Índex per August 2022 a Wheels

LITTLE RIPPER It looks like something Batman had as a kid and has a name like a Maccas menu spelling mistake but the McMurtry Spéirling can now be yours. Fresh from resetting the outright hillclimb record at the 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed, the tiny single-seat Spéirling is sort of like an electric Aussie Racing Car (remember those?) except it’s faster than a Le Mans racer. The rear-drive Spéirling packs a 745kW EV punch, weighs under 1000kg and can do 0-100km/h in under 2.0sec – and uses an aero fan to suck itself to the road like the Brabham BT46. McMurtry says the Spéirling, which will wear a sickeningly high pricetag, will be road-legal in Pomgolia. We’d be fitting a tall, fluoro orange flag. LONG-ROOF M3 BMW has landed one…

MOST ENTHUSIASTS WILL clock 1974 as the year of the Volkswagen Golf. The original Mk I Golf heralded a new era for hatchbacks – and VW – with 35 million of them (and counting) sold since. Yet the Golf had a talented sibling that carved a motoring niche in its own right, even if it hasn’t reached the same stratospheric fame: the VW Scirocco. The Scirocco is less familiar to many Australians as it took almost 40 years for the nameplate to arrive in Volkswagen showrooms here – and even then, it was a single-flavour performance variant, the Scirocco R. Yet it was worth the wait, even if many Aussies were confused by what the Scirocco’s role in the line-up actually was. The Scirocco’s place follows that of another legendary…

THE 2022 Mercedes-Benz S580 L arrives as the flagship variant to the now three-strong family of S-Class sedans currently available in Australia. With a 4.0-litre twin-turboV8 under its bonnet, the S580 L is a limo for people that prefer to be the driver, not the driven. Australians loveV8 engines, and we love driving, which runs somewhat counter intuitive to the point of a plutocratic German limo with rear seats that rival those found on an international business-class flight. And yet, Mercedes-Benz has made a car that suits those needs without compromising on staunch, well-established S-Class heritage. The price of admission is steep, with the firstV8 S-Class of the W223 generation priced at $335,100 before on-road costs. What you get for that coin, though, is as extensive as the S-Class is…

TESLA MODEL Y PERFORMANCE If the rear-driver tested here is too tame for your tastes, try the all-wheel-drive Performance at $102,329 plus on-roads. Its dual-motor layout sends 413kW and 660Nm to all four wheels, dropping the claimed 0-100km/h time to 3.7 seconds, and brings an electronically limited and utterly irrelevant top speed of 250km/h. A larger lithium-ion battery pack – reportedly around 75kWh – provides a claimed WLTP driving range of 514km. Also adding to the dynamic ability of the Performance model are larger brakes, lowered suspension, and 21-inch ‘Uberturbine’ wheels. KIA GT When it arrives in early 2023, Kia’s flagship EV will be the brand’s fastest-accelerating production car. The GT’s dual-motor layout produces 430kW and 740Nm, and with a quoted 0-100km/h time of 3.5 seconds, it pips the Tesla…

If we were running this comparison test later in the year it’s possible we’d have lined up a different Toyota to take on the WRX. After all, the incoming GR Corolla shares the basis of its powertrain with the GR Yaris, with its 1.6-litre three-cylinder turbo wicked up to 220kW/370Nm, but it’s a closer match in terms of size to the WRX. Yet there’ll be a significant price disparity between the Subaru and GR Corolla, with the latter now tipped to cost around $70,000 when it arrives in the fourth quarter this year. Supply, however, is an even bigger issue. It appears TMCA already has over 1000 orders as buyers realise that this model will only be built in comparatively limited numbers and global supply won’t be strong. Anyone ordering…

Only three 356 Carrera GTs left the factory in right-hand drive in 1959, with this particular example first owned by Victorian farmer David Calvert. He ordered it with ‘Field Green’ paintwork and it has racing provenance having been campaigned by Harry Firth at Sandown in the early 1960s. Gradually the car fell into disuse over the decades and was no longer in running order when it was bought by then Myer CEO and successful businessman Peter Bartels in the 1980s. Since then it’s undergone a bare-metal restoration and engine rebuild but Bartels found the car required more attention than he could give it so he swapped it with Porsche Cars Australia for a then-new 911 Carrera 4S. Time shows that wasn’t the smartest financial decision. Price of a Carrera 4S…

