Articles by Neil Dowling

…as part of a defect affecting 500,000 Mazda cars around the world. Mazda Australia is set to contact 38,944 Mazda 3 owners after Mazda in Japan overnight announced the recall.

For a cool $US59,900 - that's about $56,500 in Australian currency - a replica of a car Ford never made - the 1965 Mustang wagon - is yours. Plus shipping. The replica, built on a 1965 Mustang Coupe and using as many original parts as possible, was built about 10 years ago by US specialist body builder Joe Ramp. It is based on a single wagon built by Intermeccanica at the request of Ford advertising agency J. Walter Thompson in 1965 to be shown to Ford as a potential new model. It didn't take off. Decades later and the Intermeccanica car is long gone but Joe Ramp decided on making his own. From the Coupe, the roof is stretched and new rear side glass added to the new D-pillars. The interior has a pseudo-bench style front seat in tan vinyl. It's actually a custom centre console with a padded filler between the seats to give the illusion of a bench. Under the bonnet is a late-model fuel-injected 5-litre V8 mated to a T5 five-speed manual gearbox. Out the back is an eight-inch Ford diff and 3.00 gears, custom control arms and upgraded shocks. It's now for sale on eBay US by RK Motors of Charlotte, North Carolina with a buy-it-now price of $US59,990. Last time we looked, bidding was at $US15,100.

It's being considered in four states of the US - because they say youths will stay in school if the privilege of driving a car was at stake.Perhaps also the smarter youths would be less likely to drive dangerously, may not have poorly maintained vehicles and have a more positive outlook on their future.Those against the proposal argue that parents are ultimately the ones who should be in charge of revoking driving privileges, not the state.What do you think?Should youths who can't cut school be banned from driving or is this a case of the government crossing the line?Answer our poll, and comment below.

1. WALK. Seriously - consider other ways to get around. Cycling, the bus or train and even sharing a car journey with workmates will save big bucks and reduce the nation's energy needs.2. SLOW DOWN. For every 10km/h over 100km/h, you can lose about 10 per cent extra fuel. That's because the engine's revving harder and chewing more fuel, your car's aerodynamics are a complete drag (using more fuel) and you're thinking harder because you know it takes a lot more effort and distance to brake quickly.3. AVOID THE RUSH. Get on the road before peak traffic times. Tell your boss you're starting an hour earlier and plan to leave an hour earlier than usual. If possible, it'll save your temperament and fuel costs. It'll make a huge difference to your fuel bill and your heart rate.4. LOSE WEIGHT. Keep only what you need aboard the car. Car makers go to extraordinary lengths to save weight - and therefore fuel - including ditching the spare wheel. Don't haul around golf clubs when you're not playing or your handicap is more than 160.5. THINK. Plan car trips so you can do multiple tasks - drop off the kids at school then head to work and then the shops on the way to pick up the kids - instead of repeated trips from home.6. CHECK YOUR TYRES. Under-inflated tyres place up to 10 per cent more strain on the drive system and therefore the engine uses 10 per cent more fuel. Then there's wheel alignment. If this is out even 6mm, the fuel consumption will increase by a much as 2 per cent. It all adds up.7. GET IN TUNE. A badly-tuned engine can suck up to 15 per cent more fuel than one in perfect order. That's 15 per cent out of your wallet every time you refuel. Keep the oil fresh, the spark plugs clean, the filters new and the engine timing spot on and you'll have a quiet, responsive and fuel efficient car.8. FORGET THE DRIVE-THRU. Park outside the fast food store and walk in. Your car's not sitting in a queue with the engine running, saving fuel and reducing emissions.9. TWO CARS IN THE GARAGE? Choose the one that is the most economical. Ultimately, ditch the thirstiest car and replace it with a train ticket. And then argue about who's on the train and who's in the car.10. BE A SMOOTHIE. Don't race away at the traffic lights. Sure, don';t creep off the line either but at least be smooth, change up (for you with a clutch pedal) a bit earlier and be gentle on the accelerator pedal.

Green comes in many shades but finding a low-emission, fuel-efficient car that is as good on the environment as it is on your wallet may lead you to a new colour. Blue.

