Articles by Karla Pincott

The little city car has been crash-tested in Japan, but was done under the protocols of Australia's peak crash testers - the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP). However, while saying the 4-star rating was "a good outcome", ANCAP chair Lauchlan McIntosh points out that many current small and fuel-efficient cars achieve the maximum 5-star rating.  McIntosh urges other makers of  "green" vehicles to aim for top crash results. "ANCAP supports and welcomes the push for greener vehicles, but we stress the need to ensure safety is built in to the vehicle,"  McIntosh says. "The crash tests were conducted at the Japanese crash test laboratory JARI, in cooperation with Japan NCAP and with ANCAP personnel undertaking the post-crash assessment and star rating. "This was a valuable exercise in international cooperation, and we look forward to further collaborative tests and information sharing with Japan NCAP and NCAPs in other countries." McIntosh applauds Mitsubishi's decision to make electronic stability control and head-protecting side curtain airbags standard on the Australian i-MiEV. The 4-star rating applies to the 2010 i-MiEV with these features.

A Sydney man has snared the one-off Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Gullwing that starred on the brand's stand at the Australian International Motor Show in October. The car was built specially for the show by the AMG Performance Studio in Germany, and photos of it reportedly sparked a flurry of international interest from prospective buyers. Nobody was prepared to reveal who the new owner is or the exact price it went for, but "it's well north of $550,000" Mercedes-Benz spokesman David McCarthy says. That would make it a hike of around $100,000 over the 'base model' Gullwing, if you can call anything in that price range base. For that extra whack, the buyer gets matte black paint and exhaust tips and lurid 'red chrome' badging, the latter destined to be the one and only time you'll see red AMG badging come out of the German studio. "The red badging is not an available option from AMG. They did it this once, and they have stated without doubt they will never, ever do another," McCarthy says. "After photos went out of Blackbird at the motor show, AMG had a considerable number of requests for cars, but all of them were politely turned down. A plaque on inside of the driver's door states the vehicle is number 1 in an edition of 1, and it will certainly stay that way." The new owner will claim Blackbird next week, and it is tipped to be the 1000th AMG sold in Australia this year. Meanwhile, there are as many as 20 buyers lining up for a C63 AMG codenamed 'Jaffa' for its explosively orange paint. That paint alone is tipped to add more than the cost of a new Japanese car to the standard price, when the car is sold  after the Australian Grand Prix in March next year. The unique pearl orange metallic coating will cost "anywhere from $20,000 to $30,000", according to Mercedes-Benz spokesman Jerry Stamoulis, or as much as Mazda6 sedan. "It's attracted a lot of attention from the dealer network," Stamoulis says. Jaffa's loud orangeness is set off by blacked-out chrome grille, badges and 19-inch alloys. Within the hues are reversed, with orange black trim, orange-illuminated door sills and stitching. You also get the "AMG 358" license plate, the number being the engine's power output, which Mercedes-Benz says reduce the time  for the 0-100km/h sprint to 4.4 seconds, making it one of the fastest four-doors on the road.

