Articles by Karla Pincott

The recall, affecting about 1600 vehicles in Australia built from January 1 2007 to March 5 2010, is part of a global defect notice on 35,000 X5s in the US and Canada.BMW says a vacuum hose leading to the brake booster has the potential to bleed oil into it, damaging an internal rubber membrane and leading to the loss of power braking assistance.If that happens, the car can only be effectively braked if the driver pushes the pedal extremely hard – and with some drivers unable to exert enough pressure there is the risk of the vehicle not stopping soon enough or in a short enough distance to avoid collision.“The immediate fix is to replace the hose with a modified that eliminates the problem,” BMW spokesman Scott Croaker says. “However if oil has got into the booster, we will replace the whole booster.”The problem was discovered when overseas warranty claims increased, and Croaker says there have been no brake failure incidents reported in Australia.Owners of affected vehicles should contact their nearest BMW service centre, or call the BMW Australia Customer Service on 1800 813 299. 

The UK has released a road safety message that relies heavily on the car-plus-cleavage meme.

Jeremy Clarkson has apparently added car design to his CV, with the latest episode of BBC’s Top Gear unveiling his creation: the world’s tiniest car.The P45 takes its name from the small Peel P50 (officially the world’s smallest production car) Clarkson drove in a previous series – through a shopping centre. The car features a helmet for a roof and a visor for a windshield, but has all the requirements to be registered in the UK.On the show, Clarkson says the car is legally able to be driven, before taking the P45 out for a maiden run on the highway. However after seeing the debut drive, we’re not sure there’s a market for his design. 

Can a Ferrari Enzo outpace a Lamborghini Aventador? Could Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt outrun a pronghorn antelope? These are the kind of pressing questions that give trivia fans insomnia and spark long-running pub debates.  Now there are answers to those two face-offs -- and about 625,000 more odd contests – in a new addictive app that has potential to keep all ages entertained. Simply titled ‘What’s Faster’, the interactive game throws up pairs and mixes of cars, planes, helicopters, military vehicles and creatures, and has you nominate your choice of what would win the race. Inbuilt ‘radar guns’ lend a hand with some hints if you’re stumped. And each rival includes interesting and fun facts so you learn along the way. The app was sparked by US creator Will Stacy’s eight-year-old son, William, asking him which would win in a race between a tiger and a lion. Then another string of similar questions. “What about if an Olympic athlete raced a lion? Matter of fact, if a Boeing 747 raced an airbus A380, which would go faster?" Stacy says he and his son started looking up the answers – and that prompted even more questions. And then the idea of basing an app around them. "The first hurdle we faced was how hard finding speeds on some items was. Cars, planes, roller coasters etc are pretty easy to find documented speeds on. But when you get to mammals, fish and birds, we really had to do some digging and researching to find any documented top speeds around those.  "It terms of results, William and I both were really shocked on how fast some birds can really fly, especially when in a dive... The Peregrine Falcon in a Dive can get up to 242mph (389km/h).  That's faster than most exotic, top-of-the-line sports cars. "And then there were the amazing amount of fast cars out of Germany. That is our largest car sub-category - German cars. There are just so many fast ones and so many variations and modification of German cars that go so fast! Stacy hopes that other families have as much fun with the app as he and William did in building it. “Creating this app has been a father and son labour of love that answers questions such as who would win between the world’s fastest car and the fastest helicopter… my son is a complete “question box” about speed, I love that he is so curious, I  was the same way as a child.” Stacy says. “I see this app appealing to everyone including teachers in a classroom, automobile aficionados, history buffs and animal lovers. Anyone who has a curiosity about how fast the world moves around them.” The app is available for the iPad in both free and paid versions, and smartphone apps are on the way. A percentage of the proceeds is donated to a Texas-based charity that provides cars and car care to single parents and widows. So which is faster: the peregrine falcon or the Holden Efijy. Sadly, this is one race that is for the birds, with the Efijy's 280km/h top speed not enough to best the falcon.  

