Articles by Paul Gover

The compact 3 Series has been totally updated in every area, from its body and technology to the engines, and arrives in Australia early next year to coincide with a simultaneous world on-sale date of February 11.The price is still secret, but the new Three is likely to cost around four per cent more than the current model with compensation from extra standard equipment at all levels.The car is the sixth generation of the 3 Series, which BMW says has provided the foundation for all of its growth and model expansion since the original model in 1975 and thanks to more than 12 million sales.The latest look is evolutionary, not revolutionary - unlike the days when Chris Bangle was in charge of design and trying to snap the links to BMW's conservative past - and appears more like a mini 5 Series than any previous Three.The car is codenamed F30 and there will eventually be six individual body styles - coupe, Touring wagon, GT, convertible and GranCoupe - although only the four-door sedan is unveiled in Munich today.One of the biggest changes for the Three is that some of the cars, most likely the GranCoupe and GT, will pick up a new 4 Series nametag, although sales and marketing chief Ian Robertson refuses to speculate on anything beyond the 3 Series sedan."There are many years to go yet," he tells Carsguide. But every BMW executive at the 3 Series preview is sprouting the same line, emphasising the importance of the car that is the cornerstone of the German brand. "The 3 Series is at the heart of the brand.We want to build and sell more cars than we did in the previous generation," he says. The technical changes with the new Three start with a body that has a slippery drag co-efficient of just 0.26 and continue with an eight-speed automatic and a display screen that pops up out of the dashboard like a flatscreen television."The 3 Series has always been a very sporty car," says development chief Klaus Draeger, highlighting the 320d that leads the efficiency push with claimed fuel economy of 4.1 litres/100km.All of the four-door 3 Series models will have turbocharged engines, five petrol and six diesel, with six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic gearboxes. The choices in Australia have not been finalised.The car also comes with three individual model lines - Modern, Sport and Luxury - instead of the usual confusing plethora of BMW options as the brand continues the simplification of choices for buyers.

The tiny device that led to Peter Brock's sacking from Holden in the 1980s is back on a Commodore and heading for the road. An Energy Polarizer identical to the eighties originals - and built once again by Bev Brock - is part of the package on a new homage car from HDT Special Vehicles. The VL Retro Plus Pack Commodore is unveiled this week and company owner Peter Champion, a personal friend of the late race ace and owner of 45 Brock cars, says he has plans to build up to 250 cars in the series. The unveiling at Eastern Creek Raceway in Sydney includes a side-by- side display of the 2011 car and the HDT Director that triggered the split between Brock and Holden. The carmaker demanded that Brock remove the Energy Polarizer or it would not sanction the car while Brock said he would not build the car without a Polarizer. Brock was out in the cold for more than a decade, even racing BMWs and Fords during his exile, before being reconciled with Holden for the final phase of his motorsport career and his final Bathurst starts including his final event at Mount Panorama with the Holden Racing Team. The VL Retro is the latest in a series of homage models from HDT Special Vehicles, a company that Champion bought originally to close but then rebuilt under a new business model. It has created three previous retro models and even builds hotrod Commodores with supercharged 7.0-litre V8 engines and pricetags topping $150,000. "The VL retro is the fourth car in the series. We've had the VC, VH, the Blue Meanie and now we have this one," says Champion. "This car marks 25 years since Peter got the bullet. It is great to have it alongside the Director. A total of nine directors were built and mine is the one he actually unveiled." Champion says the Polarizer-equipped VL Retro is his idea and he always planned to have it with the device, which Brock said harnessed Orgone Energy to align the molecules in a vehicle. "The VL SS is probably the the most popular HDT car that Brock built,"  he says. "The Polarizer was my idea. The reason for that is that I couldn't do a VL Group A without it being a Plus Pack. And you have to do it with a Polarizer for it to be a Plus Pack car." The project has backing from Bev Brock, who retains a few original Polarizers and is happy to make new ones for the Champion cars. The VL Retro is based on a current VE Commodore, like the other models in the HDT Special Vehicles lineup, and owners must first buy a donor SS from Holden before it is converted. The work includes everything from a special body kit and mechanical upgrades to a re-spray in the Retro red colour. Champion says the VL Retro is the end of the road for the current HDT lineup, but not the finish for the company. "We've come a long way in three years," he tells Carsguide. "This is the last of the Brock Heritage series. Then we're going to start on our new ones, the Champion series."

