Articles by Ewan Kennedy

Mitsubishi Mirage was a major player in the small car scene in Australia during the 1970s and into the '80s. Indeed it was built in Adelaide for much of its time on sale here. Mirage faded from the local scene when the local branch of the giant Japanese company got into financial strife and closed its factories, but

The ninth generation Honda Accord has been introduced at a special event in Auckland, New Zealand. Our Kiwi neighbours received the car a month ahead of Australia and Honda was keen to let us test the new car on some of the world’s best driving roads. NZ and Oz Accords have identical specifications.Honda Accord’s high grade models have levels of equipment that rival that of the much more expensive Honda Legend, and there’s a big push on refinement and sophistication.Prices are sharp, with the four-cylinder range starting at just $31,490. The topline V6 Accord L comes with a host of standard features and has a recommended retail of $51,990. On-road costs can be obtained by contacting your local Honda dealer.The new Accord has a conservative body shape. It works well to our eyes and some may feel it makes the shapes of the latest crop of upmarket German sedans look rather over-styled in comparison.The interior of the Accord has two large, easy to read, screens for the driving and infotainment systems. Seating is comfortable and there’s good legroom in the rear even when a tall person is driving. Headroom is reduced when a sunroof is installed, but remains acceptable.There’s a strong emphasis on luxury, even in the rear compartment, and this big Honda could be regarded as a limo, a role it performs in many Asian countries.An impressive feature is the use of noise cancelling technology. Small microphones ‘listen’ to the interior noise and generate sound waves to cancel out, or at least minimise, unwanted sounds. This results in a very quiet cabin that’s most pleasant to ride in. However, interior stowage space could be better; the door pockets are small and we have seen significantly larger centre console boxes. Boot space is good, but has lost depth due to it being modified to take a full-size spare wheel/tyre for the Australian market.There’s a strong emphasis on the safety provided by crash avoidance and/or mitigation features, with many of the items in the Accord normally being seen only in upmarket European cars.These include radar cruise control, lane keeping assistance, automatic braking, blind spot warning and reversing cameras. Not all items are standard in every model, so check with your dealer or Honda’s head office for details.It almost goes without saying that the all-new Honda Accord has received maximum star ratings in crash testing.As before, Accord engine options are a four-cylinder 2.4-litre and a V6 displacing 3.5 litres. The four is an all-new powerplant and puts out 129 kW of power and 225 Nm of torque. The six (206 kW, 339 Nm) is based on the previous V6 unit but has been extensively updated.There’s a strong emphasis on torque in the V6 and, while it’s slightly down on peak power than previously it proved very willing on the scenic mountain roads that are such a feature of driving in NZ.Interestingly, Honda Australia will continue to import the ‘other’ Accord. The Accord Euro, a smaller car aimed at the sporting driver and very European in its driving dynamics has won a lot of applause from keen drivers in Australia. Though it’s getting on in years, the Euro has recently been facelifted and updated in its drivetrain.New Accord is a large car, almost Commodore and Falcon in length but is aimed more at tackling Mazda6, Toyota Camry and VW Passat rather than the big Aussie sixes.The Honda is softer in its suspension and steering than its competitors, but this is a deliberate move to push comfort ahead of other aspects. If you want a sporty sedan look elsewhere, but if smoothness, luxury and near silence inside a car is your thing then the new Honda Accord should sit high on your short list.The automatic transmission beside the four-cylinder engine has five forward ratios; there are six gears with the six-cylinder powerplant. We found the 2.4-litre four was working fairly hard at times on steep, twisting hill climbs, the V6 was effortless in the way it handled everything we threw at it.This all-new Honda Accord is an impressive piece of automotive engineering and will appeal to smart buyers who realise it gives them as much quality as the big German marques, but without their inflated price tags.

