Archive for February, 2016
Private Fleet Car Review: 2015 Ford Everest Titanium
Australia’s Ford Territory has been the brand’s local sole large SUV entrant since its release, supplemented by the mid sized Kuga and that car’s predecessor, the Escape. As October 2016 sees the cessation of manufacturing in Australia for Ford, the move to full importation sees world engineered cars arriving in dealerships, such as the rather large Everest. Sister car to the Ranger, it’s built using the same ladder chassis and powered by the torquey (470 of ’em from 1750 to 2500 revs) 3.2L diesel.
It’s the range and amount of torque, like the Ranger, that makes this six speed auto equipped beastie an ideal highway cruiser. Settle into the rhythm on the highway and it quietly lopes along with just 2000 revs on the tacho at the legal limit. Overtaking is somewhat of a chore, as the five cylinder diesel gets raucous, the gearbox drops back a gear or two and time stretches out….normal acceleration is the same, from a standing start, with a hard press of the loud pedal creating mucho noise. 100 is seen but count on ten seconds plus if you choose to drive normally.
Economy barely crested 9.5L/100 kilometres, staying closer to 9.9L/100 and used in a country highway cycle for perhaps 90% of the week. Having a tank close to the size of a swimming pool will help, however, with an 80 litre receptacle on board to hold the diesel.
Get it out on the freeways and highways and the driver, front passenger and rear seat passengers are cossetted with a soft ride, absorbing the lumps, the bumps, the ripples and dips. There’s a sensation of a slow pogo through the bigger dips, however, but the suspension needs to do double duty when you take it off road. 
The huge twenty inch diameter tyres at 265/50 (The entry level Ambiente gets 17s and mid level Trend rolls on 18s) contribute to the sponginess thanks to the firewall height and 36 psi pressure. The width of the rubber, from Goodyear, adds to the surefootedness of the big car, allowing the driver to feel confident with the grip levels. Steering response is also high, with very little freeplay and a well weighted feel.
Bear in mind it’s the same engine and gearbox package as the Ranger Wildtrack and that car’s cousins in 4×4 model range. The Everest moves that up a notch with a selectable range of drive programs, with Mud/Grass/Snow/Rock/Road modes selectable via a dial in the front centre cosnole. As does the Ranger, there’s a lockable rear diff as well.
Added tech in the form of Hill Launch Assist and Hill Descent Control backs up the off road cred the Everest has. There’s 225 mm ground clearance and if you wish to take your mountain swimming, there’s a wading depth of 800 mm.
All of this will come to naught if the brakes don’t inspire confidence, and they don’t. There’s the same dead inch or so of travel, a light bite and no real sensation of retardation, needing a longer press on the somewhat overly soft pedal. City driving, just like the Ranger, became a mission of planning ahead. With a kerb weigh just shy of 2.5 tonnes, that feeling of when will they bite simply isn’t good enough.
Outside, the Everest is big enough to form its own gravitational field. For starters, it stands taller than most people, at 1837 mm tall. It’s wide at 1860 mm (not including mirrors) and is long at 4892 mm, but still a bit shorter than the Ranger. 
That also translates into plenty of interior room, with the front passengers getting a whopping 1058 mm of legspace whilst the rear seat (middle row, more correctly, as Everest is a big seven seater) get by with 939 mm. There’s 1440 mm of shoulder room at the front, with virtually the same in the back at 1432 mm.
Because it makes the TARDIS look small, you need a decent aircon system and Everest Titanium covers this. Controlled in more detail via the touchscreen for the front, there’s also fan speed and temperature control dials on the end of the centre console, next to an overseas style 230V power point. 
There’s vents in the roof, surrounding the full glass roof, circular and adjustable for direction and flow.
Stylewise, the dimensions certainly make the Everest seem imposing; the front end is subtly different from the Ranger, with the headlights taller due to the LED driving lights set into the lower section, plus there’s normal driving lights inset deeply into silverish bumper facade. 
The grille is heavily chromed and les hexagonal, while at the other end the tail light structure is smoothly rounded, LED lit and display a double U shaped glow at night. Naturally it’s a power tailgate, with keyfob, interior and rear interior operation. It’ll chime politely at you to warn you and has a memory function.
