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Archive for December, 2016

Governing for a Clean Vehicle Future

As the year approaches an end, several contentious issues appear set to spill over into 2017. Notwithstanding the farewell to Ford and Holden’s contributions to the manufacturing scene, the ACCC played a central role this quarter in defining a future framework applicable for all industry stakeholders.

 

Manufacturing

A sad juncture was reached in the local auto manufacturing scene, with Ford and Holden both drawing a line under production operations. The former closed its manufacturing facilities after 91 years of operation within Australia, while Holden closed the nation’s last remaining engine plant – it remains on track to conclude its production of vehicles in November 2017. A small consolation, Brisbane saw the opening of a manufacturing workshop intended to be a hub for producing solar electric vehicles.

Safety and Environment

In response to the ACCC’s issues paper released a few months ago, the AAA commenced testing local vehicles to gauge their performance against specified fuel and emissions numbers. Among the body’s early findings, real-world performance in these areas far under-performs the results achieved within lab conditions. While deceptive conduct has been ruled out, the extent of the discrepancies is leading to calls for vehicles to be tested within an on-road environment.

As a side issue, and one that will no doubt generate much interest in the coming months, the Federal Government is mulling whether to amend fuel efficiency standards to reduce emission levels. The risk to motorists however, is that regular unleaded fuel could be scrapped and they would be forced to pay more at the pump every time.

Lastly, Volkswagen Australia added another 35,000 vehicles to its recall and rectification program for local vehicles affected by the well-known Dieselgate saga.

 

Technology

Driverless vehicles took a step closer to their eventual roll-out within Australia, with a slew of initiatives and rumours from manufacturers like Audi, Tesla, Mercedes-Benz, Apple and Google. In Victoria, Bosch, VicRoads and TAC unveiled their own prototype for Australia’s first autonomous car. Across a wider scale, government ministers have agreed to facilitate testing of self driving vehicles within Australia over the next few years

The momentum behind alternative energy vehicles also continues to surge. The Adelaide government announced plans for 40 electric charging stations across the city in 2017. Meanwhile, the ACT intend to increase electric vehicle uptake within the public sector as part of a broader goal for zero emissions by 2050. Meanwhile, Toyota launched a local trial of the world’s first mass-produced hydrogen fuel-cell car, the Mirai.

Abroad, and the future of diesel powered vehicles could be set for a review, with Volkswagen one of the auto-makers weighing up the lifespan of the technology within the US market – often a forerunner for other markets.  Petrol and diesel vehicles could be banned within Germany by 2030, with a resolution passing the German upper house back in October – precipitating a move towards hydrogen powered vehicles.

Other technological highlights included:

  • Vodafone’s plans to allow vehicles to communicate with one another and avoid accidents
  • Supercapacitors could soon be used in place of batteries to charge electric vehicles in seconds
  • The SA Government investing $10m towards R&D plus testing for connected and autonomous vehicles

Source: afr.com.au

Regulatory Issues

The ACCC was heavily active this quarter, most emphatically with its issues paper for the new retail car market. The watchdog highlighted numerous issues it proposes to examine, including warranties, consumer rights, fuel and emissions practices, repair and service info, and much more.

Also within its sights, the ACCC focused on Tesla’s claims surrounding its vehicles’ self-driving capabilities – wary that the wording used by the auto-maker could frame consumers’ expectations. Rounding out the local scene, a pay per km scheme reared its head again, with the government now conducting an investigation into the proposal raised earlier this year.

  http://credit-n.ru/trips.html

Preparing For The Summer Road Trip

Christmas and New Year are just around the corner, which means that the summer holiday season is finally upon us. This doesn’t just mean that this will be my last post here for 25016 (not sure what my fellow Private Fleet bloggers will be doing, though!). It also means that a lot of us are thinking about the big summer road trip. A lot of us take our annual vacation at this time of year, and still more of us travel to stay with the relatives for Christmas – I know my in-laws are on the road heading towards my place as I write this. The main intercity and interstate roads get a lot busier as people start doing a Chris Rea (i.e. driving home for Christmas) and as others head off for a getaway.

