ON FRONT PAG E N O R T H E AST V I C TO R I A , A L P S A N D H I G H CO U N T RY
AUGUST 28 - SEPTEMBER 3, 2015
LOOKS GOOD: More hatchback than sedan in appearance, the latest Mazda2 sedan has a sleek tail
> available online - www.nemedia.com.au
Mazda2 sedan
is a stylish new addition By EWAN KENNEDY Kodo styling philosophy. The long nose and strong grille shape of the outgoing ‘2 sedan is unchanged, but Nakamura-san has shaved a little off the height at the rear of the cabin, to give the whole vehicle a sleeker look - that’s clever. Everything else being equal, sedans have more rigid bodies than hatches and, obviously, a much larger luggage area. A sedan’s body has added rigidity provided by the crossmember at the base of the rear window. And Mazda2 sedan’s luggage volume of 440 litres isn’t far short of some cars a couple of classes larger.
The bigger boot has been achieved by extending the body by 260 mm over that of the hatch. It sits on the same platform as the hatch, so the wheelbase is unchanged at a substantial 2570 mm. We are impressed with the boot hinging arrangement that lifts it up and out of the way for ease of loading. The big squared-off hole makes every one of the 440 litres accessible. This boot holds two large suitcases, and can probably handle a pushbike with the front wheel removed. Rear seatbacks fold down for added versatility. In the cabin there’s no real difference in
styling between the Mazda2 sedan and hatch. However, the use of different materials in the two bodies does give it a slightly different ambience, it’s hard to describe so perhaps pop down to a dealer to get your own thoughts. There’s a stubby instrument binnacle in front of the driver with a large central dial and two smaller ‘wings’ either side of it. The centre dial is either a speedo or tacho depending on the model. The dash centre has one of two infotainment screens, a basic shallow one for the Neo and a deeper, 7.0-inch colour screen for the topline Maxx.
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MAZDA’S inexorable advance in Australia continues, growing in strength with each new model, the latest of which is a fourdoor sedan variant of the Mazda2 sedan. 7KLV MRLQV WKH ² YH GRRU KDWFK ODXQFKHG last November. Small hatches with a horizontal bootlid grafted to their rumps typically look so wrong that just about no one buys them. So the designer of the Mazda2 sedan has penned it with a sloping tail to give it the appearance of an extended hatch. Well aware of the importance of style to its sales success, Mazda Australia invited the design chief, Shigeki Nakamura, to meet the motoring media in Australia to explain his version of the company’s
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2
Aug 28 - Sep 3 | 2015
Mazda2 sedan is a
stylish new addition „ From page 1
The latter gives access to Mazda’s MZD Connect system, note that satellite navigation is an extra cost option, albeit at a modest charge of $570. Note that the upmarket Genki which sits a level up from the Maxx in the Mazda2 hatchback isn’t offered as a sedan; an apparently surprising decision that may, in our opinion, be reversed later. Under the skin things are virtually identical in the Mazda2 sedan and hatch. Both are offered with a choice of two 1.5-litre four-cylinder engines. Power and torque outputs are very similar in the two engines: 79 kW and 139 Nm in the one called standardVSHF HQJLQH WKDWV ² WWHG WR WKH 1HR sedan, and 81 kW and 141 Nm in highspec unit in the Maxx. Basic numbers don’t always tell the full story and during our initial test drives in the Adelaide region we felt the 79 kilowatt unit had enough power, but not a lot to spare. Whereas the 81 kW has a sense of purpose and was much nicer to sit behind, probably due to its more complex exhaust system. The 81 engine doesn’t exactly make the Mazda2 a sports machine, but its performance will suit most people. Six-speed manual and six-speed automatic transmissions are offered in all variants. We much preferred the manual for the control it gives you, but realise the majority of buyers will prefer the convenience of the automatic. The manual has short, easy gearshifts with a nice feel. 0D]GD LV ² WWHG ZLWK IURQW DQG VLGH airbags for the driver and front seat passenger and curtain airbags to protect the heads of occupants in the front and rear seats. Mazda tells us the side airbags are specially tuned to provide the best protection within the relatively short occupant-to-door distances of a small car and to reduce the possibility of contact with the door. Stylish, well priced and pleasant to drive the new Mazda2 sedan looks like adding at least two to three thousand sales to the 100,000-plus that Mazda Australia looks set to score by the end of 2015.
