Articles by Rachel Hancock

Enter the Volkswagen Passat. Despite its horrendous name (come on, it sounds like you are spitting every time the word is uttered), it's a car that just makes you want to say "thank you" whenever you get in and out of it.The Passat, quite simply, is nice. It's safe, pretty and comfortable but doesn't necessarily stand out from the crowd. It doesn't take risks and, to use a Big Brother term, travels under the radar. That's not necessarily a bad thing, by the way.There's no reason why a car can't deliver everything you need without shouting it from the rooftops. But the Passat does have a couple of quirky features. For one, there is no key. And, no, I don't need to rub two twigs together to get the thing firing. It's more about the technology.You simply slot a fancy rectangle-like gadget into a slot alongside the steering wheel and you're off.There's also no handbrake but rather a push-button park brake, a device more cars should adapt because it saves space and muscle power. For lazy drivers like myself, the Passat is ideal. I've often been accused of not flicking the indicator on for long enough to change lanes and, at the other end of the spectrum, sometimes leaving it on until prompted by a passing motorist.With a slight flick of the indicator, it indicates three times and switches itself off. Brilliant.The dreaded windscreen-wiper dilemma is also taken care of. We've all been there. We turn the windscreen wipers on when it starts to rain. It stops; we turn it off. It starts again; we turn it on and then hear that dreaded screech noise as it struggles with a now-dry windscreen. Solution? Sensor wipers; they take all the guesswork out of it.I have marvelled at such inventions as illuminated cup holders but the Passat adds its own take on what has now become a car staple. Its cup holders come with two sizes which you can alter, depending on the width of your cup or bottle. Nice.Back-seat passengers are also taken care of with a flip-down resting tray complete with two flip-out cup holders. All my passengers needed was a tray of fine cheeses to complete the picture but, hey, it's me you're talking about. KFC drive-thru comin' right up.The Passat doesn't scrimp on room and comfortably seats five, but it's the boot ... it's massive. In fact, if I ever ended up in the doghouse, I could easily set up camp in that boot. But I hope to never end up in the doghouse – and neither will the Passat.LOVE IT LEAVE ITVolkswagen Passat 2.0 TFSIPrice: $44,990LOVE ITNo key, just a simple push-in, push-out gadget that's big and easy to find in the handbag.Flip-down resting arm in the back seat adds that little extra comfort.Automatic dimming rear-vision mirror – a subtle feature.LEAVE ITShape. It's nice, but it doesn't have that "wow factor".

There have been plenty of examples of bandwagon-jumping in the past few weeks. Some people have bought tacky $10 green-and-gold T-shirts to wear down the pub when the game is on, others have set their alarm clocks to watch the game without even knowing the rules and there are even some who have run out and grabbed the PlayStation 2 game to get a "real" feel for how to play.Others, like me, have been a bit more subtle – I jumped in a Hyundai Santa Fe.Yes, I have done my bit for Australian soccer by spending a week in a car whose maker is the sponsor of the A-League. There was no green and gold, but my friends were green with envy.Those said friends formed part of my "team" as we hit the road.The Santa Fe has had a pretty good makeover. The previous model was, quite bluntly, pretty ugly. This one is roomier but, most of all, looks much smoother.It had a fair bit of guts, but I suppose going from my regular four-cylinder to a six-cylinder would give you that impression.With five in the car, we hit the road but only a few minutes into the trip got the callup from a couple of "subs" and had no problem bringing them into the game.It was simple; we just pulled out a couple of extra seats. Yes, the Santa Fe is a seven-seater. Neatly tucked underneath the boot, the extra seats easily fold out to fit a couple more valuable players – complete with airconditioning vents when the "hot air" gets too much.And there's a button, too, specifically for those stuck at the back who want a bit of air when those at the front are quite comfortable. There's even a cup holder back there.With a full team on the field, the next positional move was to inject some music. Hastily grabbing a CD out of the handbag, something caught my eye – surely it wasn't a tape deck? It was, and memories of my favourite Roxette tape blaring from my bedroom instantly came flooding back. I was almost tempted to call into a petrol station – the only place these days you see tapes – and buy one for the road. But, hey, we've moved into the 21st century and while it's a nice thought by Hyundai to think of us '80s chicks, there's probably no need for one.Instead, they could have allowed a little bit more space in the dash storage compartment to fit the CD case – but, yes mum, I should never leave valuables in plain sight as it's just asking for trouble.Before I knew it, we had been knocked out of the World Cup and my time with the Santa Fe was finished. It had been a memorable week but it's time to get off that bandwagon and back to reality. I really don't like soccer, or understand it, but: "Go Hyundai!"LOVE IT LEAVE ITHyundai Santa FePrice: From $35,990 (Elite model $42,990)LOVE ITLots of room, for five or seven (however, the Elite model is only a five-seater).Style. I'm a sucker for blue-lit instrument panels.LEAVE ITTape deck. It doesn't have a place in cars today.Boot space. It's not massive when in five-seater mode and non-existent when seven seats are used.

