Luxury Reviews

A classic long wheelbase luxury saloon, A8 is the flagship of the Audi range. It has been on sale in Australia since mid-1995 and is an exceptional piece of automotive engineering.

One stretches to near full length in the rear of the limo, an ottoman propping extended legs while the vertebrae are manipulated by a cunning practitioner of shiatsu. Then a wailing sound assails the ears ... This would be all too Hugh Grant, except the noise is not a Highway Patrol siren. Or the Vice Squad. Though it is The Police. That's the 1980s popsters, of all things to pick. The nasal whine of the vocalist is surround sounding through 11 speakers from a DVD screen that's dropped from the inner roof. And the masseuse is not some flower of the orient, but a mechanical function built into the optional-with-ottoman left rear seat of the new Lexus LS 600hL. And that's about the only option in a car whose decadent lushness contrasts utterly with frugal fuel use and a carbon dioxide emission rating that wouldn't disgrace a V6. The LS 600hL is the world's first V8 all-wheel-drive hybrid. It can reach 100km/h from standing in 6.3 seconds, but will use as little as 9.3-litres of 95 RON petrol per 100km. Its globulous, 2.4 tonne kerb weight can be clawed through a tight bend with surety via a Torsen all-paw system, leaving a fairly petite carbon footprint of 219 grams per kilometre. All this and it just about parks itself too. While the LS 600hL undercuts by more than $100,000 certain German LWB limos, it still costs $240,000 for the full-specced four seater as described above or $233,000 for the five pew model. All right already, so that's light years beyond the likes of you and I. So too, for that matter, is the $120K GS 400h released 18 months back and even the $94K RX 400h SUV that followed. Where all this does impact on us is in Toyota's luxury arm making hybrid performance vehicles their domain. While the Europeans adhere to ever-cleaner diesels — and BMW spruik their Hydrogen 7 to the mega-rich and famous — the Lexus petrol-electric gambit will surely devolve to the compact executive class. So what chance a hybrid of the IS to compete against the 3 Series and C-Class? “Very possible, absolutely,” the 600hL's chief engineer and my fellow backseat passenger Osamu Sakata assured Carsguide as he ratcheted up the shiatsu setting to intense. For now, the bombastic halo exercise that is the most expensive Lexus to date serves to provide glimpses of our motoring future. The easiest to see are the first application of LED low-beam headlights — near daylight bright, it's claimed. One you hope you'll never have to see is the anti-submarining in-seat airbag in the four seat model. Then there's the Intelligent Park Assist (IPA) system, which is sending a thrill through the geeky and the ability-shy. IPA uses a rear camera and ultrasonic sensors to identify a parking space and calculates the correct steering angle to guide the big bugger in without curbing the 19-inch rims or bending fenders. For a decent part of the exercise your only involvement is pressure on the gas pedal. The side and rear window blinds are push button. A body heat sensor (I'm not making this up) automatically controls the climate. The grab handles and bin doors are damped so they shut at uniform rate. Which is nice.   SNAPSHOT LEXUS LS 600hL Price: $233,000 (five seat); $240,000 (full spec) Engine: 5L/V8 hybrid; 290kW/520Nm Economy: 9.3L/100km 0-100km/h: 6.3 seconds     THE KEY RIVAL THEY FORGOT TO MENTION Lexus compares its LS 460hL flagship against a list of leviathans such as BMW's $346,000 760Li and even the Bentley Arnage. Insofar as these fat-capacity petrol-guzzlers are towards thetop of their respective makers' ranges, that's a reasonable suggestion. Lexus just happens to flog them in terms of value and green credentials. A car Lexus failed to mention was another biggish, V8 AWD — one that uses a hi-tech diesel engine to accomplish its ends. At $210,000, Audi's A8 4.2 TDIquattro undercuts the LS600hL on price. It also has better acceleration (5.9 seconds to 100km/h over 6.3) and competitive fuel economy (9.4L/100km to 9.3). The first eight-cylinder diesel in this class, the A8 has twin turbos and intercoolers to deliver 650Nm of turbine-like thrust. If the hybrid system is eco-friendlier in city traffic, the TDI comes into its own on the open road, proving that performance and prestige are compatible with diesel, too. There's 11 airbags, Pre-Collision Safety System, Active-radar Cruise Control, Adaptive Variable Suspension and Vehicle Dynamic integrated Management (VDiM) system. And a sunroof. So you get the lot. Lock and stock as standard. Leave the option gouging to the Germans. And leave the hybrid engines to theJapanese. This latest Lexus petrol-electric combo is another modern marvel, shifting a game it has almost to itself to another level. A 5.0-litre version of the 4.6 quad-cam V8 used in the much huzzah-ed LS 460 is combined with a new dual-stage transmission incorporating the electric drive system for a combined output of 290kW and 520Nm from 4000rpm. The 650-volt electric drive motor delivers 165kW/300Nm, with all those lovely Newtons available from zero revs. The hybrid system blends the two power sources according to operating conditions to provide a maximum 327kW. That's about the output of 6.0 petrol — hence the designation. A switchable EV mode2 allows 40km/h on electric power only. Indeed the car stops its petrol engine whenever possible (when the car's stationary, for example) to save fuel and reduce emissions and noise. It says much of the intended buyer that the Lexus minders saw that we spent as much time in the back as behind the wheel. On the basis of our limited and mostly straight line exposure, any of the myriad cars that Lexus pits itself against are more involving drives. That said, with the sport suspensions selected and the eight-speed manual mode of the CVT engaged, the V8 emits the heartfelt growl and something approaching the overtaking ability of the lesser, conventional LS. Unlike the latter, it's afflicted with a hybrid's tiny boot (albeit with full size spare), all those clever gubbins chewing up the golf club space. While your captain of industry might accept that it's not easy being green, he mightn't take so kindly to a lack of implements to use on the green. Still, at least the Lexus will massage more than the ego.

