Articles by Stuart Innes

That's the view of John Schulze, mechanical services manager for Transwest Haulage. "We always consider things like entry and exit on forward control vehicles, the quality of hand grips, doors that open wide enough and good access steps are all important," he says. "It is almost to the stage where powertrain is secondary. "OH&S is always the first thing we consider – how easy is it to get in and out of the truck, how we operate it, how we service it, how easy is it to service, can we get the cab up, how easy is that, can the mechanics access the radiator. All these sorts of things are certainly high in order of priority." "We also look at the comfort of the truck." Which is the sort of thing all drivers love to hear. Mr Schulze is speaking about a recent addition to his fleet: an Isuzu FVY 1400 fitted with a specialised tipping vacuum body. The truck is used by Geelong-based Transwest for pumping duties. "It's fitted with an 11,000-litre tipping vacuum tank powered by a 350 cubic feet per minute Wallenstein hydraulic drive vacuum pump which can load the tanker in seven minutes and unload in the same time," he says. The truck's duties are in industrial and food service business grease traps and septic tanks. The Isuzu FVY chassis was shortened to ensure best axle weight distribution of the tanker. "As an airbag equipped-vehicle, we can legally put 17 tonnes on the bogey and six tonnes on the steer axle. We ended up with six (tonnes) on the steer and 16.9 (tonnes) on the drive, so we are maximising our ability to carry that load on the vehicle," Mr Schulze says. Transwest trucks are picked by their orange-and-rose colours. The firm began nearly 50 years ago carting coal from the Winchelsea mines to Geelong power stations. HEAVY STUFF THE Isuzu FVY 1400 is from the truck maker's heavy-duty F-series. The FVY 1400 is a 6 x 4 and comes with the SiTec 275 engine. This is a six-cylinder, 9.8-litre unit with variable-geometry turbocharger. It gives 206kW power at 2000rpm and 1030Nm torque at 1400rpm. Transmission choices are a 10-speed Eaton manual or a six-speed Allison automatic. TANKS A LOT THE larger capacity tank on this Isuzu has brought efficiencies to the operator. "Septic tanks are generally about 3000 litres. On our old tanker, we were just getting two loads. But now with the bogey drive and 11,000-litre capacity, we get three loads," John Schulze says. "The extra load helps cut cost." STIFF DIFF Driver-controled diff locks are on both differentials. The truck needs to go off-road for some septic tank jobs so the extra drive surety is appreciated by drivers.

The Diamond Anniversary Tour – to mark 60 years of production of Bentleys at the Crewe plant in west England – has been in Adelaide this week as part of a 15,000km promotion in Australia, New Zealand and South-East Asia, complete with the Speed 8 that won at the Le Mans circuit in 2003.The first car I slipped into was the Bentley Continental Flying Spur, a stretched and four-door version of the Continental GT. The Spur has a wheelbase 320mm longer than the GT for a body length about 500mm longer at 5307mm.Both models use the mighty W12 engine – a six-litre unit with 12 cylinders and a turbocharger on each bank.It gives a formidable 411kW of power at 6100rpm and 650Nm of torque at 1600rpm.Both cars have four-way adjustable suspension firmness, felt immediately through the steering and on full "sport" setting reducing body roll and understeer.The Spur is a true super-luxury car: plenty of back-seat leg room, leather opulence and all the gadgets you'd want, including power adjustable individual rear seats (a three-seat bench is optional), adjustable ride height, sat-nav and cooled seats.This is a car that can waft along, although the optional 20in rims carrying 275/35 low-profile tyres weren't exactly quiet on sharp-edged lumps and bumps in town.It is otherwise serene, comfortable and, to the driver, confidence-inspiring. Up the freeway at 110km/h at less than 2000rpm, the redline is at 6250rpm. Drop off the passengers and take the twisty road home: put the suspension on firm setting, flick the transmission into manual select and use the paddle shifts to control the six-speed ZF box. Maximum torque might be at just 1600rpm but go through 3000rpm and it feels just so strong and linear in the way it gathers speed. An overtaking move – 80-120km/h, for example, in 3.3 seconds and, not bad for a 2.5-tonne car, 0-100km/h in 5.2 seconds. And the brakes are just superb. Pushed hard on a Hills drive, it used petrol at a rate of 18 litres/100km.SECOND car tried was the Bentley Continental GT, a two-door coupe with a pair of back seats tight on leg room, making it a 2+2. It has the same driveline as the four-door Spur but with an immediately noticed baritone, serious exhaust note. A bit lighter (but still 2385kg) and on a shorter wheelbase, this is the fun car. It's one of the fastest four-seat production cars in the world (318km/h – not me, officer, it's Bentley's claim) and 0-100km/h in 4.8 seconds.The Bentley Continental GT is a car that you can drive in city traffic at ease or it's happily pushed along on a twisting Hills road, helped by all-wheel drive and electronic stability controls. It's got a decent-sized boot, making it a true Grand Touring car.BENTLEY Continental GT is priced at $375,000 and the four-door Flying Spur is $353,000 plus on-road costs. A convertible version of the two-door, a GTC, is due early next year.

