Buy A New Car
2017 Peugeot 308 Allure: A Private Fleet Car Review:
When the 308’s current iteration was released, it won the 2014 European Car of the Year Award. It was lauded for its use of lightweight composite materials, its fuel efficient engines, and also for the interior, winning the Grand Prize for the Most Beautiful Interior at the 2013 Festival Automobile International. With that in mind, Private Fleet takes on the Peugeot 308 Allure, complete with peppy three cylinder engine.
Sitting up front of the 4253 mm hatch is the PureTech turbocharged three cylinder, delivering 96 kilowatts at 5500, and peak torque comes in at 1750 rpm. There’s 230 torques from the 1.2L Euro 6 emission compliant engine, and is bolted to a six speed auto with Sports mode and manual shift via the gear selector. There’s the characteristic off kilter warble of the three cylinder as it hums its way up the rev range. The auto has a combination of dual clutch and CVT feel from stand-still, with a hesitation that intrudes noticeably before engaging and moving the 1125 kilo mass.
In Normal mode, the transmission is unsure, indecisive, with clunky changes…sleepy would be a good word. Select manual or Sports, and the difference is startling. The same throttle pressure sees more oomph, more verve, more excitement and the changes are quicker, crisper, sharper, and there’s a sense of more involvement in the experience. Matched with a chassis that leans towards, slightly, the more sporting pretension, and it’s a far better proposition when in Sports than normal. Having no paddle shifts makes no difference to the alacrity of the change. Punch it when under way and again the transmission seems a distant cousin you once knew as being slightly odd but is now ready to flex some intellectual muscle. It’s bang bang bang through the ratios and with barely a physical notification of doing so.
It’s a ride and handling package that delights as well, with grip aplenty from the 225/45/17 GoodYear EfficientGrip rubber. They respond well to the slow in/fast out cornering style advocated by performance drivers, combining with a tautish suspension tune, with just enough compliance to give a little luxury to an otherwise sportsmanlike ride. The shopping centre speedhumps do crash through, however, but that’s balanced by the smoothing out of corrigated and undulating roads found between home and the pick-up point near Sydney’s Mascot Airport.
Where the 308 Allure does fall down, and badly, is in the connection between car and driver via two very important components: accelerator and brakes. The former, from standstill, is on or off, with no progession between the two, with nothing then a lurch as it tells the gearbox to do something. The brakes require patience and planning as well, with far too much travel before there’s a semblance of bite on the discs. Once on, they will haul down the petite little thing well enough. Ergonomically there’s a query, with the accelerator pedal seemingly too far towards the centre and close to the brake pedal than seems neccessary.
Inside it’s a mix of quality and comfort; satin and matt black plastics contrast with a silver, almost aluminuim centre console trim and steering wheel hub spoke, with the seats clad in a charcoal suede trim in the centre and leather elsewhere. The centre section of the dash mirrors the binnacle housing the simple yet informative mechanical dials that bracket a monochrome display screen. The tiller holds basic audio and Bluetooth controls, with a separate stalk for the cruise control. Audio, controlled via the 9.7 inch touchscreen, was clear and punchy, with the Spotify app but lacked DAB. However the Pug stays a bit old school digitally, with a single slot CD player on board.
Hill Start Assist is on board, as is cooling for the glove box, plus Tyre Pressure Monitoring. There’s the usual swag of safety programs, six airbags, emergency brake light flash activation, parking assist and sensors, and push button Start Stop. There’s an Electronic Park Brake as standard plus you’ll also get tyre pressure monitoring.
Cargo wise, cup and bottle holders abound and there’s that nearly too small but not quite 435 litres of boot space, which increases to 1274 with rear seats folded. The spare is the now commonplace space saver.
Outside it’s familiar Peugeot, with good looking alloys, LED rears and LED driving lights. It’s a swoopy look, with an angular finish to the head and tail light housings joined by a defining line. It’s a strong look, yet just soft enough to broaden the appeal visually. It finishes (or starts) the way the 308 reaches out and sits you down with a comfy cup of tea, such is how the overall package settles around you.
Peugeot offer a three year or 100,000 kilometre warranty, 12 months roadside assist, a three year paintwork guarantee and a 12 year corrosion gurantee on their passenger car range.
At The End Of The Drive.
