THE arrival of the 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class All-Terrain marks a new chapter for the German luxury car-maker as the Benz-badged mid-sizer chases the Audi A6 Allroad quattro and the Volvo V90 Cross Country for the first time.

Based on the mid-size E-Class Estate and set for a reveal at the 2016 Paris Motor Show early next month, the All-Terrain combines more rugged styling styling – such as a raised ride height, larger wheels, black skirts and flared guards that make it look taller, and a front end that borrows heavily from the GL line of high-riding SUVs – combined with the E-Class interior to give off-road prowess combined with on-road comfort.

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“With 4Matic all-wheel drive as a standard feature and increased ground clearance thanks to the Air Body Control multi-chamber air suspension the All-Terrain is a flexible all-rounder – for unpaved roads, family and leisure time,” Mercedes-Benz sales and marketing chief Ola Källenius said. The air suspension system will allow drivers to raise the All-Terrain’s height by 20mm, or drop it by 15mm, while on the move.

Mercedes-Benz says the E-Class All-Terrain sits 29 millimetres higher than the E-Class Estate on which it is based, with 14mm coming from the taller tyres and 15mm coming from the normal driving level of the air suspension.

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The All-Terrain features a two-fin grille borrowed from Merc’s SUV line, with the three-pointed star featured as a centrepiece. The carmaker has developed three styles of alloy wheel for the car, in either 19- or 20-inch diameters, that use taller sidewalls to give extra height and improve off-road ability.

As well as chrome-plated underbody protection, more durable floor mats and rubberised stainless steel pedals, the interior gains a bespoke aluminium and carbon-look trim.

The car will also borrow the Mercedes-Benz GLE’s five-setting driving program, which includes a special off-road setting that allows more slip .

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Under the bonnet, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class All-Terrain will use a 143kW/400Nm turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission. A six-cylinder diesel engine will join the All-Terrain family a bit later than the first car’s launch in the second quarter of next year.

SPECS Model: Mercedes-Benz E220d 4Matic All-Terrain Engine: 1950cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v turbo diesel Max power: 143kW @ 3800rpm Max torque: 400Nm @ 1600-2800rpm Transmission: 9-speed automatic Kerb weight: n/a 0-100km/h: 8.0sec Fuel economy: 5.2L/100km (est) Price: $115,000 (est) On sale: H2, 2017

First published in the March 2004 issue of Wheels magazine, Australia’s best car mag since 1953.

Is Australia ready for a world where the V8 is not king? Wheels was ahead of the curve with this question …

BIT LIKE boxers and briefs, this game of sixes and eights. Few buyers swing both ways, and it creates a conundrum that strikes to the core of automotive Australia: forced induction versus the purity of cubic inches. Specifically, it poses the question: is Australia ready for a world where V8s are not king? And if the FPV F6 Typhoon really is the best locally produced performance sedan, are we all ready to acknowledge it?

That FPV would enhance Ford’s XR6 Turbo didn’t take an induction expert to predict. In fact, both the Falcon XR6T and a company called Ford Performance Vehicles were unveiled on that same September morning in 2002. So, the question was never if, simply when, FPV would do it.

In FPV boss David Flint’s own words, the F6 Typhoon is a “Super XR6T”, an up-spec evolution of the Ford on which it’s based. Changes to the driveline and suspension aren’t substantial, but, then, they didn’t need to be. The engine features FPV’s own dual-entry air intake feeding the same XR6T Garrett turbocharger operating at 50 percent higher boost pressure (0.65bar/9.4psi). Air then blasts through a bigger 12-core air-to-air intercooler before entering the combustion chamber via inlet valves with new heavy-duty springs.

The torque figure is the highest ever for an Australian production engine. Which is why the BTR four-speed automatic gearbox won’t be offered in the F6 – it simply can’t be counted on to reliably handle the torque. So, the only transmission is Tremec’s T56 six-speed manual, with the same XR6T ratios and modifications detailed by Wheels last month. To recap, F6 Typhoon scores a shorter final-drive ratio of 3.73:1 but a taller first compared to the GT gearset. Second through sixth gears are shared in both F6 and GT. There are some changes to the casing and linkages, dictated by packaging the T56 behind a six instead of a V8.

In the real world, this gearset means Typhoon has longer overall gearing in first, and is more closely stacked second to sixth. This approach would make sense in a highly-strung turbocharger installation with nothing down low, but not with the Typhoon’s mild boost or its table-top torque curve.