The Canter Eco Hybrid could well be a taste of the future in light trucks. And this is no experimental test bed or concept vehicle; it's a production truck that is now on the market in Japan and is being considered for other countries, especially where cities are wanting to slash exhaust emissions.It has a newly developed small diesel engine – a three-litre unit with double overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder and with turbocharger and intercooler.It delivers 92kW of power at 3200rpm and 294Nm of torque at 1700rpm. It has a new diesel particulate filter and an exhaust gas recirculation system for minimising nitrogen oxide emissions.It shares duty in powering the truck with a compact electric motor-generator which generates 35kW of power.It's a parallel hybrid system which means that the power to drive the truck comes from the electric motor, the diesel engine or both depending on conditions.The electric motor drives the Eco Hybrid when starting off. Under hard acceleration, the diesel engine and the electric motor power the truck. When cruising, the vehicle is driven by the diesel engine only.When the truck is slowing or braking, the electric motor doubles as a generator, converting brake energy into electric energy. This is stored in latest development lithium-ion batteries – ready for the next acceleration.Mitsubishi Fuso says regeneration of braking energy is improved by disengaging the clutch during deceleration. An idling stop-and-start system automatically shuts down the diesel engine when the transmission is shifted to neutral.DaimlerChrysler owns 85 per cent of Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus Corporation and says MFTBC in Japan is its "global competence centre for hybrid technology."SMALL TORQUEBenz recordMERCEDES-BENZ light commercial vehicles are selling more than 4 per cent greater than last year, which was a record year for it. "The Vito is an extremely versatile, reliable and appealing light commercial vehicle," says Campbell York. "Mercedes-Benz light commercial vehicles were first introduced into Australia in 1998 and since then the expansion of our dealer networks has ensured that the sales success of the Vito and Sprinter has continued."Limited VitoTHE silver limited-edition Vito has been restricted to 175 vans now on sale.Boss manCARLO Beltrame is new general manager of trucks for DaimlerChrysler Commercial vehicles. He has national sales and marketing responsibility for Freightliner, Sterling and Mercedes-Benz heavy trucks in Australia. Mr Beltrame, 54, was general manager of DAF Trucks Australia and previously worked with Ford Australia.

