Articles by Philip King

In the midst of all the current gloom about the car industry – Ford shuttering the factory in 2016, the spectre of changes to FBT, Holden speculating it might have to close its operations if it doesn’t get more help -- it's difficult to believe the new VF Commodore has been in showrooms only a month.Before the FBT announcement Holden was convinced it had got off to a good start. It deserves to. From top to bottom the VF is a better car than VE, the previous Commodore.It has also been pitched aggressively to private buyers and none more so than the top trim level, Redline. This adds sports tuning to an SS V sedan, wagon or ute and is now a separate designation rather than an option. Among early orders for SS Vs, half are going for Redline.It’s priced from $48,990 for the manual ute to $55,690 for the automatic wagon, and the additional $6000 over a standard SS V buys a few extra features, such as heated front seats, premium Bose stereo, colour head-up display and two more driver assistance systems: collision alert and lane departure warning. But performance upgrades across the car are where most of the value lies.For the first time, Holden has gone with wider, lower-profile rubber at the rear with 275/35 tyres against 245/40 at the front. To any potential buyer, that says: "We're taking this seriously.''The engine is the same 6.0-litre V8 offered elsewhere on VF, either with a six-speed manual or an automatic transmission that handles slightly lower power and torque outputs. Usually Holden keeps 0-100km/h times to itself, but it broke with tradition to say "mid-5 seconds'' -- another strong claim.The Ute offers the best power-to-weight ratio and Holden dynamics specialist and part-time Nurburgring ace Rob Trubiani set a time of 8min 19.47sec in one during a lap of the famed 21km track. The video is well worth a look.Brembo performance brakes are fitted with stiffer calipers within the 19-inch alloys. The result is lower unsprung weight and a stopping distance from 100km/h reduced by more than 2m, to 38.6m, compared with the equivalent VE. A good sports car would do it in about 35m, so that's respectable for 1.8 tonne sedan.Redlines also get Holden's most aggressive suspension tune, coded FE3, revised with larger stabiliser bars and dampers. Holden says body roll has been reduced and the car can pull an impressive 0.93g in corners.There's also a unique Redline steering tune known as Competitive mode and a setting for the electronic stability control with a higher threshold for intervention.The test drive event also had a track focus. There was no road component at all, so it's impossible to say whether the Redline has a ride you could live with on the daily commute. Unless your route involves a lap of Phillip Island, that is.The first exercise, using the straight, aimed to demonstrate the launch control feature. Two cars line up side by side, in proper top fuel style. Put it in gear, press the right button and keep the clutch depressed while stabbing the throttle and holding it down.After a second or so the system drops from maximum revs to about 4000rpm, which is ideal for an efficient getaway. Wait for green, and drop the clutch. Actually, don't wait for green. As I quickly learned, as soon as the last of three yellows comes up, go. Or you'll record the reaction time of a sloth.The car's computer gets it off the line with minimum drama and maximum attack. Repeatedly. And there's still a satisfying reminder of its efforts on the tarmac. Next was a wet skid pan motorkhana course and a chance to explore the three-level stability control to see how it affects handling.Redlines resist the overwhelming understeer typical of large heavy sedans during tight exercises such as this and feels if not exactly nimble, at least quickly manoeuvrable. On the track, the VF is more at home than many other large sedans I've sampled here.The steering rewards with precision and a sense of how much grip the front wheels have got, while the body stays composed and remarkably flat for confidence through Phillip Island's fast turns. Compared with some of the performance imports, top speeds were lower but satisfaction greater.The VF just seems light on its feet and well rounded in its attributes: neither the chassis nor brakes are strained by the power. The front and rear of the car work together, so that neither wants to spoil the party and stray off line. I've enjoyed faster and much more expensive four-doors here less than this.Another plus are lighter and easier actions for the clutch and gearshift in the manual models, a welcome improvement despite their minority appeal. One surprise was how refined the car stays. Making the cabin quieter was a goal of the VF program and in the V8s, it's succeeded almost too well.From the outside, this V8 sounds delightfully fruity but from the driver's perspective the hardcore Redline could do with a bit more volume. Also from the driver's seat the problem of wide A-pillars obscuring vision through bends carries over from VE. That sort of fundamental structural issue is too expensive to fix.

Electric cars have got off to a faltering start and it seems for every flop, such as Mitsubishi's iMiev runabout, there's an absolutely ruinous failure such as the flawed Better Place battery swap scheme.One of the few exceptions is Tesla, the Californian EV specialist started by PayPal entrepreneur Elon Musk. The Model S sets out to be a desirable premium sedan first and an electric car second. It's been so successful in its home market that deliveries to Australia, originally scheduled to begin now, have been pushed back to mid-next year.This means it will arrive about the same time as the BMW i3, the first electric car from the Munich badge, which was unveiled with much fanfare this week. The i3 is a 4m-long city runabout and it will soon be joined by the i8, a sportscar.The i3 uses a 125kW electric motor to drive the rear wheels and can travel at least 130km on batteries alone. BMW is also offering a “range-extender” version that adds a 650cc two-cylinder engine acting as a generator to recharge on the run.In this respect it's similar to the Holden Volt, but the i3 has a better chance of success. It will be about the same price as a Volt, which is $59,990. BMW buyers expect to part with that sort of money for their badge but for Holden fans, it's a stretch.The i3 is the first mass-produced car made from carbon fibre, which adds to its buyer appeal, and BMW has ticked all the environmental boxes throughout the manufacturing process.It's also pitching the i3 as part of a total approach to personal transport that takes in more than the car. Apps, connectivity, car and garage sharing, charge locations and even holiday loaner vehicles are all part of the picture -- at least in Europe and the US.BMW Australia spokeswoman Lenore Taylor is confident the same level of technology will be available here when the i3 arrives. “We're the only ones looking at it from a holistic, 360-degree point of view,” she says. It's been a long time coming, but 2014 is finally looking like the dawn of the EV.

