Articles by Stuart Martin

.star {width:135px;}#article-corpus {width:100%; padding-right: 0;}Chrysler 300 SRT8 Core and Holden Commodore SS-V Redline go head-to-head on this comparative review. 

Time in the gym, new powerplants and a diet give Audi’s small car more muscles.

It's almost inevitable. Once you two are no longer DINKS, an SUV appears in your driveway. The convertible lacks boot space, the V8 ute has no rear seat and the full-on 4WD is too big.The solution seems to be a compact or medium SUV. There are worthy station wagons to consider but new car buyers want to look like explorers, not breeders. Check the shopping centre or school car parks -- easily a third of vehicles have more than 150mm of ground clearance.Today's SUV is far from the 4WDs of yore -- it's easy to drive and load, child friendly, frugal with fuel and competitively priced.  The toughest surface these machines face is a wet speed bump so four of the five we've assessed have a 2WD variant.If you want to carry seven or more, that's the terrain of people-movers and large SUVs. Stay tuned for that. Weekly running costs include purchase, finance, registration, insurance, servicing; based on 15,000km a year, private ownership; costs vary between states and variants.Toyota RAV4 The new model brings with it a diesel -- it's unsuited to towing, so the 2.5 petrol is the option for versatility. Boot space is 506L (or 577L without a full-size spare). It has only 160mm of ground clearance and a low chin, so steer clear of serious obstacles. It scores for driver's knee airbag, spacious and quiet cabin with good storage but loses for a sharpish ride.Warranty: 3 years/100,000kmRunning costs: $199-$235 pwSafety: 5 starsEngine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 107kW/187Nm; 2.5-litre 4-cyl, 132kW/233Nm; 2.2-litre 4-cyl turbo diesel, 110kW/340NmTransmission: 6-speed man, 6-speed auto, CVT; FWD/AWDThirst: 5.6L-8.6L/100km Tank 60LDimensions: 4.6m (L), 1.8m (W), 1.7m (H)Stuey's pick: GXL 2.5 auto AWD $35,490Price: from $28,490Subaru ForesterOne of the newer models here, the Soob still leans to the off-road side of the equation. There are diesel and turbo petrol options but most buyers won't need that amount of urge. Boot space isn't great at 422L but the Forester gives occupants ample room and a smooth drivetrain. The CVT is much better than previous versions.Warranty: 3 years/unlimited kmRunning costs: $210-$230 pwSafety: 5 starsEngine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl boxer, 110kW/198Nm; 2.5-litre 4-cyl boxer, 126kW/235Nm; 2.0-litre 4-cyl boxer turbo diesel, 108kW/350NmTransmission: 6-speed man, CVT; AWDThirst: 5.9L-8.1L/100kmTank: 60LDimensions: 4.6m (L), 1.8m (W), 1.7m (H)Stuey's pick: 2.5i-L $35,990Price: from $30,990Mazda CX-5If evidence was needed that SUVs are moving away from their off-road origins, the Mazda provides it. An A-grade unsealed surface is about as adventurous as you'd want to get with the little Mazda but it has few peers for on-road dynamics and nothing comes close to its Skyactiv turbo diesel powerplant. The absence of rear vents can be overlooked but at least the child seat anchor points are on the seat backs. It's got the longest wheelbase of this quintet, which suggests reasonable cabin space, but boot space is below par at 403 litres and ride quality isn't as supple as the Honda.Warranty: 3 years/unlimited kmRunning costs: $203-$244 pwSafety: 5 starsEngine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 114kW/200Nm; 2.5-litre 4cyl, 138kW/250Nm; 2.2-litre 4-cyl turbo diesel, 129kW/420NmTransmission: 6-speed man, 6-speed auto; FWD/AWDThirst: 5.7L-7.4L/100km Tank 58LDimensions: 4.5m (L), 1.8m (W), 1.7m (H)Stuey's pick: Maxx Sport 2.2Price: from $27,880Nissan X-TrailThis version has been around for nearly a decade, hence it rates four crash safety stars from ANCAP rather than the now standard five. It tops the braked towing capacity with 2000kg, adding to its versatility despite just 410L of boot space. It has off-road prowess, diesel variant (in AWD only) and a ``lite'' option, the 2.0-litre front-driver.Warranty: 3 years/100,000kmRunning costs: $219-$243 pwSafety: 4 starsEngine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 102kW/198Nm; 2.5-litre 4-cyl, 125kW/226Nm; 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo diesel, 127kW/360Nm (auto 110kW/320Nm)Transmission: 6-speed man, 6-speed auto, CVT; FWD/AWDThirst: 7.1L-9.1L/100kmTank: 65LDimensions: 4.6m (L), 1.8m (W), 1.7m (H)Stuey's pick: 2.5 ST $32,690Price: from $28,490Honda CR-VOnce dominant then long lost, the Honda is getting back where it belongs. Chief asset is cargo space of 556L, the best of the bunch despite a full-size spare, although marred by roof-mounted child seat anchors. Footprint is compact but Honda says there has been no change to passenger space. Compared with previous model, much quieter and easier on the backside. Pricing is canny, there are front and all-wheel drive variants and a diesel is imminent.Warranty: 3 years/100,000kmRunning costs: $189-$225 pwSafety: 5 starsEngine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 114kW/190Nm; 2.4-litre 4-cyl, 140kW/222NmTransmission: 6-speed man, 5-speed auto; FWD/AWDThirst: 7.7L-8.7L/100kmTank: 58LDimensions: 4.5m (L), 1.8m (W), 1.7m (H)Stuey's pick: VTi-S AWDPrice: from $27,490

