lambo Spyder _ the convertible version of Lamborghini's V10 Gallardo supercar.Essentially the same as the mid-engine tin-top the Spyder has an electrically folding soft top and no engine window through which to view the “crown jewels.” You can't have everything.It costs a pretty penny (around $460,000rrp) for the stunning mica orange car we drove that was kitted out with extra goodies like robotised sequential paddle gear shift called e-gear and other luxuries.Competitors are from that other Italian supercar company whose name starts with F and to a lesser extent, Porsche though they are a cut below the two Italians in prestige if not performance.The name Lamborghini rolls off your tongue like a delicious feast and that's what the Gallardo Spyder is like _ delicious. It is sensational to drive at any speed.An aggressive looking beast, the Spyder is all angles and air vents, low slung with a big rump and short front that is totally in keeping with its performance potential and the incredible sound blasting out those twin big-bore exhaust pipes.If you have been to an F1 race and heard what a highly developed V10 on-song sounds like then you will appreciate the Gallardo's auditory assault. Funny enough, it only bellows, nay blasts when the throttle is pushed hard otherwise it could be your average unassuming sports car with a handsome baritone ringing from the engine. But moving to Metallica mode doesn't take long.Built around an aluminium space frame a-la Audi (owner of Lamborghini), and various polycarbonate and aluminium panels, the two seater Gallardo Spyder tips the scales at a respectable 1570kg which means its going to have plenty of get up with 382kW and 510Nm spinning from the highly developed 5.0-litre V10 engine. It will put away a 0-100kmh sprint in 4.3 seconds and according to company literature, will run right through 300kmh given access to a handy airfield.Better yet is the Gallardo Spyder's handling and ride _ aided by all-wheel-drive and sophisticated electronics that help keep everything in check regardless of speed (well, within reason).The suspension is based around aluminium components and is double wishbone front and rear. Lambo has added a really handy lift mode to the front suspension for negotiating speed humps and dish gutters. Works a treat.It rolls on gumball 19-inch Pirellis of large proportion fitted to some of the best looking composite alloy wheels we have ever seen.Handling is controlled, quick to response, neutral at high speed, well damped and surprisingly supple, even in `sport' mode. Power is delivered with a greater bias towards the rear axle and a partial limited slip rear diff.The optional e-gear system takes a bit of getting used to and isn't as rapid changing as some other systems but does the job well and is fun to use, even selecting reverse with a push button.It has a large turning circle which is sometimes annoying and likes a drink of high octane premium but with 80 litres in the tank, touring range is pretty good. The pedal box is tight so it's left foot braking.There is plenty of luxury kit inside the cabin including electrically adjustable and heated seats, premium audio, climate control aircon and power assisted ancillaries. The seats are upholstered in a soft leather with contrast piping and all controls are easy to use and stylishly laid out.Its a surprisingly comfortable car to drive relatively roomy in the cockpit and offering reasonably good visibility but minimal boot space. Access is easy, egress a little more difficult due to wide rocker panels under the doors.The Gallardo is a work of art for the mechanically attuned to behold. The massive disc brakes, superb build quality, lustrous paint, clockwork engine that has a serious sting in the tail and possibly the best exhaust note of any road car we have driven. How does it get past ADRs? Who cares, we drove around all the time roofless even in inclement weather just to savour the sound. Plenty of people had their phones out filming and recording the awesome sound track.We just worried about it all the time, a problem when you have responsibility for something as valuable and revered as the Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder. 

The iconic shape of Porsche's 911 is unmistakable even though it has been evolving since the first prototype, hand built by Ferdinand Porsche, back in 1948.

It has been on the workshop bench for more than a quarter of a century, now finally Porsche is ready to share its Porsche-Doppelkupplungsgetriebe gearbox with its legion of daily drivers.