So why would you want to put your child in a car capsule or seat that gets anything less? However only three of 115 child restraints tested on the Australian market get a full five-star rating, and many get just a single star.The Child Restraint Evaluation Program (CREP) -- a consortium of government and public motoring and safety organisations – has just made tests tougher, with top ratings given to two models of the latest 15 tested. But even under the former softer standards, the number of top-rated restraints among the 100 previously tested was just one -- or one per cent.How they ratedAcross the three age categories for child restraints, only one five-star rating has been awarded among the 29 models tested for babies up to 12 months, and two have been given among the 46 booster seats for kids aged four to seven. When it comes to forward-facing child seats designed for children 6 months to four years old, none of the 40 tested have ever earned the top rating.  And price need not be a decider, with some high-rated seats costing the same – or less – than some lower-rated ones.Moves to improveLast year 28 children aged under seven were killed in car crashes on Australian roads, and an estimated 2773 were injured.  So it’s no surprise CREP is keen to see manufacturers improve the safety of baby capsules, child seats and booster seats.Spokesman Jack Haley from CREP partner NRMA Motoring and Services said the organisation aimed to get manufacturers to lift the standard of child restraints. “We will be happy only when the majority of restraints are scoring five stars,” Mr Haley said. “We’d like to see at least 50 per cent getting five stars within five years.”“CREP testing is designed to be severe and encourage manufacturers to improve the standard of restraints on the Australian market. They monitor the CREP results very closely and also have input to the official Australian standards, so they have the opportunity to improve the performance of the restraints.Mt Haley compared CREP to the well-known Australian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) that crash-tests cars sold here and rates them up to a top score of five stars. He said that like a one-star rated car, even a one-star child restraint complies with the Australian standard and “a minimum level of protection”.What about the Australian standard?The Australian standard is already one of the highest in the world, according to Marg Prendergast, general manager of the New South Wales government’s Centre for Road Safety – which is also a CREP partner, along with the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria, Transport Accident Commission, Royal Automobile Club of WA and VicRoads.“A one-star restraint meets the Australian/New Zealand safety standard, one of the most stringent standards in the world,” Ms Prendergast said. “CREP is intended to raise the standard further. Transport for NSW is developing plans to further promote the standards system at point-of-sale and in targeted media and will continue to educate parents through the CREP website.National child safety advocacy group Kidsafe believed CREP testing was already having results. Kidsafe spokesperson Dr Julie Brown said the program provided market pressure on manufacturers to “design the very best restraints they can”.“The aim is to have all children as safe as they can possibly be -- to have all restraints offering optimum protection,” Dr Brown said. “Three with five stars is a good starting point and hopefully we’ll see that increase. We’re talking about pushing the level of protection higher than anywhere else in the world.”Tips for choosing a restraintDr Brown said Kidsafe had some simple pointers for parents who wanted to buy the safest child restraints.Use the CREP ratings when buying new or secondhand.Always go for the highest possible ratings.If you want buy a convertible restraint, check the ratings in both modes.Make sure the restraint is correctly fitted.The price of five star resultsYou don’t always get extra safety with a higher price. In some cases, you could get a five-star seat for the same price as a lower-rated one – or less. Forward-facing restraints for children approximately 6 months to 4 yrs: none have achieved five stars. The only four-star model, Babylove’s Ezy Combo, is priced from $192. The two-star Safe-N-Sound Maxi-Rider AHR for $339.Booster seats for children aged four to seven years (tested under new standards): Hipod Boston Series 4200/A/2010 $149 and Safe-N-Sound Hi-Liner SG Series 4830/A/2010 $165. A two-star result in the category was given to the Compass/First Years Ultra, available for $149.For babies up to approximately six months: One-Safe Infant Carrier by IGC Safety 1st (tested before the new standards). $296. A one-star result in the same category was given to the Hipod Milan, available for $124.For more information or to check ratings on restraints, visit www.crep.com.au. 