Typhoon’s mill pumps out its 550Nm peak from 2000rpm to 4250rpm. And it’s making more than 400Nm from idle to cut-out. Short on grunt? Nope.

We head for the hills north-east of Melbourne, where the roads climb and straights are scarce. Blacktop carves through the densely wooded state forest, curving and glistening like a snake basking in the sun. Nature’s peace disintegrates on the cresting wave of our thundering invaders. The rich, deep-throated growl of two angry V8s reverberates off the timber, punctuated by tyre chirps and cornering squeals.

A third entity leads the charge to the top. Its smoother yet equally predatory roar carries a screaming, high-pitched undercurrent. Flashes of silver glimpsed through the trees, then blue, then red, which vanish as quickly as they appeared.

This is the first time we’ve compared the Z Series Clubsport and its 6.0-litre LS2 with the FPV GT and its new six-speed T56 gearbox. The Clubsport’s sizeable cube advantage would seem reason enough for the GT to feel nervous. But the peak power and torque differences are minimal – less than 3 percent – because FPV efficiently milks every drop from its classy 32-valve, 5.4-litre Boss V8.

But there’s no denying the HSV’s new lease on life. Rich veins of torque course through the Clubsport, which now enjoys nothing more than to show off its ability to defy rear-wheel traction. It’s happy to lope along at freeway speeds, but drop gears and belt the throttle and a Pirelli P Zero is the last thing you’d want to be.

On the straights, the advantage goes to the HSV over the GT, but by the barest of margins. And only until the next corner, where the Clubsport’s weaknesses conspire against it. It can’t match the GT for steering feel and, despite copping a brake upgrade, lacks tangible quality feel through the pedal and endurance when you’re on a serious charge.

It’s an incremental advantage to the GT, whose clean cornering lines contrast sharply with the Clubsport’s less-refined curve control. Where the GT settles quickly, holding the line as you finesse the throttle, the Clubsport scrubs ever-so-slightly wide in response to any push from the rear. Throw in a rutted or crumbling surface on the apex and, where the Clubsport feels unsettled and demands more lock, the GT barely flinches.

Beefier springs mean GT has less diagonal pitch on turn-in, it sits flatter through corners, and also better resists squat under acceleration and dive under brakes. It’s a subtle change, but, coupled with that extra gear ratio, it moves the Ford a notch or two along the slider between grand tourer and hardcore sports sedan.

Put simply, the GT’s suspension is more convincing, more cohesive than Clubsport’s. The GT instils real trust in its driver; the Clubsport, it’s got to be said, leaves the door to bad behaviour slightly ajar.

It almost seems unfair to throw the Typhoon into the same pit as these two old enemies; unreasonable on the V8s to unleash this new, high-tech predator into their midst. Though not exactly blown away by Typhoon’s force, they are bested for in-gear acceleration.

We’re back to boxers and briefs, because the FPV F6 Typhoon possesses intrinsically different dynamic characteristics to the V8s. Softer springs at the front mean it dives a little harder under brakes than the GT, despite its 60kg weight advantage.

Turn-in is not as sharp, nor does the steering wheel feel totally composed or settled in your hands as cornering Gs climb. It’s lighter, and demands less effort, but has less resistance to fend off that springy return-to-centre action. Worse, it can, at times, withdraw you from the moment, as you divert more attention from road to wheel.

Where 21st-century V8s are about immediate pleasures, the F6 is a thoughtful beast. Punch the throttle on the GT or the Clubsport and you receive an urgent reply. No waiting, no building, just a hard shove in the back as the car bolts for the horizon.

The Typhoon takes a more considered approach. You almost sense it weighing up your request before responding as the turbo comes on stream. Confirmation that your wish has been granted arrives first in the form of a low, windy whistle. It’s accompanied by a soft urge, a tentative increase in velocity that builds exponentially, doubling in intensity with every fresh lungful of air.

The TYPhoon’s turbo lag is short, but requires familiarity. Adjustments to driving style must be made; the delay taken into account. It may be only a matter of tenths, so get into the throttle sooner and wait for the response instead of burying your right foot further with impatience. The rewards will come; when they do, you need to be ready.

If V8 initial acceleration is akin to being hit with a giant cricket bat, the typhoon’s is more like climbing into an enormous slingshot. There’s no instant wallop that smacks you in the back, but it’s a monstrous force nonetheless, like the meteorological phenomenon whose name it bears.

