Articles by Mark Hinchliffe

THE “under new management” sign has been hung out at Renault Australia. In the third relaunch of the French brand in Australia in recent years, new boss Justin Hocevar promises new models, a 400 per cent increase in financial investment from the parent company and a “fresh” management team.The former Mini boss also brings with him a couple of his former Mini colleagues, immediately jumping into the deep end with the Australian International Motor Show, annual budget reviews, a national dealer meeting and the media launch of four new models – Megane Hatch, Megane RS250, Megane Coupe-Cabriolet and Fluence sedan, a joint venture with Nissan.“These are the basis of the recovery of our brand in Australia,” Hocevar says. “Renault has been underestimated for too long in Australia.” According to the latest sales figures, the company is “underestimated” by about 30 per cent.VALUEHocevar says the new models arrive with “more equipment, but not inflated price tags”, simplified two-trim variants (Dynamique and Privilege) and charming Euro styling. Renault has announced a drive-away price of $25,990 for the Megane Hatch Dynamique manual listed at $22,990. The CVT auto adds $2000.Compare that with the 2003 launch of the Megane which started at $31,990 for the two-litre Dynamique with five-speed manual. The entry model 1.6-litre model was $25,990.Renault spokesman Sylvain Martin-Villa says the new Megane Hatch comes with “a lot of standard equipment” not included on the original model such as six airbags, cruise control, ESP, hands-free key card and music-streaming Bluetooth which is standard in all the new models.The top-spec Privilege adds leather upholstery and trim, sunroof, sat nav, rear parking sensors and is listed at $29,990.The Coupe-Cabriolet comes in Dynamique only, with sat nav, heated seats and a folding glass roof from $45,990.The Mégane Renault Sport 250, which features in the latest Need for Speed computer game, arrives in Cup from $41,990 and Trophée from $46,990, adding Recaro seats, remote key, tyre pressure monitor and 19-inch alloys.The Fluence sedan will sell for the drive-away price of $25,990 for the Dynamique manual. It is listed at $22,990, the CVT is an extra $2000 and the top-spec Privilege with CVT and sat nav is listed at $29,990.TECHNOLOGYThe Megane Hatch, Coupe-Cabriolet and Fluence share the two-litre four-cylinder engine with power figures of 103kW (102kW in the Megane Dynamique manual) and 195Nm of torque, married to a six-speed manual or a six-step CVT, although the Coupe-Cabriolet is CVT only.The RS250 also features the two-litre engine, but turbocharged to 184kW/340Nm mated to a six-speed manual transmission with a limited-slip differential. It also comes with Brembo brakes, lowered and stiffer Cup suspension and a performance data monitor that displays lap times, engine performance, G force and more.There are no diesel Meganes available at launch. “Diesel doesn’t fit our philosophy,” Hocevar says. “Customers want high-revving engines and we don’t want to dilute the business case at the moment with diesel.” He says the high demand in Europe for diesel would create supply problems here. “The Australian diesel market is increasing, but it’s still not high,” he says. However, Hocevar says a diesel Megane will arrive in the next 12 months when the new double-clutch gearbox is available.STYLING“These are still not conservative designs,” Hocevar says. However, the Megane Hatch has gone on a diet and finally loses its controversial flabby bottom. “It’s a less polarizing design,” Hocevar admits.The hatch now looks more like a Peugeot 308 hatch. CC is marked by a glass sunroof and a boat-like rear end. Renault claims the roof goes in 22 seconds, but it takes about five seconds more and must be done while stationary.The RS250 looks better from the rear with its massive diffuser and centralised single exhaust pipe that should please the hot hatch fans. Inside, it’s a little gaudy with yellow seatbelts, seat stitching and tacho.The new Fluence is an elegant small sedan with a generous 4.6m body length and 2.7m wheelbase creating a lot of space for five people. Inside, it is identical to the Megane, except for a larger rear seat, more legroom and, of course, a boot.SAFETY All new models have a long list of safety features such as six airbags, automatic