Sedan Reviews

Alistair Kennedy road tests and reviews the BMW M3 with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Ewan Kennedy road tests and reviews the used 1997 - 2007 Ford Fairline and LTD.

Lexus is particularly active in Australia at the moment as it continues to push its way into competition with Audi, BMW, Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz.The assault on the big name Europeans began many years ago with the flagship LS400 saloon. That was followed by the smaller, and significantly less expensive ES300. The latest in the ES line, the new ES350 is the subject of our review this week.Lexus ES350 has the now familiar spindle grille, a bold shape that's unmistakable thanks to its sheer size. Flanking this grille are halogen projector-style headlamps incorporating L-shaped LED daytime running lights. (The L-shape represents L for Lexus, though you do have to use a bit of imagination to see this.) LEDs are also used in the rear lights.The new ES series is referred to as a four-door sedan but has a sleek shape that almost puts it into the four-door-coupe class.The shape isn't just about style, the co-efficient of drag of drag (Cd) is an impressively good 0.27.Sports Luxury occupants can settle into ventilated front seats, with ten-way power adjustment. Climate control is spread over three zones. The rear seats are heated. Unwanted glare and heat can be warded off by rear side sunshades.We loved the dashboard styling with its wide tapered ends.This is almost a full five-seater, there's no skimping on seating space, with even the centre spot in the back being reasonably wide and comfortable.The first impression in settling into the new Lexus ES is qualityThere's Bluetooth telephone and audio streaming and digital radio.A Mark Levinson audio system has been designed specifically for Lexus. It powers no fewer than 15 speakers and sounds brilliant no matter what your choice of entertainment.Thankfully the Lexus remote Touch Controller has been modified since we first tested it. The first system had a control switch that behaved almost like a joystick and moved so freely it made the cursor shoot all over the screen. Now, more resistance has been designed in to the stick and it's much easier to use. Though we have to say we do prefer just about everyone else's controllers.The Lexus ES350 is powered by a 3.5-litre V6 engine producing maximum power of 204kW and peak torque of 346Nm. A six-speed automatic transmission drives the ES through the front wheels.The driver's mood lets them select from the Lexus Drive Mode system. Controlled through a knob on the centre console it offers Normal, Sport or Eco vehicle performance.Standard safety features in all Lexus ES variants include 10 airbags; ABS brakes; stability and traction control; pedestrian protection system; tyre pressure warning; blind spot monitor; hill-start assist; and reversing camera and parking sensors.Active safety in the Sports Luxury uses a pre-collision system that beeps and flashes if it senses a crash appears imminent. Emergency braking is also applied.Active cruise control keeps the ES Sports Luxury at a given time (not distance) from a vehicle in front.The first impression in settling into the new Lexus ES is quality. The front seats are spacious, and are supportive without being overly soft. There's good rear legroom and headroom back there is fine for anyone under about 1.9 metres.Comfort is high on the list and the mid-size Lexus has the ability to iron out almost all that Australian roads toss under it. It's perhaps not quite in the Commodore and Falcon class in the bush, but doesn't miss by much.Aimed squarely at those who want luxurious cruising and commuting rather than driving excitementIn what has always been the Lexus way, the ES series is near silent in its running with the engine being well damped and the thick glass and multi-insulation body areas keeping NVH well outside.Lexus ES has few sporting pretensions and is aimed squarely at those who want luxurious cruising and commuting rather than driving excitement. Steering is too light for our tastes but the car does react fast enough to please even keen drivers. Handling is competent and there's always the feeling the car, assisted by electronic aids if you push too hard, will be mindful of your safety.The 3.5-litre V6 is smooth, quiet and responsive. While peak torque doesn't come in till 4700 rpm to suit the sensible speed limits on European motorways, there's decent pulling power from about 2000 upwards. The six-speed auto communicates nicely with the engine and promptly drops a gear of two to give you added torque for safe overtaking.Expect to use about 10.0-12.0L/100km during the daily commute grind, dropping to 7.0-9.0L/100km on open country roads and motorways.

