Volkswagen Australia has introduced a cheaper, recently introduced V6 TDI but with the luxury toned down a little for those who prefer high-country driving over high-street cruising.
Priced from $79,990 before on roads, it’s about $5500 cheaper than the V6 TDI thanks to subtle changes such as substituting Nappa leather seat upholstery with Vienna leather, and replacing 20-inch alloy wheels with 19s.
As well as the powerful 180kW/550Nm V6 diesel engine with eight-speed automatic transmission, the all-wheel-drive Touareg Adventure also comes with the 180TDI’s air suspension and a 100-litre fuel tank.
Standard equipment includes bi-xenon headlights, adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency city braking and roof racks.
It also comes with a range of optional extras including towing and touring accessories.
The Touareg Adventure comes in four colours: Pure White, Canyon Grey Metallic, Deep Black Pearl and a new hue exclusive to the special edition, Sand Gold Metallic.
It is available for order now and will arrive in showrooms in May. Exact numbers coming to Australia are yet to be confirmed but it’s believed to be in the hundreds.
The Touareg Adventure follows on from the Touareg Wolfsburg Edition, and is one of several other special-edition Vee-dubs expected this year including a Passat AllTrack Wolfsberg Edition and one-off versions of the Golf GTI and Tiguan.
The second-generation Touareg launched in 2011 and received a mid-life facelift in 2015. A new model is expected to be revealed at next month’s Shangai Motor Show and should go on sale in 2018.
2017 Volkswagen Touareg price list*
- Touareg 150TDI $68,990
- Touareg 150TDI Element $70,990
- Toureg V6 TDI Adventure $79,990
- Touareg V6 TDI $85,490
- Touareg V8 TDI R-Line $116,300
AMG’s more accessible E-Class model arrives in Oz, ready to span the great divide between the high-tech E400 and the utterly bonkers E63.
WHAT IS IT? While we wait for the ballistic E63 to lob in local dealerships, the Mercedes-AMG E43 is the one and only AMG E-Class available here. It attempts to strike the middle ground between the top of the regular E-Class range, and the stratospheric performance of the looming E63 flagship.
WHY WE’RE DRIVING IT Local sales of AMGs are through the roof, and this is our first chance in Oz to experience the E43’s balancing act of power and prestige, following our first drive on its native blacktop in Germany.
MAIN RIVALS Audi S6, Maserati Ghibli S, Lexus GS F, Jaguar XF S, BMW 540i
THE WHEELS VERDICT AMG has broadened its horizons and produced an admirably capable sports sedan that favours performance without compromising the inherent elegance and comfort of its base model. The E43 is equally at home on a brisk back-road blast as it is serving as a luxurious everyday tool.
PLUS: Accessible performance, flexibility, front-end accuracy, maturity MINUS: Will always be seen as ‘AMG-lite’, cabin sensitive to jarring road surfaces
THE WHEELS REVIEW AUSSIES bloody love an AMG and the latest to hit our shores is the Mercedes-AMG E43. It’s the first fighter from Affalterbach to arrive Down Under based on the technologically masterful W213 E-Class, and will eventually straddle the wide open crevasse between relatively vanilla non-AMG E-Class models and the utterly unhinged E63 due here later in the year.
In both price and performance the $159,900 E43 is a closer relative of the mainstream E400, and has been subject to some criticism for using the latter’s 3.0-litre V6, sourced from Mercedes-Benz, albeit with bigger turbochargers slotted into the ‘bay to lift performance by 50kW and 40Nm to totals of 295kW and 520Nm.
Dialled up to its most fierce the E43 is a fast car, capable of dispatching the sprint to 100km/h in 4.6 seconds. All-paw grip makes it almost as quick as much more powerful equipment like the HSV GTS. Its bi-modal sports exhaust opens up to let out more of the V6 note in Sport and Sport Plus modes, though it never reaches the same levels of snap, crackle and pop as the attention-seeking A45 and V8-powered AMGs. The E43’s pitch is more mature than those cars.
Steering, too, is effortless. A re-engineered front-end from AMG incorporates new components that transmit a more direct steering feel. Sharp initial turn-in is confidence inspiring, as is the E43’s stopping power. Front and rear brakes have been upgraded with larger, perforated rotors.
The E43 channels understated AMG sports sedans of old. It’s a fast, classy and thoroughly liveable four-door. The AMG experience can be dialled up on a whim through its multiple drive mode personalities and it does what it set out to do, which is plug a gap in the E-Class line-up as an AMG with road-going purpose rather than racetrack focus.
Wealthy enthusiasts fearing a zero-emission, autonomous future could be shopping in Aston Martin dealerships in years to come, with CEO Andy Palmer stating the V12 engine and manual gearbox are a firm part of his plans for the future of the British luxury brand.
