Articles by Paul Gover

The new Suzuki Swift has grown up. It is exactly what you expect of a major newcomer in 2011, with the same strengths as the outgoing car and enough improvements to justify a change.The styling is a letdown - more like a facelift than a true model change - but the offset is provided by a starting sticker that's the same as the basic Swift from 2005. That means pricing from $15,990 for the manual-only Swift GA, although even that car now comes with seven airbags and ESP stability control.The Swift continues as a boxy five-door hatch that's easy to drive and park, and a serious rival to a range of baby-class cars including the benchmark Volkswagen Polo, Toyota's Yaris and the ageing Honda Jazz.VALUEThe bottom line is the bottom line for bargain-basement buyers, and Suzuki has done well - helped by the strength of the Australian dollar - to hold the starting price down to $15,990. Most customers are going for the slightly upscale GL from $16,690, mostly because it is available with Suzuki's four-speed auto but also because it gets a slightly better dashboard with a revcounter and USB sound input, as well as extra paint on the basic plastic parts.The Swift now comes with a 1.4-litre engine but there is promise of more go in an upcoming Swift Sport. Suzuki Australia claims a significant influence from the mid-sized Kizashi, particularly in the dashboard design and cabin quality, while trumpeting the success of the previous model - which set a Suzuki record for hitting two-million sales.There are three models - GA, GL and GLX - with the top-line car going to $18,990 or $20,690 as an auto.TECHNOLOGYThere is nothing revolutionary in the fourth-generation Swift. The 1.4-litre engine is new and brings 70 kiloWatts and 130 Newton-metres with average economy of 5.5 litres/100km and CO2 emissions of 132 grams/kilometre, but the auto is still only a four-speeder.The car has a slightly longer wheelbase, to improve ride and add some millimetres in the cabin. Suzuki claims everything from improved braking to sharper electric steering, as well as better ride comfort from tweaked - but still rear torsion-beam - suspension."The development team's motto for the new Swift was simple - More Swift," says Tony Devers, general manager of Suzuki Australia."DESIGNYou could be forgiven for thinking that someone put the previous Swift into a 3D photocopier and set the result to 105 per cent. So it's a very, very familiar family look.The previous Swift was a revelation when it arrived, and scooped the 2005 Carsguide Car of the Year award, but not the shape is predictable and nothing special. Even so, the dashboard is more modern and user-friendly and the overall space inside is more comfortable and enjoyable.SAFETYSuzuki claims class leading safety thanks to seven airbags in the cabin and the usual ABS brakes-ESP stability control. The seventh bag is for the driver's knees. The great news is that all the protection comes on the basic car, not through an extra-cost safety package or exclusively on the flagship model. The previous Swift was a five-star car and Suzuki is expecting the same score for the new model.DRIVINGThe new Swift is like so many cars these days - bigger, smoother, nicer, better. But it is missing the surprise-and-delight of the previous model. The cabin is a bit better, and there is a touch of Kizashi in the design and controls, but it's not ... special.Suzuki has done some really great cars in recent years, most notably the previous Swift and the Kizashi, but this one is only good. If that sounds like criticism, it is.But not because of any faults in the car. It's just that Suzuki can, and should, do better and will need more to compete with its rivals in coming years. The Volkswagen Polo costs a fair bit more but is the new benchmark in the class, and the Swift must also be shopped against the impressive Ford Fiesta and even the ageing Toyota Yaris.It's hard to make direct comparisons, with so many body styles and different engines among the opposition, but the Swift is right in the five-door heartland with its 1.4-litre engine. It is a good drive, and has good space for the class, with good value.It rides better than before and is fairly sharp in its steering response, but the engine is let down in the four-speed auto. So the new Swift is a nice car and a nice drive.  The pricetag is very good. But we expected more.