OK, there’s all the usual road safety things to be aware of, such as fatigue, irritability after being cooped up in a car with hot, grumpy kids for hours on end, increased police presence on the road as they clamp down on speed, etc. and ping you for being just the teeniest bit over the limit and slapping you with a hefty fine right before Christmas, etc. etc.  I’m sure I’ve written about this in the blogs of Christmas past.

However, in order to have a safe and relatively happy road trip, you need to prepare the vehicle as well as packing your bags.  The last thing you want is for a holiday to be ruined or for plans to be put out by an unscheduled stop somewhere thanks to a breakdown or your car giving up the ghost. OK, in the case of a holiday road trip, this may mean you end up discovering a wonderful new little place to stay that you wouldn’t have discovered if your car hadn’t blown something in the middle of nowhere, but if you’re trying to get to the rellies in time for Christmas, breaking down is a pain.

To avoid unnecessary hassles, it’s wisest to give your car a bit of a once-over before you start out.  What exactly do you check?  The following will be a good start:

Tyres.  Have you got enough tread on all tyres, including the spare?  Is the spare in good condition or is it just sitting in its place in sad condition, forgotten after the last time you had to change a flat?

Lights. What with the cops all trying to make up for having to work over the Christmas period by playing Let’s See How Many People We Can Book, it’s best not to give them an excuse. It’s also best not to have something malfunctioning on a car that could lead to a nasty situation.  Check that all your lights are working – all of them.  It might also be a wise idea to make sure that you’ve got some spare bulbs for your particular vehicle stashed away in the glovebox (and maybe a fuse or two). You never know when a light’s going to go on you and leave you stuck at the relatives’ place with all the mechanics closed and the one that is open on Boxing Day not having something suitable for your model.  I’m not making this last one up, as it happened to some of our tribe when they were staying at our place a few years back. And it was pouring with rain for days and they had lots of kids but couldn’t get a spare light for the Mitsubishi Grandis … (thank goodness for the local swimming pool!).

Cooling system. Come on, you know that it gets hot here in summer. Very hot.  Make sure that all the fluids are topped up in your vehicle before you set out.

Windscreen wipers. Make sure that the blades are in good nick so they can actually get the windows properly wiped, whether you’re driving through a patch of rain or whether you need to get the smashed moths and pollen off the windscreen.  Don’t forget to top up the window washing fluid while you’re at it.  The insides of windows can also be a problem, so stash some wipes in the glovebox – you’ll find that you use these for more than just cleaning the insides of the windows, too.

Trailers and caravans. Yes, it’s time for the caravan’s annual outing, so it may have been a while since you gave it some mechanical attention.  Make sure it’s road legal and that it’s got a spare tyre in good condition as well.  Don’t forget to make sure that the drawbar is properly lubed up.

Tow rope. I have lost count of the times that the other half has decided to do a little off-roading to find a good picnic spot but has ended up getting stuck.  Off-roading when we owned an Isuzu Bighorn was all very well, but wasn’t quite so good when it happened in the Ford Fairmont .  We’d have never got that car out of the sand without a good rope (thanks to some passers-by who did have a 4×4), or at least it would have been a long and difficult process of shoving sticks down and pushing and… but that’s another story.  Make sure you have a good tow rope stowed in the car.  You never know – you might be the one who has to tow or rescue someone else.

Most importantly of all, don’t forget to relax and enjoy the trip as much as the destination. http://credit-n.ru/calc.html

Claw Marks: The Jaguar Driving Experience.

Many car companies offer buyers of their products a driving school experience. Jaguar is no different in that respect. Where this fabled British car company does differ is that…well….you get to drive Jaguars. Sydney Motorsport Park is the venue in NSW and I recently had an opportunity to do a session with the Jaguar Drive Experience.The afternoon session kicks off with a catered lunch, before an introduction to the team and instructors. There’s no doubt as to the qualifications of the drivers, with V8 Supercar driver Tony D’Alberto and GT driver Nathan Antunes amongst them.

