Articles by Neil Dowling

Pretty isn't a word lavished on the Subaru Forester. But a glimpse at the new model due February shows that there has been some attractive softening of the wagon that brings it closer to the popular XV model.The next Forester will wear Subaru's new family grille - a smaller, squared look that defines the Asian SUV segment - and Impreza tail lights, but unlike the low XV, retains its tall-hat look for maximum cabin space. It will be slightly bigger than the current model, which has been on sale since 2008, by 35mm in length, 15mm in height and 20mm wider.The platform is modified from the latest Impreza/XV and claims to allow a bigger boot - to 505 litres from the current model's 450 litres. Subaru's Forester has been shown in past weeks as an image in a brochure - now we’re seeing a snap taken in a holding carpark. Standard will be Subaru's recently upgraded 110kW/196Nm 2-litre but there will also be a twin-scroll turbocharged version tagged 2.0 XT. Instead of a horizontal intercooler mounted under the bonnet lid, the turbo model it is likely to have it conventionally mounted as a vertical unit behind the grille. There will also be a turbo-diesel option with a six-speed manual or CVT automatic.The next Forester will also be the cheapest Subaru to be offered with the company's EyeSight technology that incorporates adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and autonomous pre-collision braking. 

In its mind-boggling ability to multi-task, the latest Subaru is the automotive equivalent of a platypus. Made from parts of other models and sitting 50mm higher than its peers, the city-bred sedan with farming aspirations stands alone.Perhaps not since the German Army in 1941 sat a Volkswagen Beetle body atop an all-wheel drive platform (Type 87 Kommandeurwagen) have we had his curious mix of an innocuous sedan with a serious off-road bent. But the Subaru Liberty X is more than a four-door skin with an Outback drivetrain.At $44,490, it is a remarkable showcase of state-of-the-art safety systems and gives Australians access to a car that will avoid pedestrians, other cars and those infuriating moving bollards. It will seat five people, is at the pinnacle of automotive safety, is comfortable, relatively fuel efficient, loaded with features and even well built.It can be all things to almost all men - and women - and though it's a combination of other car models, it is as bizarrely adaptable as Australian fauna and clearly would have been the automobile of choice of Charles Darwin.VALUEAffordable is the keyword here. The Liberty X is based on the top-line Liberty model but gets the high-riding suspension from the Outback wagon. It suits country folk, motorists with challenging driveways and owners who for some reason have less flexible bodies.The X's extra seat height makes it easy to get in and out. Standard fare is impressive, starting with the Eyesight technology but adding 18-inch alloys, a superb McIntosh audio, sat-nav on a 200mm touch screen, electric front seats with heaters, leather upholstery and sunroof. It costs $44,490 for the 2.5-litre model but for more oomph, the 3.6-litre model is $55,990.DESIGNSubjectively, the latest Liberty isn't as pretty as its predecessor. But it is noticeably wider in the cabin and offers more rear-seat room. The extra 50mm ride height looks a bit strange but definitely makes access to the cabin much easier than the standard Liberty.The dashboard is hard plastic but cleverly doesn't look low rent, while switch layout is good and the electric parkbrake is a boon. I'm disappointed there is no split-fold rear seat which would have better suited the car's do-anything role. Leather seats are nice but, again, cloth would be more durable.TECHNOLOGYEyesight is Subaru's name for a camera and sonar-based radar system that detects objects in front of the moving car. Only Volvo has something similar. The system includes adaptive cruise control, lane-change monitor, lead vehicle start alert and an autonomous pre-collision braking system with emergency brake assist.Brilliant. The 123kW/229Nm 2.5-litre flat-four engine is adequate and helped by a CVT auto - with paddle shifters - that doesn't have the horrible vices of some of Subaru's peers. The AWD system is constant, so it always has all wheels driven which is grippy on gravel roads and wet bitumen.SAFETYEyesight (see Technology) tops the bill but there's more. The car has a five-star crash rating, seven airbags, auto wipers and lights, a reverse camera and wiper de-icers. The spare is a temporary tyre. DRIVINGIt drives like any other Liberty around the city but corners and side winds make a subtle impact in the way the car holds the road. It's typical of a car with extra ground clearance and is the reason why some (expensive) SUVs have adjustable suspension that lowers the vehicle at high speeds.There is a bit more body roll through corners and side winds buffet the car. The light steering feel is excellent for parking though the Liberty has quite a wide turning circle. Quietness and comfort are very good with low wind and tyre noise. The engine is adequate and some buyers may prefer the more sparkling 3.6 model for an extra $11,500.Off the mark the 2.5 feels weak but has stronger mid and top-end delivery. The CVT auto displays its characteristic elastic-band engagement when accelerating but isn't as crude as some rival makes. The Liberty X is as accomplished in the dirt as its Outback sister.The high 200mm ground clearance makes it tall enough to avoid dirt-road and track undulations and rocks while the long-travel suspension offers a cushy ride. It'll find its way down to the beach but is better in the company of a more traditional 4WD.VERDICTI like it. It has the style of a sedan (though not a particularly pretty one) and has an enviable go-anywhere ability, but undoubtedly its biggest feature is the Eyesight technology.