The aforementioned 20s have plenty of clearance in the wheel well, again due to the expected off road prowess. The guards around the wheel wells have a fluidity to them, a smooth and almost organic style, bisected nicely by the running boards between front and rear.
The window line is around chest height for the passengers, so there’s plenty of easy viewing and balances the exterior’s vertical styling as it gently rises into the rear pillar.
The interior’s colour scheme was a surprise, being a dullish battleship grey theme, rather than black on black or black versus something light. The plastic wood trim didn’t quite fit the colour scheme, in A Wheel Thing’s opinion and the Everest logo on the passenger side glovebox looked decidedly American. 
Although the front seats were leather and heated, cooling wasn’t an option and that’s an oversight for the Aussie market. Being Ranger derived as it is, the dash is a direct lift, with the same LCD screens either side of speedo, the same options available via steering wheel tabs, with the addition of roll and yaw angles.
You’ve got the same blindingly simple to use but fingerprint attracting touchscreen, four quartered, with Navigation, audio (including DAB), aircon and Bluetooth pairing of the smart phones. And here’s a story…loaded up the phone with music and hadn’t paired the phone with the car. The voice controlled Sync2 system only picked up the three tunes that were on the phone before more was added but after a reboot of the handset saw them all….and would only play for four minutes before disengaging. Using the USB port was problematic as well, as the connections also disengaged, possibily moreso due to the ride quality over a very bumpy tarmac road.
The middle row seats are tilt fold, via a lever on the side and add to the capaciouscargo space available, with up to 2010 litres on offer. With the third row in use, there’s still a handy 450 litres. Said third row are also power operated, in keeping with the Everest Titanium’s luxury aspirations.
Given the family aspect of the Everest, it was a shame to not find a coolbox, rear window blinds, perhaps even a roof mounted DVD/Blu-ray player. Compared to the Kia Carnival Platinum, which is as likely to see off road action as the Everest, and has those features, they’re glaring oversights.
At least there’s lane keeping assist, parallel park assist, tyre pressure monitoring, blind spot monitoring and forward collision alert, along with airbags all around including driver’s knee and curtain side ‘bags to keep the family well wrapped should things go awry. For extra peace of mind, there’s the three year/100,000 kilometre warranty, five year perforation warranty and twelve month/15,000 kilometre service intervals plus complimentary roadside assist for twelve months.
The Wrap.
A Wheel Thing found the Everest Titanium to be a frustratingly mixed bag and of questionable value. With a driveaway price at around the eighty thousand mark, an interior not quite up to the grade you can get from BMW, Audi, Volvo and even Kia’s Platinum Carnival for the price being asked, sluggish acceleration, those frankly crap brakes, against a drive system that you could find in a Land or Range Rover, the grip levels, the fact you could almost live inside it due to the interior room, it tries to be the best of a broad spectrum and doesn’t deliver. One can only imagine how the resale value will go against the others as well.
Make up your own mind, if you’re in Australia. Take one for a drive, a good drive, and check out the online info here: 2015 Ford Everest
A Sprint to the Finish for Ford Australia's Falcon.
As October 2016 draws inexorably closer, the date set by Ford Australia to cease local manufacturing, the boxes of tissues are being stockpiled by the Ford faithful. But, for some, there won’t be just tears of sadness but tears of joy and, perhaps, a few born of anger and frustration. Why? Aussies will see Ford sign off on the Falcon nameplate by resurrecting one with more than a hint of history.
May 2015 will see the Ford Falcon Sprint go on sale, in a strictly limited numbers run of just 1400 cars. There will be 550 XR6 spec Sprints, 850 XR8 spec Sprints and there’ll be 150 cars, (50 XR6, 100 XR8) allocated to our Kiwi cousins.
Prices will start from $54990 (plus on road costs or ORC) for the XR6, so what will the canny investor get for their sheckels?
Each car will get an individually numbered plate confirming it was part of the build. There’s a specially Sprint calibrated 5.0L V8 with 345 kW and 575 torques. Of note will be the range that torque is to be made available. It’ll start from 2220 revs and will stay there through to 6250. Adding to the expected genuflecting purists will exhibit will be the transmissions.
