Technology

After buying a new Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited last May, I traveled to the Gold Coast and was amazed that the navigation system was hopelessly out of date; roads that have been opened for at least two years were not recognised. When I contacted the dealer I was informed that it would cost $45 to install the new mapping, but they were unsuccessful when I took it in for it to be updated. Now I have been led to believe that new mapping is available for $350. Do you know of this problem?

Of the 66 vehicles on the list, 37 are available in Australia - including all the Subaru models. The IIHS list is used by astute American buyers in their new car selection process. It is compiled by rating vehicles on their occupant protection in front, side, rollover and rear crashes. All must also be fitted with electronic stability control as standard equipment. The IIHS says that in 2010, Hyundai/Kia and Volkswagen/Audi both tied as manufacturers with the highest number of Top Safety Picks with a total of nine winning models. Ford/Lincoln, General Motors and Toyota/Lexus/Scion all took second place each with a total of eight Top Safety Picks. Subaru has managed to retain its title as the only automaker to have a Top Safety Pick designation for every vehicle it sells. The Volkswagen Touareg is the only large SUV to take home a Top Safety Pick for 2011, and the US-only 2011 Ford Explorer managed to make its way onto the Top Safety Pick list for the first time in the vehicle's history, the IIHS reports. Last year the Institute toughened criteria by adding a requirement that all qualifiers must earn a good rating for performance in a roof strength test to assess protection in a rollover crash. The move instantly narrowed the initial field of 2010 winners. At the beginning of the 2010 model year, only 27 vehicles qualified for the award, but the number grew to 58 as vehicle makers reworked existing designs and introduced new models. "In just a year, automakers have more than doubled the number of vehicles that meet the criteria for Top Safety Pick," says IIHS president Adrian Lund. "That gives consumers shopping for a safer new car or SUV - from economy to luxury models - plenty of choices to consider in most dealer showrooms. In fact, every major automaker has at least one winning model this year." The Chevrolet Cruze - sister to the Holden Cruze but with different specifications - has 10 standard airbags, including ones for the knees, to outperform the government's minimum roof strength requirements. The IIHS notes that safety equipment is increasingly standard. Ninety-two per cent of 2011 model cars, 94 per cent of SUVs, and 56 per cent of utes on the US market have standard head and side airbags. Electronic stability control is standard on 92 per cent of cars, 100 per cent of SUVs and 72 per cent of utes. ALL 66 WINNERS (Australian cars marketed with an asterisk) LARGE CARS: Buick LaCrosse Buick Regal *BMW 5-Series (except 4-wheel drive and V8) Cadillac CTS sedan Ford Taurus Hyundai Genesis Infinite M37/M56 (except M56x 4-wheel drive) Lincoln MKS *Mercedes E-Class coupe *Mercedes E-Class sedan Toyota Avalon *Volvo S80 MIDSIZE CARS: *Audi A3 *Audi A4 sedan Chevrolet Malibu Chrysler 200 4-door Dodge Avenger Ford Fusion *Hyundai Sonata *Kia Optima Lincoln MKZ *Mercedes C-Class *Subaru Legacy (Liberty) *Subaru Outback *Volkswagen Jetta sedan Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen *Volvo C30 SMALL CARS: *Chevrolet Cruze *Honda Civic 4-door models (except Si) with optional electronic stability control *Kia Forte (Cerato) sedan *Kia Soul *Mitsubishi Lancer (except all-wheel drive) Nissan Cube Scion tC Scion xB *Subaru Impreza sedan/hatch (except WRX) *Volkswagen Golf 5-door *Volkswagen GTI 5-door MINICAR: *Ford Fiesta sedan/hatch built after July 2010 MINIVAN: Toyota Sienna LARGE SUV: *Volkswagen Touareg MIDSIZE SUV: *Audi Q5 Cadillac SRX Chevrolet Equinox *Dodge Journey Ford Explorer Ford Flex GMC Terrain *Hyundai Santa Fe *Jeep Grand Cherokee *Kia Sorento built after March 2010 *Lexus RX Lincoln MKT Mercedes GLK *Subaru Tribeca *Toyota Highlander Toyota Venza *Volvo XC60 *Volvo XC90 SMALL SUVs: Honda Element *Hyundai Tucson Jeep Patriot with optional side torso airbags *Kia Sportage *Subaru Forester *Volkswagen Tiguan

