Articles by Bruce McMahon

It was the 20-year old's first Champ car win and also a record afternoon for fellow French driver Sebastien Bourdais, winning his third consecutive championship series.But Bourdais' triumph was soured by an on-track tangle with hometown hero Will Power.Team Australia co-owner Craig Gore declared the Newman-Haas driver undeserving of holding the championship trophy after pole-sitter Power limped home in 12th place after leading early laps.Philippe was excited but humble, the youngest winner in Champ car history, who thanked fellow drivers for giving him time to grow over the past three seasons."When I came into this series I was a really small kid, really immature. Now I feel like I've joined the group," he said."I've worked my butt off in the last two years."On that last lap I had goosebumps down my back."Philippe and Mexican driver Mario Dominguez duelled hard over the closing laps of the 59-lap race through the streets of Surfers Paradise after Dominguez climbed through the field from 10th spot on the grid to challenge Philippe over the closing 10 laps.But despite pressuring Philippe and his CTE Racing Lola, Dominguez had no answers to the Frenchman's speed through the faster chicanes."I had a great race with Nelson. He deserves it. We raced hard but clean," Dominguez said.After a horror year, Dominguez was happy for his Australian fans and for the momentum the result gave the Pemex Rocketsports team as the series heads to Mexico City next month for the last race of the season.In third spot, matching his best result here, was Team Australia's Alex Tagliani.The Canadian was pleased for the team, the podium finish helping show the competitive-ness of the green-and-gold outfit. But he was left playing catch-up for most of the day after his dashboard went blank early in the race with low battery voltage.Tagliani had to keep the revs up on his 750-horsepower machine and that meant a fuel consumption penalty.There were four full-course yellows through the afternoon for a number of minor incidents and accidents.Australian rookie Ryan Briscoe ended in 11th place, down one lap on the leaders after running off the track early in the day. British driver Katherine Legge also had a series of mishaps.Hard-charging AJ Allmen-dinger, Bourdais' only real challenger for the championship, hit a wall on lap 19 in his quest to narrow the points gap.Allmendinger's Indeck-Forsythe teammate Paul Tracy was left fuming after stewards ordered him to allow Tagliani to pass him into third spot, a penalty for cutting through a chicane.

Draw up, and build, a square-rigged off-road wagon, slap on a Jeep badge and the rabble are calling it a Yank Tank.Whereas the all-new, seven-seat Jeep Commander is shorter, lower and just 24mm wider than Toyota's seven-seat Prado. The American Jeep certainly takes up less road space than a Toyota LandCruiser.Now while it may be argued the Cruiser is a fair-sized machine, the very competent smaller Prado wagon, used to its full ability, is a mid-sized family wagon. The new Jeep is smaller again, yet also offers seven seats and a decent amount of interior space, thanks in large part to that box design.And that angular stance, not unlike a softer version of a Hummer, has been winning over the punters. Unscientific surveys across the southeast corner of Queensland would suggest that for each tyre kicker who decries the Jeep's style there are nine bystanders in love with the idea; the Commander attracts attention, perhaps because the style is not ambiguous — here is a four-wheel-drive wagon.There may be some questions about too many lines and folds around the Commander's nose and protruding front bumper, there may be a question about the faux allen bolts around the guards but this all-new Jeep definitely has road presence among today's sea of soft-contoured four-wheel-drive wagons and crossover machines.Inside, the squat style can leave the windscreen a little shallow for high-mounted traffic lights. The three rows of seats are "theatre" arranged, each a touch higher than those in front with the wagon's roof being stepped higher toward the back. There are skylights over the second row, any number of seating arrangements and flat cargo spaces to be had plus a separate lot of heating and airconditioning for the third row of seats.The Limited version adds a whole lot of leather and fancy trim, rain-sensing wipers, bigger sound stereo plus front and rear park assist (which, thankfully, can be switched off in the scrub). The Limited also has Jeep's intuitive remote controls for the stereo.Mounted on the back of the steering wheel spokes, these are the best in the business for switching between modes, stations, tracks and volumes.All Commanders have a fair swag of standard fittings, from power-adjustable front seats to traction control, electronic stability program and electronic rollover mitigation system. There is a tyre pressure monitoring system and trip computer.And on both Commander and Commander Limited there is a flat dashboard that makes sense. As on the outside, here there are no swoops and curves, just an upright dash with all the bits and pieces clearly marked and all usable.Perhaps the only whinge for some will be that driver's footwell. As