The twin-turbo V8 in the muscular new mid-sizer is stretching the friendship with the back tyres in the fifth-generation M5 and there are concerns about customer reaction in snow-belt countries around the world. An all-wheel drive upgrade is the logical solution and BMW M chiefs from Munich admit they are considering the move. "We are thinking about it," says Max Ahme, M5 project leader. "If you are increasing the power more and more, maybe you need it." The basic powerplant in the M5 is the same 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 already used in the M versions of BMW's full-sized SUVs, the X5 and X6, but is tweaked to unleash 412 kiloWatts of power and 680 Newton-metres of torque. "The block is the same, but the cylinder heads are new. The inlet track is new, it has double Vanos (variable valve timing) and more revs. So, more power," says Ahme. He refuses to go into much detail but it's clear that BMW M is making a serious assessment of its first all-wheel drive passenger car. "It's a good idea, but it would add 120 kilograms to the car and it's all over the front axle," says Ahme. Other companies have made all-wheel drive conversions successful, including Ferrari with the lightweight system fitted to its new FF supercar. Ahme admits BMW has had an FF in its workshop, although he believes the system would not be suitable for an M5. "We have looked at this car. We do some swaps with Ferrari." But Ahme is totally black-on-white on one potential stretch of the M5, into a new Touring wagon. "This will not happen," he says. There have been three M5 Touring models in the past but the sales record of the car is not good, and numbers dropped dramatically in the previous-generation car. "It does not make any sense. Just look at the numbers," says Ahme.

The upcoming 520i, priced from $77,900 instead of the previous $82,000 for a 520d, comes after an earlier move on the 3 Series down under. BMW Australia says its objective is to provide better value, as well as a 'stepped' approach to equipment levels that mirrors bottom-end brands from Hyundai and Kia to Holden and Ford. It began the change with the 3 Series and is now moving on the Five with a claim of up to $7000 worth of extra value - most of it in standard equipment - on the 520i. There is also said to be more punch from the engine, which is a new 2.0-litre four with TwinPower turbo good for 135 kiloWatts and 270 Newton-metres of torque. "We've got power up, value up and fuel consumption down. Everyone is happy," says BMW spokesman, Piers Scott. A new four-cylinder 528i - replacing the previous six-pack - is also part of the 5 Series change, with more equipment in the 535i and 535d that means up to $7000 of extra value. Scott says the value boost comes thanks to the engine change but does not deny BMW's stronger emphasis on value at a time when it is taking a battering from Mercedes-Benz and Audi on both sides. "It's really just the fact that this is a brand-new engine that's available to us. That accounts for the 520 and the 528i," he says. "The other changes are to get a logical ladder into the price structure. "The jump from the 520i - which snuggles under the Luxury Car Tax threshold thanks to economy of 6.4 litres/100km and CO2 emissions of  149 grams/kilometre - to the 528i manes 180 kiloWatts and 350 Newton- metres, even though the four-cylinder basics are the same. The 528i is priced from $98,200, helped by also qualifying as a low-emission model under the LCT rules. Prices of the 535i and 535d now start at $115,600 and $120,900 respectively, with the diesel engine now boasting 230 kiloWatts and an eight per cent economy boost, with the 535i also getting a 0.7 litres/100km economy improvement. BMW Australia now also includes stop-start technology on all Fives except the 550i, with its new Active Safety package - closing the windows and sunroof, electro-mechanical belt tensioning and a crash- optimised position for the passenger-seat backrest - also part of the deal.

