ECOcar Magazine Issue 16 JUN/JUL 2012

AUSTRALIA’S GUIDE TO ECO FRIENDLY, FUEL EFFICIENT CARS

RRP: AU $7.95 NZ $8.95

Issue 16 June / July 2012

www.ecocarmagazine.com.au

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CARS COMPETE

ISSN 1836-4500

FOR ECOCAR OF THE YEAR

2012

TESTED

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and Accent

Affordabilit

Hyundai’s mid-range contender in the small car market has a lot to offer t’s getting harder and harder to classify just where some pegs fit in the continuing round-hole/ square-peg saga that determines just where the micro car, small car and medium sized car segments meet, overlap or just clash.

Some small cars are now as big as the medium car of just a few years ago, and yet large cars seem to be downsizing: blurring all the division down the line back to square one.

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Hyundai has its own way of determining its small to medium offerings on the Australian market, and it’s accomplished this by taking into account engine size, just as much as by assessing overall dimensions.

When the i20 was launched it came with the options of a 1.4-litre and 1.6-litre petrol engine. The i30, the next step up the ladder, offered the choice of a diesel 1.6-litre CRDI and a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine.

ACCENT AND AFFORDABILITY Now, slotting in between the i20 and i30 comes the Hyundai Accent, and its arrival heralds the end of the 1.6-litre version of the i20, which now reverts to 1.4-litre, petrol-only power.

Accent has a unique bodyshell available as both a hatch and sedan, which, dimensionally, is right in there between the i20 and i30, both of which are due for replacement this year. Engine options are for the 1.6-litre, petrol four-cylinder Gamma engine, released with the Accent last June, and a 1.6-litre, VGT CRDi four-cylinder diesel engine that was added to the Accent range this January.

lity

It’s our view, at ECOcar, that many buyers in this small car segment are simply not yet used to the regular classification or description that comes with the new, high efficiency, diesel engines. So, right from the start, let’s look at just what is meant by VGT CRDi.

Diesel engines get their power and flexibility by adding turbocharging and intercooling to the basic design of the engine. A turbocharger pushes air into the engine under pressure, a bit like putting a hairdryer on top of the air intake to push more air into each cylinder. The more air you get in each cylinder, the more power you get from the engine.

You do reach the stage, though, that as you compress air to push it into the cylinders to be compressed by the pistons, the air becomes hotter. While the objective was to compress the incoming air, the act of compressing it makes it hotter, and at

that point the air wants to expand, just like it does in a hot air balloon. The trick now is to make the hotter, compressed air cooler, and in doing so increase its density. That happens as the air passes from the turbocharger through an intercooler on its way into the cylinders of the engine.

So, the turbocharger makes the diesel engine more effective. The letters VGT describe the type of turbocharger, which, in this case, is a Variable Geometry Turbocharger.

This VGT turbocharger can alter the vanes that push air into the intercooler, and, in doing so, it can alter the performance characteristics of the engine. This is rather like a turbo prop-engine aircraft. It’s the variation on the propeller angle that makes the plane fly faster or slower, the engine rpm stays the same. The VGT can alter its vanes to give the best performance and fuel economy at different speeds.

CRDi stands for Common Rail Direct injection and relates to the pressurised force or pressure at which diesel fuel is injected into the engine to combust in the cylinders. The higher the pressure, the more refined the engine performance and tuning.

So, with two engines from which to choose, how do they compare? In straight performance and torque terms, the diesel produces 94 kW of power at 4,000 rpm, and 260 Nm of torque at 1900-2,750 rpm. The petrol produces 91 kW of power at 6,300 rpm, and 156 Nm of torque at 4,200 rpm.

The diesel is coupled to a six-speed manual gearbox while the petrol engine only gets a five-speed manual. Both have the alternative option of a four-speed automatic transmission.

Fuel economy here also differs between the engine choices.

Go for the diesel, and the combined consumption figure is

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TESTED omewhere along the line, in recent years, Subaru lost the plot. From the early Impreza that spawned clubs across the nation to pander to its devotees, the model passed through what can best be described as a sanitising machine that dumbed down the looks and, to many, the overall appeal of the hot hatch.

Currently, we have several manufacturers claiming their latest products are continuing the hot hatch appeal of the early Impreza, but none actually make the grade in all areas such as performance, handling and overall safety. None, that is, except the latest 2012 model year Impreza itself.

This latest incarnation of the famous Impreza nameplate returns fun to motoring and is undoubtedly the car that Honda wishes it could have, but doesn’t achieve with the CR-Z. The overall styling, especially of the hatch version (Impreza also comes as a sedan), is destined to look, initially, much the same as any of the current crop of hatches from Hyundai to Toyota. But, on closer examination, it sits slightly lower and has a leaner, more exciting look about the design.

