Articles by Paul Gover

Yawn. The 86 wins. There is no way to delay, or tease, or try and hide the outcome of a comparison test that provides the predictable verdict for anyone shopping for fun in 2012. When we put together a comparison crew of the newest and most-desirable affordable sporty cars in Australia today, we always knew the Toyota 86 would be tough to toss.But the Volkswagen Golf GTI is almost a classic, the Mazda MX-5 is a classic, and the latest Veloster Turbo is more proof that Hyundai is building cars that are much more than just A-to-B transport modules. So we were looking forward to a close contest, even if the Toyota 86 is the odds-on favourite for every Car of the Year award in the world for 2012.In the end, the only realistic challenger to the 86 is the Subaru BRZ. We didn't have one along because it's virtually identical - some say the Subaru is the original - to the 86er. But Toyota is making  the most noise, even though the BRZ is the car I'd choose for its nicer styling, slightly softer suspension, and the full-sized spare that Toyota is about to remove from the tail of the 86.VALUEIt's crazy that the smallest and oldest of the comparo crew - the MX-5 - is also the most expensive. Not just that, but at $49,805 it also doesn't come with a lot of the hi-tech stuff - such as Bluetooth - that even bargain-basement buyers expect today. Still, it does have a thumping Bose sound system, wonderfully supportive Recaro seats and good looking BBS alloys.The MX-5 also benefits from historically high resale value as a modern in-demand classic. The Veloster SR Turbo is cheapest at $31,990 yet still has a seven-inch touch screen with satnav, panoramic sunroof, leather-leatherette seat trim, rear parking camera and Bluetooth with streaming. The turbo engine cuts service intervals to six-months/7500km, but the new capped-price service plan means the total cost over three years to service the car is $1164. It also has Hyundai's five-year warranty, but that's offset by the lowest resale value.The Toyota 86 test car is the fully-loaded GTS, with bigger brakes and wheels, satnav, auto aircon, LED running lamps and more. It also has a capped-price service plan and Toyota expects a very strong resale value. We considered the costlier Volkswagen Sirocco coupe for the comparison, but the price check went in favour of the three-door GTI pocket rocket even though it's still over $40,000. It comes with dual-zone air, Bluetooth and rain-sensing wipers, but is missing some features that are standard in the Toyota and Hyundai.TECHNOLOGYAll four cars have four-cylinder engines, although they range from the Subaru boxer in the 86 to the turbos in the VW and Hyundai. Power is important for enjoyable driving and the twin turbos are naturally on top, with the GTI taking the prize with 5 kiloWatts more than the Veloster, although the Korean is lightest on fuel at 6.8litres/100km. While the 86er's engine is notoriously thirsty with 7.8L/100km, and takes premium unleaded, the MX-5 actually tails on efficiency at 8.1litres. The Volkswagen has a double-clutch automatic and the rest are driver-first six-speed manuals, while each has all-wheel disc brakes and sports suspension settings.DESIGNThe 86 has classic sports car proportions, just like the droptop MX-5 that's become a classic. But the Toyota has a modern cabin and reasonable space inside, where the Mazda is cramped and old-fashioned. There's nothing old-school about the Veloster, from its gaping mouth to a body with two hatchback doors on one side and a single coupe door on the other.There's nothing special about the GTI, but it has the right 'hot hatch' triggers despite a cabin that's now showing its age with the all-new Golf just a month away from a Carsguide preview drive in Europe.SAFETYThe age of the MX-5 is reflected in a four-star ANCAP safety rating, against the maximum five stars for its rivals. The Veloster comes with six airbags while the Toyota and GTI add a knee airbag, but the Hyundai is the only one with a standard review-view camera in a field where rear vision is often crimped in favour of fashion.The 86er still has a spare but it goes from September, when a puncture-repair kit clears some extra boot space, while the MX-5 also has a repair kit for space reasons and the Veloster and GTI have temporary spares.DRIVINGDriven on their own, each one of these cars is fun. Well, until you try and cram the weekly groceries into the MX-5 or 86. The droptop Mazda is sharp and responsive, even if the engine is a bit dowdy by today's standards, but the biggest failing is the lack of cabin space. It's a small car that really feels small, especially with the folding roof in place.It really shows its age when we head for pictures at Lakeside raceway outside Brisbane, as the MX-5 - despite brilliant steering and a taut chassis - is actually pretty slow. The Veloster is the most practical in the pack, from its extra-door access to a drivetrain that's quick enough but not overly demanding. It gets along briskly, is quiet on a cruise, and has lots of nice stuff in the cabin. The big glass window in the tail cuts vision and makes the back seat too hot for youngsters, but it's still the sort of car that most fashion-conscious buyers will enjoy. The Korean car is good enough, but the Volkswagen is truly good with a brilliant engine, a responsive DSG gearbox - despite Carsguide complaints about reliability and longevity - and a taut chassis that feels right in all conditions. It's also easy to park, easy to handle, and is only let down by a cabin that's feeling - like the Tiguan driven recently - old and dowdy.It's hard to fault the 86er, which is a landmark sports car from a company that's doing all it can to put personality into its cars. Every drive is fun in the 86, even if it's just a mundane run to the shops, thanks to a car that you wear as much as drive.Ok, the engine is a bit flat and the boot is not huge and I think the dash looks below-par for Toyota quality, but all the ordinary stuff drops away when you hit a twisty road and uncork the car's performance.VERDICTIn this field, and despite so many previous successes, the MX-5 is last. It might be the world's all-time favourite sports car, a sweet drive and a taut package, but it's an old car that costs too much. Even its party trick - that fold-down roof - is not enough to lift it off the bottom.The Veloster is third, despite its practicality and the 'look at me' bodywork. It's competent and great value, nicely youthful inside and well equipped, but not a winner. The Hyundai drives nicely enough, but when you jump into the Golf you realise the Korean maker still has some way to go. It just feels cheaper and less together. The GTI is a Veloster done right, from the driver's seat, with a truly taut chassis, great performance and German quality on the assembly front. The difference between the Hyundai and Volkswagen is rammed home at Lakeside, where the GTI is actually quickest of the crew - thanks to more punch than the 86er - and the Veloster always seems to be nice but not right. So we come to the 86, which wins because it's a sports car for the 21st century.It looks great, is practical and reasonably efficient, and is so much fun to drive. It could do with more punch, and some of the cabin stuff looks and feels cheap, but it's a landmark car at a great price. The only question that remains is how the 86 would have done against a BRZ.For me, and I've driven and lived with both, the Subaru would take a narrow points decision. But, as it stands, the 86 is a knockout winner.