Pecking order? The Clubsport is third, owing to less communicative controls and its relative lack of on-road sophistication in such esteemed company. Both Fords deliver better driving dynamics and instil more trust at the limit. They also flatten the road’s irregularities more convincingly than the HSV.

Splitting the two Fords is tougher, much tougher, and demands a more critical eye to isolate the differences. The GT’s better steering edges it ahead, but that slim advantage is blown away by typhoon’s surging in-gear acceleration. We’re not talking tenths here, but whole seconds and sometimes longer.

More than enough for Typhoon’s thrusting turbocharged performance to catch both V8s with their pants down.

What’s it like to test an F1 car, with full technical support, telemetry and tyre change? Derek Daly throws the Adelaide runner-up car, Ilivier Panis’ Ligier JS41, round Magnay-Cours…

First published in the March 1996 issue of Wheels magazine, Australia’s best car mag since 1953.

It’s a gorgeous, crisp sunny day in the heartland of France. Before me is a dark blue Ligier JS41, the very car Olivier Panis brought in second at Adelaide. But, while the colour is familiar, this is a very different Ligier from the defiantly French team I knew when I last raced a GP car in 1982. It’s now run by a Scotsman and powered by – gasp! – Japanese engines.

Honda has a bank of computers set up to monitor every tum of the engine during my drive. Temperatures and pressures will be recorded by real-time telemetry ‘beamed directly from the car. If there is a problem, a voice in my ear will advise.

I’m strapped in and ready to go when the Honda engineers decide to change the engine management map at the last moment. Then Ligier chief mechanic JP Chatenet tells me to make sure the gearbox is in neutral. He motions to the mechanic at the back of the car, who plugs the electric starter into the gearbox.

JP tells me to flick the ignition switch and the V10 barks into life. When he thinks the engine is hot enough, he tells me to select first gear, then stands in front of the car until it’s time to tum me loose.

For the first exploratory laps of the 4.16km Magny Cours circuit, where I run up and down through the gears, it all feels smooth and uneventful. Steering effort is light and the track is the smoothest I’ve ever driven on.

The car feels fast and the semiautomatic gearbox makes me sound like a champion. A look at the rev counter tells me I’m only using between nine and ten thousand revs – nowhere near the power band – so I stab the throttle in anger for the first time on the back straight.

Then, as I began to pick up speed, the right front brake is locking up at the last comer, and the transition from understeer to oversteer is very sudden.

The electronic semi-automatic transmission is a joy to use. Messages from the steering wheel paddles are sent to the gearbox and the drive-by-wire throttle simultaneously. When upchanging (right paddle), it’s not necessary to lift off the throttle pedal. When down-changing (left paddle), simply hit the brakes. No need to heel-and-toe.

The engine management system knows what gear you’ve selected and how many revs are needed to synchronise the gears, to which point the engine is automatically and accurately blipped. Even a hacker could sound like a pro – it’s almost impossible to miss gears and over-rev the engine.

As speeds climb I feel I’m sitting a little too high in the airstream. It feels like someone is hitting the sides of my helmet with a mallet. Ligier test engineer Ian Reed is monitoring my laps to see if I’m ready to run on warmed tyres. Then the action will really start because on hot tyres I’ll have to go hard immediately – no time to ease up to speed.

Tyre management is critical in F1, which is why Europeans train their young drivers to go flat out at all times. Fall off the pace for even one lap and you lose tyre temperature and pressure, the car begins to handle badly and a downward spiral begins. No matter how hard you try, it’s not enough to bring temperatures and pressures back up to the optimum.

One pound the wrong way on tyre pressures can mean the difference between excessive understeer or excessive oversteer. On race weekend, an engineer might make a 0.2psi adjustment to get the perfect balance. The average tyre pressures used are 21psi front, 18psi rear.

Hot tyres on, I charge out of the pitlane. Going hard immediately is all about confidence. As I enter the 235km/h fifth-gear left, the Grande Courbe, and flick straight to the next fourth-gear right, Estoril, I find I’m talking to mysel£ I’m telling myself the car will stick; I can feel the grimace as I hold my breath and push the throttle pedal as hard as my brain will allow.

Although grip levels are astonishingly high, the power steering is relatively light, letting you place the car accurately even in long fast corners where steering loads are high.

The sound of a Formula One engine under hard acceleration is exhilarating, but as I snap back up through the gears, I realise that since downsizing to 3.0 litres, F1 cars rev harder but do not have the sheer brute acceleration of years past.

