Articles by Neil Dowling

America's four-wheel drive rocket has landed in Australia with a price ready to blitz its European rivals.And that price is south of $80,000. It's a price that staggers even Fiat Chrysler Australia's boss, Clive Campbell. "It's $76,000 - that's special. It has no competition,'' he says. "Dealers were quoting around $90,000 - even they don't know the final price - and were taking deposits, most around $20,000."We've sold about 300 - all this year's allocation. "Maybe we could have taken $90,000 for the Jeep, maybe $177,000 (the price of the Mercedes ML63 AMG SUV). But that's not our goal here. We want to build the brand, build our customers.'' The Grand Cherokee SRT8 joins the Chrysler 300 SRT8 that was launched in July.The Jeep version is so well equipped that it only has one option - a dual-pane electric sunroom for an additional $3250. Other features include adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, ABS brakes with rough-road detection, forward collision warning, sat-nav and rear camera, six airbags, tyre-pressure monitoring, heated/vented front seats and heated steering wheel with heated rear seats, and an 825-watt Harman Kardon audio with 19 speakers.The company says it has just posted its best year-to-date sales figures on record, including the best sales month for the Grand Cherokee. In the year-to-date sales, the group has sold more than 15,000 vehicles this year."We've sold, in the year to August, more vehicles than we did for the whole of 2011,'' Mr Campbell says. "Some of our models have a waiting list. The diesel versions of the Grand Cherokee diesel Laredo and Overland are now out to up to five months depending on specification. "Demand for the Grand Cherokee is so strong that diesel buyers are no opting to take the petrol models, which is realigning our model mix. A special edition Jet Pack sold out in three months.''Now, he says, the problem goes back to Detroit (Chrysler Jeep head office) as it realises how popular the model is in Australia. "I want 1000 Grand Cherokee SRT8s for the 2013 year,'' he says. "That may be difficult for Detroit - they only will make 4000 a year - but it's not impossible. "Australia is the third biggest market for Jeep - after the US and China - and clearly the biggest right-hand drive market.''The frenetic Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8, now in its second generation with a whopping 344kW/624Nm 6.4-litre V8 and a sub-5sec acceleration time, has come in tens of thousands of dollars under its performance rivals. The latest Jeep SRT8 is 10 per cent more powerful, has 10 per cent more torque and yet the fuel consumption is reduced by 13 per cent. It retains the chassis and five-speed automatic transmission and full-time drivetrain of the previous model.Fiat Chrysler Australia's performance vehicle manager David Mutton says the five-speed was a durable box that suited the engine characteristics of the V8 engine's torque. There was no need, he says, to go to the eight-speed automatic as fitted to the new 300 sedan.The Grand Cherokee SRT8 has a resculptured body that sits up to 30mm lower than the standard model; has extra bracing to boost rigidity by 146 per cent; and has a unique front bumper with running lights, bonnet vents and a new rear diffuser.The permanent all-wheel drive system is Jeep's Quadra-Trac with the hydraulic steering featuring a faster ratio, the suspension including active dampening, the wheels are 20-inch alloys and the brakes from Brembo with six-piston front calipers on 380mm discs and at the rear, four-piston units on 350mm discs.It's the sound that gets to you first - that gutteral burble of a big-capacity V8 petrol unforced with turbochargers or superchargers. At idle, it's cleverly muted but press the loud pedal and the engine responds so quickly, sparking to attention with an accompanying roar from the trumpet-shaped exhaust pipes. The SRT8 is every bit as aggressive in sound - and appearance thanks to its body kit and 20-inch wheels - as its predecessor but, at the same time, more refined.The data doesn't say it all - the 0-10km/h time of less than 5 seconds is quick, but it doesn't feel as fast or as raw as the old one. But more people will appreciate this. It's been tamed and, push it harder, and it's far more positive, confident and reassuring though the corners. Jeep fixes the SRT8 with a five-mode control dial that changes the programming of the engine, transmission, stability control and, thanks to the adjustable dampers, the suspension. It works perfectly on Auto - the fail-safe switch - but don't expect a compliant, US-inspired ride.Instead, it's firm and that shows up how much work has been put into making the body tauter and the suspension more tied down. The sports seats make it more lovable on the track, holding the body as Jeep claims the SRT8 can get to 0.9G in lateral forces. But though it's positively fun on the track, it's just as much a hoot on the roads.The engine burble is so good you'd forgive the 19-spakr audio, while the firm steering is very well weighted and has plenty of feel. The big wagon grips confidently through corners and is an absolute pleasure to steer.It has a Select-Track driving mode with five functions that control the engine, transmission, dampening, brakes and differentials through conditions from snow, track, sport, automatic and for towing purposes. The latter mode allows the Jeep to tow up to 2360kg with trailer-sway control. This is the first time a Jeep SRT8 can tow - the previous model had central exhaust pipes that prohibited the fitting of a tow bar.Above all, it's half the price of some Europeans who match its performance but can't match its features.

