Ford has announced a cheaper Everest SUV called the Trend RWD. It’s priced from $55,990 before on-road costs – a full $5000 reduction off the former price of entry.
Everest Trend RWD features rear-wheel drive (RWD) running gear, rather than four-wheel drive, which helps keep the price down. Ford says the RWD platform retains the same level of road holding, and the same 3000kg towing capacity.
“The Everest Trend RWD was developed extensively by our local engineers in Australia’s harsh conditions, which we believe will help it appeal to Aussie families,” said Ford Australia boss Graeme Whickman.
Under the bonnet is a 3.2-litre five-cylinder turbo diesel engine, producing 143kW and 470Nm with claimed combined fuel economy of 8.5L/100km. Everest Trend RWD comes with a six-speed automatic gearbox, as found in 4×4 models, and enough seats for seven people.
Ford is particularly proud of its RWD Everest as Toyota does not offer the option of a two-wheel drive Prado. A seven-seat Toyota Prado GX Auto 4×4 costs $57,490 plus on-road costs.
Other updates for the Australian-engineered and designed Everest SUV include Ford’s latest SYNC3 infotainment system, which integrates Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Improved smartphone integration allows passengers to control apps, including Spotify and Google Maps, via the car’s new 8-inch touchscreen.
Ford has also added two ISOFIX anchoring points for compatibility with a wider range of children’s seats. These have been added on top of the five tether points already present in Everest.
The Ford Everest is 4×4 Australia’s reigning 4×4 of the Year. The new Everest Trend RWD model has the same tyres and 225mm of ground clearance as the 4×4 variant, suitable for light off-roading.
You’d imagine that a car with more air-bags would be safer than one with fewer. That’s not always the case. For starters, a car’s safety is determined by much more than just its air-bags.
You can also look at factors such as how the car’s metal structure absorbs impacts; the mass of the car (If, for instance a big car hits a small car, guess who comes off second best?); if the roof is strong enough to resist a roll-over and even the car’s dynamic abilities – how capable is it of avoiding a crash in the first place?
When you think about it, air-bags are a fairly inelegant solution and were pretty much developed so that, along with keeping and arming bears, North Americans could exercise their constitutional right to drive around without a seat-belt. That’s not to say, of course, that air-bags don’t save lives and reduce injuries, because they do. But you need to know what to look for.
On seven-seater cars, make sure that the side-curtain air-bags cover all three rows of seats. There’s quite a few models which don’t and unfortunately some people have learnt this the hard way.
And don’t be sucked into believing that just because a car has, say, a seventh air-bag for the driver’s knees, that it’s all about caring and sharing on the manufacturer’s part. In most cases, cars will only grow a knee air-bag if previous crash modelling has shown that the extra bag is needed to gain five stars in crash testing.
If you’re buying a second-hand car, check to see whether it’s been caught up in the multiple recent air-bag related recalls and if it has, whether it’s been fixed or not.
Nine screamers from the land of the rising sun that stoke our fires of desire
1. LEXUS LFA
2. LANCER EVO VI TME
3. INTEGRA TYPE R
4. NISSAN S15 200SX
5. HONDA NSX-R
6. NISSAN KPGC10 GT-R
7. SUBARU WRX STI 22B
8. TOYOTA 2000GT
9. NISMO R34 Z-TUNE
TELL ME ABOUT THIS CAR
The Spark is Holden’s all-new entry into the micro-car segment. Previously known as the Barina Spark, Holden has dropped the somewhat awkward Barina part of the name and in the process, given the five-door hatch a new lease on life.
The five-door hatchback’s 1.4-litre engine provides more power than its predecessor, it offers better dynamics and it’s fun to drive. It’s the ultimate city runabout, and it doesn’t go too poorly on the open road either.
But even though the Holden Spark is basic in its styling, it doesn’t come cheap.
STRENGTHS
- It comes with the bonus of all micro-cars: its size. This makes it easy to park in ever-shrinking shopping centre carparks and weaving in and out of city traffic.
