Articles by Mark Hinchliffe

BEAR Grylls wouldn't approve of the Porsche Cayenne. The tough “man's man” star of the TV show Man Vs Wild likes to conquer tough terrain with a blunt pencil, a piece of chewing gum and a sharp stick.The Porsche Cayenne doesn't conquer tough terrain with mechanical grip, but with a host of electronic aids.The result is the same in both cases: Bear and Porsche climb dizzying heights, inch down ravines and belly crawl through slime. We tested the V8 petrol Cayenne S which makes Bear's sinewy physique look sick. And it's more likely to be invited to civilised dinner parties than the bug-eating Bear.VALUEThe V8 Cayenne S at $147,900 sits in the middle of the range with prices from $103,500 for the V6 Cayenne right up to $239,900 for the Turbo V8. It would be wrong to compare prices with the VW Touareg which only comes in a diesel V6 at $75,990 even though the two share a chassis and a diesel engine.On the last Cayenne you could exchange the doors with the Touareg. Now, every panel is totally different and there is a lot more electronics and features in the Porsche. Plus the Porsche emblem has returned to its rightful place on the bonnet which adds value for those who care.You could also compare it with the luxury SUV benchmark BMW X5 ($134,000) or X6 ($149,000), the Mercedes-Benz ML 500 ($133,895), or Range Rover Sport ($138,900) or Vogue ($158,100). Audi's Q7 doesn't come in a V8 petrol model.TECHNOLOGYOodles of it. You only have to sit in the cockpit to see it. In fact, it is more like a plane's cockpit than a car driver's seat. There are 49 toggles, switches, knobs and buttons on the centre console, alone.But wait, there's more - 11 controls on the overhead light, four steering wheel stalks and the touch screen includes even more controls. In front of the driver are five instrument pods with so much technical information it's mind-boggling. Perhaps this display of technology is a slap-in-the-face reminder to the driver of what their hard-earned cash has bought.Apart from technical controls, the new Cayenne has achieved substantial fuel savings thanks to reduced friction in the engine and transmission, weight saving, low rolling resistance tyres, recuperative power from the brakes used to charge the battery, two overdriven gears on the eight-speed tiptronic with 50 per cent faster changes, and stop/start technology.DESIGNThe designers have tried hard to disguise the fact that it looks like a 911 with a gland problem. If you compare it with the previous model, it looks slightly less J-Lo with a new bumper and lighter one-piece tailgate design. But there is only so much you can do to disguise a big bottom.To take your attention off the bum, it has had a facelift with a longer bonnet featuring the prominent Porsche badge and the front air intake has been inverted from the previous smile to a menacing grimace.Inside, the Cayenne cabin is almost identical to the new Panamera, with its sloping centre console, cockpit-like clustered instruments and driver-oriented feel.SAFETYApart from the usual suite of safety features, Porsche added 65kg to the vehicle for structural safety as well as extra features. However, with weight savings elsewhere (103kg from body, 74kg from the chassis, 63kg from engine and 10kg from electrics), overall weight is down 250kg.Despite the lighter weight, the brakes in all models have been upgraded with larger discs for safer stopping. There is also a vast range of safety options available including lane-change assist and adaptive cruise control that operates down to 20km/h.DRIVINGOn the launch last year, the Cayenne performed all its electronic trickery on an off-road obstacle course.There are three modes for off-road driving. Mode 1 recalibrates electrical systems such as traction control and ABS for slippery terrain and in the air suspension models it raises ride height. Mode 2 locks the clutch and Mode 3 locks the rear diff. But for the sake of this test, we used the Cayenne S in its more typical environment - the suburban obstacle course.While it weighs over 2 tonnes and looks like a bloated cane toad, it doesn't feel big and cumbersome in the suburban shopping centre or trolling the city streets.With the “comfort” setting engaged on the suspension, it rides over potholes better than German luxury saloons and with the sport setting engaged it still hits its limits when punted hard, but those limits are extensive.There is a moment of impending understeer at turn-in, but a smooth and predictable flick to oversteer. It doesn't quite match the BMW X5/X6 for driver feel, feedback and that connected feeling with the road.One annoying trait is that the 265mm tyres tend to follow road camber so it constantly feels like it's pulling to the left unless you are in the right lane on a double carriageway; then it pulls to the right. Road noise is substantially reduced which turns your attention to the wind noise around the wing mirrors and bottom of the windscreen.The cockpit may be like a fighter jet, but it doesn't feel right. My main complaint is the absence of the usual audio and cruise controls on the steering wheel because Porsche wants a traditional, simple look.The cruise control stalk is handy, but different to almost every other type I've used and difficult to get used to. Cruise also had difficulty staying on the selected speed even on minor hill gradients. I felt uncomfortable in the stiff leather seats and the claustrophobic footwell where my right size 11 hoof kept getting caught on the carpet bump next to the throttle.The stop-start function felt a little rough and intrusive in crawling traffic. It also momentarily switches off the audio as the vehicle restarts. In Europe, the stop-start function defaults to the switched-on position. In Australia the driver must select it which suits me. It then defaults to whatever setting it was on when the engine was last switched off.VERDICTYou pay for the badge, but at least it's now back on the bonnet. After all this is a powerful, look-at-me pavement poseur. Surprisingly it's also a good off-roader thanks to electronic trickery.KEY FACT: Porsche says only 20 per cent of Cayenne SUV owners ever take them off road.ALPHABET SOUPThe new Cayenne comes with a host of acronyms. Here are the major ones -PTV plus: Porsche Torque Vectoring that brakes inside wheels and varies power delivery via an electronically controlled differential on the rear axle in corners. It helps prevent understeer, endemic in most SUVs. It is optional on the Cayenne, S and Turbo.PDCC: Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control is a hydraulic system that operates active anti-roll bars to keep the body flat in corners. It is standard on the Turbo and available as an option on all air suspension models.PTM: Porsche Traction Management system in active form on the Cayenne, S and Turbo uses an electronic clutch to distribute up to 100 per cent of torque to either the front or rear wheels. In reactive form in the Diesel and S Hybrid, PTM splits torque up to 40 per cent to the front and 60 per cent to the rear.AT A GLANCEPorsche Cayenne SPrice: from $147,900Warranty: 3 years, unlimited km, 12 years body corrosionResale: 68%Service interval: 12 months, or 20,000 KMEconomy: 10.5L/10km; 245g/km CO2Safety: six airbags, traction and stability control, ABSCrash rating: Nil. Meets or exceeds legislated requirementsTECHNICALEngine: 4.8-litre 294kW/500Nm V8 petrolTransmission: 8-speed tiptronic with stop/startBody: 5-door, 5-seater wagonDimensions: 4846mm (L), 1939mm (W), 1705mm (H), 2895mm (WB)Weight: 2065kgTyres: 265/50 R19, space-saver spare