We like looking at cars and dreaming about owning them. And because every now and then you come across a cracker of an ad like the one noted below. So we tracked down the owner, Rich Wisken, to find out if this wonderful WA vehicle was for real, what inspired the ad – and how he could bear to part with such a superb Suby.“I was casually browsing other Subaru Brumby ads when I suddenly fell asleep from sheer boredom – and dreamed of writing an ad that people might actually enjoy reading,” Wisken says.“When I woke up, I cracked open a bottle of 2010 Cowaramup Reserve Cab Sauv and found that my creative writing skills were inversely proportional to the volume of wine in the bottle. In a nutshell, I was inspired by booze.”Wisken says the decision to sell his beloved Brumby was a tough one – but had to be made out of kindness.“After studying winemaking in Margaret River for three years, I decided to move back to Sydney and start a business dealing in boutique wines. It would’ve been selfish to bring a wild Brumby into the big smoke and I didn’t want PETA on my back for caging such a magnificent beast,” he says.Wisken adds there’s been plenty of response to the ad with combined views passing 40,000, spots doing radio interviews – and several offers of copywriting gigs.“I’ve received over 1000 emails from around the world and all but one have been positive. At least 50 of them have asked if the previous owner was Chuck Norris. Some of my favourites:“You forgot to mention the suspension fabricated from Arnold Schwarzenegger’s stem cells.”“If my parole officer would let me leave NSW I’d be on the next plane.”“As I read this out to my family, I laughed so hard that I actually lost control of my bladder - no joke.”“Will you accept blood diamonds as all my Swiss bullion has been confiscated by the Mugabe regime.”...and my personal favourite: “You’re not funny, why don’t you kill yourself.”He hadn’t yet found a good new home for the Brumby, so if you’re interested in a 22-year-old Subaru ute with superhero qualities, you can contact him on Twitter under the handle @RichWisken. 1991 SUBARU BRUMBY. FULL SERVICE HISTORY. 185,000kmFabricated from rare minerals excavated from the core of Mount Olympus, artfully designed by Zeus and skillfully handcrafted in the Land of the Rising Sun by the deft hands of the infamous Seven Samurai. This Japanese rice-rocket is unquestionably the most heroic form of transport since the Apollo 11 lunar module.Searching for a delightful automobile to ferry you to Angus and Robertson to buy 50 Shades of Grey, or perhaps cart little Timmy to clarinet lessons? Do me a favour, smash your laptop on the ground, give yourself an uppercut and take a good, long look in the mirror. Frankly, I’m offended.If, on the other hand, you’re hunting for the most diabolical slab of precious metal to be synthesised during the Big Bang, please continue…To date, the most monumental day of your existence was your wedding, or the birth of your children. That’s about to change! In fact, you’d trade your spouse and all of your offspring just to test-drive this barbarian.FACTS:In 1885, this car transported the Statue of Liberty to New York City from Paris.Cast as KITT in 1982’s Knight Rider TV series, but eventually deemed too intelligent for the role.Manufactured in 1991, this Brumby was responsible for the Grunge movement. If Kurt Cobain owned one, Nirvana would still be thrashing out tunes.I drove it to my last job interview and my employer handed me his résumé.If you were to be run over by this beast, you’d have to fight off the strong urge to thank the driver.When the cops pulled me over a few weeks ago, they were lucky to leave with a warning. SPECIFICATIONS: Bullbar forged from unicorn horns.Two seats (thrones) upholstered with Albino Panda fur.Stereo system used for sound engineering the U2 360 tour.Built-in chick/dude magnet (it knows your preference).Integrated time machine (takes you back to 1991 when you step inside)Powered by nuclear fusion (makes Coles/Woolies fuel vouchers redundant)Windscreen wiper jets filled with the tears of Jesus (washes away the most sinful grime)No power steering (so you better start pumping iron to shred your biceps)Analog clock (ask your Grandfather how to read it).PRICE:$5,000 or 6.5kg of freshly minted Swiss gold bullion. Reasonable offers accepted. (Example of a reasonable offer: $10,000 +) 

County Kerry councillors have approved the motion for a request that people living in rural areas be allowed to drive “after two or three drinks”. The current blood-alcohol limit in Ireland is .05 (.02 for learner and professional drivers) which is less than a pint of beer. Councillor Danny Healy-Rae proposed the motion after becoming concerned that some of his elderly constituents might become isolated in rural areas where the village pub is the only place to socialise – and public transport isn’t available at night. Ireland’s blood-alcohol limits are credited with helping decrease road deaths by 42 per cent over the past four years, but Healy-Rae says he’s not suggesting a change that would risk a rise in the road toll. “I see the merit in having a stricter rule of law for when there’s a massive volume of traffic and where there’s busy roads with massive speed. But on the roads I’m talking about, you couldn’t do any more than 20 or 30 miles per hour (up to 60km/h) and it’s not a big deal. I don’t see any big issue with it,” he told Irish news site The Journal. “These people that are being isolated at present, all the wisdom and all the wit and all the culture that they had, the music and the singing, that’s all being lost to the younger generation because these older people might as well be living in Japan and Jerusalem because the younger generation don’t see them at all anymore. These characters are being isolated now at home, and a lot of them falling into depression,” he said.  Healy-Rae has called on the Irish Minister for Justice to consider the change.  