City councils champ at the bit over citizens that fail to contain their wandering cats. It's a major problem. Unsterilised cats spray and call for kilometres to find mates and ultimately leave their fertilised fruits homeless and ready to repeat the irresponsible life of their parents. All cats, clearly, should be garaged.During the 1980s and 1990s, most were. Jaguar went through a period where its offspring were causing havoc in neighbourhoods around the world and some spent extraordinary hours in garages awaiting to be fixed.But that's no longer the case. Mimicing the results after a domestic male cat gets surgically neuted, Jaguar has gone from making a nuisance to making superb cars. The XJ is the best of the litter.VALUEProbably not value in the sense that the same money can buy a lot of wheels. Even as a whole, the $250,000-plus tag of the XJ 5.0 V8 SWB is a hurdle that only a very few of us can vault. But it's more than just a car. It is stylish enough to be viewed as moving art and, as you know, people pay even ridiculous sums of money for art.The XJ competes with big cars from BMW, Audi, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz and even can touch Maserati. It's territory occupied by choices based on subjectivity and contemporary fashion - territory where value doesn't necessarily hold much significance.TECHNOLOGYJaguar centres its vehicle control on a touch screen monitor which is the quickest and most user-friendly of car management systems. Well, not always. While the XF's system is almost flawless, the big XJ packs so much info onto the screen that the touch squares have to be smaller.That means it can take more than one stab of the finger to get your wish and even then it may fail to register because they're not as sensitive as they could be. Your eyes are off the road while doing this, making it a bit frustrating. Electronics, however, redeem themselves in the brilliant LCD instrument panel that can change its read-out.This depends on issues such as a desire to have the sat-nav map in front of the driver, any drama in the engine bay, driver's selection of the "sport" mode and so on. Mercedes' S-Class and BMW's 7-Series have similar systems.The Jag also gets a superb Bowers & Wilkins audio and a smart central monitor that incorporates two screens - one angled to the passenger and idea for a movie or TV, the other angled to the driver, such as the sat-nav or trip computer. Clever. The rest is an aluminium body sprung only the way Jaguar can do it, with a normally-aspirated V8 at the front with a ZF six-speed auto behind. Sounds simple but the devil's in the detail.DESIGNBeautiful from most angles, stunning from the rest. Its looks make it a winner on the showroom floor. Against the rather brutish BMW 7-Series and rather bland Audi A8, the XJ is a seductively fluid shape that still has good rear passenger space and a large boot.The cabin mixes old and new, with the boat-tailed curve of the dashboard representing a fresh look and the big, circular chrome vents echoing earlier Jag models. Visibility is reasonable but park sensors and the rear camera save any parking embarrassment. The low seating position may not suit everyone but, once ensconced, feels more like a luxury sports coupe than a limousine express.SAFETYFull marks. True, you no longer have to pay the big bucks to get a five-star safety rating. The Jaguar gets a five-star, full airbags and electronic assistance plus has sufficient metal around the cabin to improve occupant protection in an accident.DRIVINGThe engine is almost inaudible and gearchanges imperceptible when treated gently, but the XJ shows its spirit when the chequered-flag button is pressed and the accelerator floored. This is the essence of a luxury performance car. But though the XJ will do a lot of the things of which its contemporaries also excel, one single factor changes all comparative dynamics - weight.It weighs 1755kg - the same as a six-cylinder large car and up to 300kg lighter than its European rivals - and that translates into a more nimble and responsive machine. Dive into a corner and you quickly forget about its length (or price tag) because the way it turns in, its response to the brakes and the ease of steering input makes it feel like a smaller, lighter car.So while it handles, it also goes really well in a straight line. You may argue against the 5-litre V8 for city and suburban runs. But tested on a long country trip, on major roads and twisting single-lane backroads, the XJ proves stress-free to drive. It is dismissive of rutted bitumen and always delivery sublime comfort with the subtle V8 exhaust-note backdrop.VERDICTThis passes onlookers on the street with a sweep of their heads - a true indication of the big cat's arresting design. Jaguar's flagship lives in a rarefied, uber-rich portion of the car market - but doesn't have it all to itself. Porsche, Aston Martin, BMW, Audi and Maserati are some big players in the same pond.But the Jaguar rates highly - purely because it looks as beautiful as it works. And if style isn't your bag, point one down an empty country road and understand how size and luxury can be melded with performance. It'll make you smile again.JAGUAR XJ PREMIUM LUXURYPrice: $251,000Warranty: 3 years, 100,000km, roadside assistEconomy: 11.3 l/100km; 264g/km CO2Safety: six airbags, ESC, ABS, EBD, EBA, TC.Crash rating: 5 starEngine: 283kW/515Nm 5-litre V8 petrolTransmission: Six-speed sequential autoBody: 4-door, 5 seatsDimensions: 5122 (L); 1894mm (W); 1448mm (H); 3032mm (WB)Weight: 1755kg Tyre size 245/40R20Spare tyre: Space-saver

It plans to start its zero-emission, all-electric range from 2013, starting with versions of its Up model.

