Articles by Chris Riley

Chris Riley road tests and reviews the Ford Ranger XLT Double Cab 4WD, with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Weird name but a replacement nevertheless for the popular Dualis SUV, pumped up hatch or whatever you want to call it.It has always been called Qashqai overseas, but they didn't like the name here and decided to name it Dualis for Australia instead. Fast forward and we're told the name, pronounced "Cash-ceye" is now "unique, catchy and memorable".Same name, so what's changed? Wasn't it all these things back in 2007 when the vehicle was launched?Famously, Nissan of course went through a similar process with Tiida/Pulsar nameplates. For the record, the Qashqai draws its name from a group of nomadic tribes from different ethnic backgrounds that are found mainly in Iran.A bit of market strategising here. The entire range is front wheel drive this time around and the larger 7 seat version has been dropped - if you want all-wheel drive or seven seats then the X-Trail is the car for you.Designed and built in Europe it looks similar to Dualis from the back but wears the new family face. In terms of size it sits between the odd ball Juke and larger X-Trail, although it shares the same platform as X-Trail.Qashqai is 47mm longer than the Dualis which it replaces, but 164mm shorter than the 7-seat Dualis +2. Most people bought the Dualis +2 for the extra luggage space, not the third row of seats.Like the metallic black piano finish which helps give the car a premium feel. Lower grades are fitted with 17 inch alloys, higher grades with 19s - a space saver spare is provided in case of a flat tyre.The Australian Qashqai lineup is split into two petrol and two diesel models. Prices start from $25,850 for the entry level ST with a petrol engine and manual transmission, followed by the Ti at $32,490, with the entry level TS diesel $33,200 and top of the line TL $37,990.The auto adds $2640 to the price of ST or $2500 to the Ti - the diesel comes with an auto as standard (there is no diesel manual).Standard features across the range include Electronic Park Brake, Rear View Camera, Daytime running lights, Bluetooth handsfree, cruise control, height and reach adjust steering wheel, 60/40 split fold second row seating, ISOFIX child restraint anchorage points and four rear cargo area luggage hooks.Ti and TL grades also include front heated seats, six-way power-adjustable driver's seat, panoramic glass roof, roof rails and LED headlights with auto levelling.The 2.0-litre petrol engine and 1.6-litre turbo diesel basically carry over from the previous model, with some minor changes. The now direct-injected 2.0-litre petrol engine produces 106kW of power and 200Nm of torque compared to 102/198 before while the diesel is good for the same 96kW and 320Nm.The Xtronic CVT continuously variable style auto has been redesigned, with 70 per cent new parts, 40 per cent less friction, Eco mode, a lower first gear and higher overdrive ratios.In the diesel it adds auto stop-start which helps reduce fuel consumption but this function is not available with the petrol engine. Fuel consumption for the petrol model is rated at 6.9L/100km for the auto or 7.7L/100km for the manual (less than before) while the diesel returns 4.9L/100km (0.4Lmore than before).Herein hangs a tale . . . Nissan has found itself the subject of criticism, notably from the Australian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) that crash tests and rates cars here, for not including automatic braking - a feature found in European models.The idea which is rapidly gaining ground is that sensors keep a track of the traffic in front and if it stops then so do you, whether the driver intervenes of not.The system will probably be mandated for all Australian cars from 2016, about the time they stop building cars like the Falcon here in Australia. Cynical? Perhaps, but in reality just a cost-cutting exercise to get the cars here cheaper.With six airbags and the usual array of driver assistance systems, the car still earns a maximum five-star safety rating. A reverse camera is standard, so are front and rear parking sensors and higher grade models add blind spot warning and lane departure warning.We drove all three drivetrain variants at the Qashqai's Australian launch. Our pick is the petrol engine with the manual transmission. It was more responsive than the auto and felt lighter on its feet than the diesel. The manual shift falls easily to hand and is just as easy to use, with a light action and clutch that is light too.The CVT on the other hand was not quite as responsive but delivers better fuel economy. You can however opt to change gears manually via the shifter with six-steps that equate to gears. In contrast the CVT works well with the higher torque output of the diesel and is more suited to its relaxed style of driving.The car sits flat through corners and the driver can adjust the amount of steering effort required, with a choice of Normal and Sport modes - but to do so requires drilling down through the computer menu.We like the digital speed display and the navigation system in higher spec models displays the current speed limit, but unfortunately gets it wrong frequently. 