The Toyota 86/Subaru BRZ twins that claimed the 2012 COTY has been voted as Australia’s Overall Best car.The car took 21 per cent of the votes in the Carsguide.com.au People’s Choice competition – 14 per cent with people who put the Toyota first as the 86/BRZ and 7 per cent with Subaru fans who preferred to select it as the BRZ/86.From there it was a sizable gap to the Ford Falcon Ecoboost in second place with 11 per cent, and another stretch to the Holden Commodore on 6 per cent. They’d both overtaken the Toyota Camry and also the Mazda CX-5 – which had held second place in the early days of the poll. The Overall Best win crowned a triple success for Toyota, which took out three of the five categories in People’s Choice.It shared again with Subaru in the Sports/Luxury section, where the 86/BRZ held a strong lead from the start in and crossed the line with 31 per cent, leaving the other contenders to jostle for second place. That became a war among the German brands, with positions changing every week and coming down almost to a photo finish with the Audi RS5 on 19.3 per cent – a nose ahead of the BMW M3 on 19.1.Toyota also claimed the Best Trade/Commercial segment with the Hilux getting a whopping 40 per cent of the vote, fending off a late rally from the Ford Ranger/Mazda BT50 which finished on 26 per cent. The newest brand to the ute showroom, Volkswagen, saw fourth place for their Amarok with 17 per cent.Toyota’s Camry forced its way past the Ford Falcon Ecoboost’s earlier lead in the Best Family Car section, with the Camry finishing on 29 per cent to the big Ford’s 27, and the Subaru Liberty on 19 per cent snatching third place from the Holden Commodore on 17.However Ford had a winner – and the biggest margin – in the Fiesta, which blitzed the Best First Car with 46 per cent of the votes. From there it was a long stretch back to the Hyundai i20 on 22 per cent and the Kia Rio on 15 per cent in third.Close voting in the Best SUV/Recreational section saw the Subaru Forester gain on the Mazda CX-5, with the two sitting level at the start of the final week. However the Forester put on a burst in the last few days and nudged ahead with 29 per cent, leaving the CX-5 on 27 and several lengths ahead of the third-placed Mitsubishi Pajero on 16 per cent.BREAKOUTWinner of the $5000It was a hard to choose a winning entry among so many great comments about why particular cars are your favourites.  But in the end, we felt Chris Mitchell of Queensland had written the best justification for his choice (the 86/BRZ) with: Subaru meets Toyota = heart, soul, and speed.WHAT YOU SAIDBEST OVERALL AND BEST SPORTS/LUXURYToyota 86/Subaru BRZIt is hard to go past this pairing as they are arguably the most complete package to enter the market. - Pete PetrassDriving pleasure and value for money at a price that is affordable to all. - Puay SimIt’s quite simply the car we have been begging for since the turn of the century. - Ryan ReynoldsBEST FIRST CARFord FiestaEconomical, affordable, attractive, easy to drive, easy to park and reliable. - Karen EkholmCute, easy, can still carry a full load and so easy to drive. The perfect car. - Courtney DettmanGreat fuel economy, stylish little car. Very zippy & full of great options. - Baden KellyBEST FAMILY CARToyota CamryTotal reliability. Outlasts competitors. Years of trouble-free motoring. Overall outstanding. True value. - Nichole MealingThe Camry has very well thought out features that make driving safer and more enjoyable. - Tony John WaiteReliable, family friendly and economical. - Lisa-Marie SanderyBEST TRADE/COMMERCIALToyota HiluxUnhook boat, hose the fish smell off (yourself too)...and this fancy pants is ready for the ball.  - Elizabeth ELlisWork, Play, Family. Hilux gives me versatility, flexibility and reliability. - Paul JarmanIt’s the best of both worlds: a family car and a workhorse.  - James McDonnellBEST SUV/RECREATIONALSubaru ForesterSuperb Urban Beast, All Round Ultimate winner. - Caroline ShanksSmart choice for a go anywhere vehicle for anytime. - Richard LwinBecause it’s a great family car as well as a car to take out bush. - Rebecca Costa 

It’s the motor show that starts the year, and after a subdued event in 2012 Detroit has bounced back with plenty of eye candy and new cars for the 2013 motor show.

