Articles by Craig Duff

The A250's 155kW/350Nm petrol engine will headline the Mercedes-Benz A-Class range when it goes in sale in Australia in the first quarter of next year. Engine details have been released for the range and show the A250 Sport to be the luxury carmaker's take on hot hatches and with a 0-100km/h time of just 6.6 seconds, is a seriously quick car.But there's more on the way. Pressed about a rumoured all-wheel-drive AMG performance model, Stamoulis confirms "we should see another variant later in the life of the A-Class and it will be more powerful than an A250 Sport". Stamoulis says powertrains are still being assessed for Australia but adds improvements to efficiency and power with the petrol engines means the model range is likely to skew in that direction. "The diesel engines are a showcase of our technology and already meet Euro 6 emission levels," he says. "Just what engines and transmissions we take is still being decided." All engines use direct injection and turbocharging and the idle stop/start engine shut-off.  Mercedes-Benz Australia is expected to put its hand up for all three petrol engines, starting with the 1.6-litre turbo mills powering the 90kW/200Nm A180 and the 100kW/250Nm A200. Both will be sold in Europe with six-speed manual and seven-speed dual-clutch manual automated transmissions, while the A250 will be an auto-only offering.  There are four diesel engines though Mercedes-Benz Australia is only thought to be looking at the 100kW/300Nm A200 CDI and the top-spec A220 with 125kW/350Nm. The standard features run from a radar-based crash-avoidance system that should prevent nose-to-tail shunts at up to 30km/h to direct integration with Apple's Siri voice-control system to let drivers navigate the web or their iPhone while on the move. Its safety credentials are all but guaranteed — the B-Class is built on the same platform and has just been rated the safest car ANCAP has yet tested. Mercedes has yet to announce pricing for the A-Class but Carsguide expects it to start in the mid $30,000s and climb to around $50,000 for the A250. The A-Class is one of the models Mercedes sees taking it back to the top of the global prestige car heap and the five-door hatch will be priced and equipped to compete with the likes of BMW's 1 Series and the Audi A3.  

Utes, vans and light trucks are today all potential tools for modern owner-operators. The only common theme is these vehicles are expected to carry their weight as a commercial vehicle during the week and then carry the family in comfort on a weekend. It's a booming market and one of the reasons seven carmakers will be displaying their vehicles at the National Tradies Expo, which tours the country from this month. Expo spokeswoman Marine Cousins says the common link among the carmakers is they all see tradies as a major market. "It is a segment they've all identified as a growth area," she says. Nissan's Navara has the headline billing but the range runs from Great Wall's entry level utes all the way to Iveco small trucks and Fiat vans. The resurgent Ssangyong is also showing its Actyon Sports dual-cab ute and the Korando SUV. Both of the South Korean-built vehicles have benefitted from a style overhaul that lifts their looks to match their performance. Ssangyong is touting the Actyon Sports' fuel efficiency credentials, with the 2.0-litre turbodiesel using from just 7.3 litres/100km. Fiat's commercial vehicle sales manager Mark Griffiths says commercial vehicles are also starting to find favour. "Every year we are seeing more tradies purchase vans over utes as they offer a better form of security for their tools of trade," Griffiths says. Renault's Emily Ambrosy agrees and says the French-based carmaker is looking to reproduce its European success Down Under with its Kangoo, Trafic and Master vans. "Renault has been No. 1 in light commercial vehicles in Europe for the past 14 years and we feel we have fantastic opportunities to grow in the Australian market," she says. "This is an incredibly important market for us and it is currently a missed opportunity . we need to bring our product to the people and talk directly to our customers and the Tradies Expo gives us that chance." National Tradies Expo Melbourne: May 25-27 Perth: June 22-24 Brisbane: June 22-24 Sydney: June 29-July 1  

Tell someone you've paid $2000 for a 125cc Honda and they'll assume you've bought a top-end lawn mower.  The CB125e might share similar displacement - and power - with its grasscutting relatives, but it is a real Honda motorcycle. At this price, it doesn't have the latest and greatest features. What it does have

