Articles by James Cleary

BMW has confirmed Australian pricing and specification for its refreshed 7 Series flagship sedan.

Mercedes-Benz has chosen this year’s Shanghai motor show (April 18-25, 2019) to reveal a concept version of its upcoming GLB compact SUV.As its name implies, the GLB is aimed at the space between the compact GLA and small GLC, pitched as a “spacious and robust” seven-seater, sitting on the same platform as its coupe-style GLA sibling.At just over 4.6m long, close to 1.9m wide and 1.9m high the GLB is relatively small for a seven-seat vehicle, but it’s more upright design and long wheelbase prioritise space-efficiency over sporty looks.The car's two forward-facing third-row seats can be folded flat into the boot floor, with Mercedes-Benz claiming they “offer comfortable seating for two medium-sized occupants.”Powered by a 165kW/350Nm (M260) four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine, with drive going to all four wheels via an eight-speed dual-clutch auto transmission and Benz’s ‘4Matic’ system, the Concept GLB is finished in ‘designo cashmere white magno’ with wheel claddings and an integrated roof box in contrast high-gloss black.Other elements unlikely to feature on the production model are the show car’s chrome front underguard, roof frame-mounted LED spotlights, and chunky off-road tyres mounted on 17-inch ‘bicolour’ rims.The close to production-ready interior will be familiar to most current model Mercedes-Benz owners, the fascia dominated by the brand’s broad twin-screen ‘MBUX’ instrument and multimedia display, with signature turbine-style air vents in the centre stack and either end of the dash.Not so production-ready are the cabin trim materials, including open-pored walnut on the dash and centre console (complete with chiselled honeycomb pattern) as well as special nappa and nubuck leathers combined with vibrant orange fabric.The Concept GLB’s debut at this year’s Shanghai show follows the appearance of the Concept GLA at the same event in 2013.The resulting GLA was in local showrooms around 12 months later, so although Mercedes-Benz Australia says “at this stage we are unable to provide local comment about any possible future production vehicles” expect the GLA to launch here in early 2020.Mercedes-Benz claims to have sold more than six million SUVs worldwide, with 820,000 units registered in 2018 alone, making it the brand’s largest segment.

Big, bold and ridiculously fast, the Chrysler 300 SRT is old school muscle in a roomy, rear-wheel drive sedan package. Could this be the monster V8 antidote for enthusiasts suffering HSV and FPV four door withdrawal?

You're never going to mistake it for anything but a Porsche 911, but this eighth-generation version of one of the world's most iconic sports car is all-new, and all-brilliant.

Launch pricing, before on-road costs, for the Porsche 911 Carrera 4S  starts at $281,800 for the Coupe, stepping up to $302,600 for the Cabriolet version.And aside from the new 911’s comprehensive safety and performance packages the standard features list is an impressive roll-call.It kicks off with partial leather trim, complete with chequered flag style cloth inserts over heated 14-way electrically-adjustable sports seats (with memory package), a leather-trimmed sports steering wheel, dual-zone climate control air conditioning, ‘Porsche Communication Management’ (audio, navigation, communication and assistance systems), 12-speaker Bose Surround Sound-audio (including digital radio), Apple CarPlay (no Android Auto), keyless entry and start, rain-sensing wipers, LED auto headlights, the characteristic ‘4-point’ LED daytime running lights plus LED tail-lights, the ‘Carrera S’ alloy wheels, active cruise control, the 10.9-inch multimedia screen, and twin 7.0-inch digital instrument screens.The 911’s rear-mounted, all-alloy 3.0-litre, twin-turbo flat six-cylinder engine now features high-pressure piezo injectors and bigger turbos for more power (+22kW) and torque (+30Nm), with outputs reading 331kW (444 horsepower) at 6500rpm and 530Nm from 2300-5000rpm.Although the new 911 hasn’t been given a safety rating by ANCAP or Euro NCAP, you could argue its exceptional dynamic ability represents one giant, five-star safety feature.With the optional Sport Chrono package the roughly 1.5-tonne C4S will accelerate from 0-100kmh in just 3.4sec. Even without it that number only drops by two tenths.In designing a modern sports car, who’d hang the engine over the back wheels? This layout just shouldn’t work in the way it does, but Porsche has continued to evolve and hone the 911 to an incredibly fine point. It’s a simply superb sports car experience.

Launch pricing, before on-road costs, for the Porsche 911 Cabriolet starts at $286,500 for the rear-wheel drive Carrera S, stepping up to $302,600 for the all-wheel drive Carrera 4S versionAnd aside from the new 911’s comprehensive safety and performance packages the standard features list is an impressive roll-call.It kicks off with partial leather trim, complete with chequered flag style cloth inserts over heated 14-way electrically-adjustable sports seats (with memory package), a leather-trimmed sports steering wheel, dual-zone climate control air conditioning, ‘Porsche Communication Management’ (audio, navigation, communication and assistance systems), 12-speaker Bose Surround Sound-audio (including digital radio), Apple CarPlay (no Android Auto), keyless entry and start, rain-sensing wipers, LED auto headlights, the characteristic ‘4-point’ LED daytime running lights plus LED tail-lights, the ‘Carrera S’ alloy wheels, active cruise control, the 10.9-inch multimedia screen, and twin 7.0-inch digital instrument screens.The 911’s rear-mounted, all-alloy 3.0-litre, twin-turbo flat six-cylinder engine now features high-pressure piezo injectors and bigger turbos for more power (+22kW) and torque (+30Nm), with outputs reading 331kW (444 horsepower) at 6500rpm and 530Nm from 2300-5000rpm.Although the new 911 hasn’t been given a safety rating by ANCAP or Euro NCAP, you could argue its exceptional dynamic ability represents one giant, five-star safety feature.With the optional Sport Chrono package the roughly 1.5-tonne C4S will accelerate from 0-100kmh in just 3.4sec. Even in its ‘slowest’ non-Chrono CS form that number only drops by three tenths.In designing a modern sports car, who’d hang the engine over the back wheels? This layout just shouldn’t work in the way it does, but Porsche has continued to evolve and hone the 911 to an incredibly fine point. It’s a simply superb sports car experience.

