While in Japan, Dan attends the 40th birthday celebrations of the rotary engine with a anniversary celebration like no other, hosted in the shadow of Mount Fuji.

See the full episode: Watch at tenplay.com.au (AU) or primetv.co.nz (NZ)

We fly to Japan where Daniel is trying to find out why the Mazda MX-5 roadster has been such a world-wide hit. It’s like learning what makes someone tick by meeting their parents.

See the full episode: Watch at tenplay.com.au (AU) or primetv.co.nz (NZ)

Scott takes Ford’s fan-favourite pony car, the Mustang, for a V8-powered blast to see if its mid-life makeover is more nip-and-tuck or significant rebirth.

See the full episode: Watch at tenplay.com.au (AU) or primetv.co.nz (NZ)

Australia’s appetite for shiny new wheels is shovelling millions of hard-earned dollars straight into the pockets of our largest financial institutions, with more than $8 billion borrowed by Australians to buy new cars in 2018 alone.

According to a report by finder.com.au, the interest generated on those loans will exceed $500m, lining the pockets of finance companies and leaving Australian households worse off.

Data provided by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reveals that about 20 per cent of the 1.1 million cars sold last year were purchased using car loans – that’s one finance deal signed every 2.5 minutes – and Australia’s love affair with loans shows no signs of abating.

The average price of a new car bought using a loan is $36,139 and the average finance interest rate is 6.3 per cent, says the report. At that rate, an entry-level BMW 3 Series ($57,300) will have cost the owner $9,500 in interest at the completion of a five-year loan. That’s worth considering when you are budgeting for a new car.

Record loan levels and soaring interest payments would appear to suggest a healthy automotive market, but while certain segments – including mid-size SUVs – continue to flourish, the overall local market is down 3.0 per cent at the close of 2018.

Alarmingly, though, data released by financial market analyst Moody’s shows that Australians are failing to meet car loan payments at a rate that exceeded delinquencies during the global financial crisis earlier this decade.

Sliding sales and defaulting loan repayments paints a grim picture of the automotive landscape and underlying financial stability… but what’s causing it?

Part of the problem is consumer impatience and impulsive buyer behaviour. Where consumers might have previously saved up and paid for significant purchases with cash, Australians are increasingly depending on the convenience of credit.

Australia’s credit card debt is a revealing barometer, too, it currently sits at about the $37b mark, and is being fuelled by consumers wanting retail gratification right now.

Still thinking about that nice new premium SUV or dual-cab? Here’s our advice…

• Even if you can’t cover the full cost of a new vehicle, taking a little more time to save the biggest deposit you can reduce the size and quantity of your repayments -and that could be the difference between completing the loan or having to default. It’ll mean waiting longer for delivery, but it will reduce your financial stress.
• Before you sign up for a finance deal, make sure you do the homework. and be certain you know exactly how much the full agreement is going to cost you. It’s also worth factoring in a worst-case scenario just in case your financial situation changes.
• Some more unscrupulous dealerships and retailers may make it seem like you have no option but to use the finance package that they offer, but that’s simply not the case. Shop around for the best deal and look beyond the interest rate.

Not long after rumours emerged of a British electric supercar in development by Lotus, the Hethel brand has announced a partnership with Williams Advanced Engineering.

This all but confirms the suspicion, first reported by Autocar, that the supercar will be a joint project between the sportscar brand and Williams, with the latter contributing its electric drivetrain knowledge recently developed further for Formula E.

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It’s understood the project in question is called ‘Omega’ within Lotus walls, and that it will bear a pricetag nearing £2 million.

Though Lotus won’t confirm that there’s a supercar in the build, it did tell Autocar that a number of projects with various drivetrains are underway.

Recently-appointed Lotus CEO Phil Popham says the partnership with Williams will help move the brand forward without losing its traditional British sportscar heritage.

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“Our new technology partnership with Williams Advanced Engineering is part of a strategy to expand our knowledge and capability in the rapidly changing automotive landscape,” Popham says.

“Applying advanced propulsion powertrains can provide numerous exciting solutions across multiple vehicle sectors.

“Our combined and complementary experiences make this a very compelling match of engineering talent, technical ability and pioneering British spirit.”

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Managing director of Williams Advanced Engineering Craig Wilson says the two brands’ motorsport heritage can be combined with Williams’ recent developments to create drivetrains that look to the future.

“Williams Advanced Engineering takes great pride in delivering innovation for our customers at a rapid pace of development, born from our Formula One heritage.

“We will be further developing next generation powertrains in this partnership with Lotus.”

