Private Fleet Car Review: 2016 Ford Mondeo Titanium Wagon & Hatch.
Ford Australia is due to cease local manufacturing in 2016, which will see the end of the locally made Territory and its sibling, the venerable Falcon. Sales of the famous nameplate have slumped in recent years but the blue oval has plans, big plans….A Wheel Thing looks at two diesel powered versions of the car that’s slated to be the replacement of the Falcon.
Simply put, the Ford Mondeo Titanium is what the Australian Ford Falcon should be: elegant, economic, technologically advanced and a cracker drive.
Let's Rock n Roll: BTCC Young Guns Lead the Charge at Rockingham
Photo Credit: BTCC.net
Whenever the British Touring Car Championship heads to Rockingham, you can guarantee a fascinating days’ racing. The title fight has been set ablaze with 5 drivers all within 30 points of each other, following a truly knightly Knockhill for hometown hero Shedden. As Motorbase man Mat Jackson plants his titanic Ford on pole during qualifying and BMR appear to be rediscovering their mojo, who will come out on top when the fat lady sings?
The End Begins: The Final Aussie Commodore Unveiled.
Holden today took the covers off the final Australian made Commodore. The nameplate goes back to 1978 and, with Holden due to cease local manufacturing in 2017, will see the name fall a year short of forty years in the Australian motoring landscape. With thanks to Holden and their hard working PR team, here’s how the Commodore shapes up:
- Holden reveals most powerful Commodore ever built – 37 years in the making
- Commodore VFII V8 models boast new, more powerful 6.2-litre LS3 engine
- Bi-modal exhaust and mechanical sound enhancer standard on all V8 sports models
- Front and rear Brembo brakes standard for top of the range SS V Redline
- Commodore VFII developed and engineered for Australian conditions in numerous locations including Phillip Island, Alpine Ranges and the Surf Coast
Today, Holden has taken the covers off the quickest, most powerful, most advanced Commodore ever built, the Commodore VFII.
Private Fleet Car Review: 2015 Holden Cascada Convertible.
Convertibles and Australia should go together like ham and pineapple on a pizza. It’s been tried by many. Many have failed. Holden has another go in 2015, with the Opel sourced Cascada 1.6L turbo four. A Wheel Thing runs the optics over it and likes some of what is seen.
To kick it off, there’s immediately a problem. It’s a mix of lack of torque in a heavy car and a smallish fuel tank. Think 260 Nm, a 56L tank and a 1750 kg car. A six speed auto works well enough, but the ratios just don’t seem to offer enough to take advantage of the torque and when instant fuel economy of 40L per 100 kilometres is seen under acceleration that isn’t hard….economy is quoted as 7.5L per 100 km on a combined cycle.
From the pickup point to home is near as damnit to 75 kilometres. Using a quarter of a tank to do so, in 95% freeway driving says more about this car than anything. On handover there was a quarter tank left after around 430 km covered. It ended up looking better than it could have been but part of the return journey was at speeds of twenty to thirty klicks, on a freeway. It’s fair to say that around town the economy would be something to give thought to.
Acceleration is leisurely, rather than a sprint. There’s never a feeling of all of those torques hooking up from the six speed auto and being put down, with full effectiveness, to the road, with the weight taming any pretensions of speed the Cascada might aspire to. The mass also dulls rapid changes of direction, even with a low centre of gravity, plus the brake pedal needs adjusting for travel, with it feeling like an inch before any bite on the pads could be felt.
Moving to the interior, it’s a sweet place to sit, roof up or down. Except for the centre console. It’s busy, very busy and one that a driver needs to study for some time before driving. There’s a button for every separate air conditioning function, including dials for the two zones. It’s overdone, par excellence’. Another downside is the somewhat cheap and chintzy feel the gear selector has, with a hard edged plastic feel to the button being pressed to unlock the movement.
Other than that, it’s standard GM/Opel/Holden in switchgear on the nicely sized steering wheel, a red-orange monochrome display ahead of the driver and a classy look to the dials and layout in the binnacles, with touches of chrome brightening the black plastics. There’s a seven inch screen in the upper centre console that looks just like the one found in a Commodore, except that it’s a non touchscreen setup but does come with the similar apps.
The extendable cushion in the front seats is handy, the padding and leather look is beautiful to behold however lacks ventilation (cooling) being heating only. Oh, by the way, there’s a heating function for the tiller…Another nifty touch is the mechanisms that power forward and back the holder for the seatbelts; hop in, twist the ignition and they travel forward a few inches, allaying any need to reach further back for the belts.
The selling point of the Cascada is the convertible section. It’s a sweet one, taking under forty seconds from fully up, to down and back again. It’s operated by a small chromed lever in the centre console; pull and hold and the mechanisms do their thing, swiftly, smoothly and quietly, at velocities up to 50 kmh. There’s a window switch mounted inside the roof latch, for the rear windows, however all four raise and lower along with the roof’s programming. Rear vision is an issue, with a small window incorporated into the tough triple layered fabric roof. Small also applies to the rear seat space should a driver choose to move the seats back.
The exterior is sleek, svelte, with the rise of the guards sweeping up into the A pillars in an almost unbroken sinuous curve. In profile the black fabric roof looks not at all out of place, with a view from the rear displaying a bold elegance to the look and tail lights. Bootspace is, understandably, tight, with enough room for some overnight bags and houses a space saver spare. Rolling stock is stylish 18 inch alloys with Potenza 235/50 rubber.
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