Articles by Isaac Bober

Jeep Wrangler and Toyota FJ Cruiser go head-to-head in this comparative review.

Led by an engineering and design team based in Brazil (made up of representatives from GM's empire, including Australia) and built in Thailand, the all-new Holden Colorado will be sold in more than 60 markets.Already the third best-selling model in the Holden portfolio, the Colorado has racked up 1500 orders before going on-sale this week. With pricing from $26,990 to $51,990 covering three body styles, four trim levels and 14 different models there's a Colorado to suit just about everyone. And while many of its competitors offer the choice of both a petrol and diesel engine, Holden has opted to offer the choice of two diesels.Against the established players, the all-new Holden Colorado represents decent value. It will extend its capped price servicing to Colorado - that is: $295 per service for the first three years. At the launch, we spent the bulk of our time in the range-topping dual-cab LTZ ($49,990) which looks properly tough.It gets, as standard, things like 17-inch alloys (and a full-size spare), alloy sports bar and side steps, eight-way adjustable driver's seat, Bluetooth and iPod connectivity (as does every model), alarm, air-con and a multi-function steering wheel. No sat-nav to be had though.With more than 90 per cent of all four-wheel drive LCVs sold with a diesel engine, the petrol option won't be missed. Instead, there's the choice of either a 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel making 110kW/350Nm at 2000rpm or a 2.8-litre four good for 132kW/440-470Nm.Bolted onto the back is the choice of either a five-speed manual or a six-speed automatic transmission. Fuel consumption ranges from 7.8-9.0L/100km for the 4x2 range and 8.1-9.1L/100km for the 4x4 range, and that's average rather than class-leading.What is class-leading, though, is the 3500kg braked towing capacity across the 2.8-litre turbo-diesel range. The 2.5-litre turbo-diesel-toting Colorado has a 3000kg braked towing capacity. And, impressively, every model in the line-up has a one-tonne payload. The four-wheel drive system is an electronic shift-on the fly arrangement (you can shift from 4x2 to 4x4 high-range at up to 112km/h) with a two-speed transfer case.The first vehicle to be designed at GM's design studio in Sao Paulo, the high-riding dual-cab looks every bit as attractive, nay, tough and muscular in the metal as it does in pictures. Climb inside and you're met with a stylish looking interior that's dominated by the cool-looking HVAC dial, it's just a shame that, even in the top-spec LTZ, the plastics are cheap looking and both hard and scratchy to the touch.There's plenty of room in the front and, despite the absence of reach adjustment on the steering it's a cinch to get comfortable behind the wheel. In the back, there's decent head, shoulder and legroom (which has been increased over its predecessor). As far as the tray's concerned, in the pick-up, it measures 1.48m x1.53m (wise) which is pretty good, but the four tie-down points don't seem to have been particularly well located and there's no lip on the tray.Holden is confident of good crash safety score. There are airbags for the driver and passenger as well as full-length curtain airbags for front and back seat passengers, stability and traction controls are standard, as is ABS with electronic brakeforce distribution, there are three child-seat anchor points across the back, as well as remote keyless entry, engine immobiliser and an alarm.Despite a healthy 470Nm from just off idle at 2000rpm, the Colorado doesn't feel particularly sharp off the line. This is probably due to the six-speed automatic (from the same family as the Commodore's transmission) which seems clumsy. Indeed, on part throttle, or in slow corners, the Colorado lurches from all to nothing and back again. It's better through faster corners.It doesn't deliver on Holden's claims for SUV-like ride and handling. It's soft at the front and hard at the back (thanks to the cart-sprung bum) and so tends to skip on bumps and have the traction control working over time in tighter corners, or on dirt. And this skittishness, in two-wheel drive mode at least, is exacerbated by the ponderous steering and the spongy brake pedal.Take the Colorado off-road and you won't be disappointed. If anything, it feels better in the rough stuff than around town. The ride settles down, and there's plenty of engine braking when you manually select a gear. But, we'll have a better handle on the Colorado once we've had it in the office and put it across our own test roads.

Kia Rio SLi and Toyota Yaris YRX go head-to-head in this comparative review.

Skoda Yeti 103TDI and VW Tiguan 103TDI go head-to-head in this comparative review.

VW Touareg TDI and Land Rover Discovery go head-to-head in this comparative review.