The annual rally of all things speedy in the Volkswagen Group empire heads for the dirt this year. A pair of Polo concepts inspired by VW's World Rally Championship  launch and a baby Skoda kitted out for special stage duties are the headline acts at the GTI Treffen gathering in Worthersee, Austria.  The combination of official factory concepts with some of the most outrageous aftermarket customisations allowed on the streets makes this a must-see for VW fans. The competition-based Polo R-WRC has been dubbed the "hottest Polo ever" by VW development head Dr Ulrich Hackenberg. The car generates around 220kW from a 1.6-litre turbo engine, which is good enough to push the hot hatch to 100km/h in just 4.1 seconds.  Joining the competition vehicle on the stage will be a WRC Street concept car that will preview a limited edition run of the vehicle. It is essentially a blinged-up Polo R with a 2.0-litre engine good for 162kW and what VW calls "motorsport-like performance". VW Australia spokesman Karl Gehling says the WRC Street is purely a concept but points out that the Golf GTI Cabriolet on show at Worthersee as a production model was shown as a concept there this time last year. "History shows our concepts tend to make it to the showroom and I'd have thought there would be some appetite in Australia for a Polo with that sort of performance," Gehling notes. Sister brand Skoda is also on the rally route. Skoda has been the standout in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge since joining the series in late 2009 and its success with the Fabia has helped develop the format for VW's WRC assault next year. The Citigo Rally concept runs on 18-inch rims and is fitted with the requisite rally wings and skirts. Luxury brand Audi is previewing what will almost certainly be a future production model in its RS Q3 concept. The SUV is powered by a 2.5-litre turbo engine with 265 kW. It will be joined by a  vehicle with just 2.3kW in the form of the e-bike Worthersee. Audi says the high end "pedelec" is built for sport and trick. The bike uses carbon fibre reinforced plastic and a lithium-ion battery mounted in the frame to help keep weight to 26kg. Riders can chose from five programs that regulate the battery's output and Audi says maximum torque is 250Nm and the bike takes two and a half hours to recharge using a home power plug. That lets the e-bike operate in electric only mode at up to 50km/h for 50-70km.  

Lucas Ordonez earned his skid marks playing Gran Turismo on the PlayStation3, and he will preview what Nissan sees as the future of motorsport at the Le Mans 24-Hour race next month.The Nissan DeltaWing aims to use half the fuel and half the tyres of the LM1 and LM2 cars that make up the Le Mans field. It will be driven by Ordonez, who was the inaugural winner of the annual Nissan GT Academy global challenge to put virtual racers on the track.Ordonez will team with Marino Franchitti to drive the prototype at tracks around Europe as the team prepares for the Le Mans classic. The car is powered by a rear-mounted direct-injection and turbocharged 1.6-litre engine that cranks out 225kW. The driver sits almost over the rear axle and, with the long nose, the backwards weight bias helps with quick changes of direction.Nissan executive vice-president Andy Palmer says the innovations in the DeltaWing will make it a testbed for Nissan's R&D. "As motor racing rulebooks have become tighter over time, racing cars look more and more similar and the technology used has had less and less relevance to road car development. Nissan DeltaWing aims to change that and we were an obvious choice to become part of the project," Palmer says.Le Mans organisers have invited the DeltaWing to run as an experimental vehicle in this year's reace. As such, it will be based in Garage 56, which is reserved for experimental vehicles, will carry the race number 0. It won't be eligible for trophies, though, as it doesn't conform to the existing championship regulations.The development of the DeltaWing is being filmed for posterity and can be seen at www.facebook.com/nissansportscars The Nissan DeltaWing team includes designer Ben Bowlby, American motorsport entrepreneur Don Panoz, Dan Gurney's All-American Racers organisation and Duncan Dayton's Highcroft Racing team. 

