Author archive
Wheels For The Disabled: Automobility.
What’s the first thing you do when you get up in the morning. No, it’s not open your eyes, fart, or have a scratch. You got out of bed. Unassisted. Unaided. Unsupported.
Give that some thought for a moment….sure, there may be some aches, some pains, some popping of joints, but you got out of bed all by yourself. Imagine, then, how that simple and unconscious movement for us must be for those that have no leg movement, no body movement or no control over their limbs. Effectively, the only mode of transport is a wheelchair. But what happens when you need or want to go further? That’s where Automobility steps up.
Automobility is a company, like many others, that offers transportation options for those that need that support. Unlike any others, Automobility design, engineer and build in house to a standard that surpasses all of the requisite Australian Design Rules (ADR), down to gutting a donor car, removing parts such as the rear suspension and installing bespoke items.
The company is based in Montrose, just over thirty kilometres east of Melbourne, Victoria’s capital city. Founded in the mid noughties, the business is now a fully fledged entrant into the disabled services area, with a full sized workshop in order to modify the cars. In May of 2015, Automobility unveiled their new creation, utilising the 2016 Kia Carnival as the starting model.
Don’t worry, carers aren’t forgotten; the design ethos allows flexible seating options, from three to six passengers, allowing the person in question to feel secure in the knowledge their family and/or carers are along for the ride. The design parameters also factor in a ‘char’s width; from 540 mm up to 700 mm in width, with anchor points to ensure no unnecessary movement.
There’s also options for the disable person to be the driver; a ramp at the rear lowers and the person drives themselves into the vehicle, with an access point built in behind the steering wheel, allowing the person to lock themselves into place and operate the vehicle much in the manner an able bodied person would. This provides extra freedom and mobility.
Automobility provides their “Docking Station”, allowing parking of manual or power operated ‘chairs. The deisgn allows for movement of the unit to suit the ‘chair’s design, with fore and aft adjustment of up to 30 mm. There’s different heights as well, from 45 mm to 90 mm. Backing that up is flexibility in the design; this allows changes to the front, centre, rear seats or a combination of all three, depending on the wishes of the client.
How did Automobility come into being? Owner, Jeff Watters, explains:
Having been working as an Automotive Engineering consultant since 1989, I was retained in the late 1990’s by a company who was entering the wheelchair access vehicle manufacturing market.The design brief I was given included;
o Ride comfort for the wheelchair user similar to the OE vehicle
o Good visibility for the wheelchair user
o Flat floor for where the wheelchair user is transported
o Adequate aperture for entry of the wheelchair.
My philosophy was to start with a clean sheet of paper which resulted in an “easy fix” for the aperture and flat floor aspects of the design brief. However, the flat floor aspects created significant design difficulties in relation to the rear suspension. My solution to this was the adaption of an age old suspension design called trailing arms – a principle never applied to wheelchair access vehicles anywhere in the world at that time.
Luckily, in one way, for Jeff, that company went into bankruptcy, and with Jeff looking to move from the role he was in into manufacturing, some dollars were found and the company was bought, spawning Automobility in February, 2001. Jeff kept on board some of the employees of the previous business, operating out of his home’s garage before sourcing premises in Croydon, Victoria.
To say the early days were easy is to say Mt Everest is made of green alphabet soup; Jeff had to supplement the income of Automobility by continuing his consultancy business but perseverance paid off and word, like Old Regret, got around. As Jeff says:
· Automobility was the ONLY company able to comply with the Australian Standards for wheelchair access vehicles in relation to internal clearance for wheelchair access vehicles
· Automobility designed the first correctly positioned lap-sash seat belt assembly wheelchair bound occupants
· Automobility and myself hold Australian and USA patents on our unique independent rear suspension and wheelchair occupant lap-sash seat belt.
· Realising that our clients’ needs only started when they got their Automobility vehicle, we established a National repair and service network to ensure that our client’s vehicles could be maintained Australia wide – including the introduction of a 24 hour emergency contact telephone number to be there “24/7” for our clients.