The arrival of an all-new compact Nissan at the Shanghai Motor Show next week is the trigger for a crucial decision over the car's future in Australia. The newcomer is the replacement for today's Tiida and is almost certain to become a born-again Pulsar in Australia when it lands early next year. Chinese sources say it is longer than the current model with a larger cabin, as well as the potential for a hot-hatch model with around 140   kiloWatts to rival the Mazda3 MPS. Nissan Australia refuses to comment on the new Tiida, which has a body shape with similar proportions to the recently-released Micra and a stronger commitment to cabin quality and driving enjoyment. But company chief, Dan Thompson, has said many times that he favours a return of the Pulsar badge - a small-car name to rival the Toyota Corolla - in place of the unloved Tiida name. While the Tiida-Pulsar choice is still looming, Nissan is aiming for an all-time high in Australian sales. Its showroom result in March - yet to be confirmed by official VFacts figures - is claimed as the best in the company's history. "It's the best since we withdrew from local manufacturing," says   Thompson. "We're now the fastest-growing car company in Australia. And we're   determined to keep it that way. "Our plan is to have our share up over seven per cent. The market is growing... we see it growing into the 1.1 million range with good potential for Nissan."

Godzilla has had its teeth and claws sharpened for a new year in Australia. There is more power and torque from its thumping twin-turbo V6 engine, a little less weight and drag, and the added bonus of more refinement inside. The 2011-model R35 also comes with bigger brakes and new tyres, some chassis strengthening, LED daytime running lamps and an extended aero diffuser under the tail.The upgrade work is all designed to make the car quicker and more responsive - and shave time off its laps at the Nurburgring in Germany - as well as re-igniting passion for the car among Australia's keenest drivers.That passion was reflected in a giant turnout at Phillip Island to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the GT-R's first Bathurst win, at an event attended by Mr GT-R - Katzutoshi Mizuno - and Aussie racers Fred Gibson and Jim Richards. "The GT-R is really the heart-and-soul of Nissan," says Dan Thompson, managing director of Nissan Australia.The downside on the third version of the R35 is a starting price that has blown out to $168,800, and a more extreme driving experience that could be too much for some people in day-to-day conditions. But get it on a track, like Phillip Island . . .The GT-R has been a bang-for-your-buck winner from the beginning, even back in the days of the R32 model that introduced the car to Australia as an official Nissan. But things have slipped this year, with the decision to drop the entry- grade car and tougher opposition from the German supercar bunkers.It's still a massively impressive package, but the $168,800 bottom line comes in well above the starting price for a BMW M3 at $152,300 and the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG from $152,800, and also available with a Performance Pack tweak and an extra 22 kiloWatts.The GT-R is better equipped for 2011 - with everything from Recaro- designed sports buckets to seat belts made from softer material - but the bottom line is still a $13,000 jump from the previous starting mark for Godzilla. And it doesn't get the capped-price service protection of the rest of the Nissan family."It still is much cheaper for the performance that it gives," says Nissan's local product specialist, Darren Holland. "The money has gone into performance improvements. The power, the torque, and the engineering that's gone into the car."The GT-R has always been a techno treat and this time around is no different, with the 3.8-litre V6 engine tweaked to release 390 kiloWatts and 612 Newton-metres - up by 33 and 24 respectively - while also cutting fuel economy to a claimed average of 12.0 litres/100km.The suspension has been tweaked with alloy shock absorbers, a strengthening bar across the front-suspension towers, and a support panel on the dash ahead of the passenger. The Brembo brakes are now a monoblock design, there are forged alloy wheels from Rays, and the startline ability of the GT-R has been boosted by a system - engaged through R-Mode and VDC-R - that promises consistent 0-100km/h sprints in around 3.0 seconds. Although you do have to cool the transmission after four consecutive runs.Only a GT-R fan - and there are plenty - will pick the differences for 2011. The basic body shape is unchanged and the tweaking is all in the details - like LED daytime lamps, a large grille, the rear diffuser and what Nissan calls a two-level 'rectifier' to channel air around