Articles by CarsGuide team

But Peugeot wants to take it to a new level. It says Volkswagen has most of the ingredients of success - except expensive ownership costs. Peugeot Australia director Bill Gillespie believes Peugeot can follow Volkswagen's lead but return value to Peugeot owners with cut-price ownership costs. As part of a repositioning of Peugeot, he says: "We need a balance between being an aspirational marque and one that is affordable.'' "It's not easy to achieve. Volkswagen is one that has found the balance and that's what we aim to follow. "It's why we have introduced our `assured service' plan. "If you compare the cost of servicing a Golf and our 308, you'll see that by 60,000 the Golf has cost $2600 to service. "The 308's cost is $990 - that's fixed servicing at $330 a year for the three years of 60,000km. It's a point of difference for us. "The low cost to own our cars is changing the way people see Peugeot and now make them consider buying a Peugeot. ''The assured service program will continue for the new 208 which is expected in showrooms in September. Peugeot Australia plans sales of about 6500 vehicles this calendar year - its sold 5220 in 2011 - on its two Mitsubishi SUVs, the 4007 and 4008, and its new mid-size 508 range plus the 208. But while cloning Mitsubishi SUVs has led to a hike in buyers for Peugeot, the flirtatious cross-country deal is set to end. The 4007 - a clone of the Mitsubishi Outlander - ends in January 2013. Gillespie says Peugeot will make its own large SUV for sale in 2014. There are no details of the new SUV but it is likely to share components with the 508. Meanwhile, the popular ASX-based 4008 will continue until the new General Motors and PSA Peugeot Citroen alliance begins in 2016. The two SUVs have helped to prop up Peugeot during times when the 508 and outgoing 207 had supply issues. " The 508 was one of the victims of the Japanese tsunami,'' he says. "One part of the gearbox came from a factory affected by the tsunami, so production was delayed.'' Peugeot has overcome some supply issues to boost fleet sales - now 13 per cent of Australian Peugeot sales compared with 6 per cent in 2011 - though Gillespie says he doesn't want to see Peugeot become a fleet company car. "It's mainly user-choser sales that we're winning for fleets,'' he says. "Part of the appeal of our cars comes from making them a better car than previously, and helped by the high Australian dollar's exchange rate. "The 508 GT is way, way underpriced compared with Audi and BMW models - and the GT offers a lot more. "It's also about $1000 less than a Volkswagen Passat, so when you add in the service program, the Peugeot is a much better deal.'' While Australia is expanding its Peugeot range - and dealerships with another three sites opening in Sydney in the past three months - it has pulled back on the higher-tech models. Gillespie says the lauded 3008 Hybrid4 and 508 RXH hybrid cars are off the table - at least in the medium term - for Australia. The 3008 Hybrid4, touted as the world's first mass-produced full diesel hybrid, is now on sale in Europe. It has a 122kW 2-litre turbo-diesel driving the front wheels and a 28kW electric motor on the rear axle. The average fuel consumption is 3.8 litres/100km. The 508 RXH uses a similar drive layout. Peugeot previously said it planned to have the two hybrids in Australia for the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney in October. Gillespie says the 3008 will be trialled in New Zealand with view for a sale and believes the backtrack on the 508 version for Australia may be based on the technology's durability in hot weather. GM and Peugeot's parent company PSA announced in March they would share platforms and vehicle development. It will end PSA's association with Mitsubishi, Ford, BMW (which has now aligned with Toyota) and Fiat (now with Chrysler). It is also a slap in the face for GM subsidiaries in Europe, Opel and Vauxhall, which are direct competitors of PSA.  

The Malaysian brand's latest model, the Proton S16 FLX, sporting a long list of enhancements, more dynamic styling and design. The small sedan comes in two variants, GX and GXR, both available in manual and CVT transmissions, and priced from $13,990. Standard safety features across the entire range include Electronic Stability Control, ABS, Dual front airbags, pretensioning seatbelts and reverse sensors. Also new are fender design, hood, headlamps, grille, and front and rear bumpers and the side mirrors now incorporate LED turn signals. Inside, the S16 FLX has new seat and door trim fabric, a radio CD/ MP3 player with AUX and USB ports, and a steering wheel with built-in audio switches. Outside, it gets foglights and alloy wheels, and the GXR adds features like a rear spoiler and leather interior. The car has a three-year, unlimited km warranty and includes 24 hours roadside assistance. Drive-away prices are $13,990 for the S16 FLX GX manual and $14,990 for the GXR. CVT auto adds $2000 in each case.  

Changes focus on the exterior, new six-speed manual transmission and now, standard across the range, Hyundai's Vehicle Stability Management (stability control). Designed at the Hyundai Germany, the i20 has adopted family DNA with a signature hexagonal grille. There's a new bonnet and complimentary front quarter panels. The side repeater lamps are now integrated in the external mirrors. The rear has also been revised. Inside it gets new seat trim and a new centre fascia design with piano black inserts. A trip computer and one-touch triple turn indicators are now standard. Adding to the new i20's value equation is a six-speed manual transmission offering improved performance and efficiency to the range. The i20's thrifty four-cylinder 1.4-litre petrol engine features 16-valves and  twin cams to  deliver peak power and torque outputs of 73.5 kW @ 5500 rpm and 136 Nm @ 4200 rpm. Improved fuel efficiency and lower emissions are delivered with a combined fuel consumption figure of 5.3-litres/100 km for the 1.4-litre petrol manual model. The auto remains a four speed. The i20 has a five-star ANCAP safety rating. Pricing starts at $15,590.  

Spearheading the return of a factory-backed SRT Viper Racing team to the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), the SRT Viper GTS-R is also intended to add a lot of halo effect to the SRT sub-brand under Fiat ownership. The team is fielding two identical GTR-S cars, each powered by an 370kW/680Nm 8.0-litre V10 instead of the 477kW/813Nm 8.4-litre V8 that powers the street-legal versions.

...teeth-gritting bad.

The new M Perfance line is headlined by the new BMW X6 M50d, priced from $157,000 it features the most powerful, volume-produced six-cylinder diesel engine in the world. The top of the range M50d produces 280kW of power and a staggering 740Nm of torque propelling it from 0 to 100km/h in just 5.3 seconds. Yet, it uses 7.7 litres of fuel per 100km. The X6 M50d is the creation of BMW's iconic high-perfomance division, BMW M GmbH. The 3.0-litre six-cylinder in-line engine in the X6 M50d is without parallel worldwide, having the highest output ever achieved by a BMW diesel engine together with outstanding levels of efficiency. Its unique triple turbocharging sees two comparatively small high-pressure chargers working with a larger low-pressure unit. The integration of an additional high-pressure turbo increases the engines capability when it comes to generating charge pressure, a key ingredient in taking the engines power output to the next level. One of the factors contributing to its exceptional efficiency, especially in relation to its output  is the new version of the common rail direct injection, with piezo injectors that operate at a pressure of 2200 bar.  The heaving hitting diesel is hooked up to an 8-speed auto and the drivetrain, suspension technology and aerodynamic properties have been harmonised with the precision characteristic of BMW M GmbH.