Muffled thunder distantly disturbs the serenity of the cabin as the right foot taps into what amounts to a force of nature. Indulge for more than a second and the posted speed limit is a distant figure on the central dial as the V8 Mercedes blitzkriegs its way up the bitumen.Welcome to the CLS, the heavyweight hitter that launched the executive four-door coupe market and is still a head-turning status symbol.VALUEIf you have to ask, you can't afford it, but for the record the CLS 500 starts at $210,800. The badge, bigger wheels — and that addictive V8 audio track — are the only things that differentiate it externally from the six-cylinder CLS 350. Oh, and a lazy $50K. That spends puts you behind the wheel of a seriously quick executive limo. If you really want to impress the golf club associates, ante up another $50,000 for the twin turbo C63 AMG model.TECHNOLOGYA twin-turbo 4.7-litre V8 powers the CLS 500 with 300kW and 600Nm of mumbo fed to the rear wheels via a seven-speed automatic. Official fuel consumption is 9.9 litres/100km but around town that lube-smooth engine will use 14.7 litres to cover the same distance, even with the engine stop/start function.The suspension and performance can be adjusted by a pair of buttons on either side of the centre console, respectively offering Economy and Sport modes or Comfort and Sport. Behind the leather, brushed alloy and wood interior lies some smart electronics, from the adapative cruise control to blind spot warnings in the side mirrors and a lane-veering warning system. For those occasions when you don't want to listen to the engine, a Harman Kardon sound system is matched to a 10GB hard drive. Mercedes says it's also the first car to boast full "LED high performance" headlamps.STYLINGThis is an imposing bit of kit. Debate still ranges about whether this second generation diluted or distilled the lines of the original but there's no argument that it turns heads. The LED daytime running lights bejewel the front end that is otherwise dominated by the massive three-pointed star Mercedes applies to its coupe models. The profile is all curves, from the roof itself to the dropping line that tails down to the flared rear guards. There's only room for four inside — the pair of contoured rear seats are split by a storage bin and cupholder/12V socket tucked beneath sliding lacquered wooden panels — but the seats are supremely comfortable front or back.SAFETYSoftware engineers must be rivalling the traditional type at Mercedes-Benz judging by the number of systems packed into the CLS. Sensors sound an audible warning if you approach the car in front too quickly and the brakes will engage themselves to maintain a safe distance with the adapative cruise control on. It's a pain in Australia — the gap is seen by other motorists as an invitation to cut in and then the big Merc then slows down to regain the separation. Should it come to it, a staggering 11 airbags are hidden away ready to deploy. It goes without saying the CLS is a five-star ANCAP car.DRIVINGIt's hard not to get emotional with the CLS. The seatbelts give you a reassuring hug as they snug themselves to your body shape. And then you hit the big alloy button to engage the V8 ... and it's an affair just waiting for the right road to be consumated. She's dressed to impress so find a set of fast sweepers, get passionate and let the dance begin. For a big girl the CLS is surprisingly light on her low-profile rubber shoes. Lunges are decisively quick and she's comfortable side-stepping potholes.Push too hard too soon and she'll shake her shapely rear and flutter her traction light at you. Keep it steady and the four-door coupe will match your every input no matter the tempo and happily keep going as hard and for as long as you can. And when you've taken your pleasure, the exhaust will sigh as you exit the car. I sighed too when I had to give the keys back. But she's an expensive mistress ... and I struggle to mai ntain my wife.VERDICTImitation is the greatest form of flattery and Mercedes, having created the four-door coupe class, now has Audi's A7 and the Porsche Panamera looming large in the CLS' mirrors. The CLS500 represents the best balance in the range between price and performance ... buy a new B-Class with the money you'll save against the CLS 63 AMG.Mercedes CLS 500Price: $210,800Warranty: Three years/unlimited kmResale: 58 per centService intervals: 25,000km/12 monthsSafety: Five starsEngine: 4.7-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol, 300kW/600NmBody: Four-door coupeDimensions: 4996mm (L), 1881mm (W), 1421mm (H), 2874mm (WB)Weight: 1842kgTransmission: Seven-speed automatic, rear-wheel driveThirst: 9.9 litres/100km 95RON, 231g/km CO2