At the infield hairpin I experience one of the problems of semi-autos. The Ligier steering wheel houses buttons for radio, drink and automatic downchange. There are two auto downchange buttons – one which drops the box down a single gear, the other for two-gear downshifts. To get around the hairpin I have to cross over my hands and I inadvertently hit the downchange button with my right wrist. The gearbox jumps from second to first and gives me a bit of a fright.

Tyre temperatures are okay, yet I’m still getting many reminders that today’s F1 cars are inherently unstable. With 35 percent less downforce than in 1994, and no traction control, they move around a lot under hard power and feel nervous under braking. On just about every second-gear corner at Magny Cours, the Mugen Honda’s 500-plus kW needs to be applied with care to stop the car spinning.

The final corner, Lycee, is where I had the trouble earlier with locking brakes. But now the $10,000 per set – and renewed after each race – carbon brakes are up to operating temperature and the problem has gone.

As I pass the timing light, the dash readout tells me my first lap using warm tyres was nearly 2.5 seconds quicker than my previous best. Over the next five laps my confidence grows rapidly because the semi-automatic gearbox is giving me more time to concentrate on positioning the car. I welcome a pitstop to catch a breath because the nearer I get to the pace, the more the physical effort is required to drive the car.

Despite rolling slowly down the pitlane, I’m still breathing hard while trying to talk sensibly to Ian about the experience.

During the debrief I realise the performance and handling of today’s F1 car is minutely analysed. Driving expressed in terms of percentages, not feelings. The Honda engineers show me in detail where I was slower than their drivers and it is no surprise to find that most time was lost in fast corners.

Modern F1 cars like this are surprisingly easy to drive – up to a point. Like any race car, finding the critical few fractions of a second which make the difference between winning and losing takes confidence and commitment.

And that’s not automatic …

The five reasons why the 2017 Audi TT RS is different to any of its rivals hide under its bonnet.

Porsche’s 718 Cayman S has moved on to a four-pot. Lotus’s Exige steals its heart from a Toyota Avalon. And while a Jaguar F-Type’s six has charisma, it won’t match the second-gen TT RS for grunt.

That’s right, not only is the RS’s straight-five exotic, it packs a heavier punch than most. With 294kW online from 5850rpm and 480Nm from 1700rpm, it’s also 44kW/30Nm healthier than the old model.

Other stuff, like a magnesium oil sump piece, lightweight pulleys, and hollow crankshaft, see another 8kg pulled from the TT RS’s nose. Audi’s engineers say this has shifted its centre of balance rearward by a per cent or two, now skewed 59 per cent front and 41 per cent rear.

Audi’s crammed more boost into to the new turbo, while it’s also reprogrammed the seven-speed dual clutch’s software to cut shift times. Firing power through the latest Haldex-based quattro system, the RS is claimed to clip 100km/h from rest in 3.7sec.

Mid-range, rather, is the five-cylinder’s party piece. As once the car clears the first few metres off the line, there’s an explosion of speed that lasts until the 7000rpm redline. To 150km/h, there’s a good chance the RS would hose anything this side of a Nissan GT-R.

Thankfully the diet hasn’t ruined the engine’s vocal pipes. It still sounds like a split Audi R8 V10 whether you have the new bi-modal exhaust flaps open or not.

Of course, being Audi’s iconic sports coupe, there’s a fair bit of design work on the RS. Inside there are RS specific seats and an oh-so-cool steering wheel stolen from the R8.

Exterior-wise huge front air intakes hoover the road, and a fixed rear wing hangs off its rump. Oval tailpipes are another clue this is the big-daddy TT.

Front grip needs to be managed in tighter corners despite the fat 255mm-wide rubber all round. But it’s mostly a point-and-shoot affair in the RS, feed the power in early and it’ll simply lunge at the next apex with V8-shaming shove.

On a winding back road, too, it’s hard to believe the RS would be any more effective than the wieldier, four-pot TTS.

For sheer thrills and exclusivity, we think the five-pot is. And, oh, that noise. But when that point of difference is increasingly difficult to truly enjoy on anything but the Autobahn, maybe it isn’t.

One thing’s for sure, when the TT RS (and its roadster equivalent) lands mid next year in Oz, a head-to-head with Porsche’s new four-pot 718 Cayman S will help sound out the true answer.

