Yesterday we reported on the news that Holden’s parent company, US-based General Motors, is apparently talking to automotive import and retail giant Inchcape about taking on the Holden brand.
What does this even mean?
Who is Inchcape?
Inchcape is a big player in the automotive space. Based in the UK, it has fingers in car-flavoured pies in more than 30 countries across the globe. Indeed, its strategy going forward is ‘To be the world’s most trusted automotive distributor and retailer’.
Locally, Inchcape is the long-time importer of Subaru, and it recently reacquired the rights to distribute the Peugeot and Citroen brands here. It also distributes Subaru in New Zealand.
On top of that, Inchcape also runs Australia’s largest prestige automotive retailer, Trivett, which has 23 dealerships across the country.
So it has clout, and it has connections. Why does it want Holden?
Troubled times
Australia’s oldest car brand is, not to put too fine a point of it, under the cosh on several fronts. Its transition from car manufacturer to full-line importer hasn’t gone smoothly for several reasons. One, the decision to retain the Holden Commodore nameplate for the Opel-built Insignia has backfired, and the social media blowback on the company is intense and sustained.
The car itself is also the wrong car for the wrong time in the face of an SUV onslaught, and its pricing structure also works against it gaining back any ground.
Two, Holden’s current product portfolio is average at best, and is loaded with underperforming models. The Equinox, the Colorado, the Astra… all fine cars in their way, but the fug of the factory closure lingers over what should be top-three sellers in their respective categories.
Former Holden insiders, too, point to a product content plan that isn’t going to improve things. Its parent company is rejigging its manufacturing footprint to strip back on platforms and engines, and it’s promised that right-hand-drive will be part of that vision.
Only… GM has spent the last two years extracting itself from almost every RHD market that it used to trade in, including the UK and South Africa. When the business case for an RHD car has been cut by two thirds in terms of production numbers, it becomes a lot harder to justify.
GM is also in a global cost-cutting frenzy, as it seeks to save billions of dollars in costs to shore itself up against any future economic downturns.
On a sales front, Holden has slid from controlling more than 20 per cent of the entire Aussie car market to just 5.5 per cent now. It sold a touch over 60,000 cars, utes and SUVs last year – 30,000 less than it did the year previous.
On top of that, the company also needs to fund and run a large proving ground, a design studio and pay its (huge) bills to its parent company for back-office networks and the like.
Between them, Subaru, Citroen and Peugeot sold about 53,000 cars. Now do you see where Inchcape is going with this?
Net gains for Inchcape
In one fell swoop, Inchcape would double the number of cars it imports, becoming the second-largest importer of vehicles behind Toyota. It would also have access to the 200-odd strong Holden network.
It also has strong connections with the PSA Group, which owns Peugeot, Citroen… and former GM brands Opel and Vauxhall. Opel, of course, builds the new Commodore for Holden.
It would also have access to a dual-cab ute with the Colorado, not to mention links to GM’s truck and performance arms and more.
It would also be immune from the back-office charges that GM imposes on its subsidiary, it could combine its own rear-of-house structure to incorporate its new brand and it could – theoretically – import the same cars at a lower price.
So what’s the catch?
Put simply, the Holden brand itself is an unknown quantity at the moment. It can’t seem to take a trick at the moment, and there’s a theory that retaining the Commodore name has broken too many die-hard Aussie’s hearts for it to be forgiven. Ford relinquished the Falcon brand when it closed the factory doors in 2016, and while its success rests largely on a sports car and a dual-cab ute, it’s in a better place than its cross-town rival.
This is a risk that Inchcape will have to wear – will the buying public respond to a smaller, leaner and cheaper Holden brand?
As well, unravelling more than 110 years of history will be a tricky task. It’s a fair bet that GM will – for the short term, at least – keep the Lang Lang proving ground to serve its Asia-Pacific testing needs, while the design studio may also be granted a stay of execution.
GM’s head designer is Monaro designer and Melbournian Mike Simcoe, and several current cars – including the global Cruze and Equinox – have strong Aussie influences.
This story has a long way to play out yet… but where there’s smoke, there’s fire, and no one’s rushing to extinguish this smouldering blaze yet…
AS A YOUNG car nerd growing up in the ’90s, Sydney was a pretty good place to call home. Back then the harbour city still had its own motor show and my old man made a point of taking me every year. I was almost 11 years old when we visited in 1997, and my tiny mind was blown by the Peugeot 306 GTI 6 – a sporty hatchback with an outrageously exotic (for the time) six-speed manual gearbox – and I’ve been an undercover Francophile ever since.
Yet more than two decades later I still haven’t owned a French car. Gallic hot hatches continue to represent my go-fast interests, but with a nine-month-old baby in the house, a firmly sprung five-door with bucket seats wasn’t the most obvious choice in family transport terms.
And so it is that my first French fling – albeit a temporary one – is with a Peugeot 3008. A far cry from the 306 of my childhood it may be, but a car I’m no less excited to park on my driveway.
It was at the Paris motor show almost two decades after the 306 first broadened my horizons that this charming Pug of an altogether different genre reset my preconceptions about what a mid-size SUV could be. Here was a practical tool with likably thoughtful functionality that also modelled one of the most interesting and detailed interior executions of any new car on sale.