Each session is planned to be timed down to the second; that includes a video presentation, a rundown of the history of Jaguar, and splitting attendees into teams and being identified into numerical order for the driving sessions. The cars on display give a good insight into what Jaguar is all about: a choice of supercharged V6 and V8 hardtop F-Types, the supercharged V6 XE, and the limousine with a machine gun, the supercharged 5.0L V8 XJ.

For many, this will be their first time on a dedicated race track’s surface. The people are all Jaguar owners with many of them new to the brand. The car park is full of Jaguars belonging to the drivers that have, as a result of their purchase, been invited by Jaguar to find out just how their cars can be driven. At speed. Safely.

There’s a couple of sighting laps for each team, but before that, some basics. Seating position (low and with arms and legs bent, not straight.) Why? In a full frontal impact the kinetic energy is directed through the chassis and will be transmitted along straight lengths, like arms and legs, and terminate in the hard spots, like shoulders and pelvis. A high incidence of injuries are of these types due to people being seated too far from the seats and having their legs ramrod straight. Position of hands on the tiller? Nine and three, thank you, not ten and two. It makes it easier to reach those funny sticks that make ticky noises and causes lights to flash on the car’s corners or to engage the wipers when that strange wet stuff comes from the sky. Oh, and it’s also where the companies that use “flappy paddles” tend to put them, too.

Being driven in the cossetting surrounds of a top spec XJ, with narration from your instructor as he points out marker cones where you’re looking to line your car up when it’s your turn to drive, interspersed with terms such as double apex and off camber curves, is an unusual feeling. Now, it’s time to drive. First up? The sweeting looking and brutally powerful F-Type V8. It’s a snug fit, especially when wearing the mandatory helmet. My instructor, Andrew, ensures that the helmet is correctly fastened before covering off some points about the car and, more importantly, emphasises the safety factor the sessions are intended to further imbue Jaguar drivers with. It’s also pointed out that the rear vision mirror inside is pointed towards his position in the passenger seat. Why? So for the…more conservative driver…he can see following traffic and advise said conservative driver to clear the racing line.

The starter button is prodded, an instinctive check for traffic and D is selected. There’s an intoxicating burble from the four exhaust tips as the revs climb, a crackle from the pipes as brakes are applied in corners, a nicely weighted steering wheel responds to input as cones on apexes are lined up and…two laps later, the first run is done.The other three drivers, including Melissa from Penrith, who had taken delivery of her first Jaguar, an XE, earlier in the year, and had the widest smile possible, take their turns. If it were possible to have a smile that encircled the entire head, she’d have it.

Next up, the biiiiiiiig XJ R-Sport. It’s a long car at over five metres in length, and with a wheelbase close to three metres it offers leg room enough to please a giraffe. Andrew explains that a different driving style is required due to the sheer size of the vehicle, yet, being largely constructed of aluminuim, tips the scales at under 2000 kilograms. This has the effect of making the XJ surprisingly nimble and easy to easy to punt around the fast and fluid Sydney Motorsport Park circuit. There’s a subtle yet noticeable difference in the exhaust note, a subconscious recognition of the extra space behind you and the fact that the car does indeed handle like a smaller car.It’s the back to back comparisons that make doing such a course so utterly important in the greater scheme of safety on the roads. One of the factors here is the instruction to look ahead, to plan your entry and exit. What this does is have the driver look at where they can get their car to go but, crucially, where to go in the event of an issue further ahead. It’s human nature to pick out an object and the brain momentarily focuses on that. But, in an emergency situation, what a driver should be looking out for is the road out, not the tree, the sole tree, next to that exit, as all too often single occupant fatalities have been caused by the car hitting the only object around, such as a tree or pole.

