Part One: Plain Jane
MEET “the electric car that doesn’t look like one”. Audi’s words, not mine. But the more I look at my freshly arrived A3 e-tron, the more it looks like any other Audi A3. All the sheet metal is shared, as is the glasshouse. It’s as plain as Jane has ever been.
Under the skin, though, there’s plenty of electric cleverness going on. Life’s particularly busy under the bonnet, with a 75kW/330Nm electric motor alongside the familiar 110kW/250Nm 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbo with cylinder-on-demand.
Under the rear seat is an 8.8kWh battery pack, with a 40-litre fuel tank relegated to the boot floor, which has been physically raised to accommodate it.
Not that you’d know it from a quick glance inside. If it weren’t for the chunky fabric bag in the boot to house the equally chunky charging cables, the only way you’d notice the smaller boot (280 litres versus 380) is if your non-greenie neighbours had their A3 boot popped alongside yours.
Keener eyes will notice the unique grille and wheels, as well as other details reserved for the first rechargeable Audi available in Australia.
My first big test is to learn how far this thing can go between charges. Audi claims up to 50km, but it didn’t take long to establish that prediction is about as accurate as the seven-day weather forecast.
It must include lots of downhill coasting or a generous dose of nanny driving. My best result to date is 42km and the worst 35km, then it’s another 4.5 hours to top it up on the charger.
The battery charges at about 1800W through a standard powerpoint, although the charging time drops to 2.5 hours if you’re using the home charging unit provided as part of the deal with buying an e-tron.
The 16-amp single-phase charger obviously requires a garage or carport, but that’s all you have to supply; unless your house has unsuitable wiring, the dealer covers the full cost of installation and the unit itself.
There’s about $3K worth of charger there, not to mention the petrol engine, which is a $6K option on a BMW i3. That starts to make the $62,490 base price more appealing.
The e-tron also gets a heap more features that you pay extra for on the 1.8 TFSI, including LED headlights, heated seats, satellite navigation and digital radio. No spare tyre, though – that’s a no-go given the stuff crammed beneath the floor.
And it doesn’t come with electric seats, but they’re part of the Comfort Package I’ve scored, which also adds an LED interior lighting package and a dipping mirror on the passenger’s side to help see when you’re about to scrape those 15-spoke wheels.
Ours is also fitted with metallic paint for an extra $1050, taking the tally to $65,530.
Over the next few months, I’ll be quite eager to learn whether the Audi e-tron lives up to its electric whizzbangery.
Having spent three months in the COTY-winning BMW i3 last year, I’m keen to try its most direct showroom rival. While the two are very different in execution – the BMW is a ground-up carbon fibre design in a skinny suicide-doored body, whereas the Audi looks thoroughly conventional – they are almost line ball on price.
Let the games begin…
Overcoming the extra weight
Whereas regular A3 variants are available as Quattros, batteries crammed in the back means there’s no room to package the all-wheel-drive system into the e-tron.
Big wheels come at a cost
Those e-tron-specific 15-spoke wheels can be had in 17-inch or 18-inch diameters, the latter adding $1800 to the bill and increasing the claimed consumption from 1.6L/100km to 1.7L/100km.
Not that the fuel figure is completely relevant; as I’m learning, you’re generally using either no fuel at all or a lot more than 1.6L/100km. And there’s no spare tyre under the already raised boot floor. Batteries, remember?
AUDI A3 E-TRON Price as tested: $65,530 Part 2: 603km @ 11.6kWh/100km (plus 25.2L of fuel) Overall: 603km @ 11.6kWh/100km (plus 25.2L of fuel) Odometer: 2197km Date acquired: January 2015
Part Two: Sounds of Silence
ONE great thing with electric cars is that you’re never torn between listening to the sound of what’s banging away underneath the bonnet and the latest chart-topper that you can’t get out of your head. Except that the standard sound system in my Audi A3 e-Tron is a tad disappointing, especially when it’s not working properly.
Our car has an intermittent problem whereby an amplifier or speakers go on the blink. It always seems to happen when Slash is winding up for Paradise City, at which point cranking the volume has little effect, except for early-onset distortion.