I still had the academically brilliant yet austere second-gen Volkswagen Tiguan fresh in my mind at the 3008’s debut, and the Pug felt like a shot of adrenaline for the segment even on first encounter. It went on to impress the judges at Wheels Car of the Year toward the end of 2017, and a similar car to my new long-termer fared well in a comparison test shortly afterwards (Wheels Yearbook, 2017).
And so it falls to me to explore the ownership experience over the next few months, something first impressions suggest will be an enjoyable thing to do. Our 3008 is a top-spec petrol-powered GT-Line that sits just below the range-topping GT diesel. Its 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo produces 121kW and 240Nm and pairs with an excellent Toyota-sourced six-speed automatic, just like all other 3008s.
At $44,990 it isn’t exactly cheap for a front-drive-only model. That retail price rises to $49,680 as tested with the addition of metallic paint at $690, and quilted leather trim with electric driver’s seat adjustment and a massage function for $4000. But the GT-Line does boast a feature-packed equipment list including keyless entry and start, LED lighting with cornering function, adaptive cruise control with AEB and other active safety systems, an electric tailgate with gesture control, 3D navigation, digital radio and plenty more besides.
If I were buying, I’d go without the cowhide covers and keep the lovely grey denim upholstery that’s fitted as standard to match the textural dashboard and door trim inserts.
Delving into the pros and cons of its drive experience will come after a little more time to evaluate, though I’ve already gelled with the quickness of its steering and the feel of its tiny tiller that’s squared off at the top and bottom. Peugeot’s controversial head-up digital instrument display really works for me here, and adds to the 3008’s long list of charismatic points of difference.
That said, these first few weeks of getting to know one another haven’t been entirely champagne and croissants. It’s safe to say I will never again use the car’s Sport mode because of its laughably bad synthesised engine note. The Bluetooth phone connectivity struggles with the transition from handset to car when getting into the 3008 while on a call, and there’s a slight amount of play in the driver’s seat base that I can feel as a rocking motion when driving over speedbumps.
But none of this has taken too much of the shine off my growing affection for DVI-87Q. It will be interesting to see how my highly anticipated French companion acquits itself over the months to come.
Update #2
SITREP from inside the Lewis household: life is good. French-Australian relations are in rude health with our Magnetic Blue companion slipping effortlessly into the daily routine.
After a month and a bit together the 3008 and I are at a comfortable spot. We understand each other. I’ve now sampled the function of every button, cycled through all available menu options – of which there are many millions – and found a Goldilocks set-up that fits me just right.
My favourite configuration keeps the customisable digital dashboard showing speed and trip data, and a neatly stylised road map in the centre to make finding side streets a cinch. That leaves the central screen free to display radio station and track name data most of the time, with climate control settings and connectivity options at the ready if need be.
Switching between pages on the centre display is done using seven ‘finger’ buttons mounted across the dash below. They’re one of my favourite design features inside the 3008, but it can be hard to quickly locate the one you need when on the move as they’re all the same shape and size and have only a small icon with no text to identify them. I’ve learned that a three-finger prod of the touchscreen brings up the same options as selectable soft buttons, which is a handy trick to know.
You might assume I stumbled upon this nifty shortcut while curiously flipping through the user handbook, but that would be far too obvious. In fact, the hard-copy manual delivered in my 3008’s glovebox is entirely and inexplicably printed in Arabic…
I had to laugh. My contact at Peugeot saw the amusing side too, then set about sourcing a local version for me. I’ll be sure to share any other pro-tips once it arrives.
I’ve also come around to the Pug’s relatively modest level of performance. I’ll admit to feeling a little underwhelmed by its 240Nm of twist the first time I put my foot down, but I’ve since changed my mind.
It’s perfectly adequate for the job this car sets out to do. What has been a little disappointing up until now is its fuel economy. The last tank of PULP (it won’t accept less than 95RON) disappeared at a rate of 11.0L/100km, which is higher than hoped even if it was achieved in mostly peak-hour commuting.
But the outlook is still rosy. I don’t mind its slightly busy ride or the somewhat noisy mud and snow tyres, about which I’ll go into more detail later. We’ve moved past the early awkwardness and hit our stride.
There’s a satisfying user friendliness about this car once its quirks have been discovered and adapted to, and there’s something loveably human about that.
Update #3
OWNING a 3008 is fun, I’ve come to realise. Why has it taken almost three months to work that out? I blame the traffic. Most of the time I spend in DVI-87Q takes place during Melbourne’s peak hours. I usually have loose bags on the back seat, things in the boot, and no real opportunity or inclination to get stuck into it.
But a few nights ago I had to run an errand when the rest of the family were asleep. The car was empty, the roads were quiet, and I was in the mood to make short work of things. Lucky for me, the Peugeot was up for it too.
A mixture of attributes can make an SUV capable of putting a smile on your face. For some it’s raw power, others unerring grip, but in the 3008’s case it’s all about the responsiveness of its front end. Quick-witted steering means a slight twist of the forearms is all it takes to get crisp direction changes out of it. And there’s just enough stickiness from the tyres to make it work, even though the ContiCrossContact LXs are fitted primarily for their aptitude in slippery conditions, as part of the Grip Control system that’s standard fare for the GT-Line.
