Articles by CarsGuide team

New car sales were down 9.5 per cent in February and and 8.1 per cent year-to-date, according to JATO Dynamics, the world's leading provider of automotive intelligence.France and Italy continue to hold the European total down while Volkswagen's Golf and Polo have maintained their positions as Europe's top performing models.Mercedes was the only top 10 brand to record an improvement, on the back primarily of an increase in sales of B-Class and C-Class models to record an 8.6 per cent lift in February and up 8.5 per cent year to date.Meanwhile, Mercedes-AMG is also doing strongly in its track campaign.The German carmaker is set to feature prominently in the 2012 Formula 1 season with the debut of the new Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 team, but also the return of the Official F1 Safety Car and the Official F1 Medical Car from Mercedes-AMG.The SLS AMG and C 63 AMG Estate ensure maximum safety in extreme conditions.The gullwing model, with its characteristic roof lights and distinctive FIA and F1 logos on its aluminium body, has been deployed in the role of official Safety Car for Formula 1 since 2010.As soon as Race Control considers that the safe progress of the race may be impeded, it sends the SLS AMG out onto the track. 

The TGB Bullet 50 join the Bullet RS 50/150 as an economical entry level scooter. The zippy Bullet 50 is a quality built scooter that aims to rank with the best available, offering cool sports styling supported by a two-stroke, 49cc engine giving performance to ensure that you will always arrive on time and in style. The Bullet 50 also features a front disc brake, low seat height and 12-inch wheels creating a riding experience suited for everyday the city commute. With easy eTwist and CVT transmission, the TGB Bullet is ready to go. Other features include electronic dash display, integrated rear tail light, aluminium floorboard and rock solid reliability. Though compact, Bullet 50 provides plenty of underseat storage, creating a good place to put your shopping.  Falling under the LA category, the new TGB Bullet can be operated on car licence in WA, SA, QLD and NT. It is covered by a two year parts and labour warranty through a nationwide dealer network.

The Mopar-branded system will appear first on the Dodge Dart, and uses an integrated charging-grid bin installed at the front of the centre console, with charging activated when you place a smartphone fitted with the charging case into the bin. Charging is available while the car is running, and is able to juice up a range of devices including iPhone, Blackberry, MP3 Players and Droid-based devices The new technology will appear as a $200 option on the Dodge Dart as it rolls out in overseas markets from 2013, then progress to other vehicles in the Chrysler stable. "At Mopar, we look for every single opportunity to make our customers' lives easier," said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler Group LLC's service, parts and customer-care brand. "Our industry-first in-vehicle wireless charging system is the perfect solution for those connected customers who are always on the go."

And it's one we might get here if Renault Australia continues on its path to greatness and more choice for prospective Renault buyers. The upgraded pocket-rocket burst onto the scene on 2nd April in Europe when ordering opened, priced at 13,565 (A$20,841) on-the-road. The facelift  brings a new frontal visual identity combined with the added visual drama of a new dynamic grille design with four lights and a front bumper incorporating an F1-style blade. This detail, which now runs across the full RenaultSport range, alludes to Renault's success in Formula 1. From the back, the halo model in the brand's city car range sports several model-specific additions including a black rear spoiler, a special rear bumper incorporating a diffuser and aerodynamic extensions on the rear wheel arches. On the inside, the performance aura of the hot Twingo continues with RenaultSport yellow stitching on the steering wheel and seats, together with white detailing for the top of the steering wheel, seat backs and cushions, rev-counter surround and air conditioning controls. Aside from its new body-colour F1-style blade, core equipment on the latest revised Renaultsport includes 16-inch alloy wheels, Bluetooth, cruise control, electric gloss black door mirrors, stability control (with on/off switch), speed limiter, extra tinted windows and tailgate, Renaultsport exhaust with chrome tailpipe, plus Twingo's versatile independent sliding and folding rear seats. Several options are available among them 17-inch alloy wheels or the even more striking RenaultSport Liquid Yellow i.d. paint . The unique-in-class RenaultSport monitor telemetry system is also available. Engineers haven't  tinkered with the car's mechanicals, so its performance and grin-inducing driving characteristics remain intact. Its 1.6-litre naturally-aspirated powerplant still puts out a feisty 133hp at 6,750rpm, with 160Nm of torque available at 4,400rpm. Its top speed is a respectable 125 mph, with 0-100kmh dispatched in an impressive 8.7 seconds. Although the new range offers one version of the 133 with the standard RenaultSport chassis, an optional Cup chassis is available that includes a ride height lowered by 4mm, stiffer springs and dampers, 17-inch Anthracite or Gloss Black alloy wheels and wider 205/40 R17 tyres than its predecessor. In keeping with its potency, Twingo RenaultSport 133 features plenty of stopping power, with 280mm-diameter front discs and 240mm-diameter rear discs. Despite its impressive performance credentials, the revised Twingo RS uses less fuel and generates less carbon dioxide.

