As seen on:

SMH Logo News Logo

Call 1300 303 181

Australia’s Best New Car News, Reviews and Buying Advice

Archive for May, 2015

Australia’s Least Wanted Drivers (In Car Parks, Anyway)

bad-parking-7132531The following are the drivers we least want to see in carparks in our local shopping malls or similar. Give them all a great big raspberry!

#1 Able-Bodied Amanda

Amanda can be found parking in the disabled park, even though there is nothing the matter with her. She’s “only going in for a minute and nobody uses the disabled car park anyway”. Nobody, that is, except at least half a dozen people in any typical urban neighbourhood, who all fume at Amanda as she makes them take their wheelchairs from the other side of the carpark. One day, they will be rolling past as she gets back into her car and she will wish she could bury herself in a large hole.

A close relative of Able-Bodied Amanda is Childless Charlotte, who takes up the parents-of-small-children parks in a similar fashion.

Do not confuse Able-Bodied Amanda with the drivers who have disabilities that are less than visible and legitimately park in the disabled carpark.

#2 Jovial Joe

Jovial Joe is more likely to be found in the car parks of supermarkets in small towns.  Joe knows everybody and loves to stop for a good old yarn. This sees him stopping his Toyota Hilux  ute in the middle of the non-parking bits of the carpark (you can’t really call them roads but you know what I mean) and rolling down the window to have a long chat to Garrulous Gary. Alternatively, he will stand with the door of his ute open, taking up the car park beside him as well as the one his ute’s in while Chatty Charlie beside him does the same, thus taking up yet another car park. Small-town carparks are not huge.

Just be thankful you’re not waiting for Jovial Joe to move his ute away from the bowser at the petrol station while he’s in talking to the attendant.

#3 SUV Sarah

SUV Sarah is in the running for Super Mum Of The Year and wants everyone to know it. She drives a softroader SUV with all the bells and whistles (e.g. Audi Q7) to keep the kiddies safe.  If she could put all those front and rear parking sensors to better use, her ownership of this large vehicle would not be a problem.  As it is, she always seems to take up three spaces, or even five when the doors of the SUV are thrown open.

You could blame the designers of the carparks – some of them do seem to have been thinking of teeny tiny classic Minis or Fiat 500s  when painting the lines designating the parking spaces.

#4 Squealing Simon

Squealing Simon is more of an urban nuisance and is often found on the upper floors of car parking buildings.  Squealing Simon has seen too many movies involving shoot-outs or car chase scenes set in car parking buildings and is trying to emulate them.  The end result is that you come up the ramp trying to find a park where you’re not likely to be collected by SUV Sarah, Wonky Wilma or Learner Larry (or if you are Wonky Wilma or Learner Larry trying to minimise your nuisance value), you will be suddenly confronted by screeching tyres and a revving engine attached to something that narrowly misses him.

#5 Learner Larry

Learner Larry is forgivable but still a nuisance.  Learner Larry has the L-plates carefully in place and is learning how to park a car properly.  Larry is very, very new at this and is terrified that he is going to hit the fancy new Mercedes behind him, so he goes v-e-e-e-r-y s-l-o-o-o-o-w-l-y.  The long line of other drivers waiting for him to finish his manoeuvre only adds to his nerves and makes him take it even more slowly.  Try not to honk your horn at him.

However irritating he is, Learner Larry is preferable to the closely related P-Plate Peter, who thinks he knows it all, forgets he’s not in Mum’s vehicle with all the sensors and cameras, and goes careening backwards into your bumper.

#6 Wonky Wilma

Wonky Wilma is not spatially gifted.  She never gets the angle exactly right for getting into an angle park (don’t ask about what her parallel parking is like).  At least seven times out of ten, she will not be in the right place in the parking space. She will be right up close to the white line, making it impossible for you to open your door without taking her paint off or she will be straddling the white line and hoping nobody else comes along. Sometimes, she’s in the space on a slight diagonal rather than straight, but at least that’s not going to be a problem for others in the car park… until it’s time for her to back out.

