Articles by Craig Duff

Australia's extreme climate means Audi's next TTS will cop a cold shower.A power cut is almost certain for Australian versions of the Audi TTS. TT technical project manager Markus Niewart tells Carsguide at the international launch of the third-generation cars that our climate is to blame."The TTS is likely to lose power," he says of the distinctive 2+2-seat sports car. 'You are a hot country and we need to protect the engine." The move mirrors the decision to restrict outputs of the S3 small sedan for the local market. The high-performance car packs 221kW in Europe but here it is limited to 206kW.A similar trim is likely to prune the TTS's 228kW to about 210kW. Niewart is unapologetic, noting such policies apply to any country with climate extremes.On a positive note, he confirms a roadster version of the TT will be shown at Paris and the insane TTRS will launch in 2016, fitted with an overhauled version of the 265kW/465Nm five-cylinder turbo that powered the last generation.Alongside the arrival of a new A4 sedan, the TTRS will cap a year in which Audi Australia expects to overtake BMW as the country's second biggest prestige car brand.Sales of just on 12,700 so far this year put Audi only 2000 vehicles behind BMW and the four-ringed marque has substantially more momentum in terms of sales growth over the past two years.Audi Australia spokeswoman Anna Burgdorf says the brand would like to be 'nipping at the heels" of its German rival within two years."We're not in the market to be No.3 (prestige brand) forever … a new volume product like the A4 will certainly help," she says.Audi's baby SUV, the Q1, is also expected in 2016, to give the marque a much-needed player in the light SUV ranks."That's a growing segment and it's one we'd like to be involved in," Burgdorf says.In the short term, facelifted versions of the A6 mid-sized sedan and its A7 Sportback sibling will arrive next year, along with a totally revised version of the Q7, Audi's large SUV.

Craig Duff road tests and reviews the new Audi TT and TTS at their international launch.

There's nothing limited about the Cherokee diesel's equipment level.Just a week after the launch of a diesel as the top-end Mazda3 model, Jeep has followed suit with an oilburning Cherokee.At first glance the Cherokee Limited diesel's $49,000 list price is $5000 more expensive than the similarly equipped 3.2-litre V6 petrol model.Unlike the petrol, though, the 2.0-litre diesel is matched with Jeep's dual-range four-wheel drive setup, dubbed Active Drive II, to improve its off-road ability.On the tarmac it disengages the rear axle - a trick Jeep says is unique in the mid-sized SUV segment - to improve fuel efficiency.The top-selling mid-sized SUVs can't match either feature yet are similarly priced, with the Mazda CX-5 Akera diesel $49,240 and Toyota's RAV4 Cruiser $50,790.The high equipment levels - and at this price they'd want to be handsome - include an 8.4-inch infotainment touchscreen with satnav and reversing camera display, nine-speaker Alpine audio, 18-inch alloys, heated front seats and a configurable seven-inch display in the instrument cluster.Options include adaptive cruise control, lane-departure and blind-spot monitoring, semiautomatic parking and cross-traffic detection when reversing.The diesel's outputs are 125kW/350Nm. The Cherokee has a class-leading braked towing capacity of 2393kg, 190kg up on petrol models. It is also a clear winner in the fuel consumption stakes, partly by virtue of being the first Cherokee to use engine stop- start, matched to the nine- speed automatic transmission. This feature will appear later this year on 2015 model year V6 petrol models.The diesel officially uses 5.8L/100km, streets ahead of the 8.3L for the 2.4-litre petrol four fitted to the front-drive Cherokee Sport and 10.0L for the 4WD petrol V6.Jeep Australia spokesman Andrew Chesterton says the diesel will be exclusive to the top-spec model for the foreseeable future. 'There's a lot of interest in a diesel Cherokee," Chesterton says. The diesel is on sale now.

Craig Duff road tests and reviews the Bentley Continental GT V8 S, with fuel consumption, rivals and specs.

Craig Duff road tests and reviews the Toyota LandCruiser Prado Kakadu, with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Craig Duff road tests and reviews the 2014 Mazda 3 XD Astina diesel, with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Craig Duff road tests and reviews the 2014 Abarth 595, with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Why did the Freemont cross the road? To drop the MPV tag for one that better resonates with buyers: SUV How do you boost market share for a niche vehicle like a seven-seat people-mover? For the Fiat Freemont Crossroad, the solution is to label it an SUV and pitch it at outdoor types who'll appreciate the space even if

Look past the generic small-car silhouette and the Kia Cerato deserves some love. The basic torsion beam rear suspension is common to most of the cars in the segment but Kia spent months tuning it for local conditions. Only the more sophisticated setups on the likes of the Mazda3 and Ford Focus - which are more

The next direction for a score of small, punchy BMWs: power down via the front wheels. When the Bavarians switch ends, they do so with vigour - up to 10 Minis and 12 BMWs over the next few years will be front-wheel drive.BMW last week launched the 2 Series Active Tourer (pictured), its first front-drive car, based on its modular UKL architecture. The platform promises neat interior packaging, fuel efficiency and economies of scale.Front-drive BMW and Mini vehicles will account for 800,000 of the 2 million annual sales the BMW Group hopes to achieve by 2020. To date the group has confirmed three- and five-door Minis and five- and seven-seat Active Tourers.The company's spokesman for 1 and 2 Series models, Kai Lichte, says any vehicle smaller than a 3 Series will use the front-drive platform, which also accommodates all-wheel-drive.In line with this, the existing rear-drive 1 Series and X1 SUV are tipped to move to front-drive at the end of their current product cycles.A further FWD candidate is expected to be the X2, with the same coupe-styled roofline as the existing X4 and X6.Lichte says there has been no decision on the X2. "That's one of the cars we are flexible to decide," he notes.The only junior model not yet confirmed for FWD is the 2 Series coupe, launched late last year, which has earned widespread approval among driving enthusiasts for its dynamics. Spy shots reveal BMW will soon launch a convertible 2 Series and a performance-oriented M2."Reaction to the 2 Series was overwhelmingly positive and we just introduced those cars so we have time to make a decision," Lichte says.Ultimately BMW plans to only have two platforms for all models: UKL for vehicles less than 4.5m long and a common rear-wheel-drive architecture for the rest - ranging in size from the 3 Series compacts to the 7 Series limos.