ECOcar Magazine Issue 12

AUSTRALIA’S GUIDE TO ECO FRIENDLY, FUEL EFFICIENT CARS www.ecocarmagazine.com.au

RRP: AU $7.95 NZ $8.95

Issue 12 September / November 2011

VOLVO'S

NEW V60 DIESEL HYBRID ISSN 1836-4500

l.9 L l l

FULL MELBOURNE SHOW ROUND - UP

TESTED

V

olkswagen is doing its best to produce more efficient, low-emission, low fuelconsumption vehicles, but points out that it needs consumers, owners and drivers to play their part in ensuring the technology is understood and used properly.

‘Think Blue’ is Volkswagen’s corporate philosophy to focus attention on sustainable motoring, and it’s a term that will soon become a principle of the company marketing.

Communicating and encouraging better environmental behaviour is a large part of ‘Think Blue’, and designing events and activities to get people to participate is a major focus.

You may think that suggests a spikey-haired, PR graduate has run amok at VW. Enter, the Volkswagen 1-litre Challenge.

One of VW’s most energy-efficient cars is the Polo 66TDI, a 1.6 turbo diesel returning 4.7 l/100 km (combined) and 124 g/km CO2. A key point of ‘Think Blue’ is ‘Be Aware and

Save Fuel’, and the 1-litre Challenge was designed to engage regular drivers and media representatives in learning more about saving fuel in an, already, efficient vehicle.

After a nationwide competition for ordinary motorists, finalists from around Australia were invited to join motoring writers to see how far they could drive on just one litre of fuel.

However, VW decided to make it difficult. The event would start from the Melbourne airport carpark, despatching competitors into the traffic snarls, lights and junctions around Tullamarine, followed by a hilly mix of main roads and rural backroads. Each of three Polos would have their fuel tanks drained, and just one litre of diesel added, before each participant was launched into the throngs of taxis and buses.

My role was to set a consistent benchmark, achieved in each of the three, manual, 1-litre Challenge Polos, to ensure uniformity and then to assist VW’s in-house, fuel-efficiency

BLUE DAYS Ed Ordynski starts to “Think Blue,” at least in relation to Volkswagen 14

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experts with the competitors’ pre-event training. The aim was to get the participants to reach or exceed the benchmark, an optimistic task considering they were either civilian motorists or lead-footed journos.

As part of its ‘Think Blue’ strategy, VW has an excellent training program for fuel-efficient driving, and we would follow its teachings, meaning no hypermiling tricks, like coasting with the engine off, which is actually quite dangerous as you lose power steering and brakes and can inadvertently lock the steering column.

Volkswagen was also donating $10 to the Queensland Flood Relief for every kilometre travelled by the waves of participants over the several days of competition.

Upon arrival at the airport I headed over to a windy, dusty corner of the carpark where several boffins had gathered to prepare the three yellow Polos, with their ‘Think Blue’ logos emblazoned down their sides, lest you inadvertently began to think yellow. The slick, well-oiled techos had laptops plugged in to the cars, and there were small data recorders to monitor the driver’s every move.

The Chief explained that they were draining the fuel tank of each Polo. When the fuel runs out there’s a low-fuel pressure switch to cut the engine, preventing damage. With the laptop connected via the on-board diagnostics port, they could then add just enough fuel to see the cut-out switch turn back on, thereby priming the system. They would then add the measured one litre of diesel.

I was also looking at the traffic and wondering how far we were likely to go. The Polo TDI has an extra-urban fuel figure of just 4.0 l/100 km, but the route had some traffic and was hilly, so maybe the extra-urban would be difficult.

Obviously, if we could do 4.0 l/100 km, then we’d go 25 km on one litre. Maybe that was a good target. Just as that thought entered my head, The Chief added that he had personally tested the system and went 25 km. Gulp!

The Chief had also despatched several, adoring subordinates to place signage around the course with distance markers starting at 25 km, and each km thereafter.

When the Polos did run out of fuel, a team of support vehicles would sweep in, record the distances and refuel the cars to get back to the airport. It was, indeed, very well organised.

There was also a red Polo TDI with ‘Think Blue’ adorning its flanks, and this was my Official Practice Car. This event was looking just like a proper motorsport competition, with teams of technicians, marketing personnel, data logging, The Chief, service vehicles, and now a reconnaissance car.

I set off on an unmeasured lap and found the little Polo seemed to have best efficiency at around 1,200 rpm in top gear. Traffic meant you sometimes had to go a bit faster. The TDI has gearchange advisory indicators, suggesting when to change up or down for best economy. These are perfectly calibrated and encourage you to change to a taller gear ridiculously early, yet the 230 Nm diesel will happily accept the high gears in the long-legged, five-speed gearbox.

The Think Blue programme advises proven techniques, like: looking ahead to anticipate road conditions; using the tallest gears as soon as practicable; coasting down hills with the car in gear (Polos are fitted with an overrun fuel cut-off); minimising use of aircon and other auxiliaries; keeping tyre pressures at maximum recommended; avoiding short trips; using low viscosity engine oil (standard on Polo); removing roof racks and related accessories; and avoiding unnecessary weight in the car.