The car is based on the very good-looking Astra two-door hardtop coupe with hatchback – a low-roof shape that looks sporty even with the garden variety 1.8-litre normally aspirated engine.Dressed in spoilers, wings, side skirts, big wheels, low-profile tyres, serious grille and lowered suspension, the Astra SRi Turbo version of the coupe is even meaner.On that score alone, it has the "looks" advantage over pocket-rocket rivals which are all hotted-up conventional high-roof hatchbacks (VW Golf, Ford Focus, Mazda3, Renault Megane and Mercedes-Benz A-Class).Yet Astra coupe retains reasonable space for rear passengers.However, Astra Turbo makes do with an older engine, the two-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged job first seen here three years ago in the then-model Astra three-door and convertible.It gives 147kW power at 5400rpm and 262Nm of torque at 4200rpm. Those figures are not to be sneezed at in a small car but rivals with more recently designed engines do better. For example, Golf GTI $39,990 has 147kW/280Nm, Focus XR5 $35,990 has 166kW/320Nm, Mazda3 MPS at $39,990 has 190kW/380Nm, a coming Megane RS $37,990 gets 165kW/300Nm, making the Benz A200 Turbo look expensive at $44,400 for its 142kW power.But the Astra SRi Turbo counter-punches not only with looks but also with value. It's listed at $34,990, which is less than any of these rivals, and it has an impressive list of technology and equipment.This includes cruise control, power windows, climate-control airconditioning, leather facing on seats and steering wheel, front seats that have three-stage heating, six-stack Blaupunkt CD player and seven-speaker sound system with steering wheel audio controls, plus graphic information display for sound system and trip computer.Outside are modified radiator grille with larger air inlets, an integrated rear spoiler, fog lamps, modified rear bumper panel and the sized wheels and tyres normally expected on a V8 large car – 18in alloys clad with 225/40 asymmetric tyres (Dunlop SP Sport 01 on the GM Holden test car).Then comes the Astra SRi Turbo technology and safety: ESP, traction control, ABS brakes, six airbags (including front side and curtain airbags), the double overhead camshaft and turbocharged engine and six-speed gearbox. Particularly interesting is the "adaptive interactive driving system". This reads the road conditions and vehicle movement, and constantly adapts the shock absorber behaviour.Then there's the sport mode. Press the Sport button on the fascia and it instantly changes the mapping of the throttle to make the engine seem more eager and responsive. It also ups the electro-hydraulic steering for an even sharper feel and the whole package seems more firm and racy.Not to say it's a softie in normal trim. You're aware it's a sports chassis car but the seat is comfortable and the ride tolerable for this sort of machine.My now tiresome Astra gripes remain: lack of cup holders, lower fascia controls hard to decipher and still no engine temperature gauge. The rear window gives restricted view but parking sensors are an option.This model has a steel spare wheel limited to 80km/h. And it needs premium fuel. The six-speed manual gearshift is a beauty, slightly notchy as expected in a performance car.It's not a peaky, popping turbo engine although the exhaust has been engineered to allow a rorty sound. This Astra's happy at 1700rpm at 60km/h in fifth gear and sits on 2700rpm at 110km/h in sixth gear.Our fuel economy was 10 litres/100km. Obey the speed limits on a country drive and you'll better 8 litres/100km. Use the lower gears and a heavy right foot in the Hills and, well ...Lift the bonnet (self-supporting on gas struts) and hooray, there's no engine cover, so you can see all the plumbing for the turbo and intercooler. And the satisfying "Made in Germany" tags on engine bits (plus the occasional "Made in Slovakia").This is a fun car to drive. It's easy to embarrass and surprise a few drivers of larger "muscle" cars – and that's before you get to the twisty bits. Astra's ESP helps control the problem of a lot of power going through the front wheels on tight corners, especially in the wet. ESP can be switched off.

The $121,990 car includes radar active cruise control, adaptive variable suspension (the driver can set normal or sport), a vehicle dynamic management system, 10 airbags, electronic chromatic instrument panels, rear view camera, parking sonars, DVD satellite navigation, customised interior lighting, dual-zone climate control and 14-speaker – yes, 14 – Mark Levinson premium sound system.It also has the smart entry and start: the car automatically unlocks when the driver grabs the door handle and allows a press-button start by detecting the "key" being carried by the driver.The GS450h has all the features of the luxury version of the GS300 and GS430 petrol-only models with which it shares the bodywork. The vehicle dynamic management system until now was available only on the GS430. Lexus does not want potential buyers to have any excuse not to select the 450h hybrid.The GS450h is the first Lexus hybrid to be released in Australia, although Lexus is part of the Toyota family which has the world's biggest-selling hybrid car, the Prius. Lexus says hybrid versions of its all-wheel-drive SUV wagon, the RX400h, and its flagship sedan, LS600h, also are on the way.The GS450h has a 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine and a 650V electric motor. The electric motor has 147kW power – more than many petrol engines in medium-size cars. Power is not the sum of the electric and the petrol engines' respective maxima, but works out at a total of 254kW.This power is more than the petrol engine siblings in the range yet it has 31 per cent better fuel economy than the GS430 and 19 per cent better than the GS300. Standard tests show just 7.9 litres/100km for the hybrid.The GS450h runs a constantly variable automatic transmission.Hybrid activityFOR gentle start-offs, only the electric motor is used. When more power is needed, the petrol engine joins in. The battery provides more power to the electric motor if extra acceleration is needed. When decelerating, a regenerative braking system gathers energy usually lost in braking and converts it to electricity to be stored in the battery. The engine switches off when the car is stationary.Dot pointsALL Lexus GS450h models will have vehicle identification numbers printed on 5000 Data Dot micro identification dots sprayed on to strategic spots on the vehicle. Each the size of a grain of sand, they can be read by special lighting. Data Dots are a theft deterrent and help lower insurance premiums.

