Articles by Craig Duff

If being seen with naked Italian supermodels is your thing, Aprilia has your bike. The Tuono V4 R APRC is a stripped down version of the RSV4 Max Biaggi won last year's World Superbike Championship on and it's a much more user-friendly product in street guise.VALUEA V4 engine and Italian heritage used to spell big dollars. Not any more. BMW brought the Europeans back to Japanese pricing and the Tuono's $21,990 tag continues that competitiveness.Given the features, it's a bargain. The brakes are Brembos, the suspension is Sachs and the whole machine is designed to entertain.TECHNOLOGYThe Tuono's claim to fame is the software suite that controls everything from the amount of front wheel loft to the degree of rear wheelspin.It is a full factory set-up and the extent of the adjustments can easily take 10 minutes to diagnose and weeks to master. Just think superbike-style launch control off the lights and you'll see why it's worth sorting through the menus.SAFETYThe same electronics that keep the bike upright on the track will do their best to keep you on the road.There's not much they can do about traffic, but they will cope with radical manoeuvres as you avoid the selectively blind four-wheeled  fools who increasingly inhabit the roads. The upright ride position helps avoid fatigue too.RIDINGThis is the best naked sports bike rolling out of showrooms. The electronics only intervene when they're told too but give as much reassurance as having training wheels once you are used to them.Ride it under 6000rpm and there's a condescending intake whine that hints you're not really having a go. Beyond that there's a V4 bellow and thrust best suited to movies with three Xs on the cover.VERDICTSportsbike performance without back-breaking seating will make this a go-to bike for many. The remapped RSV4 engine may be down on peak outputs but has been tuned to be a much more rideable road bike and the electronics will be worth the cost of a track day as you explore the thresholds.Aprilia V4 R TuonoEngine: 999cc V4 119kW/110NmTransmission: Six-speed quickshifter with slipper clutch, chain driveTank: 17 litresSeat height: 840mmWeight: 179kg (dry)Suspension: 43mm fully adjustable Sachs inverted forks, rear fully adjustable Sachs swingarmBrakes: Dual 320mm front discs with Brembo six-piston calipers,single 220mm rear disc with four-piston Brembo caliper

In a rare bit of positive news for local carmakers, Ford spokesman Neil McDonald confirmed the company was showing its Falcon-derived SUV at this month's Bangkok Motor Show to test consumer reaction. Ford isn’t expecting big volumes with predictions of around 100 vehicles in the first year but the export program will boost morale at the factory in Broadmeadows, Victoria in the wake of falling Falcon sales and major government subsidies for the three Australian car producers. It is the automotive equivalent of selling coal to Newcastle, given Thailand is a major regional production hub for all carmakers. Ford already sources the Fiesta light car and Ranger pick-up from Thailand and will soon bring in Thai-built Focus models. The official Ford press release says Ford is showing its seven-seat Territory Titanium 2.7-litre V6 turbodiesel model, fitted with a six-speed automatic transmission. It also notes the Bangkok show marks the Territorys launch in the ASEAN - rather than just Thai - market - though McDonald said Thailand was the focus for now. "Its a toe-in-the-water exercise showcasing the top-end vehicle as a premium seven-seater," he said. Thailand imposes a 50 per cent tariff on imported diesel cars and 60 per cent on petrol vehicles. "The tax situation in Thailand means were focusing on a single premium model in the Titanium turbodiesel," McDonald said. New Zealand is the only other export market for the Territory and takes around 1500 of the mid-sized SUVs a year. This is not the first time Ford has tried to gain a toehold for the Territory in Thailand. The company exported 20 vehicles powered by its 4.0-litre six-cylinder petrol engine in 2006. The business case went bust when the Thai negotiators for the Free Trade Agreement added a 60 per cent tax on foreign vehicles powered by engines with a capacity of more than 3.0 litres.

