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A brilliant range crowned by the lustworthy GTI lands motoringâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most coveted award

Search party The hunt for COTY 2009 was a whopper. A perfect baptism of fire, then, for your narrator, Tim Blair IN TERMS of difficulty, selecting a car of the year falls somewhere between a successful land invasion of Vietnam and teaching cricket to a cat. There is conflict. There is anguish. There is remorse.

Also, there are scratches.

I caused most of those (the scratches, anyway) during this year’s COTY process, but more of that later.

The 2009 COTY was a notable event, occurring as it did after a full year of global economic crisis.

The full gravity of international financial collapse was brought home to judges when we assembled at Holden’s Lang Lang Proving Ground outside of Melbourne to find that there was no marquee.

Apparently all it takes for Holden to throttle back on the freebies these days is for the parent company in the US to go bankrupt.

Editor Bulmer directed troops to a nearby Bunnings where a stock of canopies was secured and we judges were able to begin our introductory day-long poking process. Two of us were rank newbies – me, a middle-aged newspaper columnist whose day job involves insulting politicians and trying to cadge free test cars from the motoring desk, and Samantha Reid, a 22-year-old Adelaide gal whose workplace of choice is the cockpit of open-wheeler racing cars.

Samantha’s able to perform complex highspeed driving manoeuvres and I’m merely able to write about them, but we were united in trying to demonstrate deep car wisdom. Motoring writers are intensely competitive, so I was delighted to be first to point out the uneven panel gap around the bonnet of an E-Class Mercedes. Talk about your decline in German manufacturing.

“That’s because it isn’t shut properly,” said Carey, gently leaning on the Merc’s bonnet. It closed like a QC’s argument.

Samantha did rather better, what with her delicate feminine ability to assess interior finish and quality. She was almost as impressive as Stahl, who spent some considerable time informing co-judges of the sound-dampening qualities inherent in certain dimpled plastic dash coatings. This lasted for as long as it took to locate the childproof locks. Not that it was part of the assessment, but Hawley took the longest.

Strange to say, but you could sell tickets to this largely static process.

The level of investigation is fascinating. If the Walkley Awards for journalism were this rigorous, they’d still be working out who the winners were in 1983. And this was before we’d even wheeled the cars out on to Holden’s test track.

Numbers

This, the 47th running of Wheels COTY, threw up the largest field of cars ever assembled at the event – all up, 57 cars from 22 models and 16 manufacturers.

If the Walkley Awards for journalism were this rigorous, they’d still be working out who the winners were in 1983

09 THE COT COURT MARSHA GED BULMER

The man in the Big Chair wields the sword of democracy for this, his eighth Wheels COTY. He doubts he’ll ever match Robbo’s record, but would be happy enough to catch the old bugger out on the track. A Queenslander who’s known not to stress, although he does cause some.

JOHN CAREY If you thought a move to Italy might have mellowed our brusque, bolshie former deputy editor, think again. Given to delivering short, withering and insightful assessments of both cars and peers, JC brings an avowedly absolutist perspective to proceedings.

MICHAEL STAHL Behind the glasses and slightly quizzical gaze spin the cogs of a unique mechanism. Had Sigmund Freud ever got to rummage in this noggin, he’d have found a library of discarded automotive trivia, vintage Italian motorcycles, and a hoard of Porsche 908 slot cars.

PETER ROBINSON Rolling up the sleeves for this, his 38th Wheels COTY, Robbo continues to surprise the younger blokes with his encyclopaedic knowledge, energy and unbridled passion. Not to mention the sizzling pace at which he laps Lang Lang’s ride and handling course.

JONATHAN HAWLEY Few on the panel do as good a line in irony as ‘Horace’. Fewer still can match his ability to cut to the quick of a matter with a simple, insightful remark. Knows his grits, thanks to a lifetime in automotive journalism, and rivals Bill Cosby for a collection of crook knitwear.

BRUCE NEWTON Not every PR man’s best friend, ‘Bruiser’ has a deserved reputation for being hard but fair.

Can sniff out a news story with the welltrained proboscis of a Fleet Street hack, but balances it beautifully with terrific industry knowledge and great road-test skills.

TIM BLAIR Not to be confused with Tony, or the director of the Blair Witch Project, first-time COTY judge Tim is political columnist and newspaper writer by day, motoring enthusiast by … well, whenever he can pilfer a good car off the motoring guys.

SAMANTHA REID A COTY first-timer who instantly impressed with her A-grade driving skills and solid analysis, Sam somehow manages to juggle racing open-wheelers with studying engineering, working as a Murcotts driver training instructor, and brewing coffee.

0 For seven consecutive days, judges are immersed in the COTY process.

The first three days are spent at Holden’s Lang Lang Proving Ground, where presentations on each car are made, exteriors and interiors assessed, and core dynamic ability tested (see below). Cull number one is then made, and only eight contenders of 22 make it through to the penultimate round. Stage Two consists of three days of driving loops on the Mornington Peninsula, which includes a mix of urban and rural driving. Votes are cast, and only four contenders make it through to Stage Three. For the final day, judges go four-up with the grand finalists and make their decision. And on the eighth day, the judges (finally) rest…

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Ride and handling sealed road (4.0km) Public road simulation with bumps, off-camber corners and a railway line crossing.

Used for on-limit handling, bitumen ESP effectiveness, braking stability, and steering characteristics.

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Ride and handling gravel road (1.4km) Slippery sand over hard-packed clay, and a slight crown. Used to assess handling and ESP effectiveness. In cars without ESP, we’re looking for stability and safe, predictable handling.

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Dirt ABS test Approached at 80km/h, the driver brakes at the first in a line of equally spaced cones.

When the car stops, a quick countback from the last cone to the stopped position gives an indication of ABS effectiveness.

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Double lanechange (120m) Simulates emergency avoidance manoeuvre at 80km/h. Primarily assesses ESP system on bitumen.

Judges also test with the system switched off, to assess core dynamic ability.

Circular track (4.7km) One standing start lap.

Judges must use lane designated for their speed and not exceed strict 180km/h limit. Objectives are to assess performance, high speed stability and noise levels.

Wet ABS test Another 80km/h brake test, this time on wetted concrete. Equally spaced cones give judges an indication of ABS effectiveness in the wet.

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Rough ride road (1.0km) Straight with potholes, patches, lumps and bumps driven at a steady 100km/h.

A very tough test of ride comfort. Also great for detecting rattles, squeaks and other indicators of design or assembly quality faults.

Static poke and prod After short presentation on the model’s genesis, the panel inspects its every orifice. Exterior and interior design, packaging efficiency, seating, cargo space, versatility and quality all go under the spotlight.

)

That began on day two. The leader of Holden’s Lang Lang test personnel sat us down for a chat beforehand.

“This is not a racetrack,” he said. “There are no runoff areas. There are culverts and trees.” He finished with the cheery line: “If you do go off the course, there will be consequences.”

Message received. I wasn’t exactly anticipating doing anything racey, since modern tyres are mostly so good that average punters like me rarely reach anything close to the limit of adhesion on public roads even during enthusiastic driving. By the time we reach those limits, we’re over them.

But modern tyres cover a multitude of suspension sins that can only be exposed by a closed-course pounding. In these circumstances, flaws are made evident that would only be noticed in crucial real-life driving moments.

The sort of moments that introduce far more serious consequences than just culverts and trees.

Veteran COTY fixer James Lacey rode with me for a lap to make sure I wasn’t going to hold everyone up too much due to chronic slowness. “That would be understeer,” he said calmly as we ploughed through a slow left-hander in the Lexus RX350. Then, on a subsequent turn: “Roll oversteer on entry.” In my

notes, these events were respectively represented by the phrases “when does this stop?” and “YIKES!” My, but the Subarus were interesting. They’d appeared big and clumpy during the probing, but that impression was false. On the course they became even bigger and clumpier. Again, this dynamic gigantism would’ve been much slower to surface had we been tooling around at normal speeds.

Although, come to think of it, the steering’s 1970s-level vagueness would have been apparent during a parking exercise at a supermarket.

Somewhere in Ota, Japan, at Subaru headquarters, a bunch of very talented engineers – the guys who designed earlier Subies – are tunnelling to freedom from their basement prison. The genius who composed Subaru’s once-perfect pedal placements is probably being waterboarded.

The Subarus were interesting. Note the steering’s 1970s-level vagueness

In my notes, the Lexus RX was represented by the phrases ‘when does this stop?’ and ‘YIKES!’

DES IGN H IGH S A N D L OW S M I C HAE L S TAHL

DASH IT ALL

CALL A (HOLDEN) CAB

Alfa Romeo Mito Sport’s instrument panel surface looks like a magic marriage of carbonfibre and leather, with the sex appeal of both. It’s also a recipe for vision-blurring reflections on the windscreen.

Holden’s Korean-designed Cruze offers really admirable interior space by being cleverly cab-forward. And it doesn’t look weird like a Civic sedan.

NOT NOKIA-ING IT, BUT…

HANDLING BREAKTHROUGH

Ford Fiesta’s media-control unit on the instrument panel brings the funkiness and familiarity of a mobile phone keypad. But why do we keep thinking base-spec Nokia, circa 2006?

The Nissan GT-R’s flush-fitting door handles are what design is all about. Flush fit brings aero advantages, yet they actually improve a door handle’s functionality.

Besides lapping the test course, complete with realthem just so for an array of possible opener shots. life-mimicking bumps, rail lines and surface changes, I couldn’t make out Helmut’s shouted directions there were two other elements – the dirt course where during one shoot, so he wandered over to give me Bulmer once measured Toyota’s roof-gravel friction some advice: “It’s easier to hear me if your window is coefficient, and an 80km/h emergency lane-change. Both wound down.” Er, yes. Sorry about that, commandant. presented unique challenges for the novice COTY pilot.

Robbo had missed the first two days due to family Especially aboard the Kia Sorento. I thought I’d commitments but arrived on the third to apply his punched some struts through the front suspension decades of knowledge to this year’s crop. Gentle towers at one point on the dirt, but that grinding and professorial by nature, Robbo could easily pass metal-on-metal sound turned out to be Kia’s shotgun for a retired academic, if you can imagine a retired ESP abruptly kicking in. The amount of variation academic who is interesting to talk to. And who can in these systems, across the entire vehicle market, drive. I mean, really drive. is striking. All of them do their job, to various It was a little distracting on the first day when degrees, but some do it by shutting the driver some of Holden’s test team borrowed the down instead of coaxing.

Mercedes E63 AMG for a sprint while we were That said, it’s fun to toss any ESP-equipped staring at Volvo interiors, but listening to The most expensive car sideways at Lang Lang’s slippery dirt Robbo take it across the back of the course car this year was the course and simply wait for the Invisible was a whole other thing. It sounded like a $234,900 E63 AMG; the Hand of Safety to pull everything back Can-Am race from 1968. Then he’d get out and cheapest Ford’s $16,450 into line. (Idea for a prank: try this with an make an exquisitely precise observation about Fiesta. The 57-strong field atheist in the passenger seat. Scream “Jesus, some barely-noticeable panel alteration over totalled $3.47m. Average save us!” as you lose control, then stare at the previous model. price? $60,900. your passenger in amazement when the car Now came the culling. Alfa’s pretty Mito was Bargain. “miraculously” self-corrects. Afterwards, drive to always going to struggle. Someone had written church in awed silence.) “please crush me” in the dust on its rear window The lane-change, marked out with traffic cones, during the first day; judges obliged. BMW’s majestic witnessed two breakthroughs. One involved Newton, 730d copped it from Reid: “I thought it was a boat.” who tried to whip the oddly-shaped Subaru Exiga Ford’s Fiesta had numerous fans, but fell down on through there at a speed clearly above 80 and actually detail. Stahl and Newton didn’t much care for the made it. The other involved Reid, who invented the Holden Cruze, although Carey dubbed it “bogan chic”. use of cone in verb form. “Yes,” she replied, when “Flubbery” and “springy” were Reid and Stahl’s asked if she’d hit any. “I coned.” dismissal of the Kia Cerato. They were right, but I also coned, but thankfully none of us treed Newton was impressed by the rapid rise in Korean or culverted. Even so, we were kept back at the quality, far more so than he was by the two Lexii. end of the day to wash cars so they’d sparkle for “Vomitous” was one printable description. snapper Helmut Mueller. Then we had to arrange Bulmer, always observant in this area, noted that

Cashed up

SWITCH TURN-OFF

X-CEES ALL

Seems someone switched water-coolers in Subaru’s exterior and interior design departments. The same insidious chemical might explain this ill-fitting, messy and inconsistent cluster-fu… uhh, cluster of switches.

The Volvo XC’s suite of safety systems that enable it to maintain distance, brake automatically, warn of vehicles in blindspots and sense rain, means designers have to package more eyes than a fruit-fly.

SORUNOVER

THE PURSUIT OF CHEESE

Kia’s Sorento has its reversing-camera monitor cleverly inset in the interior rear-view mirror. Too bad the image is all but obscured by reflections. Yeah, reflections. In a mirror. Who knew?

Lexus’s leather interior may be begging to be recycled into Gold Coast loafers, but the inverted-trackball ‘mouse’ is clever and intuitive. Even better if you’re already left-handed.

DOOR JAR

STOCKBROKER BELT

The Lexus is still a Toyota where you don’t look. The $82-$108K RX uses simple, stamped ‘knuckles’ for its door hinge mounts; rivals’ castings are stronger, better, and more expensive.

They’re not new, but the pillarless Benz coupe’s belt-handers still raise a smile and an unconscious, “Oh, thank you.” Too bad that’s pretty much it for the coupe’s good news.

DESIGN NO-LIGHT

WHERE TO START?

We still can’t work out if the Skoda Superb’s split hatchback/boot thing is a good or bad idea. Or even, what was the idea. Extra weight, complexity and ugliness?

Quite possibly.

The random placement of Engine Stop/Start buttons – a pretty universal function – highlights the complete crock that is ‘ergonomic design’.

Nissan can’t even agree between its own models.

the ESP was either “all over you or having a nap.”

Carey coned twice in Mazda’s 3, his only coning of the week, and wondered why the otherwise up-to-themark interior featured so few fan speeds. “Yeah, I know,” added Hawley. “I can barely sleep at night for worrying about that.” The turbo MPS, which sends a GT-HO-load of power solely through its front wheels, was “evil”, according to Stahl.

I felt the same about the 370Z, an unpredictable oversteerer. Three other judges experienced the same thing. “It’s meant to be hairy-chested,” countered Stahl. So are lots of blokes at Sydney’s Mardi Gras, but that’s no reason to be in it.

Those scratches I mentioned earlier? Nissan’s engineers might find a few on the GT-R’s undertray.

My fault. In a car loaded with more traction devices and balance adjusters and drift halters than an entire mid-’80s F1 grid, I somehow managed to slide clean off the road at Lang Lang’s slowest corner. I swear the onboard telemetry briefly flashed the word “idiot”.

Fair call.

The GT-R made it through to the second cut along with a small batch of anointed others. Next came two days of real-world work near the beautiful coastal town of Blairgowrie. Paired with Stahl, the reality aspect was heightened a little. A typical ride went something like this: Clip apex. Accelerate. Hostile opinion about hippies. Left-foot brake, downchange, apex, vivid description of Japanese online comics, up one gear, fond reminiscence of bizarre childhood incident, redline. Brake, downchange, chewing gum inserted, scientific theory assessed and discarded, apex, up one gear, Harley owners psychoanalysed, up another gear, obscure foreign film explored in detail, park.

Then we’d take notes, sometimes a little too influenced by in-car chat. For example, my notes about the Honda Odyssey include Stahl’s idea that a Bonneville salt flats version, complete with spun aluminium wheel discs, would look really cool. As well, councils should sponsor ‘support your local cult’ days.

8 www.wheelsmag.com.au

During these drives, the formerly insurmountable problem of selecting one car above the others began to fall away. The same happened for all other judges, too, although it wasn’t spoken of.

Everyone knew that one car stood tall.

But then, gathering at a large table to make final assessments and cast our votes – on individual pieces of paper, to be handed to the editor – a plan was hatched. We’d all vote for the Toyota Prius instead, just to mess with Bulmer’s head.

Not that the Prius was a total outsider; it made it all the way to the final cut, after all. But it was a long way short of our real winner. We were scribbling down our bogus votes when Stahl realised that Reid, sitting next to Bulmer, wasn’t in on the prank. So he launched into a distractionary tactic that should become part of COTY legend.

“Look!” he said, pointing to nearby trees. “Is that a toucan?”

The editor turned to examine this freakish phenomenon; toucans, native to Central and South America, are rarely found in coastal Victoria. A note was passed to Reid. Unanimity was secured. Bulmer gathered our votes and retired to count. The table fell silent upon his return.

“We’ve got a decision,” he said. Then, following a considerable pause: “You’re all a bunch of pricks.”

That was the final, friendly scratch of COTY 2009.

The vote – the real vote – was taken again. This time there were votes for two cars, but one clear winner. In the end, it wasn’t really that difficult at all.

A plan was hatched. We’d all vote for the Prius, just to mess with Bulmer

ATMGD-OTY Aerodynamics might add downforce, but nothing short of good old-fashioned traction will get the lid off your beer bottle. So the Aid to Mechanical Grip Device OTY award goes to the VW Golf, and the lever-action bottle opener fitted to its centre console.

