Articles by Neil Dowling

YOU wake up one morning and suddenly the world's a different place. When you try to go back to bed your wife has taken all the sheets out to wash and you're left there, standing alone in a strange new world. That's pretty much me each week but increasingly it's new car buyers who walk back into the vehicle market to find that everything has changed and they're lost.The station wagon that took the children on holidays and taught them to drive is almost extinct. Now it's SUVs (whatever!) and hatchbacks, crossovers (dressers?) and MPVs. But despite the newcomers and the demise almost a year ago of the Falcon wagon, there's comfort in the Holden Sportwagon that will appease the traditionalists.VALUEThe Berlina Sportwagon costs $45,490 plus on-road costs and extra for things like a spare wheel - whoa, was that the noise of you falling off your chair? Yes, it's all changed. It's a fair price for what you get - the equipment level is subtle but sufficient - but the Europeans, particularly VW and Skoda, are offering more bling.TECHNOLOGYEven though you clearly have been sitting on your hands while the world changed, Holden hasn't. The engine range includes the Berlina's 3-litre direct petrol injection V6 with an adequate 190kW/290Nm running through a six-speed automatic with the ability of the cogs to be manually changed.The engine is smaller than  before but just as powerful, lighter on petrol and can run quite happily on E85, an 85 per cent blend of sustainable oil from crop waste and 15 per cent petrol.STYLINGThe Sportwagon shares all the VE sedan's muscular torso features and adds a racy tail profile with narrowed side glass. It is smaller in length (by 136mm) and cargo space than its VZ wagon predecessor but the available room is excellent, the rear seats fold dead flat and the hatch is top-hinged so reduces swing length when opening.Better ergonomics inside and the latest touch-screen controller for most major functions is very welcome - but the buttons are small - though plastic fit isn't great.DRIVINGAny V6 is inherently imbalanced both in the odd pulsing of the exhaust and the awkward throw-weight of the three-a-side pistons. The Holden V6 doesn't disappoint with the 3-litre - like its 3.6-litre sister - being harsh in feel and noise when pressed. It settles nicely when cruising but the impression isn't great.The 3-litre is as enjoyable as the 3.6, with sufficient zing to get it away from the lights. Most of that is due to the six-speed auto that closes up the ratio gaps. The box also helps economy with the 11.2 litres/100km coming mainly from suburban driving.Handling is pretty good for such a big - relatively - car. The steering bites in nicely and there's always the sense that the wagon is confident. The ride is quiet and cushy with the Berlina seats notably streets ahead in comfort compared with the Omega model.It certainly is a wagon that could swing you back from alternative SUVs.FEATURESDual-zone climate airconditioning6-speaker CD/iPod/USB audio6 airbagsRear park sensorTrip computer.HOLDEN BERLINA SPORTWAGONOrigin: AustraliaPrice: $45,490Engine: 3-litre, V6Power: 190kW @ 6700rpmTorque: 290Nm @ 2900rpmFuel: Standard unleaded/E85Fuel tank: 71 litresEconomy (official): 9.2 litres/100kmEconomy (tested): 11.2 litres/100kmGreenhouse: 220g/km (Corolla: 174g/km)Transmission: 6-speed automatic, sequential; rear-driveBrakes: 4-wheel discs, ESC, ABS, EBD, brake assistTurning circle: 11.4mSuspension: MacPherson struts (front), multi-link, coils (rear)Wheels: 17-inch alloy, 225/55R17 tyres; aerosol kitDimensions: 4897mm (l), 1899mm (w), 1476mm (h)Wheelbase: 2915mmWeight: 1770kgTow (max): 1600kgBoot (seat up/down): 895/2000 litres (Corolla: 450/1121)Warranty: 3yr/100,000km, roadside assistService: 15,000km

