Articles by Stuart Martin

I generally only get noticed in traffic when I'm lucky enough to be behind the wheel of something exotic. But not this time. More than a few noticed me behind the wheel of Nissan's Micra-with-a-boot, the Almera - but for all the wrong reasons. It's not a pretty little runabout, as you can see, but Nissan will be banking on price tags, fuel economy and space as being higher on the priorities list than styling.Money talks at this end of the market, and the ST manual sedan is a bit of a chatterbox at $16,990. It has air conditioning, a four-speaker MP3/CD sound system, power windows, 15in steel wheels, tilt-only adjustable steering, audio and phone controls on the steering wheel, remote central locking. However, there's no cruise control, no USB port and no splitfold rear seat access to the large boot, so the value equation falters a little.There's not really much in the Almera that qualifies as new technology - it has a Bluetooth phone link (minus audio streaming) with wheel-mounted controls, a trip computer (including a maintenance reminder) and an auxiliary input jack for the four-speaker sound system, but no USB equivalent. The 1.5-litre engine is not exactly cutting edge - a 16-valve, double overhead cam unit producing 75kW of power and 139Nm of torque, the latter at 4000rpm.It's not the first time Nissan has come up with an exterior that is noticed for all the wrong reasons - looks part Maxima, part Micra and all out of kilter. The cabin is low-rent as you'd expect in the cheapest car segment, but at 190cm I can find a decent driving position - even with tilt-only steering - and can easily fit my legs in behind my own driving position.However, head room is far less cavernous thanks to the plunging roofline - anyone approaching average adult height is going to become intimate with the roof lining. The cargo space is up there for the segment at 490 litres but is hamstrung by the absence of a folding rear seat back - splitfold or otherwise.The Almera has yet to be slammed into an obstacle by NCAP - it's US cousin the Versa ranks four stars with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and "good" under the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety testing regime. There are dual front, front-side and curtain airbags, stability control, anti-lock brakes (front discs but rear drums) with brakeforce distribution and emergency brake assist.Budget motoring rarely presents a sublime driving experience and sadly for Nissan the Almera doesn't change that tune. There's ample space in the front thanks to the tall and somewhat ungainly looking body and despite the tilt-only steering adjustment a reasonable driving position can be attained.The steering is light and it's easily directed in a metropolitan situation - where Nissan says this car will spend the vast majority of its time. Don't look for it to liven up when the roads become rural ribbons of bitumen - this is a suburban machine. The gearshift isn't anything to rave about either - it's too notchy and rubbery - but most will opt for the automatic.Ride quality was a little on the rugged side, which was surprising given the runabout family duties it seems destined for - it's not unbearable but I expected a little more compliance given its metropolitan target market. Rear seat occupants won't want to be tall - headroom at the back is nowhere near as generous as the legroom, thanks to the sloping roofline heading aft.Cargo space is more than ample, particularly given the overall size of the vehicle, but the absence of fold-down seat backs is limiting for larger load carrying.

Ford Kuga Trend and Mitsubishi ASX Aspire go head-to-head in this comparative review.

The Indian-owned British marque Jaguar has new model variants on the way with naturally-aspirated V6 and V8 petrol engines falling by the wayside.

The all-new Mazda 6 mid-sizer was a sure starter for first quarter next year but the Japanese brand has pulled out all the stops to get it into local showrooms earlier.

It calls itself “a maker of quality vehicles for the young-at-heart’’ and that accurate self-assessment explains a good part of Kia’s increasing impact. The Korean brand kicks goals in styling and sales, popping into the monthly top 10 list on a number of occasions. Its Rio hatch is the reigning Carsguide car of the year. Kia’s show star is the Trackster concept. Unveiled at February’s Chicago Auto Show, it points towards the next generation of styling theme for Kia and perhaps the next Soul. Kia Motors Australia chief operating officer Tony Barlow says it’s no secret the start of Kia’s global re-birth coincided with the design influence and direction introduced by Peter Schreyer. “You see all the key Kia design touchstones, albeit with a healthy dose of fun and expectation – the sort of special event concept that seems to be happening less and less in an increasingly practical economic environment,’’ he says. The Trackster features the now familiar Kia grille, albeit trimmed in carbon fibre, with integrated swept-back headlights, LEDs and bulging wheel arches, with a longer wheelbase over the current Soul. Also lengthened are the front doors, which are the concept car’s only entry point as it has lost the production Soul’s rear doors; the concept car is 127mm wider than the production car. The concept car sits on bling 19-inch alloy wheels wrapped with Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 high-performance tyres, with big Brembo vented and cross-drilled disc front brakes gripped by six-piston calipers and 345mm discs and four-piston calipers at the rear. All that stopping power is required to rein in a 186kW 2.0-litre turbocharged inline-four-cylinder. The output is a whacking 66 per cent increase over the production car, and it has got to the road via a six-speed manual gearbox and allwheel drive. Orange suede-covered racing seats contrast with the grey leather interior and sport steering wheel, while the rear seat has been replaced with an integrated equipment tray and spare-tyre wheel well.  

