HOLDEN appears set to benefit from plans to develop alcohol interlocks for future Chevrolets, among other General Motors brands.

The feature is set to be added to the Teen Driver feature that will debut on the next generation Chevrolet Malibu, a car that will share some components with the next generation Holden Commodore due in 2018.

“We can do lots of things with it,” said Mark Reuss, GM’s executive vice-president of global product development.

“A lot of accidents can happen around alcohol. I’m pushing for that interlock piece, I really want it.”

Reuss said extensive development work had already started on an in-car interlock, which could prevent the car being driven if alcohol was detected on the driver.

However he said there were challenges ensuring it was “100 percent”.

Those challenges revolve around only detecting alcohol on the breath of the driver, not other occupants, and ignoring alcohol that may have been spilled elsewhere in the car or on a passenger.

“It’s got to be perfect in the car, that’s where we are,” said Reuss. “In a car environment it’s way tougher [than with other alcohol testing procedures].”

GM’s Teen Driver system can provide the vehicle owner with a report that outlines how far the car travelled, the maximum speed it hit, whether the speed limit was broken and whether any of the car’s active safety features were activated. It also stops music playing through the sound system if the seatbelt hasn’t been buckled.

The car maker says it is aimed at drivers aged under 20, with the aim of assisting with the driver training process and reinforcing safe driving while they are least experienced.

Global Chevrolet boss Alan Batey said the Teen Driver system had potential beyond its current functionality.

“We’re trying to make sure safety is the number one objective and make sure the data is collected in a way there’s very seamless and not distracting for the driver,” said Batey.

“This is the beginning. We don’t have other features to announce at this point, but you can imagine our engineers and scientists are continuing to evolve this, so it will get stronger and better as we go forward.”

Reuss said safety was becoming more important on new cars, especially ones aimed at families.

“It’s a huge selling point,” he said. “I think it’s going to be more of a selling point across any [future] car and truck that’s produced.

“There will be segments out there … you can’t be in deficient in safety, but you maybe don’t have to lead. I think we’ve got to lead on these car segments for Chevrolet every time, all the time.”

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Mid-engine, wide-bodied, 4.7sec-to-100km/h RM15 Concept is the hard-core Veloster we really want.

Short for Racing Midship 2015, the RM15 surfaced at Hyundai’s home motor show in Seoul over the Easter break, dripping with exotic race-inspired construction and boasting performance stats that’d make a regular Veloster Turbo faint.

An aluminium spaceframe chassis with integral roll cage underpins radical Group B-style bodywork, much of which is formed in CFRP (carbonfibre-reinforced plastic).

It’s light in weight, too, tipping the scales at a scant 1260kg – the mid-mounted powertrain contributes to a 43:57 front-to-rear weight split that’s considered favourable for mid-engine performance cars.

The engine is a 2.0-litre turbocharged unit producing around 225kW at 6000rpm and almost 390Nm from 2000rpm.

Hyundai says that its latest hyper-Veloster will dispatch the 0-100km/h sprint in just 4.7sec.

Sat on 235mm front and 265mm rear rubber on 19-inch rims, the RM15 boasts an aluminium-constructed double-wishbone suspension design all round befitting the concept’s hard-core vibe.

Meanwhile, brakes are huge Brembo units all round.

This isn’t the first time the Korean carmaker has dabbled in mid-engine show cars – the RM15 follows on from an equally radical, though differently styled, RM Concept unveiled last year.

Sadly, it’d take more than a wing and prayer to see such a radically revised take on the popular Veloster to make the leap to road car production.

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BOOMING trade ute and SUV sales have helped push Australia’s new-vehicle market into record territory during March, the latest new vehicles registration data shows.

The VFACTS figures, revealed today, show a rush towards the likes of the Toyota HiLux, Ford Ranger and Mitsubishi Triton have helped the market post 105,054 sales for the month, a new record and a jump of eight percent over the same month last year.

Light commercial vehicle sales for March were up 10 percent compared with the same month last year, with the big lift coming from private buyers – not fleets and companies – showing the strong popularity of the vehicles that have become workhorses on weekdays and family escape vehicles on weekends.

Australians are also buying SUVs as fast as they can roll out of showrooms, with sales in the sector up 15.3 percent over March last year.

In the fight for the number one best-seller title, the Mazda 3 has taken a back seat to the Toyota Corolla, after selling 3558 versus 4261 vehicles for the month respectively. The Corolla’s year-to-date sales bump out to 11,672 for the first three months of the year, with the Mazda 3’s accumulated sales numbering just 11,059.