That lack of engine noise also creates its own hurdles. I’ve had the occasional private disagreement with the Audi A3 on when it should start. Or, at least, when I think it should have started. Press the button and the dash lights up, but grab a gear and there’s no drive.
Turns out you have to hold the start button for a second or two and make sure the green “e-Tron ready” symbol illuminates.
Two months in and I’m getting used to that, as well as some of the e-Tron’s other quirks. Like when you’ve done your 35-40 electric kays and the petrol engine comes to life. There’s often a mild hesitation, like you’ve lifted off the accelerator, but it only happens when the engine is cold.
Running in hybrid mode – whereby it uses the petrol engine and electric motor together, similar to a Prius – the switch is generally seamless.
This month I used the petrol engine more than the electric motor, mainly because the A3 got its first freeway run and the majority of the trip was in hybrid mode. Fuel use for the freeway run settled at 5.0L/100km, better than the 7L-plus I’ve seen with energetic driving around town.
Helping its cause is the smart regenerative braking. Lift off on a flat road and it coasts freely, but start tipping down a hill and you feel the regen kicking in harder for more resistance, so you often don’t have to worry about the brakes.
It’s a clever way to trickle extra electrons into those batteries.
Speaking of charging, with solar at home I’m always eager to make use of sunshine but that often means charging when you really need to be driving. Inevitably I end up reverting to dirty electricity at night.
As for performance, the e-Tron’s electric-only 75kW is nothing exciting, but the 330Nm is – I’m hooked on it, and it makes the A3 a great gadget for zipping through the suburbs. Sans sound, that is. Oh well, at least I’ve worked out that if it were my money I’d be ticking the box for the optional Bang & Olufsen sound system.
Plug in for savings
Electricity use barely seems to change with the driving style, at least when the e-Tron is running purely on electricity. No doubt the regenerative braking would have helped, capturing braking energy to reuse later. Excluding fuel use – which was higher this month because I did some longer drives – I’m using about 20kW/h per 100km. That works out at a tad over $5 per 100 kays, which is cheaper than what it would cost to run on petrol alone, even in these days of cheap fuel.
AUDI A3 E-TRON Price as tested: $65,530 Part 2: 557km @ 8.2kWh/100km (plus 25.7L of fuel) Overall: 1160km @ 10.0kWh/100km (plus 50.9L of fuel) Odometer: 2754km Date acquired: January 2015
Part Three: On the Charge
MONTH three and I’m starting to get used to Audi’s take on the (mostly) electric car. Easy torque is the name of the game. And I’m loving that you can zip around keenly without making much noise.
Sure, there’s a lot to be said for the theatre of a barking, popping exhaust. But, as Tesla owners would attest, there’s also a certain appeal about making a brisk getaway without people thinking you’re a wally.
That’s arguably the Audi A3 e-tron’s biggest party trick. There’s little visual fizz, and the only giveaway to people inside is the lack of noise. Good or bad, depending on your perspective.
The charging thing is all good, though. My e-tron tops out at about 40km, which almost gets me to the city and back, and having the engine there for extra grunt is a bonus.
I’m also getting into free charging. My local shopping centre has a ChargePoint station, which I decided to utilise on the bread-and-milk run. Except there was a Nissan Leaf hogging the charging plug. The next day, too. A week later it’s there again sucking up free electrons. I can smell a rat.
Clearly some cluey local is making his electric car someone else’s problem – and getting a free parking space at the same time. I’m initially jealous I can’t play the same game, although it’s a bit like parking in the disabled spots without a permit. Uncool to the extreme.
Besides, I’ve got bigger problems, and it all comes down to technology.
First, my computer decides it doesn’t want to upload some urgent files. Then the Telstra phone network goes on the blink, leaving me scarily phoneless for hours. To top it off my e-tron refuses to charge. The little charging light that hides behind the four rings in the grille won’t turn green, instead staying a stubborn orange.
