Articles by Paul Gover

The Santa Cruz concept at this week's Detroit motor show is clearly headed for production, with a timeline that could put it into Australian showrooms within three years.Based on the next-generation ix35 SUV, the Santa Cruz looks like a Toyota HiLux fighter, but is smaller than the current crop of Japanese one-tonne utes..It comes as Hyundai continues to win friends in Australia, surging to fourth in the sales rankings for 2014 with its first 100,000-plus year and with the potential to leapfrog Holden into second overall through 2015.It's the one thing we're missing at the momentThe funky looking ute shapes as the most important Hyundai newcomer since the "jelly bean" Excel that got the company firing with drive-away deals in the early 1990s."We know we could sell it. We've been asking about a ute for a long time," John Elsworth, the chief operating officer of Hyundai Australia, says."I think it's very exciting. It's the one thing we're missing at the moment."He says there is no timeline yet for production but is confident the ute will get the official go-ahead."It's very much a concept car at this stage. There has been no discussion in the product planning meetings about it."We don't know if we're going to get it. We hope so. The market for light commercial vehicles last year was 175,000 vehicles and we currently don't participate."Elsworth expects big things from a Hyundai ute in Australia.The Santa Cruz could be in showrooms relatively quickly"It could take us to number two," he says.The Santa Cruz is displayed in Detroit with a realistic 2-litre turbodiesel engine and all-wheel drive package from the ix35, but there are questions about the crucial towing ability for Australia, with Hyundai in the US saying "towing, payload and ground clearance were not primary goals".The Australian development team is prepared to push hard for local needs."The product planning world at Hyundai can move very quickly, from planning to a production reality," says Elsworth.He refuses to talk timing, but suggests the Santa Cruz could be in showrooms relatively quickly."There has been no discussion about production. It would be later in the decade."Two years would be a significant stretch, to achieve it in that short a period. It could be another year more than that."Meantime, he hints that Hyundai has an expanded SUV line-up on the way as test mules of a baby ix25 have been spotted in Europe."We could do with a couple of extra SUVs. And we've been production restrained on the iLoad van since day one — we could sell more if we could get more."

Audi showed its commitment with a self-driving A7 Sportback that drove itself nearly 1000km to the show, while Mercedes-Benz unveiled a show car called the F 015 that’s all about future luxury but also ticks the box for autonomous driving. But, should a car be encouraged to drive just because it can?I’ve ridden in a BMW 7 Series that can do a brilliant job of driving itself, but only on a very limited 10km stretch of road at home in Germany. It would be a total misfit and a failure in Australia, where the GPS data, road markings, street signs and much more would not allow it to operate.So, we’re unlikely to see self-driving cars here any time soon, if at all.But they’re important because the systems needed for autonomous driving — from stereo vision to automatic braking — are vital as car makers work to give us a world without car crashes. There will always be accidents and incidents and most of them will be caused by driver errors, so driver aids will play an increasing role in cutting the road toll.

Paul Gover road tests and reviews the Hyundai Genesis with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

The starting price for the Volkswagen Polo is pegged at $15,990. On the road. So, why am I driving a Polo with a bottom line at $20,790, before it even leaves the showroom?Because, like most cars, there is the Polo you want and the Polo you can afford. The $15,990 drive-away deal that has just been extended until March 31 is for a Polo 66TSI manual, which means you get a pretty basic package and an engine that's more about fuel economy than response or performance. You do get cruise control, but no reversing camera.Jump to the $21,000 car and the Polo becomes much nicer, with a Comfortline upgrade for everything from that reversing camera to radar cruise control and an 81kW engine that gives the car some real punch. Pay a little more again, as many people do, and you also get a classy seven-speed double-clutch automatic gearbox.Everything is familiar, but a little different. And generally betterSo all Polos are not alike, and the 81TSI is a significantly different - and better - car than the basic model we had at the Car of the Year judging for 2014. For 2015 it has received a mild tweak, which is really only about some minor cosmetics. Otherwise is much as it started life.Sliding into the upscale Polo, everything is familiar, but a little different. And generally better.I immediately appreciate the camera in the tail, as well as the greater punch from the engine and the slick shifting by the DSG.The car rides as I remember, which means plush and compliant, but I'm sure I feel a little extra grip in corners than the 66 musters.The Polo has the substance that comes with the world's better carsThe seats are fine, the steering feel is good with a leather-wrapped wheel, and the Polo is quiet at everything up to freeway cruising speeds.I've driven a lot of baby cars recently, including the Renault Clio and Honda Jazz which both get The Tick, but the Polo has something extra. It's the solid feel.The Polo has the substance that comes with the world's better cars, something that gives it an edge over the Jazz, and makes you feel a little safer despite its compact size.Not that everything is happiness in the baby Volkswagen.It does feel dark and a bit cramped inside, the multimedia screen is too small - way smaller than the rival Jazz and Clio - and there is no satnav despite the premium price.I'm also unhappy about the way the car surges when the cruise control is running things, overcompensating for speed loss with big jabs on the gas.Comparing the car with its rivals, I'm also reminded that for similar money you could get a starter car in the next class. So that could mean a Hyundai i30, Mazda3 or Toyota Corolla, admittedly only with a manual gearbox and no frills.