BO-OTY Any AMG product should be handed Burnout of the Year as a matter of course … except nobody could turn-off the E63’s traction control. Yours truly managed to push every button imaginable for no good reason during my two laps of Lang Lang, then attempted to launch into the lanechange and dissolved into a cloud of tyre smoke. Nobody could repeat it.

MF-OTY Also only one contender for Mispronounced Fish of the Year award and that was Herr Stahl, who instead of ordering hake for dinner, made it sound more like hark-ay.

Nobody laughed (much) until Tim Blair subsequently asked for the flake…

THE OTH ER OT Y S J O NAT HAN HAW L E Y

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“Nothing in the safety package (with seven airbags, including driver’s knee-bag) was withheld from the base model” M>;;BI" <;8HK7HO (&'&

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If there’s a tougher environment than Holden’s Lang Lang Proving Ground in which to test the best new models released in any given year, we’re yet to find it. This year, no less than 57 variants of our 22 nominated models were trucked to the sprawling automotive

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Proving Ground test facility south-east of Melbourne for three days of poking, prodding and punishment at the hands of our eight judges. Armed with little more than note pads, driving shoes and a highly tuned backside, their first job was to find eight stars in the 22 starters.

Alfa Romeo

Mito

The judges chorus to Alfa Romeo’s chassis engineers: “Where for art thou?”

ITS NAME means ‘myth’ in Italian, but the Mito fails to translate Alfa Romeo’s obvious aspirations.

While the three-door hatch captures attention with its individual exterior design treatment and stylised interior, the driving falls well short of keeping the promises implicit in its looks. Based on the same platform as Fiat’s best-selling model, the Punto, the Mito aims for sportiness, but misses.

“Where do I start with the chassis?” wondered Jon Hawley. “The suspension has all the control and precision of a Def Leppard drum solo.” Other judges were less imaginative with their criticisms, but there was complete agreement on the nature of the Mito’s problems.

The stiffly sprung Alfa’s ride is poor, but its damping also proved unable to prevent occasional bottoming-out on the lumpier parts of Lang Lang.

The unyielding suspension was also blamed for dodgy directional stability. The inherent shiftiness of the Mito’s simple torsion beam rear-end was compounded by the quickness of its almost feel-free electric-assisted steering. “Fast initial steering out of phase with suspension,” said Peter Robinson. “All over the shop like a mad woman’s spaghetti,” noted Bruce Newton, who also thought the performance of its ESP “lamentable”. Most of the judging panel penned something similar.

But the Mito isn’t a total disaster to drive. Its turbocharged 1.4-litre engine (only the more powerful Sport was provided by importer Ateco for COTY testing) made several new friends.

These included COTY newbie Samantha Reid, who thought the engine “smooth and refined”, adding

7B<7 HEC;E C?JE IFEHJ BODY

Type 3-door hatch, 5 seats L/W/H 4063/1720/1446mm Wheelbase 2511mm Track (f/r) 1483/1475mm Cargo capacity 270L Weight 1145kg DRIVETRAIN

Layout front engine (east-west) FWD Engines & transmissions 1.4-litre 4cyl turbo (114kW/230Nm) 6-speed manual CHASSIS

Suspension: front struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar rear torsion beam, coil springs Brakes ventilated discs (f); solid discs (r) Tyres 205/45R17 Spare space saver

that “performance is impressive from a small four”.

Although there were specific complaints from some judges – including too-heavy throttle pedal, too-long gearshift throws (no auto is offered) – there was broad consensus that the engine was a good thing.

Especially, it was noted, when its fairly frugal thirst was taken into account.

Thanks to its shared platform, the Mito is also a practical package, with useful rear-seat room and cargo capacity. Better than a Mini, thought those judges who had spent time in both. But while the interior’s distinctively Italian design found general approval, annoying reflections from its carbonfibrelook dash in bright Australian sunlight were noted by several judges. Stahl was one: “Windscreen and instrument reflections give you the shits.”

While neither the Mito’s ESP nor ABS were judged well set-up for Australian conditions, particularly dirt, the car’s standard inclusion of key passive safety systems helped earn it good ratings for overall safety.

It was value that ensured the Mito’s early exit from Wheels COTY 2009. Even considering the lengthy list of standard safety hardware, the Alfa is very expensive for a small and sporty three-door hatch.

Judges checked the $32,490 price of the basic 88kW low-boost model and the $37,490 tag on the 114kW Sport version, and came to rapid conclusions.

Editor Bulmer neatly summarised the reasons why the Mito didn’t progress beyond Stage One: “Suspension tune let it down … and it’s too costly.”

Succint as always, Ged. JOHN CAREY

“Points into corners fantastically well, but rear feels rolly” C?9>7;B IJ7>B

Fuel/enviro ADR81 test consumption 6.5L/100km Minimum fuel grade 95 RON (unleaded) Greenhouse emissions 153g/km CO2 Pollution standard Euro 5

Safety Driver aids ABS, EBD, EBA, TC, ESP Seatbelts front pre-tensioners/load limiters Front airbags Side airbags Curtain airbags Knee airbags (driver) Crash rating five star (NCAP)

$

Money

Prices $37,490 (Sport) 3-year retained value 54.6% Service interval 15,000km

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Three-position e-position DNA switch h (‘Dynamic’, ‘Normal’ and d ‘All weather’), offers the driver river a choice between three ee set menus of settings for the he ESP, electricassist power wer steering and by-wire ire throttle systems. s. Verdict?

Gimmick. mick.

Audi Q5

STAGE

Luxury soft-roader finds the going hard at Lang Lang

IT WAS crowned the best compact luxury softroader in a Wheels comparo during 2009, but that wasn’t enough for Audi’s popular new Q5 to progress past the first stage of the COTY process.

And it was the rougher patches of the ride and handling circuit at Holden’s Lang Lang Proving Ground that exposed an old Audi bugbear and effectively bumped off the Q5.

“There’s a real compromise in terms of ride comfort,” noted Carey, before inevitably adding: “It’s time to mention the Territory.”

The shadow of Ford’s dynamically excellent locally-built 2004 COTY winner looms large over all soft-roaders that have since ventured to COTY. Only Benz’s second-generation ML (2005) and VW’s Tiguan (2008), have risen anywhere near the same heights, managing to make the top four.

The rest have plainly struggled. Raised ride heights, light-duty all-wheel-drive systems and kerb weights of around two tonnes often equal a compromised drive and few votes from the judges.

On the Lang Lang knobs and stutters, the various Q5s were at best “stiff-legged” and at worst “unbearable” depending on the suspension mode dialled up and who was doing the driving.

That the Q5 was so lumpy was a major disappointment. It is, after all, based on Audi’s much-heralded new MLB structure, which moves the front axle line farther forward in relation to the (longitudinal) engine, supposedly improving weight distribution and therefore handling.

MLB has already spawned the A5 and A4, the former a disappointment in 2007 COTY judging, the latter making it through to the top four last year. By that graph then, the Q5 is a step backward.

Just as damning, was the fact that, for most judges, the new Volvo XC60, a direct competitor for the Q5, was the better drive.

“I thought the Volvo steered better,” noted Bulmer. He wasn’t alone.

While the Q5’s Torsen permanent AWD system is competent enough, ABS braking on dirt lacked bite and the ESP tune was as dull-witted and obvious in its responses as a career backbencher.

It wasn’t all bad or embarrassing for the Q5, its various petrol and diesel powertrains drawing strong praise from the judges. But as per A4 last year, it was the entry-level 2.0-litre turbo-petrol and turbo-diesel models that were regarded as the best value, well ahead of the more expensive V6.

“This engine brings the package alive,” wrote Hawley of the 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine.

As did the Q5 interior, which exudes typical Audi levels of quality, design and execution, although Stahl had a sense of deja vu: “The interior is nice, but haven’t I seen it all before in the A4/A6?”

Indeed there was a familiar feeling that, like many Audis before it, the Q5 is close to the target without hitting the bulls-eye. As good as many have been, maybe, but we still await that rarest of beasts – the truly compelling Audi.

B R U C E N E WTON

7K:? G+ BODY

Type 5-door wagon, 5 seats L/W/H 4629/1880/1653mm Wheelbase 2807mm Track (f/r) 1617/1613mm Cargo capacity 540L (1560L seats folded) Weight 1740kg (2.0TFSI); 1770kg (2.0 TDI); 1865kg (3.0 TDI) DRIVETRAIN

Layout front engine (east-west) AWD Engines & transmissions 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo (155kW/350Nm); 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo-diesel (125kW/350Nm); 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel (176kW/500Nm); 7-sp dual clutch (2.0 TFSI/2.0 TDI/3.0 TDI) CHASSIS

Suspension: front double A-arms, coil springs, anti roll bar rear multi-links, coil springs, anti roll bar Brakes ventilated discs (f); solid discs (r) Tyres 235/65R17 (2.0 TFSI/2.0 TDI); 235/60R18 (3.0TDI) Spare space saver

“Above its competitors for interior class, but not steering and handling” I7C7DJ>7 H;?:

Tech head The Audi-designed EA888 engine (also in Golf GTI MkVI) shares only cylinder spacing with the EA113. Changes include the shift from belt to chain cam drive and the addition of ‘valvelift’ to variable valve timing.

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Fuel/enviro ADR81 test consumption 8.5L/100km (2.0 TFSI); 6.8L/100km (2.0 TDI); 7.5L/100km (3.0 TDI) Minimum fuel grade 91 RON unleaded (2.0 TFSI); diesel (2.0 TDI/3.0 TDI) Greenhouse emissions 197g/km CO2 (2.0 TFSI); 179g/km CO2 (2.0 TDI); 199g/km CO2 (3.0 TDI) Pollution standard Euro 5

Safety Driver aids ABS, EBD, BA, TC, ESP Seatbelts front pre-tensioners/ load limiters Front airbags Side airbags Curtain airbags Knee airbags Crash rating five star (Euro NCAP)

$ Money Prices $59,900 (2.0 TFSI/ 2.0 TDI); $71,900 (3.0 TDI) 3-year retained value 63% (2.0 TDI); 62% (2.0 TFSI/ 3.0 TDI) Service interval variable

7 Series STAGE

BMW

The judges were divided, and even its lounge-like comfort couldn’t heal the rift

BMW’ BMW’s W s big big lluxury uxury sedan was a car that some sometimes meti time mes polarised the COTY panel. W hile hi le v voi oices were While voices never raised, the th he 7 S Series eriies was one of those er e cars car c arss that th at somehow ssom omehow h shar arpl ply y di divide opinion. opinion on.. managed to sh sharply Driving dynami dynamics mics cs a and nd iinterior desi design sign gn p pro provoked rovoked prof pr ofou ound nd d disagreemen entt. profound disagreement.

“It’s like like dri d driving riving i a very fast, very plush lounge,” wrote Bulmer, clearly impressed with the way ay the the 7 Series handled around Lang g La Lang ng. “I “It’ t’d be a Lang.

“It’d beaut trans-Europ pe ex exp press.” Hawley, too, liked the trans-Europe express.”

BMW’s BMW’ W s blend bl d of ride comfort and body control.

“Pretty hideous at speed,” was the brutal verdict from Bruce Newton. “‘Normal’ suspension means sharp turn-in, followed by wallowy, barge-arsed mode floating about.” The ‘Comfort’ mod de of the the car’s Active Dynamics var aria iabl ble e damping da system, other othe er variable found, judgess ffou ound nd, was way too soft. ‘Sport’ ‘Spo port rt’ and and d ‘Sport Plus’ improved handl Pl dlin ing g, but butt at the cost of a more handling, jittery y ride. ride ri de. And And d there were complaints, too, about the remoteness of the steering. While the big th g sedan may satisfy some drivers, BMW has as clearly y missed the suspension and steering sweet swe spot. spo pott.

It’s a similar story with the interior. interio rior. Some Some judges liked BMW’s simplification on o the car’s off th control layout, compared with the th he previous previous model. Yet Stahly found the cab bin a letdown. cabin modern, “Interior very clean and modern rn n, but not very opulent; looks like a big 3 Series.”

Seriess.” Luxury car buyers rightly expect much more th than n mere spaciousne ness ffor or ssom omet ethi hing ng wea weari ring ri ing g price p tags spaciousness something wearing ranging $198,800 six-cylinder rang ra ngin ing g fr from om m$ $19 198, 198 19 8 80 800 for the th he six-cylinde nder tturbo-di tu rbo di d esel 730d to close to $400,000 for the turbo-diesel twin-turbo V12 petrol-powered 760Li.

8CM - I;H?;I BODY

Type 4-door sedan, 5 seats L/W/H 5072/1902/1479mm Wheelbase 3070mm Track (f/r) 1611/1650mm Cargo capacity 500L Weight 1865kg DRIVETRAIN

Layout front engine (north-south) RWD Engines & transmissions 3.0-litre 6cyl twin-turbo diesel (180kW/540Nm) 6-speed auto CHASSIS

Suspension: front A-arms, coil springs, anti-roll bar rear A-arms, coil springs, anti-roll bar Brakes ventilated discs (f); ventilated discs (r) Tyres 245/50R18 Spare run-flatsr, up to 2yrs

Failing Fail Fa ilin ing g to win universal acclaim for its dynamics and interior, the BMW was always going ng to to have ha difficulty persuading all the the COTY COT CO TY judges that it represented value.

Especially valu va lue e. E specially when its poor resale value valu va lue – a long-running 7 Series problem – was taken into account.

But there were aspects of the 7 Series that almost everyone agreed on. The least-expensive least-exp pen ensi sive ve e. M ostt judges judges thought 730d’s drivetrain, for instance.

Most the performance e and and general refinement off both both engi en gine ne and and d six-speed automatic automat atic ic beyond be b eyond reproach. engine Lexus LS hybrid-beating hybridd be beat atiing fuel consumption and carb ca rbon on-di dioxide emissions were further positives. carbon-dioxide All other 7 Series engines are turbocharged petrol-burners. Although the in-line six, V8 and V12 all bring bri incremental i l fuel f l consumption sumption impr im prov ovem emen ents ts compared com compa pare red d with previous previous i mod dell improvements model equivalents, the BMW’s bulk and weight ensures relatively high numbers. While better, the new 7 Series brings no efficiency breakthrough tech to the luxury car class.

As expected for a luxury car, the 7 Series’ list ware earned earne of passive and active safety hardware high marks. Its ABS was judged judge well set-up for ery Australian Austr ustralian l slippery dirt, but the ESP system clearly struggled to keep the car in line through the double t lane-change’s orange cones. The judges’ notes contained such descriptions as “sloppy” and “taily”.

With the judges divided on some of the 7 Series’ core attributes, it was destined to fall from favour.

The end came sooner rather than later, and it departed COTY 2009 at the close of Stage One. JOHN CARE CAREY Y

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Safety Fuel/enviro ADR81 test consumption 7.2L/100km Minimum fuel grade diesel Greenhouse emissions 192g/km CO2 Pollution standard Euro 5

Driver aids ABS, EBD, BA, TC, ESP Seatbelts front pre-tensioners/ load limiters Front airbags Side airbags Curtain airbags Knee airbags Crash rating not tested

$ Money Prices $198,800 3-year retained value 47% Service interval variable

Charge

“An engine of huge proportions that feels like a V8”

BMW’s Brake Energy Regeneration marginally improves fuel economy by relieving the engine of the burden of charging the battery.

Unlike a hybrid, stored electrons can’t help propel the car.

8HK9; D;MJED

www.wheelsmag.com.au 17

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Holden Cruze

On n-pa ape er promise prom mise that tha at struggles strruggles in the transition tran nsition n to o the the rreal eal w orld On-paper world

T HE C RUZ RU ZE marks a dep partu ure for H olde en, THE CRUZE departure Holden, abandoning source small cars abando ab doni n ng n Europe Europ ope e as a sourc ce of sma all car ars r in ffavour fa vo our of of Korea Kore r a an and, from late er this year, adopting later manufacturing local manu n facturing g when w en wh e the e Cruze goes on-line on-lin ne plant. at Holden’s South Australian A p ant. For now we pl e have imported petrol e just the impo p rted sedan an version ver e sion n with h pe p trol o and choices, wass th a d di an diesel e engine ch hoices, and iitt wa w these tw ttwo o variants CD and trim) varian a ts (in in C D an nd CD CDX X trim i ) that t at ffronted th ronted ed the the e judges ju udg d es at COTY C TY 20 CO 2009.

Initial impressions were good, apart Initia al impres ssiion o s we w re g ood, d, a p rt pa r perhaps perha haps from o the the h exterior ext xter e iorr design d ssiign de gn which whi h ch Stahl Sta t hl thought tho hought to o be “ “overdone especially o erdo ov d ne a do and n cclumsy, lu ums msy, y esp y, pec ecia all lly y at a tthe he ffront” r nt ro nt” ” but Bu Bulmer “attractive; Bulm lmer er ffound o nd “ ou “at attrac actiive ve;; distinctive.” dist di stin st inct in c iv ve. e ” Inside, In nsi side de, de things better, back th hin i gs g get et a llot o b ot ettte ter, r especially esp s ecia ec cia iall lly y in n the he b a k se ac seat a at which generous legheadroom whic wh ich h is g ener en erou ous in leg ou eg- an and d he h adro ad room m ffor or two wo people enormous), but p op pe ple ((and a d th an the e bo boot o iiss en ot norrmo mous us), us ) b u rraised ut aise ai se ed a question about Cruze’s exterior dimensions. ques qu essti tion on a bout bo ut tthe he C ruze ru ze’s ’s e xter xt erio er i r di io d ime me ens nsio ions ons ns..