The Peugeot 308 Allure sits mid range and fits in nicely pricewise at just under $33K. As an overall package the Allure is….alluring, however it’s then a question of adapting to the way the drivetrain works and the lack of feedback from the brakes in light usage. It’s a cracking ride and once underway, a cracking drive. Here’s how you can find out more: Configure your 2017 Peugeot 308
Wheels Magazine's Car of the Year for 2017 Has Zoom-Zoom.
Mazda’s CX-9 has won the 2017 Wheels Car of the Year, the second year in a row for the Japanese car company. The MX-5 was awarded the gong in 2016. Mazda is also the first Japanese company to win the award back-to-back, the fourth maker in the history of the award and is just the second company to do so since COTY was born in the 1960s. The CX-9 also created its own piece of history by being the first SUV to win COTY since 2004.
Wheels magazine’s acting editor, Alex Inwood said: “The Mazda CX-9 stood out throughout the entire Wheels Car of the Year judging week.”
The CX-9 was released in Australia in mid 2016, and immediately struck a chord with the Australian buying public. People were attracted to its stylish design, user friendly interior, the punchy and efficient 2.5 litre turbocharged four cylinder petrol engine, and the combination of quietness and safety. Inwood also said: “In many ways you could regards this as a win for democratic motoring because this is a car that proves you don’t need to spend a lot of money to get great levels of luxury, refinement, and ride quality.”
Mazda Australia’s Managing Director, Martin Benders, chimed in: “From initial planning to its arrival on the showroom floor we were confident that the brand new CX-9 would appeal to family sized SUV buyers and be a success. The win takes Mazda’s tally to eight, the highest number for brands considered to be an imported brand, with the 323 in 1980, the 626 in 1983 and 1992, the MX-5 in 1989/2005/2016 and the rotary engined RX-8 in 2003.
The CX-9 tops a three model range, with the CX-3 and CX-5 available, plus a new CX-5 is due for the Australian market in March, 2017. There’s four trim levels available, plus either front wheel or all wheel drive, with a six speed auto the sole transmission choice. The car has also qualified in the top ten vehicles for the 2017 World Car of the Year.
For more info on the 2017 Car of the Year from Mazda, go here: 2017 Mazda CX-9
2017 Volvo S90 D5 Inscription: Private Fleet Car Review.
The Swedish car company renaissance continues with the Volvo S90 being released in late 2016. A long, lithe, well proportioned machine, it places the S90 firmly in the large luxury saloon mix, and has both the British and German based manufacturers clearly in its sights. Private Fleet reviews the Volvo S90 D5 Inscription.
The range kicks off at $79990; the car tested, the D5 Inscription has a manufacturer’s list price of $96900 and with options fitted tops out at $118555 (plus on roads). The options include heated front seats (again, ventilation for Australian spec cars should be a must) at $650, Head Up Display at $1900, and the superb B & W sound system at $4500. Oddly, Apple CarPlay is also listed as an option ($300) when seen as standard fitment in cars a quarter of the price. Also, it’s said elsewhere that DAB (digital radio) is fitted as standard yet the the test car does not have it.
The exterior is a mix of desireable influences; at one angle the view forward of the windscreen is very much BMW 7 series, the grille nods towards Maserati, there’s hints of Jaguar XF in the profile and rear pillar. There’s bendy LED headlights and indicators plus the Hammer of Thor inserts for the headlights. At the rear…well, it’s here things go squiffy. 
The tail light design is square, angular, blocky, and in Private Fleet’s opinion, just not pretty and at odds with the lithe look anywhere forward. A smoother curved style would, in this reviewer’s humble opinion, be more suitable and balance the rear to the front. But by no means is the S90 an unattractive car, far from it.
It’s a big car, with a length of 4963 mm and wheelbase of 2941 mm offering plenty of leg room straight up with 1071 mm and 911 mm front and rear . Width, sans mirrors, is 1879 mm, providing 1423 mm and 1416 mm in hip room, and an overall height of 1443 mm sees head room of 1027 mm and 961 mm.
Inside it’s familiar territory from Volvo. LCD driver’s display, the tablet style touchscreen centrally mounted in the dash, the powered seats, separate aircon controls for the rear seats, an elegance that’s understated yet subtly appreciated pervades the cabin. There’s a two tone mix for the material, with a lighter colour for the pillars and roof lining that provides a light and airy feel.
