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Suburban Hy-Ryder: Hyundai ix35.
The SUV market in Australia has exploded in recent years, with small, medium and large variants available. The looks have improved, build quality has skyrocketd and the feature lists have grown. Hyundai has had fingers in the SUV pie for a while now, starting off with the Santa Fe and Tucson, which has morphed into the ix35. I take the series 2 version with the Elite specification out for a week.
Sitting right in the middle of the pack, above the Active and below the Highlander (cue Christopher Lambert jokes…) the ix35 Elite comes with a direct injection 2.4L petrol engine, six speed automatic and centre locking differential. It’s 136 kilowatts at 6000 revs and a handy 240 torques at 4000 rpm, with a smooth, linear delivery to that point. It’s a little buzzy past there but it’s rare that, in a normal driving situation, the six speed auto will take you that far. It’s a quick shifter, slick however the gate design is unneccesary, being a convoluted throwback to the “J gate” days. Performance from the ix35 is adequate, with the zip somewhat muted by the near 1600 kilo kerb weight, requiring a firmer than anticipated press from the right foot to get things happening. Brakes are a touch grabby at the top however move into a well modulated setup, requiring only a modicum of pressure initially before squeezing into a smooth stop.
The drive itself is through an “on demand” all wheel drive setup; a torque sensor splits drive between front and rear as required while the locking diff makes it a 50/50 split. It makes a difference as the tyres fitted to the test car (Kumho Solus 225/60s on sweet looking 17 inch alloys) lack sufficient front end grip under normal circumstances when pushed, going wide and squealing badly in roundabouts and normal sweeping bends. When locked the nose tucks in tighter and forces the rear end to follow a better line. The McPherson strut/multilink suspension does a decent job of ironing out the road but I did find the Elite quite jiggly and a little harsh over some ruts and bumps, with a sharp rebound rather than a subtle absorption, a touch disappointing given the Aussie input to the suspension.
The exterior is an evolution, not a revolution, with only minimal changes being made, possibly most noticeably (for trainspotters) 
to the front end; the headlight assembly has the main light cover going square and the driving light surrounds have been modified. 
The interior seems barely touched yet is a comfortable place to be, with a mix of quality look and feel plastics, cloth and leather, a seven inch touchscreen navitainment system dominating the centre dash, (with reverse camera) looking somewhat like, when viewed front on, a helmet from a sci-fi soldier. Music is catered for by radio and Auxiliary/USB inputs
(located at the bottom of the centre console) plus there’s a slot for CD and DVD. Sound is solid, with clearly defined midrange but bass is a touch lacking in punch. Switchgear is sensible, basic, uncomplicated and simplistically easy to use plus entry/egress is via wide opening doors. The front seatbelts are adjustable for height, however there’s a slight buzz from the plastic shroud at 
certain speeds on the freeway. The Elite comes with keyless entry and push button start/stop plus a swag of safety features including curtain airbags and safety windows, which will lower if pressure from a body part such as an arm is sensed on an upward movement. Seating is, as expected, comfortable with some side support, vital when throwing the ix35 into turns. A split fold rear seat, cargo blind and ample cargo space add to the package.
Alongside its sister car, the Kia Sportage, with competition from SsangYong, Holden, Ford, Mitsubishi, VW and Nissan, just to mention a few, the ix35 really is up against it. Given the quality of small to medium SUVs nowadays, with pricing exceptionally competitive, this is really a judgement call for a buyer. With the range starting at $26990 plus ORCs (check www.hyundai.com.au for offers though!) and the Elite 2.4L from $36990 plus ORCs it’s good value.
Driver Education: Does it/should it work?