The S-Cross concept SUV unveiled at the Paris motor show this week is ready for production and is expected here late next year or early 2014, a spokesman for Suzuki Australia says. “Europe will get the car first, then we've said we definitely want it,” says company spokesman Andrew Ellis. The S-Cross will fit between the SX-4 hatch and the Kizashi in size and will be the first time Suzuki has made a C-size platform. This platform has a front-drive layout with the ability to support an all-wheel drive system. It will be first used in the production version of the S-Cross - which will be renamed - then used beneath a future hatchback and a sedan. Ellis says the smaller Jimny 4WD and larger Grand Vitara wagon would continue in production and not be replaced by the S-Cross. The SUV version will be available in front-drive and AWD and will face up against compact SUVs including the Nissan Dualis, Volkswagen Tiguan, Mitsubishi ASX and Hyundai ix35. While Europe's version will be made in Hungary, the Australian-bound model is to be built in Japan. Suzuki in Europe has already announced it will use a 1.6-litre turbo-diesel supplied by Fiat but that is the only drivetrain detail available at the car's debut in Paris. Ellis says Australia will get a petrol engine and possibly a diesel, but the origin and capacity of these is not yet known. Suzuki is 9 per cent owned by Volkswagen and has access to a strong list of petrol and diesel engines. However, Suzuki and Volkswagen have a fragmented relationship that is soured further by Fiat's rumours that it wants to take over Suzuki. Suzuki supplies to Fiat the SX-4 - also made in Hungary - which is rebadged Sedici. In return, Fiat supplies Suzuki with diesel engines for European cars, including the same 1.6-litre turbo-diesel fitted to the SX-4/Sedici. Suzuki UK sales and marketing director Dale Wyatt, speaking at the Paris show, says the company was “open to a partnership going forward” with production of the S-Cross.  

The once staunch rear-wheel drive car maker says it will use its new front-drive platform for future BMW models - including the Concept Active Tourer on display at this week's Paris motor show - and for the new Mini. The new Mini Cooper, expected in early 2014, will be the first to use the shared platform that is called UKL. Speaking at the Paris show, BMW board member Ian Robertson indicated a range of front-drive models with the BMW badge that could arrive together in 2014. “One of the big advantages of UKL is that we are able to launch a lot of products almost simultaneously because we are doing the engineering at once,” Robertson says. In reference to the Concept Active Tourer, he says: “This is the first car that we are showing.” BMW is on record as saying the premium small car market will become the fastest growing segment because it offered flexibility in design, spaciousness and a compact footprint. “We will attract a broad profile of customers, from young families to people entering the later phase of life,” Robertson says. “You get a lot of flexibility.”

The Jazz Hybrid, on sale here in early 2013 and priced around $25,000, is the fourth hybrid petrol-electric car from Honda, joining the Civic Hybrid, Insight and the CR-Z coupe.Like the CR-Z and Insight, the Jazz Hybrid uses Honda's Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system which couples its petrol engine with an electric motor.It does not need an external power source to be recharged. The battery that powers the electric motor recharges automatically from the energy from braking.Honda claims the Jazz Hybrid has an average fuel consumption of 4.5 litres/100kms and a CO2 emission of 107grams per kilometre. It can travel up to 850km on a single tank of fuel.Honda has also confirmed its new CR-V SUV will be at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney on October 18 and go on sale in November.The CR-V will be available with a choice of front-wheel and all-wheel drive and in petrol and diesel.