with most modern Jeeps the transmission tunnel intrudes on left foot room.There are three engines on offer here— the 5.7-litre Hemi V8, the 4.7-litre V8 and the 3-litre, turbocharged diesel.In the Limited the 5.7-litre V8 is a smooth and eager bit of kit with 240kW and 500Nm of torque. Mated to the five-speed automatic transmission and with Chrysler's Multi-Displacement System (cutting out four cylinders during cruising) the Hemi does a power of work, best appreciated on the highway.For a week of mixed on and off-roading, fuel consumption averaged 16.8 litres per 100km, just that little beyond the factory's claimed 16 litres per 100km.The Limited versions also boast Jeep's Quadra-Drive II, the top-of-the-tree four-wheel-drive system which can transfer 100 per cent of drive to just the one wheel if needed. It never put a Wrangler wrong through some 6/10 off-roading and some longer country runs; it was always quiet and relaxed.But it was the diesel Commander, one without quite so many fancy bits and with Jeep's Quadra-Trac II (another active four-wheel-drive system with 48/52 split and ability to send 100 per cent of drive to front or rear axle) that won the most plaudits.It is cheaper, runs around 10.5 litres per 100km yet offers a good deal of performance on and off the bitumen. It may need a little extra prod to get the diesel off the line but once that turbo starts spinning, somewhere past 1500rpm, the Commander picks up its skirts and moves out with a flurry. As it should with more torque (510Nm) than the Hemi V8 plus a very handy 160kW of power.Judicious flicking through the five-speed automatic can help, yet the diesel is flexible enough to be left alone in most on-road situations.For serious off-road work it is a matter of lifting a discreet lever for low range and letting the Commander crawl.Jeep has long maintained a decent reputation for able off-road machines. The Commanders will not disgrace the team.And these new wagons — both the Hemi V8 and the mighty diesel — are most impressive on the road.There's an independent front end and a live rear axle. Both ends are well-behaved, the wagons sit firm and square on the road, the steering is quick and precise and, unless trying for a new hillclimb record up the Border Ranges, there is little alarm about any body roll.The ride quality also is good, excellent for this type of wagon on big or small road imperfections.All this makes the Jeep Commander a very pleasant, very safe touring machine with good road manners, good grip and a decent amount of road performance for a machine with proper off-road ability.

The 'roos and carcasses and wedge-tailed eagles feeding on last night's road kill are back there in the long shadows. Out here the Nissan wagon is now running through a harsh and timeless desert land, heading for Birdsville, that far back outpost of Queensland.It's been going on 2000km since Brisbane (with some exploring of boulder opal country around Quilpie soaking up more mileage). And it's now 200 kilometres since the bitumen gave out for good (ignoring those tarred streets of Birdsville). But that dual zone airconditioning is running sweet, the six-stacker CD player is shifting through the music and the Wrangler rubber is rolling on down the gravel track.All is well inside a cabin of leather and wood trim, all is secure and comfortable and assured. Turn up a little country. The radio stations have been left a long way back and anyway, that aerial in the back window is not too good at collecting long-distance radio waves.This Ti is Nissan's up-market Pathfinder, now available with handy 2.5 litre turbocharged diesel engine and five-speed automatic gearbox.This is the one packed with today's essential extras — leather-upholstered seats with electric adjustments for the front pair, DVD player and airconditioning for front, back and sides. There are rear parking sensors and vehicle dynamic control and ABS brakes. And there are airbags front and side plus curtain airbags for front, second and third row occupant protection.This is a competent, quite comfortable machine though on some lumpy highway bitumen there is not quite enough suspension soak. The Nissan wagon rides fine over the little stuff, swallows up big bumps and humps with ease; just on some corrugated bitumen a little more compliance would be nice.Yet further out, out here where the way turns to a three-car wide stretch of never-ending dirt and gibber road, the Pathfinder is strolling along with a smoother attitude. Perhaps it's that little bit of slip and slide, necessary to find traction, that disguises those mid-range intrusions found on some bitumen.And out here there is a reassurance in that sturdiness and full chassis down below. Listen to those little stones bouncing up underneath, steer around the severe lumps of rock, a little sideways through the washaways, find the sweet spot in the track and let it roll. Let the wagon move around a little, keep progress calm and measured without fighting each and every twitch of the steering wheel.The Pathfinder plays the part of a proper four-wheel drive as much as it looks the part. And it keeps the dust out, even the fine and powdery bulldust.This current model was launched here in 2005, all new and