Derek Ogden road tests and reviews the 2015 Kia Cerato S Premium, with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Honda City sits into the space between the Jazz and Civic hatches and acts as a sedan option for both, City has never been a particularly big seller since arriving here in 2009. A $20,000 price tag for that first model certainly didn't help and $4000 was eventually cut to bring to a more realistic price.The latest (second generation) model City, launched here in mid-2014, comes with a range of new features including continuously variable transmission (CVT), a more fuel-efficient engine and a smartphone-based multimedia system; all in a larger but sleeker body.The new City delivers excellent value for money through fuel economy and top-line specification levels, the latter the result of the Japanese manufacturer trawling the world to discover how owners use their vehicles, what they like and dislike, how they live and what are their future plans.A common theme emerged: their reliance on smartphones, which travel with them constantly, hence the truly integrated experience on offer with the new City.The car comes powered by Honda's upgraded 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol engine in three versions – VTi manual and automatic and VTi-L automatic – coming to market from $15,990 to $21,885, plus on-road costs.The City follows fashion with the sedan curving front to back in a way that copies coupe shapes. The nose-down front emphasises the vehicle width with an aero-style bumper and incorporated air inlets.A strong so-called character line connects front and rear and is distinguishable, says the maker, equally in bright sunlight or cloudy conditions. Flared rear wheel arches add substance to the profile, while the rear lamp clusters are brought together by a chrome licence plate surround.While keeping within the confines of smaller sized sedan models, the City has expanded internally with an extended wheelbase. The spacious interior can seat five adults in relative comfort with significant increases in head, leg and shoulder room over the previous model.At the rear, the already huge boot has got even bigger in size, up 30 litres to a whopping 536-litre capacity. Honda rates it at four in the golf bag scale.Central to the Honda Display Audio system is the seven-inch colour touch screen, centrally located on the dashboard in easy reach of the driver and front-seat passenger.It enables Bluetooth connectivity for Apple and Android smartphones, including audio streaming, plus HDMI audio and video playback, the latter with the vehicle at a standstill and the handbrake on.Display Audio also integrates Apple's Siri reducing the time the driver needs to take eyes off the road. Compatible iPhone users, via Bluetooth, can operate Siri with voice command by holding down the Talk button on the steering wheel.By downloading an app, satellite navigation can be stored on a smartphone as opposed to the hardware of an in-car system. This sets the user free to have a navigation system in the car or elsewhere, providing more mobility.A roomy cabin put occupants at easeThe 1.5-litre SOHC four-cylinder petrol engine carries over from the previous City with power and torque unchanged at 88kW and 145Nm respectively. However, new lightweight technologies and the use of the CVT reduce fuel consumption to a combined city/highway figure of 5.7L/100km.An Eco Assist function helps the driver keep fuel consumption to a minimum by monitoring driving style using the outer ring of the speedometer. A blue light changes to green as fuel efficiency is increased by the driving mode.Further help comes in the shape of an Econ system which is connected at the push of a button. This remaps the drive-by-wire throttle system to maximise fuel economy.Active safety is covered by ABS braking, electronic brake-force distribution, emergency braking, vehicle stability assist with traction control and hill start assist. An emergency stop signal flashes the rear lights under hard braking, warning following drivers.Honda's long established ACE (Advanced Compatibility Engineering) body structure provides occupant protection in a variety of crash conditions, along with six airbags and front seat whiplash mitigating head restraints.A reversing camera is standard in all models and includes three modes: normal, wide, and top-down. Rear parking sensors are a $450 option.It has an impressive list of standard features, many of which are rare in a car of this classA roomy cabin put occupants at ease for the test vehicle take-off, which was smooth enough in Normal mode. However, the engine struggled in Econ under hard acceleration. Up to speed the engine appeared to be holding back, which, of course, it was in a bid to save fuel.Under test the City recorded fuel consumption of 4.5L/100km on the motorway, 10.0L/100km around town. In Econ consumption was 6.8 in the suburbs and, again 4.5 on the open road, so the Econ mode certainly works well.According to Honda, at 536 litres, the new City boot is larger than that of the preceding model (506 litres) and is larger than many large sedans including the Holden Commodore. While that's big enough to take large objects, the boot opening however is not, which makes loading and unloading some objects awkward.When open, the hatch leaves its lower edge in a horizontal position just above eye level. More than once on test the lid was given a nudge by the noggin while dropping stuff into the boot.