That car had cornering almost free of body roll, a willing 1.5-litre engine, carefree fuel economy, body-hugging driver's seat and consumed long distances better than many larger cars.It had only 55kW power and 116Nm torque, but in its day that was enough in a lightweight (well under one tonne) two-door. It had no power steering, manual window winders, 13in steel wheels and safety features were seat belts and damn good brakes. But, gee, it was fun to drive.Although 31 years may be a generation in human terms, the latest Passat is its sixth generation and, on Volkswagen's own admission, its biggest design leap.This latest, largest Passat weighs in at 1506kg (still 68kg under even a base Holden Commodore). And at $44,990 in the two-litre turbocharged petrol engine version as tested, it's about 10 times the price of the 1975 Passat TS.But just look at what's included now in this VW model: eight airbags (dual front, front and rear side, and front and rear head), active crash head restraints, electronic stability control, electromechanical (push-button) parking brake, dual-zone automatic airconditioning, traction control, ABS brakes, 17in alloy wheels, eight-speaker sound system with six-stack CD, a boot lid that raises at the press of a key fob, electrically heated mirrors which include turn indicators, six-way electric adjustment for the driver's seat, rain-sensing wipers and five-star ENCAP occupant protection rating in a crash.And that's just a small selection of the standard equipment that makes the modern Passat a pleasurable vehicle for relaxing progress.The Passat driven had the 2.0 FSI turbo petrol engine. This gives 147kW power at 5100-6000rpm and torque of 280Nm over a wide 1800-4700rpm. It translates to a 0-100km/h sprint in 7.8 seconds, says VW, and a potential top speed of 230km/h.It runs a six-speed tiptronic automatic transmission that settles at 2300rpm at 110km/h when cruising.This is the same engine as found in the Volkswagen Golf GTi. In that GTi, it's a little cracker – eager, responsive, a hot unit. In the Passat, it could be a different engine – quiet, refined and only singing its presence when the accelerator is pressed hard. It's an ideal example of a good turbocharged engine in a family car: there's no startling evidence that it is a turbo. It pulls steadily from low revs. Quiet driving is rewarded with pleasing fuel economy. Sure, there's a lot more go at higher revs where the turbo allows strong performance if required, but it doesn't arrive with a marked leap.Passat can be had with other engine choices. The range starts at $42,990, with a two-litre turbocharged diesel giving 103kW power and a good 320Nm of torque at just 1750rpm. Or at $54,990, there's the 3.2-litre V6 petrol of 184kW and 330Nm torque. The V6 means also getting the 4Motion all-wheel-drive system. The V6 is the super-luxury version with extras. The V6 and the diesel are mated to VW's excellent DSG six-speed transmission.Station wagons are $2000 more in each case.The glove box is barely medium-size but there are generous door pockets and some other fascia compartments. Rear leg room is good and head room fair.Cornering poise is there but hard driving can find understeer, inevitable when the engine weight is ahead of the front axle line in a front-wheel-drive car.Options include an electric sunroof at $1990, metallic paint $990, bi-xenon self-levelling headlamps $2290, leather trim $2990 (including heated front seats standard on the V6) and satellite navigation $2990.The car runs on premium unleaded petrol.You'll impress others with the smart key that requires just placing in a dashboard slot and pressing to start the engine. And the parking brake is also controlled by a push button on the dashboard. There's an auto-hold function that can be selected for the transmission: it prevents the car creeping forward when left in D after you've stopped in traffic.The boot is a real surprise, too: very long and with 565-litre capacity in the sedan, even with a full-size spare wheel under the floor where there's more stowage space.The Passat's not what it used to be. It's now a luxury European sedan at family-car prices.

