AUGUST 23 - 29 | 2019
Ŷ ANOTHER LEVEL: The Mazda3 sedan has smooth fastback lines.
New Mazda3 sedan: better than ever cal space. The 60/40 rear seatbacks can be lowered by using pull-tabs located on either side at the top of the boot. They don’t quite fold flat. All models have push-button engine start, electric parking brake with auto hold, i-stop automatic spot/start and childproof rear door locks. G20 Pure and G20 Active have cloth seats, all others get leather and powered driver’s seat. G25 models have proximity unlocking. ENGINES / TRANSMISSIONS The engines are revised versions of the Mazda SkyActiv-G 2.0-litre and 2.5-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder units. The G20 generates 114 kW of power and 200 Nm of torque. The G25 has outputs of
139 kW at 6000 rpm and 252 Nm at 4000 and also comes with cylinder deactivation which allows it to run on two cylinders in light driving conditions to reduce emissions and fuel consumption. All models are offered with six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmissions – many other brands only give you a manual in entry-level variants. Something for the future is the innovative SkyActiv-X engine bringing together the best of diesel and petrol power, resulting in high torque for responsiveness, and seamless, highly controllable driving. This may arrive later this year, though possibly not till 2020.
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MAZDA3 has been a consistently high By ALISTAIR KENNEDY seller throughout its 15 years on the Australian market, often contesting the top spots in sedans and hatches are reacting by adoptboth its small-medium category as well as ing a lower and sleeker, fastback styling. So it is with the Gen Four Mazda3. We found the overall sales. The latest, fourth generation, model ar- rear of the hatch a little heavy with its bulky rived here in February this year in five-door C-pillar and much prefer the smoother lines hatchback form with the four-door sedan of the sedan. joining it a few months later. The previous Neo and Maxx names have INTERIOR Rear seat passengers in the sedan get been dropped and replaced with new titles based on the two engine sizes: 2.0-litre G20 more legroom than the shorter hatch as well Pure, G20 Evolve, G20 Touring and 2.5-litre as a two air vents and drop-down armrest with twin cup holders. G25 Evolve, G25 GT and G25 Astina. Cargo space in the sedan’s boot is now 444 litres, up from the previous 408 litres in STYLING As tall, boxy SUVs have grown in popular- the superseded model. It’s also very accesity it seems that designers of conventional sible with a wide aperture and open practi-
Alicia Pizzolitto 0457 496 822 Mark Prentice 0437 276 412 Noel Gilbert 0438 597 200 Michael Henderson 0418 512 531
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August 23 - 29 | 2019
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Special edition Peugeot 308 GT By EWAN KENNEDY PEUGEOT Australia has launched a special edition 308 GT. Limited to 140 examples it features a 165 kW turbo-petrol 1.6-litre engine with 285 Newton metres of torque from a low 1750 rpm. It’s set up to provide a sportier exhaust note and is mated to an eight-speed Aisin automatic transmission. Interestingly, this is the first application of this new-design auto in Australia. The special edition Peugeot 308 GT features lower ride height (7 mm front and 10 mm rear) compared to other 308 models. Spring and damper rates have also been stiffened by between 10 and 20 per cent. The result is driver inputs have been sharpened with firmer steering, sharper throttle mapping and sharper gear changes. New Peugeot 308 GT has exclusive exterior and interior styling. Exterior colours are Hurricane Grey (standard), Magnetic Blue, Pearl White, Ultimate Red, Nera Black and Platinum Grey. Exclusive GT badging and it rides on 18-inch ‘Diamant’ alloy wheels. At the front, the 330mm diameter, 30mm thick disc brakes are gripped by floating calipers equipped with 60mm pistons, 47mm larger than those used for Access 308 models. Rear discs are 268mm in diameter.
Ŷ LIMITED RELEASE: Peugeot 308 GT features lower ride height that give it a ready-for-the-road appearance.
Inside the engaging cabin are red instrument illumination in ‘Sport’ mode, the instrument panel displays readouts from the car’s ECU including power and torque delivery, turbo boost pressure and both longitudinal and transverse acceleration The Peugeot 308 GT has a recommended retail price of $39,990 (excluding onroad costs).