At a Glance NOTE: THESE PRICES DO NOT INCLUDE GOVERNMENT OR DEALER DELIVERY CHARGES. CONTACT YOUR LOCAL MAZDA DEALER FOR DRIVEAWAY PRICES.
Neo 1.5-litre hatch or sedan: $14,990 (manual), $16,990 (automatic)
Maxx 1.5-litre hatch or sedan: $17,690 (manual), $19,690 (automatic)
Genki hatch only:
$20,690 (manual), $22,690 (automatic)
„ LEXUS RC F: Low, wide and purposeful, this all-new model works beautifully.
Lexus RC is a great looking semi-race car
LEXUS RC F Carbon is a semirace machine aimed at serious drivers who enjoy pushing themselves to their limits during track days. Interestingly, the Lexus is powered by a naturallyaspirated engine, a 5.0-litre V8. The German machines in this high-performance category are rapidly moving in the direction of turbocharged engines. No matter how good a turbo engine is, it’s never going to have the virtually instantaneous throttle response offered by an un-blown powerplant. The Lexus RC F coupe comes at a relatively modest price: $133,110 for the standard version and $147,110 for the RC F Carbon we reviewed. The Carbon has a carbon² EUH DFWLYH UHDU ZLQJ ERQQHW roof panel and interior trim as well as alcantara seat fabric. The Lexus RC range is designed from the ground up as a two-door sports coupe, Lexus goes to great lengths to point out this is not a sedan with a different back end. The F differs from the others in the Lexus RC range by being wider, thanks to pumped guards front and rear; lower ride height, due to uprated sports suspension; and it’s longer because of the big frontal splitter and aero revisions to the tail. This Japanese sports coupe certainly looks the part, even more so when used as the Safety Car for this year’s V8Supercar season. Lexus has taken the current fashion for big radiator grilles to new extremes. :H ² QG WKH IURQW D OLWWOH overpowering in the standard RC range, but it works well in the RC F. Inside there are high quality
ROAD TEST: By EWAN KENNEDY
materials, which even have some cues to the Lexus LFA supercar. The electronic instruments are housed in a sporting binnacle and show different displays depending on the driver’s needs at the time. The tacho takes precedence in the centre of the binnacle and changes colour according to the driving mode selected; Eco, Normal, Sport, Sport Plus. The big Lexus 5.0-litre V8 puts out 470 horsepower at 7100 revs (that’s 351 kW in metric numbers). Its top torque is 4800 to a high 5600 rpm. Those high revs indicate the disadvantage of non-turbo engines, they simply can’t be programmed to get bulk grunt at low revs in the manner of a turbo unit. Transmission is from a sports tuned eight-speed unit that can be operated by paddle shifters when the mood takes you. Naturally, drive is to the rear wheels, in this case by a torque vectoring differential to give the maximum in road grip. Lexus has long favoured Mark Levinson audio. The RC F uses an 835-Watt, 17-speaker system. It incorporates special technology to work with compressed sound sources such as MP3 for better playback quality. There’s Digital Audio Broadcast, Bluetooth with audio streaming and automatic phonebook transfer, iPod with voice control and USB connectivity. Lexus RC F uses the PreCollision Safety System (PCS)
systems that includes PreCollision Brake Assist and PreCollision Brake. It has eight SRS airbags: a dual-stage driver’s airbag; dualstage and dual-chamber front passenger airbag; driver and front passenger’s knee airbags; large front-seat side airbags; and full-length side curtain airbags. Lexus has produced a stunning V8 engine, one that comes with a Jekyll and Hyde personality. Quiet and peaceful when pottering around town at low speeds and light throttle openings, very Lexus you might say. Slam open the throttle hard to get the revs into the upper regions and it becomes a loud aggressive beast. A semi-race car in fact, hence the decision to launch the RC F at the legendary Mount Panorama track behind Bathurst. It will be interesting to see how many owners take advantage of their cars’ personality and give it a real workout during track days. The zero to 100 km/h time of 4.5 seconds is good without being great. Brembo brakes, with ventilated discs at all four wheels, help keep all that power under control. The RC F is relatively heavy for this class, possibly to add sound deadening that’s a feature of all Lexus cars. Maybe it could have been trimmed for this model, though in all honesty many buyers will demand luxury just as much as performance. The front seats bolsters provide the sort of good side support that’s needed in a sports machine.
