Articles by Ashlee Pleffer

The compact Hyundai Tucson City is the only SUV to offer front-drive technology to Australian buyers and with the addition of the five-speed manual it is cheaper and more fuel efficient.At $24,990 the Tucson City SX is $2000 cheaper than the comparative automatic model while Hyundai claims a combined fuel cycle figure of 8.0-litres per 100km.The City SX comes standard with air-conditioning with pollen filter, ABS with EBD, five 16-inch alloy wheels, cruise control, leather trim steering wheel and gearshift knob, remote entry with alarm, power windows and mirrors, dual front airbags, roof rails, front and rear fog lights and a luggage area blind.Also new to the Tucson City range is the Elite variant which sits above the SX model.Fitted standard with selectronic automatic, the Elite also adds a stability program with integrated traction control, curtain side airbags, side thorax airbags in the front seats, electric tilt/slide sunroof, seats trimmed with leather side bolsters and cloth centre pads, five-mode trip computer, six-speaker audio and auto headlights. The Elite will cost $29,990.

The Linea, which was launched in Europe last week, is designed for the European market with smaller 1.4-litre and 1.3-litre engines and a manual transmission.Fiat Australia spokesman, Edward Rowe, says the company is keen on the new sedan. “We have put our hand up for it, we'd like to have it here as part of our range,” he says.But the Linea isn't likely to arrive in Australia until the end of next year.Fiat has recently signed a deal with the Chinese group Chery Automobile to supply Fiat with 1.8-litre and 2.0-litre engines with an automatic transmission.These drive-trains have been sourced specifically for the Linea model, which will make it more suitable for the Australian market.It is expected to arrive for sale here some time between July and the end of next year and is expected to sit just above the Punto in price. The car is currently manufactured in a plant in Bursa, Turkey, but will also be manufactured in Brazil, India, China and Russia at a later date. But in the meantime, Fiat has confirmed two more models will join the Punto in Australia. The Bravo is next on the list, with the launch set for September.It will be followed by the new version of the legendary Fiat 500. This will be launched and go on sale overseas at the beginning of July to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the launch of the original Bambino.But there will be a wait until Australia gets the revived Bambino. The debut of the car Down Under isn't expected until the model makes its official launch here in March next year, although there is a possibility it could make its debut at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney in October.A special edition of the model was announced last month for the European market, in connection with the International Milan Furniture Fair.Only 500 of these opening-edition models will be available, with some to be customised by the Italian designer, Cappellini.But as these are only left-hand-drives, no limited-edition models will be offered in Australia. Rowe says Fiat initially committed itself to launching 19 new models across its brand in five years, which includes Alfa Romeo, Fiat and Lancia.

Audi expects to sell about 600 models a year in Australia once the full model line-up has arrived by the end of next year. The A5 will become available in October in petrol models, with a 195kW 3.2-litre multitronic version. It's expected to be priced at about $90,000. The sportier S5 model, at $130,000-$135,000 with a 4.2-litre, V8 engine, quattro all-wheel-drive and a manual transmission, will later join the line-up. The range topper generates 260kW at 7000rpm and 440Nm at 3500rpm. Another four versions will be added next year, with a tiptronic 3.2-litre quattro model arriving around March. This is expected to have a $5000 excess over the multitronic version. A tiptronic 4.2-litre S5 will also join the line-up in April. It will be between $134,000-$139,000. And fans of the new coupe who want something more affordable will also have to wait until April, when the 125kW 1.8-litre, turbocharged model arrives. It will be priced at $70,000-$75,000 and is expected to be the volume seller. Diesel fans will also have to wait, with a 3.0-litre turbo diesel expected next August, with both quattro and tiptronic features. It will produce 176kW and 500Nm and will carry a $95,000-$100,000 price point.  

