Articles by Paul Gover

...even hot-lapping the mid-sized luxury contender at the Nurburgring.Carsguide knows the Lexus GS is a lot sharper after a drive in the US and is waiting for the disguise to be stripped away so we can see how close the car is to the Lexus LF-Gh.

Choosing the best small car for your driveway just got a whole heap harder. Until this week, the Volkswagen Golf was king of the kids and the Mazda3 was the best way to balance class against cash. But now there is a Ford Focus that runs head-on into the Golf - a former Carsguide Car of the Year champion - and takes the top selling Three down a peg.It's priced from $21,990, drives more like a go-kart than a budget buy, and has the same combination of funky looks and technology that's already worked so well for the Fiesta. The Focus works so well because Ford has put all its small-car smarts into one package to create its first truly global car.That means Australian buyers get a payoff in all sorts of ways, although we're not sold on the American-style auto shifter or a fourth-quarter delay for satnav assistance in a car that's claimed to be a techno champion. Ford Australia hopes the Focus - which it once planned to build at Broadmeadows, before refocussing on the Falcon and its local inline six - will give it the buyer boost it has always needed in the small- car class, which now provides around a quarter of the country's monthly showroom action."We decided to take a more radical step," global Focus boss, Gunnar Herrmann, says this week at the Australian preview of the third- generation car. "The vehicle starts to feel like a grown-up vehicle. But when you start pushing it around corners . . . it's a complete different dimension of driving and having fun."The starting price of $21,990 says Ford is serious about the new Focus. It's the same sticker as the outgoing starter car, despite a huge number of improvements and a shipping label marked 'Saarlouis'.The Focus for Australia will come from Thailand from the middle of next year, but until then supplies will be limited because the German factory is running at full capacity. The basic lineup for the 2011 Focus is simple: hatchback and sedan bodies, three engines - 1.6-litre petrol, 2.0-litre turbodiesel and 2.0-litre petrol - with five-speed manual and six-speed DSG PowerShift auto, and four trim levels from Ambiente to the Titanium.Basic equipment is everything you expect in the small class, from (electric) power steering and aircon to electric windows, audio and minor controls on the steering wheel, and a space-saver spare. But Ford is going funky and youthful and that means Bluetooth connectivity with voice control, right off the bottom, with a bunch of stuff added as you roll up the range. It's rear park sensors, alloys and cruise control headlining the Trend package; Sony sound, dual-zone aircon, auto lights and wipers, and a rear hatch spoiler on the Sport model; then active park assist, keyless entry and start, partial leather trim and 18-inch alloys on the Titanium.Ford says satnav with a larger central screen is standard on Sport and Titanium, but not until fourth-quarter deliveries, and there is an optional convenience pack on the Trend with the auto lamp and wiper package for $300, with a $2300 Sports Executive pack on the Titanium that tips in bi-Xenon lamps, adaptive cruise control and a sunroof. The top line on the bottom line translates to $38,390 for the Titanium diesel auto with pack upgrade, either as a sedan or hatch.Herrman talks passionately and in depth about everything from the steel in the new Focus through to the voice control system that could - but does not - make all the buttons on the dash redundant. "This vehicle has the most technology worldwide in a vehicle of this type. That's a proud story," he says.The headline act for the Focus is automatic parking - seen first in Australia on the Toyota Prius - that also stars in the television advertising. You still have to control the brake and accelerator, but it does everything from measuring the gaps automatically to working the steering for a perfect reverse park. There are plenty of gags that could go here, but let's move on to the trip computer, keyless access and starting, even the shape and position of the steering wheel. As always, the really smart stuff - active cruise and bi-Xenon - costs more and the smartest of all, including road sign recognition, is only for Europe at the moment ...The Focus looks edgy and youthful on the outside, youthful and very busy on the inside. You could even say the design of the central infotainment area is very Korean, like a Hyundai i45. The shape stands out from the traffic, and especially alongside a Golf or Holden Cruze, and that's entirely deliberate. Ford wanted to make a statement with the Focus and it has succeeded, creating a look that reflects movement. The basic body was done in England, then finessed in Germany and spun into the five-door hatch and a four-door sedan that looks more like a hatch. Inside, the seats are a global move that works surprisingly well but somehow the American-style auto shifter survived the Euro design focus to pacify the Homers of the world.Five-star ANCAP says it all, from high-strength steel in the body to six airbags with a special shaping of the driver's cushion to minimise leg injuries. More importantly, as safety switches to prevention of crashes, the Focus gets ABS, ESP with smart programming, hill-start assist and a torque-vectoring control for the differential that helps keen drivers but also provides a safety net for anyone in slippery conditions or bad weather.Focus or Golf? Golf or Focus? That is the obvious question as Carsguide heads for the new Ford and a surprisingly frank evaluation course that includes the nastiness of Punt Road, Melbourne in peak hour and slimy rally roads high in the Dandenongs.It's immediately obvious that the Golf is still ahead on cosseting comfort and cabin simplicity, but the Focus hits with the youthful bodywork, look-at-me dashboard, great seats, and an eager response to all the controls. The 1.6-litre engine is dozy until you get beyond 4000 revs, but the diesel is solid and the 2.0-litre petrol is handy. The manual is short a gear by 2010 standards but the shift is good and the ratios are fine, while the Powershift is a bit too 'auto' for our liking. And a silly little switch at the base on the T-bar for manual changes in the Sport setting is a joke in a car that's aimed at keen drivers.Ford quotes all its engine numbers using 95 RON fuel but says 91 is fine for petrol power. Still, the chassis is as taut as a Zumba-toned body, the steering almost talks, and the grip in corners is strong, consistent and impressive. There is some tyre roar at times but it's down from the previous Focus, and wind noise around the door tops can be excused in a Victoria wind rush.Every time the road turns twisty the Focus is keen to play, and we cannot wait to see how the car will go as an RS - one of the Carsguide favourite funsters of recent years - once Ford gets beyond the basic stuff. The Focus is definitely a winner, definitely a four-star car, and definitely at the front of the small-car pack. It's on target and a car for drivers, not just passengers in the commuter belt.

