Articles by Paul Gover

Ten contenders, two exhaustive days of testing by six judges...

Never have I seen more camera phones pointed at a car than during my two days with the BMW i8.People love the look of the car and what it represents as the first hybrid super-sports car to reach Australia.It has supercar looks and futuristic technology that turns heads and prompts questions everywhere I go, although the $299,000 price tag stops a lot of people cold.There are queries about the bits and bytes that combine a three-cylinder turbo engine in the tail with an electric motor in the nose. Not to mention the aluminium chassis and carbon-fibre body.The i8 is effectively an all-wheel-drive speed machine, with a 0-100km/h sprint time of 4.4 seconds, that can cruise as a pure battery car for up to 37km.It has a 2+2 cabin, although the space in the back is only good for a five-year-old, and the usual go-faster bits, from 20‒inch alloy wheels to fully independent suspension and luxury stuff running to aircon, full leather trim, digital instruments and brilliant sound system.The heart of the car is a battery pack that occupies what would be the transmission tunnel in a regular car, while the body is made from 56 individual pieces and sits on top of the chassis.The trickery includes LED lamps at both ends and dihedral doors that tilt up instead of hinging out.Electronic wizardry gives you the best combination of excitement and efficiency to match the driving mode you have chosen.I first encountered the i8 in Los Angeles, its spiritual home with a list of cashed-up greenies that starts at Steven Spielberg, and I was impressed. I could see some flaws but I wanted to try it at home.So now it’s sitting in the driveway, hooked up to mains power to charge the battery pack, which comes with an eight-year/100,000km warranty, and I’m still impressed.I like the way it looks, I like the idea of a super-sports car that is still relatively kind to the environment, and I like the way the i8 works alongside the all-electric stablemate, the i3 city runabout.But... there are plenty of buts, starting with the virtually $300K ticket. One friend, who has the money and likes the idea, is not going ahead with a purchase plan because of that.It goees around corners very well, especially considering its low‒drag tyres, but not the way a keen driving fan will expect of a car that looks like a Porsche 911 beater.In fact, the performance of the car is strong but not outstanding. That will come, I believe, when BMW has a better battery pack in version 2.0 to unleash more go from both the electric motor and the petrol turbo.There are other problems, such as access. It is a struggle to get under the tricky-looking doors and over high side sills at the same time. The luggage compartment in the tail barely holds a couple of backpacks.But I love the electric driving mode that’s nearly good enough for a battery-only run to work; I love the way the syncopated triple-cylinder kicks into action when I ask for flank speed.I love the 5.2L/100km readout during my fun run over some mountain roads and I love the design work and the list of standard equipment including the head-up speedo display.The more time I spend with the i8, the more I like it. Apart from the buts. And I can see that some people will buy one just so they can be the first in their social circle with a landmark car.

