Articles by Paul Gover

...another upcoming addition to the fourth-generation Clio lineup. It won't be as hot as the Clio RenaultSport, but the GT is expected with a 1.2-litre turbo engine and perhaps a Gordini badge.

Carparazzi has caught the car testing with an extended wheelbase and much bigger back doors, pointing both to a more-luxurious Chinese model and the potential for a seven-seater family version for the first time. Here sometime in 2014 for more than $150,000.

The booming baby business at Benz could eventually include a seriously youthful new SUV - with just a touch of Jeep.  Mercedes is working through a new five-car compact crew that already includes the A and B-Class and now it's teasing the world with an adventurous off-roader. The Ener-G-Force concept goes public next week at the Los Angeles auto show and there is strong speculation that it points to a future addition to the three-pointed star - or more.  American sources predict the Ener-G-Force look will be translated into as many as three future SUVs, including - eventually - a replacement for the ancient G-Class that has been built since 1979. The LA tease is the personal work of Benz's latest design boss, Gordon Wagener, although it has been put together at the brand's advanced studio in Carlsbad, California. Wagener draws the obvious line to the G wagon but also drops a hint about the thinking behind the Ener-G-Force. "It could also be a clue about a new beginning for the off-road design idiom of Mercedes-Benz," Wagener says. The show car is a muscular seven-seater that takes Wagener's current emphasis on the nose - which began with the SLS - and adds the sort of Tonka-truck bodywork that will hit a key with Gen-Yers. The LA concept is a genuine first for Mercedes-Benz, in style and substance, with looks that include a giant bullbar-style grille, pumped-out guards, Jeep-style recessed windows and upright screen, and oversized tyres. The Ener-G-Force is more than just a concept in LA, as it's also Benz's entry - with flashing blue-and-red lights - in a design contest to create a California police car for 2025.  In Australia, the Benz team is still waiting for information on the LA concept and its potential place in the company's lineup. "It's a concept. It's to test the reaction," the spokesman for Mercedes-Benz Australia, David McCarthy, tells Carsguide. "We do two types of concept: one close to reality and the other that really pushes the design barriers. This is one of those." "There may be some design elements of a future SUV." McCarthy says there is no current production plan for a new SUV but he says the LA tease is unlikely to be a replacement for the G-Class wagon. "News that it is going to be replaced are a bridge too far. Quite apart from everyday customers, there are military orders for that vehicle running out many years. I don't believe the G Wagon is going to be replaced for many years to come."  

The continuing racetrack focus for the car called Godzilla means the upcoming model is a little bit quicker, has a little more responsiveness and strength, and even picks up a tiny change with a new oil baffle in the sump.It's all about on-track speed and according to GT-R engineers, the end result is a 2013 GT-R that is two full seconds faster around the Nurburgring racetrack in Germany."They are definitely learning a lot from the Nurburgring 24-hour race," says Peter Fadeyev, spokesman for Nissan Australia. The end result also picks up the price pace, as the updated GT-R will list for $172,000.That's only a little up from the $170,800 of the current car, but considerably more than the $155,800 sticker when the car first hit Australia in April 2009 and slammed a range of highly-rated rivals including the BMW M3 and Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG.The 2013-model GT-R is the first update for two years and the last of the minor tweaks before a big revision, most likely with the first body changes since the GT-R was announced, sometime in 2013.The car was an instant hit with 238 deliveries in the first year, although that dropped to 77 in 2010, followed by 87 in 2011 and 68 so far this year. But Nissan says its GT-R owners are a committed group and many like to push their cars."The majority of Nissan GT-R owners are skilled professionals and independent business owners. Many are performance car enthusiasts who choose it as a personal reward," says Fadeyev. "It appears close to half of all Nissan GT-R owners would attend a track day at least once a year.Nissan is planning a special arrival in Australia for the 2013 car but is unlikely to repeat the Phillip Island drive day in 2011 that drew dozens of GT-R owners to the track and a meeting with its 'father', Kazutoshi Mizuno."We'll have the car on the first of February," says Fadeyev. The technical detail of the changes include extra response from the twin-turbo V6, suspension tweaks claimed to improve ride comfort, and slightly sharper handling. The engine gets new fuel injectors and a relief value in the turbocharger bypass, as well as revised springs, dampers and front anti-roll bar.

He might be wearing a helmet and rattling along at anything up to 290km/h, but he's sitting calm and relaxed. Nothing takes him by surprise and he always seems to know what's going to happen before it happens. Because of that, not because he is about to be confirmed as a four-time V8 Supercar champion and the best of his generation, Whincup is a great example to all of us. He even ensures his in-car radio calls to the pits and the Seven commentators are hands-free and never distract him from his driving. "It's a bit of a myth that to drive fast you have to drive erratic. That's definitely not the case," Whincup tells me this week. He emphasises the effort that goes into the job of driving, whether it's fighting for first on the track or ensuring a nice life on the road. "A lot of my study, and I suppose the art form of what I do, is making the car work for what I want it to do. That's making sure I have the weight on the front wheels when I want to turn, the back wheels when I want to accelerate, and the right side of the car for cornering." If you think he's just talking about racing, you're wrong. "Driving on the track is no different to driving on the road. It's important to keep the inputs as smooth as possible. That's everything: the steering, the brakes, and the accelerator." What Whincup says is not new, but it's a timely reminder from a driver who has re-set the standard in V8 Supercar racing and also knows he is a role model to people across the country. "I can tell straight away when I get into a car with a bad driver," Whincup says bluntly. "A good driver on the road will never have to slam the brakes on or take evasive action unless someone else does something unexpected or dumb. They shold be processing information well before it happens." For Whincup, who effectively wrapped up the V8 Supercar series last weekend at Winton, nothing is ever good enough. Just like his role model, tennis champion Roger Federer, he's always thinking and learning and practising. He makes driving look so easy because he works so hard. When his super-talented team mate Craig Lowndes finishes at 6pm, Whincup will work until midnight if he thinks he can find something extra. We can all learn something from Whincup, even if it's just a tiny little thing that makes a trip to the shops a little safer today than it was yesterday.  