Nominally be Nom o in i al ally ly y a ssmall mall ma ll car, car ar,, Robbo Robb Ro bbo bb o reckoned reck re ckon ck oned ned iitt to b e “a lot lot of car carr for for the the money, money on ney ey,, ha half lf a ssize izze bigger bigg bi gger gg e tthan er han ha n rivals with greater interior riva ri valss w va ith it h gr grea eate ea terr in te inte teri te rior ri or a and nd boot boo oott space.” spac sp ace. ac e.” ” The wass ge generally good The h iinterior nter nt e io er i r wa w gene nera ne rall ra lly ll y judged judg ju dged dg ed tto o be g ood oo d looking usefully “lotsa bling” lo ook okin i g an in and d us usef eful ful ully ly ergonomic, erg e rgon rg onom on omic om ic,, wi ic with th “ lots lo tsa a bl b ing” in g g” (according (acc (a ccor cc orrdi ding n to ng to our o r erudite ou erud er udit ud ite it e editor), edit ed itor it or), or ), although ), alt ltho houg ho ugh ug h Sam Sam Reid big, plasticky gauges were Re eid tthought houg ho ught ug h tthe ht he b ig,, pl ig plas asti as tick ti cky ck y ga gaug uges ug es w ere er ea distraction. dist di sttra ract ctio ct ion. io n. “ “CD CD interior iint nter nt erio er io or really real re ally al ly y impressive. iimp mpre mp re esssiv ve. e.

A Camry Cam amry ry y with wit ith h character!” char ch a ac ar acte ter! te r!” r! ” noted note no ted te d Stahly.

Sta tahl h y. hl “Bogan chic,” grunted Carey.

“Bog “B ogan og an c chi hic, hi c,” c, ” gr grun unte un ted te d Ca Care rey. re y.

Driving impressions, however, Driv Dr ivin iv ing in g im impr pres pr essi es sion si ons, on s, h owev ow ever ev er,, ranged er rang ra nged ng ed ffrom rom ro m positive and ultimately posi po siti si tive ti v tto ve o not-so-good, notno t-so tso-g so -goo -g o d, oo d, a nd du ltimat ltim lt atel at elly settled settle se le ed on a middle ground.

Not m ddle mi dd dle eg gro roun und. d. N ot ssurprisingly, urpr ur rpr pris isin isin ingl glly, g ly, tthe he characteristics cha h ract ra ac ctter e is isti tic ti cs cs of engines are significant. o the the petrol p pet ettro rol and and diesel an diessel di e e ngin ng i es es a re e ssig ignifi ig igni fica icant nt..

either five-speed The oil burner – mated tto oe itthe h r a fi five ve-s -sspe p ed d manual auto offers typical m ma nual or six-speed au uto – o off fffers ers ty typi pica pi call grunt, ca grun gr u t, un upchanges, though g it falls offf boost boos bo o t on u pccha p h ng nges ess, making m ki ma king n the better option. ssmoother sm ooth her automatic autom maticc the th he b he e te et terr op opti tion on. on The 1.8-litre petrol engine fans.

“The T h 1.8 he 8-litre p e roll en et e ngi gine ne w won on ffew ew ffa ans. “ The manual Newton. ma anuall is is S-L-O-W,” S-L-O -O-W W,” ” said sai aid d Bruce Bruc Br uce eN ew wto t n. n “Makess a lot lo ot off noise noiise e ffor orr nott a lot lot of of go; g ; it’s go itt’s painful pai ainf nful listening listeni ning ng out, especially over t the to he e thing thi h ng g rrev ev vo ut, es ut espe peci pe ciial a ly o ove ver the ver the last 1000 100 00 revs,” re evs v ,” said sai aid d Bulmer.

Bu ulm merr. “But “But the the auto aut a utto is i S-L-O-W-E-R…” S-L -L-O O-W-E E-R -R…” …”

Newton. sscribbled sc r bb ri b le l dN e to ew t n.

Things better dynamically, with Cruze T h ng hi ngss go gott be b t err d tt ynam yn a ic am ical ally ly ly, y, wi w th the Cru ruze ze proving stable handler unsurprisingly pr rov vin ing g a st stab able ab le eh ha andller e tthat’s hat’ ha t’ss un unsu surp r riisingly ly geared understeer, especially gear ge ared ed ttowards ow war ards d u nd der erst stee st eer, r, e esp spec sp ecia ially in the eC CD D smaller 16-inch (Korean) tyres.

CDX with wi th iits ts sma ma all ller err 161 6--in nch ((Ko Kore r an an)) ty tyre res. The C DX ups ante: “There’s (on (o n 17 17in in rrubber) ubbe ub ber) be r) u ps tthe ps he a ant nte: e “ e: “T The here r ’s some pass pa s iv ss ive e re rear arr-e end ssteer teer tthat te h t he ha h l s tu lp turn-in, a nd passive rear-end helps and long lo ng-w g-w -whe heel he elba el base ba se stability ssta ta abiili lity t as ty as well,” we ell ll,” ,” said ssai a d Stahl.

Stahll. But But long-wheelbase the th e st ssteering tee eeri ee ring ri ng w was as “totally “to tota tall lly ll y disconnected” disc di scon onne nect cted” (R Rob bbo bo)) (Robbo) or “ p et pr etty ty awful” awf wful ul” ul ” (Carey), (Car arey e ), a ey an nd A nd BS and ES SP “pretty and ABS ESP pe erf rfor orrma m nc nce e po poor or ((see see se e br brea e ko kout ut). ). performance breakout).

S o no no,, th the e Cruze Cruz Cr uze uz e di didn dn’t dn ’t p pro ro ogr gres esss beyond be Lan ang g So didn’t progress Lang L La ng.. S ng trron ng on o v val allue ue,, sa ssafety fety fe y ffeatures eatu ea ture r s and in nte teri rior orr Lang.

Strong value, interior sp pacce, w wit ith it h a di dies esel es el p el romi romi ro m si sing ng gg goo ood d pe p rforrma anc nce e space, with diesel promising good performance and an d lo llow ow w fu fuel el cconsumption, onsu on sum su mpti mpti mp tion on, itt w was as d dyn ynamicallly o onl nly y dynamically only aver av erag er age ag e and an nd the the petrol petr pe trrol engine eng ngin ine e weak. weak we ak.. A lack of average allal l-rro lroun roun und d ab abil illit ity y wa as it itss mo most s ffrustrating ru ust stra rati t ng flaw, g iven iv en all-round ability was given itss bl it blen end en d of sstr tron tr ong on g pr pra rac a ti acti ac t ca c l fe feat atur ures es b ut det tai aile led d blend strong practical features but detailed shor sh ortf or tfal all lls ls w ith it h st stee eeri ee rin ri ng, pe ng, ng perf for orma manc nce and noise shortfalls with steering, performance supp su ppre esssiio on in tthe h d he die ie ese sel. “ sel It may be an owner’s suppression diesel.

“It ca ar, b but utt iit’ t s no n ri car, it’s nott a d driver’s car,” said Carey.

J ON ATHAN HAWL E Y

STAGE

>EB:;D 9HKP; BODY

Type 4-door sedan, 5 seats L/W/H 4597/1788/1477mm Wheelbase 2685mm Track (f/r) 1544/1558mm Cargo capacity 400L Weight 1380kg (1.8 CDX man); 1415kg (1.8 CDX auto); 1506kg (2.0 CD man); 1522kg (2.0 CD auto) DRIVETRAIN

Layout front engine (east-west) FWD Engines & transmissions 1.8-litre 4cyl (104kW/176Nm) 5-speed manual/6-speed auto (CDX); 2.0-litre 4cyl diesel (110kW/320Nm) 5-speed manual/ 6-speed auto (CD) CHASSIS

Suspension: front struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar rear multi-links, coil springs, anti-roll bar Brakes ventilated discs (f); solid discs (r) Tyres 205/60R16 (CD); 215/50R17 (CDX) Spare full size

Fuel/enviro ADR81 test consumption 7.0L/100km (CDX man); 7.5L/100km (CDX auto); 5.7L/100km (CD man): 6.8L/100km (CD auto) Minimum fuel grade 91 RON (unleaded); diesel Greenhouse emissions 166g/km CO2 (CDX man); 179g/km CO2 (CDX auto); 149g/km CO2 (CD man); 180g/km CO2 (CD auto) Pollution standard Euro 4

Safety Driver aids ABS, EBD, BA, TC, ESP Seatbelts front pre-tensioners/ load limiters Front airbags Side airbags Curtain airbags Knee airbags Crash rating five star (ANCAP)

$ Money Prices $23,990 (1.8 CDX man/2.0 CD man); $25,990 (1.8 CDX auto/2.0 CD auto) 3-year retained value 53% (2.0 CD/1.8 CDX auto); 54% (1.8 CDX man) Service intervals 15,000km

“Inconsistent, but safety, pricing and spec make Cruze a proposition that’s hard to ignore” =;: 8KBC;H

Tune out

The critics were vocal when it came to Cruze’s long ABS stops on dirt and relatively slow-acting ESP, mainly because Lang Lang would have been the very place the driving aids were tuned.

“Astonishing for something wearing a Holden badge,” said Carey. The big question is: will the locally-built Cruze show a marked improvement in ABS and ESP performance?

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Kia Cerato

STAGE

Persuasive value and promising dynamics avoid egg-noodle on face

BY ANY measure, the quality of Korean cars has progressed significantly in recent years.

Unfortunately, that progress has not been enough to win over hardened COTY judges, with the result that not one Hyundai, Kia or GM-Daewoo/Holden has ever made it beyond the initial COTY cull.

So, would Cerato be Korea’s breakthrough car?

Back in March 2009, Wheels had declared this second-generation Kia compact sedan the best vehicle yet to come out of Korea. While that may sound encouraging, past experience has also shown that a positive first-drive impression can come dramatically unhinged in the COTY crucible.

Adding another challenge, the Cerato lobbed into the small-car melting pot in a year when the Mazda 3 and Volkswagen Golf came up for renewal and the Holden Cruze was presented for the first time. No shortage of potential comparisons, then.

The judges verdict? Exit at the first hurdle.

So, on the surface nothing has changed. But that would be doing the Cerato an injustice. After all, the Cruze suffered the same fate, and the 3 lasted only one round longer.

And delving into the judges’ comments revealed recognition that the Cerato offered more than just the traditional Korean pricing advantage.

“If you’d have told me even a couple of years ago that a Kia would drive this well I’d have laughed,” declared Bulmer. “Very competitive performance and dynamics.”

“A massive advance by Kia,” wrote Peter Robinson. “There are obvious failings, but it’s further proof the Koreans are progressing.”

Those obvious failings? Every judge complained

about the chemical tang of the Cerato’s interior.

It’s a negative that impacts even before design or materials are considered. “Erk!” summarised Stahly, a man of renowned olfactory sensitivity.

The other common complaint was excessive steering kickback over the ride and handling track’s bumps, crannies and holes. Undoubtedly the worst of any car in the 2009 COTY field, Hawley called it “vicious”, Carey settled on “bad”.

There were other niggles and issues: the ‘Euro’ tune suspension was too sharp, the doors shut with a hollow ‘bong’ and the interior materials quality was obviously specced down to a price.

But what a price: $18,990 for the S and $22,990 for the SLi. Both come powered by the same modern, strong, if sometimes intrusive Theta II 2.0litre four-cylinder engine, offer plenty of interior space and a sizeable boot. The most dubious value?

Paying $2000 for a pedestrian four-speed auto.

While all Ceratos come with six airbags and ABS, the ‘S’, along with the Fiesta CL and LX, earned the unhappy distinction of being the only cars in the COTY field without standard ESP. Unfortunately for the upper-spec SLi, that served mostly to highlight the importance of well-tuned stability control. Where the S swerved and returned with control, an obvious sign of its fundamental dynamic integrity, the SLi’s ESP grabbed at wheels in an unpredictable manner.

The Cerato is proof that Kia, and indeed the entire Korean car industry, is making definite progress. But yet more progress and refinement is required to be a COTY Stage Two contender.

B R U C E N E WTON

A?7 9;H7JE BODY

Type 4-door sedan, 5 seats L/W/H 4530/1775/1460mm Wheelbase 2650mm Track (f/r) 1542/1546mm Cargo capacity 415L Weight 1347kg (S man); 1359kg (SLi auto) DRIVETRAIN

Layout front engine (east-west) FWD Engines & transmissions 2.0-litre 4cyl (115kW/194Nm) 5-speed manual (S man); 4-speed auto (SLi auto) CHASSIS

Suspension: front struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar rear torsion beam, coil springs Brakes ventilated discs (f); solid discs (r) Tyres 195/65R15 (S man); 215/45R17 (SLi auto) Spare full-size

“Not horrible … it presents pretty well, especially considering the price” @E>D 97H;O

Theta Hyundai subsidiary Kia benefits from the Hyundai-Mitsubishi-Chrysler co-development program that produced Cerato’s Theta II engine. It’s a better unit than the Hyundai i30’s older, Beta engine.

Safety

Fuel/enviro ADR81 test consumption 7.8L/100km (S man); 7.9L/100km (SLi auto) Minimum fuel grade 91 RON Greenhouse emissions 186g/km CO2 (S man); 187g/km CO2 (SLi auto) Pollution standard Euro 4

Driver aids ABS, EBD, BA (TC, ESP standard on SLi) Seatbelts front pre-tensioners/ load limiters Front airbags Side airbags Curtain airbags Knee airbags Crash rating four star (NCAP)

$ Money Prices $18,990 (S man); $22,990 (SLi auto) 3-year retained value 51.4% (S man); 50% (SLi auto) Service interval 15,000km

Kia Sorento

Kia may have come of age, but dynamic maturity not yet evident

KIA’S second-generation Sorento could hardly be more different than the original 2002 effort.

Instead of a ladder frame chassis and separate body it now features a monocoque construction with a longer cabin; the engine sits east-west driving the front wheels (or all four – more later) and seven-seat capacity is standard across the range. Clearly, instead of a tarted-up mud-plugger, this Sorento aspires to a life as family all-rounder.

Getting a handle on the variants isn’t easy.

Although both petrol and diesel engines are available, the former only comes in the priceleading ($36,490) Si model, which is 2WD and auto only. But the Si can also be had with diesel and 4WD in auto and manual. All other models, including the single $45,990 SLi that appeared at COTY, have the diesel donk and all-paw traction.

And what an engine this diesel is. Developed in-house by Kia, along with the six-speed automatic to which it’s mated, the 2.2-litre R-series oil-burner is powerful, torquey, smooth, quiet and about 20 percent more fuel efficient than the old 2.5-litre unit it replaces. So that’s a couple of big ticks in the COTY criteria labelled performance, efficiency and environment. “The drivetrain is really sweet!”, summarised Stahl, somewhat less objectively.

There’s nothing awkward about the Sorento’s thoroughly contemporary exterior styling, although the quality of interior materials and aspects of the packaging left most judges cold. “Cheap, hard plastics,” sniffed Samantha (yet as a leather freak, she noted the standard cowhide seat trim) and Newton also bemoaned the lack of soft-touch plastics. Even less impressive for a vehicle touted

by Kia as having best-in-class third-row seating space was the lack of legroom, and the awkward knees-up seating position in the rear pew for two (admittedly slightly larger than child-size) bodies in Bulmer and Carey.

Dynamically, the Sorento has problems too. “The steering remains a weakness,” shot Robbo after experiencing the combination of sharp kick-back in bumpy corners and excessive loading-up as the power assistance was beaten by the lane-change manoeuvre. The Sorento may not have been alone in the latter department, but its lack of body control, excessive understeer, “rubbish tyres” (Carey) and ordinary ride were also consistent criticisms.

As usual, all COTY contenders were treated as cars, not off-roaders, yet the Sorento failed to shine on the dirt roads for which it was conceivably designed. Essentially a front-driver, with the rear axle kicking in when traction is dodgy, the Sorento was nonetheless underwhelming for its grabby, late-acting ESP that also made some alarming graunching sounds and ABS that produced far longer stopping distances than some sedans on the gravel. “I have no confidence in this vehicle doing anything I tell it to,” Samantha opined in closing.

Yet for all that, the Sorento’s style, equipment, value, safety features and that lovely drivetrain won it high praise, even if its dynamic clumsiness and suspect packaging meant it didn’t progress.

Robbo summed up Kia’s latest effort to beat more established SUV rivals best. “Wake up, world, Kia has arrived. It’s no exaggeration to rank the Sorento above the Volvo XC60 diesel at $65,000.”

JO NATHAN HAWLEY

STAGE A?7 IEH;DJE BODY

Type 5-door wagon, 7 seats L/W/H 4685/1885/1710mm Wheelbase 2700mm Track (f/r) 1618/1621mm Cargo capacity 258L/1047L (rear seat folded) Weight 1959kg DRIVETRAIN

Layout front engine (east-west) AWD Engines & transmissions 2.2-litre 4cyl turbo diesel (145kW/436Nm) 6-speed auto CHASSIS

Suspension: front struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar rear multi-links, coil spring, anti-roll bar Brakes ventilated discs (f); solid discs (r) Tyres 235/60R18 Spare full size

Safety Fuel/enviro ADR81 test consumption 7.4L/100km Minimum fuel grade diesel Greenhouse emissions 194g/km CO2 Pollution standard Euro 4

Driver aids ABS, EBD, BA, TC, ESP Seatbelts front pre-tensioners/ load limiters Front airbags Side airbags Curtain airbags Knee airbags Crash rating five star (NCAP)

$ Money Prices $45,990 3-year retained value n/a Service interval 15,000km

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Revealed

Efforts to find the Sorento’s rear-view camera had judges stumped … until they looked at the interior rear-vision mirror, onto the left-hand side of which is projected the view from behind.

