Articles by Joshua Dowling

Each of these utes cost more than a Mercedes-Benz luxury sedan. Joshua Dowling finds out why.

Australia's crash test authority ANCAP delivered another own goal this week, making it even more confusing for buyers wanting to know a car's true safety score.

The Mustang may be the focus of Ford's performance-car spotlight, but another high-powered present is around the corner.Ford has confirmed production of the new generation Focus RS – and it is coming to Australia.The new Focus RS is set to be Ford's fastest and most powerful hot hatch of all time, powered by the same turbocharged 2.3-litre engine used in the upcoming Mustang – with all-wheel-drive grip to get its grunt to the road.The pocket rocket will also help enthusiasts find their nearest race track to exploit the car's performance."Simple voice commands such as 'find a race track' enable RS owners to get instant directions to the nearest public circuit," says Ford press blurb.The high-powered engine in such a small car is tipped to challenge the likes of the Volkswagen Golf R and Subaru WRX STI.Ford is yet to confirm timing and pricing but the Focus RS is expected in Australian showrooms in the first half of 2016, with a sharp RRP likely to undercut the $50,000 Golf R and WRX STI.Ford Australia has developed a pattern of undercutting its hot hatch rivals: the Fiesta ST at $25,990 is cheaper than the VW Polo GTI, Renault Clio RS and Peugeot 208 GTI and the $38,290 Focus ST costs less than the VW Golf GTI and Subaru WRX despite being better equipped.Ford will reveal further details at next month's Geneva motor showOver-delivering and under-pricing is part of Ford's plan to attract buyers who have not previously considered its performance cars before.Ford says it wants volume sales from its new global performance model, which means the new Focus RS will be less of a niche vehicle and more widely available. It is one of 12 new performance cars due before 2020.Ford will reveal further details at next month's Geneva motor show but says the new Focus RS will have "well in excess" of 230kW.Overseas reports have speculated an output of 250kW of power and more than 450Nm of torque (up from 224kW and 440Nm from the previous Focus RS).The vehicle will go into production in Saarlouis, Germany late this year before becoming the first Ford RS model sold globally.The previous Focus RS – sold in small numbers in Australia in 2010 – was a three-door front-wheel-drive model powered by a turbocharged 2.5-litre five-cylinder engine shared with Volvo.Ford Australia imported just 315 examples in September 2010, after Ireland gave up its remaining allocation of cars due to excess supply and weakened demand in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis.Despite costing $60,000, all 315 examples were snapped up within months.What we know so far:Engine: Turbocharged 2.3-litre four-cylinderPower: In excess of 230kW and 450NmTransmission: Six-speed manual, all-wheel-drive with torque vectoring (sending grip to the wheel that needs it most in corners and up to 70 per cent of power to the rear wheels)Other highlights: Brembo racing brakes, lightweight 19-inch alloy rims, Michelin high performance tyres, two-mode shock absorbers, Recaro seats, flat-bottomed steering wheel, stop-start technology, automatic emergency braking, bi-xenon headlights, 10-speaker Sony sound system with a subwoofer.

The handbrake got stuck on new cars in January, with sales dipping despite record low interest rates, end-of-year clearance deals and the removal of import tariffs on Japanese vehicles.

Suzuki Australia has delayed the introduction of its new budget-priced small car, the $13,990 Celerio.