In consultation with The Chief, I also suggested we needed to get a clean exit out of the carpark, as a stationary delay could easily swallow, say, 100 ml of fuel, and therefore cut the distance by 10 percent. In fact, a perfect run out of the carpark and through the traffic lights would make or break a good lap.

Every metre counts.

Sitting in the red Polo, windows up, engine off, in gear, clutch in, hand on key, waiting for the Chief’s signal that taxis weren’t barrelling down pit lane, it felt just like the start of a race. The Chief gave a quick signal, or scratched his nose, I wasn’t quite sure, but I twisted the key, dropped the clutch and, while steering between the parked cars, grabbed second gear and wobbled out into the mayhem of buses and cabs – a perfect start.

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TESTED

SOUL Retro comes to town with Kia’s fashion statement

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SOUL SISTER

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here are times when even the best laid marketing plans need to be shifted in their focus. For Kia, the highly fashionable Soul is a classic example where retro styling aimed at the single city dweller has been found to appeal to young and old alike.

The design concept for the Kia Soul made no mention of the blue rinse set. After all, with its boxy styling and accessories, such as the interior lighting systems that pulse in time to the bass line of the audio system, there was never a question of trying to appeal to a driver over 50 years of age.

Where Soul has triumphed is in the way it bridges the generation gap, and it’s all a question of perception and functionality.

To the young, the Soul is sufficiently different to become attractive. Its boxy styling and fuel efficient performance ranks it in the same marketing slot as the sub-compact and small hatch brigade, and yet its appearance takes it to a more upmarket level than the standard hatchback competition.

But wait, there’s another demographic queuing up to buy the Soul, and it’s well over the Generation X and Y collection.

To the older buyer, the boxy look and higher roofline has a totally different justification for approval. It’s easier to get an aging body into the cabin, with the higher roofline facilitating entry and exit. And once you’re in the driving seat, the upright position and clear forward vision suits those who don’t want to lean back, adopt straight-arm steering and turn their baseball cap around.

So, with a gender and age defiant car in the compact sector, just what does the buyer of the Soul get for their investment?

There’s a choice of two engines, and, to keep it easy, both offer either a fivespeed manual gearbox or a fourspeed automatic transmission.

There’s also a choice of two trim levels, the standard Soul and the Soul Plus.

Both engines are of 1.6 litres capacity, both have four cylinders and both drive the front wheels. The difference between them is purely that of the fuel they use. The petrol 1.6-litre produces 91 kW at 6,300 rpm, with a similar output of 94 kW coming from the 1.6-litre diesel, albeit at a low 4,000 rpm. Torque is where the difference lies, though, with the petrol engine producing 156 Nm at 4,200 rpm, eclipsed by the diesel version with its 260 Nm rated from 1,900 through to 2,750 rpm.

Although the four-speed automatic is identical in both the petrol and diesel versions, there are differences in the ratios of the five-speed manual to better suit the different torque capabilities of each engine. With its greater reserves of torque, the diesel can pull a higher fifth gear of 0.660:1 versus 0.839:1, as well as a taller final drive ratio of 3.941:1 versus 4.267:1. The only difference in the gearing of the automatic transmission and driveline comes in the form of a variation in final drive ratio of 3.849:1 for the diesel, versus 4.619 for the petrol engine.

Both engines have a 16-valve design, but the diesel engine incorporates a variable geometry turbocharger that again contributes to the excellent performance response when a buyer chooses the diesel equation. In simple terms, the vanes of the turbine can vary their angles as they rotate, thereby altering the amount of thrust or pressure the turbine can produce. This in turn increases or decreases the amount of charge pressurised into each cylinder, determining the way in which the engine produces its power and torque characteristics.

In terms of size, at an overall length of 4,105 mm the Kia Soul is 445 mm longer than a MINI, but, with an overall height of 1610 mm, it’s a full 200 mm taller and 95 mm wider. Weight doesn’t really figure in the equation, with the MINI tipping the scales at 1,312 kg against the Soul’s 1,254 kg. The diesel manual version adds a further 100 kg to the Soul’s kerb weight.

With disc brakes all round, the inbuilt safety inclusions bring in all the right features expected these days to provide ABS with electronic brake distribution and brake assist, electronic stability control with traction control, plus driver and passenger airbags, curtain airbags, front/side pelvis and thorax protection airbags and front seat belt pre-tensioners. Not surprisingly, with this high level of driver and passenger safety, the Soul scores a full five-star rating under the ANCAP guide.

Kia makes the point that the buyer has a lot of input into the final appearance of their own personal Soul. In this regard, there’s a choice of alloy rims, to vary the individual look and road holding, from a standard 15-inch steel wheel with 195/65R15 tyres on the Soul, or a 16-inch alloy with 205/55R16 tyres on the Soul Plus, through to 18-inch wheels with 225/45R18 tyres as an option on both models. Be prepared, though, for a harder ride if you option up to lower aspect ratio tyres. Although Kia offers a regular full-sized spare tyre through nearly all its model range, the Soul and the Rio miss out and offer a space saver tyre in the boot.