Switchgear is minimal, thanks to just about every operation being controlled via the touchscreen. Although it sounds like a good idea, something like the aircon should still be operated via tabs or buttons, as it’s more likely to be something more often to be adjusted. Using a touchscreen can be advantageous but can also be fiddly and possibly beyond the ability of some drivers. And that’s another thing; althought there’s plenty of safety tech built in, a driver can easily get lost in using the screen’s menu and as a result lost focus of the primary pary of driving (observation) happens.
Seats are controllable, as mentioned, electrically, and even something such as a lumbar adjustment pops up on the touchscreen. You can change the look of the driver’s display via the onboard menu, compared to other models which allow you to do so via an option accessible from the left hand (in Australia) stalk attached to the steering wheel. There’s Head Up Display fitted, as mentioned, and it’s a proper 3D display too, with speed and speed zones clearly visible AND appreciably different in depth. Again, any changes to the display are made via the touchscreen.
There’s plenty of features such as Auto headlights, rain sensing wipers, adaptive cruise and forward collision alert. It’s this last one that gave A Wheel thing a few moments, due to the sesnor being somewhat sensitive, activating the stacatto audio alert and applying the brakes simultaneously…to no vehicle in front. In turns and curves the sensor would read a vehicle roadside and mistakenly think it was directly ahead. Not good for the heart.
Moodlighting is restricted to LEDs softly glowing in the doors and in the sills. It’s subtle, unobtrusive at night, and manages to become a backgound, almost subconcious, part of the drive.
Sounds come courtesy of that truly beautifully tuned Bowers and Wilkins system, with the English brand fitting their renowned speakers to the S90. There’s AM/FM/Bluetooth and a single vertically mounted CD slot in the centre console along with Apple CarPlay.
In the rear, there’s window blinds and the previously mentioned aircon controls, plus a port that allows access to the boot. Ah yes, the boot. The S90 is a big car, but comes with a spacesaver spare and a boot that is lonnnnnng, but not deep, providing 500 litres of space. Yes, there’s plenty of room for a week’s shopping, but in order to do so, it’s a stretch in towards the back of the rear seat in order to utilise the boot. At least the lid is power operated.
It’s on the road, not unexpectedly, that the S90 gets a chance to show off its acting chops. There’s that two litre diesel up front, with an amazing peak of 470 torques covering either side of the 2000 rpm point. There’s a technology called PowerPulse, Volvo’s attempt to mitigate the off boost lack of urge that turbocharged cars have. 
In essence, it’s a form of air injection (from air that’s constantly recharging a two litre tank) that gets fed into the system that feeds the turbo and spins the turbo up quicker than waiting for the normal gases. The result is a quicker throttle response and aids greatly in driveability. Plant the welly at the traffic lights and instead of the one…..two….threee…it’s one..two..wow!
Tank size varies between 55 or 60 litres, depending on which engine you buy with your new S90. Volvo claims a combined figure of 5.1L/100 km for the diesel engine; impressive given the dry weight of just under 1850 kilograms. A Wheel Thing finished with 8.1L/100 in mostly suburban driving.
Working hand in hand with the eight speed auto (sans paddle shifts, mind you), the S90 fairly motors along. Factor in that all wheel drive system (sitting on MacPherson struts and multi-link rear) and it’s an intoxicating mix of powerrrrrrrrr, drive ability, handling, and that underlying Volvo bloodline that no longer needs to shout safety. You have a lightly yet well balanced steering feel, with only a slight sense of numbness on centre.
There’s a ride that has been worked on to within an inch of its life, offering up the ideal compromise, especially with the size of the car, between luxury and sports and what most would consider to be normal. That’s aided by Pirelli’s excellent P-Zero rubber, fitted to (optional) 20 inch diamond cut eight spoke alloys. Brakes? Oh my. Near nigh perfect; there’s feedback as soon as you touch the pedal, allowing you to sense EXACTLY how much pressure you’re applying and how much more needs to be.
Tip it in to a hard and off camber corner. Meh, says S90. A long sweeper? Natch. A series of switchbacks? A shrug of the shoulders and the Volvo sits flat and firm through them, with the occupants almost unaware of the situation. Undulations on Sydney’s freeways? Up, down. No float, no uncertainty, no….anything. 