So it was back to the dealership for a check-up and the initial response wasn’t what I wanted to hear: “We’ve checked it and can’t find anything wrong; it’s charging fine for us.” Yet at my house, at three different powerpoints, it refused to accept anything resembling electricity.
“Did you use the charging cable that comes with the car?” I ask the service manager. Turns out they charged it from a wall charger, and the problem was tracked down to my charging plug, which most owners will rarely use because Audi installs a wall charger for nix when you buy an e-tron.
Those charging issues meant I used more good ol’ premium unleaded this month. As a result, fuel use was the highest I’ve seen, at 5.6L/100km. Most of it was around town, so it’s not too bad, but it’s more than I wanted to spend in an electric car.
Pick the difference
You need to be a trainspotter to pick the A3 e-tron from garden-variety A3s. The more finely slotted grille and unique alloy wheels are the most obvious differentiators, while there’s also a unique front bumper.
Inside there’s not much difference, either; the EV button and lack of a tacho (replaced with a power gauge) are the most obvious tweaks. There are also some unique screens in the trip computer to keep you up to date with what’s going on with the electricity.
AUDI A3 E-TRON Price as tested: $65,530 Part 3: 688km @ 5.5kWh/100km (plus 38.5L of fuel) Overall: 1848km @ 8.3kWh/100km (plus 88.5L of fuel) Odometer: 3442km Date acquired: January 2015
Part Four: Water Crossinge
I’VE never had a car tell me there’s a ferry on my route before, but that’s exactly what my Audi A3 e-tron tried to do on a recent crossing of Sydney Harbour. It was so convinced I should get out on the water that it even suggested we board a ferry and dock at Circular Quay. It would have been quite the voyage.
I refrained from obeying, but it was a reminder of how much computers have to deal with and how easy it is for a simple miscalculation to lead to grander confusion.
Fortunately, my final month with the e-tron was a lot less dramatic than aquatic adventures to the seabed.
Nearing the end of my predominantly electric propulsion I decided to crank up the petrol engine occasionally for more fiery performance. The e-tron is certainly an enthusiastic participant once you sink your right foot. The occasional chirp of the front wheels and 7.6sec 0-100km/h acceleration makes for decent smiles.
Despite its extra weight – the batteries and electric motor contribute to a porky 1540kg kerb weight – it’s athletic through the bends. The Sport mode is the most convincing of the steering settings, although most of the time I left the drive mode in Auto.
Crunching the vital numbers revealed that in a bit over four months I used a smidge over 100 litres of fuel in almost 2500km of motoring. That works out at 4.2L/100km. Better still, I only refuelled three times. It’s feasible that owners confining themselves to shorter drives around town may need to refuel only a couple of times a year.
As for electricity use, I chewed through 218kWh of electrons. That’s enough to power a 50W light globe for 182 days. Or you could keep your microwave reheating for 13 days. Just in case you’re wondering…
On an average electricity plan, that would cost something like $63, which is pretty good considering most of my e-tron kilometres were electric. So the A3 e-tron cost around $8 per 100km to run – equal to about 7L/100km.
You could halve that if you were diligent with your recharging, and it would be less again if you top it up with someone else’s electricity (don’t forget those shopping centre freebies!) or use solar.
A ripper on the running costs, then, but less impressive is how it looks. The e-tron is very A3, which is both good and bad. Of course, if I had taken that ferry trip it might have turned a few more heads.
Monitoring energy use
Keeping track of exactly how much the e-tron costs to run is no mean feat. Unlike with the fuel use, the car won’t tell you how much electricity you’ve used. To figure it out you have to drain the batteries’ useable range completely and top them up (the capacity is 8.8kWh, so if the battery is in good nick that’s how much you’ve put in), or buy an electricity meter, as I did.
Then grab an electricity bill to establish what you’re paying per kilowatt-hour. You have to add separate calculations for fuel, but all those details are on the bowser (and usually the receipt).
AUDI A3 E-TRON Price as tested: $65,530 Part 4: 577km @ 11.3kWh/100km (plus 38.5L of fuel) Overall: 2425km @ 9.0kWh/100km (plus 100.9L of fuel) Odometer: 4019km Date acquired: January 2016
The Brocky quiz is now closed!
