Articles by Bruce McMahon

Just a short ferry ride from outside Brisbane, this is the world's second largest sand island after the famed Fraser Island further north. And while it can be a busy summer holiday spot with tonnes of reasons to visit, this long and skinny North Stradbroke forever retains a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere.It's all about traditional getaways over here on Straddle – a bit old-school, fish-and-chips by the seaside, in many respects.There's camping, fishing, swimming, surfing and beach driving. There are whales to be watched between May and November. Turtles and dolphins to spot splashing about close by in blue waters while kangaroos and koalas meander through the island's bushlands. Manta Rays and Dugongs hang out here too.Straddie offers a range of accommodation options, from beachside camping out under canvas or caravan roof to upmarket holiday homes. Once traditional territory for the Quandamooka people, today there are three main settlements, more like small villages, including Dunwich, Amity Point and Point Lookout (the most easterly part of Queensland) for food, fuel and supplies. Eating and drinking spots, including the famed Point Lookout pub, are scattered over the top half of the island that's roughly 40 kilometre long and 11 kilometres wide.So it's off to Adventure Island for a weekend, hanging about in a camp by the beach with a quiet cold drink when not off exploring the sands of Straddie in the four-wheel drive.Time to tidy up the Triton and head for the ferry.

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QUEENSLAND'S history-soaked Condamine River is a steadfast contributor to the mighty Murray-Darling river system. But a 700-kilometre long river has to start somewhere and in this wandering waterway's headquarters on the slopes of the Great Divide you'll find a swag of adventure outings, almost on Brisbane's doorstep.

Or at least buying up the necessary gear. Or just worried about the state of some of our roads. For while the Australian car market dropped away a little last month, with a further slowdown in large car sales, there was another respectable spike in getaway SUV sales. This burgeoning sports utility market (which includes proper four-wheel drives such as LandCruisers and Jeeps) was up 4462 vehicle sales, or 23 per cent, on July last year. All SUV segments showed better returns, with the medium segment up 1422 sales (20 per cent), large up 1231 (15.2 per cent), small up 1617 (50 per cent) and the upper large segment up 192 (21.1 per cent) compared with 2011.  Light commercial vehicle sales also rose with, four-wheel drive cab/chassis utes up 3383 vehicle sales, or 45.9 per cent, while two-wheel drive utes were down a tad. (And slightly off the track, sports car sales soared 80 per cent in July, aided by the arrival of Toyota's 86 coupe and now its cousin the Subaru BRZ.) Among the dirt-track winners was Mazda's CX-5, topping the medium SUV segment with 1483 sales. So far this year Australians have taken 8040 CX-5s home to their garages and carports. Nissan achieved a record sales result for the third month in succession with 6148 sales in July, the strongest July for Nissan as a full-line importer and 18 per cent over the same month in 2011. Again it was the SUVs leading the Nissan pack, with three consistently high-performing models - Navara, X-Trail and Dualis - all recording their best-ever July result. The Navara, still one of the best-selling models on the local market, is on-track to achieve a record financial year sales result. In the hotly contested compact SUV market, Dualis was up 75 per cent on the same month last year. Fiat Chrysler Group Australia also reported strong July results for Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge selling 1684 units, a healthy 92.9 per cent increase on last year's July sales. A stand-out performer here was Jeep's Grand Cherokee selling 672 units, a 62 per cent sales increase. With all this SUV sales activity it is little wonder that Hyundai's one millionth new vehicle sold in Australia was an ix35 wagon. It's been handed over at a Perth dealership, where it's understood the very first new Hyundai was sold in this country 26 years ago, and Hyundai's marketing director Oliver Mann has promised the millionth customer "something special to share in our celebrations''. Hyundai began Australian operations with a single dealership in Perth in 1986, selling one single model. Last year, Australian sales of Hyundai hit a record 87,008 units, equivalent to a market share of 8.6 per cent, through 150 dealers.  