In the battle of the brands, Toyota filled the number one spot with an 18.6 percent market share for the month, buoyed by the Corolla hatch and sedan, the HiLux ute (3346), the locally made Camry mid-size sedan (2319), and the RAV4 SUV (1525) and Yaris small hatch (1515).

Mazda placed second with a 9.7 percent share, helped by the strong-selling Mazda 3 and the RAV4-fighting CX-5 (2344 sales), while third place for the month went to Hyundai with an 8.3 percent share buoyed by the i30 hatch, i20 light car and ix35 compact SUV.

Holden led the minor placings with an 8.2 percent market share on the back of sales of the Commodore large car (2436) and Colorado ute range (1511), while Nissan placed fifth with a 6.8 percent market share for the month as its SUVs and trade utes dominate the brand’s sales.

Ford, meanwhile, slotted into seventh place (5.7 percent) behind Mitsubishi (6.0 percent).

Sales of locally made cars continued to bleed, with the market shrinking 9.3 percent compared with March last year.

Ford’s 1707 Broadmeadows-built sales for the month included 701 Falcons and 239 Falcon utes, and 767 Territory SUVs (down 7.6 percent compared with March last year); Holden sold 4148 (-19.5 percent) of its Adelaide-made Commodores (2436), utes (420) and Cruze hatches and sedans (1226), while Toyota’s Altona-built cars (2587, +10.2 percent) had a minor resurgence, with the Camry (2319) and Aurion (268) both gaining.

Our appetite for rugged-looking, jacked-up passenger cars doesn’t discriminate, with the small SUV sector growing 19.2 percent for the month compared with March last year, led by the Hyundai ix35 (1344), Nissan Qashqai (1250) and all-new Honda HR-V (1081), while the mid-size sector jumped 18.7 percent, helped by the Mazda CX-5 (2344), Nissan X-Trail (2076) and Toyota RAV4 (1525).

We also like our high-riding luxury cars in compact form, with the small SUV sector priced above $40,000 leaping 97.4 percent for the month, aided by the Audi Q3 (366), the Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class (201) and the recently introduced Lexus NX (197).

Brands losing ground for the month include Chrysler (-28.9 percent), Jaguar (-21.2 percent) and Proton (-74 percent), while the biggest winner was Honda, up a massive 74.5 percent for the month as its HR-V (1081) and CR-V (945) SUVs and third-generation Jazz (887 sales) win over buyers.

TOP 10 PASSENGER VEHICLES FOR MARCH

TOP 10 TRADE UTES FOR MARCH

TOP 10 MAKES FOR MARCH

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The world’s ‘other’ great hill climb outside of Pikes Peak is set to return on April 18. Here’s what to look forward to:

1. It’s been eight long years since New Zealand’s last Race To The Sky was held and it’s great to have some of the world’s ballsiest drivers and their insane bewinged machinery return to the Cardrona Valley course.

2. Since the last running, back in 2007, the blue riband Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in the US has gone from a full gravel course to being sealed with Tarmac. And, thus, Race To The Sky is now the world’s longest and wildest full-gravel hill climb course.

3. How long? The course contains a daunting 135 corners and climbs from 450m to 1500m in elevation, and yet start-to-finish measures just 14.5km.

4. The two-day event will see around 100 competitors launch themselves up the Cardrona Valley course in a wide variety of machinery, including cars, motorcycles, buggies and quad bikes.

5. Japan’s 64-year-old Japanese legend Nobuhiro ‘Monster’ Tajima holds the most outright wins – a total of eight – and returns this year to reclaim the title in perhaps the world’s wildest Toyota 86…

6. …Tajima’s ‘Super 86’ is steel spaceframed, has carbonfibre bodywork and massive aero enhancements. The mere 1080kg all-paw hill climb special boasts almost 500kW from its mid-mounted twin-turbocharged V6.

7. Monster’s time of 1min 1.17sec, set in 2006, is the current course record and the be-all end-all time to beat.

8. The only year Monster competed and didn’t win was when he was beaten by the late great NZ rally champ Possum Bourne, who beat the Japanese legend back in 2001 in an ex-World Rally Championship WRX treated to an extreme hill climb makeover.

9. This year, former WRC legend Alistair McRae will compete in Race To The Sky in Bourne’s old outright-winning Subaru, which is touted to be outputting a colossal 560kW.