With its raised ride height, 4MOTION four-wheel drive and rugged body enhancements, it will take you places the standard Passat wouldn't dare.  Based on the versatile Passat Estate, the Passat Alltrack's 4MOTION four-wheel drive and raised ride height give it greater agility off-road, while body enhancements provide some protection from scrapes when covering rough terrain. These features endow Passat Alltrack with the practicality of an estate car and much of the versatility of a conventional SUV, while a high standard specification level adds more than a touch of luxury. Just one trim level is likely to be offered here - with all the bells and whistles.  There will be a choice of two drivetrains: a 2.0-litre TDI with six-speed manual gearbox and a 2.0-litre TDI  125kW with six-speed DSG transmission.  Standard equipment includes Alcantara upholstery, dual zone electronic climate control, RNS 315 touchscreen satellite navigation, DAB radio, MDI iPod connectivity, Bluetooth telephone preparation, cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, tyre pressure monitoring system and 18-inch Canyon alloy wheels. A Driver Alert System that monitors the driver's responses to raise awareness of fatigue is also standard, as is ESP. Options include climate seats with massage function, high beam assist which automatically controls dipping of the headlights, side scan lane change assist, which monitors the vehicle's blind spot and adaptive chassis control.  City emergency braking function is also a likely option along with park assist, rear-view camera and an electrically deployed towbar. The Passat Alltrack has a generous towing capacity of 2,000 kg (braked).  

Coming with 74kW and and 92kW outputs the new Ecoboost models boast fuel economy of a low 4.8 and 5.0 litres/100km respectively.At the same time they produce just 109g/km and 114g/km of CO2 in emissions rspectively.The 1.0-litre EcoBoost uses turbocharging and direct fuel injection to extract impressive levels of power and fuel efficiency from its three-cylinder engine block  a block so small it can fit on a sheet of A4 paper. The engine's high torque of 170Nm produced from a low 1400 revs supports a fuel efficient driving style and delivers a good performance feel and diesel-like torque experience."Developing an engine this small and fuel efficient which still delivers good power and driving fun in a Focus-sized car would have seemed impossible just a few years ago," said Ford of Europe CEO and chairman, Stephen Odell.The Focus 1.0-litre EcoBoost will join the 1.6-litre EcoBoost petrol and 1.6-litre TDCi diesel in wearing the ECOnetic Technology badge, recognition reserved for Ford cars that are either leaders or among the very best in their segment in terms of fuel economy. More than half of new Ford cars sold this year will wear the ECOnetic Technology badge, and Ford expects this to increase to two-thirds in 2013.

The Dodge Journey R/T arrives with a host of significant upgrades to styling and equipment. And the Journey R/T scores a powerful 3.6-litre Pentastar 206kW/342Nm V6 Pentastar petrol engine from the SXT variant — the most powerful fitted to an MPV in the Australian market.Both SXT and R/T models gain a fresh new exterior look to compliment the Journey's styling, as well as a new interior featuring a dramatic new dash, along with restyled trim and upgraded equipment.Over and above that, the Journey R/T model enhances customer appeal with an array of new features adding up to more than $3000 extra value over the previous model. However the $43,500 price of the new Dodge Journey R/T is $1500 dearer than the previous version.Standard equipment in the new Journey R/T includes the Pentastar V6, but also leather seats, 8.4-inch touch-screen satellite navigation, second-row overhead video with wireless headphones, a reversing camera, heated front seats and 19-inch alloy wheels. 

An unemployed Canadian man became an internet sensation after posting a video online in which he performs "Bohemian Rhapsody," in full, in the back of a police car after being arrested on a drunk-driving charge.  The 10-minute police video, which Robert Wilkinson posted on YouTube for the amusement of his friends, already received more than one million hits.  The now-famous performance, in which he sings both the vocal and instrumental parts of the Queen classic, took place in the back of a Royal Canadian Mounted Police car in November after Wilkinson was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving in Edson, Alberta.  The 29-year-old was given the video by authorities when he decided to defend himself against the charge, which is currently pending, The Smoking Gun reported.  Wilkinson, who said he did not know the video had gone viral, told the website that he was a keen karaoke singer and had performed every single one of the 113 Beatles songs available on karaoke machines.  Other videos Wilkinson has posted online include one in which he gets punched in the face by a friend, another that shows him eating a 10-pound (4.5-kilogram) sandwich and one documenting his dismissal from a Vancouver film school.  He also appears to brew his own beer, his Facebook page suggests, and has stated that he is "solving the world's problems, one beer at a time."