I HAVE NO idea, by the time you read this, what Australians will be paying per litre at the pumps. When the figure hit $2.20 earlier this year, the only thing that narrowly avoided a conflict on our own turf was a hastily implemented temporary tax cut to offset the inflation. A few months later, unfortunately, any price correction had long since been overtaken by an ongoing energy crisis, and when I rolled onto a forecourt recently I simply couldn’t believe what the retailer was asking. An inanimate fuel bowser cannot be haggled with and no amount of tapping would convince the price gauge to reconsider and drop below $2.50. You definitely don’t need me to put that into perspective but if petrol sat alongside milk on supermarket shelves, it…

THE LARGER RAV4 naturally trounces the class-below HRV for boot space, with the Toyota’s 580 litres playing 308L for the Honda. But the latter has a secret weapon in the form of its so-called ‘magic seats’. Both cars can significantly boost boot space with their flat-folding second row, but the HR-V goes a big step further with the clever seat bases that fold up onto the back support, liberating floor-to-ceiling space behind the front row. This allows tall and awkward-shaped items to be easily transported despite the Honda’s smaller exterior dimensions.…

THE GERMANS understand it. Cast an eye over the new-car sales figures of our Bavarian counterparts and you’ll notice a strange anomaly: wagons account for 17 percent of their total sales. Dig a little deeper and the stats get even more interesting. Single out the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, for example, and you’ll discover that two out of every three cars sold is the ‘estate variant’. That’s a phenomenal stat but also one that’s easy to fathom. Want a car that can seat five, is a tidier handler than most SUVs and has room for dogs, bags and ski gear? Buy a wagon. Aussies used to get it, too – who else grew up with a station wagon in the driveway? – but then the SUV arrived and wagon sales didn’t so…

As well as being the clear winner in terms of boot space (565 litres), the Arteon is the only contender to offer a full-size alloy spare. The luggage bay itself is deep, long and devoid of wheelarch intrusions. The rear seat also includes a ski port for longer items and there’s loads of amenity, including a retractable cargo blind, luggage net, twin bag hooks, two lights and four tie-down points. The Peugeot also provides a ski port, and its 530L isn’t much smaller than the VW, while the tie-down hooks on sliding floor rails provide extra versatility. As for the G70, its smallest-of-the-group boot (465L) does provide netted cubbies on either side.…

The first electrified Jeep to hit Australian shores will be the Grand Cherokee 4xe (“four-ex-e”, if you’re wanting to shout it out loud) in the first quarter of 2023, with the off-roader ushering in a new era for the 81-year-old 4x4 brand. While the 40km all-electric driving range isn’t going to create headlines, the car does come with a punchy PHEV powertrain that incorporates a 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder engine, an eight-speed auto, two electric motors and a 17kWh battery. E Selec drive modes for the 4xe are Hybrid, Electric and Esave (which leans more on the ICE), with the drivetrain serving up total outputs of 280kW and 637Nm and a claimed combined consumption of 4.1L/100km. Expect the 4xe to come fully loaded with a price nudging $100,000.…

HOW TIMES FLIES when you’re busy being a scissor-doored supercar poster-child stuck up on bedroom walls, or stuck crawling through Rodeo Drive traffic. It’s been 11 years since Lambo’s V12 flagship made its debut at the Geneva show, but now, with the final LP 780-4 Ultimae (a limited-edition run of 350 coupes and 250 roadsters) all sold, the Aventador’s 12-pot howl has been set to mute. Back in 2011, the Aventador was the most intensive in-house development to come out of Sant’Agata Bolognese since the Countach. That car’s successors – first the Diablo and then the Murcielago – could both trace their lineage back to the iconic ’70s supercar. The Aventador, however, was a clean-sheet design, four years in development, with a mission statement of ‘no competitors’. Central to that, both…

DUE 2024 POLESTAR 5 It’s still a while off, but Polestar’s Taycan-hunting 5 sedan is edging closer to reality. Having made its ‘dynamic debut’ at the 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed, Polestar – Volvo’s electric offshoot – is heavily touting the 5 as a ‘proper driver’s car’. Think dual motors with 650kW/900Nm; and weight kept to a minimum, by EV standards, thanks to an aluminium-rich new platform. DUE 2023 PORSCHE 992 911 GT3 RS For those who find the standard GT3 somewhat tepid, the mad scientists at Weissach have cooked up a new Rennsport (RS) with more power from the 4.0-litre atmo flat-six (potentially 400kW), wilder aero and more downforce – all in the name of mincing the current GT3’s 6:59.93 Nurburgring laptime. DUE 2022 TOYOTA COROLLA CROSS With SUVs…

