Archive for March, 2020
2020 Toyota Supra GT: Private Fleet Car Review.
This Car Review Is About: A car that is heavy with legend and officially reborn, for the Australian market at least. Toyota’s Supra was last available only in Australia as a special import with limited numbers, however the fifth generation is a “properly approved” model and developed with markets such as Australia in mind. There are two trim levels, GT and GTS.
How Much Does It Cost?: Our driveaway price starts from $91,640 for our location. That’s in plain non-metallic red. Go for the pearl white as supplied and that jumps to $92,165. The Recommended Retail Price is $84,990, and as prices state by state vary thanks to dealer and government charges, check out the Toyota website for your location’s pricing.
Under The Bonnet Is: An engine that continues the legacy. It’s a 3.0L straight six with twin-scroll turbo, and it’s got some serious mumbo. 250kW and 500Nm with the latter available over a broad 1,600rpm to 4,500rpm range. There’s some contention, though, as Toyota haven’t elected to use an engine from their own catalogue. And in honesty, it’s a bit of a storm in a teacup as Toyota don’t manufacture a straight six, so BMW was called in. There’s more than a few hints of that brand’s DNA in the bodywork, interior, and the car’s heartbeat. The transmission is an eight speed auto, and when warmed up, allows a 0-100 time of 4.4 seconds. VMax is limited to 250kph.
Incredibly it somehow produces those numbers using standard 91RON unleaded, and produces a combined fuel economy of 7.7L/100km. Our best was an incredible 6.3L/100km. This was on a run from our HQ to the home of Australian motorsport, Mt Panorama and back. What was noticeable was the starting expected range figure and the expected range on return. In real terms, we managed to travel 300km and see an expected range change of just 120km.
On The Outside Its: Shorter than it looks. It’s just 4,379mm in length, but an overall height of 1,292mm makes it look longer, especially in the pearlescent white the review car had. It’s wide too, with 1,854mm overall, whilst the wheelbase is 2,470mm.
There’s some BMW hints, particularly around the rear. Think Z4 and the upturned bootlid spoiler, a svelte and curvaceous rear, a double humped roof, and long nose in proportion to the rest of the body. There’s a sine wave line that starts at the base of the deeply scalloped doors, heads rearwards to form the broad rear wheel arches, and goes horizontal to form the tail light clusters. The long nose has a gentle and increasing radius curve from the base of the windscreen to form a broad snout, including an almost F1 style nose cone. There are plastic faux-vent inserts in the front and rear guards, bonnet and door skins. They’re not airflow positive, as in they have no actual holes for flow. 
Both ends have black diffusers, with the nose emphasising the F1 styling by blacking out the centre section under the nose to highlight a pair of angles airfoils.Wheels are 18 inches in diameter and have ultra sticky Michelin Pilot Super Sport rubber. Profile is 255/40 and 275/40, front and rear. During our time on the road, the whole package proved to be an eyeball swiveller, attracting positive attention everywhere the Supra GT went, including a couple of thumbs up from pedestrians and truck drivers alike.
On The Inside It’s: Snug, efficient, and somewhat 1990s, all at the same time. It’s a strict two seater, with absolutely no storage space other than a pair of console cup holders, door bottle holders, and a cramped cargo area with 296L. It is a sports car, after all. There’s some visual reminder of that thanks to a carbon-fibre look inlay in the console itself. Aircon controls are minimalised, as are the headlight controls, oddly placed as buttons above the driver’s right knee.
A push button for Start/Stop is hidden somewhere above the driver’s left knee, there are a pair of paddles on the steering column for manual gear selection, and the console houses a dial for accessing information on the smallish touchscreen. The layout isn’t instantly user friendly and on start-up, will not move from an initial driver warning screen until a OK button is tapped.
Buried within the menus are options for car settings where a driver can select suspension, steering, and engine modes, along with audio and navigation. A Sport mode button changes the engine and transmission settings, plus opens the exhaust system for that extra rumble and snap/crackle/pop.