The latest Nissan Patrol was slated mainly for the Arab Emirates and the USA, but with the addition of right-hand drive, has made its way to Australia as well. Aimed at those looking for a luxurious people mover, but who may take it off-road from time to time it’s available only with a petrol engine - the preferred powerplant in the aforementioned countries due to the low cost of petrol there.While this new Patrol is mechanically able to do serious bush bashing, who would want to subject the most luxurious and advanced Nissan 4WD to that sort of treatment? Its role is more likely to be towing the horse float, luxury caravan or big boat - anything up to 3.5 tonnes braked.For those who do want to get down and dirty in the bush, Nissan Australia still sells its workhorse Y61 Patrol, including a turbo-diesel model with old-style live axles, alongside the new upmarket generation Y62. Able to take up to eight occupants, the all-new Y62 series Nissan Patrol V8 showcases big improvements in fuel efficiency, comfort, luxury, quality and technology, for a top-class drive on and off-road.The new V8 engine delivers 298 kW of power and 560 Nm of torque, with 90 per cent of the latter on call from just 1600 rpm. Power is put to ground through an advanced seven-speed automatic transmission and a sophisticated, electronically controlled, all-mode 4X4 system.Features across the new Patrol range include Bluetooth hands-free phone, large format front DVD player, 2GB music server with six speakers, iPod connectivity, steering wheel audio controls, intelligent key access, eight-way power assisted driver’s seat, a full complement of active and passive safety systems, drive computer, dual zone climate control, front, side and curtain airbags, active front headrests, and front and rear parking sensors with rear view camera.The top-of-the-range Patrol Ti-L adds memory function for the driver’s seat, steering wheel and door mirrors; a deep centre-console cool box; a hard drive navigation system; premium Bose audio with 13 speakers, dual 7-inch DVD screens in the rear of the front seat headrests, Around View Monitor, intelligent cruise control, xenon projector headlamps with auto levelling and washers, puddle lamps and a power operated tailgate. A tyre pressure monitoring system is also added.Nissan’s Hydraulic Body Motion Control on the suspensions of Ti and Ti-L models is aimed at reducing body roll on sealed surfaces, while maximising suspension travel in extreme off-road conditions.Suspension is independent all round.  While its default is to the on-road program, a wheel on the centre console enables the driver to dial up driving modes to suit tougher going – sand, rocks or snow.Unfortunately, there is no knob to twiddle to make parking easy. At more than five metres long and close to two metres wide (all dimensions significantly eclipse its nearest rival), the Patrol is an unwelcome visitor to the average shopping centre parking space.The reversing camera, all-round parking alarms and around-view monitor go some way to easing entry, but once there, getting in and out of limited door openings can be a pain. There’s also the stress of not chipping the paintwork of the vehicle in the neighbouring car while opening the wide door.At the press of a button on the key fob the electrically operated rear cargo door opens high and wide for fuss-free loading.Even with the third row of seats occupied there is enough space (550 litres) to stow a full-size cooler in the load bay. The luggage space can be substantially increased by folding the back row seat backs by the single tug on a strap.A positively cavernous 3100 litres is available by flicking a switch which rolls up the middle row of seats to fit snugly against the backs of the front seats, leaving an almost flat floor.The maker tells us to expect fuel consumption in the combined city / highway cycle to be around 14.5 litres per 100 kilometres. The best we managed patrolling the urban jungle was on the high side of 16 litres per hundred kilometres.Stuffed with expensive equipment, this huge Nissan Patrol Ti-L will set you back $113,900, plus on roads. Expensive for a Nissan, but a bargain compared with upwards of $170,000 for the lowest cost Range Rover Vogue we recently tested.The all encompassing impression of driving a Nissan Patrol on the road is that of size. It’s a bulky vehicle and sits high -- the latter aspect making for excellent visibility, which is just as well because it seems to fill the traffic lanes.Ride comfort is very good with bumps and dips well-damped even on rather rough and ready roads - which doesn’t necessarily mean those in the outback, as suburban streets seem to be getting worse by the day.Handling is of secondary importance to comfort in the Nissan Patrol. While it’s competent at holding onto the road in bends, and there isn’t too much body roll, it’s obvious the big 4WD would rather travel in straight lines than around tight corners.In a previous test we were able to do some serious off-road driving of the Patrol at the Mount Cotton driver training centre outside Brisbane. It’s impressive in the way its sheer bulk can tackle slippery surfaces, rocky outcrops and badly rutted tracks.

