Subaru Vortex Reviews

Subaru is better known for agile rally cars and smaller wagons such as the Outback and Forester that use AWD for optimum traction on tarmac or dirt.It kept running with that formula as other brands built big seven-seat AWD wagons that are selling well in Australia and are huge in the US.Subaru has finally arrived at the big AWD wagon party with a car aimed at the US.It comes standard as a five-seat wagon, but a third row consisting of two extra seats is available. The extra seats and space are just what Subaru Australia needs.It has lost many loyal customers because it couldn't offer them anything larger than the Outback — too small for many families.The Tribeca will take on medium-sized AWDs such as the Ford Territory Ghia, Nissan Murano and Toyota Kluger Grande.It is a stand-alone model, but borrows a six-cylinder engine from the Liberty and Outback. The petrol unit is a 3.0-litre boxer with 180kW and 297Nm. There is no diesel option.When many other models use six-speed transmissions, the Tribeca uses a five-speed automatic.As do its Subaru siblings, the Tribeca has a constant AWD system.All Tribecas come standard with electronic stability control, dual front, side and curtain airbags and seatbelt sensors on all seats indicate if someone has not belted-up.Another sensor detects if the car is about to roll and automatically deploys the curtain airbags.Subaru says the Tribeca is less likely to roll that other big AWD wagons because of its lower centre of gravity thanks largely to the boxer engine (with horizontally opposed cylinders) that sits lower than a regular six-cylinder engine.The Australian New Car Assessment Program awarded Tribeca a five-star safety rating.The five-seat 3.0R, the base Tribeca model, costs $53,990. The seven-seater is $2000 more.A more luxurious 3.0R Premium five-seater costs $58,990 and the seven-seater adds $2000.Standard gear for the base 3.0R includes a rear-vision parking camera, satellite navigation, cruise control, dual-zone climate control, electronically adjustable front seats, multi-function trip computer, six-stack CD sound with MP3/iPod input, 10 cupholders and 18-inch alloy wheels.ON THE ROADMOST Subarus come from Japan, but the Tribeca is made in Lafayette, Indiana. To please the locals, it is big and has plush suspension.And it upholds the US right to have more than one cupholder: the Tribeca has 10.The Tribeca is unlike other lean and agile Subarus, but that doesn't mean it should be written off.It is a large, practical and comfortable family car that comes with a lot of equipment as standard.Unfortunately, the styling seems to have missed the mark. No one surveyed in the week I had the test car liked the look.Some thought it was a bit weird, others thought it wasn't quite right and one person labelled it the ugliest car they had seen. Perhaps that person had not come across a Ssangyong Stavic.The interior also looks different, but in a good way. A flowing wrap-around dashboard makes a feature of the centre-mounted colour screen, which shows rear-camera footage when reversing and all the sat-nav and system info.Subaru has taken a big step forward with its interior quality. The Tribeca has metal-look surfaces and dials that look and feel as if they belong in a more expensive car.Small things such as the way the lid for the compartment between the driver and passenger opens slowly and smoothly is straight out of the Lexus handbook.The Premium model's leather seats are wide and flat (very American) and offer little support, but they are still reasonably comfortable.So are all other five seats, though there isn't a lot of room in the last row.The second row can slide back and forth (its also split 60/40) and all rear seats can fold flat to open up a large cargo area.Small touches such as rear-zone roof mounted airconditioning vents and the roof-mounted DVD should keep passengers happy.I liked the rear-view camera and satellite navigation, which you also get in the base car. Luxuries such as heated seats seem pointless now, but will be nice in winter.The Tribeca is not going to impress people who love to drive. The suspension is soft, there's a fair amount of body roll and it tends to float along.The dirt roads it ran on seemed to suit the Tribeca, which pounded over them with ease. Its AWD system is excellent and really gives good traction in the wet and on slippery gravel.The 3.0-litre engine is a cracker in the Outback and Liberty, but has to work a lot harder to pull almost two tonnes of Tribeca.It really could do with a lot more torque to get off the line and up hills, especially when fully loaded.The boxer engine is a bit noisy, with some chain-whirring sounds when moving at city speeds, but the Tribeca cabin is serene when cruising and decelerating.The five-speed automatic works well enough, but has to change down a fair bit to help the engine maintain speed. A six-speed may have helped.THE BOTTOM LINENOT pretty, but a practical family wagon that is great value for money. 73/100