It's no secret that the majority of classic car owners are men. With all the mechanics involved, the endless hours that have to be dedicated to maintenance and the close relationship formed between car and man, it seems this is not a hobby which appeals to many women. But that doesn't mean they don't exist. Lynne Sewell is proof. The 54-year-old has owned a 1953 MG TD for the past nine years. And while her father was a mechanic, Sewell says she is far from a car nut herself. “I was brought up in a family where I knew what a carburettor was and spark plugs but I'm not a rev head,” she says. “But I do know the bits and pieces under the bonnet. My father did show me how to change the battery and change the tyre. I had a good general idea, more knowledge than the average person.” So with a basic understanding of cars and a desire to own an MG, Sewell, with the support of her husband Rick, set off to find her own special car in 1998. “I had always said one day I'd like to buy one of those T types,” she says. The previous owner had restored the black model after it spent some time sitting in a warehouse in the 1960s. But Sewell decided there was still more work to be done. “Everyone said, `Dont go there, once you do, you won't stop, it's like Pandora's box',” Sewell jokes. “A club friend worked on it and my husband and I helped. We did a full body restoration, it took nearly two years because of the slow way we were doing it. “It had an engine rebuild, we put a new clutch in it, it just purrs. “My father was very proud of me having it. And this model really is a gem.” It recently came second at a national MG meeting for the second year in a row and has won other accolades. It is also road registered, unusual for older models which are usually just registered through the clubs. “It's me who does all the cleaning and preparation for events. I'm the registered owner, but I'd be lost without my husband's support,” Sewell says. And as the ad goes: Initial purchase, around $20,000, value the car is currently insured for, more than $30,000, the many wonderful memories ... priceless. Among the memories was the driver who continuously honked to draw Sewell's attention and signalled her to pull over to the side of the road so he could inspect her prize possession, then offered to swap his much less expensive average car for hers. And then there was her daughter's wedding reception, when the happy couple arrived and departed in the MG. And the time when a group of surfers stopped for a chat, saying, “We love your wheels. It's just fantastic”. “When else would a bunch of surfers come and talk to a middle-aged couple,” Sewell says. Sewell and her husband actively embraced the MG owners club and have found there's much more to owning a classic car than just the car itself. “There are a lot of social weekends away. In the winter I'm known for rugging up and always having the roof down,” she says. “It enables us to have a social interest as a couple, with other like-minded couples.” The MG may not be fitted with great security measures, indeed it doesn't even have locks, but Sewell says she is yet to have a problem with that. “I think people respect the old cars and they like to look at them. We often just park it, the seats are exposed, people look at the instrument panel and interior, it's so different to modern cars,” she says. And while she loves her car, there are a couple of features which make it difficult to drive. “I joke about the airconditioning, it's very hot in the summer, your feet cook and in the winter, you're cold,” she says. As with most old cars it lacks power steering and Sewell says she rarely takes it in Sydney traffic as it is a lot slower than modern cars. But in no way is the mother-of-two ready to give it up. Indeed, she is hoping there will be at least one more MG in her future. While MG ceased production in 2005, a Chinese company recently bought the brand. It will initially target the Chinese market and perhaps the US, Sewell says, so the couple are looking forward to the possibility of a modern MG in their garage. “I would look at buying a modern one, because this one is limited in the type of roads and conditions I can take it on.”   Fast Facts 1953 MG TD Value when new: £530 Value now: More than $30,000 Verdict: It may not have all the modern perks, but the MG will no doubt turn heads with its classic style and charm.  

But the offer does come with conditions: GM Holden spokesman John Lindsay says the money-back guarantee must be taken up within 30 days or when the mileage hits 1500km, whichever comes first.