New Mazda3 sedan: better than ever Ŷ From page 1 INFOTAINMENT The Mazda Connect system gets an excellent centrally mounted 8.8-inch widescreen colour screen which is controlled by a rotary dial located between the front seats rather than the more common touchscreen. Embedded satellite navigation is standard in all models as, for the first time in the ‘3, are Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There are two fast-charging USB ports. Eight-speaker audio is standard on lower specced models, GT and Astina get a premium Bose system with from 12 speakers positioned for optimum reproduction. Bluetooth pairing proved a bit frustrating until we found out that, unlike most cars where the car needs to be in park, the Mazda must also have the engine turned off and pairing done through the Accessory setting. Not a major issue given that it’s a once-off process for new owners. SAFETY New for 2019 is a driver’s knee air bag bringing the total to seven. Advanced safety features have been
added including Smart Brake Support (SBS), Lane-Keep Assist (LAS), Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Traffic Sign Recognition (TSR) and Forward Obstruction Warning (FOW). There are also two ISOFIX child seat anchors in the outer rear seats. New to the GenFour Mazda3 is Vision Technology which adds Driver Monitoring, Front Cross Traffic Alert, Cruising and Traffic Support and a 360-degree view camera. It comes standard in the top-spec G25 Astina and as a $1500 option in all other variants. DRIVING Our test car was the Mazda3 G25 Evolve automatic priced at $30,490 plus on-road costs. The sleek profile does mean a bit of a bend to get in and out but once inside the seating is comfortable and supportive. Indeed we’re told that the design of the driver’s seat ensures not only a correct driving position but also has ergonomical benefits. The SkyActiv-G 25 engine is larger than its major competitors and the extra torque is noticeable when compared to the standard 2.0-litre versions of its rivals. We haven’t had the chance to drive the manual version but
the traditional six-speed auto is smooth and refined. During the urban segments of the drive fuel consumption was reduced courtesy of the cylinder deactivation feature which was barely noticeable. On the motorway the car cruised smoothly with the extra refinement, comfortable seating and large boot suggesting that it could easily qualify for long-distance family transport. Mazda has addressed previous criticism and put a considerable amount of work into reducing NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) and it has paid off with a much smoother, quieter ride than before even on some of the rougher and coarse-chip roads that we traversed. Handling is competent enough but certainly not in the sporting department. Steering is sharp and responsive. Fuel consumption in the G25 models is listed at 6.5 litres per 100 kilometres. We averaged a reasonable 7.4 L/100 km during our week behind the wheel. SUMMING UP The fourth generation Mazda3 has quality
and refinement that almost bring it into the range of premium European cars of the same size. Note that prices have gone up by between $2000 and $2500 to cover the cost of the extra safety and other standard equipment but, given the improvements, we’d be surprised if potential buyers don’t recognise that the value for money is there. Mazda has now joined the majority of manufacturers in offering a five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty together with its Premium Roadside Assistance program for the same period.
AT A GLANCE ENGINE: 2.5 litre petrol MAX POWER: 139 kW @ 6000 rpm MAX TORQUE: 252 Nm @ 4000 rpm DRIVELINE: Six speed automatic FUEL TANK CAPACITY: 51 litres FUEL CONSUMPTION: 6.5L/100km (combined)
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August 23 - 29 | 2019
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Big brother Patrol heads Nissan family
Ŷ SOPHISTICATED: The Patrol Ti-L is Nissan’s contribution to the forever popular super-size SUV market.
