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N O R T H E AST V I C TO R I A
MARCH 29 - APRIL 4 | 2019
> available online - www.nemedia.com.au
2019
Suzuki Jimny
AFFORDABLE FUN: Cute as a button from any angle, Jimny would sell on looks alone, but there’s a lot more to it than simply its styling.
By Ewan Kennedy No one else builds a low-cost, small, genuine 4WD. The closest vehicles come from Jeep and Land Rover, but they are out of the Jimny’s price class. We’ve just spent two weeks in a brace of new Jimnys, one a manual the other automatic. STYLING I must admit being wrong when first sighting new Jimny in the metal at the Queensland launch, feeling that it was just too boxy. But after seeing it on the road and watching the attention our test Jimnys got from passers-by I’ve fallen in love with it.
The interior features a neat old-style dashboard, but it’s bang up to date with big easy-to-read instruments and a sensible infotainment screen. INFOTAINMENT The touchscreen housing somehow manages to look both retro and high tech at the same time. Even at a price that’s under $25,000 you get a 7.0-inch touchscreen, satellite navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The audio system does hark back to the days of the just superseded Jimny, with only two speakers and sound quality that really should be better, let us call it part of the charm.
POWERTRAIN Power comes from a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with 100 horsepower (75 kW in Aussie numbers) and 130 Nm of torque. The torque peak is at a relatively high 4000 rpm, but it feels fine from about 2000 and there’s a nice spread of grunt in all normal driving ranges. The engine sits in front of either a fivespeed manual or four-speed automatic. See the Driving segment of this review for more comments on this. All four wheels are driven by way of a transfer case with 2H, 4H and 4L modes that are selected by a lever on the centre tunnel.
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SUZUKI Jimny is quite simply the most talked about vehicle on the planet. Forget the multi-million-dollar, ridiculously-overpowered vehicles just unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show, the cute-as-a-button Suzuki is the one that is dominating car-nut conversations everywhere. Since the first photos of the Jimny were released Suzuki dealers have been bombarded with enquires from potential buyers, some dangling cash in front of them as they walk into showrooms worldwide. In our home state of Queensland you might just get one before Christmas, but don’t hesitate… Suzuki Jimny simply has no competition.
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2
March 29 - April 4 | 2019
EVEN BETTER: Stylish Jaguar F-Pace wins many converts on its shape alone.
Jaguar F-Pace 300 special editions
JAGUAR is about to import two special editions of the F-Pace SUV. Tagged as ‘300 SPORT’ and ‘Chequered Flag’. Jaguar is justifiably proud of its F-Pace winner of the 2017 World Car of the Year award. The electric variant of the wagon, the Jaguar I-Pace has been nominated as a finalist in the 2019 WCOTY which will be announced at the New York Auto Show on April 17. The 300 SPORT has a Dark Satin
2019
From page 1
By Ewan Kennedy
Grey front grille surround, side window surrounds, side vents, door mirror housings, door finishers and the rear valance. There are ‘300 SPORT’ badges on the front grille and tailgate, Sport is offered exclusively in Yulong White, Indus Silver and Santorini Black. Inside there's yellow contrast stitching on the instrument panel, centre console and
Suzuki Jimny
The front seats are larger than in the superseded Jimny and, due to the squared off body, you don’t feel you’re rubbing against the person sitting alongside you. There’s more space in the back seats and they have reasonable legroom. SAFETY Small … tough … ladder chassis … rigidaxles … heavy duty suspension. All are excellent features in a genuine 4WD. But make it very difficult to build a tiny vehicle that collapses well in a crash. The result is that Jimny only has a threestar crash rating. Look it up on Youtube, though, and you will see it fares better than you might expect. In any case the most important safety feature is not crashing. The little Suzy has autonomous emergency braking and lane departure warning systems to help you stay out of trouble. If things still go pear-shaped there are six airbags to help protect everyone, and IsoFix mountings for the littlies. DRIVING One more gear in the manual and two more in the auto would have been appreciated on the open road, particularly on motorways. Around town the manual and auto both feel fine and the NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) levels are noticeably lower than on the old Jimny so the interior is more sedate than you might expect. It’s not to small-hatch standards but surprisingly close. Handling is good with levels of grip and ease of control at speeds that belie the fact that it’s a body on chassis 4WD. The steering feels a bit vague at times as on old-style truck-based 4WDs. The
secret is to avoid correcting every tiny little movement and let the Jimny make its own corrections. Strong crosswinds do move it around at times, something that would be very tiring on a long trip. This is perhaps the only thing we really didn’t like. As part of the media launch in January we did serious off-road driving on moguls and steep, deeply rutted hill trails. The new Jimny has even better approach / ramp-over / departure angles than the old, which were already excellent. Maximum grip is by way of Suzuki’s All Grip Pro system. Jimny takes you places where other alleged SUVs would get well and truly stuck and does it so easily that it feels more like a stroll in the park than a battle with the terrain. The baby Suzuki’s shape isn’t just to make it look good, it’s very practical in the way every cubic centimetre inside can be used. Boot space is ridiculously small and can’t even cope with an extra-large suitcase, a couple of cabin bags are fine. The back seats fold down to give you a large level cargo space. You can also fold the front passenger seat almost flat to provide enough length to carry a ladder or long surfboard. Folding down the driver’s seat as well as the two rears makes a vaguely comfortable double bed. SUMMING UP Suzuki Jimny is a brilliant example of styling and 4WD engineering. If you enjoy adventurous weekends but live in a big city and can only afford one vehicle the Jimny should sit at the top of your short list.