#7 Canine Carrie

Canine Carrie loves dogs. She owns several of them and takes them with her wherever she goes.  She would take them into the supermarket with her on her frequent trips to buy dog sausage and other treats for her precious fur-kids.  However, this is not permitted, so she leaves them in the car, with the window open so they don’t overheat, of course.  As she leaves, the furry tribe breaks into a volley of barking caused by separation anxiety.  When she is doing her shopping, further barking breaks out every time anyone walks within 10 metres of the car.  Little noses with sharp little teeth will appear in the gap at the top of the window as her smallest dog (the one that has the Napoleon complex) tries to defend the vehicle with everything in his tiny little body. The car can be seen wobbling as the dogs rush to and fro for a better vantage spot for barking at passers-by.  The dogs go berserk when Carrie comes back, increasing the amount of barking and wobbling.

The advantage of Canine Carrie is that her dogs provide you with entertainment while you wait for Learner Larry to finish manoeuvring.

#8 Trailer Trevor

Trailer Trevor is a hard-working contractor who just needs to pick up supplies from the hardware store or grab a few groceries for the wife on the way home from a job (might as well make use of the fact that the run to and from work all goes in the log book as a work trip even if you grab the shopping on the way).  However, he’s got his trailer hitched to the Nissan Navara.  He’d like to find a pair of parking spaces nose to nose that will let him park with the minimum of nuisance; he really would.  However, such parks are not available, forcing him to take up a long line of parking spaces as he parks sideways.

Any additions to this list are most welcome.  Or not welcome, as the case may be.

Safe and happy driving,

Megan (self-confessed Wonky Wilma) http://credit-n.ru/offers-zaim/bistrodengi-zaymi-online-nalichnymi.html

Private Fleet Car Review: 2016 Hyundai Sonata Active.

Hyundai started with names, for some cars they went to numbering but the swing is back to names. The Sonata became the i45 and is back to Sonata. 2016 Hyundai Sonata ActiveIn the three model range, A Wheel Thing kicks of a back to back test with the entry level model, the Active.

Powersource.
Utterly uncomplicated: a 2.4L engine, with 231 Nm at 4000 rpm and 138 kW at 6000 revs. Transmission is a six speed auto. Fuel economy finished at 7.1L per 100 km after some 630 km. Hyundai quote an excessive 12.1L for urban, a more reasonable 6.3L for highway and 8.3L per 100 km on a combined cycle. Tank size is a not inconsiderable 70L.2016 Hyundai Sonata Active engine

The Suit.
The main design difference is at the front. In profile it’s almost identical, down to a chromed strip in the upper fenders, but by giving the Sonata a different headlight/grille/bumper treatment (plus some well integrated LED driving lights) and a mild work over of the tail lights, it’s enough to differentiate between the two. Rolling stock was 17 inch alloys, with 215/55 Nexen rubber. Dry weight is a decent 1500 kilograms.2016 Hyundai Sonata Active front

The aforementioned profile also hints at an almost coupe’ look, with a sloping roof line, front and rear, running an angle from above the B pillar to terminate almost at the boot lid in one smooth curve. It’s a swoopy, aerodynamic look and is pleasingly well proportioned to the eye.2016 Hyundai Sonata Active rear

It’s a good size at 4855 mm long, with width and height 1865 and 1475 mm respectively. With a 2.8 metre wheelbase, it offers plenty of interior legroom as well. Coated in a pearlescent white didn’t hurt, either, making the Sonata look bigger.

