Articles by Bryan Littlely

Jeep was a bit slow on the uptake in the small SUV stakes, but it has made up ground quickly with an assault on this constantly-growing segment.Earlier this year Jeep introduced its first soft-roader, the Compass, to the local market. Now comes its second small SUV, creating a virtual “his and hers” set.While the Compass is aimed at women, the Patriot is packaged and priced for the blokes wanting an entry-level Jeep.A challenging northwest US launch route for this latest creation, carrying the trademark Jeep signatures — a seven-slot grille, round headlights, clamshell bonnet and upright windshield — showed the maker can confidently class it as a vehicle that goes beyond the typical soft-roader.Starting about $1000 below the Compass base price of $32,490, the Patriot is classic Jeep. Its rugged looks are expected to turn the heads of those looking to downsize but wanting to retain the style.Jeep already has the most fuel-efficient SUV in the world, in the Compass, at 6.5 litres of diesel per 100km combined consumption for the 2.0 TDI model. The squarer, more traditional-looking Jeep Patriot, is only marginally behind that, at 6.7 litres.Both share the same Dodge Caliber platform, a near-identical features list and the Freedom Drive I system — a full-time, active four-wheel-drive system with lock mode.Safety measures include standard side-curtain air bags, brake traction control, driver-controlled three-mode electronic stability program, brake assist, electronic roll mitigation and anti-lock braking system.The mirror-image theme continues within, with removable flashlight and central armrest designed to hold an MP3 player or mobile phone and a flip-down speaker system in the tailgate.Patriot features a standard 2.4-litre world engine, with dual variable valve timing providing 125kW of power and 220Nm of torque.The engine is mated to a standard five-speed manual transmission or an available, continuously-variable transaxle, which has been calibrated by Chrysler Group engineers and delivers a fuel economy improvement of six to eight per cent, compared with a traditional four-speed automatic transmission.As with the Compass, the state-of-the-art Volkswagen direct-injection, two-litre turbo diesel is also an option in the Patriot. Producing 103kW/310Nm and matched to a six-speed manual transmission, this is a model hard to look past.The Patriot will come to Australia in August in two guises, Sport and Limited.Sport includes as standard the 2.4-litre petrol engine and five-speed manual. It takes side-curtain airbags, ESP, brake traction control, ERM and ABS as standard and comes with cloth seats and 17-inch alloy wheels, among a long list of “features” new cars are expected now to have. Diesel adds about $4000 to the petrol manual-version price, with the CVT model sitting snugly between the two.The Limited adds speed control, a roof rack with cross-bars, body-coloured fascias, bodyside mouldings, fog lamps, leather-trimmed bucket seats and leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls.Also in the Limited models are heated front seats and a power express sunroof. Limited models will be about $4000 extra across the range. All Australian-destined Patriots have a full-sized spare wheel as an available option.Jumping behind the wheel of the new entry-level Jeep on the imposing US northwest coast — where rugged forest-capped mountains run to rolling sand dunes and a furious coast — it was clear the off-roading specialists wanted to break the perception that compact SUVs could not be capable beyond the bitumen.Nimble, with a comfortable ride on the sweeping-cornered blacktop surface, the Patriot's first off-road test was going to be its toughest.That test came in the form of a sprawling range of sand dunes, littered with quad bikes and looking much the home of the toughest off-roaders.Jeep heads, wary of the embarrassment that would be a Patriot buried in the soft sand, joined drivers for a tour of the dunes, navigating the way of the Patriots, which were fitted only with three-season road tyres. They had little to worry about, given the failed attempts of the Australian contingent to bog the cars.Logging tracks over those imposing mountains were the next test. Unfortunately for Jeep, the American authorities take a great deal of care with even their most isolated roads and Lthe tracks were hardly a test. The winding tracks did, however, raise some quibbles and concerns.Most in question is the durability of the Patriot, which rides relatively low for an off-roader. With 200mm of ground clearance, it is not going to make a rock-hopper.And, depending on your driving ability, the ESP's eagerness to kick in, even when you've technically turned it off, can be either annoying or reassuring.While they'd never make it over Big Red and you would not risk a solo outback adventure in the Patriot, it would make a quite worthy and bush-ready weekender.

