Articles by Mark Hinchliffe

That is why he has set aside $500,000 to create what he believes is Australia's first behavioural driver training school at the historic Lakeside International Raceway at Petrie, north of Brisbane. “We need to get young people's attitude to driving right before they get their driving skills,” he said, quoting Albert Einstein; “Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age 18.” “Scary when you think about it, but at least it supports my notion of getting it (the right driving attitude) into them before they get their licence,” he said. Tetley plans to launch his two-day Road User Boot Camp (RUB) in July, targeting school children in Years 10 and 11. Rather than teaching road skills or driving skills like most driver training schools, Tetley plans to teach basics such as car maintenance, attitudinal skills to resist peer pressure, and how to avoid road rage and dangerous road situations. “Some 75 per cent of drivers under 25 can't change a wheel,” he said. “No one teaches kids the basics such as checking the car before they drive off. “There will also be some fun things as well, such as simulators and go-karts.” Tetley said cars were becoming safer, but he was concerned that technology such as anti-skid brakes and stability control were replacing driving skills. “Kids don't understand the forces involved in a car,” he said. Currently any driving tuition done off the road, such as at a driver-training centre or racetrack like Lakeside, is not eligible to be credited in the 100 hours of training; yet learners must do it before they can sit for a licence. He hopes his RUB camp may be considered exempt from this ruling because it does not teach driving or road skills. “I'm worried that the 100 hours is just reinforcing negative practices and attitudes. In Britain you have to go to driver training before you can even drive on the road. I can see a political battle to get it accredited,” he said. Tetley said his school would not compete with other driving schools." “I'm giving kids the right attitude before they go to a driving school.” Tetley's program includes a self-assessment and asks the students to assess their parents' driving. “We want them to understand that no one is a perfect driver,” he said. “We need to change their attitude to other people's driving and drive as though other people are going to make an error. “I still make mistakes and have other drivers blowing the horn at me,” said Tetley, who is an accomplished race-car driver. “Five per cent of drivers are total idiots. Ten per cent are so smart they will never be a problem. The others just need some guidance.” Tetley said he initially would aim at private schools and charge about $200 a person to “cover costs” for the two-day course with accommodation and meals included. “I'd also like to see it go national but not as a franchise. I'd just like others to pick up the idea.” Learner logbooks * Learner drivers under 25 are required to complete 100 hours of supervised on-road driving experience, including 10 hours of night driving. * When they get their learner licence, they receive a learner logbook to record supervised on-road driving. * Supervisors can be anyone with an open licence for one year. * A one-hour lesson with an accredited driving instructor counts for three hours in the learner logbook, up to a maximum of 30 hours. * Time spent at advanced driving courses at off-street venues cannot be credited to the logbook. * If Queensland Transport suspects the logbook has been fudged, learners will have to wait six weeks after a completed logbook is submitted before taking a practical driving test. Do you think young driver training like John Tetley's boot camp is a good idea? Should it become a compulsory step in acquiring a licence? Share your thoughts below...  

The Hyundai i30 has been released in Europe as an Estate or station wagon.However, Hyundai Motor Company Australia corporate communications manager Tiffanny Junee said it is not confirmed for Australia.“We still need to evaluate it for the Australian market and at this stage no decision has been made,” she said.“As far as we know today the i30 CW will not be coming out to Australia.”The i30 Estate, pictured, is based on a stretched platform extended by 50mm and has more rear leg and headroom than the hatch, along with a bigger boot and a lower loading edge.To differentiate it from the hatch, the front end has additional chrome highlighting and it comes with roofbars.It also comes with the 1.6-litre petrol and 1.6-litre CRDi diesel powerplants from the hatchback.Junee said 35 per cent of i30 sales are diesel. The i30 is selling about 800 a month and represents about 4 per cent of the small car market. 