Think back to when you started to learn to drive. Where was it? How did you do it? Manual or automatic? Who taught you? For me, it was the mid late 1980’s, in my home town of Perth and was done (then) through a driving school and with the emphasis on a holistic approach. It wasn’t simply sit in, strap in, ignition on and go, I was taught about getting settled before I started. Seat position, rear vision mirror, side mirrors, handbrake on (if it was a manual), that kind of thing. I was taught about indication, using headlights, observing the road ahead of me and not just the car in front. I was also taught to drive a manual, therefore becoming involved in the driving experience, not merely a steerer. All this, in an age where the VL Commodore and XF Falcon were kings of the road, technology was having a CD radio cassette and speed cameras were a 
glint in the revenue raiser’s eye. Importantly, it wasn’t my parents that taught me, it was people that were trained to teach people how to utilise a car to the best of the driver’s ability and was intended to put safe drivers, not idiots, out on the roads.
Even then, there was no real encouragement to do follow up education, how to improve the weak spots of driving, take advantage of new information, learn about advances in car tech (Anti skid brake systems, airbags etc), it was pretty much a procession of: get learners, get lessons, get licence, go drive mum and dad’s car until you could buy your own (if mum and dad hadn’t already done so). Time moves on and slowly, slowly, people wake up to the fact that people being taught to drive aren’t being taught that well anymore, or what they were taught was a long time ago and bad habits have crept in. Along the way governments became somewhat disinterested in proper driving education and found out that bad drivers make a great source of easy money. Drivers became less interested in being a good driver and more interested in simply getting from A to B. The emphasis became more of learning to pilot an automatic transmissioned car, not getting involved in what the car does. Technology upped the ante with extra airbags, stability and traction control, better ABS, climate controlled aircon and more with a focus on auto, auto, auto; auto headlights, auto wipers, keyless entry, but, seemingly, no progress on how to drive a car fitted with all of these.
Of recent years, state governments have offered different avenues for a person to obtain their driver’s license; in NSW they must complete a certain amount of hours with the assistance of a driver of at least five years experience (generally the long suffering parents) and, seemingly, with minimal real input from those that train people to drive properly. But how many bad habits are being passed down? No indication at corners or 
roundabouts or pulling into/out of a stop roadside? No headlights on when it’s dark or raining? iPod earphones in, ignoring a perfectly usable radio? It goes further than that when it comes to truly bad driving habits. Thankfully, against the tide, there are those that believe Australia needs better driver education post gaining a license. One of those is Phil Brock. If you think that surname is familiar, you’d be right. Apart from being the brother of the late Peter Brock, he’s been a racecar driver and firmly believes that governments need to provide further driver training, plus, back off on the spin telling us about how less people have died on our roads or have not, allegedly, been injured: Deaths: in 2000 it was 1,761, in 2009 it was 1,543.
Seriously injured: in 2000 it was 26,694, in 2009 it was 34,116. Seriously injured with high threat to life: in 2000 it was 6,911, in 2009 it was 8,798. Pretty simple maths, the death toll declined by 218, but the overall serious injury rose by 9,309.
So, we have a total of 42,914 people seriously injured on our roads in one year, and rising, yet the Government tells us it’s heading in the right direction?
But, as Phil notes: “Apparently research PROVES that driver education is pointless, that it has no benefit to lessening the road toll at all.
Also, car accidents are not caused by bad driving, unless there is a outside influence such as alcohol, drugs etc.” Yet, there’s this: “Recently we had a phone call from a mother thanking us for saving her daughter’s life. Her daughter was in an incident whlie driving on a highway and stated that our Defensive Driving Course saved her and her friends life by using the techniques she learnt in the course. As a small business passionate about its work, this is the kind of thing we love to hear about.” That was a course provided by a third party of which he has no involvement yet that information was passed to him due to his concern about driver standards and the lack of government committment to help people improve their ability on the road.