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TESTED hen it comes to music, the interpretation of Jazz is very much a personal choice. No two musicians will play the same piece identically, and, with a true jazz influence, it’s up to the player to chart their course through the scales.

Choosing a car in the sub-compact class is full of challenges and, similarly, there’s plenty of room for individual interpretation as the buyer weighs off shape and colour against individual features and inclusions. Power can be a deciding factor, as being small doesn’t mean you have to be slow off the mark. Economy also ranks as hugely important, and the final outcome is usually that small and nippy, but well priced and effective, rules the day.

At this level of fuel economy, you really can run around covering the kilometres and not break the bank, as the 42-litre tank capacity should enable you to rack up almost 800 km between refills. At a current $1.39 per litre, that means it’s going to cost you under $8.00 in fuel alone for every 100 km you travel. You can’t even do that on the bus.

But there’s more to consider on long commuting trips than just fuel economy, and that’s where the latest Jazz scores well.

With the four-cylinder, 1.5-litre engine, the 88 kW produced at 6,600 rpm is more than sufficient to keep up with the nightly B-double rush towards the next state, if you travel on freeways.

The Jazz also scores well in the quest for a peaceful drive experience as it doesn’t buzz along like a frantic bee while it’s doing the trip. Thanks to the 145 Nm of torque that the engine produces at 4,800 rpm, it achieves its cruise level without producing highly intrusive parcels of noise. In fact, the Jazz is a really quiet car, even at freeway speeds.

The Honda Jazz fits all the above criteria and more, offering a sub-compact car that at times thinks it’s much larger than its external measurements might suggest.

The 2011 Jazz looks brighter, happier and generally more modern than its 2010 sibling, thanks to LED lighting on the rear end and a different grille that makes like a happy face on the front.

Rather than confine the Jazz to narrow urban streets, we’ll look firstly at how the latest 2011 version covers longer distance travel.

The current model, known as the second generation Jazz, was introduced back in 2008. But it’s held its age well and competes on equal terms with even the very latest of the sub-

It’s not uncommon in the sub-compact class to find that cruise control is not even offered on the options list. But for the latest Jazz, Honda has linked cruise control as a standard item on the 1.5-litre VTi, adding 15-inch alloy rims and a fullsized alloy rimmed spare. Yes, some drivers do pilot small cars over long distances on their way to work and need the security that comes with a proper spare tyre.

If your daily commute is one of the longer trips to the city, you’ll find the Jazz surprisingly capable. The fuel consumption on a long run drops to as low as 5.5 l/100 km on the fivespeed automatic transmission version, or sips a further 0.1 l/100 km if you’ve chosen the five-speed manual gearbox.

Jazz

Honda,

It’s and all that

More equipment and keener pricing adds the incentive to look closely at the keynotes of the sub-compact car from Honda 26

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IT’S HONDA AND ALL THAT JAZZ compacts to hit the market. Like the Hyundai i20, its interior is bright, light and spacious, offering excellent visibility. It’s also easy to find the button or switch that you want to make something work, when you want, rather than floundering around pressing things and wondering what is going to happen next.

Unlike the Barina Spark, the Jazz has an engine of which you can be proud, especially with the 1.5-litre. It’s strong and willing, and you’ll find you can match anything on the highway, in general terms, without coming off second best.

The other point that buyers in the subcompact category worry about, earnestly, is that of personal safety. With Jazz it comes in the form of a five-star ANCAP rating.

The Jazz interior is light, bright and very easy to live with. The engine and transmission are a good match and the car offers great versatility for inner urban and longer distance country driving.

As part of the five-star standard package of inclusions you get anti-lock brakes, airbags front and side for the driver and passenger, plus a full-length curtain airbag. Also included are vehicle stability assist, brake assist, traction control, seatbelt pre-tensioners with load limiters and an advanced body structure that Honda calls ACE.

The mid-range 1.5-litre, VTi also comes with Bluetooth for the phone and USB connectivity to the audio system, so you are no longer radio station dependent.

Our test of the latest Jazz was confined to the 1.5-litre, and, as we mentioned, most of our driving was actually over longer distances on a 130 km each way commute from the country up to the city. Once you hit the urban sprawl, the auto transmission handles whatever is thrown at it, by way of challenges, extremely well. It’s responsive, changes are quick and accurate, and the driver is never left waiting for a response from under the bonnet.

Comfort is also quite a big thing in the Jazz, and even if you are classed, height wise, as being in the basketball league of driver, you are going to find you get a very comfortable ride.

The seats are particularly comfortable, with good support, and there always seems to be plenty of space around the front seats for the driver and passenger.

Pricing starts, for the 1.3-litre, at a very reasonable $16,990 for the five-speed manual, and a further $2,000 for the fivespeed auto. Increasing engine size to 1.5 litres adds another $2,200 in each case, with a further move up to the top of the line VTi-S auto adding a further $1,500.

If initial purchase cost isn’t the deciding factor, we’d suggest the 1.6-litre is probably more in tune with Australian motoring. This is especially the case where every now and again you need to have the extra oomph that will get you into the traffic stream, from a side road, in the shortest possible timeframe.