Audi already offers some of these elements separately in other models, but in this one, it all comes together. The second-generation allroad sits between the prestige A6 Avant and the larger, luxury SUV, the Q7.And Audi believes that despite some similarities to the other models, it will still find its niche market, with a forecasted 100 sales for the remainder of the year. The price tag alone brings high expectations.Sitting at $106,000, the allroad isn't cheap, and price seems to grow rapidly once options are added. Our test cars were all fitted with other features such as an iPod connection, different leather, reversing camera, satellite navigation and so on, which will add thousands to the price. And considering it is already $20,000 more than the Q7, it is a big step up and for that you expect a lot more.Granted, it does come in cheaper than the 3.2-litre petrol A6 Avant. But it doesn't have the same off-road ability and has a $3000 premium. The 3.0-litre turbo diesel engine is a smooth, quiet performer and you can barely notice it's not a petrol from the inside.The noise, or should I say lack of, doesn't reveal its true identity.The V6 reaches a maximum 171kW and it boasts a torquey engine producing 450Nm from the lower end of the tacho, coming on relatively quickly from 1400rpm to 3250rpm.And with the performance accessed through a very smooth shifting six-speed tiptronic transmission with DSP and sports program, there's no doubt it's a luxury and to a degree, sporty drive.The big difference to the A6 Avant is the adaptive air suspension system. When the conditions change, the suspension adapts. It is activated both automatically, or if you choose, manually. Known as the electronically controlled adaptive air suspension system, it alters the trim height of the body by up to 61 millimetres.It acknowledges the road conditions, speed and driving style and automatically adjusts the control characteristics of the adaptive shock absorbers. In simpler terms, it means there are five modes, which are all pretty self-explanatory. These are dynamic, automatic, comfort, allroad and lift.During the different modes, the body is lowered or raised. As an example, dynamic is like a sports suspension setting, so the body is lowered to a ground clearance of 125mm.And you really notice the difference when taking control of the system and manually adjusting. The ESP system has also been enhanced to be more suitable for off-road use.Quattro all-wheel-drive is another feature on the allroad. It splits the torque between the front and rear axles in a 50/50 distribution, with a bias to the rear.The car is also very strong in its stance on the road, with a boosted torsional rigidity.The allroad proved itself this week on a combination of bitumen and dirt roads, although the dirt roads weren't extreme four-wheel-driving tracks and more bumpy conditions and tighter turns might alter the performance. Its luxury presence may not be as well suited to more adventurous tracks.But on the roads we tackled, the allroad handled well at high speeds and was a comfortable drive in terms of ride, setting and appearance. It's like a sibling to the A6 — think the Minogue sisters. You can tell they're related, but each has her own defining character.The allroad is longer, wider and more spacious than its younger relative.The striking front grille on the allroad stands out with a dominant and strong presence, which also gives the car a really muscular impression.This is nicely complemented by the new roof rails in aluminium, newly designed bumpers, flared wheel arches and those sporty looking, large twin-exhaust pipes.The wheels are also slightly larger than the A6 Avant. Audi designs succeed because they're not too much of a “look at me” style. The new allroad follows this line with its subtle, classy design.There's all the comfort you can expect with the interior: cosy leather, sports seats, wood trim and an electronic parking brake, all in the style that mimics the A6 Avant. The entertainment system is very easy to use and incorporates features such as the radio/six disc CD stacker, the viewing for the air suspension, and extras, including the optional navigational system.One downside to the allroad is that it only comes with a space-saver spare. With its off-road abilities, the allroad would make much more sense with a full-size spare.The launch saw one car temporarily sidelined because of a flat. Audi Australia says a full-size spare isn't available at this stage. The previous allroad achieved better sales than originally expected for Audi.There were some 90,000 orders worldwide between 2000 and 2005. About 1000 of those sales were in Australia. This new generation is aimed at “affluent professionals” with a family, who are sporty and adventurous in character. Most buyers are expected to be male, but it is designed to satisfy women as well.The allroad is unique in its character because other luxury manufacturers don't have a model that offers the whole package of off-road and diesel in wagon form. Fast factsAudi A6 Allroad quattroPrice: $106,000Engine: 3.0-litre, V6 turbo diesel, 171kW@4000rpm, 450Nm@1400rpm-3250rpmTransmission: 6-speed tiptronic with DSP and sports program.Fuel: 80-litre tank, 9.8L/100km (as tested), 8.8L/100km (claimed) combinedVerdict: It's all elegance and all style in this luxury wagon, and the best part is you can even get it dirty.

Toyota took the leadership with a total of 2.38 million cars and trucks sold worldwide, whereas GM sold 2.26 million vehicles for the same period. It is the first time GM has been overtaken in sales since 1931.Toyota's high sales can partly be attributed to petrol prices, particularly the sales in the US, with a continued demand for smaller, more fuel efficient cars. The Prius hybrid has also played a big role in this.It's also believed that later this month the Japanese carmaker will report a seventh consecutive year of record profits.Toyota's success comes as the Detroit-based manufacturers, including GM, Ford and Chrysler, lost money last year and are closing plants and cutting jobs.But Toyota's future is looking much brighter, with an $11.7 billion profit last year. Japanese analysts expect the company to exceed that figure this year.