Model Toyota GR Supra 3.0 MT Engine 2998cc 6cyl, dohc, 24v, twin-turbo Max power 250KW @5000-6500rpm Max torque 500Nm @1600-4500rpm Transmission 6-speed manual Weight 1465kg 0-100km/h 4.6secs (claimed) Economy 7.7L/100km Price $86,000 (estimated) On sale Q1 2023 (estimated) WHO WOULD have expected Toyota to be the hero we all needed? By the time the GR Corolla hatchback launches, the Japanese firm’s Gazoo Racing sub-brand will offer four different manual-transmission performance cars. Even Porsche isn’t as committed to the art of DIY shifting nowadays. This is the Toyota GR Supra 3.0 MT, added to the sports car’s range alongside a mid-life update after overwhelming press and customer demand. Let’s hope enough people buy them to justify the effort. Because boy, has Toyota put the effort in. While the straight-six turbo engine…

WHILE NOW IN its third year of production, there’s something about the timing of Tesla Model Y’s Australian release that feels bang on. If the Model S and Model X built the church, and the Model 3, the top-selling EV in Australia by a country furlong, spread Tesla’s acceptance beyond the sanctum of devout pilgrims, the Model Y’s mid-sized SUV pitch looks dressed for success. “We’re working on accelerating RHD production,” Elon Musk tweeted of versions the company manufactures in China. “Didn’t expect demand to be so high.” One week after Model Y lobbed into local showrooms, with wait times on new orders bolting out to a year or so at last count, Tesla upped the price of the two-variant line-up. It’s another in a long line of moves demonstrated…

Tesla Model Y 01. As is Tesla’s inimitable way, instrumentation display and virtually every control, right down to glovebox opening, is accessed via its huge 15-inch central touchscreen. Over-the air connectivity allows features and functionality to update conveniently when available. 2. The Tesla uses so-called ‘vegan leather’, aka fake stuff. The front seats are power adjustable and heating features across both rows of seating. The split-fold rear-seat backs are power folding. 3. Tesla’s ultra-minimalist design, expansive glass area and tinted glass roof all conspire to impart a very airy ambience. The front row offers a considerable 64mm of extra headroom compared with the tin-lidded EV6. Kia EV6 1. Pride of place in the Kia’s cabin is the curved display featuring dual-12.3-inch screens for instrumentation and multimedia. However, the base Air…

Subaru WRX WRX’s 11.6-inch screen is quick and crisp with large, easily poked icons. HVAC controls aren’t buried in annoying sub menus, but there’s no wireless phone charging, digital instrument cluster or head-up display. And keep in mind that choosing the manual means you miss out on Subaru’s EyeSight active-safety system that bundles together autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist, lane-departure warning/prevention and adaptive cruise control. Toyota GR Yaris Inside the Yaris is a reminder of its humble origins, although there is an old-school simplicity to it, and you do get a cool plaque showing the build number. Dinky 7.0-inch infotainment feels a generation behind the big portrait screen in the WRX, although it does support (wired) Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. As per the regular GR, Rallye brings aluminium pedals…

THE STARTING formation on the makeshift grid is an odd mix of almost new and ostentatiously unfinished metal. The pair of thinly disguised M2 pre-production cars – one manual and one automatic – is led by a hyperblue M4 Competition with Dirk Hacker, chief engineer of the BMW M division, at the wheel. I am right behind him in the lairier of the two M2s which wears a psychedelic multi-blue, multi-pattern livery. In the rear-view mirror, the other M2 looms large, LED lights on, dressed in the brands generic swirly trompe l´oeil shrinkwrap which reveals more than it hides as soon as your eyes have sussed out how to separate shapes from surfaces. Full concentration time. Outside, it’s already 33 degrees, and the track is clear for the familiarisation lap.…

THE EV6’s victory at Wheels COTY 2022 marked two significant firsts for the award’s 59-year history: a maiden win for Kia, and for any vehicle from Korea. The fanfare around this headline achievement, announced in April, overshadowed another not-insignificant milestone Kia clocked up the following month. The Seoul company with just a quarter century of passenger-car presence locally, was the second-largest-selling nameplate in Australia for May. It was an industry first for the ‘challenger brand’, outselling the Mazda and Hyundai juggernauts and parking itself in the wheel tracks of the market-dominating Toyota. Kia loosely translates from Sino-Korean to ‘rising from Asia’. And after 78 years of sometimes rocky corporate provenance from beginnings as a bicycle component manufacturer, today’s carmaker has well and truly arrived. Of course, detractors may focus on…