By any measure the Lexus GS450h is a top-shelf prestige sedan. And with its second generation car priced from $99,900 Lexus says the premium on hybrid technology is all but gone.Drivetrains aside, the standard specification for the three-model range is better value than its German-based rivals and the quality of the ride and interior is on a par. That gear runs from 10 airbags to xenon headlamps, a moonroof, heated and vented front seats with 12-way adjustment, head-up display and adaptive suspension dampers.The biggest point of difference for the Lexus, though, is the method of locomotion that differentiates it from the Audi A6, BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class.The second-generation of the hybrid drivetrain is more efficient than ever, with official fuel use of just 6.3 litres for 100km. And that is starting to resonate with luxury car buyers. Lexus won't nominate a number for GS sales but it is a niche but growing market.If hi-tech toys tick the boxes, so will the Lexus. The top-range Sports Luxury packs a massive 12.3-inch screen. That's bragging rights in this class but it is also a smart way to show other functions even when the satnav display is on.The drivetrain uses the same 3.5-litre V6 found in the regular GS350 but for hybrid application it has been modified to extract maximum efficiency. The total power from the V6 petrol engine is 254kW, and acceleration to 100km/h is a more-than-respectable 5.9 seconds.The interior gadgets are virtually indistinguishable in application or effectiveness from the Euro rivals, from bind-spot assistance to driver drowsiness monitoring and adaptive cruise control. Depending on the model, the seats adjust in 12 or 18 ways — either approach enough to ensure comfort. Toss in xenon or LED headlamps and there is a lot to like about the new GS range.So who buys a Japanese luxury model that ranges in price from $100,000 to $122,000 — and why? Lexus CEO Tony Cramb says the average GS buyer has an income of $402,000 and wants a vehicle with the latest and greatest features."Buyers in this class have owned luxury cars before and are generally looking to stand out from the crowd," he says. They will do that in the GS. The revised front looks more aggressive than its Euro rivals and Lexus focused on improving the handling and ride for this model after feedback from customers and journalists. Adaptive suspension damping is standard across the range and the suspension itself has been overhauled to boost responsiveness.  Inside, the infotainment display dominates the dash and there's a mouse-style control unit on the centre console to navigate through the menus.The four driving modes — from Eco, Normal, Sports and Sports + — adjust throttle and transmission response from enviro-slushy to revhead sharp. An EV-only mode will power the vehicle for 2km at speeds up to 50km/h.On the road the GS feels as refined and relaxing as buyers could want in a prestige car. It isn't built to tackle hairpins but the four-wheel steering gives it an edge across Victoria's Black Spur.It turns in as quickly as a motorbike and can take a couple of corners to adjust to. That is matched by a reasonably direct steering wheel — go the no-cost bamboo option if you really want to stand out — and suspension that squashes most irregularities out of the cabin.It is a cossetted place to be. Wind noise is all but non-existent and tyre roar is muted even on coarse chip bitumen. The dreaded CVT drone can faintly be heard, but only under hard acceleration.This is not, however, a five-seat car — not unless the fifth member is a small child or a contortionist. The middle rear pew would do for a trip to the local shops but I wouldn't like to perch there for much longer. The drive experience is supremely competent without being quite as engaging as it can be in a Merc or a BMW. It is not that the Lexus does anything wrong, it just does it differently.It's a precision watch that works perfectly in any situation. but doesn't have the character of the scratched timepiece that you've been wearing forever. Not too many mid-sized buyers flog their cars, however, and when it comes to the comfort, it is hard to argue with the Lexus's price.Lexus may still be the road less travelled but it is becoming a smarter route with every new model. 

The road less travelled is the route an increasing number of bike riders want to take. The adventure market has exploded in Australia over the past 18 months and is still growing at 4 per cent a year.

Kia set the bar high in its two spec levels for the Optima. The Si starts at $30,490 and the Platinum at $36,990.The extra cost of the Platinum adds an Infinity premium sound system, heated and ventilated powered front seats, LED daytime running lamps and xenon headlights, 18-inch alloys, leather seat trim, sunroof and sportier bumpers. The front brake discs are also upgraded to 12.6 inches from 11.8-inches on the Si.The smartest thing in the Optima is the suspension tune. But it is biased towards handling over ride comfort. The car still copes with carpark humps, mid-corner ruts and gouged surfaces with and is one of the reasons the Optima resonates with people who need a mid-sized car but still like the occasional fang. Those who don't should try its Hyundai stablemate, the i45. Direct injection is used to extract 148kW/250Nm from the Optima's 2.4-litre engine and power the front wheels via a six-speed automatic. That puts it up there with a Honda Accord Euro, Mazda6 and Ford Mondeo on ride and power — and it has the edge on fuel use.European design is what Kia wants you to see in the Optima. It is aimed at those who want a Euro sedan but can't afford one. That helps explain the chrome around the window topss and grille. It adds to the lustre of the car and in the case of the Optima, there's plenty to like.This is one of the biggest mid-sized sedans and there's leg and shoulder room to keep complaints from adults in the rear limited to critiques of your driving rather than the car.  The interior is understated and stylish, if not yet up to VW or Audi standards.The reversing camera display integrated in the rear-view mirror is a great double act and reinforces the safety appeal of this car. Six airbags and the usual safety software earn it five stars from ANCAP.The Kia is a genuine contender without being a class leader. Standout features are the modern looks and the interior/boot size and there is little to criticise. The steering doesn't have quite the feel of a Mazda6 but the wheels go where they're pointed and it is light around town. Response from the 2.4-litre is solid across the rev range even with five on board and road noise is minimal unless the engine is under serious load.Making a mid-sized car of this quality — and pricing it accordingly — shows Kia is a serious player. The Optima should be high on the list for anyone who needs space and style.

BMW Australia spokesman Piers Scott admits the $64,600 price directly reflects the $65,600 tag Mercedes set on its C-Class C250