Ford Performance Vehicles was originally established as a joint venture with Prodrive, an English engineering and motorsport specialist, but Ford Australia is now buying its former partner's controlling stake.The move means 32 job losses at FPV but Ford is hopeful that extra work at Broadmeadows will allow it to slightly reduce the 440 redundancies recently announced at its manufacturing operation.The decision to absorb FPV was not unexpected, as PFV recently notified its supplies that it had no ongoing production plans beyond the end of the year. Ford admits the FPV operation had become marginal in its current form, with the business totally reliant on support for hotrod Falcons at a time when overall showroom support for the company's headliner is fading fast.“We as the two partners, were looking at the business longer term. We didn't see it as a viable business in its current configuration,” admits Bob Graziano, president of Ford Australia. “So the joint venture will cease to exist. We are buying the assets.”  Graziano refuses to reveal the financial cost of the change, which is likely to be more than $20 million, but says the deal should be complete by December. 

... and also set for a 2013 reveal as the latest 911 range continues to grow.The highlight for the newcomer is a clever new retractable centre roof section.

The German SUV hero is also being forced upmarket by the latest X3, which is the same size as the original X5, and there a strong rumours it will be available for the first time as a seven-seater. 

The newcomer extends the Ghost range in the same pattern as the larger Phantom, which points - eventually - to a new convertible with a similar low-line roof to the car caught testing new BMW HQ in Germany. 

...and now Carparazzi has caught it during development tests.The looks are largely unchanged but the stylish four-door picks up the twin-turbo V8 mechanical package from the latest M5 sedan and M6 coupe and convertible twins. 

...during testing at the Nurburgring.The new look is hidden under plastic classing but it's safe to expect a chunkier new body, with looks more like the CLS coupe than the current C. The car should be a little higher and wider, but the big change will be in more efficient engines - including a baby four that switches back to two cylinders at cruising speeds. Here early in 2014 priced slightly less than today's. 

The tweaked Cabrio shows there is still plenty of life in the existing Golf body... ...even though the all-new hatch is little more than a month away.

