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Private Feet Car Review: 2015 Jaguar XF R-Sport
Iconic British brand, Jaguar, has long been an innovator in the auto industry. It’s also come perilously close to going under as a maker but thankfully Indian based conglomerate Tata threw them a chequebook and said go for it. As a result we’ve seen the rebirth of the XJ, the fantastic F-Type and its sibling, the F-Pace SUV. The XF series (now into its third styling), has been a favourite within the brand and A Wheel Thing looks at an example of the outgoing model, in the shape of the 3.0L V6 R-Sport.
First released in 2008, with a bug eyed look and a svelte coupe profile, the XF quickly made its mark against its traditional German rivals. A facelift in 2011 gave the front a much needed makeover, a minor change to the rear and an eight speed gearbox. The car Jaguar Australia provided to A Wheel Thing, the R-Sport, had that plus a grunty yet silky smooth supercharged V6 with petrol the preferred juice, as Jaguar also has a diesel version.
Hiding underneath both a lithe bonnet and acres of plastic is a 250 kW/450 Nm engine, sipping unleaded at a rate of 13.9/7.0/9.6 litres (urban/highway/combined) from a 70L tank. 
Although tractable, flexible, enjoyable, the thirst was a touch unexpected. But, there’s a caveat and an odd one, to be sure. On a return run to Canberra, the R-Sport used slightly over a half tank of fuel, brimmed before departure to reach its destination.
On the return journey, bearing in mind a portion of this was an uphill run, the car was slotted into Sports mode. This has the effect of tightening up the whole feel of the car, from transmissions shifts to steering to engine response. The R-Sport came home with fuel to spare…
Although it’s an aluminuim build in parts, the XF R-Sport still weighs in excess of 1850 kilos, which contributes towards that fuel consumption. That mass is also noticeable when seriously hustling the R-Sport, along with the fact that peak torque figure doesn’t happen until there’s 3500 revs on board, meaning a bit of a peddle is needed to get the big cat up and running. 
There’s plenty of grip to play with, though, with chunky and ultra low profile Dunlop (255/35) rubber on black clad 20 inch alloys, which are highlighted by the deep blue on the car.
Compared to the first XF, there’s the far more attractive headlight design, the LED tail lights and J-shape LED driving lights, a reworked front bumper design and,for the R-Sport, a small boot lip spoiler.
Taken through a road that’s popular with drivers, being a downhill run with off camber turns, sweeping curves into hard brake points and a wonderful tightening radius turn, the R-Sport hunkered down and powered through with the grace, pace and space expected. The brakes themselves are wonderfully progressive, with feel from the first touch and biting more on the downwards travel without any feel of fading or needing more pressure.
The interior has been updated for the forthcoming model and perhaps not before time. It’s a plush place to be, true, but starting to look dated. There’s the monolithic grace of the rising and opening of the gear selector and airvents, electric adjustment for the steering column, comfortable and supportive seats, clean ergonomics on the switch gear, a solid and chunky feel to the tiller however the overall look and feel is a touch tired. Wood grain is one thing, plastic wood grain is another…
That’s not surprising, given the design of the XF goes back close to a decade. The satnav interface is a bit clunky, not altogether intuitive and the touchscreen display is over populated with icons. The dash itself is “old school” with a mechanical needle look to the speedo and tachometer and a seeming lack of information being able to be accessed for the centre screen. 
Located in the glovebox, however, is a sign of pride…
There’s some handy tech though, such as rain sensing wipers, auto dim headlights (option), blind spot alert (option), the imperceptible shifts in the eight speed auto, Winter and Sport Mode for the drivetrain, Stop/Start for the engine, Pedestrian Contact Sensing System, tyre pressure monitoring (option) and the 380W Meridian sound system,plus the usual suite of airbags and driver aids.
The Wrap.
There’s little doubt that Jaguar, as a brand, is iconic. A Wheel Thing owns two XJ6’s, a series 2 and a series 3 Sovereign. Being able to test the modern Jaguars is both an honour and a tug of the heartstrings, as Jaguar has survived unlike so many other British brands. The open chequebook from Tata has gone a long way to help Jaguar reposition itself in the automotive marketplace, from the completely redesigned XJ to the F-Type and Jaguar’s first SUV, the F-Pace.