It’s as if the road varied by a centimetre, not six inches. It’s also easily controlled via the throttle; lean gently on the go pedal in a turn and the rear hunkers down whilst the front searches for the right line. Punt it hard, throw it into a series of turns and it genuinely belies the bulk in its nimbleness. Is it a driver’s car? Ohhhhh yessssssss.
At The End Of the Drive.
Sweden has taken on Germany and has the weapon to front up with confidence. There’s no doubt at all of its ability, its driveability, its technological prowess. From most angles it’s a devilishly handsome thing and it looks good from where it counts: the driver’s seat. No, it’s not perfect but it also provides a better than viable alternative to Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Maserati, and Jaguar. And it spearheads the charge that Volvo has underway to claim it’s the world’s fastest growing luxury car brand.
For more on the Volvo S90 D5 Inscription and the relatives, go here: 2017 Volvo S90 range
Jaguar's F-Type Ready For 2018 With Updates And New Additions.
Jaguar’s F-Type caused a stir when it was released and now it’s set to do the same with a world first in video technology. Here’s what they have to say.
“Every F-TYPE now features the Touch Pro infotainment system. Its super-fast responses, intuitive tablet-style operation, intelligent navigation functions such as Share ETA and online services such as real-time traffic and live weather reports make every journey more rewarding and put a world of information at the driver’s fingertips.
True enthusiasts will be able to capture and share their driving experiences using the new ReRun app developed in collaboration with GoPro. In a world-first, ReRun combines real-time video from the driver’s GoPro with key vehicle performance data including speed, throttle position, gear selection, braking force and g force. The high quality video – including unique ‘highlights’ sections – can be downloaded to the driver’s smartphone and shared on social media.
The F-TYPE’s award-wining design is stronger and more focused, with clearer visual range differentiation thanks to model-specific front bumpers. Full LED headlights boost visual appeal still further and help improve driver safety and comfort.”
There’s more: a new R-Dynamic model joins the family, with the 250 kilowatt and 280 kilowatt V6s under the redesigned front end. Yep, the F-Type has had a facelift. For the 2018 model year the front end look becomes clearer and more powerful, with LED headlights adding a technological edge, plus the running lights have double duty, with indicators now their other function. 
Those headlights have been colour temperature keyed to be 5600 – 6000 Kelvin, giving a natural daytime look along with improving the reach of the lights ahead of the car.
Inside, lightweight slimline seats (with Jaguar saying 8 kilos have been saved) deliver more style, more room and greater comfort. A harmonious selection of new interior finishes and materials give the F-TYPE a more exotic feel.
The F-TYPE’s grille shape and graphic are unchanged, remaining – as ever – key elements in the sports car’s design DNA. However, for the 2018 model year, designers paid particular attention to the bumpers, introducing bolder surfaces and simpler forms with discreet signature features subtly enhancing the front end form, providing greater differentiation across the model range, from the F-TYPE up to the F-TYPE SVR.
In place of its predecessor’s double ‘shark gill’ apertures, the new F-TYPE features large, powerful single apertures with a lozenge mesh design. Building on this design theme, the F-TYPE R-Dynamic models gain Gloss Black bezels.
To help celebrate the update, Jaguar will release a new model, available for just 12 months. To mark the introduction of the new F-TYPE range Jaguar has developed the exclusive 400 SPORT launch edition, which will go on sale worldwide but for one model year only. Power from the new 294 kilowatt, or (hence the name)400PS version of the 3.0-litre supercharged V6 engine is complemented by an uprated chassis comprising the Super Performance braking system, Configurable Dynamics and 20-inch wheels with a unique Dark Satin Grey finish.
Distinctive Yellow and Dark Satin Grey 400 SPORT badges on the rear of the car and on the front splitter hint at the extra power concealed beneath the clamshell bonnet and perfectly complement the choice of Indus Silver, Santorini Black and Yulong White metallic paint. Interior design elements include 400 SPORT branding in the centre console, steering wheel, treadplates and embroidered headrests. Yellow contrast stitching features throughout the cabin.
Jaguar have also added a semi automated parking facility; ultrasonic sensors read potential parking spaces for length and if suitable will steer the car in once the driver has engaged Reverse. Throttle and brake are also controlled by the system.
Pricing and further details will be released for the Australian market in the early part of Q2, 2017, ahead of the car’s launch in the latter part of Q2.
(With thanks to Jaguar UK and Jaguar Australia.)
Level 2, 9 Help Street