The devil is, as always, in the detail. By parts seen and those microscopic, the Porsche 911 for 2013 is an assembly of parts known and components new.The engine's still at the back - though it has moved slightly towards the front to fractionally reduce rear-weight bias. The shape's the same and few will pick this as a 2012 - coded 991 - over its predecessor. Underneath, however, there's lots of tricky bits. But despite its 1964 origins, it's still a stunning car with the ability not only to go fast, but to turn heads, make women consider marriage and men become your best friend.VALUEYes, it's really expensive. The Porsche Carrera 2 (rear-wheel drive) S (3.8-litre) costs $262,600 as a seven-speed manual. The seven-speed dual-clutch auto option adds a steep $5950. You may want a sunroof ($3890) and heated seats ($1050) and you'll need park sensors ($890). It comes with 20-inch wheels but the Sport Design wheels - to match your steering wheel - will add $890.Ceramic brakes are an extra $19,690 and the Sports Chrono pack - with launch control and centre-dash stopwatch - is $4790 and, to hear that exhaust music, you may need the sports exhaust (with a switch on the dash) for $5890. Want all that? $305,640 please and now add a lot extra to get it on the road.DESIGNParked in the pits at the Wanneroo raceway, it is all 911. In fact, like any 911. That same sad droop of its tail, the signature fenders that sit proud of the bonnet in a tilt of the hat to Ferdinand's first, the teardrop side glass and ancestral overhangs. But it's longer. You notice it in the wheelbase. Where other 911s look short in the leg, like a child who has outgrown his first trousers, this one is stretched.Inside, the knees-up pose needed to swing folded legs past the imposing door post to a deep footwell beyond, is fractionally more generous and more forgiving to women. But it's still not a car commendable for entry and egress. The rear seats are best left folded to lie flat to create a storage areas.The dash has overtones of the Carrera GT and the Panamera with the same rise in the centre console that pushes the gearshifter - in this case the lever for the dual-clutch auto - higher and closer to the steering wheel and with it, the driver's left hand. The switchgear continues to follow Porsche's random placement philosophy and there's virtually no provision for personal items, like the mobile phone, unless the small console or tiny glovebox is considered acceptable.Vision to the front is barely acceptable, to the side it's fair but the tail is invisible. The front and rear park sensors would help, but they're an option - in a $260,000-plus car? - for an extra $890.TECHNOLOGYHoning the engine and transmission and adding stop-start are responsible for a 14 per cent reduction in fuel use - now averaging 9.5 litres/100km - but more importantly, a breathless transition from rest to 100km/h in just 4.3 seconds. There's 294kW at a heady 7400rpm - just 400rpm shy of the red line - and the 440Nm of torque peaking at 5600rpm.The Carrera S with PDK has a pair of rocker switches on the steering wheel to manually change gears. It's a lot clumsier than the simpler, industry-standard paddles with a right-side lever for up, a left lever for downshifting. Luckily, Porsche's "proper'' paddles are a cost-free option but only with the Sport Design steering wheel. Electric-assist steering is new, designed to reduce fuel use and rid the need to have hydraulic hoses fed from the engine pump (at the back) to the steering box at the front.SAFETYNo crash-test rating for this car - indeed, few top-end, low-volume cars are test crashed by independent laboratories - but there's six airbags, electronic stability and traction control, huge four-wheel disc brakes, bi-xenon lights, heated mirrors, rear window wiper but no spare wheel.DRIVINGIt will start with almost the same note as in the past. A stumble at the turn of the key and then a blat followed by a slightly uncomfortable gargle of metal rolling and sliding on metal. Porsche's dual-clutch PDK transmission hides seven cogs and the ability to slip up and down the ratios in less time it takes to blink, so the go-factor is enhanced while the lack of any pause between the gears avoids fuel wastage.The relatively small-bore engine and the lack of a turbocharger give a false