Behind the beautifully supportive, heated, seats is a strut brace that provides extra body rigidity. This takes up a little bit of room and also makes reaching rearwards into the cabin somewhat awkward. To access the cargo area there is a button in the driver’s door and a tab in the hatch itself. The low overall height also makes entering and exiting the Supra GT a little difficult for those not as flexible as others.
Ahead of the driver is a dash screen that looks lifted from a 1990s design. It’s not a modern look and is at odds with the car’s ability. The defining feature is a rev counter dial in the centre, leading off to the right like a keyhole. There is quite a bit of wasted space in this area, with a small LCD screen showing limited information on the far right, and effectively only which gear and drive mode right in the centre.
The audio system is loud and clear, operated via the touchscreen, yet there is a strip of station storage buttons on their own above the aircon buttons and below the centre air vents. This is spite of the steering wheel audio selection buttons.
On The Road It’s: A revelation. Firstly, there’s that sledgehammer engine. 500Nm across a rev range that most drivers wouldn’t exploit in normal usage makes for an incredibly tractable driveline. The engine fires into life at the press of the starter and settles quickly into a quiet thrum. The eight speed auto needs some time to warm up in order to achieve maximum smoothness. When cold it’s indecisive, hesitant, jerky. On song it’s razor sharp and millimetre perfect in its crisp changes.
The steering is the same. Although weighted to the heavy side, the rack is ratioed to a two turn lock to lock, meaning a bare quarter turn has the front end responding rapidly. The broad rubber, unfortunately, brings in a phenomenon known as tramlining. Anything in a road’s surface in the direction of travel that resembles a rut, a gap, a tramline, also grabs the front end and steers it where the ruts head. The rear end isn’t left out, with a few noticeable hops and skips on broken surfaces.
We took the Supra GT on a run out to Bathurst and a couple of laps around Mt Panorama. On coarse chip tarmac there’s considerable road noise. The newer and smoother tarmac reduces that considerably but there’s still considerable audio jam. The ride quality in Sport mode is jiggly, bouncy, and there is just enough compliance in Sport mode to ensure teeth aren’t shaken loose.
Hit the Sport button in the console and this opens up the exhaust’s throats. There’s a subtle change to the change of gears, but the more noticeable change is the soundtrack. There’s now the rasp, the crackle of the overrun as gears change on deceleration. Standing start acceleration is stupendous, and the rev range for those torques also means rolling acceleration is as easy as thinking about it. Look, squeeze, warp speed.
It’s this kind of engine delivery that is, unfortunately, very necessary for Australian roads given the generally average driving standards allowed to pass as safe driving. On the overtaking lanes and still well within the posted limit, the Supra GT proved that a car of around 1,800kg will take those 500Nm and put them to appropriate use, moving past the line of slower vehicles almost as if they didn’t exist. Naturally, this kind of forward moving ability needs stoppers to suit. With 348mm amd 320mm discs front and rear, and a pedal calibrated to move with a breath and tell you how many microns of steel are on the disc’s surface, safe stopping is guaranteed.
It’s this part of the drive experience that showcase the engineering ability and power/torque delivery perfectly. As tractable as the Supra GT is for around town running, the highway is a better place to exploit its mightiness, and then there’s the economy. With the powerhouse in cruise mode, it equals the more passenger oriented cars for fuel usage.
On the public road that is Mt Panorama when it’s not a motorsport weekend, the Supra GT can be eased through the super tight and falling away from under you section just after passing through Skyline. The posted limit is 60kph, and the Supra is simply unfazed by that requirement. The torque is more than sufficient to haul the car upwards along Mountain Straight just as easily as it does on a flat road. It’s unflappable here and in day to day driving, making the Supra GT one of the best all round sports intended cars we’ve tested.