the nose.Inside, there is real carbon fibre in the dash, the new seats and belts, and a soft-touch panel on top of the dash that gives a more upmarket look and feel.There are no real changes to the safety package, although the latest Dunlop Sport Maxx tyres and bigger brakes are claimed to give better grip in all conditions and much better braking on wet roads. Mizuno says the GT-R generates more wet braking grip than a 370Z on a dry road. Of course, it comes with a six-airbag cabin, ABS brakes and ESP stability control.The GT-R has always been an extreme machine, and the tweaking to the 2011 model makes it even more of a love-or-hate machine. We love its punchy performance and the admiring glances from rival drivers, as well as the knowledge that any stop-light contest is a no-contest.And it is brutally quick. But the suspension is brutal too, even with the adjustable settings switched to comfort. And the amount of noise and slap and harshness from the transmission system rivals a World Rally Car on the way to a special stage.It's not a car to drive if you want a quiet or easy life. But GT-R fans will love the improvements, which make it brilliantly better when you want to goooooooooo. The launch control system is stonkingly good and truly the best Carsguide has sampled - with the ability to turn stomaches to mush.The extra power and torque means the car is going fast for more of the time, with better response and less lag. The chassis feels a little more responsive on the road, and when we get to Phillip Island it really shows its best side. The GT-R can run without fear or favour on a racetrack, and easily tops 260km/h down the front straight, with incredible cornering grip and slingshot exists from all corners.It's not as finely edged as a Porsche, and overheats its tyres quickly if you push hard, but it will get away from an M3 or C63 with a sympathetic and talented driver. The Series III GT-R is even better than before and incredible fun, provided you can put up with the ride and wide turning circle and restricted three-quarter vision and difficulty in parking.At Phillip Island, all that day-to-day stuff is just fluff. And the GT- R is brilliant.

The dedicated gas Falcon is also good news for anyone hit by the rising price of petrol. The EcoLPi liquid phase injection promises zero compromises for the Falcon's six-cylinder engine, right up to the XR6, with  27 per more power and 10 per cent more torque than previous E-Gas LPG system and fuel consumption cut by 12-15 per cent. The new-age LPG system is coming a little late, a delay put down to the engineering load at Broadmeadows for the global T6 pickup development program, but nothing like the six-month overrun on the EcoBoost four-cylinder Falcon that won't hit showrooms until January 2012. Ford says it is using the most up-to-date LPG technology available, with much-improved operation and driveability than the previous ventur-  style vapour system fitted to its E-Gas Falcons. The heart of the system is an injection system that is similar to a conventional petrol engine, using a high-pressure fuel rail that delivers liquid LPG directly to the intake port. So there is no gas conversion before the liquid is fired into the cylinder for combustion. The system is also more controlled and efficient, which provides the boost to performance while also cutting consumption and CO2 emissions. "Falcon EcoLPi offers customers the power, torque and overall engine performance they expect from a traditional Aussie six ... while at the same time delivering the fuel costs of a smaller car," says the president of Ford Australia, Bob Graziano. Ford has yet to reveal the exact economy of the LPG system or the pricing.

Tesla Motors Incorporated has sued the top rating British television show as a result of a segment on the car which claimed to show a car running out of electric power. The segment was first broadcast back in December 2008, but Tesla has acted following re-runs in a number of countries including Australia.  However, there is no impact in Australia.  "It's purely an international thing being handled from California.  There are no implications for Australia," says Jay McCormack, spokesman for Tesla Australia. In the Top Gear story, presented by Jeremy Clarkson, the Tesla was shown running out of plug-in battery power after 88 kilometres, well short of the 320-kilometre range claimed by the company.  In its lawsuit, Tesla claims a scene where the car was pushed into a garage was faked. While Tesla is attacking Top Gear in the courts, the company is accelerating its sales plans for Australia.  "We've been here on the ground since late last year and we began delivering cars in January. We've sold six now," says McCormack. The Teslar Roadster 2.5 sells for $206,188 in Australia, before on- road costs.

