Articles by Stuart Martin

Shopping trolleys aren't renowned for steering, ride quality or comfort or features. Neither are the cars that share - rather unkindly - the title, but recent offerings have raised the bar.Ford and Mazda contribute models that show dynamics aren't beyond the reach of light car buyers. Hyundai's i20, the Indian-built five-door hatch model, certainly looks better than the company's previous efforts. It's teen-priced A-to-B transport - a little hatch that's all about ...VALUEThe i20 we've been piloting is the 1.4-litre five-door Active manual, the entry-level five-door priced from $16,490.For that, the features list is surprisingly good - automatic (just after take-off) remote central door locking, an alarm, two-way adjustable steering, airconditioning, a 60/40 split-fold rear seat and a four-spear sound system with 3.5mm auxiliary jack and a USB port. The sound system also offers a Bluetooth phone link, something many cars twice the price have yet to manage.TECHNOLOGYThis end of the market isn't going to offer high-end technology like night vision or active cruise control, but the safety list below and the aforementioned connectivity will appeal to the younger first-car buyers who are shopping in this segment.The i20 didn't like to have the iPhone plugged in to the USB, refusing to acknowledge the presence of a music player within the phone - it's not the only car to baulk at the double-act either.DESIGNIt's a little shopping trolley so it's not going to set new standards for exterior design, but it shows more flair than the little box that i20 is replacing - the Getz. The cabin is on the plasticky side - but we're south of $20,000 so that's to be expected - but overall it's not an unpleasant interior.There's storage pockets for all sorts of paraphernalia and - even for a driver at 191cm and broad - it's reasonably comfortable cabin, although the bar across the base of the driver's backrest made its presence known and detracted from the seat comfort. Bootspace at 295 litres is good enough to take a folded stroller and baby bag, which is something a couple of contenders in the (larger) small car market could not manage due to restricted load bay width.SAFETYSlowly this is becoming more of a selling point and Hyundai - which previously offered viable safety option packs not tied to upgraded trim or features - have put useful levels of safety in the i20, with cars since September last year getting six airbags, making it one of the cheapest five-star NCAP cars available.The safety features list now has traction and stability control (something absent from the standard features list for much of its opposition), dual front and front-side airbags, full-length curtain airbags and anti-lock brakes.DRIVINGA little prettier than the some of the reps in this segment, it falls short of knocking the Fiesta out but could match the Yaris for aesthetics. We're in the manual, which has only an average shift action and a light and dead clutch pedal - if it were our long-term test car there would be a risk of regular over-revving which would mean a short clutch lifespan.The three-door i20 was a Carsguide COTY finalist last year and impressed with its honest efforts and the four-door has carried on that theme. The engine works hard but is no sparkler - there's little to like about the noise when it's called on to work hard, or the outputs. It can be kept humming with the manual gearbox to maintain a reasonable rate of knots within traffic - but anyone looking for an automatic would definitely need to head for the 1.6.The ride quality is on the poor side, particularly on the smaller bumps and ruts, the blame for which can perhaps be attributed to the tyres. The suspension isn't heavily skewed towards handling either - the ride quality is acceptable without shining and a little more localisation is needed. The driver's seat was marred by a cross-bar that sat at near the base of the backrest, which detracted from an otherwise comfortable seat.VERDICTAs a suburban get-about, the i20 gets reasonable space, class-leading safety gear and a decent number of features for the asking price; dynamically it falls short of the class yardsticks from Ford and Mazda but as A to B transport it more than does the job.HYUNDAI i20 ACTIVE 5-DOORPrice: $16,490Warranty: 5 years, unlimited kilometre Resale: 61%Service interval: 15,000km or 12-monthsEconomy: 6 l/100km; 142g/km co2, tank 45 litresSafety: Six airbags, stability control, ABS & EBD.Crash rating: 5 starEngine: 73kw/136Nm 1.4-litre DOHC 16-valve four-cylinderTransmission: five speed manual, front-wheel driveBody: 5-door, 5 seatsDimensions: 3940mm (l); 1710mm (w); 1490mm (h); 2525m (wb)Weight: 1117kgTyre size: 185/60R15 steelSpare: tyre full size