The $275 government assistance package that will keep GM Holden making cars here until 2022 will also trickle through the rest of the component supply industry. Holden had publicly declared the need for continued government aid to keep making cars in this country and yesterday's announcement guarantees that two new platforms will roll down the production lines at Elizabeth, South Australia, in the second half of this decade.  Instead, 4600 Holden staff can now have some certainty in their job security. It also ensures the Gillard Labour Government won't deliver bad news across multiple states, as would have occurred had Holden announced it was shutting local production.  "In January this year we were at real risk that there would be no more Holden in Australia, that we wouldn't have Holden here producing motor vehicles," Julia Gillard said yesterday.  "That wasn't acceptable for me as Prime Minister and it wasn't the right thing for the nation's future. "It would've been a knockout blow for manufacturing in this country, given the importance of the auto industry to all of manufacturing."  Holden estimates the investment will return around $4 billion over the life of the agreement. "Holden will receive government co-investment of $275 million and directly invest well in excess of $1 billion dollars in the 10-year vehicle development and manufacturing program," Holden chairman and managing director Mike Devereux said.  "The investment will help Australia retain its capability to design, engineer and build cars with two all-new vehicles going into production at Elizabeth, South Australia, in the second half of this decade."  The Federal Government is believed to have chipped in $215 million with the South Australian and Victorian governments thought to have contributed $50 million and $10 million respectively. AT A GLANCE Holden to contribute $1 billion with $275 million of government aid to keep making cars for the next decade Two new architectures to be built in South Australia. Holden doesn't have to decide which models, but the next-gen Cruze is a logical starter, with either a large sedan based on a GM global platform, or a SUV. The move follows January's announcement of a $103 million government aid package for Ford, which has kept its Geelong and Broadmeadows production sites open until 2016.

Pandemonium has been overhauled by precision in BMW's new take of its legendary M5 sedan. The manic boy-racer V10 and extroverted exterior of the E60 model has matured into a more refined but also more powerful twin-turbo V8 machine that is built to impress by doing just about everything better, without being such a show-off.Welcome to the F10 M5. It's not a purist driver's car with scalpel-like steering - that role belongs to the M3 - but it is a butcher's knife shrouded in a silky package, ready to carve up bitumen with the dab of the pedal. And carry five adults while doing it. Every component has been tailored to flatter business types who reckon they can drive a bit. And they will be able to behind the wheel of this machine. BMW's chief driving instructor Geoff Brabham sums it up while effortlessly chauffeuring Carsguide on a high-speed lap of Phillip Island: "It's a very quick and capable grand tourer ... it's not a race car but it will hold its own on the track''. That said, Carsguide still doesn't know how it goes on the road. This introduction was on track only. Stay tuned for our public road test. That will be the definitive test of the Bavarian autobahn blaster.At $230,000 the M5 is around $10,000 cheaper than its rival, Mercedes-Benz's E63 AMG. That's not a lot at this price point. More telling is the fact the new car has $13,000 more standard gear than the previous model.The features run from internet connectivity to a TV tuner, sunroof, 20-inch rims, leather upholstery, heated and cooled fronts seats, a reversing camera and four-zone airconditioning.The V8 uses 9.9L/100km, or 4.5L less than the V10 chewed through over the same distance. There's also another 39kW on tap and the nature of the twin-turbo means the 680Nm is generated much lower in the rev range, making it a more tractable mill than the high-revving 10-cylinder.A seven-speed dual-clutch manual automated transmission and "active'' differential transfer that mumbo to the rear wheels. Think of the diff as an intelligent limited-slip unit - instead of just reacting to changes in wheel speed, the electronics are linked with the stability control sensors and can pre-emptively brake a wheel to improve cornering. Idle stop-start and regenerative brakes help with efficiency, though few will care.Blue brake calipers are the easy way to pick an M5, though avid fans will cite the guard-filling wheels, gills on the front quarter panels and deeper front spoiler. From the rear, four exhaust pipes and a lip spoiler on the boot are a giveaway but that's about it - it's a case of discretion over aggression.Alloy highlights in the dash are exclusive to the M car. And there's a cluster of buttons around the unique transmission shift that show you're in something special, with three-way adjustment for suspension, steering and throttle inputs.Massive 400mm front discs with six-piston calipers and 396mm rear discs with a single-piston caliper - a legacy from the 5 Series donor car because of the electric parking brake - are the first line of defence.They're sitting on the 5 Series chassis, which was already a five-star ANCAP performer and help offset the extra weight - more than 100kg - the F10 M5 has gained.The stability control software has been tweaked to deal with the extra performance and is hard to fault. It is also evidence of just how much grunt this car has - the light flickers at well over 100km/h in fourth gear down the straight at Phillip Island.You know a car is quick when it doesn't feel it. Blasting down the front straight of Phillip Island at better than 200km/h, it is a serene ride. Even hitting the brakes doesn't change that impression as they haul the grand tourer back to speeds that won't launch it out of orbit.There's a sensation of weight but the basic competence of the chassis and suspension indulges it. Roll-on acceleration from 100km/h is tyre-blisteringly quick with a distant roar as the V8 winds up.Engine noise is louder outside the car than in it, but given the Merc E63 is audibly angrier and more aggressive, it's the opposite of the traditional status quo. I'd drive the Merc for a day in a heartbeat, but could probably live longer with the M5.The M5 is large, luxurious and lithe in a way few cars can match. The fact it isn't as raucous as its predecessor is more a reflection of the fact it is pitched to appeal to a broader audience, rather than a general criticism of the prestige sedan.BMW M5Price: $230,000Warranty: 3 years/100,000kmResale: 46 per centService intervals: Driver-dependent, with in-car notificationSafety: Rating 5-star Equipment 6 airbags, ABS, stability control with dynamic and cornering brake controlEngine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8, 412kW/680NmTransmission: 7-speed automatic, rear-wheel driveThirst: 9.9L/100km 98 RON, 232g/km CO2Body: 4-door, 5-seat sedanDimensions: 4910mm (L), 1891mm (W), 1456mm (H), 2964mm (WB), tracks front/rear 1627mm/1582mmWeight: 1945kg

