WhichCar By Wheels

Finnish rallying legend Juha Kankkunen is coming to Australia.

The four-time WRC champion is to act as guest speaker at the second annual Rally Hall of Fame presentation, following in the footsteps of fellow Finn Ari Vatanen, who spoke at the inaugrual event.

The Rally HoF gala presentation is to be held on May 14 at Canberra’s QT hotel, in conjunction with Rally Canberra, the opening round of the 2015 Australian Rally Championship.

Kankkunen should need no introduction to most motor sport enthusiasts. Having won WRC titles with Peugeot, Lancia and Toyota, he is the only driver ever to win a title with three different manufacturers, and is the only driver to have won rallies during the Group B, Group A and World Rally Car eras, his last victory coming for Subaru at Rally Finland in 1999.

Kankkunen also won the Dakar Rally in 1988 for Peugeot, for whom he also competed in the Pikes Peak hillclimb that same year, finishing runner-up to Ari Vatanen.

You can find more information about the evening and book tickets here.

The facelifted A45 AMG, due later in 2015, will recapture its title as the hot hatch kilowatt king.

That’s the promise of Cristian Enderle, AMG’s director of powertrain development. Speaking at the recent launch of the new Mercedes-AMG C63, Enderle confirmed that despite tougher competition, AMG intended to offer a class-leading power output for the new A45 AMG.

Audi’s forthcoming RS3 has bumped the current A45 off top spot, offering a 270kW/465Nm 2.5-litre turbo five-cylinder. It is also expected that VW will give the green light to the 298kW Golf R400 concept that was shown at the Beijing Motor Show in 2014.

When asked what output could be expected from the new A45 AMG, Enderle smiled and said: “whatever the competition has, plus five horsepower.”

Pushed on how AMG can guarantee that when its opposition has new cars in the pipeline, Enderle said: “We know our competition quite well; we know what they are doing today [so] we can estimate what is possible for them to do.

“To be very sure that we have more horsepower than the competition, maybe the result is we have more than 10 horsepower or 20 horsepower more than them.”

Even if the Golf R400 fails to make production, Enderle’s words would suggest we can expect at least 280kW from the new A45, an incredible figure from a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine.

At its launch, the current A45’s 265kW output seemed like science fiction; now it appears that it is just the beginning.

Geneva reveal for Fresh faced Corolla hatch as the popular Toyota pushes to remain Australia’s top-selling car in 2015

A FACELIFT of the Toyota Corolla hatch will be shown at the 2015 Geneva motor show. Australia’s top-selling car for the last two years, fending off the Mazda 3 and a swathe of rivals including the Ford Focus, Holden Cruze and VW Golf, the current model arrived here October 2012.

While the majority of the Corolla – which is sold as the Auris in Europe – will remain the same, the front and rear-ends receive styling tweaks (not that you’d know it), while the cabin has also been freshened up to include “new comfort and safety equipment”.

The current car was introduced in Europe ahead of the Mk7 VW Golf and was benchmarked on the Mk6 that was on sale at the time. The Mk7 Golf has moved the goalposts thanks to VW’s clever use of its modular MQB platform that has since underpinned cars are varied and talented as the Skoda Octavia and just-arrived-Down Under Audi TT.

Toyota Australia has confirmed that the Corolla hatch will be sourced from Japan, unlike the Corolla sedan that’s sourced from Thailand.

Mechanical changes will be limited, with Toyota confirming that line-up will continue its current offering of a 1.8-litre four-cylinder producing 103kW/173Nm with a choice for six-speed manual or a continuously variable transmission. Pricing is also expected to remain unchanged, with the Corolla currently kicking off at $19,990 for the Ascent hatch.

The updated Corolla will be on sale in Australia by the end of 2015.

