Articles by Vlad Manu

Despite growing rumours of a Civic Type-R testing in Europe, Honda still maintains it doesn't exist.

Britannia is still ruling the wave of Honda Civic hatches. While the Honda Civic sedan we get here comes from Thailand, the hatches arriving in showrooms this week are being shipped from Britain.Honda says Australia is a unique market in getting product from both factory streams. And the flagging carmaker is determined to make the ninth-gen Civic hatch a success in the increasingly competitive C segment – and get back closer to their former glory days of strong sales. So the hatch has been given an exterior makeover, revised engine and fuel efficiency tricks from the CR-Z hybrid, along with a sharper starting price.The revised 1.8-litre 4 cylinder engine produces 104kW/174Nm and boasts fuel consumption of 6.1 litres per 100km six-speed manual and 6.5 litres per 100km in the five-speed auto – an improvement of about 10 per cent, but it does require a diet of 95 octane fuel. However eco modes are there to try and encourage you to drive more efficiently. The manual comes with a shift indicator light while the automatic gets paddle shifters behind the steering wheel.Research into noise has resulted in a much quieter cabin -- for a car in this price range we were surprised at 110km/h to be able to hear approaching cars.Priced from $22,650 for the VTi-S (manual), the entry point is significantly less than the Civic Si hatch model it replaces. It’s just over $7,000 cheaper than the starting price of the old model and compared with the 2009 price of the Civic Si a whopping saving of over $17,000. There's now a choice of six-speed manual or five-speed auto transmissions ($24,950) in the VTi-S trim, and the top of the range VTi-L only comes as an auto ($29,990).The features list includes 16-in alloys, hill-hold assist, LED daytime running lights, climate control, intelligent multi information display and a four speaker audio system with AUX and USB input. Bluetooth is a dealer fitted option of the VTi-S and disappointingly there’s no cruise control offered on this model. Most competitors have this option covered as standard.The automatic only VTi-L gains extras like 17-in alloys, auto headlights and wipers, fog lights, electric side folding mirrors, dual zone climate control, reversing camera, leather trim, seven speaker audio system as well as Bluetooth connectivity and cruise control. Satellite navigation and sunroof are notably missing even from the extra options list. Leather heated seats in the VTi-L are inviting and obviously more comfortable than the standard fabric seats in the VTi-S.Exterior changes are minimal at first glance. The LED daytime running lights give the car a sportier look, and aerodynamics have been improved, but the problem is that the car looks very similar to its predecessor. The new hatch won’t be seen as revolutionary as when the Si Civic was first unveiled.The redesigned dash layout is uncluttered and easy to read, is arguably now the benchmark in this segment. It’s a smart looking interior all around with good quality plastics used throughout.There’s a lot of room in both the front and rear, and Honda also retained their ‘magic seat’ configuration that can flatten the back seats to create a huge cargo area, or fold them to make more room for tall items.It gets a five star ANCAP safety rating, and has six airbags, stability control, anti-skid brakes and a good helping of other active and passive features.The focus is clearly on saving fuel and for most situations in urban driving this is more useful than brisk performance. So the engine performance is capable rather than startling.The manual gearbox was smooth but the auto box with steering wheel mounted paddle shift was not as responsive as we’d like when left in auto mode. For extra overtaking oomph the ability to quickly drop down a couple of gear ratios without your hands leaving the steering wheel worked well.The Civic’s smooth suspension system is quiet, and handled bumps quite well during our drive. It was surprisingly well composed during our run through the Royal National Park near Sydney. Steering felt light, responsive and direct thanks to the electric powered rack and pinion system. The car’s agility and stability through corners was better than expected.

