Articles by Craig Duff

Rain is sluicing across the road and the roof as the Mini Cooper S Coupe snorts its way up the mountain. The turbo 1.6-litre engine is appreciating the cold, dense air and the suspension and tyres are clinging tighter than the moss that’s made its home on the edge of the road.Welcome to the Mini Cooper S Coupe, the brand’s sexiest styling effort yet and a car which at $43,000 is as quick and surefooted a vehicle as you can hope for this side of an all-wheel drive Subaru WRX.VALUEEurope will offer four variants of the helmet-headed Mini Coupe but in Australia we’re only getting the good stuff. That means the Cooper S will start proceedings at $42,990 when it goes on sale in late February, with the John Cooper Works version another $8000-$9000 above that (BMW won’t announce the JCW price until closer to launch).The money buys a great-looking two-seater with a huge boot - 280 litres - along with 16-inch alloys, airconditioning and reverse parking sensors.TECHNOLOGYThe Mini Coupe doesn’t break new ground, it just covers it quicker than any Mini before it.Brake energy regeneration helps drive the ancillaries, which kick in only when needed and there’s an auto stop/start system, shift display and low rolling resistance tyres.The smarts are in the way this car has been set up to sit on the road, irrespective of the conditions or speed.A rear spoiler pops up at 80km/h and folds back when speeds drop below 60km/h. It’s there to aid the aerodynamics but there’s a switch if you insist on having it up when cruising past the shops.STYLINGCoupe designer Anders Warming said at the international launch of the car that the look was intended to mirror a ``backwards baseball cap''. Every iPod-enabled teenage rapper now wears their cap at some obscure angle other than front-on and are generally ignored for it.Not so the Coupe. People in passing cars and pedestrians stare when this Mini rolls past. Inside is the standard Mini switchgear - a huge central speedo with displays on the bottom for stereo position.Chrome toggle switches control the likes of the interior lights and windows. It’s based on the “three box” structure - engine, passenger cell and boot - common on most cars but new to this former British brand.SAFETYThe Coupe hasn’t been crashed in the lab yet, but its siblings have earned a five-star rating and the extra work in the chassis should ensure this car is also a top performer. A “tyre defect” indicator warns if the run-flat rubber has a problem. There are only four airbags, but with no back seat passengers, there’s no need for more. DRIVINGThe only car that comes close to the Mini for chassis and suspension balance is the Audi TT - and it costs another $20,000. The on-paper figures of 135kW and 260Nm are backed by an official 0-100km/h time of 6.9 seconds, but those numbers don’t do justice to how well this car goes around corners.It’s more a case of how hard do you dare to go - and on wet roads, that’s amazingly hard. The ventilated brakes bleed speed faster than tossing out an anchor and it is as close as a road-going car can come to go-kart performance.The suspension is biased to ride rather than comfort but is still not horrible on city streets and it’s a trade-off I’d happily accept for its ability to make your smile on tight roads. The front and back screens are intentionally small  to focus attention on the road ahead and the vehicle’s you’ve just passed.VERDICTI take my cap off to the Mini Coupe - this helmet-headed car is a masochist’s dream. The nastier the road and the harder you flog it, the better it responds. The two-seat layout is offset by a respectable luggage area and the build quality is up there with cars that cost a lot more.And then there’s the ability to personalise it so no one mistakes your car from what will be an ever-expanding Coupe pack.Mini Cooper S CoupePrice: $42,990Warranty: Three years/100,000kmResale: (no previous model)Service Intervals: Determined by driving conditionsEngine: 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo, 135kW/240NmBody: Three-door coupeTransmission: Six-speed manual, front-wheel driveThirst: 6.3 litres/100km, 146g/km CO2Dimensions: 3734mm (L), 1683mm (W), 1384mm (H), 2467mm (WB) 1459mm/1467mm tracks front/rearSuspension: MacPherson strut front, multi-link rearBrakes: 294mm vented front discs, 259mm vented rear discs