“Fairly standard SUV performance and dynamics … not too bad” =;: 8KBC;H

Lexus RX

STAGE

Impeccably built and whisper quiet, but couldn’t find a murmur of support MIXING admirable and awful in roughly equal proportions, the Lexus RX was both praised and panned at COTY 2009. Brilliant drivetrains, excellent overall refinement, impressive efficiency from the petrol-electric powered 450h version and high-quality interior presentation on the one hand, then poor handling and ride, awful steering, incompetent ESP, and questionable exterior design elements on the other.

With its suspension failing to deliver complete control or cosseting comfort, two judges pointed fingers of blame in the obvious direction. “Ride is wallowy and harsh at the same time; a Lexus for Florida,” noted Robinson. “Floaty, fat-bummedAmerican ride and body control,” wrote Stahl.

With Americans making up the great majority of buyers for the RX, Lexus would naturally give their preferences priority during design and development. All well and good, but it means the luxury five-seat SUV isn’t well suited to Australian road conditions.

The RX’s ESP, for example, is sometimes almost useless. “ESP so slow to react that you could get a round of golf in before it saves you,” was Hawley’s observation. He wasn’t alone in having doubts about the system’s ability to arrest slides and maintain control on slippery Australian dirt.

Another judge noted that poor ESP calibration for dirt “is becoming a traditional Toyota – and, by extension, Lexus – shortcoming.”

Yet the good parts of the RX are very good indeed. Drivetrain refinement, for example, is superb. “It has an engine?” asked Michael Stahl.

“It feels like ‘flux capacitor’ drive.” The strong performance of the petrol-electric hybrid 450h in comparison to the conventional V6-powered 350 received several glowing mentions. Bulmer was alone in asking whether the hybrid did anything better than “a decent diesel”. Other judges were duly impressed by the 450h’s excellent city-driving fuel efficiency.

While the high quality of the RX’s cabin wasn’t questioned, some judges found the design a little too plain. “Interior pretty pleasant, but anodyne,” was Stahl’s summary.

For safety, the RX also scored high. In line with its premium pricing, it packs a pretty full arsenal of passive and active (although not always effective, as noted earlier) safety systems.

The RX’s value case was slightly assisted by the luxury-car tax reduction gained by the 450h’s low 6.4L/100km ADR81 consumption number, well below the 7.0L/100km threshold. In the first two of the Lexus’s three equipment grades (Prestige, Sports and Sports Luxury) the hybrid option adds a reasonable $7000 over the conventional RX350.

But there were judges who found it hard to reconcile the RX range’s premium pricing ($81,900 for the 350 Prestige to $107,900 for the 450h Sports Luxury) with its un-premium driving dynamics. The poor handling, ride and steering evoked a visceral reaction from one judge. “It makes my guts queasy,” said Bruce Newton. The other panellists might have had stronger stomachs, but at the close of Stage One they still, as one, voted to chuck it.

JOHN CAREY

B;NKI HN BODY

Type 5-door wagon, 5 seats L/W/H 4770/1885/1720mm Wheelbase 2740mm Track (f/r) 1630/1620mm Cargo capacity 446L Weight 1975kg (RX350); 2205kg (RX450h) DRIVETRAIN

Layout front engine (north-south) AWD Engines & transmissions 3.5-litre V6 (203kW/346Nm) 6-speed auto (RX350); 3.5-litre V6 (183kW/317Nm), electric motors front and rear, total output 220kW/317Nm (RX450h) CHASSIS

Suspension: front struts, L-arms, coil springs, anti-roll bar rear double wishbones, coil springs, anti-roll bar Brakes ventilated discs (f); solid discs (r) Tyres 235/60R18 (RX350); 235/55R19 (RX450h) Spare space saver

Sparky

The RX450h has a 3.5-litre Atkinson Cycle V6 and 123kW electric motor powering the front axle. A second, 50kW electric motor kicks in to drive the rear wheels on loose surfaces or when slip is detected.

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Fuel/enviro ADR81 test consumption 10.8L/100km (RX350); 6.4L/100km (RX450h) Minimum fuel grade 95 RON (unleaded) Greenhouse emissions 254g/km CO2 (RX350); 150g/km CO2 (RX450h) Pollution standard Euro 4

Safety Driver aids ABS, EBD, BA, TC, ESP Seatbelts front pre-tensioners/ load limiters Front airbags Side airbags Curtain airbags Knee airbags Crash rating not tested

“Braking is competent but its weight is really obvious when cornering” I7C7DJ>7 H;?:

Prices $81,900 (RX350); $107,900 (RX450h) 3-year retained value 56% (RX350); 61% (RX450h) Service interval 15,000km

Mercedes-Benz E-Class coupe E-Class? Not exactly. Yet more than a C … and scored higher than a D CALL US precious, but the Mercedes-Benz E-Class coupe got off on the wrong foot with the COTY judges over a philosophical issue.

The somewhat contrived styling was more than forgiven with the knowledge that, at 0.24Cd, the coupe has the slipperiest body of any production car today – and that includes slug-shaped hybrids.

Nope, our problem was with the E-Class coupe’s not being an E-Class at all. It was built on the platform of the W204 C-Class (our ’07 COTY, so no bad thing) to be the new CLK, but was rebadged shortly before launch as an E-Class.

“That’s a cynical marketing gouge for more dollars,” grumbled Bulmer.

Mercedes-Benz insists that 60 percent of the coupe’s components and technology are shared with the W212 E-Class sedan, but it’s still like paying for a Minogue and only getting Danni.

Relative to the previous CLK, the 350 six-cylinder steps up by $2000, but the 500 V8 by $20,000 (incidentally, $30K more than a C63 AMG).

In COTY terms, it immediately made the judges focus on the coupe’s contribution to technological advancement, and value for money.

Whatever. At least it’s a pillarless coupe, meaning you don’t have to drive your grandpa’s Mercedes, while still enjoying the practicality of folding rear seats. Not all judges liked the interior styling, however, with Carey noting that it “lacks the interior bling of the sedans”. Others noted the headroom deficit to the BMW 3 Series.

But you would expect a full complement of safety kit, and the Benz delivers abundantly, breezing to a

five-out-of-five in the active and passive safety pre-scores. There was, however, a lurking surprise …

We were puzzled by the E250 CDi, not only for its gravelly NVH at idle, but simply by wondering who would want a diesel coupe. The sweet spot of the range was the E350, which Hawley described as “well balanced; more than a poseur’s car.” It was confident and comfortable up to about eighttenths, when the ride became jostly and flustered by overly soft rebound damping.

Far more importantly, a dynamic issue revealed itself more fully in the E350 and worse yet in the E500. Through the 80km/h lane-change – an aggressive, but world-standard exercise (and minus moose) – the steering loaded up quite severely as the power-assistance was clearly overwhelmed.

“Steering load-up or lack of assist through lanechange – and it’s a rear-wheel drive, for heaven’s sake,” Carey moaned. In the E500, it only added to the car’s dynamic shortcomings. All loved the simmering, sinister V8, but as Robbo succinctly put it, “the V8 stretches the chassis.”

We’re at a loss to explain why this steering issue has never surfaced in the smaller C-Class, although, other than the diesel and the (unique, re-engineered) C63, it has different and smaller engines which would suggest different front-end hardware. The E-Class coupe has neither the cohesion and class of the E-Class sedan, nor the agility, honesty and relative value of the C-Class.

Kicked out of COTY at the first hurdle, but coming soon to a real estate agent near you.

MIC HAE L STAHL

STAGE

C;H9;:;I 8;DP ;#9B7II 9EKF; BODY

Type 2-door coupe, 4 seats L/W/H 4898/1786/1397mm Wheelbase 2760mm Track (f/r) 1537/1544mm Cargo capacity 450L Weight 1695kg DRIVETRAIN

Layout front engine (north-south) RWD Engines & transmissions 2.1-litre 4cyl turbo diesel (150kW/500Nm) 5-speed auto (E250 CDI); 3.5-litre V6 (200kW/350Nm) 7-speed auto (E350); 5.5-litre V8 (285kW/530Nm) 7-speed auto (E500) CHASSIS

Suspension: front struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar rear multi-links, coil springs, anti-roll bar Brakes ventliated discs (f); ventilated discs (r) Tyres 235/45R17 (f) 255/40R17 (r) (E250 CDI); 245/40R18 (f) 265/35R18 (r) (E350); 235/40R18 (f) 255/35R18 (r) (E500) Spare space saver

“Lacks the dynamic refinement of the sedan.

I’m not surprised there’s no AMG version” F;J;H HE8?DIED

Fuel/enviro ADR81 test consumption 5.3L/100km (E250 CDI); 9.5L/100km (E350); 11.0L/100km (E500) Minimum fuel grade 95 RON (unleaded); diesel (E250 CDI) Greenhouse emissions 139g/km CO2 (E250 CDI); 222g/km CO2 (E350); 256g/km CO2 (E500) Pollution standard Euro 5

Safety Driver aids ABS, EBD, BA, TC, ESP Seatbelts front pre-tensioners/load limiters Front airbags Side airbags Curtain airbags Prices $97,500 (E250 CDI); $127,500 Knee airbags (driver) (E350); $174,500 (E500) Crash rating not tested 3-year retained value 57.6% (E250 CDI); 57.8% (E350); 53.3% (E500) Service interval variable

$

Like E-Class sedan, all coupes get nine airbags – dual front, front and rear side, full length curtain and driver’s knee. The coupe’s longer doors also mean it gets an auto belt feeder, which uses an electric motor to extend a plastic ‘arm’ (and your front seatbelt) when doors are closed.

Click-clack and all…

Nissan 370Z

Old-school sports action not enough to get the judges to say aye to Zed

CAR of the Year judges are an objective lot: blinkered by reason, blindfolded against hyperbole and able to apply the sword and scales of justice to cars of any price or shape. But that doesn’t mean we’re not human and I doubt any of us couldn’t help glancing at the saffron-yellow 370Z and its silver side-kick every now and then thinking, soon, yes soon, you will be spanked.

Don’t mistake this as just a bigger-engined version of the 350Z either. The details and concept might be similar, but the tighter shape on a new platform – the 370 is only 4250mm long – and lower weight together with the increased grunt go a long way towards promising performance and agility akin to a hairy-chested MX-5.

Still waiting to drive the Zed we gave it the usual thorough inspection, noting the usefully more upmarket interior with the deep-set gauges in front of the driver and glitzy centre stack of controls. For all that, Sam Reid couldn’t help noting that the two-seater with its lift-back rear needed a safety barrier to keep flying objects out of the business end of the cabin. Then again, the short and flat luggage area wasn’t going to hold anything very big.

Finally, on with the driving, only to find the 370Z to be more like a hyperactive and somewhat recalcitrant muscle car than a purebred sporty. Not that there were any complaints about performance: with 245kW on tap from the brawny 3.7-litre V6 – “a brute-iful engine,” in Newton’s words – it reeled

in the scenery at a rate only bettered by its GT-R stablemate.

But was it fun? No, the 370Z was a handful. “The electronics only just manage to cope with dynamics that feel quite evil … at least around Lang Lang,” said Carey. The combination of stiff suspension, a short wheelbase, twitchy handling and no shortage of instant propulsion endeared the Zed to nobody.

Robbo complained it “snaps into oversteer”, while Stahly looked under the rear for a live axle.

Refinement is lacking in a number of areas, not least a solid ride quality bordering on harsh, and “lots of noise, engine NVH and tinny body sound” according to Stahly. The six-speed manual gearbox is heavy-shifting and baulky, and while the sevenspeed automatic might be fast and responsive (with a delightful electronic blip of the throttle on downshifts), Carey was not enamoured with the manual selector’s orientation of up for upshifts, down for downchanges. “It feels more wrong in a sports car than in something with sporting pretensions,” he said.

Not all judges shared the general negativity, though. “A good fun sports car,” said Bulmer. “A bit coarse, but I like it.”

Performance-for-dollar-wise, the 370Z looked good, but its lack of manners, practicality, any particular application of technology or environmental considerations meant it wasn’t going through to the next stage of COTY 2009.

J O N AT H A N H AW L E Y

STAGE

D?II7D )-&P

Type 2-door coupe, 2 seats L/W/H 4250/1845/1315mm Wheelbase 2550mm Track (f/r) 1550/1595mm Cargo capacity 213L Weight 1471kg (man.) 1485kg (auto) DRIVETRAIN

Layout front engine (north-south) RWD Engines & transmissions 3.7-litre V6 (245kW/363Nm) 6-speed manual/7-speed auto CHASSIS

Suspension: front multi-links, coil springs, anti-roll bar rear multi-links, coil springs, anti-roll bar Brakes ventilated discs (f); ventilated discs (r) Tyres 225/50/R18 (f); 245/45R18 (r) Spare space saver

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Fuel/enviro

Weight it out Compared with the 350Z, to 370 is 15kg lighter. Yes, it is smaller (the wheelbase is 100mm shorter) but by utilising an aluminium bonnet, doors, tailgate and some suspension components, and a carbonfibre tailshaft, Nissan reckons it has avoided adding around 100kg.

ADR81 test consumption 10.5L/100km (man.); 10.4L/100km (auto) Minimum fuel grade 95 RON (unleaded) Greenhouse emissions 249g/km CO2 (man.); 247g/km CO2 (auto) Pollution standard Euro 4

Safety Driver aids ABS, EBD, BA, TC, ESP Seatbelts front pre-tensioners/ load limiters Front airbags Side airbags Curtain airbags Knee airbags Crash rating not tested

$ Money Prices $67,990 (man); $70,990 (auto) 3-year retained value 55% Service interval 10,000km

“Zed is Japan’s Corvette. Heavy controls, snap oversteer, demands concentration” F;J;H HE8?DIED

Nissan Maxima

Sharp pricing of base model not enough to offset the dullness evident elsewhere WAY BACK in 2003, the J31 Nissan Maxima was a surprise COTY hit, lauded for its stylish exterior, cutting edge interior, gutsy VQ35DE V6 engine and outstanding value proposition.

It didn’t progress further than the second round because of its squidgy dynamics, but that car was still remembered fondly by the veteran judges when the J32 Maxima was presented at COTY ’09.

Unfortunately, when the dust had settled, the fourth-generation Maxima had done nothing to replace its predecessor in their affections.

“A car for the comatose,” was Carey’s cruel, pointed and apt conclusion.

The problem is that the Maxima has made little obvious identifiable progress in those six years.

The exterior is evolutionary to the point of glacial, its interior is slightly more spacious but has lost the Ikea-ish individuality, and the dynamics remain as uninvolving as ever.

The latter is a particular problem considering Nissan made a big play at the car’s media launch about its attempts to tune some sport and involvement into the Maxima via the stiffer Global D platform, heavily revised multi-link rear suspension, and hydraulic power steering borrowed from the recently superseded 350Z sports car.

Mind you, if you’ve caught the television advertising you’ll realise the marketing message is just the opposite: you spend most of your time in traffic jams so why buy a hard-riding sports sedan? Go with Maxima instead.

The messages are obviously tuned to different audiences, but in this case the truth is very much in the advertising.

STAGE D?II7D C7N?C7 BODY

Type 4-door sedan, 5 seats L/W/H 4850/1795/1485mm Wheelbase 2775mm Track (f/r) 1550/1555mm Cargo capacity 506L Weight 1522kg (ST-L) 1576kg (Ti) DRIVETRAIN

Layout front engine (east-west) FWD Engines & transmissions 2.5-litre V6 (134kW/228Nm) CVT auto (ST-L); 3.5-litre V6 (185kW/326Nm) CVT auto (Ti) CHASSIS

Suspension: front struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar rear multi-links, coil springs, anti-roll bar Brakes ventilated discs (f); ventilated discs (r) Tyres 215/55R17 Spare full size

The Maxima’s limited abilities are highlighted by Nissan’s decision to add a 2.5-litre V6 to the lineup alongside the virtually carry-over 3.5-litre (up 15kW, down 7Nm, fuel economy improved slightly).

Driving via Nissan’s Xtronic CVT – as the 3.5 has since it’s halfway through the J31 lifecycle – the 2.5 feels flat by comparison with big bro. But that lack of punch also means the obvious limitations of the Maxima’s chassis are not so easily breached.

“The VQ35 is an engine to make you sit up and take notice,” noted Bulmer. “Unfortunately it’s more engine than the softly, softly chassis can handle. The result is excessive understeer in tight stuff and generally arriving at corners quicker than the suspension can handle.”

But what the smaller engine also does – along with the decision to transfer production from Japan to Thailand – is sharpen the price.

At $33,990, the 250 ST-L retails right in the heart of Mazda 6 and Toyota Camry territory. It brings with it six airbags, ABS and ESP as well as leather trim, dual-zone climate control, six-CD audio, eightway power adjustment of the driver’s seat, alloy wheels and xenon headlights.

It’s a $4000 climb to the entry-level 3.5-litre model, the 350 ST-S, then a hefty $9000 jump to the $46,990 350 Ti with features such as sat-nav, a reversing camera, Bose audio and a sunroof.

Yes, it’s an impressive pile of stuff. But there’s one element missing from this car that won’t be found in the equipment or options lists. It’s something the old Maxima had a suggestion of, but which has now been expunged: character.

