Articles by Ian Crawford

BMW's new second-generation X3 mid-size luxury SUV is all about more and less and Audi's segment-leading Q5 is squarely in its sights. In the "more" department, there is more standard and optional technology, more exterior size and interior space and more value for money while on the "less" side of the ledger - at least for two of the models - less money is required to put one in your garage and less fuel is required to run them. The new Beemer is longer than the outgoing model, wider and taller - nearly as big as the original X5. There is a 40/20/40 split-fold rear-seat arrangement and with the seats occupied, 550 litres of luggage space nearly three times that with the seat backs down. For the new range, there are three models each starting their moniker with xDrive. The entry-level offering is the $62,200 turbo-diesel-powered 20d and it is followed by the 28i at $71,900 and the range-topper is the 30d turbo-diesel with its $74,900 price tag.All three have the latest eight-speed ZF automatic transmission. The entry-level model's $62,200 pricing is unchanged (with more kit), the 28i is $3400 less than before and 30d has been cut by $2500 (with $10K more kit).The 20d and the 28i are available now with the 30d is a couple of months away. The 20d runs a powerful 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-diesel engine with 135kW/380Nm. Claimed fuel consumption is 5.6litres/100km. Opt for the only petrol-powered X3 in the range - the 28i - and you'll have at your disposal a 3.0-litre straight-six engine that is good for 190kW/310Nm. Buyers of the 30d can look forward to 190kW/560Nm. New styling gives X3 a stronger road presence. All three models come with an impressive array of fancy hi-tech goodies and the two diesel models have a BMW "first" - an idle/stop system for an automatic vehicle. All three versions are fitted with a brake-energy-regeneration system to save fuel. Other across-the-range standard kit includes BMW's latest iDrive driver interface, a reversing camera, a high-resolution 6.5-inch colour screen, aluminium roof rails, USB audio and Bluetooth mobile-phone connectivity, dual-zone automatic climate-control air conditioning, electric power steering, keyless entry. Electronic driver-aids include a permanent four-wheel-drive system that ensures variable torque distribution between the front-and-rear axles. It's linked to the vehicle's dynamic stability-control system. There is an new suspension set-up that has noticeable improved ride and handling and fuel-saving electric power steering is a "first" for a BMW xDrive model. Out on the road during the media-launch drive program the two models we sampled - the 20d and the 28i - proved themselves to be impressive performers with excellent overall driving dynamics. For its part, the two-litre turbo-diesel version did its best work climbing hills and overtaking in third or fourth gears using manual shifting. The three-litre petrol version also performed impressively and BMW engineers are to be commended for the fuel-economy gains and handling improvements they have achieved. Both models are noticeably quieter and comfort levels have also been improved.

…not to mention excellent turbo-diesel engines and transmissions, don't expect to see Hyundai tackling the one-tonne ute segment in the foreseeable future. While privately Hyundai Australia executives and their dealers would love to take on the likes of HiLux, Triton and the Ford Ranger and Mazda BT-50 cousins, Hyundai global president and CEO Steve S. Yang has thrown cold water on the idea. At an audience with Australian motoring journalists at the company's Seoul head office, I asked Yang whether a HiLux-like single-cab and/or dual-cab ute were under consideration by his company. I pointed out that the global dual-cab segment alone was a two-million-unit market and while it was dominated by the Japanese brands, even Volkswagen had seen the potential of adding the already award-winning Amarok range to its model line-up. Interestingly you just don't see HiLux-type utes on Korean roads but given that country's overwhelming loyalty to home-grown vehicles (about 90 per cent of total sales), one would think a Hyundai dual-cab ute would sell its socks off in its home market not to mention Australia, South Africa, other parts of Asia and South America. Yang at first seemed to think I was talking about pick-up trucks like the big American Ford F250 or Dodge Ram but once he realised the vehicles in question he said he didn't think there was sufficient market potential for a HiLux-type Hyundai. "We would need to sell 100,000 units to get into the segment and at the moment I don't think it's for us," he said. Speaking of 100,000 units, it's the exact figure Yang says Hyundai is shooting for with the new Veloster crossover/coupe. Currently, if utes were on Hyundai's product-development radar, it has several excellent turbo-diesel engines that could slip under the bonnets. The iLoad van runs a 2.5litre double-overhead-cam common-rail unit with 125kW of maximum power at 3900rpm and a handy 392Nm of torque that is on tap between 2000 and 2500rpm. For its petrol version, iLoad uses a 2.4litre unit with 129kW at 6000rpm and 228Nm at 4200rpm. In the case of the ix35 compact SUV, there's the two-litre common-rail-equipped "oiler" with 135kW at 4000 rpm and the same 392Nm of torque produced by the iLoad's engine but it is available between 1800 and 2600rpm. The most grunt Hyundai currently achieves with a turbo-diesel is with the 2.2litre common-rail unit that's under the bonnet of the Santa Fe SUV. It's good for 145kW of maximum power and when mated with a manual "box" it churns out 421Nm of torque. With the sports-shifting six-speed automatic this rises to 436Nm, way more than the Amarok's 400Nm. With all this engine fire power, especially in the diesel department and its engineering clout and build quality, we and Hyundai's Australian dealers, can only hope that one day we see the booming Korean brand's badge adorn a ute.