Summer means top-down motoring. For those who can afford it, that in turn means the Mercedes-Benz E-Class cabriolet. It's the trendy way to shop in the trendy streets and a stylish item in its own right.And in the E-Class, even Melbourne's fickle summer weather can be tolerated with the soft-top down. Unlike the SLK, it can also cope with four adults in comfort.Audi and BMW are both switched on to the whole topless thing. They just don't fight in exactly the same space as the mid-sized Merc. BMW jumps from the smaller 3 Series drop-tops to the to-die-for 6 Series that is almost $90,000 dearer.Audi comes closer with the A5 cabrio - and it has all-wheel-drive reassurance - but it doesn't have the style of the three-pointed-star. And that's like having the body without the tan. The base Merc is still loaded with a seven-inch colour display, 6Gb hard drive for storing music, 17-inch alloys and leather seats front and back.It is hard to argue with a car that feels this solid but is powered by a 1.8-litre engine and still manages a sub-8 second sprint to 100km/h. It's like arguing with your younger sibling when they know martial arts ... not advisable.  The Merc has bi-xenon headlights with adaptive lighting and memory front seats for those rare occasions when you let someone else behind the wheel.The Mercedes is well-proportioned with the soft top up. Drop it and it makes me look good. That's because people tend to look at the angular lines of the car and ignore the obviously pretentious middle-aged bloke behind the wheel. The interior is smart but not spectacular. It is more refined than the outside but still exudes more class than I'd otherwise be capable of.A body shell that's tougher than your primary school vice-principal is matched with enough software to save a lemming from the cliff face and nine airbags for those that accidentally get pushed off. No surprise then that it earns five stars. Do something insane enough to roll the car and the hoop-bars will punch up behind the rear seats to protect the back seat passengers, who did nothing wrong in the first place.Pop the windows down on the E250 and the coiffed hairdo may get a natural touch-up. Leave them up, though, and there's little to critisize about the way it runs. We're not talking sports car performance here but cabrio owners shouldn't delude themselves they can take on a C63 AMG.We are talking style and there's not much to argue with here. The Merc copes with speed humps and stares with equal aplomb and this is a boulevard cruiser that few this side of a Maserati can match.

A car that could resurrect large family sedan sales and help safeguard Australian automotive jobs is being built in a tin shed in Melbourne.

And it's also the last chance for the Australian public to overcome an historic aversion to four-cylinder large family sedans. It is probably already too late for the long-term future of the Ford Falcon - at least as a locally designed and build car - but first impressions are the Ecoboost 2.0-litre four-cylinder direction-injection turbo Falcon has performance close to the venerable 4.0-litre in-line six-cylinder now installed in the FG Falacon. It joins the LPG - powered "EcoLPi" Falcon and the turbodiesel Territory as part of a three-pronged strategy to improve efficiency in Ford's large vehicles. Ford is expected to announce the locally designed and built Falcon will be replaced by a global platform vehicle - potentially as early as the Detroit Motor Show in January. That is in part due to product rationalisation and the also fact the six-cylinder can't meet the Euro V emissions standards that will come in to force from 2016.  The timetables for vehicle production means the local product will continue until at least 2016 and in the interim the EcoBoost is expected to headline the drive to halt the slump in Falcon sales. It deserves that expectation - a brief drive on the ride and handling track at the Ford proving ground shows the 50kg shaved off the front axle make the Falcon a precise and willing steerer. The acceleration tests then prove it is almost a match for the six-cylinder engine now fitted to the XT, G6 and G6E models the 2.0-litre turbo will be fitted to. The key will be getting people in cars to appreciate the quality of the new product - and in the fuel consumption figures Ford won't release until closer to the vehicle's launch in early April. "EcoBoost is the replacement for displacement and is no longer about the number of cylinders but about capability," Ford Australia president and CEO Bob Graziano says. He's right - and he's wrong. Arch-rival Holden has managed to consistently outsell Ford based on the VE Commodore the beats the Falcon on styling, not engineering. Ford has added equipment and cut prices across the range with the launch of the updated "Mark II" car due in dealerships later this month but its year-to-date sales of 15,882 are more than 9000 vehicles down on this time last year. The Commodore's decline isn't nearly as dramatic, but Australians are shifting away from large family sedans and a four-cylinder Falcon, while a brilliant engineering exercise, probably is a case of too little, too late. It's taken three years for Ford to engineer the EcoBoost for the Falcon and the final performance figures are expected to be higher than the 177kW/320Nm the same engine generates in the Volvo S60. Power and torque numbers don't tell the whole story but they will influence potential buyers who will compare them with the 195kW and 391Nm of the six-cylinder Falcon - and ignore the four-cylinder's 60kg weight saving. History will also hurt the EcoBoost Falcon. The last time a four-cylinder was put in an Aussie family car was the infamous 1.9-litre Starfire engine Holden shoved under the bonnet of the VC Commodore in 1980. The performance was so poor that drivers kept the accelerator flat to the floor and the claimed fuel economy benefits over the six-cylinder model evaporated. The Falcon doesn't deserve the comparison ... but Ford will have to persuade new car buyers otherwise.