All-wheel drive isn’t available anywhere in the 3008 range, but Peugeot has gone after some off-road credibility with this variant (and the less expensive 3008 Allure) by adding electronic aids that make it perform better on loose surfaces. Now would be the perfect juncture to talk about how good it is, or otherwise, on sand or snow, but I’m yet to take it anywhere near either, which is probably representative of mid-size SUV ownership in the majority.
It’s nice to know the functionality is there, but for now its talents remain theoretical. And if urban dwelling is the plight of most 3008s, does having Grip Control make sense on the off-chance there’s a trip to the ski slopes during its time in the family?
Ultimately the likelihood of that is for individual buyers to decide. Some minor off-road testing at Car of the Year suggests the system has merit, but the trade-off is a louder cabin from the roar of the heavy-duty rubber (though without driving a quieter rival back-to-back it’s not terribly invasive), as well as slightly higher fuel consumption, which is claimed at 7.3L/100km rather than 7.0L achieved by the base Active.
Personally, I find the chunky tread pattern and squarer sidewalls of the 225/55R18s to be aesthetically pleasing. And the economy penalty bothers me less than it would if I had paid extra for AWD hardware in a different mid-size SUV, then lugged it around as dead weight for 99 percent of driving, using even more fuel in the process.
So I think it makes some sense, and along with the 3008’s amusing dynamics I’m finding smug satisfaction in driving a car that others consider to be slightly left of centre. That’s an ongoing battle for Peugeot to fight in Australia.
For what it’s worth, my Magnetic Blue companion has been holding up its end of the bargain without drama, and its virtues are still being understood well after the initial acquaintance phase has ended. Let’s hope there are yet more layers to peel back.
Update #4
WITH EVERY passing day of 3008 ownership the closer I creep toward SUV advocacy. I never thought I’d say it, but maybe the Australian buying public is onto something.
My second love after cars is cycling, and though it’s not often I need to move one of my bikes in a vehicle, this month I did. This can be a colossal nuisance depending on what’s available to drive, but here’s how it went down with the Peugeot.
Step one, wheel bike to back of car. Step two, hope nobody is watching and wave leg under rear bumper, then wait for motorised hatch to open. Step three, flip seatbacks down using remote levers. Step four, insert bike. Provided there’s nothing in the way, the boot floor will be flat, and there’s enough length in a 3008 that even a large bike will fit as-is, both wheels attached. That’s all there is to it.
It’s this kind of ease of use that would make me buy a new SUV. Sure, you can achieve a similar thing with some wagons (the kind of car I always thought would be my family’s first) but my wife simply will not go back to that combination of low hip point and short roofline for as long as we have to lift a baby into and out of a car seat. The 3008 won a supporter there long ago.
I also need to eat humble pie, because I judged too hastily. In earlier nit-picking I criticised the 3008’s thirst for fuel, but with more mileage on the dial and less time spent in peak hour traffic, its efficiency has improved significantly to a whisker less than 9.0L/100km, down from the 11.0L/100km at the time I cried foul. With an official claim of 7.3L/100km I’ll be sure to mention it if the trend continues.
Otherwise, the past month of driving has been largely unremarkable, and I say that in a good way. The 3008 hasn’t left me wanting. The only annoying thing has been the discovery that if I were to receive this car now, it would have a panoramic sunroof.
Since taking delivery of my 3008 earlier in the year, Peugeot’s local distributor has rationalised its list of optional extras and bundled the leather trim with an opening glass lid for the same $4000 that the seats alone used to cost. Good for you, bummer for me. If you’re reading that and scoffing (as I know some of you will), know that the black on black on black interior, from carpet to roof-liner, can feel a little gloomy. A bit of sunlight wouldn’t hurt.
A more positive discovery was the unearthing of a workaround for the 3008’s lack of a one-touch wiper function. A single dip of the wiper stalk only activates or deactivates the auto mode, but a quick enough squeeze of the lever will trigger the washer function and do the job with a single flip of the blades, sans suds. Now, if anybody knows how to make the gear selector quicker to respond…
The Pug’s odometer is now approaching the 4000km mark, which means we’ve passed the point where a typical 3008 owner would have been back to the service centre for an early (and free) progress check.
So, next month I’m venturing to the dealership to see what I’ve missed out on.
Update #5
FOR THOSE just tuning in, let’s recap. During the last few months I’ve become friends with the 3008. It’s a good car. We’ve bonded over almost 3000km of day-to-day toil and had some fun on the side, but since last update things have taken a turn for the French.
In August I mentioned an overdue service I was planning to book. The 2500km check is a dealership’s way of building customer relationships by transitioning buyers from the salesperson they connected with initially to the technicians who will maintain their vehicle. It’s sometimes referred to as a run-in service or a second handover, and allows owners to voice any early concerns and get help with functions they’re struggling to master (typically adaptive cruise control and self-parking features). It’s also a good opportunity to check for software and sat-nav map updates. In an effort to properly emulate a normal customer experience, I wanted in.
