Articles by Gordon Lomas

The former New Zealander died from injuries suffered in the smash, which also involved Adelaide driver David Clark in the Fujitsu V8 Supercar development series race near the Reid Park section of the Mt Panorama circuit. Porter, who turned 31 last month and lived at Hope Island, suffered abdominal and head injuries. He had been on life support in Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. His wife Adrienne and their son Flynn, 12 months, had rushed to Sydney on Friday following the accident. The Porters had moved to Australia from New Zealand more than two years ago. The family put out a brief statement last night asking that their privacy be respected. Clark struck Porter's race car at high speed in a side impact collision on the driver's side. Earlier yesterday afternoon, Clark, who had been placed in an induced coma, regained consciousness. He is recovering in the Nepean Hospital, near Penrith, with his injuries listed as a punctured right lung and fractures to the pelvis, right arm and leg. The death was the first at the Bathurst racing circuit since that of transport businessman Don Watson in 1994. It comes at a time when the Australian motor racing community is still mourning the death of renowned driver Peter Brock, a nine-time winner of the Bathurst 1000, in a rally crash near Perth on September 8. Porter was to have driven in the Bathurst 1000 yesterday with the Albury-based Jones Ford team.

Few would doubt the VE is the most prodigious step Holden has taken since the 48-215 arrived in 1948.The VE is everything that all previous model Commodores since the first one in 1978 weren't.Starting from a clean slate the VE chassis is the most competent in the almost 30-year lineage of family sedans and the body is as tight as a drum.Credit where it's due, the VE steers, rides, handles and stops like a $50,000-plus Euro saloon.Recently we booked in an SV6 and an SS to drive back-to-back over two weeks at a time when all the hype surrounding Holden's August launch had subsided.Both had the 6-speed manual transmission and where one was a pleasure to use the other was like trying to stir a pot of treacle.The SV6 changed gears with efficiency and with a fair degree of certainty.The SS was like reverting to the bad old days of imprecision.It was notchy and half the time you really needed to think whether the shifter docked in first or third after fighting with the stick to find its gate.We would like to give the box the benefit of the doubt but the car had done 6000km. Any tightness should have freed up by now.The curious thing is the SS driven on the launch on a mixture of country tar and dirt roads in South Gippsland in Victoria and at Holden's Lang Lang proving ground had a kinder, looser and more precise gearbox.Then there is the gosh awful handbrake that blends into the centre console cutaway.It has an annoying propensity to jam your finger if you're not careful when you push it down.There is also a flimsy feel to the handbrake when it is engaged with a bit of sideways movement suggesting longevity may be a problem.Now we're not really experts in predicting the future but we'll have a lash and suggest there may be some sort of modification to the handbrake when the first update comes around whether it be late next year or 2008.And inherent through the range is that rotund A-pillar strategically positioned a long way forward and which hampers vision on tight corners and can even shield pedestrians from your view in certain situations.But getting back to basics, the cabins in both the SV6 and SS V, the sports luxury version that Holden has added to the VE range, are tastefully done.There are a few carryover bits from the old range which ended with the VZ such as the stalk-mounted cruise control.However, overall the SV6 and the SS V are worlds removed from the previous model.And they would want to be for the billion-dollar spend the VE program commanded.The only surprise was how invisible the SV6 was in city traffic.Hardly a stare, a second look, let alone anyone hovering close to size up one of Holden's billion-dollar babies.It melded into the masses rather than strike reactions. The SS V, however, had more of an impact, with some drivers darting up close from a long way back and signalling the thumbs up.On the SV6 drive which amounted to about 640km when the tank just about to run dry, the consumption was about 10.7litres but up to half of that was in slow, stop/start traffic.The SS V finished at 11.5litres/100km over 500km but 85 per cent of that was on the open road so realistically you would be looking at around 14-15litres.Some colleagues have reported concerns with interior fit and finish.However, the cars tried in this test seemed quite acceptable, the quality of the finish was never in question.