LIKE: Ridiculous grunt, warbly engine note, friendly chassis DISLIKE: Clinical in corners, idiosyncratic drivetrain

SPECS Engine: 2480cc inline-five, DOHC, 20v, turbo Power: 294kW @ 5850rpm Torque: 480Nm @ 1700rpm Weight: 1440kg 0-100km/h: 3.7sec Price: $145,000 (estimated)

Cars trump fashion in France at this time of year and there will be no shortage of performance machinery at the 2016 Paris Motor Show when it opens in a week’s time.

On the lead-up to its opening, here are the top five hot models to watch for – of the automotive kind, of course – plus a couple of potential surprise packets.

1.Honda Civic Type R

Honda has promised that much so far, but it has gone on to say the five-door hatchback will have a six-speed manual transmission only and will take a step beyond the previous 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder model’s 228kW/400Nm outputs. The brand wants to target Focus RS and not Golf GTI, so expect something pretty serious from a Japanese brand quickly getting back on song.

2.Hyundai i30 N

How serious? It has hired an ex-BMW M division engineer to hone it at a special Nurburgring test facility, and released teaser videos of a popping and crackling exhaust on both (for the enthusiasts) manual and (critically for sales volumes) auto prototypes. Expect a powered-up 2.0-litre turbo and independent rear suspension for Hyundai’s new hot-hatchback that is confirmed to arrive locally late next year.

3.Mercedes-AMG GT Roadster

With a 3.7sec 0-100km/h the GT C is a tenth faster than the GT S despite a 90kg weight penalty. Blame the mechanics working over the fabric lid that can flip it behind the driver’s head electrically in around 11 seconds at up to 50km/h. It looks hot and it’s here late next year.

4. Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta

What Ferrari has said so far is the 588kW V12 engine and 120kW electric motor combine to deliver a total 708kW while “significant and extensive” modifications have been made to the LaFez’s structure to enable both the same torsional rigidity and aerodynamics as the fixed-roof version.

5. French trio surprise card

Renault has committed to showing a concept car that, according to the brand, “marks the beginning of a new cycle of Renault car design” and explores “how mobility might be in the future and the vibrant passion associated with the automobile.” Sadly, it may not wear Renault Sport decals.

Citroen’s sassy C3 could also spawn the WRC version, while DS will reveal its latest ‘performance luxury’ notchback concept called CXExperience (pictured), with a 220kW hybrid. Peugeot? Officially, only the beige 3008 medium SUV is tagged.

Self-driving cars are the newest automotive technology to take the car-world by storm. Tesla, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo are just a few of the car-brands throwing around autonomous buzz words. But, the word ‘autonomous’ isn’t exactly as it seems.

Autonomous, autopilot and self-driving are words used by carmakers for a vehicle that uses sensors and cameras to process data. That does not, however, mean the car can drive itself. At least, not safely.

Autonomous technology means the car can do some things on its own with minimal input from the driver. Auto-parking is an autonomous technology – but note that even this feature requires some human input to get the car in place.

Most cars these days use autonomous technology to create a semi-autonomous car. As Volvo explains, “Volvo Cars uses some of this technology to create semi-autonomous cars that make your journey easier and safer, while leaving you fully in control.”

According to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there are different levels of autonomous vehicle technology from Level 0 to Level 4. While the Society of Automotive Engineers also have a ranking system from Level 0-5. Both these systems are based on either the vehicle’s level of autonomy or the amount of input required of the operator.

So, what is the difference between semi- and fully- auto piloted cars?

Semi-autonomous means the responsibility for driving falls to the driver and the technology is used in the car as a driver-air and safety feature. While an autonomous car is able to fully drive itself like Herbie the Love Bug or the Batmobile and operators (rather than drivers) are able to give full control and responsibility to the machine.

At this point in time, infrastructure and legal framework do not exist to support fully autonomous cars. While semi-autonomous cars, including Tesla’s, are already taking to the street, but require, by law, drivers to pay attention and control the vehicle.

So, if you’re heading to the nearest Tesla dealership in the hope to buy a car that can get you from home to the office while you catch up on some emails, you might want to consider hiring a chauffeur instead.

WHAT IS IT?

THIS model is powered by a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four cylinder engine paired with a seven-speed auto. It delivers 135kW and 300Nm and costs $65,900 (before onroads). Add another $1531 for the Irridium Silver Metallic paint job.

