Archive for December, 2017
Private Fleet Car Review: 2018 Renault Captur Intens
It’s rare nowadays to find a vehicle that can be kindly described as loathed by automotive writers. Technology in the form of entertainment, engine management, transmission variants, and the like, means cars drive, perform, cosset, and are generally regarded as nothing less than good.
Then there’s the revamped for 2018 Renault Captur. The Intens is the range topper and is fitted with digital radio, a turbocharged three cylinder, and dual clutch auto. Sounds good so far. But, the gap between expectations and reality for this particular vehicle is Grand Canyon sized. Priced from $22,000 to $31,590, it’s got a lot to live up to.
The Captur comes with a choice of two engines and neither are what could be considered…big. There’s a 0.9L or, in the case of the Intens, a turboed 1.2L, with power and torque to match the relatively tiny motor. Peak power of 88 kW arrives at 4900 rpm, with peak twist of 190 torques at 2000 rpm. Thanks to the small size of the car itself, it’s good enough to see just on eleven seconds for the 0 to 100 kph stretch.
Because it’s such a small body at just 4122 mm in length and a wheelbase of 2606 mm, the fuel thimble holds just 45 litres of 95 or 98 RON. Renault quotes a combined figure of 5.8L per 100 kilometres. We lobbed at 7.0L/100 km with a more non-suburban drive. Power and torque hit the tarmac via the front wheels only. Also, also ostensibly resembling a SUV, it’s not intended to go off-road.
Transmission: dual clutch autos are pretty good once a vehicle is in motion. It’s the getting from stopped to going that is the issue and the Captur Intens is no different. There’s no engagement of drive from Park to Drive, or Reverse to Drive and vice versa. In Drive and at a standstill, there’s easily a second before the clutches engage and that’s time enough for oncoming vehicles that were a safe distance away to not be. There’s a dial in the centre console that offers three drive modes, one of which is Expert. It didn’t appear to change the feel of the Intens at all.
The interior: flat, slabby looking, hard to the touch, black plastics mix with a 1980s style monochrome dash display, truly odd button placement, and wasted design opportunities imbue a sense of WTF in driver and passenger. For example, the dial on the centre air vents didn’t move the louvres for better airflow, it closed them The small centrally mounted touchscreen also hails from the last decade and, as the radio (DAB through the optional Bose sound system) and map shared space on screen, had a Home button that was ineffective, and looked like an attempt at high tech in a low budget sci-fi movie, utterly failed to visually appeal.
Even the aircon had a quirk, with a button marked aircon off, with the end result presumably meaning the aircon is on all of the time otherwise. Safety? If you want more than four airbags, flashing brake lights in an emergency stop, and Blind Spot Warning then this is not the car for you.
The cruise control switch is mounted in the centre console and isn’t a particularly noticeable one at that thanks to being the size of a thumbnail. The steering wheel has a tab for cruise control speed changes on one arm and the on/off on the other. Audio controls are hidden from view by being built into a solid block behind the tiller’s right arm.
The otherwise comfortable and leather covered seats offered heating, not cooling (seriously what will it take for Aussie spec cars to get this?) with the miniscule buttons to operate found on the outer section of the front seat section. They were also lever adjusted, a disappointment for a range topper where electric should be the norm. Also there’s enough room for the front seat passengers to stretch the legs and not quite so for the rear seat. And such is the design that if you aim for three in the rear, that may be stretching friendships.
The lower front section of the console houses a small bin and both a 12V & USB socket. The Intens is push button for Start/Stop, and the fob is credit card size in length and width, close to a half centimetre in thickness, and has a slot in the console for it for no discernible reason. Well, there was one. Every time we exited the Intens and walked just a couple of metres away, the car would lock, regardless of whether the windows were open or not, and browsing the user manual offered no joy. If left in the slot you could walk away knowing the car wouldn’t lock. But the key’s in the car….
Thanks again to the overall small size of the Captur, the rear cargo space looks like it would hold two bags of shopping, however the parcel shelf lifts to offer an extra amount of space. Otherwise, it’s 377 litres which expands to 1235 when the seats are folded.
Outside: here, the Captur has a shining light. It’s pretty, with a svelte look in its curves from front to rear and roof to wheels. Headlights are LED, there’s a pair of globe cornering lamps, and nicely integrated tail lamps. The test car came in a black over white colour scheme, with the sills a black as well to balance it out. It’s a family design, with the Koleos and Clio sporting the same elegantly curbed look.
Out on the road the handling is predictable, with a slight tendency to understeer on the 205/55/17 Kumho rubber, but needs constant attention to alleviate a preference for wandering. Otherwise, it’s well mannered enough to be considered the highlight of the Captur Intens. Considered. The rear end feels too soft compared to the front, the lack of usable torque means overtaking is not going to happen and the whole feel of the suspension feels tuned more for plush than a bent for enthusiasm.