10. Scot Tony Quinn, the man spearheading the revival of Race To The Sky, is said to be preparing a bespoke sub-one-tonne race car for the event capable of producing an astonishing 640kW and around 1000kg of downforce at 200km/h in the pursuit of capturing the quickest time in history.

11. With its convenient proximity to Oz, the Race To The Sky takes place in New Zealand on April 18 and 19. For more details check out racetothesky.co.nz

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Is this the future of HSV? Courtesy of Opel, the Holden Insignia VXR is finally caught wearing the Lion insignia ahead of its official launch Down UnderTHE image-boosting Holden Insignia VXR has been sprung in as-yet unseen Series II facelift guise, nearly three months out from its late-June Aussie launch. The flying German will be in essence a cut-price Audi S4.

Differing from the short-lived Opel Insignia OPC in styling, specification and dynamic tuning, the Lion-badged version sports reshaped headlights featuring bi-xenon lamps with Advanced Forward Lighting and LED daytime driving lights, a longer and lower grille, a slimmer front air dam wearing a thicker matt silver finish, and L-shaped LED fog lights.

Similar changes occur out back, thanks to new boomerang-like tail-lights with the now-mandatory LEDs, a more pronounced crease line leading to the boot spoiler and repositioned horizontal chrome garnish.

A completely revamped instrument cluster and centre console further separate new Holden from old Opel Insignias, with the latter brandishing a fresh touchscreen infotainment system that is leagues ahead of the fiddly item found in the earlier version.

More importantly, and as the prototype clearly shows, the Insignia VXR gains a slew of driver-aiding tech, including radar and camera-based assistance systems like adaptive cruise control, lane-change assist, cross-traffic alert and automatic parking.

Mods to the MacPherson strut front and multi-link rear suspension run to revised dampers and a new anti-roll bar, while a host of noise, vibration and harshness measures have taken place to make the German-built Insignia quieter than before.

Whether there are any changes to the Holden-built 2.8-litre turbo petrol V6 is as-yet unknown. Delivering 239kW of power and 435Nm of torque in the Opel version, it drives all four wheels via a six-speed automatic gearbox and part-time Haldex AWD system, for a 0-100km/h sprint-time of just over six seconds.

No hatch or wagon VXR will be offered in this country for the time being.

The Opel version launched in Australia in early 2013 sold from $59,990 plus on-road costs.

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Forget KITT and the Doc’s time machine DeLorean, the Mercedes F015 concept takes futuristic travel to the next (scary) hands-off level.

WHAT IS IT? Mercedes-Benz’s glimpse into the driverless world of 2030. While the F015 concept has electric motors, a steering system and interior displays and controls, it lacks the sensors that would be required for full autonomy. It’s more about showing the interior possibilities in a time when having someone in the driver’s seat is optional.

WHY WE’RE TESTING IT It’s the future Jim (apparently).

MAIN RIVALS We’ll get back to you in 20 years…

THE WHEELS VERDICT Get ready for a brave new world – if the F015 is close to what it ends up being. As one Benz engineer points out, we’ll be up to iPhone 20-something by the time anything like this gets remotely close to dealerships. So don’t stress it for now.

PLUS: Legal texting; radical control systems; endless possibilities in the cabin MINUS: Not much of a driver’s car; long waiting time until it arrives

THE WHEELS REVIEW I’M NOT a fan of drivers taking their eyes off the road. So there is something NQR about having the driver facing me as I sit in the back seat of a car quickly building pace.

An electric surge gently squeezes me back in my seat as we build up to 60km/h down the concrete expanses of a disused naval base on the edge of San Francisco Bay.

None of this should have been a surprise. I knew I was getting into a driverless car – the radically futuristic F015 even arrived remotely after a few taps on a smartphone app – and I knew a computer would be calling the shots.

But it didn’t stop me from having a cursory glance (or two) at the flimsy wire fencing that was the only thing between us and an unplanned swim in the Bay.

Here at Wheels it’s not often we travel halfway around the world not to drive a car. But that’s what the F015 is all about. It’s imagining a world where a steering wheel and pedals are optional. Where bringing the lounge room or office in the car is a reality. And where so much of what we know of driving – parking stations, taxis and speeding fines – will change radically or disappear.

The F015 doesn’t have the myriad sensors and cameras still undergoing evaluation in Benz’s twin S-Class development vehicles.

While those vehicles continue to grind their way through billions of driving scenarios on real roads in Europe and America, the F015 is about stealing some headlines and showing what could be possible in an era where humans are merely the cargo.