Congratulations to our 5 winners!
M. Rogers from QLD, A. Marsden from QLD, D. Trouchet from WA A. Baker from NSW M. Bailey from NSW
In case you missed it, here are the answers you’ve been waiting for!
Q: What year did Peter Brock win a World Touring Car Championship race, and at what track?
A: 1987, Mount Panorama
Q: Who drove alongside Peter Brock in his last victory at Bathurst?
A: Greg Murphy, Jason Bright, Todd Kelly
Q: What year did Peter Brock drive as a factory Volvo driver, what was his best result that year, at which track?
A: 1996, 2nd, Lakeside
Q: How many different models of Holden Commodore did Brock race in the Australian Touring Car Championship / V8 Supercars?
A: 11 (VB, VC, VH, VK, VL, VN, VP, VR, VS, VX, VY)
Q: Where did Peter Brock finish in the championship in his final full-time season of racing in the Australian Touring Championship, and at what track did he claim his last round victory?
A: 6th, Barbagello Raceway
Winners announced 17 October.
More about the prize?
Here’s your chance to win 1 of 5 BROCKY biographies signed by the author and long-time friend of Brock, David Hassall.
BROCKY | PETER’S OWN STORY | A LIFE IN TOP GEAR
When Peter Brock was tragically killed in 2006, the outpouring of grief from around Australia revealed how this charismatic hero had touched the nation like few other sporting champions. He transcended his own sport through his movie star looks and the power of his personality, but it was on great race circuits like Bathurst that the legend was forged.
BROCKY is his very own story. Most of it was written before his death, and was checked and approved by the man himself. It is therefore as close to an authorised biography as there can be. This is the story of his life in top gear, as he wanted it told.
Written by long-time friend and collaborator David Hassall, an award-winning motoring journalist, the book covers his turbulent relationship with Holden, the infamous Polarizer and recalls all the great races that made the Brock legend, taking you behind the scenes of an intriguing and often controversial sport.
TELL ME ABOUT THIS CAR
It’s the recently facelifted version of Mercedes’ top-level two-seater sports convertible, positioned a rung below the point where buyers make the step to the more overtly sporting AMG variants. It’s an ultra-lux indulgence designed to cosset its occupants, while still providing a high-performance, open-roof experience.
STRENGTHS
- Oozes quality and engineering sophistication, from its silky, refined powertrain to its advanced safety systems and deluxe-feeling cabin.
- Bulk speed and overtaking ability thanks to twin-turbocharged V8 engine that delivers a surging, muscular midrange and ample high-rpm power.
- Nine-speed automatic is cutting edge in terms of transmission tech and ratios, and incorporates a fuel-saving function to decouple it from the engine on downhill stretches and off-throttle to save 0.4L/100km, now a commendable 9.0L/100km.
- Clever chassis and suspension tech underneath uses hydraulics to ensure both a comfortable ride and reasonably good body control in hard cornering.
- A Sport Plus setting is now provided for keen drivers, to make the car feel more immediately responsive and engaging when driven with enthusiasm.
- Excellent air management when the roof is lowered means the cabin remains quiet and largely turbulence-free at brisk cruising speeds.
- For all its sophistication, the Mercedes-Benz SL500 remains very much a cruiser, not a true sports car, due to its size, weight, and comfort considerations.
- Long bonnet and slightly feel-free steering can make it hard to carve smooth, accurate lines, at least without considerable acclimatisation.
- Despite facelift, it can (subjectively) look a little odd from some angles.
Either a Ferrari California T or Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet provide a more connected, more sporting open-top driving experience, but neither can match the SL500 for certain active-safety and luxury equipment inclusions. Maserati’s aging GranCabrio remains the left-field choice, offering a more emotive non-turbo V8 combined with a healthy dose of Italian brio, but looking a bit technically unsophisticated against the SL500
Ditch the socks and don’t even think of novelty tea cups, your dad’s love of cars is the perfect hook for coming up with a great Father’s Day gift that will secure your favourite- child status well into the future.