Drifting a 419kW Lamborghini around the twisties seems dangerous enough - but imagining doing it at altitudes above 2000m on a snow-covered mountain road. And not just any road. This is the Transfagarasan - a dramatic stretch of asphalt that is one of the world’s great drives, and which was applauded by BBC's Top Gear in their 14th season opener Romanian GT Road Trip. The video is a behind the scenes look at  a photo shoot for the Lamborghini Magazine and features one of the most extreme Gallardos ever to be built. Limited to 150 units, the LP570-4 Super Tofeao Stadale is a street legal version of the radical Super Trofeo race car. It's got some serious grunt thanks to a V10 engine pumping out 419kW. As a result of a weight reduction of 70kg compared to the standard LP570-4 it's also blistering fast. Not only is 0 to 100 km/h achieved in 3.4 seconds but 200 km/h is reached in 10.4 seconds. We're not sure all that grunt would be especially useful in the snow but the driver's drifting skills as he's chased by a helicopter are sublime. Olaf Hauschulz's photographs from the day will be featured in the 10th issue of Lamborghini Magazine. Vlad Manu on Google+  

Essentially a Fiat 500 under the skin, the new Abarth 695 Maserati comes in a very limited edition of just 499. The high-performance supermini follows in the footsteps of the Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari which sold here for $70,000. The 695 Maserati looks like it would be at home on the track. The engine pumps out a 132kW/250Nm from a 1.4 litre turbocharged unit. Acceleration is expected to be less than 7 seconds for the 0-100km sprint. The chassis has also been engineered to cope with this extra power. Front brakes and suspension setup have been upgraded as well as the ‘dual mode’ exhaust which Abarth is saying “delivers an inspiring sound above 3,000 rpm”. It will only be available in the Pontevecchio Bordeaux colour which Maserati also uses in their GT cars. The electronically controlled soft top is made of grey fabric. On the inside it gets beige leather upholstery, while the dashboard and gearbox trim have matt finish carbon lining with the 695 logo. Buyers will however get a carbon fibre kick plate with customised Abarth 695 Maserati Edition graphics, and a plate with the car’s series number from 1 to 499. In the UK it retails around £32,000 and that’s a lot of money for a small car – especially when it’s bound to be more expensive if it hits Australia.  

He’s used to battling against his F1 rivals, but Sebastian Vettel now tried his hands -- and feet -- at martial arts. And he doesn’t do too badly for a newcomer.In 'Kung Fu Vettel: Drive of the Dragon', Vettel impresses with his moves. The same sadly can’t be said about his acting skills. As a martial arts expert he makes a great racing driver.In the beginning Infiniti will bring three product ranges to Australia: the FX 50S SUV; the M sedans; and the G sedans that will follow in 2013. They will be joined by a luxury hatch and electric car based on the Nissan Leaf in 2015.

The updated mid-size SUV is due in Australia late this year or early 2013, with minimal styling changes but plenty of news under the bonnet. Final Australian specifications will be announced closer to launch. However the new Q5 engine choices in Europe include three diesels, two petrols engines and a hybrid -- Audi’s first hybrid drivetrain in a production vehicle. Power will come from a 155kW 2.0 TFSI engine together with a 40kW electric engine. Combined output will be 180kW/480Nm. The hybrid promises a 0-100km/h time of 7.1 seconds and fuel economy of 6.9L/100km. But those figures – and even the enviable torque peak – fall short of the coming 3.0-litre diesel TDI. The top of the range turbodiesel – a 3.0-litre V6 TDI -- delivers 180kW/580Nm, gets from zero to 100km/h in 6.5 seconds and sips just 6.4l/100km. The 2.0-litre turbodiesel is offered in two versions:  a front wheel drive only 105kW/320Nm with average fuel economy of 5.3l/100km, and a quattro drive 130kW/380Nm returning 6.0l/100km.  The 2.0 petrol TFSI engine delivers 165kW/350Nm and returns 7.6l/100km. The 3.0 TFSI engine is a supercharged V6 with outputs of 200kW/400Nm.  Acceleration from zero to 100km/h is claimed to be 5.9 seconds and average fuel consumption a respectable 8.5l/100km. A start-stop system is now standard on all engines and together with improved transmission pairings these are up to 15 precent more fuel efficient than their predecessors. Interior gadgetry includes improved infotainment options, integrated wireless hotspots for the passengers and Google navigation information for the driver. The Internet functionality also allows the use of internet radio which means more than 5000 radio stations can be received. Then there’s the Audi drive select system which lets the driver tweak the characteristics of the accelerator pedal, transmission shift points, power steering and air conditioning load on the engine. There are three additional optional components that can be included in this system: adaptive cruise control, damping control and dynamic steering.