The other part of using a race circuit to conduct driver education is showing how a fluid and smooth movement is safer than a sudden sideways wrench of the wheel. Far too often a car has rolled simply because of drivers suddenly veering left or right, primarily becuase of inattention and suddenly realisied the truck in front is a whole lot closer than expected. Indicator stalks are placed at fingertip’s end and designed to move at a soft touch as the wheel is turned gently when changing lanes. The instructors are at pains to point out that a smooth and fluid handling car responds to smooth and fluid drivers far better than those that are not. The end result? A safer driver and safer journey.The final session covered off two distinctly different driving examples. The first was the XE V6 for our group and our last car. Andrew points out the flashing red Start/Stop button and mentions off handedly that it’s a heartbeat, the timing of the flashes. That heartbeat is 66 times per minute. Why? It’s the heartbeat of a jaguar, at rest…

Both in this and inside the XJ we were given three laps and it was here that a stretch of the legs was really undertaken. The subtle wail of the supercharger bolted atop the V6, the imperceptible change of the auto’s gears, and seeing the speedo hit 160 kilometres per hour in a legal environment is one thing. By now there’s more familiaraity with the track and the laps feel quicker, the braking points become more instinctive, the apexes get closer and the points between acceleration and braking become shorter. Being taken for hot laps by the instructor? Another thing entirely.

Andrew checks the helmets straps and nods towards the V6 F-Type. They call the hot laps “The Instructor’s Revenge” and is mainly because of the people that see themselves as a better driver than they really are. Going quick in a straight line? Sure. Hitting the apexes whilst experiencing a car for the first time? Well done sir. But here’s the reality check.

Fire and brimstone, lightning and thunder, Thor’s hammer meets the awesome power of Superman. That’s just the basic 250 kilowatt V6 F-Type. Bump it up to 280 kW for the F-Type S or go full metal jacket for the bellowing 404 kilowatt 5.0L V8. Torque? “Just” 680 of them. We’re in the F-Type S, with the 280 kW V6 and 460 torques from 3500 revs. There’s noise, a sweet sound to a Jaguar fan, of a restrained and angry machine wanting to pick a fight with an ill educated driver but Andrew controls the beast.

There’s moments of sensing the car about to lose contact with the track as the F-Type goes sideways but it’s a controlled movement, a pucker moment here and there as the chassis squirms around under power. The traction control kicks in and out, obeying the commands of the computer which itself is obeying the commands of the organic computer sitting a couple of feet above the seat cushion. Snarls from the front, a surge as the accelerator is pressed, the snap of the exhaust as spent dinosaur juice is expelled.

There’s flicks of the wheel, left, right, but never are they a sudden movement in response to panic or fear. Andrew holds the F-Type in his grip and the car fights back but recognises who its master is. And that master is what we’re and they’re to get a glimpse of: a properly educated driver that understands what a car can do and just how much can be extracted from the car in the right hands. It also shows just how undertrained and woefully dangerous other drivers are as the chief instruction is left ringing in our ears when the sessions wrap up.

“You’ve had your brain recalibrated. Remember that when you leave.”

We’ve spent the last few hours travelling, in a safe and legal environment, at speeds that just a few hundred metres away would be deemed dangerous and illegal and license losing, and it’s here that the great safety conundrum again rears its head.

On my way to the circuit, I passed a clearly marked police car. It was on my left and nestled in one of those little spaces roadside. Ostensibly they’re there for safety and we’re told they scan numberplates for stolen or unregistered cars. Scarcely two hundred metres away, on the opposite side of the freeway, there was a four car nose to tail pileup. This incident was inside a line of single lane traffic waiting to enter a congested road, were some distance away from the traffic light controlled intersection and it would have been impossible, absolutely impossible, for those crashes to have occured at anything more than sixty kilometres per hour. You should be able to appreciate the irony here.