Kia Rio is a small-medium South Korean car that has picked up significantly in Australia since the launch of the all-new model of September 2011. After two generations of Rios with conservative shapes, the 2011 Rio came with stunning styling that pushes it ahead of many competitors from Japan and Europe from a visual point of view. Build quality wasn’t too bad on the first generation Rios, sold from July 2000, improved significantly in the gen-two cars from August 2005 and is impressive from 2011 onwards. The bodies of the older models were generally better assembled than their interiors, though we do see the occasional rough one inside and out.Tip: Don’t forget that professional inspection.The Kia Rio is sold as either a four-door sedan or a five-door hatchback and has good interior space that can seat four adults, though two grownups and two or three kids is a more practical load.On-road dynamics and build quality have improved over the years and the latest models provide a fair degree of enjoyment for the keen driver. However, some may find the ride a little too firm on rough roads. Try it for yourself during your private road test.A good set of tyres can work wonders for the handling and steering feel of older Kia Rios.Kia Rio is powered by a 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine in the pre-2005 series. If worked moderately it will sound and feel fine, but drive it hard and it gets noisy and can be harsh. Engine performance is generally fine as this is a relatively light car. But it can struggle a bit on hills, so it's smart to find a hilly area to do some of your pre-purchase road testing.The newer, from 2005, Rios have a more modern 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine that’s significantly more powerful, smoother and significantly better in the refinement stakes. The engine was further improved in the 2011 series Rios.A lower cost 1.4-litre engine was added to the range in March 2007, its performance is OK if you’re willing to work at getting the best from the car.Transmission options are five-speed manual and four-speed automatic in the first two Rio ranges. Six-speed units, both manual and automatic were a big feature of the all-new model that arrived in 2011, putting the car ahead of many of its rivals.The four-speed auto takes the edge of what performance the older engines do deliver. It’s smooth enough and obviously makes life simpler in the suburbs, the natural habitat of a vehicle like this.The experienced home mechanic can do a fair bit on a Kia Rio. Underbonnet access is good and these cars have old and tried technology. A workshop manual is a low-cost investment that can save you lots of hassles. Don’t do any safety-related work yourself, leave that to the professionals.Insurance is normally towards the lower area of mid-range, but seems to vary more than usual from one company to another. So it pays to shop around, as always make sure you understand what you get, and don’t get, for your premium.Poorly repaired crash damage will show as paint which doesn’t match from panel to panel; and/or a ripply finish in a panel. Check for tiny specks of paint on non-painted parts such as glass and badges. Look at the interior and boot for signs of general wear and tear.The engine should fire up within a second or so of the key being turned, even when it’s cold. As soon as it starts it should settle into a steady idle. There should be no smoke from the exhaust pipe even if the engine is worked hard. Letting it idle for about a minute, then flooring the throttle in a quick takeoff will aggravate the problem.A manual gearbox should be moderately light in its action and not crunch on any of the downchanges, no matter how fast they are made. The third-to-second gearchange is usually the first to give trouble. If the automatic transmission is slow at picking up a drive gear from Park or Neutral it may be because it’s due for a major overhaul.Check the brakes pull the Rio up squarely and that ABS, if fitted, operates when you push the pedal hard.Cars that have spent all their lives in the open air are far less desirable than those that have generally been kept under cover. Faded paint and dried out dashtops are the easiest way to pick ‘outdoor’ cars.