Something like "$85,000 is well below the going rate for a senator's signature, isn't it?" is too easy, inaccurate (in sentiment as well as market rate, we hope). The fully-loaded Senator sits $5000 below the more-tastily named Grange long-wheelbase flagship and is less overt than the slightly more-powerful (and $1000 more expensive) GTS, but still oozes musclebound presence.VALUEThe HSV Senator Signature asks for $83,990, which in the world of prestige motoring buys you an Audi A4, C-Class Benz or 3-Series Beemer - all cars that have nowhere near the rear seat room or the brain-bending performance of the V8 musclecar.The Senator has more features than a Canberra DVD store - projector headlights and driving lights (xenons saved for the Grange), daytime LED running lights and rear tailights, leather trim, a leather-wrapped HSV sports steering wheel with height and reach adjust.The helm also has controls for the Enhanced Driver Interface and the HSV derivation of the iQ infotainment system. There's also a trip computer (with some numbers you may not want to see), Bluetooth phone link, satnav, dual-zone climate control, alloy pedals, a trio of centre-mounted gauges, the (optional at $1990) blind spot warning system, a rear overhead DVD player, HSV "performance" electrically-adjustable leather seats and an (optional $1990) sunroof.TECHNOLOGYHSV went down the path of boosting brain-power instead of horsepower for the E3 upgrade - after all, anything over 300kW and 500Nm is an "elegant sufficiency" of outputs for most road performances.The brand uses the touchscreen for more than satnav, phone and sound system functions - the Enhanced Driver Interface offers the Senator Signature driver access to a whole world of techno-babble - G-force readings, power and torque gauges and mapping and timing functions for racetracks in the system. It can also be downloaded for social media bragging rights via a USB port in the glovebox, although that feature would seem more likely to be a boy-racer's bag than that which would appeal to someone buying an $80,000 car, even one like this.Also in the same basket is the three-stage stability control, which has a competition mode for a little mis-behaving before the electronics step in. The Senator gets a more comfortable "Premium" tune of the Magnetic Ride Control, which takes the sting from the big sedan's ride (which is OK given that it's riding on the optional 20in rims) to some extent, but its on the noisy side when being asked to work hard on rutted roads.There's also the option - for $2290 - of the bi-modal exhaust - which allows the V8 to burble at the lights but speak with a more civilised tone when cruising - it's nice not to have any drone that can intrude on performance exhausts, but open up the taps and it brays with conviction.The Senator has a blind spot warning system, which flashes little red lights at the bottom of the A-pillars when a car is lurking - probably getting an eyeful of the car's powerful haunches - in the large-ish blindspot behind the C-pillar.DESIGNSubtle isn't the first adjective ascribed to any HSV product but the business suit versions sans massive rear spoiler look less "fully sick" and more corporate - in a V8 Supercar exec sort of way.HSV calls it the luxury body design with "Shockwave" exhaust outlets and the lower-key rear lip spoiler, but when it rumbles up into the rearvision mirror with its LED day time running lights gleaming too brightly for most, you'll certainly notice it.SAFETYThe Senator gets the full complement of safety features - dual front and side airbags for driver and front passenger, full-length side curtain airbags, stability control, anti-lock brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution and brake assist. The brakes are big and deal with the portly kerb-weight well - thanks no doubt to being ventilated and grooved, with four-piston calipers front and rear.The front seat belts also have with load limiters and pyrotechnic pre-tensioners. The safety features list also includes tyre pressure monitoring, rain sensing wipers and automatic headlights, front and rear parking sensors, a rear camera.It was in this area where the Senator let itself down a little - the centre display threw up an Auto Brake fault and then a Stability Control fault, which was rectified with a new brake switch component; the rear camera and satnav displays also decided to go AWOL, requiring the car to be turned off, locked, unlocked and