For this money and level of investment, the inner city liver or intercity commuter gets a very nicely trimmed and highly capable package that will handle the everyday commute, and longer trips, easily.

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LAUNCH

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t’s all down to definition. What was s small car ten years ago has now grown to become a mediumsized sedan, and the medium sedan has shifted up to provide interior space that was once considered only obtainable in a large car. And while this reshuffle has been taking place, we’ve added a new smaller class that we now call sub-compact, which is sized as what we used to call small.

If that doesn’t make sufficient sense, then take a look at the other end of the market, where sales of Falcon and Commodore look like they’re heading for shaky ground, as lower retail figures make the very future of locally assembled large sedans a potentially endangered species.

The size of the car you buy is dictated by the space you need and, of course, by the price you have to pay, and can afford.

Forty-three percent of passenger car sales are in the small car segment, and of these, forty-one percent are sedans, fifty-five percent are hatches and the remaining four percent are wagons. And just to continue with the buyer profiles, fifty-three percent of small cars will be bought by females, leaving forty-seven percent to be bought by males.

Now, as we get used to the new increased interior spaciousness of cars like Ford’s Mondeo, Toyota’s Camry and Aurion, the Hyundai i45 and Kia Optima, the Australian car buyer is now going to be challenged in their buying profile by the new Hyundai Elantra.

The Elantra was originally around the size of cars like the Hyundai i30 and the Kia Cerato, but it’s had a growth spurt and now fills the void between the small hatch and sedan, and what we’ve come to call the medium-sized sedan that was one size under the traditional Commodore and Falcon.

THINKING

Hyundai’s Elantra

sets a strong standard for the big end of the small car market

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THINKING BIG The new Elantra is longer, wider and boasts a larger interior with more boot space. It’s got more power, better economy, a quieter interior, trimmed to a higher standard, and a safety level to which the previous model couldn’t get even remotely close.

We’re talking here of a five-star ANCAP crash rating for the new Elantra, and it comes with standard safety features that include Vehicle Stability Management, Electronic Stability Control, Traction Control, six airbags and a four-channel ABS anti-lock braking system, which includes Electronic Brakeforce Distribution. Each of the three rear seat passengers gets a lap/sash diagonal seat belt, and those in the front seats get pre-tensioners and load limiters. Even cruise control and Bluetooth are standard inclusions in each of the three versions.

Senior manager of the Australian product planning team, Roland Rivera, led the engineering team that refined the Elantra ride and handling, making it unique from the Elantra sold in other markets.

For the Australian Elantra, the spec changes include different front springs, front and rear dampers, a different thickness, of 24 mm, for the front stabilizer bar and refining of the motor driven power steering (MDPS). The front end uses a conventional MacPherson strut design with coil springs and gas dampers, while, at the rear, is a lightweight coupled torsion beam with twin tube dampers.

Elantra buyers get a three cornered choice when it comes to trim levels and final equipment inclusions, but all of them share the main features as a common specification.

the same throughout the range. If there is any difference detectable, by the driver, it comes from the variation in rim size and tyre aspect ratio. The Active comes with 15-inch rims and 195/65 tyres, the Elite comes with 16-inch rims and 205/55 tyres, while the Premium ups the rim size to 17 inches and lowers the aspect ratio tyres to 215/45 rating. Thoughtfully, matching specification with Australian needs, Hyundai has included a full-sized spare wheel in all models. As regular ECOcar readers would be aware, we believe that a fullsized spare tyre in our country should be mandatory, and all attempts by manufacturers to pass off alternatives such as a space saver, or can of goo and an air compressor, should be strongly resisted.

Whichever model you drive, and ECOcar has driven all three, you get impressive handling, with the car sitting nice and flat on both the straights and bends as you put the new Elantra through its paces. The ride and handling, for what is genuinely a well-sized sedan, is highly impressive, and so too is the low level of noise intruding into the interior. With low rolling-resistance low-energy tyres, there’s a definite reduction in tyre noise, and, as our tyre feature in this issue explains, this level of technology contributes also to an improvement of fuel economy.

Hyundai’s Director of Marketing, Oliver Mann, told ECOcar that the general reduction in sales performance experienced last year, by the Australian car market, has been felt less in the small car segment than in any other.

The 1.8-litre, four-cylinder, petrol engine, with what Hyundai calls Dual Valve Technology (DVT), produces maximum power of 110 kW at 6,500 rpm with peak torque of 178 Nm at 4,700 rpm, and has four percent more power, than the previous Elantra engine, and improved fuel economy by a very valuable eleven percent. The fuel consumption combined figure is 6.6 l/100 km for the manual and 7.1 l/100 km for the auto. On a country run this drops to 5.6 and 5.7 l/100 km but around town the worst you should expect is still only 8.4 and 9.4 l/100 km with CO2 emissions levels of 158 and 169 g/km (respectively).

“The car buyer is downsizing in order to get better economy and greater value. Seventy-five percent of car buyers consider themselves worse off this year, and consumer confidence is at its lowest level since October 2009.

