Articles by Vlad Manu

Vlad Manu road tests and reviews the Mazda 2 Neo, with specs, fuel economy and verdict.

The BMW 3-series E30 was a quality car with excellent handling – so good you’d think anybody could avoid a single light pole in that vast space.And while many a panelbeater has had to perform surgery on supermarket carpark mishaps, we’d love to hear how the idiot who owns this Beemer explained this one away.Certainly, his mates at the scene found it hard to believe, laughing “He did not just do that. No way”. Oh yes, he did. And we can just imagine him offering the eternal prayer to the panelbeating gods: “It’ll buff out … won’t it?” 

Vlad Manu road tests and reviews the Mazda 2 Neo, with specs, fuel economy and verdict.

Just in case the letters AMG don’t quite satisfy your need for performance, Mercedes have released details of an even hotter version of the C63. Dubbed Edition 507 (for the horsepower rating), the range -- comprising a sedan, coupe and estate -- is powered by a beast of an engine with outputs of 373kW and 610Nm.That’s an increase of 37kW and 10Nm over the garden variety AMG version, and 0-100km/h acceleration figures are similarly impressive at 4.2 seconds for the sedan and coupe and 4.3 seconds for the estate.The extra oomph comes as a result of a technology transfer from the 6.3-litre eight-cylinder naturally aspirated powerplant adopted from the SLS AMG.The new C63 AMG range is electronically limited to 280 km/h but it’s not just all about the beastly power. There are also aesthetic improvements both inside and out.Brakes have been beefed up too with composite discs standard as well as red painted callipers. The instrument cluster gets some red applications too and if further differentiation is needed from the C63 AMG there’s a list of optional extras available.To prevent any confusion with the regular AMG version there’s a range of exclusive design features. Some of these include two openings for expelling engine heat on the aluminium bonnet, spoiler lip on the boot lid, a set of light-alloy 19-inch wheels or even lighter optional 5 spoke 18-inch alloys.Further details of the 507 will come at the world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show which starts on March 5. It’s scheduled to go on sale in Germany in June and Australia should get it in the second half of 2013. Further details on pricing, availability and specifications will be confirmed closer to the local launch. 

Starting mid-January, the base model Mirage ES will battle it out with the cheaper Chery J1 (from $10,990), Suzuki Alto (from $11,790) and Holden Barina Spark (from $12,490). The other notable players in the sub $14K light car market are the Nissan Micra (from $13,490), and the Proton S16 and Volkswagen Up (from $13,990). The ES comes with a two speaker audio system with AUX and USB inputs, Bluetooth connectivity and audio streaming, and a leather wrapped steering wheel with audio and phone controls. The ES also features 14-inch steel wheels and manual air conditioning. The next model up is the Mirage Sport and it comes with 14-inch alloys, two extra speakers and a rear spoiler. The LS is the top of the range gets larger 15 inch alloys, foglights, climate control, keyless entry with push button start, auto headlights and rain sensing wipers. There is only one engine on offer: a 1.2 litre three-cylinder petrol engine that delivers 57kW and 100Nm. The best fuel consumption is achieved in the ES model (4.6L/100km). The rest of the rage still manages to return impressive fuel consumption figures below 5L/100km. The engine is mated to a five-speed manual or Continuously Variable Transmission. The diminutive Mirage measures 3710mm in length, 1665mm width and 1500mm in height. Mitsubishi claims to have the best turning circle in class with a turning radius of just 4.4 metres for the ES and a respectable 4.6 metres for the LS. This means it would be even easier to park and manoeuvre around the city than the tiny size might suggest. Mitsubishi expects the maximum five-star result in safety crash testing thanks to standard six airbags and electronic stability control across the range. Warranty is five-year/130,000km and it comes with four year/60,000 capped-price servicing program. The 2013 Mitsubishi Mirage manufacturer list prices are as follows:        

The first official images of the highly anticipated successor for the Ferrari Enzo - codename F150 - have popped up in the Italian sports car maker’s in house magazine. The pictures show the nose of the car and feature swept-back headlights and an attractive sculpted bonnet. The Enzo replacement is rumoured to use a 7.3-litre V12 together with an F1 style KERS electric motor to develop in excess of 590 kW of power. That’s significantly more than the legendary original Enzo which produced 478 kW. That sort of power combined with significant weight savings - which Ferrari has already foreshadowed at The Paris Motor Show with their carbon fibre chassis – is guaranteed to result in exhilarating performance. The new Ferrari is tipped to have relentless acceleration and a 0-100km/h time of less than 3 seconds. There’s also talk of a double clutch gearbox and ceramic brakes as standard but that’s to be expected for such a flamboyant supercar. When this top of the range Italian stallion goes on sale sometime in late 2013 it is unlikely to retain the F150 codename given the 2011 legal stoush with Ford over the name. It seems The Blue Oval were upset about alleged misappropriating of the famous Ford F-150 pickup name when Ferrari tried to name their 2011 F1 car F150. As a result the successor to the Enzo is rumoured to be wearing a F70 badge.                    