It's hard sell, but Lexus thinks it can convince enough buyers to move into its new 400h. The 400h is the hybrid version of the RX350 and commands a $10,000 premium over the Sports Luxury petrol RX or a tick under $20,000 for the entry Sports RX. So the recommended retail of $94,100 is a fair sting for what is essentially a compact luxury SUV. Despite the cost drawbacks of wanting to go green Lexus says it has three months worth of orders and figures the 400h will account for about 20 per cent (1500 cars) of the RX volume in Australia next year. Since it first went on sale in the US in April last year 33,000 have been sold which accounts for 22 per cent of total RX sales. The 400h is based on the superseded 3.3-litre petrol engine which made way for the 3.5-litre RX350. Lexus says the new engine was unavailable for the world launch last year. The 400h joins Toyota's Prius and the Lexus GS450h sedan and Honda Civic hybrid as the list of petrol/electric vehicles grows in Australia. Next year Lexus will launch the world's first petrol/electric V8 hybrid, the LS600hL. So what are the benefits of having such an SUV wagon? Lower fuel consumption (8.1litres/100km), reasonable performance and vastly lower emissions (192grams/km) which on Lexus's figures is about 58 per cent of those of the nearest similar petrol engine. The hybrid incorporates three electric motors/generators while a compound planetary gear set in the transaxle acts as a power splitting device and electronically controlled continuously variable transmission to drive the front wheels. The front and rear main electric motors are used for normal starts and when more urge is required the third electric motor fires up the petrol engine which works in tandem with the other two electric motors. As in existing hybrid cars, the petrol engine switches off when the vehicle stops while the electric motors are ready for starts. Using the brakes makes the two main electric motors act as generators which help slow the vehicle down and send electric power to the battery. The Electronic Continously Variable Transmission is the essence of the hybrid which links the two 650-volt electric motor/generators and the petrol engine through the planetary gear set. Even the air-conditioning can be powered by electricity when the petrol engine is not functioning, as in stopping at traffic lights. The petrol V6 engine provides 155kW of power and 288Nm of torque while the main front electric motor generates 123kW and 333Nm. The rear electric motor is good for 50kW and 130Nm. The total system (petrol/electric) puts out 200kW with the petrol component driving the car and driving the third motor/generator to charge the battery. Lexus claim the 400h gives the luxury arm of Toyota a point of difference in the showroom. Already the Lexus GS450h powered by a mix of electric power and the 3.5-litre petrol engine is exceeding sales of the diesel BMW 530i and Jaguar S-Type turbo diesel. Lexus says the 400h has the advantage over diesels in that there is no mess at the bowser and there is no need for particulate filters. ON THE ROAD THERE are no compromises with the RX 400h something Lexus knows is vital to the market. Whereas there are compromises with diesel cars in terms of messy, smelly bowsers and soot filter replacement there is no such baggage with hybrids. About the only known hiccup is battery life. The 400h uses three electric motors and while there is no hard and fast evidence, Lexus says the life expectancy is more than 10 years. Lexus is unsure about battery life because it says it hasn't had to replace one. A replacement battery would be around $3000-$4000 but probably would be an issue for a used buyer. Inside the three-binnacle display remains except a power meter replace the tacho on the left. Surprisingly the 400h is a little soft on take off despite the factory claiming 7.6sec for 0-100km/h. There is not as much launch as one would anticipate particularly as take-off is powered by the electric motors which develop maximum torque at stall. And if you mash the accelerator everything starts to get a bit noisy, another surprise when Lexus is known for its refinement. On the drive in suburban Sydney and out to Camden in the south-west, the brake pedal felt a little soft and spongy, perhaps a result of the regenerative set-up of the stoppers. Once the 400h finds its legs and is up and running all is fine. The rolling performance is as good as any Lexus. The RX 400h shares a lot of kit with the RX 350 Sports Luxury version like 18-inch alloys, bluetooth, rear view camera and rear guide assist, touch-screen navigation and a fancy 11-speaker Mark Levinson sound system. What it gains over the RX 350 Sports Luxury is the VDiM (Vehicle Dynamics integrated Management System) which tells the rear electric motor to provide torque to the rear wheels to maintain stability, seat heaters up front, leather steering wheel instead of woodgrain and metallic trim on the shifter and surrounds as well as centre console. On the 70km launch drive with two up fuel consumption was 8.3-litres/100km from a best just below 8-litres to a touch over 8.5-litres. But fuel consumption is not the decisive factor in the buying decision. It is only a part of the picture, emissions and a machine which is seen to be a bit mean around town yet remains green is the essence of why people will ante up almost $100,000 for an electrified Lexus.