A self-sealing tyre that activates when punctured by a nail or screw so you can continue driving at the same speed could soon be available here.The Continental ContiSeal tyre has a protective layer on the inside of the tread, which immediately seals holes up to 5mm wide with no loss of air pressure.Gregor Stone, marketing general manager of Australian Continental Tyres distributor Tyres 4U, said there were other truck and car tyres; which helped motorists continue on a puncture, but the ContiSeal had extra benefits.The ContiSeals did not weigh extra like run flats and they were not restricted to distance and speed when punctured.So confident is Continental that it has warned that because the motorist won't notice when their tyre has been punctured, they should regularly examine the tyre for nails or screws. 

It is not the first time cars have been treated as art.

One of the reasons given for Australia's record one million new vehicle sales last year is affordability. Cars have never been so affordable, say the economic pundits. But they've also never been so expensive.Australia's favourite car for the 12th year in a row, the Holden Commodore, cost about $31,500 five years ago for an Executive and under $30,000 10 years ago. A base Omega now costs $34,990.However, the dollar isn't worth as much as it used to be and wages are much higher.Commsec chief economist Craig James says cars are the most affordable they have been in 20 years, according to Commsec's affordability index. The stockbroking arm of the Commonwealth Bank uses a formula that predicts the amount of time it would take an average weekly wage earner to pay off the list price of a base model Holden Commodore auto.At today's average income of $1102.40 a week, it would take 31.3 weeks to pay off a Commodore. Five years ago that was 36 weeks, 10 years ago it was 42.3 and 20 years ago it was 35.7. The number crunchers agree cars are more affordable in 2008.But what do you get for your money these days? Remember when remote mirrors, airconditioning, central locking, power windows, CD players and anti-lock brakes cost extra?Now they are standard in even the cheapest and most basic models on the market.We compared the mid-strength Berlina spec of the 2002 VY Commodore with the latest VE Commodore to see what you get standard.The VY cost $40,850 for the V6 and $45,440 for the V8 and five years later these have decreased. The V6 is now $39,990 and the V8 $44,490. The punter gets more for their buck and it starts under the bonnet of the V6 with 180kW compared with 152kW in the VY.Primary safety features in the VY went to anti-lock brakes. The VE adds an electronic stability program with ABS, electronic brake force distribution, brake assist and traction control.Secondary safety features in the VY extended to a driver and front passenger airbag.Now you get dual-stage front airbags, side impact airbags and optional curtain airbags.Features in the VY were scant, but you did get climate control air and 15-inch alloy wheels.The VE now comes with dual-zone climate air, 17-inch alloys, plus a host of other features such as an auxiliary plug for your iPod, Bluetooth mobile phone connectivity, front fog lamps, leather wrap steering wheel and rear park assist.“Given that prices haven't increased or have been maintained in most cases, despite significant safety, technology and feature upgrades, and when taking CPI into account, it's incredible value,” GM Holden spokeswoman Shayna Welsh says.The Commodore isn't the only vehicle to offer more for your money. Imported vehicles have far more value than they have had previously.While the strong international value of our dollar has made most other manufactured imports cheaper, few imported vehicles are cheaper than they were five or 10 years ago.Car importers argue that if they were to reduce the price of new vehicles it would also erode the value of used vehicles.We don't want our five-year-old car to be worth half what we paid for it when we trade it in.Instead of reducing new car prices, importers are adding more equipment at no extra cost.One imported brand that has been experiencing rapid sales growth is Honda, but not just because of the favourable exchange rate.With most of its Australian fleet built in Thailand, the company has been able to pack their vehicles with features because of the cheaper production costs in Thailand and the lower import duty through the free trade agreement with Australia.Ten years ago Honda Australia launched a special edition Honda CR-V with ABS, sunroof, alloy wheels, roof rails and other added features to celebrate its golden anniversary.It cost $33,950 for the manual transmission variant and $35,950 for the four-speed automatic, while the standard model was $29,950 (manual) and $31,950 (automatic).Airconditioning, remote central locking, power windows and electric mirrors were standard on all models with a two-litre engine.Today, the base model CR-V costs $31,990 (manual) and $33,990 (auto), which is almost $2000 less than the '98 anniversary model and $2000 more than the base model.Today's CR-V has a 2.4-litre engine and has a host of features. Safety gear includes ABS with EBD, brake assist, stability control, four airbags and front active headrests.Standard creature features include steering wheel-mounted cruise and audio controls, speed sensitive audio volume and an auxiliary audio input to connect to iPods. 

