Articles by James Stanford

A revitalised Vito van has broken cover in Europe.The Mercedes-Benz hauler has a new nose and tail, refreshed engines, an upgraded interior and will be offered for the first time as a front-drive, rear-drive or all-wheel-drive.Mercedes-Benz Australia expects to launch the new Vito range, which can carry up to 1369kg, around the middle of next year. Engineers have gone through every part of the mid-sized van in a bid to improve the fuel economy and usability.The hydraulically assisted steering has been given the flick, replaced with a new electric system. This saves fuel because the new system uses a powerful electric motor to help the driver move the steering wheel and does not constantly sap the engine of power like the hydraulic system does. New axles have been developed with an aim to greatly reducing friction.There are two revised turbodiesel four cylinder engines available, a 1.6-litre, which is unlikely to make it to Australia, and a 2.2-litre, which definitely will. The smaller engine is designed for operators who carry lighter loads and really value efficiency. It is available with two different outputs, including a measly 65kW and a more reasonable 84kW.The 2.2-litre unit is available with three different outputs, ranging from 100kW to 140kW. The 140kW version is called the 119 Bluetec and is the only model in the range to meet the strict Euro 6 emission standard.Mercedes says a raft of revisions, including the lower friction diffs and electric steering, has cut the fuel consumption figures of some Vito models by an impressive 20 per cent.The optional BlueEfficiency package, which includes fuel saving measures such as a stop/start function and low rolling resistance tyres, enables the best possible efficiency figures. The leanest Vito, the lowest output 1.6 with a BlueEfficiency package, records a remarkable combined fuel consumption figure of 5.7 litres per 100km.Mercedes is offering a six-speed manual gearbox as the standard transmission on most Vitos. A seven-speed torque convertor automatic is optional on most models and standard on some of the higher-end versions.Fuel saving front-wheel-drive is available only on the smaller capacity engine. Vitos fitted with the larger engine can be specified with rear-drive, or in some cases, AWD.The constant AWD system is designed to enable the Vito to traverse slippery surfaces, such as snow covered roads and muddy building sites. It is not a rock-hopping machine to be used for extreme off-road work.Mercedes will offer the new Vito as a regular cargo van, a crew van and a straight out people mover.The people mover version can be fitted with up to eight airbags. A latest generation Electronic Stability Control system will be standard as will Crosswind Assist, which helps keep the van tracking in a straight line in gusty winds.A parking assistance feature, which parks the van with very little input from the driver, will be an option, as will be a blind spot monitoring system and parking sensors.Mercedes will also offer its Lane Keeping Assist function that actively steers the vehicle back into the lane if it starts to drift to the side without its indicators on.Special lights, which use LEDs for everything except the high beam will also be available as an option. These headlights vary the spread of the beam automatically depending on whether the vehicle is being driven down a city street or a country highway and also have a cornering function that allows the driver to see through the corner instead of straight ahead.The Vito range is largely the same size as the previous generation, but a new front end with additional pedestrian crash protection has extended the length by around 14cm.