re-started - an automotive re-boot?DRIVINGLiving up to your looks is a good thing when you look like this car - aggressive but without looking like a steroid-infused security man, perhaps more akin to that bloke's boss.The burble gives way to a mechanical bellow that's accompanied by considerable forward thrust, interrupted by auto changes that could perhaps be a little smarter and slicker.There's nothing wrong with the way it corners, defying its considerable kerb weight to track faithfully, although the tricky dampers can get a bit of a rattle up when dealing with some sharper bumps, but in the main it deals well with road imperfections, especially given its the low profile rubber wrapped around the optional 20in wheels fitted to the test car.As a roadtrip car it eats curvy country-road distances - only extreme throttle provocation makes the back wheels twitch.The Bluetooth system works well in some scenarios, although if you've plugged an iPhone into the system and then have the musicplayer going in conjunction with a phone call, the music track be heard as well - make sure you're not listening to The 12th Man first.One thing that was absent on the features list that should be there when shelling out this amount of money - there's no automatic-dimming rearvision mirror, which is something that should be in an $85,000 vehicle.VERDICTPut the badge snobbery aside and there's not much near this for the money that can carry as many passengers and luggage for a road trip - and outpunch serious sportscars if and when required. Unless you look at the FPV or Chrysler opposition, you have to triple the pricetag and buy German to get the same performance.HSV Senator E3Price: $83,990Warranty: 3 years, 100,000kmResale: 80%Service Interval: 12 months/15,000kmEconomy: 13.7 l/100km, on test 15.7; 324g/km CO2, tank 73 litresSafety: Equipment six airbags, stability control, ABS.Crash rating: 5 starEngine: 317kW/550Nm 6.2-litre OHV 90-deg V8Transmission: six speed auto, rear-wheel drive with LSDBody: 5-door, 5 seatsDimensions: 4943mm (L); 1899mm (W); 1467mm (H); 2915mm (WB)Weight: 1792kgTyre size: 19in alloy wheels, optional 20in for $2500Spare tyre: inflator/repair kit 

Just in case the latest Jeeps are not quite rugged enough for your taste, the US brand and its aftermarket arm Mopar have rolled out some equipment "showcases" for the Jeep faithful.

The charge will be led by the Fabia small car range and the Yeti compact SUV, with both aiming to provide an entry-point for the Czech range as well as its VW parent when launched at the Australian International Motor Show in Melbourne mid-year. The Fabia small-car range will kick off with a hatchback model in manual petrol form - using the 77kW TSI engine - as well as a Monte Carlo model, with DSG and wagon models to follow later in the year. A hot RS variant - with 132kW and only a DSG transmission - is also set for touchdown before the end of 2011. The Yeti compact SUV will be the second star for Melbourne, with both two and four-wheel drive versions on the list of vehicles Skoda hopes will bring in younger buyers, with an emphasis on tapping the female side of the market. Local Skoda brand boss Matthew Wiesner says the two small vehicles will be price-competitive in the two fast-growing segments and have buyer appeal. "The Yeti will have very broad appeal, the whole segment is evolving with 2WD and 4WD, there's a strong younger buyer part to that 2WD segment," he says. "The Fabia - hatch, wagon, Monte Carlo and RS - offers a mix of vehicles for younger buyers, the wagon will get some older buyers in as well," Mr Wiesner says. The Australian International Motor Show in Melbourne will see these two debut, as well as the Skoda brand's new-look logo and refreshed brand personality first seen at the recent Geneva motor show. Mr Wiesner is aiming to double the Skoda sales figure of 1632 (a 31 per cent improvement on 2009) for 2010 this year, with 2012 expected to double that already-lofty 2011 target. "We will go close to doubling our 2010 volumes this year, and again doubling that effort for 2012" he says. Mr Wiesner says the brand's representatives in the larger segments are hamstrung by supply that's well short of demand - the Superb flagship will be expanded the front and all-wheel drive offerings for the large car range. "We'll be adding the 103 TDI drivetrain that's in the new Scout to the Superb range." The Octavia Scout could also have another engine on offer - "We'll see how it goes, a petrol TSI engine would be nice if and when it becomes available, there's still a significant petrol market there," he says.