MORE 2014-15 Toyota Corolla

2014-15 Toyota Corolla

F1: Alonso hospitalised after test crash in McLaren-Honda

McLAREN’S pre-season testing woes have continued with Fernando Alonso crashing and suffering concussion in a high-speed crash just before lunch on Sunday at the Catalunya circuit in Barcelona.

The Spaniard was airlifted to hospital and, though cleared of any serious injury, held overnight for precautionary monitoring.

Alonso slammed the inside wall at turn three. No reason has been offered for the shunt.

McLaren’s race director Eric Boullier said the crash “was just one of those things that happens in testing”.

The incident is the latest in a lengthy list of troubles besetting McLaren and engine supplier Honda in the lead-up to the new season.

Pre-season testing is not regarded as a true indicator of form in F1, which again expected to be dominated by Mercedes-Benz in 2015.

However, Ferrari dominated the first four-day test at Jerez while Lotus was fastest on three of the four days of testing this week in Barcelona. Daniel Ricciardo was fastest on the other day.

The final four-day test before the teams head to Melbourne for the AGP on March 15 begins at Barcelona on Thursday.

AWARDS: Ricciardo heads list of CAMS gongs

UNDERSCORING his stunning season in which he won three grands prix, Daniel Ricciardo has been honoured with the Jack Brabham Award, which recognises outstanding achievement and success by an Australian motor sport competitor at the international level.

The Confederation of Australian Motor Sport recognised standouts among competitors, officials and media in Australian motor sport at the 2014 CAMS Motor Sport Awards held in Sydney.

Jim Richards received the CAMS Peter Brock Medal awarded annually to a driver who has shown similar characteristics to the late Peter Brock. Previous winners include Neal Bates, Craig Lowndes and the late Jason Richards.

The Queensland cyclone sadly prevented Ryan McLeod from travelling to Sydney to personally pick up his Donald Thomson Award, given to acknowledge his bravery in efforts to extricate a fellow race driver from a burning car at Sydney Motorsport Park.

Another popular winner was V8 Supercars gun Scott McLaughlin, who was judged the Motor Sport Personality of the Year.

CAMS also recognised a brace of 2014 CAMS National Champions and those in the motor sporting community whose service and contributions have made a significant difference to the sport.

CAMS President Andrew Papadopoulos reflected on a 2014 that saw the number of CAMS licences jump by an impressive 1800 and the number of CAMS-affiliated clubs increase from 450 to 500.

He also pointed out to the audience, which included two MPs, that motor sport delivers $2.7 billion to the Australian economy annually, and that it employs 16,000 people.

CAMS also made a major announcement of the establishment of the Australian Motor Sport Hall of Fame, which is dedicated to honouring those who have contributed most as administrator, driver, owner, developer or engineer. This will kick off next year.

CAMS MOTOR SPORT AWARDS Phil Irving Award – the late Ivan Tighe Australian Motor Sport Official of the Year – Belinda Taylor Motor Sport Personality of the Year Award – Scott McLaughlin Donald Thomson Award – Ryan McLeod Member of Honour – Ron Tauranac Life Membership – Bob Watson, Fred Gibson, John Paterson Peter Brock Medallist – Jim Richards CAMS Young Driver of the Year Award – Anton De Pasquale Jack Brabham Award – Daniel Ricciardo 2014 FIA Official of the Year – Adrian StaffordCAMS MEDIA AWARDS Motor Sport Story of the Year – Gordon Lomas – Speedcafe (tribute stories – Sir Jack Brabham) Motor Sport Journalist of the Year – Mark Fogarty Motor Sport Photograph of the Year – Robert Cianflone Motor Sport Photographer of the Year – John Morris Motor Sport Story of the Year (Radio/Television) – AirTime Media (Shannon’s Legends Series)

RALLY: Molly Taylor set for dual campaign in 2015

AUSTRALIAN international rally driver Molly Taylor will accumulate a bunch of frequent flyer points this year as she chases a championship in her home country and selected events in Europe.

Taylor, who has spent the past five years competing exclusively in Europe, has been offered a chance in Australia she could not refuse.