Surely this is more suitable out the back of the shopping centre than out the back of the Aussie bush.Even the reasonably rugged "armadillo" exterior of the old 1990s wagon is now more genteel, while the interior is urban chic with its soft beige leather upholstery and carpets — at least in the Outback 3.0 Premium I drove recently.The Outback's city credentials are assured and you see them being used around the suburbs for picking up the kids from school and the shopping.After a short drive to the shops, my wife confirmed that it was perfect for the job, with lightweight steering, a tight turning circle and plenty of vision. It's a breeze to park in the tightest underground car park.Her only complaint was that she "feels a bit dorky" in a station wagon.I must admit it does look dorky and I don't feel particularly macho driving around in the suburban-oriented wagon. But at least it has all the luxury appointments — and then some.The 3.0R Premium even included optional satellite navigation with a handy touch-screen facility. Very easy to use as you simply point at what you want and away it goes.There is also a facility for quickly finding the nearest point of interest, such as a church or restaurant, accommodation or other city utilities and services. However, how would it go in the real Outback? Would the maps simply disappear into a blank screen? Would I be able to find a place of interest in the bush?And now the Outback 3.0R comes with Subaru's tricky new Intelligent Drive or "SI-Drive" on all turbocharged and three-litre models.Back to the wife: she reckons it feels docile and gutless. This coming from a woman who has never had a speeding ticket in 25 years of driving and thinks that green lights mean you should prepare to crawl."You're in intelligent drive," I explain, and she says, "Why, thank you!""That's not a compliment. You have the car in Intelligent Drive mode, which gives about 10 per cent better fuel economy but makes it feel very lethargic," I explain further."If you really want to give it the berries and shunt a Ford driver off the track, flick the dial in the centre console left or right for sport modes."The two-phase sport modes (Sport and Sport #) boost engine revolutions, regulate the engine and transmission control units and sharpen up electronic throttle response.There is also a flap on the steering wheel to toggle through the three Sport modes. Great for racetracks, but what do these sport modes do for the wagon's outback credentials?With all these unanswered questions the only thing to do was to put it to the test on a dirty weekend. No, that has nothing to do with my wife; it is the title of a book by 4WD expert Brad McCarthy that guides you along 4WD tracks.Dirty Weekends — get it?I chose to do Queensland's Mount Mee Forest track, except stretches of which I was warned I would need low range.So, how did it go?Well, the first thing I noticed was that even before I left town, the roads disappeared off the sat nav.However, with a couple of quick finger points to the touch screen, I opened the longitude and latitude co-ordinates which I could check against the guide in Dirty Weekends In South East Queensland, now in its fourth edition.These were spot on. By marking junctions and turns, I could return and follow the same route without the book.Into the forest, the road quickly disintegrates with corrugations, ruts and slippery gravel on some very steep ascents and descents.In Intelligent mode, the Geolander tyres struggle to gain grip and momentum on the slippery surface.I was a little worried about the Sport and Sport Sharp modes providing too much power in such conditions but they work just fine.The steep slopes are quickly dispatched with smooth power on tap.It understeers a little into corners, then quickly flicks into controllable oversteer if you lift off the throttle.While there is no hill descent, on the downhill gravel sections the ABS provides some help.Best of all, the ride and handling, which is a little roly-poly on the tar, feels quite comfortable and sure-footed in the dirt.Perhaps the grip levels of tar expose the body roll, whereas the slip and uneven surface of a gravel road allows the suspension to do its job and keep the wheels on the ground while providing decent handling and ride comfort.Even quick corrugations are dispatched without anything more than rattling door trims.Despite some reasonable ruts, the 200mm clearance is not an issue on these tracks.It is almost as high as softroaders such as Hyundai Santa Fe or BMW X5 but nowhere near as high as a Jeep Cherokee (239mm). Clearance would only be an issue in rutted deep, soft sand or mud.Most hard gravel tracks should be navigable. Just be careful of loose rocks which could rupture some of the precious organs underneath.The Outback's towing capacity has increased from 1200kg in 1990 up to 1800kg in the current model.However, towing will lower that clearance further.You can buy towing packs that maintain the 200mm clearance but they can cost more than $1000.Over the standard 2.5i, the 3.0R adds mudflaps, headlight washers, headlight adjusters, climate control, door-mounted courtesy lights, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, 300kg more towing capacity and sequential transmission.The Premium adds optional sat nav and McIntosh premium six-CD sound system ($4490), driver's seat with memory, leather, sunroof and paddle shifters for the sequential transmission.Primary and secondary safety is a strong suit for all Subarus and this is no exception with top crash ratings.All Outbacks have four front airbags and the Premium adds front and rear curtain airbags.It may not be a true outback machine, but out back of the city, the Outback works just fine.