With its alloy block and cylinder head, the same engine figures in each of the three versions, so too does the six-speed manual gearbox or six-speed automatic transmission, but availability of the manual gearbox is limited to the base model called the Active. The six-speed auto is the only transmission available in the mid-strength Elite and the top spec Premium.

2010, to show a figure of around 43,000 total sales in the first half of this year,” said Oliver.

The handling, ride comfort and road-holding is pretty much identical between each of the three versions, with Hyundai claiming the suspension settings and shock absorbers are

“The average Australian has shifted from spender to saver, but we believe this will only apply in the short term. Our estimates are that Hyundai will actually increase its sales performance by nine percent, on the 80,000 total sales of

“This year will see the end of the Getz in Australia, after achieving total sales of 158,000 units. In its place, to join the Elantra, we will be releasing the i40 wagon, the Veloster and the Ascent, as part of a new four-model line-up in the second half of this year,” added Oliver.

If you needed any further justification for peace of mind in buying the Elantra, the company backing of five years/ unlimited distance warranty and 24/7 roadside recovery should settle any concerns. All we have to do, now, is mention the price. The Active starts the pricing at $20,590 with a ECOCAR

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FEATURE

WHAT’S IN

Resembling a large Jaffa, this Smart set the tone for inner city motoring.

T

he Melbourne Motor Show proved to be something of a catalyst for automakers wanting to prove their green credentials to the Australian public. With plug-in electric vehicles, hybrids with petrol and diesel engines and some quite amazingly frugal cars with relatively normal technology under the bonnet, it shows that the lights are starting to come on when it comes to the whole ECOcar concept.

We’ll start by looking at one of the vehicles that, when launched, was significantly ahead of its time. So far ahead in fact, that not many people shared the enthusiasm of its manufacturer, Mercedes-Benz, in wanting to own one, creating a significant problem in profitability for the smart brand.

Having cut back on what was originally a quite broad product range, the revised smart range is much more competitive, and Melbourne Motor Show played host to one of the latest versions, a smart fortwo.

Finished in “night orange” this little smart has a CO2 emissions rating of 100 g/km and a fuel consumption of 4.4 l/100 km. It comes with all the ‘bling’ of cars costing ten times its price and can boast a three spoke steering wheel and gear shift knob finished in black leather, tricky orange stitching cropping up in various parts of the upholstery, a surround sound stereo system, automatic transmission, powered and heated mirrors, and electrically heated, leather trimmed seats.

Priced at $22,790, the night orange smart is an acquired taste, but there’s no doubt you’ll sail through any tax department audit of your income if the investigators descend on you suddenly in the company carpark. It may be incredibly sensible, clever, and frugal to operate, but you are never going to impress either a prospective client or the girl next door.

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Alongside the smart fortwo, but completely overshadowing its presence in all but colour scheme on the Mercedes-Benz stand at the Melbourne Show, was the latest C-Class, and, if you take our word for anything, we reckon it’s the best C-Class yet.

Australia will get the C-Class Coupe around August, but in the meantime there’s nothing to stop anyone interested in the C-Class from getting up close and personal with the sedan versions. So far, in the space of three weeks, ECOcar has driven the 200P, the 200CDi and the 250P and come away stunned at the fuel efficiency of these new models.

On a 130 km run from home base in Mittagong, in the NSW Southern Highlands, to Sydney airport, the C200 CDI returned a consistent average fuel consumption of 3.7 l/100 km, only rising to 4.2 l/100 km after some thumping around the busier streets of Mascot and Botany. The C200P version is also impressive, with a fuel consumption figure averaging 6.7 l/100 km.

There’s a definite step up in handling by adopting the AMG Sports package on the C250 CGI, and although it adds $4,850 to the price, plus a further $2,990 for the Driver Assistance Package, the better seating, nicer interior and better feel of the car on the road makes the extra investment well worthwhile.

It’s the difference between quite liking the C-Class and being totally enthusiastic about driving it. Ideally, and we need to do some further research here to find out if its achievable, we’d like to match the 200CDI or 250CDI with the AMG package, and then we’d be in an even happier place.

WHAT’S NEW IN THE ZOO

S NEW THE ZOO The latest trends in the power of positive thought

From August this year we will see the availability of the SLK Roadster, and yes, there are versions that bring this stunning design into ECOcar characteristics.

The SLK 200 and SLK 250 BlueEFFICIENCY models, with their four-cylinder engines matched to a seven-speed transmission, develop 135 kW and 150 kW, respectively, from just 2.0 litres, and return a consumption figure of 6.9 l/100 km while producing 169 g/km of CO2 at the tailpipe.

This new level of fuel efficiency available from MercedesBenz continues to extend upwards in the range, through the E-Class and even into the S-Class, and it’s safe to assume that consumption figures that hover around the 5.2 l/100 km will become the norm, rather than the traditional large sedan production that’s closer to double that result.

Powered by a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine, the driveline links to a hybrid electric motor-assist system to produce a combined output of 91 kW at 6,100 rpm and peak torque of 174 Nm at 1,000-1,500 rpm. With a choice of manual or CVT (Continuously Variable Transmissions) available, expect fuel economy as low as 4.7 l/100 km.