The Japanese company's brand value jumped 11 per cent points in the past year to $22.4 billion, according to research agency Millward Brown.The fuel-efficient and low-carbon Prius was cited by the agency as being largely responsible for the brand image boost, even though 400,000, including 2378 in Australia, had to be recalled for brake faults.Millward Brown's annual BrandZ survey ranks companies based on customer perceptions from interviews with more than one million consumers. These are tallied along with the companies' financial and business data.Toyota  ranked 27th overall on the list of the world's most valuable companies with top spot going to Apple, ahead of Google, IBM, McDonald's and Microsoft. Only six car makers made the BrandZ top 100 list.BMW was second on the automotive list with its brand up 3 per cent to $20.7 billion.The big movers were Mercedes in third, up 12 per cent to $14.2 billion and Nissan in sixth, up 17 per cent to $9.3 billion.Millward Brown boss Peter Walshe says the Nissan leap is largely due to the launch of the 2011 Leaf EV (electric vehicle) which won the World Car of the Year award."Nissan is positioning itself as a green leader and its stance is paying off," he says.The Leaf is available in Japan, US, some European countries and will be released in Australia next year.There are five German companies in the car makers' top 10, four Japanese and one American (Ford).Top Car brands1 Toyota $22.4b (11%)2 BMW $20.7b (3%)3 Mercedes $14.2b (12%)4 Honda $13.2b (-1%)5 Porsche $11.5b (3%)6 Nissan $9.3b (17%)7 VW $6.7b (6%)8 Ford $6.7b (6%)9 Audi $3.5b (5%)10 Lexus $3.5b (-)