But on the day I was to make those arrangements, the 3008 clutched at its shins and took a dive. An amber ‘check engine’ warning lit up the digital dash display less than two kilometres from home. It was a weird one, with no sign beforehand that something was awry, but at that moment the throttle went long and the idle turned rough and there was barely enough drive to move out of traffic and pull over. Sacrebleu!
I called for roadside assistance, which is part of Peugeot’s warranty program, and was offered a tow rather than actual help at the roadside, but that was more inconvenient than trying to limp the rest of the way to work in the ailing SUV and hope the amber warning didn’t turn red.
A man from the dealership came to pick it up later that day. He swapped me for a 5008 I could use in the interim and told me I’d hear something soon. Sure enough, a day or so later the techs had found a fault with a one-way valve in the fuel tank breather set-up near the filler neck that had allowed fuel to dribble back down into somewhere it shouldn’t and caused the engine management to throw an error code. I had given the car a full tank near home in the evening before the issue started, and it was that fill that had set it off.
Of the 70-odd 3008s delivered by the salesman I spoke to, only one other had suffered the same plight. Peugeot told me a revised part was now available, but it needed to come from France along with a whole new fuel tank. The inevitable transport delays meant the car was out of action for almost three weeks before coming back to me, but the process of getting it fixed under warranty was relatively painless.
Fuel systems are particularly sensitive in modern cars as manufacturers hunt for ultimate efficiency. For example, there are reports of ‘check engine’ lights in Mazda vehicles that haven’t had their fuel filler caps tightened properly. Otherwise insignificant components can have large repercussions, and though I’m yet to do any meaningful distance in this 3008 since its repair, the remedy seems to have it solved. Time will tell.
Update #6
MY WIFE, bless her heart, doesn’t care much for cars. She owns one, but like any other appliance it plays only a bit part in her world. What it can do is largely inconsequential as long as it’s working. She thinks 911s are pretty, and loves it when I bring home something with heated seats, but that’s about all that blows her frock up.
This makes her opinion a fascinating litmus test, because it is completely and utterly ignorant to both badge stigma and a car’s on-paper spec.
Our Magnetic Blue 3008 has been in the family for about five months, but it wasn’t until last week that my wife had cause to drive it. I’ll admit I was nervous on the Peugeot’s behalf about handing over the key; nothing to do with her driving, and all to do with what I thought might be a steep learning curve, given the 3008’s somewhat unconventional ergonomics.
The lady of our house very rarely drives cars that are not her own, and the experience of acclimatising to something new is more complicated in certain vehicles. Peugeot’s second handover scheme mentioned last month exists for this very reason. But I needn’t have worried; her first observation and overarching appraisal was that the 3008 is “very easy to drive”. She liked it a lot.
What’s interesting about that is people who move from car to car often (i.e. journos in this office) have found the weirdness of Peugeot’s head-up instrument display a little difficult to adjust to. For those unfamiliar with it, the main instrument cluster sits above a low-set steering wheel, so the driver must look over the top of it rather than through it to see data on the screen. It split opinion during Car of the Year testing and was described as controversial in the wrap-up, but it didn’t even rate a mention from the hugs and kisses.
It was a light-switch moment when I pointed it out, which was met with more approval. The only thing she didn’t like was the ride, describing its firmness as “a bit bumpy”. She’s right about that too, but it’s the ‘easy to drive’ comment that stuck with me. If I were a car company, that’s the sort of feedback I’d be happy with from somebody like her. She is not a car enthusiast, but she’s in the target market, and she’s exactly right. There is an ease of use about this car that makes it an enjoyable everyday accomplice.
French cars have come a long way, to the point that even this 3008 with all its interior intrigue and singular style still nails most of the basics. Showroom flair may sizzle at the dealership, but the most design-driven mid-size SUV still needs user-friendliness to win buyers, and if my wife gives the 3008 her approval, that’s mission accomplished.
Farewell
I WENT to school with a French kid for six months almost 20 years ago. His name was Lucien. I have never forgotten Luc because as a young Aussie everything about him was weird to me when we first met.
We were both foreign students at a secondary college in England, and that gave us a bond, even though Luc’s English was no better than my French. His family had a left-hand-drive Peugeot 504 that had come across the Channel with them, and that was the first Gallic car I ever rode in.
It seemed so much more interesting than my family’s Mazda 626, and by the time he left the school to go home I was really quite fond of that beige sedan. In fact, it’s the memory of the Pug that brought Lucien to mind.
Six months is enough time for a person, or an object, to leave a lasting impression. I’ve had six months to savour my Peugeot 3008 and, sadly, it’s now time to hand the keys back. I was wrapped up in the smoke and mirrors of its interior glamour at the outset, but the haze has since dissipated and I’ve spent weeks peering at its true colours. So the pivotal question is, do I still like what I see?
I’ve thought carefully about this, and can safely say that I do. I touched on its functional convenience last month, because utility is what made the 3008 a welcome addition early on, and it remains so, but the 3008 carries out daily duties with a layer of sophistication and elegance – especially inside – that transcends mainstream appliances. An emotional appeal comes from that, which I think plays into the Peugeot’s value equation despite the intangibility of the feelings it evokes. It’s something a Volkswagen Tiguan doesn’t have.