The new SL roadster which arrives in July features a muscular bonnet with twin power domes.With the AMG 63 and 65 roadsters, these power domes really are packed with the goods.They feature an AMG-tuned 6.3-litre V8 engine developing 386kW of power and 630Nm of torque and a V12 6-litre bi-turbo developing 450kW and 1000Nm.The SL 63 AMG accelerates from 0-100km/h in 4.6sec, while the SL 65 AMG does it in 4.2.Mercedes-Benz Australia corporate communications manager Peter Fadeyev said all the SL models, AMG included, would be in Australian showrooms in July.Outside, the most obvious changes to the new SL range are the headlights which are now a single unit, rather than conjoined twin lights and the gill-style air outlets behind the front wheels.The AMG models add a special bonnet and spoiler lip.The SL 63 AMG comes with the new AMG Speedshift MCT 7-speed sports transmission with wet start-up clutch replacing the conventional torque converter.It has a direct connection to the powertrain, double-declutching, Race Start functions and four drive modes (comfort, sport, sport plus and manual).Power in the SL 65 AMG is transferred by the AMG Speedshift five-speed automatic transmission with three drive modes and a multi-disc limited-slip differential with a lock factor of up to 30 per cent for better traction.Both models also get the AMG suspension and brake treatment with options up to barbecue-plate-sized 390mm discs.They both sit on 19-inch alloys with wide 255/35 R 19 (front) and 285/30 R 19 rubber.No prices are available yet, but the two new models will replace the current SL 55 AMG ($376,000) and SL 65 AMG ($457,900). 

Basically the same car inside and out, except for the mesh grille, rear diffuser and roof spoiler, and the telltale bonnet scoop to allow air into the intercooler.However, the turbocharger provided performance that set the WRX worlds apart from the RS. While the RS was a little doughy and unresponsive, the WRX was a blast, with huge urge down low and then graduated performance leaps through the rev range.It just seemed to find new levels of power as the tacho needle spun freely.The slick five-speed gearbox really didn't need to be worked too hard to gain maximum return.However, while the RS gave reasonable fuel economy, the WRX was abysmal. Subaru claims an average combined cycle of 10.7litres/100km on 95 RON premium fuel.I filled it up with 98 octane and mostly drove it on the Bruce Highway in flowing traffic — after all, no one was going to the coast in the recent wet weather.Yet, the onboard average fuel readout never fell below 11.2l/100km.At the same time, the CO2 emissions are claimed to be 252g/km, which is way too high for this size of vehicle.Perhaps turbo buyers don't really care about fuel economy and emissions.My recent review of the RS painted a glowing picture of a car that felt just right and the WRX, of course, is no different.The styling is impeccable, if a little more feminine than the previous model, the interior is smart and classy, the build quality is high, handling is exemplary, the level of equipment is excellent and the safety features are top-notch.WRX's standard safety features are comprehensive; ABS with electronic brake force distribution, brake assist, child seat anchor points including ISO FIX, constant all-wheel-drive, six airbags including full-length curtains, front seatbelts pretensioners and load limiters with double pretensioners on the driver's seatbelt, hill start assist, and stability control.So are its standard interior features; six-stack CD player with MP3/WMA compatibility, 10 speakers, climate air, immobiliser, leather steering wheel with audio and cruise controls, leather gearshift.I would consider the excellent sat-nav option, which costs $2990 but includes a single DVD player replacing the in-dash six-CD changer, and is better and easier to use than most German luxury car units.Outside, the WRX gets 17-inch alloys, front fog lights and auto self-levelling Xenon headlights with pop-up washers.And all Subarus come with DataDot security technology.It's a value performance package if you don't mind the economy and emissions drawbacks.  SnapshotSubaru Impreza 2.5 WRXPrice: $39,990Engine: turbo 2.5 litre 4-cylinder, 16-valve, horizontally opposed boxerTransmission: 5-speed manual, all-wheel-drivePower: 169kW @ 5200rpmTorque: 320Nm @ 2800rpmBore X stroke: 99.5 x 79mmCompression: 8.4:1Weight: 1395kgDimensions: (MM): 4415 (L), 1740 (W), 1475 (H), 2620 (wheelbase)Tyres: 205/50 R17 89V YokohamaFuel: PULP 95 RONEconomy: 10.7L/100kmCO2 emissions: 252g/kmWarranty: 3-year unlimited km with roadside assistOptions: satellite navigation $2990 