FORD FALCON XY GT-HO (1971) Hold your head high, Australia, and celebrate making the fastest four-door production car in the world.  The act of inserting a humungous V8 engine into a family sedan is hardly the pinnacle of automotive engineering. The fact is, it works. And so it did for Ford Australia as it increasing took on more cubic inches to fight its blacktop wars against its showroom rivals on the gruelling ribbons of Australia's race circuits. The GT-HO - ostensibly Handling Option to suit the political correctness seeping into Australia's simpering 1970 culture - was the fourth Falcon GT to get the more-is-best mechanical philosophy.  It followed the 1967-68 XR Falcon GT (4.7-litres, 168kW/414Nm); 1968-69 XT GT (4.9-litres, 172kW/420Nm) and 1969-70 XW Falcon GT-HO Phase II (5.76-litres, 224kW/515Nm). The GT-HO Phase III came with even more mumbo (5.76-litres, 280kW/525Nm) and a (little) bit more attention to suspension, wheels and tyres.  It won on the track and it won Australian hearts. The V8 rumble and roar would make hairs stand on the back of the necks and send shivers through the petrolheads standing atop Bathurst's Mount Panorama. There was, there is, nothing like that sound of barely contained fury.  The GT-HO could sprint to 100km/h in 6.4 seconds and hit 225km/h but tested its pilots with drum rear brakes and narrow six-inch, five-slot steel wheels and 185/14 tyres. The pretty Globe Daytona 15-inch five-spoke alloy wheels came later. The GT-HO sold for about $4600 and, unlike the XR version, sales were slow. Ford made only 300 GT-HO Phase III examples though, indicative of imitation being the finest form of flattery, there's probably about 2000 on Australian roads. After the GT-HO, governments decried the rush of automotive power and banned further high-performance car production. It was the end of an era.

Designed to look like a car yet ending up as a cross between a cement mixer and a washing machine - interesting given Lightburn's core business - the Adelaide-built Zeta was cheap, cheap and cheap. On the upside, the body - made of fibreglass - couldn't rust. The Villiers engine could be made to run backwards at the flick of a switch, negating the need for a specific reverse gear. So the four gears forward were also four gears backwards. It was excruciating slow and only eclipsed that criticism by a 13kW 324cc two-cylinder two-stroke engine that was deafening, smoky and rough.  Ride comfort was basic. Other than the ability of the seats to be easily removed to access the rear because the sedan - actually a wagon - had no rear hatch. On top of all that, Harold Lightburn's concept of the Zeta becoming the household's second car had merit but his little car was launched at the same time - and almost the same price - as the Mini. There was also a ute version and a racing roadster called the Sports with a 493cc 15.5kW Sachs two-stroke twin, 10-inch wheels, no doors and a 400kg weight. However, despite ridicule a team of three Zeta's entered the 1964 Ampol Trial and one finished, albeit in last position. Its courageous 11,200km run, however, failed to lift sales.  Lightburn called it quits in 1965 with sales of 363 sedans and 28 Sports.

SUBSTITUTING beef dripping for engine oil not only kept outback explorer Francis Birtles alive, but lubricated Australia's illustrious spirit of innovation. Birtles - an adventurous cyclist who turned to four wheels - became the first man to complete a west to east crossing of Australia.  That was in 1912 in a single-cylinder Brush, followed in 1913 by a 5600km tour from the Gulf of Carpentaria to Melbourne in a Ford before the 1924 exploration of the Northern Territory in 1924 when the car ran out of oil. Birtles sourced the beef dripping from an outback store, rendered it to liquid on a fire then poured it into the engine sump before driving flat out to prevent the fat from congealing. "You smell unpleasantly, but you can still travel," wrote co-driver Malcolm Henry Ellis of the exploit.  Birtles, addicted to wanderlust, had by 1912 cycled around Australia twice and had crossed the continent seven times. By mid-1927 he had completed more than 70 transcontinental crossings. In July 1928 Birtles became the first person to drive from London to Melbourne, a nine-month part-solo journey completed in Bean car he named "The Sundowner".  Birtles enduring spirit lived on until his death at aged 59 in 1941. The vastness of Australia, the curiosity of people to its hidden area and the growing use of the motorcar as transport created the opportunity for the car to feature in the nation's history since before the turn of the 20th century.  Exploits and adventurers included: HARRY DUTTON and MURRAY AUNGER: The first crossing of Australia by car was achieved in 1908 by Dutton and Aunger who travelled between Adelaide and Darwin in a Talbot 25hp.  