Despite Europe's sagging car market and Italy's melting economy, Maserati says its mid-size prestige sedan - now named Ghibli - and the new SUV will take its annual sales to 50,000 units by 2015. Its optimism is clipped by the 6159 cars it sold globally in 2011 - 140 of those in Australia. Maserati says the Ghibli - once dubbed the baby Quattroporte and a rival for the Mercedes E-Class and BMW 5-Series - will start production next year and the Levante SUV in the company's centennial year, 2014. The Levante, once known as the Kubang concept and now named after the street in which the five Maserati brothers started business in 1914, is poised to be a Porsche Cayenne rival. The new Ghibli marks the third time that Maserati has used the name. It was first launched as a two-door luxury coupe in 1967 and then revisited in 1992 before ending in 1997. The Quattroporte will next year mark its 50th anniversary with an all-new, sixth-generation model with a more aggressive stance, a more defined boot line and a more spacious interior with an accent on better placement of controls. It was first sold in 1963 as the first generation Maserati four-door - quattroporte translates literally as four door - and remained in production until 1969. The second generation started in 1974 and replaced by the third generation in 1979, then the fourth generation arrived in 1994 and the fifth incarnation in 2004. The Quattroporte is Maserati's best-selling car of all time.  

And the local insatiable appetite for SUVs will please Honda as it prepares the new CR-V for local launch. On the cards for its November launch are a new petrol and a cheaper front-wheel drive version - the first time Honda has offered the CR-V with this drivetrain. It could see entry-level pricing of around $26,000. These CR-Vs - which this week went on show in Paris - will come out of Honda's Thailand plant. In early 2013, a diesel-engined model made in the UK will join the lineup. The new CR-V is hoped to help Honda regain some lost ground caused by production halts from last year's tsunami, this year's Thai floods and, more particularly, fierce competition from players including Hyundai, Kia and Mazda's CX-5. Honda's current CR-V was the first to move away from dual-road capability. The next model leans even further to on-road use. The company claims it has significantly improved the SUV in areas of occupant comfort and safety. It gets six airbags but will be available - mostly as options - with more sophisticated safety equipment including an automated braking system, adaptive cruise control and lane-assist technology that warns the driver when the vehicle is moving from its lane. Though it has the same platform - and wheelbase - as the current model, the 2013 model is 30mm lower and 5mm shorter. But it has an additional 148 litres of cargo space, now 589 litres with the back seats up and 1648 litres when folded down. By comparison, the Mazda CX-5's boot is 403/1560 litres and the Kia Sportage is 740/1547 litres. The new model will also have a more rigid body, revised front and rear suspension, new electric-assist steering and sees the end of the complicated and sluggish hydraulic all-wheel drive engagement system, replaced with an electronic coupling. Honda Australia last month confirmed the CR-V would get the same diesel engine as the UK model - a 110kW/350Nm 2.2-litre turbo-diesel - and not Honda's tech-savvy Earth Dreams engine. The Earth Dreams technology, which covers a family of powerplants, includes a 88kW/300Nm 1.6-litre unit claimed to be particularly economical. The 2.2-litre engine, with stop-start, is said to achieve a fuel consumption average of 6.6 L/100km as a six-speed automatic. Honda's CR-V petrol version has a tweaked version of the existing 138kW/221Nm 2.4-litre engine that now claims better economy.  

But new Mitsubishi buyers may benefit by new-car price reductions or equipment upgrades. A poor take-up of the 10-year, 160,000km Diamond Advantage drivetrain warranty means it will cease from Monday (October 1).Current owners will not be affected and Mitsubishi will retain its five-year, total-vehicle warranty. Mitsubishi Australia spokesperson Caitlin Beale says only 1.5 per cent of customers opted for the 10-year warranty. "The majority of owners sell their vehicle within three to five years,'' she says."Those who don't - for example, retirees - generally use the vehicle for travelling and that may mean exceeding the 160,000km warranty limit before the 10 years.'' For Mitsubishi owners who don't service their vehicle at an authorised dealer, the roadside assistance package will be reduced from three years to one year.She says the cost of the extended warranty - which applies only to the first owner - was amortised across the whole Mitsubishi vehicle range. "We have to cover the cost of this on every single car,'' she says. "By removing it, we will see increased specification and cheaper pricing across the range for 2013 models.''Ms Beale says Mitsubishi has already cut the price of the Lancer range by about $1700 a car. The Lancer price cuts won't be repeated until the new 2013 mode l arrives. The recent reductions affected the facelifted ASX SUV, Lancer and Lancer Evolution. Cuts were $8900 on the Evo, $8000 on the ASX and $1700 on the entry-level Lancer. 