The XF R-Sport stands as a testament to the innovation of the company and a link to the past, with its almost gentleman’s club interior. With the R-Sport somewhere north of $105,000 and a somewhat hefty weight for its size, coupled with urban fuel consumption of around 14L per 100 kilometres, it’s certainly a car for the well heeled. But it’s also a car for the driver. For a look at the not so old and the new, go here:Jaguar XF sedan, outgoing and 2016 range
Private Fleet Car Review: 2016 Kia Carnival S Petrol.
Designing a people mover for the road is simple: take a box, slap on four wheels and you’re done. But what do you do if you want a truly stylish people mover? Many companies have tried and some have failed. Some have come out with award winners, such as Honda and their Odyssey. To make a BIG people mover look nice is no easy task yet Korea’s Kia have done so with their 2016 Carnival. Carnival is also the vehicle of choice for a company that specialises in producing vehicles for disabled and wheelchair bound people, Automobility.
A Wheel Thing was pencilled in to sample the diesel engined Carnival, however due to an incident with that car, was given the keys to the petrol powered S, the entry level model. It’s an interesting price point, too, for the big car (it’s 5115 mm long) at $41490 as it’s both well featured as standard and just $500 more than the Optima Platinum…
Kia has fitted the Carnival with a 3.3L V6 and a 2.2L diesel four cylinder, with both available through the four level range. Power and torque from the petrol engine is 206 kW (6000 rpm) and 336 torques, at a high 5200 revs. This contributes to the woeful economy of the petrol powered version, with Kia’s own figures quoting 15.9L of unleaded for every 100 klicks covered in an urban environment, right where the Carnival’s main usage would be. It also explains an 80L fuel tank being fitted. Compare that to 147 kW (3800 rpm) and a more than handy 400 Nm of torque between 1750 and 2500 rpm, with six litres of diesel LESS being consumed over 100 kilometres.
Transmission is a six speed auto and it’s one of the best around. Under almost all driving circumstances, gear changes were invisible, with the flick of the rev counter the only indication of a change. It’s responsive, reacting to throttle input instantly and works well enough in hustling the 2048 kg beastie along nicely. There’s plenty of whoa to match the go, with a beautifully weighted pedal feel, with bite on the 320mm/324mm discs, front and rear, as soon as you touch the brake pedal and hauls the Carnival up nicely.
Ride quality surprised, surprised in that it was softer than expected. The S rolls on 17 inch steel wheels, with 235/65 rubber, with that sidewall height accounting for some of it, surely. Driven at appropriate speed over the speed calming bumps locally had the Carnival barely registering their existence. 
Handling, however, wasn’t compromised, with a surefooted and deft feel to the steering being communicated. Turn in was mostly well balanced, with perhaps too much for some drivers. A Wheel Thing was certainly surprised by the alacrity at which the Carnival responded to a turn of the tiller.
Somehow, Kia’s design team have taken a box and made it look European. Complete with the brand’s “tiger nose” signature, the sweeping headlights and a kick in the window line, the looks bely the length, the near two metre width and 1755 mm height. They’ve engineered in a 11.2 metre turning circle, wonderful for the size.
There’s no shortage of interior space, with a 3060 mm wheelbase, even with seating for eight. Kia have spent time and money here as it’s a beautiful place to be and the mechanisms for folding the seats are no more complicated than pulling a lever. There’s not just split folding either, as each seat is individually mounted on rails. There’s aircon controls for the rear and with vents for both middle and rear seats. Family friendly? Oh yes, indeedy. With seats folded and removed, there’s a massive 4022L of space available.
All the seats themselves are wonderfully comfortable, especially for the driver and passenger. They also face a simple yet elegant dash, complete with dashboard mounted chiller for SLi and Platinum (the S gets a non chilled unit), a huge centre console storage locker, some of the best ergonomics you’ll see for a family car and a pleasing mix of plastcs, both for tactile and visual looks.
Being the entry level model, it’s a small screen for the radio (Really wish the Koreans would do RDS…) and a small display for the dash, with a insert that shows what can be shown further up the range (3.5 inch OLED display for Si and SLi, 7 inch screen for Platinum).
Being a family car, it’s loaded with safety, with airbags, electronics for driving aids (the Platinum gets the extra toppings like Lane Awareness and Rear Cross Traffic Alert) plus the 7 year unlimited kilometre warranty to sweeten the deal. Lob in 3 USB charging ports and 12V sockets, 14 cup and bottle holders and it’s abundantly clear just how much thought has gone into the Carnival.