She will contest the Australian Rally Championship in the car that won last year’s title for Scott Pedder and Dale Moscatt, a 2012 Renault Clio G2.

“I’m so excited to have this opportunity and am very grateful to Scott and Pedders for giving it to me,” said Taylor. “I look forward to taking care of his ‘baby’ in the ARC while he’s away.”

Pedder said putting Taylor into his car was his way of repaying her for her assistance in helping him secure a deal to compete in the WRC2 division of the 2015 World Rally Championship.

“I’m passionate about the ARC and two-wheel-drive cars and it’s terrific to be able to help a leading competitor into our car,” said Pedder.

“It’s a great thing for the series to have someone with Molly’s profile, work ethic and experience competing in Australia. Given her experience in this type of car, and rallying at the level she has been, I think she could be a genuine championship contender this year.”

Taylor will continue to work on new opportunities in Europe, including some WRC events, but said she wasn’t prepared to ignore the chance to tackle the ARC.

The ARC calendar includes the Quit Forest Rally in WA (March 27-29), National Capital Rally in Canberra (May 15-17), International Rally of Queensland (June 19-21) and Scouts Rally SA (October 23-25). Taylor will also contest the local WRC round, Coates Hire Rally Australia (September 10-13), but under ARC rules rather than the international regulations.

Taylor moved to Europe in 2009 to build her rally career after winning several junior class championships locally. In 2011, she was one of six young drivers to win a scholarship in an international shootout between 18 drivers from around the world.

That gave her a fully funded drive in the WRC Academy, a junior category of the World Rally Championship. Since then, she has contested selected rounds of the European championship and the WRC, posting several class victories along the way.

During that period, she was named British Ladies Champion two years in succession, won the inaugural European Rally Championship Ladies Trophy and was officially recognised as the fastest female rally driver in the world (2013).

WRC: World champ pinged for speeding… seven times!

WORLD rally champion Sebastien Ogier was caught speeding seven times while practicing for Rally Sweden earlier this month and faces a two-minute time penalty added to his competition time should he offend again anytime soon.

This penalty is suspended for 12 months and the Volkswagen driver concedes he’ll need to be more careful than ever in recces for World Rally Championship rounds this season.

The speed limit on the Sweden recce was 10km/h lower than normal, due to local road laws.

Ogier believes he was stiffed by the system.

“Something changed in the interpretation of the regulation and I feel really bad that they come to me and tell me how bad I have been,” he said.

“I never got caught before and we have no warning…just this.”

The WRC drivers have a GPS tracking system that beeps when they are speeding, giving them three seconds to slow to the limit. Maybe Ogier needs to improve on his reaction time.

While it wasn’t a good look for the world champ to exceed the limit on seven occasions, Ogier was nowhere near the worst offender, Yuriy Protasov, who accumulated 18 tickets on the two-day recce. He was also given a suspended two-minute penalty.

GT: Aussie Davison to race Nissan in US

AUSTRALIAN open-wheel and GT racer James Davison (of the prominent Victorian racing family) has scored a plum drive aboard a Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 in the US Pirelli World Challenge series.

Davison, 28, moved to the US when he was 18 to seek opportunities in open-wheel racing. His career highlights include a 2005 victory in Formula BMW at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a runner-up finish in the 2007 Star Mazda Championship, and second spot in the 2009 Indy Lights Championship.

Davison also made an appearance in the 2014 Indianapolis 500, finishing 16th.

In limited time in sports cars he has always been at the front, driving for the TRG-Aston Martin team in IMSA competition and recording five consecutive class poles, including last month’s prestigious Daytona 24 Hour.

The new team is based around a partnership between Nissan and a Los Angeles-based company called Always Evolving (AE), a media and technology company.

Canada’s AIM Autosport will handle much of the car preparation and on-track support during the season. AIM won the 2012 IMSA GTD team, driver and manufacturer championships, as well as the 2013 manufacturer title.