One of the first compact soft-roaders, one Australians still identify with this exploding market segment, is back with a vengeance. Honda will have its new compact SUV contender, the CR-V take pride of place at the AIMS as it prepares to put the new SUV on sale next month. One of the brand’s most popular models – it’s sold more than 5.5 million globally since it was launched in 1995 – the new CR-V will be offered in front and all-wheel-drive for the first time. The two-wheel-drive model will be offered in two model variants and be powered by a 2-litre engine producing 114kW and 190Nm of torque. That’s all channelled to the front wheels via six-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmission and claiming 7.8L/100km for fuel use for the manual and 7.7 for the auto. Buyers looking at an all-wheel- drive model will still have a choice of three specification levels but they all get the 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine offering 140kW and 222Nm, teamed only to a five-speed automatic. Fuel use is a claimed 8.7. The CR-V model will use the latest generation of Honda’s Real Time AWD system which has had its hydraulic system replaced by an electronic system that Honda says responds more quickly to changing conditions, as well as reducing weight and fuel consumption. The brand is also expecting to have a 110kW/350Nm turbo-diesel model to join the line-up from the middle of 2013. The new Honda SUV has been given a sharper, more aggressive look, including a 30mm reduction in overall height; the engineers have also increased the amount of sound insulation in key areas and put double seals on the doors, all of which has reduced cabin noise. Boot capacity is now 589 litres (up from 556 litres) and when the rear seats are folded flat there is 1648 litres of space – a 148-litre increase, says Honda – and the load lip has been reduced by 25mm for easier loading. Also on the Honda stand will be the CR-Z, examples of the Civic range, the Odyssey people mover, Accord and Accord Euro sedans and the Jazz hatchback.  

The general with a German accent has arrived. Opel’s cars are not new as such, it’s just that previous generations wore Holden badges, of which the Astra was a critical and popular favourite. Now the Astra not only wears its proper badge, it’s about to arrive in its hottest form yet. The OPC badge – Opel Performance Centre – means the Astra is shot from standstill to 100km/h in six seconds, thanks to a two-litre direct-injection turbo four-cylinder that produces 206kW and 400Nm. Globally, Opel says, more than half of the 10,000 OPC cars will be Astras, with high performance front suspension struts, the mechatronic “FlexRide’’ adaptive suspension system, a limited slip differential, Brembo brakes and three-stage stability control among its arsenal. All OPC cars are tested over 10,000km endurance on the 20.8km Nordschleife at the Nurburgring, which equates to around 180,000km on the road. The high-performance Astra model will be joined by its mainstream sibling on the show stand, which will have an Astra Sport hatch and an up-spec Select Sports Tourer wagon, as well as a GTC variant. The Astra range is an all-turbo offering, with 1.4 and 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engines as well as a two-litre turbodiesel powerplant teamed with six-speed manual and automatic transmissions. In Europe, it’s seen as a natural rival for Volkswagen’s all-conquering Golf, so no prizes for guessing what model’s being targeted here. Standard Astra features includes full iPod integration, USB input, voice control, alloy wheels and cruise control. In a previous Holden-based form, the sedan was the best-seller but those with fond memories of the four door (including us) won’t be disappointed by the sharp three and five-doors that comprise the new Astra line-up. Among the new model Opels we can expect to see here in the near future is the new Adam small car – named after the company founder – that made its debut recently at the Paris motor show. Indications are that we’ll also see the new version of the much underrated and Astra-based Zafira mini people-mover and the Mokka compact SUV. You’ll also get a history lesson on the brand at the Opel stand where you’ll see an early 1900s Opel Darracq, which harks back to the brand’s first automotive efforts. The Opel brand itself began in 1862 in Russelsheim, Germany, founded by Adam Opel who built sewing machines in his father’s locksmith workshop. The first Darracq chassis were outfitted with Opel bodies in 1902 at the company’s Russelsheim headquarters. If Opel’s heritage is impeccable, so too is its line-up, which brings German engineering at a nice price.  