When champion British racing driver Stirling Moss claimed women do not have what it takes to compete in Formula One a few months ago, he opened scars in one of the final frontiers of the gender war: cars.The predominance of men in motorsport is just the most visible example of a gender imbalance that runs from top to bottom of the car industry. Just a few days before, a panel consisting almost totally of men awarded World Car of the Year honours to the Volkswagen Golf.For next year's award there will be 66 male judges and just three women. That sort of inequity flies in the face of market reality. Figures from Roy Morgan Research show those intending to buy a car are almost evenly split, 54 per cent male to 46 per cent female. Most research suggests women influence up to 80 per cent of vehicle purchase decisions but when it comes to handing out gongs, they barely get a vote.A few years ago, some of them decided to do something about it and began Women's World Car of the Year. “We felt there was a need for the collective voice of women to be heard,” said one of the prime-movers behind the award, Sandy Myhre of New Zealand. This year's judges, 18 women from 10 countries, are all motoring writers and many are well known from motorsport or TV, such as Renuka Kirpalani of India and Vicki Butler-Henderson from the UK.Announced earlier this month, the award went to the Ford Fiesta Ecoboost. Previous winners include the Range Rover Evoque in 2012, a tie between the BMW 5 Series and Citroen DS3 in 2011, and the Jaguar XF at the inaugural 2010 event.Butler-Henderson, a former Top Gear host and for more than a decade presenter of rival UK program Fifth Gear, says makers have lifted their game over the past decade when it comes to making cars appealing to women, with Mini leading the way. “Look at the car showrooms now, especially the halo ones,” she says, “all glitzy and inviting, mirrors and shiny surfaces throughout, a huge list of options”.“Mini focused manufacturers into tailoring their cars more towards women. And although it's still mainly confined to the smaller cars -- Citroen DS3, Vauxhall Adam, Fiat 500 and so on -- Ferrari brought out the California especially to capture the female market.” But it boils down to purpose, rather than gender.“The design of some cars might suit a woman's taste more than others, and, yes, there are more mums who drive the kids around so perhaps the people-mover market is more geared to women, but other than that we all drive using the same equipment -- eyes, arms, legs, steering wheels, brakes and so on.”WWCOTY judge Karla Pincott, Editor of Carsguide.com.au agrees the differences come down to the reason for purchase. “Women tend to put a higher priority than men on the space and versatility of the cabin and boot, and they're very influenced by the styling,” says Pincott. “Of course, that doesn't mean they're not interested in how the car performs, but high-performance ability -- or the impression of it -- is not such a priority, particularly in choosing a family car.”Cars themselves are gender neutral according to another judge, New Zealand-based car and motorbike writer Jacqui Madelin. This is borne out by the award shortlists, where there's substantial overlap. “If you're a young dad looking for a family car you're looking for more or less the same things as a young mum shopping for a car,” Madelin says.But there's a problem leaving motoring awards up to the men. “The assumption is that men will talk about vehicles for both genders. A lot of the women judges are better at remembering that many of the cars will be owned by real people in the real world.”“For example, if you're looking at a small hatch you have also to consider how easy the tether points are for a child seat. Some of the guys forget that because it doesn't interest them.” Madelin is not alone in being an enthusiast and she believes that this, rather than gender, is where the difference lies.“I don't think there's such a thing as a woman's car, but there's such a thing as a petrol-head's car and a non-petrol head's car. Most of the female judges are petrol heads. Butler-Henderson has been racing since she was 12, starting in go-karts, and has driven a Formula One car. “The main thing I love about a car is the way its engine performs and its chassis handles,” she says.“Oh, a good noise gets a big tick too. It just happens that I am a woman.” So why are there so few female enthusiasts? Butler-Henderson says she was inspired by her father, Guy, who was in the British Karting Team when he was a teenager. But she was in the minority. “When I was racing karts as a teenager, there were about four other girls doing it. None of them went on to make a career with cars.“Girls represent about 1 per cent of young racers in the UK, so by the time the triangle tops out with the 22 Formula One drivers in the world, the statistics speak for themselves.” Madelin agrees that childhood experiences are more important than a “vroom gene” -- if there is one.“The more women are doing it, the more little girls will see it's perfectly OK to be interested in vehicles.” As in medicine and other professions, the barriers will fall. But it will take a while. And until then there will always be a need for a Women's World Car of the Year.WORLD CAR OF THE YEAR Volkswagen Golf   VW Golf - see other VW Golf verdicts WOMEN'S WORLD CAR OF THE YEAR Ford Fiesta 1.0l EcoBoost Ford Fiesta - see other Ford Fiesta verdicts Women's World Car of the Year category winnersFAMILY CAR1ST - Audi A4 Allroad2ND - Volkswagen Golf3RD - BMW 3 Series  Audi A4 Allroad - see other Audi A4 Allroad verdicts LUXURY CAR1ST - Range Rover2ND - Mercedes-Benz SL5503RD - BMW 6 Series Range Rover - see other Range Rover verdicts SPORTSCAR1ST - Porsche Boxster S2ND - Audi RS53RD - Toyota 86/Subaru BRZ  Porsche Boxster S - see other verdicts SUV1ST - Mazda CX52ND - Hyundai Sante Fe3RD - Nissan Pathfinder  Mazda CX5 - see other Mazda CX5 verdicts 

