Archive for April, 2016
Private Fleet Car Review: 2015 Holden Astra VXR
With Holden due to source more cars from Opel than ever before, they’re telling us via a solid marketing campaign. One of the nameplates we’ve had and that has returned in force is Astra. A Wheel Thing sampled the latest Astra VXR six speed manual, a model due to be completly revamped for late 2016 or early 2017.
It’s a stylish looking beast, with the test vehicle clad in a flat, not metallic, red and riding on 20 inch alloys. The two doors, framed at the top in chrome, open wide and allow access to a surprisingly capacious rear seat and cargo section. In profile it’s amost a continuous curve, with the roof coppinga discrete spolier and the front a sharpish, almost rakish look.
Under the long bonnet lies Opel’s 2.0L turbo four, one with punch and verve, mated to a six speed manual, the car’s Achille’s heel. There’s a hefty 206 kilowatts on tap at 5300 revs but more impressive is the mesa flast torque delivery between 2450 to 5000. Besting most two litres by fifty torques, Sir will enjoy 400 of them across that range. It makes for immense mid range go and flexibility aplenty on the freeway.
Need to overtake? Depending on where you are, it’s either a measure of flexing the right foot just a bit more or dropping back a cog or two and launching the rocket. There’s a buzz from the front, not unpleasantly so, and a soul bending surge as the speedo does silly things. The seats (which have air powered bolsters, by the way), sigh gently as they support the driver’s mass being pushed into them.
Left leg goes in,, left leg goes out and in between the lever is moved, the revs drop and the turbo spins idly for a moment (turbo lag is noticeable only at low speeds and off boost) before huffing and puffing again. It’s flexible, usable, enjoyable to drive, but…
Downside? Always one, minimum. The tank is small, almost too small at 56 litres (with a preferred taste of 98 RON, ta very much) to provide a sense of true comfort. Although the VXR isn’t excessively thirsty, at around 9.0L/100 km average, in city use the figures rise well above 10.0L/100 km. Holden quotes a combined cyle of 8.0L/100 km, which in the most ideal of ideal worlds would provide 700 kilometres of travel….
Although the shift is light it also lacks precision. The gate movement is sloppy, loose (and yet only around 9000 kays on the odometer), at odds with the well weighted clutch pedal, the lightning fast response of the engine to throttle and the wondrous brakes. Fast changes are nigh impossible without repeat practice and the possibility of finding the slot you don’t want is high.
These are the brakes that should be standard in the Ford Everest and Ranger; sensitive enough to tell you when the pad is just nipping the disc, the progressive bite as they compress and the feel of the pedal as it latches on as soon as you touch it and tightens up in the travel. Superb. Or, in a word, Brembo.
What isn’t superb is the woefully out of date centre stack design. The updated version can’t come quick enough to dispatch those buttons and dials to the bin of history. See the picture to gauge for yourself. At least the surround looks nice.
Apart from the console, there’s not much else to worry about; hugely confortable and supportive seats (three settings for heat, great for a cold day but no cooling on hot ones) with the front section of the squab adjustable for extra under thigh support, wide opening doors (remember, only two of ’em) to access the back seat and yes, there is leg room, rather than feeling as if one must be a contortionist by nature. Boot size is a decent 380L. There’s the General’s MyLink satnav infotainment system to play with, suitably aluminised trim on the centre console and subtle lighting at the base of the console stack.
The audio system was beyond superb in such a small car. Complete with a sensitive DAB tuner, the clarity of the sound, the range and depth was simply brilliant and a real punch to the low end notes. It’s backed out by the hands free Bluetooth system, audio streaming and Apple’s Siri EyesFree. You’ll also get rain sensing wipers, Hill Start Assist, curtain airbags and tyre pressure monitoring at each corner.
It’s nice to have a luxury feel inside but what if the ride is bad enough that it dulls the presentation? Thankfully the VXR’s ride is surprisingly compliant, even with the 20 inch alloys and licorice thin rubber (245/35 Michelin Pilot Super Sport) with a massive, for the size of the VXR, wheelbase of 2695 mm, helping to soak up the smaller ripples. Size is just 4466 mm overall, making both ride and internal space (rear legroom is 870 mm) so much more impressive.
It’s a cozy ride on the flat and dispatches any minor irregularities to the bin. Go slow over shopping centre speedbumps and that’s where the sports suspension settings make themselves known, with spine and teeth receiving a belting. Point it at some corners and tightening radius turns, there’s barely a hint of roll and you can feel the chassis readying itself to be punted hard….the response? More please. It’s the auto equivalent of trim, taut, terrific as the initial give (and there’s enough to be surprisingly comfortable) turns up the harden up factor, keeping the VXR level all the way through. It also means dive and squat (acceleration and braking) is almost negligible. You can thank something Opel calls HiPerStrut technology.
The Wrap.
It’s roomier than expected, handles as if it’s superglued to velcro and has a wonderful engine. But it’s undertanked and had a substandard gear change mechanism, possibly a couple of things people consider to be pretty damned important. It’s a delight to sit in, bar the dog’s breakfast console, looks pretty enough still (the new model looks sensational) and from $39990 driveaway (at the time of writing) is incredible value for the performance.