Yes, transmissions plural. If Sir has three legs there’s a proper gearbox, a manual, or for easy as you go driving, a six speed auto. It’s auto only for the XR6 Sprint, with the turboed 4.0L offering up 325 kW and a hardly shy 576 Nm at 2750 rpm. The auto will be recalibrated to take advantage of the near V8 Supercar torque.
Both XR6 Sprint and XR8 Sprint will be able to momentarily top those numbers, with 370 kW and 650 Nm on overboost for the six, whilst the big vee will go to 400 kW and the same torque.
There’ll be uprated brakes from Brembo (six and four spot calipers, front and rear), blacked out headlight bezels, 19 inch diameter black painted wheels, a black rear decklid spoiler and blacket out foglight surrounds. In addition, the XR8 Sprint will also receive a Silhouette black roof and wing mirrors. The XR6 external indicator light will move to teh wing mirror and the cars will be given Sprint scuff plates in the door section. There’ll be just six colours on offer, with metallic such as Victory Gold a mere $500 premium.
The interior also gets an overhaul, with Sprint leather and suede trim for the pews, auto dimming rear vision mirror, bespoke trim for the instrument cluster, high end audio and a Sprint labelled head for the manual’s gear selector. Sprint specific decals will adorn the exterior and the wheels will also be different widths front to rear.
Along with the extra go and the trim, the XR6 will also feature an Aussie first, with a carbon fibre air intake system. Said to be stronger and more responsive than the current setup, Graeme Whickman, president and CEO, Ford of Australia also says: “The Falcon’s legacy will live on well beyond this year through our designers and engineers that will continue to innovate to make Australian’s lives better. The Falcon XR6 Sprint’s new innovative carbon fibre engine air intake is the latest example of how our local engineers and suppliers will reshape the auto industry well into the future.”
The manual XR8 Sprint will be priced at $59990 +ORC with the self shifter at $62190 + ORC.
Yes, October 2016 is on its way but there’s no doubt that this farewell from Ford Australia will put the Falcon Sprint well into the history books as possibly the best Falcons ever to be built.
Written exclusively for Private Fleet by Dave Conole. Information provided by Ford Australia via autonews.net.au
Private Fleet Car Review: 2015 Ford Ranger Wildtrak
Ford‘s big and (in 4wd configuration) off road capable ute, the Ranger, comes in many forms. There’s two doors, four doors, cab chassis, trayback style, petrol diesel, maual and auto. It’s been a big success and has spawned the Everest SUV. A Wheel Thing takes on an old favourite, (2012 Ford Ranger Wildtrak) the Wildtrak 3.2L diesel with six speed auto.
There’s plenty of grunt from the five cylinder engine, with a whopping 470 Nm of torque between 1750 and 2500 rpm. There’s 280 torques already on tap at just over 1000 rpm. Peak power, 147 kW, arrives at 3000, meaning that it’s a low stress engine at the best of times. The easy natured auto slurs its way through the ratios without fuss and without noticeable changes, even when pushed hard.
As the dash features two electronic screens either side of the analogue speedo, you have a choice of information available, including a digital tacho, which is generally the only time you’ll see something indicate a gear change. There’s an audible change, but under light acceleration barely noticeable. Economy? Ford quotes 9.0L/100 kilometres for the combined cycle.
Staying with the utalitarian idealism of the Ranger, there’s no paddle shifts to complement the sports shift mode. There’s also no push button Start/Stop, no window blinds and no rear aircon vents from the centre console. A sunroof is conspicuous by its absence…USB and Auxiliary ports are located in a low set compartment ahead of the gear selector but none in the console storage locker.
There are two 12V sockets in the front, one in the rear and a 230V socket as well, handy for a car fridge or other eletrical items whilst on the go. Glovebox wise, it’s big, deep, with enough room to hold a laptop. The ergonomics of the dash, where the aircon controls are (set low down well out of a safe eyeline), initially seemed out of whack, until you realise that there’s the touchscreen holding more controls.
Fan speed, temperature, seat heating, dual or single zone, they’re all controled from here, as are audio, phone and navigation, including real time traffic alerts. There’s even the ability to partner a smartphone to create a local wifi hotspot. There’s Ford’s Sync system, which allows Bluetooth music streaming and voice activation for controls. Downside? The screen is a fingerprint magnet.