In NSW, there was a person, involved in the former Roads and Traffic Authority at a high level, that metaphorically laid his life on the line to say that driver education didn’t work, that all it would do would be to have drivers go out and try and find the limits of what they’ve been taught. Thankfully, that person no longer has any sway and this way of thinking is no longer the overriding command. Ian Luff, former racer himself, father of V8 Supercar driver Warren and a well known promoter of driver education and safety, is another one of those that believes training saves lives. His courses are run with a touch of humour here and there, sprinkled liberally with catchphrases but with a deadly serious 
underlying message. It’s also the name of his hugely successful business, Drive to Survive. Ian points out the usage of ABS and how the right application of the brake pedal with an ABS fitted car, in conjunction with stability control, road observation and a change of driver attitude can go a whole lot further to saving a life or more than no training. Something as simple as having the side window fully raised or fully retracted, instead of half way, where a sideways impact can violently move the head to the side, directly placing the neck right on top of the hardened glass edge. Being observant whilst driving; here, Ian shows some not so pretty pictures of cars windscreen deep into a truck’s rear, at just the right height for the front seat passengers to literally lose their head, thanks to a driver simply not paying attention or playing with an electronic device. Ian also explains that, although understanding the financial aspect of buying an older, cheaper car for your children, the engineering aspect comes into play with chassis design, crumple zones and such. This is clearly identified by a video which shows two cars, one modern and the other of an eighties vintage, being pushed at high speed into a concrete block as part of a crash study. The result for the older car is not pretty. Yet, as Ian explains, if a driver was taught properly, the chance of a crash (there is NO such thing as an accident) can be minimised. Note that word minimised. There are instances where a crash has happened and has been unavoidable.
When it comes to training and education, there’s pretty simple examples of where this works when it comes to road vehicles: every single racing car driver worldwide. (
http://www.carsguide.com.au/news-and-reviews/car-news/lowndes_backs_driver_training as one example) How’s that, you ask? Simple: imagine yourself in a racecar, without any education or training as to the capability of that vehicle. Think of how easy it might be to stall it on start up, how the brake setup will stop you harder and more efficiently than your road car, how much more grippier the tyres are, how much extra speed you can carry into a turn, how easy it is to completely stuff it up and crash because you’ve had no training. As business development manager at Drive to Survive, Stewart Nicholls says: “ If education doesn’t work then let’s close all the schools and universities now.” It’s a fair point; in just about every single position of employment world wide there is training. Further to that, there’s ongoing training. A pilot isn’t simply taught to fly a Cessna then unleashed upon the public by flying, untrained, a 747. A surgeon simply doesn’t pick up a sharp knife and hack away to pull out your inflamed appendix. There’s the initial training and then there’s more, yet when it comes to something most of us take for granted, but costs the country billions of dollars in hospital costs, medical bills and rehabilitation after a crash, to say that it’s a bad thing driver education and training is akin to saying it’s ok to climb Mt Everest with no clothes on. Vehicle dealerships of certain brands include driver training as part of the sale package, knowing it’ll be better, not worse, to do so. The naysayers point out research, government feedback that “point towards further driver education being ineffective”. The problem with that statement are the innumerable drivers that are better drivers because of further driver education and training. Quite simply, if you believe you’re a good driver and need no further training, go and do a course. You’ll be horrified at how bad you are, how little you’ve improved since you got your license sometime last century and grateful to find out that the rose coloured glasses finally got that much needed clean.
Top Gear Festival Sydney 2014
It’s 4pm, Friday afternoon, March 7th. Ominous clouds hover overhead whilst Thor throws down bolt after bolt of lightning. Thunder ripples through the air as a result but most eyes are on the scene unfolding in a marquee. Not only are there Jeremy Clarkson and production assistants, there’s a McLaren MP 4/4, once driven by Ayrton Senna. There’s also the engaging nephew of Ayrton, the swoon inducing (according to my female colleagues), Bruno. The interview concludes, it’s due to be shown on the large screens dotting the Sydney Motorsport Park complex, host to the Top Gear Festival Sydney 2014. The storm moves on around to the east and heads north, allowing the unveiling of the McLaren 650S, just days after the world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show. Startling in its intensive blue colour, it’s more than a machine, it’s a work of art. It’s a great lead in to what promises to be a great weekend.