indication of the explosive power of this engine. But maximum power at 7400rpm show that it's a screamer. On a deserted Wanneroo Raceway, it only takes a stab at the accelerator at 4000rpm to instantly awaken an angry and noisy reaction to cold high-octane petrol meeting white-hot metal. Jab the gearshift forward for the upchange and there's that push on the chest and barely any restraint to the anger.It handles better than before but we're coming off a high base here. Porsche's adaptive dampers and torque vectoring are now standard after being an option previously. Significantly, fears that the electric-assist steering - a first for the rear-engined car - would kill one of the very factors that makes the 911 so sweet to drive, are extinguished within a lap of the Wanneroo circuit.The steering wheel still relays a sense that your fingers are feeling the coarseness of the bitumen, feeling the camber and touching the ro ad's imperfections. Those who say the electric assist is not as good as the old hydraulic must have a better finger than me.VERDICTThe 911 will tick and crackle while cooling down but for me, it's not a car you can switch off without leaving flushed, charged with adrenaline and itching for another ride. It's more than a car. 

Carpet killed the concept of hosing out your car, swirling down the same hole in the ground as the Dodo. It used to be a quick way of cleaning out the car, ute or 4WD.Now, thanks to carpets, it's a huge non-no. Well it was until Toyota presented this family wagon with rubber floors. Now the hose is in action and after a day larking about in beachside dunes, the sill-less floor of the Land Cruiser 200-Series GX is shiny new.The GX gets the serious drivetrain of the GXL and Sahara in a unique body with rear barn doors, pared back luxury items and a $11,000 price cut on the $88,490 GLX diesel. In terms of value and performance it is, seriously, the best 200-Series you can buy.VALUEThe 200-Series GX costs $77,490 and comes only as a V8 turbo-diesel with an automatic transmission. The drivetrain is sh ared with the other 200-Series diesels and isn't the same as the more agricultural 70-Series range.  Toyota has kept the hard-edged bits - full-time 4WD with centre diff lock, six-speed auto, electric-shift transfer case, full steel-plate underbody protection, 17-inch wheels, 138-litre fuel tank, snorkel, hill descent, a “crawl” program (cruise control for snails), and the wide-mouth barn-door access.But it gets aircon (it's optional in the rival 70-Series), electric windows and mirrors, alloy wheels, cruise control, remote locking, Bluetooth with iPod/USB connectivity and top-shelf safety fittings. It misses out on remote push-button start, seven seats, 18-inch alloys, park sensors, sat-nav, reverse camera, chrome trim and Kinetic suspension. I'm sure we can live without them.TECHNOLOGYThe V8 is the big 195kW/650Nm bi-turbo oiler. It's based on the same 4.5-litre V8 in the 70-Series models, but the 200's extra turbocharger gives 44kW/220Nm more oomph. It is mated to a six-speed sequential auto which drives all wheels. There's an electrically-activated transfer case for the switch from 4WD High to 4WD Low.The GX doesn't have the WA-developed Kinetic long-travel, disconnecting suspension of the other 200s. The focus is on off-road durab ility, so all the high-end dirt-related equipment is retained (hill descent, the crawl system and so on) while pretty things like the chrome strips, sat-nav, extra speakers and seven seats are ditched. The 17-inch wheels give owners a much bigger tyre choice from street-oriented to specialist off-road rubber - something the 18-inch wheels can't offer.DESIGNThe barn doors - vertically-hung rear doors with the left-side being half the size of the right-side door - are the give away to this model. There's also the big, ugly black air intake snorkel that sna kes along the right-side windscreen pillar, though it's an option on all 200s. There's 17-inch alloy wheels and a fat, black grille. Open the door and there's rubber floors and seating for five (other 200s take seven) though it's not as basic as you'd think.Seats are cloth-covered, comfortable and offer plenty of travel. Cabin space is substantial - well, it's the size of an apartment block - and flexible with a split, tumble-fold rear seat. Dash