As the exhaustive COTY drive program starts, CarsGuide covers the market segments — the focus as ever is on testing real cars for real people on real roads.The field for the 2014 Carsguide Car of the Year contest is in the starting blocks.The 10 contenders cover every corner of Australia’s new-car showroom, from baby cars to SUVs and luxury cars to people-movers. There is even a performance car.The COTY favourite is the Mercedes-Benz C-Class but there are dark horses including the updated VW Polo and Toyota Corolla sedan, as well as the classy little Mazda2 that’s a late inclusion for the contest.And then there is the Ford Falcon XR8, an Aussie hero that’s the poster car for the final FG X Falcon.The two-day COTY contest puts them head-to-head with a simple mantra: real cars for real people on real roads.So we’re looking first at value, then everything from safety to comfort, quality and efficiency. It’s the same approach that most people take to their new-car purchase but with a much sharper focus.VW has dominated the COTY results in recent years with the excellent Golf and Polo, which work so well despite unanswered questions about ownership beyond the warranty.But no one knows what will happen when we get down to voting for the biggest prize in Australia motoring.  The contenders are:Ford Falcon XR8From $52,490This is as good as the Falcon gets, as Ford Australia does all it can to make the FG X special for the time it has left as a car maker at Broadmeadows. Ford fans have been calling for the return of the XR8 for years and the best news is the car picks up the 335kW supercharged V8 engine lifted directly from the discontinued FPV GT.Honda Jazz VTiFrom $14,990Honda retreated in the global financial crisis, and has also just axed the Accord Euro that’s been so popular in Australia. Honda played smart by adding a standard rear-view camera to the new Jazz but that’s just the start for a car that’s a genuine step forward.Honda Odyssey VTiFrom $38,990Few Australians buy people-movers but the new Odyssey provides a good reason to look past an SUV. A genuine family van, it is also well equipped and well built. It’s been a long-term success in Australia, despite rivals including the Toyota Tarago and the latest classy Citroen Picasso.Mazda3 NeoFrom $20,490Australia’s favourite car for 2013 got a total makeover for 2014 that includes everything from the SkyActiv powertrain to a new body and chassis. It’s a looker that backs the style with impressive quality and driving dynamics. The Mazda3 take the fight to the Toyota Corolla for sales and the VW Golf for everything else.Mazda2 NeoFrom $15,790More like a condensed Mazda3 than any previous Mazda2, the Japanese company’s new starter car is mini but definitely not tinny. The cabin quality is impressive, it goes well with SkyActiv technology, and the value is up with a price that’s down.Mercedes-Benz C200From $60,900The world’s oldest car maker performed a magic trick with the new C-Class, creating a condensed S-Class limousine that still comes in below the LCT threshold. It’s packed with technology, takes a new approach to luxury cabin design and drives incredibly well in C200 starter form.Nissan Pathfinder hybridFrom $42,990Earlier Pathfinders were a bit rough-and-ready despite their heavyweight credentials but the new model is much more car-like and a serious alternative to a Toyota Kluger or Ford Territory for Australian families. The hybrid package is the icing on the cake.Subaru WRXFrom $38,990The long-term Subaru hero is still a performance bargain. Its user-friendly constantly variable transmission is one of the biggest changes and challenges to the turbocharged pocket rocket. This time around the emphasis has switched from the engine to the chassis in the WRX, a major departure that changes the game.Toyota Corolla sedanFrom $20,740Four-door compacts are not generally as popular as hatches but that has not stopped Toyota from creating a sedan that trumps its five-door variant. It’s a little more expensive but the pay-off comes in greater refinement in a body that works for many downsizers.VW Polo 66TSI$16,290The starter car for VW in Australia following the axing of the Up is a long way better than basic motoring. It goes surprisingly well, has a solid Golf-style feel and meets most of the needs of baby-car buyers. As always, though, we wonder about life beyond the warranty.We’re looking first at value, then everything from safety to comfort, quality and efficiency. It’s the same approach most people take to their new-car purchase but with a much sharper focus.

Concept cars once provided a window on the future. These days, some are built solely for the virtual highways of computer games.The Chevrolet Chaparral 2X unveiled in Los Angeles this week is a pointer to a car that will compete in the latest Gran Turismo. It follows futuristic gamer cars from a range of makers including Mercedes-Benz.The silliness of the Chaparral runs from a crazy powerplant in the tail to a lay-down driving position.But Chevrolet, which is reviving the name of the Chaparral team that pushed the boundaries in sports car racing in the 1960s, knows it’s all about the performance in the virtual world. How else could it claim a “mid-mounted laser beamed-energy propulsion system, which pulses beams of light that focus in a shroud, creating shock waves” using a 671kW laser run by lithium-ion batteries?The car is claimed to have a top speed of 400km/h and a 0-100km/h time of 1.5 seconds. But the true headline number is the 72 million people who have a copy of Gran Turismo 6 and are expected to download the Chaparral 2X as a bonus for the game.

