Articles by Karla Pincott

... while sitting in cars on opposite sides of the world.Leno in the US and Carr in the UK – 10,000km apart – each sat in the front seat of a Ford Focus with a wi-fi SYNC system, and used the link to Skype each other on tablets.“It’s great to do something that is cutting edge, to chat about cars, gadgets and have a laugh,” said Carr about sharing the internet stage with the US stand-up and talk show star.“The one place we spend more time than anywhere except our house or office is the car,” Leno said.  “It’s not a surprise people want the same gadgetry on the road.”The Ford wi-fi system uses an external USB broadband modem, plugged into the vehicle’s media system, effectively turning it into a rolling Wi-Fi hot spot. By broadcasting a secure wireless connection throughout the vehicle, the system allows up to 5 passengers with Wi-Fi-enabled mobile devices to access the signal.It is available on three million cars in the US and is launching in the UK, but not yet in Australia.

Just ask half the Aussie population – the female half of course. Actually, they’d probably think it was a dream combination even if he rolled up with a rusty wheelbarrow.But his arrival at the Sydney premiere for his latest movie, Real Steel, in the top-shelf sportscar is also a dream combination for Audi.The brand has managed to nab what must be the most desirable ‘ambassador’ in the country. And we’re talking commercial desirability here, not just the fact that Jackman has several times been voted top of the Sexiest Man Alive Between Here And The Outer UDFy Galaxy (NASA checked with the Hubble Space Telescope earlier this year and confirmed the results of those polls).And Jackman did Audi proud after driving up to the red carpet in the R8, charmingly trumpeting the finer points of the car and the brand to waiting cameras. And then understating the gruelling training he undertook for the new film, including extra sessions of the boxing he’s been doing for years.“I had a personal trainer… a boxer called Sugar Ray Leonard. You’ve got to love Hollywood,” Jackman grinned.Real Steel is a futuristic action flick, set in a time when boxing matches are fought by massive robots, but still following the classic ‘struggling fighter’ storyline of most boxing movies.Jackman plays a washed-relic relic of the days when humans were in the ring, who now travels the small-time underground fight circuit with robots he pieces together from scrap. The movie sees him team with his estranged son to build and train a ‘last shot’ title contender.

The GPS system would particularly benefit the parents of young drivers, who incur larger car insurance premiums. Similar systems are in place in the US, and the University of Sydney found 60 per cent of Australians in a GPS-tracking experiment reduced risky driving when even a small financial benefit was the reward. The 10-week study, by Stephen Greaves and Simon Fifer from the university’s Institute of Transport and Logistic Studies, looked at whether people would accept having GPS tracking systems in their cars to monitor risky driver behaviour such as driving at night or speeding, if they were offered financial incentives such as cheaper insurance. The researchers tracked the driving patterns of 148 motorists before and after the introduction of a charging regime. They were rewarded for any net reductions in overall kilometres, night driving, and speeding in the after period. The study found 65 per cent of participants earned a financial reward, averaging $116 but with some as high as $619. “Speeding (which was the easiest thing to change) was reduced substantially following imposition of the charging scheme although a ‘hard core’ of perennial speeders remain. It is not conclusive to what extent this was due to the money or the monitoring, but is likely a function of both,” the research report says. It notes that the VKT (Vehicle Kilometres Travelled) was reduced by a significant 11 per cent overall. “However, the sample was equally split on those decreasing/increasing VKT, highlighting for many the difficulties involved in reducing car-dependency,” the report says. “While undoubted challenges remain, GPS technology opens up the possibility for developing greater equity in charging systems that reflect not just the kilometres driven but when, where and how they are driven.” The research was partly funded by Suncorp, part of the giant AAMI insurance group. AAMI Corporate Affairs Manager Reuben Aitchison says the results show potential for reducing risky driving behaviour. “This research and similar initiatives overseas give every indication that this approach and technology has definite potential for the future,” he says.  “It’s an interesting area of study, in the sense that it incentivises risk management behaviour at a personal level. "Too many people are happy to carry on with risky driving behaviours, holding fast to this ‘it’ll never happen to me’ belief. As the country’s biggest car insurer, we have ample evidence that it most certainly does happen to people and with alarming regularity." However Aitchison says there are currently no plans to implement a GPS tracking scheme. "We have no plans to do anything at the moment, but it definitely has potential for the future," Aitchison says. "The study looked at using a GPS patched into a computer program which logged data and studied whether we could change risky driver behaviour with incentives such as financial rewards or a discount on insurance premiums." Most insurance companies already reward safe driving by offering discounts to drivers, the longer they go without an at-fault accident. A GPS monitoring system would take that further and offer financial incentives based on driver behaviour. There are several such systems in the US. The latest has been launched in California and Texas by the American Automobile Association, called ACE Teen Pilot Program. When parents sign up for the program, they are sent a GPS device that tracks driving habits, offering a pay-as-you-drive insurance program that measures mileage and charges higher insurance rates for customers who use their vehicle more often and a "teen safety" program that monitors acceleration, braking and times, and allows parents to log in and check on their children's driving habits. AAA says it may also supply data from monitoring devices to law enforcement agencies, if necessary. Two other American insurance companies offer insurance discounts in return for a high-tech invasion of their driving privacy. One uses a device that plugs into the car's on-board diagnostic port and the other uses a smartphone app to give drivers instant feedback on their driving habits. That feedback is not reported back to the insurance company. Motorist and mother Lorin Plumrdge says she would welcome a monitoring system for her learner-driver daughter Nikeisha, 16. "Yes, it would be encroaching on their privacy, but we pay for the car, rego, insurance and fuel, so I believe we are entitled to know that if she says she is going from A to B that is what she is doing," she says. "You want to track them for their own safety and so you know what's going on. The icing on the cake would be the cheaper insurance which also helps them in the long run as well, because they would be on a cheaper premium when they start paying for it themselves." Nikeisha likes the idea of lower insurance premiums, but is concerned about a lack of privacy. "I think it would be ok for the insurance thing, but tracking you down would be a concern after you get off your P plates," she says. "I suppose Facebook can be an invasion of privacy too, but I'm friends with my mum so she sees what I put on there and I suppose this (tracking device) wouldn't be as much of a concern because at least it's for good use."

