Airbag Syndrome
Automotive safety has come a long way in the last 15 years or so. Once upon a time, the only safety features in your
The Human Flaw
As we surge forward into the vast unknown that is the future, cars are becoming increasingly more safe, secure and simple. Many may complain that the modern obsession with health and safety is beginning to dictate our lives, but it does mean that the universal driving experience can begin to improve in the knowledge that we can place trust in our motoring machines as we surge on down the road ahead. And if that wasn’t enough, the development of alternate fuels such as electricity, solar or even hydrogen power is making the world of driving more efficient and eco-friendly. There is however but one problem; one unstoppable force of nature that not even the most modern of cars can stop. What is this juggernaut? Well, what I really should be asking there is who, not what; the problem is not with the machinery, but with us.
Human beings are very much like computers, just a bit more squidgy and blood filled. I am sure we have all been in a position where we have been working away on a computer and suddenly we are confronted by either a frozen screen, blue screen of death or an unfathomable error message, all of which renders the computer almost totally useless. This sudden malfunction in the usual harmonic running is not only limited to the machine world. As humans we are often find our bodies malfunctioning on us for a reason that lacks both logic and sense. The worst of these of course is the spontaneous sick, where you are going about your daily life and suddenly you find yourself throwing up a little bit in your mouth. And of course one cannot forget the sneeze that sends your entire body into a spasm and you lose all sense of time, space and self for that split second. It would be oh so much easier if, like a computer, we were able to reboot our system to erase the system. Alas, we are stuck with these malfunctions for life.
Big Boys and Their Small Toys.
Growing up in the south eastern outskirts of Perth during the 1970s coincided, for me, with a huge interest in modelling. No, I don’t mean the Karen Pini kind of modelling (Google her but be nice), I mean plastic hobby kit modelling. Ships, space craft, planes, tanks, people, cars, you name it and it was available. My own room was filled with samples from the military, space and cars.
Nowadays the modelling scene, although not underground, is nowhere near as popular as it used to be. You could go to a K-Mart and buy kits, paint, brushes; hobby shops were, metaphorically, on every corner but now they’re a lot further apart. When I say not as popular, I mean that the awareness of it was higher across the population base.
In Sydney and, indeed, around Australia and around the world, the awareness is high but is more focused to be within groups such as the IPMS, the International Plastic Modelling Society, as an example. There’s magazines such as Fine Scale Modeller, from the United States or ModelArt Australia. Within the magazines is a surprising amount of information about the various manufacturers, the products, the tips to improve or help anyone from a novice through to an experienced builder.
Like anything in miniature, car models come in different scales. Those that collect the die-cast versions will immediately be familiar with this. It’s a mathematical ratio setup, one unit of measure 
on the model equals 12 or 18 or 24 or 43 on the real thing.
A Positive Charge: Proton Exora
People movers once ruled the roost and it was thanks to Toyota with the Tarago and LiteAce. Of more recent times, SUVs have grabbed the crown, to the detriment of driving standards. Proton offers up a slightly different alternative to A Wheel Thing with its compact 
sized people mover, the Exora. Again it’s split into two trim levels, the GX and GXR. It’s powered by the same engine (103kW/205Nm) as found in the Suprima S and Preve’ (amortising costs) and is lobbed into a car weighing just under 1500 kg. The engine is again bolted to a CVT with six programmed manual shift points. There’s an immediately noticeable lack of the noise found in the Suprima’s engine bay, replaced by a low volume, high pitched, almost turbine like buzz. It’s perceptible but not nearly as intrusive.
The Exora’s external styling is not unattractive but it is unusual. Head on, it has a semblance to a Honda Jazz, in profile a Jazz blending into a compressed Tarago, looking very much like the late and unlamented Suzuki Liana hatch. From the rear, it’s a highish looking roofline that belies the overall smaller size of the vehicle. There’s a tall pair of LED tail lights that frame the rear lift door, allowing access to the third row seats as well. The nose has driving lights pushed to the bottom corners and framed by two vertical slats, with the sloping nose providing both aerodynamic looks and a measure of pedestrian safety. The rear hatch opens up quite high, enough for most people to stand underneath comfortably.
The inside of the Exora is stylish and smart. There’s a roof mounted DVD player, roof mounted fan speed and air vents for middle and rear seats, plus the ability to fold the seats flat to allow for a bigger loading area. The seats themselves are cloth in the GX, black and red leather trimmed in the GXR, are comfortable, if lacking a measure of support and fitted for the Isofix child seats in the rear, whenever the legislation is eventually passed. Floor mats are unusual in being that shredded rubber, almost scourer style. The flexibility of the Exora is certainly family attractive; what isn’t attractive is the use of the utterly dated red dot matrix display Clarion head unit for the audio system. A Wheel Thing is all for cost savings but this detracts from the overall level of quality and presentation otherwise found in the Exora. Naturally, there’s Bluetooth and 
external media player connectivity, safety in the form of pretensioning seatbelts, airbags aplenty, stability control and more, providing a four star safety package for ANCAP. There is also a reverse camera fitted, with the image popping up in the rear vision mirror. On pressing the unlock button on the fob, the Exora emits two chirps, not unlike a reverse beep from a truck. It’s a left hand mounted indicator stalk and the click as you move up or down is….well, it doesn’t sound like there’s premium plastic inside the shroud nor is it fitted for high beam flash, it’s on or off. Aircon controls are of the old dial style; sadly, so is the heating function. Wound up to full heat on a cold winter’s day it barely felt as if it was producing any heat at all. Another oddity was the central locking, activating at speeds anywhere from 20 to 80 km/h.
Level 2, 9 Help Street