For our short stint, the course is meticulously programmed using GPS coordinates. There’s a team watching carefully from a temporary garage, which doubles as the charging room for the electric motors. They’re ready to hit the remote kill switch should the F015 develop the ability to think.

We’re told to be careful with the car. It’s a concept, after all, so it’s hand-built and not to the quality and durability standards of a Mercedes production car. A section of the carpet is already threatening to pop out of the wooden floor, while the plastics creak and groan.

For an electric car, it’s noisy. Fans whir constantly to keep the electronics at the right temperature.

Short of Daniel Ricciardo’s pit crew for his RB11, I can’t think of many cars with this many minders, but the F015 does what it was claimed to when unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this year – goes, stops and steers without human intervention.

Riding on sexy 26-inch tyres, it jolts into tiny concrete joins. But, hey, it was never going to pamper.

Despite a world moving increasingly towards computer control of our cars, Mercedes-Benz says it has no plans to drop traditional human controls – at least for decades to come.

The F015 features a retractable steering wheel (yes, it works!) and two pedals, something Mercedes envisages for future driverless transport, allowing the driver to relinquish control in many situations (predominantly city traffic and freeway driving) but regain it when they want.

Save for the optional steering wheel and pedals – we’re told not to touch the pedals, a command I’m happy to comply with – the only controls we have in the cabin are on each of the doors in the form of giant tablet-like touchscreens. It’s predominantly for infotainment functions such as phone, internet and destination information.

But those screens – along with a thin screen across the expanse of the dash and another where the rear window would be – also allow images of other landscapes to be projected on them; it’s tricky stuff, but nothing like the real thing.

But there’s one mode that allows us to slide between Comfort and Dynamic. One flick of a virtual switch and the car accelerates faster. It brings a new meaning to throttle response.

And had me having one more look at exactly where we were on that giant concrete expanse.

ENDURANCE RACING: Fatality to hit Nordschleife

LAST month’s terrible crash of a Nissan GT-R GT3 driven by Jann Mardenborough at the Nurburgring’s Nordschleife threatens to bring significant change to the annual Nurburgring 24 Hours endurance race.

Racing in the opening round of the VLN endurance series a fortnight ago, the young Briton’s Nissan took off at the Flugplatz, flipped over the debris fencing and into a viewing area, hitting and killing a spectator.

It was eerily reminiscent of the backflips of Mark Webber and Peter Dumbreck in their Mercedes sports cars at Le Mans in 1999.

Mardenborough’s frightening lift-off brought instant action from authorities, who temporarily banned GT3 machines from the Nordschleife while the German motor sport body, the DMSB, investigates.

With the 24 Hours of Nurburgring less than five weeks away, time is tight.

The 24-hour race is a massive attraction in Germany, often with more than 200 starters, and more than 200,000 enthusiastic fans in the forests around the legendary circuit. The atmosphere is always convivial, like a massive party, with the aroma of sausages on barbeques wafting through the trees.

A dark cloud now hangs over one of the great races, and, no, I’m not just alluding to the crazy weather experienced in the Eifel Mountains. Fog, rain, snow…and that’s just one summer’s day.

If there are no GT3 cars permitted, the race would lose many of its biggest attractions from the pointy end of the grid.

Like our own annual Bathurst 12 Hour, the GT3 cars are the outright runners.

The Nordschleife circuit is unique in motor sport, too. Think of four Mount Panoramas linked together. It’s isn’t known as The Green Hell for nothing, with its countless blind corners, roller-coaster crests and lack of run-off.

There has been preliminary talk about artificial chicanes at the parts of the circuit where the noses of the GT3 cars lift.

Though necessary on safety grounds, changes will not be welcomed; the Norschleife has so much raw appeal to drivers and fans because it has been virtually unchanged since its first race in 1927.

Driver Darren Turner, speaking to motorsport.com, has suggested spectator-free zones, like at Le Mans. He specifically nominates areas near the Nordschleife’s three big crests: “Then the only person who could get hurt is the driver, and it’s our choice to be there or not. That would be a quick change they could implement in time for this year’s 24-hour race.”

“There’s nothing as exhilarating as driving this spec of car around that circuit,” he said. “I hope, although this has been a horrendous experience for everyone involved, we learn positive lessons and we don’t have a massive change and lose what that circuit is all about – the challenge.”

ENDURANCE RACING: Aussie Talbot set for Blancpain series

BRISBANE driver Liam Talbot is primed for his ambitious attack on the Blancpain Endurance Series, which starts next weekend at storied Monza, Italy.