There were no roads or service stations and the Talbot was the first time many people in the remote area had seen a car. The country was harsh with gibbers, rocky gorges, rivers and sandhills.  The successful trip followed an abandoned attempt a year earlier, when a car became bogged and was unable to be freed. On the second journey, Dutton and Aunger located the bogged first car and they continued with two cars.  The journey to Darwin took 51 days - of which 42 were spent driving - and they returned to Adelaide by boat. MICHAEL TERRY: Terry's first overland trip in a motor vehicle was in 1923 in a 1913 T-model Ford towing a trailer from Winton to Broome.Terry and his partner had planned to pay their way and to scrounge fuel for the vehicle by working on station properties along the route.But they ran out of benzine - as petrol was called - near the WA border and tried to walk to the next property 50km away. Terry and his partner almost died from thirst but a police patrol found them.  Once recovered at the homestead they pushed on and reached Broome eight months after leaving Queensland. In 1925 Terry drove a one-tonne Guy Roadless half-track truck from Darwin to Broome via Wells 51 and 48 on the Canning Stock Route.  He crossed the continent in 1928 in a Morris six-wheeled truck from Port Hedland to Broome then east via the Tanami Desert to Alice Springs and on to Brisbane. Between 1923 and 1935, he made 14 major expeditions into the heart of Central Australia using both vehicles and camels.  He continued exploring and travelling Australia's desert country until the late 1960s. C. PRICE CONIGRAVE: In 1937 a survey party was sent out to assess a possible route around Australia for a car rally to celebrate Australia's 150th anniversary of white settlement.  Australian newspaper journalist C. Price Conigrave recorded the trip in his book "Around Australia in a Pontiac". The trip was done in two standard Pontiacs each fitted with an additional 270-litre petrol tank to give them a range of 1600km.  Conigrave reports they travelled on good and bad roads, good and bad tracks and over no tracks at all and records opening and shutting every station gate that was passed. He wrote: "Whilst our two trusty cars were still running perfectly as ever despite the rough gruelling they had had we ourselves were completely fagged out when at last we arrived" at Norseman. TOM KRUSE: The mailman of the Birdsville Track. He was the driver for the Birdsville mail contract from 1936, bought the contract in 1947, stopped driving in 1957 and finally sold the contract in 1963. He drove a Leyland Badger truck to deliver mail and other supplies including general stores, fuel and medicine to remote stations over about 520km from Marree in north-west South Australia to Birdsville in Queensland. Each trip would take two weeks and Tom regularly had to manage break-downs, flooding creeks and rivers, and getting bogged in desert dunes.  He came to fame in the 1954 John Heyer documentary "The Back of Beyond" and this exposure highlighted the expanse and danger of Australia's interior and the vital role of the motor vehicle. Kruse became an MBE in 1955. LEN BEADELL: As the motor vehicle came of age in the Australian outback after World War II, the network of graded tracks established by Len Beadell opened up the bush.  Beadell started in 1947 with the Gunbarrel Highway - so named because he wanted neat, straight lines and believed that "just because it was the bush, it didn't have to be untidy" - and a crew of six men.  With Len going ahead in a Land Rover using celestial navigation for latitude and longitude measurements, the crew made about 8km of road a day.  The Gunbarrel Highway runs east to west starting at the Stuart Highway to the west of Alice Springs, due west to the Rawlinson Ranges, south of the Gibson Desert via the Warburton mission, to connect to an existing road at Carnegie Station. Total distance was over 1400km. Beadell was in the bush for eight years and made 6000km of roadways over 2.5 million square kilometres of central Australia.  Aside from the Gunbarrel, subsequent roads were named after his family - Connie Sue Highway for his daughter, the Gary Highway and Gary Junction Road for his son, and the Anne Beadell Highway for his wife.