American iron with a modern bent is Victory Motorcycle's take on the classic V-twin cruiser and touring market.We're talking a 106-cubic inch (1731cc) engine the rest of the bike is literally built around, ensuring a low centre of gravity and effortless acceleration once underway. And the build quality is brilliant.VALUEThe Cross Country is Victory's hard panniered tourer and it's a head-turning chunk of machinery. It needs to be - it's taking on the Harley-Davidson Road Glide for the title of top US-built bagger. The standard bike rolls out of Victory's Sydney or Melbourne stores at $27,995 plus on-roads, while the red/silver paintjob adds $500.Victory knows it's on a good thing, which is why the 2012 range has been extended with the Tour for $30,495. That adds a hard top box, full fairing and manually adjustable wind deflectors that, depending on the weather, can be opened to let in cool air or closed to shut out the elements.TECHNOLOGYThink of those massive combine harvesters rolling across the US plains and you're starting to get the picture of how the Cross Country rides. The engine cranks out 148Nm of torque and the bike weights more than 340kg, so it's an irresistable force once underway. The only thing it doesn't do is play the Star Spangled Banner on start-up - and the radio with iPod connectivity means that's a possibility.There's also an easy-to-use cruise control on the right switchblock to keep your licence in check. The six-speed gearbox changes with a meaty clunk but rows up and down the cogs with little effort.STYLINGThere's no mistaking a Victory. The paintwork is lustrous, the chrome is mirror-finished and all the bikes are a modern interpretation of classic muscle bike lines. For those who want more, the famous Ness family have helped sculpt the lines on some "Signature" models. One area where Victory does mirror Harley is the extent of customization - the showroom walls are lined with pipes, bars, seats, mirrors and wheels so owners can make the bike theirs.SAFETYFalling off any bike isn't a good idea. The Cross Country's design will protect the rider - the hoops ahead of the running boards and chrome-finished frame around the panniers act as crash-bars, but then you have to pick the damn thing up. Fortunately, it's fitted with ABS brakes to help avoid the problem and the basic handling is pretty good, even when pushed. Low-speed manoeuvres are a constant reminder of the bike's weight though - this is no peak-hour traffic-light punter.RIDINGVictory owners are even more devoted than Harley riders, based on a 95 per cent customer satisfaction rating in JD Power surveys. At anything other than walking pace, I'd take the Cross Country over Harley's Road Glide. It doesn't take as much effort to tip into corners and has the edge on engine and cargo capacity.The bikini fairing and screen do a good job of deflecting wind at low speed, but punch over the legal limit in rain and the low-pressure around the rider can create a vortex of fine droplets. Long-distance runs are limited only by the capacity of your bladder and the 22-litre tank.VERDICTA genuine rival to Harley with stylish looks for those who don't want to run with the pack.VICTORY CROSS COUNTRYPrice: from $27,995Warranty: Two years/unlimited kmEngine: 1731cc V-twinTransmission: Six-speed, belt-driveSeat height: 667mmDry weight: 347kg

Everyone's looking to be a chip off the old block, especially when that Block's first name is Ken and he tosses a car around like few can. The urban rally master is a legend among car enthusiasts for his Gymkhana video series. His marketing genius has made him just as popular with the suit-clad crowd, who appreciate his prowess at accumulating cash through ventures as varied as DC Shoes and Hoonigan car stickers.  Now kids can live the high-powered dream, with Block and Mattel teaming up to launch a line of Hot Wheels cars based on the Ford Fiestas he uses in his shows and on the WRC circuit.  The range rockets from the basic 1:64-scale die-cast Hot Wheels toy _ in black or white _ to a pocket-sized Hot Wheels RC Nitro Speeders Ken Block Fiesta. Those wanting to emulate Block's trademark drifts can pick up the 1:16-scale Ken Block RC stunt car, which Mattel says goes from 0-130km/h in two seconds.  Block is, funnily enough, a big fan of the range. "This is a dream come true, I never actually thought I'd have my own line of Hot Wheels cars," he says in the press release.  "I've been a huge fan of Hot Wheels for years, when I was a kid they were all I played with. I'd collect them, I'd jump them over things, I'd send them flying off of stuff, I'd race them around on the floor. So to be where I am now with my driving career and this new collaboration with Hot Wheels not just for my own1:64 cars, but also for two different remote control versions? It's amazing, I'm beyond stoked."