At a Glance NOTE: THESE PRICES DO NOT INCLUDE GOVERNMENT OR DEALER DELIVERY CHARGES. CONTACT YOUR LOCAL LEXUS DEALER FOR DRIVEAWAY PRICES.
RC F 5.0-litre petrol two-door coupe: $133,000 (automatic)
RC F Carbon 5.0-litre petrol two-door coupe: $147,110 (automatic)
Features ABS Brakes Automatic Transmission Cruise Control Dual Front Airbags Front Side Airbags Electronic Stability Program Rear Parking Sensors Reversing Camera USB/Auxiliary Audio Inputs Bluetooth Steering Wheel Mounted Controls
Comfort is good, but there’s no doubt it leans in the direction of sports in the eternal comfort versus sports equation. Exactly the way it should be in our opinion, but try it for yourself on your private test drive. Keen to get away from its public image of designing only smooth, ultra-quiet cars Lexus has embarked on a program of developing high-performance coupes and supercars. The latter, the ultra-expensive Lexus LFA is out of reach for the great majority of us but Lexus RC is an excellent stepping stone until the lottery winnings arrive.
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Aug 28 - Sep 3 | 2015
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Expert Advice
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Aug 28 - Sep 3 | 2015
CLASSIFIEDS
SOLD
Selling your car has never been easier or cheaper! 1997 Ford Falcon G.L.I., auto, 241,000 kms, good condition, (OQY477), $2000 ono. Ph (03) 5726 9485.
Sure would like a new car SOLD
Gathering dust in the shed?
HYUNDAI Excel Sprint 1997 hatch, 2 door manual, 126,000kms, power VWHHULQJ Y J F LGHDO ÂżUVW car. RWC, reg till 3/16 (1BK4OZ), $1800 ono. Ph 0429 017 987.
Havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t ridden that for a long time? Family holidays - a thing of the past?
TOYOTA Camry 1995, 5 speed manual, cruise control, 205,000km. RW C , v e r y g o o d condition, Reg til Dec (NNN937) $2750 ono. Ph 0400 525 779.
Then sell it the NOW easy way!
2011 Holden Commodore SV6 VE Series II (Phantom Black). Auto, sedan, great condition, 10 months rego, (ZSJ158), $18,990. Ph 0408 003 651.
TOYOTA Hilux dual cab ute, 1994, 193,000km, registered (OJS521), air/con, p/steer, ARB bullbar and towbar, lots of extras. $10,000 ono. Ph 0412 247 690.
VY SS Commodore Ute, 5.7L 6 speed manual, all leather, SS original, 142K, rego till 4/16 (STEV72), doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t come with personal number plates $11,000. Ph 0400 321 567.
BA Ford 2003, metallic green, service books, reason for selling, rego due (TXW666), very clean car, $5700 with 12 FORD Focus 2003, months rego and RWC 4cyl manual, only or $4500 as is. Ph 5721 travelled 163,000kms, 7929 or 0407 816 350. cruise control, airbag. (SLR655). $3000. Ph Vehicle 0408 558 300.
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2004 Navara Dual Cab canopy, (WFV224) Jan 2016, 3lt diesel, bullbar, towbar, manual, Cooper tyres, excellent condition, 185,000km. $16,000. Ph 0409 962 518.
1999 6x4 camper trailer, Tudor gas stove, chest cold fridge, 2 single beds, soft ďŹ&#x201A;oor - easy to pop up. Not used for 5 years, has always been garaged. Has bike x 2 rack attached. Reg till August 2016, $5000 neg. Ph 0488 965 363.
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1996 Mazda for sale, MITSUBISHI Lancer manual, (PHN785), C.E. sedan, 2000 mod- $1800. Must sell. Ph el, manual, rego (1BW- 0447 868 670. 2GT) till 20/11/2015, 193,717km. $1500 with Roadworthy. Ph classifieds@nemedia.com.au 5721 9226.
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