Chris Riley road tests and reviews the Volkswagen Golf wagon 103 TSI, with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Chris Riley road tests and reviews the Holden SS Storm Sportwagon, with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Chris Riley road tests and reviews the FPV GT F, with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

So you're into hardcore four-wheel driving. You've got an old Landcruiser or Nissan Patrol and it's a jacked up, with double diff locks and the works.  You might think you've got what it takes to go up against the roughest, toughest challenges that this planet can dish up, but in the words of Bachman, Turner Overdrive "You ain't seen nothing yet". Next time you're passing Iceland take time out to check out the Arctic Trucks in Reykjavik.THE TERRAINIceland is a country about the size of Tasmania with a population of 330,000 people that sits just below the Arctic circle, about 3 1/2 hours flight northwest of England. Unlike its name suggests, it's actually a lush green country, not unlike the South Island of New Zealand where the temperature rarely drops below minus 10 degrees. And, just like NZ, it is a volatile volcanic land with hot springs, sulfurous gases and stunning mountain scenery. It's a harsh, foreboding environment too where the sun doesn't set for several months a year and can be extremely hard on vehicles - even the most capable four-wheel drives. It's hardly surprising that it has spawned some of the most capable off roaders in the world.THE TRUCKSYou might recall the killer Hilux in Top Gear's 2007 Polar Special.  It was an Arctic Truck in which presenters Jeremy Clarkson and James May raced the luckless Richard Hammond in a dog sled to the Magnetic North Pole. Down south in Antarctica where temperatures commonly fall below minus 50 degrees, 18 of Arctic Trucks' vehicles currently serve the scientific community.That's not a bad advertisement for a company that has earned a reputation for building vehicles that are faster, stronger, and more fuel efficient than anything else - vehicles that can travel up to 1500km on a single tank of fuel. But the fun isn't confined to the boffins.For as little as $US30,000 they'll take your brand new Prado or Hilux, dismantle the vehicle then chop, stretch and weld it back together to create something a lot more formidable.WHAT YOU GETArctic Trucks offer 35, 38 and 44 inch conversions, plus an extended 6x6 version of the Hilux with an active third axle and extra diff lock. The AT38 version of the Hilux was Top Gear's weapon of choice and the one we drove along with the Prado.As part of the facelift the guards are removed and modified and the suspension repositioned to provide the space and correct geometry for the big 38 x 12.5 inch rims and rubber. The ute has 450mm of ground clearance, an integrated air compressor for changing tyre pressures, 100 percent diff locks front and rear, plus a 12 volt 960 watt generator and an extra battery. To explain, in the Antarctic, tyres normally operate at a pressure of 2 to 6 PSI which makes vehicles five times faster and up to eight times more fuel efficient.GOING OFF THE TRACKHundreds of tracks and streams criss-cross the Iceland landscape, most accessible only by four-wheel drive. Your average off roader is not designed to cope with the demands of ice and snow nor the sharp, jagged volcanic rock that can tear a normal tyre to shreds. In contrast, the huge, pillow-like low pressure tyres fitted to the Hilux absorb the irregularities of the terrain like a huge sponge.The ride was impressively smooth over the dirt and rock that we encountered, and with 450mm of ground clearance water crossings presented little obstacle, with a snorkel for the deeper stuff. Returning to the bitumen however the grip felt questionable, the steering vague and we worried about the impact the sweeping changes may have had on the vehicle's ABS system.THE GFCIceland as you probably know was hit hard by the Global Financial Crisis in 2009. At the height of the crisis, cars sales plummeted 90 per cent and Arctic Trucks was also hit very hard, with the number of conversions dropping from 479 to just 9 vehicles the following year.Boss Emil Grimsson said they were forced to shed staff and look to other ways of earning a buck, mainly exports to countries such as Norway and the Emirates (where they like the macho look). They even started performing used car checks to bring in income.Five years later business has bounced back, but the emphasis is now on exports and the lucrative tourism market. Grimsson confirmed interest has been shown in bringing the company's unique vehicles to Australia, but it is still a long way down the track.Dream on . . . the difference between the harsh Australian Outback and bitter Antarctic wilderness is more than just 100 degrees.

We turn the spotlight on the Mazda 3 Neo manual ask the crucial questions, including the biggest -- would you buy one?

Watch out HiLux. Ford's Ranger is coming through. The good looking, blokey-looking ute is taking the fight up to the Toyota HiLux which has traditionally ruled the roost. Sorry, did we call it a "ute" - somewhere along the line it turned into an American "pick-up" which is the way Ford refers to it now. 

Chris Riley road tests and reviews the 2014 Kia Soul.

Back in the 1970s they made a movie about Le Mans, the car race that is - not the town.