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Sitting on 50 aspect ratio tyres and with 16-inch alloys, this latest Impreza comes with all-wheel-drive as standard, boasts a fuel economy some 22 percent better than the previous version and drops its emissions levels by 21 percent. That’s just part of the reasoning why Impreza is now of interest to ECOcar.

There’s no doubting the performance aspect of the Impreza when you get behind the steering wheel. The driver sits quite low in the car and the steering column adjusts out for length and rake to fit the correct driving position without a lot of fiddling and repositioning.

The automatic version has a manual mode on the gear selector that links in with paddles on the steering column, by which those interested in changing gears themselves can play up and down through the gearbox. This brings the engine, which is totally new, onto full song as it spins up easily into the higher section of the rev band, changing ratios swiftly and cleanly.

The secret of this excellent powertrain matching comes from several sources. Firstly the 2.0-litre, Lineartronic engine is a delight to use. Match this with a CVT offering six ratios and any driver will be impressed by how each gear works so well with the engine.

With this latest Impreza, the focus is not purely on a promise of performance. Here, we are looking at a combined fuel economy level of 6.8 l/100 km and an emissions level

TRACTION CONTROL of 157 g/km of CO2. For the first time the engine features automatic idle stop/start, meaning that while you sit in heavy traffic the engine cuts out.

Press the throttle pedal when you want to move off and the engine spins back up to operating rpm within an instant.

There’s no delay, and, unlike some of the other competitive systems, particularly with diesel engine configurations, the engine doesn’t shake itself back into life like a wet dog emerging from a pond.

The engine conforms to Euro V emission levels, making this the cleanest Subaru engine ever offered in Australia. It’s the third generation of the Boxer design of horizontally-opposed cylinders, and, in this version, the piston weight has been reduced by 18 percent and connecting rod weights by 20 percent. All of this means the engine spins up to produce its 110 kW of power at 6,200 rpm and peak torque of 196 Nm at 4,200 rpm rather quicker, and certainly smoother than the competition, or indeed the previous engine.

The body feels really stiff and taut, which is how it should be if the driver wants to get the best result from the suspension.

Although there’s been a weight reduction of 10 kg, hardly momentous news, there’s been a torsional flex stiffness increase of around 25 percent, making all the difference in how the body and the suspension behave in cornering and handling.

We don’t know of any hatch in this segment that could claim to be inherently safer when taking into account ride and handling precision and performance. Sure, there are hatches with higher performance outputs, but they don’t stack up when you look at the fuel economy and emissions levels. Neither, of course, can they boast of having all-wheeldrive.

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TESTED

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t’s an interesting indictment for ECOcar magazine that in the three years since we first hit the newsstands we’ve seen such a dramatic increase of interest in all things fuel-efficient. Carmakers that talked only of power and performance are now discussing the frugal sipping of fuel by their prodigies, and, as the prices displayed at fuel bowsers across Australia continue to rise, there’s renewed interest in hybrid options and alternative fuels.

We invited manufacturers to provide examples of their products that fitted our criteria of being fuel efficient and conservative in their exhaust emissions, but, above all, cars that provided driving pleasure.

This is one of the few motoring test programmes that doesn’t include acceleration times, access cornering G-Forces or work off testosterone content. Our aim is to find the best example of car manufacturing for buyers that look for economy, reliability and affordability in an overall package they are going to enjoy.

Our test team included a range of ages spanning 50 years, from our youngest driver of 22 years of age. The interests of our driving team also varied, from the acknowledged motoring expertise of husband and wife team, Peter and Sharyn McKay, to rally driving legend, Ed Ordynski, now a full eco-conservative convert. Add to the mix the talents of Allan Whiting, technical editor for all three of our magazine titles,

and you include a huge depth of practical knowledge that spans the industry, literally from the level of a Fiat 500 to a Kenworth road train.

Our team of testers included a retired truck driver and an expert in mineral resources who usually spends upwards of 50,000 km per year behind the wheel, travelling between remote quarry locations. Also joining us were three highly experienced female drivers who spend their days running their own businesses and are analytical in all matters automotive. Add to that collective of expertise a high degree of spirited discussion, comment and opinion, and one can create a huge wealth of information. The trick here, of course, is to condense different views into an objective result. At first thought, this might seem like an impossible task, as each driver possesses their own distinctly different viewpoints and objectives. But the reality was a converging of opinion as drivers with a vast amount of experience honed their views and opinions towards an outcome.

Interestingly, the outcome was produced by the car that won the event. As each driver moved between cars, certain specific vehicles showed their superiority while others showed a lack of competitiveness. As the testing continued, it became obvious that a definite pecking order had been established and one car stepped up to the mark ahead of its competition.

