Articles by Stephen Corby

There was a time when it was quite acceptable for SUVs to handle like a beach ball full of wet porridge, but those days are gone. Outside of men who wear flannelette and fish hooks in their hats, Australian buyers of urban trucks are desperately in awe of “car-like dynamics”. This means that, essentially, they don't want an SUV at all. They just want a really big car with a high chair in it. The modern SUV, typified by Mazda's CX-7, is so much more car than off-roader that it demands a new acronym, Sports Utility Car perhaps — which would provide the plural a bunch of SUCs. Mazda folk have distilled the essence of these vehicles as “a car-like driving experience while retaining command-of-the-road driving position”. The result is something that looks, from front and rear, like a Mazda3 on stilts. Funnily, though, from side on the pinched headlights make it look like a Ford Focus writ large. But you've got to love the shape of the glasshouse, or the “unique window graphic” as they call it. Overall, it's a slick, sleek bit of SUC-ing up. The interior is roomy, rattle-free and reasonably stylish, except for the strange crocodile-skin strip down the middle of the seats, which are comfortable rather than luxurious. Mazda has attempted to create an SUV that goes, and feels, like a sports car — which is like building a snow plough that spits out ice sculptures. Or, as CX-7 program manager Shunsuke Kawasaki novelly puts it, this is a car that's more Keanu Reeves than Arnold Schwarzenegger. A cruel person would take this to mean Kawasaki's creation is a talentless but pretty dullard. He may have been in Speed, but that doesn't mean he's quick. Unfortunately, Kawasaki-san didn't explain whether he meant the Reeves of Bill And Ted fame or his later work (in The Lake House, for example), so it's one to ponder. Fortunately, the car is more convincing than the actor, with a wonderfully taut chassis, minimal body roll for a high-riding vehicle and a handy ride/handling balance, even on rough gravel. Really big impacts do upset it more than a proper off-roader — but you don't get many really big impacts in Woollahra, so that should be fine. The CX-7's steering is also pretty sharp, although it's obviously not in the league of a Mazda6 MPS, for example. It does, however, share that car's engine, a 2.3-litre DISI turbo with 175kW and 350Nm, all of which is available at just 2500rpm, meaning it surges hard — and a little noisily — off the line and accelerates meaningfully. Well, meaningfully for a SUC: the sprint to 100km/h is dismissed in 8.5 seconds. Noise, vibration and harshness are also crushed under the weight of Mazda's technological know-how, although some road noise from the tyres is evident on coarse-chip stuff. And, despite the CX-7's luxurious size and keen performance, we actually saw close to the claimed 11.5 litres per 100km economy figure. This must be because I was driving like an 80-year-old farmer with a hangover — my 11.9 litres per 100km was well and truly trumped by a colleague who recorded 14.9 litres and looked at me with a mixture of pity and disgust. My excuse is that I find driving SUVs, particularly on dirt, as exciting as The Lake House. On proper roads, however, the CX-7 turned out to be roughly seven times more fun than you would think possible. The steering is reasonably involving and it corners quite well, until the point where its size and 1745kg weight eventually push it into understeer. The six-speed auto is a typically Mazda-smooth unit, but it's disappointing that there's no manual option. This is because the CX-7 was (in case you can't guess just by looking) designed for Americans, and their arms are too fat to change gears. The Yanks are also quite happy with a skinny spare wheel — but apparently some Australians do take their SUCs out of the city, because Mazda Australia is doing a special fitting of a full-size spare, which will be available from March. As far as off-road ability goes, this is no low-range mountain-climber. The Active Torque Split AWD system automatically adjusts front-rear distribution between 100:0 and 50:50. In other words, it's a front-wheel-drive bus, but it can grip and rip — at least a little bit — when it needs to. Six airbags and a five-star crash rating from the US make it a safe investment as well. Mazda says the CX-7's competitors will include Toyota's RAV4, Nissan's X-Trail and Murano, and Honda's CRV. The car comes in two trim levels, with the base model a highly competitive $39,910. The $45,560 Luxury version throws in fruit like leather seats, a sunroof, heated power seats and a Bose stereo. Mazda may be a little late on the compact SUV scene, but keen pricing and savvy road manners will make the CX-7 an attractive proposition. It may be a SUC, but the CX-7 doesn't suck.