Tarago might not have been the first people mover. The Volkswagen Kombi started it all before things like the (Isuzu) Holden Shuttle joined the fray. Toyota Tarago appeared here in 1983 as a 1.8-litre. As Toyota usually does, once it's in there it does it well and it does it for a long time.Ten years ago, one in two people movers sold in Australia was a Tarago. Lower-priced (Korean) models have provided competition, and although Tarago sales numbers remain steady its relative slice of the cake is thinner as total sales have grown.Despite prices being above those of volume selling rivals, this latest Tarago deserves to make that cake slice a bit thicker for Toyota.People movers started out as vans – one-tonne commercial vehicles with a few rows of extra seats bolted in. No amount of velour interior could disguise their teetering cornering, dodgy brakes, iffy steering, wheezy performance and fingers-crossed safety.Now, a decent people mover is designed to be so from the start, with up to eight people, not cargo, the main concern.This new Tarago is a fine example of that.It has a new body, yet most will easily pick it as a Tarago. It has 20mm more width inside where it feels very spacious and open, particularly in the second row of seats: slide that row back and those passengers get more leg-stretch room than in a Holden Caprice. That second-row seat can slide over 65cm of rails.The base of that seat can fold up to provide a cavernous space amidships, accessed by big sliding doors each side of the vehicle.The second row of seats can split-fold 60/40 – as does the third row, which has limited leg room but can squeeze in three smaller people. All occupants get height-adjustable head restraints. The third row can be somersaulted forwards to create more boot room.That luggage space is accessed by a single, lift-up tailgate. Storage and security are aided by handy bins under the rear floor. All three rows have fold-down central armrests.The new Tarago roof is 30mm lower, at 1750mm, meaning there shouldn't be many underground car parks that will catch it.Although the Tarago feels big inside and needs some familiarisation to get used to where the left of the vehicle is when driving past parked cars, its exterior dimensions are less than those of a Commodore sedan. Tarago is 4795mm long and 1800mm wide while Commodore is 4876mm long and 1842mm wide; so parking is not an issue.Yet the Tarago wheelbase is even greater than that of the long-wheelbase Caprice – noticed when doing left-hand turns on to narrow lanes when the nose swings out wide.Although a powerful V6 engine is mooted in six to nine months, the new Tarago makes do with a revised version of the 2.4-litre four-cylinder. It has variable valve timing and a higher compression ratio to give 10kW more power – now at 125kW while torque at 224Nm is only tested when a load is on and there's a hill to climb.The only transmission is a four-speed automatic. The selector comes from the lower dashboard and now allows for sequential shift. Otherwise it's an intelligent box that holds a lower gear for climbing or descending.The instrument panel is a talking point – central and well forward under the sloping, big windscreen. The only minor grizzle is that the gear readout for the sequential shift is positioned way left. Tarago settles at 2500rpm at 110km/h and noise is well suppressed for a four-cylinder.Plenty of glove boxes, cup holders and other stowage areas have been built in.Tarago starts with GLi on 16in steel rims. It is well equipped, including dual-zone climate control, tilt and telescopic adjustable steering, power windows (including those in the sliding doors), cruise control, fog lights and ABS brakes. It's $48,990.The recommended option is the $1500 safety pack which has extra airbags (side, curtain and driver's knee) to make a total of seven, plus vehicle stability control.The GLX gets that safety pack equipment as standard and adds roof rails, front and rear parking sensors, six-stack CD, 17in alloy wheels and rear-seat climate control airconditioner. GLX is $51,990.