Nissan GT Academy North America 2011 winner Bryan Heitkotter will drive the team’s second GT-R.

The first Pirelli World Challenge race for 2015 will be at Circuit of the Americas in Texas on March 6-8.

SUPERBIKES: Brits hold sway as Bayliss comeback blisters

BRITISH riders dominated the opening round of the 2015 Superbike World Championship at Phillip Island at the weekend, with Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam sharing the top places in the two races, pushed all the way by Chaz Davies.

Australian Troy Bayliss, making a surprise return to world superbike action after almost seven years away, had a day that left him well short of satisfied.

Co-opted onto a factory Ducati on Monday after regular rider Davide Giugliano was injured, 45-year-old Bayliss qualified mid-field and began both races aggressively, but lack of familiarity with the bike and tyres left him with blistered rubber in both outings.

He ran as high as seventh in each leg, but faded to finish 13th in the opener – just ahead of fellow Aussie Jed Metcher – and had to visit the pits in race two to change a blistered rear tyre, finishing out of the points in 16th.

The triple world champion said he felt like a “boxer coming out of retirement”.

“It’s been a strange one to come back after so many years. I did this comeback for a lot of reasons, and in the end I made some really good progress – but still I am actually a little bit pissed off, which proves that I am still a racer!

“To run with the guys, I felt really good, but we had some problems with the tyre; Phillip Island can really do that.”

However, Bayliss dismissed suggestions he might consider riding the Ducati again at the next round in Thailand.

Bayliss’s fastest lap of 1m32.117s after only three days on the Panigale R was only 0.4sec slower than the fastest lap of the day set by Ducati teammate Davies.

Northern Ireland’s Rea (who this year jumped to Kawasaki) was the first rider to get a win on the board in 2015 when he won race one, holding off Haslam (Aprilia) by just 0.039sec after a pulsating 22 laps.

It was Rea’s maiden victory at Phillip Island, his second ‘home’ track; he is married to a Phillip Island girl, Tatia Weston, and spends Australian summers with the penguins.

In race two, Haslam turned the tables on his former Honda teammate with a stirring come-from-behind 0.010sec victory.

Ducati’s Chaz Davies finished third in both races.

Hottest Kia gets a facelift and a driveline changes, but Australian customers will miss out on the latest mechanical upgrades

THE Kia Proceed GT will get a dual-clutcher as part of its 2015 facelift that’s pictured here, but the new transmission is not yet confirmed for Australia.

The Korean maker has confirmed that its luke-warm hot hatch will offer a six-speed dual-clutch transmission with the facelifted Proceed GT that it will reveal at the Geneva motor show. Already offered in the 1.6-litre petrol version, the six-speed dual-clutch unit will also be offered the (Europe only) diesel model, making it available range-wide.

Now the bad news: despite the dual-clutch transmission spreading across the European range, Kia has told Wheels that the new transmission is not locked in for Australian showrooms, but remains on the company’s wish-list. “We’d love it,” said a Kia Australia spokesperson. “We’re still asking for it, believe me, but it’s not coming at this stage.”

The Kia Proceed GT is currently offered only as a six-speed manual, unlike the car that shares its platform and drivetrain, the Hyundai Veloster. Australian Veloster buyers can chose a six-speed automatic in its flagship SR Turbo model, priced at $35,990.

Kia offers a six-speed automatic version of its Kia Cerato Koup that sits below the Proceed GT in its line-up.

The announcement came as Kia also confirmed a 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder for European models that, again, is not heading Down Under.

Kia can confirm that the Australian market Proceed GT, which is built in Kia’s Czech factory, will be given a mild facelift that doesn’t drastically alter the superb Peter Schreyer styling of the current version, as well as trim and mechanical improvements.