· As the number of Automobility vehicles in the community continues to grow, we realised that we needed even more service and repair agents. After a passing comment from my wife, I entered negotiations with Pedders Suspension and now Automobility and Pedders Suspension have formally partnered – providing the Automobility service and repair network with an additional 120 agents across Australia – the ONLY time such a partnering has occurred worldwide.
· We’ve now completed the world first conversion of the latest Kia Carnival YP for wheelchair access.
· Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, with competitors now offering very similar variations of our conversions as “their own” designs.
Where Automobility leads is in its forward thinking: previous design parameters in cars had doors that were smaller than the wheelchairs, necessitating some serious engineering, along with rear door vehicles having a hump where the rear drivetrain was. Plus, the rear suspension had extra travel to accommodate the weight of the ‘chair and occupant, leading to a bouncy and uncomfortable ride. Jeff’s original design brief covered off providing similar ride comfort to the donor vehicle, better visibility for the ‘chair’s occupant, flat floor access and more.
A major hurdle was the flat floor aspect; Jeff overcame this by resorting to a tried and true design, trailing arms. This allows Automobility to section and rebuild the rear of donor vehicles such as Kia’s award winning Carnival. This provides the flatter access require, allows more flexibility for other occupants and ups the safety factor in regards to mounting the ‘chair and occupant more securely.
From this, Jeff says it’s increased the pleasure level in dealing with clients and hearing the reaction from them, plus seeing the smiles on their faces as well. Along with further development and refinement of their systems, Automobility’s partnering with Pedders ensures Australia wide backup and support.
Finally, there’s the growth of Automobility: from a single vehicle per month, with four employees crammed into a 500 square metre factory, there’s 2.5 square kilometres of floor space, 24 employees and over ten vehicles per month rolling out of the doors and an inventory of vehicles ready for almost immediate delivery. Build time? Compressed from over 200 hours to under 100.
Add in the support from Kia Australia (plus Proton and VW) and Europcar providing their clients Automobility built vehicles, it’s fair to say that there’s wheels for the disabled of higher quality and far better safety than ever before.
Head across to www.automobility.com.au for even more info.
Private Fleet Car Review: 2016 Hyundai Sonata Active.
Hyundai started with names, for some cars they went to numbering but the swing is back to names. The Sonata became the i45 and is back to Sonata. 
In the three model range, A Wheel Thing kicks of a back to back test with the entry level model, the Active.
Powersource.
Utterly uncomplicated: a 2.4L engine, with 231 Nm at 4000 rpm and 138 kW at 6000 revs. Transmission is a six speed auto. Fuel economy finished at 7.1L per 100 km after some 630 km. Hyundai quote an excessive 12.1L for urban, a more reasonable 6.3L for highway and 8.3L per 100 km on a combined cycle. Tank size is a not inconsiderable 70L.
The Suit.
The main design difference is at the front. In profile it’s almost identical, down to a chromed strip in the upper fenders, but by giving the Sonata a different headlight/grille/bumper treatment (plus some well integrated LED driving lights) and a mild work over of the tail lights, it’s enough to differentiate between the two. Rolling stock was 17 inch alloys, with 215/55 Nexen rubber. Dry weight is a decent 1500 kilograms.
The aforementioned profile also hints at an almost coupe’ look, with a sloping roof line, front and rear, running an angle from above the B pillar to terminate almost at the boot lid in one smooth curve. It’s a swoopy, aerodynamic look and is pleasingly well proportioned to the eye.
It’s a good size at 4855 mm long, with width and height 1865 and 1475 mm respectively. With a 2.8 metre wheelbase, it offers plenty of interior legroom as well. Coated in a pearlescent white didn’t hurt, either, making the Sonata look bigger.
On The Inside.
The inside is comfortable but, much like Goldilocks’ porridge, isn’t great nor is it terrible. It’s just right in an unspectacular sort of way. There’s cloth seating, good ergonomics, switchgear is clear to read and nicely laid out however it’s bland, dull, uninspiring. There’s two information screens; a monochrome one for the driver and a 4.3 inch main screen in its own housing in the upper console.
