Articles by Peter Anderson

Peter Anderson road tests and reviews the 2014 BMW M4, with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Peter Anderson road tests and reviews the Holden Cruze SRi-Z hatch with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Peter Anderson road tests and reviews the Mazda CX-5 Akera with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Peter Anderson road tests and reviews the Hyundai iLoad with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

About a year ago, Holden introduced the boxy Barina-based Trax compact SUV with a noisy, coarse 1.8-litre naturally-aspirated engine. It was a huge shame because, despite some cynical, preconceived notions about the car, it turned out to be otherwise quite good.Now the Trax has dropped in the 1.4-litre turbo that usually does duty under the bonnet of the Holden Cruze and the warm-hatch Barina RS. It could just be the making of the weirdo Trax.VALUEThe Trax range has but one turbo model, the top-spec LTZ. The 1.8 LTZ asks $28,490 with the 1.4 adding $1500 to take the price to $29,990.Your money buys you a fake-but-not-unpleasant leather interior (still with that toothpaste-coloured stitching) air-conditioning, power windows all round, remote central locking, auto wipers, rear-vision camera and rear parking sensors, cruise control, hill descent control (!) and leather multi-function wheel (real cow this time, apparently).There's even a 240-volt power socket in the back.DESIGNThe 1.4's only obvious distinction from the Trax LTZ 1.8 is the '1.4' badge on the tailgate. It shares the absurdly deep bumpers that scrape on driveways, big 18-inch five spoke alloys, plenty of chrome bits and pieces and a large Holden badge set in a gaping grille.The bodywork is pumped in various places to give it that rugged off-road look, belying its actual on-road intent. From some angles the detailing is awkward, but from the front three quarter it looks chunky, almost cool.You also get a split-level glovebox and a sunglasses cubby on the dash top, along with four drink holders between the front seats, small, medium and large storage slots in the doors and vertical slots either side of the screen that can take papers, lollies and phones.SAFETYANCAP has awarded the Trax range five stars based on EuroNCAP testing.To get there, the Trax has six airbags including full-length curtain bags, ABS, traction and stability control, brake assist, front seatbelt pretensioners and load-limiters.Perhaps front parking sensors would be more helpful than a pointless off-road frippery like hill descent control.TECHNOLOGYThe brilliantly simple GM MyLink system does duty with a 7-inch screen in the centre of the dash. It really is very good in this version (as it is in the Barina, less so in Malibu and Commodore), with high-res graphics, sensible inputs and easy setup. Plenty of far more expensive cars could learn from MyLink.If you plug your phone in, you can also run apps like Pandora, Stitcher and the BringGo sat-nav app.The six-speaker stereo is fine but the USB port is in the top glovebox. There's nowhere to let the cable out, which is immensely irritating. We felt like geese driving around with the glovebox hanging open to avoid crimping our phone's cable. Seems like a small thing, but the virtually identical Barina interior has a little notch out of the plastic to avoid the kink.ENGINE / TRANSMISSIONThe turbo 1.4-litre pumps out the same 103kW as the 1.8-litre, but another 25Nm of torque boosts the figure to a welcome 200Nm. Driving the front wheels only is a six-speed automatic transmission with a silly manual rocker switch on the selector.Holden claims 6.9L/100km in the combined fuel consumption cycle. We could only manage 9.9 with careful driving, a big difference.DRIVINGThe Trax is neither the first nor last word in dynamic excellence but the 1.8-litre engine in the other versions borders on ghastly. Despite sharing the same power output, it always felt like a bucket of bees was trying to escape when you put your foot down.And you had to do that a lot because the torque is way up in the rev range where you can't get at it while avoiding tinnitus.The new engine transforms the Trax. It's a far more flexible engine and is also significantly quieter. You can drive the turbo with your big toe in most conditions, which is a revelation. The drive-by-wire throttle is better tuned to the 1.4 and actually feels connected to the engine, a feat Hyundai is yet to master.The 1.4 isn't especially economical, but the small penalty is worth it - we just dipped under 9.9L/100km while consciously driving the way most people would.Some old problems remain - the steering is vague and needs a lot of correction which is tiring on long trips, but is countered by a good ride and quiet cabin.The front seats are reasonably comfortable but even with adjustable steering column, the relationship between helm and pedals is not quite right, forcing taller folk to lean forward to reach the wheel in exchange for not driving as though astride an elephant.Passengers get a good view out, you can squeeze three across the back and the shopping in the boot all at once. Seats down you have a handy small van, too.It's no hot hatch but it feels better than the basic Barina when you're out on the road, and copes admirably in urban and suburban driving. There's quite a bit of body roll in hard cornering, so it's best to sit back and stick with a relaxed approach to driving.