headlight and wipers, ESP, ABS, emergency braking assist and on the CC there is rollover protection.There are also energy-absorbing bumpers to protect pedestrians.DRIVINGWith four cars to get through in one day at the national launch in country Victoria, it was difficult to gain detailed impressions. However, the Megane Hatch distinguished itself as quiet and comfortable with solid road manners and the ability to boogie when the roads get a little twisty.It’s always had sporty front-wheel-drive handling characteristics, but now with a little less understeer and torque steer. It also handles the sudden jolts in road surfaces a little better. The CVT makes the engine scream when pushed and you are better advised to use the six-step selector for shuffling through the “gears”.Inside is a pleasant environment with plenty of soft touch surfaces, especially where you rest your elbows. However, the seats are short in the base and the winding mechanical adjustment is archaic. The switches and controls are typically quirky like most French cars such as the audio controls on a stalk hidden behind the steering wheel. Surprisingly there is no passing indicator function that flashes two or three times. Front-seat passengers will enjoy the high “command” position and the sense of space.The Fluence makes the Megane almost seem harsh. It is eerily quiet, refined and rides with the composure of a much bigger car. Steering is ultra-light at low speed for easy parking and firms up as speed gathers with a nice weight and feel. While the CVT still makes the engine scream, it is fainter in the Megane. Inside, it is identical to the Megane, except for stacks of leg room front and back.In Coupe format, the CC has more structural integrity than most folding hard tops. It handles without drama and there are no groans or creaks from the roof joins. The glass roof only has a gauze cover which is not enough to shield passengers against the sun’s harmful rays, glare and heat.The top goes down when stationary in 27 seconds, not the claimed 22. Once down, the dashboard and steering vibrate and the weight of the folding roof with its heavy glass in the boot makes the front light and the steering vague.We experienced the RS250 only on the Broadford motorcycle track, a challenging, undulating circuit with off-camber and blind corners. Hocevar says “this is how it should be driven”. The RS250 joins the recently released Clio Sport 200 Gordinio edition in Renault’s venerable sport stable that goes all the way up to Mark Webber’s work car. “This is not just stick-on badges, but ground-up reworking,” says Hocevar.On the track, even hard-core sports machines can feel soft. Here the RS250 feels sloppy, the brakes soft, the steering vague and it’s simply too quiet until it’s hitting the rev limiter. It would probably be quite good on the open road where the bumps can unsettle more highly strung hot hatches. At least the LSD ensures there is little wheel spin, while there is virtually no torque steer.VERDICTRenault has hit the spot with pricing, features, styling and refinement. Megane Hatch is now a much more approachable design and the Fluence should win some customers in the growing small-to-medium sedan category.There has always been a market for Renault Sport products, but the RS250 will win few converts, even though it looks the part. It remains to be seen whether the company can restore some faith in this quality Euro marquee.New Renault modelsMégane Hatch: Dynamique man. $22,990 ($25,990 drive away), Dynamique CVT $24,990, Privilege CVT $29,990Megane Coupe-Cabriolet: $45,990Megane RS250 Cup: $41,990Megane RS250 Cup Trophee: $46,990Fluence: Dynamique man. $22,990 ($25,990 drive away), Dynamique CVT $24,990, Privilege CVT $29,990