With a name nearly as long as its history, the 1884 De Dion Bouton Et Trepardoux Dos-A-Dos Steam Runabout is tipped to get a final bid of up to $2.5 million.The car is 127 years old – two years older than the 1886 Patent Motorwagen that Mercedes-Benz touts as the world’s first car.The French-made De Dion also won the world’s first car race in 1887 – although it wasn’t a surprising victory, since it was the only entrant for the 35km event.However this didn’t stop it putting in the effort, and being clocked at the astounding top speed of 60km/h. That may have been during a downhill run, but its overall average speed was still a respectable 20km/h.Nicknamed ‘La Marquise’ after the blue-blooded mother of one of the three co-founders, the car first sold for 4400 francs ($921) and has changed hands only three times since then, with the current seller’s family having owned it for the past 80 years.The ‘Dos-A-Dos’ in the name refers to the seating that sees the four occupants sitting back-to-back.La Marquise is fuelled by a coal-fed steam boiler that takes about 45 minutes to stoke up to the necessary pressure -- which suggests that quick trips down to the corner shop are probably out of the question.The head of steam pressure drives two engines, one for each of the front wheels, and the car is steered by a spade-handled tiller.It goes under the RM Auctions hammer at in Pennsylvania on October 7.

Australia is a land of sporting legends, and we've just added another one: the world's fastest couch.  Better still, it looks like we’ve swiped the official Guinness Book of World Records title from the Poms.The Aussie souped-up sofa hit a world land speed record 163km/h late on Monday during an officially timed lap on the runway at Camden Airport outside Sydney. That should oust the current Guinness record title-holder, Marek Turowsk from Leicestershire in the UK, who holds the spot with some home furnishings clocked at 148km/h in 2008.Australia’s own fast piece of furniture – a leather two-seater with handy coffee table (complete with cup of coffee and bowl of fruit) was specially built for the world record bid by Sydney race car and bike designers Evolution Motorsport.It’s powered by a Suzuki GSX 1400 motorcycle engine, chosen for its power and compactness. Project leader Paul McKinnon said the challenge was not just making sure it was fast, but could battle the aerodynamic challenge of tyring to push a squared-off piece of furniture at that speed.“It’s the oddest vehicle we’ve ever built,” he said. “With race cars you can use the aerodynamic body kit that’s dictated by the regulations for each series. But with the couch it was a matter of just doing what we could. We kept it as low profile as we could, and tried to break the airflow with the coffee table.”The Guinness Book of World Records regulations required two officially timed runs – one in each direction – to be completed within an hour of each other. McKinnon said a crosswind on the day made the task harder, but the attempt was successful and will be submitted to the Guinness committee.It will help launch a series of similar stunts under the title ‘Add A Motor To It’, sponsored by dairy brand Ice Break Parmalat.  The stunt series will launch on Wednesday 28 September, and we'll be bringing them to you here on Carsguide. So put your feet up (on the coffee table perhaps), and stay tuned – but comfortable.