Throughout the years, many fans have been inspired by screen star Herbie the Love Bug and spent plenty of time and money restoring old models to their shiny best. It's people such as Murray Fleming, whose efforts restoring an “Oval” VW Beetle, so called because of it's distinctive rear windscreen, means children can continue giving siblings a dead arm and yelling “punch bug” when one zooms past. It was no easy task for Fleming to get his beloved Beetle back on the road. The Ingleburn resident spent thousands of hours restoring the 1956 “love bug” to its now-pristine condition, after rescuing the car in 1992 as it sat rusting away in a shed in Mittagong. He paid $700 for it after spotting an ad in a magazine. “I had to get a truck to pull it out of the mud, the owner had started to do it up. He had pulled it apart and left it there and it started to rot,” Fleming says. It was at that moment, Fleming began his love affair with the Volkswagen brand. With a brother-in-law who was already a keen VW enthusiast, Fleming got to work transforming his new toy from the wreck it was into the beauty it is today. “I've done a complete rebuild, rust cut-out, resprayed, re-upholstered, the engine, the gearbox, wheels, the whole thing,” he says. Fleming, who has been the president of the Sydney Flat Fours Vee Dub club for the past seven years, wasn't new to car restoration. Past experience fixing up a Torana, Kingswood and Commodore helped in his Volkswagen endeavours. But Fleming says it wasn't an easy job and there were times when he found it hard to love the bug. “From start to finish, it took six years,” he says. “Many times I thought I was going to sell it and give up, my wife said, `No, you'll just buy something else and start again', so she kept me going. She loves it.” After all his hard work, the Beetle is now worth about $20,000, although Fleming says he would probably only get $16,000 if he was to sell it. But he's not too concerned about recovering his losses. “I wouldn't sell it, I've had it for too long, it means too much to me,” he says. While he still drives it, the 50-year-old says as his two daughters, now 24 and 16, got older they had to find something bigger to fit everyone in when going on holidays. So he purchased a 1989 twin-cab Kombi eight years ago and now keeps his Beetle mainly for club runs. “(It's) the simplicity of them, they're easy to work on and the history of them, they've been around for 50 years and they're still surviving,” he says. “It's a good reliable car, cheap to run, good on fuel and the parts are relatively available. It's good for a younger person who wants to learn to drive and learn the mechanical side as well. It's a top car, really fun to drive.” And in his bubblegum green, aqua-blue bug, Fleming finds people like to reminisce about their own VW experiences. “A lot of old people come up and say, `I used to have one when I was a kid' and young kids like it as well.” While Fleming's Beetle is a fully imported German model, he says many of those assembled in Melbourne are keenly sought after by US and British enthusiasts. The origins of the Beetle date back to 1925 and they were further developed by the commissioning of a “peoples' car” by Adolf Hitler. But the Bug didn't come into production until after the war. And they didn't officially acquire the name Beetle or Bug until 1967. Fleming doesn't have any more plans for improving his Bug. But he now has another project under way. “I've been working on another one, a 1958 model, I'm turning it into a roadster,” he says.

Caravan company Geist says it is experiencing an increase in demand for family products. Geist spokesman, Wayne Moller says retirees still make up the majority of the market, but there is a shift to more family-orientated products, especially in NSW.“When we first started four years ago, we didn't have a family van, now four out of our nine products are family vans,” he says.Tourism Research Australia says large groups of travellers, including family groups, and friends and relatives travelling together, account for about 48 per cent of nights in caravan or camping accommodation, spending $2.3 billion on their trips. And it seems nostalgia has a lot to do with it.Moller says younger parents, who themselves experienced camping as children, now want to experience it with their own offspring.“Although retirees still make up three-quarters of our market, I think over the next five years we'll see a lot more younger people coming through the market who have experienced it as a child,” he says. “We're starting to shift our focus towards those people.”He says more and more people are now looking for upmarket, fully self-contained caravans, with toilets and showers and kit-chens and televisions.And while it may sound like an expensive investment, with the more affordable camper trailers starting from $8000, and vans ranging from $20,000 to $100,000, in the long run you might be better off.Joseph Calabrese and his wife Angela, were shopping at the Caravan, Camping 4WD and Holiday Supershow at Rosehill Gardens this week for a camper trailer to take on holidays.Calabrese says they used to take their two children, Daniela, 11, Mark, 9, camping in a tent, but over the past five years, have opted for a more civilised setting with a cabin.“We were paying $2000 a week to hire a cabin. That's money blown,” he says. “A camper trailer is a great investment, you can go away for two weeks, to two or three different caravan sites.”The Kellyville family is searching for a camper trailer around the $23,000 mark, which they believe is a good investment for something you can practically live in.“It's got a stove, a fridge, a queen-size bed for the adults and a double bed for the kids, and there's a large kitchen table,” Calabrese says.He believes the trailer will be great for Christmas holidays, when they go to caravan sites with extended family.Jayco spokesman Andrew Ryan says 30 to 40per cent of the company's products are aimed at families. Equipment such as bunk beds, flat-screen TVs, stereos, bigger couches, awnings and annexes are all features that families tend to look for when buying a van.“We're also noticing a trend with 30-year-olds with no kids, wanting to travel with friends,” says Ryan.The other option for families who don't have the right car to make a big trip with a camper trailer or caravan but who have the cash, is to buy a Winnebago motor home.The company has introduced a budget range which has become popular with family buyers, spokesman Max Mayo says, although “budget” still refers to a price tag of about $90,000.“I think people are discovering Australia more,” he says. “I think there's a general trend to not consider overseas, perhaps the terrorism aspects, 9-11, the Iraq War ... these changed people's views.“The option of staying in a motel or hotel is also becoming expensive for a lot of people.”Mayo says a lot more families, particularly those with young children up to the age of five, are choosing to take a trip around Australia before the children reach school age.And if the budget allows, perhaps you can spend up even bigger. At the caravan and camping show, the most expensive vehicle on display is the $639,000 Swagman, one children young and old are sure to love.And when it comes time to sell or upgrade on the caravan or motor home, industry insiders say the vehicles tend to have a very good resale value.The NSW Caravan, Camping, 4WD and Holiday Supershow is on until Sunday, 10am-6pm, at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse, James Ruse Drive, Rosehill.