.star {width:135px;}#article-corpus {width:100%; padding-right: 0;}Kia Rondo SLi and Fiat Freemont Lounge go head-to-head in this comparative review. 

Two seats, two doors, red paintwork and a very big boot -- welcome to the latest Holden sports car, the VF Ute. Not quite -- but sort of -- the load-lugger of the VF range comes in a few sports versions that are short on payload but long on image.In fact there's an extra bit of swagger in the driver's step when alighting from one of these machines. But such is the skill of the VF Ute, you can forget there's no back seat when driving, apart from the absence of superfluous instruction.VALUEChief among the changes to VF from VE was pricing, and in the case of the SV6 the beancounters have sliced $5500 from the tag, putting the SV6 manual at $32,990, with the six-speed auto adding $2200 to that asking price.But for that you get a plentiful features list, including the full 8-inch MyLink touchscreen voice control infotainment system (but no satnav -- that's a $750 option) with four speakers and Bluetooth links for music and phone calls, an auto-release electric park brake, dual-zone climate control, sports (not leather, that's $1000 extra) trim, a leather-wrapped reach'n'rake adjustable steering, automatic headlights (but not rain-sensing wipers), 18-inch alloy wheels, and the remote engine start system (only on automatic models).TECHNOLOGYThere's not been much done to the drivetrain but the ute gets the same upgraded dash package and some of the lighter-weight body bits such as the bonnet, plus there's no bootlid on the ute.The 3.6-litre direct-injection V6 is claiming an 8.2 per cent reduction on thirst to now hit 9 litres per 100km -- although we saw 11.7 on test -- while producing 210kW and 350Nm, which are outputs at which no one should sneeze.The V6 has been muted somewhat thanks to engine bay changes and firewall insulation, as well as wheelarch insulation that knocks some of the road noise on the head nicely too. The six-speed auto has also been on the brain food, as it's no longer as Jekyyl-and-Hyde in sport and normal modes.DESIGNDon't look for much in the way of change to the workhorse part of the ute. From your shoulder-line back it's the same as the VE, with the snout all VF, with neat creases and curves in the sports bodykit bits around the front -- bound to make any building site entry a journey of trepidation, but it looks the goods.It sits on the same wheelbase as the luxo Caprice and has between 100 and 137mm of ground clearance, depending on which information you look at, but either way it's low-slung.In-cabin storage behind the seats is deceptive, and the tray -- depending on how much the occupants weigh -- has a payload of around 700kg. The sad story for tradies is the one-tonner option remains a thing of the past, as does rear-three-quarter "head-check" vision. The A-pillars are still too thick and the side mirrors are still too small, but that's offset somewhat by the electronic blind spot system.SAFETYThe load-lugger carries the same suite of safety gear that is present on the sedan and wagon models, as well as the five-star sticker from the crash-testing brigade. Among the long list of backups is a reversing camera, stability and traction control (which has a trailer sway control function), anti-lock brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution and electronic brake assist, automatic park assist using the front and rear parking sensors, a reversing camera, the blind spot and rear traffic alert systems.If all that doesn't work there are dual-stage