- Despite its size, it’s unruffled on the open road. It trumps its predecessor in leaps and bounds when it comes to drivability.
- The Spark’s 1.4-litre engine provides plenty of power. It might need revs to get going, but it’s still punchy.
- It’s got excellent connectivity. Holden are targeting the Spark to women in the Twenty-something age-group, so without features like Apple Carplay and Android Auto, it would have missed the mark.
- At 5.5-litres of fuel per 100km of driving, the Spark plays its cards right when it comes to fuel efficiency.
- It might cope with open-road speeds with an elegance its predecessor couldn’t, but it does have to work a little harder on hills.
- It’s small, so the back bench isn’t about to fit your six-footed best friend or a brood of kids. But we’re guessing you’re not buying the Spark as a family car.
- Boot space is tiny. At just 185-litres, it’s smaller than most of the Spark’s competitors.
- For a demographic that’s very price-conscious, Holden haven’t held back in the premium price tag. It’s up there for the micro-car segment. Entry level prices don’t look too bad on paper, but once you add the Driver Assist Pack, or move up to the top spec LT, you’re looking at a price-tag equivalent of the class-above.
- The interiors are basic. Nothing overly wow or stylish about them, but then again, not as bland as cardboard.
Revel in the beauty of Ferrari’s latest offering.
OH, the power of the tweet.
Just 140 characters long, they have the power to have significant real-world effects despite their diminuative size (just ask Samsung!)
From the department of ‘innocuous-tweets-causing-overreactions’, comes this effort from Ferrari’s North America PR rep, Efrain Olivares.
At the end of the 24 Hours of Le Mans on the weekend, Olivares had a bit of fun with the post-race press conference (where Ferrari landed podiums in both GTE-Pro and Am).
“You heard it here first: Townsend Bell confirms Scuderia Corsa Ferrari LMP-1 program for 2017 during Le Mans press conference,” he tweeted.
Despite immediately following the ‘confirmation’ up with a tweet making clear it was a joke (“I wonder how many people will think that was serious?” he added), the tweet-geist appeared to have overlooked Olivares’ disclaimer.
It was enough to send the rumour mill flying, with a number of websites running with the tweet as proof the rumours were true.
However, much to our dismay at Wheels, there is no truth to the claims. It was all just a bit of Twitter fun which got way out of hand.
To be fair though, the rumours of a Ferrari LMP1 effort have been swirling for a number of years.
First there was Fernando Alonso stoking the flames saying he would like to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans at a time when he still competed for the Scuderia Formula 1 team.
“It would be nice to actually take part on track one day,” Alonso said. I often speak with President [Luca di] Montezemolo and, while the priority remains winning again in Formula 1, an interesting format like Le Mans is worth keeping an eye on too.”
This was given more merit when Ferrari didn’t rule the possibility out when responding to rumours.
“There’s nothing to stop Ferrari upping the ante and competing in both disciplines,” a 2014 statement read.
Throw in the wild LMP1-esque test mule spied running around the same time, and you have the perfect storm for a rumour like this to gain traction.
But alas, it seems that those hanging out for Ferrari to have a crack at outright victory at Le Mans will have to wait a bit longer.
Rolls-Royce has created what it reckons the rich will be driving in the future. Or more specifically, what they won’t be driving.
Revealing its Vision NEXT 100 concept last week in London in celebration of BMW’s centenary birthday, the firm showcased a fully autonomous all-electric living room on wheels.
With 103EX’s dual 250kW-motor drivetrain completely controlled by Eleanor – the name given to its Skynet-like artificial intelligence system – it disposes of chauffeurs and treats the cabin as an exclusive two-person retreat.
Rolls-Royce has rethought the 103EX’s exit strategy, too, as passengers are assisted by its huge lifting canopy on exit and entry.
For now, however, you can see more of the 103EX below in this video shot with rather cool 360-degree tech.
AUSTRALIAN customers are expected to be able to buy the new Porsche Panamera early next year, with the car being officially released next week.