Some bits of tinsel haven’t added to my personal ownership experience, namely the massaging seats, and the perfumed climate control, which has three fragrances all a bit too reminiscent of the locker room at that same high school (Lynx Africa, anyone?). This car has, however, turned me on to the wonder of wireless phone charging and convinced me of Peugeot’s head-up digital dashboard.
The engine’s 121kW and 240Nm have proven sufficient, and real-world economy improved to an acceptable level after a wobble early on when it hovered as high as 11L/100km. Then there’s the excellent six-speed auto from Japanese gurus Aisin, which could be tacit admission from Peugeot that if you can’t beat ’em, you really should join ’em.
So would I buy one? The 3008 would definitely be on my shortlist. The hiccup we had with the fuel system didn’t help to quash question marks about French reliability, but the one-off issue and the way it was dealt with haven’t left a sour taste at all.
There’s nothing the 3008 does to offend or that I haven’t been able to find a workaround for, though before taking custody I felt sure the infotainment was going to be one of those things. That was a red herring. Same goes for cabin materials quality. Aussie consumers carry emotional baggage when it comes to French cars, but the 3008 proves they can be charming, with the substance to match. If Peugeot can get bums on seats, the 3008 in particular should go some way towards combating the status quo.
THE car that ushered in a new Formula 1 tech war is up for auction, and ready for track use.
Designed by one of racing’s greatest minds, Adrian Newey, the Williams FW14B is considered one of the most technologically advanced, and successful, cars to compete in F1.
Bonhams is set to auction one of the six FW14B chassis’ at the July Goodwood Festival of Speed, with the car estimated to fetch £3 million (A$5.4 million) when it goes under the hammer.
But what makes this particular car so special? Well, not only is this chassis in full working order, it was driven in seven of that year’s 16 grands prix by Nigel Mansell on the way to the ’92 world championship, winning five races.
Mansell ended up claiming the F1 drivers’ title with five rounds remaining, with Autosport awarding the FW14B its Racing Car of the Year gong in 1992.
Newey’s creation was powered by a 3.5-litre V10 Renault engine, but it was the gearbox, suspension, and aerodynamics that really allowed it to dominate the competition.
It utilised a semi-automatic transmission (which was cutting edge for the time), along with active suspension, traction control and anti-lock brakes.
At the 1992 British Grand Prix Mansell qualified on pole, two seconds clear of his teammate Riccardo Patrese, who in turn was another second quicker ahead of third-placed Ayrton Senna.
It wasn’t unusual for the Williams duo to dash to a large lead in just a couple of laps during races.
The FW14B, and its follow-up, the FW15C, prompted a technological arms race in Formula 1, that hasn’t ceased since.
So successful was the FW14B that its successor the FW15 was ready for competition midway through 1992, but was never used.
In total the FW14 and FW14B won a combined 17 grands prix, claimed 21 pole positions and notched up 289 points.
What is it?
Toyota’s counter move to the growing range of toughened-up dual cab utes such as the Ford Ranger Wildtrak, Raptor and HSV SportsCat. A triple threat of options arrived mid last year with the Rogue, Rugged and Rugged X offering increased off-road protection, functionality and the looks to match. This quick review looks at the Rugged X.
How much is the Toyota Hilux Rugged X?
In any specification, the Hilux is not at the bargain end of the one-tonne ute market and, at $61,690, neither is the Rugged X. You’ll need a more generous budget to get into the toughened Hilux and another $2000 if you want the automatic, but it still aligns with its rivals. HSV asks between $60,790 and $66,790 for the Sportscat range, while the Ford Ranger Wildtrak starts from $60,590. With a completely redesigned chassis, sophisticated suspension and revised body panels, the Raptor is out of the price range by a considerable margin, but also in a class of its own.
Who is it for?
Unlike some other Hilux variants, which are likely to be used mostly on sealed surfaces, The Rugged X is aimed primarily at owners who are likely to use its renowned off-road ability. Many owners will be drawn to the more purposeful look, but to by a Rugged X for its aesthetics alone would be a waste of a genuinely enhanced four-wheel drive.
Is the Toyota Hilux Rugged X easy to live with?
Yes and no. As a large dual cab ute, some drivers would find the Rugged X’s dimensions hard to handle. There is a reversing camera to keep an eye on the tail end but at the front, the hoop-less roo-bar fitted as part of the Rugged X package adds a few more millimetres to consider when manoeuvring in tight spaces.
But if you are using the special edition for its intended purpose away from the beaten trail, the Rugged X is even better to live with compared with the standard item. Not only does the additional front alloy bar offer extra protection from obstacles and wildlife, it is designed to accommodate a winch, houses a high-intensity light bar and does not affect the Hilux’s safety systems.
Then there are the additional rock rails, a factory fitted snorkel and unique alloy wheels shod in Dunlop AT25 rubber allowing you to go further into unchartered territory. Heavy-duty recovery points are the last resort if you get too enthusiastic.
For a long weekend away at a music festival, the Rugged X was the perfect companion. The generous load area swallows Eskys, swags and all manner of fold-up camping furniture, leaving ample room in the cabin for more precious items including people. And while the forecast was for searing heat and dust, having the Hilux’s proven all-terrain transmission offered peace of mind if the camp ground turned into a quagmire.