treatment is attractive offering clear, easy to use instruments and switches.SAFETYThe big wagon doesn't have a crash rating though I suspect it, like the 100-Series, is a four-star car. There is a host of electronic aids  including stability and traction control, hill ascent (crawler) and descent, brake assist and even ABS on four huge ventilated-disc brakes. There's six airbags and a full-size spare. It stands 2m high so placing the occupants higher than a passenger car which indicates potential for less injury in side impacts (with a smaller car), though arguably the tall height also makes the wagon more suspect to rollovers.DRIVINGIt's comforting to hit the sand and know you have 138 litres of fuel on board to get you out and back. It's even better when, with the 17-inch Dunlops down to 17psi, you feel the GX float over some impossibly sticky terrain while hardly slowing down. It's a massive car - over 3-tonnes with fuel and myself aboard - but so confident in really poor offroad conditions.It's a snap to drive unless you plan to park it. The bi-turbo V8 diesel engine so flexible down to 1000rpm, that it makes flicking the switch to 4WD Low seem almost unnecessary. On the bitumen it eats the kilometres, lopping along at 100km/h at 1700rpm. The six-speed auto is smooth and the sequential shift makes easy work of tasks such as slow off-road work and towing up to 3.5-tonnes. Above all, it's very comfortable - even in this base spec.Missing out on the Kinetic system doesn't appear to make much difference. Fuel economy, however, isn't great. Toyota claims 10.3 L/100km but a day in the dirt and the long country road in between drank at the rate of 16.1 L/100km. Thanks for the big fuel tank. The barn doors open to 90-degrees (no further) so it's easy to load big cargo and, with the rear seats tumbled forward, four mountain bikes without removing their front wheels.VERDICTMinimalistic, extremely capable and relatively affordable. One of the best 4WDs.

But don't take it too seriously - it's only an artist's rendering achieved by planting the new Mazda 6 nose onto a current-model Mazda 3.

Toyota Australia says the recall -- from a 7.4 million global batch -- affects Corolla, Kluger, RAV4, Yaris, Aurion and Camry vehicles built between 2006 and 2010.The recall is to replace the electric window master switch, located on the driver's armrest. There have been six cases reported in Australia from a total of 297,931 vehicles specified by Toyota Australia. Globally 7.4 million vehicles are impacted.It says the problem is that the switch doesn't operate smoothly and has a "sticky feel". "This is due to the non-uniform application of lubricating grease resulting in wear to the internal sliding contact points,'' it says in a recall notice. "In some instances, the switch may become inoperative.''In a further warning, Toyota Australia spokesperson Beck Angel says if a lubricant has been applied to the switch in an attempt to rectify this operation, "the switch assembly may overheat and melt''. "This recall is a precautionary measure,'' she says."The switch will be checked mechanically and electrically for correct operation and specialised electrical grease will then be applied to ensure it operates smoothly when pressed.'' Only a small number of vehicles will require the window's electrical circuit board to be replaced."The inspection and any required repairs will take approximately one hour to complete and will be at no cost to the owner,'' Ms Angel says. "Depending on the dealer's work schedule however, the car may need to be available for a longer period of time."Should Toyota owners experience sticking operation of the power window master switch, we recommend that the switch is no longer used prior to vehicle inspection and repair.'' Ms Angel would not put a figure on the cost of the recall to Toyota.Toyota will start a mailout to owners of affected vehicles at their last known address from mid-November asking them to make an appointment with their preferred Toyota dealer. For further information about the recall, customers can call Toyota on 1800 987 366.The recall is not Toyota's for 2012 - fears over fuel leaks and potential fire risk has forced a recall in August of nearly 20,000 Australian-built Camry and Aurion vehicles to fix a wrinkled fuel line in the engine bay. 