smart. It carries itself with a square-jawed style, ruggedly handsome with big chrome V on the bluff nose, flared guards to break up the lines of that simple, slab profile and a neat rear end. Still here, a carryover styling cue from the first Pathfinder, are the rear door handles set high on the door pillar.It looks right outside and works right inside. There is that extra row of back seats to allow the Pathfinder to carry seven but that would be mostly for cross-town touring. On a long day, long distance run, it is best used as a four-seater; this trip it is a two-seater with the rear seat and cargo space full of loosely packed gear and a spare, spare wheel.But over a round trip closing on 4000km there was never a worry with the big and beefy Wranglers and never a drama with the Pathfinder.It carried back to Brisbane a galah-dust smudged bonnet, a few bug scars, a bit of bulldust, and some sand from running down the old Birdsville track for a bit, exploring some fine old desert landscapes.It splashed through the last of the Cooper Creek's flooding outside Windorah, climbed Simpson Desert sand tracks and ran down far western highways at a steady 120km/h. All of this for around 11.5 litres/100km, a little closer to 13 litres/100km when running down loose dirt roads.It was out here, further out in Corner Country, where the Pathfinder shone.Running in two-wheel drive down the Birdsville Developmental Road the vehicle dynamic control allows for a pleasing modicum of rear end slip before it interferes to bring the wagon back on track. And there is also that option of switching to Auto four-wheel drive for this sort of work, allowing the centre differential to send help to the front wheels if the back pair start bogging down. This was most appreciated as the light faded on the afternoon run into Birdsville and hitting roadworks where the local council had just finished watering down the track for the night, making a good bit of out-of-place mud.On into town, drink up, rest up and then south down the Inside Track for a couple of days, the little diesel purring along, gearbox slipping easily through the ratios. Here and there the sequential gear shift is called into action, generally for a quicker downshift (rather than too much braking) when confronted by a nastier piece of track. For the most part the five-speed auto is best left alone.There was dust and sand and dunes and never a drama. A couple of times the Pathfinder was switched out of two-wheel drive to Auto, a couple of times into four-wheel drive High for the sake of more confident climbs.The Pathfinder Ti was a natural out here, trolling through the desert sands, down to the riverside camp on the Diamantina, scouring desolate landscapes for old skulls of long gone cattle. All the while the Nissan was comfortable and competent.Then there was the two-day haul back to the bright lights of Brisbane, tyres and body unmarked if bird-bloodied in a couple of spots. It was a decent drive in a decent wagon.

It is not the cheapest of the bunch but there is quite a willing three-door here, in line with the idea of junior hot hatches from Europe. And the Fiesta is no wild child on the styling front, rather this compact Ford looks a little serious, verging on plain, alongside the likes of Honda's Jazz, Suzuki's Swift, the Toyota Yaris or Mitsubishi Colt.And the Fiesta has a traditional approach to the interior and instrumentation, precious few swoops and curves and digital readouts sitting closer to the front wheels than the driver.No, this is a subdued package, inside and out, looks a little more mature than most rivals.And that may well suit some in this market. With a price premium and that more conservative approach to motoring style, the Ford Fiesta positions itself as a serious alternative, more Volkswagen Polo rival than Holden Barina.Drivers sit tall and pretty in the Fiesta. There is plenty of headroom and good visibility over that stubby bonnet although the big transmission tunnel does impinge on room in the driver's foot well.The steering wheel and controls are all logical enough (with indicator stalk on the left) with simple arrangements for stereo and air-conditioning controls. It is a compact car with decent accommodation for the front two occupants.Best fun is attacking the gearbox with short-throw shifts through five forward ratios. The Fiesta's engine does not mind finding all those 74 kilowatts before moving on; this is a free-spinning powerplant that likes to keep on the move.The encouragement here is well met by a keen, front-drive chassis. Here and there the suspension can feel a bit sharpish over broken bitumen yet, in the main, this is a quick and comfortable small car.There is mild understeer as road speeds rise but the Fiesta's attitude is easily controlled and changed on the throttle.The Zetec Fiesta scores a little extra suspension work over a standard Fiesta, this one sits lower and firmer. It all suggests a quick little machine and adds to the zip and confidence through city streets.Although there is a good chance a full load may dull some of that 1.6 litre engine's sparkle.The Fiesta Zetec is a neat and tidy machine with an engaging nature, albeit also carrying a price premium over most of its rivals.