What were Mercedes Benz thinking when they put a diesel engine into their sexy E250 Cabriolet?  Remarkably good thinking as it turns out.  The engine is quiet, gives bucketloads of torque at low revs, and delivers sporty performance when asked.Add to that the build quality and attention to detail that have been the hallmark of Mercedes Benz in recent years, and you have a car that’s easy to drive around town and on the freeway, fun on the twisty back roads, and won’t punish your wallet when you come to fill up.VALUEIf you’re shopping for a Mercedes you’re shopping at the luxury end of the car market, right?  So stop messing around, decide that you want the Mercedes, look at the sticker…. then buy it anyway.The E250 Cabriolet has a ticket price from $94,762 in the petrol version (CGI), with the CDI (diesel) version starting at $101,202.That’s not cheap, and you have to weigh up what you get – which includes the gunsight badge – against rivals like the Lexus I250 and BMW 330D convertible.TECHNOLOGYBuy a German car, and you can be sure that latest technology will be the main course, not just a side salad.  What Mercedes have got right is making this easily accessible to the driver.  The satnav is fairly intuitive and easy to operate with the central knob that also controls radio, phone and information.All of the controls were easily reachable from the drivers seat, labelling was clear and easy to understand.  And the big win was having a mute button on the dashboard to silence the satnav voice, although she sulked after that and refused to continue the conversation. Admittedly, a little time spent with the manual might have coaxed her back.BlueEfficiency is the name Mercedes gives to both the petrol and diesel engines in the E-Class.  The 250E CDI is a four-cylinder 2143cc unit, producing 150kW at 4200rpm.  More impressive is the torque, with 500Nm delivered at between 1600 and 1800rpm. In comparison, the  petrol engine also delivers 150kW, but at 5500rpm, and it only manages 310Nm of torque.  Fuel consumption is 5.8-6.0 l/100km with emissions of 148g/km of CO2 (Mercedes official figures)DESIGNThe black car we drove had tan leather seats; the leather trim continued into the door panels set these off beautifully.  The range of materials available to manufacturers now means that having acres of plastic on the dashboard was disappointing.Seating is comfortable and an adult could be shoehorned into the rear, but the Cabriolet roof takes up most of the boot space.  Think about carry-on, but no checked baggage on this trip.SAFETYMercedes has long stressed their commitment to passenger safety, and no less than nine air bags are provided within the passenger cell.  An active bonnet is standard equipment, the aim of which is to reduce injury to pedestrians or cyclists by raising the rear of the bonnet by 5cmStandard equipment includes ‘Attention Assist’ -- the Mercedes ‘drowsiness detection’ system, or really the ultimate ‘Driver Reviver’.  If your driving makes the car think that you are nodding off it will remind you to take a break – by popping a coffee cup up on the driver’s display. Or at least, the image of a cuppa. Perhaps future development in Stuttgart will see a steaming mug of the real thing delivered onto the dash.Available as optional equipment are a lane tracking package that uses the white lines on the road to warn you if you are using more than your share of the road, and ‘Distronic Plus’ -- a forward looking radar that will hit the brakes for you before you hit the car in front.DRIVINGSitting in the E250 is more like being in a cockpit than a cabin - the car wraps itself around you.The turbocharged engine delivers loads of torque down low, and if you’re gentle with the throttle makes for a sedate drive.  That’s compounded if you’re in the full auto mode, where it puts more emphasis on fuel economy than fun driving.But if you give the pedal a nudge – or better still, slip it into sports mode and start using the shifter – it gives snappier response, although there is a slight delay as the revs come up, the turbo boost chimes in, and the car picks up its heels and takes off. But it gets away from the lights at a very respectable pace, and the steering is precise and accurate.And the cabin is surprisingly quiet, given that the folding roof is a cloth one. We drove this through an unseasonal downpour – which might be deafening in other softops – and found that the thrumming was muted enough to not impact on normal conversation.The speedo is large and easy to read, with numbers wrapped around an LED display for the cruise control – flick this minder on, and the arc of LEDs lights up to show the speed that you’ve set.VERDICTThe diesel may not be the engine of choice for everyone, and it carries a hefty price tag, but the improvement in economy and CO2 emission reductions are significant.MERCEDES-BENZ E250 CDI DIESEL CABRIOLETEngine: 2.1-litre 4-cylinder turbo dieselPower: 150kWTorque: 500NmTransmission: 5-speed automaticFuel consumption: 5.9L/100km (combined cycle)Wheels: 17-inch 5-spoke alloys

Buyers snapped up the 100 special cars almost before the famed US department store could raise the curtain on it.The Neiman Marcus Edition Camaro is powered by a 6.2-litre V8 with enough blistering torque to make taking off from the lights a severe risk of peeling the exclusive metallic Bordeaux paintwork – and embedding the occupants irretrievably deep into the amber and black leather upholstery.But the cars are not unreasonably priced at $75,000 each. And would be quite a sensible gift. Especially when compared with some of the other items in the Christmas catalogue.Because while the excesses of the catalogue have been tamed in deference to the continuing fallout in the US from the financial crisis, there’s still enough there to please the smugly well-heeled and obscenely over-indulged.If you want to start training your offspring early, and pitch conspicuous consumption at the child level, there’s more than a mouthful in the $15,000 full-sized gingerbread playhouse. Built from nearly 100kg of gingerbread, it’s decorated with 200kg of royal icing and thousands of giant cookies, lollipops and sweets. It’s spacious enough for your kiddies to easily play inside it, where they’ll find even more sweets and a lollipop tree. Hopefully there’s a stomach pump in there too. And a junior membership to Jenny Craig.But it’ll keep the rugrats out of your way while you enjoy a $125,000 tequila party with 75 close friends. While you get to keep a bottle of the stuff, it sounds like a lot of money for drinking. But when you do the sums, it’s just $1600 per person – and we’ve seen some colleagues spill more than that on a decent Saturday night.If you prefer to take your liquid externally, there’s a swimming pool installation from internationally acclaimed glass artist Dale Chihuly. The private commission will have Chihuly install a glass sculpture that covers the bottom of your pool, and will give you the effect of paddling around on the Great Barrier Reef. Now, admittedly this is stunning. But it’s also $1.5 million. And you can buy a lot of ferry tickets for that. And a snorkel.Equally beautiful, and just as able to have you swimming on the reef is the catalogue’s $250,000 Metro Houseboat. A luxury floating apartment with walls of translucent aluminium and premium fittings, it offers the prospect of luscious weekends for two. Or the chance to take the Sydney Harbour ferry wars to a whole new level.But when it comes to the ultimate statement, there’s no contest with the $250,000 diamond bracelet with charms commemorating 11 of the most outstanding of the catalogue’s gifts over the years – including an airplane, Chinese junk, hot-air balloon, camel, sarcophagus, buffalo calf, windmill, ostrich, robot, a puppy and a vintage motorcycle. Frankly, it’s hideous.But fortunately they’ve made only one – and we believe that at the time of going to print it was still available, in case you’re interested. And if you are, we have a matching glitter-encrusted souvenir pendant of the Harbour Bridge we can let you have at an extremely reasonable $100,000 or so.