Luxury maker Maserati is rolling the dice with the more affordable Ghibli. This four-door coupe, the same size as a BMW 5 Series, is the cheapest Maserati yet, starting at $138,900, or scores of thousands less than the next model in the line-up.At risk is the Maserati mystique, borne of its exclusivity, which could take a hit when more of its cars are spotted on the street. The reward would be a dramatic boost in sales and profits. Maserati sold just 6300 cars around the world in 2012, but is aiming to move 50,000 next year. The Ghibli (pronounced Gibbly) is right at the centre of the plan.Maserati's new coupe will quickly become the brand's best seller in Australia but in turn it is expected to be outsold by a new Maserati SUV called the Levante, which will cost a similar amount when it arrives in 2016. For its part Maserati argues that the new, more affordable, models won't hurt the brand because sightings on Australian roads will still be rare.Even if Maserati sells 1500 cars a year locally after the Levante arrives, spokesman Edward Rowe says: 'That is still a small number when you consider the new car market in Australia is one million cars a year." The Ghibli takes its name from a prevailing wind in Syria. Maserati first used the name in 1963 then reprised it in 1992.The new car is essentially a downsized Quattroporte, although it might be rude to point that out to someone who has shelled-out more than a quarter of a million dollars on the larger model. Firstly, it looks like a Quattroporte, with the same aggressive nose and sloping coupe profile but the smaller proportions mean it looks better than its big brother.Plainly it isn't as expensive as the Quattroporte nor does it have quite the same presence, but most people will assume it costs more than it does. The Ghibli is also built on a shortened version of the Quattroporte platform and even employs the same suspension design.When it comes to engines, yep, you guessed it, they are from the Quattroporte too. The most affordable Ghibli costs $138,900. This uses a 3.0-litre turbo diesel V6 from VM Motori, which is also available in the Jeep Grand Cherokee. This example has a unique Maserati tune for outputs of 202kW/600Nm, so it doesn't mess about when you jab the accelerator.Next up is the "standard" petrol engine, a 3.0-litre direct injection V6 with two intercooled turbochargers, developed in conjunction with Ferrari and built in Maranello. It costs $139,990 and it has a 243kW/500Nm version of the engine under its long bonnet.A warmer version, with more aggressive engine management software that increases the outputs to 301kW/550Nm, tops the current range at $169,900. For the record, Maserati says a high-revving V8 and an even more powerful V6 are planned for the Ghibli at some stage in the next few years.Carsguide drove the more powerful V6 at the launch near Byron Bay this week and came away pondering: 'Why would anyone buy the more expensive Quattroporte?" For its part, Maserati reckons customers who want a larger limousine with more interior space will be happy to hand over the additional cash for the bigger car.Regardless, the Ghibli is a great performance sedan that looks beautiful, stands out on the road and goes mighty fast when required (0-100km/h in 5.0 seconds).It handles extremely well and its hydraulic steering (not electric as in almost all other new cars) is wonderfully involving. The ride of our test car was uncomfortably harsh but it was running optional 20-inch wheels ($5090). It should ride better on the standard 18s.Surprisingly, there is some turbo lag but the engine is remarkably strong when the turbos start spinning. You better pay attention because the revs build extremely quickly.The V6 has a meaty sound, which is louder in Sport mode, does a great "thrump" on gear changes - but doesn't sound as good as a V8.All Ghiblis get an eight-speed automatic, a regular torque converter type, which swaps cogs quickly and without fuss and it can be controlled via paddle-shifters on the steering column. Selecting reverse, park or neutral via the centre-mounted gear shifter can be frustrating as the design is surprisingly poor.This is a rare negative in what is an excellent interior.The cabin not only looks smart and expensive, but the controls and easy to use. There is plenty of space for four adults, sitting on sculpted seats trimmed with soft leather and it has as a decent boot. Small items, such as USB charger and 12V charger ports in the rear centre armrest show Maserati has put in a lot of thought.

Melbourne hosts spectacular show cars worth $40m-plus.

James Stanford road tests and reviews the Renault Kangoo Maxi Crew van, with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Forget white-bread family buses and meet one of the world's toughest people movers.It's called the Inkas Huron Armoured Personnel Carrier and is based on a North American Kenworth truck chassis. Canadian company INKAS specialises in bomb-proof cars and special SWAT-style trucks for law enforcement agencies and approved defence agencies.The Huron is its latest and most advanced APC. It has been developed to be as light and agile as possible, while also providing a high level of protection for its occupants.As Inkas explains, its design "maximizes its ability to protect passengers in any environment and allow the vehicle to endure high levels of attacks while maintaining its full performance". Special armour plating is fitted to protect the occupants as well as the engine bay to ensure the Huron can still move after taking a hit. The armour plating meets all kinds of standards for a range of ammunition as well offering blast protection for select hand grenades and equivalent light anti-personnel mines. If the APC is deployed to a particularly rough area, there is always the option of fitting a roof-mounted gun turret.Inkas bases the Huron on a medium duty Kenworth truck, but removes the donor body and fits its own unique hard-shell. It retains the 8.3-litre PX8 turbo diesel six-cylinder, which wears PACCAR badges but is actually a version of the ISC unit manufactured by Cummins. This is a modern diesel engine that runs common rail fuel injection and a variable geometry turbocharger that improves driveability.It is available with power outputs of between 149kW (200hp) and 242kW (325hp), although it is not clear on the exact power and torque figures of the Huron APC.Like the donor truck, the Huron runs a durable ten-speed Allison manual transmission. Inkas also builds armoured vehicles based on the Toyota Hilux, Land Rover Defender and Toyota Tundra as well as a prisoner transport vehicle based on the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van.