Paul Gover road tests and reviews the Renault Megane GT-Line hatch and wagon with specs, fuel economy and verdict.

Fast Ford fans in Australia are among the big winners from a decision to make the next new Focus RS from Germany into a global model.The turbo-powered pocket rocket is still more than a year away but will eventually sit alongside the new-age Mustang in Ford showrooms.There are scant technical details yet, but the big news according to insiders is that the RS will be all-wheel drive for the first time — good news, too, because it is likely to have a 2.3-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine making as much as 260kW.The last RS was a three-door hatch that sold in Australia until the end of 2010, although it was powered by a five-cylinder turbo engine developed by Volvo."To earn the RS badge, the vehicle has to be a no-compromise driver's car that can deliver exceptional performance on the track when required while providing excellent everyday driving," says Ford global product development boss Raj Nair.RS test cars have already been spotted in Europe, running five-door Focus ST bodywork to disguise the hard-edge mechanical package that will make the car a rival to everything from the Subaru STI to the Audi RS3 and Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG."We haven't confirmed the timing yet but it's likely to be in 2016," says Ford Australia spokesman Neil McDonald."There's always keen interest from enthusiasts who like a little more from their performance hatches. We already have the Fiesta ST and Focus ST in the stable so the RS is certainly a car that will sit well with the ST models."However, the RS will challenge some of the premium Euro 'hot hatches' and appeal to a different audience."The previous RS was a hit in Australia, even though it was priced at $59,990 and only 315 were imported from Europe."Many have ended up being quite collectable," McDonald says.The big difference is that the Focus RS will not be a limited-edition model.There will be a regular production run when it joins more than a dozen other global models planned by 2020.

South Korea's Aussie sales champion is about to get an update for Australia next year.The Hyundai i30 just had the treatment in Europe as part of a program that includes the mid-sized i40 and the baby i20.There is almost no chance of the Euro-style i20 coming to Australia, despite ongoing investigations into a model that now includes a three-door coupe. However, the i30 and i40 updates will be here within months.The i30 gets a bolder new grille and minor tweaks, while the changes to the i40 are slightly more adventurous.The styling changes are driven from Europe because the i30 was designed at the company's design headquarters in Germany by Thomas Burkle.Full details are still being guarded by Hyundai Motor Australia, which is keen to continue the success of the current car. In the first 11 months of this year, it has delivered 28,677 examples of the i30."It will be in the first half of next year with the i30. We're still looking at timing, so we cannot be too specific yet," says Hyundai spokesman Bill Thomas. "There are some cosmetic changes, just minor alterations really, to give the car a refresh. It's a grille change, with new wheels."Thomas avoids any discussion of an i30-driven challenge to the Toyota Corolla and Mazda3 for No. 1 in Australia.Hyundai would have a serious contender if it could combine the tallies for i30 and Elantra — which are twins under the skin and sold as Elantra and Elantra coupe in the US."We have our own targets to hit. We're not necessarily looking to finish in a particular position or beat a particular car," says Thomas.He confirms a minor change for i40 which, at first glance, looks more extensive than the work on the i30."It's the same kind of deal for the i40. It's an upgrade to appearance, on the headlights, grille and bumpers. Again, no real mechanical changes there."But Hyundai is also winding back on the i40, as it has an all-new Sonata coming in February and is not keen to have two cars butting heads in the same class.On the long-running saga of the European i20, which is better looking than the car currently built in India for Australia, Thomas has no news."We're selling the existing i20 all through next year," Thomas says."The new-generation i20, just launched in Europe including a three-door coupe, is difficult. We still need to review that. It would be problematic to bring it from Turkey."The i20 from India is still a top seller for us. We're very happy with that car."