The newest variant of Audi’s alluring A5 coupe has been launched, priced from a stiff $95,900 plus the usual eye-wateringly expensive options.Following as it does the fierce V8 S5 and the foppish A5 3.2 Multitronic, the newcomer might not seem like hold the front page news.But the A5 3.2 quattro tiptronic – for ‘tis its name - is the one to potentially bring fashion conscious and performance-fancying punters to this four-ring brand model line.It has what the others lack one of both of – quattro all-wheel-drive and a proper automatic transmission. The $130K S5 has quattro but remains manual only for the moment. The lesser A5 lacks both quattro and gears, running a continuously variable transmission.This one boasts the same drivetrain as the recently released topline A4 sedan. In essence, it is of course the same thing with two fewer doors and a luxuriously appointed rear luggage rack rather than decent back passenger space.But it looks great. And that’s the main thing, right? It also goes.For full drive impressions, see the Daily Telegraph on Saturday or check back here next week. AUDI A5 3.2 quattro tiptronicPrice: from $95,900Engine: 3.2-litre V6; 195kW/330NmTransmission: 6-speed automatic, AWD

The hot diesel arrives in Australia in October and will cost about $40,000. It blows most of the small-car oil-burners out of the water in power and torque and marginally tops the current benchmark, the Golf GT TDI ($39,990).ENGINE AND ECONOMYThe engine is the same as in the Laguna, new Koleos SUV and Trafic van, but with improved engine mapping, earlier turbo boost and mated to a more aggressive six-speed manual. The five-door Megane pumps out 127kW of power and 360Nm of torque, compared with the Golf's 125kW/350Nm.Meanwhile, RenaultSport claims it sips fuel at just 6.5 litres per 100km, against Golf's 6.6, proving you can have your gateaux and eat it too.While its power may be down on the turbo model's 165kW, it more than makes up for it with a huge dollop of peak torque from just 2000rpm. ON THE ROADThat makes it fun to drive; not just off the mark but heading towards the 5000rpm limit. Its acceleration and feeling of power is more akin to a petrol car than a diesel. And the 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine is very quiet, only giving away the hint of clatter at idle. There's also a tasty exhaust note that resembles a bigger petrol car.Brakes are big and Brembo, so there is plenty of stopping power on board. On a short blast through the Parisienne countryside, the little diesel displayed predictable driving manners and despite all that low-down torque and heavy diesel engine there was minimal misbehaviour such as wicked torque steer or massive understeer. Indeed, turn-in is very good, although the electronic steering is somewhat numb.CHASSIS RenaultSport has fitted the engine to the chassis originally developed for Megane Renault Sport 2.0 Turbo. It features independent steering-axis front suspension and a 20mm-diameter anti-roll bar, but RenaultSport has stiffened the front springs and damper settings to cope with the extra 80kg weight of the diesel engine and gearbox.The rear suspension is based on a programmed-deflection flexible beam with torsional stiffness of 80Nm which is equivalent to the Cup chassis version of Megane Renault Sport 2.0T.TRIM LEVELRenault Australia senior communications manager Craig Smith says trim level will be similar to the current three-door model with leather upholstery as an option.Inside and out there are several RenaultSport plates, badges and seat stitching, but it doesn't look like a tacky “boy racer”. However, missing from the badges is the word “diesel”.“We did not want to put a diesel badge on the back,” Smith says. “The 2.0-litre diesel is the main stay of our range. This diesel shows what it is capable of.”It certainly is a more attractive car than the standard Megane, the dual pipes and big rear diffuser shaving some vital kilos off the notoriously fat bottom.And with safety features the same as those on all Meganes which scored five stars in EuroNCAP crash tests, it makes good sense. Smith says they're expecting to sell about 70-100 a year. 