And early indications suggest it plans an aggressive assault on the prestige German brands with modern styling, strategic pricing and a heavy loading of premium technology and equipment. Photos revealed this morning back up our previous spy shots in showing that designer Gerry McGovern has managed to stay true to the wedge shape of the three-door, but has extended the roofline and stretched the body to accommodate rear doors. And a key point will be how much extra you'll have to pay for the added metal and space. "We've previously indicated the three-door would start around $60,000 for the front-wheel drive," Range Rover's Australian spokesman Tim Krieger says. "Pricing for the five-door is something we're working on with the UK ... and where we position it." While he declined to be drawn further on that price, don't be surprised to see it land somewhere in the low $70,000 range, clearly firing a shot over the prestige German SUV battleground. "We think early adopters will veer towards the three-door – which takes us into a segment where we haven't played before -  but the five-door will have wider appeal simply because of its functionality," Krieger says. Fuel economy will be a key focus of the turbocharged engine choices: a lightweight 177kW 2.0-litre petrol and a 2.2-litre diesel available in either 140kW or 110kW versions. Engines will be mated to six speed automatic transmissions, but the diesel will also have the choice of a six-speed manual with stop-start technology to further aid fuel economy. Krieger says that as with the three-door, buyers for the five-door version will have a choice of both 2WD and AWD versions, with the latter getting Land Rover's Terrain Response system that continuously varies the front/rear torque split electronically-controlled Haldex centre coupling. Premium fit-out and equipment will include a surround camera system, and the novel dual-view 8-in touchscreen display that allows a passenger to watch movies and similar entertainment. The five-door will make its debut at next week's Los Angeles Auto Show, and will start rolling onto showroom floors in Europe from the middle of next year, and to Australia a few months later. "The five-door will arrive here in November 2011, about the same time as the three-door," Krieger says. "We'll launch both at the same time." He says they are still in negotiation with the UK on volume and "those discussions won't be resolved for a little time yet. "We're obviously sticking our hand up for as many as we can get – we've already got more than 2000 people wanting further information, and that's 12 months out from the launch.

TOYOTA CAMRY HYBRID, from $36,990 ...and for politics, with some of our 'greenmarked' taxes at least going back into Australian jobs. The donor Camry has been here for four years, and the hybrid version has been on sale overseas for about the same time, so that experience and the hybrid system largely borrowed from the third-generation Prius adds the assurance of dependability. Still, there are other - and similarly-sized - cars with similar economy and a far more engaging look and feel. Toyota Camry hybrid: review

The 23-year-old Griffith University psychology student has a history of performing, singing and comedy ... skills he put to good use in his audition tape, which can be heard at www.bethevoice.com.au. "Where are you headed? 2020 at the 'Gabba - nice work! At the end of the road, hang a left. Now cruise a coupla hundred metres past and turn onto Wellington. Oh! You know what, there are a couple of these sweet four-hour parks in Pott St. Turn right here. Beauty, we're here. Have a beer for me, ay." Gauci was the $10,000 winner in a competition run by the Dutch company to find the typical Australian voice for use with its GPS devices. Selection of the winner was done with a combination of Tomtom judging quality and correctness of voice instructions, plus votes from the general public.