It costs $4,500 more than its four-door sibling, the Mercedes-Benz C200 sedan, and is undoubtedly less practical. But the sleek and sexy look of the two-door outweighs the extra money and impracticality issues.

STRENGTHS

• Its dynamic look. The C200’s sleek bullet shape, diamond grille, LED headlights and frameless doors mean owners will receive admiring glances from other motorists on the road.

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• All models come with standard AMG styling packs.
• Electronic seats have a handy memory setting allowing different drivers to get their preferred position spot-on.
• Five futuristic looking air vents provide dual-zone climate control.
• The seatbelts have handy little feeders so you don’t do your back reaching around to pull them on. They do, however, have the unnerving self-tensioning function of which Mercedes-Benz is so fond.
• This car maker doesn’t cut corners with safety features – hence the nine airbags.

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• The 400L boot is deceptively generous.
• Despite their low profile, the 18-inch alloy wheels smoothly cruise over both pot holes on country roads and inner city speed bumps.
• The C200 remains planted and displays impressive grip through corners.
• Mercedes-Benz’s Heads-Up display projects a ghostly virtual 21 x 7 cm image of driver speed and direction onto the windscreen right in front of the driver so there’s no excuse for taking your eyes off the road.
• In an attempt to hand some power back to the driver, the car manufacturer provides four different drive modes – Comfort, Sport, Individual or Economy – via the Dynamic Select Button.

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WEAKNESSES

• Thanks to the coupé look the doors are long. And heavy.
• The sleek tapered roof cramps the rear view, although Mercedes-Benz’s excellent 360 degree camera and Blind Spot Warning feature do their best to ameliorate any vision restrictions.
• The interior is trimmed in Artico man-made pleather. For $65K+ you’d expect genuine leather.
• There is no spare, just run-flat tyres. If you get a puncture you just keep driving in the hope of finding a Bob Jane T-Mart soon.
• Its sleek roof line leaves room for only two pews in the rear, separated by a cup holder. While there is just enough leg room behind the back seats, the rear windows are fixed which could get suffocating on long trips.
• Fuel consumption is a claimed 6.0L/100km. Over 400km of combined inner city, freeway and country road driving the reality was closer to 8.3L/100km.

The slightly more expensive BMW 420i. The cheaper Lexus RC coupe. Keep an eye out for the Audi A5 two-door, which is due to hit our shores in 2017.

Click here to read the full review on the Mercedes-Benz C-Class range.

Northern Territory chief minister Michael Gunner has confirmed today that manufacturers will be allowed to perform high-speed testing in the top end under a new permit and exemption system.

Following its win in the recent NT elections, the Labor government said it would immediately reinstate a maximum 130km/h limit on all highways, putting an end to the open speed limit trial introduced by the Country Liberal party in February 2014.

Despite no speed-related fatalities occurring on the unrestricted stretch of road during the trial, the Labor said it is “backing calls from experts in the field like the Police Association and Austrailan Medical Assocation who have called for 130km/h to be brought back in those zones.”

Other manufacturers, most notably Bentley and Porsche, have used the Northern Territory to film high-speed promotional videos, though Bentley was forced to remove its video as it was found to contravene Australia’s strict advertising standards.

In an effort to retain this sector of the economy, chief minister Gunner said in a statement “I have instructed the Northern Territory Department of Transport to develop a simple permit and exemption system which will allow high-speed vehicle testing. The vehicle testing sector plays an important role in supporting the central Australian economy, one which I am keen to strengthen and grow.”

Porsche Austraila’s Public Relations Manager, Paul Ellis, has been highly critical of the decision to re-introduce speed limits but welcomes the government’s approach. “[The government] has put out a letter to all manufacturers which we have received and there are options to do high-speed runs so that’s good. Previously we didn’t have to put in any permits; this has created a process now.”

The Audi A4 Allroad quattro is pretty much what it looks like – a jumped-up, butched-up version of the German carmaker’s long-lived medium-size wagon hauler. So it’s really just another version of the recently introduced new-generation A4, that also gains the same tech. Mid-size luxury SUV buyers shopping around for something like an Audi Q5 can do little worse than consider the lighter, livelier, and only slightly lower Allroad.

1. The latest A4 Allroad quattro has been to the gym. Compared with its predecessor sold between 2009-15 – the first A4 Avant to be ‘Subaru Outback-ised’ – the new one weighs 80kg less, despite being a physically larger car in every dimension. That’s because it uses more high-strength steel (so parts can be thinner), aluminium, and other lightweight materials.