Crocker, driving the Les Walkden Rallying-entered Subaru WRX STI, scored maximum points for finishing first in each event contested this year; Canberra, Rotorua, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia and China.Remarkably, the three-time Australian champion also collected the maximum bonus points for winning ten of the twelve heats contested along the way, meaning his total points score of 94 was only two shy of the highest score possible.Crocker's domination of Rally China, with co-driver Ben Atkinson, matched their form throughout the season.Not only was he first APRC car home, he was also first outright, winning by over five minutes from Richard Mason, with Hiroshi Yanagasawa third."The roads were a quagmire here, absolutely diabolical, but we stayed clean the whole way and got the points," Crocker said of the trhee-day China event."Even though we came here with the championship wrapped up, it is fantastic to formally get the business done and now we can celebrate."This championship is second in standing only to the World Championship, so it means a lot to the whole team to win it."It really is a fantastic feeling and I hope that something can come of this for Ben (Atkinson) and me, either at the World Championship level or the chance to try and win this championship again."AAP

So the latest findings by the University of Melbourne will come as a shock. The university's Business School surveyed 2000 car owners to rate how well they would recommend their cars to friends.The survey was based on a system called the net promoter score (NPS).German marques came out the winners ahead of Japanese carmakers such as Subaru, Toyota and Honda.The Australians - Mitsubishi, Ford and Holden were a poor third. It's an interesting result considering Holden and Ford are two of this country's biggest sellers.Study leader, associate professor Mark Ritson, says it pinpoints which cars deliver the best overall customer experience.He says the best performer was BMW with a score of 59, followed by Volkswagen with a ranking of 47. Audi, which has spent big money on its revival in Australia, scored 45, finishing ahead of Mercedes-Benz on 39.Mitsubishi and Holden both scored in the red, with a minus 16; Ford was worse, scoring a minus 25.Ritson says more than half of the owners of the four leading German marques are "promoters". They will actively encourage others to buy the brand and are more likely to buy their next car or a second car from the same brand."Perhaps even more impressive is the remarkably low number of detractors that these brands have," he says. "More than a third of Holden drivers are detractors and they will spread an enormous amount of negative word-of-mouth about their car. Contrast that with either BMW or VW which have almost no detractors to speak off. Their whole customer base is either passive or a promoter of the brand."It's important in a category such as automotive to recognise the crucial importance of low numbers of detractors for a brand. Detractors spread more than 80 per cent of the word-of-mouth on a brand."We are much more likely to tell our friends bad things about our products than the good things. For a big social purchase such as a new car, this can have a major impact on sales."The study provides depressing reading for Australian producers. Mitsubishi, Holden and Ford all posted dire results, he says. The bottom-ranked brand was Saab."There are many potential explanations for this position, but perhaps the most likely is that Saab's operations in Australia are handled by Holden," Ritson says. "This is a company that struggles to generate positive NPS for its own brand, and is probably too busy and too distracted with this mission to successfully manage an additional brand."The NPS is based on analysing the results from a single key question: How likely is it that you would recommend this company to a friend or a colleague?The NPS is calculated by measuring the difference between the percentage of customers who give high responses (promoters) and those who give low ones (detractors). Customers who scored in the middle are deemed passively satisfied and are not calculated in the final score.