Performax International general manager Nick Vandenberg said they would be keen to import and convert the much-hyped supercharged Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 due for production next year. “We convert a model if there is interest and I'm sure there would be interest in this one,” he said. The Gympie company, formerly Corvette Queensland, currently converts Corvettes to right-hand-drive, along with the Hummer H2 and several American pick-ups. The `Corvette (Vette) supercar has been rumoured to be called Blue Devil, SS, Stingray or Z07, following on from the 377kW V8 Corvette Z06 that Performax currently converts and sells for $230,000. But, the supercharged ZR1 will have more power, more torque, lower weight, a higher first gear for faster sprints, a close-ratio gearbox and bigger cooling vents, tyres and brakes. And while the Z06 used red as a highlight colour, the ZR1 uses blue, giving rise to the tipped Blue Devil moniker. “In 2007, we did about 15 to 20 Corvettes; based on that I don't see why we wouldn't do it,” Vandenberg said. “The only concern I would have is that it meets noise test and emissions criteria for Australia.” In a preview for next week's Detroit Auto Show, GM showed a production-ready 2009 Corvette ZR1, driven on stage by GM vice chairman Bob Lutz. “What's so terrific about this car is that it is very docile and easy to drive, but then when you step into it, the power just never stops,” Lutz said. While final specifications are yet to be released, it is rumoured the Vette will pump out about 460kW to 480kW of power and about 800Nm of torque from its new LS9 6.2-litre supercharged and intercooled V8 engine. The previous model was quicker than an Enzo Ferrari at 3.7 seconds from 0-100km/h. This one should put the Vette well into the supercar category. GM's LS9 engine shares key dimensions and some features with the current Z06's LS7, but employs a fifth-generation low-profile Eaton supercharger with four vanes instead of three. No point in having a supercharger unless the world knows about it, so a Lexan window has been installed in the centre of the carbon fibre bonnet so you can see the blue-tipped supercharger underneath. To keep the supercharger and intercooler supplied with air, the ZR1 has a huge front spoiler and side vents similar to those used on the C6R race-car. Apart from the supercharger providing extra power and torque, the ZR1 is suspected to sprint faster to 100km/h because of the taller first gear. From there, the Tremec six-speed that is used in many high-performance vehicles has closer gear ratios so, while the Z06 hit top speed in fifth gear, the ZR1 will reach its estimated top speed of more than 320km/h in sixth. That top speed also required the replacement of the US 200mph speedo with a 220mph unit. There are few other changes inside. However, the exterior gets a carbon fibre bonnet, roof and pillars to reduce weight. Weight is further reduced by the use of carbon-ceramic brake discs, replacing the metal discs of the Z06. GM claims ride will be more compliant than the Z06 with Magnetic Ride Control, which has immediate damper response, allowing the use of softer springs. Tyre size has been increased with 19-inch rims in front and 20-inch rims in the rear sporting 335/25Z/20 Michelin PS2s. Performax International has been importing and converting American cars for almost 20 years, producing about 200 vehicles a year for Australian roads and employing more than 40 people. However, it could face competition from GM Holden which has begun importing American vehicles. Last year it launched the baby Hummer H3, built in right-hand-drive in South Africa, while Performax imports and converts the larger H2, which is not built in right-hand-drive. H3 is imported under GM Performance Brands along with Saab and Cadillac, with the launch later this year of the Cadillac CTS. Previous GM Holden boss Denny Mooney often talked of also bringing in the Corvette. However, GM Holden national media relations manager John Lindsay has said he had “no further update” on importing the Corvette.   Corvette's career A Corvette is a small, manoeuvrable, lightly armed warship, smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft, according to Wikipedia. Or, it's an iconic American muscle car envied the world over for its brutish power and performance. The first Chevrolet Corvettes were made in 1953, but it was not until the second-generation and the Stingray version that the model started to gain appreciation in the automotive world. The third generation in 1968 introduced the most popular Corvette look with its E-Type long nose and swooping guards. It was scooped when Hot Wheels released a model before the car was actually unveiled. In the 1980s, the Corvette became more angular and wedged shaped, losing much of its soul, but since 1997 they have returned to the '60s and '70s, albeit a less revolutionary design.  