The overall look resembles a people mover mashed with a station wagon, but the CX-7 is unmistakably a Mazda with hulking front fenders and low-angled A-pillars making the roof seem low over a tapered cabin.The rear goes for a sporty look with round tail lights showing off detailed shards that seem to form a kaleidoscopic swirl.The pricing of $40,000 suggests Mazda wants people considering a Toyota RAV4 or Honda CRV, but the engine says the real competition is Subaru Forrester XT buyers.A 2.3-litre turbocharged, intercooled, direct injection engine produces 175 kilowatts and 350 Newton meters of torque at 2500rpm.The transmission is a six-speed Activematic, which delivers its power and torque to the road through Mazda’s Active Torque Split all-wheel drive system.This translates to acceleration from 0-100km/h in just 8.5 seconds.A smaller version named the CX-5 is also planned and likely to replace the Tribute as Mazda’s small four-wheel-drive.How it drivesThere was a time when it was quite acceptable for SUVs to handle like a hessian sack full of wet sand, but those days are gone.Outside of men who wear flannelette and fishing hooks in their hats, Australian buyers of urban trucks are apparently all in awe of "car-like dynamics".The modern SUV, typified by Mazda's new CX-7, is so much more car than off-roader that it demands a new class, Sports Utility Car perhaps - which would make a car park full of them a bunch of SUCs.Mazda folk have distilled the essence of these vehicles as "speedy, athletic, yet retaining the command driving position".So, basically, what we're dealing with is a jacked-up car that just happens to have all-wheel drive.Previously, the idea of a sporty SUV was like a snow-plow that could spit out ice sculptures, but Mazda have done a hell of a job with the CX-7.Its chassis is wonderfully taut, its body-roll is minimum and the ride is pretty darn good as well, even on dirt roads.Really big impacts do upset it more than a proper off-roader, but you don't get many really big impacts in Woollahra so that should be fine.The steering is also pretty sharp, although it's obviously still not in the league of a 6 MPS, for example.It does share that car's engine, however, a 2.3-litre DISI turbo with 175kW and 350Nm, all of which seems to kick in from just off idle, meaning it surges hard - and a little noisily - off the line and accelerates meaningfully.The 0 to 100km/h sprint is dismissed in 8.5 seconds.Noise, vibration and harshness are also crushed under the weight of Mazda's technological know-how, although some road noise from the tyres is evident on coarse-chip stuff.And despite the luxurious size of the vehicle, and its keen performance, we actually saw close to the claimed 11.5 litres per 100km economy figure.It might be a SUC, but the CX-7 doesn't suck. And at $39,910 (or $45,560 for the luxury version), it's going to be a big seller.FAST FACTSCX-7: $39,910, CX-7 Luxury: $45,5602.3-litre turbocharged, intercooled, direct injection engine producing 175 kilowatts and 350nm of torque at 2500rpmStandard ABS anti-lock brakes and Dynamic Stability Control,18-inch wheel and tyre package (16-inch spare)66-degree windshield angle is sleeker than many sports cars2750mm wheelbase (130mm longer than Tribute)Boot space is an impressive 400 litresSix air bags (frontal and side for front occupants, side curtain for all outboard occupants) are standard.In recent US Government National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) tests the CX-7 achieved the highest possible rating, five stars, in both frontal and side-impact crash testsStephen Corby is a senior roadtester for the CARSguide team whose work also appears in the Sunday Telegraph. A version of this review plus more news and analysis can be read in this Sunday's Sunday Telegraph.

Nick Adamidis, national sales and marketing manager for automotive research company Glass's Information Service, says people are being forced to sell their cars cheaply."The new-car market has been booming for the past few years and as a result there's an oversupply in the market place, which means that used cars are not necessarily bringing the prices people believe they are worth," he said."The price of fuel has had a big effect on cars with V8 engines, for example, which are depreciating faster than other vehicles as people try to get rid of them."People now expect a discount if they are buying a V8, because of their petrol usage."In 2000, a three-year-old V6-engined Holden Commodore Executive sedan could be bought for just over 50 per cent of its original purchase price, but today buyers have to pay only 44 per cent of the original price.Mr Adamidis said drops in tariffs on imported vehicles were also driving prices down."It affects the whole market, because if the makers of imported vehicles drop their price by $2000 or $3000 then the local makers have to drop their prices as well to stay competitive," he said."It's a great time to be buying a used car — it's a buyers' market."But we've still got a fair way to go. In the US and the UK, where the markets are more free, the average car, after three years, is worth 30 per cent of the original purchase price."In Australia, the average is 45 per cent, but we're heading in that direction and we'll get there in the next five to seven years."The drop in used-car prices has also been noted by the NSW Department of Commerce, which manages the Government's fleet.A department spokeswoman said State Fleet had tracked a downward trend in the prices it was getting for its used vehicles.Large, locally manufactured cars have had the biggest drop with much less in the small car segment. The drop in prices was spurring sales, however, with clearance rates at government auctions over the past two weeks of 99 per cent and 94 per cent, respectively.David Smith, senior manager of divisional services for the Motor Traders' Association of NSW, said prices would continue to fall."Some of the less fuel-efficient cars are definitely feeling it, but small cars are holding their value fairly well," he said."That's a reflection of the new-car market, because a lot of people are buying smaller cars and a lot of them are being traded in."He said that used-car dealers were the ones being squeezed by the price falls."There are a lot of dealers out there who are doing it tough," Mr Smith added. BEST VALUE RETAINED*SmallSubaru Impreza ............. 62%Mini Cooper .................. 61%Mitsubishi Lancer .......... 59% MediumSubaru Liberty .............. 58%Mazda 6 ....................... 55%Honda Accord ............... 53% LargeToyota Camry(4cyl) ....... 45%Toyota Aurion ............... 42%Ford Falcon LPG ........... 42% 4WDNissan X-Trail ................ 64%Subaru Forester ............ 63%BMW X3 ....................... 61% WORST VALUE RETAINEDSmallKia Rio ......................... 38%Suzuki Swift ................. 38%Proton Savvy ................. 38% MediumKia Optima ................... 37%Kia Magentis ................ 37%Hyundai Grandeur ......... 37% LargeNissan Maxima ............. 37%Ford Fairmont ............... 34%Ford Falcon .................. 32% 4WDLand Rover Freelander ... 42%Land Rover Discovery .... 40%Ssangyong Musso ........ 40%* Based on wholesale prices of three-year-old vehicles in average condition.