There's a reason why mid-sized SUVs outsold middleweight cars last month - and vehicles like the CX-5 have to accept responsibility.The ride position is the only giveaway you aren't driving a sedan. And get your hands dirty, or buy gloves, but try the diesel Mazda CX-5 if you can afford the $3000 premium over a comparable petrol model.The 2.2-litre turbodiesel's 129kW/420Nm has the 2.0-litre petrol four-cylinder's 113kW/198Nm blown away at the lights and the bowser.VALUE The diesel Mazda starts at $39,040 for the Maxx Sport with a six-speaker Bose sound system.Spend $46,200 for the Grand Touring version and there are powered and heated leather seats, xenon headlamps,a sunroof, auto-dimming mirror and front, a nine-speaker Bose sound system and rear parking sensors. GT buyers can also stump up another $1990 for the Tech Pack option (see Safety).TECHNOLOGYThe fuel-efficiency benefits of the petrol skyActiv engine comes at the cost of some performance. Only greedy buggers and diesel buyers want to have their cake and eat it too - and they can with the CX-5 turbodiesel.A claimed diesel use of 5.7 litres/100km with the standard six-speed auto is 1.2-litres better than the equivalent petrol version and comes with double the torque and a decent lick more power.DESIGNThink Mazda3 on 'roids and you won't be far off the mark. The CX-5 is a deep-snouted SUV that is a huge dynamic step up on the CX-7.Interior space is generous as long as three adults aren't in the back preparing to endure an interstate marathon and that practicality extends ito decent storage spaces, topped by a 403 litre cargo area.SAFETYSix airbags, ABS with ESP and traction control and a solid chassis make the CX-5 a five-star car. Grand Touring can spend another $1990 for the Tech Pack option which adds a first for this class in blind-spot monitoring, auto high beam control and a lane departure warning system.The high beam system dips the headlights when it detects oncoming headlights at 600m or approaching brakelamps at 500m. The lane departure system operates at speeds of 65km/h up.DRIVINGThe first set of corners is enough to convince me the Mazda is just about the pick of the mid-sized diesel SUVs for handling and driving feel. There's enough play off-centre to keep things tidy on multi-lane highways but the feedback increases with wheel bias to help negotiate hairpins.The extra weight of the AWD system doesn't help but it is the only option with the oilburner. The six-speed auto is crisp and, despite a stutter off the line, the turbodiesel engine has a great midrange and pulls until close to the 5200rpm redline.VERDICTThere's very little to criticise with the CX-5 - it even comes with a full-sized spare and a decent 1800kg braked towing capacity.A few exterior curves, an understated interior with a high-riding seat that doesn't compromise the sedan handling and a willing engine make the CX-5 diesel a smart choice for buyers who will rack up big miles or just want the extra grunt without the pain at the service station.Mazda CX-5 dieselPrice: $39,040-$46,200Warranty: Three years/unlimited kmResale: N/AService intervals: Six months/10,000kmSafety: Six airbags, ABS, EBD, ESC, TCCrash rating: Five starsEngine: 129kW/420Nm 2.2-litre turbodiesel four-cylinderBody: Five-door wagonDimensions: 4540mm (L), 1840mm (W), 1710mm (H), 2700mm (WB), 1585mm/1590mm tracks front/rearWeight: 1591kg-1687kgTransmission: Six-speed auto, all-wheel driveThirst: 5.7 litres/100km, 149g/km CO2