As independent groups aim for a series of recharging stations around Australian city precincts, a director of Mitsubishi Motors Australia - which is the first manufacturer to offer Australians an volume electric car - is cooling the plans."The recharge issue is not a big problem in Australia," says MMAL's vice president of corporate strategy, Paul Stevenson.  "As battery performance increases, the need for recharge stations decreases."Despite most car makers having access to advanced electric car technology, production is being restrained by the performance of current batteries.  The Mitsubishi i-MiEV, Australian's first volume marketable electric car, has access to a single fast-charge station in Adelaide.The station, at MMAL's headquarters, is the first commercial fast-charger (there already are standard chargers) in Australia and is designed for the i-MiEV.  Provider Club Assist claims it will deliver 50 per cent of full charge in 12 minutes, sufficient for a range of about 60km.It is the first of a roll out of stations being planned by suppliers including Club Assist and Chargepoint.  While Mr Stevenson applauds the infrastructure that will embrace electric vehicle use, he indicates that a large number of recharging stations may be unnecessary."I get frustrated that recharging is seen as a barrier to electric vehicle ownership," he says.  "Maybe overseas, but not in Australia."In France, for example, all new apartments and offices must have plug-in rechargers.  "Most Australians live in detached houses. Owners will charge their electric car overnight and, with even the current range of as little as 100km, can cover most commuting distances on that single charge."There is no real need for street chargers in Australia.  In other countries, with high density housing and no off-street parking, street charging is more valid."But even that 100km is achievable only in urban use where constant braking regenerates the battery. When Carsguide had its exclusive first drive of the i-Miev in Sydney last month, our proposal to take the vehicle to Eastern Creek in the citys outer west was kyboshed by Mitsubishi, which said freeway running would quickly diminish the charge, making the less than 80km round trip problematic.Mr Stevenson says there was a simple comparison between electric cars and petrol cars.  "How many petrol stations would we need if we each had one at our house?"Mitsubishi has leased 115 of its i-MiEV hatchback all-electric cars to government fleets and will start leasing to private motorists from mid next year.  The 2011 i-MiEV will be a second generation model with some changes to the current version, however will not be a wide-bodied car as sold in the US.Mitsubishi will debut its PX plug-in hybrid SUV at next June's Melbourne motor show, before starting to market the car in Australia in late 2012.

A CD has been stuck in the player in my VW Golf for about 18 months and will not eject. VW and the dealer have both said to return it to the factory, but as I live in the country I cannot afford to be without the car for any length of time. I am getting sick of listening to John Denver; do you have any advice that might help my local mechanic to fix the problem?

My 2002 turbo-diesel Landrover Discovery Series 2 has 130,000 km on the clock and I plan to do a major service on it, but I'm not sure if it has a timing belt or not, and if it does, is it overdue for replacement. I am considering installing a DP Powerchip to improve the performance. The manufacturer claims a 30 hp increase and better fuel economy, but at $1500 it is a significant outlay for me. Are you aware of the 'track record' of such power chips?

Will the radios in our cars today work once the new digital radio signal commences? I want to upgrade the sound system in my 2002 Mazda MX5, but if the current store products will not work then I will hold off until the "digital" compliant systems are available.