BMW'S second-generation X5 wagon is a rework of a successful format, a combination of soft-road abilities and good on-road dynamics wrapped up in a prestige package.

That is not to say that Mercedes doesn't get it wrong occasionally - its dalliance with R-Class, is one example - but such is not the case with the new C-Class. This may be the Mercedes version of the “people's car” but this time around it has not shirked at all. The styling is sharp, the 3.0-litre 170kW V6 is both strong and smooth and the seven-speed auto appears eminently happy to be associated with it. The C-Class, in its Avantgarde guise, is stylishly fitted out with superb seats and a seriously rich feel to the general trim. Ride comfort is excellent, the suspension is compliant and offers a good balance between highway cruising and backroad bruising. Steering feel - for a Mercedes - is quite good with a nice progressive weighting.   Snapshot MERCEDES-BENZ C280 Price: $84,974 Engine: 3.0L/V6, 170kW/300Nm Transmission: 7-speed automatic Economy: 9.6L/100km   For all the latest on the carsguide Car Of The Year each week go to www.carsguide.com.au/caroftheyear

That's the myth, anyway. Buyers seldom need inducement to blow their new car's sticker price out by four figures — plus dealer delivery and government charges, of course. With prestige marques, it takes only the ticking of a few boxes to get north of$10,000 in extras. Take BMW's 335i sedan, which has made the finals of Carsguide's Car of the Year (go to www.carsguide.com.au). With add-ons and enhancements, the 335i's already eye-watering $104,500 sticker price can end up closer to $120,000. Some of these items may be desirable, but none are necessary. One of them is actually detrimental. Although, as P. T. Barnum pointed out, while there's one born every minute, at least safety is becoming a not-for-sale item. In the small-to-medium segment, Australia's most fervently contested, Subaru and Mitsubishi have embarrassed the pack with the standard airbag and ESP packages on lesser Impreza and Lancer variants. You can bet that the days of optional so-called “safety packs” are numbered. That leaves bling enhancements such as sunroofs. If you want to fork out thousands for a hole in the roof that's pointless in winter and aircon-negating in summer, you deserve to be grist for the Barnums of this auto life. Then there are those additions — supposedly performance-enhancing but primarily superficial — that have the effect of ruining the ride and, in certain salient cases, seriously sapping your will to live. Manufacturers spend millions testing ride and compliance. We then spend thousands destroying them with phat rims the engineers never envisaged and dropped ride height that guarantees painful impact with every speed bump encountered. It helps not one bit that NSW roads are among the world's worst, but some cars are disadvantaged by having been designed for the first world. Which is why Alfa Romeo's 159 Ti V6 is a pleasant surprise. Lowered, tautened and shod in low-profile rubber though it is, the Alfa's enhanced handling doesn't come at the cost of liveability. As we found in our recent road test, an entirely reasonable $2000 premium over the already excellently equipped standard 159 brings both sharper turn-in and sharper looks. You may want to approach steep driveways with caution, but hitting a pothole won't send you to the other side of the road. Which brings us back to that 335i. The model tested in January brought forth from us the gushing that has accompanied any Bimmer equipped with that superb bi-turbo in-line six. And this example was fairly basically equipped — unlike our C-COTY car, which had the $4500 M Sport kit. With special alloys, beefy steering wheel, aerodynamic go-fast bits, sports seats, sports suspension and those coveted M badges, this is quite the extras package. And, in daily driving, it comes close to rendering this circa $120,000 sports sedan a weeping misery. Although the M bits enhance its on-track performance and look the goods, they make the simple act of driving rapidly along a straight B-road a camber-chasing, traction-control-activating nightmare. In fact, open-road motoring in a 335i with sport suspension feels like you're driving up the garden path.