The two tools would then complete the toolbox in Ian Maitland's 1957 Bentley S1 Convertible and put him on the road to making it concourse ready. "You lose points if you don't have a complete and original tool kit," he says. "You can just forget about it if you haven't got one." The Brisbane chiropractor also has a 1935 Rolls-Royce 20/25 that has been in his family since his father bought it for about $3000 in 1976 as a wreck from a Victorian farm. Maitland's obsession with English automotive aristocracy began as a boy growing up in Hertfordshire, England. He bought the Roller off his father for $40,000 about 15 years ago and says it's worth about double that now. "It's the baby Roller, so called because it's shorter and lower than the Phantom," he says. "It's the one you bought if you couldn't afford the Phantom." The 20/25 refers to the estimated horsepower of the 3.8-litre straight-six engine. Maitland has spent a lot of time and energy on the car to get it running "as sweet as a nut", but he reckons there are still too many alterations from the original for it to win a major concourse. So it's the Bentley that will be his show car. Strangley, it's not original either. Far from it. It started life as a four-door saloon, but Maitland reckons most owners had them converted to two-door convertibles, greatly appreciating their value. He won't say what he paid, but reckons it's worth about $200,000 now, while an original four-door saloon would be worth about $40,000. "An S1 convertible recently sold at auction in London for 185,000 ($281,600), yet it needed more than 40,000 ($60,000) worth of restoration work," he says. Maitland had been chasing one for 10 years in Australia, the US and UK before he found this 4.9-litre, six-cylinder model in Perth. It was one of only four to be converted by Roger Fry in Perth and won its class in a West Australian concourse in 1993. Maitland recently invited a respected classic car judge to inspect the vehicle. "The verdict was that it could still win its class in a state concourse, but needed a little tidying up to win at national level," he says. Hence Maitland's call for some rare tools to complete the toolbox. Bond's Bentley MOST people associate James Bond with Aston Martins. However, the British master spy drove a Bentley in the original Ian Fleming books. In the film versions, he didn't drive a Bentley until the second Bond flick, From Russia With Love, in 1963. Bentley history Rolls-Royce was established by Henry Royce and Charles Rolls in 1904 in Manchester, while Bentley production started in 1919 in Cricklewood, London. Bentley was bought by Rolls-Royce in the 1930s and production moved to Derby. The Crewe factory was established on a 20ha site in 1938 to build Merlin engines for Spitfires during World War II. After churning out more than 30,000 engines, it turned its attentions to building Rollers and Bentleys. In 1946 it turned out its first car, the Bentley Mach VI. VW took ownership of Bentley in 1998 from Vickers after a bidding war with BMW who took Rolls.

However, Hyundai's new i40 sedan hits the world stage next week almost three months after the Korean company debuted its i40 estate (wagon). Hyundai Motor Company Australia product communications manager Ben Hershman explains that the European market dictated the about-face. "In Europe the wagon represents a very strong percentage of sales in the D segment, so Hyundai decided to engineer the wagon variant first,'' he says. The i40 wagon debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in March and Hershman says it will arrive here later this year. The mid-sized i40 sedan version will debut at the Barcelona Motor Show next week, (MAY 12) but there is no confirmation it will come to Australia. Marketing director Oliver Mann says they are still reviewing the business case for the i40 sedan. "We are hoping to make a decision later in the year," he says. The i40 has been designed and engineered at Hyundai's research and development centre in Rüsselsheim, Germany. The drawings released by Hyundai show a handsome vehicle with heavily creased accent lines that swoop along the sides for a dramatic effect. Hyundai refers to the design DNA as ``fluidic sculpture'' which was introduced on the ix-onic concept car at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show. Chief designer Thomas Burkle says they wanted to move away from the three-box saloon design. "By sculpting a low, elongated roof line, we've given the i40 saloon a striking coupe-like silhouette,'' he says. The mid-sized car has a 2.77m wheelbase and Burkle says the interior has been shaped ``to deliver practicality and comfort to the driver and passengers in a high-quality package''.

