YOU ARE hauling along on one of the finest driving roads you have ever experienced. It’s an opera of second- and third-gear bends, many blind, mixed with hairpins and also faster curves that almost, but not quite, open into genuine sweepers.
About 30 minutes ago, you reached that point where you can hear your passenger speaking but no longer bother answering. You’re in the zone. You, your car and the road have bonded. In the curious way that sometimes happens on roads you’ve never seen, you hit a corner-to-corner rhythm that can’t be broken.
This is perfect.
Well, not quite. Let’s kick it up a notch. The car you’re driving in this optimum scenario is a sporty number, obviously. But it could do with more force, so factor in another 100 kilowatts – all the way up to 420 – most of them just now launching you out of a sweetly-cambered right-hander onto a short straight.
A sequence of lights on the dash graduates from orange to red. Grab the next gear. Then the next, and the next, all the way up to seventh. So long as we’re dreaming, we may as well add some track-style equipment to our fantasy. And, while we’re at it, how about gullwing doors?
Nobody said dreams have to be logical.
Let the dream continue. Now you arrive at a hairpin that didn’t look like a hairpin 100 metres ago. It’s tighter than Japanese immigration laws, but you’ve got brakes so powerful that working the left pedal for too long can actually send you backwards in time. You peel out of there, waiting for the next light to cue upshifting the 6.2 litre V8, and…
There’s an old, smoking VW Beetle in your lane. It’s dawdling uphill towards a blind curve, so you don’t have a chance to safely overtake. That’s alright. Ease off for a few minutes. Nudge the gearbox from paddle-controlled manual into full auto. Breathe. An opportunity will soon turn up.
But it doesn’t. The road becomes yet more twisty and oncoming traffic is suddenly, infuriatingly, abundant. You know that beyond this Beetle lies at least another hour of driving heaven but you just can’t get at it.
You’re contemplating the sort of overtaking move that you used to pull when you were in your 20s when something frightening appears in your rear-vision mirror. It’s a big, black police cruiser. Lightbar flashing red and blue. Reflector shades glaring from behind the windscreen.
This dream has taken a grim turn. Sweat appears on your brow. The temperature seems to have leapt by 10 degrees. It isn’t surprising. After all, you’ve just been hauling for hours at an average speed at least double the posted limit. Your peak speed has sometimes tripled it.
And here are the cops, who’ve been following you for God-only-knows-how-long, about to drag you in and subject you to the local vivisection penalty for extreme velocity abuse.
Then the police cruiser suddenly overtakes you on the passenger side, filling the emergency lane, and runs up hard towards the Beetle’s right-rear guard. For a second or so the cruiser menaces that old Volkswagen as though preparing to tag him, NASCAR-style.
Alarmed, the Bug jumps across and out of your way.
A friendly arm extends from the police cruiser’s window and waves you to pass. Go right on ahead, it telegraphs. We have neutralised the slowpoke and once again the road is yours. So you kick it down three gears and clear the area like a sprint-capable Mafia don granted parole.
Your passenger looks across and asks: “Did that really happen?”
This is where the dream ends. It really did happen. The roads, the curves, the speed, the Beetle and the police. In Mexico, when Mercedes invites journalists to hustle 11 SLS AMG coupes across hundreds of deliciously serpentine public roads, anything can happen.
Mercedes clearly has huge confidence in its SLS to figure 11 of them can emerge unscathed after two days of high-speed punishment on Mexican roads. While the country’s drug gangs commonly behead their rivals, Mexican roads attack the lower regions. Low-slung Italian rivals would be chalk outlines after Oaxaca to Huatulco. Why, they might not even make it to San Pedro Jose Ayutla Quetzaltepec Escondido del Rio.
Not that the SLS isn’t low-slung. It is, but it’s also built to Tonka tolerances when it comes to potholes, collapsed road edges and general Mexican asphalt abominations.
Which is why we were in Mexico in the first place, by the way. This is where the first Gullwing, the W194, won the Carrera Panamericana road race in 1952.
The Carrera, run on many of the same sections of public road we use in 2010, was so dangerous that it was abandoned after just five events run from 1950 to 1955. Just consider that for a second. This race was believed too dangerous for Mexico in the 1950s, when life expectancy for locals was just 49 years. To experience the same Carrera-level of danger today, you’d have to wear a ‘JIHAD IS GAY’ T-shirt in the Tora Bora mountains.
Another sign of Mercedes confidence: the company wheeled out the very W194 that won at Le Mans 58 years ago and allowed journalists to accompany the priceless car on a few joy rides through Mexican back roads. This felt wonderful but wrong, like using Michelangelo’s David as a toboggan, but it served to demonstrate the DNA connection between Gullwings old and new.
The link extends beyond birdlike doors (which in the case of the W194 are so membrane-thin that they flex visibly upon opening; a single SLS door, by comparison, could serve as a bridge staunchon). There is also the sound. Both 1952 and 2010 Gullwings play the same intoxicating engine soundtrack when clicking down through the gears, a raucous fireworks session on overrun.
It’s the type of song you anticipate from a race-tuned straight-six of the W194’s vintage. You’d think, however, that by 2010 engine management systems would be fancy enough to overcome this sort of thing – and you’d be right. So the overrun crackle of the SLS is engineered in. AMG’s engine geniuses have programmed their hand-assembled V8s to receive an extra taste of fuel when you get out of the throttle, just to provide the world’s most perfect sound this side of Scarlett Johansson saying “Yes”.
After the first full day of driving, from Puebla – a couple of traffic-choked roads from Mexico City – to Oaxaca, the engine’s glorious sound is the overwhelming aural impression.
YouTube footage of German DTM champion and ex-F1 driver Bernd Schneider conducting an SLS around the Nurburgring features a prominent amount of tyre noise, however. This proved nearly impossible to generate in less racy hands.