The Sebring Cabrio has unquestionable space advantages over its open-roof motoring competitors, all packaged in the distinctly American style Chrysler is known for.However, while the Cabrio's performance at the Portland, Oregon launch was sufficient, it was never exceptional.The Cabrio will be offered in Australia from August in both hard top and soft top.The pitch will be that it is an affordable and fun all-year-round offering for the single-car family and that's where the class-leading space comes into play.Unlike many four-seat convertibles, the Sebring has rear seats made with comfort in mind. There's 850mm of space for your legs. Entry to the rear seats is also easier than in most convertibles, with the front seat belts attached to the seat and out of the way of the entering passengers.All-important boot space is at 200 litres with the top down (350 litres when the roof is up), courtesy of the Cabrio being 80mm longer than its sedan sibling. From the front, the Cabrio shares many traits with the sedan, including Chrysler's signature grille and a uniquely sculptured hood. Large quad headlamps wrap around the side of the vehicle, where the all-new Sebring Cabrio's profile takes on a shape all of its own.It is a profile defined by a long hood, a long roofline and a high chrome beltline. Sculpted character lines run across the body, below the door handles and across the lower body side to give the Cabrio an athletic stance.It has grown against the previous model - wheelbase is 73mm longer, it's 86mm taller and 53mm wider.The automatically latching cloth top and retractable hard top can be lowered with the key fob - the rag top dropping in 27 seconds and the hard top down in 30 seconds. Cabrio certainly looks after its occupants once they are seated.The spacious interior features a clean and practical design with plenty of storage bins, including a heated/cooled cup holder and 'MyGIG', an optional 20-gigabyte hard-drive infotainment system capable of storing 1,600 songs and photos, controlled from a touchscreen or voice-operated navigation system.Australia will get the 2.7-litre V6 petrol version producing 138kW of power and 256Nm torque with a six-speed auto transmission. The six-speed auto is exclusive to markets outside America.Chrysler Group Australia is pushing to have the vehicles available in soft top and hard top, with leather-trimmed interior in both. Pricing is still being discussed but the aim is to bring the Sebring Cabrio to Australia at about $50,000 for the lowest spec and up to $60,000 for the higher-end models.While it has not been confirmed, it is unlikely that the two-litre turbodiesel Sebring Cabrio will be offered in Australia.On the road, the Cabrio is not going to set the world on fire. It has sufficient power to be that family cruiser, and the front-wheel-drive vehicle steers adequately.Despite the transmission hunting around a little for gears during ascents on the launch drive, the powerplant and transmission are reasonably well suited for the task. But more questionable were Chrysler's claims that the Cabrio is 2.5 times stiffer in torsional rigidity and 1.5 times stiffer in bending rigidity than the old model; with rattles, steering shudder and body flex the moment there was any hint of roughness in the road.

"Who needs a sports car when you've got one of these?" It's not a phrase you'd expect to hear from a passenger in a Toyota LandCruiser Troop Carrier. And it is also less likely to be heard when the said vehicle is diesel powered.But it was said... although we cannot say with confidence that the enthused passenger - obviously excited by real-life handling and performance expelled from this gawky beast - has a great deal of authority when it comes to recommending cars.We will leave it that he is a good mate and a good photographer - responsible for the pictures of the Toyota Troopy which carried us into the South Australian countryside on a 800km-plus road test.The comment was even stranger considering the new 70-Series Troop Carrier is the first car in the CARSguide garage for quite a while that comes without airbags or ABS brakes. In fact, the Troopy is very much a rough-and-ready beast with a new turbodiesel V8.It growls, rumbles and even sounds a little like it's got a cold - the standard snorkel breathes near the top of the driver's door and it has a rattly breath with every gear change. Not that there needs to be that many.The Troopy has arrived with the turbodiesel V8 that it will eventually share with the 200 Series LandCruiser (albeit with more grunt). In this guise, it offers 151kW of power at a guttural and amusing 3400rpm, and a useful and even more amusing 430Nm of torque at just 1200rpm.The diesel V8 roars with gusto but can also dribble along on the ample torque.It can dribble for a long way, as well. With a 180-litre tank it uses, a claimed 11.9 litres of diesel for every 100km travelled, means it could cover more than 1500 country kilometres.The features list includes tilt-only power steering, manual mirrors (another novelty), variable intermittent windscreen wipers and front power windows (the rest slide horizontally).There's cloth trim and a bit of in-cabin storage, including square-shaped