The recall affected the rear seat belt buckles in around 13,000 of the car makers newest line of vehicles, which were developed at a cost of a billion dollars and released in July.

When criticised, car companies can, and do, react in a number of violently different ways. My personal favourite is the silent treatment, which is easy to deal with (and, if you're really lucky, can go on foryears).More common, however, is the huffing Hinch approach, where someone who sounds like they've just inhaled a supertanker load of righteous indignation gives you a point-by-point analysis of why you're an idiot.If you've really offended them, this conversation might end with you being banned from driving their cars, for ever more. In the case of some companies, this is what is known as a blessing indisguise.Then, at the most extreme end of the spectrum, there are companies who actually take on board what you've said and do something about it.Step forward Hyundai Australia, which reacted to some rather cruel and cantankerous criticism of the lifeless steering on its new Elantra, written in these pages, by having three engineers flown out from Korea to fix it.Hyundai spokesman Richard Power said he believed the cars delivered for the Australian launch were specified for the Asian region, rather than Europe, which has similar demands to the local market."A few days after the Australian launch we had an international launch, with journos from the Middle East right across to the Pacific, and we think the cars came with their spec," he said."We took your comments on board and swung into action, asking Korea if we could do something about it."Three specialist chassis engineers were duly dispatched and spent an intensive week comparing the Elantra with other cars sold here, testing and re-testing the steering and recalibrating it."We now have our own, unique steering setting for Australia," Power said."Basically, it was a case of changing the feel of the set-up to something that might be better accepted by a greater range of Australian motorists."It's got more feel and more self-centring as speed rises, yet it's still very light at parking speeds, which is what you want."The Koreans then flew home and instituted a change on the production line, so that all cars delivered in Australia will have the new steering.It's quite common for global companies such as Hyundai to produce cars with two or three suspension settings, applicable to particular markets.Meanwhile, we were asked to have another go at the Elantra, to revise our opinions.Sure enough, the steering is much improved. It's still not class-leading, and it's certainly not Porsche-challenging, but at least it loads up a bit in corners and there's decent feedback about what your wheels are up to.Compared to the previous ropey and dopey steering, it's a solid 300 to 400 per cent improvement — and for that, Hyundai should be applauded.Unfortunately, the other criticisms we noted on the launch drive were still valid after a week of living with the car.Most notable is the touchy throttle, which can tend to make both driver and passengers look like Muppets as their necks bend at unfeasible angles.Although the two-litre engine can be rowed along with reasonable ease if you've got the manual gearbox, which is a reasonably smooth unit, we spent more time in the auto, which tends to complain long and loud when asked to perform more than a traffic trundle.Still, it's an honest enough performer for an engine developing just 105kW and 186Nm.The cabin is a passable copy of more expensive cars — the blue mood lighting at night is a particularly nice touch — but there's still an overall feeling of thin-ness to the car, which kind of comes with the price territory.It's also annoying that, at night, there's no indicator light to tell you which gear the auto is in.One of the Elantra's big selling points is supposed to be its fuel consumption, with claimed economy of 7.4 litres per 100km (7.8 in the auto), but over a week of fairly relaxed motoring we averaged 9.0 litres, which isn't quite so spectacular.On the plus side, with a range that begins at $19,990, the Elantra is actually quite a lot of car for the money.It rides much better than past models and, thanks to that quick fix, it steers pretty well, too.There's also a decent back seat, with more leg room than you'd imagine, and the styling — which is a bit of a mish-mash of ideas borrowed from Japanese companies — somehow works as a whole.For those who simply have to have a new, family-ish-sized car, but don't want to spend a lot of money, the new and improved Elantra is an obvious option.