Rating the big three Aussies comes down so much to personal preferences. And those preferences could be based on anything from the shape of the driver's seat to the boot size or the fuel economy. And there is always the rivalry in the 'rust belt' - as Toyota calls it - between old-time favourites from Ford and Holden.All three locals are close in most ways and Australians are massively spoiled for choice, as well as value, in cars which are so big they are heading inevitably towards extinction. Then again, American cops are only just learning to love the Commodore-based Caprice ...FORD FALCON XR6There is nothing as homegrown as the punch from the Falcon's big six away from the lights, and that same engine-room strength makes the XR6 a fun car on a twisty road. You can cruise it or push it without every worrying. You also feel the same deep-down muscularity of the Falcon package every time you drive, although - for me - the car is a bit more boofy than the Holden. And, on the negatives, I've never felt as comfortable in the Ford because of its higher-set driver's seat. Ford has an update coming and I've yet to drive the new LPi car, but for me it's a close second.HOLDEN COMMODORE SV6 The Holden is a sharper package than the Ford, a little sweeter in most areas from the steering feel to the operation of the transmission. It turns a little nicer and is a tad more enjoyable on a long freeway run. Commodore buyers also get the advantage of the latest cabin update and a very impressive infotainment system, after dramas with the previous package, and the showroom impact from the driver's seat is probably winning sales. It doesn't feel as strong in a straight line, and it doesn't have Ford's latest capped-price servicing deal, but it's my personal choice.TOYOTA AURION This car is efficient and effective, but it's the transport choice and not for people who enjoy driving. I also wonder how the Aurion V6 can be classified as a large car when the Camry, which is identical apart from a four-cylinder engine, manages to run as the best selling medium-class car ... The Aurion has a giant boot, impressive quality, good fuel economy and is quiet on a trip, but it's bland and that is bad when the other locals have so much personality and punch.