I've just driven over a large speed hump at 40km/h and would not even have known it was there. Instead of braking a little, as normal, then allowing the suspension to rise as the front wheels hit to minimise the jolt, I just kept the speed steady and did not feel a thing. The car erased that hump from the roadscape. It did not exist.The car is the new Mercedes S-Class, the brand's flagship limousine, and Magic Body Control is its signature techno trick. Moments earlier I had driven over the hump with the feature turned off, and the difference is amazing. It immediately brought to mind how different I would feel about some of Sydney's roads that have become almost unusable. The S-Class snubs its nose at car-hating councils.It works using two cameras mounted high on the windscreen, which scan the road up to 15m ahead, then set a strategy for the suspension on each wheel. It functions up to 130km/h and the effect on the ride is dramatic. Perhaps it should be called Magic Carpet Control.It's an extension of a system called Adaptive Body Control, which is designed to reduce body roll and pitch and has been available on large Mercedes for some time. As usual, the three-pointed star has saved something special for its definitive statement of luxury. And, as usual, it claims to have made the best car in the world.DESIGNIn this class, unlike most others, it still has the edge on its rivals: BMW's 7 Series and Audi's A8. The previous generation, which debuted eight years ago, sold half a million. And you thought the large sedan was going out of fashion.Well of course it is, in most markets. But not the one that's expected to devour at least half the new version: China. It, and to a lesser extent the US and the Middle East, are the last redoubts of the large sedan. And this time it has meant a profound change of strategy for Mercedes.To begin with, I've never heard Mercedes talk so much about the back seat. Chinese buyers at this level, unlike in most other markets, prefer to be chauffeured. Their priorities involve a combination of lounge, office and first-class airline seating.The result is an S-Class developed from the back seat. In a reverse of the usual strategy, the long-wheelbase version came first. There are no fewer than five seat configurations, including one with a captain's chair that reclines generously and a massage menu that would put Bangkok to shame. Most of the car's functions can be controlled from the rear screens, so there's no doubt who's in charge, and of course you can send emails and do most of the other things you might do in an office.There's a big lift in interior ambience all round. All the seats are splendid, the materials first rate and the design more flowing and organic. Two large screens face the driver, one for the virtual dials and upgraded night-vision system. The other accesses audio, climate, internet and car set-up. It's a welcoming interior that does not overwhelm.There's a familiar logic to the control system even though it has been jazzed up a little, with mildly animated but classy graphics. As you delve, it's clear the whole experience is richer. One function, novel to me, is the ability to heat the arm rests in the doors. First class, then, and now free from turbulence.The S will also offer more body styles than before, with a coupe (now called CL), a convertible and several models pitched higher to replace the short-lived Maybach, which was supposedly a challenger to Rolls-Royce.Mercedes has a better chance this time although straddling Western and Eastern tastes has its challenges. Some of the interior fittings, particularly the aluminium grilles for the Burmester top-end audio, looked out of place to these Western eyes and the roundel vents are a copy of ones you find in a Bentley.FEATURESNormally, the headline features in a new S-Class are about safety rather than comfort. There are some advances here but Mercedes has already fitted them to its revised E-Class.Chief among them is Intelligent Drive, which uses the same cameras mentioned above plus an impressive array of radar, infra-red and sonar sensors to edge us closer to cars that can drive themselves. The E-Class showed that, for a few seconds at least, it could handle freeway traffic.The S-Class revealed the system can also follow a car in front at low speeds for much longer periods. In effect, a straight-line path through a city with slow-moving traffic requires little driver intervention at all. It can cope with stop-start conditions and also recognise imminent pedestrian or vehicle collisions and emergency brake. When it goes beyond its hazard parameters it alerts the driver to get back on the job. All the hardware is in place for self-driving vehicles; software and a lot of legislation are the remaining hurdles.ENGINESThe variants available were just a small sample of what will be offered eventually. The 3.0-litre diesel in the S350 and 4.7-litre V8 petrol in the S500 are familiar units and deliver assured, fuss-free progress. The diesel is likely to dominate among Australian buyers although there are fewer reasons to shun the V8 with fuel economy of 8.6 litres per 100km. These cars arrive in the last quarter.The S will also offer a turbocharged petrol V6 in the S400 and more powerful turbocharged V8 in the S63 AMG. Intriguingly, it will cover all the bases on hybrids, too, with one petrol-electric, one plug-in petrol-electric and one diesel-electric. The last, briefly sampled, combines a 2.1-litre diesel with an electric motor.DRIVINGWe tested the S-Class over the roads north of Toronto -- which were dry, almost corner-free and heavily policed with $C10,000 fines. It was possible to get glimpses of the car's handling balance