You know your car is a new model when you roll down to have it registered and the RTA says "we don't have identifiers for the make and model so we can't give you a licence plate".  That was the experience of Towncars hire car owner/driver Geoff Rickwood, who last Friday tried to get licence plates for the first factory gas Holden Caprice to be registered.  While Towncars has been excited about adding the new vehicle to its fleet, somebody should have mentioned its arrival on the Australian scene to the RTA.  The RTA was unable to compute the LPG Holden Caprice’s  individual Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) – which gives every vehicle a unique identifier for chassis and engine block, based on a series of numbers that begins with the brand (in this case Holden), the make (Caprice) and the model (Dedicated LPG) before adding the unique numeric identifier of each new vehicle as it rolls of the assembly line.  “I bought the Caprice from Sutton City at Rosebery and they were going to get it registered and put the HC plate on for me,” Rickwood says.  “I was a little shocked when I went to pick up the car, only to be told 'We couldn't get it registered.  The RTA doesn't have a VIN number for the new model'...I felt like I was all dressed up with no-where to go.  “It’s kind of nice to know that you're the very first to register the first factory gas Australian-made Holden… a tiny bit of history," he says. Mr Rickwood says he will use the Caprice in his new role as the Epping franchisee of Towncars.com hire service, which bills itself as ‘the Bunnings of the Hire Car market or the working man's limousine’, according to executive chairman Ross Cameron. “Our clients are mainly corporates on a budget who want a superior, safe, comfortable vehicle for their staff but they don't like paying exorbitant fares to recover the costs of an Audi A8 or a long wheel-based Mercedes Benz. So something like the LPG Caprice is perfect – now that it’s passed the registration hurdle."  "Up until now, the Towncars fleet vehicle of choice has been the Ford G6E -- previously the only Australian-made sedan with a factory gas engine.  It’s a gorgeous vehicle and we love it but up until now, we had no other choice.  “Factory gas is critical to Towncars because it gives a triple benefit - we don't lose boot space with a conversion tank, we get great fuel economy and we generate the lowest emissions per passenger kilometre on the road.  “An engine that is tuned to run on one fuel will always outperform an engine that has to adopt compromise settings to switch between petrol and LPG - which is most of the Australian taxi fleet,” Mr Cameron says.

After winning the "Car of the Year 2012" award, the Vauxhall/Opel Ampera that will be rebadged as the Holden Volt here has now also won the 13th International Monte Carlo Rally for electric and alternative propulsion cars.Four Amperas ranked among the top 10 vehicles. The French duo Bernard Darniche and Joseph Lambert managed to beat the entire competitive field. On Sunday, the final day of the contest, the revolutionary electric vehicle reached the finish line in the capital of the Cote d'Azur principality.Some 130 competitors from around 30 manufacturers took part, among them seven Amperas, including one private Ampera team. The other contenders included a Renault Fluence Z.E., a Tesla Roadster sports car, a Mitsubishi I-MiEV and a Peugeot Ion.Apart from the overall victory, the Ampera teams with Charlotte Berton and Olivier Sussot ranked third, Jean-Claude Andruet and Patrick Lienne came in 7th and Hanns Werner Wirth and Daniel Riesen finished 8th.The rally started in the three towns of Annecy-le-Vieux, Clermont Ferrand and Lugano for 550 kilometres via Digne-les-Bains, the capital of the French district Alpes-de-Haute-Provence to Monaco.On the second day, the teams had to complete a distance of 272 kilometres, leading them through Monaco and the original route of the Monte Carlo Rally through the French Maritime Alps. In two days the teams were subjected to regularity tests and had to prove their driving skills by pushing their vehicle s to the limit.Apart from the regularity tests, the focus lay with fuel consumption. With the help of a ratio derived from vehicle weight, CO2 emissions, the energy density of the fuel and its consumption, the organisers were able to calculate a comparison value and draw up an overall ranking.Bernhard Darniche. had already won the legendary Monte Carlo Rally in 1979 and has more than 10 times been successful in winning the special stage over the famous Col de Turini. The Vauxhall Ampera is the first electric vehicle that can go anywhere anytime. A 16 kWh lithium ion battery powers the 111kW/150 hp electric motor. Depending on the style of driving and road conditions, distance of between 25 and 50 miles can be covered in the battery-operated mode, completely free of tailpipe emissions. The electric propulsion system delivers instant torque of 370Nm enables zero to 60mph acceleration in 8.7 seconds and a top speed limited to 160kmh.