If you’re a fan of driving on both fairway and freeway, you’ll be pleased to know the four ring car brand and the governing body of golf in Australia have joined forces. Their association aims to grow the sport at a grassroots level with the support of some amateur golf tournaments including the Australian Amateur Championship held in Melbourne in January 2013. This event dating back to 1894 is Australia’s oldest golf championship and has uncovered many promising amateurs who later turned pro. The winners (both male and female) earn a start in the respective Australian Open that year. The sponsorship also extends to the ISPS Handa Woman’s Australian Open held in Canberra in February 2013 with Audi being one of the major sponsors. The German car maker also plans to run ‘golf sport master classes’ for customers who are interested in the sport. These will be run by an Australian golf ambassador who is yet to be announced. Audi’s General Manager of Marketing, Kevin Goult, commented that golf is an ideal way to come into contact with existing and prospective customers – people who drive luxury vehicles but may not have yet considered an Audi product. There are around 1.3 million people who play the game each year in this county. "Audi is looking forward to a successful association with one of Australia’s biggest participation sports, through our partnership with golf’s managing body. We are also excited by the prospect that we will be not only supporting elite women’s golf in Australia but also the future crop of professional Australian golfers,“ Mr Goult said. “We offer a range of vehicles that easily suit a golfer’s lifestyle, whether they are highly competitive or simply enjoy golf as part of an active past-time. We are interested in supporting Golf Australia to generate greater participation in this sport at a grassroots level. Golf Australia CEO Stephen Pitt said he was “very pleased to welcome Audi to the Golf Australia family. Audi has a strong commitment to golf at both amateur and professional levels and we look forward to working with the brand to exemplify the best of what our sport offers from national tournaments through to local communities.”  

A shiny new 5519 square metre Audi facility has opened its doors to the public this week. Located at 577 King Street West Melbourne it features 30 workshop bays and is currently the largest Audi aftersales facility in Australia. Redeveloped at cost of $1 million dollars the site was formerly an automotive dealership. The site will offer service, parts and used cars but it will also double as an Audi new car showroom while Audi Centre Melbourne undergoes a major redevelopment on their existing site. From March 2013 for a period of 12 months, Victoria’s largest Audi dealership will undergo a massive transformation at the cost of around $25 million dollars. Once Audi Centre Melbourne dealership opens its doors again, the new car showroom will return to the Swanston Street dealership. Audi West Melbourne will focus on pre-owned cars and aftersales services for customers of the German luxury brand. The owner of Audi Centre Melbourne and West Melbourne, Bobby Zagame, says his company “plans to provide exceptional experiences for Audi owners for many years to come”.  

NRMA Insurance has put nine of Australia’s top-selling small cars to the test, and found that even slow collisions – those everyday carpark bumps and scrapes – can cost dearly. The insurance giant tested the bumpers on the cars in a 10km/h identical crash test, and then compared repair costs.NRMA Insurance Head of Research Robert McDonald says the test reveals a vast difference in repair costs across the range of top-selling small vehicles.  “Of the vehicles tested, repair costs for a rear collision range from around $1,200 on one car to more than $7,600 on another,” he says.When that repair bill is increased with damage to both bumpers, it can wipe out a great deal of the car’s value. NRMA cited the front and rear bumper damage on a $18,990 Toyota Yaris YRS as costing $13,440 combined to repair -- a whopping 70.8 per cent of the purchase price.At the best end of the scale, the $17,990 automatic Holden Barina front and rear bumper came in at $2,574 or 14.3% of the purchase price. “A low speed crash is the most common type of crash on our roads,” McDonald says.  “Even travelling at only 10 km/h, we found many of the cars had poor-performing bumper design which resulted in high collision repair costs.”And even a five-star official ANCAP crash safety rating doesn’t always point to good results in the collision repair cost test. Except for the Nissan Micra ST-L, all cars tested have been awarded a five star ANCAP rating – yet the four-star Micra is the second-best performer with repair costs of $6,056, or 35.6% of purchase price.McDonald claims the variance in damage is due to the bumpers’ effectiveness in protecting more expensive parts such as headlights and radiator. NRMA says the collision repair cost program aims to urge manufacturers to improve their designs and help make repairs more affordable. Small car front and rear bumper collision tests results* Purchase price based on recommended retail price including GST as quoted from Glass’s Guide July 2012 publication 

The new Clio will be offered only in five-door form and will be manufactured in France and Turkey - with the attractive European car expected to reach Australia in mid 2013. Inspired by the DeZir concept car, the styling features a more prominent Renault logo on the front along with LED daytime running lights and chrome detailed headlights. The door lines also seem influenced by the concept car with distinct curves and lower door inserts. The Clio will be offered with the largest range of personalisation options for the French car manufacturer. Door mirror housings, grill bars, rear skirts and even a choice of roof graphics can be specified. The new car will also ride lower and have a wider track compared to the current third generation Clio. A seven-inch internet-ready touchscreen tablet will be offered as an option. Known as Renault R-link this system will offer voice commands, applications to encourage more efficient driving, TomTom satellite navigation as well as a range of downloadable apps. Notably they’ll have an option of a simulated engine sound effect app which will be synchronised with the car’s speed and acceleration. Europe will get two petrol engine options. The TCe 90 engine is a three-cylinder turbo charged 0.9 litre with output of 67kW and 135Nm and fuel consumption of 4.3 litres per 100km. This will be offered alongside the TCe 120, which is a 1.2-litre turbo and boasts figures of 89kW/190Nm. The new diesel engine on offer is the dCi 90. The four-cylinder 1.5-litre returns fuel consumption figures of 3.2 litres per 100km and outputs 67kW and 220Nm of torque. The latter two engine options can be paired with a brand new dual clutch six-speed transmission and all engines will feature stop-start technology. Safety ratings are yet to be determined but expectations are high for the new car, given that the Clio III was the first B-segment car to achieve five-star EuroNCAP in 2005. The Renaultsport version is expected to be released later in 2013 and will feature a 1.6-litre turbo charged engine. Representing a departure from the their traditional 2-litre naturally aspirated engines, the new power plant is predicted to at least match the 147.5kW output of the current model. Previewed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed last week, the new hero car in the Clio range will also be able to be paired with the six-speed dual clutch automatic transmission. Further details on the new range are expected in September at the Paris Motor Show.