Articles by Neil Dowling

Like a hawaiian pizza, the Discovery 4 is the 4WD that is on every potential buyer's menu. The mainstay Disco is as competent as its rugged looks imply yet is perfectly suited to commuting duties and with seven seats, is as tempting as the pizza. Upgrades for 2014 only enhance the flavour and though there's temptation elsewhere, few rivals embrace the versatility and driveway cache of the Disco.VALUEPricing hits the mark with competitors all around the $100,000 point, though a diesel Mercedes sends it north of $120,000. In relative terms, the $95,900 for the upmarket HSE version of the Disco 4 is good value. It offers a spacious seven seats, good fuel economy, lots of features, strong 3500kg tow rating plus awesome off-road ability.Its cousin, the Range Rover, is available with the same engine for $72,000 more. Disco 4 HSE gets a Meridian 11-speaker audio, sat-nav, selectable driving mode, leather upholstery and air suspension. The test car cost $105,520, adding the Black Design Pack with 20-inch wheels, premium black paint and a digital audio. Resale is a very strong 63 per cent and though there's no capped-price service program, servicing is once a year.DESIGNIt's always been a box and that's one of its strongest features - this is a Tardis when it comes to maximising cabin room. There's a new dash for 2014 with a smaller panel for the five-mode terrain control which is now moved up the console stack, making more room for personal item storage. The fat window ledge begs for the driver's elbow - don't with the window down, it's illegal - but window switch placement up here is handy.Horizontal split tailgate is brilliant - a picnic seat when the bottom half is lowered, a tailgate upper for loading shopping and open everything for a spacious 1192 litres of load room. But third-row seats, though comfortable and roomy enough for adults, are decidedly complex and fiddly to erect and retract compared with other seven-seat wagons.TECHNOLOGYThe eight-speed automatic helps the 183kW/600Nm 3-litre bi-turbo V6 diesel to move the bulky 2.5-tonne body. The engine is a clean-up version on the longstanding V6 that is also used in the Range Rover and Jaguar. Bonus bits include the five-mode terrain assist mode that alters engine, transmission and braking to suit driver-selected road conditions. Electronic air suspension allows for ground clearance from 185mm to 310mm and flattens body roll when on the bitumen.SAFETYThere's no crash rating for this car. The previous Disco 3 rated four stars. New model gets eight airbags, rear camera, front and rear park sensors, heated mirrors, bi-xenon headlights and electronic assistance including anti-trailer away, rollover stability, hill descent and hill holder, traction and stability control. The spare is full size.DRIVINGAfter earlier testing the Range Rover equivalent, I was a bit let down by the engine's tendency to hesitate on acceleration and its indecision to quickly find a gear. It's all to do with turbo lag but is annoying, especially given there's two turbochargers.Ride comfort and handling is, however, first rate. The electronic air suspension is complex and not as durable as steel springs, but thee are over-ridden by advantages such as the flat cornering stance, the ability to raise the vehicle for off-road travel, the disregard it has for speed bumps and the cloud-like glide it gives to the ride.The steering ratio is high so needs more turns of the wheel - typical of 4WDs - but the weighting is close to perfect. It's a surprisingly easy car to park. In the dirt it prefers tyre pressures down to about 18psi and the suspension jacked up. Then, together with the low-range transfer case and the ability to select terrain conditions in the Terrain Response program, it is almost unstoppable.VERDICTLove it. Great allrounder with similar ability as the Range Rover but at a huge discount.Land Rover Discovery 4 SDV6 HSEPrice: $95,900 ($105,520 as tested)Warranty: 3 years/100,000km, 3yr roadside assistCapped servicing: NoneService interval: 12mths/26,000kmResale: 63%Safety: 8 airbags, ABS, ESC, EBD, TCCrash rating: noneEngine: 3.0-litre, V6 bi-turbo diesel; 183kW/600NmTransmission: 8-spd auto, 2-spd transfer; constant 4WDThirst: 8.8L/100km; 230g/km CO2Dimensions: 4.8m (L), 2.2m (W), 1.9m (H)Weight: 2495kgSpare: full size

Despite its resemblance to the 6X6 G-wagon used by the Australian Army, the Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 6X6 isn't coming here.Mercedes-Benz Australia spokesman Jerry Stamoulis says the G63 -- with an overseas price equivalent to $550,000 -- a left-hand drive vehicle only and is being produced in "very, very limited numbers".And it shares almost no drivetrain components with any of the other G-Class vehicles. "It has a very complicated drivetrain and chassis," Stamoulis says. "It has absolutely no relation to the other G-Class vehicles including the 6X6 G-wagon used by the Australian Army. The G63 is a complex, super-articulated machine designed for extreme off-road conditions."However the G63 is built alongside the other G-Class vehicles in Austria by Magna-Steyr. Like the other G models, the G63 is hand built. The less complex G models, such as the G350 and G500, take 11 days each to hand assemble. Stamoulis says the G63 6X6 started life as a concept but drew demand from some countries. Mercedes recently started making limited numbers to satisfy demand.The G63 AMG model gets a 5.5-litre bi-turbo V8 with 400kW and 760Nm that's enough to haul the 3.8-tonne monster to 100km/h from rest in 5.9 seconds. It's even farm-friendly with its 650kg payload. But if that's too lame for you, specialist fabricator Brabus has its own interpretation.The Brabus 700, launched at the recent Frankfurt motor show, boosts the AMG's output to 515kW/965Nm using the same engine but with some clever tweaking. For example, the intake and turbo pipes are lined with gold leaf - that's real gold - to keep air temperatures as low as possible. It also gets two new, high-pressure turbochargers.The extra kit adds weight to Brabus has added a carbon-fibre bonnet and wheel arches. But it works - the 700 will rocket to 100km/h from standstill in only 7.4 seconds. Because of the off-road tyres, the machine is limited to only 160km/h.The price is about $700,000 and it too is made only as a left-hand drive. Though if you offered a bit more money they may consider moving the steering wheel.This reporter is on Twitter: @cg_dowling 

Building Jeep's iconic brand name on an Italian family-car chassis is the automotive equivalent of RM Williams subcontracting for Victoria's Secret lingerie.