With a heritage extending back to 1991 (the first-generation S model was based on the Audi 100), this fourth-generation S6 is easily the best yet.It's loaded with clever trim finishes and technology (active engine mounts and active noise control) not previously seen on cars like this, and has been fitted with an engine raised on a diet of blood-drenched red meat. Audi Australia is predicting sales of around 60-80 cars split between S6 and S7 (which will go on-sale at the same time).While prices, and Australian spec, are yet to be confirmed you can expect the new S6, when it arrives Down Under around October-ish, to be priced at less than $200,000.And possibly by some margin too so that it can line up with Merc's E500 ($183,685) and BMW's 550i ($179,900).What you can expect for that sort of coin is quattro all-wheel drive, adaptive air suspension, Audi drive select (vehicle-dynamics control system), 19-inch alloys, sports seats, quad-zone climate control, Audi pre-sense basic safety system, six airbags, stop-start, cylinder deactivation, active engine mounts and active noise control, plus much more.Under the bonnet is a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 (this engine is shared with the S7) making 309kW at 5500-6400rpm and 550Nm from 1400-5200rpm. This is mated to a super-smooth seven-speed twin-clutch transmission, which Audi calls S Tronic.Weighing in at 1895kg, the S6 consumes just 9.6L/100km, and that's not bad when you consider how much oomph this thing has. Fuel consumption has been kept in check through the prodigious use of aluminium (20 per cent of the body is aluminium, making it 15 per cent lighter than an conventional steel-bodied car). The S6 also gets stop-start, and cylinder on demand which sees four of the eight cylinders deactivated during part-load operation.Because dropping to just four cylinders can produce a lot of noise, Audi's engineers have included active noise control, which, in conjunction with active engine mounts, dials out unwanted clatter via a cancellation sound issued through the sound system's speakers... ad it absolutely works.The front grille has a single frame and turns up at the outer edges, there's deeper air dams in the front and a skirt right the way around the car, which gives it a hunkered down and muscular stance. Climb inside and you're met with typical Audi craftsmanship; no other maker does quite as good a job on its interiors, the design, the materials and the finish as Audi does.From behind the wheel, all of the major controls are skewed towards the driver, and the Multi Media Interface (MMI) is easily the simplest of its kind (it leaves BMW's iDrive for dead).Electric adjustment of both front seats makes it an cinch to get into the right position, and there's decent rear seat legroom, shoulder room and headroom. But forget about using the middle seat in the back. There's a long but shallow boot which offers 530 litres of space.As well as a five-star EuroNCAP safety rating (based on A6) the S6 gets the usual complement of active and passive safety aids as well as six airbags and, in Europe at least, is standard with pre sense basic, which is designed to minimise the risk of an collision by warning the driver with an audible chime, and then by applying the brakes if the driver's made no attempt to stop the car. It also has quattro all-wheel drive for impressive grip on all surfaces, and in all weather.While the S6 is quick (0-100km/h flashes up in just 4.6secs) it's the way the thing builds speed that truly impresses. With a diesel-esque 550Nm of torque from just off idle at 1400rpm right the way through to 5200rpm, the S6 flattens hills and makes overtaking an cinch.And, if you're on the Autobahn in Germany, like we were, it'll accelerate right through each of its seven gears with never a let-up in oomph... Every S6 gets adaptive air suspension, which allows you to choose from Comfort, Auto, Dynamic and Individual - we found Auto to be the best setting.Our test car was fitted with cost optional dynamic steering and a sport differential and, if I'm honest, I'd forget about the dynamic steering, it ends up feeling too assisted and artificial. We didn't get a long drive in the S6 (only 87km), but it was long enough to know that you get a bump-smothering ride, an nimble chassis, and an iron-fisted punch.Audis are sometimes criticised for their dull dynamics (the RS5 is one such disappointing example), but the S6 shows that Audi really can offer up class with clout. BMW, and Mercedes-Benz... you have until October before the S6 lands. Be afraid.

Skoda Yeti 112TSI and Subaru XV go head-to-head in this comparative review.

Volkswagen Touareg and Land Rover Discovery4 go head-to-head in this comparative review.

