Articles by Karla Pincott

Peugeot is likely to unveil an ultra-compact SUV at next week’s Beijing motor show, as the logical step on from  the HR1 concept presented at Paris show as an urban adventurer.  Along with the expected 208 GTi, the all-paw baby when put into production will start filling out the 208 range that arrives here in October with three- and five-door bodies. “We have said the volume we are expecting for 208 is 550,000 units per year – and we will not achieve that with just the two body styles we are showing today,” says Peugeot’s world press and external relations manager Marc Bocque. “The ambition of this car is very great and there will be many other silhouettes to come, and I would say to a certain extent very quickly. “The first one will be at the Beijing motor show… there will be an important sign as far as these things are concerned.”  “In Peugeot history we almost never show a concept car in motor shows free of intention.” The vehicle at Beijing will be far from production ready, Peugeot interior designer Adam Bazydlo hints. “You will see my next project at Beijing, but only the exterior. But when you see the interior you will realise why it is my project…” That suggests the SUV will carry the 208’s ‘head-up cluster’, which moves the instruments up from behind the steering wheel onto the top of the dash. Following the pattern of the just-launched 4008, the ultra-compact 2008 will probably have a choice of two- and all-wheel drive, and a similarly wide choice of both petrol and diesel engines. There has been growing interest in similar vehicles – Ford Ecosport and the platform-sharing Nissan Juke and Renault Duster among them. And Bocque believes the 208 platform would be a good candidate for variation. “You can see already that with 208 we have succeeded to have a car with a fantastic architecture,” he says. “There will be different body styles on 208. It will be a family of the same size and quality of 207, 206 and 205... but with some different proposals."  

The French brand expects to see a 25 per cent lift here this year, riding on an aggressive schedule of new models. The invasion has already started with the recently arrived 508 GT Touring, and next soldiers to land will be the 4008 compact SUV, a special edition of the RCZ sports car, the all-new small 208 – plus limited-edition run-out models of both the 207 it replaces and the 308 – and some green-uniformed troops in the form of the 508 RXH and /or 3008 Hybrid4 are being considered. “The outlook this year is extremely positive despite difficult economic and competitive trading conditions,” Peugeot Australia general manager Ken Thomas says, adding that it’s off to a good start with sales targets exceeded with the help of restored 508 supply. “With the imminent launch of the new 4008 SUV, and later the long-anticipated 208 range, we’ll see Peugeot Australia lift sales by 25 per cent to around 7000 units,” he says. Both vehicles head into segments pumped with buyer energy while others – like the gasping large car sector – are looking for life support. “With the compact SUV segment already growing by a massive 48 per cent, we see the launch of 4008 filling our gap there as a critical element in our overall growth strategy,” Thomas says. Australia will be one of the first markets to get the Japan-built 4008, and Thomas expects buyers will respond to its “European styling, safety, performance and luxury equipment and -- above all else -- competitive pricing and capped price service plan”. But he is also expecting a splash from the 208 hatch in the premium light car segment, which rose 28 per cent in 2011 with the outgoing Peugeot 207 holding more than half the sales. “The light hatch is synonymous with the Peugeot brand, with the iconic 205, 206 and more recently 207 models,” Thomas says. “We fully expect 208 will contribute around 2000 sales per year as we drive our overall volume toward 8000 units in 2013. “The 208 hatch range arriving in October will bring a totally new design coupled with innovative standards of technology and performance, and very competitive pricing.” He says the local HQ is also eyeing the diesel-hybrid RXH and 3008 Hybrid 4 models, and will bring both to the Australian motor show in October to gauge reaction for an on-sale date in 2013. “There is growing interest in the next generation of engine technology so having 3008 Hybrid 4 and RXH presents us with the opportunity fill this gap. The combination of Peugeot’s HDI diesel engine with electric motor powering all four wheels, is a natural marriage of both technologies and one this market will surely embrace,” Thomas says.  