The 1.6-litre turbo four-cylinder will remain at its current 150kW/265Nm output, but Kia Australia says that significant work is being carried out on the GT’s steering and suspension, the latter focusing on ride quality (which is currently not exactly a major complaint).

Pricing for the Kia Proceed GT is expected to remain unchanged with a starting price of $29,990 when the facelift arrives in October 2015.

The Audi TT has always favoured style over substance, but things are different with this new third-gen model with its serious sports car credentials.

WHAT IS IT? One of the best-looking coupes on sale, Audi has refined the recipe for this new, third-generation TT. You can forget the ‘hairdresser’s car’ stigma, too – this third-gen TT finally has the performance-car brawn to back up its good looks.

WHY WE’RE TESTING IT Good looks, punchy performance and one of the best interiors in the business – why wouldn’t we?

MAIN RIVALS Alfa Romeo 4C, Peugeot RCZ R, BMW Z4, BMW M235i

THE WHEELS VERDICT A harder, faster, better TT, but one still driven by style, not performance.

PLUS: Rorty, involving 2.0-litre turbo; quattro grip; brilliant interior; styling MINUS: Steering; road noise; no reversing camera

THE WHEELS REVIEW THEY’RE often so boring you’d rather barbeque your own eyeballs, but sometimes a product presentation – like the one I’m currently enduring for the local launch of the new third-gen Audi TT – delivers a nugget of gold.

“And it has a new, rear-biased all-wheel-drive system,” says the engineer, causing me to sit straighter. He quickly moves on to explain the TT’s new digital dash (which is brilliant), but two words stick in my mind. Rear and biased.

I suddenly imagine the TT surrounded by smoke as it performs perfectly balanced drifts and wonder, has Audi turned the regular TT (we’re not talking the TT RS here) into a hairy-chested driver’s car? One that won’t, like its forebears so often were, be dismissed by performance purists as, dare we say it, a hairdresser’s car?

Well, not quite. True, this new TT boasts Audi’s first four-wheel-drive system developed entirely in-house, but it still sends only 50 percent of the grunt to the rear axle. What the engineer meant is that power is now sent to the rear more readily, thanks to on-board sensors that shuffle the power around (often before the driver realises they need it) to help point the nose of the car on corner entry, and improve traction on exit.

No testosterone-fuelled drifting, then, but enthusiasts shouldn’t stop reading; this new model is by far the most performance-focused TT yet.

Launched in TT Sport and S line spec (the harder, faster TT S arrives Down Under later this year), the TT range starts at $71,950 for the base front-drive manual and stretches to $85,450 for the S line quattro S tronic.

The most popular variant will be the $77,950 2.0-litre TFSI quattro featured here, which will account for 60-70 percent of sales. Sadly, less than five percent of buyers will choose the base manual, which boosts involvement via a sweet-shifting six-speed ‘box.

All variants are powered by a rorty, heavily reworked version of the 2.0-litre turbo used in the old TT (Audi says the only thing left unchanged is its 1984cc displacement), now fitted with new internals for lower friction and boasting improved cooling. Power from the 2.0-litre quattro is up 14kW/20Nm, while fuel consumption remains at 6.4L/100km despite the extra grunt, thanks in part to a 50kg overall weight reduction.

Combine all this with a 21mm-shorter body, a 37mm-longer wheelbase and shorter overhangs and the TT boasts some serious sports-car credentials.

The handling is flat and predictable and, given the quattro system, there’s a phenomenal amount of grip. The reworked engine is a highlight, with a fat and creamy mid-range and a rorty exhaust note.

The problem, though, isn’t the TT’s ability. It’s that on twisting mountain roads it has none of the character that makes cars such as Alfa Romeo’s new 4C and the BMW M235i so involving. It feels detached, almost too clinical and proficient.

Steering that lacks feel and is inconsistently weighted is another weakness, as is a surprisingly large amount of road noise on Australia’s course-chip roads.