Jeep is keen to get the new Compass - based on the Patriot but with more rounded body styling - in Australian showrooms. Spokesman Dean Bonthorne says "we'd love to see it". "We have nothing to announce yet but we are still working quite hard on Compass. We probably won't announce anything for a couple of months. For us it complements the Grand Cherokee because it's a more stylish, urban-like wagon." Jeep may be going the way of Land Rover, which is quietly splitting Range Rover from its parent. The plan is believed to have Evoque and Range Rover as the premium SUVs and Land Rover - with Discovery, Defender and 110 - as the more 4WD and workhorse focussed models. The Compass, already on sale in the US, comes with the Patriot's 2.4-litre engine and on-demand all-wheel drive, or as a 2-litre petrol with front-wheel drive. It is not known if Jeep Australia is seeking to add the 2WD to the range.

Gaining traction in a slippery car market is proving difficult for Jeep's junior models though help may be on the way. It has revisited its Patriot "soft roader" wagon and now launches into Australia with neater sheet metal work, incremental upgrades to ride and handling and a far better look for the interior. Jeep spokesman Dean Bonthorne terms it a "model refresh" indicating a mid-life change before the next step. "It's an evolution of the model," he says of the Patriot that was launched quietly this month with pricing from $30,000. "There's a lot going on with Jeep at the moment - it is celebrating its 70th anniversary - and the changes to the Patriot step it up a notch." Patriot has been a diminishing asset of Jeep since it introduced it in 2007. Together with the Compass - with which it shared the platform and drivetrain - it marked the first time Jeep had produced a monocoque off-road wagon without a low-range gearbox. Compass was later dropped from the Jeep range and despite keen pricing and equipment, Patriot sales lost traction. In 2010, for example, Great Wall's X240 SUV doubled the Patriot's sales. New for 2011 is a sharper edge for the Patriot wagon. It retains the more traditional square-cornered look to follow the styling of the Wrangler, with subtle changes this year including a new nose-and-tail exercise, new grille and higher ride height. The suspension gets a hone and there's a bigger rear sway bar. The engine remains the Chrysler Group's 125kW/220Nm 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol unit, shared with Hyundai and Mitsubishi, but there's no diesel. "We haven't had a diesel in Patriot since 2008," says Bonthorne. "But that's not to say we don't want it. There's just not one available to us at the moment." Jeep claims the petrol Patriot's five-speed manual model gets an average of 8.4 litres/100km with 6.7 L/100km on the highway. The Patriot also offers a CVT automatic for an extra $2000. Standard equipment includes traction control, hill-descent and hill-start control and a 4WD Lock that at low speeds will maintain a 50/50 drive to the front and rear axles. Safety equipment includes four airbags, electronic stability control, roll mitigation and an accident hazard system called EARS. Its ABS brakes, and the stability control, are calibrated to sense and react to varying road surfaces to make them idea for offroad conditions. Interior upgrades include soft-touch door panels, steering wheel controls for the radio and standard cruise control, and a new centre armrest. The new Patriot comes in three trim levels - Sport (from $30,000), Limited (from $35,000) and a limited-build 70th Anniversary Edition that comes only as an auto for $37,500. Options include a "safety and comfort" package that includes side airbags - taking the bag count to six - and heated front seats for $800 on the Sport and $550 on the Limited.