Oh, and if you’re reading this now, it might be a little late to order stuff online – but don’t worry just print him a picture as a card and tell him it’s coming.
SUPERCAR MERCH
Face it, you were very expensive to raise so chances are it’s your fault that Dad’s dreams of owning a Lamborghini Aventador or Ferrari 488 are on the back burner. But that shouldn’t stop him looking the part with some gear from the manufacturers themselves. Pick cool stuff like shirts, watches, models and bags and avoid golf balls or cufflinks he’ll never wear. Subtly ask the question “what is your dream car” and go from there. If his answer is a little more mainstream don’t worry, most car manufacturers have a merchandise or accessories section on their website.
DRIVING EXPERIENCE
There’s a myriad of these now from hot laps in V8 Supercars to weekend stunt driver schools. Other fun stuff includes learning how to drift, rally driving, classic car hire and defensive driving courses. There are plenty of companies that run these including prestige carmakers such as Audi and Porsche. Whatever you choose, be prepared for Dad to go on about it every time the family get together.
DASH CAM
OK, so it’s practical but we’re not talking about a bucket of car cleaning products here. Dash cams can prove really useful and some even come with driver assist features such as lane departure warning and forward collision alert. If you can’t afford all the kit, there are apps that will turn his smart phone into a dash cam. These have most functions such as background recording with GPS coordinates and he can easily upload pictures to YouTube should he have a Russian-style viral hit on his hands. Incredibly, some of these apps are free or just a few dollars meaning you have money left to get him a phone mounting bracket and car charger.
MODEL CARS
Let’s get one thing straight here; model cars are not toys, they’re collectible little works of art on four wheels. King are the incredibly detailed 1:18 scale diecast models by the likes of Biante and AUTOart priced from around $150 to $270. Smaller 1:43 models by companies such as Biante, AUTOart, Corgi and Trax offer nice external detail for around $70 and like the bigger models there’s heaps of Aussie options from classic Holdens and Fords through to the latest V8 Supercars.
Another idea is to get on eBay and find some old Matchbox or Corgi cars which are a great sentimental gift and can cost anywhere from $10 to hundreds of dollars. Pre-loved tarnished cars have a certain appeal; just make sure it comes with its original box. Whatever you get it will be worth it just to catch the old man rolling it along his desk while making “vroom vroom” noises.
LEGO CARS
Lego has some sick car projects (not toys) in their Creator and Technic ranges including VW Beetle for around $150, VW T1 Camper van ($170) and an incredibly detailed Porsche 911 GT3 RS that’s a $500 investment that will more than pay off come inheritance time.
SLOT CAR SET
Before video games there was a more real world way to race and deliberately crash cars. Slot cars are cool again and you’ll win favourite-child at Father’s Day when you present dad a big box with a Scalextric or Carrera set. For bonus points, get one of the Scalextric Bathurst Legends sets for around $270. The kitchen table will never be the same again.
CAR MAGAZINES
The weather is warming up which means more hammock time for Dad and a chance to read more motoring magazines like Wheels, Motor, 4X4, Street Machine and Unique Cars. Get him a print or digital subscription of these and other great Aussie motoring tiles at Mag Shop.
GARAGE PARKING CENSOR
This is an electronic version of the tennis ball on a string that you hang in the garage so it touches your windscreen just before you hit the back wall or workbench. Products such as the Swann and Striker parking distance sensors use lights that change from green to yellow as you get closer and then red when it’s time to come to a timely stop, a bit like when you enter a car wash. They cost from $30 to $60 and are easy to install.
HOLDEN STAMPS AND COINS
These mint gifts are sure to get the stamp of approval. Australia Post has 160 years of Holden products including two stamp and coin covers featuring the FJ Holden and HK Monaro ($24.95 each) and a stamp pack for $50. The latter features 48 $1 ‘Map of Australia’ stamps attached to photo tabs of 24 of the most popular Holden car models. Meanwhile the Royal Australian Mint has 11 coloured uncirculated 50c coins featuring a range of classic Holdens for $15 each. Sadly the box set is sold out but you can score it, or just the tin box, on eBay.