It wasn’t what any of us expected, but it provided all of us with the answer we had been searching for. Join us in the drive of discovery, as Ed Ordynski takes up the story.

LET THE

GAMES

BEGIN

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LET THE GAMES BEGIN

ED ORDYNSKI Being a guest judge on any car shoot-out is always a special experience, especially when you first glimpse the assembled finalists.

However, the sight of the 31 car field for the 2012 ECOcar of the Year was truly breathtaking, both in the quality of the cars and the appreciation of the logistics required in bringing together such a wide cross-section of eligible vehicles.

I drove the last vehicle to arrive, a Mercedes-Benz C250 CDI Coupe, from Sydney to the Southern Highlands test location. The other thirty finalists were already positioned for group photography, and the evening light was fading fast. I threaded the black coupe through the incredibly diverse group of cars, trying to check out what was there, while appearing to respond attentively to the shouts of the photography crew, desperate to get the Benz in place.

The Suzuki Swift and VW Golf BlueMotion stood out as friendly reminders of cars I knew were outstanding candidates, but there were some I hadn’t even seen before, like the Toyota Prius C, or those that looked curiously out of place in this arena, like Commodore and Falcon. It was going to be an interesting few days.

Next morning, Chris Mullett, the editor of ECOcar and “The Ringmaster” for the testing, assembled the troops for preevent briefing. Very cleverly, he had chosen a group of judges

START

as diverse as the cars, ranging from serious journalists like himself, Allan Whiting and Peter McKay, to regular civilians from varied backgrounds such as crane driving, farming, or being a single-mum.

Ringmaster Mullett had also thoughtfully grouped the field by price, being under $25,000, $25-40,000, and over $40,000.

This was a simple way of distributing the cars evenly among the test pilots while also ensuring you didn’t drive a Barina back-to-back with a Benz. We were instructed to score the cars on points out of ten, use the on-board trip computers as a fuel economy guide, but, most of all, identify the cars that were genuinely appealing (while being fun to drive) and frugal, and ones we’d enthusiastically look forward to taking home and driving every day.

There was plenty of discussion about cars being compared between groups, as, feasibly, a car in say, the under $25,000 group, could be far superior to some in the over $45,000 section. The Ringmaster decreed, lest discussions about things he’d already foreseen occupy the entire two days testing, that such comparisons would be encouraged once we’d sorted out the likely contenders for the ultimate award.

There was certainly no discussion about the drive route for each car, because it was quite simply, outstanding. In just 24 km there was a mix of pretty much every road surface and terrain, from smooth tarmac to bumpy backroads and everything in between. There were flat, highway sections, steep hills, sweeping corners and off-cambered, tightening bends over bumpy bridges. There was even a section of the

S With 31 contenders, ECOcar of the Year for 2012 was always going to be interesting ECOCAR ISSUE 16

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TESTED

OUT OF THE

COMFORT

ZONE

Toyota’s Camry Hybrid moves car buyers into a new dimension

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ustralians are renowned as early adopters.

The ownership of mobile phones was quickly accepted, and then, as technology improved, we quickly shifted to adopt the Smart phones. The iPad soon found favour, and now it’s not unusual, especially in queues waiting to check through airport security, to see regular travellers pulling out a Smart phone, iPad and laptop before boarding their flight.

However, when it comes to cars and alternative engine options, we are much more conservative. Perhaps it’s the fear of the unknown, but, for the carmakers introducing hybrid options into their product range, there’s a long way to go before public acceptance overcomes our inherent skepticism about whether it becomes the common choice.

Pricing starts from $34,990, a full five percent less than the previous Generation Six version, but at the same time offering 7.8 percent more power and 17 percent better fuel economy.

It’s this upgrade, plus the humanising of the Hybrid drive system that makes all the difference.

Under the bonnet is a conventional 2.5-litre, four-cylinder engine running on standard petrol, and joining it is a small but powerful electric motor. In slow stop/start motoring, as when driving in heavy traffic, the electric motor can move the Camry along in almost total

In the case of our ECOcar of the Year winner, the combination of a hybrid driveline and Toyota production values totally changed the way of thinking of our vehicle test team.

For starters, our test route wasn’t confined to city streets, the usually accepted habitat for a hybrid. Secondly, with the latest technical abilities of frugal diesel engines, there was every chance that our winner for 2012 was going to be running on distillate. The other two local manufacturers, Holden and Ford, had also recently released LPG versions of their large family sedans, showing that the whole-of-life running cost of a Commodore and Falcon could be contained under the lower purchase price of gas as an alternative fuel.