It's called the Malibu and it will be ready for local roads in the second half of 2012. The all-new Malibu is being previewed at the Shanghai and New York motor shows this month and will be a global model for General Motors, wearing a Chevrolet badge in most countries except Australia. But the car has a local connection as its design - only a hint is provided in a teaser picture from GM this week of the LTZ model - is deliberately linked to the shape and style of the successful Chevrolet Camaro that was designed at Fishermans Bend for production in the USA. The Malibu name has a long history in the USA that tracks back to 1964, and the new car will be the eighth generation. But it's the first Malibu with a global role, as it will be sold in around 100 countries and built at two factories in the USA, one in China and one in Korea. It is expected to come with similar engines to Holden's Cruze - including a 2.4-litre four and a turbocharged 2.0-litre unit - and information from the USA points to chassis development by Opel in Europe. But Holden says it's too early to go into details for the Australian car. "It's a fair way in the future," says Holden spokesman, Jonathon Rose. But he confirms Malibu is coming and the global impact of the car. "It's a global car. It doesn't matter where it's built, it's the same car. And world class," he says. "They will be built all over the world. They will be built in the USA and they will be built in Korea. Our choice will be between the USA and Korea. It's still to be determined." The Malibu will the third mid-sized nameplate in Holden dealerships in recent years, following Vectra from Europe and the Korean-built Epica. The Epica has been a relative failure for Holden, with only 180 sales in the first two months of this year compared to 2116 for the class leading Toyota Camry and 854 for the Subaru Liberty. Still, the result is better than the 166 Epica sales in January and February 2010.

A full-on racing update of the Italian supercar has just been completed in Italy and is ready to go. It's a development for the GT3 class of sports car racing, where the Italian contender will come up against a wide range of rivals including the Audi R8 and Mercedes-Benz SLS Gullwing. The biggest changes to the racing Italia are the wicked extensions to the bodywork, from wide flared rear arches to a giant wing on the tail. The nose is also dropped and extended for maximum cornering trip and top speed on the track. Ferrari already has a GT2 racing version of the Italia and it scored its first big success last weekend with class victory in the Le Castellet 1000-kilometre race at the Paul Ricard circuit in southern France.  

The future is mega at BMW - and that means MegaCity MegaCity concept cars are currently running the catwalk at car shows around the world while, behind the scenes, engineers are flat-out on making them a production reality.The tagline for MegaCity is 'Born Electric' and that says everything about BMW's first serious production plug-in battery cars.  They are also intended to push the edge on city commuter transport and a new-age sports car.This Megamobile is the BMW i3 and it's caught by Carparazzi during filming of a television production in Scandinavia that will be used to showcase the car's new-age technology.The i3 is running alongside the sporty i8 on the snow and both cars have a target production date in the back end of 2013.  BMW Group is forecasting first-year sales of around 30,000 cars in 2014, but that's dependent on far too many questions including the eventual pricetag.Will people really be prepared to pay more than $60,000 for an electric city car just because it's a BMW?When is it here? Most likely in the back end of 2013How much? Nobody knows 

There is more power and torque from its thumping twin-turbo V6 engine, a little less weight and drag, and the added bonus of more refinement inside. The 2011-model R35 also comes with bigger brakes and new tyres, some chassis strengthening, LED daytime running lamps and an extended aero diffuser under the tail.The upgrade work is all designed to make the car quicker and more responsive - and shave time off its laps at the Nurburgring in Germany - as well as re-igniting passion for the car among Australia's keenest drivers.That passion was reflected in a giant turnout at Phillip Island to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the GT-R's first Bathurst win, at an event attended by Mr GT-R - Katzutoshi Mizuno - and Aussie racers Fred Gibson and Jim Richards."The GT-R is really the heart-and-soul of Nissan," says Dan Thompson, managing director of