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Recently Williams was involved with one of Singer’s Porsche projects to create an air-cooled 911 with a 9000rpm redline and a 373kW output.

The Singer DLS remains a marvel for those with an interest in motor engineering, so the outcome of this Lotus-Williams project should be one to watch.

CAN WE talk for a moment about how the right philosophy pays dividends at Wheels Car of the Year? Take the Alpine A110 as an example.

When this car was conceived, Alpine not only attempted to update the ethos of the 1960s original for today, in effect trying to imagine what the Michelotti-designed original would have looked like with the benefit of nigh-on 60 years of continual evolution, but the team in Dieppe rigidly stuck to the original’s formula of light weight and modest power.

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one year on from its COTY victory

Leveraging that virtuous circle of light weight creates a sort of COTY magic bullet, especially when judged against key COTY criteria such as function, value, safety and efficiency. By weighing less, the Alpine is more agile, it uses less fuel, its price is reduced by specifying smaller brakes and slighter suspension components. In addition, you’re more likely to avoid an accident in a car with less mass to draw to a halt and which can manoeuvre crisply.

That much we knew going into COTY. The proving ground section at You Yangs then threw up some additional bonuses. The first was the ride quality of the Alpine. There’s enough bump compliance to make it a genuinely usable everyday proposition, and you don’t have to clamber over hugely wide sills like you would in a Lotus Elise.

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The second factor that really adds to the Alpine’s utility is its interior quality. It’d be easy to forgive the A110 a few rough edges as it’s a fairly low-volume vehicle, but the build integrity and the infotainment system feel like big ticket items. Of course, much of that is down to the input of paymasters Renault, but it’s a genuinely well-judged exercise in delivering bespoke styling that integrates mass-market components and electronic architecture. Best of both worlds, in other words.

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It surged into the top five without a word of dissent from any of the judges. The A110 has already mopped up a whole slew of awards around the world. Can it add Wheels COTY to its trophy cabinet? To find out, be sure to hit up whichcar.com/wheels on the night of Wednesday, January 30.

WHEELS Car of the Year is well and truly entered a new era, with a British electric SUV named a finalist in 2019 at a canter.

A pre-event favourite for this year’s COTY gong, the all-electric Jaguar I-Pace stunned the judges with the breadth of its ability in the first round of testing.

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Jaguar entered the electric vehicle fray swinging. The company celebrated its 97th birthday last year, but instead of creaking with old age, its I-Pace exudes youthful innovation and clever design.

Trading in the traditional long bonnet, low-slung appearance of classic Jags, the Ian Callum-penned I-Pace instead opts for a long wheelbase, short bonnet combo.

The British manufacturer has developed a ground-up electric architecture for the I-Pace, with judges praising its ride on both air and steel suspension.

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Interior room is spacious, thanks to the expansive 2990mm wheelbase, with the I-Pace seamlessly blending traditional and futuristic materials and design.

the judging criteria

The I-Pace uses a 90kWh battery (of which 84.7kWh is useable), and twin electric motors (one on each axle), to send 294kW/696Nm to the treads via a single-speed ‘box.

Despite the SUV body, the I-Pace was praised by judges for its agile dynamic abilities, with typically forceful electric acceleration matched by decent body control.

The I-Pace demonstrates that even the most traditional motoring companies can join the electric revolution, and send a bolt of fear through the hearts of its competitors.

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While it impressed at the proving ground, can the I-Pace maintain the performance on the open roads?

To find out if the Jaguar I-Pace has what it takes to be crowned Wheels Car of the Year 2019, tune into whichcar.com/wheels on the night of Wednesday, January 30.

On-air: Channel Ten, Feb 3 (AU) / Feb 9 (NZ)

Catch-up: Watch at tenplay.com.au (AU) or primetv.co.nz (NZ)

It’s a Wheels Car of the Year extravaganza as we test five of the best new cars to launch in 2018 from all the key players. Following on from last week’s Car of the Year introduction, the judges refine the pack down to just a handful before revealing this year’s winner.

As if you needed some light relief from the judging melee, Scott straps into an affordable Kia sports sedan with a turbocharged sting in its tail. Can you believe the South Korean brand is turning out a vicious rear-wheel drive with a punch that lasts?

With no coupe in the Ford or FPV catalogue, this category is an all-HSV affair, but the contenders couldn’t be more different.

This feature was originally published in MOTOR’s May 2005 issue

The Smurf blue GTO is your typical HSV: big engine and rear-drive. This example runs the four-speed auto, but the six-speed manual Tremec is also available. In fact, the GTO is the most customisable of the range.