That's the target for four young environmentally conscious Australians preparing to set off on "The Green Way Up" adventure next March. The Sydney-based quartet plan to drive a diesel-powered dual-cab ute from the southern tip of Tasmania to Nordkapp, the most northern point of mainland Europe, without stopping for fuel. Instead, they will use their own inventions that turn used vegetable oil into biodiesel. Group spokesman Oscar Peppitt says it all started a year ago with an idea from his friend, engineer Bob Miles, and now includes welder Chuck Anderson and DJ Justin Hancock. "Bob is a revhead and he came to me with an idea that we should quit our jobs and travel around the world," he says. "I told him I'm too old for that unless it's for a business or a cause and he said, 'How about both?'." Peppitt says they both have an environmental conscience, so they decided to do a trip running on biodiesel made from used cooking oils. "We're building a couple of convertors from scratch and using a HiLux at the moment, but we're looking for a suitable vehicle; maybe the VW Amarok as it's the new kid on the block," Peppitt says. "We're building a couple of prototypes and we'll probably take both. One is a batch convertor which is easy to make but the problem is you need to sit still for eight hours because the filtration system relies on settlement. We're also looking at a centrifuge which is quicker or maybe a convertor which uses the engine to force the oil to settle under pressure. Then we can process the fuel on the fly." He says the convertors cost "a couple of thousand dollars each". Peppitt says they have tested on the road with the batch processor. "We went to Chinatown in Sydney and a couple of other places to blind test whether we could get used oil," he says. "One day we found about 100 litres in Chinatown, which would be enough to get you a fair way because it converts to about 80 per cent biodiesel which is 80 litres of biodiesel."  The Green Way Up is also working with Hollywood actor Ewan McGregor's producer from the Long Way Round TV series, Jo Melling, to document the adventure. "The team's rapport, passion for adventure and innovative use of discarded oils from the most surprising everyday sources is inspiring," Melling says.

... and parking sensors in new cars, according to Kidsafe Australia. Nineteen children in Queensland alone, double the number thought have been killed since 2005 and 1000 admitted to hospital, Kidsafe Queensland CEO Susan Teerds. Queensland is the only state to keep these statistics. The figures are revealed on the same day as NRMA Insurance’s annual Insurance Reversing Visibility Index for new cars showed only 8 per cent of the 218 cars tested had a maximum five-star visibility rating. Though this is up from 5 per cent last year, Ms Teerds says: "I'm not a fan of parking sensors. People tend to ignore them. We tell people not to rely on sensors or reversing cameras. Nothing substitutes for vigilance." She says two children a week are still being run over in Queensland because parents don’t supervise their children or separate them from traffic with a secure fence and check behind their vehicle when reversing. "These must be used in combination to be effective," she said. "In the past 10 years, 1000 children have been admitted to Queensland hospitals in low-speed run-over accidents. That doesn't include those treated in emergency departments or the 19 deaths in the past five years. That is double what we thought." She said most low-speed run-overs occur at school carparks, shopping centres and home driveways with parents most often the driver. The danger ever present danger was highlighted in July when former Wallaby Brendan Cannon accidentally ran over his son Sam with his SUV. The 17-month-old survived in what was hailed as a medical miracle. Meanwhile NRMA Insurance spokesman Robert McDonald said manufacturers are adopting reversing cameras in more new vehicles while all Australian-built large family vehicles now include them as a standard or optional feature. This year the Holden Commodore sedan joins Ford Falcon and Toyota Aurion/Camry with the cameras. However, Commodore and Falcon still rate zero stars in the visibility survey because vehicles with the cameras fitted were not available at the time of testing. "Although we've seen an increase in the take-up of reversing camera technology, 13 per cent of cars tested still scored a zero rating," Mr McDonald said. Mrs Teerds says it was a myth that four-wheel-drive vehicles are the most dangerous vehicle to pedestrians. "They might be more lethal because they are bigger and heavier, but they are not doing the majority of the run overs," she says The NRMA Insurance shows several sedans, hatches and small cars with zero ratings while several large SUVs rated maximum stars. The survey also found more than two-thirds of Queensland drivers admitted to having a near miss while reversing. Mr