Holden’s Commodore was the bestselling car in Australia for many years, though it has slipped recently due to many buyers switching from large cars to compact SUVs. There are hundreds of used Commodores on sale at any one time, so smart buyers can find exactly the model / price / quality they want.Commodore is very well suited to Australian driving conditions, and also has the driving feel many keen Aussie drivers demand. This is a genuine five-seater, though the traveller in the centre-rear seat may find foot space compromised by the bulky transmission tunnel.Boot space is good in the sedan and excellent in the wagon due to the latter’s longer wheelbase. Note that the wagons in the VE range, sold from September 2009, have the same wheelbase as the VE sedan, meaning they miss out on the huge load volume that was a feature of previous Commodore wagons. The latter had a stretched wheelbase platform under the wagons.Ride comfort is excellent, even on rough bush roads. Commodores can be divided into two distinct areas in the models being examined here. In August 1997 the VT series was introduced to critical acclaim.Commodore VT received a minor facelift and mechanical changes to become the VT Series II in June 1999. Commodore VX of August 2000 saw another facelift of the VT. The VX Series II arrived just 12 months later.There weren’t a lot of appearance changes in the VX II, but there were big changes to the suspension, especially at the rear. These gave the Commodore a real sporting feel. Holden introduced the VY Commodore in October 2002.This time around there were substantial styling changes. The VY Commodore was facelifted, this time to become the VY II in August 2003. Finally, the last of this long line of Commodores, the VZ series arrived in September 2004.The introduction of the virtually all-new VE series Commodore sedans in August 2006 saw a touch of European class in the styling and real enhancements to the ride and handling qualities. VE Series II was introduced in September 2010 and had minor external changes.Inside it was a different story, the GM i-Q multimedia system saw an entirely new look for the centre stack with the new touch screen. The system controls full Bluetooth, USB, iPod and MP3 player integration.Powertrains didn’t always coincide with the major body changes. Most Commodores prior to the VZ range have a pushrod V6 engine of 3.8 litres. There's also a supercharged variant of this 3.8-litre, but it was never a real success as buyers of performance Holdens almost invariably preferred V8s. So the supercharged six was discontinued in 2004.The big news with the introduction of the VZ was an all-new six-cylinder engine. A forerunner to the unit fitted to the VE Commodore, it was a twin-cam V6 of 3.6 litres. This powerplant was sold in two formats, one with variable valve and intake timing for a greater spread of torque and improved power, the other a more basic unit.As fitted to the VZ, this new V6 is not as smooth or quiet as it should be. There were some improvements in feel when the engine was installed in the VE, but the engine still disappoints in this area despite several attempts to sort it out over the years.A smaller V6, this time of 3.0 litres and aimed at lower fuel consumption and emissions, was introduced in September 2009. It hasn’t proven all that popular but is a sophisticated unit and well worth considering. There were two V8s in the pre-VZ Commodores; one an old Australian design of 5.0 litres, the other a Chevrolet unit adapted to Holden specifications with 5.7 litres.This Generation III Chev V8 is much better than the old Holden, so much so that resale value of the Holden 5.0-litre suffers in comparison. The Gen III with ‘only’ 5.7 litres was replaced by a Gen IV with 6.0 litres in January 2006, again as a teaser to the upcoming VE Series.Some later Commodore engines are designed to run on a petrol/ethanol mix of up to 85 per cent ethanol. Check with your Holden dealer or get onto Holden’s website to see which engines can take this mix. Prior to the VE series, almost all Commodores came with four-speed automatic transmissions. Five-speed manual gearboxes from this era are on the crude side and not many were sold. Six-speed manuals were offered in the SS range and are understandably more common than the five-speed manual units used in the day-to-day Commodores of the time. The VE transmission lineup was a big improvement; with six-speed automatic transmissions and six-speed manuals. An exception was the dual-fuel petrol/LPG, later pure-LPG powered Commodores that stuck with the old four-speed auto until 2012 when they too got a six-speed.On the sporting side are the Commodore S and SS with firmer suspension, tauter steering, revamped seats and body kits. Not as hot as the HSV Commodores, these Holden models do provide more driving pleasure and come at a pretty moderate price.Strictly speaking the most expensive model in the range isn’t called a Commodore, but the Holden Calais. Calais were usually bought by private buyers, while many lower cost variants will have begun their lives as company cars - perhaps being driven by a careful person, perhaps not…Holden frequently does runs of special editions, the best value of these are arguably the oft-recurring Equipe and Lumina series. Commodores are easy cars to work on with plenty of access to most mechanical components.The good amateur mechanic can do most of their own repairs although it’s best to leave safety related items to