It carries a premium price tag but justifies this with a fair roll-call of comfort and convenience plus a bit of road presence.For the Volvo T5 is a very, very tidy wagon, inside and out. The body has a clean, lean look with the hint of athleticism, set off by smart 17in alloy wheels.The centre console treatment should be a lesson to a number of manufacturers in how to keep a clean, uncluttered look. All the gear is here — stereo with six-stacker CD plus climate-control airconditioning with dual zones. There is no unnecessary labelling yet knobs and dials remain intuitive.The only drama here (sometimes) is a hamfisted operator shifting through the manual gearbox (a little notchy on the gearshift) may knock some of those little centre console switches inadvertently, turning on heated seats for one thing. And the ignition switch, mounted on the dash to the left of the steering column, takes a week before a driver recalls the spot every time.That's neither here nor there, for the most part this Volvo T5's cabin ergonomics and comforts are well-sorted. The premium sound system with a dozen speakers can have those loud and long-haired Los Lonely Boys belting out their Tex-Mex rhythm 'n blues with enough feeling to rattle the traffic.It is a practical cabin with quite some ambience. The rear seat is best left for kids and the cargo space isn't huge (more border collie than labrador) but that's offset to some extent by the quality of the fit and finish and the understanding this cabin should last for some time. Out on the road the Volvo needs a little consideration off the line, needs a little belt of revs to get the show on the road.It is fine once up and running through the gears, a handy machine for highway work and overtaking, but not a deal happens below 3000rpm.This V50 T5 is not quite the rip and roar machine that first T5 wagon, a great stealth machine, was back in the 1990s.Here the performance is fine, rather than fast and that fits the style of this wagon.All-wheel drive allows for safe and sure handling. Steering can feel a little slow at the first turn but is sure and accurate as the lock is wound on. Brakes are good, saving this wagon with grace from someone else's freeway swerve and wobbles.And the ride is good, even if there is a little suspension noise through sharp potholes.Volvo's V50 package here is subtle and stylish. It is comfortable and the price is right for a premium wagon, albeit one on the compact side of medium size. And there is a good deal of character, sometimes lacking in this league, that sweetens the deal.