A desperate need to put cars on showroom floors is forcing Honda to take a hit on profits by importing the popular Jazz and Civic small cars from Japan from early next year.  Honda's Thailand plant - responsible for building about 80 per cent of the cars sold here - was inundated in the recent floods and the company this week gained access to the plant for the first time since October 4. It is predicting an April start-up at the site but in the interim Honda Australia is sourcing stock from wherever it can and juggling low stock volumes.  Company spokesman Lindsay Smalley admits the move to import cars from the Suzuka plant will affect profits but adds it is necessary to provide vehicles for its customers and dealers.  "The rising value of the yen and the fact our Thai-built cars benefit from the free trade agreement obviously will have an impact," he notes.  "We are fortunate that Honda New Zealand already takes cars from Suzuka, so the cars are being built to ADR (Australian Design Rule) standards."  "We still need to have them approved for local sale and that process is happening now." Honda Australia director and sales and marketing head Stephen admits that at times this year it has only had around 200 examples of some models in the country.  "When you spread that number around our 107 dealers, we've had to be fairly careful in dealing with stock but we've managed it as best we can and there's finally an upside," he says. "It's been a tough year and it's fair to say we're looking forward to 2012."  Honda sales in Australia are down more than 25 per cent on last year at 25,882 and Collins says the final 2011 figure will be around 35,000. Collins forecasts 40,000 sales next year and Smalley says it will take three years to return to Honda's 2007 heyday when the company sold more than 60,500 vehicles.  "At natural growth it will take around three years, but sometimes car companies can do things to accelerate that," he says, implying Honda will aggressively cut prices and add features when production returns to normal.  Smalley also says equipment to rebuild the Thailand factory has already been ordered. "I think the speed we recovered from the earthquake and tsunami in Japan shows the resilience and dedication of our workers and that will be the same in Thailand," he says.

A sporty hybrid is still an oxymoron, despite Honda's best efforts with the CR-Z. That's not to say the 2+2 sports coupe isn't a good thing, it's the best (affordable) hybrid on the market. But city driving and flowing roads are its forte, not tight corners linked by point and squirt straights. The trouble is when Honda says sporty, you think of the S2000 and Civic Type R, and the CR-Z isn't in that league.About 80 per cent of the 600 annual CR-Z sales are predicted to be the $40,790 Luxury model that has a continuously variable transmission with seven pre-set "gears" operated by the paddle shifters. The $34,990 Sports comes with a six-speed manual (the CVT is a $2300 option) and is arguably the better buy. Both models have enough features to justify the spend, with cruise-control, climate airconditioning and Bluetooth telephony all included.The electric motor kicks in from standstill and boosts the CR-Z's 1.5-litre engine for respectable off-the-line performance. Then it stops, sadly ... Honda says the 0-100km/h time is 9.7 seconds. The stop-start system in the CR-Z is barely noticeable, making it as good as any engine deactivation on the market and it's the first hybrid here to have a manual transmission. The three driving modes, Eco, Normal and Sport, are selected via the right-side "wing" (aircon controls are on the left) but, outside of a traffic jam, Bob Brown is the only one who'll select Eco to watch the trees grow on the dash.There is no doubting the CR-Z will turn heads. The tapering nose ends in an aggressive grille and the side profile is just as good, extending high up to the rear hatch. The interior is a contradiction  - the futuristic instrument cluster looks great, but the dash plastics are hard and reflect light. The satnav screen on the Luxury model has none of the pizzazz of the instrument binnacle - it looks like an aftermarket add-on and takes too long to remap a route. The rear seats are for emergency use only, but fold 'em flat and Honda says the CR-Z will take two sets of golf clubs.Engineering is Honda's thing, so a five-star ANCAP rating is no less than you expect. Six airbags and great brakes with the usual software assistance provide extra reassurance but it's the solidity of the basic body that buyers will notice when they first open and shut the doors.If you don't expect the CR-Z to handle as well as it looks, you won't be disappointed. If you do, be prepared for understeer as the car tracks straight on when pushed into a tight corner. I'd be buying aftermarket rubber as a priority. Treat it as a stylish light car and it is a responsive urban commuter and even fun to pedal on flowing routes like the Great Ocean Road. The steering is well weighted, the suspension is firm without shaking loose your sunnies.The CR-Z is the most stylish mass-production hybrid on the market. It's also the quickest - faster than either the Prius or upmarket Lexus CT200h - but that isn't saying a lot. If you want to save the planet and enjoy the drive, it still pays to buy a European-made diesel.Honda green credentials with the CR-Z extend to the car being 92 per cent recyclable, including the 100-volt nickel-metal hydride battery that's housed under the spacesaver spare wheel.