professional mechanics. There are numerous electronic components that also require specialist knowledge and/or diagnostic equipment.Spare parts prices are generally reasonably priced and we hear very few complaints about availability from Holden’s widespread dealer network.A network that’s as prevalent in the bush as in the ‘burbs. Insurance is very reasonable for a car of this size and performance, though there can be a significant extra slug for the sportier models, especially if they have supercharged or V8 engines.WHAT TO LOOK FORCheck for brake fade on models before the VE Commodore by doing a succession of hard stops and feeling for a pedal that gradually has more and more travel – don’t forget to check that rear-vision mirror first…Look for oil leaks at the rear of the engine sump and check the dipstick level as some early units had high oil consumption problems.Automatic transmissions are generally OK, but one that is slow to go into gear and/or noisy and harsh in its operation should be treated with caution.Rust is seldom a problem in later model Commodores. But look at the lower areas of the body, doors, tailgate and rear windscreen surround to be sure. Rust is more likely to be caused by poor quality panel repairs than any other reason.Check for previous body repairs by running your eye over the panels, looking for a slightly uneven finish. Watch for paint that doesn't match exactly from one panel to another. Another sign is minute spots of paint on areas that are normally unpainted.Be wary of a Commodore that has been a taxi, though this isn’t nearly as common as in Falcons: look for an engine running on LPG and for spots where signs and meters have been removed.Severe wear in the cabin and boot is another indication of an ex-taxi; though it could also mean the car has been a hard-working commercial car, or even that it has been destroyed by bogan kids.CAR BUYING TIPChecking the condition of the boot can give valuable clues to how the car has been used.

Before you sputter coffee at the screen, hear me out. I've driven a number of the new generation electric cars in the last couple years, in Australia, Europe and Japan.The most recent test drive was in a Nissan Leaf. Nissan Australia has just dropped its price to a semi-affordable $39,990 driveway, from now until the end of October 2013. That’s down $7000 on the previous drive-away deal.Electric cars are kind to the environment, although just how kind they are depends on where their electricity comes from. Australia's coal is pretty dirty stuff and any electric car running on power generated from it suffers as a result.Thankfully, cleaner electricity is becoming more common by the day and quite a few consumers are putting their money where there mouths are by paying extra for it.However, while the typical petrol and diesel engine is about 25 to 30 per cent efficient at best, electric motors have efficiency in the range of 90 per cent. This gives them a huge leg up in the clean-air stakes.The really good news is that these upcoming electric cars are a lot better to drive than the older ones we have driven over the last three decades.Because the new generation cars have grunt - lots of grunt! Not the sort of deep-down, gut-tingling, smile-inducing grunt you find in a Holden Monaro 350 or Falcon GT, but they have a lot more punch off the line than you might have expect when you get that pedal to thump the metal.Particularly if it’s a sports electric like the Tesla Roadster, it can do the zero to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds - pure supercar acceleration of the type only a handful of petrol engines can achieve.This grunt is due to the torque characteristics of electric motors, which put out their very best in the way of Newton metres at ridiculously low revs. Hit the pedal on the right in any electric car and you get instant action. You think you've driven responsive petrol engines in the past? Wait till you feel electric action.All this occurred to me as I put together a news story on the next generation Porsche Panamera. While it’s a plug-in hybrid, not a full electric, it’s capable of running on electricity alone for reasonably long distances. And has heaps of the aforementioned torque.But the best is still to come. As more and more people switch to electric cars there will be more and more petrol left for all of us guys who just love to drive big cars with large petrol engines creating lots of noise and action. And that have plenty of personality with a capital P.On the subject of noise, electric cars are the most boring method of transport on the face of the planet when it comes to aural output. They have this quiet little humming sound and not much else. There has been talk of fitting them with special audio systems that could put out your favourite exhaust note, perhaps even some tyre-squealing noises to really confuse people.Change the CD or chip and you could have a range of sounds – your ’57 Chevy one day, a screaming F1 V8 the next, or how about a Harley on full throttle? The possibilities are endless!Let's face it, the hottest of our old-style V8s don’t really make good daily drivers, so we need something else to use as a grocery getter and kid transporter.And if you're out for a cruise in your hot petrol-powered beast and some clown criticises it, you can tell them about the neat little electric machine parked on the street outside your garage. But don’t mention the electric car’s grunt, they just wouldn’t understand... 