Australia will be one of the first markets to get the Peugeot 4008 compact SUV, but may be one of the last to get a diesel drivetrain.The lack of an auto in the Mitsubishi-based 4008 diesel range means the June launch will be only the petrol drivetrain. For now, that is.“We’d like to get a diesel 4008, but we’d prefer to have an automatic and there isn’t one available in the range,” Peugeot spokesperson Jaedene Hudson says.“It’s not worth it to bring a manual diesel because there’s no demand for it here in that class. We prefer to wait and bring the automatic drivetrain when it’s available.” She says there isn’t one on the immediate horizon, but we can expect more news in the near future.TECHNOLOGYWhile the 4007 it replaces is based on the Mitsubishi Outlander, the 4008 starts from the Mitsubishi ASX platform.Overseas markets choose from the two manual diesels and two petrols. It will go on sale here with the larger of the latter: a 2.0-litre four-cylinder developing 110kW of power and 197Nm of torque. Output is delivered to either the front or both axles via the choice of two transmissions: a five-speed manual or a six-speed CVT with manual mode and paddle-shifters on the steering wheel.It’s an economical little thing in every version, with official fuel figures ranging from 7.7L/100km for the 2WD manual and 7.9L for the AWD. The CVT is 0.2L more for each of the drive versions.A console dial switches the all-paw’s on-demand system between 2WD/4WD/Lock, with varying serves of torque being dished up to each axle as requested – from 85 per cent maximum at the front in 2WD to 82 per cent maximum at the rear in Lock.VALUEPricing will be announced closer to June, but the entry is likely to be sub-$30,000 – a critical level in a highly-competitive field, about $5000 below the outgoing 4007.Spec is yet to be finalised, but Peugeot says it will arrive in two trims: Active on all drivetrains and Allure on AWD only. Features will follow those already on the 3008 that arrived about 18 months ago with a decent helping of LEDs, auto lights and wipers, Bluetooth, parking sensors, cruise, climate control airconditioning, sunroof and 16-in alloys as standard fare. Upstairs can look for leather and heated seats, darkened privacy glass, 18-in wheels and a touchscreen satnav in the goodies bag.SAFETYIt should also echo the 3008’s five-star ANCAP crash rating, with seven airbags, stability and traction controls and anti-skid brakes with extra help for panic stops and to compensate for uneven loads.DESIGNIt’s a stunner. With the front a sculpture of lines and creases flowing back from the imminently-signature floating grille and onto the flanks, it’s got an air of motion even standing still.But the shapely nose gives you no clue of where the corners are from the driver’s seat, and the protection of parking sensors will be a must.The cabin turns the other chic with elegant contours and finely-judged amounts of accent in either metal or piano black finish. The seats are contoured and comfortable, and it seems every surface and shape has been carefully decided. It’s styled-up but not overdone, accessorised but not ghetto-blinged. In a word, it’s French.DRIVINGToo many offroader test drives never get off the road. Peugeot did this one proud, digging up some of the local scenery and sculpting it into a dirt fun-park, complete with steep – about 35 degree – slopes and a healthy layer of loose surface.The 4008 took it with ease, proving the approach, breakover and departure angles handy for weekend warfare, and the AWD system skilled at finding the right torque division between axles. At the finish we were hoping the darkening sky would open so we could give it another shot garnished with le mud. We’re betting it would have been just as unruffled.But to get to the great outdoors, most buyers will have to trek a great deal of highway, and we were concerned about the CVT drivetrain’s performance at higher speeds. A quick litmus test showed at 110km/h it still had more to give for overtaking, but some planning will be needed to tackle a long truck or tight joust with oncoming traffic.There’s serious windrush around the A-pillars, and despite Peugeot’s extra work on sound-deadening, you’re always aware of the CVT’s low mooing soundtrack, with the engine chorus at higher revs.The paddle shifters are beautifully shaped and positioned to invite the hand, but feel flimsy once you start flicking them to toggle gears – with the CVT system showing some run-on when you requested a lower cog for cornering on downhill slopes. The bends also produced a top-heavy sway at any enthusiastic speed.None of that will likely bother the mostly urban owners, and – superficial as we are – we still can’t help but love the 4008 for its looks alone.VERDICTIt’s a great prospect for dirt, less so for bitumen. But it will wow on any café strip, and we can’t wait to see a diesel join it here. 