Scintillating, mind-bending and eye-watering - quite literally - the Audi R8 is on another plane when it comes to scorching through a favoured back road.First impressions of this car were from behind the wheel of a left-hand-drive car at Phillip Island, followed by a brief road drive in unfamiliar territory.Now it has been sampled on the challenging, familiar, sometimes-rough but always entertaining roads through the Adelaide Hills.Suggesting it has passed the test is a little like saying Einstein was a bright bloke with potential to do OK.This little two-seater is quite simply one of the most awesome vehicles I have driven, a list which includes plenty of high-performance brands.There are more than a few fast Audis within that list but none has impressed in so many ways.First, the looks of this low-slung machine pass the bus-stop test unanimously - young or old, male of female, the R8 turns heads and gets the camera phones firing.It's wider than a Commodore, only a little longer than a Barina sedan and you look up at the little Holden's driver.The brand makes good use of LED running lights and indicators in its super coupe, with xenon headlights also making an impression on those ahead.What isn't on offer is a lot of luggage space, with a small compartment in the nose and a small amount of space behind the two seats.You'll have to take something else from the garage to course if you need to take your golf partner and both bags. Or you could take up a different sort of driving.Firing up the V8 engine, which cranks out the same 309kW and 430Nm as the RS4 from the same stable, the noise is enticing, yet subtle. A razor-sharp throttle and a somewhat lifeless clutch can make take-offs a little haphazard, something that can also be said for the gated six-speed manual.Once accustomed to the shift, there's less chance of mutilating the gear change, but the tactile mechanical nature of the change might not be to all tastes. The close-set pedal box is not ideal for size 12 feet but careful application is rewarded.An automatic transmission is available, for an additional $15,000. While it might make the day-to-day drudgery a little easier to deal with, the loss of the metallic soundtrack to the gear changes might be missed.Dribbling through traffic, the R8 is remarkably docile, with a broad torque band helping to make progress unfussed. At 1560kg, the aluminium spaceframe body with plastic panels feels taut, light and strong.Tipping into a corner at pace for the first time is an enlightening experience. Whereas Audis of older days suffered numb steering and a weighty snout, the mid-engined all-wheel drive is biased both in weight and drive to the rear.It works a treat. As the pace quickens, there are no complaints from the Pirelli P-Zero rubber.Even without the tricky Audi Magnetic Ride magnetic-fluid suspension in Sport mode, the R8 sits flat, turns, grips and fires out of most corners with delicious disdain for the bend.Even tighter turns fail to induce major understeer and any front-wheel scrubbing is easily remedied with the wheel and the right-hand pedal.The ride quality is remarkably good given the intended duties of such a machine, and even when pressing ahead hard into corners the Sport suspension button is not required.Track days on a billiard table surface might warrant the tighter suspension settings, but it is by no means required.Of course, at $260,000 for the manual, it's not on too many shopping lists, but given the price tag of some of the other Euro hyper-cars required to keep up, it's a bargain. Small torqueAudi R8 4.2 FSI QUATTROPrice: $259,900Engine: 4.2-litre 90-degree dry-sump direct-injection 32-valve DOHC V8.Transmission: Six-speed manual, quattro all-wheel drive, electronic differential lock, traction and stability control.Power: 309kW at 7800rpm.Torque: 430Nm between 4500rpm and 6000rpm.Performance: 0-100km/h 4.6 seconds. Top speed 301km/h (governed).Fuel consumption: 14.6 litres/100km, on test 17 litres/100km, tank 75 litres, 98RONEmissions: 349g/km.Suspension: Front and rear double-wishbones.Brakes: four-wheel ventilated and cross-drilled discs, with ABS and EBD.Dimensions: Length 4431mm, width 1904mm, height 1252mm, wheelbase 2650mm, track fr/rr 1632/1593mm, cargo volume 100 litres, weight 1560kg.Wheels:19in alloys.In its class:Porsche 911 Carrera 4S, from $243,000Aston Martin V8 Vantage, from $245,000Ferrari F430, from $416,850Lamborghini Gallardo, from $414,993

Porsche has expanded its popular Cayenne lineup by introducing a new variant tagged the Cayenne GTS that sits between the Porsche Cayenne S and the hot Cayenne Turbo.

Volvo's latest V70 plays to the marque's patented strengths: bank vault safety and bank vault looks.