Arrington (54), owner of Dodge-MOPAR specialist engine developer Arrington's Engines in Virginia, this week has been treated for two stab wounds and released from hospital. He told police his ex-girlfriend, Katherine Elaine (Kathy) Mullins (37), came to his residence. An altercation started which ended with Arrington being stabbed and his personal property being damaged. Police located Mullins' wrecked, Chrysler 300 a short distance from Arrington's home. Mullins, also of Martinsville, Virginia, has been charged with malicious wounding and has been charged and released on $3500 bail. Another NASCAR driver, Chevrolet's Tony Stewart, in 2008 donated money to buy 30 bulletproof, stab-proof vests - each valued at $895 - to police dogs in five states.

HOLDEN HQ (1971-1974) It was the right car at the right time in the nation's history.  Although, technically, there were superior cars around, the HQ was without question a stunning success. It was the first ground-up redesign of a Holden since 1948 (bet you didn't know that) and the first with all-coil suspension, flow-through ventilation and no front quarter windows.  Styling was a radical departure from the previous HG with the headlights separated from the grille and a tapered boot line that resulted in lots of dented rear bumpers. Holden sold 485,650 in its four-year reign - a sales figure unsurpassed since - including an unbeaten export record of 41,181 despite having no left-hand drive version. The HQ revived or gave birth to names such as Kingswood, Belmont, Sandman, Vacationer, One Tonner, SS, Premier, Statesman de Ville and Monaro.  It came as a sedan, a ute, panel van, coupe, cab-chassis and long wheelbase station wagon and Statesman saloon. Buyers could choose from five capacity engines (though three offered low-compression LC versions) from the LC 96kW 2.8-litre 173 to the 205kW 5.7-litre 350 that in automatic trim could run 0-100km/h in 9.3 seconds - sadly, almost a second slower than a new Mazda3 Maxx 2-litre manual. The entry-level Belmont sedan started at $2730 and the Monaro GTS 350 was $4630.  The HQ, which continues with its one-make budget race-car series, gave way to the HJ but all the newer model could muster in its subsequent three years was sales of 167,251 - one third of its predecessor's success.

Australians report up to 30,000 vehicle-animal strikes a year but proposed changes could lead to the banning of front bars and likely winches and driving lights on 4WD vehicles. Even before a public discussion paper expires, the 4WD industry has slammed it as being "initiated by well-meaning but misinformed people". The heart of the matter is the pedestrian safety issue of roo, bull and nudge bars. The Department of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development in Canberra is releasing for public comment a document detailing new front-bar regulations. The document "Regulation Impact Statement for Pedestrian Safety Standards" closes on April 15. The 4WD industry and allied groups are calling for all members to respond to the document via a survey questionnaire. The Australian 4WD Industry Council spokesman, Matthew Frost - whose council is conducting the survey questionnaire - says the proposed regulations threaten the safety of Australians that drive vehicles fitted with front-mounted bars. He says these are based on rules developed for the European environment and road conditions by the United Nations Economic Cooperation for Europe (UNECE). "This regulation focuses on pedestrian safety - not vehicle and occupant safety," he says. "By completing the 4WD Industry Council's survey, readers will help meet the need for current accurate data on the use of bull and nudge bars. Adoption of this overseas rule would make it impossible in Australia to fit bull and nudge bars, which are designed to protect drivers and passengers in front end animal strikes and other impacts. It may also ban winches and driving lights." The Motor Trade Association in WA says while regulation reviews were welcome, "it ought to be done in consultation with industry and be based on Australian conditions rather than the European market". MTA 4WD division manager Mark Wyncoll, who is working closely with the Australian 4WD Council and the AAAA, says most responsible aftermarket manufacturers of these products adhere to current regulations. "These regulations are written to provide protection for pedestrians by generally ensuring bars conform to the vehicle's front body shape," he says. "They address forward-facing bars and sharp design, and so on, and these are not allowed within the current design parameters. Aftermarket manufacturers have already addressed and overcome air bag compatibility and other similar safety issues." The Australian 4WD Industry Council has launched a national online public survey to collect information from the public about their use of bull bars and nudge bars. Its survey closes on March 31, 2011. The council will donate $1 to the Royal Flying Doctor Service, to a maximum of $20,000, for every person completing the questionnaire. The bull bar survey is on the 4WD Industry Council website.