What About Safety?: It is, as the Americans like to say, loaded for bear. Active Cruise Control, Lane Departure Alert, Reverse Camera with Back Guide Monitor, Blind Spot Monitor and Rear Cross Traffic Alert, plus Adaptive LED Headlamps and Adaptive High Beam. There are seven airbags. The Forward Collision Alert system was jittery, with a couple of warnings related to parked cars on corners, not moving traffic.
Warranty And Service?: Capped price servicing and a five year warranty. Information on those can be found here.
At The End Of the Drive. Toyota’s marketing research team are worth every cent they’re paid. Like almost all of the cars available from the Japanese giant, the Supra is a car for a market. I’m not in that market, but by no means immune to the Supra GT’s allure and beckoning 3.0L finger. It’s a performance powerhouse, a superbly tuned chassis, has a cabin that says sports car (bar the retro driver’s display), and positions itself as a more than worthy successor to the legend and history of Supra. Check it out for yourself here.
2020 F1 Season Preview.
The Formula 1 season gets underway this weekend at Melbourne’s Albert Park. This year marks the 25th running of the F1 in Melbourne, a city that has hosted the opening round for all but two of those 25 years. Melbourne, a city of culture, coffee, and cool took over from Adelaide with the city hosting its first F1 GP in 1996.
2020’s season start has been overshadowed by the spread of the coronavirus or Covid-19. News came through on March 9 that Bahrain, the location of the second round, has closed the doors to paying punters, electing to host their round on a closed track.
2020 also sees some subtle changes to the car designs which will lead to bigger changes from 2021. There also has been some reshuffling of drivers and a name change for one team. Here’s how the season start will look.
Mercedes-AMG: The Silver Arrows will continue to run with Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas for this year. Hamilton will come to Melbourne as the 2019 champion and hunting for eight wins this season. That’s important because to do so will have him equal and break Michael Schumacher’s record. The German driver totalled 91 wins and seven world championships in his stellar career. Hamilton himself is out of contract at the end of 2020 and is said to be holding off on discussions for the early part of the season.
Ferrari: Sebastian Vettel came under friendly fire in 2019, with that coming from his new team mate, Charles Leclerc. The younger driver had his sights set firmly on the back of Vettel’s helmet, and racked up two wins and a number of podiums. Vettel is out of contract at the end of this year and it’s this that has some rumours about who may replace him in 2021.
Red Bull: Max Verstappen and Alexander Albon will partner for 2020, and it’s a season that will have Verstappen wanting to improve even more on what was a solid performance in 2019. He claimed three race victories, nine podium finishes, two pole positions and three fastest laps. Albon was promoted from Toro Rosso to the main seat midway through the 2019 season and ended the year with a highest finish of 4th at Japan in round 17.
Renault: Perth born Daniel Ricciardo is one of the most talked about players in F1. After a solid if unrewarded stint with Red Bull, the Australian surprised many in 2018 by announcing a step that was seen as a sideways and backwards one. The move to Renault has thus proven frustrating for the publicly amiable Aussie, and this year, his second of a two year contract, is the one that has the rumour fingers pointing towards the Prancing Horse for 2021. Rumours only, at this stage. Esteban Ocon is his co-driver and elevated back to the main game after being punted from Racing Point at the end of 2018.
AlphaTauri: Formerly known as Toro Rosso, the second tier team has a new sponsor and a new look. Pierre Gasly and Daniil Kvyat are the drivers for 2020. Officially known as Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda, the team’s new look is a spectacular black on white look. The name itself is still part of the Red Bull family, with a fashion brand based in Salzburg, Austria. Gasly was placed into the team after failing to fire in the main Red Bull team in 2019.
Haas: The drivers for 2020 are again Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen. The pair have campaigned together since 2017 and have proven to be a capable force, challenging hard in the mid-pack of the twenty car field. 2018 was their best year whereas 2019 proved to be a showcase of what happens when a car simply doesn’t do what the drivers want. Owned by Gene Haas, the American team has shown, in 2020 pre-season testing, that they may regain their mid-pack pace.