If you can live with a ‘Fastback’ body style rather than the Sportswagon, Peugeot’s 508 is offered with a hybridised version of the 1.6-litre turbo four. It’s detuned from 165kW to 133kW but retains the same 300Nm torque output and is teamed with an 81kW/320Nm electric motor for combined totals of 165kW/350Nm. Using a 11.5kWh lithium-ion battery, the 508 hybrid has a claimed electric-only range of 55km. The catch? It can only recharge at a max of 3.7kW – around half the rate of a typical wallbox – and it’s no quicker to 100km/h compared to the ICE car. And at $76,990, it’s $15K more than the 508 Sportswagon here……

YOU LOVE YOUR car, that’s why you’re holding this magazine in your hands, but how far would you go to let that love show? A key ring? A T-shirt or a branded jacket, maybe? Sadly, next to the enthusiasts of South America, you’re barely a try-hard, I’m afraid, because there you will find folks who turn up at a motorshow to salivate over the new models of their favourite vehicle, and then willingly brand themselves, for life with the word ‘Jeep’. We found it hard to believe too, but Alexandre Aquino, Director for Jeep Latin America, told us the story of the 2018 Sao Paulo International Motor Show where he had the novel idea of setting up a tattoo parlour where fans could get inked, for free. “We had a…

BACK IN the 1960s, when the motorway known then as the F3 slowly started linking the north of Sydney with Newcastle, the old route – the Pacific Highway between Berowra and Gosford – was relegated to a tourist drive. Go there on a weekday and it’s all bird songs and tranquility, populated only by the occasional cyclist, or perhaps a touring Harley rider chugging though, enjoying the scenery. But on the weekend it’s a very different story. Early Sunday mornings it becomes like a weird cross between a motorcycle festival and some kind of dystopian scene from Mad Max. Dozens of riders gather in the car park of the Pie in the Sky bakery in Cowan, fuel up on coffee and pastry products, and proceed to wring the necks of…

FOR A CAR now into its sixth year on the international market, the Skoda Kodiaq remains a well-equipped rig. Highlights from the standard features list for every variant include full LED headlights and tail lamps, dynamic (animated) LED indicators at the rear, a powered tailgate, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a pair of 10.25-inch main and 9.2-inch instrument cluster displays. Not as big as some screens now, but big enough. In all, there’s a lot of kit here you won’t find standard on the entry model of most rival line-ups – although, with a $48,540 starting price for the base Style grade, you’d expect a good spread. (See the full spec list at whichcar.com.au/skoda/kodiaq) For safety, each model gets nine airbags, autonomous emergency braking with predictive pedestrian protection,…

HYUNDAI’S Ioniq 6 electric sedan is further proof that the Korean giant is intent on making dramatic styling statements with each new model it releases, rather than rely on one core design language simply scaled up or down to suit the segment. First previewed by the wild-looking Prophecy concept two years ago, Ioniq 6 draws inspiration from the ‘streamliner’ movement of the 1930s. Simon Loasby, Head of Hyundai Styling, points to influences like the Stout Scarab and massive Phantom Corsair one-off from 1938. “It’s all about the proportion of the side view and what we call ‘the single curve’,” says Loasby. In terms of how different Ioniq 6 is to the 5, Hyundai design chief SangYup Lee says the company’s vehicles are like chess pieces: “King, queen, bishop, and knight;…

The Model Y packs those Tesla delights that lure so many buyers, from card-type keyless operation, over-the-air software updates and smartphone remote control functionality, to built-in kit such as dual wireless phone charging, dash cam, Sentry security monitoring and a HEPA air filtration system. Its 15-inch touchscreen brims with features not offered outside the marque, such as Tesla Vision environmental monitoring to avoid collisions. Plus, it offers party tricks including a fireplace display while the cabin is heating and entertainment such as TikTok and Sudoku on the run. Autopilot semi-autonomy (adaptive cruise and lane keeping) is standard, though an Enhanced Autopilot ($5100) option can be had that adds Navigate on Autopilot, Auto lane Change, Autopark and Smart Summon functionality.…

MIST CLINGS to the ferns that crowd the side of the road, thin vapours of it extending like slippery white fingers towards the centre line. It’s late autumn and everywhere else a weak morning sun shines. But not here. This is the Black Spur and there are sections on this treacherous stretch of tarmac that feel as though they’ve never been warmed by the sun. It’s precarious, slippery and more often than not, it’s raining. Perfect conditions for a pair of rally-bred performance heroes, then… I’m in the GR Yaris and it feels as though I’ve poked Toyota’s pint-sized homologation special in the eye with a hot stick. It’s angry, energised and, despite the changeable grip levels, it’s breathtakingly quick. A front-drive rival would struggle here. Understeer would sap your…