If motorists embraced electric cars as affectionately as mobile phones, Australian freeways would be congested in silence. It may yet happen but compared with mobile phones, it's a long road from creating an electric car to finding ready owners.Apple launched its first iPhone the same time as Chevrolet announced the electric Volt sedan. That was 2007. We're now up to iPhone 5 and Chevy has been making the Volt for less than two years in the US, selling about 15,000 this year to date.The Holden Volt finally gets to Australia next month with a $59,990 price tag. Holden's director of energy and technology, Richard Marshall, admits it's been a long road but says reliability and durability were paramount.”“It has to fit into the way you drive,” he says. “People have to feel confident and comfortable with the technology. New technology suits early adopters and it's those buyers who build the advocacy.” Holden says it already has “very good response” to the car.Is $59,990 too steep for a small car? Undoubtedly, yes. This is a Holden Cruze with a new drivetrain. It seats only four and rear-seat room isn't for big people. But the equipment in the car goes some way to help justify the price. A small way.There is cruise control, sat-nav, lane departure warning, collision alert, an Apple-inspired dash with gloss white panels, upmarket audio, leather and so on. Punch the calculator and at an average of 3.9 litres/100km (it has a small petrol engine to drive a generator to charge the batteries), it would take 52 years to equal the fuel bill of the $25,040 Cruze with a 1.4-litre turbo engine.Even if you never used petrol and kept the electric-only daily drive under 80km, it would take 22.5 years to break even with the petrol Cruze. But - and it's a huge but - you would glow in the knowledge that you are part of a bigger picture to reducing air pollution and only your neighbour who cycles to work is greener.It is a modified Cruze but looks a whole lot better. The shape is close to future-proof, is compact for busy streets and can seat four adults for short trips. The two rear seats are cramped and taller passengers will bounce their heads on the sloping rear glass window. Hard plastics abound and, sadly, cheapen the car. Clearly the big money is in the drivetrain.The dashboard is bright, simple and even attractive until you turn on the ignition key. Then it lights up with a bazillion graphs and letters, numbers and shapes that would make an Airbus 380 pilot shiver. Get used to the complexity of the read-outs and it's all interesting data designed to make you get the most out of the car. Primary school children with a genetic gift for electronics will feel right at home.Where do I start? The 1.4-litre petrol non-turbo engine does not drive the wheels. Simply, it's a generator - a gen-set - that charges the 200kg of lithium-ion batteries. In turn, the batteries run one, or both, of the electric motors through a planetary gear set (automatic) with four driving modes - pure electric, high-speed, range extension and normal.Every time the car brakes or coasts, the rolling wheels power one of the electric motors which changes into a generator. You plug this car into a normal 6amp or 10amp household socket overnight and it should be fully charged in the morning with a respective 10 hour and six hour recharge time.It'll also warm up its electrical circuit and in winter, even turn on the cabin's heater and the heaters in the front seats. It will cost about $2.50 every time you charge the batteries - equivalent to a fridge. If you don't charge up, don't worry - the car will turn on its engine and create electricity to power the electric motors and, at the same time, start recharging the batteries. It doesn't need a fast-charge plug because it has its onboard gen-set as a charger. There are also heaps of electronic features on the dashboard. Volt gets a five-star crash rating, has eight airbags and all the high-end electronic brake and chassis aids. But it also adds a front and rear park sensors, rear camera, collision alert (though not autonomous) and a lane-change warning system. Puncture sealant replaces a spare wheel.The childish chant to breakdown issues: “Silence is golden when you drive a second-hand Holden” now takes on a new, less derogatory meaning. The Volt is beautifully quiet, rolls confidently without feeling like a golf cart and just feels like a really quiet car.There are four modes for the drivetrain but the normal mode is perfect for suburban and city driving while the high-speed, or sport, mode will make you the king of traffic-light acceleration. It is surprisingly quick and the lack of noise - it's more a hushed whoosh like starting an electric fan - masks how fast the car is going. It's fodder for speeding tickets.Ride comfort is good, though there is some low-speed jiggling caused by the suspension coping with a hefty 1720kg dry weight and irregular road surfaces. Steering is better than some electric systems though it can't hide the car's weight and its tendency to understeer into corners. No biggie - this isn't a sports car.I had to overlook most of the instrument features because it was distractive to the art of driving. When the engine finally turned on - I had run the batteries down after more than 60km - there is a muted rumble, but no more than a conventional car.