The all-new Nissan Navara and heavily facelifted Mitsubishi Triton are due in April and May ahead of updates to the Ford Ranger and Mazda BT-50 in July and an all-new Toyota HiLux in October. Dealers are keen to move stock about to be superseded with 2014 build plates.As with our story last week on clearance prices for passenger cars, the savings on utes vary from brand to brand.Most of these deals end on January 31, but if you sign on the dotted line this weekend, most will honour the sale price next week. After all, the vehicles in dealer stock aren't getting any younger.Discounts on the Ranger are rare but with an update around the corner Ford has sharpened the price on the middle-of-the-range XLS to compete with most other brands which sell around this RRP. The 2.2-litre diesel XLS crew cab 4x4 is $41,990 drive-away and the 3.2-litre five-cylinder diesel version is $44,490 in the traffic.Both offers equate to savings of about $5000. A tip: these prices are for manual models; use the savings to upgrade to automatic (adds $2000) as the manual transmission is not as refined or reliable as the six-speed auto. Footnote: savings on the popular XLT are relatively minor ($53,490 drive-away is not much off the RRP) so haggle for at least another $2000 off.The Mazda BT-50 is the Ford Ranger's twin under the skin — they have different bodies but are made on the same production line in Thailand and share the same engines, which is why Ford's premium RRP is normally so conspicuous. The BT-50 dual cab XTR is good buying at $45,990 drive-away; the $1500 premium over the 3.2 Ranger XLS adds navigation, larger alloy wheels, dual zone air-conditioning and side steps.The discounts on the Mitsubishi Triton crew cab GLX+ 4x4 have cooled but it's still one of the best buys. Late last year the price limboed to $29,990 drive-away but the 2014 clearance price is $31,990 drive-away with a free towbar.The price of the Triton is likely to get sharper in the coming months as the new model gets closer, and newer rivals start to appear in showrooms. Mitsubishi also has the cheapest single-cab 4x2 diesel ute with a drop-side tray (from a mainstream brand): $22,990 drive-away.Nissan Navara discounts are hard to pin down because the company favours finance offers or teases buyers with "huge factory bonuses", without highlighting exactly what price you can expect to pay. That means some buyers will pay more than others, so be sure to shop around.The only transparent price on the Nissan Navara this month is a limited edition "Silverline" crew cab 4x4 that comes with a sports bar, alloy wheels, and tub-liner. The $34,990 drive-away price is OK, but Nissan has dipped to lower than this on other models in the past six months, so there should still be some wriggle room in this price.Discounts on the Isuzu D-Max fluctuate and the 2014 clearance prices are middle-of-the-road in the current climate, but it's still one of the cheapest tickets to five-star ute safety: $37,990 drive-away for the SX crew cab 4x4 on steel wheels, with a $1000 voucher to spend on accessories.The Holden Colorado is available from $38,990 drive-away for the LS crew cab 4x4. You can take up the "no deposit, no repayments until 2016 offer" but the loan must be repaid in four years or less and the interest rate is not disclosed online and varies from dealer to dealer. We were quoted an interest rate of between 8 and 9 cent. Note: the interest is calculated from the day you sign the deal, even though you don't have to make the first payment until 2016.That means that your individual instalments will be higher than if you had started paying off the loan immediately.The top-line HiLux SR5 can currently be had for $49,990 drive-away, but it has been as low as $46,990 drive-away in the past 18 months, so be sure to haggle. Want a cheap 4x2 single cab with drop-side tray?The base model Workmate manual with air-conditioning (yes, still an option normally) can be had for $21,990 drive-away for the petrol model.Deals on the Volkswagen Amarok ebb and flow but the German brand has a super-sharp offer at the moment to keep up in the sales race with the mainstream ute brands: $37,990 drive-away for a the Amarok crew cab 4x4 manual with alloy wheels, fog lights and metallic paint.There is still a question mark over VW reliability but the Amarok is covered by a three-year/unlimited kilometre warranty. A factory-backed extended warranty (to five years) is available for between $3000 and $3500 depending on distance coverage.

Sausages are sizzling, the hessian fences are up and those weird inflatable statues are flapping in the breeze: it's clearance sale time at new-car yards across Australia.