With the launch of the seventh generation Camry range, Toyota has taken its hybrid technology, improved the result and, at the same time, made the entire system more user friendly and less intimidating. Early hybrids drove very differently from cars with conventional petrol or diesel drivelines. The driver often couldn’t tell whether the car was ready to move away from rest, and, more importantly, it was hard to know just what was going on under the bonnet.

The new Camry Hybrid is a vast step-up in appeal for the average motoring family. No longer just for the intentional green and lean car buyer, this latest Camry Hybrid feels like a conventional car, and drives in the same way, but returns fewer emissions and operates on less fuel.

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silence. As the driver accelerates further, the petrol engine joins in and provides the feel and performance of a totally conventional engine.

At ECOcar, we think that by trying to explain the intricate details of the Hybrid driveline, the carmakers have actually set back public acceptance of buying a Hybrid car. Not everyone wants to know the capacity of each cylinder, the type of fuel

OUT OF THE COMFORT ZONE injection system used and its 0-100 km/h acceleration time.

For many car buyers, the need for information can be confined to its ease of driving, its reliability, its fuel economy, its price and whether it has all the latest safety features.

For Camry Hybrid, we’ll take each topic in turn. It is very easy to drive. Push the start button and you effectively wake the car up. A green “ready” light comes up on the dashboard, you select D for drive, release the park brake (a foot operated pedal to the left of the brake pedal), and accelerate.

Everything after that happens pretty much automatically.

The Camry Hybrid is only available with a continuously variable automatic transmission. The only unusual addition can be seen on the gear selector where there is a position marked “B”. If you want added vehicle braking without touching the footbrake, as when travelling downhill, you move the gear shift lever back to B and it provides additional retardation. In all other respects the gearshift lever is perfectly normal.

What you may like to know is that when the driver has selected the “B” position, the Hybrid drive system is converting the energy produced by the car as it decelerates and turning it into electrical energy to recharge the batteries.

It’s no problem if you don’t want to know what’s going on, as it all happens without any further intervention on the part of the driver.

With its electric motor powering the car off from stationary, the petrol engine starts running quietly in the background as it waits to either take over from the electric motor or work with it to provide maximum power. If you are naturally light footed on the accelerator pedal, you get the best fuel economy.

If you really want to quote performance data, the fourcylinder petrol engine produces 118 kW of power at 5,700 rpm and peak torque of 213 Nm rated at 4,500 rpm. When the petrol engine is joined by the electric motor, the power output is boosted to 151 kW, but not at the expense of using more petrol.

Toyota has the whole question of vehicle reliability so well sorted, that many car buyers just trade in their old model and upgrade to another new Toyota. And when it comes to servicing, the pricing for the first five services is a known factor, being at a fixed cost of $130 each 15,000 km for the first four years or 75,000 km. You know what you are going to be up for in maintenance charges, and it’s not going to be at the often-inflated parts cost of some imported European cars.

In stop/start heavy traffic, as you run on electric power, you are not consuming petrol and you are not producing exhaust emissions. It’s possible to run for 2.0 km at speeds of up to 45 km/h just on electric power. Once the petrol engine joins the electric motor, your Camry Hybrid will still be much more economically minded than your neighbours, offering 4.9 l/100 km in city driving.

Safety is the next factor, and, with its five-star crash safety rating, Camry Hybrid offers the highest rating available. There are seven SRS airbags in the passenger area, seat-belt warning lights if one of your passengers is a little lax buckling up, electronic stability control is standard, and so too is traction control, ABS braking with electronic brake force distribution and brake force assist for a full power emergency stop.

Safety when reversing is assisted by the fitment of a reverse camera as standard, not an option, and this is assisted by park sensors on the HL version. If you indicate to pull out to overtake or turn right, a blind spot monitor on your door mirror will show an orange warning if another car is in your vicinity and could prove to be a danger.

And when driving the HL version at night, with high beam on your headlamps, the sensors will dip the main beam if it detects an oncoming vehicle, and return it to high beam after it has safely passed.

Driving pleasure is an important part of ECOcar of the Year analysis, and this is one area where all our test team complimented the Camry. Call it whichever way you like, the Camry Hybrid drives better than almost all the competition, in a way that suits Australian drivers on Australian roads.

The steering is nicely weighted to give the correct level of feel, the suspension compliance is well calibrated to absorb some of our less impressive bumps and broken road edges, and the whole Camry package impresses – outperforming some cars that are easily twice its price.

There are lots more features that add interest to the Camry Hybrid specification, like the electrically-powered steering system, electrically-powered water pump, the variable output ECOCAR ISSUE 16

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FEATURE he French carmaker, Peugeot, is definitely gaining ground with a raft of new products available at very competitive pricing. With the proven abilities of the 308, it’s been extending its reach and appeal with the outstanding value of the 508, and now, slotting in between for those looking for an SUV, comes the 4008.