A hybrid that matches Toyota's Prius on price but has sporty looks and the promise of a more engaging drive is the carrot Honda is waving at potential CR-Z buyers. Not that there will be a lot of them — Honda sales and marketing manager Stephen Collins predicts 600 sales of the petrol-electric CR-Z in the first year. Prices start at $34,990 for the CR-Z Sport with a six-speed manual. The continuously variable transmission is another $2300, which should help push buyers to the auto-only CR-Z Luxury at $40,790. Both models are powered by a 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine, boosted by an electric motor to produce 91kW and 167Nm in the auto or 174Nm in the manual. Claimed fuel consumption is 5.0 litres/100km for the manual, sliding back to 4.7 lites/100km for the CVT. Standard features include rain-sensing front wipers, cruise control, climate control airconditioning LED running lights, Bluetooth telephony with steering wheel-mounted controls and a six-speaker stereo with USB and iPod connectivity. The Luxury adds heated leather front seats, a satnav system that will play DVDs when the car is stationary and a panoramic glass sunroof. It delete's the Sport's rear parking sensors in favour of a reversing camera that displays on the satnav screen. Honda says the sporty looks of the CR-Z — which takes its exterior inspiration from the CR-X of the 1980s — is matched on the road with a suspension and chassis tailored for driving enjoyment. There are also three driving modes — Eco, Normal and Sport — that adjust throttle response, the electric motor's output and even how hard the airconditioning system pumps. Honda Australia says the Prius is a logical, but not natural competitor and prefers to compare the CR-Z with prestige small cars such as the Mini Cooper and Audi A1. The CR-Z joins the 1.3-litre Insight in Honda's hybrid line-up but sales and marketing manager Stephen Collins says "the demand for other fuels, like diesel" will lead to the company's first oilburner arriving in Australia in 2013 housed in a European-sourced Civic five-door hatch.

Deakin University researchers who happen to be developing one. The Deakin plan is for a two-seat "crossover car" - dubbed "Tomorrow's Car" - that combines the mobility of a motorbike with the protection of a car chassis.  The research team, led by Dr Frank Will, believe their concept is a practical low-cost option for future transport. Research has shown potential buyers will consider such a vehicle - but only if it looks good and is seen as being safe.  Transforming that vision in to a prototype will cost $1 million. The payback, according to Dr Will, will emerging engineers and researchers who have first-hand experience of the technologies and processes needed to create such a vehicle.  The "Tomorrow's Car" design has gone so far as to engineer an automatic tilt-control system to stop the vehicle from falling over at rest. The auto-tilt design for the three-wheeled two-seater is being developed as the SafeRide system.  The Piaggio MP3 three-wheeler uses a similar front suspension set-up with a pair of parallelograms but the tilt lock is manually applied by the rider as the machine slows down. The basic function of the SafeRideT technology has been demonstrated on a modified three-wheeler and a patent application has been filed.  Dr Will estimates $1 million will be needed to build the prototype and says a cost of $10,000-$20,000 a vehicle would make them attractive as inner-city commuters. "We've validated the theory but we don't have the resources to have a driveable model," he says.  He adds the lack of complexity in the SafeRide system will make it easy to manufacture and the auto-lock will avoid drivers having to put their feet down, which in turn will let the vehicle be fully enclosed with all the safety features of a conventional car.  "We held focus groups and customer priorities for this product were safety and looks. They want it to look good and they want to feel safe in it." Tomorrow's Car: Petrol or electric engines Fuel use of better than 2.5 litres/100km or the CO2 equivalent Small width for easy parking and manoeuvrability Occupant cell with impact zones and collision protection (airbags, ABS brakes, seatbels) Projected price of $10,000-$20,000