Driving with Kessel Racing, this will be Talbot’s fourth race in the Ferrari 458 GT3 and the start of his first full season with the Swiss team.

Though very much an inexperienced amateur, Talbot has learned much from an extensive test at Paul Ricard in France and now aims to become a GT endurance racing regular in 2015 as he works towards the goal of competing in a prototype at Le Mans.

“The test at Paul Ricard really helped to get back into a race rhythm in the 458,” said Talbot. “It’s been a few months out of the car, but having significantly stepped up physical training in preparation for the series.

“As with so many other recent races, this is a new track for me. Having watched a number of videos provided by Kessel and put in the hours on the sim, I’m certainly feeling prepared.”

TOURING CARS: Sensational opener at Brands

THE three action-jammed races of the opening Sunday of the British Touring Car Championship at Brands over Easter produced three nail biters, and three different victors – each with a winning margin of less than half a second.

Rob Collard, Gordon Shedden and Matt Neal claimed a round win apiece with other drivers and makes well in the mix, suggesting this year’s series could go one of any number of drivers. And makes.

Triple world touring car champ, and occasional Bathurst 1000 racer Andy Priaulx made a stunning return to the series by taking the first pole of the new season in his rear-drive BMW 125i.

But BMW team-mate Collard claimed the BTCC’s first race of 2015 after Priaulx struck tyre troubles.

The second race was a thriller with Shedden’s Honda Civic Type-R winning by a tight 0.04sec margin from Priaulx. Neither looked chances of victory until four laps from the finish when pole-man, VW’s Jason Plato, punctured and fired off the black stuff and into the gravel.

Watched by a large crowd, the last of the three races on Easter Sunday gave the debuting Civic Type-R its second win but this time it was lanky former champ Neal taking the spoils after fighting off MG’s Jack Goff.

Pole-man Rob Austin (Audi) and Andrew Jordan (MG) fought over the last spot on the podium until they clumsily tripped over each other and handed third to the opportunistic Aron Smith in a VW CC.

The BTCC now moves to Donington two weekend from now with Neal and Goff tied at the head of the table a mere point ahead of Goff, and four makes in the first four slots.

RALLYCROSS: Date set for Australian return

ACCORDED world championship status and undergoing a huge resurgence, the spectator-friendly sport of rallycross is returning to Australia four decades after its last wave of popularity.

A new purpose-built 1.8km course at Broadford, one hour’s drive from Melbourne, is set to host big-time rallycross starting with two national-level meetings on July 19 and October 25.

Plans are moving forward to stage a six-meeting series in 2016.

In the 1970s, high-flying rallycross action at Calder (Melbourne), Catalina (Katoomba) and Tailem Bend (outside Adelaide) attracted prominent circuit racing names such as Peter Brock, Colin Bond and Allan Moffat, and rally champions Bob Watson, Barry Ferguson and Bruce Hodgson. The action transfixed TV audiences and made many rally and amateur drivers household heroes.

The lone Australian Rallycross Championship was held at the Tailem Bend circuit in South Australia in June 1979 and was won by ex-F1 driver and later Bathurst 1000 winner Larry Perkins driving a 2.0-litre Volkswagen Beetle.

The Broadford meetings will be staged by Rallycross Australia, a new entity formed by a group led by Australian rally champion and top rallycross competitor, Bob Watson. CAMS is actively supporting the sport’s revival.

The inaugural Rallycross Australia meeting will be limited to 60 competitors in cars currently qualifying for Australian autocross or rally events.

Cars will compete four at a time over three laps of a course combining sealed and unsealed surfaces, jumps and water hazards. “Rallying is exciting enough, but racing other rally cars is something else” said organiser Watson.

Rallycross was born in the United Kingdom in 1967 and is today experiencing a huge resurgence in popularity in both Europe and the USA.

On the back of this revival, the FIA has established a World Championship for Rallycross with top rally drivers including Petter Solberg and Ken Block participating in factory sponsored cars.

The Broadford course incorporates part of the existing tarmac track used for motorcycle racing along with an additional gravel section which includes jumps and a water splash to simulate a rally environment.

A natural amphitheatre setting along with pit garages, control tower, timing facilities, toilets and catering make Broadford an ideal venue.

BOOK REVIEW: Kiwi slams our Jack

JACK Brabham was a great tester but lacked people skills, and the acclaimed designer/engineer Ron Tauranac was slow to adopt new technology, writes New Zealander Max Rutherford.