You don’t need to be a trainspotter to twig straight away that the Audi RS5 is worlds away from the A5 Coupe that seeds it.You could skip right over the small RS (race sport) badging, but the mesh grille, extra bodykit and sport exhausts betray the car’s performance focus. With our test car adding the optional 20” wheels and harness-ready seats, it may as well stake out its claim on track-day territory with fluoro surveyors tape and flashing neon signage.For transparency, I have to disclose that the soon-returning Audi RS4 in Avant form is an all-time favourite for its brilliant welding of performance and practicality. It’s a compact station wagon that reasonably justifies the need for a lap timer, and when it comes to being multi-faceted, few cars shine brighter.So its A5-based cousin was welcomed with respect for what Audi adds when it builds an RS model. But it was waved goodbye with the realisation that more is sometimes less.VALUEAlthough Audi dropped the price by more than $13,000 over the previous model, at $161,400, the RS5 isn’t cheap, and ours was optioned about $25,000 beyond that with dynamic steering, sports package with tweaked suspension, dynamic ride control and 20” wheels, aluminium trim and red-accented racing seats. Add in on-roads and you’re nearly eye-level with the $200,000 notch.So what other performances coupes is it up against for that kind of money? Audi has compared it to the BMW M5, but most people will shop it against the smaller M3 at $162,300 for the auto.Likewise, Mercedes-Benz’s closest contender is the $154,800 C63 AMG, which wins the on the bang:buck ratio with a larger engine and higher outputs. The Beemer’s capacity and outputs are slightly below the Audi’s, but all three sit within a whisker of each other in the mid 4-sec range for 0-100km/h acceleration.But the monkey in the room is a cheeky Japanese macaque: the lively Toyota 86 that -- twinned with the Subaru BRZ -- won the 2012 Carsguide Car of the Year. It can’t touch the Audi for technology, quality fit-out and style, but in manual form the Toyota is priced from $29,990. That's nearly one for each day of the week against the price of our test RS5.DESIGNThe RS treatment adds purpose to the potential of the A5 Coupe design. The nose seems to snort wider and lower with the massive single-frame honeycombe grille, larger wheels complement the bolder swell of arches, and a front splitter and rear diffuser -- along with sizeable twin elliptical exhausts -- signal it's ready to do business.Audi interiors are faultless, and the RS5 touches and options raise them to sublime. A flat-bottomed wheel, one of the best-judged integrations of aluminium and carbon-fibre accents, and the huggy love of the powered sports-seat side bolsters all reinforce the message that you're sitting in something special.The cabin seats four, and access to the rear row isn't easy but those who make it will find well-shaped buckets. Tall passengers will feel the pinch for realistic legroom, and head space under the sloping roofline can be tight.TECHNOLOGYA tickled revision of the high-revving 4.2-litre V8 gives you 331kW and 430Nm, a smooth seven-speed dual-clutch auto delivering torque to all four wheels, with the rear-biased quattro system able to feed up to 85 per cent to the back and a sport diff varying what each of those wheels gets.Throttle, steering and suspension settings can be adjusted in pre-set modes or individually starting from Audi's stoic notion of 'Comfort' and slightly hardening and tightening everything up to swifter response, gloriously stubborn refusal to budge from a selected gear, and bedrock ride quality.Just the figures? Hit 100km/h in 4.5 seconds and the speedo wall at 250km/h -- although you can have the limiter wall moved another 30km/h up the dial. And if doing that, don't expect to see the other official figure: fuel economy of 10.5L/100km.We managed that number in highway cruising, but around town it shot up to a wallet-wracking 19L. The final figure was in the high 13s, but that took in a far higher ratio of time outside the city limits than most cars would do.SAFETYFull five-star crash rating, with six airbags, switchable stability control, anti-skid brakes with assist technology for panic stops and force distribution to counter uneven loads. There’s a reversing camera and parking sensors, and a spare tyre – albeit a space saver.DRIVINGThis is what the RS5 is about, and the test car was kitted out to post the goods. The optional dynamic steering delivers the feedback absent from Audi's signature cloaked steering feel, and the slick seven-speed dual-clutch auto gives hair-trigger changes.Power pours from the engine in an immediate and smooth stream, and few would find there's not enough on tap to suit their tastes or tasks.This chimes in with brilliant handling to see the car come alive once you can get it on the right road to give it its head, with the quattro all-wheel drive making it an incredibly sure-hoofed beast and the massive brakes giving a deft progression to calm or halt over-excitement.You'd have to do something supremely moronic to make it misbehave -- and even then, it would probably be able to counter most stupidity.But the ideal roads on which it shows at its best are far from the ones most of us drive everyday, and this is where all the RS5's morishness becomes less.Even on the most forgiving setting, the ride is too harsh for everyday city driving -- and sentencing the RS5 to that job is akin to yoking Black Caviar to a tourist carriage.VERDICTThis one to fill the second spot in the garage, with an eye to days spent lashing the track. It's an aggresssive and beautifully appointed performance toy, but as an everyday drive it doesn’t match up to the BMW and Merc. And even the cavernous boot isn't enough to round it out with the practical potential that added extra lustre to the RS4 Avant’s halo.Audi RS5 CoupePrice: from $161,400Warranty: 3yr/unlimited kmResale: 56 per centService interval: 12 months/15,000kmSafety features: six airbags, ABS, BA, EBD, TCCrash rating: 5 starsEngine: 4.2-litre V8, 331kW/430NmTransmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto; AWDThirst: 10.5L/100km, 270g/km CO2Weight: 1753kg