It's a long way from the green hills of Bavaria to the parched plains of Bourke in Australia's outback.

And they did it with $2.45 to spare.Their timing couldn't have been better, coming as the Federal Government announced grants of up to $1000 for dedicated liquefied petroleum gas vehicles and $2000 for LPG conversions.Around Australia project architect Andrew Ellis said it was a stroke of luck.“We planned this early in the year and not as some people seem to think as an immediate response to the Government grants for LPG,” he said. “We wanted to keep the Falcon product out there and with fuel prices an issue we thought we would display the benefits of LPG.”And they certainly did, driving more than 13,950km around Australia on $997.55 worth of gas.The Ford E-Gas range includes the Falcon XT sedan and wagon, Futura sedan and wagon, Fairmont, XR6 ute and the limited-edition pack Falcon SR.Demand for E-Gas Falcons has risen 300 per cent in the current climate.LPG was first used in Australia's taxi fleets as long ago as 1970.Back in the early '90s this writer ran a dual-fuel LPG/petrol XE Ford Falcon and the price of gas was about 25 a litre.It never missed a beat doing the Brisbane-Sydney run without stopping and using petrol only as a back-up.These days LPG varies around 60 and is available in most places around the country. Last week LPG cost 56.9, but the price varied as much as 20 on the run from Brisbane-Tamworth.It is actually safer than petrol with shut-off valves to prevent the gas tank from exploding in an accident. Tanks must be checked and crack tested every 10 years.The Falcon E-Gas is the only production car in Australia that runs solely on LPG. The petrol tank, fuel lines and pumps of the normal Falcon have been stripped out to fit LPG tanks and the engine cylinder head re-designed solely for gas use.The engine is essentially the same as the four-litre, straight six-cylinder but running on gas it has about 18 per cent less power (156kW compared with 190kW), but only fractionally less torque (374Nm against 383Nm).It comes with the standard four-speed sequential shift auto transmission only and cruises at 2000rpm at 110km/h.An LPG car should use about a third more fuel than an equivalent petrol car. But when LPG costs 50 to 60 a litre in some country areas when petrol is $1.25 to $1.40, it doesn't take long to be in front.To allow room for the 93-litre gas tank under the boot, the spare wheel has been moved inside the boot. It's neatly carpeted and although it drops boot space by about 20 per cent. small items can be tucked around the spare.www.lpgautogas.com.au

That's right a twin-turbo 2.7-litre V6 diesel engine that is also used in the Jaguar S-Type and the Land Rover Discovery after being jointly developed by Ford.Now it's powering the stylish-looking Pug 407 coupe.It's a curious move, particularly when competitors in the market are essentially marking time before fully commiting to introducing diesel sports cars in Australia.As early as last month, Alfa Romeo's Australian distributor, Ateco, said they weren't sure whether the country was ready for diesel sports cars when they launched four and six-cylinder petrol versions of its gorgeous Brera.In any case Peugeot are pushing the diesel sports message big time overseas.They are coming out with an LMP1 diesel for the Le Mans 24-hour race next year with a car that they claim boasts more power and torque than Audi's R10 which won the race in June.Diesel is very much the word in sports car racing in Europe.But how oil-burners go on the street, particularly in Australia with vehicles perceived to be sports cars, remains to be seen.Although the 407 coupe has stunning low slung lines it is more of a cushy cruiser rather than a go-hard two-door.At 150kW the HDi engine has five kilowatts of power less than the petrol version. However, what it may lack in oomph it more than makes up for in torque with 440Nm, a full 150Nm more than the petrol.And the beauty is you can't hear the clang and clatter of the diesel even sitting at a standstill.It is oh-so-quiet in the cabin.All this silence has been helped by double glazing, a laminated windscreen and plenty of sound deadening in the fire wall.There is a nine-setting electronic suspension which comes standard with damping continuously adjusted to help keep body control in check.Ride quality is reasonably neutral and while it is not as firm as a sports coupe it doesn't dampen a more vigorous drive experience.There is enough flexibility and torque with this six-speed automatic gearbox for there to be little reason other than overcoming boredom to push the shifter to the left and have a play with the sequential function.At low speeds the turbos kick in with little or minimal delay and it also keeps things nice and neat in the front with no trace of torque wanting to reef the wheel from your hands.Inside, the cabin is nicely appointed, however the controls are fiddly and not easy to decipher.And there is not a lot of room to put stuff like mobiles and things so they don't fly across seats and on to the floor.The other gripe is the ghastly looking steel bar that is exposed near the floor on each side which is an anchor for the seatbelts which slide backwards and forwards.The doors are almost dumbell heavy and they have hooks on the inside at the bottom which slide into two holes the frame underneath the door sill for extra rigidity.On this test over 700km, the Pug returned about 7.9litres/100km which is not great but it's certainly more economical than petrol and was a little under the factory claim of 8.4litres/100km.This Pug, which looses none of the pizzaz of the previous Pininfarina styled 406 coupe, gains big marks for what's in the boot a fullsize 18-inch spare.There is a long, long list of standard equipment including all the electronic safety control systems, front, side, curtain and knee airbags, JBL premium sound system with boot-mounted six-stacker and electronic parking sensors and leather trim.In fact the only options are $2990 for the premium leather and $1000 for Bluetooth.