Yet another reduced price offering from a European car maker - this time the iconic French marquee, Citroen, with one of its C4 variants. ENGINE Fuelled by the ever increasing car sales strength in Australia, the rise of our dollar and the moribund nature of the European auto market, Citroen is offering its C4 Seduction 1.6L e-HDi Diesel EGS (is that the most complicated car name you've ever come across…) from a mere $25,990 driveaway. This is a saving of $2000 on the previous recommended retail price. On-road costs had to be added to that old price, pushing it close to $30,000 in many areas. Citroen C4 Seduction 1.6L (etc) is powered by a direct injection turbo-diesel engine that features the company’s Stop & Start system. This puts the engine into idle mode as the driver decelerates and turns it off when the C4 comes to a stop. The moment the driver takes their foot off the brake, the engine restarts, doing so with a minimum of the irritating vibration that can be a pain in some four-cylinder cars with a stop-start setup. Citroen tells us its Stop & Start helps reduce CO2 emissions by about five grams per km. Even better, fuel consumption is pulled down by 15 per cent in heavy-duty city driving. The 1.6 turbo-diesel engine is mated to an Electronic Gearbox System (EGS) automated manual gearbox that provides either full automatic shifts, or manual changes via the steering wheel mounted paddles. STYLING The pretty little Citroen C4 hatch has the company’s distinctive front end with the interlocking gears that form the company’s logo. But it has to be said the rest of the vehicle doesn’t really create any excitement in its shape. Citroen C4 is a five-door hatch that has good interior space for four adults, five without a huge amount of rubbing together. It provides a comfortable ride. It is neatly balanced and will appeal to those wanting to get clear of the competent but boring Asian range of cars. SAFETY Even this low-cost Citroen comes as standard with driver assistance technologies that include ABS with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Emergency Braking Assistance (EBA), intelligent traction control and Electronic Stability Programme (ESP). Should these primary safety items not save you from having a crash the C4 is fitted with six airbags (driver, front passenger, side and curtain). The drive-away offer for the Citroen C4 Seduction 1.6l e-HDi Diesel EGS is available until June 30, 2013. But only while stocks lasts, so it might be a good idea not to tarry overmuch if you’re interested in something different in the small car field.

Opel has announced that its Mokka compact SUV is on its way to Australia just a few months after going on sale in Europe. The Mokka will hit showrooms here “in the third quarter of this year”, although Opel won’t be more specific about timing at this stage. But they’ll be out and about on local roads from June – tempting budding spy photographers. Opel Australia’s managing director, Bill Mott says the Mokka will be very welcome Down Under. “We are very excited to bring the Mokka to Australia. This car has already had in excess of 100,000 orders in Europe since launch, and with the Australian SUV segment growing 22 per cent in the last 12 months it is certainly a space we want to be playing in. “We will have a number of Mokkas on the road from next month for local testing.” Opel marketing and public relations head Michelle Lang says engineers will be running a test fleet “for in-depth familiarisation for staff and dealers, prior to the production vehicles arriving. “We are really excited about the early arrival of our Mokkas, and hope to see lots of spy shots of them out on the roads in Melbourne -- hopefully not obscured by torrential rain,” Lang says. We witnessed its global debut of the Opel Mokka at the Geneva Motor Show in 2012 and liked its positive stance and bold lines. It has a sculpted body in keeping with the latest thinking in this fast growing market segment. Opel says Mokka has been given a sporty edge with well-defined lines. However, we have yet to see one on the road so won’t make our final appraisal for a few months. The interior of the new Mokka centres around a wing-shaped instrument panel that blends around the door inserts and the sculpted surfaces in the doors. The Mokka will be launched in Australia with a turbocharged 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine mated to either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. This engine is familiar to Australian drivers of the Holden Cruze and is one of our favourite powerplants.  A turbodiesel is an option in the Mokka in other markets and may come to Australia later. In keeping with most SUVs these days it will be available with either front-wheel drive or 4WD. The latter using Opel’s adaptive all-wheel drive technology which should give it some decent ability on unsealed surfaces. Safety has obviously ranked high in the priority decisions during the earliest design stages and life saving features include Opel’s adaptive forward lighting system (AFL+); electronic stability program ESPPlus;  Hill Start Assist; and Hill Descent Control. Second-generation Opel Eye front camera with Forward Collision Alert and Lane Departure Warning functions are the sort of features normally found on expensive upmarket cars. Exactly which of these safety items will be fitted to which Mokka model in Australia is still to be finalised. However, the importer has already stated that reversing cameras will be fitted to every model. The Opel Mokka is a five-star Euro NCAP vehicle. Full specification and pricing for the Mokka will be released closer to launch. Though still a newcomer in Australia, Opel is big in Europe and was the fourth largest automotive brand in that area in 2011, with over 1.2 million vehicles sold. Many Opels with Holden badges (Barina, Astra, Vectra amongst others) have been sold in this country in past decades.  