A top-secret Lexus in a burqa is not the sort of car you get to drive every day. When that Lexus drive time is also more than six months ahead of the car's showroom start, and even two months in advance of its first public appearance, things take on a very different slant.That's because Lexus knows its all-new GS, the car you cannot actually see beneath the full-coverage black camouflage, has to work. The newcomer is aimed at the same sort of people who were expected to buy the current car - successful 30-40 year-olds who might usually favour a BMW 5 Series or E-Class Mercedes - but drove away in droves.In fact, even Lexus now admits the GS is a failure at all levels - from driving enjoyment to sales. "Giving the new GS a more fun-to-drive character was the prime objective. We wanted a more fun and rewarding drive," Koji Sato, deputy chief engineer on the GS, tells Carsguide during an exclusive preview drive at Pasadena on the outskirts of Los Angeles. "We have created a sharp and responsive driving experience. There is a more connected driving experience," he promises.So the new GS is intended to deliver for people who want more than just a pair of automotive slippers for their retirement years, and Lexus is calling 11 journalists from around the world for an early taste test. It has fingers crossed for ticks in boxes.The plan is simple: a background briefing and then a fling around a carpark test course before several hours of on-road driving that varies from typical California freeways to give-and-take canyon roads which are fun driving and expose the weaknesses in most cars. But first - time in the current GS. The reminder driver is a refresher on a car that's a Camry in a formal suit.It drives more like a boat than a car, is quiet but not particularly comfortable, and ticks all the expected luxury boxes without having any personality. To sum up, today's Lexus GS is a yawn. And then I catch sight of the two burqua-wrapped prototypes promising the biggest change at Lexus since the arrival of the original compact IS.It's hard to rate a car so far from showrooms, but Lexus promises a sharper price than today's GS. The current lineup starts with the GS300 Sports from $97,814 but Carsguide is expecting the newcomer - even with a larger 3.5-litre V6 engine - to drop into the eighty-something price bracket.Value will also be boosted by everything from an 18-way electric adjustable driver's seat to what is claimed as the biggest full-colour display screen in the car business today. The California drive points to an extension of the current two-model run with the GS300 - sports and luxury, with the sports model getting a bunch of new stuff including active rear-wheel steering - with a run of other models to come including a new 450h hybrid and an F-Sport sports hero.The remake of the GS goes right down to the chassis, which is more rigid in the new model for improved safety and a better suspension platform. Lexus is keeping quiet on the finer details, but the California cars come with new suspension, upgraded 3.5-litre V6 engines - most likely with around 233 kiloWatts - and everything from adaptive variable suspension to dynamic handling with rear-wheel steering, and a stability control system that can be turned off.There is also a new exhaust system that's claimed to be noisier and a slipperier body. But the biggest driver benefit is Drive Mode Select - a bit like the switchable chassis-engine control we've seen from Subaru - that has three settings from maximum comfort through to maximum grip and feedback.We've seen the Lexus GS concept, which is Carsguide Car of the Show from the Australian International Motor Show at the start of the month, which gives a close pointer to how the production car will look. But the California burqa, and a bunch of other cabin camouflage, means we cannot give any sort of on-the-spot assessment. When I try to zip back part of the burqa body panels, briefly catching a glimpse of a dark-blue guard, a Japanese security guard rushes in to stop me.I know the car has a clock in the centre of the dash, with a new-age sound system, but everything that's remotely interesting is covered in thick black tape. Still, the boot is now a giant and handles four golf bags - up from two - and even the driver's footrest has been enlarged. The security measures on the GS run deep, and we cannot even begin driving until flaps over the door handles are locked down. When an inquisitive Californian stops to ask what movie we're filming, he is nearly mobbed by the over-eager protection team.The new GS is certain to be a five-star car, but there are none of the high-tech safety systems promised by Toyota in the past week. So the GS gets past with things like cabin airbags, ABS and ESP and brake assist, and probably with active cruise control, but not the radar or laser-guided pedestrian protection and anti-crash systems first seen at Volvo and Mercedes-Benz and coming soon in the EyeSight package at Subaru.The back-to-back comparison between the current and future GS cars shows the difference between how the car is, and how it was supposed to be. And will be. The newcomer is sharper in every way, from the driving position - which finally gets you down lower into the car with more support for corners - to the steering response and even the ride.There is more control, more feedback and - consequently - more enjoyment. Is the GS a real rival for the 5 Series, our current class benchmark? We will not know until a Carsguide drive on familiar roads, but the signs are good.The new GS sprints around the handling course at Pasadena and can even be pushed into a full-on drift through corners. That's new for any Lexus short of the IS-F hotrod. The car with rear steering goes even further, with BMW-style response to the steering, great balance under brakes, and a can-do attitude that makes driving fun. It definitely can handle more punch than I'm getting from the 3.5-litre V6.Out on canyon roads, the rear-steer car is really sporty and quicker than I expect after earlier GS experiences. It's a car with surprise and delight. The 'standard' car, most likely the Luxury model for Australia, is less enthusiastic but better than today's Sports model. It needs to be eased along, but is nice enough.There are lots of things to really like in the new GS - from the chassis balance to the giant colour display screen and a huge boot - although the seats could still be better and Lexus has failed to deliver the claimed exhaust rort. If Lexus Australia can hit the right price then the GS will be back from the dead.Even without seeing the final styling - or the cabin finish, for that matter - the new GS is impressive. It has hit almost every target set by Lexus for potential buyers, and gets a Carsguide tick. But it's only a three-star car until we can get it home for a real drive, and some comparison work against BMW and Benz. It could improve and it's very unlikely to slide. What's best is that Koji Sato is passionate about the GS and building a car that is rewarding to drive, not just another automotive appliance that keeps you cool but leaves you cold.

