Private Fleet Car Review: 2016 Peugeot 308 Tourer Allure Premium
France’s car making industry has a long relationship with Australia. Renault, Citroen and Peugeot have raced and rallied here, sold some highly regarded cars and shown us a legend or two. Peugeot resonates with us because of these three letters: GTi. They’ve also stayed true to naming their cars with numbers, such as the 308 Tourer Allure Premium that that A Wheel Thing spent a week with.
Take Dr Who‘s TARDIS, slap on four wheels, paint it white, and slide a turbocharged 1.6 litre petrol fed engine under the control stack. Sure, a stretch of the visual imagination, but that’s an idea of what the Peugeot 308 Tourer (European fancyschmantz for a station wagon) is like.
Private Fleet Car Review: 2016 Holden Commodore SS-V Redline
It’s a quirk of automotive manufacturing that makers leave their best ’til last. Ford recently unveiled their Sprint Falcons, in both turbo six and supercharged V8 guise. In late 2015, Holden released the series 2 update for the VF Commodore range. Not unexpected was the lack of any real change, with minor bodywork and some under the skin electrical modifications.
In the case of the SS-V Redline, the American sourced LS3 6.3L V8 was massaged slightly, with power bumped to 304 kilowatts at 6000 revs, while peak torque of 570 Newton metres arrives at 4400 rpm. Make no mistake, there’s plenty of urge below that number.
Fuel consumption finished on 14.4 litres per 100 kilometres, with a solid combination of rural, suburban and highway driving undertaken. Driven gently and with no inclination to bury the welly (to hear that glorious V8 soundtrack), it’s reasonable to presume a sub 12 litre figure could be achieved.
Where In the World?
When I look out over the busy city streets, I often am left asking the question: where on earth do all these new cars keep coming from? Did you know that around the world there are over 70 million new passenger cars produced every year? If you break that down further, you could say that around the world 191,000 new cars are made every day. Literally, where on earth are the cars being made up? And, which country produces the most cars?
You may already be in the know, but China is the greatest producer of cars. Over a quarter of the world’s new cars, that are produced in a year, are made in China. This number over doubles that of the second biggest new car manufacturer: Japan.
Subaru Australia Shows Off Updated For 2016 Liberty/Outback/Forester
Subaru has shown off updates to the Liberty, Outback and Forester to members of the automotive media during a lightning visit to South Australia’s Mt Gambier. Prior to the drive sessions covering tarmac and gravel roads, a briefing was held at the Park Royal Hotel adjacent to Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport. Here, the media was given information on where Subaru sits globally and in Australia in regards to sales figures before covering off a list of updates and changes to the cars.
Overall, Subaru saw a 7.6% increase in sales, to 43600 units. This puts Subaru into a 3.8% market share position for Australia. The powerhouse WRX STi contributed strongly, selling over 1000 units for the first time, with the Outback rounding out 2015 in fourth place for its segment. For the 2016 models, in the Liberty range, it’s expected the 2.5L Premium will take 50% of sales for the range, while the 2.5i and 3.6R will account for 25% each. The Forester range was the big seller, with 38841 units moved in 2015.
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