Aston recently re-introduced a seven-speed manual for the V12 Vantage S, and Palmer told MOTOR that this is likely to be retained going forward. “For the volumes that we have, we couldn’t justify developing a new ’box, so everything we do will probably be an update of the current six- and seven-speed ’boxes.
Palmer also plans to keep using big-capacity V12s as long as possible, with Aston Martin’s using electric propulsion for selected future models to lower its all-important fleet average CO2 emissions rather than offering downsized engines across the range.
“The only way you can do that in an environment of CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) is a big offset, and your big offset is your battery-electric i.e. zero.”
Palmer is also unconcerned that an inherently silent electric car will fail to provide the emotion and excitement traditionally offered by Aston’s internal combustion engines: “I would say that sound can be different; sound drives you emotionally and the hairs on the back of your head stand up when you hear a V12 or a V8, or even a V6.
“Since the world doesn’t stand still and there’s legislation that forces me to go in one direction, I’d rather have the emotion of a V12 combined with the emotion of zero sound than be forced to go to an inline-four engine.”
Asked the question at a press conference last Thursday, Daniel Ricciardo quickly fired in his suggestion: “A race in Las Vegas.”
Hopefully not around the car park, like last time.
Lewis Hamilton opted for a US Grand Prix in Miami.
Sebastian Vettel, clearly missing a home grand prix, said he wanted to see F1 return to Germany.
Grinning like cheeky schoolboys, the group then went a little manic. With a grin on his face, Hamilton then brought up another point.
“More ladies in the paddock,” Hamilton said, accompanied by giggling from his fellow drivers. “More paddock access to some women. There’s too many dudes in the paddock.”
Silent until this point, Fernando Alonso was asked to proffer his thoughts on potential power unit changes.
“I agree with everything,” Alonso said, before making his own suggestion: “Equal engines for everyone.”
Hamilton, a happy beneficiary of dominant Mercedes power, responded: “I don’t agree with that one.”
Ricciardo assertively agreed with the engine equalisation idea, saying, “Yeah, but not electric [power].”
It got messy when Hamilton chimed back in. “And not Honda,” he added in a shot at the under-fire Japanese car giant. “I’m kidding,” he thoughtfully post-scripted, but it was way too late!
Former F1 driver Mark Webber also had a chance to grill Liberty Media supremo Chase Carey in the paddock at the weekend, asking if the sport’s new owners would continue to support up-and-coming drivers ahead of those paying for their seat – a view Carey seemed to support.
SKODA’S plans for a sleek coupe-style SUV have already been outed thanks to the leaking of a Powerpoint slide from an internal presentation, but it appears we may get our first glimpse of the car as early as next month.
The shadowy teaser image released by Skoda on Friday is expected to make its first public appearance at the Shanghai Motor Show in April. Details are scant at this stage, but the tell-tale sloping tailgate glass revealed by this silhouette is fairly unambiguous – it doesn’t mesh as a coupe version of an existing sedan, but would translate well as a high-riding crossover in the same vein as the BMW X6.
Skoda is keeping details of the Vision E concept under a tight lid, but reports that it will be all-electric vehicle may not be on the money – after all, Skoda’s previous concepts like the Vision D, Vision C and Vision S have all followed a similar format, and the ‘E’ may not stand for ‘Electric’ here.
Then again, Skoda is expected to wheel out an all-electric vehicle at the Shanghai show, and with style-driven SUVs and EVs proving increasingly popular in the Chinese market, rolling both of those concepts into a single car would make sense for Skoda.
Besides being a springboard for Skoda to launch itself into new territory product-wise, the Vision E is also a preview of Skoda’s evolving design language. Inspired by traditional Czech crystal glass art, the Vision E’s styling will be dominated by crisp lines, “bold contours” and intricate, jewel-like detailing in the headlamps and tail lamps.
Whether or not the Vision E is entirely representative of what will become Skoda’s first fastbacked SUV has yet to be seen, but it’s clear that the VW-owned brand is keen to diversify its portfolio. However, with the Chinese market being home to many unique species (such as long-wheelbase BMW 3 Series sedans, among others), a global release for Skoda’s upcoming X6-lite is not guaranteed.
According to Ford Motor Company the stripped-out, powered-up Mustang Shelby GT350 is “the most track-capable” and “race-ready” version of the Pony car ever produced – but those very claims have potentially placed the brand in hot water in the United States.
Reports have emerged that a trio of GT350 owners have experienced transmission and differential overheating issues that drop the Mustang into ‘limp home’ mode after a period of time on the racetrack, and have forged a class-action lawsuit against Ford as a result.