2. This is the first Audi to use the “Ultra” version of Audi’s all-wheel-drive system. It’ss 4kg lighter than before, but more importantly it can stop sending drive to the rear wheels, using the front ones only, to reduce drag and save fuel – up to 0.3L/100km, according to the company. The system is smart enough to instantly switch back to AWD if things suddenly get slippery, such as if there is unexpected black ice on the road. Look for it to appear on more Audis wearing the “quattro” AWD badge.

3. For the time being, only the petrol-powered 2.0 TFSI quattro uses the Ultra AWD system. The 2.0 TDI turbo-diesel retains the old permanent all-wheel-drive system that sends 40 per cent of the engine’s drive to the front wheels, and 60 percent to the rears. That can rise up to 70 percent to the nose or up to 85 percent out back as required.

4. Compared with the regular Audi A4 Avant (the name Audi gives to its wagons), the A4 Allroad’s ground clearance is raised 34mm to 173mm. This comes from a 23mm increase to ride height, and larger diameter wheels.

5. This is the first A4 Allroad to score a Hill Descent Control system that automatically applies the brakes while crawling down a steep hill at speeds of up to 30km/h (other versions work only at much lower speeds). It also differs from the rest of the A4 range by featuring an ‘Off-Road’ mode in the standard Drive Select system (a dial that allows the driver to switch between other modes including sport, comfort and economy). This maximises the efficiency of the quattro AWD system. And adaptive dampers that switch between firm and soft settings at the push of a button are now optional for the first time, to help improve the ride quality.

6. The A4 Allroad quattro’s body is more slippery through the air. Its 0.32Cd drag co-efficient is a 0.02Cd improvement over the model it replaces. The resulting lower combined average fuel use figure has given Audi the encouragement it needs to introduce the 2.0 TFSI quattro petrol-powered version into Australia for the first time, since its 6.7L/100km allows it to slip comfortably beneath the Luxury Car Tax threshold of no more than 7.0L/100km for the first time.

7. Larger in every dimension than the previous A4 Allroad, the newcomer offers 11mm more shoulder width and 24mm extra headroom in the front seats, while rear-seat knee room grows by 23mm.

Click here to read the full review on the Audi A4 range.

Like a normal MX-5, only better. And faster. And bett…oh wait.

WHAT IS IT? The racing version of our reigning Car of the Year. Sadly it’s not for Australia – not yet anyway – but Mazda says it could bring it to local race tracks if the planets align.

WHY ARE WE DRIVING IT? Because it promises to be the ultimate version of one of our favourite cars. Plus, Mazda called and said they had a spare car, and an empty race track. As if we’d say no.

THE WHEELS VERDICT How, and where, can we buy one? Mazda’s new baby racer is brilliant. Fun, grippy, nuanced and approachable, it promises to be an enjoyable, and potentially affordable, turn-key racer.

PLUS: Affordable (we think); brilliant fun (we know); raspy sound track; balanced chassis; improved driving position MINUS: You can’t buy one, unless Mazda changes its mind

But as I thread myself into the cabin, which instantly feels more V8 Supercar than affordable two-seat roadster, thanks to its exposed, FIA-approved roll-cage, window netting and digital dashboard – there’s even shift lights! – a nasty voice whispers in my ear: “What if they’ve dialled out the fun? What if adding racing suspension and slick tyres has locked it down and stolen the Mazda MX-5’s magic?”

This is one of just two MX-5 Cup cars in the country, but worldwide others just like it have diced in tightly fought one-make championships all year. You can buy one in the US, where they’re made, for around $US55,000, which at today’s exchange rate means this car would land here for roughly $70K.

It’s not much lighter, either. Sure, there’s no sound deadening or even a passenger seat, but that roll-cage is heavy. As is the upgraded cooling system, tougher brakes and other racing paraphernalia like the fire extinguisher and ballast box. All up, the Cup car’s frame is 25kg lighter, meaning it hits the scales just shy of a tonne, sans driver.

All this means the Cup car still feels like an MX-5, only better. And faster. And praise doesn’t get much higher than that.

SPECS Model: Mazda MX-5 Cup Engine: 1998cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v Max power: 118kW @ 6000rpm Max torque: 200Nm @ 4600rpm Transmission: 6-speed manual Kerb weight: 995kg 0-100km/h: 7.5sec (est) Fuel economy: n/a Price: $70,000 (est) On sale: Possibly never