Whack the 3.0-litre twin-turbo powerplant under the serious-looking snout and the exec-express sedan is an A-grade Q-car.  With 225kW and 400Nm on offer there's fun to be had, but while it can outpace the rest of the field here there's a piper to be paid. The engine is lagless and muscular, with a feral howl and torque to satisfy most demands. BMW has a habit of optioning up the test cars and this sedan is no exception - a $2750 electric sunroof, metallic paint for $1600 and the $4500 M-Pack which brings sports wheels, sports suspension and a host of M-stamped bits and pieces. It was the M suspension which brought the 335i back to the field everywhere but the racetrack. There is a reason why BMW's lauded M Division does not pair run-flat tyres with its M suspension. On the 335i the combination manifested with skittish behaviour over mid-corner bumps that failed to fluster most others and a ride quality away from the track that was difficult to excuse. Check out the video below and let us know if you think this is a worthy Car of the Year nominee. Click here for all the latest on the carsguide Car Of The Year

More recently, BMWs have come in the form of fat SUVs, wedge-shaped roadsters and pimp coupes with bulbous bums, most of which are made in the US mainly for Americans. Now comes another such device, derived from a misbegotten 2+2 whimsically presented in hatchback form made mainly for the European market. We take a backseat to no one when it comes to deriding the 1 Series; not least because no one can fit in the backseat. Now, a derivation of the 1 Series; conceived ironically enough for the hatch-allergic Yanks; which is upon us. Due to reach our shores in June alongside a cabrio cousin, BMW's 135i has got to have an early shot at being one of the cars of 2008. Yep, the 1 Series is an excellent compact performance coupe, the sort of thing Bimmer have not done for for too long amid that plethora of profitable, but not so pure, products. Indeed, the range-topping pocket rocket evokes the 1972 2002 Tii, an iconic turbo-charged compact two-door. It is the sort of car that has been among BMW's core competencies. Packing the same 225kW/400Nm 3.0 litre, bi-turbo inline six introduced last year on the 3 Series Coupe, the more petite 135i transcends the merely competent by the width of its torque band. The 135i's planes and creases succeed in the metal to a far greater extent than the printed image implies. The traditional BMW style cues work with a high, muscular shoulder line, flared wheel arches and the standard-fit M Sports kit including lightweight 18-inch alloys. Markedly shorter in the wheelbase and smaller in overall dimensions than the 3 Series, it is, at 1485kg, only 50kg lighter than its big brother. Within, it is a legitimate four-seater. A burly type can survive the rear pews comfortably with just a little consideration from those up front as they sit among one of almost 200 posited trim combinations. The work station is generic BMW, with the perfect driving position readily obtainable, the short shifting gearstick falling readily to hand. There is 370 litres of boot, more than 800 with the split fold rear seats folded flat. Bluetooth and the now slightly less enigmatic version of the i-Drive multi-media system are among the options, as will be a six-speed Steptronic auto transmission. When the 135i comes our way it will be launched with its drop-top equivalent and the 125i, a circa $60K model using BMW's 2.5 normally-aspirated six. But the impressive-sounding diesels are not for us. With a claimed 0-100km/h capability of 5.3 seconds, the 135i outdoes the 3 Series in a straight line by a good few tenths. It is not the relatively affordable shrink-wrapped version of the 335i we half-expected, but a hugely gratifying car that provides rewards of its own. Completely devoid of lag, the twin turbo unit accesses all of its towering 400Nm from an exceptionally low 1300rpm. Beautiful match with a paddle-shifted ZF auto that it is, it will pull so emphatically in sixth when open roading in the manual that you almost believe you are in fourth. Linear effortless performance is a given. What the 135i brings to BMW's rich table that is uniquely its own is handling that befits a compact performance coupe, a species of which this is the only extant example. The DTSC system bites hard when it judges too rash a deviation from the correct cornering line, but it can be disabled at a button's push. This locks the electronic limited slip differential, which allows a good deal more latitude and a great deal of grin-inducing adjustability. The runflat tyre/M-sports suspension set-up makes for an adroit concerning stance and a ride that might be bearable even on our roads. Electric power steering provides feel to complement the trademark combo of rear-wheel-drive and almost 50:50 weight distribution. This coupe is decidedly more at home on a winding B-road than the track, where its still-hefty weight and tall gearing can hinder progress. That said, where the 135i succeeds brilliantly is in its performance and handling capabilities being so readily accessible while its demeanor remains extraordinarily forgiving. Purists might sniff that the new Bimmer is not all it could be; not as lithe nor quite so focused. That misses the point, which is that it is absolutely what BMW customers want. And if their motor show stand reminded us that there is a BMW for most shapes and circumstances, here is one that will win both hearts and minds.