central cup holders, ideal for holding iced coffee cartons.Also in the relatively sparce cabin is a CD-equipped, four-speaker sound system which can generally make itself heard above the din, but airconditioning appears on the options list.It is practical, more than glitzy and, again, not a vehicle you would say is befitting of the silly off-the-cuff sports car comment.So, what prompted that comment from my offsider?It was most likely the 2115mm high Troopy's road-sticking ability at a decent clip which gave him the initial thought, followed by the fact he was not flung all over the place while using his laptop while trying to meet a deadline.For such a large beast, with a 235mm ground clearance, the new Troopy behaves pretty well on the open bitumen - even with its big, knobbly off-road tyres on 16in steel wheels creating plenty of noise on our coarse roads.The 70-Series LandCruiser Troopy weighs in at 2335kg and behaves itself on the open road with a decent load in the back.But where this big fella is going to shine most is in the off-road stakes, where the pizza-cutter rubber, tough suspension and ground clearance come into play. With the optional diff locks topping off a drivetrain that oozes off-road cred, the big two-door wagon will saunter through rough stuff unfazed.Wet, slippery forest tracks can be traversed with gusto and the Troopy has surprising agility for a wagon 2.1m in height.But it was a muddy farm track that brought the diff locks into play. Slithering along the trail, made even more entertaining by recent heavy rain, diff locks and low range were engaged just to be sure.The big wagon sauntered through the mud with only a couple of slithers and repeat journeys with progressively fewer features locked in didn't halt the progress - it just made it more amusing for the driver.For $60,000, it's a big chunk of change for such a spartan machine, but if you need to go everywhere and be certain of the return trip, there aren't many better vehicles to pick.

Style over substance. It's a common phrase associated with Alfa Romeo's charges, and one that has likely hobbled the marque in its quest to make significant inroads in Australia.But it's too general a comment in the mind of this motoring journalist, and not just because the sharp lines, aggressively slick grilles and headlamp configurations on the Alfa range have oodles of appeal.Some time spent in both the petrol and diesel (JTD) 147 hatches (albeit quite a while ago) filled me with enthusiasm and praise for the marque — even after I'd spent a week feeling regal, but wallowy, in a 159.And a number of straps in a GT proved fun, but it fell shy of the performance I was hoping for from a coupe touted as offering “searing performance”. I'm yet to spend time in the awesome-looking Brera. However, I'm informed I may be disappointed with the performance of that stunner.So far this year Alfa Romeo has sold 600 vehicles, compared with 474 in the same period the previous year. This year's sales include 147 147s (we're serious), 343 of the 159s and two dozen of the good-looking Spider.I spent a week trying to establish if Alfa really is all show and no go. The new Alfa Romeo Spider JTS is the car to test that theory, because it's simply stunning to the eye.But my initial reaction to questions about this drop-top was regularly: looks good, but not much stick.The Spider was definitely driving its way into the all-show-and-no-go category. Granted, the test car was the 2.2-litre in-line four-cylinder JTS version producing 136kW of power and 230Nm of torque, not the 3.2-litre V6 with 191kW and 322Nm, which obviously would have had much more pep.Sulking that I'd not been put behind the wheel of the Spider with more bite, I lapped up the fact that my ride for the week featured true luxury with its clever power-folding roof and exquisite interior.The interior is clean and concise, and very functional without being techno overload.At just 4393mm in length but weighing 1470kg, the front-drive Spider (the V6 version is all-wheel-drive) handled well without being exceptional, and the inclusion of next-generation traction, braking and stability control offers peace of mind.Driven with a bit more endeavour, the in-line four-cylinder picks up points in the performance stakes. However, it's not the nimble little sports car its style suggests it should be. Fast factsAlfa Romeo JTS SpiderOn sale: NowPrice: $69,990Engine: 2.2-litre four-cylinder, 136kW@6500rpm, 230Nm@4500rpmTransmission: Six-speed manual, front-wheel drivePerformance: 0-100km/h in 8.8 seconds; top speed 217km/hFuel: 9.4litres/100km combined (claimed), 13litres/100km on test; 70-litre tank