SIX years ago, Nissan, on the way to the Middle East and the US, dropped off a big brother to its Y61 Patrol large sports utility vehicle. The good news is the Y62 giant is still going; the bad news, there’s still no sign of a diesel option. Capable of carrying up to eight occupants, at more than five metres long and almost two metres wide, the top-of-the-range Ti-L, at $89,880, plus on road costs, can count its closest rival as the Toyota Land Cruiser LC 200 GLX, although the Patrol is specced more like the Sahara at $115,230. Able to take up to eight occupants - this is the most luxurious and sophisticated Nissan offered in Australia - major gains have been won in fuel efficiency, comfort, luxury, quality and technology, for a top-class drive on and off-road. The 298 kW of power, put through the seven-speed automatic transmission and an electronically controlled, all mode 4WD system, all combined faultlessly to have the Patrol Ti-L test vehicle pushing on with little effort and a lot of composure, while keeping occupants in the comfort to which we could easily have become accustomed. Finally, Nissan has upped the ante with a five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty on all new vehicles obtained by private buyers and includes complimentary roadside assistance during that time. The latest Patrol Ti-L (the test vehicle) is no exception to the rule. STYLING The super-size Patrol Ti-L is no coupe clone, sticking to the traditional square corners of a large SUV. The uncluttered exterior suits the SUV’s intent down to the ground – a smart on-road presence with a no-nonsense capability off road. Wheels follow suit with sensible 18-inch alloys rolling on tall 265/70 tyres, giving the ability to iron out surface defects on the bitumen. INTERIOR Touted as having seating for eight in leather seats, the third row offered a tight fit for grown-ups. Up front is unashamed comfort with driver and front passenger positions having eight-way electric adjustment and
By DEREK OGDEN heating / cooling. The driver's seat also has memory pre-sets. Even with the third row of seats occupied there is enough space (550 litres) to stow a full-size cooler in the load bay. The luggage space can be upped by folding the back row seat backs by the single tug on a strap and further increased to a cavernous 3100 litresplus by flicking a switch which rolls up the middle row of seats to fit snugly against the backs of the front seats, leaving an almost flat floor. There is a deep centre console cool box, a boon on hot summer holiday journeys, taking up space where you find an electric parking brake on many of the latest vehicles. Here instead is an olde worlde foot-operated pedal. INFOTAINMENT Features across the new Patrol range include Bluetooth hands-free phone, large format front DVD player, 2GB music server with six speakers, iPod connectivity, steering wheel audio controls, intelligent key access. Surprisingly there is no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto access but there are dual 7-inch DVD screens in the rear of the front seat headrests to add further entertainment to travellers behind. ENGINES / TRANSMISSIONS The new generation V8 engine delivers 298 kW of power and 560 Nm of torque, with 90 per cent of the latter on call from just 1600 rpm. Power is put to ground through an advanced seven-speed automatic transmission and a sophisticated, electronically controlled, all mode 4x4 system. SAFETY Six airbags, including curtain bags covering all three seating rows, are fitted. Active safety features include active cruise control, forward alert, lane-departure warning, blindspot warning and a tyre pressure monitor. DRIVING This is enough to get the 3500 kg GVM hulk under way surprisingly sharpish and
makes overtaking a breeze with the motor seemingly never in danger of running out of revs. On test there were no surprises with fuel use: up to 18 litres per 100 kilometres consumed in stop / start city work, dropping to an impressively low of 10 litres per 100 on the open road. Note that the engine demands super unleaded 95RON, which is seldom discounted to any real level. Suspension is now independent all round, live axles having been left behind with previous generations, at no detriment to off-road performance. With a default on-road program, a wheel on the centre console enables the driver to dial up driving modes to suit even tougher going – sand, rocks or snow. Unfortunately, there is no knob to twiddle to make parking easy. At more than five metres long and close to two metres wide, this Patrol is pushing it when it comes to shopping centre parking. The reversing camera, all-round parking alarms and around-view monitor go some way to easing entry, but once there, getting in and out of limited door openings can be a pain. There’s also the stress of avoiding chipping the paintwork of the expensive sedan in the neighbouring spot while opening the wide door.
With its 3500kg of braked towing capacity, smooth acceleration, steering stability and assured handling the Patrol delivers a towing experience to match most challenges. SUMMING UP The Patrol Ti-L is for those to whom size matters: those who want a giant shopping trolley; expansive people mover; or sophisticated prime mover that can pull a big boat or float, without paying top dollar. Others need not apply.