In other news at Honda, the Accord received a makeover designed to freshen its appearance, and with some engine upgrades, it has now improved its economy, but still doesn’t make it down to the ECOcar criteria of being below 8.0 l/100 km.

Suzuki showed a concept version of the Swift, which added a sportier twist to the latest release of this appealing hatch – now the best it’s ever been.

Now over to the French maker, Renault, and advance news of the introduction of an all-electric version of the Fluence Sedan. The deal for Australia comes in the form of an agreement with Better Place and GE, with GE confirming an order has already been placed for 1000 Fluence Z.E. vehicles to be supplied by 2015.

Better Place becomes involved in the actual supply of the battery unit, which is switchable, enabling a changeover to a recharged unit when time isn’t available for a recharge.

For Japanese carmaker, Honda, the Melbourne Show afforded the opportunity to preview the all-new CR-Z, due for release here late this year.

Mercedes-Benz C-Class is showing phenomenal fuel economy.

Renault Fluence is heading all-electric on a global basis.

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PREVIEW

he bare facts of the Audi e-tron tell the story better than any possible PR spin applied by a marketing team.

The technology is both interesting and different from the norm, and the overall appearance makes it one of the most stunning design concepts capable of achieving real life in production that’s currently on the horizon.

The car runs on electricity, not just through an electric motor with a few surrounding batteries, but with four electric motors, one on each corner, each driving its own relevant wheel to make a true quattro driveline.

It’s quick! As you’d expect with any powerplant producing 230 kW, it’s going to be impressive. But, with the torque output from an electric motor being 100 percent full-on from start-up, it’s not only quick, it’s startlingly so, accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.8 seconds, and from 60 to 120 km/h in 4.1 seconds.

And here’s another thing for those who watch statistics and like to quote specifications. The lithium-ion battery provides a truly useable energy content of 42.4 kilowatt-hours, to enable a range of approximately 248 kilometres. The downside, though, is that the battery pack weighs over 400 kg.

The Audi e-tron was first revealed at the IAA in Frankfurt in 2009, and as it highlighted Audi’s future-thinking in electromobility the concept has grown through the intervening years to head towards reality.

Audi likes its recognition for making sports cars, and to maintain handling, with all the weight that comes with batteries, even the very latest lithium-ion types, the design package takes into account the specific realities of an electric vehicle. The battery pack is directly behind the passenger cabin for an optimal centre of gravity and axle load distribution.

The e-tron is able to freely distribute the torque of its four electric motors to the wheels as required. This so-called torque vectoring allows for dazzling dynamics and an incredible agility and precision when cornering.

Just to make sure you remain grounded with all this Audi generated excitement, we have to just illustrate that having an electric motor in each wheel isn’t, in itself, totally groundbreaking, no matter what the PR team at Audi would have you believe. Whenever you see those massive 300+-tonne rear dump trucks climbing in and out of open cut mining pits, pause for a moment and reflect on their drive systems. Other than the fact the dump trucks have a big

LOOKING GOOD

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LOOKING GOOD NAKED The technology is stunning, matched only by the smoothness of the styling.

engine that powers an electrical generation system, the power is delivered to the road in roughly the same fashion, each wheel having an electric motor as its driving force.

Audi’s engineering team has been allowed a little more freedom of expression in its approach to the e-tron, and the car features a heat pump to efficiently warm up and heat the interior. That’s pretty cool technology, but it’s also not unique, being applied now at homes around Australia to heat the domestic hot water systems.

The most important development related to batteries for electric drives are lithium-ion cells. Numerous experts throughout the world are working on their further development for use in cars, with the primary objectives being to reduce weight and increase capacity and performance.

The requirement specification for the concept vehicle goes far beyond battery technology and the replacement of the combustion engine with an electric drive system. The Audi development engineers decided, back in the concept phase, to design practically every component and technology based on the new requirements of electric mobility. The interaction of all elements has a decisive influence on the factors efficiency, range and practicality.

The e-tron is certainly a stunning car to look at. It’s appealing from just about any angle, and, with high-efficiency LED technology used for all lighting units it maintains its presence, even when the street lights come on.

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Any motor that generates power also generates heat, and if you look closely at the e-tron, you’ll find air intakes in the single-frame grille and in front of the rear wheel arches. They are closed flush to the body, under normal circumstances, and opened by means of flaps when additional cooling air is required. Maximum efficiency is also a contributing factor here, as the concept car has a remarkably low drag coefficient, which gets even better when the flaps are closed.

At 1.90 metres wide, just 4.26 metres long and 1.23 metres tall, the e-tron has a wheelbase of 2.60 metres. As with a mid-engined sports car, the cabin of the e-tron is shifted far forward toward the front axle, leaving room in front of the rear axle for the, roughly, 470-kilogram battery unit, the inverter and the power electronics.

The two rearmost electric motors, which have their own cooling system, are mounted behind the rear axle. The front electric motors are mounted on the front axle, with their cooling system arranged in front of them. This special package, which features a 42:58 weight distribution, ensures perfect balance, which contributes to the driving dynamics of the e-tron.

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The

prestige car market seems to be blending easily into the upper levels of the family car market pricing, as manufacturers refine their product ranges to introduce economy into the performance equation.