Nissan Australia.The downside on the third version of the R35 is a starting price that has blown out to $168,800, and a more extreme driving experience that could be too much for some people in day-to-day conditions. But get it on a track, like Phillip Island .The GT-R has been a bang-for-your-buck winner from the beginning, even back in the days of the R32 model that introduced the car to Australia as an official Nissan. But things have slipped this year, with the decision to drop the entry-grade car and tougher opposition from the German supercar bunkers. It's still a massively impressive package, but the $168,800 bottom line comes in well above the starting price for a BMW M3 at $152,300 and the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG from $152,800, and also available with a Performance Pack tweak and an extra 22 kiloWatts.The GT-R is better equipped for 2011 - with everything from Recaro-designed sports buckets to seat belts made from softer material - but the bottom line is still a $13,000 jump from the previous starting mark for Godzilla. And it doesn't get the capped-price service protection of the rest of the Nissan family."It still is much cheaper for the performance that it gives," says Nissan's local product specialist, Darren Holland."The money has gone into performance improvements. The power, the torque, and the engineering that's gone into the car."The GT-R has always been a techno treat and this time around is no different, with the 3.8-litre V6 engine tweaked to release 390 kiloWatts and 612 Newton-metres -up by 33 and 24 respectively - while also cutting fuel economy to a claimed average of 12.0 litres/100km. The suspension has been tweaked with alloy shock absorbers, a strengthening bar across the front-suspension towers, and a support panel on the dash ahead of the passenger.The Brembo brakes are now a monoblock design, there are forged alloy wheels from Rays, and the startline ability of the GT-R has been boosted by a system - engaged through R-Mode and VDC-R - that promises consistent 0-100km/h sprints in around 3.0 seconds. Although you do have to cool the transmission after four consecutive runs.Only a GT-R fan - and there are plenty - will pick the differences for 2011. The basic body shape is unchanged and the tweaking is all in the details - like LED daytime lamps, a large grille, the rear diffusor and what Nissan calls a two-level 'rectifier' to channel air around the nose.Inside, there is real carbon fibre in the dash, the new seats and belts, and a soft-touch panel on top of the dash that gives a more upmarket look and feel.There are no real changes to the safety package, although the latest Dunlop Sport Maxx tyres and bigger brakes are claimed to give better grip in all conditions and much better braking on wet roads. Mizuno says the GT-R generates more wet braking grip than a 370Z on a dry road.Of course, it comes with a six-airbag cabin, ABS brakes and ESP stability control.The GT-R has always been an extreme machine, and the tweaking to the 2011 model makes it even more of a love-or-hate machine. We love its punchy performance and the admiring glances from rival drivers, as well as the knowledge that any stop-light contest is a no- contest. And it is brutally quick. But the suspension is brutal too, even with the adjustable settings switched to comfort. And the amount of noise and slap and harshness from the transmission system rivals a World Rally Car on the way to a special stage. It's not a car to drive if you want a quiet or easy life.But GT-R fans will love the improvements, which make it brilliantly better when you want to goooooooooo.The launch control system is stonkingly good and truly the best Carsguide has sampled - with the ability to turn stomaches to mush.The extra power and torque means the car is going fast for more of the time, with better response and less lag. The chassis feels a little more responsive on the road, and when we get to Phillip Island it really shows its best side.The GT-R can run without fear or favour on a racetrack, and easily tops 260km/h down the front straight, with incredible cornering grip and slingshot exists from all corners.It's not as finely edged as a Porsche, and overheats its tyres quickly if you push hard, but it will get away from an M3 or C63 with a sympathetic and talented driver.The Series III GT-R is even better than before and incredible fun, provided you can put up with the ride and wide turning circle and restricted three-quarter vision and difficulty in parking. At Phillip Island, all that day-to-day stuff is just fluff. And the GT- R is brilliant.