AT A GLANCE ENGINE: 5.6 litre V8 petrol MAX POWER: 298 kW @ 5800 rpm MAX TORQUE: 560 Nm @ 4000 rpm DRIVELINE: Seven speed automatic with manual mode and adaptive shift control FUEL TANK CAPACITY: 140 litres FUEL TYPE: Petrol 95 RON FUEL CONSUMPTION: 14.5L/100km (combined)
August 23 - 29 | 2019
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Used: BMW 3 Series 2012 - 2018 BMW'S 3 Series is an upmarket small-medium German car. Like most vehicles it has grown in size over the years and the sixth generation launched in Australia in February 2012 is noticeably larger than the models it superseded. Meaning it can be used as a genuine family car even if the kids in the back are well into their teen years. It's sold as a four-door sedan, ďŹ ve-door hatch and ďŹ ve-door wagon, the latter tagged as Gran Tourismo or GT. (See our notes later about other models to consider.) The BMW 3 is very much a driver’s car because rear-wheel drive gives you throttle control that’s lovely to play with. The neutral feel through the steering is arguably the best feature of these BMWs when you talk about them to existing owners. All BMWs come with wonderfully responsive engines. Interestingly, there are times when the stopwatch may tell you they are not as quick as your senses tells you, yet they still feel great to sit behind, and that’s what matters. Engine choice are many and varied, with three (yes, three!), four- and six- cylinder petrols, as well as four and six-cylinder turbodiesels. Once upon a time there were petrol V8s in the 3 Series, these were superseded by the big-power straight-six turbo units in the generations reviewed here. Have no fear, the M3 turbo sixes go like stink. With a profusion of 2.0-litre Twin Power four-cylinder engine choices, only the 335i features the classic in-line six-cylinder petrol engine conďŹ guration that BMW is famous for. Every powerplant is turbocharged and drives through an eight-speed automatic transmission. October 2015 saw the 3 Series get a facelift and tail tuck aimed at giving it a wider look. The headlights were joined to the kidney grilles by an LED light bar. A handy safety feature is that the headlights are full LED. But the big news for the MY16 3 Series were major engine upgrades that added power and improved responsiveness while
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By EWAN KENNEDY cleverly reducing fuel consumption. It's well worth buying one of these if your budget will stretch to them. The 3 Series 330e petrol-electric hybrid joined the company's already very good clean-air models in May 2016. A realistic range of 28 to 32 kilometres on electric power alone is ďŹ ne for many who typically commute moderate distances. It can be charged from a standard electric powerpoint in about 3.5 hours, from a dedicated BMW iWallbox in 2.25 hours, or at public charging stations. BMW ConnectedDrive Services has a SIM card built into the car which gives access to a range of services independently of a smartphone. The Concierge Service will ďŹ nd points of interest for you such as restaurants and hotels and can even make a reservation. The BMW operative then sends information straight to the vehicle as a navigation destination, together with all the contact data. Insurance can be expensive, not because the companies are out to make big proďŹ ts (heaven forbid!) but because keen drivers tend to run into things more often than docile ones. Shop around if you feel you can do a better deal, but make sure you fully understand what is, and isn’t, covered by the various policies you examine. Service and repairs can also be expensive but cleverly servicing is according to the individual car’s needs, not by according to a date on the calendar or the number of kilometres on the trip meter. It pays to try to ďŹ nd a late-model BMW with a full service history. You will probably be asked to pay more, but it’s almost invariably worth the money. A virtually all-new 3 Series, now tagged as generation-three arrived here in March 2019. At this stage it's too soon to consider it as a used car. You may also care to look at the BMW X3 SAV (Sports Activity Vehicles in) and 4 Series models. These are relatively recent imports and will
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Ĺś 2016 BMW 330e
be covered in future used-car reviews.
Ĺś 2014 BMW 3 Series GT WHAT TO LOOK FOR Check the overall external condition of a 3 Series, in particular scrapes on wheel rims, the left-front is usually the ďŹ rst to suffer, also look at the door edges for chips where they have been opened against other cars (tuttut!). Run your hand over the front tyres; more resistance in one direction than the other probably means they’ve been fanged a time or two. The complex nature of the later models in the 3 Series range means they should be maintained only by specialised BMW technicians. Make sure to get a quote for even minor items as the repair costs can be high. Arrange to have the engine stone cold before you start it. Be sure it kicks over within a couple of seconds and that's there's no hesitation under acceleration. Do the usual checks for previous crash repairs: mismatched colours, paint overspray and ripples in the panels. A magnet will tell you if the material under the repaired area is metal or plastic ďŹ ller. Look for sun-induced fading on horizontal surfaces, a sign that a car has spent almost all their time out in the open. Unusual with BMWs, but you never know‌ A few owners have told us of intermittent Bluetooth problems. Check the system is up to date as BMW made a couple of revisions.
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HOW MUCH? 2012 320I LIFESTYLE: $12,000 to $18,000 2013 320D: $18,000 to $24,000 2014 320I GT: $25,000 to $34,000 2016 320I SPORT LINE: $28,000 to $37,000 2013 335I SPORT LINE: $34,000 to $44,000 2015 335I LUXURY: $38,000 to $51,000 2017 2340I M-SPORT: $46,000 to $62,000 2018 340I LUXURY LINE : $57,000 to $76,000
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