Nick Adamidis, national sales and marketing manager for automotive research company Glass's Information Service, says people are being forced to sell their cars cheaply."The new-car market has been booming for the past few years and as a result there's an oversupply in the market place, which means that used cars are not necessarily bringing the prices people believe they are worth," he said."The price of fuel has had a big effect on cars with V8 engines, for example, which are depreciating faster than other vehicles as people try to get rid of them."People now expect a discount if they are buying a V8, because of their petrol usage."In 2000, a three-year-old V6-engined Holden Commodore Executive sedan could be bought for just over 50 per cent of its original purchase price, but today buyers have to pay only 44 per cent of the original price.Mr Adamidis said drops in tariffs on imported vehicles were also driving prices down."It affects the whole market, because if the makers of imported vehicles drop their price by $2000 or $3000 then the local makers have to drop their prices as well to stay competitive," he said."It's a great time to be buying a used car — it's a buyers' market."But we've still got a fair way to go. In the US and the UK, where the markets are more free, the average car, after three years, is worth 30 per cent of the original purchase price."In Australia, the average is 45 per cent, but we're heading in that direction and we'll get there in the next five to seven years."The drop in used-car prices has also been noted by the NSW Department of Commerce, which manages the Government's fleet.A department spokeswoman said State Fleet had tracked a downward trend in the prices it was getting for its used vehicles.Large, locally manufactured cars have had the biggest drop with much less in the small car segment. The drop in prices was spurring sales, however, with clearance rates at government auctions over the past two weeks of 99 per cent and 94 per cent, respectively.David Smith, senior manager of divisional services for the Motor Traders' Association of NSW, said prices would continue to fall."Some of the less fuel-efficient cars are definitely feeling it, but small cars are holding their value fairly well," he said."That's a reflection of the new-car market, because a lot of people are buying smaller cars and a lot of them are being traded in."He said that used-car dealers were the ones being squeezed by the price falls."There are a lot of dealers out there who are doing it tough," Mr Smith added. BEST VALUE RETAINED*SmallSubaru Impreza ............. 62%Mini Cooper .................. 61%Mitsubishi Lancer .......... 59% MediumSubaru Liberty .............. 58%Mazda 6 ....................... 55%Honda Accord ............... 53% LargeToyota Camry(4cyl) ....... 45%Toyota Aurion ............... 42%Ford Falcon LPG ........... 42% 4WDNissan X-Trail ................ 64%Subaru Forester ............ 63%BMW X3 ....................... 61% WORST VALUE RETAINEDSmallKia Rio ......................... 38%Suzuki Swift ................. 38%Proton Savvy ................. 38% MediumKia Optima ................... 37%Kia Magentis ................ 37%Hyundai Grandeur ......... 37% LargeNissan Maxima ............. 37%Ford Fairmont ............... 34%Ford Falcon .................. 32% 4WDLand Rover Freelander ... 42%Land Rover Discovery .... 40%Ssangyong Musso ........ 40%* Based on wholesale prices of three-year-old vehicles in average condition.

