Articles by Peter Anderson

Peter Anderson road tests and reviews the Audi A5 Coupe S-Line Competition, with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Peter Anderson road tests and reviews the Audi S3 Sportback, with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Peter Anderson road tests and reviews the Nissan X-Trail Ti, with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

The old football, meat pies, kangaroos and Holden cars jingle is now more like Xbox, kim-chi, flat whites and imported cars. The world has changed and we're moving into an automotive future devoid of Australian-made Holdens. As part of the Commodore's last ditch at relevance, the VF scored some great new tech to

Renault's Clio keeps breeding. Initially launching with either a manual-only three cylinder base model or a range of six-speed EDC 1.2-litre turbos, the range has since expanded twice. Late last year was the excellent Clio RenaultSport 200 and now, in what must be the final shot, comes the Renault Clio GT.The GT is meant to be a halfway house between the standard 1.2 Clio's ride and handling package and the harder-core RS. It also has a more generous spec level than the other four cylinder offerings and with the price to match.STYLINGThe GT is set apart from its lesser 1.2 brethren with 17-inch wheels, a lower stance and some stripes and badges. The GT badges actually look pretty cool, almost as cool as the RS badges on the 200.The GT also gets its own bumper design with wide LED strips as daytime running lights, twin chrome-tipped exhaust and satin grey "blades" along the lower half of the doors. There's also a GT-exclusive colour, Malta Blue.The GT Premium replaces the standard rear spoiler with the larger RenaultSport spoiler. It's not a shouty look.Inside is standard Clio, but with the larger screen and therefore a rearranged centre stack. There are a few GT badges scattered around and stitched into the front headrests. The Clio's interior is attractive if a bit tight – the front seats do feel squeezed in between the doors and narrow centre console.VALUEThe GT comes in two flavours – GT and GT Premium. The GT kicks off at $25,290 with the Premium weighing in at $28,790.The base car is well-equipped, similar to the Dynamique specification of non-GTs. Auto headlights, auto wipers, adjustable headlights, rear parkings sensors, keyless entry and start, paddle shifters, climate control, cruise control with speed limiter, bluetooth, USB, power windows all round along a very comfortable pair of GT front seats.The jump to Premium adds satin grey leather trim, a huge section of the roof is replaced with glass with a retractable perforated blind, and the infotainment system is upgraded to the RS-Link, from fast brother Clio RS and even faster cousin, the RenaultSport Megane.SAFETYFive star safety is provided by four airbags, pretensioned front seatbelts, three-point belts for all passengers, two IsoFix points, ABS, brake assist, brake force distribution, stability control and hill start assist.INFOTAINMENTBoth versions sport a 7-inch screen, with the Premium picking up R-Link. Both have Bluetooth, USB and sat-nav. The standard car's four speakers are increased to six in the Premium by way of a pair of tweeters. Sound quality is good and even the bass is rich.The system is quite useable but it's easy to get lost. It has an Android-style tiled interface and some swooshy animations and in the seven Clios we've driven has never once done anything unexplained.The Premium has the amusingly novel R-Sound that, like a Fiesta ST, can pipe in engine noises. Except you have a choice of, say, a 1970s motorbike, a Nissan GT-R (!), an old Alpine or a Jetson's like spacecraft. It's amusing twice, but kids love it.ENGINE / TRANSMISSIONAs with the bulk of the Clio range, the GT comes with the 1.2-litre 120 TCE engine. With direct injection and a single turbo it develops 88 kW (or 120 hp, as the name suggests) and 190 Nm of torque. The figures don't seem particularly promising for a warm hatch, but more of that later.This tiny engine is mated to Renault's EDC dual-clutch transmission. It's a six-speed but, sadly, has no stop/start. Renault claims a 0-100 km/h time of 9.4 seconds and a combined cycle fuel consumption figure of 5.2 L/100km.DRIVINGThere are two things that set every Clio apart from the hordes – they have great steering and a sweet, lively chassis. RenaultSport was drafted in to specify a sportier suspension tune for those of us who like better-than-average-handling (something the standard Clio already dishes up) but can't afford the insurance, fuel and tyre bills of the 141 kW RS.They've done a splendid job. The car retains its incredibly light, agile feel but also its excellent ride quality. While the GT is certainly a bit stiffer, the ride remains very composed and suspension noise is well damped.When you start to push the GT, you can see where the RenaultSport badge is deserved – you can carry a lot more speed into the corners and the rear end is more interested in coming along with you. It has a terrific change of direction, partly down to the well-chosen rack ratio but also that tauter setup.The 1.2-litre engine isn't a disappointment once you're moving, either. The excellent EDC, which just shades the VW DSG, particularly around town, is good at keeping the engine in the torque band. Its 0-100 km/h time really is immaterial – you can dart around the city, squirting in and out of gaps without getting yourself into trouble, riding the torque.It's just fine on the highway (even if lets through a little too much road noise) and is enormous fun down a twisty road. Just like every other Clio. This chassis can handle way more power than even the RS has, so there's plenty in reserve.The clever bit is that some people will buy the GT for the fact that it's got a higher spec-level and they won't be bothered with the better chassis, but nor will it scare them off. It's a great balance.