McDonald said families who could not afford to upgrade their car could fit an aftermarket reversing camera. The Reversing Visibility Index measures the visible area and distance across the rear of the vehicle and takes into account whether cameras and sensors have been installed. Results are rated on a scale of zero to five-stars. Reversing Visibility Index - current models FIVE STARS BMW X5; Ford Territory; Holden Commodore wagon; Honda Legend; Kia Soul and Sorento; Lexus GS, IS250, IS F, LS460 and LX570; Mercedes-Benz E-Class (coupe and sedan); Mitsubishi ASX; Subaru Liberty Exiga; Toyota Kluger, Prado 0 STAR Audi A5 (coupe and convertible), A3 convertible, S4 sedan; Citroen C5 sedan; Ford Falcon sedan; Holden Commodore sedan, Epica sedan, Cruze; Honda Accord, Accord Euro, Civic; Hyundai i30 hatch, ix35; Kia Cerato Koup, Cerato sedan; Mazda6 hatch, Mazda2 sedan, Mazda3 sedan; Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedan; Mitsubishi Lancer hatch, Lancer sedan; Proton Persona sedan; Subaru Liberty Exiga, Impreza sedan; Suzuki Kizashi; Toyota Corolla sedan, Prado and RAV4. Source: NRMA Insurance

But what lies behind the amiable façade? The book, 'My Championshop Year',  goes some way to conveying to us mere mortals the mindset of a young man to risk his life banging door handles at 300km/h. It picks up at last year’s Bathurst 1000 where Whincup and partner Craig Lowndes were aiming for a historic fourth straight win and follows him for the year in which he claimed his second consecutive driver’s championship, dealt with the fallout of swapping from Ford to Holden. Told in a diary format it’s more than a banal list. Whincup can't help but speak his mind, resulting in some interesting revelations. A deep thinker, he reveals the motivations of top sportspeople. Reflecting on his dismal display at last year's Gold Coast race, he says: “Why does it always take something bad to make you realise what is important? Why does someone decide to eat healthily and exercise after a heart attack, or treat a new partner better after a split?” Each chapter is based around an event in the V8 Calendar and starts with a layout of the relevant circuit and ends with his round statistics and a quote. Between each diary chapter are interesting sub-chapters about a range of issues such as what he really thinks about his teammate Lowndes, the reasons for a track walk, and the purpose of the team, the pay, the tribal Ford versus Holden war, the controversial sprint tyre rule and even the fans. He also demystifies some of the technical aspects of the sport and the book wraps up with several pages of comprehensive results from each of the rounds and a glossary of technical terms. This is not only one for the diehard Whincup fans, but also for those who wish to see inside the mind of a true champion.

Molly Taylor, 22, of Armidale in NSW, and Brendan Reeves, 22, of Wedderburn in Victoria, have won two of six coveted spots to race a Ford Fiesta R2 in six World Rally Championship events next year. They won their places in the WRC Rally Academy with impressive performances in a 16-team Pirelli Star Driver Shootout in Spain at the weekend."I am overwhelmed and incredibly excited," says Taylor who drives with her mother, Coral, reading the pace notes. "It's not every day an opportunity like this comes along! I don't think it has fully sunk in yet. My focus has always been working towards the WRC, so to be sitting here today knowing that this is actually a reality is surreal. This is just the beginning and the hard work starts now, I'm buzzing."Taylor began rallying in 2005 and has won two state titles, two Australian Rally F16 Championships and is the 2009 British Ladies Rally Champion. Reeves also started rallying in 2005 after karting and has won several rallies, scored a class second in Targa Tasmania last year and has been racing this year in the Australia Pacific Rally Championship with navigator Rhianon Smyth, 29. He was the first selected to join the inaugural WRC Rally Academy, a new series replacing the Junior World Rally Championship."This is a dream come true for me," he says. "I'm still pinching myself but I realise that the hard work hasn't even started yet."The global Pirelli Star Driver Shootout involved three days of lectures, driving tests on gravel and tarmac, and media presentations.