At $67,900 before on-road costs, the 320d is the entry-point to the two model 3 Series launch range.It’s powered by a 2.0-litre twin-turbo four-cylinder diesel engine, featuring common-rail direct-injection and variable inlet timing. It produces 140kW at 4000rpm and 400Nm between 1750-2500rpm.BMW says the 320d will accelerate from 0-100km/h in 6.8sec, yet it’s claimed to consume a miserly 4.5L/100km, emitting 119g/km of CO2 in the process.The standard equipment list is long, including ‘Adaptive LED headlights’ (with ‘High-Beam Assistant’), LED fog lights and tail-lights, electrically adjustable and heated exterior mirrors (with electric fold-in function), rain-sensing wipers, three-zone climate control, electrically-adjustable sports front seats (with memory function for driver and front passenger), wireless smartphone charging, ‘Aluminium Tetragon’ interior trim finishers, 12.3-inch ‘BMW Live Cockpit Professional’ digital instrument display, ‘Navigation System Professional’ with 10.25-inch digital touchscreen display also managing a 10-speaker, 205-watt audio system, including a 20GB hard drive and DAB+ digital radio. Apple CarPlay is included.Also included are ‘BMW TeleServices’ taking in ‘ConnectedDrive’(free use of vehicle apps via ‘BMW Online’), real-time traffic info and ‘Concierge Services’. The ‘BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant’ responds to a “Hey BMW’ voice command with a range of hands-free functions like nav, calls and texts. We had mixed success in challenging this friendly PA.And the new 3 Series’ standard safety package is exactly where it needs to be, now including a swag of current active safety tech as well as eight airbags.BMW offers a three year/unlimited km warranty, which is drifting off the pace now with the majority of mainstream brands stepping up to five-year cover, with some at seven.On the upside, bodywork is covered for 12 years, the paint for three, and 24-hour roadside assistance is complimentary for three years.

At $70,990 before on-road costs, the 330i tops the two model 3 Series launch range.A 2.0-litre single turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine sits under the 330i’s bonnet incorporating direct-injection, as well as variable valve and cam timing. Peak outputs are 190kW from 5000-6500rpm and 400Nm between 1550-4400rpm.BMW says the 330i will accelerate from 0-100km/h in 5.8sec, yet it’s claimed to consume a handy 6.4L/100km emitting 147g/km of CO2 in the process.The 3 Series standard equipment list is long, including ‘Adaptive LED headlights’ (with ‘High-Beam Assistant’), LED fog lights and tail-lights, electrically adjustable and heated exterior mirrors (with electric fold-in function), rain-sensing wipers, three-zone climate control, electrically-adjustable sports front seats (with memory function for driver and front passenger), wireless smartphone charging, ‘Aluminium Tetragon’ interior trim finishers, 12.3-inch ‘BMW Live Cockpit Professional’ digital instrument display, ‘Navigation System Professional’ with 10.25-inch digital touchscreen display also managing a 10-speaker, 205-watt audio system, including a 20GB hard drive and DAB+ digital radio. Apple CarPlay is included.Also included are ‘BMW TeleServices’ taking in ‘ConnectedDrive’(free use of vehicle apps via ‘BMW Online’), real-time traffic info and ‘Concierge Services’. The ‘BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant’ responds to a “Hey BMW’ voice command with a range of hands-free functions like nav, calls and texts. We had mixed success in challenging this friendly PA.The 330i adds 19-inch alloys, ‘Vernasca’ leather upholstery, ‘Comfort Access’ (keyless entry to all doors), adaptive suspension, M Sport brakes, ‘Driving Assistant Professional’ (active cruise control with ‘Stop&Go’ function, front and rear cross-traffic warning, steering and lane control assist, lane keeping assistant with side collision warning, crossroads warning and ‘Evasion Aid’), and ‘Parking Assistant Plus’ (‘Parking Assistant’ with ‘Active Park Distance Control’ rear, ‘Reversing Assistant’, ‘Surround View’, ‘Panorama View’, and ‘3D View’)And the new 3 Series’ standard safety package is exactly where it needs to be, now including a swag of current active safety tech as well as eight airbags.BMW offers a three year/unlimited km warranty, which is drifting off the pace now with the majority of mainstream brands stepping up to five-year cover, with some at seven.On the upside, bodywork is covered for 12 years, the paint for three, and 24-hour roadside assistance is complimentary for three years.

Before the world went SUV mad BMW was best known as a maker of fast, sophisticated sedans, with sleek wagons, coupes and convertibles on the side. The new, seventh-generation 3 Series is here to remind us that BMW hasn't lost it's premium touring car mojo.

The Corolla has moved on from its humble shopping trolley past. With snappy looks and a high-tech chassis, it's also available with high-tech hybrid drive.