The BMW i3 electric car has won Wheels magazine’s latest Car of the Year award even though it conked out during the test because it ran out of power.The oddly shaped $65,000 car which is about the same size as a $15,000 hatchback, is one of the most controversial winners of the world’s oldest Car of the Year award since the Leyland P76 in 1973, the Holden Camira in 1982 and the Honda CR-Z hybrid sports car in 2011, of which fewer than 100 were sold last year.The magazine also admits its latest winner is poor value: “If the i3 has an obvious weakness, it’s value.”BMW sold just 33 examples of its quirky i3 electric car since it was introduced last year. Even the Leyland P76 sold more examples in its first partial year on sale.The BMW i3 was criticised by the magazine because it drained power too quickly after it failed to complete one phase of the test.“BMW could and should do a better job of explaining the range extender functions and the importance of avoiding battery depletion,” the magazine said.However, Wheels editor Glenn Butler defended the decision to hand the award to the BMW i3 and added "It didn't break down ... it ran out of electricity".“We aren’t suggesting this is the car for every Australian,” Mr Butler told News Corp Australia.“Those who do big country kilometres will need something with greater range. But for the average Australian who does just 40km a day, the i3 offers fuel-free, emission-free motoring.”The BMW i3 is not the first winner to run out of fuel. The Ford Falcon that won in 2002 ran dry and had to be refuelled, said Mr Butler.Meanwhile safety advocates have criticised the award because the BMW i3 only scores four stars out of five for safety according to European authorities.Even Wheels magazine admitted: “Like almost any car in production, it could be made a little safer.”However, in earlier awards, Wheels took safety so seriously that in the year 2000, Holden air-freighted a Barina from Europe to Australia because the magazine insisted all contenders have three-point, lap-sash seatbelts.Until Wheels introduced the rule, the Barina at the time had a lap-only belt in the middle back seat. It went on to win the 2001 award.The BMW i3 is the first car with a four-star safety rating to win the award in 10 years.“Questions have been raised about the i3’s four-star (rating),” said the magazine. “There’s no question, however, that the BMW i3 does a good job of protecting its occupants in a crash.”The BMW i3 has seven airbags but it was marked down for having a poor pedestrian safety rating.Last year, 151 pedestrians were killed on Australian roads, accounting for 13 per cent of the total road toll.The head of the Pedestrian Council of Australia Harold Scruby said: “It’s disappointing that such a prestigious award should not take pedestrian safety seriously. When we get out of a car, we’re all pedestrians.”

Holden has confirmed the imported car that will replace the Australian-made Commodore will inherit the iconic badge – even though it is widely speculated to be a front-wheel-drive car like a Toyota Camry, not a rear-wheel-drive car like every Commodore since 1978 and all homegrown Holden sedans dating back to the original in 1948.The decision has divided diehard Holden fans who believe the Commodore badge should be retired gracefully, just as Ford will assign the Falcon badge to the history books when it reaches the end of the production line next year.Holden says it interviewed 110 people and "70 per cent" voted in favour of keeping the Commodore badge once the Holden factory in Elizabeth falls silent in late 2017, ending 39 years of Commodore production, comfortably outlasting the iconic Kingwood badge which was dropped after 16 years.We will continue with the Commodore nameplateMarketing experts say a minimum of 1000 people need to be surveyed to get an accurate sample, but Holden says the study of 110 people were "in-depth customer focus groups conducted over a couple of hours to drill right down, not just a phone call"."We will continue with the Commodore nameplate," said the head of General Motors' international operations Stefan Jacoby."Commodore is very much embedded into Holden, it's part of the Holden history, it's part of what Australian customers want to have and we listened to our customers."Mr Jacoby said Holden is already testing the new model at its top secret test track in Lang Lang on the south-eastern outskirts of Melbourne. Holden is yet to confirm which engines will power the next Commodore but insiders have confirmed the vehicle will be available with four-cylinder and V6 power globally and there will be no V8.Holden said it is prepared for a possible backlashMr Jacoby also defended the mooted switch to front-wheel-drive."I'm coming from a front-wheel drive group – the VW-Audi Group – with this company we don't believe there is a true disadvantage between a front-wheel drive … towards a rear-wheel drive."Holden said it is prepared for a possible backlash but believes it has made the right move."We know the decision to retain or retire the Commodore nameplate will stir passionate responses among Holden fans and customers," said Holden sales director Peter Keley."That's why we'll ensure the next-generation car drives like a Commodore should. The vehicle will be tuned and honed by Holden engineers and technicians … ensuring it performs in Australian conditions and to Australian expectations."The next 'Commodore' will be the new version of the Opel Insignia, a German sedan that is also sold in the US and China as a Buick, but Holden will have input into design and engineering."Right now, our vehicle performance team is helping shape the next-generation Commodore for Australian customers," said Mr Keley.Once the 2018 version arrives it means the Holden Commodore will have come full circle; the original 1978 model shared its DNA with the Opel family and fleet sedan of the time.Retaining the Commodore nameplate is the right decision for HoldenHolden engineers modified the vehicle to suit Australian conditions. Over the next 30 years the Commodore shared less Opel DNA and eventually became a bespoke Australian design.But Holden insists the 2018 Commodore will find favour among local buyers."The next-generation large car we have selected from GM's global portfolio is worthy of the iconic Commodore nameplate," said Mr Keley."When it arrives in 2018, our new large car will honour Commodore's heritage and support a long and successful future for Holden in Australia.""Customers have confirmed that retaining the Commodore nameplate is the right decision for Holden."Have your say on our Facebook page: Should Holden call the imported front-wheel-drive sedan a Commodore? 