The first-gen X3 was one of those, "Quick, we need a car in a segment we don't yet occupy" cars. Funny looking and without an obvious reason to buy it (too close to the X1 in size, why not have an X5 instead price-wise?), it was marooned. The second generation made a lot more sense as it grew in size to fit much more

Peter Barnwell road tests and reviews the 2014 Hyundai i30 Tourer Active diesel.

Peter Anderson road tests and reviews the 2014 BMW 435i Gran Coupe M Sport with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

The Lexus GS300h has attracted a steady stream of happy passengers during its time in our hands. Provided those passengers aren't perched on the middle seat in the back, not a single person has had anything negative to say about the GS experience.From the driver's point of view, the GS is a quiet, easy car. Until recently, it had spent its time almost exclusively pounding the streets of Sydney. Now a family event called us north for a quick overnight trip and a chance to test the big hybrid on the open road.As part of the experiment, we filled the tank and set off north. As expected, Sydney's traffic was horrendous on Sunday morning as public transport and road authorities' continuing policy failures and bizarre maintenance decisions turn the roads into a series of funnels.Immediately the passengers began to review the car. The first consensus reached was how smooth the 300h is - with its electric motor moving us along with that distant whine, there's no shunting or gaps in the pick-up. It's no rocket, but adequate in the real-world rather than Rolls-Royce sense.Once we finally escaped the dreariness of a wet Sydney Sunday, we hit the Pacific Highway, set the cruise control and headed for Port Macquarie. Despite the lashing rain and the appalling road surface, the car was completely unruffled.Loaded with people and stuff, the Lexus shrugged off the first chunk of the journey to Newcastle - where grumbling passengers were forced out of the lap of luxury and to a cafe with decent coffee rather than the suggested fast-food option.The rear seat passengers remarked on the effortless comfort in the rear - the seats front and back are well-shaped and unashamedly biased towards comfort. The way they hold your body feels deliberate and meant for long trips. No aches, pains or groans, no matter how advanced the age of the occupant.The second leg proved equally easy. Keeping an eye on the fuel gauge, the almost two tonne luxury sedan was averaging just 5.1 litres per 100km out on the open road. What's more, our crawling around Newcastle had largely been in electric mode, meaning just a small increase as we negotiated the city's streets.We'd covered well over 900km and, crucially, hadn't been anywhere near a petrol station.The first of two of the car's few faults became obvious on the northbound leg. It's not a fault in the traditional sense, but the F Sports fat tyres found a surface on the Pacific that created a tremendously irritating din. While that's not wholly the car's fault - the road surface is largely to blame - the fact that the racket slipped through the NVH defences is telling.The second came to the fore when looking for the evening's lodgings. The passengers had organised their own and mine were in town. I punched in the address on the sat-nav and it took me somewhere completely wrong. Over the next twenty four hours the sat-nav twice misled us, leaving us no alternative but to rely on the none-too-brilliant Apple Maps for directions.In big cities the sat-nav is fine, but outside them, forget it. The input method is also mildly puzzling but newer Lexuses are fixing that and one expects the GS's will be next in line.Family event complete, we turned around and headed back south to Sydney. Pounding down the Pacific and straight into yet more torrential rain, the GS again proved itself to be the least fatiguing mode of transport imaginable.Apart from that same stretch of road, the noise dimmed by all that water, conversation was easy at the legal limit, from any seat in the house.By the time the journey was over, we'd covered well over 900km and, crucially, hadn't been anywhere near a petrol station. That's brilliant going for a big heavy car like this one, diesel or petrol.The combination of CVT and 2.5 litre petrol engine coupled with electric locomotion may not be the fastest package on the road - far from it - but it's an able cruiser with enough grunt to safely overtake without causing sweaty palms.

Peter Anderson road tests and reviews the 2014 BMW M235i with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.