As such, Toyota believes it will attract a wider audience including user-chooser fleet buyers replacing more traditional sedans and wagons.And early impressions suggest this RAV4 offers greater appeal to a young family — more space and comfort, less edgy styling. For the all-new, all-wheel-drive RAV4 has moved closer to Toyota's Kluger in size and style.Yet, despite the more subdued style and maturation, the RAV4 remains the most sporting of Toyota's mob of SUVs.It is a little heavier this time around and engine power is only up 5kW but the 2006 RAV4's road grip, balance and general road manners allow the wagon (five-door only this time) to be pushed along with smiles and surety.Underneath there's Toyota's Active All-Wheel-Drive system.After years of pushing the benefits of constant all-wheel-drive, Toyota switches here to a "pro-active" drive system which runs in front-wheel-drive when all is well. If wheels begin to lose traction, a series of sensors and monitors and mechanical bits start sharing the drive around to keep it all on the move.This works quickly and quite unobtrusively, whether hurtling down a tarred mountain road or climbing a rock-strewn track.There are no indications of the drive being worked from one end or side to the other, rather the RAV4 can be belted along with some confidence, plenty of grip and balance. Some earlier "on-demand" all-wheel-drive systems (on rival machines) were often too slow to react, leading to machines stuck on hillsides, and in the sand, the Toyota system would appear to offer far more security.On RAV4 Cruiser and Cruiser L models there is the added benefit of a yaw rate sensor chipping in to determine how best to handle a vehicle drifting off line. Automatic models gain a downhill assist for automatic retardation on descents. And there is a differential lock for equal drive distribution under 40km/h.While a nice, easy and soft machine for around town work, the new RAV4 is best appreciated on a country run, moving on over indifferent surfaces.Here the Toyota offers a decent compromise between all-out SUV and mid-sized passenger car. It is quick and comfortable, has positive steering and excellent road manners; the only let down is a shortness to the wagon's suspension travel which leads to some crash-thump through potholes. (There is also, around the town, a little too much suspension noise over odd lumps and bumps.)Yet the RAV4 feels that bit more solid, bit more substantial, than its predecessors. There is, of course, an extra 140kg in this longer, wider and bigger third-generation RAV4.The resulting package makes for a fine family tourer, a medium-sized wagon ready to run around the country. How it handles a full family load is unknown, it certainly runs smartly with two passengers and a light load. North American versions score a V6 to help the power-weight equationIt does need some care and patience to have the RAV4, with 195cm of ground clearance, tackling real tough spots off road. There is no low ratio and the 2.4-litre engine is a touch peaky for slow and steady work.But with the right approach the Toyota RAV4 will get a lot further than may be expected.This is a fine SUV, loaded with all the usual gear. By the time you get to the Cruiser L at the top of the line there's leather seats and a moon roof to go with the six-stacker CD player, airconditioning, electric windows and mirrors.The steering wheel still sits a bit low for taller drivers, the centre console treatment is a bit try-hard but there is plenty of cabin space and general safety.RAV4 prices have crept up a little, in line with the bigger body, new technology. But the all-wheel-drive wagon remains good value as an all-rounder for the young family.

This one, says Porsche, is for the particularly "power and performance-conscious" SUV connoisseur.It is also about bragging rights, engineering a 2.3-tonne all-wheel-drive wagon to leap from 0 to 100km/h in just over five seconds and on to a 270km/h top speed. (Some may claim an indicated 281 km/h but never took the photo.)With 383kW (521 horsepower in the old money) and a dune-shifting 720Nm of torque this Cayenne Turbo S (discreetly badged and sitting on 20-inch wheels, tyres rated to 300km/h) is a move by the German makers to blunt some new competition in this high-minded, high-speed segment. There's the supercharged Range Rover Sport, a hot-rodded Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT plus a 6.3-litre V8 Mercedes-Benz M Class wagon just down the track. And then there's an all-new Audi Q7 wagon now chasing a slice of the luxury SUV market.It is hard to match the all-wheel-drive Porsche's prodigious outputs. This is the most powerful of allproduction Porsches after the Carrera GT with performance numbers to match some 911 coupes. This looks like the fastest, baddest SUV to date.It moves fast. Australia was allocated 20 machines to July this year at better than $241,000 each, close on $34,000 over the Turbo Cayenne. Get in line, all that first mob are close to sold; others will follow.So the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S is strutting its stuff through the sands of Arabia to show that climbing, diving, slewing through these ancient sands can be a very quick, quite comfortable experience in