Peter Anderson road tests and reviews the Holden Barina RS, with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Peter Anderson road tests and reviews the BMW M5, with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Holden's VF Commodore was seen as the company's great hope for both local and export markets. But that hope was cruelled late last year with a grumpy government and cranky US management conspiring to put the local arm out of its misery perhaps five years earlier than we might have expected. And part of the Commodore's

Halfway through our long-term custodianship of the Atomic Orange Hyundai ix35 Highlander something strange happened.The performance and fuel economy both suddenly improved. The engine noise went from slightly breathless to grumbly-but-muted. It was still bright orange and was still a Hyundai - what's happened?There was no subterfuge. It's because we had swapped from a petrol to a diesel and we think this means we've now got the best of the ix35 range.The vocal, torque-deficient (relatively speaking...) petrol was replaced with a much happier, surprisingly revvy 2.0 litre diesel. Hyundai claims 7.2L/100km on the combined cycle from the 135kW/392Nm engine, but we just like the fact it has so much extra torque to lug the big body around.Coupled only to the six-speed automatic, it is a much better car around town and goes without saying it's better on the highway for a range of reasons - overtaking doesn't require as much forward planning as well as the (increasingly rare) unquestioning co-operation of the person being passed.The extra weight over the nose doesn't seem to have done it any real harm and the petrol's 12.2L/100km average has seen an immediate drop to 11.6L/100km, which will surely stretch as the miles pile on.The overall feel between petrol and diesel is that it's the same, but better. The transmission is still slick and smart, the ride impressive, especially compared with the pre-refresh version and the interior, while a bit sparse-looking, is holding up well. We still don't like the front seats, though - they're too broad and lacking in lateral support.The seats' lack of bolstering and shapeliness might make it easy to get in and out, but you have to hold on to the steering wheel in the corners and that's tiring. The front seat passenger has to brace themselves in a way we hadn't experienced since the awful front seats of the Subaru Forester XT, seats so unhelpful that you're better off kneeling.The steering is perhaps a little more vague than the petrol. Part of that could be the diesel's extra weight but the electric assistance is inconsistent and the wheel is loathe to self-centre, often needing a bit of help to return it to straight ahead.The handling could still do with some finessing too. Turning in to a corner there's a bit of a lurch before the springs and dampers catch the weight, but from there on it's competent and grippy. Get rid of the lurch, throw on a better set of tyres and it will keep a CX-5 honest. It's way better than when it was first launched, though.One problem that carried over from the petrol is the over-active traction control. Trying to boost out of a T-junction can be a bit hairy as the electronics cut the power abruptly when it detects even the tiniest of slips.Normally, this would be business-as-usual for a car so equipped, but we find ourselves shouting frantically at the engine to give the power back - it's gone for quite a bit longer than is strictly necessary and leads to sometimes deserved abuse from approaching traffic.Switching the traction off, however, solves the problem and makes the same manoeuvre seamless. Given the car has terrific all-wheel drive grip, the Darth Vader-like stranglehold enforced by the traction control could perhaps be reduced.In the last few weeks, the ix35 has had to suffer the indignity of sharing the driveway with a couple of its competitors - the Honda CR-V diesel and the Mazda CX-5 Akera.Rather than dimming our view of the brightly-coloured Hyundai, it threw into sharp relief its considerable strengths. It bested the Honda for engine responsiveness and power and is far better value than the top-of-the-range Mazda, if only partly because it's missing just one or two of that car's safety features but is a handy $10,000 cheaper. It's also got better rear access than the Mazda, which is pretty important for families.

BMW has launched its electric 'i' sub-brand in Australia with an event in Sydney to introduce the first cars. On hand was both the all-electric i3 family hatchback and the M1-inspired hybrid supercar.BMW managing director Phil Horton introduced the cars and the pricing for the two model, three variant i3. The i3 will start from $63,900 plus on-roads for the battery-only version and $69,900 for the range-extender version. The i3 will have its local launch in September.The i8 hybrid supercar will launch later, with deliveries expected to begin in December. Prices of around $300,000 are being bandied about by other publications, but nothing has been confirmed.BMW says the electric i3 is capable of 170km on a single charge, with the Range Extender version capable of 300km between charges. Both figures assume extremely careful driving and possibly a force 4 tailwind.The i8 relies a lot more on its turbocharged, three cylinder 1.5 litre engine. The internal combustion unit produces 170kW that, with the front-mounted electric motor slings the i8 to 100km/h in 4.4 seconds and on to a limited 250km/h. You can also pootle for 35km on electric only power and charge it from a powerplug at home.Both cars can be fast-charged with a BMW-supplied wallbox that increases the current and roughly halves the charge time. Before launch the company will also announce its public battery charging partner, expected to be Chargepoint as it's the only one left after Better Place went under.Both cars are built on an aluminium chassis with a carbon fibre bodyshell. Open the doors on either and you can see the carbon fibre weave, giving the cars a lovely handmade feel (in a good way).After you step over the slightly wide sill of the i8 and drop down into the driver's seat, the car is surprisingly spacious. There's plenty of headroom for even those over six feet tall or with extra tall hair.Back seat passengers would have to cross their legs, however. While the seat is incredibly low, the view forward is expansve as the bonnet drops away. Vision to the rear isn't so great, but the reversing camera which is displayed on the standard 10.6-inch screen should sort that out.The doors open like the McLaren F1's in dihedral fashion and are very light to use, with just a little effort to pull them down. Again, if you're of average height, you won't have to hoist yourself out of the seat to reach the handle. Both cars feature what BMW calls "next premium" materials to clothe the interior.The i8's simpler material mix shares a recycled material for doorcappings made from recycled plastics and rubber. It doesn't sound great but actually looks and feels good, with an unusual (for now) texture. The i3 adds to this with woollen and leather upholstery and a wave of open-pore eucalyptus across the dashboard.BMW isn't expecting big sales numbers for either car, with twenty pre-orders for the i3 and 15 for the i8.