March was Chinese brand Chery's first month on sale, with the brand retailing 53 units of the $11,990 drive-away J1 hatchback and 166 of the J11 2WD SUVs nationally.  Ateco Automotive - importers of Chery and Great Wall - spokesman Daniel Cotterill said the Chinese brand was building up its network and expected volumes to grow as the dealerships - currently numbering 45 across the country - were established. "We're in the early stages of setting up the dealer network, those that were set up and had stock sold to our expectations," he said.  Mr Cotterill said the Great Wall brand had taken 18 months to sell its first 10,000 cars in Australia but expected the second 10,000 would be sold during the 2011 calendar year. The Great Wall brand - which only currently sells light commercials and SUVs - sold 537 units last month, taking its YTD total to 1654.  Proposed interest rate hikes, higher petrol prices and fewer fleet sales may impact on new vehicle sales but market leader Toyota said the absence of buyer incentives had let the market return to its natural level, according to Toyota's senior executive director sales and marketing, David Buttner. "In 2010 the industry enjoyed a record March as a result of the improving economy and the final influence of government incentive," he said. The Adelaide-built Holden Commodore remained the nation's most popular car and sales and marketing executive director John Elsworth said Commodore and Cruze sales figures set the tone for a positive year ahead. "In the small car segment, not only has Cruze had its second best month since launch, sales are up 32 per cent on March last year," he said. Industry sales figures released yesterday by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries for the first quarter of 2011 show the new vehicle market at 248,464 - down by 3363 sales on the 2010 tallies to the same point.  Light cars and compact SUVs were the only segments to remain ahead of last year's year-to-date (YTD) totals, with only the compact and luxury SUV sales segments showing positive signs in month and YTD sales over last year's numbers.SUV sales grew in March and overall for the year so far - almost 2400 units up the first quarter of 2010 - thanks to an increase in private buyers.  Light commercial sales remained buoyant, up just over nine per cent for March - a 1547 vehicle increase - and 2.2 per cent ahead for the year so far.FCAI chief executive Andrew McKellar said the demand for new vehicles is "broadly consistent" with other economic indicators.  "The reality is the overall level of new vehicle sales remains robust and remains well above 1 million units over the past 12 months," he said.Stephen Scheffler, 58, from Victor Harbor, covers between 35 and 50,000km a year as a HR training consultant and researched the Chery brand before buying a J11 SUV. "I've only had it a week and I'm extremely pleased with the car, I do a reasonable amount of driving and I was looking for something that looked like a 4Wd but wasn't so it was a bit cheaper to run," he said.   TOP 10            MARCH        (YTD) Toyota             18,466            (47,887 -7.3%))Holden             10,816            (29,515 -11.8%)Mazda              8039              (22,883 8.4%)Ford                 8698               (22,713 3.4%)Hyundai            7126              (20,143 -5.0%)Nissan              7789               (18,258 19.3%)Mitsubishi         5656              (15,311 4.7%)Subaru             3901              (10,731 5.0%)Volkswagen       3228            (8758 4.6%)Honda              2634              (7446 -27.4%)TOP 20 VEHICLES       MARCH      (YTD)Holden Commodore   4170           (10,644)Toyota Hilux             4028           (9411)Mazda3                     3979          (11,159)Toyota Corolla           3067           (9712)Holden Cruze             2804          (7446)Nissan Navara            2575          (6586)Hyundai i30               2376          (6705)Mitsubishi Triton         1978          (4496)Mitsubishi Lancer        1749          (4980)Ford Falcon                1719          (4448)Toyota Camry            1639          (4229)Toyota Prado            1628          (3831)Ford Ranger              1603          (3841)Mazda2                    1544          (4475)Ford Fiesta                1477          (3764)Hyundai Getz            1463          (5086)Toyota Yaris             1461          (4629)Toyota Kluger           1370          (3182)Toyota RAV4            1318          (3345) Subaru Forester        1227          (3353)

... but they will soon be getting something close to a Magic Carpet Ride. The engineers and electronics boffins are working hard on the Magic Body Control system for debut in the next incarnation of the technology flagship S-Class, according to Professor Bhrat Balasubramanian, vice-president in charge of innovation and technology at Mercedes-Benz. Balasubramanian joked that Magic Body Control was"nothing to do with Victoria's Secret" and was the next step forward from the active body control system that is on the current top-end cars in the Benz range. He trained as a mechanical engineer in the late 1970s at the University of Karlsruhe before beginning his career with Daimler-Benz in 1977 as computational analysis engineer, working in the research and development areas of the passenger car division. His team has worked on the camera systems to recognise speed limit signs and decided to look at other applications for the syste. Balasubramanian said the system underpinned the F700 concept car, with laser scanners measuring