The great equaliser in this area has been the increasing introduction of diesel engines within the executive and prestige portfolio versions. With this comparison, we look closely at what’s on offer from Volvo with the V60 D5 AWD, and BMW’s frugal diesel in the 5-Series, the 520d Touring, which in this instance was optioned up to M-Sport level.

diesel. With an engine capacity of 2.4 litres, maximum power comes in with 151 kW at 4,000 rpm and peak torque of 420 Nm is rated between 1,500 and 3,250 rpm. It’s coupled to a six-speed Geartronic transmission, and it offers an easily obtainable combined fuel consumption figure of 7.1 l/100 km with a CO2 emissions level of 188 g/km. The 0-100 km/h acceleration time is 8.2 seconds.

BMW’s 520d is a four-cylinder 2.0-litre diesel engine that produces 135 kW at 4,000 rpm and a peak torque rating of 380 Nm between 1,900 and 2,750 rpm. Its eight-speed, automatic transmission with Steptronic selection offers fuel economy of 5.3 l/100 km on a combined run, with CO2 emissions of 139 g/km. It hits 100 km/h from rest in 8.3 seconds.

TH COUNT We’ll start with power, performance and economy, and in this category the Volvo is actually the stand out performer.

Volvo’s V60 D5 is, as the numbers suggest, a five-cylinder

ESTAT With BMW and Volvo both offering great wagons we compare the V60 D5 and the 520d M-Sport

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THE COUNTRY ESTATE Power and performance are governed by their relationship with the weight of the car, and, in this instance, both cars tip the scales at an identical kerb weight of 1,715 kg. Considering the Volvo driveline is all-wheel-drive, against the BMW, which is rear-wheel-drive, it shows what a great job Volvo has done to keep weight down to benefit fuel economy.

When incorporating a drivetrain that services all four wheels, you add weight, but you also gain considerable advantages to handling, especially when on dirt roads or when heading to the snow with a stack of skis and snowboards on the roof.

Ordinarily, you’d expect the fuel economy and acceleration to be pretty much line-ball, but the BMW picks up brownie points here, for fuel economy, through having an extra two

HE TRY

ATE

gears in the transmission. Both are overdriven ratios, to give relaxed cruising at high speed with improved fuel economy over a six-speed gearbox alternative.

There are similarities in size that also justifies the comparison between both estates, with the Volvo being 4,628 mm x 1,484 mm x 1,855 mm (length x height x width) and the BMW being 4,907 mm x 1,462 mm x 1,860 mm.

Both designs use space cleverly in the rear cargo area, and there are pull back cargo covers to hide your contents, plus both offer a pull up mesh net that stops parcels and Labradors from flying forwards into passengers if you have an unfortunate experience somewhere.

Both also offer a flat load floor for added cargo capacity, but there is a difference when it comes to rear seat legroom.

While the rear seats in both cars can happily cope with tall adults, the Volvo has less actual leg and foot space when the front seats are at the rearmost selection. While the BMW gains in this area on space, it loses a little on comfort for tall adults, due to the low rear seat height.

In the front part of the cabin, both cars offer all the comforts associated with prestige cars. BMW has the slightly more complicated, but more technically advanced, M-Drive system operated by a rotary knob on the centre console, while the Volvo is more traditional. Both also have rear vision cameras for reversing with a display on the centre dashboard screen.

The BMW is a little ahead on tricky environmental benefits, by including a brake energy regenerative system to charge the battery, but both cars are pretty much line-ball when it comes to safety inclusions.

If you are expecting front, side and rear collision protection with airbags, you won’t be disappointed. You will also be gaining electronic stability controls, whiplash protection, dynamic stability control, trailer assist and even full automatic

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RENAULT

I

Renaissance

The French car builder returns to prominence with a new range

n recent years you could have been forgiven for thinking that Renault had ceased its operations in Australia. As overshadowed as it was by its clandestine love affair with Nissan, the Renault individuality and flair for the slightly unusual, in design, just never seemed to surface above the clutter of the usual continuous stream of press releases about new products.

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Not so these days, as even a brief encounter with a local Renault dealership can confirm. The product range is raunchy, in styling, and certainly doesn’t lack appeal in the design stakes.

The Clio Sport is one of the better looking hatches on the market, and the Sport 200 Cup version brings with it a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, that offers 147 kW and lovely things like Brembo

RENAULT RENAISSANCE brakes to make sure it stops as well as it goes. The 200 Cup Trophee version even adds Recaro seats, revisiting the type of specification that spells competition and race-winning success, even if you only drive it to work.

Unfortunately, this sporty Clio just nudges over the ECOcar combined fuel economy requirements, of 8.0 l/100 km, by 0.2 l/100 km, so, enthusiastic we may be, but the line has to be drawn and the Clio awaits those buyers who are prepared to be a little more compromising when it comes to fuel economy.