There’s a lot riding on the small shoulders of the Peugeot 208. It follows in the long shadow of the iconic 205 that became the benchmark light hatch in 1983 and shone a halo bright enough to draw 15 million buyers to Peugeot 2-series cars – including the less-glowing 206 and dimmer 207 - since then. And the new baby has arrived in a cash-strapped household, forced to sell off a room full of shares to General Motors. But the 208 is dressed for success, and with the right spec and pricing should be able to help fill the family coffers.Warnings about reinventing the wheel have been dismissed with a Gallic shrug, and Peugeot has reinvented the one you steer with. It’s been shrunk to dinner plate size so the instrument panel behind it can migrate to the top of the dash. At 35cm wide and 32cm deep, the wheel feels immediately comfortable in the hands, and the new instrument position – viewed over rather than through the wheel - will probably take a couple of days to bed into the brain cells, but then start to feel natural. That idiosyncrasy aside, the 208 is the best looker in the city car field, with a chic little body and perfectly-judged amount of ‘jewelry’: a grille that floats in its surrounds, chrome accents, LED head and taillights … even the optional blue LED accents for the glass panorama roof look classy. The 208 is 110kg-173kg lighter than the 207 models. And it’s shorter, but Peugeot says there’s been no space penalty for legs or luggage – which gets 484 litres in the three-door, swelling to 811 with the rear seat down.Overseas markets get a range of 10 engines; five petrol and five diesel. We get four of those, starting with a 66kW/118Nm 1.2-litre three-cylinder manual but with a semi-automated transmission to follow shortly after launch.Above that sit the four-cylinders: a 88kW/160Nm 1.6-litre VTi in manual but with auto option, 115kW/240-260Nm 1.6-litre turbo manual and 86kW/230Nm 1.6-litre e-HDI diesel manual (with stop-start).The 208 will arrive with three- and five-door bodies in three spec levels – Active, Allure and Feline. Spec and prices will be announced closer to the October launch, but Peugeot Australia says the range will start sub-$20,000 for the 1.2-litre manual (an auto will arrive later). And while that entry level overseas is fairly stripped spec, it’s likely we’ll get some extra kit here, including the touchscreen and alloy wheels that start one level higher in other markets. And overseas, the CD player will be optional - acknowledgement that downloading is killing the silver disc - but a decision is yet to be made for our market.The base model is pitted against the VW Polo, Mazda2, Toyota Yaris, Ford Fiesta and Suzuki Swift as main rivals, with a strong second row from Hyundai’s Accent and i20, Holden Barina and Nissan Micra. But most buyers for Euro city style are in the premium light class segment – and Peugeot owns that field at 51 per cent, selling more than Fiat 500, Alfa MiTo, Citroen C2 (and all the rest) put together. The exiting 207 gets five ANCAP stars and with the 208 you can expect the same rating and similar safety equipment: six airbags, stability control and anti-skid brakes with electronic aids for panic stops and uneven loading.It might have a baby wheel but this is no Barbie car. The massive weight drop plus tweaks to suspension springs and variable-input dampers makes for much better handling than the 207. Cornering is grippy and nimble fun, and the steering speed and precision tips in for the party, but it feels remote and over-assisted - especially at higher speeds.We’ve had to ‘mangez le crow’ over our prediction that the 1.2-litre three-pot would be a dud. It’s got ample outputs to capably punt the light 208 around, although fully loading all seats will probably have it gritting its teeth for hillclimbs.That aside, the three-cylinder is sprightly and well-balanced, and there’s nothing wanting from it – except for it to come in the higher spec. It would be easy to picture it as a fully-dressed city mouse, twitching its chic little tail on the upmarket circuit.Of the three drivetrains we tested (the turbo we’re also getting wasn’t on the launch), the tiddler ended up being our clear favourite.The 1.6-litre diesel was quiet and smooth, and with the oiler ability to keep delivering torque through the range, it ate up the highway and could still overtake happily from 120km/h. The e-HDi’s six-speed manual transmission is smooth and precise, but the shift feel will be too firm for some.Following the diesel, the 1.6-litre petrol VTi up next felt underdone, but mainly suffered being undermined by a five-speed manual – we kept wishing for an extra cog on the highway. Cabins are well-trimmed across the range, and the grey plastics and fabrics of the lower spec suffer only in comparison with the premium look and feel of Feline’s top-spec fit-out.Clever packaging means there’s as much space in the 208 as in the larger 207 it’s replacing – which means still tight in the rear seat. And new sound-damping means wind rush around the A-pillar and along the seam of the panorama glass roof was the only irritant to invade the otherwise quiet cabin.It looks great inside and out, and with the right combinations of drivetrain, price and spec this is one that should be on every hatch shopper’s test drive list. 

More new vehicles have earned five-star crash test ratings from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program, but an Indian light-commercial has again fallen short of top marks. The Mahindra Pik Up utility, which has dual front airbags, a collapsible steering column and anti-lock brakes, scored only three stars for its crash test. ANCAP chair Lauchlan McIntosh said there were concerns held over the Indian-manufactured Mahindra's small improvements and its 3-star ANCAP safety rating. "The protection of vehicle occupants is ANCAPs primary consideration and this is being achieved through a combination of stronger passenger compartments and the inclusion of active Safety Assist Technologies. "Over 90 per cent of vehicles sold now have either a 4 or 5 star safety rating so it concerns me greatly to see the Mahindra still well below the standard consumers are demanding," he said. The new Toyota Aurion has retained the superseded model's five-star rating from ANCAP, with the new model adding auto-dipping high-beam and upgraded seatbelt reminder alerts to the outgoing model's six airbags, anti-lock brakes and stability control. Kia has retained the five-star rating of its new five-door hatchback for the four-door sedan and three-door hatch models it recently released. Suzuki has also retained the five-star rating for the new Sport model of its Swift small. The Jeep brand now has a 4-star rating for the Jeep Compass, which was previously rated two stars by the European NCAP test. The four star rating by the Australian system, which carries a different weighting to the pedestrian impact scores, according to ANCAP CEO Nicholas Clarke.  "Euro NCAP are moving along the same road map to raise the bar but they are a little bit ahead of us on pedestrian safety, the Compass pedestrian rating was poor which can still can get four stars here, but not in a year or two's time."  The Jeep Compass which provides what ANCAP calls a "respectable" level of occupant protection with dual front airbags, side curtain airbags and electronic brake distribution as standard.  