"It's business as usual," Opel spokeswoman Michelle Lang says of the Australian launch schedule, due some time in the second half of this year. It is the Opel business itself that is worrying parent company General Motors.Opel lost almost $750 million last year on sales of 1.2 million vehicles. And recent history isn't any better - the German-based company has lost around $15 billion in the past 12 years.GM Opel head Karl-Friedrich Stracke's projections the company hopes for 15,000 annual sales in Australia by 2015 makes the local division a barometer for the company. If it succeeds it will become a blueprint for a limited-volume export planand give the Euro-focused brand renewed incentive to push into new markets.Lang is aware of the grilling the media gave GM vice-president Steve Girsky over Opel's future at the Geneva Motor Show last week but says is has no impact on the Australian start-up. "It is a non-issue for us," she notes. "We report to Germany and it is all systems go."GM's most recent move to prop up the ailing Opel brand came last month with a $380 million (304 million euro) spend on a seven per cent stake in PSA Peugeot Citroen. The alliance partners have agreed to share vehicle platforms and engines and use economies of scale by jointly buying commodities and services.They project $2 billion in annual savings within five years from the alliance but analysts say it doesn't address the issue of overcapacity by either company. And it is that oversupply - too many cars, too few buyers - which is affecting all European carmakers.It was a point Girsky noted at the Geneva Motor Show last week, admitting the revival of Opel would have to occur in a depressed European market. "We're not sitting here hoping the market is going to get better," he told journalists, adding that "Any talk of GM not being committed to Europe should be off the table."At the same time, Mr. Girsky wouldn't rule out plant closures as part of the restructuring plan GM is now thrashing out with European unions. The British plant at Ellesmere Port and Bochum in Germany are the two oldest and most inefficient sites but political pressure has stopped Opel from closing them.WHO IS OPEL?The Opel car company is owned by General Motors and based in Russelsheim, Germany. It has 11 factories and a workforce of around 39,000 that produced around 1.2 million cars last year.It has traditionally competed against Volkswagen in European markets and is responsible for developing small and mid-sized platforms for the global GM family.The company was founded by Adam Opel in 1862 and has been building cars since 1899. GM took a majority stake in 1929 and bought Opel outright in 1931.Opel was nearly sold off in the aftermath of the GFC and GM's bankruptcy in 2009 but concerns over proprietry technology led GM to hang on to the business and in 2010 it announced it will spend around $15 billion over the next five years as part of its strategy to restore the company to profit..LAUNCH MODELSThe well-recognised and well-regarded Astra nameplate will spearhead Opel's Australian launch in the second half of this year. Holden has already done the hard work to establish the model, having sold Opel-derived Astras from 1996 to 2009, when it launched the Holden Cruze.Opel Australia plans to have wagon and three-door and five-door hatch variants of the Astra, topped by the performance-oriented OPC version. The range will also include the Corsa light car and Insignia medium car. Pricing hasn't been announced but Carsguide expects it to be comparable to similar-spec models from Volkswagen, so Polo, Golf and Insignia.