New research by a US professor has found that men shown photos of exotic sports cars generated more saliva – presumably collected by some lucky research assistant.Published in the latest Journal of Consumer Research, the study by Professor David Gal from Northwestern University found that when he told men to imagine their dream date, a group that was shown sports cars drooled more than the group who were told to imagine getting a haircut.In his paper, A Mouthwatering Prospect: Salivation to Material Reward, Prof Gal says the response is a sign that people can actually ‘hunger’ for desirable objects.The research also claims that the salivation is increased if the car is linked with an image of an attractive women. But then, that’s probably not news to the publishers of most ‘gentlemen’s magazines’. Or to the teenage boys who used to make them best-sellers before the internet decimated their profits.And it’s a combination that made the Lamborghini Countach LP400 S a schoolboys’ legend in the 1970s. But that car would have had the same impact even without the draped flesh.We’ve put together a gallery of some of our top saliva-prompters. Which cars make you drool? Let us know below…

THE XR6 has long been a loved Ford Falcon for its mix of punch and brightness. So the arrival of a new one has us hauling out the checklist. Brawny looks - tick. Roomy cabin - tick. LPG - WTF?Yes, the cabbies' favourite fuel has migrated from the base-level XT into the rest of the Falcon sedans and utes, with every model getting a gas-up. But before you run shrieking into the street to check if the sky is also falling, first check out the current price of petrol, and the advances in LPG systems.The exiting E-Gas Falcon used LPG in vapour form, delivering it to the cylinders under pressure.The new gas Falcons use the latest liquid-phase injection - dubbed EcoLPI by Ford - that uses a fuel rail to deliver liquid LPG, which vapourises in the intake to cause a denser, cooler dose of air entering the system, with benefits for power, torque and economy.So compared to the vapour system, this one results in the 4.0-litre six-cylinder engine using considerably less fuel (12.5L/100km vs the previous Falcon's 14.9L/100) while delivering 198kW of power and 409Nm of torque - impressive increases of 42kW and 38Nm respectively.But it's also ahead - albeit by not so wide a gap - on the petrol XR6's 195kW/391Nm outputs. And with the addition of a great six-speed automatic transmission, that means this is a gas Falcon you'd consider taking home to meet the family.Why would an XR6 fan move across to LPi? Because they'd get sick of pouring petrol down its throat, and be attracted by a tank fill that doesn't run into three figures.From that point of view, you have to measure the $46,490 EcoLPi against the $43,090 automatic petrol XR6 at 9.9L/100km - remembering that the government rebate wipes out $2000 of the difference (leaving you just $500 to recoup) and that while you use more litres on LPG, the price is about 40-50 per cent of unleaded.By those calculations, the EcoLPi pays for itself by 10,000km - in about eight months for an average private driver, as little as three months for a business, and about three weeks for a taxi. That repay period will extend a bit longer after an excise is applied at the end of 2011, starting at 2.5¢/L and rising to 12.5¢/L over five years.If you're happy with LPG, what are the other options in the large car class with the XR6's level of fit-out? There's a dedicated LPG Holden Commodore on the way next year - promising significant improvements in fuel economy, and an underfloor tank that will stop the signature chomp into boot space.But for moment, the closest you'll get from Holden is the dual-fuel Commodore Berlina,  At $45,890, it's $600 cheaper than the EcoLPi XR6, but the Holden's 175kW/325Nm 3.6-litre V6 is also thirstier at 14.2L/100km, the four-speed auto should have been retired long before now - and the new one will put the current model out to pasture.If you don't mind taking your petrol with an electric chaser instead of gas, there's the Toyota Camry Hybrid in Luxury spec at $39,990. But it's front-wheel drive, continuously-variable transmission and - if not exactly chalk and cheese - overprocessed cheddar compared to the tangy bite of the XR6.The XR6 gets all the Falcon sports touches, and it's a large and handsome beastie.Our test car took it a bit too far with a lurid purple paint job, but otherwise the details were well judged for the market - blue saddle-stitching on the mesh-textured upholstery echoing the blue-it switches and dials, a well-shaped wheel (with the hub bearded with buttons and controls so you don't have to fumble for them on the spokes), soft-touch plastics and a colour digital info/entertainment control screen that gathers together a lot of functions, leaving the dash uncluttered and crisp.But while there's plenty of space for people, there's not much room for their stuff.For a start you have to make the usual choice between boot space and a spare - which is an optional extra if you don't want to risk travelling with a goo kit or a space saver spare. And there's poor personal storage, stingy door pockets, slim useless slots in the centre stack and a small glove-box despite the deep dash.It gets five stars in crash testing, and has anti-skid brakes, brake assist for panic stops, brake-force distribution to share the effort around if the car is loaded unevenly, and four airbags. But disappointingly for a family car - and one at this price - you have to shell out extra for curtain airbags and reversing sensors.The only hint the XR6 is running on gas is when you first turn the key, and get a slight hesitation. From then on, it's impressive acceleration. Plant your foot hard and it gathers itself for a nanosecond before it delivers, but feed it steadily and it gives a steady and strong answer.See a break in the traffic and want it? No problem, no hesitation and no fuss. But also no engine growl. There's plenty of sting but no soundtrack.It's very good over potholes and rough-patched bitumen, where you can feel the poor surfaces, but not in a way that becomes tiresome. And that's no surprise, because Ford has spent decades building cars for rubbish Aussie roads.Visibility is good, mainly because the C-pillars don't aid and abet blind spots and the big hungry mirrors are an enormous - literally - help in seeing what's on your flanks It's got a reasonable turning circle, but there's no mistaking that it's a big, Aussie-built car - and admittedly the patriotism factor might help sales.