McLaren: A long way from their heyday and, after a frankly lousy season in 2017, the team moved from Honda engines to Renault for 2018. The initial results were promising with forty points from the first five races of 2018. The rest of the season would see just ten points awarded. The drivers are Carlos Sainz and young Briton Lando Norris. The improvement in the 2019 season was slow but always upward, with a 3rd place at Brazil in 2019 for Sainz.
Williams: Formerly a glory team, recent years have seen very slim pickings for the once well respected name. Founded by Sir Frank Williams over forty years ago, it’s not unfair to say that 2019 was the lowest point in its history. In a 21 race season, just one single point was scored by drivers George Russell and veteran Robert Kubica. The Polish driver returned for one season however failed to make an impression. Russell partners with Nicholas Latifi this year, a Canadian born driver with F1 test and reserve driver experience.
Alfa Romeo: Once known as Sauber, and a former host to Charles Leclerc, Alfa Romeo will have Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi again helming their cars. The pair performed solidly in 2019 yet were denied points for their efforts as the previous year’s good placings evaporated at the hands of a car that saw the team place 8th overall in 2019.
Racing Point: The former Force India team will also have a return of their 2019 drivers. Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll, son of team owner Lawrence, had a feisty 2019 and managed to finish 7th in the constructors’ championship. The previous year had the cloud of uncertainty hoerving over the team, and thanks to the change of ownership bringing a much needed financial boost, the team hopes to see 2020 end with better rewards than last year.
The first F1 GP for 2020 sees a race start on Sunday March 15 at 16:10 local time.
2020 Volvo S60 Momentum: Private Fleet Car Review.
This Car Review Is About: A newly added car to Volvo’s distinctive sedan range. There are three models: Momemntum, R-Design, and Inscription. Each has their own body tweaks and the R-Design has an optionable hybrid drive-train. We spent an enjoyable week with the entry level Momentum.
How Much Does It Cost?: the car supplied was in Ice White non-metallic paint. Volvo quotes the S60 Momentum as $54,990 plus on roads, and the car reviewed had the Technology Pack. This is $3,000 and includes Graphical Head-Up Display, 360 degree Camera, LED Headlights with Active Bending Lights, and Ambient Interior Lighting.
Under The Bonnet Is: A turbocharged, petrol drinking, 2.0L four cylinder. It’s an AWD chassis and an eight speed auto directs drive to those four corners. 187kW and 350 Nm are the power and torque figures, with the torque on tap between 1,500 to 4,800rpm. Peak power is a typical 5,500rpm delivery and gets the S60 Momentum to 100kph in 6.4 seconds on its way to an electronically limited 240kph. Economy is quoted as 7.9L100km, and on our 70/30 urban/highway cycle we got to 8.2L/100km. The tank is 60L meaning a cruising range of over 700km is entirely possible.
On The Outside Is: An evolution of its bigger sibling, the superb S90. In profile it’s a beautifully balanced look, with the wheels having short overhangs and a cabin setting the driver slap bang in the middle of the length. The cabin itself is highlighted by the narrow window-line in comparison to the door side height, and bears a resemblance to the cabin line of Subaru’s pert Impreza sedan. 
The Ice White paint, by the way, is part of a palette of 13 colours. That white paint almost hides a scallop with a delineated lower section. It’s longer than it appears at 4,791mm, thanks to a height of just 1,431mm, and rolls on a wheelbase of 2,872mm. The vehicle driven had Michelin Primacy rubber on diamond cut alloys. Size was 225/50/17.
The rear lights are double “C” LEDs with bootlid inserts, sitting above a pair of chrome tipped exhausts. The front lights, as mentioned, are bending and LED powered. Naturally they include the “Thor’s Hammer” combined driving and indicator lights. The lower intake has a pair of sharply raked extensions that join the lower section of the bumper and form a surround for the small fog lights.