Saturday morning, 7am. I’m up, if not awake. Coffee, breakfast, I’m away. There’s a queue already at the gates, people waiting for the doors to open at 8.30am. My co-host, John, meets me at our commentary spot and we catch up with the people behind the scenes from last years successful debut. We’re on the mics, welcoming exhibitors and letting them know the punters are baying for their blood. gates open and roles are reversed, letting the punters know who’s there to see and buy from. There’s plenty, from ROH Wheels to Turtle Wax to HDT-SV to look at, plus, on the South Circuit, where the McLaren resides, is the Motoring in Motion section, where people 
can experience rides in the Volvo S60, Jaguar range and more.
Come 9am and it’s time to introduce a couple of people……except 9 comes and goes. There’s a delay in getting the opening presenters to the stunt vehicles opening the show. Eventually the Isuzu D-Max utes are rolling, on their right side wheels, with Steve Pizzati and Riana Crehan to jump out and kick things off. The day becomes a melange of stunt driving, posties bike racing, Matt Mingay cars and bikes, drift cars, Shane 
Jacobson’s lightning fast wisecracks, banter between Shane, Steve and Riana, Daniel Ricciardo blasting around the circuit in the Red Bull F1 car from 2011 (breaking Mark Webber’s Saturday time quickly), a contest between a ute and an esky…race offs between various kinds of cars such as the Erebus Motorsport GT3 SLS or Neal Bates and a WRC Corolla. Channel 9 reporter Erin Molan was taken for a lap with Bruno Senna, erstwhily answering general knowledge questions….failing dismally in the process. There were more screams in two minutes than in a horror movie marathon. And yes, Jeremy and James were there, as was the Stig. The English presenters seem distracted, disinterested and, in truth, account for barely an hour of the schedule. But at least it didn’t rain.
Sunday was a repeat, program wise; the presenters started on time, there were two more 
people in the Car Bungy jump, including Riana. There were more drifting demos, more jokes, another few laps from the D-Max duo whilst the crowd seemed restless. Michelle Jenneke made an appearance, a much appreciated one to reprise her race against Clarkson from last year but with a twist. This time round, she would do some hurdles instead of all sprints, while Jeremy would also hurdle. In a car. Unexpectedly (cough) the lissome Jenneke’s warmup routine was warmly greeted by the male crowd. Hilarity ensues as Clarkson makes a few gags, drives the Lexus LF-A through polystyrene ramps and takes Michelle away. May contributes by attempting to race a monster truck with…a mon
ster truck, in this case, a radio controlled one through the wheelbase of a genuine one. 
Sadly, a few models gives their lives. Happily, they’re donated to a couple of younger crowd members. Minus controls.
Ricciardo comes out, makes a mockery of yesterday’s time, runs in the car challenge which features a few laps of high speed and includes Garth Walden’s World Time Attack winning monster. There’s a couple of drag cars, one bloke sets a burnout record, there’s applause. It’s all good fun, there’s the car soccer with the three wheeled Robin Reliants, the day rounds off with the third race of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge and that’s it. At least it didn’t rain.
Go here for some video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8ojRMvGdOs&feature=youtu.be, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsO5H_hbENQ&feature=youtu.be, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmOVyu65l6w&feature=youtu.be
Tradie's Five Alive: Toyota HiLux SR5
Toyota’s HiLux is a nameplate that’s been with us for quite some time, 1968 in fact. It’s been available in two and four wheel drive, hi rise and low rise configuration, two and four doors, diesel and petrol with one constant: a utility tray at the back. I look at the latest model SR5, with two doors, four seats and a diesel manual drive train.