Check with your Holden dealer (or your Opel/Vauxhall etc dealer overseas) for warranty and service conditions. Online brochure available here: Astra brochure
Private Fleet Car Review: 2016 Toyota RAV4 Cruiser
Toyota‘s RAV4 is the car most recognised as kicking off the SUV craze. As most small cars have done, it’s increased in size and tech. But has the recently facelifted RAV4 kept up with the most important of all, the times? A Wheel Thing checks out the new look 2016 all wheel drive in top of the tree Cruiser spec.
The facelift mentioned brings the RAV4 more into line with the Corolla. The front has the angular, sharp nosed look, with the compressed and chrome lined air intake design plus large-ish T symbol front and symbol but also has the chin that wouldn’t look out of place on a Superman actor. 
The headlights have slimmed down and have lost the four dot LED driving lights, gaining, instead, a full width setup. It’s brought even closer to the Corolla by slotting in lookalike tail lights complete with the neon light look.
Behind the grille sits Toyota’s 2.5L petrol engine, a revvy and responsive unit. To be honest, it surprised in its capability to buzz around the dial and get the RAV into a comfortable speed, utilising the 233 torques (4100 revs) when under way quite nicely when an increase in forward motion was required. From a standing start, it’ll wind around to the peak power of 132 kilowatts (6000 rpm) easily, getting the RAV to freeway speeds with surprising alacrity. A kerb weight of 1600 kilos goes some way to helping…
Coinciding with the drive being apportioned is one of the display options shown in the centre of the dash, being the proportion of power being sent to the four corners. Under normal driving, it’ll light up the front tyres but when punted hard, the display shows how much drive is sent to the rear. There’s a price to pay for that exuberance, however, and that’s 11.4L of 91 RON being slurped for every 100 kilometres in an urban cycle from the sixty litre tank.
It’s tractable enough and the six speed auto it twirls is a delight with the slickness and imperceptibility of the shifts. Under heavy acceleration the gears wind through nicely and on a downhill run will downshift until the fourth gear which, depending on the length of the slope, will hold that ratio.
For every silver lining, there’s a cloud: the brakes lack feel and in one almost emergency stop, the car “locked up” rather than having ABS kicking in. There’s a need, much like the Ford Ranger and Everest, to push down too far before any semblance of grab makes its way back to the driver’s brain. And, unlike Holden’s SV6, as an example, there’s no feel of progression, with no sense of increasing retardation the further down the brake travels.
The interior seems almost old school compared to the freshen up the exterior has received. The sweep of the lower section of the dashboard almost intrudes into the driver and passenger’s personal space plus the switch gear just doesn’t have the same feel of modernity that something like the Corolla has. The feel of the plastics lacks the tactility that other mainstream Toyotas have and the stitched leather look just doesn’t seem to gel with the rest of the plastics used. The somewhat lacklustre look is highlighted further when the sunroof is opened, bringing the outside in.
There’s plenty of tech, as you would presume: pretensioning seatbelts, airbags all around, bluetooth streaming, satnav, the LED screen in the dash, parking sensors, reverse camera, DAB radio with a punchy 11 speaker sound system including a cargo section mounted subwoofer, but only the driver gets an electric seat, rather than both front pews. There’s blind spot monitoring and autonomous braking to add to the safety package as well.
Room wise it’s a more than comfortable four seater but if you’ve three adults needing the back seat, like many cars of this size, it’ll be a tiiiiiight squeeze. Maximum width is just 1845 mm, but there’s plenty of leg room thanks to a 2660 mm wheelbase inside the 4605 mm overall length. 
There’s machine made leather cladding the seats, a fold out and down cup holder for the rear seat whilst the front of the centre console lodges a holder right underneath the bottom sweep of the dash, slightly slabby squabs and no print to the material. The look is….not of a high quality and drags down the overall presence. Sensibly, though, Toyota has eschewed carpet and fitted rubber floor mats instead. They’re easier to clean and far more hard wearing and durable.
It’s a good handler, however, with the 235/55/18 rubber providing plenty of grip, translating into precise movements from the steering wheel. There was, though, a slight propensity to understeer in ninety degree turns, with the nose not tracking as tightly as expected. Ride quality tends towards the firmer, almost sporty, inclination, with almost no float, feeling tight and tied down.
The Wrap.
At $44500 plus onroads (coming in at close to $49K driveaway) there’s good value to be had in the RAV4 Cruiser but it could be better value with an improved interior and better brakes. Fuel economy could also be better around town yet is balanced by a highway figure of 6.8L/100. The refresh has certainly brought the exterior into line with the Corolla, almost positioning the RAV as an extension of that family as there’s no wagon available. Compared to something like the Ford Kuga, though, the interior lacks class and presence. It’s a good drive though, moves with alacrity and has a good sound system for when the freeway calls…
Head across to here: 2016 Toyota RAV4 details for all you need to know.
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