That it carries a Hyundai badge may be the biggest obstacle in buyers signing the cheque for this large luxury sedan. Not that it's shoddy or poorly engineered. On the contrary; Korean-built cars are now of a much higher standard than before and often hard to pick from Japanese or European vehicles.Yet Hyundai must earn badge credibility. It's taken Mercedes-Benz, BMW and other desirable and coveted marques decades of producing better than average cars to climb to a position of respect.But the advantage a buyer gets with the Hyundai Grandeur is price – the comparatively low $42,990 for the Grandeur and $46,990 for Grandeur Limited compensating for any worry about depreciation of a brand not (yet) deemed as desirable as the more famous traditional marques. Grandeur is a large four-door sedan with good interior space. Certainly the back seat feels more relaxing than a Ford Fairmont or Holden Berlina/Calais.Look at what you get for the price on Grandeur: A 3.8-litre V6 engine giving a claimed 194kW of power, which is more than its rivals, although its 348Nm of torue is bettered by the four-litre Ford Fairmont. Grandeur has a five-speed sequential shift automatic (Fairmont and Berlina still haveonly four-speed auto). Equipment would take a couple of pages to list but a selection includes dual-zone climate-control airconditioning, cruise control, steering wheel controls for the audio system which has a six-stack CD and eight speakers (and a tape player), power windows, remote central locking, trip computer, leather interior power adjustable front seats, boot cargo net, 60/40 fold-down rear seat backrest, front and rear fog lamps, 17in-diameter alloy wheels, reverse sensing warning, electronic stability control, ABS brakes, dual front airbags, front and rear side (thorax) airbags and front and rear side curtain airbags. That's for $42,990.Spend another $4000 for the Grandeur Limited and you'll also get memory settings for seats, steering wheel and mirrors, heated front seats, automatic day-night mirror, power up-down rear windscreen sunshade, power sunroof, solar glass plus xenon headlights with washers. Steering has electric ad justment, too, including reach. It has a foot-pedal park brake and day-illuminated instruments.Slip it into reverse and the outside mirrors dip to show the rearwheels and the rear windscreen sunshade automatically lowers. Put it back into drive and they return to normal.The Grandeur is best at low to medium speeds – very quiet, comfortable, composed and able to return 10 litres/100km in rural and Hills driving.The lusty V6 responds with a purposeful distant growl when you put the foot down. The big 1645kg Grandeur is no sports sedan. Press hard and understeer is evident on the front-wheel-drive chassis and the body leans. Put a bit more air pressure in the front tyres and the 235/55 x 17 tyres hang on better yet it's not as composed on bumpy corners as the Aussie-made rivals.But the point is this: the people who buy Grandeur probably won't seek a sports sedan or pin-sharp steering. They'll want a luxury feel, lots of comfort and convenience equipment and smooth power.

European makers are leading the way in offering diesel-engine alternatives to their petrol models.

GM's latest big V8 – a six-litre job called the L76 – gives more power and torque, the latter at more accessible engine speeds than the previous 5.7-litre Gen III V8.But in this 1772kg, 5.2m saloon where it's matched to an aged four-speed automatic, it does like a drink of petrol. And it prefers premium unleaded fuel, further adding to the cost. Perhaps buyers of this sort of car are well used to fuel bills, or they have an arrangement where the bills are paid by someone else. But there is growing concern about the environment and not everyone feels guilt-free in a six-litre V8 of considerable size.I drove the new V8 Caprice very gently, rarely going above 2000rpm, yet over more than 400km in a mix of conditions, including very gentle country cruising, averaged 12.5 litres/100km. Use more of the power more often and it will be higher than this. The 100km stint of suburban and city driving used 16.2 litres.But on the few times the right foot was pressed down harder, the call was answered: 260kW of power at 5600rpm and 510Nm of torque at 4400rpm compares with the 245kW and 465Nm of the previous V8.The old four-speed automatic now changes with good subtlety and we settled into 110km/h at approaching 1900rpm at whisper-quiet running save for a bit of tyre slap, depending on the road surface. Holden Caprice V8, now at $75,390, is very well equipped in luxury gear (see Small Torque) but beaten by the Europeans in airbag protection.Features include very generous rear-seat leg room, comfort, a luxury car being able to take on Australian rough conditions, a large boot and plenty of dealer support. The test car, in deep blue, tasteful touches of chrome and a beige leather interior, looked a picture, too.Holden puts much into the Caprice: DVD player with twin screens and headsets in the rear, six-stack CD, 12-speaker 430W sound system, leather trim, eight-way power adjustable front seats, driver's seat memory (for three drivers), dual-zone climate control, comprehensive trip computer, 17in diameter alloy wheels, front fog lamps plus cornering lamps, tyre pressure monitor, and front and rear parking sensors.V8 fans would disagree but I'd go for the Caprice 3.6-litre V6, for $4700 less at $70,690. It has all the above features but has a five-speed automatic with Active-select paddleshift and is tuned for regular unleaded. It has ESP whereas the V8 gets only traction control. The V6 gives 190kW and 335Nm, and needs service every 15,000km to the V8's every 10,000km.GM Holden says its new V8 will run on regular unleaded (it has knock sensors) but gives its best with fuel of the premium unleaded variety.