Formula One is dead at BMW and the all-new M5 proves it. The new M flagship is softer, easier to drive, and has lost the signature F1 connection of its predecessor - its lusty, high-revving V10 engine.The 2012 M5 is more of a grand tourer than a track weapon, as well as the greenest M-car yet, which is both a good and a bad thing.Fans of the outgoing M5 - now sure to become a collector's classic - will find the newcomer a bit soft and uninspiring. The old car was always up for a bit of hooligan fun but the newcomer is more adult and refined.You can still tap the M well with the new car, but it has to be a deliberate decision. Once you do, as I discover during hot laps at the superb Ascari circuit in Spain, it's a thumpingly good drive, very fast and nicely responsive.Then again, out on the freeway afterwards, the M5 is as cushy as a 520i and not much louder inside. It also has the benefit of the excellent M sports bucket seats - and on-tap acceleration that will fry your license as quickly as the back tyres.The new M5 hits Australia in February next year and the bottom line - even with more standard equipment, is expected to be less than the $241,000 of the F10 with V10.The package is built around the latest 5 Series as always - the Five is best in class today - and the key M additions are a twin-turbo V8 engine and a seven-speed twin-clutch automated manual gearbox, but the car also gets M front brake calipers - with blue paint, no less - an active limited-slip differential, a bunch of driver-adjustable chassis and engine settings, a leather cabin, giant alloys and everything else you expect - down to an alloy M footrest for the driver.The bottom-line number are 412 kiloWatts of power, 680 Newton-metres of torque, a 0-100km/h sprint time of 4.4 seconds, a genuine top speed of 305km/h and a Nurburgring lap time better than eight minutes.Every one of the numbers is better than the previous M5, yet the car is also capable of sipping 30 per cent less fuel with claimed consumption of 9.5 litres/100km and CO2 emissions of 232 grams/ kilometre.So, how did it happen? The decision to go easier for the new M5 is driven by a number of things, from the efficiency of the car's twin-turbo V8 engine - the basics are the same as the 4.4-litre, force-fed V8 already in the X6 M and X5 M - to the overall refinement of the latest 5 Series donor car and the need to create a bigger gap between the rorty youthful M3 and a grown up's M5."We wanted to improve the suitablly for everyday use. We wanted the customer not to have to choose between a car for the racetrack and for every day," says Max Ahme, M5 project leader.He says 80 per cent of the parts in the car are specific to the M5, although it still only has the basic rear brake calipers of the regular Five because of the car's electronic parking brake. The car is a hefty beast at 1870 kilograms but not as heavy as the previous model.Finally, why is the V10 dead?  "Efficiency. More cylinders, more revs, it means more fuel," says Ahme. Oh, and BMW has also withdrawal from F1 after famously failing to make the right impact in grand prix racing.An M5 is always going to be a special car. Arriving in Spain I expect to see and experience a car at the top of its game, and capable of putting the sword to its direct rivals - the Jaguar XF-R and Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG.There are doubts about the turbo engine, which is brilliantly aggressive in the X6 M but missing the sharp edge of M greatness, and questions about everything from the styling to the seven-speed DSG- style gearbox.The first doubts are erased within a couple of kilometres, as the package is taut and surprisingly relaxing. It also has brutal kickdown acceleration for overtaking.But slippery Spanish roads - a combination of dust and polished bitumen - show the tweaked V8 - which gets better cylinder heads, variable valve timing and other advances over the one used in the go- faster SUVs - has too much torque for the conditions. From as little as 60km/h, and as much as 100km/h, the traction control light starts blinking at every overtaking sprint.The exhaust note is also flat and trucklike, although there is a nice exhaust thump at every gearchange and during tight braking for corners.A day later, heading to Ascari, I have adjusted to the GT side of the M5. It's a cushy run, quick but not silly, and the car is very very nice.On the track - despite a nanny-style BMW pace car - the car shows its true M credentials, with cracking pace on the straights, great grip in corners, and all-round driving enjoyment.There is no question that the M5 is a top-drawer car, and a worthy member of an M5 family that now runs back through five generations.But it's just not as memorable as the old car, or as thumpingly aggressive as an E63. It's a car to drive and enjoy and savour. And a great car for a long quick trip. I just do not feel the M love that's made so many of its predecessors so special.