It's Jeep's most polarising model ever and it is unlikely the company will produce anything as radical in the near future. The chief designer of the Jeep Cherokee, the mid-size SUV that sits under the Grand Cherokee and above the Compass, says its confronting grille design hasn't been as debated since Jeep abandoned the seven-slot grille for its SJ model in 1974.Greg Howell, the head designer of the Cherokee and who is now penning a new Dodge Ram, says he wasn't looking at history when he styled the Cherokee that is due in Australia in the second quarter of next year."The notion that we were breaking away from previous Cherokee wasn't really true because we were continuing the same design theme," he says. "But there were a lot of new targets to meet such as fuel economy and aerodynamics."A lot of the Cherokee is designed by science - the way we had to shape the A-plillar to get the wind to move acros the car as efficiently as possible, for example - then we had to ensure that below the body would do its work off the road."The Cherokee will be priced about the same as the previous model - that left Australian showrooms in February - but shares few parts. It shares the platform with the Fiat Group's Alfa Romeo Giulietta and is, obviously, now a monocoque body rather than the previous Cherokee's body-on-frame design.For American buyers, it is also a return of the Cherokee nameplate after it was replaced for almost two decades by the Liberty badge.Howell says the 2014 Cherokee has been specifically designed for a younger buyer and is therefore deliberately set apart from the Grand Cherokee. "Our research tels us that people want something modern and something versatile because they want to remain SUV owners," he says. "The vehicle should be rugged but we knew that, above all, it had to be modern. Efficiency was also a big issue because people don't want to be at the fuel pump all the time."He says it was "challenging" working with a new body design on an existing car-based platform. "We had a very specific platform and that changed the way we had to look at a new SUV," he says."For example, we have a 1m front overhang and a 30-degree approach angle. These are not normal for a serious off-road vehicle. It made us think in different ways."Howell says adopting the Giulietta CUSY platform became reality because Jeep appreciated that customers wanted an SUV with all the hallmarks of car comfort and safety. "We try to bite into the SUV and CUV (crossover) market as much as possible," he says. "So we have to introduce technology such as its nine-speed automatic transmission - a first for the market - and the high level of in-car electronics and safety."The fact is that this vehicle is like a car but is more trail capable than any other SUV in its class. Personally, I don't think it's a polarising design. It's the way to the future."This reporter is on Twitter: @cg_dowling 

Mazda 3 diesel and Honda Civic diesel go head-to-head in this comparative review. .star {width:135px;}#article-corpus {width:100%; padding-right: 0;}

Slicing up the world rally championship circuits gave Mitsubishi's Lancer an incredible sales kick.

Foton, a division of China's giant Beijing Automotive, gets a lot of it right with a dual-cab ute that is priced between the entry-level Great Wall and more established models

The owner of a Lamborghini Aventador has been fined and his car confiscated after it was discovered it was actually a Hyundai. Easy to mistake the two, of course. Police in the Chinese city of Chongqing claimed the Aventador replica after the owner tried to sell it in a shopping centre. Police weren't fussed about the rip-off but by the fact the plastic car was illegally modified and didn't have licence plates. China's vehicle laws are becoming increasingly harsher. Car buyers need a “blue book” from the China Vehicle Inspection authority that lists the specifications of the car and a photo. Any changes to the data or picture are illegal. The baby-blue coupe was based on a second-generation Hyundai Tiburon with a $350 (in China) body kit. Chinese newspapers say the owner was fined about $130 and lose 12 points on the 20-point driver licence. The car will be returned to him but he bodykit will be removed. The writer is on Twitter: @cg_dowling  

Get out the calculator and see if an LPG car suits you before becoming blinkered by green lights.

It’s been a long time coming but Nissan’s new generation X-Trail is certain to grab an even bigger slice of the compact SUV market. Part of a total overhaul of its SUV range, the new X-Trail follows the lead of the next Pathfinder - here late this year - by being less rugged and less angular.The X-Trail takes on the Dualis’ clothes to appeal to a broader range of customers and will also replace the Dualis +2 model. Built on Nissan’s common modular platform (CMP) that is shared with Renault, the longer and wider --yet lower-- X-Trail has the option of seven seats with its two occasional third row accommodation.Nissan Australia is being quiet about this car but expect it in July next year and priced at a premium of about $2500 on the current model. Drivetrains are yet to be announced.The 2.5-litre petrol four remains though Nissan has refined further the CVT automatic for smoothness and less “flare’’. Nissan claims the big improvement in the new gearbox is low friction - down 40 per cent on the old unit - which has resulted in a 10 per cent improvement in fuel economy.Nissan has also kept is relatively off-road friendly. It keeps the “All Mode 4X4’’ drivetrain that allows selection on the move between 2WD and AWD and has an auto mode for the undecided. The boot floor can be partitioned into two levels and the wagon gets a bigger and wider rear door. Cargo space is increased as has rear legroom.Nissan will place the new X-Trail between the small SUV, the Juke that is due here later this year, and the new Pathfinder that is now based on the Maxima-Murano platform.