However, Renault do offer a five year unlimited kilometre warranty, a huge five years roadside assistance package, and capped price servicing for the first three scheduled services.
At The End Of The Drive.
It’s a genuine rarity that we hand back a vehicle with the sense of relief as felt with the Renault Captur Intens. It’s the automotive equivalent of a good looking politician. Looks fantastic, has the substance of a soap bubble. The gearbox, lack-lustre engine, needlessly quirky design features, lack of safety, and $32K price thanks to the Bose audio, simply don’t do enough to put forward a convincing argument to park this one in the drive.
2018 Holden Commodore Pricing Released….And It's Good!
Since Holden announced it would be ceasing car manufacturing in Australia, there was plenty of speculation about what would replace the locally developed and engineered Commodore. That answer was given and finally, in 2018, the fully imported Commodore will be released for the Australian market. Holden has today (December 12, 2017) provided pricing details and nope, they’re nowhere near as bad as some naysayers touted, nor are the spec levels anything to be ashamed of. There’s still a Sportwagon, too.
Tech will come in the form of such things as DAB (Digital Audio Broadcast), Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Forward Collision Alert, Side Blind Zone Alert, the aforementioned 2.0-L turbo four and the adaptive all wheel drive for the V6 models, and more.
Pricing will start at a recommended retail price of $33,690, which is $1800 lower than the preceding equivalent model. That will have the 2.0-L turbo four and even better is the drive-away pricing that will be available. $35990 drive-away is what will be presented and that’s just $65 shy of $4000 cheaper.
Holden will keep the Calais and Calais V names, and these will get the V6, all wheel drive, combination as standard, along with heating AND cooling for the front seats, a massage function, wireless phone charging and leather wrapped tiller as standard.
Although the evocative SS badging has been rested, with hints of a potential return, the sporty side for Commodore goes Euro, by getting the VXR badging. They’ll also get the AWD/V6, plus Brembo brakes up front, plus continuous damping technology in the suspension. Holden’s engineers have continued to take part in fine tuning that for the wide brown land market, with something like 150,000 kilometres worth of testing so far.
With thanks to Holden, here’s the good oil on the pricing and the model range.
2018 HOLDEN COMMODORE PRICING – RRP
Liftback (sedan)
LT 2.0-litre turbo * $33,690
Calais 2.0-litre turbo * $40,990
Calais-V V6 AWD $51,990
RS 2.0-litre turbo $37,290
RS V6 AWD $40,790
RS-V V6 AWD $46,990
VXR V6 AWD $55,990
Sportwagon
LT 2.0-litre turbo * $35,890
RS 2.0-litre turbo $39,490
RS-V V6 AWD $49,190
Tourer (high-ride)
Calais Tourer V6 AWD $45,990
Calais-V Tourer V6 AWD $53,990
* diesel available – $3,000 premium
2018 HOLDEN COMMODORE PRICING – DRIVEAWAY PRICING
Liftback (sedan)
LT 2.0-litre turbo $35,990
RS 2.0-litre turbo $38,990
RS V6 AWD $42,490
Tourer (high-ride)
Calais Tourer V6 AWD $47,990
2018 HOLDEN COMMODORE FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS
LT: Liftback and Sportwagon
2.0-litre turbo engine
9-speed automatic transmission
17-inch alloy wheels
Auto headlamps with LED Daytime Runnings Lights
LED tail lights
Passive Entry and Push-button Start
Remote Start
Holden Eye Forward Facing Camera
Autonomous Emergency Braking
Lane Keep Assist
Lane Departure Warning
Following Distance Indicator
Forward Collision Alert with Head-Up Warning
Advanced Park Assist (semi-automatic parking)
Rear View Camera. Front and Rear Park Assist
Rain Sensing Wipers
Holden MyLink Infotainment System with 7-inch high-resolution colour touch-screen display
Apple CarPlay® and Android® Auto phone projection
Full iPod® integration including Siri Eyes Free
Cruise Control
Leather Steering Wheel
8-way Power Driver Seat
60/40 split-folding rear seats
Spacesaver spare wheel
Diesel engine option
RS features over LT: Liftback and Sportwagon
18-inch alloy wheels
Sports body kit
Sports front seats
Side Blind Zone Alert
Rear Cross Traffic Alert
Leather sport steering wheel
Rear lip spoiler
Handsfree power tailgate (Sportwagon only)
RS-V features over RS: Liftback and Sportwagon
3.6-litre V6 AWD engine
9-speed automatic transmission
Adaptive AWD with electric LSD
Hi Per Strut Suspension
Rear Sports Fascia
Wireless phone charging
Ambient Lighting
Holden MyLink Infotainment System with 8-inch high-resolution colour touch-screen display
Apple CarPlay® and Android® Auto phone projection
Full iPod® integration including Siri Eyes Free
Embedded Satellite Navigation
DAB+
8-inch colour cluster screen
Colour Head-up display
Leather appointed seat trim
Heated front seats
Sports steering wheel with paddles
Alloy pedals