Just launching in Australia, Foton is swerving away from the cheap-and-cheerful approach taken by Chery and Great Wall as it pitches its Tunland dual-cab ute into action with a $28,000 starting sticker. Tunland says the Toyota HiLux is its target in Australia and touts a mechanical package that is built around a Cummins 2.8-litre turbodiesel engine, a Getrag gearbox and Bosch electronics. "I want to get one thing straight. They are Chinese assembled, but the componentry is all European or American. That's a huge difference," the sales and marketing chief of Foton Australia, Rod James, tells Carsguide. "This is a ute that Foton designed especially for first-world markets. We're the first to get it, with South Africa. We believe in the vehicle." Foton is being imported by a start-up company that was established to handle the local agency, although it has some experienced staff from other brands. It is aiming to sell 1700-2000 vehicles in 2013 and intends to expand its range with a single-cab ute and as 12-seater van called the View. James admits there are some shortcomings in the Tunland, which only has two airbags and no ESP, but is keen to talk about the mechanical components that - he says - justify the meaty starting price. "The things I see as huge plusses are the Cummins motor, which is $11,000 before fitting. The gearbox is $3500 as well. You start adding it up," he says. "On the critical side, there are cosmetic issues that they are working hard on. There is stuff they could have put in standard that they don't have as yet. "In 12 months it will be a different vehicle altogether. It's very satisfactory at this point, and good value, and it will get better." Foton is based at Yatala in Queensland and has 12 dealers, as well as a three-year/100,000 kilometre warranty. The 4x2 Tunland starts at $28,000 and the 4x4 model from $34,500, which James says is a "sweet spot" between brand-name Japanese utes and Great Wall from China. But Great Wall utes still start from $17,990 on the road in Australia and the most direct competitor for the Tunland, a dual-cab diesel from Great Wall, is still only $24,990 driveaway.  

It’s the droptop Volkswagen that has run for just over two years in the hands of The Wiggles.Officially known as the Big Red Car, it’s now going for auction to raise money for  SIDS and Kids charity.Volkswagen says the specially-tweaked Beetle Cabriolet was supplied for use at outdoor events and, since it’s spent most of its time parked, has only 300 kilometres on the clock.It is likely to be superseded next year with an all-new open-air Beetle lands in Australia.The auction runs for 10 days from December 7 and early predictions point to a $40,000 pricetag for the Big Red Car. 

This week, in the wilds of Morocco, Land Rover is proving you can have your car cake while still gobbling it down in huge tasty chunks. Its new Range Rover is both an omnipotent off-roader and a Benz-belting luxury car. It re-defines the top end of the SUV business.But it wasn't always like that. The original Land Rover of the late 1940s was little more than a tractor with a roof. The very first four-wheel drive runabout, the Jeep, was just plain primitive. I was shocked when I drove a World War II vintage Jeep and discovered that it was cramped and tiny in the cabin, slow and cumbersome to drive, with seats that were like upright hammocks and no sign of a heater or even a turn signal.It made a 1980s Hyundai Excel feel like a Rolls-Royce. But those were the early days of four-wheel drives, and as relevant to 21st century SUVs as the Wright Brothers biplane is to an Airbus 380. These days, less than 10 per cent of four-wheel drives ever head off the bitumen and more and more are being built with only front-wheel drive to make them more affordable for Australian families.If you also take out the people who tow horses, or drag boats out of the water, the number of hard-working four-wheel drives falls even more dramatically. That's why they are now called SUVs. Just for the record, and in case you've ever wondered, SUV stands for Sports Utility Vehicle.It's a tag that was first applied in the USA, so that people who craved a tough-looking family truck could excuse it to their friends as something more than an off-roader or a tow truck. SUV sounded like yuppie fun and was translated as Sports Utility Vehicle.I've always wondered where the Sports kicks in, particularly in a Toyota LandCruiser or a Nissan Patrol, but they are more sporty than an average American family sedan. These days, the tag twisters have also come up with SAV for Sports Activity Vehicle - could you guess BMW? - and a bunch of other labels for the new-age family wagons that dominate in most countries.They have won us over with high-rider driving positions, giant flexible cabins and styling that tells your friends you're adventurous, not bogged in a family rut. But never forget that SUVs, even something as impressive as the super-costly Range Rover, share the same roots with the humble fighting Jeep and the Land Rover that Her Majesty still likes to use for climbing through the Scottish highlands. 

The hotrod Golf looks surprisingly understated despite big wheels and lowered suspension, but expect plenty of performance with 210 kiloWatts from a turbocharged engine including a 0-100km/h time better than 6.0 seconds. 

"We've very interested," says Emily Ambrosy of the car, which was caught during European testing and is expected to be called the Sports Tourer in showrooms.