On The Inside.
The inside is comfortable but, much like Goldilocks’ porridge, isn’t great nor is it terrible. It’s just right in an unspectacular sort of way. There’s cloth seating, good ergonomics, switchgear is clear to read and nicely laid out however it’s bland, dull, uninspiring. There’s two information screens; a monochrome one for the driver and a 4.3 inch main screen in its own housing in the upper console.2016 Hyundai Sonata Active dash

There’s nothing offensive about the cabin….but there is nothing that reaches out and catches the eye to say “Buy Me!!!” either. The seats have good but not great bolstering, the dash is functional but not overly impressive, the dash console is well laid out but dull to the eye….you get the picture. The steering wheel has a good feel and echoes the design of the grille.

2016 Hyundai Sonata Active rear seats
In the centre console between passengers lies a button that activates a driving mode, with a choice of Normal, Sports or Eco. Effectively it changes the shift points of the auto; A Wheel thing left it in Normal.2016 Hyundai Sonata Active front seats

There is, however, a couple of redeemers; the steering column is adjustable not just for rake (up and down), but, unusually, for reach (in and out) as well. With a reasonable amount of fore/aft adjustment for the driver’s seat, it does allow for almost any sized driver to create a comfortable position. Then there’s the blue backlighting for the buttons on the tiller, it’s classy, effective and not overpowering. Starting procedure is “old style” key operated.

There’s Euro style indicating, with a soft touch position for three to five flashes, before clicking through to the normal operating position. Auto headlights are standard, as well, 2 12 volt sockets in the front centre console and one for the rear, airbags for driver and passenger head and thorax, along with curtain airbags.2016 Hyundai Sonata Active wheel

Cargo space in the rear is 462L with the seats up, naturally there’s plenty of bottle and cup holders distributed throughout the cabin. The sound system is of a decent quality, with a solid bass without booming and enough range to not have the ears struggling to pick up up notes.

On The Road.
Goldilocks strikes here as well; the engine delivers the goods but needs to be pressed to do so. Under light acceleration the engine sometimes feels as if it struggles, although the gearbox shifts smoothly enough. It’s the comparative dearth of torque and that 231 Newton metres comes in at 4000 revs, somewhat above the normal rev point under light acceleration, meaning the engine is working less efficiently to do the same work.

Under way, it’s the similar situation, just delivered differently, in that the revs are in play at around 2000 rpm and to extract anything in regards to overtaking, a bit of a heavy right slipper is called upon. A bit, that is. The computer is pretty savvy in that a more judicious use of the go pedal seems to be more effective than an outright slam dunk of the right foot. Sounds odd, but it works, in that a more leisurely approach seemed more effective.

The ride felt a touch soft and wallowy yet that was more down to the tyres than the Australianised suspension. That is well tuned with shockers and springs well matched to flatten the ride, absorb bumps, have the car flat and level and not pogo over certain irregular road sections.

Of concern, however, are the brakes. They’re ineffective without a decent shove on the pedal. There’s no response for the initial part of travel, soft for most of the first part of the upper travel and leave the car careering towards anything in front of it without the brakes worrying they’re really being called upon. There’s a distinctive lack of bite until the pedal has sunk over a third of the way down and no real feel of progression either.

Steering is responsive, driven by the engine rather than electrically assisted; it’s well balanced and weighted, with a turn setup of just 2.8 (rounded up) rotations from full lock to full lock. It does feel a touch light at lower speeds but feels as if it’s increasing in weight as speed increases.

The Wrap.
The 2016 Hyundai Sonata Active is the automotive equivalent of Goldilocks and her porridge, with that porridge in a plain white bowl… It’s not too hot, it’s not too cold….it’s just right, but unspectacularly so. It does the job without fuss and without any real appeal. The end economy result, however, was a pleasant surprise, coming in at under Hyundai’s quoted figure for combined driving. That urban figure, though…

Hyundai offers a new car buyer this warranty: five years with unlimited kilometres covered, plus you can take advantage of their 10 years worth of roadside assistance and Hyundai’s Lifetime Service Guarantee (see the website for T’s and C’s.) Should you buy an Elite or Premium, there’s three years of updates to the navigation system.