This is the hatch on which rest Toyota's plans to be the world's most successful car maker. The Corolla, launched today in Japan under its Auris nameplate, is promoted as a "sleek, sporty new look for the latest generation of the world's best-selling car''.It will be seen in Australia at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney. Toyota says though the Corolla models have historically come out of Japan, this is the first to originate in Europe.It says that Toyota's focus on European buying preferences - which are broadly similar to Australian tastes - has "delivered edgier styling and a lower centre of gravity to further improve its dynamic performance''."The Euro-inspired exterior design combines smooth-flowing surfaces with sweeping character lines to provide the sense of agility expected in the small hatch segment,'' Toyota says. "The new Corolla also brings fresh interior treatments with clever packaging that liberates more space for occupants and their luggage.''Australia gets only the most powerful engine on offer - a revised version of the existing 1.8-litre unit. Toyota promises more power but hasn't been specific about local specifications. The current engine delivers 100kW. Toyota Australia's executive director sales and marketing Matthew Callachor says buyers would continue to appreciate Toyota strengths of quality, durability, reliability, safety and fuel efficiency."The strong European influence on the new Corolla embraces the spirit of 'waku-doki' - a car that is fun to own and drive due to its sharp styling as well as its responsive acceleration, accurate steering, engaging drive and excellent ride comfort,'' Mr Callachor says. Australia was the first destination for Corolla exports (1967) and quickly established itself as Toyota's most popular model in this country.Almost 1.2 million Corolla hatches and sedans have been sold here, representing one-fifth of all Toyota vehicles bought by Australians in the past 50 years. Of these, more than 666,000 or 56 per cent were built in Australia between 1967 and 1999. Corolla is now fully imported from Japan. Local Corolla sales last year totalled just over 36,000. Sales to the end of July this year are more than 20 per cent higher compared with the same period last year.

The five-seater, with substantial input from Holden's Melbourne-based design studio, was first shown as the Volt MPV5 Concept at the 2010 Beijing motor show. Holden's parent General Motors is known to be working on a production version but the company isn't saying a word about its existence or future. But GM has previously stated that it would expand the Volt's drivetrain into other models. The SUV makes sense - it adds another model and expands sales to offset the huge development and production costs of the Volt's drivetrain. It also attracts a bigger audience, especially to families as the Volt sedan only has four seats and a limited cargo capacity while the planned SUV can seat five people and have a large boot. The concept was shown with a flip-and-fold rear seat that expands cargo volume from 863 litres to 1763 litres - sufficient to consider a third row of seats. China's concept "volts-wagon'' sits on the Volt platform which is also the same as the Cruze. While the SUV shares the wheelbase, it has a bigger body that is 178mm longer, 180mm higher and 75mm wider. It shares the Volt's T-shaped lithium-ion battery pack - that is 1.8m long and weighs 200kg - but because the SUV sits higher than the electric sedan, it allows a bench seat at the back. The SUV will be heavier than the sedan and won't be as aerodynamic, so the electric-only range will be reduced.  