Australia's favourite car colour has just topped the global colour poll conducted each year since 1990 by PPG, the American automotive paint specialist. Silver had a decade of dominance but the 2011 results put white in first place, with around one-fifth of all new cars delivered in the climate-friendly colour. Black also equalled silver to claim second place in the global results. The latest showing by silver shows that it could have peaked - despite the overwhelming number of prestige cars including BMWs and Mercedes- Benzes sprayed with silver - as its share of the car world peaked at 31 per cent in 2010 after rising steadily from 20 to 25 per cent in previous years. The reason for white's rise, according to PPG's manager of colour styling and automotive coatings Jane Harrington, could be because it is identified as cutting edge. Apple computers have popularised white for years and the brand's iPad and iPhone sales are now skewed towards white over silver. "Silver, at one time, was considered high-tech, innovative," Harrington says. "Think about white. What has Apple (made) their product in? White." The latest PPG results also show that nearly half of all car buyers make choices based on colour, using an online poll that also shows 31 per cent of people are willing to pay extra for a vehicle with a colour that reflects their personality. Holden has known this since the 1990s and it explains the company's success with hero colours for its Commodore, most recently the Perfect Blue chosen to make the fifth anniversary of Peter Brock's death and the latest update of the VE Holden. The colour choices vary by region but white, silver and black are the top choices around the world. In the USA, PPG says white was top with 20 per cent of cars, followed by silver at 19, black at 18, grey at 15, red and blue tied on 9 per cent, then brown-tan-gold natural colours at 7 per cent and green well behind at just 2 per cent.

The defending race champions, who between them share an incredible 11 wins in The Big One of V8 Supercar racing, are the pre-race favourites again for the Bathurst 1000 after a perfect build-up in the Phillip Island 500. Lowndes and Skaife have it all - speed, experience, cool heads, fitness, a fast car and a crack crew - and are also the sentimental favourites as it could be the last time Skaife races in the Bathurst 1000. But none of their rivals is showing any sentimentality as they prepare for a race which is the closest thing in V8 Supercar racing to a football grand final. Their rivals are led by their team mates at TeamVodafone, two-time touring car champion Jamie Whincup and youngster Andrew Thompson, who are smarting after a narrow loss at Phillip Island following a touch-up between the two cars that left with a battered door and a four-second delay at their crucial driver change. But there are more than a dozen others with Lowndes/Skaife in their sights, from veteran and previous winner Russell Ingall to the hero drivers - Garth Tander, Mark Winterbottom, James Courtney, Will Davison - at the factory-backed Holden Racing Team and Ford Performance Racing. And then there are the speedy outsiders, led by Shane van Gisbergen in a Stone Brothers Commodore and Lee Holdsworth, having his last Bathurst run in a Commodore with Garry Rogers. Here's how Carsguide rates them 1-1: Craig Lowndes/Mark Skaife, Commodore: More than just sentimental favourites, with everything it takes to repeat their 2010 win. 5-2: Jamie Whincup/Andrew Thompson, Commodore: Their only weakness is Thompson's pace on a wet track, and it often rains at Bathurst. Whincup is desperate to win for the first time without Lowndes. 2-1: Mark Winterbottom/Steven Richards, Falcon: Frosty has the one-lap pace and Richards is a two-time winner, but FPR continually finds new ways to lose the big races. 2-1: James Courtney/Cameron McConville, Commodore: Both drivers have been solid at Bathurst, but HRT has been dismal this year and they will need a major form reversal to win on speed. 2-1: Garth Tander/Nick Percat, Commodore: Potentially the strongest threat to the TeamVodafone cars, but Percat is unproven at Bathurst despite his stunning speed at Phillip Island. 5-1: Shane van Gisbergen/John McIntyre, Falcon: The Giz is emerging as a star driver and has pace to burn, but that is unlikely to help if he goes too hard or too early at Bathurst. A bit of luck could get him home. 8-1: Will Davison/Luke Youlden, Falcon: The second FPR Falcon was strong at Phillip Island, but Davison crashed heavily at Bathurst last year and needs to re-invent himself to conquer the mountain this time. 10-1: Jason Bright/Andrew Jones, Commodore: Bright has won races this year and the Brad Jones team knows how to run at the front at Bathurst, but it will still be a tough job for them to challenge the favourites. 10-1: Lee Holdsworth/Greg Ritter, Commodore: Holdsworth did a lot of leading in 2010 and Ritter has been solid in the past as a co-driver. Only outsider, but could make the podium.