The battery-powered Leaf is a real car, not just a science experiment, and surprisingly nice to drive. We don't know yet about the price, which could easily jump beyond $60,000, and you have to ask serious questions about electric cars in a land of brown coal power stations.Still, Nissan has done an impressive job and, after driving a whole range of electric cars in recent years - including the Mitsubishi iMiEv, Subaru Stella, MiniE and even the Chevrolet Volt - it currently leads the field. Then again, you cannot buy one yet and any talk about the Leaf must include the dreaded words 'range anxiety', which apply to any form of transport that relies solely on juice from a battery. Nissan says it will have trucks ready to rescue a Leaf that runs out of charge.VALUEThis one is impossible to answer. We don't know the price, except it's likely to be around three times more than the sticker of the similarly-sized, petrol-powered Mazda3, and we also don't know how much it will cost to charge or replace - if necessary - the battery pack.Still, Nissan is pushing ahead fast with the Leaf and says the car is a commercial reality. It is also transferring the technology across to its global alliance partner, Renault, and has a number of Leaf spin-off models on the drawing boards including a sporty coupe.TECHNOLOGYEverything about the Leaf is new and unique, from the basic body through to the lithium-ion battery pack, low-energy air-conditioning and seat trim made from recycled plastic bottles. More than 90 per cent of the car is claimed to be recyclable, and the bumpers are made from ... recycled bumpers.The Leaf has clever low-drag bodywork and tyres - not really new, as they are similar to the Toyota Prius - but has a 250-kilogram lithium-ion battery pack under the floor that feeds an electric motor with high-tech transmission. It means 280 Newton-metres of torque for realistic real-world performance.The technology never seems to stop, right down to special sat nav that automatically tracks the location of the nearest plug-in recharge points. It would be easy to write a book on the technology in the Leaf, and someone is probably doing it now.DESIGNThe Leaf looks good - slightly tasty, slightly different, but not weirdoid and definitely more than just a golf cart with a big battery pack. The size is Mazda3-Corolla compatible and, unlike the Volt that has a very cramped rear seat, most people would not pick it as a battery car by the shape or cabin.Design work includes a nice plug-in point hidden in the nose, a special charger cable that comes with the car, and the high-tech dashboard display that allows the driver to track every system in the car for maximum efficiency and to prevent the disaster of a flat battery.SAFETYNissan promises five-star NCAP and the Leaf should deliver. It has all the usual safety systems - ABS brakes, ESP stability control and airbags - as well as a special electrical cut-off for a crash and a metal safety cell around the battery, which is housed below the floor in the middle of the car for maximum impact protection.DRIVINGNice. That's the one-word verdict on the Leaf. It is comfy and quiet, idiot-proof to start and drive - although you must keep a wary watch for pedestrians who don't notice the silent newcomer - and has impressive suspension, steering and brakes.Most people would not pick it as a battery car, except for the lack of noise from an internal combustion engine in the nose. And the lack of noise they would enjoy in the cabin when the car is driving. This Leaf is one of two that have been rushed to Australia for an electric-car trial by the Victorian government, and Carsguide only has a 30-kilometre drive for a taste test in suburban Melbourne.The Leaf is a long way down the electric road from a Mitsubishi iMiEV or Subaru Stella, or even the MiniE, which I have driven in the past. It is more practical than a Volt, although the GM car has an onboard petrol engine that extends the range and eliminates fears of a total battery drain. It's a genuine production car, which means all the touch-and-feel stuff is just like every other Nissan.The ride and handling, too, is impressively 'normal'. The Leaf has an impressive turn of pace and easily keeps ahead of most traffic away from the lights. It is very very quiet up to 80km/h and the air-con works well.The high-tech displays take some learning, but the computers say there is 130 kilometres of driving range and that falls only marginally during my 20-kilometre run. Switching to Eco mode and killing the aircon stretches the distance to a planned plug-in by around 20 kilometres.This is only Day One of the Leaf story in Australia, and it's very hard to make a genuine assessment without a price tag - estimated at $60,000, or roughly three times the price of a Corolla - but the signs look good. Now, if only Australia had more sources of green power to fuel this green machine."This car is real," the boss of Nissan Australia, Dan Thompson, says simply. He is right. But the reality includes a lot more questions that need answers before the world slides across from oil to electric, including the start date for sales to ordinary Australians and the crucial price tag.VERDICTA real-world electric car that sets the benchmark.NISSAN LEAFPrice: estimated $60,000Engine: 80kW AC synchronous motorTransmission: single-speed reduction gear, front-wheel driveFuel: electricity, 8-hour trickle charge or 3-hour fast chargeBattery: 24kW-hour lithium ionRange: claimed 130kmBody: five-door hatchEmissions: zero (car)