A CarsGuide investigation of ACCC and manufacturer recall records revealed significant national recalls

Twelve years ago Subaru Australia was selling the basic little Brumby 4X4 ute to cash-strapped but shrewd farmers who knew a tough little bargain when they saw one.Last week it launched a luxury crossover vehicle named after the New York arts and culture precinct where most residents don't even own a car.Tribeca stands for triangle below Canal Street. Among New Yorkers that trendy little triangle is regarded as a little gentrified these days, but its successor as the cutting-edge district is less likely to be immortalised in a chrome car badge. The latest avant garde district is down under the Manhattan Bridge overpass — Dumbo for short.Still, with its meaty snout, saggy creases and elephantinely rounded rear end, the extraordinarily odd-looking Tribeca could easily have passed for a Subaru Dumbo — all you'd have to do is open the doors.But plain looks never stopped previous Subarus building cult followings and Subaru Australia is upbeat about the Tribeca. Interest is already high with 1600 potential customers signed up for test drives before it goes on sale on November 25. They're signing up to try Subaru's first seven-seater, and its most expensive model yet.The Tribeca arrives at a time when there is an increasing number of customers for $50,000-plus Subarus, says Subaru Australia managing director Nick Senior. "Until now, some of those prospective customers, or existing owners, have reluctantly looked elsewhere when family circumstances dictated they need a larger vehicle," he said.Senior thinks Tribeca has their measure.As well as seven seats it has a 3.0-litre flat-six engine shared with the Liberty and Outback 3.0R models and,like all Australian-market Subarus, all-wheel drive.The range opens with the five-seat Tribeca 3.0R at $53,990. Among its standard features are touch-screen satellite navigation, reversing camera, dual-zone climate-control air-conditioning, a six-stack CD with iPod input and power adjustable front seats.For $58,900 the Tribeca 3.0R Premium adds leather trim, a sunroof, a back seat DVD player with wireless headsets, memory settings for the driver's seat and electric heating for both front seats.Seven-seat versions of standard and premium models are another $2000, and add extra air-con vents and controls for back seat passengers.It sounds like a lot of car, and it is. At 1930kg the Tribeca is nearly 400kg heavier than a six-cylinder Outback, but uses the same engine. Subaru owners trading up from the effortless performance of the 3.0R engine in their Libertys and Outbacks will be disappointed.The Tribeca does not care for hills and even with only two unimpressed journalists on board its five-speed automatic became twitchy at the slightest sign of an incline, with frequent kickdowns and noisy revving. Freeway cruising is commendably quiet — so long as the road is level — but the official fuel consumption figure of 12.4 litres per 100km tells the story of the engine's losing battle with weight.The payoff is in an area arguably more important to family car buyers. The Tribeca is officially very safe with a five star crash test rating. An impressive detail from its frontal crash test is how the D-pillar right at the back of the car deforms slightly as the body absorbs and dissipates energy that would otherwise crush the occupants.Six airbags, ABS brakes and electronic stability control are standard. Even without these there's a margin of safety in handling that feels more like a Subaru passenger car than a high-riding off-roader. Ride is also notably comfortable, with no four-wheel drive style pitching. The Tribeca's poise is a credit to Subaru Australia, which calibrated the suspension after local testing.The interior is a typical modern Subaru presentation of luxury with a touch of eccentricity, such as the distinctive climate control switches. Quality on the American-built Tribeca — it comes from Lafayette, Indiana — appears equal to the high standard of Subaru's Japanese models.While front and seat room is good and second-row accommodation fair, the third row is strictly for children — and they'd better not have too much luggage or sports gear, because like most seven-seaters there's not much boot space when all seats are up.As with the district, accommodation in Tribeca can be a bit crowded. But people still want to go there. Subaru anticipates selling 150 Tribecas a month — or 1800 a year — after supply constraints ease next February.