The company has released a video teaser for its new F4 RR version. Under new importers MV Agusta Imports, the standard F4 costs $25,800 ride away which is substantially less than the $32,000 it used to cost.However, you can expect to pay a lot more for the RR when it finally arrives.MV Agusta Imports manager Kevin Beale says the bike will be coming to Australia but ``extracting hard info from HQ is difficult''.``All we know about it is it will have 200hp (150kW) and Ohlins suspension, but it will be exciting,'' he says.``Right now we don't have confirmed production start-up month, but we are expecting it to be this year judging by the way the Italians are talking."``It's not going to be a cheap bike. It will come with a fairly big premium over the standard.''Other models in the MV range include the naked Brutale 1090 ($20,800, previously about $25,000) and Brutale 1078 ($17,800, previously about $25,900). Beale says the Italian brand has promised shipments of the new F3 600cc three-cylinder Supersport F3 from the first run of production in September.``Our goal is to have it launched in Australia in March 2012.'' MV has also dropped the iconic under-seat ``organ pipes'' and replaced them with a Buell-style exhaust system underneath the engine.Details of the power and performance of the vehicle have not been released. MV has a dealer in each state and two in NSW.``Sales are quite healthy,'' Beale says.Their biggest seller is the Brutale, but they admit supply is short.``We're a start-up company and we didn't know how many of each colour and model to order,'' he admits.``We took a stab in the dark and have under-ordered on Brutale.''Visit: www.mvagustaimporters.com.a

Suzuki Swift GLX and VW Polo 77TSI Comfortline go head-to-head in this comparative review.

The American nurse and rider arrives in Melbourne this week to bring a message of help for motorcycle riders injured at accident scenes.She will be accompanied by nurse Vicki Sanfelipo, who founded Accident Scene Management in America in 1996.They are here to promote their Bystander Assistance training course they developed over the past 16 years.Hammes was involved in a motorcycle crash several years ago and suffered two skull fractures, five fractured cervical veterbrae, a collapsed lung and lost her left leg below the knee.She says two bikers pulled up and used techniques learned in an ASM course to care for her until emergency services arrived. Her treating doctors believe she would have died if not for the aid of the trained bikers.Hammes no longer works as a nurse but is now an ASM instructor. Sanfelipo developed the courses for bikers when she realised her nursing training was insufficient to cover a motorcycle accident and that bikers would typically be the first on the scene.The women will conduct the Bystander Assistance course with the aid of Accident Scene Management Australia (ASMA) executive director, Phil Lemin.The paramedic and motorcycle rider did the course in June last year in the US and returned to the US in October to become a lead instructor and finalise negotiations to establish the ASMA. Lemin says Australia is the first place to pick up the ASM programs."We have had test classes here in Australia and they have been well received," he says. "The classes are much more than first aid, and have some really good practical advice."The women will be at Victory Motorcycles, Melbourne, on Saturday and Sunday (May 7-8), conduct training with invited participants at the Travel Inn on May 13 and 14, and take part in an International Women's Ride on May 14.Visit: www.asma.org.au

Very Small Particle Company (VSPC) boss David MacInnes says their nano-scale lithium ion phosphate (LFP) will enable electric vehicles to be re-charged in about the same time as it takes to fill a tank of petrol."Instead of taking eight hours to fully charge an electric car battery, you can charge our battery in about four minutes. About the time it takes to drink a cup of coffee at the service station," he said. "I could imagine in six months a lot of vehicles will be using this, especially in China."VSPC has developed a process to make the material in the cathode part of the battery much smaller than before, giving it far greater efficiency because of the increased surface area."If you think of the size of a basketball compared with the world, then our particles are about that size compared with a basketball,"  MacInnes said. "We don't grind the particles down to that size like other producers. We make ours with a special chemical process."Our material can be used in many battery applications, but the electric vehicle is what we are focusing on because of the growth and value."VSPC has received $2.09m from the Federal Governments Green Car Innovation Fund to help perfect the product and process. "We hope to scale up and build the equivalent of 2000 tones (of cathode particle material) per annum at our Wacol factory in less than two years," MacInnes said."Our powder is already being tested in batteries that could be used in electric vehicles. "Other technologies can be quite dangerous. The thing that makes ours special is the quick charge and discharge ability without any explosive danger."MacInnes said they plan to build their own electric vehicles to demonstrate the technology."Ideally we will take an Australian car and electrify that," he said.A battery consists mainly of a cathode and anode with the cathode representing about 40 per cent of the value. MacInnes said their technology had already received significant international attention from the automotive industry and battery manufacturers, but he would not disclose any names.