It is a test mule of what Advanced Tactics calls the Black Knight Transformer, a vehicle that can deliver 2000kg of cargo to hard to reach places."Haven’t they got helicopters for that?" You might well ask. Well, sort of. But the reason Advanced Tactics is putting so much work into this odd looking machine is that it also has the ability to drive at up to 112km/h.Not only that, the Black Night Transformer can also traverse extreme terrain, with independent suspension and considerable ground clearance. Advanced Tactics has released a video of the prototype flying truck hovering a few metres above the ground in order to show the project is making progress.Its makers claim that, should the Black Knight make it into production, it would be able to rise several thousand feet above the ground. The prototype was nowhere near as advanced to allow for safe flying at such heights. It even had an extension cord hanging from the cockpit, which Advanced Tactics says was there to provide back-up power in the case of a failure.The Black Knight successfully lifted off, hovered and landed again, using a semi-auto pilot system that controls everything except the amount of power applied, which is instead managed by a human pilot in the cockpit. Eventually, this would be able to be controlled remotely, allowing the unmanned vehicle to drop cargo in hazardous locations without putting any pilot or crew.The Black Knight has eight rotors, which all have their individual power sources. Early prototypes ran electric motors, then there were petrol versions and the final version will use diesel units. The machine is 9.5m long and 5.8m wide, although the rotors and support arms can fold away for easy transport.Check out the video of the Black Knight in action on our dekstop site. 

So, your workhorse ute can carry 1000kg. That's cute.

Iveco has released images of its latest load hauler, which it will launch later this year in Europe and early next year in Australia. The company says the third generation Daily is all new and it certainly looks it thanks to a fresh face featuring angled headlights and a double grille, split by a strip of body colour. But the changes run deeper, with Iveco changing wheelbases and body sizes across the range as well as introducing new suspension.Iveco is not releasing all the details of its latest Daily just yet, so it is hard to tell whether it will run a new engine or an improved version of the existing poweplant. Either way, Iveco is prepared to say the next generation Daily will be 5 per cent more fuel efficient than the existing model. It has also confirmed the new van will be built at two recently upgraded factories in Spain and Italy.The new Iveco will be offered as a regular van as well as a cab-chassis version that can be fitted with a tray or body or be converted into a motor home. The company is discussing three van sizes, one with 18 square metres of cargo area, another with 20 square metres and one with 11 square metres that Iveco says is the most space efficient in its class, which means it has the longest load area for a vehicle of its size.There is a new front suspension for models up to 3.5 tonnes and a new rear suspension system for all two-wheel drive Daily models. Iveco says the suspension changes have been made for better control and carrying capacity.It claims to have greatly improved the driving experience, cutting the road and tyre noise while improving the ergonomics and upgrading the airconditionsing system.

The Renault Master Cab Chassis is half ute, half van. It's a little more nimble than a light truck and yet it's a bit less comfortable than some of the better workhorse utes.

Ateco Automotive, which also imports Chery and Lotus cars, last week announced it had taken over the Australian distribution of Foton Tunland utes from Queensland-based FAA Automotive.Ateco last year took over the local distribution of Chinese-made Foton trucks from TransPacific Industries, which had struggled to sell the cut-price machines at the same dealerships as its Western Star trucks. Ateco spokesman, Daniel Cotterill, says the company was happy to have the Foton ute business although it didn't try to poach it from FAA.  "This development came at the request of Foton (in China)," Cotterill says. "They came to us and said that it is not working for whatever reason, let's do this."Cotterill says Ateco and Foton are still working out the details of the models it will use to re-launch the brand locally in the middle of this year. Working Wheels understands the crew cab version will be a certain starter, although the recently launched single cab may not be in the new line-up. Ateco is also not ready to start discussing prices of the Foton utes, but Cotterill says "we will come back with sharper pricing."Rivals have suggested Foton had initially asked too much for its crew cab ute, launched in 2002 from $28,000 to $35,000, and underestimated the caution with which most Australian customers approach a new brand from China. The Foton utes will not be as cheap as the Great Wall workhorses, which start from $17,990, partly because they use more brand name componentry such as Cummins engines and also because of higher quality levels.Cotterill says Great Wall was not worried that Ateco was taking on another ute brand because the company has already shown it can import rival brands without problems. Ateco will also consider passenger versions of Foton vehicles if they are made available for Australia.