dual front airbags, side seat and curtain airbags, seatbelts with load limiters and pyrotechnic pretensioners.DRIVINGLet's cut to the chase. If you really want a workhorse, there are hordes getting into LCV utes, but for something nicer to drive day-to-day with a tray then you can do a lot worse than the SV6. The MyLink system takes care of entertainment, information and communication easily and is easy for a phone hook-up, offering sound quality that's above par as well.It's got ride quality and handling prowess in shovel-loads, so hustling on a back road isn't beyond it, even without a load in the tray. Holden once had a habit of loading up its launch utes with sandbags to “replicate the typical tradie's load” but this one doesn't need it.It's not a tail-happy B& ball wannabe, although I'm sure in controlled conditions it would happily oblige, but wet roads don't mean the stability control is overworked. The tray payload might be short of the magic one-tonne mark but it offers 1600kg braked towing capacity. I'm also a fan of the soft tonneau cover for the tray, just in case you want to use it for its intended workhorse purpose. Hard covers are great for security, but don't allow you the flexibility to cover an awkward load.VERDICTIf you're not carting kids on a daily basis and have other toys to transport, the SV6 is a sharp-looking load-lugger.Holden VF Commodore SV6 UtePrice: from $35,190Warranty: 3 years/100,000kmCapped servicing: first four standard scheduled log book services for the first three years or 60,000kmResale: 53%Service interval: 9 months/15,000kmSafety: 5 starsEngine: 3.6-litre DOHC 24-valve direct-injection V6, 210kW/350NmTransmission: 6-speed automatic; RWDThirst: 91/100km, on test 11.7, tank 71 litres; 216g/km CO2Dimensions: 5m (L); 1.9m (w); 1.5m (h)Weight: 1681kgSpare: Tyre sealant and air compressor kit

A pre-loved workhorse joins the upper ranks in the protection stakes. It's getting harder to buy an unsafe car, even a used one. The latest Safe Picks survey includes, for the first time, a light-commercial -- the VE Commodore Ute.Yet its VE sedan counterpart scores only four stars due to the late inclusion of standard side airbags in the entry-level models during the early stages of the VE's life cycle.Ford's BA/BF Falcon and the VY/VZ Commodore scored similarly to the VE, but the FG Falcon scored the full five stars and a Safe Pick rating. Safe Picks, the work of road safety researchers and motoring organisations nationally, details more than 200 used vehicles between two and 17 years old.The top performers are listed as Safe Picks, which means occupants and vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists are afforded the greatest protection.The ratings are calculated by the Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) using data from more than 5.5 million vehicles involved in police-reported crashes between 1996-2011.RAA spokesman Mark Borlace says the medium car segment has the most Safe Pick choices -- 13 vehicles are rated excellent for driver protection in a crash.Six of these also received the Safe Pick rating. Six small cars scored the Safe Pick rating, including the Adelaide-built Holden Cruze, as well as a growing number of light commercial vehicles.Top used cars (Five stars and Safe Pick)SMALL: Holden Cruze JG/JH 2009-11MEDIUM: BMW 3 Series 2005-11UTES: Holden Commodore Ute VE 2007-11LARGE CARS: BMW 5 Series E39 1996-2003COMPACT SUVs: Mitsubishi Outlander/Peugeot 4007 2006-11MEDIUM SUVs: Holden Captiva CG 2006-11LARGE SUVs: BMW X5 2001-08PEOPLE-MOVERS: Honda Odyssey 2004-09 