and reserves of dynamic ability, which defy the physics of a 5.2m length and 2 tonne weight. But what stood out was the impeccable quietness of the cabin. Tyre, wind and even engine noise are almost absent. Aerodynamic drag has been reduced and that has a pay-off beyond efficiency; it turns the cabin into a cone of silence. You can make those business calls in peace.There was also one surprising lapse in the detail: the door-lock buttons now disappear with a clunk, the same clunk you find on lesser Mercedes. On previous S-Class they were sucked slowly and silently into the doors. Parts commonality for the S-Class? Come on, Mercedes, did you think we wouldn't notice?Mercedes-Benz S-ClassPrice: TBA AustraliaOn sale: Fourth quarter (S350, S500), second quarter 2014 (S300 Hybrid)Engines: 2.1-litre four-cylinder turbocharged diesel plus electric motor (S300 Hybrid); 3.0-litre turbocharged V6 diesel (S350); 4.7-litre turbocharged V8 petrol (S500)Outputs: 150kW at 4200rpm and 500Nm at 1600rpm (S300 Hybrid); 190kW at 3600rpm and 620Nm at 1600rpm (S350); 335kW at 5250rpm and 700Nm at 1800rpm (S500)Transmission: 7-speed automatic, rear-wheel driveFuel: from 4.4 (S300 Hybrid) to 8.6 (S500) litres per 100km average

The traditional station wagon has been one casualty among many of the rise of SUVs, but they remain popular in Europe so German and French brands spin them off hatchbacks and sedans across their line-ups. Demand here is tiny, but local distributors are usually obliged to bring them in. They are then faced with the problem of how to sell them. I've lost count of how many times I've heard someone explain that their new wagon will lure people away from SUVs because it drives better, is cheaper to run and more practical. It's usually true, but it doesn't make a difference. The latest to ply this line is Renault, which has added a wagon variant to its Megane range as part of a mid-life freshen up. The wagon is substantially longer - 25cm - than the hatchback and has 40 per cent more cargo space. It starts at $26,490 with a 103kW 2-litre petrol or another $4000 for the most accessible diesel, an 81kW 1.5-litre. Its star turn, however, is the GT220 performance model, with a retuned version of the turbocharged engine in the RS265 hatchback. The RS265 holds the record for the fastest lap of Germany's Nurburgring racetrack for a front-wheel-drive car and is a benchmark among performance hatches. The wagon, with 162kW, gets 33kW less power from the same turbocharged 2-litre unit, but its sports chassis means it's still a hoot to drive and one of the few performance wagons on offer at this level. Available only with a six-speed manual, it costs $36,990, or another $5000 for the Premium version, which adds leather, satnav and a reversing camera. It won't revive Megane sales on its own - supply has been limited to 220 examples - but Renault says a shift in sourcing for the model from Turkey to Spain is responsible for a 7 per cent dip in demand for the Megane and supplies are now back on track. The revised line-up lowers the entry point to $20,990 plus on-road costs, from $25,990 driveaway, for a base manual petrol and introduces an additional trim level called GT Line to widen its appeal. The starting point for the convertible Megane CC drops $9000 to $36,990. Engines and transmissions carry over and, aside from minor styling changes such as LED lights at the front, the revisions focus on retuning the suspension and making more safety kit available, including an intelligent light system. Supplies are now likely to be the least of its worries, with Renault suffering more than most from the prolonged European downturn. First half sales results out this week show Renault sales down 10.3 per cent in western Europe compared with 6.6 per cent for the overall market. Chief executive Carlos Ghosn said recently that Europe might not recover for another two years. Renault might find some consolation in the figures for compatriot brands Peugeot and Citroen, because they are worse - down 11.7 per cent and 16.2 per cent respectively. It's a situation mirrored in Australia, where Citroen demand is down 34 per cent and Peugeot is treading water with a 1.5 per cent increase over the first half of last year. By comparison, Renault is up 44 per cent and on track to outsell Peugeot here for the first time - the importer believes - since the 1970s.  

Tuned BMWs have moved closer to their Mercedes and Audi rivals. If time is the ultimate luxury, then performance cars are a paradox. Flat out, even cars with modest performance ambitions can hit 100km/h in six or seven seconds. That used to be the supercar zone. Now, the quickest Italian exotics can hit the legal limit in less than half that.When the Bugatti Veyron achieved a sub-three second sprint time almost a decade ago, it looked untouchable. Surprisingly quickly, its rivals have caught up.The paradox arises because if you want to enjoy that engine and decide to give the throttle pedal your undivided attention, then in a matter of moments you'll have to ease off. All the fun comes in one quick blat. Premature acceleration, if you like. Keep going and you may end up serving time measured in months rather than seconds.Of course, there's more to luxury and performance than outright pace. That's the province of muscle cars and Friday night drag racers.On price, the M6 Gran Coupe sits above the M6 coupe but below the convertible, at $299,500. Rivals include the Aston Martin Rapide, Maserati Quattroporte, Mercedes CLS 63 AMG, Porsche Panamera and upcoming Audi RS 7 and Jaguar XJR. Compared with other Gran Coupes, it's a $60k premium over the 650i with a lesser version of the same engine and $115k more than the 640i, which has a turbocharged inline six.If a car can handle its socks off and rewards a driver, then pace per se becomes