Compared to its rivals, the Toyota cabin is a little black and plasticky with fake French stitching moulded into the dash. There are other brands that do refinement better, but a few curious onlookers liked the interior finish and reckoned the result form Toyota was pleasantly surprising.
How well does the Toyota Hilux Rugged X drive?
Cruising on freeways is not the Hilux’s favourite habitat, but road and wind noise was surprisingly absent. The six-speed manual gearbox has very tall gears allowing the 2.8-litre four-cylinder diesel engine to rev low. That in turn enables relatively frugal fuel consumption particularly considering our time with the Rugged X was mostly loaded up.
Power from the turbocharged diesel is ample and with 130kW and 420Nm (Autos get 450Nm) a full load is no handicap. Previous experience in the less specialised variants demonstrated the model’s excellent towing ability.
The driver’s seating position is a little on the commercial side but comfortable and the driving experience is involving. None of the standard Hilux’s driving qualities are compromised with the Rugged X upgrades apart from on-road grip. Its all-terrain tyres feel more suited to loose surfaces and take very little provocation to squeal and complain on the asphalt. The upside is confident grip on loose and dusty trails. Once again – the Rugged X is happiest away from the ‘burbs.
Verdict
If you’re after a tougher-looking Hilux or a version that’s more premium in its appearance then the Rogue is probably a better bet than the Rugged X. But if you are a genuinely enthusiastic off-road driver looking to get more out of a Hilux than the standard version can perhaps offer with confidence, then the specialised Rugged X could be just the ticket.
Its range of off-road focused upgrades are well selected and picked from a list of the most frequently optioned items by Hilux owners looking to upgrade their vehicles after delivery.
It’s still the same dependable Toyota that Australian’s have developed a firm affection for, but with some useful enhancements that make it even better suited to adventures away from the road – with the looks to match.
Turn-by-turn navigation app Waze, which provides drivers with the quickest route based on live updates from its users, has attracted the wrath of the world’s second-biggest metropolitan police force.
The New York Police Department is promising to pursue “all legal remedies” to block a certain function on the Google-owned app, which is also available in Australia and allows people to warn other users of locations where police are present.
StreetsBlog, a New York City news site has reported that the NYPD’s Acting Deputy Commissioner for Legal Matters Ann Pruty sent a cease-and-desist letter to Google, citing concerns that Waze allows drink drivers to avoid detection.
“The NYPD has become aware that the Waze Mobile application … currently permits the public to report DWI (driving while intoxicated) checkpoints throughout New York City and map these locations,” Commissioner Pruty stated, according to StreetsBlog.
“Individuals who post the locations of DWI checkpoints may be engaging in criminal conduct since such actions could be intentional attempts to prevent and/or impair the administration of the DWI laws and other relevant criminal and traffic laws,” the letter further stated.
“The posting of such information for public consumption is irresponsible since it only serves to aid impaired and intoxicated drivers to evade checkpoints and encourage reckless driving. Revealing the location of checkpoints puts those drivers, their passengers, and the general public at risk.
“The NYPD will pursue all legal remedies to prevent the continued posting of this irresponsible and dangerous information.”
While Waze does allow users to report speed cameras and speed traps such as radar (which curiously the NYPD doesn’t have an issue with) it doesn’t allow for the specific reporting of breath testing checkpoints, with Apple and Google previously rejecting apps that were more specific.
A Google spokesperson has all but said the tech-giant won’t be heeding the NYPD’s demands, telling TheVerge.com: “We believe that informing drivers about upcoming speed traps allows them to be more careful and make safer decisions when they’re on the road.”
Australian police reaction
Surprisingly, as Waze becomes increasingly popular in Australia, there has been no reported push back from local authorities yet, even in Victoria, which has one of the country’s least tolerant approaches when it comes to road safety.
A Victoria Police spokesperson told WhichCar the locations of all fixed road safety cameras are already publically available and that it acknowledges that this encourages motorists to slow down ultimately reducing road trauma.
As for revealing the location of police officers, radars or booze buses, he said: “It must also be remembered that just because you think you know where police are located, doesn’t mean you won’t get caught. The deployment of police and or where they patrol, complements a range of enforcement and operational tactics. The message is simple – police can be anywhere so don’t take the risk.”
The New South Wales Police Force has a similar line, with a spokesperson telling WhichCar: “NSW Police have an ‘anywhere, anytime’ philosophy. Community members should not rely on information that may not be right. They should rely on their sense of personal responsibility and complying with the road rules 24/7.”
THE iconic Ferrari F40 was only ever ‘officially’ built in one colour. You guessed it, it’s racing red or Rosso Corsa if you’re so inclined. So what is a black, or Nero, 1991 Ferrari F40 doing at a United States Marshals Service Auction held by Apple Auctioneering in California?
Much of it can be explained by the fact that its owner Richard Scott is in serious legal trouble. The Californian businessman is currently serving a six-year sentence in federal prison for defrauding the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and has been ordered to pay restitution of more than $12 million dollars, much of it coming from seized assets such as this rather lovely-looking black F40 – a car which has quite a history itself.