Why would you buy a small Italian car when there are some perfectly acceptable Japanese and Korean rivals for almost half the price? I actually don't have the answer because it's all to do with how an Alfa Romeo buyer ticks. Speak to these tragics and it's just the allure of Alfa - the smell of the leather, the sound of the exhaust, the feel of its tyres through corners, and the sense that it's a different car for a different personality.Buyers also had the knack - in earlier Alfa experiments - of mind-numbing dismissal of some embarrassing quality issues and an irregular reliability record. Some things change. The latest Alfa small car, the Mito, delivers transport that is one step left of the norm - owners call it a character - but there are unanswerable questions as to why. Yes, it can be cute to some. But unlike its well-executed and smile-inducing big sister Giulietta, the Mito is flawed - especially in its new dual-clutch version.VALUEYes, I know price is less a criteria than a desire by owners to prove they don't follow convention. There is a place in my world for these people, parked in the same room as those who fervently watch Home & Away. Alfa opens its Mito cabinet at a not insurmountable $29,990 for the manual. The test car is the TCT (twin-clutch transmission) at $2000 extra, $31,990.Its Euro rivals include the Golf 90TSI (from $24,990), Polo GTI ($27,790), Renault Clio 200 ($36,490) and Alfa's Fiat-badged mechanical clone, the 500 Sport ($24,990). There's very strong competition here. But this doesn't dismiss the Mito's high level of features and even its decent build quality.DESIGNIt's called cute by people who think pugs are the canine equivalent to Monica Belluci. No, the Mito isn't cute. It's just small. Styling cues are borrowed from other Alfa models - round tail lights, deep and narrow shield grille, and so on - but they're lumped onto a bulbous body that, in a previous article, I described as looking like Mr Potatohead with accessories. But it's functional and Italian and I bet that's one of the first times you've seen those two words in the same sentence.TECHNOLOGYThe big news is the Multi-Air head that uses solenoids to control the intake valves. This allows the engine management system to dictate how long these valves remain open and even delay closure until much of the trapped cylinder air is expelled. That makes it very efficient.The TCT's 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine has 99kW/230Nm, down from the manual-transmission model's 114kW/230Nm. The manual doesn't have the Multi-Air head and posts a 6.5L/100km economy compared with the TCT's brilliant 5.5L/100km. Part of the TCT's fuel saving is that head but also the stop-start system. The six-speed gearbox is a twin-clutch arrangment with electronic engagement (hence no clutch pedal). It's variously called DSG, Powershift and S-tronic by other companies. Mitos also gets Electronic Q2 which maximises torque transfer to the front wheels, effectively electronically simulating a limited-slip differential.Then there's Alfa's DNA program that gives drivers the choice of three modes - All Weather, Normal and Dynamic. All Weather is for snow bunnies, normal is for economy running and Dynamic is the only place you want to be if you have a heartbeat.SAFETYTop marks here with a five-star crash rating, electronic stability program, brake slip control, traction control, a hill holder, the Q2 electronic diff and seven airbags.DRIVINGEvery component of the Mito works hard to make you enjoy the ride. And the harder you push, the more responsive the car becomes. That's the essence of Alfa. The problem is that to get the most out of the car, you have to have the quiet winding road, the driving ability and the compunction to get out there and enjoy it. There's not much of that in Australia. Mito is also presented - and priced - as a city car and this marketing direction has blurred the little car's strengths. However, at least it's fun to drive when the conditions exist. As for the other conditions - city and suburbs - it's not entirely happy.Sure, it gets around. But the visibility is poor so it relies on its parking sensors. The TCT has an uncomfortable pause between pressure on the accelerator pedal and actual movement that can really get your heartbeat going when crossing a busy road.It should be driven only in its Dynamic mode. The Normal mode is too sluggish to enjoy. While we're on the subject of lag, the stop-start is commendable but has a restart time that is the slowest on the market. Add that to the gearbox lag and you have some interesting quiet times with yourself after the traffic light turns green.The three-door almost, literally, shuts the door on this being suitable for hauling babies or toddlers. In fact the high waistine and tiny rear windows may make it a dark, claustrophobic hole for any child. Rather, this is a car the for enthusiast who has downsized.VERDICTIt is the espresso of Alfa's cappuccino but the beans have a bitter after taste. It is enjoyable to drive when the road conditions are tights and twisty, or even when the freeway is running smoothly, but even the pseudo-automatic gearbox doesn't give much joy in the city.The Mito gets high marks for its innovative technology that has real-world benefits, but its the box they come in that is flawed. On top of that, it's fighting one-armed with the cheaper, faster, more engaging and more practical Volkswagen Polo. Not this time, Alfa.ALFA ROMEO MITO SPORT TCTPrice: $34,990Warranty: 3 years, 100,000km, roadside assistResale: 65%Service interval: 15,000km or 12 monthsEconomy: 5.5 l/100km; 128g/km CO2Safety equipment: seven airbags, ESC, ABS, EBD, EBA, TC, hill assistCrash rating: 5 starEngine: 99kW/190Nm (230Nm available) 1.4-litre turbo-petrolTransmission: Six-speed dual-clutch autoBody: 3-door, 4 seatsDimensions: 4063 (L); 1720mm (W); 1446mm (H); 2511mm (WB)Weight: 1170kgTyres: 215/45R17, space-saver spare