It’s fact that most nose to tail crashes happen at or below the posted speed limit and are a massive contributor to insurance and hospital costs. Yet we have speed cameras in odd locations and they have simply failed to have an impact on saving lives, irrespective of the propaganda governments would have you believe. A solid indicator of that failure is the simple and sheer amount of revenue these devices deliver to governments. They’d tell you that they’d be happy to have no revenue from these devices, inferring that no speed, no pay. This ignores the fact that if they weren’t also revenue raising devices then the government wouldn’t attach a revenue raising amount to them along with the demerit point system.

It’s also a fact that at the velocities we were travelling didn’t kill us. The cynical would say it was because we were on a race track. This overlooks the fact that race drivers, the most highly trained and experienced drivers on earth and who regularly travel at illegal road speeds (on the race circuit), have a death rate, world wide, of a miniscule fraction of one per cent of those Australia has per year on the roads.  The cynical would say it’s because we’re on a race track and not surrounded by other drivers. Again, race drivers are at higher velocities and surrounded by drivers doing similar high speeds.

The Jaguar Driving Experience has shown that it’s possible to travel at high speeds but, vitally, it’s shown how to travel at high speeds and corner properly, SAFELY. And that is the crux of any driver training and the crucial part that isn’t seen as essenially worthwhile by governments.

(With thanks to the Jaguar Driving Experience and The Formula Company.) http://credit-n.ru/avtokredit.html

2017 Mahindra XUV500 Auto: Private Fleet Car Review.

Mahindra is not a name known to many car drivers in Australia and for those that are aware of the brand, the mention of it elicits a range of responses, with most of them not entirely positive. That suggests the brand has a lot to do to both be more visible here and to overcome the negativity surrounding that. The company manufactures a number of different vehicles, predominantly of a workhourse utility style. However, there is an SUV in the range, called the XUV500, and until recently available only with a manual transmission, limiting its appeal somewhat.To that end, Mahindra has fitted a six speed auto, sourced from leading Japanese transmission maker, Aisin. Now available as a four level range, with 2WD and AWD for the manual and auto, the Mahindra XUV500 starts at $29900 and tops out at a reasonable $34900, with which Private Fleet spent the week.Tagged the W8, there’s a 2.2L diesel up front, with a rated fuel economy of 7.4L per 100 km on a combined cycle. Powerwise it delivers 103 kilowatts and a healthy 330 torques between 1600 to 2800 revs. The Aisin six speed has a good spread of ratios and is definitely worth the investment. It’s smooth in its shifting, with no discernable hesitation between ratios and also doesn’t hold a gear unneccesarily on descents. However, off the line the ratios also don’t do that torque any justice, as acceleration is not the car’s strong point. The 1915 kilogram kerb weight is no doubt a major contributor and also explains the plus ten litres per hundred consumption for the urban cycle.