In his new autobiography, Paddock to Podium (The Mechanic’s View), Rutherford – one of many Antipodean mechanics who traipsed off to Europe in the 1960s and 70s seeking work and adventures in motor sport – does issue a warning that Australians may not be happy with some of his comments.

He certainly doesn’t hold back in a scathing assessment of Brabham’s indifferent relationships with his mechanics.

The book starts slowly with recollections of Rutherford’s early days as a speedway driver in New Plymouth, but quickly moves on to his relocation to Europe and subsequent association with many hero drivers of the era. It was a time of dangerous motor racing, pretty women, wild parties and hard work…

Rutherford’s biggest claim on fame is his stint as joint chief mechanic heading the Matra Tyrrell team that fettled Jackie Stewart’s car in the year the great Scot won his first world championship in 1969.

Younger followers of motor sport may be fascinated or horrified by the rather crude, almost amateurish environment of 1960s Formula One painted by Rutherford. This was well before Bernie Ecclestone stamped his professional, slick imprimatur on the sport.

The author tells the tale of heading to the track on race morning in Barcelona with an unfinished race car and little time to spare. Brabham donned overalls and joined Rutherford in the back of the transporter, the pair assembling a gearbox as the rig lurched through the corners en route.

Rutherford admitted great respect for Brabham’s nous and sensitivity as a test driver following a day at Goodwood shaking down a new Tauranac-designed F3 car. After a few laps, Jack reported that one front spring was stronger than the other and asked Rutherford to correct it for the following day’s testing. Rutherford argued with Brabham that he’d personally checked the springs and didn’t believe they were mismatched. That night at the factory, Rutherford set out to prove Brabham wrong but was stunned to find a slight discrepancy in the spring rates.

Rutherford wrote admiringly: “I believe few drivers in the world have ever been in that class as a test driver. For any driver to find a fault is one thing, but to be able to analyse the problem and find a solution is the mark of a gifted driver, with a lot of engineering skills thrown in.”

But Rutherford was less impressed with Brabham’s manner out of the race cars, suggesting Jack couldn’t be bothered with even a “good morning” or a “thank you” after an all nighter. Commented Rutherford: “I guess it was just his nature, although other people told me he was basically shy and communication was not one of his strengths.”

The Kiwi is also critical of the “gruff and overbearing” Tauranac’s propensity to bollock his mechanics, also commenting that Ron’s continued use of a space frame construction in 1969 was hardly advanced thinking. Throughout the pages are intermittent jibes about the Brabham cars when they failed to finish races.

Rutherford may not have support for his claims that Tauranac built his cars to last just one season, citing the example of the unreliable Brabham that Derek Bell drove in the 1970 Tasman Series.

Getting sacked by Tauranac may have hurt Rutherford psychologically…

Rutherford’s relationships with Hulme, Frank Gardner and, later, Jackie Stewart were way warmer.

The book is laced with stories highlighting the nomadic life of the mechanics, and the primitive conditions of F1 back then.

In apartheid South Africa, the white manager of a hotel denied the team’s request for fresh corn on the cob growing in a field nearby. That is “kaffir food”, the manager said emphatically.

Rutherford isn’t above telling tales on himself, either. He mentions nearly torching the whole F1 grid (bar the Ferraris) after Stewart’s Matra caught alight while he was working on it in the Watkins Glen pits.

The trial-and-error approach to wings in F1 is fascinating, too, as is Rutherford’s accounts of the first four-wheel-drive F1 cars.

He praises Stewart’s testing skills, putting him on a level with Brabham. At Monza, Stewart’s clever call to use different gear ratios gave him the surge to win the race coming out of the final corner.

There’s also a mea culpa for not putting the obligatory warning note on Stewart’s steering wheel after fitting fresh brake pads during testing at Silverstone. Rutherford says the outcome could have been more tragic than just a big scare for the driver. The lesson was rammed home later that same day when he helped cut the body of F3 driver Chris Williams from a wrecked car.

Rutherford’s prose is enlivened by some excellent insider photos taken on the road.

Rutherford spent not quite five years in Europe but returned home with his Irish bride to retrieve a more normal life, stepping away from automobiles and eventually designing women’s sports bras.

Rutherford’s name doesn’t trigger instant recognition on this side of the Tasman but this book may change that.

Though not without its editing errors, this self-published book of recollections serves an important role in preserving some vital motor racing history that otherwise could easily be overlooked.

Paddock to Podium is available at Sydney’s Autobookworld priced at $59.95.

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Better to drive as well as to behold, the sixth-gen, sedan-only Liberty’s massive price drop makes it a must-have on anybody’s medium-car shortlist – but is that enough to reverse a long term decline?