VXR features over RS-V: Liftback only
20-inch alloy wheels
Selectable mode Continuous Damping Control (CDC) suspension
Brembo brakes (front)
Electric Sunroof
VXR floor mats & sill plates
Adaptive LED Matrix Headlights
360-degree camera
Adaptive cruise control
Performance leather sports seats
Ventilated front seats
Heated rear seats
Driver & Passenger seat power side bolsters
BOSE premium audio
Calais features over LT: Liftback and Tourer
18-inch alloy wheels
Leather appointed seat trim
Heated front seats
Wireless phone charging
Side Blind Zone Alert
Rear Cross Traffic Alert
Holden MyLink Infotainment System with 8-inch high-resolution colour touch-screen display
Apple CarPlay® and Android® Auto phone projection
Full iPod® integration including Siri Eyes Free
Embedded Satellite Navigation
DAB+
4.2-inch colour cluster screen
3.6-litre V6 AWD engine (Tourer only)
Adaptive AWD with electric LSD (Tourer only)
High-ride suspension (Tourer only)
Handsfree power tailgate (Tourer only)
Calais-V features over Calais: Liftback and Tourer
3.6-litre V6 AWD engine
9-speed automatic transmission
Adaptive AWD with electric LSD
20-inch alloy wheels
Rear lip spoiler
Adaptive LED Matrix head lights
Electric sunroof (Liftback only)
Panoramic sunroof (Tourer only)
8-inch colour cluster screen
Colour Head-up display
360-degree camera
BOSE premium audio
Driver seat power side bolsters
Massage driver seat
Ventilated front seats
Heated rear seats
Sports steering wheel with paddles
Are You Naughty Or Nice Behind The Wheel?
Even if it’s a very, very long time since you believed in the white-bearded guy in the red suit who makes a list and checks it twice, you’re never too old to stop caring about whether you’re naughty or nice. Especially when you’re behind the wheel of a car.
There’s something about being enclosed in a bubble of metal and glass that makes you feel isolated and in your own little world where you don’t have to worry about others. However, this is an illusion or possibly a delusion. It’s not just that we can see you picking your nose or singing badly when you’ve stopped at the red lights. Even when you’re driving, good manners – being nice – are important. You certainly aren’t the only driver on the road.
It’s especially important to be polite to each other on the road at this time of year, and not because you want to be on Santa’s Nice list rather than the Naughty list. There tend to be more people on the roads for a number of reasons. There are those who are doing a Chris Rea and driving home for Christmas. There are those who are heading out Christmas shopping. It’s school holidays, so the Mums and Dads who haven’t knocked off for their Christmas break need to get kids over to Grandma’s or the babysitter’s place and then get to work… and Grandma/the babysitter decides that a trip to the park or the swimming pool complex or the movies is the best form of entertainment for that day. Those who are old enough to still have school holidays and are old enough to have a licence are also out and about on the roads. Add in hot summer temperatures and less-than-stellar air conditioning and you have a situation where tempers are likely to get a little frayed.
In this situation, relaxing and having good manners on the road will help us all get where we need to and want to go without straying into the road rage or stress zone.
Situation: You need to change lanes and a gap has suddenly opened up beside you.
Naughty Behaviour: Duck immediately into the next lane, after checking the blind spot over your shoulder (even checking it twice) and/or making the most of the blind spot assistance package in your nice new car.
Nice Behaviour: Indicating as you do that quick check before you change lanes. It isn’t hard, people!
Situation: You’re in a queue of traffic and notice a car at the exit from a car park waiting for a gap.
Naughty Behaviour: Keep on going, serene in the belief that the traffic lights will arrange for a gap for that person, and that the Give Way rules were invented for a reason.
Nice Behaviour: Slow down, let a gap open and wave the person waiting into the stream of traffic. It only costs you a few seconds. Incidentally, this is the sort of thing that driverless cars can’t cope with: they can’t handle the multitude of ways that people wave other drivers (and pedestrians and bikes) through into gaps.
If you are the person who has been let into the stream of traffic, acknowledge this with a wave and a smile. It’s polite to say thank you (someone ought to invent a thank you indicator).
Situation: Someone cuts into the gap in the lane in front of you without indicating, forcing you to step on the brakes (or activating the collision avoidance system).
Naughty Behaviour: Lean on the horn, shake fists, swear and pull fingers. Tailgate them.
Nice Behaviour: Do nothing except grumble a bit, then get on with your driving.