It’s not just engineering philosophy linking this pair. Time ties them together, too; a connection forged over 70 years UNLESS you’re attempting a triple stint at Le Mans, driving a modern performance car quickly is actually pretty easy. Physically, I mean. Hustle a grippy car up a sweeping section of road and the only physical stamina you really require is the strength to reach for the air-con controls. Just in case you get a smidge warm. But this? This is hard work. I’m sweating. Breathing hard, too. And my forearms hurt. And yet, as I pitch the gorgeous Porsche 356 into another corner and feel its narrow 15-inch tyres start to slide, ever so gently, I can’t help but think modern cars might have lost something. Because this is about…

Honda HR-V WIRELESS APPLE Carplay is supported, but not for Android Auto, and adding wireless device charging requires an option tick. Wi-fi connectivity is included, enabling the HR-V to connect to a hotspot for over-the-air updates. An additional gear selector position locks the drivetrain into B which increases the regenerative braking effect. Wheel paddles can then be used to select from four different levels of regen allowing single-pedal driving for a majority of circumstances. In the back, occupants get 35mm more leg room and a more relaxed seating position with the back support reclined by an additional 2.0 degrees compared with the previous model. Toyota RAV4 A DARK interior theme defines this new XSE variant with sporty black roof liner and pillar trims, synthetic black leather upholstery with pleasant imitation…

CREDOS (1998-2001) Kia’s mid-sized sedan arrived in Oz in 1998 with the tagline as “the car the Europeans wish they could build at the price the Japanese wish they could copy.” At 4731mm long, there was ample interior room though, but little joy elsewhere. The 2.0-litre front-driver generated 98kW and 171Nm and there was some Mazda 626 DNA in the underpinnings, but the Credos did nothing new other than offering more metal than its rivals for less outlay. GEN-II MENTOR/SHUMA/SPECTRA (1998-2004) Kia’s Corolla rival embodied all of the early hallmarks that garnered that cheap and cheerless stigma. Perhaps the largest car you could buy under $20K brought with it sub-par quality and refinement. A modest 65kW 1.5-litre four got you in the door but even its high-spec 82kW 1.8-litre engine…

Genesis G70 G70 is the benchmark for ergonomics. Its central screen is crisp and quick to respond, there’s a bright, clear head-up display and the blind-spot video monitor, which pops up on the digital dash when you use the indicators, is genuinely useful. And hallelujah for physical climate-control buttons! Unlike the Peugeot and VW, which force you to dive into the central touchscreen or fumble with touch-sensitive sliders to change the temperature or fan speed, the G70 keeps it simple. Wheel is heated, while instrument dials change colour and design as you cycle through the five drive modes. Peugeot 508 Charging or connecting your phone in the 508 is a bit of a faff because the dual USB ports and wireless charging pad are hidden away in a hard-to-reach cubby…

HOW MUCH power and performance do you need in a mid-size family SUV? Given most of us are greedy buggers, it’s likely your reflex response was “as much as possible”, but consider how we use our family wheels. Do you really need a great wallop of torque or an effervescent top-end in a vehicle whose primary function is to drop off kids, pick up the shopping and occasionally get its tyres dusty as you trundle out of town to visit Aunt Sharon? Surely fuel economy, refinement and drivability are more important measures of success? It’s a pertinent question to ponder when it comes to the Outlander. Currently the only powertrain on offer in this fourth-generation model is a 2.5-litre naturally aspirated four pot and there’s no sugar-coating it – this…

France’s rallying cry DIMINUTIVE COMPETITION GIANT KILLER DELIVERED A TAIL-HAPPY ENDING RENAULT CAUSED A stir when its third (and current) generation Twingo made an about-face: its engine is in the back. The inline three-cylinder donk is slightly ahead of the rear axle line, rather than truly rear-engined – but aside from Daimler’s smart (whose latest generation shares the Twingo platform), it’s a bold departure from the ubiquitous, front-drive econocar formula. Back in the 1950s and ’60s, however – even accommodating the 1959 launch of the BMC Mini – the future of small cars looked like being this way. The drivetrain packaging efficiency and runaway sales success of the Volkswagen prompted really interesting rear-engined rivals from Fiat, BMW, Goggomobil, Hillman, NSU, Simca, Skoda – and a rash of Renaults that would endure…