Fewer people are dying on Australian roads but the rate of serious injuries is increasing – because, experts warn, occupants of modern cars are surviving crashes that may have killed them only a few years ago.The national road toll fell to its lowest level in 69 years – since the end of World War II in 1945 – but, disturbingly, five of the eight states and territories posted increases in 2014.Official figures from the Department of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics show 1153 people died on Australian roads in 2014; the last time there was a figure lower than this was in 1945, when 1011 people died.Better roads, traffic enforcement and safer cars have contributed to reducing the number of road deathsNSW (309 deaths) posted its lowest road toll in 90 years while Queensland (223) and Tasmania (35) also posted significant decreases.However, Victoria (249) posted its first increase since 2005, while West Australia (1818), South Australia (107), the Northern Territory (39) and the ACT (10) all posted increases.The Australian Automobile Association says better roads, traffic enforcement and safer cars have contributed to reducing the number of road deaths.But the peak motoring body is concerned about the high number of serious injuries, and the fact that not all states publish hospitalisation data.Airbags are keeping some people alive in crashes they might have died in only a few years ago"We have serious concerns that the lower fatality rate may be masking an increase in the number of serious injury crashes," said the acting chief executive of the AAA, James Goodwin."Airbags are keeping some people alive in crashes they might have died in only a few years ago, and leaving them with serious injuries."The AAA estimates the number of people left with serious injuries in a crash is more than 30 times the number of those killed on the roads.It latest report calculates about 32,500 people are seriously injured on the roads each year.All states and territories need to start accurately counting serious injuriesVictoria is the only state to regularly publish hospitalisation data from road crashes; the latest figures show almost 6000 people were hospitalised in the 12 months to April 2014 in that state alone, an increase of 13 per cent over the same period the previous year."Authorities in all states and territories need to start accurately counting serious injuries from road crahes," said Mr Goodwin. "There are inconsistencies from state to state in how the data is gathered and what constitutes a serious injury. If we really want to measure road safety accurately, there needs to be a national standard for monitoring the number of serious injuries."National: 1153, down 2.9 per centNSW: 309, down 7.2 per centVictoria: 249, up 2.5 per centQueensland: 223, down 17.7 per centWest Australia: 181, up 11.7 per centSouth Australia: 107, up 9.2 per centNorthern Territory: 39, up 5.4 per centAustralian Capital Territory: 10, up 42.9 per cent