The Wrap.
The U.S. market is fickle, predominantly a 4WD ute or pickup market, yet the Carnival (Sedona in the states) has cut through enough to be named the best minivan. Even with the S being the entry level model, There’s plenty to love about the big people mover, bar the fuel economy for the petrol engine. It’s fun, this Carnival.
For the complete rundown on the range, click here: The incredible 8 seater Kia Carnival.
Jaguar Unveils The F-Pace At Frankfurt Motor Show
Iconic British brand, Jaguar, continues its renaissance with the public unveiling of its first SUV, the F-Pace, at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Not a brand to be reticent about showing off its new products, the car started its public career by breaking the world record for a car driving a loop-the-loop, with a height at an astonishing 19.08 metres. See the incredible feat here: Jaguar F-Pace record setting loop
To quote Ian Callum, Jaguar’s head of design, “The Jaguar F-PACE is an SUV with the soul of a sports car.” This was proven, conclusively, with expert British stunt driver Terry Grant at the wheel of the F-Pace in its dramatic unveiling.
To commemorate the release of Jaguar’s first ever SUV, there will be an exclusive run of just 2000 “First Edition” models, with a choice of just two colours, Caesium Blue and Halcyon Gold, and two engines, the 3.0L supercharged petrol V6 provoking the road with a 280 kW/450 Nm output, or the outstanding 700 Nm diesel of the same capacity.
F-Pace will also offer a 2.0L diesel, with 132 kW and a handy 430 Nm (1750 to 2500 rpm), a 3.0L V6 with a slightly detuned 250 kW with the weight of the F-Pace starting from just over 1800 kg with all variants being of an all wheel drive configuration.
Jaguar quotes a miserly 5.3L of diesel being sipped,in a combined drive cycle, for the entry diesel,from a 60 litre tank. It’ll see 100 kmh in under nine seconds on its way to a 208 kmh top speed. The higher torque diesel will be expecting a 66L tank, 241 kmh top speed and a 0-100 klick time of just over six seconds.
Moving to the 250 kW petrol and Jaguar quotes 5.8 seconds to 100, a 250 kmh top speed and a tick under 9.0L per 100 kms of 98 RON consumed from a 63L tank. The only change from the 280kW V6 is a 5.5 second 100 kmh time.
As one could guess, the F-Pace is loaded with technology. The AWD system employs a transfer case, with multi-plate wet clutch and chain drive, connected to the front axle setup. Normal drive sees all torque delivered to the rear but when called upon,will deliver a 50/50 split in 165 milliseconds. Jaguar says the front differential is the toughest and strongest of any seen in an AWD Jaguar, to the point that if the rear tyres were on polished ice, the system would still put enough torque through the front wheels to pull away, using only the front wheels.
Being seen more and more in off road capable vehicles is electronic programming to adapt to varying road surfaces; Jaguar has the ASR, Adaptive Surface Response, replacing the original Rain/Ice/Snow mode. With the parameters now expanded to cover almost any road or terrain surface, a driver will have a traction system covering light and greasy surfaces through to a measure of deep snow or gravel. Naturally, being a Jaguar, the program leaves the driving to the driver, by switching to the appropriate setting automatically and within four seconds.
There’s a Torque Vectoring system, splitting torque between the driven wheels, to back up the ASR, a stereo camera system for the Autonomous Emergency Braking, a 12.3 inch LCD “Virtual Instrument” display for the driver offering four themes and a 3D style navigation display. Lob in the aluminuim chassis, a 2847 mm wheelbase which provides plenty of interior room, an optional four zone climate control system, seat pockets designed specifically for smartphones (plus plenty of charging points), a centre console with a ten inch screen and 60GB solid state hard drive that come under the umbrella name of InControl Touch Pro (including access to Apple and Android devices), a built in wifi hotspot allowing up to eight devices to access, it’s clear that Jaguar isn’t about speed and good looks, there’s family friendly technology on board as well.