Volkswagen has come close. It is now the eighth most popular brand in Australia - from a list of 48 players - with almost 5 per cent of the market. Though the figure seems small, consider that five years ago it had 2.6 per cent of the market and that today it more than doubles the sales of the next most popular European, Mercedes-Benz, which has a 2 per cent share of the market.  Now, Volkswagen spreads its product range wider, poised soon to launch its cute, highly efficient and sub-$15,000 city car, the Up. It is to present its Passat Alltrack - an all-wheel-drive Subaru chaser - and the new-generation Beetle, while trimming its Touareg SUV range back to a diesel-only selection and preparing a new Golf for the world market. The latest product niche is a wagon that takes on Australia’s crossover darling, Subaru. At the same time, the Volkswagen Passat Alltrack takes a swipe at a similar product from family owned Audi - the yet-to-be released $70,000 A4 Allroad. The Alltrack arrives 40 years after Subaru launched the all-wheel drive wagon and singularly changed the way we drive today. It is expected to cost around $49,000 - which is a one third discount on the Audi - and its turbo diesel and automatic transmission specifications take on the Subaru Outback (which is yet to launch an auto diesel) and the Volvo XC70 D5, which costs from $64,000. The Alltrack is a different kettle to the Passat V6 4Motion, a $56,000 road-going sports-oriented wagon.  In fact, it gets the same off-road package -  electronic drive traction and braking aids, a steel under body and extra 30mm ride height - as the sister Touareg and Tiguan SUVs. Except for the Passat’s extended front and rear overhang, it is as capable off the road as these two. But it is biased towards the street. Compared with the Touareg and Tiguan, it is more luxury-oriented, more comfortable and handles the bitumen with far more confidence. Driven in Austria and Switzerland at its international launch in March, the Alltrack cleverly melds off-road purpose with on-road convenience. Its external size offers excellent cabin room, a huge boot and the expected high level of versatility in an SUV. The dashboard escapes much of the all-black plastic of some VW models with contrasting colours and soft-feel plastics. Driven in mud and snow, I commented that though the all-wheel-drive system - Volkswagen calls it 4Motion - has been around for a few years, it remains simple and effective. It delivers about 10 per cent power to the rear wheels on bitumen but seeks out traction and is flexible enough to put up to 100 per cent to the rear wheels. The sole engine at its launch in Europe was the 125kW/350Nm 2-litre turbo-diesel that’s common to a string of VW, Skoda and Audi product. The box is a six-speed DSG with paddle shifts for manual operation. Tested in snow, the all-wheel drive system constantly sends power to the wheels with traction. It works very well, but enthusiastic off-road owners will find the car’s flaws are its 165mm ground clearance and its comparatively long 941mm/1120mm front/rear overhangs. The Alltrack will tow up to 2000kg and is appealing to people towing boats, horse floats and caravans.  

Ten years since it revitalised the moribund mid-size class, the Mazda 6 has never looked so good.

Soon there may be no need to stop at the water's edge, if the ultimate toy for the bush and the beach goes on sale here next year. Developed by Gibbs Sports Amphibian - founded and owned by Kiwi Alan Gibb - the Quadski single-seater is an all-terrain vehicle that transforms into something akin to a jetski.At $40,000 the amphibian amusement is not going to come cheap but when you consider it's two vehicles in one, perhaps the pricetag looks a little less daunting. While there have been other amphibious vehicles, none have been able to achieve speeds of up to 70km/h on both land and water."You just drive straight into the water, quite fast, and keep on going. It's sort of magic," company founder Alan Gibbs says. "We'll respond to how the market develops ... we wouldn't be doing it without being very confident that people will love them," he says.It's powered by a 104kW BMW K1300 motorcycle engine which drives the rear wheels on land; when driven into the water it takes just four seconds to tuck the wheels up. The Quadski then sits on its fibreglass composite hull and uses an in-house waterjet to propel it. At 3.2m long and 1.6m wide it's longer and heavier than a conventional ATV; the dry weight - pardon the pun - is 535kg. The company is also working on larger models that would also have military applications. Gibbs Sports Amphibians was founded 16 years ago and has since reportedly spent more than US$200 million on the project, building nine prototypes and registering more than 300 patents. It's not the first amphibious vehicle developed by the company -- the Aquada high-speed amphibious vehicle claims top speeds over 160km/h on land and 50km/h on water. It was used by Sir Richard Branson to set a new record - 1 hour 40 minutes - for crossing the English Channel in an amphibious vehicle. The company has also developed the 4WD Phibian - which can carry up to 12 passengers or 1500kg of cargo and is designed primarily with military applications in mind. Also in the development pipeline is the Humdinga II, a supercharged V8 4WD vehicle that can seat up to seven and is also a vehicle designed with emergency services in mind. The Quadski amphibious vehicle will be made at the company's Michigan factory (formerly a Daewoo plant). The company is aiming to sell as many as 1000 a year once full production (at a rate of 20 vehicles per day) gets underway.