T

Shown first at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year, the 4008 is intended to be what Peugeot calls a soft off-roader, and it goes on sale in our market from June 8th.

The launch of the new 4008 puts Peugeot in a growing market segment that the carmaker hopes will bring it to the attention of a younger clientele. This profile is intended to change the perception of Peugeot from being thought of as the provider of cars for retirees.

It’s been working hard to make a new reputation for itself, aided by cars such as the 508, which is well priced and highly specified by comparison with its competition. Also in the company’s favour is a revitalised sales and marketing team at its Australian head office, now headed by industry veteran, Bill Gillespie, and with a PR department coup that saw well respected motoring writer, Jaedene Hudson, recruited to manage and improve the company image.

The 4008 is aimed at a wide customer base where allterrain ability becomes an advantage. Soft off-roaders are certainly increasing their appeal in this segment and where any driver needs the highest levels of traction, such as when travelling to the snow or in slippery conditions, the 4x4 drive system makes exceptional sense.

Peugeot Australia sees its prime attraction to be for those who already own an all-terrain vehicle, as well as those looking for an alternative to MPVs (Multi-purpose vehicles) or the traditional family sedan.

The Peugeot stylists wanted to give the 4008 a strong personality firmly rooted in an instantly recognisable image as being of Peugeot origin. ``What we attempted to create is a car that is very present, that’s got a lot of attitude on the road – a positive attitude, which is supposed to be sympathetic, but strong, like a little body builder that will protect while you sit inside,’’ said Cristian Gudima, lead designer for 4008. ``A 4x4 is supposed to be a high car, and to make it look high we decided to make the grille upright, which makes it statutory and very present.’’ ``The taillight is a red circle inverse boomerang. We use this term a lot in car design – it’s a shape that is getting kind of “fashioney’’ today. In the U-shape we have these three shapes. It’s like a lion claw. It’s a very strong, very typical Peugeot element, which we use in our cars.’’

At the front, a line of LED daytime running lamps complement the headlamps and three red claws sculpted rear lamps.

The off-road character has been emphasised by adopting the vertical design of grille, plus the inclusion of body sill protectors and prominent wheel arch protection trims. The almost-horizontal bonnet grooves and the style line – which extends to the rear wing where it descends again crossing the lamp – are a distinctive feature and appear to hollow out along the body side, accentuating the strong and dynamic aspect of the 4008.

GLOBAL TRAVEL

Peugeot opens up for sale of the 4008 to 50 countries 56

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GLOBAL TRAVEL The work carried out by the Peugeot Design Style team gives the 4008 an elegant line with the exterior set off by chromed components – one surrounding the floating grille, two others surrounding the side air intakes and a bead adorning the tailgate. The interior ambiance is enhanced by the choice of materials, like the soft texture fascia and the lacquered black decoration of the centre console. The adjustable ambiance lighting colours the interior with pleasant night lighting by means of amber side LEDs. Peugeot designers also tweaked the instrument panel, back-lit both day and night, to impress a dynamic style and make the information easier to read.

There are piano-black trim highlights on the steering wheel, centre console and door plates on Allure models, with chrome highlights on the switch for 4WD mode as well as the air conditioning and instrument panel rings.

To give the 4008 a more stable feeling on-road, from its 4007 predecessor, the engineers widened the front and rear track by 10 mm and recalibrated the springs and shock absorbers in the suspension for a firmer ride and more dynamic handling.

More weighting has been added to the steering feel at medium to high speeds to make the car feel more planted on the road, and Peugeot engineers also re-calibrated the ESP and the braking systems to allow for more spirited driving and bring the 4008 closer in line with the tastes of Peugeot buyers.

The platform of the 4008, taken in part from the 4007, has been reduced in length by 30 cm (shorter front and rear overhangs). Its long wheelbase (2.67 m) and its wide track provide good occupant space in the front and rear, and the boot volume of 384 litres expands to 1193 litres with the rear seats folded.

In line with the views of ECOcar when it comes to spare wheels, you’ll find a full-sized spare nestling in the boot, an ideal combination considering the type of use and terrain that the 4008 will encounter, although it’s a 215/70R16 on a steel rim rather than the alloy rim on each corner.

For our market, the 4008s are powered by a 2.0-litre (110 kW/197 Nm) four-cylinder petrol engine mated to either a fivespeed manual gearbox or a continuously variable transmission (CVT). Fuel consumption is 7.7 l/100 km for the 2WD manual and 8.1 l/100 km for the 4WD auto. The CO2 emissions are 181 g/km and 192 g/km respectively.