It combines the fuel-efficient benefits of petrol-electric hybrid technology with engaging dynamic performance at an accessible pricepoint.This exciting new coupe is designed to change the way people think about hybrid vehicles, thanks to a driver-focussed chassis and a responsive engine assisted by Honda’s renowned IMA parallel hybrid system (also used on the new Honda Insight – see page XXX.).Due for launch in Australia mid-2011, the sporty CR-Z offers a wide track and a short-wheelbase chassis for agile handling. It delivers the world’s first six-speed manual transmission in a hybrid, with a unique 3-Mode Drive System to tailor steering, throttle response and IMA assistance to the driver’s needs.The CR-Z is powered by a 1.5 litre i-VTEC engine with 91kW and 174Nm coupled to the Honda IMA parallel hybrid electric motor system. The hybrid’s electric motor assistance gives the CR-Z a pleasantly flat torque curve, with the maximum achieved at just 1500rpm, which is unusually low for a naturally aspirated engine. Teamed with the manual transmission, the IMA-assisted engine provides great in-gear flexibility and excellent exhaust emissions.The CR-Z’s exterior is designed around a ‘One-Motion Wedge’ concept with a low bonnet line, tiny overhangs at either end, and wide track. A two-tier dash with a dark upper portion appears to float above a light grey lower section that flows into the door panels, complements the interiors futuristic theme.The CR-Z’s 3-Mode Drive System allows the driver to choose between three driving modes, which alter the responses of the throttle, steering, idle stop timing, climate control and the level of power assistance provided by the IMA system.  It is designed to give drivers the choice to maximise either enjoyment or economy ... or strike a balance between the two.Honda’s engineers wanted to give customers more adaptability in how the CR-Z would drive, without adding complexity to the driving experience.

Called the Insight, the car will be revealed weeks ahead of its official on-sale date early in December.  The Insight will feature on the Honda Stand alongside the company’s new sports hybrid, the CR-Z (see page XXX) features a lightweight compact hybrid system that combines exceptional fuel economy with low emissions in a practical, flexible five-door package. The Insight features a lighter, more durable and powerful hybrid system combining a 1.3-litre i-VTEC four-cylinder petrol engine and Honda’s proprietary Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) electric drive motor.The Insight is the culmination of over 20 years of hybrid development and more than 35 years of lower impact petrol engine development, which started with the CVCC engine in the Honda Civic in 1972.This is a car that encourages economical driving via its Ecological Drive Assist System (Eco Assist) system. Eco Assist has three functions – ‘Econ’ mode, ‘Guidance’ and ‘Scoring’ – and is activated by pushing the Econ button on the dash.In Econ mode, with the touch of a button, the Insight adjusts engine output, extends the duration of idle stop, increases regenerative recharging and achieves energy-saving control of the air conditioning. The result is even greater fuel efficiency.In Guidance mode, the Insight assesses acceleration and braking practices in real time, and changes the speedometer background colour to represent the level of fuel-efficiency of the driving style. Drivers can achieve greater fuel efficiency simply by watching the intuitive colour display.In Scoring mode, the Multi-Information Display scores the achieved economy graphically (by displaying a number of ‘leaves’ to indicate the level of fuel-efficient driving performance). When the ignition is turned off, a score for the latest trip (from start-up to shutdown) and a score for cumulative lifetime fuel efficiency are displayed.Since leaves appear and ‘grow’ as driving practices become more fuel efficient, the scoring function encourages drivers to take interest in fuel efficiency and develop more fuel-efficient driving habits over the long term.Honda has been building hybrid vehicles for a decade. In that time, a lot has been learnt about the production of electric motors and other key parts of the hybrid system. The past decade has seen Honda improve production techniques and reduce costs, making hybrid technology available to a wider range of consumers.Honda was motivated to build a more affordable hybrid to realise its global philosophy – to be “a company that society wants to exist”. Honda chose to bring low emission hybrid technology to the masses by using its engineering experience to reduce costs and therefore retail prices.When the new Honda Insight goes on sale in December it will be Australia’s most affordable new hybrid car.