It further claims that the Blue Oval brand knew about the problems and upgraded the latest model with the cooling items, but has not offered to replace the ‘defective’ equipment or parts affected by using 2016 model year Shelby Mustang GT350s on a track.
Ford Motor Company refused to comment to the US car website in response to the litigation, however.
HONDA Australia is being rewarded for a run of strong sales with greater influence when it comes to future products.
With the introduction of the popular HR-V compact SUV in 2015 and all-new Civic small sedan last year, more Australians are warming to the brand and the Japanese car-maker’s head office is taking notice.
The positive results are affording Honda’s Australian team a louder voice during the development stages of new models, with the demands of Aussie customers woven into future products more than ever before.
Speaking to WhichCar at the Australian Grand Prix, Honda Australia director Stephen Collins said the new Civic was the most heavily Australian-influenced model to date and that customers were responding well as a result.
“We are the lead market in the whole of Oceania and we had a lot of input into the development. Probably more so than any vehicle in our history” he said. “That makes it satisfying that the market has really spoken and the customers are saying it’s a great car.”
Collins explained that the recent significant upturn in sales was partly to thank for Australia’s greater inclusion in the development process.
“I would say that we certainly have a lot more influence in our product planning side on these types of projects now because we are a big part of the business and that gives us more clout.
“Certainly Civic is an example of a lot of local input. We had some of our planners working on that for nearly five years, so it’s very satisfying that customers like it.”
Exactly what is currently being given the Australian treatment will remain under wraps for now but Collins confirmed that the Australian team will continue to be included in future product strategy.
“We want to keep that going,” he said. “What it helps us deliver is products that customers want and we are certainly trying to do that more and more with the global organisation. Particularly the Oceania region. It’s good for our business”.
The next significant introduction will be the new-generation CR-V in the first half of this year, which is likely to contain more Aussie influences and will add another welcome shot in Honda’s arm.
Honda’s current sales champ is the HR-V compact SUV which has a 2005-car tally to its name to the end of February this year, but is expected to be overtaken by the Civic range when it gains the hatchback model later this year.
The Civic has found 1703 homes in the same period, while its Jazz baby sibling has chalked up 1182 registrations so far.
Formula One driver Daniel Ricciardo may not have walked away a winner after the Melbourne Grand Prix, but his attitude following the disastrous weekend proves why he’s one of Australia’s favourite sportspeople.
The Aussie motorsport’s star consistently shows dignity in defeat and humility in victory.
Going into the opening race of the Formula One 2017 season, Ricciardo remained positive, telling the crowd at the launch of Qunitis Sandalwood last Wednesday that “there are always things you can improve. Racing, I guess it’s like all sports, there’s always more to learn, more to perfect.”
In interviews following the race, which saw the 27-year-old suffer a crash in qualifying, a five-spot penalty due to a gearbox change, and car issues that forced him to miss the first two laps of the main race and eventually retire due to engine failure, the Australian legend expressed his frustrations but also disappointment for his fans.
While the boy from Perth has a reputation for being one of the happiest, most laid back guys on the track, he hasn’t been without his disappointments. A rough 2016 saw a disqualification in the Spanish Grand Prix and then a 40-second pit stop fail in Monaco, where the public saw a rare glimpse of a visibly upset Ricciardo. But just like this weekend, he managed to overcome the defeat and bounce back.
“After Monaco, as miserable as I felt, I still finished second and I still, in many people’s eyes, was the best driver on that weekend, so there was still a lot of positives to take,” he told us following the event last Wednesday.
So how does Ricciardo deal with the highs and lows of the Formula One circus? Well we asked him, and with his big signature grin, he said his answer was simple: “alcohol.”
“Winning; the high is so big that literally by the time I jump in the rental car, when all the media is done and I leave the track… the silence begins, that’s when you come down… So it’s normally on the way to the hotel or the airport.
“And the loss… I think being around friends helps you kind of forget about it for a bit, and also, for me, just perspective.
“There are so many worse things happening out there, I don’t want to be a spoilt kid’. I never want to be that person, so perspective is a big one.”
Naturally, that’s not always easy being so far away from family and friends, still back home in Perth. But Ricciardo said dealing with homesickness is just part of the Formula One parcel.
“When I first left to go to Europe, the first year was the toughest one,” he said.
“For me, it was like whenever I was getting upset or having thoughts about missing home or friends, I kind of always looked at the big picture… I work hard now, do the job and it’ll pay off.
“Also, when I was racing, I was having so much fun it outweighed the sadness of being alone… I kind of always just had my eyes on the prize of making it to Formula One.”
As for dealing with the danger of Formula One, Ricciardo said it’s something they consider, but it’s all part of the thrill of the sport.