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Coupe S

ay what you will, but there’s something about sitting behind a three-pointed star that adds a certain je ne sais quoi to your motoring experience.

The fact that this coupé comes at a relative bargain price, and with miserly fuel use, makes the C250 CDI drive even better, Allan Whiting reckons.

with a capital

You have to live with a vehicle for a while before you really know it, which is why we took a new Mercedes-Benz C250 CDI coupé for a SydneyMelbourne-Sydney run, as well as doing a fair amount of city driving in both metropolises. It also figured in the final judging of ECOcar of the Year, so we had plenty of input from ECOcar vehicle judges.

“C”

Allan Whiting takes a personal interest in the C-Class coupe and finds performance can be joined by economy – a rare coup indeed

At 70 grand starting price, the C250 CDI is a lot of ‘Benz class for the money. So how do they do it, in a vehicle range where the top-shelf ask runs upwards of half a million bucks? The trick seems to be multiple use of as many key components as possible, and, in the case of the 220 and 250 diesel models, that starts with sharing engines with volume-selling light commercials.

Hardware

The engine iron for the C250 comes from the MercedesBenz van and people-mover range, so the cost of engine development is amortised over a large global production base. Surely

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COUPE WITH A CAPTITAL “C” that must involve some compromise, you might suggest; and it does. When we tested the E220 sedan, we found some engine harshness that seemed out of place in an M-B luxury vehicle, but the C250 was much better in this regard, thanks to its series-turbocharging system and higher-pressure fuel injection that smooths combustion shocks.

Turbos are well known for their ability to break up exhaust pulses and help reduce diesel engine noise and vibration, and, as we found in the case of the C250, two turbos do that job a lot better than does the 220 engine’s single turbo.

The C250’s 2143 cc four-pot diesel puts out a healthy 150 kW at 4200 rpm, with more than ample torque of 500 Nm available in the 1600-1800 rpm band. This drive is fed through a ‘Benz 7G-Tronic Plus, seven-speed, torque converter automatic transmission, so performance and ratio selection are never issues. The C250 can be as docile as you like, doddling along at 1700 rpm cruise revs at the legal maximum, or it can act like a club racer, with paddle-shift ratio control and five-sixths the peak torque delivery of the vastly more expensive 6.3-litre AMG version. As with all classy Euro cars, the Mercedes-Benz C250’s handling is unchallenged at Australia’s restrictive speed limits. That said, the sporty suspension, tyre and wheel offerings on the C250 are smoothsurface oriented and unlikely to appeal to the wealthy grazier.

Software

So, performance and handling aren’t issues: what about creature comforts? Low-slung coupés aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, and you need to be reasonably flexible to slide into snug bucket seats without smacking your head on the door frames.

Once seated, you discover the trick that ‘Benz has employed to maintain headroom in a low-roof vehicle: the seats bolt close to floor level, but the foot wells dip down, allowing a comfortable leg and foot angle at the pedals. A possible downside is that the sloped floor may cause scuffing on the heels of your Gucci loafers.

timers: selecting neutral, when all you wanted to do was signal a turn, isn’t funny.

However, while we like the cabin layout, we do have issues with the Command info and entertainment system. After several hours’ study of the biblical handbook, it’s possible to master most functions, but complexity rules. The optional nav system takes some getting used to, but that’s not its major fault: the mapping is years out of date! On several occasions we resorted to smart-phone navigation, because the ‘Benz mapping didn’t have streets in its database.

Ride quality is firm, and that’s largely due to the fashionfitment of 40-profile front and 35-profile rear, 18-inch tyres. If ‘twere our money, we’d opt for the cooking model’s 45-profile 17-inchers.

Even so, we did a couple of eight-hour trips in the C250 and arrived in good shape, without any aches or pains.

Despite its low-slung appearance, the C250 offers good forward and side vision, and the rear vision mirrors are panoramic. However, it’s somewhat frustrating to have a nav screen, yet no reversing camera to go with it!

Economy on the highway matched the brilliant 4.5 l/100 km of the 220 model, but city driving used a tad more, averaging 6-7 l/100 km around Sydney and Melbourne.

Many people wonder if those who can afford a MercedesBenz give a toss about fuel economy and, obviously, some ‘Benz buyers don’t. However, there’s a growing number of discerning car buyers looking for class machinery that makes a minimal environmental footprint, and, the less fuel burnt, the less pollution.

The genius of products like the C250 CDI is that world-class economy comes without any performance compromise: the Coupe’s sporting raison d’être remains intact.