... with a qualified driving instructor, according to a leading road safety expert. Fatality Free Friday founder and Driver Safety boss and instructor Russell White points out that for airline pilots to retain their licence they have to log hours on a simulator. "If it's good enough for pilots, why not drivers?" he said. White said time spent with a simulator could also open up learners to conditions they may not encounter in their required logbook hours. "Tens of thousands of drivers around the country got their licence during the drought years without ever having to drive in the rain," he said. His company's $35,000 driving simulator can subject learners to varied weather conditions and driving scenarios such as suburban streets, country roads, highways and commuter traffic jams. White has adapted the Dutch-designed simulator software to Australian road conditions with local signposts. He said Iowa University research in 2007 showed the number of crashes involving learner drivers who had also performed simulator training dropped by 70 per cent. In a demonstration of the simulator's uses yesterday White put a learner and a young driver through distraction tests with chips, softdrink, mobile phone conversation and texting. Year 11 student Jess Mills, 16, has had learner's licence for a month but has only logged two hours of driver training with her parents in her automatic Holden Cruze. She struggled to stay in her lane when distracted with chips and drink, varied her speed erratically while talking on the phone and crashed into parked cars during the texting test. Nick Bunney, 21, has had his licence for three years but has already copped a hefty speeding fine in his manual Suzuki Swift. He hit a signpost and failed to give way in the chip and drink distraction tests, slowed substantially when talking on the phone and crashed into the side of van he didn't see when he was trying to send a text message. White said these valuable lessons about driver distraction could only be taught on a simulator. "People on the phone either drive too fast or drop their pace back and start to wander around in their lane," White said. "This happens because people switch from a broad view and external focus to a narrow view and internal focus to concentrate on their conversation. When you switch over, your reaction times increase, your scanning process decreases, you get a fixed stare and your gaze drops. Our tests ave shown there is no difference between whether people are holding the phone or using a hands-free device. We've found a lot of companies now have an 'engine on, phone off' policy." He said texting was the worst distraction as it not only diverted attention, but also averted the driver's eyes from the road. A University of North Texas Health Science Centre study found that texting while driving was responsible for 16,141 US deaths between 2002 and 2007. Bunney said the simulator distraction tests were "an eye opener". "Texting is easily the most difficult," he said. "Trying to talk on the phone was easier, but some of the things I said just didn't make sense." He named other driver distractions as friends in the car, the radio and "fiddling with CDs". Mills said her parents used a hands-free phone for the car and rarely ate or drank while they were driving. "I don't think I will ever use my phone in the car," she said.

We busted one myth, but have confirmed the other.  The first myth about unlocking your car with a mobile phone would be handy if you locked your keys inside. The myth says you get someone at home to grab your spare key remote and press the unlock button close to their mobile phone while you hold your phone close to the car so the signal can unlock it.  We tested it on several cars and it doesn't work. Queensland University of Technology telecommunications expert Dr Karla Ziri-Castro says the reason it doesn't work is that remote car keys operate on a weak encrypted radio signal (about 300-400MHz) while mobile phones operate at higher frequencies (800-900MHz). However, she says the other myth about using your head does work.  It has already been shown on the UK Top Gear motoring TV show. We tested it on several cars and found it adds at least 20m to the effective range of the remote.  Dr Castro says she uses her head "all the time". "I've tried it on my crappy Corolla and it works," she says.  "The human head acts an antenna because you are basically building a capacitor with the water content inside your head." Dr Ziri-Castro, who studied telecommunications at Queens Uni in Belfast, says it is safe to use your head as an antenna for a remote key fob.  "It's low frequency so it should be all right," she says.  "If it were a microwave it would be a different matter."