Our dog thinks he's a lap-dog, even though he's a German Short-Haired Pointer and can comfortably cover three laps if he tries - the Paceman is similarly confused, or optimistic.It's not a dog of a car as such, but it's a Mini, but not necessarily as I'd like it to be - an incarnation of the Countryman SUV platform, but with three doors, it gets the height and the heft of the AWD all-terrain wanna-be, without any AWD underpinnings, unless you ask for the JCW version.The Paceman in Cooper S guise is priced from a not-inconsiderable $44,100 for the turbo-four cylinder front-driver with a six-speed manual - standard gear includes 17 inch alloy wheels on runflats, fog lamps, rear parking sensors, a trip computer, power mirrors, remote central locking and a Sport mode to sharpen up steering (through the grippy sports wheel) and throttle response.The six-speaker sound system gets auxiliary, USB and Bluetooth (phone and audio) link, but the overly-complex menu system point-blank refused to play nice and I spent most of my time listening to the radio.Missing from the list is climate control (it's a $715 option, standard fare is air conditioning) and satnav, the latter was fitted as an option for $1150 - but a must-add is the Radio Mini Visual Boost option to get the appropriate control screen, which is another $750.Also on the test car's options list was the six-speed auto (with pointless gearshift paddles) at $2350, $1700 worth of 18 inch alloys, $475 of interior “piano black” trim bits, the double-pane sunroof (for $1990) and $800 for metallic paint - grand total just over $53,000. Ouch.Propelling the Paceman with some vigour is the four-cylinder 1.6-litre 16-valve twin-scroll turbo four-cylinder, which offers up 135kW and 240Nm (between 1600 and 5000rpm) by way of direct injection and variable valve lift control, with an extra 20Nm of torque on offer when demanded by the driver. The auto drives up the claimed fuel use figure from 6.6 to 7.5 litres per 100km - we had 10L/100km showing at the end of our time in the car.Tall and with the Countryman's bulbous snout, the Paceman isn't the most cohesive shape to emerge from the brand's Oxford digs. Function makes way for form in much of this car - four individual seats work for four adults and allowing almost reasonable amounts of space, with the centre tunnel able to have all manner of bits attached to the runners.The retro switchgear on the centre stack remains but handbrake looks more like a throttle lever from a 1980s jet fighter video game and it clashes with the auxiliary and USB inputs, all of which are difficult to get at because of the centre armrest. Bootspace at 330 litres isn't too bad (there's no spare eating into the capacity back there, thanks to runflats.While the NCAP crash testers haven't slammed a Paceman into anything yet, the Countryman donor vehicle has been sacrificed for safety and scored five stars. The Paceman doesn't have the AWD system but gets the full suite of traction and stability control systems, with the Cooper S-specific Electronic Differential Lock Control for extra traction under full throttle, automatic headlights and rain-sensing wipers, six airbags, antilock brakes and rear parking sensors.The spirit is willing but the flesh is considerable - the peppy little powerplant is asked for more by the Paceman than in it is in the 150-odd kg lighter hatch and it feels like it. The auto is not without its charms and makes the most of what it's given to send through the front wheels, but even with all the sport modes in play and manual changes made, the computer can still over-ride the driver's choice. Frustrating when you want or need to hold a gear.While the auto drinks more heavily it is on the pace during take-off - 0-100km/h is claimed in 7.8 seconds in the auto, only 0.3 of a second slower than manual. It zips through a series of bends without causing offence and delivers some fun for the driver, but it doesn't do it much better than a Countryman and is still on the heavy and tall side to live up to the Mini name.

Opel Insignia OPC and Subaru Liberty GT go head-to-head in this comparative review.

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