Situation: Someone with an L plate or even a P plate takes their time at a roundabout and doesn’t take a gap that you know was perfectly safe.
Naughty Behaviour: Honk at them, tailgate, shake fists, yell insults, etc.
Nice Behaviour: Be patient. The whole point of those L and P plates is to indicate to the rest of the world that this driver isn’t experienced and might not do things the way you would because it takes time to learn these things. Driving is kind of like handwriting and what we do for the first year or so tends to be a bit wonky. It’s also possible that the driver of that car has seen something that you, being further back in the stream of the traffic, haven’t, like an oncoming ambulance with the sirens and lights going. Or a line of baby ducks crossing the road.
Situation: The light has turned orange ahead of you.
Naughty Behaviour: Speed up so you can get through it safely.
Nice Behaviour: Slow down and stop, as long as you can do this safely. This is one of the basic road rules and the Naughty behaviour is Naughty in the eyes of the cops as well as your fellow drivers (and pedestrians).
Situation: You’re cruising a bit slower than the speed limit, possibly because you like to take it easy around the corners. The road straightens up and the car behind you gets close and looks like it could overtake you.
Naughty Behaviour: Speed up and go at the full open road limit so the other driver either has to give up on the idea of overtaking you or has to really floor it to get past you (some vehicles are better at doing this than others).
Nice Behaviour: Either keep on at your slightly slower cruising speed or else pull over to the side (if you can) to let the other driver overtake safely. It’s not a race, after all!
In all situations, the best things that you can do are the same things that you do with face-to-face interactions: say thank you (hand signal: wave), say sorry (hand signal: wave), be patient with other people and do unto others as you’d have them do to you.
Mahindra Pik-Up Gets Update for 2018.
Some brands in Australia’s car industry seem to sail under the radar. Sometimes that’s a good thing as it gives the canny and investigative buyer a chance to stand out from the crowd. There’s also a sense of brand loyalty amongst those that do buy, and so it is with Mahindra. The Indian based conglomerate has released an update to the sturdy Pik-Up two and four door ute, covering the drivetrain, exterior and interior, and safety. The trim levels are named S6 and S10.
Drivetrain.
It’s a two body range, the dual cab and single cab (and S6 and S10 for both), with two and four wheel drive available for both. That’s available via a six speed manual attached to a small but grunty Euro V compliant diesel. The capacity is 2.2 litres, and peak power is 103 kilowatts. The important name and number is torque and there’s 330 of them, between 1600 to 2800. That’s smart engineering as it means driveability is enhanced in a real world situation.
In the 4WD versions, it’s a Borg-Warner transfer case putting that torque to the dirt through all four paws plus there’s an Eaton system that will lock the rear diff if slippage is detected.. Tank size is a massive 80 litres, not far off the Jeep Grand Cherokee’s 93L. Economy for the four door is quoted as 8.8L/100 km. There is a single cab due in 2018, with economy slated to be 0.2L/100km better. Towing is rated as 2500 kilograms, braked.
Interior.
There’s the visible and invisible. Mahindra have upped the safety stakes, with ABS, collapsible steering column, Electronic Brake Distribution, front airbags as standard. For the family, there’s ISOFIX seat anchor points also as standard. Visibly there’s a six-inch touchscreen in the S10 (CD/MP3 campatoble head unit for the S6)which displays the reverse camera, along with cruise control and satnav, climate control, auto headlights and wipers. The driver’s dash display receives a 3D effect on the analogue dials for better visualisation. There’s an upright design to the dash itself, ensuring plenty of leg room for the driver and passenger, as do the rear sear passengers thanks to some well thought out packaging.
Exterior.
The Pik-Up has always had a solid, bluff, look, and this stays. However, the S10 gets a classy mix of black chrome grille with subtle chrome highlights, a reshaped lower air intake for better engine breathing and aerodynamics, with both grille and intake receiving a visual update thanks to black mesh, and a subtle increase to the Mahindra badge.
There’s LED driving lights for the completely restyled headlights in the S10 and restyled foglights as well. Tyres will be P245/75 R16.
Release Information and Pricing.
As of December 2017, there will be the 4×4 S6 single cab chassis at $26,990 driveaway. A 4×2 version will be available in early 2018 at $21,990. The 4×4 S6 dual cab will come with either a cab chassis or factory fitted “well side tub” at $26,490 and $29,990 respectively. The S10 trim level and tub takes it to $31,990. There’s a huge range of options available such as snorkel, tow ball set-up, and winch compatible steel bill bars, with more to come in 2018.
Colours are limited to a four choice palette: Napoli Black, Arctic White, Red Rage and De-sat Silver. Warranty is five years or 100,000 kilometres and also includes five years roadside assistance.
For more information on the 2018 Mahindra Pik-Up range, head here: Mahindra Australia
Level 2, 9 Help Street