KEEN drivers considering a luxury car will soon have a new reason to put a Lexus on their shopping list. An F-Sport version of the upcoming mid-sized Lexus GS is about to be revealed as the Japanese maker looks to duplicate the success of its IS F-Sport cars in a bigger body. The GS-F is part of a progressive rollout of the new model that will also include a new hybrid and, eventually, a genuine hotrod GS with a V8 engine under the bonnet. Details of the program are confirmed by Koji Sato, deputy chief engineer of the GS, during an exclusive preview drive of the new car in Pasadena, on the outskirts of Los Angeles. He says the regular V6-powered GS comes first, followed by the hybrid at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, then the F-Sport car at America's biggest hotrod and accessories convention in Las Vegas in the first week of November. "It will be revealed at the SEMA show," Sato says of the GS-F. He also confirms that the youthful approach for the new GS is creating potential for more body styles, most likely a coupe. "We have made no decisions but we have many feasibility studies. Yes, a coupe is one. It might work better with this new GS." The latest GS - which Carsguide drove in Los Angeles - is intended to slash the current age of owners by more than 15 years. "Current model is bought mostly by people who are in retirement. We want to have professionals from 30 to 40," says Sato. "This must be a conquest model. We must compete with BMW and Mercedes- Benz." Sato says the progressive rollout of GS models is typical of the brand but intended to give more focus to the performance cars. The V6 sets the basic benchmark, with the hybrid focussed more on extra performance than electric city driving, with the GS-F to transform the car into an M5 rival. But he refuses to discuss the potential for a V8 engine in the GS, despite the relative success of the IS-F - which still fails to match a BMW M3 or Benz C63 - with an eight in the engine bay. "We have no V8. Not yet," Sato says, with a smile.

...this 2012 Bentley Continental GTC Speed hit British roads for final testing.The update for the drop-top includes a more aggressive look on the nose, vents in the bonnet and new headlamps.The tail end has a new spoiler, slimmer lamps and a revised exhaust.

The four-door coupe has been a hidden gem in the Volkswagen family but is gaining more and more friends, a development the German company is keen to continue.

IT’S nearly time for the third-generation Honda CR-V and the Japanese company’s engineers have been hard at work, most recently at Death Valley in the US.Their hot-weather testing drew the crew from Carparazzi, who captured an all-new model with a lower and curvier roofline, as well as significant changes to the front and rear styling.But the big difference is a bigger body which could - according to American sources - accommodate a third row of seats.

European sources point to 410kW at least and the picture shows wider guards, air intakes in the rear guards to cool the intercoolers and a new type of integrated exhaust system in the rear.

It's the limited-edition Black Series update of the thumping Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG, complete with a carbon-fibre weight-loss program and the most powerful engine yet fitted to a C-Class car.The newcomer - officially the C63 AMG Black Series - has 380 kiloWatts and 620 Newton-metres of torque, which translates into a 0-100km/h sprint time of 4.2 seconds and a top speed beyond 310km/h - provided the compulsory German speed limiter is disabled.A handful of Black Cs will come to Australia next year but there is no firm detail yet on delivery dates or prices.Based on previous Black Series cars, and the current C63 at $152,800, the bottom line is likely to be around $220,000.The Black C has a giant new front bumper with huge air inlets, vents in the alloy bonnet and a rear diffuser, guards widened by 42 millimetres on each side at the rear, and 19-inch alloy wheels. There is also an optional Track Package, although this is not confirmed for Australia.AMG says development of the Black C has its roots in the program for the SLS Gullwing, including its V8 engine and the customer racing program with the car that includes the Peter Hackett version currently competing in Australia."The new C 63 AMG Coupé Black Series is the best proof there is for the permanent transfer of technology from the race track to the road," says the head of Mercedes-AMG, Ola Kallenius.