The aforementioned screens give you a list of Navigation, Entertainment on the left and a range of stylish looks such as a rotary dial for the tacho, engine temperature, distance to empty, trip metre, consumption etc on the right. The screens are in full colour but the plastic reflects light at certain angles, making them hard to read.
The interior is a decent place, with the Wildtrak logo on display in the seat’s cloth, with the trim a somewhat lairy orange hue compared to the sea grey and charcoal plastics, with orange stitching on the dash. 
Supportive, confortable, easily adjustable in the front (Wildtrak is the only Ranger variant to get electric seating) and a reasonable amount of legroom and shoulder room in the rear (902 mm, 1430 mm), they suit the Ranger’s driving characteristics nicely.
On tarmac it’s a touch uncomfortable in its sponginess. High sidewall Bridgestone Dueller tyres at the recommended 32 PSI contributed to this, with an increase to 36 dialling out some of the bounce. 
Although ostensibly a “tradie’s ute” it’s also a superb off roader. Yup, there’s a proper transfer case in this big lummox, with the ability to take that 470 torques and twist the the near 2.3 tonne behemoth along a gravel or dirt or muddy or stone road (or a combination thereof) without blinking. Yes, it is that good for a “tradie’s ute”.
The lightweight yet talkative steering is ideal for off roading; a gentle grip on the wheel, enough to stop or slide as required and the Wildtrak tells you where the front is and what the chunky rubber is doing. In 4WD high range, available “on the fly” via a rotary dial, along with a lockable rear diff (there’s hill descent control to play with as well), the Wildtrak will crawl through and or over most obstacles the average four wheel driver will see. The tiller moves of its own accord as the front seeks out the ideal path, allowing the driver to get a real sense of the terrain as it works back and forth.
She’s a big ‘un, the Ranger, with a total length of 5355 mm. It towers over most, at 1848 mm, and takes up some acreage on the road at 2163 mm wide (including mirrors) with the stability on road helped alomg with a massive 3120 mm wheelbase. There’s 18 x 8 alloys, with 265 width tyres to roll on.
Back to the tarmac; the steering response, as mentioned, is fantastic, as is the grip level from the tyres. Sure, there’s squealing at times but at no time is there an indication of lack of adhesion. The suspension is, by neccessity, a long travel setup, bolted to a ladder chassis, to give the driver room to move off road (800 mm wading, 29 degree approach and 21 degree departure angle tickle your fancy?) with a 237 mm ride height. Run the Wildtrak hard into a series of dips and rises on a freeway and it will settle nicely, quickly, effectively. There’s no ongoing wallowing or pogoing, but the nose will dip under braking. And those brakes…
Press the pedal and….nothing. There’s something close to an inch of travel before any bite is felt and before there’s any sense of retardation. The pucker factor is high with this one; city traffic became an exercise in forward planning, needing to consider the lack of stoppage of forward motion when dealing with those that found a sudden sideways movement into the two centimetres of space ahead an urgency or coming to traffic lights whilst the demonic gleam from the eyes of the driver behind shone bright in the rear vision mirror. Better brake feel is needed in the Ranger Wildtrak, given its ability to carry up to 1450 kilos in the plastic lined tray.
Those in front, though, would have their mirrors full of the redesigned front end. The slim line headlights replace the squarish, broader design, the American influence stands out with the hexagonal grille but to see the Ranger from any other angle would neccessitate a head scratch and a good think about what’s new. In profile and from the rear, only an “anorak” would be able to pint out the differences between the 2015 and 2013 Ranger Wildtrack. Colour wise, the test car came clad in a bright, don’t lose it in the carpark, Pride Orange.
There’s the same bluff rear end, same tail lights, same pull the strap aluminuim hard cover for the tray, with the rear lights still globe lit, not LED. But if Sir wishes to tow, there’s now 3.5 tonnes Sir can have tag along with trailer sway mitigation built in. The rear tray does, however, now gets downlights in the rollbar to assist with night work.
For peace of mind, there’s Ford’s 3 year/100,000 kilometre warranty with service intervals of 15,000 k’s or 12 months. Get a scratch or two and there’s a five year perforation warranty. Something awry happen? You’ll also get a 12 month roadside assist package via your local auto club.