The Tata Nano usually sells in India for the equivalent of about $2800, and was designed to an affordable ‘people’s car’ for the country’s poorer populace. However this one has been encrusted with 80kg of gold, 15kg of silver and several million dollars worth of precious stones and pearls. The car was unveiled by Ratan Tata, head of the giant Tata Group that now also owns British brands Jaguar and Land Rover – and by the look of it, is cashed-up enough to invest heavily in their future development. The design on the car was chosen from three finalists by public poll, with the winning design getting more than 2 million votes. The car was decorated by the Indian jewelry chain, Goldplus, and unveiled at Mumbai’s Tata Theatre, but will leave from there on a six-month tour of India. No doubt it will bring shining joy to the underpaid out in some of the poverty-stricken areas.

We don’t know what the marketing department is putting in their coffee, but we’re betting it’s not just sugar.

The new Ford FG Falcon MkII gets front fascia redesigns, revised rear badging, new alloy wheels and chrome grille finishes across the range, with G6E and above adding new projector headlamps, black mesh accents for XR6s and other minor treatments.There’s more in the cabin, with a new instrument cluster , upgraded audio systems, and a new Interior Command Centre (ICC) with an 8-in colour touch screen on all Falcon sedan models except XT (where it will be available as an option) and on XR6 and XR6 Turbo models (but also an option on the entry-level XL).All audio systems – base, prestige and premium – have been upgraded with the inclusion of a new USB input facility to play MP3 audio files.  In USB mode, the user can play and browse all MP3 files through the audio system.Safety has been hiked with the addition of side curtain airbags and rear parking sensors across the entire sedan range and head/thorax-protecting side airbags as standard equipment across the full Falcon Ute line-up.A new stability control system – including traction control, emergency brake assist and ABS – will be added as standard on the entry-level Falcon Utes.Under the bonnet, EcoBoost engine direct injection and turbocharging technology promises the sedan range more economy, power and performance with low CO2 emissions.Ford says that -- similarly to recent turbodiesels -- the smaller EcoBoost petrol engines use a common-rail high-pressure direct injection fuel system to deliver “a precise amount of fuel in the exact spot for fast and complete burn”. More details on the Falcon EcoBoost engines will be available closer to their launch early next year. Chances are it will be around the same output as the Volvo version of the engine which generates 177kW and 320Nm. Like the Volvo and Ford's own Mondeo, it is also likely to be teamed with a six-speed Powershift, twin-clutch robotised manual gearbox.The EcoBoost technology is spreading through Ford around the world, and will be available in 80 per cent of Ford global models by 2013.