RESALE value is one of the last things on private vehicle buyers' minds. However, a bit of homework on resale values could end up saving buyers thousands of dollars. A study of the used values of vehicles released in the Glass's Guide shows that the best performers are made in Japan, SUVs, performance vehicles and diesel Ford F trucks. Glass's Guide information services research manager Richard Plumb says the diesel-powered F truck performs so well because Ford discontinued importing the model in 2007. "The value of the diesels went up as soon as they announced they would discontinue importing them," he says. "When it was announced in 2007 they were actually fetching about 127 per cent of their new price for three- to four-year-old models. They've remained high because there is nothing with that six or seven-litre diesel engine and towing capacity in the market. But they're all diesels. No one wants to know the petrol models."Plumb, who owns a 1993 Commodore that's "still going strong", says resale value is a basic economic result of supply and demand. "A lot of people are paying a great deal more attention to resale these days especially government departments and fleet companies," he says. "For individuals there is a more emotional content in the purchase and the more emotional the less likely they are to look at the resale value." He says most governments and fleet companies replace their vehicles after 40,000km or two years, but private buyers hold them longer. "The depreciation is usually the greatest in the first two years, so the longer you can hold the car the better you'll do," he says. Resale values are low for light and small cars, dropping to around 50 per cent in four or five years. "With small cars a large proportion are rental cars which tends to reduce the average used value," he says. "But that's in the early years. If you hold on to them they hold their value in later years." But the worst are people movers with a value drop in the first year of a third of the new price dropping under 50 per cent by five years. "The demand for people movers is reduced because of the increased availability these days of seven-seater SUVs," he says. Plumbs says he has never researched the worst resale models. "But towards the end of their lives the AU Falcon and Magnas were pretty terrible," he says. "Nothing is really atrocious apart from things that go off the market like Saabs." Saab dropped out of the market this year when GM sold out to Dutch sportscar company Spyker, but has announced plans to return next year. Plumb also points out that resale values are low for vehicles from companies that make a lot of changes to their model line-ups or offer too many variants. "There is no continuity in their range, so they tend to suffer in the public eye," he says. "The companies that are doing much better in the market are those that are trying to rationalise their ranges. The new Volvo range in 2011 is being rationalised from 47 to 32 models and VW is introducing new Golfs but have deleted all the diesel manuals to streamline the range. That sort of thing helps the companies." However, he points out that companies with new models often discount current models to get rid of stock and the saving on the discounted cost could outweigh the loss through depreciation in a few years. SUVs have good resale value because of the high proportion of private buyers, Plumb says. The Glass's Guide shows resale values are better for large SUVs with about 61-66 per cent of its new value after five years compared with about 45-50 per cent for compact SUVs, 56-62 per cent for medium SUVs and 50-52 per cent for luxury models. "One of the major differences are that the vast majority are private purchases as opposed to fleet so you don't get the number of cars coming back on the market in the first few years, so they return good value," Plumb says. Brands such as Subaru and Honda that have a low proportion of fleet sales also have strong resale values, yet performance cars and utes have a high proportion of business sales but retain their value. "Performance vehicles like Porsche, where there is an aura to the brand, they tend to be self-sustaining," he says. "Audi is also doing well because they have improved significantly in quality over the past five years. It's been quite a turnaround. They also offer a slight purchase price advantage and in a personal observation they are less ostentatious than the alternatives. "The car industry is all about perception of quality, durability and reliability. People are buying for that even if they only intend on keeping a car for a few years." He warns against choosing expensive options when buying a new car as the return on them is