the road and feeding it back to the car:"We called it the Magic Carpet Ride." "Anyone who was allowed to drive the car was flabbergasted by it. It was driven at 120km/h on rough roads and they were blown away by the comfort and handling it could provide. It supercedes the Active Body Control and will be seen in the next-generation S-Class." In-car connectivity is another area under Balasubramanian's eye. He says it presents a number of challenges for the company and the industry going forward. Peak among the issues with in-car technology is the balance between informing the occupants and distracting the driver, something the car maker hopes to minimise by tailoring the information delivered using its own server. "The system, in the new C and SLK, offers new connectivity through the user's Bluetooth and phone tethering, you can access various internet options through our backend server, which is designed to offer content that the driver can easily look at and read," he says. Balasubramanian says the long-term goal is seamless connectivity between the car, the home and the workplace. "Now you can go from home to car, you can plan a route in Google now and send it to the car, it's all about the communciation - we are waiting for 4G and once it comes you'll have higher bandwith that will allow more information faster. "We own the backend server and we manage how content gets into the vehicle, so there's very little in driver distration," he says, adding that the Mercedes-Benz unit complies with US and European standards. "What we hear and feel is older customers want integrated and easy, the younger ones want seamless technology across home, car and work. This is a challenge we need to address and we will meet it."

The four-wheel drive wagon has returned to the Skoda range in Australia with a six-speed DSG as well as a manual gearbox - the lack of an auto nobbling Scout sales when the brand returned three years ago.Skoda Australia boss Matthew Wiesner guesstimated that as much as 90 per cent of the showroom traffic for the first model were looking for automatics, which bodes well for the new model's chances of contributing to the brand's sales ambitions.VALUEMimicking its main competition - Subaru's Outback - the Scout will be offered in two models, with a base Scout and a Scout Premium.The range kicks off with the six-speed manual at $39,490, rising to $41,790 for a DSG-equipped wagon. Standard fare includes satellite navigation, dual-zone climate control, a 30gig hard-drive equipped eight-speaker sound system, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, gearshift and handbrake, cloth trim, cruise control, trip computer, 17in alloys, auto headlights and wipers, auto-dimming centre rearvision mirror, rear parking sensors, heated front seats.The Premium pack ups those prices by $4000 but adds a polished finished to the alloy wheels, a sunroof, alcantara leather trim and power-adjustment to the driver's seat.DESIGNThere's nothing outlandish about the design philosophy of the Scout - it's a jacked up (by 40mm) Octavia wagon that is conservative like its predecessor, but a little easier on the eye than the squared off look of the old Scout. The conventional exterior theme is carried over within, but the payoff is reasonable cabin space front and rear, as well as luggage room to the tune of 580 litres, or 1620 litres with the seat-backs down.TECHNOLOGYThe all-wheel drive system used in the new Scout is the fourth-generation of the Haldex clutch, which uses sensors for wheel speed, accelerator pedal position, engine speed and data from the stability control systems to determine how much drive goes the rear axle - Skoda says as much as 98 per cent can be sent to the front or rear wheels as required.SAFETYThe Scout is prepared for an emergency, with stability control - incorporating anti-lock brakes, electronic brakeforce distribution and a hill-holder - and six airbags. There's also the option of adaptive xenon headlights and cornering functionality for the front fog lights.DRIVEThe brief drive of the new DSG model will need to be supplemented with a longer-term stint with the car, but first impressions of the Scout are good. The diesel drivetrain is quiet and the DSG shift is typically slick and swift. While the torque figure might not be groundbreaking, there's solid in-gear acceleration and little in the way of diesel rattle intruding into the cabin. Only at the very top of the rev range - near the power peak - was there any real noise of note.Freeway cruising quickly brought the trip computer figure down toward the highway claim of 5.3 litres per 100km, although the freeway also brought a little tyre noise with it. The equipment list is decent but a glaring omission is the absence of Bluetooth phone link (even on the options list), something of an issue in the VW range as well. It's even more odd given the inclusion of satnav, which on some VW features list is teamed with the phone link.VERDICTThe price is keen and the DSG/diesel drivetrain will win it many fans, but is up against established opponents - worthy of consideration.SKODA OCTAVIA"A good all-rounder that is worth a look"Price: from $41,790Warranty: 3-year / unlimited kilometreResale: 75% (est.)Service interval: variable, condition-basedSafety: 4-star Euro NCAPEngine: 2.0-litre, 4-cyl turbodiesel, 103kW/320NmBody: five-door wagonWeight: 1550-1570kgTransmission: 6-speed manual and DSG, four-wheel driveThirst: 6.1 L/100km, CO2 160g/km

Kia Optima and Hyundai i45 Elite go head-to-head in this comparative review.