A major price cut for the most-desirable Mitsubishi model in showrooms today - the go-faster Lancer Evo - highlights a massive value boost for the Japanese brand. Its most popular models, the Lancer and ASX, have both been given a mid-life tweak that includes re-pricing with value boosts from top to bottom. The biggest cut is a $8900 reduction in the price of the top-line Lancer Evolution MR, but the basic Lancer ES now starts at $19,990 and there is more equipment with the promise of better driving. "The basic idea is to improve the value position," the president of Mitsubishi Motors Australia, Mutsuhiro Oshikiri, tells Carsguide. "We have to recognise the age of the vehicle. It's quite competent and Lancer owners are probably our happiest. We want to strengthen and hold the position until we get the Mirage." The Lancer has been battling to win friends but Mitsubishi believes the new starting price, together with a new mid-range LX priced from $23,990 with plenty of equipment, can do the job. The basic ES comes with seven airbags, Bluetooth telephone connection and audio streaming, a leather-wrapped wheel and improve sound system. The VRX has had a $1000 price cut but the fully-loaded Lancer Ralliart is unchanged at $44,490. On the Evo front, the starting price is now down by $5400 to $56,990 and the dual-clutch automatic is cheaper by the same amount. Mitsubishi admits the Lancer has lost its gloss but believes it can rebuild its support. "It's been around a while, so we've tried to freshen it. The styling still stacks up," says Tony Principe, head of product and strategy. "there is constant pressure to price it down. (So) we've re-positioned the cars by around $1700." Sales of the ASX have been strong so its update is focussed on equipment, together with a very mild update of the styling. The suspension, steering and CVT auto have also been tweaked, although not enough to justify a full-scale Carsguide evaluation.  "It's been a bit of a hit for us. From zero we're up to about 600 a month," Principe says. "We are doing a re-position. We've got a good entry position, but we needed a two-wheel drive premium model."  So the basic car really only gets a new sound system with Bluetooth, but the new Aspire adds everything from alloy wheels and privacy tinted glass to a reversing camera, auto wipers and headlamps, and leather seat trimm. Against the basic ASX from $25,990, the Aspire looks good at $28,990 for the manual and $30,240 for the auto.  

The upcoming additions are the Carrera 4 cars that add all-paw grip and distinctive wide-body looks to the latest 911 package, at prices from $255,400 for the first local deliveries next February. But Australians will not have to wait until 2013 for the car, as Porsche is plotting a fly-in preview at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney in October. "The Carrera 4 models will be given their world preview at the Paris motor show in late September. We're hopeful of having a car in Sydney a little over two weeks later," Porsche spokesman, Paul Ellis, reveals to Carsguide. "We definitely think it will happen. We're working on it now." Ellis is keeping quiet on the exact details of the show preview car, as there are four Carrera 4 models in the 2013 range. They are the Carrera 4 and 4S coupe, then the Carrera 4 and 4 S cabriolets that take the top end price to $315,000. They share the basic layout of the terrific all-new 911 that hit Australia in March with everything from a longer body and more-luxurious cabin to controversial electric power steering. The turning points for the Carrera 4 cars are the considerably wider arches over the wheels - linked by a new strip light across the tail - and the latest version of Porsche's all-wheel drive system, called Porsche Traction Management. The cars are up to 60 kilograms lighter than the models they replace, although they have more heft than the latest rear-drive cars and that hurts their sprinting ability a little despite a claimed 0-100km/h time of just 4.3 seconds. "This car is much quicker than the previous generation. But it weighs more than the Carrera 2 cars and weight is the enemy in acceleration," Ellis admits. "The grip now in the rear-drive car is so good that you get less advantage from the all-wheel drive system. So now the advantage is in corners, especially in wet conditions, where the Carrera 4 would be noticeably faster point-to-point." Around a quarter of Australia's 911 buyers will chose an all-wheel drive model, although this is less than the one-third split worldwide. "That's because we don't have the winter driving conditions,"Ellis says simply. The mechanical and equipment package mirrors the Carrera 2 lineup and the price increase for the new model, up by 2-3 per cent or somewhere between $14,000 and $20,000, is also a reflection of the basic 911 strategy. Ellis says there are more new 911s to come - typically the Targa, GT3 road racer, all-wheel drive Turbo and super-quick GT2 - but the family is filling fast. "This is probably the end point for the volume models in the Carrera range. Obviously there will be some specialised cars to come, but we now have the main block." Carsguide will have a first drive report on the Carrera 4 models from Europe in October.