There’s nothing offensive about the cabin….but there is nothing that reaches out and catches the eye to say “Buy Me!!!” either. The seats have good but not great bolstering, the dash is functional but not overly impressive, the dash console is well laid out but dull to the eye….you get the picture. The steering wheel has a good feel and echoes the design of the grille.
In the centre console between passengers lies a button that activates a driving mode, with a choice of Normal, Sports or Eco. Effectively it changes the shift points of the auto; A Wheel thing left it in Normal.
There is, however, a couple of redeemers; the steering column is adjustable not just for rake (up and down), but, unusually, for reach (in and out) as well. With a reasonable amount of fore/aft adjustment for the driver’s seat, it does allow for almost any sized driver to create a comfortable position. Then there’s the blue backlighting for the buttons on the tiller, it’s classy, effective and not overpowering. Starting procedure is “old style” key operated.
There’s Euro style indicating, with a soft touch position for three to five flashes, before clicking through to the normal operating position. Auto headlights are standard, as well, 2 12 volt sockets in the front centre console and one for the rear, airbags for driver and passenger head and thorax, along with curtain airbags.
Cargo space in the rear is 462L with the seats up, naturally there’s plenty of bottle and cup holders distributed throughout the cabin. The sound system is of a decent quality, with a solid bass without booming and enough range to not have the ears struggling to pick up up notes.
On The Road.
Goldilocks strikes here as well; the engine delivers the goods but needs to be pressed to do so. Under light acceleration the engine sometimes feels as if it struggles, although the gearbox shifts smoothly enough. It’s the comparative dearth of torque and that 231 Newton metres comes in at 4000 revs, somewhat above the normal rev point under light acceleration, meaning the engine is working less efficiently to do the same work.
Under way, it’s the similar situation, just delivered differently, in that the revs are in play at around 2000 rpm and to extract anything in regards to overtaking, a bit of a heavy right slipper is called upon. A bit, that is. The computer is pretty savvy in that a more judicious use of the go pedal seems to be more effective than an outright slam dunk of the right foot. Sounds odd, but it works, in that a more leisurely approach seemed more effective.
The ride felt a touch soft and wallowy yet that was more down to the tyres than the Australianised suspension. That is well tuned with shockers and springs well matched to flatten the ride, absorb bumps, have the car flat and level and not pogo over certain irregular road sections.
Of concern, however, are the brakes. They’re ineffective without a decent shove on the pedal. There’s no response for the initial part of travel, soft for most of the first part of the upper travel and leave the car careering towards anything in front of it without the brakes worrying they’re really being called upon. There’s a distinctive lack of bite until the pedal has sunk over a third of the way down and no real feel of progression either.
Steering is responsive, driven by the engine rather than electrically assisted; it’s well balanced and weighted, with a turn setup of just 2.8 (rounded up) rotations from full lock to full lock. It does feel a touch light at lower speeds but feels as if it’s increasing in weight as speed increases.
The Wrap.
The 2016 Hyundai Sonata Active is the automotive equivalent of Goldilocks and her porridge, with that porridge in a plain white bowl… It’s not too hot, it’s not too cold….it’s just right, but unspectacularly so. It does the job without fuss and without any real appeal. The end economy result, however, was a pleasant surprise, coming in at under Hyundai’s quoted figure for combined driving. That urban figure, though…
Hyundai offers a new car buyer this warranty: five years with unlimited kilometres covered, plus you can take advantage of their 10 years worth of roadside assistance and Hyundai’s Lifetime Service Guarantee (see the website for T’s and C’s.) Should you buy an Elite or Premium, there’s three years of updates to the navigation system.
For details: http://www.hyundai.com.au/vehicles/sonata/specifications
The Car: 2016 Hyundai Sonata Active.
Engine: 2.4L gasoline direct injection.
Fuel: 91 RON.
Tank: 70L.
Economy (quoted): Urban, Highway, Combined L per 100 km, 12.1/6.3/8.3.