Safety levels are amped to eleven; you’ve got adaptive cruise contyrol, forward collision alert, parking sensors front and rear plus reverse camera, lane keeping alert, blind spot alerts, auto headlights and rain sensing wipers, roll over mitigation, emergency brake assist, hill launch assist, plus the usual suite of airbags and electronic driver aids.
The Wrap.
There’s a more purposeful look at the front end but the rear needs a tickle up. Even the front guard inserts are the same as the previous model. Interior ergonomics are ok but if you’re old school and like using buttons and not a touchscreen, then the location of the aircon controls aren’t ideal.
Ride quality is fine but the brakes arent. Thinking twoing and payload and needing to push the brakes hard to get a reaction. There’s heaps of room though, interior comfort, enough tech to play with but for A Wheel Thing it’s the off road ability, that probably will be barely though about by most, that sells the Ranger Wildtrak.
That’s an ask though, as at the time of writing there’s a near as dammit $63K price being asked for the Wildtrak. 2015 Ford Ranger range will help you decide.
For A Wheel Thing TV: A Wheel Thing TV 2015 Ford Ranger Wildtrak
Green light for parallel import cars – a tale of two stories?
With the Federal Government announcing on Tuesday that it will allow parallel vehicles to be imported from 2018, it would seem the news is largely exciting for motorists on the face of things. But will it all be one way traffic?
First, it’s important to note these changes need to pass through parliament later this year and would only commence once local manufacturing ceases in 2017 – whether that jeopardises the recent efforts of Guido Dumarey to salvage the Holden Elizabeth manufacturing plant remain to be seen.
The legislation would allow car (and bike) enthusiasts to directly import right-hand drive models from the UK and Japan that are either new or near-new, in which case the vehicle must be less than 12 months old and with less than 500km on the clock – such imports would be allowed once every two years.
Japan is one location from where consumers would be able to import cars – are prices likely to be cheaper though?
Predictably, automotive manufacturers and local dealers have made their frustrations clear, quizzical about why the government would allow customers to circumvent legislation designed to benefit them through warranty and against recalls – also citing concerns around the impact on jobs, car specifications, durability, and lifetime costs. At first, some of these concerns would seem partly valid – for example, as cars age and transfer between users, inevitably they will require parts that aren’t available locally and may be expensive or difficult to source – which could in turn compromise the maintenance standards of said vehicles.
With recalls, such as the one affecting cars equipped with Takata airbags, consumers will be left in the dark to find out about their problem, yet alone solve it. On warranty matters, who or where does a customer turn to? What about cars built to specifications that are vastly different from Australia’s testing climate? The luxury car tax will still apply, so wouldn’t it be better to do away with that instead?
Pursuing this line of logic, we fail to address consumers’ rights to shop around for their vehicle (let’s not forget, Australia’s car market is often an afterthought to manufacturers), and in doing so be afforded the opportunity to buy unique cars or save money. Of course, once taxation and shipping are included, your ‘mainstream’ car probably won’t be cheaper – it is also doubtful local prices (or jobs) will decline, as uptake is not expected to create sufficient pressure – however, those in ‘luxury’ or ‘hobby’ segments stand to benefit, and they’re the ones most interested in keeping their vehicle to the highest standards – thus maintenance concerns are overblown.
Luxury cars are those who stand to lose the most from any change to the parallel imports
Regarding consumer protection, the government has indicated some degree of risk on the part of the consumer but it is not without looking into solutions, suggesting: car inspections before being released onto roads; an online database requiring all imports be detailed to facilitate recalls; insurance companies would be able to provide warranty insurances.
What one must consider, is that amongst those affected by the changes, there are many car enthusiasts who already import cars not available locally – not a whole lot is likely to change in the way of consumer protection for that segment. For other segments, with Australian consumer law for ‘lemon’ cars being relatively weak (remember the ‘Destroy my Jeep’ campaign?), such concerns by auto manufacturers would be better directed at improving local protection.
While debate will continue, it is clear there is still a lot of fine-tuning required before the changes can become practical to the everyday customer. Whether that means the age of eligible cars is extended to pressure local prices, or luxury car taxes are reviewed, the important point is that we’re now talking about the issue.
Level 2, 9 Help Street