The gel, called d3o, is being studied by the UK Military as a lightweight, flexible means of protecting soldiers while Mazda designers in Europe are exploring how the material can save civilian lives. The d3o elastic polymer gel is very flexible like crazy putty but immediately solidifies on any impact, including bullet penetration or a hit from a hammer.  Mazda's chief designer of its European research and development centre, Peter Birtwhistle, says innovations such as d3o were "fascinating" and presented "glimpses of future design". He says d3o could have applications within the car cabin, such as lining seats for exact body comfort or as a flexible barrier over baby bassinets or as a cargo barrier.  "It has unlimited applications in a car to protect its occupants," he says. The d3o gel is one of hundreds of new materials and concepts being readied now for cars of tomorrow.  Others include windows that change colour or tint level on demand or in response to ambient light; car paint that turns to white when hot to reflect heat; integrated communication systems that operate entirely on voice commands; and conventional cars that "lock in" to freeway traffic using a network of infrared sensors. 1. d3o: British-made in 2007, the gel's molecules "shock lock" together to absorb energy. Once the pressure has been relieved, the gel returns to its original pliable state. It can be stitched into fabrics or embedded into equipment. The UK Ministry of Defence has awarded funds to develop the material for military use. Commercially, it is now available in the Ribcap ski beanie and as a case for the iPhone.2. Ultramid: One-piece plastic car seat backs made of Ultramid weigh 20 per cent less and are 30mm thinner than existing metal-framed seats. Expected on the market in 2013 through French automotive component maker Faurecia, the seats will increase cabin space and reduce vehicle weight.3. Polycarbonates: Car windscreens could soon be made from plastic to reduce weight. Mazda's Peter Birtwhistle says glass was very heavy but polycarbonates could scratch. But new materials have glass-like properties and yet are lightweight, he says.4. Paint: Chameleon paint can change colour either automatically in reaction to ambient light, or via a dashboard switch by the owner. Changing the colour of the car easily allows the owner to customise the vehicle and can even include patterns, designs and commercial advertising. In reaction to heat, a car's paint can also change to a lighter colour to keep the car cooler and reduce energy needed for airconditioning.5. Voice recognition.:A recent US Consumer Electronics Show displayed the Parrot Asteroid, the first car stereo able to download apps and play music using voice recognition. It also accesses real-time traffic updates, geo-localisation, and has a hands-free music search. It will be available in the US this year. General Motors is now initiating a public pilot program for its OnStar in-car communication system that allows drivers to send and receive text messages and update their Facebook status using their voices. The program connects the smartphone to  the infotainment system through Bluetooth, allowing drivers to keep both their hands and eyes on the road.6. Road trains: Volvo's Mobility 2020 project includes road trains comprising of a lead vehicle - a van or truck - which electronically hooks up cars in a chain. The lead vehicle communicates with each car, regulating and monitoring brake, steering and accelerator functions while the drivers become passengers, allowing them to work while commuting. Cars can enter and leave the freeway train at any time, their space taken up by shuffling forward the following vehicles.7. Bioplastics: These contain varying amounts of organic materials such as corn, kelp or soy. They aren't edible because they're still plastic - they just contain less petroleum. Analysts expect bioplastics to gradually replace traditional plastics, including inside door panels.8. Cameras: Some cars (Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo) have multiple cameras to detect lane movements and see behind and in front of the vehicle when parking. But the same visual and sonar/radar technology will allow the car to auto pilot and more effectively run the cruise control.9. Smart alloys, like the ones pioneered by General Motors, could allow for morphing spoilers and air dams that flow into place on demand and door panels and bumpers that reshape themselves after a collision. These materials are heat-activated, becoming flexible at higher temperatures, and snapping back into shape as they cool. GM next year expects to introduce grab handles that automatically pivot into place when the door is opened.10. Ultracapacitors: Lithium-ion batteries are powering the next generation of hybrids and plug-in electric vehicles but they are heavy, expensive and in rare cases, can catch fire. An alternative could be ultracapacitors, which are basically low-capacity, high-stability batteries that can charge and discharge quickly without the fire threat. The ext step may be a combination of both Li batteries and ultracaps, which may be a stable, light and less-expensive solution.11. Keyless: Entry to a car without any keyholes in the doors? Volkswagen's Concept R showcases the keyhole-free doors - a light touch on the door handle unlocks the door and pops it open.