The Toyota tromped the Porsche's Nurburgring time by a second with a lap time of 7:27s, and was just a second behind the best lap time of Nissan GT-R during the 24-hour Nurburgring race. And it all happened at the Australian International Motor Show. The times were logged during an around-the-clock challenge on two racing simulators on Toyota’s show stand, where 30 drivers – mostly motoring writers, automotive and tech bloggers, and specialist gaming media – battled it out in two teams. Former V8 touring car driver Neil Crompton took his Toyota FT-86G ‘Red’ team to victory, with the 24 hours of racing giving them just three minutes lead over the ‘White’ team of Motor magazine editor Andrew MacLean. But McLean drove the fastest lap during the race with 7:27.36s lap - a time that would be respectable among the real-world production car laps, where the record is 6:48s. The challenge was contested in Gran Turismo 5, on simulator pods featuring the Logitech Driving Force GT Wheel developed in collaboration with GT5 creators Polyphony Digital. Nearly 140 Polyphony staff worked for around six months to create the Toyota FT86G in GT5, working behind the scenes before the real car was seen by the public. Carsguide drove for the Red team, with editorial staffer Mitchell Oke completing a one-hour stint behind the wheel. "It was great fun even for a novice like me." Mitchell said. "The game doesn't coddle you too much either ... overcook it and you're straight off." "When I sat down our team was leading by 2 minutes, and when I finished we were ahead a little bit more, but there were some far better drivers there."

And that’s exactly the point, says Jeremy Hart of the Ford Fiesta global trek that finished on Saturday in Sydney with a cruise around the harbour on a barge. “It’s not that challenging to drive around the world in a 4x4,” Hart says. “But to take a car that is essentially viewed as a city car on such a long drive … take it out of its comfort zone … now that’s a challenge!” Hart says that while the epic adventure largely went smoothly, there were some sticky points along the way. And some very high points. “We didn’t have any great disasters or dramas and there were a few issues crossing some of the borders in the Middle East,” he says. “We had to change plans as we crossed from Greece into Turkey because they wouldn’t allow us to bring some of our filming equipment across the border. “The longest day we did was 1522km across Saudi Arabia because we only had limited visas to get through there. And that was one of the hottest drives, with 48C – along with Death Valley in the US. “The most challenging driving was in Asia, firstly because we hit a typhoon in southern China, and also because there are a lot of people on the roads in that part of the world who are buying driving licenses, not necessarily earning them, so there were some challenges there. “But we came through unscathed, with the only problem being a puncture in China. Otherwise the cars did their job perfectly.” Hart says any hard days were more than offset by the long list of high points on every continent they crossed. “Some of the most memorable points were the artist in Texas who did the art on the dirt on the back of the car, and the belly-dancing cab driver in Istanbul… he got bored in a traffic jam so he got out and started belly-dancing and has become a bit of a youtube hit. “We got an elephant in Northern Thailand to write the name Ford Fiesta on a piece of paper. The elephants up there paint. But we told them the day before we were arriving and in that time they managed to train the elephant to write the name of the car.”  He says the trek across the Australian Outback ranks high on the list of memories. “Driving across the Outback is still a huge thrill, and Australia is a great kind of place to finish.  We got the car painted by a couple of fantastic Indigenous artists in Alice Springs, and we ended up at Daly Waters which was Australia’s first international airport, between Katherine and Tennant Creek. “But it was weird coming up over from Bathurst into Sydney and knowing it was the finish. “It was really something to see top of the sky-scrapers in Sydney and then finally the bridge - which is our official finish line because we started on the Pacific Coast in the US and we wanted to finish on the water here.  It was quite emotional, actually.”

About six years ago, Maurie and Anne Rodrigues found an album full of car photos in a West Ryde, Sydney, street, and have never been able to find the owner.“The album was full of photos from car shows and events,” Maurie says. “They obviously belonged to a true car enthusiast, and they’d been carefulyl laid out on the pages.“We posted notices and did everything we could to find out who owned it, but didn’t have any success.”According to the dates on some of the photos, they go back as far as the 1999 Sydney motor show, and possible even further.Maurie and Anne have carefully stored the photos all this time, but are now moving house and say they can’t hang onto them any longer. So they’ve handed them to Carsguide as a last-ditch attempt to find the owner.If it’s you, or you know who it is, email karla.pincott@carsguide.com.au and we’ll send them home.