You want to move a bundle of people in style and you only have about $40,000 in your pocket. A common problem, no doubt, but one made easier by the surprisingly inexpensive, efficient but decidedly pregnant style of the Mercedes-Benz B180.On its own it's an appealing package. But it has driven into the lion's den of the industry - a swirling, dark and dangerous place occupied by compact SUVs, sophisticated hatchbacks and sports wagons. Its rivals put the B180 at an immediate disadvantage and though the German wagon fits the family, wears a prestigious star badge and is technically quite a clever piece of metal, it's not a strong swimmer in its new pool.VALUEVery good. Until the A-Class arrives - a hatchback built on the same platform as the B180 - this wagon is the cheapest new Mercedes on the market. At $38,950 it comes with a turbocharged petrol engine, seven-speed automatic, lots of clever features, a sophisticated raft of safety kit and five-seat spaciousness with a big boot. It competes on price with SUVs such as the Mazda CX-5 and Kia Sportage which are less expensive to service and repair, but obviously lack the Merc's badge credibility.DESIGN It's rounded and a quite high in its successful aim to have fuel-cheating aerodynamic qualities along with lots of cabin room. Commendably, it achieves both but manages to look a bit rotund in the process. A long 2.7m wheelbase, low floor (the previous model was built on a higher sandwich floor), generous head room and low glass lines bring lots of light into the cabin so it's bright and airy and without a hint of claustrophobia.The boot floor is flat and wide (there's no spare wheel) so it accepts a huge amount of cargo. Rear seats could have more thigh support. These seats are split and fold almost flat but Merc could adopt a more flexible seat arrangement, perhaps like Skoda's Yeti.TECHNOLOGYThe highlight is also the low light. The B180 designation belies the wagon's techno-rich 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine that cranks out a modest 90kW/200Nm despite living on the more expensive 95RON fuel. The unit has direct-petrol injection, variable-valve timing, three driving modes and a stop-start system.It drives the front wheels through a neat seven-speed dual-clutch automatic which is the engine's saving grace. The box has a diabolical right-hand, column-mounted shift lever (see Driving section). The park brake is electric (at last!) and steering is electric-assist while tyres are BMW-inspired run-flat, so there's no spare.SAFETYLots to see here. The shell is a five-star crash rated body that has a multitude of alloy and steel derivatives to save weight and boost strength. There are seven airbags, electronic stability and traction control, brake assist with an emergency display (flashing tail lights when braked hard) and run-flat tyres with a tyre pressure monitor. It gets a driver attention detection system - nod off and it'll wake you up - and an automatic park assist function, front and rear park sensors, a hill holder, auto headlights and wipers, and a first-aid kit. All for $38,950.DRIVINGI changed lanes on the freeway by indicating with the right-hand stalk and saw the faces of fellow motorists change colour - one because I was changing without actually indicating and two because knocking the stalk suddenly put the car into neutral gear. I understand that this experience early on the first test day was due to my inexperience and that Mercedes is aiming to free up centre console space by moving car controls elsewhere.But it has the potential to be dangerous in novice hands. That aside, the performance of the little engine was commendable but hardly exciting. In fact, the combination of the turbo engine and the dual-clutch produced enough lag to make crossing a busy street a real heart-testing moment. But though initial progress is slow, the cruising ability is excellent. It lopes along just sipping fuel, is very quiet, very comfortable and has all the room inside to make possible a family weekender. Just like an SUV.VERDICTGreat concept already in place (SUV) but the Mercedes badge makes the difference. Is it enough? No.Mercedes-Benz B180Price: from $38,950Warranty: 3 years/unlimited km, roadside assistResale: 50%Service interval: 12 monthsSafety rating: 5-starSpare: noneEngine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo-petrol 90kW/200NmTransmission: 7-spd dual-clutch auto, front driveBody: 4.4m (L); 1.8m (w); 1.6m (h)Weight: 1425kgThirst: 6.1 L/100km; 95RON; 141g/km Co2