The company reports an engine oil pump problem that could lead to severe engine damage. The global recall affects 2013-model M5, M6 coupe and M6 convertibles.Luckily, the 20 Australian cars are either still on the boat from Germany or in Australia but yet to be delivered, says BMW Australia spokesman Piers Scott. “There are 20 cars affected but because these relate only to a set production period, every one of those cars is either still to be delivered or not yet in the country,'' he says."So there is not a single Australian owner or customer affected.'' BMW sent out a technical service message to dealers over the weekend. It says it found a “manufacturing defect'' in the oil pump through its quality checks. The affected models were built this year between July and September.The recalled cars are equipped a turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 engine that BMW internally calls the S63TR. BMW says that cars with the faulty pump could suddenly lose oil pressure, triggering severe engine damage. "Because of this potential, BMW and its dealers will stop delivery of all affected vehicles until the recall repair has been completed,'' BMW says in an emailed statement.The company did not say how many cars are affected. BMW has boasted that the S63TR is the most powerful engine it has built for its high-performance M division. At 412kW/680Nm, it has 10 per cent more power and torque than its previous V10 engine but has a 30 per cent reduction in fuel consumption. BMW's M5 costs $230,000 and the M6, which arrives next month, about $300,000. 

After last month completing its “integrated automotive group'' - effectively Volkswagen buying Porsche - the pair are now intensifying their marriage. At this week's production line ceremony in Germany, Volkswagen's chairman Martin Winterkorn, says: “The production of the Porsche Boxster is a clear sign that Volkswagen and Porsche are growing together fast.'' Production in the north-western German town of Osnabruck, 250km west of Volkswagen headquarters in Wolfsburg, isn't the first for Porsche. The Karmann - now Volkswagen - plant made the Porsche 914 (from 1969 to 1976) and the 968 (from 1991 to 1994). Since March 2011, it has also built the Golf Cabriolet. Porsche is making the Boxster in a model mix with the Porsche 911 at its main plant in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen. It says that production at Osnabruck - which replaces Valmet Automotive's deal that has made the Boxster in Finland - will relieve a bottleneck because the Zuffenhausen plant can't cope with demand. The plant has 1800 staff and can make about 100,000 vehicles a year, including the body, paint and assembly shops. The Boxster was initially assembled in Stuttgart and received only rear and side body components from Osnabruck. Porsche's deputy chairman Holger Haerter says that the end of Valmet's contract to build the Boxster also affects the next Cayman. He says Cayman's production will go to Magna Steyr in Graz, Austria. But that plan fell apart. Now the Cayman, due early 2013, will also be built at Osnabruck.  

Families wanting a compact seven-seater that's not an SUV have a choice of - one. Kia will launch an all-new Rondo about April next year in its “category of one” that sits on a fresh platform and boasts more cabin room, better economy and a more attractive design. “I don't think this can be considered a permanent seven seater,'' says Kia Australia spokesman Kevin Hepworth.“But it certainly is capable of seating up to seven and it has a very flexible and roomy interior. “It's styled and engineered for buyers who want all the versatility and space of an SUV, but don't want to be seen in an SUV.''This will be the third-generation of the Rondo - the first model came here as the Carens - and Kia hopes its redesign will expand its audience. The new Rondo, expected to sit on a lengthened Cerato platform, is likely to retain a 2-litre engine and manual and automatic transmission choices, come in two trim levels and be priced similar to the current models' $26,000 and $32,000.The Rondo goes on display at this month's Paris motor show, along with Kia's Optima Hybrid - which is not on the Australian boat - and the next Sorento SUV. Kia Australia says the Sorento, due here early next month, won't follow the market lead set by its associate company, Hyundai, when it recently launched the Santa Fe.The Sorento will come with the option of a 3.5-litre petrol V6 and as a front-wheel drive version - both not available on the Santa Fe. For Australia, the range will be a 2.2-litre turbo-diesel, the V6 petrol and either front-wheel or all-wheel drive. Mr Hepworth says a 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol model is under consideration for Australia. This 145kW direct-petrol injection engine is also fitted to the Optima sedan and is to be added to the European and UK range from the end of this year.