BMW Australia has confirmed it is interested in competing in the series against Ford and Holden under the coming Car of the Future project. However, BMW corporate communications manager Piers Scott said the guidelines for the new race car would have to allow them to bring in a race car from overseas without major modification. "I can confirm we have spoken with project leader Mark Skaife and that we are interested at this moment, but it's a bit early to make any decisions," he said. "If possible we would like to be in the series when the new cars begin racing in 2012, but there are so many things to finalise first it's a bit premature to put a starting date on it.  "However, it would be better to be in at the start rather than later." The talk of BMW's move into V8 Supercars comes as the company announced it would return to German touring car racing (DTM) next year after an absence of 16 years. "The current V8 format wouldn't work for us, but if we could bring our DTM M3 race car here under the new rules, then we could take part," Scott said.  I'm not sure if he (Skaife) could make the other manufacturers agree to rule changes that would allow us to participate." While Skaife confirmed he had talked to BMW, he refused to comment.  However, V8 Supercars Australia board member and Team Vodafone principal Roland Dane said it was "highly unlikely" that the Australian format would be similar to DTM. Scott said V8 Supercar racing would be a "good fit" for BMW.  "Motorsport is one of the three pillars of our company," he said. "In Australia we don't have a means to participate and it would be brilliant if we could be involved.  But we wouldn't do one (race car) that was unique to this market. It would have to be compatible with what we have in other countries." Scott said they had not yet discussed budgets or whether they would run a factory team or support a privateer.  Other companies that have been rumoured to be interested are Mazda, Hyundai and Toyota. Hyundai recently rejected any interest in joining the series and Toyota Australia spokesman Mike Breen yesterday said they hadn't  been approached.  "We don't know anything officially about their proposal," he said. "Until we understand what the proposal is, we can't say yes to anything that hasn't been finalised."

Multiple world, American and Australian supercross champion Chad Reed flew back to the US on Sunday morning to negotiate a deal for next season. Reed missed Saturday’s second round of the Super X season in Canberra and is likely to miss at least next weekend’s round while he sorts out a deal.  Spokesman Matt Cousins said Reed would hold negotiations this week with Honda and Yamaha. "He’s sorting out the best ride and trying to decide in his mind which bike and team package is the best for him," Cousins said.  However, negotiations could be difficult with tough economic times forcing some riders to offer their services for free. Reed raced a Honda to victory in the first round of the Super X in front of a home crowd at Newcastle, but Cousins said that was a "one-off deal". "Basically it depends on what deal he gets overseas whether he races again in the series and on what bike," he said.  "He couldn’t commit to any more rounds. If he is seen on a Honda too often, Yamaha might not want him."He may not complete in the (Super X) series, but he really wants to.  His heart is in it and has a vested interest in making it work." Reed, who is fifth on the Business Review Weekly's sport star rich list and the second-highest placed motorsport star by F1 star Mark Webber, has invested heavily in the fledgling series he has won the past two years.  The second round in Canberra on Saturday was an all-American affair with US imports Kevin Windham, Josh Hansen and Justin Brayton claiming first, second and third. The series heads to Launceston for the third round next weekend.

Less than a third of Australian drivers (32 per cent) choose ethanol blends and biofuels when filling up at the pump, despite more availability of the fuels across the country, according to AAMI research to be released today. The survey of 2503 Australians, conducted by Sweeney Research, also found that 43 per cent think ethanol blend and biofuels will have a negative effect on their car, up from 26 per cent in 2008.However, only 14 per cent of drivers nationally say availability is the main barrier to using these petrol alternatives, down from 26 per cent in 2008.Despite the negative attitudes to ethanol, motorists are adopting greener attitudes on the showroom floor, with more than half of drivers (54 per cent) saying they would consider environmental factors, such as air pollution rating or fuel efficiency, before buying a new car.The survey comes as Holden this month released its new Commodore which runs on E85 fuel with 85 per cent ethanol blend and Caltex promised to increase its E85 stations to more than 100 across the country.AAMI spokesman Mike Sopinski said the research, which would be released in their annual Green Home and Motoring Index report next week, showed a "green consciousness" developing among Australian drivers with two in five (41 per cent) actively adjusting their driving style to reduce fuel consumption; 61 per cent using their car only when necessary, 72 per cent regularly checking their tyre pressures, 49 per cent using the air conditioner sparingly and 75 per cent getting their car serviced regularly.Greenfleet CEO Sara Gipton says there are many small changes motorists can make to reduce their environmental impact, such as avoiding harsh acceleration and braking, slowing down, travelling light and considering alternatives such as walking, public transport, carpooling or riding a bike.