On The Inside It’s: Got Volvo written large in luxury, features, and comfort. The Tech Pack has the aforementioned HUD and it’s intuitive to look at, as it should. The heart of the S60’s information provision is via the console touchscreen. At 9.0 inches in size and in high definition, it’s good to look at and, thanks to a simple swipe, simple to use. Sub-menus incorporate the controls for the driver’s dash (which is a full width LCD screen), the information shown in the screen, aircon settings, climate control, audio, satnav and more. It also houses a complete user manual as well.
The seats are supple with proper leather. Of course they’re heated, but again, non-vented. The driver has power operation and a dual memory position. The steering wheel is easily adjusted for reach and rake making for a very comfortable driving position. unfortunately for the rear seat passengers, there are no airvents from the rear of the centre console. There are a pair of 12V sockets and USB ports however. That centre console holds the rotary, not push, Start/Stop button and a rotating knob for the three drive modes which are Eco, Comfort, and Sport.
There is no shortage of room too. The cargo area has a minimum of 392L to start with. Front leg room is huge at 1,074mm, with the rear seat 895mm. 1,425mm and 1,384mm are the shoulder room measurements and head room is also decent at 1,019mm and 945mm. Trimwise it’s full of soft touches and the Momentum has classy dark grey inserts in the dash and doors that contrasts beautifully with the alloy door handles.
What About Safety?: The driver’s dash screen shows a comprehensive list of safety features on start up. Direct from Volvo is this list: City Safety: Pedestrian, Vehicle, Large Animals and Cyclist Detection, Intersection Collision and Oncoming Mitigation with Brake Support; Steering Support; Intellisafe Assist: Adaptive cruise control including Pilot Assist, Driver Alert; Lane Keeping Aid; Adjustable Speed Limiter function; Oncoming Lane Mitigation; Intellisafe Surround: Blind Spot Information (BLIS) with Cross Traffic Alert (CTA).
Front and Rear Collision Warning with mitigation support; Run-off road Mitigation; Hill start assist; Hill Descent Control; Park Assist Front and Rear; Rear Parking Camera; Rain Sensor; Drive mode with personal power steering settings; Emergency Brake Assist (EBA); Emergency Brake Light (EBL); Frontal Airbags, Side Impact Protection System (SIPS) with airbags in front seats, Inflatable Curtains and Whiplash Protection System; Belt Reminder all seats; ISO-FIX outer position rear seat; Intelligent Driver Information System (IDIS). We’d say that about covers it.
On The Road It’s: Pure driving pleasure. Mostly. The front end is low and the plastic sheets underneath would scrape on driveways, speedbumps, five cent pieces…It’s a small niggle but a niggle nonetheless. However, the rest of the package is admirable. There’s a typical turbo lag, yes, a hesitation to engage first gear, yes, but they’re only at the beginning of the drive.
The torque comes into its own rapidly, and easily spins the eight speed auto through its ratios. The AWD and fat rubber take the torque and put it to good use, with plenty of traction. It makes curves straighten out and highway cruising as relaxed as it can be. A steering weight that is the automotive equivalent of Goldilocks’ porridge, an en pointe brake system and feel, and a ride quality that’s taut and terrific without compromising bump absorption endow the Volvo S60 Momentum with road chops to be admired. In essence, it’s a sporting sedan that doesn’t bignote or brag about its ability.
Need to get past the slow driver in the wrong lane? Take a breath, you’ll need it as a press of the go pedal reels in the far distant horizon in a time measured in eyeblinks, not seconds. The numbers on the dash change rapidly. And there is never a hint of issue as the whole chassis comes together to heighten the experience. It’s as safe gold inside Fort Knox, (Goldfinger not withstanding) and has enough yahoo in it to scare a few more pricier sports cars.