The stars and cars at the biggest motor show of 2011 are providing a peek into the future, as well as proof on the potential of everything from plug-in battery cars to long-range diesels.Audi and Volkswagen are tackling the bottom end with tiny city runabouts, while Mercedes-Benz goes to the top floor with another futuristic take on its S-Class flagship. So picking the best of the best from Frankfurt is not as easy as it looks. There are more than a dozen classy concept cars, as well as a bunch of look-at-me production cars led by the Ferrari 458 Spider.But Carsguide is most impressed by the concepts with genuine production potential, from the Audi A2 right through to the baby Buggy that sits in a long line of body choices based on the upcoming Volkswagen Up. So, here we go on a Frankfurt fact finding mission, rating the good and the great:Why the fuss? Born-again E-TypeHow much? Less than $200,000Will it ever be built? DefinitelyCarsguide says: The 50th anniversary is the perfect time for Jaguar to return to a serious sports car, and it's built a future rival to the Porsche 911. The C-X16 is so close to production it could be on the road inside two years and the only question now is the biggest of all: will Jaguar call it an E-Type?Why the fuss?  A great looking South Korean concept that reflects Kia's plan to move up and away from bargain-basement cheapies.How much? In the $50,000 range.Will it ever be built? Quite likely. It shares its heart with the Hyundai Genesis and could hit the road inside two years.Carsguide says: A surefire winner that proves Peter Schreyer is doing genius work for Kia. The GT is a great looking four-door luxury that is super-close to production.The scissor doors could make it to production as they improve access for rear-seat passengers.Why the fuss? A 21st century update of the original Land RoverHow much? Around $45,000Will it ever be built? Most likelyCarsguide says: The DC100 Sport lifts the lid on the original reinvention of the 1948 Land Rover, and even sits at Frankfurt with a V8 engine under the bonnet. Land Rover has 13 different body styles ready for the DC100 program, which is being used to test buyer reaction to a radical new off-road look for the British brand.Why the fuss? Practical plug-in runaboutHow much? Probably around $50,000Will it ever be built? ProbablyCarsguide says: The push for electric power is serious at Audi, which is using the A2 concept car - just like the Nissan Leaf - to show what's really possible today. It's used the A2 name before, on an advanced aluminium hatchback that failed in showrooms, but is ready to go with a baby that weighs just 1150 kilograms and has 60 kiloWatts of electric power and a 200 kilometre range.Why the fuss? A fuel cell flagshipHow much? Around $2 million for the show carWill it ever be built? NoCarsguide says: Frankfurt is a major event for Mercedes, it usually runs up something on the S-Class theme. This time it's a fully-electric fuel cell car that runs on hydrogen and promises brilliantly green motoring. But there is no sign of serious hydrogen stations outside a couple of German cities.Why the fuss? Another top-end SUVHow much? Around $250,000Will it ever be built? ProbablyCarsguide says: The Kubang project was first floated back in 2003 and now it's back as every luxury maker - including Jaguar and Bentley - looks to add an SUV to their range. The reason the Kubang is likely to be a goer, with a Ferrai-developed engine, is the new tie-up between Fiat and Chrysler that should provide a Jeep platform for the Maserati.Why the fuss?  A fun runner in the Up familyHow much? Less than $25,000Will it ever be built? UnlikelyCarsguide says: Volkswagen is stretching is baby Up - in Australia next year for less than $15,000 - in all sorts of show car directions. The buggy body is an obvious tip to the Beetle-based fibreglass conversions of the 1960s, but it is unlikely to pass safety tests without some serious work.