Also passing out of contention within the pages of ECOcar is the Clio Sport 200 Gordini edition. Newcomers to the Renault marque may not recognise the Gordini name, but, in days past, this nomenclature signified the same for Renault, as did Abarth for Fiat and Cooper for Mini. But, with the same engine tune and corresponding combined fuel economy figure, this model also steps away from the ECOcar collection, together with its sibling, the Sport 200 Australian Grand Prix Limited Edition.

The next level up from the Clio Sport, for Renault, is the Megane Sport 250. No longer carrying a Victorian Bustle in the design of its rear end, the Megane is now a very trendy looking and very quick commuter, with its 2.0-litre engine producing

184 kW of power and 340 Nm of torque. The combined cycle for fuel economy still remains frugal, but not quite frugal enough, climbing to 8.7 l/100 km.

The Megane Hatch comes in three derivatives, and two of these drop their fuel consumption down under the 8.0-litre benchmark to just squeeze in at 7.9 l/100 km. With constantly variable transmission, the 2.0-litre, four cylinder petrol engine in this state of tune produces 103 kW and 196 Nm of torque, showing that if you lower your power and performance expectation you can reap the rewards in lower running costs.

Unfortunately, the very attractive Megane coupe-cabriolet takes its economy to just 8.1 l/100 km, but with a car design this attractive we reckon you could be forgiven, as it certainly deserves a closer look in the showroom.

Next up from the Megane is the recently introduced Fluence sedan. With the same 2.0-litre engine tune as the Megane with CVT, it again saves fuel, with a combined figure down to 7.8 l/100 km. More of the Fluence later, as it becomes the focus of a full evaluation.

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es, I know what you’re thinking. What is a Ferrari doing in ECOcar? It certainly doesn’t attain less than 8.0 l/100 km. I could start a long list of excuses, but really there are just two: 1) It’s a Ferrari; 2) It’s a Ferrari dedicated to cutting fuel consumption and emissions.

Significantly, the Ferrari California HELE, the model with the fuel and emission reduction technology, is even faster than the standard version. It still pumps out CO2 at the rate of 270 g/km, but to put that in perspective, a Falcon F6 auto puts out 300 g/km and a Toyota Hiace, 294 g/km.

The combined fuel consumption figure is 11.5 l/100 km, and the extraurban, an impressive 8.6 l/100 km, aided by the tall gearing and strong torque from very low revs. Not bad, considering it still does 0-100 km/h in less than four seconds, with a top speed of 310 km/h.

Ferrari needs to put on a ‘green’ face, because many of its prime customers are under pressure to show care for the environment. CEOs of companies rising to meet the environmental challenges ahead can feel a little more comfortable having purchased the ‘High Emotion Low Emissions’ (HELE) version. But Ferrari is not just trying a bit of greenwash.

It has a two-pronged CO2 reduction program; being to, firstly, reduce emissions in manufacturing, and then in the actual use of its vehicles.

In manufacturing, Ferrari implemented a five-year plan in 2007 to cut its CO2 output by 40 percent. They achieved that target two years early, in 2010, while also managing to reduce the spewing out of particulate matter

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VIA ITALIA by 65 percent. Along the way, it made its Maranello factory electrically self-sufficient, building Italy’s largest, tri-generation plant for power, heating and refrigerant, including a 210,000 kW solar power plant on its factory roof.

Buildings have been redesigned and remodelled for lowest energy consumption; rainwater is captured and cleaned for re-use; and even special ‘roof fins’ have been designed to light the buildings, naturally. Ferrari has met the Kyoto standard in these areas, ten years ahead of schedule, and its next phase is to continue to develop the use of renewable energy sources.

On the vehicle side of things, Ferrari has made a similarly strong commitment, and has set the ambitious target of reducing emissions without reducing performance – now that fits well with ECOcar philosophy! Ferrari has already shown a hybrid model that’s in the pipeline, but, meantime, the HELE technology is being applied gradually across various models.

The California is the first to receive the treatment, and it’s a $2,750 option on top of the list price of $459,650. Ferrari is expecting most owners to tick the box because the HELE version is not just cleaner, but also faster than the standard model. HELE will be standard on some models in 2012, and there are additions to come with the technology including cylinder deactivation, engine downsizing and, eventually,

advanced hybrid technology, all with the aim of making successive models actually more desirable, from a traditional Ferrari perspective.

Meantime, the California HELE has some pretty special equipment to help use its power and performance more efficiently.

It has a terrific stop-start system which, in the Sydney traffic where I first drove the car, was in constant use. Providing the engine is up to normal operating temperature, it stops as soon as the car is stationary, and has a re-start function that is incredibly fast – just 230 milliseconds. It kicks back into life when you either release the brake, touch the throttle, or engage first gear on the manual paddles.

It seems to be running before you even think about it, and is completely unobtrusive, especially as it doesn’t overshoot the idle speed, like most cars do on start-up, resulting in further fuel savings. The system doesn’t kick in during parking manoeuvres, and if you have some steering lock applied, like coming part way out of a side street and having to stop, it doesn’t operate.

Via

Can a Ferrari ever be considered environmentally friendly? Ed Ordynski looks for the answer with the new California, High on Emotion and Low on Emissions

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AUSTRALIA’S GUIDE TO ECO FRIENDLY, FUEL EFFICIENT CARS

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