Engineers at Dyson have obviously got a bit of time on their hands. They’ve taken a few of the company’s handheld vacuum cleaners and turned them into race cars. Mainly miniature - although a couple of them ventured into ride-ons - most of them surprisingly swift, and all of them completely lunatic. Where’s that old Electrolux, darl? I’ve just had an idea…

It takes a lot to spark up the zombie shuffle of late night travellers in an airport arrivals zone. So when they come alive at the sight of the CR-Z pulling up, you know it's got truly attention-grabbing looks.Loading four small suitcases into the rear hatch proved that it also can take a fair arount of cargo -- as long as you only have one extra passenger.And that will always be the practical limit of this car, even when the laughable excuse for a rear seat is not folded down to increase luggage space.And don't be fooled by the Sport monicker. The manual Honda CR-Z is zippier than the automatic version, and it's a stylish, light city car with hybrid technology and good fuel economy. But a sports car it is not.The sharp tapers of the CR-Z body are those of a concept sketch come to life, and the lines deceptively hint at performance. It won't live up to that promise, but the futuristic style is head-turning.There are echoes of that in the interior -- when the three-dimensional instrument cluster lights up at night amid the black-on-black trim, the cabin could double as a spacepod cockpit. But daylight brings the reality of hard plastics that bounce glare back at you.The fronts seats are comfortable, but the rear ones almost non-existent -- which is just as well, because there's no leg or headroom back there either.Front seat storage is scant, but despite the luggage area floor being high to cover the spare tyre and battery pack, you get 225 litres of  capacity that grows to 400 with the back seat down.The 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine combines with the electric assist motor to deliver a total of 91kW/167Nm with the CVT automatic (which gets paddle shifters on the steering wheel) and 91kW/174Nm with the six-speed manual -- the first to arrive here on a hybrid system. The battery pack is the old tech nickel-metal hydride -- we'll hopefully start seeing the more efficient and lighter lithium-ion batteries soon, but both mainstream brands here, Honda and Toyota, say it won't be until the technology's price comes down.The three-mode drive system lets you toggle between fuel miser and touch of fun with Economy, Normal and Sport settings, which range from shutting down the petrol-sucking aircon to adjusting throttle reponse, while a stop-start system tips in to help muzzle the bowser bite.The Eco mode tries to encourage frugal driving by 'growing' little trees on the fuel-watch meter, and Honda says this sparked a spate of greener-than-thou rivalry on Facebook. Drivers of the CVT would have won, with fuel economy of 4.7L/100km and emissions of 11g/km CO2, while the manual comes in at 5L/100km and 118g/km.The manual CR-Z is $34,990 with climate-control aircon, six-speaker iPod/USB/MP3-compatible audio system, Bluetooth phone connection, cruise control, LED daytime running lamps, foglights and 16-in alloys. Adding $2300 more gets you the CVT automatic.Jump to $40,790 and you get the CVT drivetrain in Luxury spec. adding a panoramic glass roof, heated leather front seats, satnav with live traffic updates, reversing camera and audio streaming to the Bluetooth.The CR-Z's closest rivals for the elusive hybrid hatch buyer -- yet to appear in the numbers predicted by any brands -- have been the Toyota Prius and Lexus CT200h, both of them more expensive. And roomier. So is Honda's own hybrid Insight that comes in at $29,990.Now there's the newly-launched Prius C, which is considerably cheaper at $23,990 but again with more usable room despite being in the smaller car class.For buyers wanting to weigh up the CR-Z, it could come down to how much they're prepard to pay for style -- and in that category only the Lexus CT200h comes close as a hybrid.However the CR-Z also has to be positioned with other small city cars, so for buyers wanting a combination of style and economy at around that price, there's also the  Mini diesel, and the Audi A1 in both petrol and diesel.A solidly-built body is fitted with an equally solid equipment list: six airbags, stability and traction control, anti-skid brakes with brake assist for extra effort and brakeforce distribution to counter uneven loading, active front head restraints and hill-start assist (creep control in the auto). So a five-star ANCAP crash rating is no surprise.Like most hybrid systems, the electric motor tips in from the start and gives the engine extra low-rev kick off the line. But that flattens out once you get going and the engine takes over completely.The initial promise of performance fades, and you're left to mine spirit out of the system by digging in with the manual transmission. If you have the CVT, you just have to relax and manage your expectations.The stop-start system is impressive – smooth and unobtrusive, with no sign of the jerky reawakening other versions suffer. You can feel a green-tinged smugness every time it stops using fuel in faltering city traffic, but we’re not sure how much difference it makes to your fuel bill. The manual CR-Z has an official fuel figure of 5.0L/100km but we came home after extended mixed drives with 6.7L.While it gives a fairly compliant ride, the suspension is firm, and the steering is responsive and well-weighted – both of which added a sense of fun, but fell short of it feeling like a true sports car.The manual version is nippy enough to add some appeal to the style, and the automatic version is relaxed and comfortable enough to ungrit your teeth in traffic snarls. And both are good-looking enough to turn heads in traffic.

