Auto and Truck 1

Chris Riley’s

Auto Truck AND

number 1

Kick Arse Ford F150 Cop car

honda Civic: Hatch or Sedan? holden Trax: On the rails?

Conten

2

nts

3

4

Pull over, Buddy!

5

Whether it’s a low or high range offence Ford’s new F150 Police Responder has got it covered.

The Responder is billed as the industry’s first, pursuit-rated ute and will give law enforcement, designed to give police a more versatile and capable patrol vehicle.

Capable of speeds up to 160km/h, the all-new F-150 Police Responder features a powerful and efficient 3.5-litre tubocharged petrol V6 under the bonnet.

It’s hooked up to Ford’s new 10-speed auto, with the addition of four-wheel drive in case the baddies decide to go bush.

6

The V6 is good for 280kW and 637Nm of torque, more than any other pursuitrated police vehicle.

Based on the F-150 FX4 off-road model, the Police Responder’s 3683mm wheelbase sits on a high-strength steel frame and features Ford’s high-strength, military-grade, aluminum-alloy SuperCrew body – giving it the largest passenger volume, payload and towing capacity of any pursuit-rated police vehicle.

7

“Ford’s 2018 F-150 Police Responder is the perfect all-terrain law enforcement vehicle,” Stephen Tyler, Ford’s police brand marketing manager in the USA, said (not the Aerosmith frontman).

“Aside from its industry-first on-road pursuit capability, this purpose-built pickup can comfortably seat five, while providing capability in off-road patrol situations for officers in rural environments patrolled by sheriff ’s departments, border patrol operations and the Department of Natural Resources.”

8

Additional F-150 Police Responder enhancements include a policecalibrated brake system with upgraded calipers and pad friction material, upgraded front-stabiliser bar for improved braking and handling and 18inch alloy wheels with all-terrain tires.

A high-output 240-amp alternator is included to support on-board electrical devices, along with a police-calibrated speedometer and engine hour and engine idle hour meters.

Underbody skid plates protect the truck from kerbs and rough terrain.

A standard class IV hitch gives F-150 Police Responder best-in-class towing capability of 3.2 tonnes.

9

10

11

Civic Duty: Boot or

Hatch? We Decide.

14

What is it?

You’re probably wondering why we’re reviewing the Honda Civic sedan when the hatch has just been released.

They’re the same price and mechanically identical, but for mine the sedan is the pick – it’s better looking, is bigger inside and has a larger boot.

Either way, the money is going to the same place so Honda will be happy.

Honda reckons this is the sportiest Civic ever and a benchmark for the small car segment, in terms of space, fuel efficiency, safety features, interior quality and driving performance.

It’s certainly a practical alternative in a world fixated on SUVs.

What’s it cost?

Civic now comes in five grades.

Prices start from $22,390 for the VTi. The VTI-S is one step up at $24,490 and gets some nice extras like 16-inch alloys, LED repeaters in the mirrors, halogen fog lights as well as front and rear park sensors.

There’s also keyless entry and push button start and it locks itself when you walk away from the car.

A leather-wrapped steering wheel and Lanewatch round off the package.

Lanewatch uses a camera embedded in the passenger side mirror to provide a view of any traffic in your blind spot.

15

16

The very latest safety aids however like automatic emergency braking are reserved for more expensive models.

Standard features include cloth trim, climate air, cruise control, electric parking brake, rear view camera, Eco Assist and ECON Mode – plus a 7 inch touchscreen, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and 8-speaker audio.

What’s it like to drive?

Terrific.

But before moving off make sure to plug anything necessary into the USB ports.

They’re buried deep behind the centre console and difficult to access on the go.

We say “they” because there’s supposed to be two of them – but we could only locate one USB outlet apart from a totally useless HDMI port.

The 1.8-litre four cylinder petrol engine with 104kW and 174Nm of torque is more than up to the job.

There’s the CVT to contend with of course and you can’t change gears manually, but once you get your head around that it’s all good.

Some passengers felt the car struggled, but they were misinterpreting the zoomy effect of the CVT as it accelerated as a lack of power.

Having said that throttle response is sluggish in Eco mode, especially when resuming cruise control which can take forever.

The dash lights change colour to tell whether you’re being good and driving economically, or not so good and putting in the boot.

Sitting low with a long wheelbase and widely spaced wheels the car sits securely on the road with a real planted feel.

This secure feeling is aided by Agile Handling Assist, a form of torque vectoring that uses the brakes selectively to improve initial turn-in and overall cornering ability.

By applying the brakes to the inside wheels in corners it helps the car turn and reduces any tendency to understeer – the danger of ploughing straight through the corner if you’re going too fast.

Around town performance is largely unremarkable, apart from some occasional “buck” from the transmission – but cabin noise ramps up quickly on coarse chip bitumen.

Out in the sticks it puts away the kilometres with consummate ease, using little fuel and dealing confidently with unexpected dips and bends – with sharp, accurate steering.

Turning to Android Auto for navigation tends to take command of the audio system, shutting out other options.

17

But we surprised and pleased to see turn instructions with arrows repeated in the centre dash display.

Those instructions were often confusing but that’s Google’s fault – not Honda’s.