In the simplest of terms, an automatic gearbox means more women customers are likely to get behind the wheel of a Maserati. And that's worth investing time and money in."We have a lot of potential customers who are not jumping into Maseratis because the DuoSelect (gearbox) doesn't suit them," Maserati head of vehicle engineering Paul Fickers says."People are used to finding performance cars with an auto gearbox."But protecting the marque's dynamic, performance-car image was equally important to Maserati — and that's what prompted a long development program that last week delivered to the world stage the new Maserati Quattroporte Automatic.Granted, the princely price tag for this auto Maser isn't so out of place in Monaco, where the car was launched.And Australians can actually think themselves relatively lucky that Maserati will keep pricing of the auto Quattroporte at about the same level as the Quattroporte with DuoSelect gearbox.It's a generous gesture, considering the significant engineering changes hidden beneath that stylish skin ... which, if you're looking to for something different, you won't find.The Quattroporte's face remains the same, but throwing a new ZF six-speed automatic gearbox into the mix presented quite a challenge to Fickers and his team."For starters, the gearbox is mounted at the front of the car instead of the rear to achieve the right weight distribution. And that makes for some quite massive changes to the car," Fickers says.The ZF gearbox — the same as is found in Ford Falcons and versions of the Territory, albeit with significantly different calibration — has been modified to handle the high revs required by Maserati, reaching 7200rpm before shifting up.It delivers a smooth driving experience while keeping unchanged the sporty behaviour of the Maserati V8.With a top speed of 270km/h and zero-to- 100km/h acceleration in 5.6 seconds, this is one quick automatic sports saloon — much more than a nice little accessory for the ladies.Manual changes can be made with the stick located on the central tunnel, which now also features two cupholders — a small thing, perhaps, but crucial for Maserati, which sells almost half its cars in the US.Paddle shifts are also an option on the Quattroporte and Executive GT models, but come standard on the Quattroporte Sport GT version.The challenge to Maserati engineers when developing the auto version of its best-selling model centred primarily on weight distribution, which is the key to the saloon's sporty handling.The DuoSelect model features a transaxle layout, with a rear-mounted gearbox rigidly connected to the engine. In contrast, the automatic transmission, with its hydraulic torque converter, is directly connected to the V8 engine.Weight distribution in the auto is 49per cent front and 51 per cent rear, compared with the DuoSelect, which has 47per cent of its weight over the front axle and 53 per cent over the rear.More weight on the rear wheels equates to more grip on the driving wheels, leading to better acceleration, improved winter-driving capabilities and better braking.Maserati has also overhauled the 4.2 litre, 295kW bent-eight engine in the Quattroporte for the auto version.It has adopted a wet-sump lubrication system and offers lower fuel consumption and increased torque levels. Peak torque of 460Nm is reached at 4250rpm, and fuel consumption is down, on average, by nine per cent, Maserati says.Another new feature on the automatic is an electronic parking brake, which not only makes room for those all-important cup holders but engages automatically when the engine is switched off.Naturally, Maserati is out to make a statement with its flagship vehicle.So, even though there are no changes to its flesh, the Quattroporte can be dressed up with two new colours — Blu Oceano and Grigio Granito (a very dark grey) — a new woodgrain interior feature, Tanganyka, and a new interior trim, Grigio Ghiaccio.More weapons to win over the women, perhaps?

The unique fleet of 100 hydrogen-fuelled BMWs, produced near Munich and now hitting the roads around Berlin, will at first have a special breed of customers - celebrities, politicians, sports stars and industry leaders. Whether any Australians make the grade is yet to be answered.It is the German carmaker's plan to lease the vehicles to high-profile people around the world to act as "pioneers" in the clean energy journey.Celebrity names already suggested include Madonna, Al Gore, Dr David Suzuki and Arnold Schwarzenegger.BMW identified hydrogen - the most common element in the universe - as the fuel of the future because of ease of supply and its environmental benefits.Cars fuelled by hydrogen emit little more than water vapour, taking harmful carbon dioxide out of the emissions equation."We have now achieved an important milestone on our way to sustainable mobility," BMW's Traffic and Environment Board's Dr Klaus Schearer said at the Berlin launch of the Hydrogen 7 last week."It is no secret in saying that the world's fossil energy supply is coming to an end."The future of mobility concerns us all if we are to sustain our standard of living in the future."At the Hydrogen 7 launch, BMW heads would not put a price on the fleet of 100 cars, which have a material value of $500,000 but have a speculative worth of up to $2 million because of the research done.They did reveal, however, that under the lease arrangements of up to six months, the celebrity pioneers would be assigned a "personal assistant" for the car and, at times where hydrogen fuelling stations and appropriate technicians are not in the area of use, mobile fuelling stations and a team of technicians will be assigned to the car and its "customer"."We have no price on the car. We regard this as an offer to society to show society where we stand on clean energy," said Dr Frank Ochmann, one of the fathers of the BMW hydrogen program.The BMW Hydrogen 7 is powered by a monofuel combustion engine – it can run on both hydrogen and petrol. BMW has been developing hydrogen technology for the past 20 years, stepping up this latest project over the past 5 years.The six-litre V12 Hydrogen 7 can cover a range of about 200km on its 8kg tank of liquid hydrogen. Running the car on petrol gives the vehicle an additional 500km of driving.BMW HYDROGEN 7* The luxury saloon is kitted out with everything you would expect from a top of the range BMW vehicle and would be worth in excess of $400,000 without the hydrogen technology.