What About Warranty?: Five years and 100,000 kilometres is the warranty as of March 2020. Volvo also offers service plans, with the S60 starting from $1,595. This covers the first three years or 45,000 kilometres.
At The End Of The Drive. In a world seemingly overwhelmed by SUVs, Volvo, like its European counterparts, continues to offer sedans. The S60 is a standout in the sedan field, with excellent dynamics, a superb driveline, and plenty of class. It’s roomy, comfortable, and delivers what it promises. And for a buyer, that means getting a car that won’t disappoint in almost every aspect of its presence. Everything you need to know about this winner is here.
Tips For After An Accident and some Funny Insurance Claims
Most people wouldn’t expect to be involved in a car accident. There are some driving habits which some drivers do have, illegal or otherwise, that would definitely make them more prone to having an accident. With all the modern crash-avoidance safety equipment on-board new cars crashes still happen – whether it’s your fault or someone else’s.
So, what should you do after an accident has happened? Here are some safe procedures you can make a note of:
- Stop the car.
- Turn off the engine.
- Switch the hazard lights on.
- Check for any injuries to yourself or your passengers.
- Call the police and an ambulance immediately if anyone is hurt or if the road is blocked.
- Share your name and address with everyone involved if the accident caused damage or injury.
- Swap insurance information and details with the other driver(s).
- Take down details of any other passengers and witnesses to the accident.
- Try to find out if the other driver is the registered owner of the vehicle, and if they are not find out who the owner of the car is and get that information too.
- Record the make, model, colour, and number plate of the vehicles involved in the accident or take pictures of them.
- Record the time and date of the crash.
- Record the driving conditions, including the weather, lighting, and road quality (such as road markings, whether it’s wet or muddy, repair of the road surface).
- Record what sort of damage was caused to the vehicles and where. Use your phone to take pictures of the scene and the damage to the cars.
- Record any injuries to drivers, passengers, or pedestrians.
- Record the names and contact details of any witnesses.
- Phone your insurance company as soon as possible – ideally at the time of the accident.
After the accident, submitting a claim for car insurance can be a bit of a stressful business, and it certainly pays to double check what you have said over the phone or have written on your claim form. Here are some genuinely funny car insurance claim statements below:
- A pedestrian hit me and went under my car
- As I approached an intersection a sign suddenly appeared in a place where no stop sign had ever appeared before.
- Going to work at 7am this morning I drove out of my drive straight into a bus. The bus was 5 minutes early.
- I collided with a stationary truck coming the other way
- I had been driving for forty years when I fell asleep at the wheel.
- In an attempt to kill a fly, I drove into a telephone pole.
- I had been learning to drive with power steering. I turned the wheel to what I thought was enough and found myself in a different direction going the opposite way.
- I had been shopping for plants all day and was on my way home. As I reached an intersection a hedge sprang up obscuring my vision and I did not see the other car.
- I pulled away from the side of the road, glanced at my mother-in-law and headed over the embankment.
- I saw her look at me twice. She appeared to be making slow progress when we met on impact.
- I started to slow down but the traffic was more stationary than I thought.
- I was on my way to the doctor with rear end trouble when my universal joint gave way causing me to have an accident.
- I was sure the old fellow would never make it to the other side of the road when I struck him.
- My car was legally parked as it backed into another vehicle.
- No one was to blame for the accident but it would never have happened if the other driver had been alert.
- The claimant had collided with a cow. The questions and answers on the claim form were – Q: What warning was given by you? A: Horn. Q: What warning was given by the other party? A: Moo.
- The accident happened because I had one eye on the lorry in front, one eye on the pedestrian and the other on the car behind.
- The accident occurred when I was attempting to bring my car out of a skid by steering it into the other vehicle.
- The guy was all over the road. I had to swerve a number of times before I hit him.
- The pedestrian had no idea which way to run as I ran over him.
- The pedestrian ran for the pavement, but I got him.
Level 2, 9 Help Street