Rated at 6.4L/100km we were getting a very creditable 6.8 after 1200km of mixed driving.

The hatch by the way is 28kg heavier and the boot in the sedan is 20 per cent larger, at 519 versus 414 litres – with rear seats that flip forward.

What we like? * Bigger than rivals * Hugs the road * Laps up the kilometres * Economical to run * Roomy interior * Large boot 18

What we don’t? * No satnav * Android Auto hit and miss * Start button too bright at night * Sluggish throttle response in Eco mode * USB ports difficult to access * Low ride height could be an issue for older drivers * Could bump your noggin on plunging rear roof line * Manual headlights a pain in the butt * 3 year warranty doesn’t cut it anymore

RATINGS Wow factor : 7

Performance: 7

Handling: 7

Comfort: 7

Value: 7

Deal or no deal?

Big thumbs up.

Practical all rounder and a lot of car for the money. About the only thing missing from the VTi-S is satnav but CarPlay and Android Auto fill this void – if you don’t mind using the data from your phone.

What are the alternatives?

Kia Cerato 2.0 Sport, from $24,790.

Underrated car. Looks good and offers plenty of value.

Mazda3 2.0 Maxx, priced from $22,890.

Sets the standard in terms of active safety with auto braking.

Toyota Corolla 1.8 SX sedan, from $23,820. Best selling car in the world, what more can we say?

19

20

makin’ trax

21

22

WHAT IS IT? Holden’s top of the tree small SUV.I’ve never liked Trax much but I have to admit the latest version is a lot better.

More importantly they’ve finally managed to do something about the goofy looks. This time around it looks way more sophisticated and streamlined (thanks Richard Ferlazzo).

HOW MUCH? Prices start from $23,990 for the 1.8 petrol LS or you can have the same car with the 1.4-litre turbo and a 6-speed auto for $26,490. They’ve also introduced a mid range LT model with an auto priced from $28,890 in a bid to pull back some of the bracket creep that’s affected the LTZ. That’s about the price the LTZ used to be – now $30,490 plus on roads it’s a bit steep. Any colour but red or white adds $550 to the price.

WHAT’S UNDER THE BONNET? Both the 1.8 and the 1.4-litre turbo four cylinder petrol engines produce the same 103kW of power. The big difference is in the torque which rises from 175 to 200Nm with the turbo and is produced much earlier in the rev range – 1850 instead of 3800 rpm. This makes the car much easier and more pleasant to drive because the engine does not have to work as hard.

23

WHAT’S IT LIKE TO DRIVE? Not bad, to a point. Being a Holden the ride quality is good thanks to local suspension tuning. With plenty of torque available, it’s smooth and fairly responsive to the throttle. But you don’t want to push too hard through corners or it will become unsettled. That’s okay because it’s not that kind of car anyway and 99.9 per cent of buyers will not care.

The 6-speed auto misses out on gear change paddles, but gets an up/down thumb change button on the shifter (too bad it’s awkward to use). Depending on the road surface tyre noise can be intrusive.

IS IT COMFORTABLE? The ride height makes entry and exit easy, so it will appeal to oldies. The seats are reasonably comfortable, but it’s difficult to find a comfortable driving position and rear legroom is a little snug. The boot is on the small side too.

A high roofline and large windows tend to let the glare in and for this reason it can be uncomfortable on a sunny day.

IS IT ECONOMICAL? Rated at 6.7L/100km we were getting 6.8 after almost 800km of mixed driving.

That’s pretty good for a car this size and weight, with no auto stop-start to help things along – but note that it takes premium 95 unleaded fuel which takes 24

25

26

some of the shine off the equation.

IS IT GREEN? Gets 4 out of 5 from the Green Vehicle Guide, or at least it used to. The 1.4 auto produces 163g/km of CO2 while the benchmark hybrid Prius is good for 80g/km – obviously costs much more though.

IS IT SAFE? No problems here, especially with the LTZ. With six airbags and electronic stability control it gets five stars for safety with additional safety aids like blind spot and rear cross traffic alert as well as rear sensors and a rear view camera. The cross traffic system warns in case you’re in danger of back into a passing car when reversing out of a car space. Missing is auto emergency braking.

IS IT GOOD VALUE? Interior finish feels cheap.

Though it’s top of the line there’s no power adjustment for the seats, although they’re heated. The lights work automatically, but the wipers and rear view mirror don’t.

What’s more Holden and other manufacturers seem to have abrogated their responsibility for the provision of tech with the arrival of Apple’s CarPlay and Android Auto.

Again, though it’s the top of the line. there’s no navigation and no sign of the BringGo app that you could previously download (or for that matter Pandora, TuneIn and Stitcher). That leaves you having to cable up your phone, use your precious data plan and rely on Google Maps to get you there – it’s inconvenient to say the least.

27

28

WHAT ARE THE COMPETITORS? Ford’s underwhelming EcoSport. The top of the line Titanium is $27,790.

Toyota’s confronting new C-HR. It’s Koba is $35,290. Or there’s Mitsubishi’s aging but still smart looking ASX XLS which goes for $31,500 these days and remains the bargain in the segment.

WOULD WE BUY ONE? Not my cup of tea but the missus likes it. At the risk of sounding politically incorrect we suspect the majority of buyers will be female.

29