For details: http://www.hyundai.com.au/vehicles/sonata/specifications

 
The Car: 2016 Hyundai Sonata Active.
Engine: 2.4L gasoline direct injection.
Fuel: 91 RON.
Tank: 70L.
Economy (quoted): Urban, Highway, Combined L per 100 km, 12.1/6.3/8.3.
Dimensions: L x W x H (in mm) 4855 x 1865 x 1475.
Weight: 1500 kg (dry)
Wheel/Tyre: 215 x 55 x 17, alloy wheel with Nexen rubber.
Warranty: 5 years, unlimited km warranty.
private_fleet_logo http://credit-n.ru/offers-zaim/creditplus-online-zaimi.html

Ancient Resurrection: The Masters Historic Festival at Brands Hatch

Image Credit: BrandsHatch.co.uk

Image Credit: BrandsHatch.co.uk

“A demon of the ancient world. This foe is beyond any of you.”

There are whispers in the dark. Mutterings of a nameless fear once thought long departed from this world. This is the deep breath before the storm. The serenity that dominates our modern world will be broken; shattered as the true power of the past unleashes its voracious fury. On this bank holiday, the Kentish countryside will explode in an illustrious majesty unmatched by anything from the modern world. This is the Masters Historic Festival at Brands Hatch. And Stopwatch as ever is here for all your hospitality needs and more!

This bank holiday weekend, prepare to relive the shining glory of the motorsport past as once again the Masters Historic Festival returns to Brands Hatch. And this year it is better than ever. If I asked you to name some of the great race series from the past, chances are that most of these will be racing this weekend. This is not just historic racing, this is a celebration and resurrection of our racing past in a weekend long festival that will stun, amaze and leave you wanting more.

Making their monstrous return to the undulating Kentish countryside is the FIA Masters Historic Formula One championship, proving exactly what F1 racing should be in all its rapturous, thunderous and almighty glory. No one is saying that the modern championship has a lot to learn from these beastly machines of old, but the vicious combination of speed, power and ungodly noise puts the aggravated bees of the modern day to shame. With machines from the 60s, 70s and 80s including Williams, Tyrell, Lotus and Arrows to name but a few, the golden age of Formula One racing will roar back into life in spectacular fashion.

These titanic time travellers would not be complete without a touring car renaissance, in the form of the Super Touring Championship. In a monster grid of nearly 30 cars, machines from arguably the greatest era of BTCC racing will come together to take on Brands Hatch. The Super Touring era truly defined what it was that makes tin top racing so special. In a time of excess and glamour, the BTCC attracted big manufacturers, big budgets and big names. The 90s may well be over, but the iconic machines remain, ready to reignite the meteoric fires of battle once again. From Nissan Primeras to Honda Accords to Ford Sierra Cosworths, this is not to be missed.

Photo taken from: supertcc.com

Photo taken from: supertcc.com

If that was not enough to whet your appetite, the FIA Masters Historic Sports Car championship will be pitting classic endurance cars against each other, bringing back the spirit of Le Mans from days gone by. Nothing quite beats the sight and sound of a Ford GT40 on the pit straight at Brands Hatch; truly electrifying. And on top of all that, various support series with classic sports, touring and single-seater machines make this a weekend of racing you do not want to miss.

The weekend is not just about the racing, a host of demonstrations and displays will transform Brands Hatch into the perfect Bank Holiday festival. Do not miss your chance to see classic F1 cars from the late 80s and 90s both on track and up close, while feasting your eyes on car displays including Aston Martin, Ferrari and Lancia among many others.

With such a biblically impressive weekend ahead, you deserve to enjoy the action in style. And there is no better place for that than Stopwatch Hospitality. For the small price of £45 per person, guests will be treated to an unrivalled behind the scenes hospitality experience, including multimedia access to live timing, twitter and video feed, complimentary tea and coffee, cash bar and a spectacular view of the circuit. But most importantly, word has reached our ears that BTCC legend John Cleland has agreed to give us a pit tour, sign autographs and take part in a Q&A session for guests. Cleland is celebrating a staggering 20 years since his most famous championship glory in the BTCC. Now that is not something you hear every day now is it?