As a friend and fan of Brock, Len Pennisi not only owns and treasures his three Brock Commodores, he's also keeping the Brock memory alive through Brock's former company, HDT Special Vehicles based at Revesby.Pennisi and his brother Sid bought the HDT Special Vehicles company in 1994.“It always was a legacy to keep the cars going the same way he did it, exactly the way he ran it, with enthusiasm and passion. And to make sure people have the parts to keep these cars on the road,” he says.Not only does he own the company, he also raced VC Commodores himself and currently owns three Brock Commodores; a white VK group III model, a red VH and a white VC.He says through HDT — where they fix, provide spare parts and build and sell Brock Commodores — they've seen the cars recently boom in popularity.“Unfortunately with Peter Brock's demise last year, cars quadrupled in value ... everybody wants a piece of that era,” he says.“Collectors are buying them, not selling them again and they're not getting driven.“A lot of people are buying them to make money, like buying a house.”Pennisi says Brock's first VC Commodore model was worth around $12,000 to $15,000 just 18 months ago. They're now selling for around $35,000 to $40,000. “ I sold a good VH a couple of days after Brock's death for $24,000 and it sold recently for $46,000. I can't see them going down ... we have more people wanting to buy than we have cars to sell,” he says.Pennisi says it's not only the death of Brock that has contributed to the increase in value, but also the astronomical amounts being paid for other older cars such as Holden Monaros, Valiant Chargers and Ford Falcons.As they become less accessible, people turn elsewhere to cars such as the Commodores, he says. Pennisi says about 5000 cars were officially built, with perhaps 3000 surviving .He says there are still some owners who enjoy their Brock Commodores as daily drivers, but a lot of care has to be taken as they are easy targets for thieves. And while the older, more sought-after cars may have taken muscle to drive, Pennisi says the Brock Commodores have no such problem.“They have airconditioning and power steering, disc brakes, plush interiors and they are comfortable to drive. They have everything — power, handling and room to put five people in them,” he says.And the other appealing factor is the cars served a dual purpose; they could hold their own on the track or the road.Most Brock Commodores came out with 5.0-litre V8 engines, although Pennisi says six-cylinder turbo engines were also available as an option in the late 1980s.“It's not like today's supercars. You can't buy a car raced on the track as a road car but in those days you could buy almost the same car as was being raced,” he says.“You could take it to the track as well as (use it as) an all-purpose type of car. They had a very nice interior, unique wheels, unique body kit and specific engine modifications.”As for the Pennisi brothers, keeping both HDT and the memory of their racing hero alive is a top priority.“I knew him personally for over 20 years,” Len says. “The day it happened (Brock's death) reminded me of JFK. The world stopped, everyone was ringing us up and asking what happened. I got phone calls from all over Australia and even overseas, 2 1/2 days after that people could not believe it happened. It took me months to believe it.”And with the passion that Pennisi as well as fellow Brock Commodore owners possess, people won't forget these cars.“Obviously I was that passionate that I raced them, bought the company, own the cars and still work with them today,” he says.Fast factsVehicle: Brock CommodoreValue: when new: around $20,000Value two years ago:VC: $12,000-$15,000VH: $24,000Value now: $35,000-$45,000Verdict: The legend lives on in these classic Brock Commodores of the 1980s. They've become even more sought-after since the death of Peter Brock last year.