leather seats. ‘300 SPORT’ logos on the tread-plates, carpet mats, steering wheel and the front headrests leave no doubt as to which model you're sitting inside. Power is either by a 2.0-litre Ingenium petrol or the 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel. The Chequered Flag Special Edition is based on the R-Sport model and has a sport front bumper and Gloss Black detailing on the front grille, door cladding, side vents, and roof rails.
The Chequered Flag is available in Yulong White, Santorini Black and in the newly introduced colour, Eiger Grey. Inside, there's leather trim, meshed aluminium detailing and Chequered Flag tread plates. Chequered Flag Special Edition is offered with the 184kW 2.0-litre Ingenium petrol, as well as 2.0-litre turbo-diesels with either 177kW or 132kW. All use all-wheel-drive for added road grip when accelerated hard.
3
March 29 - April 4 | 2019
Kia’s fine tuning
gives birth to baby ‘Grand’ KIA WITH ATTITUDE: The Picanto GT is Kia’s answer to keeping the micro model fresh, interesting and attractive.
WHY, you might wonder, has Kia added a hero car with limited appeal (manual transmission only) to a cluttered, highly competitive compact car market? The answer is: because it could. The model in question is the Picanto micro and the latest addition to the range, the GT. According to Kia Motors Australia chief operating officer Damien Meredith the company was happy with how the Picanto had gone over its three years of on sale Down Under. “With that in mind it seemed like the right time to give an opportunity to a sporty version of the car, one for which there has been a constant undercurrent of demand,” he said. “That car is the three-cylinder 1.0-litre Turbo, featuring all the great bits of the standard Picanto but with an attitude and athletic ability destined to make friends with lots of smiles,” he added. With 74 kW and 172 Nm channelling through the front wheels via a five-speed manual transmission, plus a suspension tuned for Australian conditions, the company believes it has the motor for the moment, all for less than $20K. STYLING Picanto GT stands out with contrasting body highlights – the test car red on Titanium Silver – twin exhaust, a body kit and GT badging. INTERIOR The Picanto range’s straight-backed stance means there is ample head room in the rear for average-size passengers and the ability to maximise the 255 litres of luggage space. This is easily increased to 1010 litres by folding the 60:40 secondrow seat backs. Shoulder space out back is limited, especially with three adult passengers abreast. Headrests are adjustable vertically, rare in this grade of vehicle. INFOTAINMENT Convenience in the Picanto GT is extensive, including Bluetooth connectivity, four-speaker audio system,
By Derek Ogden steering wheel-mounted audio controls, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. ENGINES / TRANSMISSIONS The 1.0-litre engine develops 74 kW at 4500 rpm and 171 Nm of torque between 1500 and 4000 rpm. All this is achieved thanks to a number of innovative technical solutions, including laser-drilled injectors with six holes in a pyramid shape so the fine mist of fuel is spread evenly throughout the cylinders and a straight air intake port ending in a sharp throat, reducing air resistance at all stages of the process. A single-scroll turbocharger is paired with an electric wastegate motor improving performance while grabbing clean air for the engine. At the same time, it allows the wastegate to open to improve the flow of exhaust gases. As well as being more efficient, the engine is cleaner, thanks to a onepiece manifold improving sealing, reducing weight and lowering exhaust gas temperatures. Lower temperatures result in cleaner emissions by allowing the catalytic converter to operate more effectively. SAFETY The GT shares much that is good about the current generation Picanto, including the ultra-stiff body shell, composed of 44 per cent advanced high-strength steels, providing premium handling and comfort, as well as occupant safety. Extensive safety features include autonomous emergency braking, six airbags, ABS anti-skid braking, electronic stability control, hill start assist, vehicle stability management, torque vectoring, forward collision warning and straightline stability. DRIVING The engine exhibits minimal lag between the driver pressing the accelerator and the turbocharger delivering boost and, therefore, sporty acceleration. Kia