BRUCE NEWTON

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Familiar Safety

ADR81 test consumption 9.5L/100km (ST-L); 10.2L/100km (Ti) Minimum fuel grade Greenhouse 91 RON (ST-L); 95 RON (Ti) Greenhouse emissions 226g/km CO2 (ST-L); 243g/km CO2 (Ti) Pollution standard Euro 4

Driver aids ABS, EBD, BA, TC, ESP Seatbelts front pre-tensioners/load limiters Front airbags Side airbags Curtain airbags Knee airbags Crash rating not tested

$ Money Prices $33,990 (ST-L); $46,990 (Ti) 3-year retained value 46% (ST-L); 45% (Ti) Service interval 10,000km

“Like driving your father’s leather lounge suite, only with a drony CVT soundtrack” =;: 8KBC;H

For all its equipment, the Maxima has some odd omissions: the steering wheel doesn’t adjust for reach, and there’s no rear screen for the 350 Ti’s DVD player. Ti buyers might also raise an eyebrow over the fact the wheel and tyre package is the same as that fitted to the $13,000 cheaper 250 Ti.

Nissan Murano

Everything you need for the urban jungle, but little left for COTY

THE FIRST cull at COTY can be a brutal process.

Some cars are debated fiercely; their merits, deficiencies and relevance dissected by passionate, knowledgeable and strong-willed judges. It can get heated, aggro and even personal.

Far worse, though, is when a car elicits no support, no enthusiasm and no debate. Such a fate befell Nissan’s second-generation Murano softroader, which copped a Stage One cull without a murmur. Intriguing looks, massive equipment levels and an inviting cabin weren’t enough to save it.

As it did for the Audi Q5, Lexus RX and the Volvo XC60, Lang Lang’s challenging mix of surfaces exposed the Murano’s dynamic shortcomings.

“Great as a static display,” was Stahl’s typically humorous, yet stingingly accurate, summation.

It shouldn’t have been this way. Nissan spent plenty of time and effort on the new Murano.

Underpinned by the latest ‘Global D’ platform, the multi-link rear suspension is new, torsional and lateral stiffness is claimed to be much improved and NVH reduced by up to 75 percent.

Carried over is an uprated version of Nissan’s award-winning VQ35 V6 that adds 19kW and 18Nm, yet also manages to drop consumption from 12.3 to 10.9L/100km. Refinements of the Xtronic CVT and all-wheel-drive system complete a solid drivetrain.

But for Carey, the end result drew some forthright criticism and he savaged the “unresponsive, sloppy steering and poor ESP”.

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The Murano was a car no judge found redeemable in terms of its drive experience. Its SUV styling and imagery sells the open-road and off-road dream, but it came across as an urban people-carrier, happiest at low speeds where its dynamic shortcomings would be unchallenged.

An urban environment also best suits its comfortable, spacious cabin. This really is a nice place to visit, capable of fitting adults front and rear in any of its five seats. The trims are nicely tailored and the whole atmosphere speaks of a higher price point than where the Murano is positioned.

As does the equipment level. The base model ST is not only $3000 cheaper than the old model at $46,990 but also contains a long list of gear, including six airbags, ABS, stability control, xenon headlights, 18-inch alloys, leather trim, dual-zone climate control, six-CD audio and cruise control.

Add another $8900, and the top-spec Ti scores sat-nav, a rear-view camera, Bose audio, electric steering column adjust, heated rear seats, powered tailgate and much more.

Laudably, the Murano now has a full-size spare tyre. Those with long memories might recall the original Murano copped a flat tyre in COTY 2005.

Replacing it with a space-saver went down like a lead balloon with the judges.

No such dramas for the 2009 version of Murano. In fact, it proved drama-free ... but also enjoyment-free. Enough said.

B R U C E N E WTON

STAGE

D?II7D CKH7DE BODY

Type 5-door wagon, 5 seats L/W/H 4835/1885/1730mm Wheelbase 2825mm Track (f/r) 1610/1610mm Cargo capacity 402L Weight 1832kg DRIVETRAIN

Layout front engine (east-west) AWD Engines & transmissions 3.5-litre V6 (191kW/336Nm) CVT auto CHASSIS

Suspension: front struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar rear multi-links, coil springs, anti-roll bar Brakes ventilated discs (f); ventilated discs (r) Tyres 235/65R18 Spare full size

“This cockpit could be a pleasant place for tootling around the ’burbs at 6/10ths” C?9>7;B IJ7>B

Fuel/enviro ADR81 test consumption 10.9L/100km Minimum fuel grade 95 RON (unleaded) Greenhouse emissions 259g/km CO2 Pollution standard Euro 4

$ Money

Safety Driver aids ABS, EBD, BA, TC, ESP Seatbelts front pre-tensioners/ load limiters Front airbags Side airbags Curtain airbags Knee airbags Crash rating not tested

Same S extent

Every exterior panel of the Murano is new. However, its height, width and wheelbase are still same as the original model. The only significant variation in terms of dimensions is its extra 65mm length.

Prices $55,890 3-year retained value 60% Service interval 10,000km

Subaru

STAGE

Liberty & Outback Narrow sweet spot resides in a range riddled with inconsistencies TWICE A winner in the 1990s, the latest Liberty bucked the trend and flunked out of COTY at the first hurdle, lacking real support from any judge.

Examining and driving the various examples of an extensive model range at Lang Lang raised concerns that began at first sight.

“Styling is disastrously unappealing,” wrote Robbo.“Makes the Koreans look attractive,” muttered Carey.

Of course, styling is subjective, but it’s hard to see how this combination of creases and overblown wheelarches advances the look of Liberty from its pert, tautly-proportioned predecessor.

More positively, what these ill-conceived proportions encase is a much larger car. The Liberty has grown in almost every vital measure.

For example, rear legroom is up by an incredible 99mm, transforming the interior from a cramped 2+2 to a true five-seat adult-friendly conveyance.

Unfortunately, it’s a case of feel the width and never mind the quality, as judge after judge gave the dour, plasticky and ergonomically confused interiors the thumbs down.

Things improved, though, when attention turned to the Liberty and Outback’s drivetrains.

In atmo 2.5i models, a chain-driven (rather than the usual belt-drive) CVT replaces the old four-

speed auto, and a six-speed manual replaces the five-speed, improving economy by as much as nine percent. Being more frugal as an AWD-CVT than a Camry or Mazda 6 front-drive auto impressed all and helped the Subaru’s efficiency scorecard.

The torque-laden turbocharged GT, the “peachy” flat-six 3.6R and even the new 2.0-litre diesel found solely in the Outback also earned plaudits.

The Liberty’s traditional dynamic strengths were still evident, yet diluted somewhat. The nose-heavy diesel Outbacks were the least compelling and the Bilstein suspension of the GT model was deemed too harsh, though the lush 3.6R hit a real sweet spot and even the base models earned praise.

“Very good ride, nice steering,” said Carey of the 2.5i. But Stahl stammered about the GT: “It’s my least favourite of the lot. Ride is harsh, engine lacks personality – prefer the 3.6R.” For all judges, the Liberty and Outback’s tendency to slew into substantial oversteer was a debatable feature in a family car, and the late intervention of the ESP only exacerbated the issue.

Combine all these inconsistencies, and the fifthgen Liberty just didn’t add up. Rookie judge Sam Reid, unencumbered by Liberty’s past, summed it up: “It’s a car that’s not sure what it wants to be.”

B R U C E N E WTON

IK87HK B?8;HJO BODY

Type 4-door sedan; 5-door wagon, 5 seats L/W/H 4745/1780/1505mm (sedan); 4785/1780/1535mm (wagon); 4790/1820/1615mm (Outback) Wheelbase 2750mm (sedan/wagon); 2745mm (Outback) Track (f/r) 1530/1535mm Cargo capacity 476L (sedan); 490L (wagon/Outback) Weight 1398kg (2.5i sedan manual); 1538kg (2.5i wagon CVT); 1571kg (3.6R sedan auto); 1522kg (GT sedan auto); 1551kg (Outback 2.0D Premium manual); 1569kg (Outback 3.6R auto) DRIVETRAIN

Layout front engine (north-south) AWD Engines & transmissions 2.5-litre flat 4cyl (123kW/229Nm) 6-speed manual/CVT auto (2.5i); 3.6-litre flat 6cyl (191kW/350Nm) 5-speed auto (3.6R/Outback 3.6R); 2.5-litre flat 4cyl turbo (195kW/350Nm) 6-speed auto (GT); 2.0-litre flat 4cyl turbo diesel (110kW/350Nm) 6-speed manual (Outback 2.0D) CHASSIS

Suspension: front struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar rear A-arms, coil springs, anti-roll bar Brakes ventilated discs (f); solid discs (r) (2.5i/Outback 2.0D); ventilated discs (f): ventilated discs (r) (3.6R/GT/Outback 3.6R) Tyres 215/50R17 (2.5i); 225/50R17 (3.6R); 225/45R18 (GT); 225/60R17 (Outback) Spare full-size temporary spare (Liberty/Outback)

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“Drives much better than it looks. Feels sturdy and well-engineered, but lift-off oversteer is a worry” @E>D 97H;O

ADR81 test consumption 12.4L/100km Minimum fuel grade Greenhouse 98 RON (unleaded)

Driver aids ABS, EBD, EBA, TC, ESP Seatbelts front pre-tensioners/load limiters Front airbags yes ADR81 test consumption Side airbags yes 8.9L/100km (2.5i sedan manual); Curtain airbags yes 8.4L/100km (2.5i wagon CVT); Knee airbags no 10.3L/100km (3.6R sedan auto/ Crash rating not tested Outback 3.6R auto): 9.7L/100km (GT sedan auto); 6.4L/100km (Outback 2.0D Premium manual) Minimum fuel grade 91 RON (2.5i/3.6R): 95RON (GT); diesel (Outback 2.0D) Greenhouse emissions 209g/km CO2 (2.5i sedan manual); 198g/km CO2 (2.5i wagon CVT); 242g/km CO2 (3.6R sedan auto/ Outback 3.6R auto); 228g/km CO2 (GT auto); 168g/km CO2 (Outback 2.0D Premium manual) Pollution standard Euro 4

Fuel/enviro

’bags of fruit The Liberty/Outback boost the airbag count to seven, adding a driver’s knee ’bag. Like all of the Subaru range, Liberty/Outback have received the full five stars from ANCAP for occupant protection, and the full three stars for pedestrian safety.

Safety Driver aids ABS, EBD, BA, TC, ESP Seatbelts front pre-tensioners/ load limiters Front airbags Side airbags Curtain airbags Knee airbags (driver) Crash rating five star (ANCAP)

$ Money Prices $33,990 (2.5i sedan manual); $39,490 (2.5i Premium wagon CVT); $51,990 (3.6R sedan auto); $54,990 (GT sedan auto); $43,990 (Outback 2.0D Premium manual); $48,490 (Outback 3.6R auto) 3-year retained value 62% (2.5i sedan auto); 63% (2.5 Premium wagon CVT); 65% (3.6R sedan auto); 66% (GT sedan auto): 65% (Outback 2.0D Premium manual); 66% (Outback 3.6R auto) Service interval 12,500km

B?8;HJO 97D IJ?BB :E B?<J#E<< EL;HIJ;;H" @KIJ DEJ 7BM7OI M>;D OEK ;NF;9J www.wheelsmag.com.au 35

Subaru Exiga

People-mover aspirations fail to move the people who vote SUBARU hit the ground running late in 2009 with a bewildering array of Liberty models that included not only a sedan and wagon with three engine options and another three transmissions, but also the country-focused Outback that added a diesel engine to the mix. To top it off came this, the Exiga, a car carrying the Liberty badge, but needing a bit of explanation.

It’s a people-mover, the first we’ve seen from Subaru in Australia and as the name (well, the first part of it) suggests, is based on the previous Liberty platform with quite a bit of the new model’s running gear including the 2.5-litre flat four, six-step CVT transmission and all-wheel drive.

That’s the only mechanical spec available here; we chose the upmarket Premium version with leather, power seats and sat-nav, which added to an already high equipment level that includes a DVD system to quieten kiddies in the back seat.

The judging panel, however, couldn’t quite come to grips with the Exiga’s reason for being. “I’m just not sure what the point is,” muttered Bruce Newton after discovering the Exiga seats only six, not the usual seven of a raft of rivals, and the rear row was none too roomy. Bulmer thought the wheel-mounted paddleshifts (for a CVT transmission, no less) “bizarre”, and bemoaned the interior’s “mass of cheap, hard-looking, grainy black plastic that would have done Peugeot proud 10 years ago.”

And yet, there was no doubt the Exiga presents a strong passive-safety argument with a full complement of airbags, and there is arguably

value as well – ignoring the lack of a seventh seat – with prices starting at $37,490. The ABS also pulled up impressively quickly on loose gravel.

Performance is good, too, with a typically gutsy roar from the biggish flat-four and acceptable acceleration, although, as with the Liberty, opinions were divided about the operation of the CVT transmission. “Really annoying; immediately ignores your pedal inputs,” said Stahl. “Smooth,” was the verdict from both Newton and Carey.

But that was about it for positives. The Exiga’s boxy, boggle-eyed, high-bonneted styling was universally reviled: “Like a grey market import,” said Stahl, while Samantha reckoned it could be a safety issue: “It’s so ugly, it may actually distract people,” she said.

But it was the lack of on-road refinement and wayward dynamics that nailed the lid on the Exiga’s COTY aspirations. Direct steering and sharp turn-in was mismatched to a very asymmetrical tendency to lift-off oversteer, and the Exiga’s tail-happy handling was at odds with its family nature. “The rear end feels disconnected from the front, as if it has a mind of its own,” said Bulmer, and grabby, unpredictable ESP on the dirt didn’t help.

Road noise levels were high, the front end was prone to bottoming out on big bumps, the middle row of seats shook and rattled and, overall, driving enjoyment could best be described as low. “A car with an identity crisis,” summarised Newton, and nobody could disagree.

STAGE IK87HK B?8;HJO ;N?=7 BODY

Type 5-door wagon, 6 seats L/W/H 4740/1775/1660mm Wheelbase 2750mm Track (f/r) 1525/1530mm Cargo capacity 195/460L (rear seat folded) Weight 1568kg DRIVETRAIN

Layout front engine (north-south) AWD Engines & transmissions 2.5 flat 4cyl (123kW/229Nm) 6-speed CVT CHASSIS

Suspension: front struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar rear A-arms, coil springs, anti-roll bar Brakes ventilated discs (f); solid discs (r) Tyres 215/50R17 Spare space saver

J ON ATHAN HAWLE Y

“Even if the Honda Odyssey hadn’t been here it wouldn’t have shone. Average” @E>D 97H;O

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Safety Fuel/enviro ADR81 test consumption 8.6L/100km Minimum fuel grade 91 RON (unleaded) Greenhouse emissions 202g/km CO2 Pollution standard Euro 4

Driver aids ABS, EBD, BA, TC, ESP Seatbelts front pre-tensioners/ load limiters Front airbags Side airbags Curtain airbags Knee airbags Crash rating five star (ANCAP)

Space So what does Exiga offer over other Libertys? Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one extra seat, 40mm more headroom, a sliding middle row, and folding third row.

Plus more cupholders than a Greyhound bus.

$ Money Prices $41,990 (Premium) 3-year retained value n/a Service interval 12,500km

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Volvo XC60

Came chasing the Swede smell of success, but left without a rose

FOR VIRTUALLY all the judges, the XC60 was the pick of the prestige SUV bunch, eclipsing the Audi Q5, Lexus RX 350/400h and the Nissan Murano.

It’s certainly good looking, has a beautiful interior, a strong safety story (including the unique City Safety feature – see breakout), brisk drivetrains and confident ride and handling.

That the XC60 still wasn’t good enough to graduate to the next stage of judging says how compromised these heavy, tall vehicles are (a theme already explored previously with the Q5).

Nevertheless, had the XC arrived in a year with less outstanding automotive talent it may have progressed further.

Certainly, the XC60 is a far more developed driving proposition than its older brother, the XC90, something in which the modern EUCD architecture (shared with the competent Land Rover Freelander 2) no doubt plays a significant role.

There’s evidence of adept chassis tuning, and the same can be said of the ESP calibration, which made the XC60 the best behaved of any SUV at COTY ’09.

There was an air of pleasant surprise from each judge who sampled the XC and general agreement this is a good Volvo. But there were diverging views about dynamics. Hawley eulogised, calling the ride “superb”, before adding: “the engines work well with the transmissions, and the chassis continues to impress: good body control, nice steering, rear-end is glued. I can’t believe I’m enjoying a Volvo like this…”

But Robbo was less enamoured: “Ride doesn’t match quality image. Moves around excessively on rough roads.”

It made a difference which XC60 you drove. The turbo-petrol 3.0-litre straight six T6 is responsive, crisp and sporty. The turbo-diesel 2.4-litre D5 five-cylinder is slower, noisier and “all flubbery”, according to Stahl, in its body control.

And yes, we did have the dramatically uprated D5 with its twin sequential turbochargers, piezo injectors, new-gen control system and so on. All this results in an extra 15kW and 20Nm, a fuel consumption cut from 8.5L/100km to 7.6L/100km and 0-100km/h in 8.9sec, down from 9.9sec.

The only thing that didn’t seem to have been improved is the amount of diesel clatter entering the cabin. That’s disappointing because the clean, elegant design and quality materials deserves a more serene soundtrack.