secondary. An example is the upcoming McLaren P1, spiritual heir to the maker's landmark F1 supercar from the 1990s. It does not claim to be the quickest in a straight line but the fastest around a track. Any track.There's a trade-off here between the sorts of fittings you may expect in a car costing hundreds of thousands of dollars and handling. Luxury materials and gadgets add weight, the enemy of agility. The most extreme supercars are stripped of all that stuff to mimic, albeit in a more manicured way, the rawness of race cars.Another type of performance car, though, where everything from the splendid cabin to the equipment to the engine are maxed out. These are epitomised by the tuned versions of mainstream cars produced by AMG for Mercedes, M for BMW and Quattro for Audi.Here, the point is to give the ultimate luxury statement a fitting level of grunt, so that the big engine under the bonnet is an engineering match for the 20-speaker megawatt sound system.These cars are increasingly popular, especially in Australia, which buys more of them per capita than just about anywhere else. Their success has spurred proliferation, with nothing too absurd to pimp. It's why the Mercedes G-wagen, a hardcore military offroader, is offered with a 400kW+ V8 in the G 63.In that car, the engine is way out of kilter with the vehicle's dynamic ability. It's a case of having more because you can. To a lesser extent, though, that's true of all these cars. One example is BMW's 6 Series line-up, which has an M variant for each of the three body styles offered: coupe, cabriolet and sedan.The M sedan, called the M6 Gran Coupe, has just arrived. It's one of those low-slung sedans makers like to refer to as a “four-door coupe”, hence the name. It's longer than the real coupe by more than 100mm and all of that is between the wheels to provide adequate seating in the rear. Unlike the coupe/convertible, it can carry five and offers decent legroom all round. In effect it's a 7 Series limo in a wetsuit, with all the bulges compressed out.In other respects, it is virtually identical to the M6 coupe/convertible and the M5, with the same turbocharged 412kW 4.4-litre V8 and seven-speed, dual-clutch transmission driving the rear wheels. It weighs 25kg more than the coupe but can reach 100km/h in an identical 4.2 seconds.Compared with the standard Gran Coupe, apart from the engine and transmission, the M treatment includes a high-performance chassis with unique axles, active dampers and an M differential to help put power down. It also gets a superb interior, with contrasting leather and Alcantara, a huge control screen and all the toys you can think of, including BMW's excellent head-up display.The M6’s exceptional level of spec extends to front-side and curtain airbags, multi-stage stability and traction control, anti-lock brakes with six-piston front calipers, cruise control with braking function, active front head restraints, auto-dimming mirrors, several cameras, parking sensors, lane departure warning, tyre pressure monitoring, heads-up display and auto high-beam function. Carbon-ceramic brakes are also available for an extra $24,000.The latest M5 and the M6 trio mark a change in direction for BMW M cars compared with the ones that came before. Typically, the M treatment produced a more focused result than its rivals at Mercedes and Audi. They traced their lineage back to race cars. An M3, for example, felt more at home on a track than the equivalent Mercedes C 63.The price for that was commitment; driving on the daily commute did nothing to reveal its depth of ability and could be uninspiring. The C 63, by contrast, would snarl and rasp its way along at any speed. The latest M5/M6 change to fall into line with their rivals. The defining characteristic of these cars, unlike previous Ms, is an excess of power.The M6 Gran Coupe is the same; it spins its wheels, finds grip momentarily, then spins them again in the next gear. On the road, particularly the damp and twisting back roads between Healesville and Phillip Island on the test drive route, that meant delicate throttle applications. Even then, the traction control light blinked non-stop.The power itself is impressive. Once the engine reaches its torque peak, not far above idle, it just keeps going without respite. Some of it, thanks to the electronics, results in forward motion. It sounds snarly too, especially in low gears. However, it lacks the soaring character of the V10 unit in the previous M5/M6, which meant it had to be driven with the revs in mind. Here, power is on tap and delivers constant excess.The result is a car that lacks a distinctive point of difference. The Gran Coupe, thanks to its length, is less agile than the coupe/convertible but I'm not sure I could tell the difference blindfolded, so to speak. The body feels rigid and the suspension firm, but on our country roads all that stiffness can unsettle the car and the ride is unbearable in anything except comfort mode.On a track, by contrast, even in Sport+ mode you are aware of the weight transfer in directional changes and how much of the car's ability depends on super-wide rubber. When it comes to braking, even with huge stoppers you notice all two tonnes. After a couple of laps the brakes are smoking and starting to lose some of their force.There are other downsides for the driver. The angle of the A-pillars means vision is restricted through corners and the rear window is a narrow slit, with fixed headrests no help.The 640i was a car I enjoyed a lot when I drove it last year and I expected to like the M6 Gran Coupe more. But the 640i is a more balanced result.No question, as a luxury statement the M6 Gran Coupe is right up there and the engine does its bit. But it shows BMW's M cars have joined the pack. Now I'm worried about what they'll do to the next M3. 