weighed this up against fuel efficiency and went for the manual transmission against an auto, thus delivering a more engaging driving experience. It was during this drive that the benefit of a suspension tuned especially for Australia by Kia Motors Australia’s rideand-handling team came to the fore. Through a more aggressive tune for the shock absorbers and a stiffer spring rate the team was able to provide greater body control with better road feedback as well as reasonable ride comfort. Meanwhile, changes to steering mapping give a quicker response and enhanced stability when under load, while lower profile 195/45 R 16 rubber on 16-inch alloy wheels improve both grip and directness when pushing the limit. If there is one let-down, it’s the five-
speed manual transmission, which is a bit yesterday, with many modern manuals featuring six cogs, and automatics up to ten. Shifting was floppy, far from slick and sporty, on the test car. Combined urban / highway cycle fuel consumption is put at 4.8 litres per 100km, with a city cycle of 6.2 litres per 100 and 4 litres per 100 kilometres on the open road. During our week’s test with a mix of city and country driving our GT registered an average of 5.1 litres per 100 kilometres. SUMMARY Kia confidence in the top-shelf Picanto GT could be catching, with the balance between extensive Picanto standard equipment and something special for the individual owner. Then there’s the Kia industry-leading seven-year warranty, of course.
4
March 29 - April 4 | 2019
Maserati Levante Vulcano limited edition
By Ewan Kennedy MASERATI Levante Vulcano is now on sale in Australia, but only seven of the 150 produced for Europe and Asia are coming here. A chromed aluminium badge on the centre console features the legendary Maserati Trident, along with the Vulcano logo and the words “one of 150�. Based on the Levante GranSport, the Vulcano’s exterior features the Nerissimo Collection with dark look rear light clusters, black chrome front grille and logos, gloss black window surrounds, body-coloured door handles and burnished exhaust tailpipes. It rides on 21-inch Helios wheels, with very visible red brake calipers and sixpiston Brembo Dual Cast brakes. Inside, Levante Vulcano has heated and ventilated Pieno Fiore leather powered sports seats with contrasting embroidered Trident logo on the headrests. High gloss carbon fibre is used on the sport steering wheel and gearshift paddles. The Vulcano is fitted with the Bowers&Wilkins premium sound system. It is power by a 350 hp twin-turbo V6 engine with 500 Nm of torque 1750 to 4750 rpm. The zero to 100 kmh sprint is listed at just 6.0 seconds. All four wheels are driven by Maserati’s Q4 system with a rear LSD. Its suspension features adjustable air springs and Skyhook shock absorbers. The Maserati Levante Vulcano has a recommended retail price of $184,990 excluding statutory charges, dealer costs and delivery and is now in Maserati dealerships - though may we predict they won’t be there for very long?
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MITSUBISHI VR Lancer hatchback, 2008, manual, 160,000 kms, regular services, 2008 Galaxy Southern registered until June, Cross Series 4, dual (WRC629), $6000. axle, 19’ pop top, double Ph 0402 118 691. island bed, r/cycle AC, 3way 90ltr fridge, gas/electric cooktop, G E T M OTO R I N G microwave, rollout terms and conditions: awning, L/shape dining Minimum 20 words, plus separate couch, additional words at Vic Rego May 2019, $0.50. Price includes one excellent condition, near photo. Must include sale new tyres, $26,000. Ph price and registration 0438 079 593. / engine number in advertisement. No changes or refunds given if item is sold before advert expires. Offer valid for the month of 03 5723 0101 April 2019.
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