WHAT IS IT? Subaru finally gets real with the now-US focussed Liberty sedan, adding $3000 plus worth of extra spec, in a bigger and better package, boasting an all-new body and interior, a tighter and tauter chassis, and a host of drivetrain advances. That the base 2.5i now kicks off from under $30K is sensational.

WHY WE’RE TESTING IT After two COTY wins, we were hoping that the Liberty series would recover from the disappointing previous (B5) hiccup, aided by massive price falls (from between $3000 to $14,000 depending on model), improved standard spec (including adaptive cruise control on all cars), and big jump in quality. But with a revised Mazda 6 and Ford Mondeo looming, has the Subaru sufficiently recovered?

MAIN RIVALS Toyota Camry, Ford Mondeo, Mazda 6, Kia Optima, Holden Malibu, Hyundai Sonata, Honda Accord, Holden Commodore, Ford Falcon

THE WHEELS VERDICT Miles easier on the eye, better to drive and utterly compellingly priced, the Liberty 2.5i ought to be on every medium sedan buyers’ short list. But it doesn’t look as if the Subaru will regain its traditional spot as class leader if dynamics, refinement, performance and desirability are priorities.

PLUS: Pricing, AWD security, high spec, cabin space, driving ease and security MINUS: Remote steering, busy ride, generic dash, 2.5i’s listless performance

THE WHEELS REVIEW

FIFTEEN years ago, few would have believed that a Subaru Liberty could undercut a Toyota Camry by $500. Believe it.

From $29,990 (including all-wheel drive, adaptive cruise, lane-departure alert, pre-collision braking, idle-stop, active grille shutters, dual-zone climate control, a rear camera and 18s), the new Japanese mid-sizer also undercuts its predecessor by $3K.

Headline value. But then the Liberty isn’t what it used to be.

When the preceding model surfaced in 2009, Subaru’s desire to chase US Camry customers meant it lost some signature engineering and design cues. Liberty went from Accord Euro to Accord Seppo. Sales in Oz consequently tanked. At least the company has acknowledged that it cannot charge premium pricing for the new B6 sedan.

Things have progressed, too, with a prettier yet beefier body (torsional rigidity rises some 167 percent), stronger suspension, better crash protection, a roomier and quieter cabin with improved access, greater vision, higher-quality materials and an impressive infotainment upgrade.

The Japanese engineers have also fettled the (now Euro 6) 2.5i drivetrain, but has too much Subaru-ness been exorcised? You can barely hear that boxer beat (or improved CVT) working, not until you floor the accelerator trying to squeeze out sufficient performance to haul around a 60kg-heavier sedan. For real muscle, try the potent 3.6R flat-six stormer from $41,990 – a stunning $14K cheaper than before.

On the flipside, with the torque split front-to-rear set at 60:40, the 2.5i is now a more balanced handler, carving up corners with a neutral, planted attitude that encourages fast and confident driving in all conditions.

However, the new Liberty is saddled with dull steering that is a far cry from the sharpness of Subies past, while the suspension never feels entirely settled, jiggling along on anything other than perfect bitumen. The big 225/50R18 rubber compromises comfort and refinement.

That’s a shame since the 2.5i’s spaciousness and comfort are enticing, with cabin quality and switchgear logic that should instantly convert any Toyota owner. However, while the new-to-Subaru instrument smarts and clever touchscreen are highlights, traditional fans of the brand might find the slick cabin too generic.

And that’s our gripe. Substantially better than before, the stunningly cheap 2.5i smashes the likes of Camry for value. But who ever bought a Subaru on price alone? Two generations ago, the BMW 318i-baiting Liberty was the fear of Europe. Frustratingly for us, it remains the joy of America.

Model: Subaru Liberty 2.5i Premium Engine: 2498cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v Max power: 129kW @ 5800rpm Max torque: 235Nm @ 4000rpm Transmission: CVT automatic Weight: 1528kg 0-100km/h: 9.6sec (claimed) Fuel economy: 7.3L/100km Price: $35,490 On sale: Now

Quirky Korean Coupe shown at Seoul Motor Show as Kia pushes its sports car assault with this VW Golf GTI rival

THE Kia Novo concept has been shown at the Seoul Motor Show as a rival to the Hyundai Veloster and benchmark VW Golf GTI hot hatch. In a segment choc-full of high-performance heroes, from the VW to the Renault Megane RS265 and Ford Focus ST opposition, the four-door Novo coupe isn’t as convincing as the brilliant Kia Stinger GT4 concept wheeled at the 2014 Detroit motor show, and is an awkward step back in the brand’s suite of design hits since designer Peter Schreyer too the company reigns at the end of 2012.