Dimensions: L x W x H (in mm) 4855 x 1865 x 1475.
Weight: 1500 kg (dry)
Wheel/Tyre: 215 x 55 x 17, alloy wheel with Nexen rubber.
Warranty: 5 years, unlimited km warranty.
Private Fleet Car Review: Volvo S60 D4 Luxury.
Slinky. Sexy. Good looking. Curvaceous. Words once used to describe the better half of Abba are now used to describe Volvo cars. The D4 S60 stands tall in this list and A Wheel Thing gets reacquainted with the good looking Swede.
Powersource.
It’s a fuel efficient (4.2L/100 km, from a 67.5L tank) 2.0L diesel, with 133 kW (4250 rpm) and a torque figure that helps the acceleration (7.4 seconds to 100 km/h) of 400 Newton metres. What’s important about this is where it’s delivered: from 1750 to 2500 rpm. This gives almost unrivalled flexibility, safe overtaking and off the line, head snapping, acceleration. A 1614 kg dry weight helps, too…
Bolted behind (or, in the case of a transversely mounted engine, next to), the engine is an impressive eight speed auto.
It’s smooth, slick, virtually imperceptible in its shifts although there was some noticeable vibration at low revs. Naturally there’s a paddle shifter setup inside but the tractability of the diesel really negates the need for it to be used.
Volvo tag their engines with a “Drive-E” nomenclature; effectively it’s a shorthand way of saying it’s gearing towards economic usage, where possible and is backed, technologically, by Stop/Start (turns the engine off when the car has been brought to a rest and the brake sensor reads that) as an example. But it goes further than that, it’s a philosophy that embraces the whole car: better fuel economy, less emissions, recyclable materials and more.
The Suit.
Long nose, short tail, slinky looks in a teardrop style. Swiveling headlights at the front, boomerang neons at the rear bookend a svelte, lithe figure.
There’s folding wing mirrors, puddle lamps, grippy (very grippy!) Continental types, some tidy alloys inside, LED driving lights, exhausts buried neatly inside two chromed exits and not a hint of the boxiness Volvo was famed for. It’s not utterly beautiful but there’s more than enough appeal in its curvaceousness to catch the eye.
The Inside.
It’s here that the S60 starts to show its age; touchscreens are de riguer nowadays and the S60, being a little older than some, misses out. Volvo have released the XC90 (coming to Australia soon) with a touchscreen setup and there’s little doubt this will point the way for future Volvo machines.
The centre console has long been a “dislike” for A Wheel Thing; it’s messy, busy, requires more time than is safe to figure out which button to push and a touchscreen will go a long way to alleviating this. There is a colour screen in the swoopy dash, which will show all of the info selected via the jog dials in the vertical, floating centre section.
Audio is available via a well matched speaker set, plus Bluetooth streaming, USB and Auxiliary inputs; stored stations can be accessed via the phone keypad but the interface is still not intuitive. There’s voice control for the navigation as well, with th lot coming under the umbrella name of Sensus.
The seats are well padded, comfortable to a tee and supportive just where they need to be. Being heated ($375 option) helped during a cold snap in Sydney, warming the body whilst a light drizzle of warm air directed towards the footwells kept the tootsies toasty. Of all of the buttons on the console, the aircon ones seem to be the least “lost”, which is a boon on a cold day. There’s also aircon vents mounted vertically in the B pillars to feed the rear seat passengers.
The dash is the one Volvo owners know and love; a multi faceted display, with a customisable look via a push switch and jogdial on the left hand indicator, which allows a choice of information screens as well. It’s relatively simple and offers the driver a chance to personalise the look. There’s memory seating positions, plenty of room in the back for most passengers, 60/40 split fold rear seats that lead to a reasonable (339L)cargo space (and non full sized spare).
The steering wheel has a good, chunky, heft to it, plus is home to a number of buttons for audio, cruise and is mounted on a metallic V. Naturally there’s paddles behind the tiller for those that choose manual shifts.