But the new Tribeca — Soob's first all-new model since the late '90s — belongs in a bigger, wider ball park. Indeed, it's the company's biggest ever passenger vehicle.If the name and the super-sized aspect weren't sufficient proof that it had been developed primarily for the American market, the 10 cup-holders should clinch the argument.Although top-end Libertys slay European sports saloons for value, the Tribeca is intended to go up against the Nissan Murano, BMW X3, Volvo XC70, Ford Territory Ghia and Volkswagen Touareg.Apart from powertrains, it shares with the Forester, Liberty and Outback a five-star crashworthiness rating from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP).The six-cylinder, three-litre Tribeca begins at $53,990 in five-seat configuration, with the range-topping Tribeca 3.0R Premium seven-seater $60,990. Both those prices are guaranteed to shake up the segment.The Tribeca is claimed to be the first Subaru to offer a 2000kg braked towing capacity.Both Tribeca variants use the same horizontally opposed boxer engine, a peaky but powerful number that produces 180kW at 6600rpm and 297Nm at 4200rpm.The transmission is a five-speed auto with manual mode. Predictably, there's no manual variant; that third pedal is what they have these days instead of a handbrake.Of course, the Tribeca is mainly about amenity. It comes with a standard rear-view camera, Vehicle Dynamics Control, satnav, an electric sunroof and leather trim, with heated front seats on Premium variants.The second row of seats can be slid back 20cm. It also features a 60/40 split bench and a 40/20/40 split rear- seat backrest with fold-flat capability.There's a centre armrest with two cup-holders, plus a tray table on the reverse side that can be used when the centre section is folded flat.The third row in seven-seat models includes a 50/50 split backrest.A shoulder-level lever allows the seat to be folded down to create flat luggage space. When using only the second row, four suitcases or four golf bags can be carried.Cargo boxes are also located below the floor — two in five-seat models and one in seven-seaters.

The compact SUVs spruiked at the show all had the same message: it’s still big enough, but it drinks less at the bowser.For the first time in a while, the show itself opened not with a futuristic technological concept car, but with an old-school ex-army urban assault vehicle.As the covers dropped on Holden’s new import, the H3 Hummer, there was absolute silence from the media, the photographers, and Holden employees.It was a heavy decision indeed, to make the ‘smaller’ H3 Hummer the opening star attraction.But it set a precedent for the rest of the show.Big is not necessarily better anymore, and even the leviathan Hummer has been shrunk to a more user-friendly size. So goes it with the SUV market, entering a mid-sized makeover with several smaller, more user-friendly five and seven seat models.A different seven-seater on the Holden stand may prove slightly more popular to both media and the environmentally and socially aware buyer.The Captiva is Holden’s new foray into the SUV market, a big moneymaking niche from which it has been excluded since the demise of Jackeroo and Frontera in the early 2000s.The newly-released five-and seven-seat Captiva, which runs a 3.2-litre six and sips 11.5L/100km, is Holden’s hopeful in the battle against arch-enemy Ford and its long-running local favourite, the Territory. But the Holden will have company.Though the SUV market has taken a dive in recent times, the mid-sized market is in a revival.Three prominent new mid-sized car based SUVs were launched at the 2006 Motor Show: the Land Rover Freelander 2; Subaru Tribeca; and Mazda CX-7.The Freelander 2 stands apart from the bunch as a premium model with more focus on off-road ability.The tired first-gen model with its lacklustre engines and major handling and safety concerns is replaced with two new models running a 171kW 3.2-litre six petrol and beefy 400Nm 2.2-litre TD4 diesel.Both are connected to a six-speed auto and full-time 4X4 system, and both the exterior and interior of the new model has had a major design overhaul. It looks tough, instead of tired.Subaru has finally brought in a model for the five-plus family to gorge on.Fears of losing the brand-loyal but expanding family have brought the Tribeca to the fore, part SUV, part MPV, Tribeca is the first all-new Subaru since the Forester in 1998.While second and third row seating in the seven-seat model looked tight, and its big hamster nose is as polarising as a pair of sunnies, the equipment levels for price of the $55K and up model line, combined with the safety of AWD, six airbags and five-stars in crash testing is a sure inducement.But the buzz surrounding the Mazda CX-7 was loudest in media circles.Looking like a Mazda3 on steroids, the CX-7 is the shapely new SUV entry that will join the recently-facelifted but still ageing Tribute, and the plain old MPV models.Just like the recently-launched MX-5 Coupe, we were the first market in the world to see the right-hand drive version of the CX-7, and also will be the first to get it on the street (in mid-November).CX-7 is definitely a challenge for Ford’s Territory Turbo; it is powered by the turbocharged 2.3-litre four-cylinder DISI engine from the Mazda Performance Series (MPS) in the 6 and 3 lineup.Slightly down on power at 175kW (compared to the sedan and hatch MPS’s 184kW) and in auto only, CX-7 should be on or under $45K for the luxury model, with a bargain basement base sitting well below the leather and BOSE specced flagship.It is five-seat only, but a proposed seven-seat CX-9 (are the numbers confusing you yet?) could be here in another one or two motor shows.Ssangyong also had a tilt at the compact SUV market with their Motor Show release of the Actyon.Dubbed a “coupe SUV”, the Actyon further demonstrated a trend for car makers to trim down the softroader end of their “4WDs”.The Actyon is driven by a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engine, with 104kW and 310Nm, and also comes with a 2.3-litre four with 110kW.The Actyon will also have electronic stability control and double-wishbone front suspension with a five-link rear end.Be it sporty, off-road capable, or fitting into a small parking space while fitting the basketball team in its innards, the irony still remains. In a world crammed with oversized SUVs, the mid-sized and compact market is also eyeing off a big parking spot. It is harder to argue the negatives of these more socially friendly, eco-friendly and carpark-friendly SUVs.Thank goodness for the likes of the Hummer H3.