substantially lower than the resale value of the car. "It doesn't necessarily diminish their values, but a car that is more heavily optioned is more difficult to sell second hand because the optional equipment depreciates faster than the car itself," he says. "If you buy expensive options like a special metallic paint that might cost $5000, by the time it's five years old that option might only be worth about $500. The used car market doesn't tend to value colour as much as new car buyers. Personalising a car also reduces the number of potential customers. Unusual exterior paint colours can particularly adversely affect the value of the car." He also warns that the coming influx of Chinese vehicles could have low resale values. "I think Chinese vehicles are a big unknown and that could be a self-fulfilling prophesy in resale value in the short term," he says. "It will be a lot like Hyundai in the 1980s when it was new to the market." He says Australian-made cars suffer because of the high fleet content and over-supply. "In terms of quality though the locally made cars are fantastic." He says Japanese cars also have a high perception of quality. "The average Japanese car like a Mazda6 and Mazda3 do well," he says. "You could make the argument that Japanese is better than Korean, but with improving quality the gap is closing rapidly and will continue to close."Meanwhile, don't hold your breath waiting for a new Ford F truck. Ford Australia communications manager Sinead McAlary says they "have no thoughts about reintroducing the F-Series". "It's not produced in right-hand drive any more and the conversion costs are just too high," she says. "I'm not surprised their residuals are so strong though. They were hugely popular when we sold them here and it was a real disappointment for everyone, including us, when we couldn't make the business case work any more." She points out Ford is about to release a new Ranger. "We think this will go some way to filling the void left when F-Series stopped coming to Australia," she says. Gympie-based right-hand-drive conversion company Performax International is hoping to import F trucks for conversion. Marketing manager Maike Thiessen says they are currently "holding meetings in Canberra trying to get a licence to import them". "Our major seller here is the Chevy Silverado pick-up which is in that area. We sell mostly diesel," she says. "We are also bringing in the Toyota Tundra in petrol and diesel."Top resale performersFord F 4x4 trucks 102% after 3 yearsToyota LandCruiser (4x4) 80% after 3 years Toyota Prado (4x4) 79% after 3 years Lotus Elise 76% after 5 years Ford FPV GT Cobra BF MkII sedan 76% after 3 yearsRESALE PERFORMANCELight cars1 year: 72.2%-76%2 years: 72.5%-74.5%3 years: 65.1%-69.5%4 years: 55.6%-57.8%5 years: 49%-50.7%Small cars1 year: 72.1%-73.9%2 years: 69.6%-73.2%3 years: 65.1%-66%4 years: 59.8%-61.3%5 years: 53.4%-56.5%Medium cars1 year: 77.5%-79.8%2 years: 72.2%-73.6%3 years: 60.5%-66.4%4 years: 52.1%-54.5%5 years: 46.6 %-49.3%Large cars1 year: 73.1%-81.2%2 years: 65.6%-78.8%3 years: 56.6%-76.2%4 years: 47.9%-50.9%5 years: 42.2%-43.1%People movers1 year: 66.8%-69.1%2 years: 61.1%-64%3 years: 54%-57.4%4 years: 49.5%-52.8%5 years: 42.3%-45.7%Sports cars1 year: 77.4%-80%2 years: 71.4%-76.8%3 years: 64.8%-76.4%4 years: 57.3%-69.5%5 years: 54.2%-75.9%Upper large cars1 year: 70.9%-73.1%2 years: 64.1%-67.7%3 years: 55.6%-57.9%4 years: 49%-52.2%5 years: 40.4%-46%SUV compact1 year: 78.3%-83%2 years: 73.6%-75.4%3 years: 65.9%-70.2%4 years: 55.7%-61.7%5 years: 45.6%-50.7%SUV medium1 year: 81.4%-82.8%2 years: 76.4%-81.2%3 years: 74.1%-79.4%4 years: 63.8%-69%5 years: 56.1%-62.8%SUV large1 year: 79.4%-79.7%2 years: 81.8%-83.6%3 years: 78.7%-80.6%4 years: 64%-68.8%5 years: 61.1%-66.8%SUV luxury1 year: 80.4%-82.1%2 years: 74.1%-76.4%3 years: 68.3%-74%4 years: 58.3%-64.1%5 years: 50.3%-51.8%Pickup & Cab Chassis 4 x 21 year: 78.2%-81.4%2 years: 72.7%-92.5%3 years: 63.4%-93.1%4 years: 54.9%-87.1%5 years: 49.2%-77.5%Pickup & Cab Chassis 4 x 41 year: 81.7%-82.6%2 years: 74%-78.2%3 years: 64.5%-101.9%4 years: 57.9%-95.7%5 years: 54.7%-80.9%Vans1 year: 75.2%-76.2%2 years: 69.2%-72.3%3 years: 62.8%-66.5%4 years: 52.5%-66.1%5 years: 46.5%-49.4%

For three years I have been trying without success to have the maps in the sat-nav system in my 2008 Holden Calais-V updated. I have now been advised that if I want an upgrade I will need to pay $600 for the new disc as Holden has specially designed it for its system. This is scandalous! How can Holden offer an integrated system that will cost more to upgrade than any of the stand-alone generic systems, who in most instances provide at least one free upgrade? What can I do about it?