Yet for all the admiration, there are fundamental interior problems. The front seats lack support, but, more importantly, rear-seat space is tight for adults despite the XC measuring up virtually identically against the far more spacious Q5.

“Very limited knee- and foot-room in the back considering its size,” noted Sam Reid.

True, but overall the XC60 gained attention for mainly the right reasons. There’s promise here. Hopefully, Volvo continues to move in the right direction.

BRUCE NEW TON

STAGE

LEBLE N9,& BODY

Type 5-door wagon, 5 seats L/W/H 4628/1891/1713mm Wheelbase 2774mm Track (f/r) 1632/1586mm Cargo capacity 490L Weight 1912kg (T6); 1880kg (D5 LE) DRIVETRAIN

Layout front engine (east-west) AWD Engines & transmissions 3.0-litre 6cyl turbo (210kW/400Nm) 6-speed auto (T6); 2.4-litre 5cyl turbo-diesel (155kW/420Nm) 6-speed auto (D5 LE) CHASSIS

Suspension: front struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar rear multi-links, coil springs, anti-roll bar Brakes ventilated discs (f); solid discs (r) Tyres 235/60R18 Spare space saver

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Safety Fuel/enviro The XC60’s City Safety is an automated braking system designed to prevent or minimise low-speed rearenders. Active up to 30km/h, a laser sensor detects your “oh shit!” moment and the brakes are prepared or activated depending on the situation.

ADR81 test consumption 11.9L/100km (T6); 7.6L/100km (D5) Minimum fuel grade 91 RON unleaded (T6); diesel (D5) Greenhouse emissions 284g/km CO2 (T6); 201g/km CO2 (D5) Pollution standard Euro 5

Driver aids ABS, EBD, BA, TC, ESP Seatbelts front pre-tensioners/ load limiters Front airbags Side airbags Curtain airbags Knee airbags Crash rating five star (NCAP)

“Had the best ESP calibration of all the SUVs at COTY 2009” @E>D 97H;O

$ Money Prices $64,950 (T6); $65,450 (D5) 3-year retained value 54% Service interval 15,000km

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With the inevitable wistful look over their shoulders at those cars that came close to making the cut but missed the cigar, our judges and COTY entourage decamp to Stage II. Here, a dipping, diving and occasionally pot-hole-blasted road route promises to reveal still more

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insights about the dynamic prowess of the survivors, while coarse-chip bitumen and paired teams of judges cycling through front and rear seats ask big questions about refinement, packaging, ergonomics and myriad other day-to-day issues.

Ford

Fiesta

Ford’s new baby walked tall ... until the 1.4-litre automatic version let things slip

FORD’S FIESTA came to Wheels COTY as a favourite having earlier won a tightly contested light car comparison that included the highly regarded Mazda 2 which shares the same architecture. As a manual, the 88kW 1.6 Fiesta perfectly demonstrates that affordable small cars can truly offer irresistible driving appeal with a level of handling, performance and refinement that separates the outstanding from the merely good. Note the all-important “as a manual”.

“A very capable little car,” enthused Carey.

“Wonderful chassis, responsive engine, good mid-range, pleasantly tactile manual.”

“Exactly what every light car should be – fun to drive,” read my own notes.

The Fiesta’s chances of progressing to the final shoot-out depended upon the quality of the 71kW 1.4 automatic, a version that takes around half of all sales. Sadly, it was here Ford’s baby stumbled. Automatic small cars are a low priority in Europe, where the Fiesta was developed, and it showed. “Not just a small engine, a limp one as well,” protested Hawley. “Won’t rev and needs to, if it’s to fill the holes between the ratios. Weak performance up hills; really misses the extra capacity and ratio of the manual.”

Next year, from its US launch, Fiesta gets a new six-speed dual-clutch transmission (with automatic mode, naturally) tied to the 1.6-litre engine. If we’d been presented with this combination, the Fiesta might have gone all the way.

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Type 3-door hatch (CL/Zetec), 5-door hatch (LX/Econetic), 5 seats L/W/H 3950/1722/1481mm (CL/LX/ Zetec); 3950/1722/1471mm (Econetic) Wheelbase 2489mm Track (f/r) 1474/1456mm Cargo capacity 281L (CL/LX/Zetec); 295L (Econetic) Weight 1085kg (CL); 1125kg (LX); 1091 (Zetec); 1088kg (Econetic) DRIVETRAIN

Layout front engine (east-west) FWD Engines & transmissions 1.6-litre 4cyl petrol (88kW/152Nm) 5-speed manual (CL/Zetec); 1.4-litre 4cyl petrol (71kW/128Nm) 4-speed auto (LX); 1.6-litre 4cyl turbo-diesel (66kW/200Nm) 5-speed manual (Econetic) CHASSIS

Suspension: front struts, A-arms, anti-roll bar rear torsion beam, coil springs, anti-roll bar Brakes ventilated discs (f); drums (r) Tyres 195/50R15 (CL/LX); 195/45R16 (Zetec); 175/65R14 (Econetic) Spare 175/65R14

Ford’s baby conforms to the class standard with front struts, a rear torsion-beam axle and twin-cam 16-valve four-cylinder engine. Nothing radical here, except for the new – and expensive at $24,990 – Econetic TDCi variant, a low-emission, lowconsumption model that brings taller gearing, low rolling resistance rubber and a 66kW diesel that’s been retuned to produce an outstanding combined 3.7L/100km and 98g/km of CO2.

“Feels like a real car,” enthused Samantha Reid.

“You wouldn’t know you were in a super-sipper,” agreed Stahl, though Hawley wasn’t convinced: “Let down by tyres that seem low on grip.”

The Fiesta line-up is three-tiered with threeand five-door styles and the two transmissions. A safety pack, that includes a “pretty good” stability control system and curtain airbags, is standard only on the more sporting Zetec, but is a $1000 option on the lower-priced CL and LX models.

While not all the judges were convinced by the Fiesta’s dramatic design, most accepted that the funky styling gave it a leg up over its light-car rivals. Debate centred around the ergonomics of the Nokia-styled dashboard, with controls swooping across the console top. There are some soft textured surfaces, but also plenty of harder plastics. There was also evidence of less than stellar quality: the interior mirror fell off on Lang Lang’s roughroad section and the air-con proved incapable of contending with mid-’30s temperatures.

PETER ROBINSON

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Fuel/enviro ADR81 the test consumption Safety “It’s urban version of the X-Trail – 6.1L/100km (CL/Zetec); 6.5L/100km Driver aids ABS, EBD (BA, TC, (LX); 3.7L/100km (Econetic) AWD but off-road applications” $ Money ESP opt on CL/LX, std on Zetec/ Minimum fuel grade Econetic) 91 RON (unleaded); diesel (Econetic) FHE<;II?ED7B >KCEHEKI @EKHD7B?IJ Greenhouse emissions 143g/km CO2 (CL/Zetec); 164g/km CO2 (LX); 98g/km CO2 (Econetic) Pollution standard Euro 5

Seatbelts front pre-tensioners/ load limiters Front airbags Side airbags (opt on CL/LX) Curtain airbags (opt on CL/LX) Knee airbags (driver, opt on CL/LX) Crash rating four star (NCAP); five star with seven airbags

Prices $16,450 (CL); $20,490 (LX); $21,490 (Zetec); $24,990 (Econetic) 3-year retained value 57% (CL); 54% (LX); 55% (Zetec/Econetic) Service interval 10,000km

2 similar

The Fiesta shares approximately 50 percent of its parts with the jointly developed Mazda 2. Yet, because it uses about 55 percent high-strength steel, the body is 10 percent stiffer, and around 40kg lighter.

“Econetic diesel felt more sportily oversteery than petrolpowered models … weird” @E>D 97H;O www.wheelsmag.com.au 43

2 STAGE

Honda Odyssey

Deceptively spacious MPV is the antidote to lardy SUVs, but its engine could torque a bigger game

AUSTRALIA, you need your bloody head read: this affair with two-tonne, four-wheel-drive SUVs is just no good for you. If what you really need is an affordable, seven-seat luxury car, the Honda Odyssey climbs all over what you’re driving now.

The 2009 Odyssey isn’t so different from its predecessor – it’s based on the same architecture, and the 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine now has a delicious five-speed auto – but the crucial inclusion of three-point seatbelts opens the COTY door. ESP (or vehicle stability assist, in Honda-speak) also makes its debut with this model.

Trailing the Odyssey on the road, it appears barely larger or taller than a VW Golf. But it’s an absolute triumph of interior packaging. Bulmer longed to put it alongside the best-selling Kia Carnival: “Similar seating capacity, but Carnival seems a class – or even two – bigger outside.”

“Maximum transport for minimum waste,” noted Jonathan Hawley. All of which boded well against COTY’s efficiency score.

Some of the external and internal styling detail is pretty chintzy, and the paint finish, though deep, is disappointingly rough. But in its overall luxury ambience and pure bums-for-the-bucks factor, the $49,990 Odyssey Luxury is excellent value.

Same story on the move. The Odyssey shows a blend of handling and ride quality that’s somehow reminiscent of a Jaguar; the NVH refinement is nearly of the same calibre, with tyre noise more

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Type 5-door wagon, 7 seats L/W/H 4810/1800/1545mm Wheelbase 2830mm Track (f/r) 1560/1560 Cargo capacity 259L (708L seats down) Weight 1700kg DRIVETRAIN

Layout front engine (east-west) FWD Engines & transmissions 2.4-litre 4cyl (132kW/218Nm) 5-speed automatic CHASSIS

Suspension: front double A-arms, coil springs, anti-roll bar rear double A-arms, coil springs, anti-roll bar Brakes ventilated discs (f); solid discs (r) Tyres 215/55R17 Spare space-saver

audible in the middle-row. The driver benefits from easily the best driving position of anything of this seating capacity. But for the view in the mirror, you could be piloting a good, mid-level luxury sedan.

It’s also the driver that gets the worst of the Odyssey. The futuristic and far-flung dashboard makes the instruments difficult to read and the afterthought-ish audio system beyond easy reach.

And most judges felt there ought to be sat-nav and a reversing camera included.

The ABS and ESP calibrations work adequately well on tar but aren’t at all suited to Aussie dirt.

“Adios, cones – miles out,” noted Newton of the l-o-n-g ABS stops. “ESP on dirt is slow-witted,” wrote Carey. “Not a Honda forte.”

But powering our true disappointment is the engine itself. The 132kW four-banger is capable of delivering adequate performance, but it’s simply working too hard all the time. Its labouring at low revs and the hunting of the transmission detract from the luxury ambience of the cabin, and more noticeably, does no favours for the Honda’s fuel consumption. We averaged 11L/100km on our urban/ rural road loop, well off the ADR average of 8.9.

But compare that against your lard-arsed Pajero or Landcruiser and you’re still streets ahead.

Likewise in handling, cabin comfort, dynamics, running costs, vision and driving position. The Odyssey just missed the cut for COTY’s final four.

But don’t let it miss your list.

MICHAEL STAHL

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“Terrific interior package – a smart design.

Could do with a bit more engine, though.” =;: 8KBC;H

Fuel/enviro ADR81 test consumption 8.9L/100km Minimum fuel grade 91 RON (unleaded) Greenhouse emissions 212g/km CO2 Pollution standard Euro 4

Safety Driver aids ABS, EBD, BA, TC, ESP Seatbelts front pre-tensioners/ load limiters Front airbags Side airbags Curtain airbags Knee airbags Crash rating five star (JNCAP)

$ Money Prices $49,990 (Luxury) 3-year retained value 56.9% Service interval 10,000km

Full house

The three rows of seating are amply and equally generous.

“There’ll be little argument over who gets to sit where,” said judge Reid. “Many would argue [the electrically-folding third row] has more space than the second.”

2 STAGE

Mazda 3

All the strengths of its predecessor … without sufficient advances of its own MAZDA’S first-generation 3 was a firm Wheels favourite. Affordable, well built, good looking, reasonably fuel efficient, decently equipped and a fine drive, it was an outstanding small car. Its only serious problem was road noise on Australia’s coarse-surfaced roads. While the second-generation 3 easily made it to Stage Two of COTY 2009, the longer the judges spent with it, the less convinced they became that Mazda had done enough to update and uprate its best seller.

“I feel vaguely disappointed,” worried Bruce Newton. “Am I underestimating a fine car, or is it just not the goal that Mazda usually kicks?” It was a question that other members of the panel were also asking themselves. Key areas of concern were dynamics and value.

The Neo, Maxx, Maxx Sport and SP25 models, for instance, all suffered from a sudden shortage of power steering assistance through the double lanechange manoeuvre during Stage One. And the MPS was a real handful around Lang Lang. “You don’t so much steer it as hang on for the ride,” wrote Bulmer. On the proving ground’s bumpy ride and handling circuit, the turbocharged front-driver had simply too much power and pace for comfort. Big doses of torque steer competed with the hot hatch’s stiff suspension set-up to erode directional stability.

When the time came to consider value, the price of the 3 MPS (similar to the superior Golf GTI) counted against it. Yet, at the bottom of the range the 3 Neo was outstanding value – its price undercuts the more basic and less powerful Golf 90TSI Trendline by close to 20 percent.

Another source of general unease was NVH.

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C7P:7 ) BODY

Type 4-door sedan, 5-door hatch, 5 seats L/W/H 4580/1755/1470mm (Neo/ diesel sedan); 4460/1755/1470mm (Maxx hatch); 4490/1755/1470mm (SP25 hatch); 4505/1770/1460 (MPS hatch) Wheelbase 2640mm Track (f/r) 1535/1515mm (SP25 hatch); 1535/1520mm (Neo, Maxx, diesel, MPS) Cargo capacity 430L (sedan); 340L (Maxx hatch); 300L (SP25/MPS hatch) Weight 1263kg (Neo sedan); 1282kg (Maxx hatch); 1438kg (diesel sedan); 1342kg (SP25 hatch); 1456kg (MPS hatch) DRIVETRAIN

Layout front engine (east-west) FWD Engines & transmissions 2.0-litre 4cyl (108kW/182Nm) 6-sp man/5-sp auto (Neo/Maxx); 2.2-litre 4cyl diesel (110kW/360Nm) 6-sp man; 2.5-litre 4cyl (122kW/227Nm) 6-sp man (SP25); 2.3-litre 4cyl turbo (190kW/380Nm) 6-sp man (MPS) CHASSIS

Suspension: front struts, A-arms, coil springs, anti-roll bar rear multi-links, coil springs, anti-roll bar Brakes ventilated discs (f); solid discs (r) Tyres 195/65R15 (Neo/Maxx); 205/55R16 (diesel); 205/50R17 (SP25); 225/40R18 (MPS) Spare space saver

Road noise is less than the old car, but some judges had expected more. “Refinement could be better,” pronounced Jon Hawley. Robbo supported this view. Built on an updated version of the firstgeneration 3 platform it seems the new model can’t leave its problems behind.

Yet the new 3 also preserves some of its predecessor’s greatest strengths. Handling (except for the problems noted earlier) is a definite cut above the class average, for example. Resale values are among the best in class, too.

For those models equipped with the updated version of the previous model’s 2.0-litre engine (Neo, Maxx, Maxx Sport), performance and fuel efficiency remain reasonably competitive. But the performance of the sportier SP25, now equipped with the larger 6’s fine 2.5-litre four, is noticeably more eager. Even more impressive is the new turbo-diesel, a lower boost version of the 2.2-litre four used in the 6. This is a pleasantly punchy and very refined engine that in the opinion of at least one judge was “a match for or better than anything from Europe”.

There was praise, too, for other 3 virtues. Although the less expensive models may lack some passive safety hardware, all have superbly calibrated and very effective ESP and ABS. The Mazda, in fact, shamed many more expensive COTY contenders for effectiveness of its active safety systems.

There’s no question that in some ways the 3 remains outstanding. But the world has moved on since the first generation, and its replacement has failed to keep pace. Other small car specialists … one in particular … have done better.

JOHN CAREY

“An orthodox small car with a sporting attitude – but it’s no better than the last one” 8HK9; D;MJED

Fuel/enviro ADR81 test consumption 7.9L/100km (Neo sedan man); 8.2L/100km (Maxx hatch auto); 5.7L/100km (diesel sedan man); 8.6L/100km (SP25 hatch man); 9.9L/100km (MPS hatch man) Minimum fuel grade 91 RON (Neo/Maxx/SP25); 95 RON (MPS); diesel (3 diesel) Greenhouse emissions 187g/km CO2 (Neo sedan man); 193g/km CO2 (Maxx hatch auto);150g/km CO2 (diesel man); 204g/km CO2 (SP25 hatch man); 235g/km CO2 (MPS hatch man) Pollution standard Euro 4

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Safety Driver aids ABS, EBD, BA, TC, ESP Seatbelts front pre-tensioners/ load limiters Front airbags Side airbags (option on Neo) Curtain airbags (option on Neo) Knee airbags Crash rating not tested

Prices $21,990 (Neo sedan man); $28,300 (Maxx hatch auto); $29,715 (diesel sedan man); $30,500 (SP25 hatch man); $39,690 (MPS hatch man) 3-year retained value 65% (Neo sedan man/Maxx hatch auto); 64% (SP25 hatch man); 67% (MPS hatch man); n/a (diesel sedan man) Service interval 10,000km

Rigid

New 3 benefits from Mazda’s gram-by-gram weight-loss strategy. Extra use of high-tensile steel has saved 11kg over the old 3, while the new interior saves another 3.3kg.

www.wheelsmag.com.au 47

2 STAGE

Nissan GT-R

It’s given Porsche a touch-up from here to the Nürburgring, so why didn’t Godzilla conquer COTY?