Being a Volvo, there’s safety acronyms aplenty: ABS, HBA (Hydraulic Brake Assist), EBA (Emergency Brake Assist) which also activate the Emergency Brake Light system (flashes hazards under emergency braking), DSTC (Dynamic Stability and Traction Control), SIPS (Side Impact Protection System) and more. Bottom line: it’s a Volvo. You’ll be safe.
On The Road.
The console may be a bit tired, but the road manners of the S60 are anything but. That diesel engine is the highlight of the S60’s road ability; 400 torques in that rev range provide unsullied usable acceleration and overtaking, with a seamless, linear surge once the torque comes on song.
It’s not without a flaw, being the typical “should I, can I?” of turbos once they’re off boost and the D4 is no stranger to that. It was most noticeable in slow freeway traffic, when it was under 1500 revs; a stand on the loud pedal, a second’s hesitation, a deep gulp of air before the Continentals hooked up and grabbed bitumen.
Handling is as cool and precise as you’d expect a car from Sweden to be; point, shoot, go. The steering loads up nicely on either side of centre, responds to a gentle touch and really only says torque steer when the S60 is powering up through the ratios.
The ride quality is sublime; the aforementioned Continentals hang on, yet also dial out a lot of the minor bumps and ripples on the roads. The suspension rarely felt unsettled and lent a strong feeling of confidence and control across a variety of road surfaces, from tarmac to bush dirt. The brakes were sensibly weighted, with only a bit of travel before a progressive pedal activated a well modulated system.
It’s wonderfully fuel economic too, with an overall average of 5.6L/100 km after a week and still three bars of an eight bar tank display showing. Distance covered? Call it 790 kilometres…
The Wrap.
The S60 started at a tick under $62K; with options fitted such as Blind Spot Information Service (BLIS) with Cross Traffic Alert, a Driver Alert System (Lane Departure Warning, Lane Keeping Aid, Active High Beam Control, Forward Collision warning and more), it topped out at $69015.
Is it worth it?
Where do I sign?
Head to www.volvocars.com.au for info on the fabulous range and including the forthcoming XC90. For service details and costs, contact your local Volvo dealer.
For A Wheel Thing TV, thanks to Private Fleet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9XQMVFoBXM&feature=em-upload_owner
The Car: Volvo S60 D4 Luxury.
Engine: Transversely mounted, four cylinder, 2.0L.
Fuel: Diesel.
Tank: 67.5L
Transmission: eight speed automatic.
Power/Torque: 131 kW/400 Nm @ 4250/1750-2500 rpm.
Weight: 1614 kg.
Economy: (combined, claimed) 4.2L/100 km.
Dimensions: (L x W x H in mm) 4635 x 1865 x 1484.
Warranty: three years, unlimited kilometres.
Private Fleet Car Review: 2016 Subaru Outback Diesel.
A Wheel Thing greatly appreciates the support that Subaru Australia has offered since mid 2012. As an independent reviewer, A Wheel Thing survives on that support, so when a company offers up two new examples of their much respected Outback, to do a back to back review, that support is deeply appreciated.
As the vehicles are almost identical, this review will focus on the main difference (the engine) and the minor accompanying differences. For the overview, please click: http://blog.privatefleet.com.au/buy-new-car/private-fleet-car-review-2016-subaru-outback-3-6l/
The diesel tested was the entry level, non Premium version.
Powersource.
It’s Subaru’s 2.0L diesel and a noisy one at that, connected to their Lineartronic CVT. Power is 110 kW at 3600 revs, torque is the same as the 3.6L petrol, at 350 Nm. Delivery of that torque, however, is between 1600 and 2800 rpm. There is a manual available; Subaru quotes 9.7 seconds to reach 100 km/h with that and just 0.2 seconds slower for the CVT.
Subaru quotes 5.7L per 100 kilometres covered on a combined cycle, from the 60 litre tank, with highway and urban as 5.0L/100 km and 6.9L/100 km. A Wheel Thing finished with 6.4L per 100 km, with an expected range of 340 km after covering 602 km. Theoretically, once could make it from Sydney to Melbourne, via the Hume, on a full tank with a little to spare.