The car that finally brings the people's car to the people of the 21st century is new in Germany this week and heading downunder to lead a showroom rush in 2012. It's called the Volkswagen Up and it's as important and significant as the original Beetle - right down to a $14,990 starting price.The Up renews the original Volkswagen promise on price, size and relevance as it slots in below the Polo and goes into battle against the Korean and Japanese cars that are so popular at the affordable end of Australian motoring. It will be cloned as a Skoda and a Seat and will be spun in at least five different body directions, including a micro-sized people mover, as Volkswagen accelerates its plan for global domination by 2018.But the Up is not alone at the biggest motoring event of 2011, as the Frankfurt show is crammed with newcomers that will dominate the import action in Australia next year. These are real cars, not just motor show blingombiles, and are aimed at real people spending their own money. Korea has its own future showroom champion, the second-generation i30, and there are new and important cars in every size and prize class up to the Porsche 911 and Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG roadster in the rare air beyond $200,000. Ferrari even has the open-air 458 Spider, already claimed as a 2012 sellout down under.The something-for-everyone action at Frankfurt opens with the Up and includes a Suzuki Swift Sport, an all-new B-Class Mercedes-Benz baby, the first public appearance of the Honda Civic as a five-door hatch, and even facelifts of the Ford Fiesta and Renault Koleos. Opel, which lands in Australia next year on its own has an Astra GTC coupe as the headliner, with the Corsa-Astra-Insignia triple play ready for local showrooms.People who want something that's a bit special can see the Volkswagen Scirocco coupe, Mini Coupe and the Japanese sports car twins - Toyota FT-86 and Subaru BRZ - that will put some much-needed bang into both brands in 2012. But the Up is the starting spot at Frankfurt 2011. "It will be priced to compete in the sub-compact segment and we expect it to be a volume product for us," says Anke Koeckler, managing director for Volkswagen Group Australia, in Frankfurt. There are both three and five-door bodies for the basic Up, with the promise of a big cabin inside and Polo-Golf type quality.VW is also using Frankfurt to show what it has coming on the Up, including cars with electric and natural gas propulsion, although none of the spin- offs is confirmed for Australia. Yet. "There is a lot to come on the Up," says Koeckler. The other Volkswagen hero at Frankfurt, even though it's coming three years late for Australia, is the Scirocco coupe. The starting price is $47,490 for a Golf wrapped in slinky coupe style with the same 188 kiloWatt turbocharged 2.0-litre engine. "We're not expecting big volumes," admits Koeckler.That's a contrast to Hyundai, which is expecting big things for an i30 that renews the promise and adventurous look of the original i30 that was the first Korean car to win the Carsguide Car of the Year award in 2007. Opel is not talking numbers yet for Australia in 2012 but knows it has the advantage of the Astra name and badge, a long-term favourite with local buyers. "We're still working through the launch plans for Australia and the exact model timing. But it's the first phase of the launch so people can expect to see cars like Astra, Corsa and Insignia before the end of next year," says Opel spokesperson, Emily Perry.The Corsa will open the batting and is expected to be priced from below $17,000, an essential slot as it competes with the VW Polo. The Honda Civic is already out as a four-door sedan in the USA, but Frankfurt brings the five-door hatch which needs to put some style and substance back into the bread-and-butter model in the Honda range. Carsguide has already driven the Mazda CX-5 and is upbeat about the new compact SUV, which loses its camouflage in Frankfurt. On the SUV front there is also the tweaked Koleos, which Renault Australia plans to push much harder next year, as well as the upscale Mercedes ML.Frankfurt is the biggest event of the year for Benz, which also has the B-Class and SLS minus the roof and gullwing doors of the coupe. The baby B is expected to start from less than $40,000 and will join the SLS roadster in showrooms by April. "It will be in the first quarter. The biggest change that owners will see every day is the interior," says David McCarthy, spokesman for Mercedes-Benz.The A-Class, which loses its upright-and-boxy look, is not at Frankfurt but is expected to go public before the end of the year. And the SLS roadster? "It will also be in Australia in the first quarter. We've got orders for three or four already, and we haven't announced the price," says McCarthy. The price for the new ML is likely to make it to Australia from less than $80,000 with a 250 CDi engine that uses less than 7 litres/100km. "It's all new. It's the third generation of the ML and it reflects what customers want," says McCarthy.Across at BMW, the big mover is the new 1 Series but the emphasis is on electrification plans - not production cars - with the reveal of the all-new 3 Series not coming until early in October. At the top end, the Ferrari 458 Spider is the supermodel at Frankfurt but the Porsche 911 promises to be the production superstar. "It's a clean-sheet car. This is only the third all-new 911 model. And it's the most sophisticated 911 yet," says Porsche spokesman, Paul Ellis. "The first delivery in Australia will be in March. We've already announced the starting price for the car, which is $229,900 for the 911 Carrera, and the Carrera S is from $263,100."

...with bodywork to make it a rival to BMW’s coupe-based SUV models led by the X6. Based on the body tweaking on the development mule, the Q6 is likely to be slightly longer and wider than the Q5.