a powerhouse machine.Perhaps the Cayenne's bulk and centre of gravity mean the four-door wagon, packed with all today's safety and luxuries, is no match for a 911 (or a Cayman or a Boxster) when the tarmac turns tight and twisting. Perhaps some sceptics still question Porsche's move to launch in late 2002 a four-wheel-drive wagon. (At 40,000 in a good year the Cayenne sells twice Porsche's predictions and allows for extra cash to develop the likes of the Cayman and the four-door Panamera due in 2009.) It has not, say the Porsche bosses, diluted the brand. There remain few to touch the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S as the nose rises under acceleration at 150km/h, the wagon sitting firm and steady on an indifferent piece of bitumen road and transmission dropping from sixth back to fifth to get on with business. There remain few with the aural delights as that twin turbocharged V8 rises, always singing, to the occasion.And there remain very few vehicles which could offer these delights off road in the rolling sands outside Dubai. This is not a genuine, rock-spewing, take-no-prisoners four-wheel-drive wagon.It will go a long way in the rough but its real raison d'tre is in the slippy, sloppy stuff — mud and gravel roads, snow or sand to be tackled with surety and speed.Spend this amount of money on an SUV machine and it needs to be special, very special. And so with an open throttle, Michelins down to 14psi, body lifted to 157mm, stability management controls switched off plus a little driver apprehension, the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S is tackling sand dune after sand dune in the Arabian desert.Roaring to the top, turning, easy over the lip. Back on the power, power, power. And up those shifting orange sands and off the throttle as the big wagon crests the top, ease down the sharper side.This needs concentration until it's learnt — on the power early to get those turbochargers spinning and the wheels moving. Be wary of full lock on the steering wheel.There is more to this business of charging (and conquering) sand dunes than brute force. For this is also the business of discrete power distribution. In normal driving, the Cayenne gives the rear wheels 62 per cent of power, 38 per cent for the front. Then Porsche's Traction Management redistributes the business according to needs and an array of sensors; up to 100 per cent of drive can be sent to either end if needed.As with most modern systems this is all quite seamless, whether charging sand dunes or hurtling down a long desert highway.There are six ride heights with the Turbo S running air suspension as standard, useful for raising the body off road or allowing the body to hunker down at high speeds. The chassis is essentially the same as for the Turbo but this one has upgraded tie rods and dampers on the front axle.The extra power arrives courtesy of modified intercoolers for the Porsche's two turbochargers.These bigger heat exchangers are all aluminium; the extra performance allowed engineers to turn the turbocharger pressure up to 1.9 bar. And Porsche claims this extra power and torque does not affect fuel consumption over a "normal" Cayenne Turbo with combined consumption of 15.7 litres per 100km. Premium please.The other changes here are the bigger brakes — 380mm front, 358mm rear — with new cooling ducts. The rest is as before.The Porsche Cayenne has a distinctive style, unloved by some and well-accepted by others. It has a tonne of luxury and safety, myriad buttons (maybe a few too many) on the centre console for stereo and navigation and the like.Leather is standard, the seats comfortable at 200km/h and, aside from a little wind flutter around the mirrors, the cabin quiet.For all the power this is a subtle (albeit expensive) flagship SUV, just don't take it on without a machine that is as quick and comfortable and as sure of itself.

This third generation of Toyota's smallest (for now) SUV does away with permanent all-wheel-drive in favour of a "pro-active" package of electronics to control slips and slides plus tackle rougher back roads.It has grown, this RAV4, to a wider, longer body (now 4.6m in length) that offers more people and cargo space. Along the way the bigger RAV4 picks up an extra 140kg and leaves the door open for the possibility of a smaller, more junior soft-roader from Toyota down the track.The RAV4's 2.4 litre, four-cylinder engine gains an extra 5kW (to 125kW) and there are no more three-door versions of the Toyota.Instead, the six 2006 RAV4 models are all five-door wagons with the choice of two transmissions, three trim levels and prices starting at $31,990 for a five-speed manual CV model.Moving up the line, the RAV4 Cruiser is $37,490 and a premium Cruiser L starts at $41,990. The four-speed automatic option adds $2000.All new RAV4s sit on 17-inch wheels (sexy steel for the CV, alloys for Cruiser models) and arrive with dual airbags, airconditioning, power windows and mirrors, MP3 compatible CD stereo, steering wheel-mounted audio controls plus cruise control.All have ABS with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution and electric-assisted power steering plus Toyota's "Active AWD" which uses a number of sensors to determine when drive should be