Accommodating that shift in values was a key theme at the Geneva Motor Show, from high end brands such as Infiniti and Mercedes-Benz to volume sellers such as Volkswagen.  Infiniti's business vice-president Toru Saito says the interconnected nature of the next-gen car buyers the focus must focus on ensuring the car is a mobile IT platform.  "IT is very important because customers are so dependent on their smart phones," he notes. "For many young customers, IT is more important than driving pleasure."  Infiniti feels the pressure, given its target demographic is younger than that of many prestige buyers - though the extensive iPhone integration built into the Mercedes A-Class launched in Geneva shows the German company wants a slice of the market, too.  Dealing with the fact that people change their mobile devices - and the technology improvements that brings - faster than they change their cars is a key challenge for the entire industry.  Saito says Infiniti's approach will be to provide an open interface and software updates to the vehicle to cope with the increasing complexity of mobile devices. Lead designer Shiro Nakamura points to the iPad as a mobile device that may well replace the infotainment system in future cars and be used for everything from satnav to audio control (the screen in smart phones is too small to show satnav and more complex visual displays).  Download an app and the tablet device could then be integrated into the vehicle's electronics to adjust the airconditioning system and interact with other cars to alert drivers to traffic jams. "It's coming soon,"  Nakamura says, hinting that a concept version will be shown this year - and possibly as early as next month's New York Motor Show.  That will satisfy owners with a seamless transition from home or office into the car - and also reduce costs for carmakers, who won't be required to have built-in infotainment systems.

The three-door Audi A3 hatch on show in Geneva previews the vehicle due to go on sale in Australia early next year and is incrementally a smarter car in from the lightweight panels to the new multimedia interface. The body looks slightly more chiselled, there's more interior room and width despite overall length not increasing, and there are three new turbocharged direct-injection engines with idle stop/start helping with average fuel savings of 12 per cent. Options run from xenon headlamps to safety software such as adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and blind spot assist. The new A3 will launch in Europe with a diesel and two petrol engines, though a hybrid system, engine with cylinder deactivation and performance quattro versions will soon follow. The base 1.4-litre petrol engine is good for 90kW/200Nm, with power transmitted via a six-speed gearbox to the front wheels.  The same configuration underpins the 110kW/32Nm 2.0-litre turbodiesel, while a seven-speed automated manual transmission is standard with the 132kW/250Nm 1.8-litre petrol engine. The diesel uses a claimed 4.1 litres/100km against 5.2 litres/100km for the smaller petrol and  5.6 litres/100km for the 1.8. The infotainment system combines telephone functions, voice control, navigation and media interfaces, with a pop-up screen from 5.8-7inches, depending on the car's specification - Attraction, Ambition or Ambiente. One tick for the 1.8-litre Ambition will be the standard inclusion of the "drive select vehicle dynamics system". It lets owners adjust the response of the accelerator pedal, power steering and auto transmission in five modes - comfort, auto, dynamic, individual or efficiency.

Concept cars have been sprouting cameras in place of mirrors at motor shows for the past few years. It’s a logical move for designers, letting them slice off the side and rear-vision mirrors for a more streamlined effect.  And they don’t seem to be getting tired of it – from the supercar Infiniti Emerg-E at Geneva to the little Toyota NS4 plug-in at Detroit - and even BMW’s Concept E scooter - mirrored glass is being replaced by a camera lens and screen. But you can expect to see the technology making it into production, Infiniti chief designer Shiro Nakamura Nakamura says.  "The technology is there already, it's just a case of when and which product," he says. "The (conventional) rear-view mirror is not very functional. At night-time, all you can see in is lights but with a camera you can see the shape of the car."  Nakamura says the positioning of the camera would probably emulate the placement of the rear-view mirror, making it easier for existing drivers to adapt to the new technology. Replacing side mirrors would require owners to look at a screen inside the car (beyond visual range, another benefit of removing the side mirrors is cutting aerodynamic drag on the car. "With side mirrors, I don't know if people - existing drivers - can adjust naturally," he says.

But by any name, it's a monstrously impressive performance car that can carry five people in comfort. The vehicle was officially launched at the Geneva motor show, boasting a 280kW/740Nm 3.0-litre tri-turbo diesel and a 0-100km/h time of 4.7 seconds. In deference to the environment the all-wheel drive sedan uses an eight-speed transmission, auto stop/start feature and Eco Pro mode to achieve fuel use of just 6.3 litres/100km and emissions of 165g/km. It is one of the new not-quite M cars that BMW plans to roll out in the coming years under the guise of M Performance Automobiles. That means the engineers in the M division have tweaked the vehicle, but not to the extent of bestowing it with an official M badge. The bad news for Australia is the all-wheel drive set-up means it can't be configured for right hand drive. The good news is the same powerplant will grace the X5 and X6 SUVs, giving high-riding owners the option of reasonable fuel economy and staggering acceleration and road holding.