It left Maranello in ’91 in its original Rosso Corsa hue, which lasted until 2011 when a mechanic crashed the car while on a test drive. The Italian icon suffered significant cosmetic and mechanical damage, at which point the owner at the time decided to move it on.
The crew from the American motoring documentary drama show Gas Monkey Garage stepped in and purchased the car and took on the daunting task of rebuilding the 80s supercar hero. During the process they sprayed the car black and retrimmed the interior in a similarly evil dark fabric rather than its original red.
The twin turbochargers and exhaust system on the F40’s 2.9-litre V8 were also damaged in the accident so they were replaced with newer items which, with some careful tuning, saw power rise from the car’s original 356kW in U.S. spec to around 410kW. That’s in a car that already had a reputation for spiky handling. Spiky enough for it to have crashed once already.
The Gas Monkey crew eventually auctioned the car and after a couple of owners it found its way into Richard Scott’s extensive car collection, which includes Ferrari’s F430 and California, Mercedes-AMG S65, Mustang Shelby Super Snake, three classic Corvettes, a ’66 Shelby Mustang GT350, Plymouth Roadrunner, plus a few others – all of which are also part of the U.S. States Marshals Service Auction.
But the headline act has to be the Ferrari F40 – the twin-turbo eighties poster car that was the last model from Maranello to be signed off by Enzo Ferrari himself, the first production car in the world to reach 200mph and well, it’s just cool.
Despite having paint so thin you could see the body’s carbonfibre weave through it and no doorhandles, original, low-mile examples have sold for USD$1.7m recently. The bidding for Scott’s car sits at a piffling USD$503,000 at the time of writing with three days left in the auction.
The covers have come off the brand new Subaru Legacy – or Liberty as it’s known here – at the Chicago motor show, and it revealed a surprising inclusion.
The seventh-generation Liberty, heralds the return of a turbocharged version for the first time in five years. The XT variant packs Subaru’s 194kW 2.4-litre turbocharged flat-four petrol engine, teamed up with a CVT auto and AWD drivetrain.
Turbocharged versions of the Liberty always sold well in Australia – but as we reported earlier this week, the current Liberty may well be the last one to be sold in Australia.
“Our current Liberty still has a considerable time to run, and at this stage, we have no information on future timelines,” is the official line from Subaru Australia. The current car launched in 2015, which gives it no more than 18 months before it needs to be updated.
We understand, though, that the Liberty’s slow local sales and the market’s focus on crossovers and SUVs means that Subaru management is looking long and hard at whether bringing the seventh generation car to Australia makes sense.
The medium sedan sector is down almost 30 per cent over the same time last year, with Ford’s Mondeo off 35 per cent year on year, the Kia Optima down 20 per cent and even the Toyota Camry slipping back 35 per cent.
Even the formerly untouchable Mercedes-Benz C-Class is losing its shine, with sales falling more than 20 per cent over the last 12 months.
The Legacy will also be available in the US with an updated version of the 135kW 2.5-litre naturally aspirated flat-four petrol engine, but as we speculated last week, the six cylinder is no more.
This is down to the Legacy/Liberty switching to the company’s billion-dollar Subaru Global Platform, which also underpins the XV, Forester and Impreza models. It makes the new five-seat, four-door sedan lighter and stiffer, with improved steering and a lower centre of gravity.
It also allows Subaru to add more driver-assistance safety features in the form of its clever EyeSight stereo camera-based system. The updated EyeSight suite now includes a lane centering function, forward blind spot monitoring and a camera behind the steering wheel to assess driver fatigue.
Subaru’s EyeSight system uses two cameras in the windscreen
Inside, the Legacy has a new design that centres on an 11.6-inch vertical tablet-style multimedia screen (below). Apple CarPlay and Android Auto phone mirroring are supported, and while many of the car’s functions are accessed through the screen, it’s great to see physical volume controls and easy-to-access climate control switches outside the main screen.
The rest of the interior is refined and low-key, in keeping with the Legacy’s target audience. Subaru claims that the US-spec car has more rear legroom than key competitors including the Camry and Hyundai Sonata.
Mazda has pulled the covers off its celebration of three decades of the MX-5, or Miata Roadster, in the form of the 2019 Mazda MX-5 30th Anniversary Edition.
Finished in bright ‘Racing Orange’ and featuring a host of kit for keen drivers, the 30th Anniversary Edition will be limited to 3000 cars worldwide.
The reveal of this edition coincides with the launch of the MX-5 almost 30 years ago to the day on February 9th, 1989.
The NA MX-5 became an instant hit, with a sub-tonne kerb weight and revvy 1.6-litre four, as well as the engineering reliability that lacked in the early days of sportscar motoring.
The new 30th Anniversary Edition has come at an opportune time in the MX-5’s lifespan, as the current ND generation has arguably made a close to its NA roots.
Fitted to the MX-5 30th Anniversary Edition will be Rays alloys developed specifically for the MX-5, Alcantara trim, Recaro sports seats, Bilstein dampers, and a mix of Brembo and Nissin brake calipers at the front and rear respectively.
“After 30 years and with more than 1 million examples sold, Mazda feels that the MX-5 is no longer its own creation,” Mazda says in a statement.
“It belongs to the fans around the world who have supported the development of the model.