We settled into our leather trimmed lounge seats after admiring their deep red hue, with traditional stitching that increased the upmarket image. We turned on the TV, flicked through the channels but couldn't find anything to interest us, so went instead to one of our favourite movies on the DVD player.Comfortable as we were, it was time to get moving to meet some friends at a new coffee spot they had discovered. So I fired up the supercharged V8 engine in the front of our hotel room, clicked the automatic into Drive and set off to cruise down the road.The all-new Range Rover really is like a mobile hotel room – yes, you’ve probably guessed by now that we weren’t trying to pilot a Hilton suite down the road. It just felt that way.The Range Rover Vogue SE V8 is spacious, luxurious and finished to an immaculate standard in top-line leather, timber and alloy.As regular readers will be well aware, I consider driver inattention to be the number one cause of road crashes -- so I was no longer able to watch the movie. In any case I wanted to key the details of the new coffee place into the Rangie’s sat-nav.Not a problem. We pushed the pause button on the DVD, keyed in the coffee shop’s address, then hit ‘play’ on the DVD. Julie put on headphones to watch the movie and I looked at the same centrally mounted screen to see the satellite navigation route.That’s right, the same screen. From the driver’s seat I watched the sat-nav map, from the front passenger’s seat the movie was playing. Even when your eyes see it, they don’t quite believe the stunning technology.STYLINGNew, fourth generation Range Rover is considerably larger than the original that launched over 40 years ago, but retains enough visual features to instantly make its heritage obvious. The castellations on the bonnet are shallower than we, and other purists, would like, and the windscreen slopes back significantly more than in the first three generations. But the Range Rover Vogue SE V8 turret stands aloof and makes an upmarket, perhaps even arrogant in the English manner, statement.There have been unfavourable comments about the dummy air intakes on the front doors. But as most cars have false intakes on their front guards these days it’s good to see Range Rover trying something ahead of the field. May we predict other designers will follow with their doors one day soon?ENGINESSupercharging a five-litre V8 petrol engine, as was done in our review Range Rover, results in a 375 kilowatt powerplant that can rocket this mobile hotel room from rest to 100 km/h in only 5.4 seconds. That’s amazing.Other engine options are a 4.4-litre V8 turbo-diesel (250 kW) and a 3.0-litre turbo-diesel (190 kW). Range Rover calls the V8 diesel the SD - for Super Diesel - not a lot of Pommie modesty here…A supercharged 3.0-litre V6 petrol will arrive down under late this year.TECHNOLOGYThe previous Range Rover was disgustingly overweight. Thankfully the designers have managed to pull almost half a tonne, 420 kg, out of the new one, to bring it down to a respectable 2150+ kilograms (depending on the model). This, weight reduction has been achieved despite the vehicle being significantly larger and more spacious. Even better, the guys and gals at the Range Rover division of LandRover have made major improvements to the engines, transmissions and aerodynamics, resulting in fuel and CO2 cuts of as much as 22 per cent. That’s clever.Though it’s a superb luxury vehicle rear legroom is good without being limo like. The boot is huge and easy to load through the two-piece, horizontally-split tailgate. Our test vehicle had power operation of the gate to make life positively lazy.DRIVINGRide comfort is most impressive and the big Range Rover Vogue SE V8 shows its usual disdain for speed humps - we love it for that.Handling is tenacious rather than sporting and keen drivers won’t like the over-soft feel through the steering.The gen-four Range Rover is even more capable than its forebears in serious off-road conditions - and that’s saying something. A complex electronic system that juggles grip according to terrain combines with adjustable suspension height to provide extraordinary competence that makes even inexperienced drivers feel comfortable.VALUEPrices start at big $168,900 and range all the way up to a sky-high $240,100 for the supercharged V8 petrol. Putting the Range Rover way above anything else comparable has never hurt sales before and we certainly don’t expect anything to change with this new fourth-generation model.