Although no specific date has been set for when the new Panamera will land in Australia, WhichCar can confirm Porsche Australia expects it to be on sale in the first quarter of 2017.
Australia is likely to receive two models upon launch – one of which will be a 4S with a turbo engine. Internationally, the car is set to have the option of a new twin-turbo V8 engine capable of 547-horsepower. There’s no word as yet on whether Australian’s will have access to that powertrain.
Built on Volkswagen’s MSB platform, the new Panamera is expected to have brand-new styling, with teaser images hinting at Porsche 911-style lights. Which Car was also told by a Porsche spokesperson the interior was built on a “clean-sheet design”.
Spy pics of the car reveal a longer bonnet for the new Panamera, along with a swooping roofline.
The new Panamera has been spied in Europe testing with minimally disguised mules. The test cars have been running with stickers placed over the lights, ensuring the game isn’t completely given away before the car’s official release.
A total of 34 Panameras have been sold in Australia so far this year, an increase of nearly 26-percent over the same time in 2015.
The four-door Porsche will be unveiled as a static display in Berlin on June 28.
A field of 101 assorted drivers and riders – some well-known pros but also plenty of unknowns chasing their dreams – will challenge America’s Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on Sunday, June 26.
Many have previously confronted the gruelling 12.42 mile (20 kilometre) course while negotiating 156 turns to the 14,115-foot (4302-metre) summit. But next weekend will be a new adventure for 19 rookie drivers and riders facing the task of successfully getting to the finish in a motorsports event unlike any other they have experienced.
Three of the rookies are Australians – Tony Quinn (Ford Focus) and Rodney Tu (2016 Palatov D1PPS), who are both running in the Unlimited class, and Rennie Scaysbrook, (2015 KTM Super Duke 1290 R) in the Heavyweight category.
They join Evo-driving Jeff Denmeade, who has successfully completed the climb twice before.
As reported by Wheels, Acura (Honda’s American offshoot) will field a pair of 2017 Acura NSX supercars in the 100th Anniversary of the running of the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on June 26, marking the North American racing debut of Acura’s next-generation NSX: the pinnacle expression of Acura Precision Crafted Performance and the only supercar made in America.
The two Honda NSX supercars will compete in the Time Attack 1 and 2 classes and will be piloted by brothers James and Nick Robinson, respectively, both from the company’s North American engineering team.
For a century, the world’s most demanding motorsports hill climb has attracted names big and small, including the greats of American motor sport – Mario Andretti, Parnelli Jones, Al Unser, Al Unser, Jr, Louis Unser, Bobby Unser, Rick Mears and scores of others, along with internationals Rod and Rhys Millen, Ari Vatanen, Per Eklund, Nobuhiro “Monster” Tajima, and Michele Mouton, the first woman to bag a victory on Pikes Peak.
In 2013 Sébastien Loeb stunned the world with his Pikes Peak course record of 8m13.878s.
With the reveal of the new Porsche Panamera edging ever closer, here’s everything we know about the updated four-door porker so far.
The car will be unveiled as a static display in Berlin via a live-stream on June 28, but Stuttgart has released a steady stream of teasers aimed at keeping industry and consumer interest high. These teasers and have allowed us to nut out some of the details of the upcoming car.
Inside the cabin, rumours claim the centre console could be inspired by Porsche’s 918 hyper-car. Wheels is told this isn’t entirely true, with the Panamera having a clean-sheet design for the interior. Hopefully the sheet isn’t entirely blank.
The Panamera will also receive a redesigned twin-turbo V8 engine, which is related to Audi’s 3.0-litre V6. Power is expected to be around 547-horsepower – with room for more in performance models. It has confirmed to Wheels that two models will be available to Australian customers upon its launch – at least one of which will be a 4S packing a turbo engine.
Thirty-four Panamera’s have rolled off showroom floors so far this year, up nearly 26-percent on the same point last year.
With discussions on specs Australian customers will receive continuing, pricing for the latest incarnation of Panamera is yet to be confirmed.