IT IS no coincidence that Mazda has placed a key safety feature at the top of the 29 improvements to the updated 3.Electronic stability control (ESP) is now available on every Mazda3, joining GM Holden and Renault in a major mass-market move to the latest in active safety systems designed to help cars avoid a crash.But ESP will not be standard on every Mazda3. The company is expecting a take-up rate of only about 25 per cent as an option, even though it's an affordable $1000 upgrade on the Maxx, Maxx Sport and SP23 models and is part of a safety pack that includes four airbags on the base Neo model for $1830.From the outside it is hard to see how Mazda has changed the 3, but dig a little deeper and the list of revisions is collectively significant.New safety features include seatbelt warning systems for rear seating positions to go with the two front-seat warnings, a collapsible brake pedal and a redesigned steering-wheel adjustment lever that minimises the risk of lower leg injuries in frontal crashes.Mazda has responded to customer feedback by cutting noise and vibration. It also claims engine drone and wind and tyre noise have been reduced in the 3.The base model Neo increases in price by $200 to $20,990 for the manual, but gains anti-skid brakes, seatbelt warning systems, MP3 compatible CD and new trim.The price of the manual Maxx has increased $500 to $25,000, the Maxx Sport jumps $845 to $26,500, and the SP23 increases by $280 to $29,600.There is also the addition of sequential valve timing for the 2.0-litre Neo, Maxx and Maxx Sport that helps lift power by 4kW to 108kW on regular unleaded with a 1Nm rise in torque to 182Nm.The suspension has come in for a fair degree of treatment, new mounting points at the front helping to improve steering speed and eliminate some understeer.All models now have electronic throttle control, which helps refine the vehicle's acceleration.Access to cargo is improved on the popular sedan, and the hatch boot space now measures 340 litres.Electronic throttle control may also help iron out some bugs associated with the retro-fitted cruise control (now standard on all models except the Neo) that dogged some of the first-generation Mazda3s.New six-speed manual and five-speed automatic sequential transmissions are available on the SP23 model.The auto comes with the standard Activematic gear lever, and new shift buttons are mounted on the steering wheel.

THE arrival of the giant Audi Q7 all-wheel-drive will not mean the end of the company's crossover Allroad station wagon.The German brand says it is still committed to the Allroad, despite the introduction of the Q7 and the smaller Q5 that will follow it.A new model is expected in Australia next year. It could even make the Melbourne Motor Show in March.The new Allroad is already on display at Audi's headquarters at Ingolstadt in Germany, where it was priced from $86,700 with a 171kW, 3.0-litre, turbo-diesel engine.Final engine choices for the new Allroad are yet to be finalised and it is possible Australia may receive a diesel only.At the moment the Allroad is sold with the choice of two petrol engines -- a 2.7-litre turbo and 4.2-litre V8 -- and a 2.5-litre turbo-diesel."We are unsure what engines we will take. It's possible it may only be the diesel," Audi Australia spokeswoman Anna Burgdorf says.The Allroad display car was wearing 245x45 ZR18 Pirelli P Zeros and is defined at the front by a more accentuated single-frame grille that has more vertical elements in the egg-crate design.Before the Allroad arrives, Audi Australia will have hot versions of the S6 and S8 this November and December, respectively.Each is powered by a V10 engine, the first of its type from Audi aimed to bridge the gap between the 4.2-litre V8 and the 6.0-litre W12.The V10's maximum torque of 450Nm kicks in at 3000 revs, giving it a wide curve -- an unusual trait for a V-angled 10-cylinder.The V10 engines weigh 220kg, 15kg more than the 4.2-litre V8.Audi has tried to find a balance between a sporty and torquey engine. It fires along with 331kW at 7000 revs but does not have the pace of BMW's V10 in a 0-100km/h thrash because it doesn't rev as far as the BMW motor.The S6 has a special instrument cluster and carbon-fibre trim on the centre console. Its chassis and suspension have been optimised for the six-speed, S-tronic, double-clutch, sequential gearbox.There are 18-inch brakes, but it's not available with ceramic stoppers, which are on the S8, W12 and RS4 sedan.Differentiation between the S6 and S8 in the nose is subtle -- the S8 gains a unique airtake design that has integrated fog lamps. The S6 has carbon-fibre slats.