The transmission itself has a manual change option and it’s here the list of “umm, why” for this car starts. Rather than offering a paddle shift setup, or a rocker motion for the selector, there’s a small rocker switch fitted to the selector’s knob. Although admittedly it’s not difficult to use, it’s counter intuitive and doesn’t exactly feel comfortable. Does it make the XUV500 any quicker? More on that, later. Another niggle is the shift from Drive back to Park, with the usual slide through the gate (it’s a jagged, not straight gateway here), requiring a momentary pause at Neutral in order to then go through Reverse to Park. Again, not a deal breaker but an ultimately pointless thing in the frustration it brings.On tarmac the XUV500 is reasonably tied down. The rear is softer, though, with more rebound than expected and it certainly doesn’t match the more taut feeling up front. Being a seven seater, perhaps Mahindra have gone a little too soft in the expectation there’ll be seven aboard every time the car goes out. Also, the steering is heavily weighted whilst under way but there’s a noticeable feeling of slackness, a sense of disconnection between the wheel and the mechanism itself. Tyres are from Bridgestone and are 235/65 on nicely styled 17 inch alloys. There’s more than a hint of tyre squeal from this lot, with a blocky, all road/all weather tread pattern and that high sidewall profile working together to create that.Inside, the Mahindra delights with a comfortable set of seats, albeit manual only at the front, and some interesting design cues. Of note, and one that won’t please all, is the decision to use a font not unlike that seen in the banner for the movie “Lethal Weapon” on the tabs. It’s somewhat out of place and frankly the size is too small. Otherwise, it’s cleanly laid out, has double redundancy (controls are duplicated on the touchscreen) and have a soft touch with just a hint of click underneath. The same applies to the audio controls on the steerer; soft with a bit of click. Rear leg room is surprisingly spacious and would be suitable for almost all styles of passengers.The dash plastic has a print style many would be unaccustomed to; again, not unattractive, just different. There’s a pair of gloveboxes in front of the passenger seat, with one looking as if it’s a cooler box. The level of the door was a few millimetres higher than the surrounds, but this was the only apparent misalignment of material inside. Being a seven seater, Mahindra has gone to great pains to simplify what some other makers make difficult: raising and lowering the rear seats. A simple lever action mechanism on the back of the seat is all it takes and is brilliant in its simplicity.Tech wise you get satnav, a seven inch touchscreen (as mentioned, but there’s a picture rather than a blankness as a background), curtain and side airbags, super bright LED interior lighting, door mounted safety lights, plus an AWD system that’s engaged at the push of a button. However, there’s no noticeable difference on tarmac and the only indication you get is a tiny glowing backlight on the tab itself. You do, however, get Hill Descent Control.Externally, the Mahindra design crew have taken inspiration from other companies. There’s hints of Mitsubishi Pajero, a touch of Toyota RAV4 and older Mitsubishi Outlander. There’s oversized wheel arch extensions that head north and intrude into the panels. At the rear the tail lights curl upwards into the rear quarters, meeting the swage line from the front. The headlights have a sinuous S-Curve embedded into the design and mirror the similar look embedded in the driving light structure. They bracket Mahindra’s signature grille design, which will not appeal to all, being a rather toothsome look. Also, you’ll get an unusual look for the door handles. Not unpleasant, just different.Back to that manual switch for changing gears; short answer is yes but it’s a qualified yes. There is a subtle but noticeable change in how the ‘box changes but it’d require a camera and someone with a stopwatch to accurately determine if acceleration is actually any quicker. There’s a seat of the pants feeling that it is, but…At The End Of the Drive.
First up, A Wheel Thing must say thank you to James Halliwell at Mahindra Automotive Australia for the opportunity to review the XUV500.
Looks wise, it’s a standout because of its unusual styling. It’s certainly not to everyone’s taste and perhaps it could be seen as a case of trying too hard to look different in order to be seen as different. Personally, a name change would be in order, as it’s a generic and also Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote Acme naming.
Where the car works is on road, as it should. This may read as stating the blindingly obvious, Sybil, however as an unknown, people will have certain expectations to be met. There’s little to question in the way the car rides; it’s compliant enough, needs a tightening at the rear to match the front but is predictable in its handling.
A diet wouldn’t be a bad idea, as people have an expectation that a diesel is economical.

Inside, it’s reasonable enough but could do with a lift in regards to the general presence. The font and size of that, as mentioned, for starters. A move towards a “traditional” manual option for the transmission in having a rocker motion for the lever, not a switch, is another. Electric seats are almost mandatory for a top of the range vehicle yet not seen here.
The touchscreen itself was easy to use but, again, the use of something such as a picture, which looked like a field of flowers, just didn’t quite gel with the overall presentation.

Outside, well here it’s a matter of personal choice and A Wheel Thing would like to see a scaling back of the overt attempt to make the XUV500 stand out. Again, it’s not unattractive, it’s just a little too different for comfort.
Where the car does win is in the price. 35K isn’t a bad ask and seems to adequately reflect the perception many stated of the vehicle.

For more information and to look at booking yourself a test drive, go here: Mahindra XUV500 SUV http://credit-n.ru/forex.html