If the performance lacks character, though, the same can’t be said of the TT’s styling. Wider and more aggressive, the new TT looks sharp, modern and futuristic yet comfortably familiar all at once.

The positives keep coming with the TT’s superbly redesigned interior. Sleek, minimalist and beautifully built, the drawcard is a new fully digital dash that is not only surprisingly intuitive, but integrates all of the car’s functions (sat-nav, infotainment, Drive Select, etc) and therefore eliminates the need for a large, dash-mounted central screen.

A wonderfully tactile, deep-dish steering wheel is another masterstroke, but the lack of a reversing camera, which won’t be available until 2016 when it will be standard across the range, is a notable omission. And don’t expect to use the TT to ferry four people about in comfort – the two back seats are a prison sentence for anyone over 150cm.

So a hairy-chested performance car the TT is not, but there’s no denying the performance of this new third generation is a marked improvement, if not infallible.

The main focus of the TT is still clearly on its styling and visual impact, which it absolutely nails with an edgy, distinctive design and best-in-class interior. The fact it now drives better than ever is a bonus.

SPECS Model: Audi TT Coupe 2.0 TFSI quattro Engine: 1984cc 4cyl, dohc, 24v, turbo Max power: 169kW @ 4500rpm Max torque: 370Nm @ 1600-4300rpm Transmission: 6-speed dual-clutch automatic Kerb weight: 1335kg 0-100km/h: 5.3sec (claimed) Economy: 6.4L/100km Price: $77,950 On sale: Now

LPA Likeitleaseit Button 300X50

What’s strewn around your workplace? Maybe a keyboard, computer screen and if you’re lucky, nice leather couches to lounge on during lunch.

Or maybe you occasionally have the chance to practice your forehand at a ping pong table.

Well it doesn’t matter, because your office isn’t as cool as this guy’s would have been.

This RenaultSport employee had the privilege of bench testing the firm’s 3.5-litre V10 engines under simulated race conditions in the safety of a lab.

So his place of work, according to the above video, consisted of an arm chair with H-pattern gear shifter, a pedal box to conduct impressive heel and toe, and of course, the gorgeous music of 10 pistons attached to a crankshaft revolving at 14,000rpm.

We can only guess this video is from the early 90s, but the footage of a Formula One V10 engine spitting flames is timeless. Have a watch and make sure you’re speakers are on. It’s great.

Order books have opened for the new Mercedes-AMG C63 S, with the sedan asking $154,900 and the estate a $2500 premium.

This is exactly the same price as the previous C63, $14,500 less than the final C63 Edition 507, and undercuts its main rival, the BMW M3, by $1530. The estate, however, carries a $6000 premium over its closest rival, the Audi RS4 avant.

The price has remained static despite the comprehensive standard specification chosen for the new model by Mercedes-Benz Australia.

A full list of standard equipment can be found at the bottom of this article, but the good news for MOTOR readers is that most of the mechanical option boxes have been ticked for Aussie cars.

Most obvious is the ‘S’ package, which lifts the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8’s outputs from the 350kW/650Nm of the standard C63 to a GT S supercar-matching 375kW/700Nm.

With 80 per cent of previous C63 buyers ticking the ‘Performance Pack’ option, M-B Australia has decided not to offer the standard car.

With so much grunt on offer, thankfully the electronically-controlled locking rear differential is also standard, along with 19-inch wheels with 245/35 (front) and 265/35 (rear) rubber and adaptive suspension.

The net result is 0-100km/h in a claimed 4.0sec for the 1655kg sedan, with the estate’s extra 70kg costing it a tenth of a second in the benchmark sprint. Both models are electronically-limited to 250km/h.

One clever bit of tech lifted from the GT S supercar are active engine mounts, able to continually adjust their stiffness in the name of improving refinement while cruising or handling while at maximum attack. Most buyers, however, will be more interested in the sports exhaust, which hopefully offers plenty of that trademark AMG rumble.