diverted to help out the back wheels.Toyota claims this system is "pre-emptive", working through steering, throttle and speed sensors to have the drive shifted immediately (if not sooner) to keep the RAV4 moving in tricky spots and cornering; "pre-emptive" may be stretching the technology concept but the system appears to react with more speed and subtleness than most, a seamless transition from front to all-wheel-drive. The Toyota system, as with others, can be locked into 50:50 drive under 40km/h.And there are hints that these "active four-wheel-drive" systems may find a place in bigger Toyota four-wheel-drives, such as the next generation LandCruiser now under development.Over the base model RAV4 CV, the Cruiser version adds further interior refinements and extra safety with side plus curtain airbags and six-stacker CD. Outside there are mudguard flares, alloy wheels, roof rails and fog lamps. The Cruiser L gets lashings of leather and a moon roof.More importantly, the Cruiser twins score stability control, traction control and hill-start assist. Downhill assist — automatic retardation on steeper slopes — is available on automatic Cruisers. The Vehicle Stability Control can straighten out understeer or oversteer, reducing engine rpm and braking individual wheels to correct slides; all these electronic-mechanical aids are tied together through a Vehicle Control Management System.Despite all these gizmos, the RAV4 Cruiser remains an entertaining, engaging drive on a back country road, best appreciated in the five-speed manual to make the most of those 125kW. These bigger, more comfortable RAV4s look the part, offering a more mature body style than predecessors and in some parts looking like a junior Kluger. (Indeed the V6 engine offered in some markets will not be headed here, helping keep a price and performance differentiation between RAV4 and Kluger. Nor is a diesel option on the cards.)The 2006 RAV4, say Toyota heavies, will help reshape the compact SUV market and offer a real alternative to family sedans.While most buyers of compact SUVs have been active, 30-something singles, Toyota's sales and marketing director David Buttner says these bigger, new generational machines will also attract interest from slightly older buyers, including more couples with young children.Toyota sees the compact SUV market (headed by Subaru's venerable Forester in 2005) further maturing and diversifying. So the top-shelf Cruiser L is a move to claim a "new, premium sub-segment" of the SUV niche.

Both, if confirmed for the 10-day show at Brisbane's Convention Centre, are expected to be dual cabs and neither are far from the production lines.For the motoring world has discovered, rediscovered in some cases, the versatility of the four-door ute with either two- or four-wheel-drive. The big differences in the 21st century interpretations of the dual cab (aka crew cab or double cab) are the attention to a family's comforts plus a little more performance for the weekend jollies.The first dual cabs, back into the days of Nissan's Bluebird utes, were basic affairs and more for the local mob of railway fettlers than mum and the kids. These were hose-out machines, plenty of vinyl and painted steel panels inside.They were neither fast nor furious machines, but pluggers with some torque for lugging loads. Engine noise and differential howls determined top speeds.Today there is a growing band of stylish, more comfortable dual cabs which manage to retain a work ethic. These are two- and four-wheel-drive utes, Japanese-designed and often Thai-built.There's the ageing Ford Courier, Mazda Bravo and Mitsubishi Triton. There is the middle-aged Holden Rodeo plus the newer Toyota HiLux and Nissan Navara.All now arrive with a petrol V6 engine option.In the case of the Holden, around since 2003, there is now a new V6 — the 3.6 litre Alloytec engine as found in the Commodore. The move adds some fresh appeal to the Rodeo mob.Here it is tailored for commercial applications, delivering 157kW at 5300rpm (10kW more than the old 3.5 litre V6) and 313Nm at 2800rpm. There is flatter torque curve than in the passenger cars, plus the option of an upgraded four-speed automatic or new five-speed manual transmission..Top of the heap is the LT crew cab machine, driven here with new V6 and four-speed automatic. In black, the Holden Rodeo is certainly a handsome machine, even if it is not quite as radical in styling as some rivals which have arrived since 2003; setting off the paintwork here is a new alloy wheel design.It is a nice, flexible ute with good road manners and a modern, comfortable interior with six-stack CD player bonus.There remains some rear end bounce without a load and sometimes the Holden feels a little narrow-tracked but it holds itself well among the current crop.There are indications fuel consumption should be better than the outgoing engine, and the Alloytec V6 is never found wanting in day-to-day conditions.The automatic transmission is smooth but there are some questions about the indistinct gate on the shift lever; reverse was sometimes hard to place and, moving off, this driver often grabbed third rather than drive.But for $36,490 this is a stylish and useful machine, even while there remains that workhorse rear end.