That was until the weekly workout on the South-Eastern Freeway. Destination: Murray Bridge. Cargo: a wombat, three roosters and a chick. I'll explain.Thursday-night treks to football and netball training have become a ritual in winter for some city folk, including myself.My first impression of the Fiesta was that there was no way it could handle my heavy car load, which consisted of my mate "Wombat" and three Rambler "the Roosters" Football Club players.The freeway can be punishing at the best of times on an average engine and you'll often find cars with Fiesta-like engines hogging the left lane to let others pass.The Fiesta Zetec ruled the roost in the right lane.It zipped past them all, without breaking the speed limit.By the way, two of the roosters were also cops so I had to be on my best behaviour.The usual car conversation which, let's say, can be quite blokey despite my feminine touch, automatically turned to the Fiesta's performance. Now, I know blokes like talking about cars, but a Fiesta?We all agreed that, for a small car, there is sufficient room – even if from the outside we might have looked a little squeezy in the back. The interior is pretty sporty. Just as well, given we are sporty kinda people. the instrument panels are nicely placed and tilted slightly for easy access. The boot space, while not massive, is OK for a small car (and let's put things in perspective – it is a small car) but the automatic open-boot function is the real winner. However, we were less than impressed with the absence of the centre storage console. Maybe it's more out of habit than anything else, but I missed it.As we passed Mt Barker, we were really cruising.The Festiva was in need of some fuel but, like most girls, I pushed it to the limit. The digital kilometre countdown to empty did wonders for achieving this and gave peace of mind that we weren't about to stop on the freeway.The sound-system volume adjustment on the steering column is also a welcome change to the usual push button on the steering wheel. This was also handy to drown out the inevitable return to blokey topics as we neared the football oval.With the plethora of small cars on the market, the Fiesta Zetec definitely packs a competitive punch.As for the weekly freeway trek, it's back to basics.LOVE IT LEAVE ITFiesta ZetecPrice: $18,490 (Metallic paint $280 option)LOVE ITSporty, 16in alloys and funky colours give the Fiesta an edge.The interior automatic pop-up boot button is within easy reach and makes life easier.Good value for what you get.LEAVE ITNo centre storage console.For a small car, it chewed up fuel a bit faster than I had hoped but I was carrying a pretty big load.

Well, there's one girl who is sure to turn heads with a makeover that will make her popular.Her name is RAV 4.Finally, the powers that be at Toyota realised that the old RAV just didn't cut it when it came to space. It's always been a great car, just too small.This girl is longer, wider and stronger, and you are not having to fork out much more in the way of dollars than the previous model for the privilege.Of course, Toyota has a lot to answer for – why didn't it beef her up 12 months ago when I was looking for a new car?Jumping into the beefed-up baby, it wasn't long before we made acquaintances and she became one of the family.The new RAV is cleverly designed to adapt to its driver. For example, the boot space can be changed to suit your needs. There is a removable cargo shield and net, and an underfloor storage compartment. The little things in life also make a big difference. No longer do you have to go to the back seat to fold down the rear seat – just one flick from the boot will give you the space you need.It's also no longer just enough to have cup holders, they've got to make a statement. These ones actually light up. What will they think of next?You can choose from six models in the RAV family but for true luxury and style, head all the way to the top – the Cruiser L model. It's got seat warmers, which always come in handy, and leather seating and steering wheel. It's also got electric seat adjustment and, as many will attest, it's important to get the seat in the perfect position for your driving comfort.But I've never quite understood why the front seat passenger is always the poor man's cousin. Okay, so it's not that difficult to manually adjust your seating but, hey, it can't be that hard to give the passenger the same luxuries as the driver.Still, this girl was quite impressed with Ms RAV and we don't need to get too bitchy with her performance. She's all right.LOVE IT LEAVE ITRAV4 Cruiser LPrice: $43,990LOVE ITBigger, bigger, bigger. What else can I say, big is beautiful.Multi-purpose boot. There are no restrictions here, just adjust the space to your needs and away you go.Temperature-control dials at arm's length. The angled centre console means you don't have to fiddle around to adjust the fan or temperature.Illuminated cup holders, what a "bright" idea.LEAVE ITNo electric adjustment on passenger seat.Price, slightly higher than the previous model but you're getting a lot more for your dollar so you can't complain too much.