“To express its gratitude, and its high hopes for the future of the MX-5, the company developed Racing Orange, an exclusive body colour that evokes the breaking dawn of an exciting new day.”
Australia will receive just 30 units of the 30th Anniversary Edition, with all of these being the Roadster GT as opposed to the RF.
The UK, however, will receive 600 units – 20 times the number that will show up here.
Mazda’s UK boss Jeremy Thomson says this is because an affinity with small, light sportscars is well set in the UK, being the home of the classic roadsters of the mid-20th Century.
“This is a sports car that has resonated with enthusiastic British drivers ever since its debut and four generations on it’s as popular as ever,” Thomson says.
“Along the way, it has remained true to the original principle of being an affordable, lightweight and above all fun-to-drive roadster.”
Mazda Australia hasn’t confirmed pricing or an expected arrival, but says the Mazda MX-5 30th Anniversary Edition will be offered to “customers on a first come first served basis, communicated via email.”
Bugatti is celebrating 110 years since its foundation with a special edition called the Bugatti Chiron ‘110 ans Bugatti’.
In possibly the most French way possible, Bugatti has decked out its flagship hypercar with French tricolour-themed details.
Styling changes include French flag-coloured wing mirrors, adjustable rear wing, stitched leather seats and an aluminium filler cap – all in patriotic red, white and blue.
The Chiron’s monstrous powerplant remains unchanged from the ‘base’ car. Its 8.0-litre, quad-turbocharged W16 heart pumps out a staggering 1103kW/1600Nm. The hypercar accelerates to 100km/h in less than 2.4 seconds, with a maximum speed of 420km/h.
This is not the first time Bugatti has used the ‘110’ name in cars of the past. The EB 110 of 1987 became one of the fastest cars of the early 1990’s – producing an explosive top speed of 340 km/h (at the time it would have felt as if one was piloting a bullet).
At the beginning of Bugatti’s history the Type 10 racing prototype, which was first produced in 1909, broke ground in terms of design with its lightweight, nimble characteristics. This was the first car produced by the company 110 years ago.
Bugatti will build just 20 of these ‘110 ans Bugatti’ special edition cars for the world. Chances of getting one, then, will be next-to-impossible unless you happen to be a well-connected millionaire.
It is unlikely that Australia will see any of these ‘110 ans Bugatti’ editions.
THERE’S no getting around the fact that Ford’s Mustang Supercar is a bit of an odd looker. It’s strangely distorted, as if typical Mustang design cues have been grafted onto an altogether different car. That’s largely because they have. There are, however, very good reasons why the Mustang looks like this, most – but not all of them – intrinsically linked to Supercars regulations.
1 – IT’S NOT A CLEAN SHEET DESIGN
A significant amount of carry-over was necessary so that teams campaigning existing Falcon Supercars can, in effect cloak their legacy chassis with the new Mustang composite panels. The six Mustangs that are expected to take to the grid at the Adelaide 500 for the season opener on March 3rd will comprise a mix of box-fresh ‘Stangs and rebodied Falcons.
2 – FORD RAN OUT OF TIME
The planning and delivery schedules for the Mustang were crazy. DJR Team Penske was just one part of a massive co-ordinated effort involving Ford Australia, Tickford Racing and Ford Performance in Michigan. The very first meeting occurred in March 2018, and the body was completed in November just in time for a December homologation deadline. “Give us a year, give us another six months and to be fair … we would have changed a couple of things on that car to make it look nicer,” admitted DJRTP’s design director Ludo Lacroix. “But we did not have another six months.”
3 – IT HAD TO CONFORM TO SUPERCARS-MANDATED HARD POINTS
The Gen2 Supercar chassis has dictated that the Mustang Supercar is significantly longer and narrower than the road car. The engine’s position as well as that of the fuel tank and driver are fixed, which also has an effect on the shape in a formula still geared towards legacy sedans. The roll hoop height is another thing that Ford hasn’t been able to change and it’s this, more than anything, that has created the lugubrious-looking glasshouse. Couple that with a low front end a high tail and you have a profile that bears less resemblance to the road car than DJRTP would have liked.
4 – IT COULD HAVE LOOKED FAR WORSE
We like Todd Willing’s team at Ford Design in Melbourne. They’re a talented bunch who did their level best to maintain some sort of connection to the Mustang road car. But there’s only so much they can do when mandated design criteria means that the proportions are so radically altered.
5 – AERO REQUIREMENTS HAVE ALSO SHAPED THAT PROFILE
Ford Performance in the US performed much of the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) work on the Mustang Supercar due to the fact that physical wind tunnel testing is banned. The rear deck extension that seems to ruin the visual flow of the car to its tail is there to quieten the airflow before it hits the rear wing, in effect trying to mirror the advantage a sedan would enjoy in that regard. While Supercars attempts to enforce a measure of parity amongst its entrants in terms of straightline downforce, Ford Performance is attempting to leverage marginal gains in terms of cornering aero balance, hence the complexity of the endplates and side sills.
Ford seems to be hitting all of its performance marks with pre-season testing and there’s more than a ring of truth to one of the oldest adages in racing. There’s no such thing as an ugly car on victory road.