With all of our sun you'd think drop-tops would be (more-ital) popular here in Australia.The reason they're not is usually because driving a convertible is about as much fun as carrying a water-logged tissue box - almost no structural rigidity, see.But thats not the case with the soft-top Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet; with the top up or down it feels as solid as the proverbial rock. Ordinarily, driving a soft-top can be like riding along with your head inside a bass drum, but the Golf Cabriolet is easily one of the quietest canvas-roofed cars on the planet.And with its 1.4-litre turbocharged and supercharged engine, its nimble handling and decent ride youre left scratching your head about why youd look further up the tree at the also-topless VW Eos.VALUEWith prices starting at $36,990 for the six-speed manual, and $39,490 for the seven-speed DSG, the Golf Cabriolet undercuts the likes of the VW Eos (from $49,990), C70 Convertible (from $61,950) , Peugeot 308CC (from $50,990), and even the MINI Cabrio (from $40,350).And you get a fair amount of kit for your money, including dual-zone climate control, hill start assist, Bluetooth and iPod connectivity with audio streaming, electric door mirrors, and wireless remote control of the central locking, matte chrome dash and door inserts, 17-inch alloys with 225-series rubber, rain-sensing wipers. More than that, the glovebox can be cooled and the rear seat back has a 50:50 split.TECHNOLOGYUnder the bonnet is Volkswagens familiar 1.4-litre twin-charger unit which combines turbocharging and supercharging for maximum efficiency and oomph. Theres 118kW at 5800rpm and a hefty 240Nm from 1500-4000rpm, mated to the six-speed manual fuel consumption is 6.6L/100km and drops to 6.5L/100km for the not-so-smooth seven-speed DSG.But its the soft roof thats the clever-clogs part of the car. See, usually its impossible to make a canvas roofed car nice and quiet, but the VW engineers have managed to insulate the inner and outer layer and have virtually eliminated wind noise. And, thanks to four roof bows, the canvas roof manages to keep its shape at all times. It takes the electro-hydraulic roof just 9.0 seconds to open and 11.0 seconds to stow, and it can be operated at up to 30km/h.Even more impressive is the fact theres no rollover bar, rather, theres an automatically deployable rollover modules which are triggered when the airbags are deployed. These units are incredibly compact allowing for folding back seat rests rather than just a ski pass-through port.DESIGNObviously based on the Golf, the Golf Cabriolet also shows styling cues from the Audi A3 Convertible (just look at it from the rear three-quarters). But, rather than just be a drop-top Golf, the Cabriolet has its own distinctive and, dare I say it, muscular and sporting look - its certainly more sports car than cabriolet. And with the roof up or down theres a reasonable 250 litres of bootspace.On the inside, the styling is typical VW and that means its ultra practical and easy to use on the fly. But more than that, its also incredibly well screwed together and the material choice is first rate; in this price range no-one makes a better interior.Theres plenty of room in the front seats which are comfortable and supportive, and thanks to the rear-seat entry aid getting into and out of the spacious back seats (which seat two) is an cinch for even a six-footer like me.SAFETYDue to the fact a soft-top carries no reinforcing roof structure, the engineers are required to make the body as strong as possible. And theyve done a great job with the Golf Cabriolet which is free of scuttle shake and feels just about as rigid as a hard-headed Golf.In addition to the stronger body, the Golf Cabriolet has a five-star ANCAP safety rating, runs five airbags, front and rear head restraints, anti-slip regulation, electronic diff lock, stability control, ABS and electronic brakeforce distribution, and much more.DRIVINGThis is a tale of love and hate... around town I found the Golf Cabriolet to be an awkward beast that was forever wheel spinning from a standing start and then lurching through its first two or three gears. Up to about 30-40km/h the seven-speed DSG seems clumsy indeed compared with the six-speed unit we tested in the petrol-powered Yeti the other week.But, once youre up and running the transmission smooths right out offering rifle-bolt precise shifts and a seamless delivery of oomph. The diesel-like 250Nm from 1500-4000rpm makes flattening hills and overtaking an cinch.And the nimble chassis, compliant ride and well-weighted steering means the Golf Cabriolet is anything but a soggy soft-top. Indeed, turn the Golf Cabriolet into a corner and such is its composure and balance, thanks to its lowered sports suspension (similar to the Golf GTI), that it ends up feeling more hot hatch that high street poseur.This is a drop-top for keen drivers and not just hairdressers... indeed, thanks to the roomy back seats and the ease with which you can access them this could - maybe, possibly - even work as a family carVERDICTIn the Golf Cabriolet and the Eos, Volkswagen has two very similar drop-tops, and going into this drive we thought the Cab would pale next to the Eos, rather were left wondering why youd pay the nearly $10,000 more for the Eos. So sorted is the chassis, the braking, and the cars overall balance, and its plenty comfortable inside too that it not only leaves is VW sibling, but also its rivals well behind it.AT A GLANCEVolkswagen Golf Cabriolet 118TSIPrice: From $36,990 (+ORC)Warrenty: Three years, unlimited kilometresResale Service Interval: 15,000km or 12 monthsSafety Rating: five-star ENCAPSpare: space-saving spareEngine: 1.4-litre turbocharged and supercharged four-cylinderTransmission: six-speed manual; seven-speed DSGBody: 4.33m (L); 1.72m (W); 1.42m (H)Weight: 1424-1443kgThirst: 6.5-6.6L/100km / 155g/km CO2