...to almost double the money it pledged to keep the company making cars in Australia or it will quit manufacturing in three years.The company wants a further $265 million on top of the $275m already committed by Canberra, South Australia and Victoria, a source close to the negotiations told The Australian, because it cannot make a profit building cars in Australia.Its executives calculated that the decision by Ford to cease manufacturing in 2016 had given Holden extra bargaining power and it wanted to secure agreement with the Rudd government before an election to lock in the Coalition in the event of a Labor loss. "Since the Ford closure announcement, Holden believes it can apply a lot of pressure to get more money,'' the source said.The Australian reported yesterday Holden was seeking an extra $60m but it is understood the figure is significantly higher. Even if it secures the additional cash, Holden must then get the agreement of its General Motors parent to retool its Adelaide plant over the Christmas production break.The source said Holden was losing money on every car it produced and there was little prospect of turning the operation around. Projections using a lower figure of $150m in additional government support meant it would break even at best and was only ``postponing the inevitable''. "If they get it they'll be back for more,'' the source said. "Holden is in a vice and it's tightening.''Holden is trying to negotiate wage reductions of up to $200 a week from its employees to cut costs, which it says are more than $3000 a car higher than GM's best practice. It has already announced 400 job cuts and a reduction in the assembly line running rate from 400 to 335 cars a day. New Industry Minister Kim Carr yesterday confirmed talks with the car company but declined to give details.However, he said the federal election would be a referendum on the future of the car industry in Australia. Labor remained committed to it but the Coalition's plan to refer industry assistance to the Productivity Commission was really a plan to cut assistance by 2015.He defended co-investment in the car industry, arguing Australia's contribution was considerably lower than in other countries, and the return to the economy was many times the amount of funds outlaid by the taxpayer. Manufacturing is expected to feature in Kevin Rudd's address to the National Press Club today, where the Prime Minister will declare himself an "unapologetic optimist'' about Australia's future and attack Tony Abbott as "formidable in the art of negative politics''.The next-generation Cruze small car and a replacement for the Commodore were expected to keep Holden's Adelaide factory running until 2022, following government pledges of $275m last year. The Commodore replacement is expected to be a version of the Korean-made Malibu, which has just been added to Holden's line-up.However, the end of the Commodore around 2016 would put a halt to Holden's export programs to the US, where it ships Caprices specially equipped for police forces and will begin exporting a version of the new VF later this year. Both the Cruze and Malibu are GM global models and none of the Holden scenarios involve substantial exports.Domestic demand for the Cruze and Malibu is projected to reach 75,000, with small number of cars going to New Zealand and a handful of other markets needed to lift output to Holden's viability target of 90,000 a year. Holden did not respond to requests for comment last night.With negotiations over a revised enterprise bargaining agreement to resume today for the fourth consecutive day, unions made it clear yesterday they would not accept pay cuts. Australian Manufacturing Workers Union South Australia secretary John Camillo said workers had indicated in the ``strongest terms'' that they would not give up pay."They are prepared to look at flexibility and help the company as they have done in the past, like to keep Holden going during the GFC, but it is a bridge too far in regards to taking wage cuts,'' he said. Mr Camillo said the average worker at the Holden plant received $66,000 per annum which compared to the national average of $68,000 for similar industries. Holden has suggested the national average manufacturing wage is $54,000 and is calling for workers to take pay cuts.In 2011, a negotiated enterprise bargaining agreement granted workers a 10 per cent pay increase over three years.Australian Workers' Union branch secretary Joe Kane said all unions had adopted the same position, and were unlikely to bend on salary cuts before Holden takes a revised EBA to General Motors in Detroit in early September. "People live to their wage, they are mortgaged to their wage,'' he said.Extra reporting by Sarah Martin. 

In the same way real estate agents sum up the property game as location, location, location, the car industry knows the secret to success is product, product, product. Make something people want to buy.It used to be simple because we all wanted the same thing: a large sedan. A Ford Falcon or Holden Commodore, perhaps a Toyota Camry or Mitsubishi Magna. And if a four-door didn't do the job, then the ute or the wagon or the luxury version of the same car did.Once, our appetite for them was enough to keep four factories running. After Ford bows out in 2016, only Holden and Toyota will remain. Even so, demand for the traditional Aussie family car has fallen so dramatically there will not be enough demand to sustain even them.For Toyota, the answer has been exports. In fact, exports are its raison d'etre and local demand is the sideshow, accounting for just 30 per cent of output. However, to keep its Melbourne assembly line running it desperately needs to add another car, something that sells strongly in this market. Its best bet seems to be the RAV4, which at the moment comes here from Japan.Holden got burned by a reliance on exports when its parent, General Motors, abruptly killed Pontiac during its spell in bankruptcy four years ago. Commodores, rebadged as Pontiacs, were being shipped to the US in their thousands.Its answer was to refocus on domestic sales but make another model, the Cruze small car, alongside Commodore. Holden has been explicit about its volume target to keep Adelaide running: it needs to make two cars, both top-10 sellers, so that combined output approaches 90,000 a year. That plan is working, just.However, when the VF runs its course in a few years, simply making another one is no longer an option, even if demand holds up. Rather than Holden going its own way, as it did in the past, the new car, like the Cruze, will be selected from GM's global menu. Regardless of whether it actually has a Commodore badge on the back, it will be a GM model first and a Holden second.Holden's newest arrival, the Malibu, is almost certain to be that car. Its life cycle has a similar cadence to Commodore, so when the VF expires around 2018 the Malibu can move in. As a nameplate it has more heritage than Commodore, dating back to the mid-1960s.After years as a US model, in this generation it becomes GM's global large