“It’s still dangerous, but for us, I think as a kid that was part of the attraction, that little bit of danger, that fear it puts in you, it creates that adrenalin and excitement.
“After the accident with Jul (Jules Bianchi who passed away in an accident in 2015), it reiterated the risk we do take…
“There’s no point taking these risks if you’re only doing it half-heartedly. I feel since then I’ve become more appreciative of the position I’m in, but also I’m a harder racer and I’m just like ‘well if we’re doing that I want to wear my heart on my sleeve and go all out and say that at least I gave it everything’.”
He may not have had the best start to the 2017 season, but Ricciardo is a winner in our eyes.
Watch this and you’ll be looking up prices for a flight to Germany in no time. How much for a fast rental at the other end?
So you’ve got a ‘lightly modified’ TT RS, and you wanna go really fast. Where can you do it? The autobahn is the answer to that very fun question.
If you want to have a go yourself, we have a few recommendations for you in the form of a handy autobahn guide to 300km/h compiled by MOTOR’s overlord editor, DC.
Here, however, we find one of Germany’s natives, an Audi TT RS (likely circa 2013) soaring flat-out along one of the only places in the world it can (legally) do so.
Behind the wheel is Sandro Ziegler, who we’ve come across before via his Showdown911 YouTube channel. Judging by his past videos, he’s got the skills to pull this off properly.
His weapon of choice is not Audi’s newest TT RS, but the older car is still up to the task of cracking the triple-ton.
If this is a previous-gen TT RS (as far as the interior gives away), it would have originally been 265kW/465Nm and speed limited to 280km/h. This one is not.
As old mate Ziegler passes 280, he also passes some holidaymakers who look like they’re still motoring along fairly quickly for a car with a roof-mounted carry-case. The autobahn envy is real right now.
Since he has only just shifted into sixth a few seconds earlier, it’s now a case of foot-flat ’til 305.
A row of travellers (and then another shortly after) witnessed the TT fly past at an astonishing speed of five-over the big three.
But what happens when you realise your exit’s coming up quickly, and you’re still doing 305? You just have to take the exit ramp at 100, apparently. With ESP off. Ziegler’s got this.
Oh, and don’t try this at home. You’ll ruin your driveway.
Honda is confident that its tenth-generation Civic small passenger range will become the company’s top-selling model, when the hatchback model joins forces with the already-launched sedan in May.
If the Japanese car-maker’s prediction is accurate, the completed Civic range will knock Australia’s current favourite Honda – the HR-V – from the top spot despite strong and consistent sales of the compact SUV since its introduction in early 2015.
In boot-boosted sedan form, the Civic is already giving the compact SUV a run for its money with 1703 registrations to the end of February this year versus 2005 for the HR-V, but that order is set for a shake-up, says Honda.
Speaking at the 2017 Australian Grand Prix, Honda Australia director Stephen Collins told WhichCar that the Civic would “absolutely” become the company’s top seller with a majority of the volume coming from the imminent hatchback as well as lower number of sales from the mighty Type R that will arrive toward the end of 2017.
“I think as an entire Civic product line, absolutely,” he said. “There will be a little bit of cannibalisation when hatch comes but not a great amount so hatch should be on top.
“Type R will be a smaller volume but I think it’s having all three for the first time so I think it will definitely be our number-one seller.”
While the forecast could see combined sales of hatch and sedan models exceed as many as 1000 per month, the Type R is being charged with a different task, according to Mr Collins.
“We think it’s going to go really well, but it’s not a huge volume proposition for us but we want to position it right in the sweet-spot of those hot hatches. The most important thing is that it’s really a halo for Civic but also a halo for our brand.”
Collins also confirmed that Honda’s local operation will not be offering a more affordable version of the Type R that will be offered in some other markets, with Australians set to receive the most feature-filled variant only.
“We’ll bring one spec and make it the top spec. Our strategy is to bring it with the lot,” he said.
When it arrives in the fourth quarter of this year, the most fearsome Civic will continue Honda’s plan to invigorate a sportier persona for the company, alongside the highly exclusive NSX sportscar and less potent RS variants of the Civic.
“The RS Civic sedan and hatch also – they’re not out and out sportscars but it really does dial-up the sportiness. We’re going to take every opportunity to do that.”
“NSX is the pinnacle, Type R is the next example.”
Fans of hot Hondas will delight in the return of the Civic Type R which was denied for Australia in its previous generation due to production constraints and timing.
In addition to the proliferating line-up of more performance-focused models, Honda is continuing to enhance its heritage of motorsport and more involving vehicles through participation in the Formula One racing series.
“Globally, Honda realised that we need to dial up that sportiness that we lost for a little while. F1 is one example of that and I think NSX is an example.”