With the new C-Class Mercedes on the road, the baby Benz is finally good enough to go head-to-head with the benchmark BMW 3 Series and win without any silver-star badge advantage. It tops everything from the Alfa 159 through to the Audi A4, the Saab 9-3 and Volvo S40. The C-Class's improvements start at the bottom, which means the C200K is as good in the basics as the rest of the family and it opens the door for an affordable $56,990. The latest C is all-new, which means a new look, new cabin, upgraded and refocused suspension and all the rest. The styling is edgy and pert, much like a scaled-down S-Class, but also with the sort of youth-focused fender shapes and dash design that should work for younger buyers. Even the seats have more shape and support than the old-fogey armchairs in bigger Benzes. The cabin is different, from the shape of the steering wheel to the small roller wheel controlling the sound system (in BMW iDrive-style) and other minor functions. Even the dash and dials are different, but there is still the solid style you expect from a Mercedes. Australia has seen only the four-door C this year, but the wagon is coming next year with the promise of more practicality and another alternative to the 3 Series. The range runs from the C200K, with a 1.8-litre supercharged engine, to the C220 diesel and the 3.0-litre 280 from $84,974. It's a good spread and it covers the engine choices, but obviously there will be more in future, and not only the wagon and C63. The baby Benz should make the cut for the Car Of The Year competition, because it is one of the most important newcomers for Mercedes since the original compact 190E in the 1990s. And it finally has the youthful feel that has been missing from silver star baby cars. The C-Class is a surprisingly sporty drive, which is definitely a big change from earlier Mercedes-Benz compacts, even with the 1.8-litre starter engine. It feels light and nimble, nicely responsive in the engine room, yet still sits on the road the way you expect a Benz to do. So it is solid, but not dowdy. The C200K test car got along well, with solid torque from the bottom of the rev range, and economy was excellent. The trip computer showed fuel use of less than 7L/100km on highway cruising and an average of 9.4L/100km, good for the car and its class. The engine is not the sweetest we have driven, and definitely not a match for a BMW six, but it does the job. The automatic transmission is as smooth and effective as anything in the class, though it would be nicer with steering-wheel paddles. The suspension is jiggly on some broken surfaces, but generally does the job without fuss. The car feels light to handle, even encourages you to have fun on twisty roads. It responds well to the wheel, though not as sharply as a 3 Series, and is nicely balanced in corners. The brake assistance, however, is overdone and it is easy to make a jerky stop or get too much braking if you are trying for smooth slowing. Benz needs to wind it back a bit. The sound controls are too complicated for easy use on the go, despite the Command system controller. The interior finish also looks on the cheap side, with too much hard black plastic. It is not what is expected from a Benz, with the dash top dragging down the improvements in the dials and wheel and console design. It would also be good to have some cup-holders that pop out from the dash, instead of just an open hole in the console. But really, those are just little niggles in a car that is very good. The test car was equipped with extra gear, which raised its price to $62,690, but the basics are all the same and impressive nevertheless.  