offering, sold in other markets as a Chevrolet and built in the US, China, Uzbekistan and South Korea, where our supplies come from. There is a larger car in the GM stable called Impala, but the Commodore and Malibu are closer on size.The Malibu is slightly shorter than the Commodore, by 8cm, also narrower and slightly lower. This is reflected in the cabin space. Headroom isn't an issue, although there's less legroom front and rear than in a Commodore. Malibu compensates with a 10 per cent larger boot and tighter turning circle, making it more manoeuvrable.However, the crucial differences are in the driveline. The VF continues with six or eight cylinder engines driving the rear wheels -- the traditional format for large cars and one favoured by the private buyers who form the most lucrative seam of demand. This audience is the focus for VF, with its richer cabin and hi-tech electronics.Malibu, by contrast, adopts GM's preferred front-wheel drive layout. It's preferred for several reasons but the crucial one here is efficiency. The extra weight involved in transferring power to the rear axle makes a front-drive car inherently more frugal.Malibu is classified here as a medium car but, in reality, it could go in the large category if that were Holden's preference. Being medium marks it out as a rival for Toyota's fleet favourite, the locally built Camry. This is the task it already tackles in other markets, particularly the US, where the Camry is one of the most popular nameplates year in, year out.Its weight advantage over a Commodore ranges from 40kg to almost 100kg, depending on the variant. Even the Malibu's least frugal fully loaded 2.4-litre petrol CDX trim has the edge over the most efficient Commodore.The Malibu is sold in the Middle East with a V6 but comes here only with four-cylinder engines, a 2.4-litre petrol or 2.0-litre diesel. Thanks to the cost-conscious strategies of business and government fleets, a four-cylinder is now essential to get on their shopping lists. Standard transmission is a six-speed automatic with an awkward gearchange button on top of the shifter.The Malibu starts from $28,490 (for the 2.4 CD) and goes to $35,990 (for 2.0 CDX) plus on-road costs. It ticks the boxes: five-star safety, six airbags and the recently approved Isofix fittings that more accurately locate child seats. For the driver, there are auto headlights, power seats, button start, a rear camera and park sensors. Electronics include Bluetooth, a colour control screen, USB and app compatibility for Pandora and more.Holden believes as a value proposition it's compelling and that may be the case for fleets. But some omissions -- such as sat-nav or voice recognition -- mean there are fewer lures for private buyers than in the Commodore.The suspension, with Macpherson struts at the front and a multi-link set-up at the rear, was locally tuned, but the result makes the best of ordinary ingredients. You don't leap at the chance to get behind the wheel and point it at a corner.It's adequate dynamically, but certainly not something you feel encouraged to explore. It jiggles and fidgets on country roads, so there are more comfortable touring cars. Adequate goes for the engines, too. The diesel is more driveable, especially up hills where the petrol needs to change down. But it's also noisier and less refined.From the outside, Chevrolet design cues such as the rear lights mark Malibu out as something different in the class. The shape achieves an impressively slippery coefficient of drag figure below 0.29.There are a mixture of finishes inside, with some shiny surfaces that would be better satin, and an unusual and not wholly successful dash feature that echoes the vent louvres. The dials are most appealing. Holden's previous offering in this sector, the Epica, is something even Holden would prefer to forget.The Malibu should do better although the goal -- Holden says -- isn't to beat Camry. That would be a tall order with Toyota's track record. When the Commodore disappears things get more serious and adequate will no longer be enough. Then the Malibu-Commodore (Malidore?) must straddle both private and fleet demand; it will need broader appeal. It must be a top-10 seller. It's product, product, product.

A warning symbol has just appeared in the car I'm driving and it's one I've never seen before. It's an image of a steering wheel with a driver's hands coloured alert red. Pretty soon, a tone will sound.It's a relatively undramatic event in the singing-ringing cabins of modern luxury cars, which warn you before you've had a chance to belt-up that your pre-flight checks are incomplete or for any number of potential hazards.But this one is a landmark. I'm on a freeway heading out of Melbourne sitting on 100km/h and negotiating its gentle curves and obedient drivers. The car is steering itself.Mercedes new E-Class can, within tight limits, drive without you. The symbol is telling me that I've just exceeded the “letting go of the wheel” limit. That happens after only a few seconds. But I have another go, and another.’It's part of a system Mercedes calls Intelligent Drive and it heralds a new era of car technology that will eventually mean -- I hope -- that you won't need to take a train if you want to read The Australian on the way to work.The technology to accelerate, brake and steer a vehicle autonomously is the subject of feverish work across the industry and beyond, as the well-publicised Google project shows.Once steering and these systems are electronically assisted, as they are in almost every car now, it's not difficult to make a car that can drive itself in, say, an empty car park. We already have automatic braking, assisted counter-steering and hundreds of other software interventions when we're behind the wheel. A computer can control a car reliably and consistently in a way no human can.This E-Class, a heavy overhaul of the current model, relies on a greater array of sensors than previous Mercedes and especially two cameras mounted high on the windscreen which scan the surrounds. They build a 3D map of an area up to 50m in front and have a range 10 times that. Software adds up all these inputs and steers for you.In one sense, this is just the next step. But it's a biggy. One small beep for a car, one giant leap for vehicle-kind. The next S-Class, the model up from the E and the traditional techno flag-bearer for the brand, will take this even further. One limit to these systems is their ability to interpret complex environments, such as a busy main street. Humans are better at thinking outside the box.The other limit is regulation, although rules are already being relaxed in some US states and in Europe. The E-Class is core Mercedes, used in Europe in more rudimentary forms as taxis and as executive expresses in their performance guises. It comes as a sedan, wagon, coupe and cabriolet with a bewildering variety of engines that bear little, if any, relation to the badge on the back. An E250, for example, does not run a 2.5-litre engine or have any meaningful dimension that corresponds.The luxury