... at Ford Australia as proof that Broadmeadows still has plenty of life. It comes as plans for the fourth film was about to start shooting but was stalled by rain, floods and too much green flora at locations near Broken Hill used in the original road movie. There's no nitrous system feeding a big Ford V8, Mel Gibson won't reprise the role, but Ford has let its designers loose to come up with 21st Interceptor vehicles to mark the return of the post-apocalyptic character. The project - in a joint-venture with Top Gear Australia magazine - has been an "after hours" distraction for Ford's Melbourne design and research team, although it also displays to the rest of the Ford world the design prowess at Broadmeadows. Design director Chris Svensson said the team were keen but some were too young to have seen the cult-classic Mad Max film and needed an encore screening. "They approached it with a great deal of enthusiasm - even those that were too young to remember the first Mad Max movie," he says. The original XB Coupe Interceptor was the basis for the new designs, of which two now feature in the current edition of Top Gear Australia magazine. The magazine's poll will decide the most popular, which will be brought into reality first in clay and then as a quarter-scale model to be revealed later this year. The Australian International Motor Show in Melbourne from July 1 to 10 is a likely venue for an unveiling but Ford is not making any promises. The two competing cars - by designers Nima Nourian, 32, and Simon Brook, 27 - have plenty of green drivetrain technology and weapons, including a bonnet-mounted "taser," a titanium-lined bodyshell and wheels with extendable spikes. Nima Nourian says his design paid tribute to the original Mad Max Interceptor, but gives it 21st century firepower. "So instead of having weapons and machine guns, we've got an industrial strength taser that will zap cars dead and out of the way," he says. Simon Brook's car mixes FG Falcon styling cues with the original Interceptor and features the lethal wheels with a James Bond theme. "The wheels' inner spokes on my design would pop out and start ripping up other cars," he says.  "They'd do some serious damage to other people's vehicles."The new Mad Max film will be directed by George Miller, with a working title Mad Max 4: Fury Road, had a tentative 2012 release date but shooting has been delayed by flood waters and overly-green terrain near Broken Hill.

The Japanese car maker - already experiencing supply and manufacturing issues following the eartquake and tsunami in Japan - has recalled 45,524 of it popular Accord Euro sedans after a fault was identified in the engine bay.The recall notice said "prolonged high under-bonnet temperatures may cause the power steering hose to deteriorate prematurely" which could cause cracks and a leak from the hose. "Power steering fluid could leak onto a hot exhaust and could produce smoke and a burning smell, with the potential for an under-bonnet fire," the notice said.  Honda Australia national public relations manager Mark Higgins said the recall was effecting Australian-retailed vehicles, of which the company has sold more than 54,000 in the recall timeframe."There have been a couple of customers who have reported at a service that there's been a little bit of smoke in the engine bay that they have smelt and noticed, there have certainly been no fires - it's a simple replacement of a power steering hose to fix the problem," Mr Higgins said.The recall covers the model line-up from 2003 until 2008.  The Accord Euro recall is the company's fourth for 2011 - earlier this month the Civic Hybrid was recalled over a fuse short.The City Sedan and Jazz Hatch were recalled in February over an engine stalling problem and the Jazzz hatchback was recalled in January for a headlight problem.  Honda has closed all its production facilities but Mr Higgins said the Australian branch of the company had sufficient Japanese-sourced vehicle stock on the ground here and there were no parts shortages."There are no issues with replacement parts coming from Japan, the latest update on our situation is that production is closed until April 3 and there will be a decision made after that," he said.Honda Australia said it was contacting effected owners by mail and was advising them to contact an authorised Honda Dealership to have the power steering feed hose replaced.