Of course, all the equipment in the world is of little use if it doesn’t drive brilliantly, so check back Tuesday for our first fang of the new C63 S.

Standard equipment list for the Mercedes-AMG C63 S:

The all-new Volvo XC90 is sure to win hearts and minds in the large luxury SUV segment with its breathtaking interior, handsome exterior, capable drivetrains, well-judged dynamics and strong safety credentials.

WHAT IS IT? Replacement for the original XC90, introduced in 2002, and the first all-new Volvo created since the brand was bought from Ford by Chinese company Geely in 2010.

WHY WE’RE TESTING IT Full-scale production of the Volvo XC90 doesn’t begin until July, but Volvo shipped pre-production cars to Barcelona for an early preview of its most important model in decades.

MAIN RIVALS Other big, premium-brand SUVs with seven seats as standard or optional, including the soon-to-be-replaced Audi Q7 and relatively fresh BMW X5.

THE WHEELS VERDICT Brilliant! Sensible rather than sporty, and all the better for it, the Volvo XC90 deserves to steal a substantial slice of the large luxury SUV market from the Audi Q7 and BMW X5. The interior is beautiful, roomy, flexible and practical, and the rest ain’t bad, either.

PLUS: Luscious interior; exterior style; drivetrains; safety technology MINUS: Air suspension’s low-speed ride; it’s damned big

THE WHEELS REVIEW INSIDE, the Volvo XC90 is serene and special. This interior is lovely to look at and easy to use, exuding the calm confidence of Scandinavia’s special brand of design sophistication. The interior of this big, luxurious, seven-seat SUV is simply superb, and superbly simple. It’s the triumphant focus point of a car that signals Volvo’s ambition and ability.

After a long period of attempting, with varied success, to transform flat-pack Ford tech into premium-priced products, the era of Ikea-posing-as-designer-brand-Swedese has come to a close at Volvo. The XC90 is the brand’s first clean-sheet car since it was bought by Chinese company Geely in 2010, ending more than a decade of Ford ownership.

Unlike the closely-related-to-Focus V40 of 2012, there are no ‘legacy’ Ford parts in the new XC90. It’s the first model based on Volvo’s new Scalable Platform Architecture. What SPA boils down to is a high-strength steel body housing transverse four-cylinder engines, front-drive and all-wheel-drive powertrains (including a plug-in hybrid), new front double A-arm and rear multilink suspensions, and a future-proofed electrical system.

The XC90’s engines are all 2.0-litre aluminium fours from Volvo’s designed-in-house Drive-E family. The D5 is a 165kW and 470Nm twin-sequential turbo diesel, while the T6 is a 236kW and 400Nm supercharged and turbocharged petrol-burner. The T8 badge signifies plug-in hybrid, which pairs the T6 engine, driving only the front wheels, with a rear-mounted 60kW electric motor sucking from a lithium-ion battery pack in the XC90’s centre tunnel. This drivetrain’s maximum outputs are a V8-rivalling 296kW and 640Nm.

All three are headed our way. The $89,950 T5 in Momentum equipment grade will be the least expensive when the new XC90 launches in Australia in August. The initial offering will be T5 and T6 in Momentum, Inscription and R-Design grades. The $101,950 R-Design-only T6 will be briefly the most expensive of the line-up, before the $122,950 T8 R-Design arrives a few months later. Although Volvo admits it’s working on front-drive versions of the XC90, initial production is all all-wheel-drive. The D5 and T6 use an on-demand Haldex clutch system.

Although the new XC90 is lighter than the model it replaces – by up to 125kg, say Volvo’s engineers – this is still a hefty chunk of car; almost five metres long and well over two tonnes. Yet the least powerful engine shifts the XC90 along quite nicely. The T5’s delivery is linear and refined; you’re aware it’s a four-cylinder diesel, but only vaguely. The T6 brings a lift in performance, but isn’t as happy a match with the XC90’s laid-back nature. The twin-charged petrol engine feels more obviously boosted than the diesel, and a little gruff when it’s pushed hard.