Read related storyPatrick Loved the yellow Hummer, I just want one !Grant The Subaru Tribeca seems an awesome car. Look at its list of standard features for $53000 - leaves an X5 or Territory for dead. OK, the front grille takes a bit of getting used to, power could be up a bit for its weight, but you do get all the usual Subie delights, 5 star safety and quality. Definitely worth a test drive on November 25!Mark Mercedes e280cdei definatly the bestDan The absolute standout was the new BMW 3 series coupe. Can't believe no one else has mentioned it. What a sexy car! Looks much better in the metal than in photos...David Rome The Mazda CX7 is very fresh and the new BT-50 ute looks the goods to take some salesMichael Volvo C70 What a Glamour!!the engineer Mitsubishi TRM 380- bring it on in AWD! Would sell double current! Should have been the original 380 GT.Audi R8 ;-)Captiva <8>-(French Body Art 8-)Bob Rona Gotta Be the Lexus RX 350 Sports Luxury!!Jay The Saab Aero X concept car looks extraordinary. I was pretty impressed with the XR5 Turbo Ford Focus - hopefully if they bring it out in diesel, there would be a lot more interest and salesDavid Lunn Mazda CX7John The Mitsui 380 supercharged - grabbed allot of attention (so did the girls in the red dresses); I also like the new Outlander V6 & Astra convertible (or at least my wife did).Lex Biggar Audi R8william yates dark 4 door mitsi I believe it's a Tommy Mac serise and also shannon's stand the rest well............Kim I must agree with Bob MX-S ROADSTER COUPE The best by far!Jim Until I hit the Mitsubishi stand the show was a let down for me. Thank you to the Mitsubishi Girls for making the show worthwhile.Julie Definetely the Honda Legend & the Audi RX8.aaron need this so i could have this to have it better then i wont be a laughting stockNick Definitely the Mitsubishi TRM 380 - because I might be able to afford it and it looks great. Can't wait to test drive it.David Lyons Peugeot 207Stephen HSV GTS is my current realistic dream carROBERT DAWSON MX-S ROADSTER COUPEKris Audi R8 looked absolutely brilliant, that will be a real winner when it lands here. The Audi TT also looked really neat.Other cars to impress were the Volvo C30 and Suzuki SX4 WRC prototype.wazza smith nonesasha The Convertible Ford Focus. I simply love it. The new Fairmont Ghia was nice too.I did not like the Camry V6 sorry Avalon, sorry again, Aurion.Now I have gone and twisted my tongue. Anyone know a good tongue doctor <8>-). .... At least I can still type.The Volvo C30 was nice too as was the Land Rover Discovery.The Holden Commodores looked pretty decent although the Captiva did not captivate.Its too tall and skinny. I saw one in a shopping centre car park right next to a Territory and boy did it look like it needed some widening.I was also quite impressed with the Audi R8.The Hummer reminded me too much of the war in Iraq (I am against senseless wars). I also thought the Citroens were cool.Sean Hickey HSV GTS a true sports car at third of the price.I enjoyed the show,love to dream but quite a few people could get a GTS