There has been nothing but diesel-powered passenger cars in our road test garage for the past month.One-by-one they have been trotted out with ridiculous regularity. Not that we're complaining, mind you.Astra diesels, Alfa Romeo diesels, Honda Civic diesels (not for sale) and the latest to join this growing family of robust oil-burning engines is BMW's 1-series.And that's not to mention the recently released Fiat Punto diesel which is booked for testing here later next month.As with many small diesel cars these days, you have to pinch yourself every now and then, particularly when you have a fling through a corner, that you are not driving a zippy unleaded petrol-powered small car.Diesels these days are sweet singing, have the pace to stay with your petrol-powered mates and most importantly they will, most times, drive your dollar twice as far on a tank.The 120d precedes BMW's diesel 3-series offerings by a matter of weeks.It is the first four-cylinder diesel with a propeller badge sold in Australia.These little hatches and sedans offered with common rail diesel technology are surely no longer irrelevant.Sales are booming as the price of running cars takes a more prominent role in the buying decision.Owners of little diesel cars no longer have to compromise on performance or get their hands dirty at the fuel bowser.Improved technology of the engines and more savvy conditions at the filling station mean these cars offer a genuine choice as fuel prices continue to push toward $1.50 a litre and almost certainly close to the $2 barrier within the next couple of years.The 120d is dressed in a well crafted body with a pronounced nose housing the 2-litre diesel which offers reasonable spark from launch.There is a smooth intervention of the turbocharger with variable turbine geometry, power reaching 115kW at 4000rpm with 330Nm of torque developed at 2000rpm.Launch feel is quite refined and the only audible signs you are driving a compression ignition motor is on start up or at idle.The two-litre motor is mated to a six-speed Steptronic automatic gearbox which is fine left in D for drive in most situations with the switch to sequential good for a bit of fun or when you have to get yourself out of a tight situation.It is quite lively and punchy down low which is a bonus around town in traffic.This engine is a little on the harsh side and not as frugal as some small diesel rivals with the on-board computer calculating fuel use on this 800km test finished at 6.2litres/100km.It is under the claimed factory figure. However, there are quieter drinking diesels around and some are priced under the $30k bracket.This 1-series has quick-start glow plugs which start working before the driver presses the start button, good for untroubled start-up on really cold days on the Granite Belt.Six-volt glow plugs start warming up as soon as the driver opens the door.Inside, the 1-series is neat and tidy, uncluttered yet with tasteful architecture which may be a bit minimalistic for some.The 1-series is a robust type with a slightly harsh ride and comes well specified with a full complement of electronic safety gear — switchable Dynamic Traction Control, stability and traction control, anti-lock brakes, Cornering Brake Control and electronic brakeforce distribution.There are fog lights, leather, multi-function steering wheel and climate control airconditioning and automatic headlamps.It sits proud on the road with grippy 17-inch run-flat alloy wheels which partly accounts for the firm ride quality.The 1-series diesel may not have the room of a Holden Astra diesel but it comes with plenty of street cred even if it is a little north of a $30k budget at $47,800.There are genuine sports qualities in terms of ride, handling and performance but the trade-off is that it's not the most economical of the baby diesels.

The 156 has done Alfa a fine service over seven years and now it's time for the 159 to drum up more volume in a segment traditionally dominated by perennial favourite, the BMW 3-series.