On this glorious Bank Holiday weekend, its time to let loose the demons of the ancient world. This is the Masters Historic Festival at Brands Hatch. This is Stopwatch Hospitality.

See you there!

Race Day Tickets: £45 per person (Half Price for Ages 12 and under)

–          Includes Circuit Entry and All-day Suite Access

Contact Details PNG WEB

http://credit-n.ru/offers-zaim/dozarplati-srochnye-zaimi-online.html

Private Fleet Car Review: Volvo S60 D4 Luxury.

Slinky. Sexy. Good looking. Curvaceous. Words once used to describe the better half of Abba are now used to describe Volvo cars. The D4 S60 stands tall in this list and A Wheel Thing gets reacquainted with the good looking Swede.2015 Volvo S60 D4 Luxury profilePowersource.
It’s a fuel efficient (4.2L/100 km, from a 67.5L tank) 2.0L diesel, with 133 kW (4250 rpm) and a torque figure that helps the acceleration (7.4 seconds to 100 km/h) of 400 Newton metres. What’s important about this is where it’s delivered: from 1750 to 2500 rpm. This gives almost unrivalled flexibility, safe overtaking and off the line, head snapping, acceleration. A 1614 kg dry weight helps, too…2015 Volvo S60 D4 Luxury engine

Bolted behind (or, in the case of a transversely mounted engine, next to), the engine is an impressive eight speed auto.
It’s smooth, slick, virtually imperceptible in its shifts although there was some noticeable vibration at low revs. Naturally there’s a paddle shifter setup inside but the tractability of the diesel really negates the need for it to be used.

Volvo tag their engines with a “Drive-E” nomenclature; effectively it’s a shorthand way of saying it’s gearing towards economic usage, where possible and is backed, technologically, by Stop/Start (turns the engine off when the car has been brought to a rest and the brake sensor reads that) as an example. But it goes further than that, it’s a philosophy that embraces the whole car: better fuel economy, less emissions, recyclable materials and more.

The Suit.
Long nose, short tail, slinky looks in a teardrop style. Swiveling headlights at the front, boomerang neons at the rear bookend a svelte, lithe figure.2015 Volvo S60 D4 Luxury front
There’s folding wing mirrors, puddle lamps, grippy (very grippy!) Continental types, some tidy alloys inside, LED driving lights, exhausts buried neatly inside two chromed exits and not a hint of the boxiness Volvo was famed for. It’s not utterly beautiful but there’s more than enough appeal in its curvaceousness to catch the eye.2015 Volvo S60 D4 Luxury rear

The Inside.
It’s here that the S60 starts to show its age; touchscreens are de riguer nowadays and the S60, being a little older than some, misses out. Volvo have released the XC90 (coming to Australia soon) with a touchscreen setup and there’s little doubt this will point the way for future Volvo machines.2015 Volvo S60 D4 Luxury dash

The centre console has long been a “dislike” for A Wheel Thing; it’s messy, busy, requires more time than is safe to figure out which button to push and a touchscreen will go a long way to alleviating this. There is a colour screen in the swoopy dash, which will show all of the info selected via the jog dials in the vertical, floating centre section.

Audio is available via a well matched speaker set, plus Bluetooth streaming, USB and Auxiliary inputs; stored stations can be accessed via the phone keypad but the interface is still not intuitive. There’s voice control for the navigation as well, with th lot coming under the umbrella name of Sensus.