The Kei cars - or K-cars but actually keijidosha which means light car - sprouted after the Second World War as a means of encouraging local car manufacture. Later, kei-cars (and vans, utes and sports cars) became popular because of their low fuel consumption, ease of parking and reduced licensing tax. Government regulations restrict the car's size (3.4m) and engine displacement (660cc) but manufacturers have introduced advanced technologies including turbocharging, supercharging, intercoolers, hybrids, all-wheel drive and CVT gearboxes. Suzuki Mr Wagon is Japan's most popular kei-car is also sold as the Nissan Moco under licence and in India as the Maruti Suzuki Zen Estilo, since renamed thankfully as just the Maruti Estilo. Engine: 44kW 657cc 3-cyl turboLength: 3395mmWeight: 900kgSeats: 4 Subaru Stella is based on Subaru's R2, Stella is a five-door hatchback and is the company's answer to the highly popular Suzuki Wagon R and Daihatsu Move. Toyota rebadges it for its range. Stella isn't named after the Streetcar Named Desire character, but is Italian for "star" which is Subaru's logo. Engine: 45kW 658cc 4-cyl superchargedLength: 3395mmWeight: 930kgSeats: 4 Daihatsu Move has sold 500,000 during its first three years of production. The Move is based on the Daihatsu Cuore platform but with a taller body. It also has bigger engine options (850cc and 1000cc) for export markets. Engine: 47kW 660cc 3-cyl turboLength: 3395mmWeight: 780kgSeats: 4 Mitsubishi "i" is the first four-door for decades to have a rear-midship engine placement (it's under the rear seat) to improve safety and interior space without affecting vehicle length. When launched in 2006 it exceeded Mitsubishi's sales targets by 20 per cent and won 13 awards in its first year. It is the basis for the all-electric i-MiEV model. Engine: 47kW 659cc 3-cyl turboLength: 3395mmWeight: 900kgSeats: 4 Tata Nano is India's version of the kei-car. It started selling in March 2009 for $US2500 and was billed as the world's cheapest new car. It's potential market is the world's biggest who are evolving from motorcycle-based transport. The price has crept up and demand is see-sawing but Tata now plans to export the car. Engine: 25kW 624cc 2-cylLength: 3099mmWeight: 600kgSeats: 4

It admits that an international network may have obtained data about its EV programs - allegedly leaked by three Renault employees who are under investigation - but says its vital technology secrets are safe.In a newspaper report in France on the weekend, it says production of EVs will not be held up.  French newspaper Le Monde on the weekend states Renault's Chief Operating Officer Patrick Pelata saying: "Renault is the victim of an organised international network".He says information leaked is likely to refer to the costs and economic model of the EV program and not technology, including 200 patents that are being lodged."It's serious, but not as bad as if it had been the technology," he says.  "Whether it's the chemistry of the electrodes, the structure of the batteries, the different elements of assembling, be it the charger or the engine itself, we feel OK."Mr Pelata says despite the espionage, Renault's EV program was still on track.  "We have not lost one day to launch our four electric cars," he says.Renault will launch three EVs in Europe this year - the Fluence sedan, Kangoo delivery van and the two-seat Twizy.  The city car, the Zoe, will launch next year and is predicted to become the company's best-selling electric car.Renault's work parallels that of its alliance partner Nissan that is globally rolling out its Leaf EV.  Mr Pelata says the three employees had been on suspension without pay since last Monday.Renault aims to press criminal charges against the three. Two of the employees are Matthieu Tenenbaum, deputy head of Renault's electric-vehicle program, and Michel Balthazard, vice president for advance engineering and a member of the management committee.Renault and the French Government (Renault is 15 per cent owned by the French state) are also investigating a possible link in the espionage to China.In 2007, a Chinese student on a work placement at car parts maker Valeo was given a prison sentence for obtaining confidential documents.  A court stopped short of an industrial espionage verdict, instead finding she had "abused trust".