THE ATMOSPHERE at COTY ’09 was a bit like being on a talk show when everybody knows that the special guest, prowling the green room, is a six-metre saltwater crocodile. Or more accurately, Godzilla.

We’ve already been floored by the Nissan GT-R’s performance, and not only against a stopwatch. If our classic COTY criteria are applied as a measure of performance of intended function, technological advancement and value for money, Godzilla seemed primed to scatter everything in its wake.

It has a long technology story to tell, what with advances like plasma-coated cylinder bores and the carbonfibre-plastic ‘bib’ in the engine bay that channels crash energy to the diecast aluminium suspension uprights, firewall and door frames. Such weight-saving, alternative-material technologies are right up our alley.

However, with its 3.8-litre twin-turbo V6 and a suite of electronics to govern the dual-clutch transmission, all-wheel drive and multi-mode suspension, the GT-R is still a weighty beast at 1740kg.

It’s a pretty big car, but still “not a four-seater, unless you want your legs crushed, shoulders bruised and a big headache,” as Sam Reid wrote.

Most judges loved the exterior styling, though Reid found the front end “a little bland.” No impressing this gal. Well, not until the GT-R’s console-mounted Engine Start button was thumbed, whereupon Godzilla swatted us with its mighty claw.

“Prodigious everything!” gushed Newton.

“Grip, go, stopping power … a violent experience, totally dedicated to hooking up and going hard.” Hawley felt likewise: “No real evidence of turbo lag, just jet boost,” he wrote. “One hell

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D?II7D =J#H BODY

Type 2-door coupe, 2+2 seats L/W/H 4650/1895/1370mm Wheelbase 2780mm Track (f/r) 1590/1600mm Cargo capacity 315L Weight 1740kg DRIVETRAIN

Layout front engine (north-south) AWD Engines & transmissions 3.8-litre V6 twin-turbo (357kW/588Nm) 6-speed dual-clutch CHASSIS

Suspension: front double A-arms, coil springs, anti-roll bar rear mutli-links, coil springs, anti-roll bar Brakes ventilated discs (f); ventilated discs (r) Tyres 255/40R20 (f) 285/35R20 (r) Spare tyre repair kit

of a lot of car for Lang Lang,” noted Carey.

Reid described the GT-R’s brutal performance as “an amazing experience,” but the ESP’s allowance of quite a lot of side-slip even in its standard setting caused some concern for “those who believe they can switch it off.”

Ah, the switches. Prior to Godzilla’s launch, we’d read of the various ESP and suspension modes, and had perhaps expected that the GT-R would be three cars in one (for one-third the price it should be). Sadly, it ain’t really so.

Physics are physics, and even in a 1740kg package you can’t get this sort of performance, traction and pointability with boulevard-cruising comfort. As a $160K sports-premium coupe, it’s not all that luxurious, with an unrelenting ride quality and a chorus of race-car-like clunks and whines.

And as a track-day car, it’s 300-400 kilos too heavy.

“Brilliant at going fast, sucks at going slow,” wrote Newton. “Poor drivetrain refinement at low speed,” noted Hawley, adding that “the execution is less impressive than the level of technology employed.”

“Bumpy ride, but relative to handling/performance, I reckon it’s acceptable,” wrote racer Reid, who’ll probably forgive anything for 357kW. We needed the GT-R for the road segment; it had to make it through to the second cut. But there, as we’d half-expected, Godzilla proved to be too focused and frenetic to deliver anything close to its performance potential in a real world of potholes and plodders.

Carey said it best: “Road Car of the Year is what we’re awarding, and [the GT-R] isn’t that.”

MICHAEL STAHL

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“It’s the ADR81 urban version of Safety the X-Trail – test consumption 12.4L/100km Driver aids ABS, EBD, EBA, TC, ESP AWD but off-road applications” Minimum fuel grade Seatbelts front pre-tensioners/ 98 RON (unleaded) FHE<;II?ED7B >KCEHEKI @EKHD7B?IJ Greenhouse Emissions 298g/km CO2 Pollution standard Euro 4

load limiters Front airbags Side airbags Curtain airbags Knee airbags Crash rating not tested

$ Money Prices $159,800 (Premium) 3-year retained value 60% Service interval 10,000km

“Hurls you at the horizon.

Instant, awesome power delivery. Angry mechanical note” =;: 8KBC;H

Monster

GT-R had racer Sam Reid grinning at every turn, while Carey declared it “coit-clenchingly quick” and clearly had half a weather eye on the gum trees that flank Lang Lang’s handling loop…

www.wheelsmag.com.au 49

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;Oozes sophistication, refinement and developmentâ&#x20AC;?

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THREE

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The cream inevitably rises, so finally, after six exhausting days, our judges have reduced the field down to the four best cars of 2009. If there were more gongs to go around theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d each be deserving, but this is COTY and only one can prevail. To clear the final hurdle,

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though, each car must prove its mettle with a full complement of passengers on board, as judges nit-pick details of seat comfort, head- and legroom, drivetrain refinement and NVH issues. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s picky, pedantic and peppered with increasingly prickly debate.

Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan Talented executive ecutive express li line-up that powered to the business end IT WAS Michael Stahl who penned COTY’s Note of the Year, prompted by driving the E63 to reflect on his colourful past and not-so-wealthy present.

“Jeez, if I hadn’t wasted so much money on girls and drugs and motorcycles, if I’d studied harder at school, started a career in real estate or banking, I … uhh … so many regrets! (Sob).” The $234,900 AMG is that sort of car…

Yet the real action, the t stuff that carried the Mercedes right through to COTY Stage Three and a shot at the big prize, was happening at the other end of the E-Class range. The latest generation of Mercedes-Benz’s mainstream model embraces engine downsizing. And it works brilliantly.

The performance and refinement of the 150kW 1.8-litre direct-injection turbo four of the E250 CGI was noted by all. With its torque boosted to useful levels, even the car’s five-speed automatic wasn’t a problem. Though naturally a little less refined, the all-new 2.1-litre turbo-diesel four of the 125kW E220 CDI (at $80,900 the least expensive of the line-up) and 150kW E250 CDI was equally impressive.

Although fuel costs may not be foremost in the mind of the typical Mercedes-Benz customer, these fuel sippers helped earn the E-Class lineup surprisingly good overall efficiency and environment ratings. And the larger engines aren’t bad either. The 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel of the E350 CDI has an ADR81 fuel consumption number that’s less than the E250 CGI, and the petrol

3

3.5-litre V6 of the E350 slips well beneath the 10.0L/100km mark. The two V8s? Let’s just say that the 5.5-litre E500 and 6.2-litre E63 are not cars for those who stay awake at night worrying about their carbon footprint. e E-Class’s E Class’s fo The efficiency of the four-cylinder engines a and d the h car’s brilliantly slippery body meant the Mercedes earned ticks for its tech.

Likewise with safety. The company has a longstanding reputation for being one of the best, and the new E-Class will do nothing to harm it.

As usual, Mercedes delivers more passive safety than most, for instance adding its Pre-Safe system to a long list of standard airbags. And the E-Class boasts a full array – and then some – of active safety systems, too. Although its ABS might have worked a little more effectively on dirt, the subtle effectiveness of its ESP on the same surface was noted by most judges.

The E-Class’s interior was, except for some minor ergonomic problems, seen to nail its luxury sedan objectives. Two judges believed the rear seat should have been more comfortable (their complaints concerned the angle and shape of the backrest) and Samantha Reid thought the indicator was in an odd place (although liked the dash’s layout and quality, and fell instantly in love with Mercedes-Benz’s super-simple cruise control wand).

Opinion on the car’s exterior design was divided.

“Will Mercedes-Benz ever design stylishly elegant

STAGE

C;H9;:;I 8;DP ;#9B7II I;:7D BODY

Type 4-door sedan, 5 seats L/W/H 4868/1854/1464mm (E220 CDI/E250 CGI/E350 CDI); 4891/1872/1442mm (E63 AMG) WB 2874mm Track (f/r) 1580/1600mm Cargo capacity 540L Weight 1735kg (E220 CDI/E250 CGI); 1825kg (E350 CDI); 1840kg (E63 AMG) DRIVETRAIN

Layout front engine (north-south) RWD Engines & transmissions 1.8-litre 4cyl petrol (150kW/310Nm) 5-sp auto (E250 CGI); 2.1-litre 4cyl turbo-diesel (125kW/400Nm) 5-sp auto (E220 CDI); 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel (170kW/540Nm) 7-sp auto (E350 CDI); 6.2-litre V8 (386kW/630Nm) 7-sp auto (E63 AMG) CHASSIS

Suspension: front struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar rear multi-links, coil springs, anti-roll bar Brakes ventilated discs (f); vent. discs (r) Tyres 225/55R16 (E220 CDI); 245/45R17 (E250 CGI); 245/40R18 (f) 265/35R18 (r) (E350 CDI); 255/40R18 (f) 285/35R18 (r) (E63 AMG) Spare space saver

Rear drive?

Unlike most northsouth fours, the cams of M-B’s new 2.1-litre turbo-diesel are driven from the rear of the crank, not the front. This cuts height at the front of the engine to help meet new pedestrian regs.

Fuel/enviro ADR81 test consumption 6.1L/100km (E220 CDI); 6.9L/100km (E350 CDI); 12.6L/100km (E63 AMG) Minimum fuel grade 98 RON (unleaded); diesel Greenhouse emissions 162g/km CO2 (E220 CDI); 139g/ km (E250 CGI); 182g/km CO2 (E350 CDI); 295g/km CO2 (E63 AMG) Pollution standard Euro 5

Safety Driver aids ABS, EBD, BA, TC, ESP Seatbelts front pre-tensioners/ load limiters Front airbags Side airbags Curtain airbags Knee airbags (driver) Crash rating not tested

$ Money Prices $80,900 (E220 CDI); $93,900 (E250 CGI); $131,900 (E350 CDI); $234,900 (E63 AMG) 3-year retained value 57.5% (E220 CDI); 57.7% (E250 CGI); 57.9% (E350 CDI); 46.6% (E63) Service interval variable

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“It’s the urban version of the X-Trail – AWD but without off-road applications” FHE<;II?ED7B >KCEHEKI @EKHD7B?IJ

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Taste?

“E63’s got an absolute animal of an engine; angry, snarling, and completely addictive” =;: 8KBC;H

cars again?” wondered Peter Robinson. Bruce Newton, on the other hand, thought it looked good. What did impress everyone was how ‘normal’ the E-Class looks, despite its excellent (Prius equalling) drag co-efficient of 0.25.

So, the new E-Class is an advancement over the old model, a first-rate drive in all forms, it introduces timely efficiency tech, and is high on safety. That leaves just value to be considered.

“Questionable, especially higher up the range,” read one judge’s note, although others thought Mercedes-Benz’s prices reasonable compared with (equally high-priced) direct competitors.

Still, for a big-money luxury sedan to advance to COTY’s closing stage is an indication of the E-Class’s all-round excellence. But each judge has only one vote, and there can only be one winner.

In another year the Mercedes-Benz might have triumphed, but in 2009 there was another brilliant German car at COTY… JOHN CAREY

Some designsensitive COTY judges lamented the new E-Class’s lack of elegance and heavyhanded application of retro features. Yet readers of Germany’s Auto Bild voted the E-Class the bestlooking car in the world.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;With premium quality and refinement in a volume car, how can Mercedes-Benz, BMW et al maintain the gap?â&#x20AC;?

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Skoda Superb

3

Big Czech wrote itself into contention with an unexpected skill set

THE SUPERB’S progress to the final round of COTY astonished many judges. Few anticipated the left-field limo from obscure Skoda could overcome preconceptions to surpass all expectations. In terms of quality, spaciousness, comfort and, yes, even driving appeal, the Superb impressed at every stage of the process.

The trend-setting Superb’s large (4.8-metre) car/small (1.8-litre) engine concept previews the 2011 four-cylinder Falcon and demonstrates that a cleverly engineered, soft-turbo, small-capacity engine really can deliver respectable performance with outstanding economy.

Who is going to argue with 0-100km/h in 8.5 seconds, when it’s combined with 8.4L/100km economy? Not Hawley, “Really impressive engines, especially the petrol 1.8 – smooth, powerful enough and quiet.”

“What a nice car” noted Newton. “Super drivetrain which battles way above its size. Who needs anything bigger?”

The fact was that the range of abilities displayed by all three Superbs – front-drive 118kW 1.8 TSI and 125kW 2.0 TDI, and all-wheel-drive 191kW 3.6 V6 – make for a compelling package … if you

accept the car’s self-conscious styling, with its slightly-too-long proportions. Stretching the Golf architecture to a massive 2761mm wheelbase (up 183mm) without increasing the tracks results in a clumsy appearance that was questioned by some judges.

“Weird hatch/boot enforces awkward styling – the C-pillars, for example – for dubious benefit,” protested Stahl, “and the grille looks crap.”

If the sheet metal frightens some, the cabin is a treat in a very Volkswagen-esque manner.

Nothing wrong with derivative treatment when it means near Audi-standard build quality and materials, comprehensive equipment levels (nine airbags, dual-zone climate control and a classy sound system) and an incredibly spacious rear seat, at least for two adults. Is it possible to have too much leg room and to sit too high?

Maybe the Superb really is the Czech S-Class, at a third the price.

The boot, too, is huge but some judges questioned the Twindoor access, a system that gives the choice between a (small) conventional boot opening and a fiddly-to-operate hatch, apparently to cater for both the European taste

STAGE

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BODY

Type 5-door hatch, 5 seats L/W/H 4838/1817/1462mm Wheelbase 2761mm Track (f/r) 1537/1510mm (1.8TSI/2.0TDI); 1543/1516mm (3.6 V6 FSI) Cargo capacity 565L (1.8TSI); 540 (2.0TDI/V6) Weight 1611kg (1.8TSI); 1655kg (2.0TDI); 1805kg (V6) DRIVETRAIN

Layout front engine (north-south) FWD (1.8TSI/2.0TDI); AWD (V6) Engines & transmissions 1.8-litre 4cyl (118kW/250Nm) 7-sp DSG (1.8TSI); 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo-diesel (125kW/350Nm) 6-sp DSG (2.0TDI); 3.6litre V6 (191kW/350Nm) 7-sp DSG (V6) CHASSIS

Suspension: front struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar rear multi-links, coil springs, anti-roll bar Brakes vent. discs (f); vent. discs (r) Tyres 225/45R17 (1.8TSI/2.0TDI); 225/40R18 (V6) Spare full-size steel

Bottom line

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The Superb seems incredible value, in line with Skoda’s positioning as the VW Group’s value-for-money brand. But the only VW Passat with an identical engine – the 125kW TDI – is priced $1000 below the Superb’s $45,990. The entry level $42,990 petrol Skoda is $2K less expensive than the Passat, but the latter gets a 147kW 2.0litre variant of the Superb’s 1.8 engine. Both V6s cost $56,990, but the Skoda packs a 191kW 3.6, the VW a 184kW 3.2-litre.

Safety Fuel/enviro ADR81 test consumption 8.4L/100km (1.8TSI); 6.9L/100km (2.0TDI); 10.2L/100km (V6) Minimum fuel grade 98 RON (unleaded); diesel Greenhouse emissions 200g/km CO2 (1.8TSI); 182g/km CO2 (2.0TDI); 243g/km CO2 (V6) Emission standard Euro 5

Driver aids ABS, EBD, TC Seatbelts front pre-tensioners/ load limiters Front airbags Side airbags Curtain airbags Knee airbags (driver) Crash rating five star (ANCAP)

“It’s the urban version of the X-Trail – AWD but without off-road applications” G ED BU L M E R

FHE<;II?ED7B >KCEHEKI @EKHD7B?IJ

$ Money Prices $45,990 (1.8TSI); $48,990 (2.0TDI); $56,990 (V6) 3-year retained value 61.9% (1.8TSI); 61.7% (2.0TDI); 61.6% (V6) Service interval 15,000km

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for sedans and the desire for hatchbacks in markets like Russia and China.

On the road the Superb feels far more agile and alert than its sombre styling suggests. For such a big car it never feels unwieldy: turn-in is crisp, the steering well-weighted if vaguely aloof, while body control is unexpectedly capable. The ride, however, is a little fidgety on irregular surfaces.

An enthusiastic Carey noted, “Skoda has the best chassis set-up people in the VW/Audi Group, at least when it comes to doing suspension and steering that works well in Australia. They get the balance between ride and handling right, pretty well every time.”

Still, the ABS calibration was ranked no better than average on gravel and the ESP performance judged inconsistent.

All local Superbs get VW’s DSG dual-clutch transmission: six-speed with the relaxed and muscular diesel and grunty 3.6-litre, narrowangle V6, seven-speed with the 1.8 petrol.

Despite doing so well against the Function, Efficiency, Technology and Safety criteria, when it came to the crunch, the Superb’s shortfalls relegated it to a respected and worthy third-stage finisher.

P E T E R R O B IN S O N

Numbers

Launched in March, the Superb went on sale in late June. After a slow start due to a lack of supply, 130 had been sold to the end of November. At that rate, the Skoda will just meet COTY’s 250 sales per year eligibility criteria.