* 6-litre V12 monofuel (hydrogen/petrol) combustion engine.* The 220kg double skinned hydrogen fuel tank stores 8kg of liquid hydrogen (10kg of H2 = 38l of petrol) which can carry the car about 200km under average driving conditions. For the next generation of hydrogen vehicle, BMW believes it will get the weight of the complex storage tank to as low as 80kg.* There is no fuel cell technology in the Hydrogen 7 - as has been the push of other carmakers. BMW suggests a small fuel cell could be incorporated into future generations of clean energy cars to power accessories such as air conditioning.* Switching the car from hydrogen to petrol (which gives 500km of extra range) is done with the push of a button without interrupting travel.* Refuelling the hydrogen car at specialised stations is not greatly different to topping up the petrol at your local servo, however, the hydrogen cars will initially only go to areas in and around Los Angeles, Washington, London, Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo, Brussels, Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin and Milan because of a lack of hydrogen infrastructure.FAST FACTSPower: 191kW @ 5100rpmTorque: 390Nm@ 4300rpmTop speed: 230km/hAcceleration: 0-100km/h in 9.5 seconds.Fuel consumption: Hydrogen 13.3 litres per 100km. Petrol 13.9 litres per 100kmIs hydrogen safe?* The hydrogen in the BMW is stored in a double skinned steel tank as liquid at a temperature of -253C* Hydrogen will "boil off" after time, particularly when stored in lower volumes - meaning some fuel loss. BMW has established that boil off of H2 in its car is minimal and does not start until 17 hours after the tank has been filled. There are management systems in place for this process.* In testing, the hydrogen tank was put the the wringer to prove that hydrogen is a safe option for motorvehicle transportation. It was subjected to numerous crash tests, shot at, hit with iron bars and subjected to fire without incident.* The car has been road tested over more than 1 million km in Africa, throughout the Nordic countries and in heavy city traffic.

Holden's modern-day Monaro is to be scrapped.The car maker yesterday announced that the last of the V8 coupes would roll off the Elizabeth production line later this year.But Holden is hopeful of producing a new so-called muscle car in the future."Monaro means too much to Holden to not have another Monaro at some time in the future," said GM Holden chairman and managing director Denny Mooney yesterday.The company claims sales had nothing to do with the decision to drop the Monaro after a special edition CV8-Z to be released next month.Despite some speculation die-moulds for the reincarnation of the 1960s and '70s performance leader had been sold to Pontiac, Holden spokesman Jason Laird said he knew of no plans to build the car offshore.Mr Laird was not prepared to comment on export programs for the coupe, leaving it to each of the export markets to decide on product plans."We're not in a position to do that on their behalf, this announcement is only in regards to Australia and New Zealand," he said.Mr Laird said cutting the Monaro from the range built at Elizabeth would not affect jobs at the plant, with resources diverted to other production areas.He said domestic sales for Monaro had remained strong since the badge was reborn and United States sales had improved significantly with the new, more aggressive look and extra power."In Australia so far this year, it is 38 units down from last year, in the fourth year of a coupe program, where traditionally they peter off quickly. For us to be with last year I think indicates the interest in the car," he said.Mr Laird said the company was also looking to protect resale values on the coupe. Mr Mooney said the Monaro, which has worn four other GM badges on four continents, had sold almost six times as many cars as was first planned."The new generation Monaro has been an absolute winner in Australia, a hands-down winner in the sports car market," he said.Mr Mooney said GM Holden continued to investigate options for a next generation coupe with other divisions of General Motors. "Everyone at Holden is certainly committed to delivering a new generation Monaro in the future, but there is still a lot of work to make that happen," he said.The original Monaro sold from 1968 until 1977.The name was resurrected after a small group of engineers and designers, led by designer Mike Simcoe, produced the attractive four-seater coupe.