The consumption is aided by the diesel’s seven ratio CVT (preprogrammed shift points), with a final drive ratio of 4.111 to 1. The CVT is, in A Wheel Thing’s opinion, its sole flaw, in a driving sense.
On The Inside.
The interior in the diesel is virtually identical to the 3.6L tested. Of note is the lack of the award winning Eyesight radar system and the tabs for Subaru’s iDrive system are missing from the steering wheel. Yes, you do get a sunroof.
The Suit.
The exterior is almost identical, except for a minor trim change for the polycarbonate on the flanks, being all black and not highlighted with a chrome flashing. Otherwise, the diesel is indistinguishable for non “trainspotters”, the only other difference being 17 inch alloys and 65 profile tyres (from Yokohama, not Bridgestone), instead of 60’s on 18’s. Wheel design is identical.
The design strong point of the Liberty sedan and Outback wagon is the wide opening doors, to almost 90 degrees to the bodywork. This makes for exceptionally easy entry and exit, plus loading into the back seat as well.
On The Road.
Ride quality is seats of the pants different to the 3.6L with its 18 inch wheels and 60 profile rubber. There’s a hint more….liveability, in that the ride itself feels just that little more compliant without losing the tautness in the suspension.
Taken on a good Mother’s Day drive to a well known spot in the far north west of Sydney, Wiseman’s Ferry, with the composite of urban, rural driving on a varying mix of road surfaces, along with straights, corners, off camber curves and tightening radius turns, there was never any sensation of feeling undeterred or unsettled.
Again, however, the brake pedal felt “long” constantly, with, for A Wheel Thing’s peace of mind, too much free travel at the top before the brakes felt as if they “bit”. With some blind turns needing some good braking due to traffic ahead doing the same thing, the brakes were the part that lacked confidence.
The steering never felt as if it wasn’t communicating with the driver; the 3.6L talked a lot but the diesel Outback seemed, oddly enough, more an extension of the driver’s arms, with point and shoot directionally becoming virtually instinctive. Although a slightly bigger turning circle than the newly released 2016 Outlander, it never gave anything other than an impression of being tied down.
The CVT, when mated to the right engine, can be a great way of taking engine power and torque and transferring that to the road. The CVT with the diesel gave a very strong impression, under acceleration, both light and not so, of a slipping clutch for a manual gearbox. It rarely felt as if all of those torques were being sent to the ground yet seemed to rarely trouble ONCE the Outback was under way. It simply lacked that sensation of the lonnnnnnnnnng seamless wave of acceleration diesels and autos should have.
The revs for speed, when under way, were a good match for the torque delivery, with freeway speed seeing the tacho sitting just under where maximum torque was delivered, meaning overtaking and mid range acceleration were safe enough. Oddly, however, was the occasional transmission of torque steer, with those moments quickly passing as either the engine came off boost or the electronics intervened.
Off boost, the engine is, like most diesels, unwilling to do much in the name of performance and with the CVT there were times when a more rapid response was not just needed but badly needed. There’s still also a delay between Reverse to Drive, not a good thing when reversing onto a road and a speeding driver suddenly appears.
The Wrap.
Subaru have done a sensational job with the Outback range, it would seem, especially with the sales numbers so far. The diesel is, certainly, a much more economic proposition to drive and, again, a seats of the pants feel says a touch better ride overall. 
There’s a great level of trim available, although the lack of the Eyesight system could be seen as a retrograde step. However, that then should involve the driver to drive, not be a passenger…
Subaru’s pricing calculator says the driveaway price will be around the $39K to $40K mark, depending on suburb. That puts the diesel Outback well into the reach of most people. A Wheel Thing would like to sample the manual (A Wheel Thing’s preferred gearbox!) to see if the drag of the CVT, the flat spot of the driving, disappears or if it’s a characteristic of the engine in regards to the feeling of running through mud at low revs but accelerating.
For specific information on the Outback range, go here: http://www.subaru.com.au/outback/specs
Level 2, 9 Help Street