It’s a grunty 3.0L diesel under the broad intake scooped bonnet, a low revver at that, with 126kW peaking at 3600rpm whilst torque is a sizeable 343 torques. What’s important here is the rev point: just 1400 rpm. This allows short shift as there’s little point goint past 2000 and it’s borne out by how rapidly the engine 
feels breathless. The gearbox is a five speed manual with transfer case. The lever for the manual is long, mostly intuitive but there were times when it refused to play ball, with reverse or third occasionally simply refusing to acknowledge its presence. The transfer case lever was the same; down and to the right and up again to go from 2WD to 4WD high range to 4WD low range. A hefty shove was required to move it back to 2WD position. Clutch pressure was ideal, balanced, with the pickup point also ideally positioned in the travel rather than lightswitch on/off.
On the road the 4WD suspension is taut, tight, jiggly, with speedbumps sending the rear end skywards and sideways easily; the front is also tight but not quite so. Turn in is tight, with a touch of understeer as the tyres (mounted on stylish 17 inch alloys, at 
265/65 profile) understandably, with an offroad tread, squeal their way through corners however there’s no noticeable lift off understeer at speed, especially on a downhill run. It’s a hard call; soften the rear to deal with roads better (knowing it’s tight due to presumed usage for workers) or leave it for a purchaser to decide if it’s too much IF they’re using it for family usage.
During a freeway run the HiLux rolls along nicely, as expected from such high torque at low revs 
(somewhat surprised only a five cogger though) but the drone from the body/intake is tiresome on the freeway. The audio system, adequate at best, needs to be turned up to the proverbial eleven in an effort to mute the sound. It’s noisy, unpleasant and wearisome. Acceleration is leisurely, progressive rather than being thrust back in your seats fast, with gear ratios in mind for the more intended loaded up usage, I suspect. The tautness of the suspension is noticeable here, with smaller undulations coming across as the pea in the princess’ bed. The higher ride height also plays havoc, at night, with smaller cars in front, with the headlights ideally placed to beam straight into the rear vision mirror.
Interior comfort levels are good, with the driver’s seat feeling, initially, somewhat short in the seat squab and feeling as if under thigh support wasn’t there all the time. It took a day or two for that to be of no consequence; what was noticeable was the chintzy silver plastic garnish around the audio system and central airvents and on the tiller. Cheap, cheap cheap, yuck. It sits atop a simple, graphic based, aircon system, with a monochrome display. Foolproof. The rear seats are, ostensibly, for 
three people. That’s possible if they’re small. With two sub seven year old kids and with the requisite child seats, it’s a tad squeezy. The cushions are flat, unsupportive and wouldn’t be great for runs 
of more than a couple of hours, if that long. Nor would they be suitable for two adults as: 1) only the passenger seat flips forward for rear seat entry and 2) leg room is a compromise.
The dash is elegant in its own simplicity; two major dials and two sub dials, giving you speed, revs, fuel and 
what temperature to cook the eggs at. A soft red backlight at night adds to the lustre.
It’s a bluff, no nonsense look on the outside; it’s an upright centre grille rolling either side to a gentle slope towards the windscreen from the headlights. Being the XTra Cab and two doors, there’s a bit of extra sheetmetal abaft the doors before leading into the tray, fitted (in this case) with a floor only liner (full tub liners should be available via Toyota spare parts) with the rear ‘gate sporting the reverse camera, somewhat oddly positioned off to the left. Sidesteps, a solid step rear bar and dual pipe sportsbar 
complete the picture.
At $50K or so driveaway (pricing can be found at: http://www.toyota.com.au/hilux/prices) for the diesel SR5 manual, it’s a bit of an ask for a vehicle that, on the face of it, doesn’t appear to offer much different to interlopers of recent times. On the face of it…Toyota has built a reputation on a few things, including almost bullet proof four wheel drive vehicles (witness the Top Gear UK episode which featured a HiLux) and that is something that sits almost subconsciously with buyers. This HiLux isn’t for me, but I’m not its intended market.
Level 2, 9 Help Street