market has been typified by a few trends recently, with Mercedes -- in this market at least -- often taking a lead. These include the shift to smaller capacity turbocharged engines, higher levels of standard equipment or price cuts or both, and simplified line-ups.Even a simplified E-Class line-up is complex. The rollout of this upgrade begins with the most popular four-cylinder models, which fit new generation 2.0-litre petrol and 2.1-litre diesel engines. The list of technical and luxury fitments is longer but the starting price remains at $80k minus change. All but diesel wagon begin below $100k.If you do choose to leave your hands on the wheel, then even the bottom-rung E delivers the core driving virtues of the brand. Handling is quietly assured and smoothly capable. The smallest four-cylinders are worth a look but step up to an E250 is driving enjoyment is in your DNA. For those times when you're not reading the paper.Three further variants are the way, two of which also introduce new drivelines. The E300 Hybrid combines the 150kW four-cylinder diesel with a 19kW electric motor to achieve average fuel economy of 4.3 litres per 100km. That makes it the most fuel efficient large luxury car available and Mercedes' first hybrid in this market. It arrives in July, as sedan only, for $108,900 plus on-road costs.The previous E350 V6 and E500 V8 variants have been dropped, replaced a single V6. Thanks to turbocharging, though, the E400's 245kW 3.0-litre unit is good for a 5.9 second sprint to 100km/h. In other words, it's the match of the previous V8 on performance but with much improved fuel economy of 8.0 litres per 100km, even better for the sedan. It starts below the previous E350 at $128,900 while the wagon is an additional $7800.The sole V8 offered is now the E63 from Mercedes's captive tuning operation AMG. The performance pack, previously an option, becomes standard-fit and there's an S badge to denote this. That means 430kW from its 5.5-litre turbocharged V8 and a higher price of entry, at $249,900.Even without the Intelligent Drive feature, which is standard on all but the base petrol and diesel, you won't mistake this facelifted car for the previous one. Not least of the improvements is to styling, which has been a Mercedes weakness of late. Some of the heavy-handed lines of the previous car have gone without sacrificing aggression. It's the first Benz in ages that doesn't hurt your eyeballs.The racier Avantgarde style face, which dispenses with the gunsight bonnet ornament in favour of an enormous badge on the grille, becomes standard.The cabin is more welcoming with ambient lighting, a cute clock and, in base models, acres of fake leather that seems to be harder than ever to tell from the real thing. Even the E200/E220 CDI get a large control screen with maps, apps and Google, voice recognition and other goodies such as gearshift paddles that were extra until recently. There's still plenty of options to bump up the price, of course, including a sunroof, heated seats and premium audio.

It's a big ask for any car to save a company but by the time the first wheels turned on the test drive for Holden's new VF Commodore last week, it was clear the stakes were much higher than that.Ford announced it was bowing out, leaving just Holden and Toyota. If one goes, they both go. On the VF rides the fate of the industry. The route takes the convoy on a trip into the past, to the long sweepers and tight climbs of the Snowy Mountains.It's just the sort of country the Commodore was originally designed to tame, in long sure-footed strides, and it's impossible not to be struck by one thought immediately: I'd rather be punting one of these through here than any of the SUVs that have pinched the parking spot of the big Aussie sedan.Holden flagged price cuts early and they hit $10,000 at the peak of the range. However, it's the equipment fitted across the VF that says most about Holden's approach.The best example is the automatic parking system. Common now even on hatchbacks, the VF does the steering while you apply throttle and brakes. For programmers the steering bit is easy; finding a suitable spot is the test. The most difficult to assess are perpendicular, which is why almost all these systems only parallel park. The VF can do both.The new electrical "architecture'' benefits every VF, even the base model Evoke, with voice control and Bluetooth phone/audio standard. If you use one of the common smartphones, embedded Pandora and Stitcher apps bring everything to the 8-inch control screen, including messages.The engineering on the VF is at the opposite end of the scale to Snowy pipes and dams; it's focused on the binary plumbing of the smartphone age. Holden is one of the first in the General Motors world to implement its new electrical architecture and it leapfrogs Commodore into a world of apps and advanced safety systems.This is not the usual catch-up-with-the-imports exercise. In some areas, VF is better than anything on offer. The head-up display on the top luxury (Calais V) or sport (SS V Redline) grades, for example, projects information on to the windscreen in front of the driver, just below the line of sight. It can display an impressive range of information, from speed and navigation instructions to audio mode and even Formula 1-style upshift lights. The German luxury badges don't go this far.This sort of stuff, and the overall lift in cabin quality, should help Holden attract private buyers flirting with the bottom rungs of premium.The final piece in that puzzle is fuel economy and here there are improvements of up to 8 per cent, taking the best to 8.3 litres per 100km. Drivelines themselves are largely carried over, with minor changes to power and torque peaks. The gains come from lightweight parts and electric power steering, among a raft of fine-tuning measures.The economy figures won't convert any Prius owners and happily for Commodore loyalists, it doesn't come at any cost to driveability either. One-third of buyers still cannot resist the lure of rumbling V8 lump but the petrol 3.6-litre V6 is enough for a luxe Caprice and a hoot in the ute.The safety systems also advance a generation, with forward collision alarm and lane departure warning on top grades, while blindspot alert and a system that warns of approaching cross-traffic when reversing on all but Evoke.What this does is simple: It removes the reasons you had for not buying a Commodore.Dynamically, the Commodore was always a notch above its price and that's still true, with the passion of Holden engineers shining through in the control weights, steering and suspension tune.Tyre noise is very surface-dependent but generally it's a quieter car, too, and that enhances the new-found cabin feelgood. In the design and details it lacks the class of a premium brand but it's a whole lot more than "just good enough'' we're used to from the locals.The VF is no Snowy Mountains Scheme and people are now rusted on to SUVs. But if there is any appetite left for the big Aussie touring car, then the VF deserves to bring buyers back.