Ford and Holden battle for first place in the top ten classic cars

Genuine wheel-twirling skills, real sound and a half-decent plot all help get a spot in the top 10.BullittThe king of cool, Steve McQueen, is babysitting a mob informant - between bouts of squiring a young Jacqueline Bisset - in San Francisco when he's followed by the hitmen looking to get rid of the informant. The chase is still one of the longest committed to celluloid and features to classic American muscle cars - a Pontiac GTO and a Ford Mustang, the latter being McQueen's steed.RoninRobert De Niro leads a surly cast through a European heist flick that has plenty of car-based action within a decent plot - anyone doubting the film's intent will soon be hooked by the powersliding Audi A8 limo on cobblestone streets, with Peugeots, old Mercs, Citroens and a BMW M5 all taking turns to tear up the bitumen.The Blues BrothersA long-time favourite that totalled untold number of US sedans, a motorhome and a shopping mall with its over-the-top car chases as Jake and Elwood Blues. Borne from a Saturday Night Live comedy sketch, the pair lead police, hicks and Nazis on a merry chase in the Bluesmobile. The car (one of 13 used in the film) was a 1974 Dodge Monaco sedans used in filming, with the 250kW 440 cubic-inch Magnum squad car package - "It's got a cop motor, a 440-cubic-inch plant. It's got cop tires, cop suspension, cop shocks," said Dan Akroyd's character Elwood to John Belushi's Jake. Musical performances by Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Cab Calloway, Ray Charles and John Lee Hooker are also a highlight.French ConnectionGene Hackman - who won an Oscar for his role, one of five awarded to the file - chases a highjacked train through the traffic-choked New York streets. One of the better - certainly the grittiest - chases committed to film as two New York City cops try to intercept a heroin shipment coming from France.The Bourne IdentityThe black-ops thriller with an amnesiac twist has become one of the most popular action flicks around and the first of the trilogy had a sensational small-car chase through the streets of Paris. An elderly Mini takes Jason Bourne and its terrified owner Marie Kreutz down narrows stairways, through tight streets, smashing phone boxes, out-foxing the gendarmes and Gone in 60 Seconds - the originalQuantum of SolaceThe opening scene of the second Daniel Craig "Bond, James Bond" 007 adventures sees an Aston Martin DBS engaged in a rollicking car chase with bad guys in Alfa Romeos. If you can't stand seeing beautfiul Italian or English machines being monstrously scarred then look away now, but Ben Collins (the recently-released Stig) does a good job with the Aston as a 007 stunt driver.The Italian Job, the originalMichael Caine and a stack of Minis are the stars of this 1969 classic that details a gold heist in Turin, Italy, using Minis, Jaguars and a bus. The job is to steal $4m of gold arriving in Italy from China, involving a clever plan to distract the authorities, while the crooks get away in their Minis.Gone in 60 secondsThe 1974 original and the 2000 remake both have plenty worthwhile machinery over which to drool, but when forced to choose one over the other, Angelina Jolie and the modern "Eleanor, " a 1967 Shelby Mustang GT 500 swing the balance in favour of the modern. The original film, which had "Eleanor" as a 1973 Ford Mustang Mach 1, was famous for destroying 93 cars in its 34-minute chase scene.Smokey & The BanditThis film - directed by Hal Needham - did more for the Pontiac Trans-Am Firebird than the GM marketing department ever could. "The Bandit" Burt Reynolds and Sally Field lead the authorities, including lawman Sheriff Buford T. Justice (played by Jackie Gleason) astray and away from bootlegged booze. three modified black 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am "Special Editions"Dukes of HazzardThe film version of the 1980s TV Series did little to advance the world of scriptwriting or plot development but some of the driving scenes more than made up for, particularly the giggle factor of out-takes at the end of the film. Raw footage from the making of the movie on YouTube bears testament to the skills of the stunt drivers.