With the all-paw Coupe4, however, what you see is what you get. It’s only available with the clunky four-speed auto backing the 270kW Gen III. It runs HSV’s sports suspension, but still feels like a softer option than a ClubSport R8.

Before the Coupe4 had even turned a 19-inch wheel at Eastern Creek, there was serious money that it’d get the wooden spoon for both sprinting and lap times. Despite the fuss-free launch that the all-wheel drive system affords, the AWD HSV was the slowest of the V8s in a straight line, but its 6.69secs to 100km/h and the 14.74 for the quarter kept it in front of the sixes – although the XR6T had its measure until the metric ton. Still, that’s barely enough to keep the GTO (5.72 and 13.77) in sight.

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But when it lapped the Creek and returned with the bronze medal time, all jaws promptly hit pitlane.

Just 60 kays into the first morning, however, the race was nearly run for the Coupe4 after striking the mother of all pot-holes crossing the Blue Mountains. The impact (at 40km/h in a school zone) bent and cracked the front right 19 x 8-inch so bad the 245/35 Pirelli PZero wouldn’t hold air.

Onto the space-saver spare (all HSVs use them) and Coupe4 was 80km/h speed limited, until HSV’s new wheel arrived at our Nyngan base 36 hours later. We’ll be hitting up the RTA for a replacement wheel. And following our call, the hole was fixed three days later.

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Both coupes play the cruiser better than the bruiser, but the crude, slow, clunky four-speed autos keep them from playing in the prestige Euro circle. As the two most expensive cars in the 13 car field ($90k for the Coupe4 and $79k for the GTO), they’re always up against it for value for money. That they get out-performed by cars half their price is the final nail.

At the final reckoning, the GTO eecked out the narrowest of victories, but in overall terms, both coupes languish at the bottom of the pack, just a handful of points in front of the entry-level SV6 and XR6.

Fast Facts

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Dyno Results

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Despite the power-robbing auto, GTO grunted out just one kW less than Clubbie. Coupe4 was freaking out. The AWD dyno measures up to 30kW difference between front and rear wheels, but Coupe4 was sensing slip, constantly sending drive to front-rear-front; hence the wavy graph.

Drag Run

This GTO’s 0-100km/h times over the past six months have included a 4.99, 6.2 in hot weather and now 5.72. When quizzed about the varying performance, even an HSV insider admitted the car (with 12,000km) had gone off the boil.

Track Results

GTO is a handful! A jet in a straight line with 208km/h – second fastest – manually downshifting momentarily locks the rear tyres. It has decent grip and turn-in, but when accelerating, if the auto upshifts mid-corner, the rear end snaps away. Heaps of power, but a constant battle just to keep in on the road.

Coupe4 was a big surprise, being third fastest. Confidence inspiring, speed was mostly down to turn-in and corner speed; rear end moves around to minimise understeer and AWD pulls it straight. Auto ’box no real help, but stable when downshifting. Feels painfully slow exiting tight corners in second gear, and has a horrifying graunching sound from front-right during hard cornering (driveshafts?). Amazed to see how fast it is.

Judges’ Scores

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2005 HSV Coupe4

2005 HSV GTO – WINNER

Renault has dropped a set of images of its all-new fifth generation Renault Clio, ahead of a full reveal of the car at the Geneva motor show.

The compact Clio five-door, five-seat hatchback is Renault’s most popular car in Europe, and the 2019 car is the first to move onto an all-new platform built for both Renault and Nissan products.

Called the CMF-B platform, expect it to underpin cars like the next generation Captur, as well as replacements for Nissan’s ageing X-Trail.

The Clio, which battles against compact hatchbacks like the Toyota Yaris, Suzuki’s Swift and the Honda Jazz, has really upped the ante for affordable compacts, with a large 9.3-inch central multimedia screen taking pride of place in the centre console.

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While many controls have been digitised, it looks as if the climate controls are still manually operated – a good thing, we reckon.

It’s complemented by a digital dash that we’ve seen before aboard the larger Megane. It’s likely to come in a couple of sizes, including this 10-inch version.

As well, the car pictured offers up multiple USB ports and inductive phone charging.

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Mechanically, nothing’s been revealed, but expected a 900cc three-cylinder petrol and a 1.3-litre petrol engines to figure in the line-up. Locally, the 0.9-litre Life kicks off at $16,990 before on-road costs.

And, of course, once the regular models are out there, the 1.6-litre Clio RS won’t be far behind…

The Geneva Motor Show kicks off on March 7.