Both D5 and T6 have an eight-speed Aisin automatic, which works well. In keeping with the XC90’s dynamic character there are no steering wheel shift paddles. This is a stick-it-in-‘D’-and-relax kind of car.

All the pre-production XC90s at the Barcelona preview drive were heavily optioned, including air suspension with adaptive damping. So there was no chance to drive the XC90 with its basic set-up of coil springs at the front and transverse plastic leaf spring in the rear. Volvo’s engineers say it delivers ride and handling somewhere between the air suspension’s Comfort and Dynamic modes.

Driving the XC90, it’s obvious the Swedes haven’t futilely shot for SUV pseudo-sportiness. The electric-assisted steering delivers little feel, although the Volvo responds precisely to inputs, even in soft Comfort mode. There’s a fair amount of body roll in all modes, and the XC90 tends to understeer. Still, it doesn’t become completely incoherent when hurried along a winding Spanish backroad.

Slow down a little, and there’s a lot to appreciate. The interior isn’t only a feast for the eyes; the second-row seats are excellent and the third-row is roomy enough for medium-size adults. The Volvo’s large, portrait-oriented central touchscreen is home to an array of intuitive menus, and the rest of the car is equally easy to use. Add to this a palpable sense of safety, based on Volvo’s past mastery of passive measures and leadership in futuristic active technologies, and the XC90 begins to seem a very sensible choice.

SPECS Model: Volvo XC90 D5 Momentum Engine: 1969cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v, TTD Max power: 165kW @ 4250rpm Max torque: 470Nm @ 1750-2500rpm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Weight: 2130kg 0-100km/h: 7.8sec Fuel economy: 5.8L/100km Price: $89,950 On sale: August

THE Mercedes-AMG C63 will start at $154,900 when it goes on sale here in spring 2015 to match the outgoing model’s ask. That’s also $2000 less than arch-rival BMW M3 with Australia being treated to the more powerful C63 S model.

Mercedes Australia already has already received 200 signed orders for its new V8 AMG hero ahead of announcing pricing, which was communicated to dealerships yesterday. The C63 is by far the AMG division’s most popular model, making up 3500 of the 10,000 AMGs sold here in the last decade. A staggering 40,000 have been sold globally.

Based on the new-generation Mercedes-Benz C-Class (codenamed W205), the new C63 is stiffer, 75kg lighter and – with 375kW/700Nm – more potent than before. It also shades the M3’s 317kW output and the Lexus RC F coupe’s 351kW outputs.

That power comes courtesy of the new 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 in place of the 6208cc naturally-aspirated V8 that gave the previous 336kW/600Nm C63 its name (for 6.3-litre, as it was badged).

Combined with the new hand-built engine, the rear-wheel drive 7-speed automatic sedan has a 0-100km/h claim of 4.0sec – a huge 0.8ec better than Wheels‘ fastest test time for the outgoing version. While packing more punch, the new C63 also has a claimed combined fuel economy figure of 8.6L/100km compared to the 12.1L/100km of its predecessor.

The Mercedes-AMG C63 Estate will also arrive at the same time as the sedan, starting at $157,400.

The original C63 AMG was introduced here in March 2008 at a starting price of $144K, but prices gradually climbed to $155K for the sedan. Mercedes Australia says that the content of the new model would easily add $10K to that price, and that’s before considering the benefits of the new generation engine, and lighter, more rigid chassis.

The Mercedes-AMG C63 Coupe is the final body style to join they line-up, but that won’t arrive here until 2016. Pricing has yet to be announced, but it’s expected to be around $165K to match the BMW M4 and Audi RS5.

The lone wolf in this segment is the Lexus RC F that was launched earlier this month. Powered by a naturally-aspirated 5.0-litre V8, the rear-drive coupe starts of at $133,500 to be the clear price leader.