It's been one of the worst-kept secrets in the motoring industry - and one that has kept Jaguar and sports car fans salivating. Jaguar has officially announced at New York motor show that it will build the F-Type. The new two-seater sports car that will arrive as a convertible  has been seeded from the response to the C-X16 concept that was unveiled last year. The concept was unanimously hailed at the tijme, and credited with being the successor to the legenday E-Type.Jaguar's global brand director Adrian Hallmark said the reaction to the C-X16 has fast-tracked the F-Type. "The reaction has been so positive that we've accelerated our development of an all-new Jaguar sports car that will be unveiled in production form later this year."Hallmark said the brand was keen to get back into the sports segment from which they've been absent for "too long". Jaguar's design chief, Ian Callum, pointed to the long history of Jaguar success in the segment."A true sports car needs to be pure in both its purpose and its form. The C-type, D-type and E-type Jaguars were all sports cars that held true to this principle in their era, and the F-TYPE will hold true to that same principle."The F-Type will use the weight-saving benefits of Jaguar's experience in aluminium construction, and a range of engines have been promised - including "a new family" when the production car is revealed. The car will be built at Jaguar's Castle Bromwich plant in Britain, where engineering prototypes are already under way.Full Jaguar F-TYPE range and specification will be revealed later this year, with the car slated to go on sale in mid-2013. 

Yes, this Ferrari 458 Spider is the only way Manof Al Wathiqi - the three-year-old son of telecoms tycoon Sheik Jassim Al Wathiqi - can nod off.

The carmaker’s Australian divisional manager Peter McGregor says Gen-Y are expected to account for 40 per cent of new car sales within 10 years And to the brand that makes the Prius – and the baby Prius C launched this week – that means hybrid sales. Acknowledging that sales of the Prius have steadily dropped from 3400 in 2008 to just 822 last year, McGregor said there would be a turnaround from Australian baby-boomers’ five million Gen-Y progeny who are “now adults and have substantial economic clout”. “Our local research has shown that, apart from the innovators and early adopters who embrace hybrids, it is younger people – particularly Gen Y – who really understand hybrid technology and appreciate its benefits,” McGregor says. “They tend to view hybrid technology as proven and reliable – and they are generally willing to pay extra to get the fuel-saving benefits.” McGregor cites annual surveys conducted overseas by Deloitte that found the 59 per cent Gen Y preference for the fuel cost savings of hybrids could bring a tipping point for mass sales. “Gen Y could be the generation that leads us away from traditional petrol-powered cars,” he says. “They are looking for cars that are more economical to operate than traditional petrol-powered vehicles… until now, they just haven’t been able to afford them.” Prius chief engineer Satoshi Ogiso believes the tech-savvy thirty-somethings will find what they’re looking for in the Prius C. “We think they are looking for something small and nimble for urban driving and also a little more affordable,” he says. Ogiso says Gen-Y is looking for a combination of technology, fun, economy and advanced safety that “matches who they are”. And when will the change come? Any minute now, McGregor predicts, pointing to the $23,990 Prius C and the seven-seater Prius V due in May, which will add more troops to the hybrid ground currently held by the revised Prius and the new Camry Hybrid. “I think we will realistically see hybrid volume increase this year. It has been a little longer coming than what we originally hoped for and what we had anticipated.“I think one of the reasons hybrid has not fulfilled its destiny is that we have almost been a lone voice in the market with hybrid technology. “(But) we’re pretty much on that tipping point.”