Where else to gain public opinions on the latest VW Beetle than at a place called Ferry Road Diner on the Gold Coast? It’s a well known meeting place on Friday nights for all things retro, mainly those on four wheels. The diner has a carpark the size of a drive-in movie theatre, that becomes an informal show’n’shine of classic metal.VALUEThe model range includes a 1.4 TSI five-door hatch in both DSG automatic and manual, valued at $32,490 and $29,990 respectively. There is also a special ‘Fender’ edition, with a custom exterior badge, a dash inspired by the Fender guitar manufacturer and a premium audio system. The Beetle Fender 1.4 TSI comes in DSG automatic, and is valued at $34,490.VW offer two option packages with the Beetle. One is a technology package that includes Bi-Xenon headlights, LED daytime running lights, keyless access, power folding external mirrors and low pressure tyre indicators.Our test Beetle was fitted with the sports package: 18-inch `Twister' alloy wheels, tinted side and rear windows, sports instruments on the dash centre and paddle gearshift paddles with the DSG.DESIGNWe rocked up in a new VeeDub Beetle, bright red in colour and sporting a great set of 18-inch twister alloy wheels. And found ourselves sharing parking space with thumping Chevys, A-Model Fords, an Excalibur, and a couple of Cadillacs. As about the only car under the age of 40 years, our Beetle stood out like a bright red sore thumb. It delighted us in getting more than its fair share of admirers.The next day we went to the supermarket and again the Beetle attracted plenty of lookers ... all of them smiling, with quite a few wanting to talk to us about the new shape.The first New Beetle looked cute and feminine. The new model (simply called the Beetle, the ‘New’ has gone) has a wider-stance lower roof and longer body that allowed designers to replace cute with curve. The roof extends further back and it's now a better proportioned car.The benefits include an increase in boot capacity from 209 litres up to 310 litres. Fold the seats down and it leaps to 910 litres. This is a coupe rather than a hatchback so is a car for singles or couples, not really being suited to family use.TECHNOLOGYVolkswagen Beetle for 2013 comes with one powertrain only at this stage. It’s a 1.4-litre Twin-charged petrol engine with 118 kW of power and 240Nm of torque. It comes standard with a six-speed manual gearbox, or a seven-speed DSG automatic at a $2500 premium. Our test car was the auto.It's a modest-performing car, though you wouldn't describe it as a slouch. The DSG can be a little slow and catchy at slow speeds as are many other double-clutch automated manuals.Anticipate other engines to come later, probably with powerplants borrowed from the yet to be announced VW Golf GTi.SAFETYThe 2013 Beetle has a five-star safety rating from Australasian NCAP thanks to standard stability program, four airbags and a tough laser-welded and galvanised body that has a high torsional rigidity. The car feels strong and solid in the Volkswagen tradition.DRIVINGTilt and reach steering is standard and we had no trouble finding a comfortable driving position - something that couldn't be said about the old New Beetle.Ride comfort is good on most surfaces and the slightly firm suspension provides the sort of handling that keen drivers will appreciate.The cabin will also bring a smile to most people's faces. The colour matches whatever exterior you select and in our test car that was bright red where it matters, on the doors and across the 1950's style dashboard. New VW Beetle has a large speedo in front of the driver in a separate binnacle. It’s easy to read at a slightest glance and revives memories of the old air-cooled cars.VERDICTA sports coupe it’s not, but the 2013 Beetle will be given the nod by all but full-on revheads.