Take it for a drive and you’ll be onboard with the Integral Link suspension design; Jaguar have investigated and separated the loading on the suspension, with lateral and longitudinal components specifically engineered to deal with the individual loadings. Allowing softer bushes for the longitudinal loading allow excellent energy absorption and provide a smoother, more quiet ride. Castor stiffness is improved, providing better stability under braking. The steering was re-engineered, with an additional mounting point and by increasing the chassis’ rotational stiffness there’s more of the 22 inch diameter tyre contact patch holding on to the tarmac. 
The wheels themselves were specifically designed by the Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations division, alongside the 265/40 doughnuts.
Exterior design is pure, classic, Jaguar; from the J shaped LED driving lights, F-Type inspired haunches, tail lights and bonnet vents.
The bold, upright grille and bonnet bulge promise power, assertive attitude, adaptive LED headlights and a full five seater interior tell you immediately that this F-Pace is a Jaguar like no other.
For your first look at the brilliant new F-Pace, click here: Jaguar F-Pace
Private Fleet Car Review: 2015 Ford Fiesta ST
This is a car, the Ford Fiesta ST, that A Wheel Thing has been watching from afar for sometime and due to a minor scheduling hiccup, finally got to try. Did it live up to expectations? Read on.
In essence, the ST is the fire breathing example of the range, with a 134 kW/240 Nm 1.6L EcoBoost petrol engine. Peak power is on tap at 5700 revs, but the talking point is the mesa flat delivery of torque, from 1600 to 5000 rpm. 
Mated to one of the best sorted six speed manuals going and a fluid, smooth clutch and spot on brakes, it’s a fantastic combination. Additional tech comes in the form of Hill Start Assist.
Body style is a three door hatch and the test car came clad in a sparkling, eye catching, Molten Orange metallic paint (optional extra, at $450 cost), 17 inch alloys with a five spoke, hammerhead, design with 205/40 rubber, slim line headlights with LED driving lights, sports body kit, dual exhaust tips and rear parking sensors. 
It’s compact at just over four metres in length and sits on a 2490 mm wheelbase. It’s a squat track too, with a 1465 and 1447 mm track, front and rear, accounting for the go-kart like handling.
Interior kit runs to push button start/stop, auto headlights and wipers, snug and form fitting Recaro sports seats, a Sony audio system (with the soon to be replaced overdose of buttons), the Microsoft powered Sync system for voice activation on certain services such as audio, a smartly laid out aircon control set, a non touchscreen display of 4.2 inches and a sports steering wheel with a “just right” feel to the hand.
The engine is, quite simply, a pearler; aside from a system that pipes noise into the cabin for more aural feedback, the torque and free revving, spritely nature of the powerplant brings a sense of life and pizzazz to the drive. There’s that immensely usable torque delivery, allowing flexibility around town and on the freeway. Backed by that instinctive, short throw gear change and thought direct steering, it’s a sports hatch for the exuberant driver.
The ST is also kitted with a Torque Vectoring system, which effectively delivers torque via a special differential to the wheel the system feels needs more. Economy? Brilliant; Ford quotes 6.2L per 100 kilometres of unleaded (it will run E10 to 98 RON) from a 48L tank. A Wheel Thing matched that figure.
Downside, for some, is the sports handling and ride; the steering is responsive but perhaps too responsive for some,with even a twitch seeing a change of direction. In order to have the ST sit as flat as it does, the sports oriented suspension picks up every lump, bump and five cent piece sized ripple on the road. Having said that, if this bothers a driver then perhaps they’ve not researched their choice of buying well enough.
There’s also the bland, hard plastics inside. It’s an outdated, uncomfortable look and feel, with little or no give and being all black lends a claustrophobic feel to the cabin. 
The only real spots of brightwork were the scuff plates,surrounds to the gear lever and gear knob itself and highlights on the tiller. The dash itself (along with the aircon_ is simple to read but dated with dash style LCD backlit displays.
Offsetting that is the approximately 280L of carry space behind the rear seats which increases to around 960L with seats folded.
There’s ‘bags aplenty, including thorax and driver’s knee, plus the usual suite of electronic safety items such as Electronic Brake Distribution.
The Wrap.
It’s a performance bargain, the Ford Fiesta ST, with a starting price of just under $29800.00 (September 2015 pricing). It’s a ripper to look at, a hoot to drive, cheap to run and has enough onboard tech and space to prove useful to most. The expectations were of a fun car with an interior in need of an update. Expectations met.
For information, contact your local Ford dealer or click here: Ford Fiesta ST info
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