It was the second full month of sales for Holden’s VE Commodore and while it remains the best selling car in the country, many of its traditional buyers continue to look at other car segments.Holden declined to say how many new Commodores it expected to sell, but the investment and general buzz of a new model meant expectations were high.Holden sold 5455 new VE Commodores over October, which represented 51 per cent of the large car sales, according to figures released from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries today.A spokesman said Holden was pleased but reserved judgement on how the car was being received by the public."We’re not declaring victory yet," a Holden spokesman said. "We’re waiting till the end of the year to see if the large car market has rebounded because of the introduction of a new car."Holden claimed that a recent decline in fuel prices had a positive effect on large car sales, but uncertainty still loomed."The open fear on fuel (costs) reflects on the consumer confidence in buying a large car, which is why November and December will be educative in that regard."A major Sydney-based Holden dealer said the retail market for Commodores was tough, but fleet sales were buoyant."I can’t get enough Omega and Calais for fleet, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say I thought we’d sell more to private buyers,” he said. “I expected much more enquiries.”The large car segment was now down almost 20 per cent on year-to-date sales figures as car buyers looked at alternatives.Total car sales for the large car segment were 10,639, with Ford selling 2,945 Falcons (down from 3,642 for October 2005).Sales of the Mitsubishi 380 barely held from the same time last year, selling 944 cars this October compared to 951 last year.The under $25,000 light car segment surged a massive 21.5 per cent in year-to-date sales totalling 9,729. The Toyota Yaris dominated sales with 2,858 – nearly 30 per cent of the total market.The Toyota Camry dominated the under $55,000 medium car segment . More than 3,000 Camry’s were sold in a segment with total sales of 6,422 cars - a decline of 3.6 per cent year-to-date.Overall sales of new cars and trucks in Australia rose five per cent in October with almost 80,000 vehicles retailed for the month.The result took total sales for the year to 802,306, 2.8 per cent below the year-to-date figure at the same time in 2005.Toyota was the top selling company with 18,589 vehicles in October, well ahead of Holden on 12,779 and Ford on 8,691.Year-to-date Toyota was also well ahead with 175,953 vehicles compared to 122,144 for Holden.FAST FACTSTop selling carsHolden Commodore 5,455Toyota Corolla 3,722Toyota Camry 3,205Ford Falcon 2,945Toyota Yaris 2,858Mazda 3 2,585Hyundai Getz 1,594Ford Focus 1,584Holden Astra 1,575Toyota HiLux 4x4 1,457Top selling companies Toyota 18,589Holden 12,779Ford 8,691Mazda 4,769Nissan 4,436Honda 4,433Mitsubishi 4,354Hyundai 3,422Subaru 2,817Volkswagen 1,980

The Efigy is a modern tribute to Australia’s iconic FJ Holden and was selected by judges as Hotrod Of The Year by US bible Hot Rod Magazine.Holden designers created the car especially for the 2005 Australian International Motor Show where it was the show highlight. The Efigy also featured at the Melbourne Motor Show in February.The radical, pillarless coupe featured a supercharged 6.0 litre V8 engine resting on a Chevrolet Corvette underbody.The US Hot Rod magazine described the car as "probably the most beautiful concept car ever to come from an automotive manufacturer."Magazine editor Rob Kinnan acknowledged that not all concept cars are intended for production."It was obvious here, however, that this was a pure hot rod built by true gear heads who just happened to work for a new car company," he said.Holden's chief designer, Richard Ferlazzo, who led the EFIJY project, said: "The car has created quite a bit of interest in the states, which is great recognition for our team."It's not immediately obvious, but this sort of interest also helps to promote the capabilities of the GM Holden organisation in a wider field."With AAP

Alfa Romeo stepped up straight after the Peugeot unveiling of a woman, I mean a car. A 207 apparently.

Each carmaker presented their new cars to the media on opening day in ways that reflected their brands, ranging from the inner sex kitten, blustering diva, demure sophistication and plain old snoring.

From rap songs to movies, the Hummer’s presence is always felt. With the announcement at the Australian International Motor Show that Holden would begin selling the Hummer H3 here, CARSguide thought we should look at some of the Hummer’s starring roles.Click on the picture gallery to see the best Hummer celluloid action and then tell us about your favourite on-screen Hummer moment in the Feedback blog.For us here at CARSguide, the carnage factor combined with the sheer cool of Sean Connery means our number one Hummer moment goes to Captain John Mason in The Rock.If you can top a line such as "Im only borrowin ya Hum-Vee" while ploughing through everything in site and being chased by a Ferrari, then we want to hear it.