Paul Gover road tests and reviews the Volvo V60 Polestar.

Three Grand Prix wins have made zero difference to Dan Ricciardo.

There are Porsches, and then there is the GT3.The razor-sharp road rocket of the 911 family is the car you choose when you're planning some serious Sunday morning fun or heading to a racetrack.Which is how I come to be cranking through turn one at Queensland Raceway at 128km/h on a hot-and-humid deadline day when I should be sitting in front of a computer.The GT3 is alive underneath my fingers and feet and I feel alive as I struggle to find the limit in a car which is always a half-step ahead of the driver. A GT3 takes some serious driving. You never feel like a passenger.Porsche is showcasing its new hero car at QR during a master class that runs as part of the Porsche Sport Driving School under the direction of former Bathurst winner Tomas Mezera. There is no road driving today in the GT3, just an intensive day of track time, driver coaching and in-depth analysis of the track laps. I'd like to escape into the Queensland countryside but Mezera and his crew keep us on a tight leash.So I can't tell you what the latest GT3 is really like if you're driving in the real world. I know it will be easier to handle than the outgoing GT3, which often felt like an unbroken brumby - demanding concentration and commitment at anything beyond commuter speed - and I also know it is better value with more standard equipment.Not that the price tag of $293,600, before you think about options or on-road costs, is much of a problem for the 40-odd Australians getting the new GT3. They've already waited nearly a year for their cars, after a series of disastrous engine fires led to a global block on deliveries and a forensic investigation. Every engine in every car was replaced.The engine is one of the big changes for the GT3, which is part of the all-new 991 family of 911s, as is the transmission, a seven-speed PDK double-clutch job with no manual option, and a major emphasis on lightweight engineering that runs from the 20-inch forged alloy rims to the oily bits in the engine and transmission.Like a bodyguard in a Hugo Boss suit, the GT3 is suave yet threateningPorsche's flat-six propels the GT3's 1430kg from rest to 100km/h in 3.5 seconds, on to a potential top speed of 315km/h.The equipment list runs from aircon and leather trim to electric windows, a seven-inch multimedia touchscreen, bi-Xenon lamps and much more.The mechanical highlights include six-piston front brake calipers and, inevitably, a giant rear wing and a front spoiler that almost scrapes the road.The GT3s at QR are also fitted with the $6500 track pack adding racing seats and belts, roll bar and fire extinguisher.After a thorough technical briefing on the car and its many improvements, Mezera gets things rolling with a typically blunt warning. "You blokes drive cars all the time, but not like this GT3. So take it easy, build up to it, and remember that today is not about the laptime," he says.Like a bodyguard in a Hugo Boss suit, the GT3 is suave yet threatening. I'm familiar with the latest 911 but there are some differences; the GT3's electronics that are track-tuned, and not just a nanny pack.I settle in, enjoying the grip of the race buckets and the feel of the leather wheel, select the sports driving program and switch to the sports exhaust. The car sounds confident but restrained, neither threatening nor friendly.As I accelerate out of the pitlane I get a brutal reminder that the GT3 is a serious sports car. It rides firm, every input on the controls gets an instant response, and the acceleration is brutal. It might not have a turbo but the GT3 engine is a stonker, with a huge wall of power at any time in any gear.It's more of an experience than transportThe latest chassis has tamed some of the wayward behaviour of earlier 911s, which means it's more stable when braking and far less likely to step sideways if you're asking too much of the back end. The GT3 fires things up a couple of levels.The PDK gearbox means you can downshift while turning, the electric power steering is alive without kickback, and the engine response is liquid smooth up to the redline near 9000 revs.I can't say that I tamed the GT3, broke the track record and topped the master class. But I was respectably quick, kept the car on the road, and felt I dipped into about 80 per cent of its potential. Mezera and his crew can exploit the rest.There is no doubt that the new GT3 is the best yet, that it's more of an experience than transport, and that it delivers a level of driving enjoyment that's only matched by a couple of cars in the Ferrari class.At day's end I'm hot, sweaty, tired and relieved, but mostly full of feel-good hormones. And I can't stop smiling.