Articles by CarsGuide team

With the Panda 4x4, Fiat has stolen the running on other manufacturers producing the only A segment four-wheel drive model currently available. The wraps come off at Paris Motor Show this month (September). Panda has been around for almost 30 years and this third-generation, four-wheel drive variant unites off-road capabilities with a refined design and compact, efficient architecture. Fiat says Panda 4x4 is “the superlative expression of the model's great versatility, a “Super Panda”,  ready to tackle mountain mule tracks and the urban jungle.” Sounds serious. The car's functional design is characterised by geometric lines on the front and rear bumpers with aluminium colour cosmetic inserts to underline the presence of metallic protection under the body. Panda 4x4 is equipped with a “Torque on demand” transmission system with two differentials and electronically controlled coupling. This is a permanent four-wheel drive system managed by an electronic control unit which, by analysing vehicle signals, distributes traction on the front and rear axle. The Panda 4x4 features the ESC (Electronic Stability Control) system with ELD (Electronic Locking Differential) function as standard. This system provides additional assistance while driving and setting off uphill on slippery terrain (snow, ice, mud etc.) Two engines are available both with Start&Stop. They are a 900cc TwinAir Turbo two cylinder and a 1.3 MultiJet II diesel four cylinder.  

The company has unveiled its new Virtual Reality Centre, which will help streamline vehicle design and engineering processes. Years before a Ford vehicle shines on stage at a car show or arrives in dealer showrooms, Ford researchers are hard at work behind the scenes, building virtual vehicles that allow the company to design, analyse and enhance the driver experience before a physical vehicle ever exists. MAGIC That magic happens in a facility where Hollywood animation and Silicon Valley technology converge with automotive design and engineering to provide digital evaluations of vehicle concepts in a virtual 3D world that is projected on to a 6m x 3m screen known as a Powerwall. The result is a superior mark of craftsmanship and refined finish. The virtual process also speeds up production times while helping reduce costs. Using virtual reality tools, engineers and designers can make consumer-friendly adjustments before the building of a vehicle starts. BIG CALL The state-of-the-art facility is the same as that developed by Ford in Dearborn. The Ford US team even received a call from NASA asking for a tour of the facility, which has resulted in on-going collaboration.  The Ford Australia VRC is one of just three in the company's global design centres. The other two are in Dearborn, Michigan and Cologne, Germany. The VRC is capable of real-time image manipulation, with realistic shading, shadow generation and textural mapping. Powerwall technology creates not only life-size static images for detailed reviews of new models but also full virtual animation shows. Operators can show the vehicle moving, the doors opening and closing, the instruments functioning and the driving controls operating. PURPOSE BUILT The Ford Australia VRC is a purpose-built windowless room which contains tracking cameras and two car seats and a mock steering wheel assembly, which is called a buck. The buck sits inside a framework of 16 motion tracking cameras that respond to reference markers on the virtual reality helmets worn by those sitting in the mock car interior. The high-tech VRC gives the Ford Australia design and engineering teams world-class status. Combined with the company's engineering and powertrain expertise at its Campbellfield headquarters, Ford Australia is a recognised centre of excellence in the Asia Pacific and Africa region.  

The Insight nameplate was the first hybrid launched in Australia, and the new one sells for a relatively affordable $29,990 for the VTi and $33,490 for the VTi-L (CVT with flat paint only). Both have a five-star ANCAP safety rating and Honda says it is one of the best value hybrids on the market. Exterior changes have been made to the grille and bumper  and at the rear there's a thinner tailgate spoiler and other minor tweaks. The rear combination lamp has also been redesigned for a more sophisticated appearance. Low-rolling resistance tyres have been fitted to redesigned alloy wheels in both variants to improve fuel economy. The VTi receives LED daytime running lights, integrated Bluetooth with steering-wheel mounted controls and new door mirrors with side turn indicators. The VTi-L receives the same LED daytime running lights and a leather gear shift knob. Inside changes are minor but  headroom in the back seats has been increased by 20mm by redesigning the hatch lining and seat design. Fuel efficiency for the Insight has been improved by 6.5 percent. It now uses 4.3 l/100km (combined urban/extra urban), resulting in a 5.5 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions. Improvements to the engine and transmission, greater aerodynamics, a power-saving electric fuel pump and the low-rolling resistance tyres all contribute to Insight's improved fuel consumption and lower carbon dioxide emissions.  

   

Russian military prosecutors are hunting the fighter jet pilot who buzzed highway traffic. A dashboard camera captured this video of a low level flying Sukhoi Su-24 Fencer fighter jet zooming over traffic last week. The low-level buzz on the highway between Volgograd and Kalach-on-the-Don has gone viral, appeared on Russian television – and is likely to have landed the pilot in a whole world of trouble. According to the Interfax news agency, Russian authorities are combing through military airfields logs to identify the pilot. An AFP news agency report quoted prominent Russian test pilot Anatoly Kvochur as saying that the stunt was “normal training” for the Su-24, which is designed for ultra low altitude strike duties. “The more pilots we have like this, the better,” the report cites him as saying. Despite that endorsement, there may be one less pilot in the air for a while once the authorities catch up with him.

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You'll need a long look, and a keen eye, to pick up the teaser clues from what appears to be a wind tunnel shot of the car currently known only as the P12. The supercar's lines are disguised by a blacked-out background and a string of fluoro lights, but it seems to be much more rounded and radical than the first of McLaren's 21st century road rockets, the MP4-12C. The world will discover the truth on September 27 when the pinnacle car from McLaren, the road car division of the super-successful grand prix team, is unveiled at the Paris motor show. The P12 was originally expected to go public in the week before the Monaco Grand Prix, but McLaren confirms its intention with a firm unveiling date at Paris before a private function afterwards for special guests. "McLaren Automotive will use this stage to showcase future plans, and unveil to the world its strategy to fast-forward the world of automotive," the company says. It's going to have a tough task, both to better the original McLaren F1 and to overcome current opposition led by the V12-powered Ferrari F12. The F1 was created in the 1990s as the world's ultimate high-performance car and set a string of new benchmarks, including a 391km/h top speed in 1998 that stood for more than a decade - and until the Bugatti Veyron - as the record for a road-registered car. The P12 is expected to eclipse the F1 by building on the foundations of the MP4-12C, the first road car from the new McLaren Automotive division. It's been a worldwide hit, including in Australia, thanks to everything from its Carbon MonoCell chassis to a twin-turbo V8 engine that makes 441 kiloWatts and fires the car to 100km/h in 3.3 seconds and on to a top speed of 333km/h. The basic and chassis are expected to be carried through to the P12 - or whatever it is called after September 27 - but with much more radical bodywork, even more power and performance, and a price that's way higher than the minimum $543,900 needed to land a 12C in Australia.  But one thing is certain, the radical three-seater cabin layout from the F1 - which put the driver ahead of two passengers who sat slightly behind in an arrowhead formation, will not be carried over.