Paul Gover road tests and reviews the Jaguar XE at its international preview in Portugal.

Kia Cerato is a small-to-medium South Korean model that has been overshadowed in the past by its big brother Hyundai's i30 and Elantra (Kia is controlled by Hyundai these days). However, when the ultra-stylish third-generation Cerato was launched in Australia in April 2013 buyer interest increased. Sales lifted immediately and quite a few of the third generation cars are starting to appear on the used-car scene.The South Korean car makers are coming up with some excellent lines, and the Cerato is arguably up with the best of them. Interestingly, much of the design work is being done by Europeans.The Cerato first arrived in Australia in July 2004, these earlier models were the first to really benefit from Kia's determination to improve build quality and are generally trouble free if they have been driven and serviced correctly.As well as improving quality, Kia Cerato also continued the Korean marque's emphasis on the sort of good on-road behaviour that appeals to Australian drivers. The first two generations were good without being great, the third generation car is almost up with the Europeans' driving dynamics. The suspension is reasonably supple, although rough Aussie country roads can occasionally trouble it. Noise and vibration are well damped, particularly in the latest model.Kia Cerato is sold as a four-door sedan and five-door hatch. The sedans were often introduced before the hatches so there was on overlap of new and old bodies at times.Though it's technically listed as a small car in Australia, the Cerato is actually pretty large and interior space is good. There are no headroom problems front or rear. It also passes the four-adult test for rear legroom without those in the front seats having to compromise to any real extent. As is usually the way in this class in Australia, the Cerato is generally used by families with small children, something it handles with ease.Most Kia Cerato models are powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine. This gives it enough power and torque for most owners, but some would like a bit more grunt to match the dynamics of the chassis, particularly on the most recent model.The Cerato from April 2013 has a new design 1.8-litre engine in place of the old 2.0. It provides more performance and uses less fuel whilst doing so. Definitely our pick of the powerplants if your budget is up to it.Five-speed manual gearboxes were used until they were replaced by a modern six-speed unit late in 2010. The latter is an excellent unit with a good feel through the lever and a wise choice of ratios.Four-speed automatic transmissions, fitted prior to March 2011, do a reasonable job, but you will find them hunting up and down for the best ratio at times. Far better is the six-speed auto, installed from 2011.Kia Ceratos have quite a simple mechanical layout and can be serviced and repaired by good amateur mechanics. Don't forget to buy a workshop manual.Spare parts and professional repair costs are reasonably priced.Kia dealers are mainly in metropolitan areas, but some of the bigger country towns now also have agents.Insurance is usually costed in the bottom third of the premium scale and we haven't seen any big variations from company to company. However, it's always worth shopping around, just make sure your making a fair comparison.While the Kia Koup, introduced in September 2009 carries Cerato badges it is generally regarded as a different model. It's an interesting car with an unusual shape and we love the fact it's called a Koup rather than a Coupe.Former crash damage usually shows up as ripples in body panels, colours that don't match correctly and even wheels out of alignment. If you're in the least bit unsure call a professional.Look for body damage in areas such as the rear bumper which often gets scarred by people carelessly resting stuff on it while loading the boot.Check that the engine starts easily and idles smoothly pretty well straight away. Ideally the engine should be started stone cold first thing in the morning.Gearboxes that are noisy and/or sticky in their changes may be due for major repairs.Automatics should go into gear almost at the moment you move the selector.Handbrakes can be over adjusted causing premature pad wear on the rear brakes. You may feel and hear the pads rubbing slightly on the discs during your test drive.Fuel remote release cables can stretch making it difficult to open the flap.Some Ceratos had audio unit failures, check the full range of modes in the system to be sure everything works correctly.Incorrectly serviced variable valve timing units can fail due to poor oil quality blocking the oil passage. As always, we suggest having a vehicle serviced by a professional, preferably one with people trained on the vehicle type.

As another bumper weekend of cricket looms, James Stanford asks if a four can ever be better than a six.

Spotting the updated CLS is as simple as looking for the LED daytime running lights at the top of the headlamps. But there's more to this facelift than meets the eye. Customer desire for the latest technology has put paid to the days when revised front and rear styling would pass as a mid-life refresh. Accordingly,

Murray Hubbard road tests and reviews the Subaru Liberty with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.