Side curtain airbags and electronic stability control have helped the new Mazda CX-7 medium SUV score top marks for occupant protection in Australian crash tests.However, it scored only one point for pedestrian protection in the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP).The highest pedestrian scores so far have been four stars for the Subaru Impreza and Citroen C6. Pedestrians represented 12 per cent of the Australian road toll last year.Electronic stability control (ESC) has this year become a prerequisite by ANCAP to score five stars. This follows international research that shows a reduction of up to 66 per cent in driver injury in single vehicle crashes where ESV is fitted.About 30 per cent of new passenger vehicles sold in Australia now have stability control.In other ANCAP results, the Toyota Corolla scored four stars and Hyundai Elantra three.RACQ vehicle technologies manager Steve Spalding said the results of some of the volume-selling models were a concern.In Europe, where all Corollas have curtain airbags, it scores five stars.However, Toyota Australia makes them available only on the more expensive variants.“It is difficult to understand why Australian consumers are not provided with similar safety features as standard,” he said.Euro NCAP results for vehicles available here include the Mercedes-Benz C class and Mazda2 (with ESC) scoring five stars.Four stars were awarded to the Mazda2 (without ESC), Kia Rio with side head protecting airbags, Smart fortwo and Nissan X-TRAIL.Kia Rio without side head protecting airbags, Kia Cerato and Hyundai Elantra scored three stars. 

The British motoring icon is tipped to revive the true two-seater sports car to take on the Italian and German sports cars.The most loved of the Jag family was built in the Swinging England period of 1961 to 1974.With its performance, handling and modern looks it was a huge sales success and is still a highly sought collector's car.Even Enzo Ferrari said it was the most beautiful car ever made.It's a huge legend to live up to for the Coventry manufacturer, which is about to be bought by Indian car manufacturer Tata.Jaguar chairman and former Ford Australia boss Geoff Polites confirmed they were investigating future model options, including the two-seater sports car.Jaguar Australia marketing communications manager Tim Krieger would not comment.“I'm not in a position to comment on speculation about any future product ,so nothing to add at this point,” he said.While the new E-Type would get a modern makeover, its legendary elongated nose would be bound to be retained. Possibly a stretched version of the XK, but with a smaller cockpit than the XK's 2+2 cabin.Jaguar almost revived the E-Type in 2000 with a model based on the F-Type concept unveiled to rave reviews at the Detroit Motor Show.It would be expected that the production model will feature a Jaguar V8 engine.Jaguar could pick from the 3.5-litre 190kW V8 or, more likely, the XK's 4.2-litre unit with 224kW, 298kW or the XKR's 306kW engine.The transmission would likely be the six-speed automatic with steering wheel-mounted paddleshifters.While Jaguar has yet to name the car, it would be a smart move to rekindle the legendary E-Type badge.Jaguar is also working on the new XJ saloon which is expected to continue chief designer Ian McCallum's XF style.The XF will be released in June, starting at $105,000 with V6 and V8 petrol engines and a diesel V6.