DRIVING GLOVES
As Ryan Gosling showed in Drive, you don’t need an open-topped roadster to justify wearing a pair of snazzy leather driving gloves. Some brands to look out for are Dent, Dues Ex Machina, Bionic, Chester Jeffries with prices for a good pair ranging from $50 to $250.
Volkswagen has revived a successor to the much loved Volkswagen Passat R36 performance wagon with the new 206TSI R-Line.
The new performance variant will sit atop the regular Passat range and be offered in both sedan and wagon bodystyles. It arrives in Australia in November, sporting a $57,990 sticker for the sedan and $59,990 for the wagon.
Adding to the German brand’s existing performance range, which includes the best-selling Volkswagen Golf GTI and R model hatchbacks, the Passat R-Line offers buyers needing the space of a sedan or wagon the added benefit of sporty performance.
The European built 206TSI will replace a cult-followed R36. The new kid on the block has ditched the R36’s 3.6-litre V6 engine while still matching its performance figures, producing 206kW from a four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine taken from the popular Golf R, and send to all four wheels through Volkswagen’s on-demand AWD system, 4MOTION, and DSG six-speed dual-clutch automatic.
This helps the 1589kg Passat R-Line hit 0-100km/h in just 5.5 seconds.
The 206TSI will also feature distinctive styling, featuring a sports body kit, 19-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights and unique badging. A $700 metallic or pearlescent paint coating and a $2000 panoramic glass roof are the only extras available on the range.
Drivers will benefit from the comfort of leather trimmed seats, flat-bottom multi-function sports steering wheel with paddle shifters and alloy pedals, merging comfort and a premium feel with sporty performance.
“You need only look around – there’s any number of lovingly maintained R36s on the road. While the Passat remains one of our most well-appointed and comfortable cruisers, the R-Line is a genuine performance car – not just a sports kit. It’s both a worthy successor to the R36 and a car to throw a fright into the prestige brands,” Sales for Volkswagen Passenger Vehicles Ryan Davies said.
TELL ME ABOUT THIS CAR
The Mazda 2 sedan is roomier inside than it appears and the manual version is surprisingly enjoyable to drive. Unlike some small sedans which look like a hatchback with an emergency boot transplant, a lot of thought seems to have gone into the design.
STRENGTHS
- I think it looks better than the hatchback from most angles with a nice curvy profile that, despite its short length, shows a strong family resemblance to the bigger Mazda sedans.
- It feels pretty roomy for a compact car. The front seats are comfortable and whole legroom is at a premium in the back there’s plenty of arm and headroom for two adults.
- The interior is well put together and has a nice general appeal to it, unlike other small cars that tend to go overboard in trying to appeal with younger drivers. Extras in the Mazda 2 Maxx include a seven-inch touch screen that sits on the dash that is easily controlled with a dial on the centre console, though inputting satnav directions is a chore.
- Compact cars aren’t usually the most exciting rides but the short-shifting manual gearbox make for enjoyable driving. It goes well, has nimble steering but doesn’t feel as floaty as some small cars. It even has a throaty, sports-car-like exhaust note. The 1.5-litre, four-cylinder, SKYACTIV-Drive petrol engine is more than enough and it’s quite economical despite revving well beyond 2000rpm at 100km/h in sixth gear.
- The small boot lid opens to reveal a 440-litre cargo area that’s considerably bigger than the 250-litres at the back of the hatch. It’s not the biggest in its class though it does hold more than the larger Mazda 3 sedan.
WEAKNESSES
- The easy shifting manual gearbox has one flaw. When moving the stick forward into first gear it was too easy to inadvertently push it down and into reverse gear, which isn’t much fun at traffic lights.
- LCD displays on either side of the speedometer that show the tacho, fuel contents and trip computer info can be difficult to see on a bright day.