Ergonomic layout is excellent and the coupé has a proper console-mounted gear selector, not the sedan’s awful columnshifter that often is mistaken for a direction indicator by first-

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FAST AND FEATURE

T

FRUG

here are some car designs that just don’t age. Nissan’s 300ZX was one, and Audi’s TT Coupe remains just as sharp looking and innovation promising as it did when it was launched as far back as 1998.

The TT has been produced in two generations, as a roadster and as a coupe, with assembly of the bodyshell at Ingolstadt in Germany and with the engine and final assembly taking place at Gydr in Hungary.

The original styling exercise took place in 1994 at the Volkswagen design centre in California, and, just one year later, it previewed as a concept car at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Interestingly, a young designer caller Peter Schreyer was part of the original styling team, before going on to his position today as head of design for Korean carmaker, Kia. The original platform for the TT was based on the Volkswagen Group A4, as used by the divisions of VW for the Golf Mk IV, the Audi A3 and the Skoda Octavia, amongst others. The addition of Audi’s electronic stability programme 68

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and a rear spoiler solved concerns over high speed handling, which had slightly tarnished its reputation in late 1999 and early 2000, due to the publicity surrounding several well publicised accidents at very high speeds.

The second generation TT has been honoured with many awards from around the world, and, as the engineering content has been consistently upgraded, the TT has never lost any of its appeal, maintaining an edge in the affordable performance car segment.

Now there’s a new series of improvements and additions for the current TT range, based mainly around the release of the Audi S tronic transmission.

Previously manual-only, both the 1.8 TFSI and 2.0 TDI engines now feature the brand’s S tronic transmission for rapid ratio shifting. It’s also impressive for ECOcar as the fuel efficiency is excellent, with consumption figures from just 5.5 l/100 km (2.0 TDI).

FAST AND FRUGAL Available in both Coupe and Roadster form, the 1.8 TFSI engine produces 118 kW from 4500 to 6200 rpm, and a maximum torque rating of 250 Nm from 1500 to 4500 rpm.

The matching of this engine with the rapid shifts of the sevenspeed S tronic transmission brings the TT Coupe 1.8 TFSI from 0-100 km/h in 7.2 seconds, yet delivers responsible fuel consumption figures of 6.4 l/100 km, prompting an Audi spokesperson to claim it’s the sports car of choice for discerning driving enthusiasts.

from 0-100kms. Its unladen weight is slightly higher at 1,320 kg, which might explain the difference, as weight at this level of performance matching is quite critical.

The front suspension uses MacPherson struts with aluminium lower wishbones, aluminium pivot bearings, aluminium sub-frame and anti-roll bar. The rear suspension design runs with a four-link system that features separate shock absorbers and springs mounted on a sub-frame with aluminium wheel carriers.

UGAL

The 2.0 TDI diesel engine is available in Coupe body style only, and delivers 125 kW at 4200 rpm, backed by a peak torque rating of 350 Nm from 1750 to 2500 rpm.

This diesel-fuelled engine utilises common-rail, highpressure fuel injection operating at 1,800 bar pressure through solenoid injectors with eight-hole nozzles. The variable geometry turbocharger works in conjunction with an intercooler and an oxidising catalytic converter to conform to Euro V emissions levels, well ahead of the mandated introduction of this standard for the Australian market.

Audi’s TT Coupe combines an amazing design with an almost iconic attraction

The 1.8 TFSI engine, which drives the front wheels only, runs on premium unleaded petrol, and, at the combined fuel economy figure of 6.4 l/100 km, it is producing exhaust emissions levels of 147 g/km of CO2. Service intervals are scheduled at 12 months or 15,000 km intervals.

The TT Roadster almost matches these figures, with fuel consumption for the combined rating at 6.6 l/100 km and emissions of 152 g/km of CO2. It’s also 0.2 seconds slower

The newly available six-speed S tronic transmission makes best use of the 350 Nm of torque, reaching 100 km/h in 7.5 seconds. With Audi’s TDI direct-injection diesel technology, fuel economy is an impressive 5.5 litres per 100 km.

Both the 1.8 TFSI and 2.0 TDI run with a generally high specification, including 17-inch alloy wheels, Bluetooth interface, cruise control, front sports seats upholstered in Valetta leather, and multifunction sports steering wheel with gearshift paddles.

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Crossing NEW RELEASE

THE GREAT DIVIDE Lexus’ new GS 450h hybrid makes the leap from Earthmother to Sports Plus

N

o matter how clever, no matter how frugal, no matter how technologically advanced, the hybrid of ten years ago never provided much driving pleasure to those who actually love the art of controlling and enjoying a car.

There was no doubt that for those who appreciated the ability to reduce the carbon footprint of automobiles on the environment, the technology was hugely impressive. But, was the result fun to drive? Unfortunately, it wasn’t, and resembled the driving excitement often found behind the wheel of a buggy on the local golf course.