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“Really impressive engines, especially the petrol 1.8 turbo” @ED7J>7D >7MB;O

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Toyota

Prius

Improved hybrid tech is clever; its unobtrusiveness especially laudable TOYOTA’S third-generation Prius is a car with some amazingly small numbers, like its 3.9L/100km ADR81 fuel consumption test result and 89g/km carbon dioxide emissions.

But improving performance was one of the main objectives with the new Prius. Toyota redesigned or renewed most of the hybrid drivetrain. A 1.8-litre engine replaces the 1.5-litre used in earlier generations. The new 2ZR-FXE four is basically a development of the Corolla’s engine, featuring efficiency-enhancing Atkinson Cycle valve timing and minus a serpentine belt to drive ancillaries (with electric everything, including air-con and power-steer, the Prius doesn’t need one). Teamed with an uprated electric motor (its 60kW maximum power is a 20 percent increase) the maximum ‘system output’ of the hybrid drivetrain is a neat 100kW. “Strong enough performance,” noted Hawley.

Other judges agreed. Unlike past Priuses, sluggishness isn’t a problem with the third-gen model. Toyota seems to acknowledge that even hybrid drivers might occasionally want snappy acceleration. The new Prius has ‘Power’ mode button (as well as the expected ‘Eco’ and ‘EV’),

which noticeably sharpens throttle response.

And the car’s ‘default’ drivetrain mode (which operates when none of the three other modes is selected), brings decent performance. The only complaint about the Toyota’s hybrid drivetrain, noted by both Robbo and Sam Reid, was an occasional hesitation when moving from rest.

Overall, COTY judges were impressed by the new Prius’s, well, ordinariness. “Crashes and thumps a bit, but I keep thinking it’s commendable how normal the Prius is to drive,” noted Stahl. While its steering and brakes may feel a little strange (“artificial” and “remote” were common notebook entries), its ride could be smoother, and its ESP needs greater finesse (a complaint common to all Toyotas), most judges acknowledged that the new Prius is a significantly better drive than before. But it’s not yet a driver’s car.

Seven standard airbags, the presence of expected active safety tech (ESP and ABS) and the i-Tech version’s Mercedes-like Pre-Crash system earned the Prius solid ratings against the safety criterion.

Judges were impressed, too, by Prius’s user-

3 STAGE

JEOEJ7 FH?KI BODY

Type 5-door hatch, 5 seats L/W/H 4460/1745/1490mm Wheelbase 2700mm Track (f/r) 1524/1520mm Cargo capacity 446L Weight 1370kg (1420kg, iTec) DRIVETRAIN

Layout front engine (east-west) FWD Engines & transmissions 1.8-litre 4cyl (73kW/142Nm); AC electric motor (60kW), CVT auto CHASSIS

Suspension: front struts, A-arms, coil springs, anti-roll bar rear torsion beam, coil springs Brakes ventilated discs (f); solid discs (r) Tyres 195/65R15 Spare space saver; repair kit

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Safety Fuel/enviro ADR81 test consumption 3.9L/100km Minimum fuel grade 95 RON (unleaded) Greenhouse emissions 89g/km CO2 Pollution standard Euro 5

Driver aids ABS, EBD, BA, TC, ESP Seatbelts front pre-tensioners/ load limiters Front airbags Side airbags Curtain airbags Knee airbags (driver) Crash rating five star (NCAP)

$ Money Prices $39,900; $53,500 (i-Tech) 3-year retained value 57% Service interval 10,000km

“It’s the urban version of the X-Trail – AWD but off-road applications” FHE<;II?ED7B >KCEHEKI @EKHD7B?IJ

By-wire transmission lever offers regulation R, N and D plus B (for Brake). Engaging B handily encourages the CVT to emulate engine braking.

“It’s surprisingly refined on the road, in terms of NVH and ride” =;: 8KBC;H

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friendliness. There were positive comments on its interior’s spaciousness, flexibility, ease of entry and egress, visibility and pleasant feeling of airiness.

Value, however, split the judges. Some believed the car’s level of technology (and Toyota quality) justified its price. Others argued that it was expensive for a car of its size and performance.

So, although it scored better than anything else at COTY 2009 for efficiency and was rated highly for its technology and safety, there were questions about the Prius’s value and function.

There’s no reason why a hybrid shouldn’t steer, handle and ride as well as any other kind of car. If Toyota ever manages to make Prius that car, mused one judge, they could have a COTY winner on their hands. But not this time...

JOHN CAREY

New Prius gets four driving modes: EV (Electric), Eco (economical driving), Power (sharper throttle response) and a default mode. And, yes, the judges preferred Power

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WO R D S M IC H A E L S TA H L P H O T O S C H R I S BE N N Y

HIRTY-SOME years ago, two allnew models were released to the world; one from Germany, the other from Japan. Each rounded out their introductory year by waltzing off with the Wheels Car of the Year award.

Thirty-some years later, the Honda Accord nameplate has consistently been at the top of the sales charts in the US and Japan, and in 2008 (in Accord Euro guise) took its second Wheels gong. And the other?

Well, the Volkswagen Golf has consistently been Europe’s top-selling car and is the third biggest-selling nameplate in automotive history. And in a coincidence of continuity, the Volkswagen Golf is Wheels’ 2009 Car of the Year.

It’s far too easy, considering this sixth-gen Golf’s evolutionary styling and largely carriedover platform, to underestimate its advances.

Indeed, VW claims to have improved more than 1000 components while inevitably working to increase the rigidity of the chassis. Other than the roof, not a single exterior panel and little of the interior is common with the Golf V. The fact that each Golf VI requires 10 fewer hours to build is great news for Volkswagen, sure.

But slashing this time to 25 hours – in hand with a palpable improvement in materials quality – also tells a significant story in the car’s design, production engineering, use of materials and the environmental impact of building five or six million examples over its life-span.

Golf VI kerb weight gains have been admirably contained, with the GTI picking up only 40kg (versus Golf V), the base petrol adding 82kg but the base diesel actually shedding 10kg. And you’ll note we didn’t say ‘base 1.6 petrol’ or anything so simplistic, because Golf VI’s suite of innovative powerplants is making us change the way we think about describing engines.

The ‘base’ petrol engine is described as a 90TSI, emphasising its 90kW output (with 200Nm at, get this, 1500rpm). Its actual capacity – just 1.4 litres – might be a marketing detraction from the way this turbocharged, direct-injected engine actually delivers in the real world. Costing, at $25,990, only $500 more than the outgoing basemodel 1.6 Trendline (and with a seven-speed DSG a $2500 option), the ‘base’ 90TSI’s outputs and equipment actually warrant comparison with a mid-level Golf V model.

Same story, but with more tech and more performance is the 118TSI petrol, which uses the trick ‘twin-charged’ (super- and turbocharged) 1.4 engine for its 118kW and 240Nm. And straddling the petrol models are a pair of diesels, the 77TDI (1.6) and 103TDI (2.0), the latter something of a greenie’s GTI. Ahh, the GTI… We’ll get to that in a minute. The point is that the Golf’s all-turbo engine family is spearheading an inevitable Aussie swing towards the smallercapacity, forced-induction engines encouraged

by European tax regimes.

And we’re liking it, not just for the incremental guilt-ridding improvements in ADR81 fuel consumption and CO2 output, but on the road as well. “A very persuasive case in favour of downsizing petrol engines,” nodded Carey.

The 90TSI Golf’s pricing is about 20 percent higher than that of the base Mazda 3, the Golf’s default rival in this year’s COTY line-up. COTY judges were quick to ask themselves whether the Golf’s chassis refinement, class-above NVH sophistication and palpably better interior went most of the way to justifying the margin.

“There’s a solidity of presentation and materials that grows on you,” noted Newton, “a feeling of

Locker

Only available on GTI, VW’s XDL ‘extended electronic differential lock’ incorporates a yaw sensor and detects slip from the unloaded inside wheel via the ESP. It then brakes that wheel to give what VW calls an AWD-like feeling. COTY judges loved the handling, especially in the lanechanging discipline but were less enamoured of the Golf’s ESP system itself.

XDL

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Superb balance and performance, combined with all the right aural accompaniment. That exhaust pop! Let me take it home!â&#x20AC;?

F;J;H HE8?DIED

Details

TSI engines impressed. Even fourup, base 90 earned a “goes great!” from Stahly. GTI’s carryover 17in alloys looked dated to some; machinefinish 18s are optional.

Retro red stripes are back for GTI

quality and integrity. It’s difficult to think of a better four-seat, C-segment hatchback.”

As one climbs the range, the Golf gets cheaper against its opposition, but the Mazda 3 does not get correspondingly better. But it must be noted that at the top of the tree, Mazda’s 2.3-litre turbo MPS easily out-grunts the 2.0-litre turbo Golf GTI and undercuts the DSG-equipped Golf by more than $1000 (in the Luxury-spec MPS tested at COTY). Yet there wasn’t a COTY judge who felt the manic Mazda could front any value argument against the sophisticated GTI. Ahh, the GTI… You’ll note we’ve gushed over the Golf and yet we’ve said little about the driving. COTY isn’t only about the driving. But if the Golf ticks a lot of boxes in the areas of technology, efficiency and value for money, it goes beyond the call of duty in the way it does business.

Okay, it’s not the sexiest thing out there. “Is this the world’s most boring, anally retentive-styled car?” asked Hawley at the initial judges’ walk-around. “Interior and exterior are bland – or, as others might say: ‘clean and exuding quality,’” wrote Reid, sarcastically, “but it does feel like a baby Benz for one-third the price.”

It also delivers safety equipment that, in COTY’s pre-scoring count, scored the perfect five-from-five like a Mercedes-Benz. Scanning the safety-equipment list for all Golf models including the GTI, it was interesting to note that nothing in the safety package (with seven airbags, including driver’s knee-bag) was withheld from the base model.

It has front seats that would be at home in a car one or two classes above. The rear seating is only slightly less impressive: “good rear-seat space, cushion a bit flat and short, no centre armrest,” noted Carey of the 90TSI, while giving kudos to its rear vents and great visibility. Only the weak air-conditioning and shortage

Winner

The Golf first won COTY in 1976, earning a huge rap from Wheels’ editors as, “A classless car that is superior in virtually every way.” It was a significant victory in the year that the anti-pollution ADR27A struck and Wheels threw COTY entry open to all new cars released in Australia. We described Golf MkI as a “total package”. Thirty-plus years later, the same accolade also applies to Golf MkVI.

of storage space (other than cupholders) let the package down.

Dynamically, the Golf is nothing short of delightful. Even the 90TSI was quick to win fans, starting with Bulmer: “If that’s a 1.4-litre donk, that’ll do me … sprightly, energetic, eager, mated to a car with fundamentally good steering and balance. Oozes sophistication, refinement and development.”

Robinson, though miffed at the absence of cruise control in the 90TSI, went even further. “The level of overall refinement is worthy of two classes higher … balance and weighting of all controls [are] BMW-like in their consistency and tactility. Ride and handling, best in class.”

Perhaps Hawley was trying harder in the base car.

“Plenty of body roll, which turns to roll-oversteer, but if the trade-off is this beaut ride, I’m happy,” he noted.

Tellingly, the Golf’s electrically assisted steering drew no particular comment, but marks against the dynamics went to the dirt-road performance of the ESP and ABS. An A-pillar vent was ill-fitting on one of our cars, but that was absolutely the sum-total of glitches or rattles across our five test examples.

We chose the base 90TSI for our four-up test. If this little $26K gem hadn’t wormed into our hearts already – which it had – then this would seal the deal.

Neither performance, nor certainly ride, suffered at all unacceptably for having four full-sized bods on board.

That’s not something one often says of a ‘small’ car.

The 118TSI, meanwhile, obviously stepped up performance and the sporting intent of its handling; though not obviously enough for some judges in interior presentation (it’s $7K dearer). “The DSG adds an even sportier edge – this is GTI-lite,” wrote Newton.

“A cracker!” was Bulmer’s summation. “Firmer

Fuel/enviro $ Money

Safety Driver aids ABS, EBD, BA, TC, ESP Seatbelts front pre-tensioners/ load limiters Front airbags Side airbags Curtain airbags Knee airbags (driver) Crash rating five star (NCAP)

Prices $25,990 (90TSI); $28,690 (77TDI); $32,990 (118TSI); $35,690 (103TDI); $42,990 (GTI) 3-year retained value 62% (90TSI/77TDI); 63% (118TSI/103TDI); 65% (GTI) Service interval 10,000km

PIC: CRISTIAN BRUNELLI

ADR81 test consumption 6.2L/100km (90TSI); 4.9L/100km (77TDI); 6.5L/100km (118TSI); 5.6L/100km (103TDI); 7.6L/100km (GTI) Minimum fuel grade 95 RON (unleaded); diesel Greenhouse emissions 143g/km CO2 (90TSI); 129g/km CO2 (77TDI); 150g/km CO2 (118TSI); 147g/km CO2 (103TDI); 178g/km CO2 (GTI) Pollution standard Euro 5

“It’s a bit more expensive than the class average, but worth it for the qualities” 8HK9; D;MJED

Winner Winner Winner W in nner suspension and better ride compromise,” wrote hot-shoe Hawley, adding, “Sits flatter, points more accurately … I’ll have this one!”

The 1.6-litre 77TDI diesel hardly warrants the description “weak link,” but it’s the only example of average-ness in the entire engine family. With 77kW/250Nm it’s a tad ponderous at times and nowhere near as enjoyable as the almost equally torquey 90TSI petrol. “Vibey little sucker at low revs, gets the tingly pedals going,” noted Newton, “but it smooths out and away you go.”

“Not as characterful as the petrol 1.4, but not a lot wrong with it,” opined Bulmer.

Still, its ADR81 figure of 4.9L/100km was obviously the best of the bunch, comfortably besting the 103TDI (2.0-litre) diesel’s 5.6 and 90TSI’s 6.2.

The 103TDI is altogether more rewarding, albeit around $4000 dearer. A chrome grille, 16-inch alloys (which contributed a bit more tyre noise), greater seat adjustment, steering-wheel audio buttons and rear centre armrests help offset that.

Our car had the $1400 optional parkassist, which most gave up as a wank: it’s no quicker to reverse park than the sort of person who can’t reverse park.

All of which leaves the GTI. “Driving the GTI,” wrote Reid, “you suddenly understand the Golf obsession.

It’s nearly double the price, but a league above its cheaper siblings.”

That might be going a bit far; its siblings

Win nner Win nn

DC C

DCC Adaptive Chassis Control is optional across the Golf range. The system automatically modifies damper characteristics or is switchable to sports mode.

are pretty damned good. But the Golf VI GTI is one of the cars you must drive, not just before you die, but before the end of this week. All the bigger-car confidence, quality and calm of the rest of the Golf range comes together with effortless, smooth, 155kW performance and class-leading hot-hatch grip and responsiveness.

“Flat-out everywhere with complete confidence,” wrote Newton. “Crowns a superbly balanced and diverse model range.” Even the infamously unemotional Carey wrote: “GTI suspension settings?

Refined stiffness … firmly damped, but rounds off the sharp stuff pretty well.”

Which is, actually, pretty unemotional.

Again, the only dark mark against the GTI was in its ESP behaviour on dirt; it may as well not have it. But when the exhaust makes that little fluttery fart with every instant, motorcycle-like upshift of the DSG… The GTI does indeed crown a model range that offers the value and agility of a small car with the comfort and refinement of a very good medium one.

We’ll leave it to Peter Robinson, who awarded the very first Golf its COTY back in 1976, to pose the question to other manufacturers: “[With such] premium quality and refinement in a volume car, how can Mercedes-Benz, BMW et al maintain the gap?”

Winner Winner W LEBAIM7=;D L LEB LE EB =EB< BODY

Type 5-door hatch, 5 seats L/W/H 4199/1785/1479mm (90TSI/77TDI/118TSI/103TDI); 4199/1785/1464mm (GTI) Wheelbase 2574mm Track (f/r) 1540/1513mm; 1533/1514mm (GTI) Cargo capacity 350L Weight 1322kg (90TSI); 1310kg (77TDI); 1362kg (118TSI); 1418kg (103TDI); 1380kg (GTI) DRIVETRAIN

Layout front engine (east-west) FWD Engines & transmissions 1.4-litre 4cyl turbo (90kW/200Nm) 5-speed man (90TSI); 1.4-litre 4cyl turbo (118kW/240Nm) 7-speed DSG (118TSI); 1.6-litre 4cyl turbodiesel (77kW/250Nm) 5-speed man (77TDI); 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo diesel (103kW/320Nm) 6-speed DSG (103TDI); 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo (155kW/280Nm) 6-speed DSG (GTI) CHASSIS

Suspension: front struts, A-arms, coil springs, anti-roll bar rear multi-links, coil springs, anti-roll bar Brakes ventilated discs (f); solid (r) Tyres 195/65R15 (90TSI/77TDI); 205/55R16 (118TSI/103TDI); 225/45R17 (GTI) Spare space saver

www.golfgti.com.au

NOW AVAILABLE IN BLUSHIN NG RED.

The Golf GTI. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no wonder the Golf GTI comes in blushing red. The Golf range, including the GTI has been awarded the oldest and most prestigious motoring award in the country, 2009 Wheels magazine Car of the Year. To discover the award winning performance of the Golf GTI for yourself, visit your local Volkswagen dealer.

Das Auto.

VGA3625/WHEELS/GTI

www.volkswagen.com.au

Hugs tight corners and award judges.

Volkswagen Golf Wheels magazine Car of the Year 2009.

Das Auto.

VGA3625/WHEELS/GOLF