The seats are well padded, comfortable to a tee and supportive just where they need to be. Being heated ($375 option) helped during a cold snap in Sydney, warming the body whilst a light drizzle of warm air directed towards the footwells kept the tootsies toasty. Of all of the buttons on the console, the aircon ones seem to be the least “lost”, which is a boon on a cold day. There’s also aircon vents mounted vertically in the B pillars to feed the rear seat passengers.2015 Volvo S60 D4 Luxury rear air ventsThe dash is the one Volvo owners know and love; a multi faceted display, with a customisable look via a push switch and jogdial on the left hand indicator, which allows a choice of information screens as well. It’s relatively simple and offers the driver a chance to personalise the look. There’s memory seating positions, plenty of room in the back for most passengers, 60/40 split fold rear seats that lead to a reasonable (339L)cargo space (and non full sized spare).2015 Volvo S60 D4 Luxury rear seats

The steering wheel has a good, chunky, heft to it, plus is home to a number of buttons for audio, cruise and is mounted on a metallic V. Naturally there’s paddles behind the tiller for those that choose manual shifts.2015 Volvo S60 D4 Luxury front seats

Being a Volvo, there’s safety acronyms aplenty: ABS, HBA (Hydraulic Brake Assist), EBA (Emergency Brake Assist) which also activate the Emergency Brake Light system (flashes hazards under emergency braking), DSTC (Dynamic Stability and Traction Control), SIPS (Side Impact Protection System) and more. Bottom line: it’s a Volvo. You’ll be safe.

On The Road.
The console may be a bit tired, but the road manners of the S60 are anything but. That diesel engine is the highlight of the S60’s road ability; 400 torques in that rev range provide unsullied usable acceleration and overtaking, with a seamless, linear surge once the torque comes on song.
It’s not without a flaw, being the typical “should I, can I?” of turbos once they’re off boost and the D4 is no stranger to that. It was most noticeable in slow freeway traffic, when it was under 1500 revs; a stand on the loud pedal, a second’s hesitation, a deep gulp of air before the Continentals hooked up and grabbed bitumen.

Handling is as cool and precise as you’d expect a car from Sweden to be; point, shoot, go. The steering loads up nicely on either side of centre, responds to a gentle touch and really only says torque steer when the S60 is powering up through the ratios.2015 Volvo S60 D4 Luxury wheel

The ride quality is sublime; the aforementioned Continentals hang on, yet also dial out a lot of the minor bumps and ripples on the roads. The suspension rarely felt unsettled and lent a strong feeling of confidence and control across a variety of road surfaces, from tarmac to bush dirt. The brakes were sensibly weighted, with only a bit of travel before a progressive pedal activated a well modulated system.

It’s wonderfully fuel economic too, with an overall average of 5.6L/100 km after a week and still three bars of an eight bar tank display showing. Distance covered? Call it 790 kilometres…2015 Volvo S60 D4 Luxury fuel

The Wrap.
The S60 started at a tick under $62K; with options fitted such as Blind Spot Information Service (BLIS) with Cross Traffic Alert, a Driver Alert System (Lane Departure Warning, Lane Keeping Aid, Active High Beam Control, Forward Collision warning and more), it topped out at $69015.
Is it worth it?
Where do I sign?

Head to www.volvocars.com.au for info on the fabulous range and including the forthcoming XC90. For service details and costs, contact your local Volvo dealer.

For A Wheel Thing TV, thanks to Private Fleet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9XQMVFoBXM&feature=em-upload_owner

The Car: Volvo S60 D4 Luxury.
Engine: Transversely mounted, four cylinder, 2.0L.
Fuel: Diesel.
Tank: 67.5L
Transmission: eight speed automatic.
Power/Torque: 131 kW/400 Nm @ 4250/1750-2500 rpm.
Weight: 1614 kg.
Economy: (combined, claimed) 4.2L/100 km.
Dimensions: (L x W x H in mm) 4635 x 1865 x 1484.
Warranty: three years, unlimited kilometres.
private_fleet_logoBid My Car

  http://credit-n.ru/offers-zaim/ekapusta-besplatniy-zaim.html