The Bentley GT is an imposing machine with long and broad and muscled body, W12 up front for spirited touring and premium interior for comfort. Customers wanted more of the same, wanted the same character of the first GT from 2003 with a few tweaks. Customers wanted the two-door car to move forward in style and technology without diverting from the heritage drive.So the Bentley crew drew up a new body, a little wider and cleaner with sharper creases, stiffened the front end, revised some mechanicals and found a little more cabin room for the four-seater. The result remains one of the grandest of tourers, a car of style and substance with similar lines and performance to the first of these Continental GTs, Bentley's most successful car series to date. From 1919 to 2003 the British marque sold 16,000 cars. Worldwide the GT - in coupe, convertible and supersport styles - has sold 23,000 since 2003; around 250 of those in Australia. The new GT is 'an evolution of the revolution', carrying on that successful relaunch - the renaissance of the brand - that these first GTs brought to the Volkswagen-owned Bentley.VALUEAt $405,000 the Bentley Continental GT is out there in a paddock of some mighty exotic machinery. It carries individual style, luxurious interior and excellent engineering; as do all in this bracket. The GT does not carry some of those techno driver aids - lane assist for instance - of many in this class. Bentley boys and girls are 'goers not showers' we're told; they like to look after their own driving. Value here is in the seat of the pants, in the distinctive style and engineering. It is said Bentleys' resale values outstrip those for the likes of Mercedes-Benz and BMW at about 80 per cent for a five-year old GT.TECHNOLOGYThe twin turbocharged W12 engine now produces more power (423kW) and torque (700Nm), will run an E85 ethanol fuel mix and can push the GT to 318km/h. A 4 litre V8 option, arriving in late 2011, aims to reduce C02 emissions by 40 per cent.All-wheel drive is now split 40:60 where the previous car was 50:50 and the six-speed auto has been revised and strengthened. There's stability control and a console-mounted switch for four suspension settings.DESIGNIt took three and a half years to remake this bolder GT inside and out. Key to new lines was 'super forming', a panel-making process which allows those sharp creases Bentleys once had when bodies were hand-hammered, profiles lost with factory tooling. It also allowed designers to dispense with some lines, in particular shut-lines on front guards.For a more dynamic, wider style, there's an extra 40mm in width, an 'eyebrow' line over the front guards, higher waistline, plus more upright grille and boot lid. There's a crease running from over the front wheels (reminiscent of the 1954 R Type)  to sculpted haunches. Simpler design lines and "Bentliness" are carried inside, witness the oval brake pedal with big B imprinted. Moving the seat belt from the front seats to the body saved 46mm rear seat space and 25kg; more sculpted door trim allowed more stowage.  SAFETYThe Bentley is stacked with airbags, front for driver and passenger plus individual side bags for all passengers and a knee airbag for the driver. All-wheel drive and well-balanced chassis, great brakes, continuous damping control all make for first-class primary safety. DRIVINGThe waft of the W12 exhaust behind, a clear alpine road ahead and the GT is in its element. Driver and passengers cosseted in a lake of leather-clad luxury.Left to its own devices and D for drive, the coupe moves off at more than reasonable pace, aided and abetted by 700Nm arriving at a low 1700rpm. Visibility front, side and rear is good, the car is always quiet and confident though some tyre noise may intrude on coarse chip surfaces.But shift into S mode, start using those steering wheel paddles behind the steering wheel for changes into and out of turns, and the Bentley delivers more. Sharper responses and a smooth, moon-shot linear rush to the next turn. Best of the experience are those smart downshifts, electronics allowing engine blips and sublime responses.Big and ventilated disc brakes provide great feel and stopping power, speed-sensitive steering is docile around town and sharper as speed rises while suspension would appear best left one or two spots north of the comfort setting.But while this 2011 GT may be 65kg lighter than its predecessor there's still 2320kg and almost 5mx2m of machine to shift from corner to corner on tight mountain roads. Important here to provide a little throttle to help the front end combat understeer. It is, at the end of the day, grand tourer in the best traditions of the genre.VERDICT An every day supercarBentley Continental GTPrice: $405,000Resale: 82 per cent over five yearsSafety: Seven airbagsEngine: 6 litre, twin turbo W12: 423kW @ 6000rpm/ 700Nm @ 1700rpmTransmission: six-speed automaticThirst: 16.5l/100km; CO 384g/kmBody: Two-door coupeDimensions: 4806mm (l) 1944mm (w) 1404mm (h) 2764mm (wb)Weight: 2310kg

And it is now confident of becoming a major global player. The Beijing-based manufacturer fired up in August 1996, building in the main trucks and buses. Today it is the country's top commercial vehicle brand, has sold more than five million vehicles and reportedly accounts for 50 per cent of Beijing city's income. Now Foton is moving to be "the leading brand in world auto market", making inroads into new markets and expanding its vehicle line-up from the current heavy and medium duty trucks, buses and vans down to a compact car by 2015. It wants to be a top ten, world class automotive concern by 2020. The master plan is 5+3+1, first expanding in developing areas such as Russia, India, Brazil, Mexico and Indonesia. The next three target markets are North America, Europe and Japan. And the one is for the home country: "Foton will guarantee its leadership in the Chinese market by the deep plough of its Chinese market." In all this Australia could serve as a small, but important player. Here, as the Japanese realised decades back, is a test market for western customers and tastes. Medium-duty Foton trucks arrived here three years ago and, all going to plan, the first light commercial Fotons, the Tunland utes, will be here in May. Inside 12 months that range should include dual, single and extra cabs, diesel and petrol engines, two and four-wheel drives. A commuter/cargo van is on its way, as is an SUV wagon based on the Tunland. And by 2015 there should be a compact car from Foton. It is a confident company, one that already has a joint venture engine company with Cummins to produce 2.8 litre and 3.8 litre diesel engines for trucks, buses, vans, utes and SUVs. Last weekend it signed, after nine years of negotiations, a joint venture deal with Daimler - Beijing Foton Daimler Automotive. This alliance will focus on the medium and heavy duty truck market and is another milestone in Foton's drive toward becoming a major manufacturer.  The Tunland utes, and the Australian market, will help map out the road ahead.

It is a fair-sized dual cab, 150mm wider in the cabin than a Toyota HiLux though rivals may beat it for rear legroom.