The name ‘Novo’ means fresh, but the new Kia Cerato-based concept looks like a cross between a Porsche Panamera and a Kia hatch. Led by the trademark Kia grille and smart hockey-stick LEDs, the coupe’s odd side profile sees shut lines reminiscent of the original Audi TT (see that front guard) and are mimicked today by the recent Volvo concepts designed by Thomas Ingenlath, who is ex-Volkswagen, as of course is Schreyer. While the Novo rides on 20-inch alloy wheels, the smart, crisp edges create definitive, confident look until the C-pillar, where the frumpiness makes the Novo seem a little rear heavy with a puffed-cheek look.

The Novo’s cabin is much more convincing, with a wide, low dash focussed on the driver with a holographic three-dimensional instrument cluster serving up the critical data. The design is smooth, sophisticated with detailed stitchwork but an over uncluttered appearance. There’s a smart ‘Blind monitor’ to the right of the deep-dish steering wheel that allows the driver to operate menu functions without their eyes leaving the road. That’s the theory, anyway.

Sadly, power comes from the competent but hardly GTI-rivalling 1.6-litre turbo-charged four-cylinder found in the Hyundai Veloster Turbo and the Kia Proceed GT – both more tepid hatches than tyre-scorching performance pin-ups – mated to a seven-speed dual –clutch transmission. Kia makes no performance claims for the Novo, yet in the Proceed GT the same driveline propels the hatch from 0-100km/h in 7.4sec. We’re waiting for more power from Kia/Hyundai powerplants to server up an even stronger alternative to the armada of Euro hot hatches currently on sale.

The Kia Novo remains a concept for now, but expect its features and design ideas to filter down into Kia production future models.

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2015 New York motor show: The proposed Mercedes-Benz ute, or pick-up, is unlikely to spawn a high-performance V8-powered AMG version

DAYS after announcing it would produce a ute by 2020, Mercedes-Benz executives have told Wheels that a high-performance AMG version is unlikely.

Speaking at the 2015 New York motor show, AMG boss Tobias Moers said there had been no discussions around an AMG version of the upcoming ute, which is expected to be based on the underpinnings of the Nissan Navara as part of a component-sharing agreement. The engine mooted would be the new 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 that powers the Mercedes-AMG GT as well as the brilliant Mercedes-AMG C63 S sedan and wagon.

“We have never discussed it,” said Moers. “Give it some time. We have to wait a little bit.

“We’ve never been in that segment and we don’t have any experience in that segment, so we need to do some research.”

Further reducing the chances was the response by Mercedes-Benz USA president and CEO Stephen Cannon.

When asked if he would like an AMG version of the ute, he said: “I don’t think so. To create niches of niches that are super, super-small, you’re slicing it very, very thin.”

Despite a love of big utes – or trucks/pick-ups – Cannon said the decision had not been made to sell it in the US and that the global business case had been predicated on not selling it in North America.

He said that, because it was smaller than the Dodge Ram, Ford F150 and Chevrolet Silverado that dominate the US truck market, it would not be a big seller.

“It’s a niche market [in America],” said Cannon. “We already know our customers have pick-ups. For that higher-end clientele that naturally is biased towards a Mercedes-Benz or a luxury product anyway, for us to then satisfy the pick-up need with an M-B-branded product, then there’s the opportunity.

“We’re looking at it and if we think we can get the right product at the right price point that still fits with our brand … interested, so we’re now looking at.

“We’ve got a little bit of time to decide whether it’s right, and if it’s right we’ll add it. We just haven’t made that decision yet.

“We’re not going after the workmen, the work site kind of marketplace.”

The prospect of a brand such as AMG, known for its V8s, not fitting the throaty engine to a ute will no doubt be foreign to some Australians, who have had V8 utes on their four-wheeled menus for decades.

But the rest of the world isn’t as mad about V8 utes as Australia.

Mercedes-Benz global vice-president of sales and product management, Matthias Luehrs, added that because it is a commercial vehicle it may not be suited to the AMG treatment.

“It’s not planned at the moment – maybe one day,” he said. “It’s not being done and designed by [Mercedes-Benz] passenger cars, it’s a van product, it’s coming out of our van division.

“AMG, obviously, is linked to passenger cars.

“I know the pick-up will be sold in the showroom as a passenger car.”