For the size and price the main rivals would be the four-door versions of the Holden Barina, Honda City, Hyundai Accent, Mitsubishi Mirage and the Toyota Yaris. Having driven all but the Mirage I reckon the Mazda 2 is right up there in terms of quality and driver enjoyment.
Porsche is readying a new GT2 RS, which is set to be the fastest and most powerful 911 ever.
Whilst still unconfirmed by Stuttgart, the GT2’s twin-turbo nature is given away by the engine’s muffled blare, while the lightning-quick gearshifts are evidence that a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox has replaced the traditional six-speed manual.
It’s unclear which engine will power the GT2 RS, whether it’s a Porsche Motorsport-developed twin-turbo version of the GT3 RS’s 4.0-litre or a modified version of the 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six found in the 911 Turbo.
In Turbo S guise that engine produces 427kW/750Nm, but we’d expect at least 470kW from the new GT2 RS, if only to put clear air between it and the previous generation GT2 RS, which produced 456kW/700Nm, and possibly as much as 520kW.
Porsche Motorsport boss Andreas Preuninger has said the GT2 RS will appear towards the end of the current generation 911’s life, which points to a late-2018 debut.
Itching to add a FIA-accredited virtual race licence to your resume? The wait for one just became longer.
GRAN Turismo Sport – one of the most anticipated driving simulators to come out this year – won’t come out in November. In a surprise announcement, Kazunori Yamauchi, the chief executive of the game’s developer Polyphony Digital, says it will now delay the sim’s release until 2017.
The delay also means that budding sim racers will have to put off their chance to gain FIA accreditation as a virtual pilot via two officially sanctioned virtual race series.
“In combining these features with a new Sport mode, we are offering a competitive gaming experience to truly reinvent what it means to be a racing game. We’ve been excited and humbled by the response each time we’ve shared new gameplay with everyone.
“While we cannot confirm a new release date at this time, we are more committed than ever to making GT Sport the best Gran Turismo game to date.”
The game’s maker had planned to start rolling out a beta of the game ahead of a full launch in the next month, and had even rolled out a slick-looking trailer to promote the game.
The Kia CUV is the long-rumoured rival to the Mazda CX-3, and it cannot come soon enough for the Korean brand.
HERE is the first concrete evidence of the all-important Kia ‘CUV’. The South Korean brand’s answer to the highly successful Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V is being readied for an international unveiling as soon as the Geneva Motor Show next March, according to some reports.
Sprung undergoing hot-weather testing under very heavy cladding with a bunch of other prototypes, the so-called Kia CUV is believed to be based on a modified version of the next-generation Kia Rio supermini that is having its global debut at the Paris motor show in late September.
A 1.7-litre turbo-diesel is also mooted for some markets, as is all-wheel drive in lieu of the standard front-drive configuration.
Other than that, little is known at the moment, though the rumour is that the Korean-built CUV will sit alongside the recently released European-focussed Niro Hybrid as a more affordable alternative small SUV.
This would put the Kia somewhere midway between the swoopy CX-3 and boxier HR-V in terms of interior packaging.
Having said that, there are some flashes of inspiration behind the bin-liner disguise, including a bisected headlight/indicator treatment that is reminiscent of the Nissan Juke – another deadly competitor that Kia will be chasing, especially in Europe.
Interestingly, the CUV would be Kia’s third small SUV. As well as the aforementioned Niro Hybrid, there is also the China-market KX-3, underlining the importance of the segment for the brand. And if you also count the oddball Kia Soul (which does do big business in other countries but is all but ignored in Australia), that makes it four.
Pricing? Far too early to tell, but a low-$20,000 to mid-$35,000 for the expected AWD and diesel versions is a likely range when the CUV arrives by the end of next year, meaning there will be some overlap with the larger Sportage in Kia’s local line-up.
Have spy pics of your own? We’d love to see them. Just email them to [email protected]
Welcome to a preview look at what’s in the October 2016 issue of MOTOR.
It’s available in stores and also in digital format on iPad or Zinio.
Our cover story this month is Fiat-Chrysler Australia’s desire to land the mighty Hellcats in their next-generation form. The business case is made, let’s hope it’s signed off!