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We’re not advocating acceleration levels that leave black strips of rubber on the roadway, or a car design that promotes a driving style where drifting into a corner is your preferred method of negotiating a curve. However, there is more to driving pleasure than watching a cartoon tree on your dashboard grow more leaves as you roll on over-run slowly down a hill, annoying all the following traffic.

Actually, at ECOcar, we have a concern that all these onscreen graphics can interfere with concentration. Sometimes the quest for frugal fuel consumption can

g

CROSSING THE GREAT DIVIDE result in too much effort spent looking at the visuals on the dashboard, at the expense of looking at the road.

What has caused us to look at hybrid technology in a new light, and with renewed enthusiasm, is the tremendous advance in hybrid synergy drive taken by Toyota for its latest Lexus release in the form of the GS 450h. It’s a car that sets new peaks of ability but matches them with previously unavailable levels of driving pleasure.

The Lexus GS 450h has been developed by members of an exclusive little Japanese club that comprises engineers and designers, each of whom are called “Meister” in their designated capability.

Rather like the Master of an ancient martial arts protocol, each of these present-day automotive Meisters has taken their involvement to new levels of attention, focus and resultant ability.

In the process of understanding the design dynamics, ECOcar spent time with Yoshiaki Ito, Lexus Meister of vehicle dynamics. This method of designing the new GS 450h turns the concept of vehicle design almost to the discussion of a philosophy, where those participating are elevated to the position of being on a more spiritual adventure than the alternative of having a relationship with a Cray Supercomputer.

In discussing the development of the GS 450h Lexus it became obvious that Ito-san and the chief engineer agonised over where they wanted the next generation of this latest

hybrid to go. To sit at the top of the Lexus hybrid range, as the hero model, would take new ideas, set new standards of construction and ability and, ultimately, establish new levels of a driving experience for the buyer. The result is quite aweinspiring.

Departing from the theory and heading into the reality of vehicle design, we’ll look at the background elements to the new Lexus GS 450h. This is a car aimed at competing directly against the BMW 5-Series and E-Class Mercedes-Benz in all areas of performance, handling and ride comfort, but excelling against the German products by offering better fuel economy with lower emissions.

There are three model variants, each powered by the same 3.5-litre, V6 petrol engine and linked through the latest generation of hybrid synergy drive systems and probably the best continuously variable transmission (CVT) available from any manufacturer today.

With a rear-wheel-drive application of power, the ideal 50/50 weight distribution has been achieved through stacking the nickel metal-hydride battery system upwards behind the rear seat at the front section of the boot area. This puts the weight of the battery pack within the wheelbase and frees-up an additional 145 litres of luggage space in the boot for a total capacity of 465 litres.

Performance, ride and handling superiority results from chassis development, suspension development and fine tuning to give the best ride and handling compromise.

The chassis for this latest GS 450h is 14 percent stiffer than the previous model, and the suspension damping changes automatically, dependent on the ride setting selected by the

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A FEATURE

CHINESE EXPERIENCE

E

A trip to the Beijing Auto Show produces more questions than answers. Chris Mullett reports from China ven if you are a seasoned traveller, a trip to China opens up a whole new world of experiences.

This is a country of 1.3 billion people that collectively make up almost 20 percent of the world’s population, ranking number one in the world today. The USA comes in at third place but can only manage 313 million, while our own Australian population of just short of 23 million makes our world ranking of 52nd position indicative of our lack of significance in the main scheme of things.

A visit to Chinese manufacturing centres and to trade expos is very different from a tourist trip that includes a visit to the Great Wall or Imperial Palace, neither of which have I managed to see in either of two visits to mainland China.

What you do see is countless skyscraper blocks of apartments housing workers for the factories, manufacturing centres that vary from brand new to positively ancient, and you gain a new respect for the Clean Air Act that exists in Australia. The air quality in some of these manufacturing centres is so thick with pollution that an unclimatised visitor will soon experience sore eyes and a raspy throat, together with the risk that even normal breathing may become impacted by the smog. These are not towns where you head out for a jog before breakfast.

Volkswagen E-Bugster concept 78

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E

A CHINESE EXPERIENCE

Roewe E50

Chery ANT concept

Daimler-BYD Denza This year’s Beijing Auto Show proved to be a “can’t miss” event, providing the opportunity to view results of the fastest growing auto industry in the world. With sales in China last year reaching 18.5 million vehicles, the prognosis for 2012 is further growth of nine percent, tipping the total towards possibly breaking through the 20 million barrier.

The show, which is held biannually, this year showcased 1,125 different vehicle exhibits from 36 importers and 84 local manufacturers. China overtook the US as the biggest auto market in the world as far back as 2009.

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