On a weekday morning, even the fastest accelerating production convertible in Australia can take an hour to get from the Harbour Bridge's southern approaches to the F3 turn off. “Toupee-ripping” is how a colleague described the acceleration figure claimed by Porsche for its stunning 911 Turbo Cabriolet. “Hair-tearing” is usually the reality; in a city where noted stand-up comedian and part-time roads minister Eric Roozendaal reckons traffic is no heavier than 10 years ago. Although I long ago bid my follicles farewell; partly as result of enduring endless scenarios like this, it's a measure of this Porsche that it remained capable of shaking us to the roots. You won't often have the chance, but even so you'd need to have lapsed into a fairly deep coma not to be affected by the reality-blurring manner in which the 911 Turbo achieves 100km/h from standing. Flatten the go pedal of the five-speed automatic, surge forward, receive a turbo-charged kick in the pants and within half the time it takes you to get cognisant of what's occurred, a third numeral has flashed up on the digital speedo and the rear wing rises triumphantly. At a claimed 3.8 seconds, the hundred occurs 0.3 seconds quicker than in a Ferrari F430 Spyder. At least, it does in the version that teams the Tiptronic auto with the 3.6-litre twin-turbo six, good for 353kW and 620Nm. Although the $8000 cheaper six-speed manual is quicker over the 400 metre mark, the longer-geared auto dispatches the first benchmark 0.2 faster. But with either transmission, the topline all-wheel-drive 911s outsprint not only the Ferrari, but the nearest open top Lamborghini and Mercedes-Benz; these get there on the other side of four ticks. And at $357,500 for the manual and $365,500 for the auto, an example of which we drove, the Porsches are also much less expensive, even at a $22K premium over the 911 Turbo coupes. The cabrios do what they do whether the wind's whistling over the fabric roof that folds in 20 seconds or searing your scalp. But then the flow of air is, well, elemental with the 911 Turbo. A purpose-sculptured front bumper and aerodynamic planes directs air into the gaping intakes, which at 300km/h would channel 6400 litres a second of the breathing stuff. Most is rushed into the front vents to provide downforce and cooling, the rest into the intercoolers by way of those that open unmissably at the side. The rear-mounted powerplant features two fan-shaped turbochargers that alter the angle of their vanes to force-feed the engine. The last public frontier on this continent for fully exploring such a car closed when the Northern Territory government decided that excessive speed caused its constant road toll. Thus track days (and advanced driving lessons) are of the essence in 911 ownership; as would be optional $19,000 ceramic brakes. Yet even on our lamentably surfaced and ineptly governed roads the blown open topper cannot but convey its outlandish nature. Drive defaults predominantly to the rear wheels in Porsche's all-paw fashion, though with an electronic multi-plate clutch that will in extremis feed up to 100 per cent to front within 100 milliseconds, which is faster than any mere human could react. It could be argued that the human element is missing from a car that grips, corners and corrects with such an authoritarian poise and control. I'm among the 95 per cent who would be simply awed by the thing's ability to carve through tight corners at a rate we could not hope to approach in any lesser vehicle. This thing is clinically brilliant. Steering? It's a Porsche, so it's about as close to perfect as makes no odds. You could reasonably carp about the old, button-activated Tiptronic, though, which is not the sharpest of such things. Dominating the Volkswagen Group as it does, Porsche plans to move to a DSG set-up soon and a version such as the R-Tronic of Audi's new R8 would fit the 911 Turbo like lycra. All this power comes with PASM (Porsche Active Stability Management), which can be button-switched from normal to sport and is attached to the its latest traction control technology. These measures combine to ensure that, bar certifiable madness, the Porsche won't overwhelm you. As to kit, there's not much wanting with six airbags, Bose surround sound, bi-xenon lamps, 19-inch alloys and sat-nav. Like all 911s, there's rear seat room for two people aged less than 24 months. Not much to be done about this, but given the massive premium over a mere Carrera, a bit of differentiating trim would be in order. Which brings us back to where we started, stationary in the slow lane, far from anything like the Turbo Cabrio's natural habitat. Yes, either of the Italians, and certainly the Merc, might be more comfortable cabins at such times, but there's the consolation of knowing you can get away from here quicker than any of them. Even if only by a hair's breadth.   Snapshot Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet Price: $365,500 (auto) Engine: 3.6L/6-cylinder twin tubro, 353kW/620Nm Economy: 13.7L/100km 0-100km/h: 3.8 seconds Quote: “Steering? It's a Porsche, so it's about as close to perfect as makes no odds”     Rivals Ferrari F430 Spider       Price: $425,000 Engine: 4.3L/V8, 360kW/465Nm Economy: 18.3L/100km 0-00km/h: 4.1 seconds     Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder     Price: $439,999 Engine: 5.0L/V10, 382kW/510Nm Economy: 17L per 100km 0-100km/h: 4.3 seconds     Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG     Price: $374,900 Engine: 5.4L/V8 supercharged, 380kW/720Nm Economy: 13.5L/100km 0-100km/h: 4.5 seconds  

Two doors and a V8 seems to be flavour of the year.