Paul Gover climbs aboard with Marcos Ambrose for his first day on the job with the reshaped Penske/DJR V8 Supercar team.Wow, can Marcos Ambrose drive. Or, I should say, he can still drive.Fresh back from his nine-year NASCAR experiment in the USA, we’re heading for the flat-out kink at Lakeside Raceway north of Brisbane with the speedo winding around towards 250km/h. I’m sucking in my breath, ready for a big scare on one of the toughest corners in Australia, but Ambrose is all business and there is not even a tenth-of-a-second of worry.He is sublime. Fast but totally relaxed, even though this is just his fifth lap back in a right-hand drive racer. The V8 Supercar Falcon is being coaxed around at massive speed but, like all the best sportspeople in any game, he seems to have more time than he needs.Only twice does the back end slide wide on the Xbox racer, and both times Ambrose is ahead of the car and gently pulls it back into line. After less than two minutes we’re back in the pits and he’s smiling his familiar smile.“Well?”, he asks.“Bloody marvellous,” I manage to stammer.That’s the big difference in Ambrose 2014. He is asking because he really wants to know. And he cares.The Ambrose who left for the USA was pumped-up on racing, but totally focussed on himself and his results. Even he admits it.I think I’m a better driver now. I’m certainly no worse than I was."My last time around in V8 Supercars I was so focussed that I just didn’t see anything beyond the track. That is part of my rounding from NASCAR. I appreciate what I’ve got more. I’m just looking forward to giving my fans and the sport my very best,” Ambrose said.He is one of the most talented and focused touring car drivers in the history of the sport, and that bit has not changed. As he confirms.“I think I’m a better driver now. I’m certainly no worse than I was. Whether I can bring those skills and adapt them to a modern V8 Supercar I don’t know. Yet.“I am totally immersed in this new deal, and highly motivated to make this thing a success. It’s a dream opportunity. I’m going to throw everything I’ve got at it. I’ve certainly got a lot of drive and determination.”With that, Ambrose goes back to work. Lakeside is his first shot at a V8 Supercar and he wants to maximise his track time ahead of two official tests at Queensland Raceway ahead of the Sydney 500.Ambrose is not making any bold predictions, but only a fool would write him off. And, after those hot laps at Lakeside I’m no fool.“Today is the first step. Me behind the wheel and getting going. I’m not too worried about Sydney. I think it’s all going to be worthwhile once we get into 2015.” 

Paul Gover road tests and reviews the 2014 Mazda 3 XD Astina turbodiesel with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Paul Gover road tests and reviews the BMW i3 at its Australian launch.

Can the new BMW i3 change the way Australians embrace electric cars?The increase in fuel tax has sparked predictable radio chatter this week about the cost of motoring. Apart from ordinary families facing another belt in the budget, experts from all points of the compass talked about the future of fossil fuel and the hybrid and plug-in electric cars already on the road.One spoke of fuel cell cars that generate on-board electricity (but not of the hydrogen stations needed to keep them going).The reality is that electric cars, despite big talk by everyone up to global head of Nissan-Renault Carlos Ghosn, are struggling for traction across the world.So far this year, only 200 Australians have bought a battery car. We don't know how many are with ordinary motorists or government departments and councils.The big problems for battery cars are obvious: cost and 'range anxiety'. The price problem will never go away until governments are prepared to provide the sort of subsidies that have boosted sales in Europe and the US going back to the original Toyota Prius. The Australian list price for a Leaf is $39,990 - it's similar in size to the Pulsar you can buy for less than $20,000. The Holden Volt is $59,990.Range anxiety is the fear of running short of charge, even though Australians typically commute less than 100km daily.Both challenges came into sharp relief this week as I slid into the latest electric contender, the BMW i3. It's a brilliant car, despite four safety stars, trendy, efficient and drives well.BMW has an optional range-extender engine that lifts the distance between charges to 300km but there is still the problem of price - are people prepared to pay at least $63,900 for a future car that's here and now?

The new car market may not be performing but sports cars are.The latest VFACTS figures show Australians are racing to performance vehicles in record numbers and are happy to spend more than $100,000 to drive their dream car.The $80,000-$200,000 sports car segment is up more than 20 per cent so far this year and dedicated sports vehicles overall account for about one in 20 new cars sold.That doesn’t include go-fast versions of regular models, an area where the Germans continue to dominate.The move isn’t limited to prestige European brands: HSV is on track to eclipse 3000 sales in 2014. HSV marking boss Damon Paul says there’s still strong momentum forthe Gen-F range.Range Rover Sport sales have doubled this year to 2200, while Jaguar sales are up 15 per cent.Iconic sports car maker Porsche has had 44 per cent growth, with 2224 vehicles.The German trio — Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz — are all posting records.Audi’s S and RS models are the fastest movers and are likely to rival HSV in terms of overall sales this year.More than 2400 buyers have chosen Audi performance models, against about 800 sales at the same time last year. That number should surge over the next couple of months with the introduction of the S1 Sportback, which at $49,900 is the cheapest quattro model in the four-ringed line-up.Benz has shifted more than 2200 of its AMG-badged cars and can likewise expect a surge in sales after last month’s GLA45 AMG compact SUV launch.It is a similar story at BMW, despite a gap between the run-out of its old M3 and the launch of the new M3 sedan and M4 coupe/convertible.BMW has sold 1142 M-badged cars to October’s end, a 75 per cent increase on 2013.

Paul Gover road tests and reviews the 2015 Volvo S60 and V60 Polestar , with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.