Even pushing the SLS to what seemed like very serious corner speeds simply left the tyres mute. Other pressmen, much faster than me, reported similar silence. I asked some of the Mercedes engineers if Schneider’s Nurburgring SLS was equipped, as were our press cars, with Continental tyres.
Yes, they replied. Identical. So now you have a failsafe means of measuring SLS corner pace. If you hear those tyres talking, you’re either Bernd Schneider or you’re about to meet some trees.
My, but you’d have to make some unusual directional decisions before reaching that point. The SLS’s engine is entirely behind the front axle line and set low, thanks to a dry sump. Combine that with a rear-mounted gearbox and it results in 48/52 weight distribution. It’s primed for precisely neutral handling. In another signal of Mercedes confidence, the suspension is non-adjustable.
The closest device to the SLS might be the front-engined Panoz endurance racer of a few years ago. That thundering machine easily ran with mid-engined cars during several seasons of competition, despite its relatively simple stock-based Ford V8. Schneider, who is with us for the Mexican fun, and his Mercedes associates become visibly animated when the Panoz is mentioned. One of them quietly said how much he’d like to get his hands on old Panoz race telemetry. There are obviously secrets yet to be unlocked about the magic of a front/mid-engine design.
Its real-life worth is no mystery. Free of imbalance vices, the SLS just goes exactly where you point it. There’s a trace element of understeer somewhere in the mix, but only at urban background radiation levels. It can be measured, if you have sufficiently sensitive equipment, but it isn’t going to affect anything.
A point of debate about the SLS: is it a sports car or a grand tourer? Those arguing for the former category point to the extreme dynamic finesse plus a two-seater cabin that is surprisingly snug, given the car’s width. Driven even at five-tenths, though, the SLS is a continent-eater.
The sports/GT question was resolved for me on a sustained left-hand bend which changed radius slightly about three times. By pure chance I’d arrived at an almost ideal speed for the first section, then was able to cover the following radius differences with ludicrously tiny throttle movements. The engine’s flyweight internals make it minutely responsive, so you can hover at a traction premium eternally, given the right corner. Very few street-legal engines offer this level of telepathic connection.
It’s a sports car. Live with it, grand tourer dissenters (and you can, quite easily, in seats that initially feel unforgiving but which after a 400-kilometre jaunt still leave you fit to slouch casually in a Mexican bar full of literary types and pretend you’re an expert on obscure novelists who write about ‘magic realism’).
Of course, it is vaguely possible that some may be attracted to the SLS simply because of its awesome looks. Again, however, there is an opinion divide. Most agree that the SLS’s gaping grille and panther-like frontal aspect work. The functional air vents aft of the front wheels are also pleasing, as is the Sahara-sized bonnet with its simple raised central section.
But folks who are unable to deal with issues of automotive proportion – I know; Australian psychiatric wards are absolutely full of them – might struggle with the way that the SLS’s taut cabin resolves into a too- truncated, er, trunk.
Onlookers were impressed, though. Almost fatally so. Dawdling slowly through one small village, the driver of an approaching ute caught sight of our silver SLS and veered slightly to his right while under a Gullwing trance. At the same time, an elderly woman was making her way along the same section of road on foot. At the last possible millisecond the ute driver swerved away, although not in time to completely avoid contact. The woman’s left arm was clipped as the ute swung by. He immediately stopped to make certain the woman hadn’t been badly hurt.
So you’ve got 11 300km/h Gullwings in the country, with foreign drivers of various abilities behind their paddle-equipped steering wheels and an all-clear on speed limits from the local police – and the most dangerous moment involves a busted-arse old ute and the village matriarch. Something to think about there.
Actually, there was one other dangerous moment. Mexican roads are infested with what are called topes. These gigantic speedhumps most usually appear within townships and on the roads immediately leading to them. Usually they are signposted. Usually there are abundant warnings of an upcoming tope.
Usually.
The warnings are necessary, because we’re not talking about your common Australian suburban traffic-calming device here. These babies can be a couple of feet high, with approaches so abrupt that they’d stall a trials bike. And no two topes are alike. It’s easy to be tricked into thinking you’ve mastered the topes after a couple of less-severe examples, then a few metres later you’re climbing the Matterhorn.
Ground clearance wasn’t a huge priority for the SLS’s designers, so we treated every tope as a potential drive-ender. The standard strategy was to basically make a complete stop before advancing at an angle to avoid expensive undercar scraping. Even so, there were a few times when skidplates – the SLS does have a couple, surprisingly – were put to work.
That’s fine, when you’re moving at matriarch speed. But at one point I happened upon Mexico’s most evil tope of them all: the highway-dwelling Invisible Tope of Mystery. I’d just overtaken an old truck and was about to move back into the right lane when the ancient Golf some distance ahead signalled via left indicator that the road ahead of him was clear. No problem. A few seconds of AMG V8 would deal with that.
We were doing 170km/h when my passenger – another Australian journalist – began screaming: “There’s one! THERE’S ONE!”
Now, a few issues were at play here. For a start, I was primarily concerned with the possibility of oncoming cars, which is a big mistake in Mexico where one should consider the possibility of absolutely anything (kidnapping, vulture attack, the bloody vengeance of furious Aztec gods) occurring at any time.
Also, my passenger had earlier that day spent some time at the side of the road experiencing the debilitating after-effects of Mexican tap water. The previous night he had turned a hotel bathroom into (his words) a “cave painting”.
There were no cars heading towards us. I seriously thought he was hallucinating. Then I saw the tope. It was a monster.
I might have dragged the SLS down to about 60km/h when we hit, which means only a tiny amount of braking time from those colossal discs. Reflexively, I got off the brakes just before impact so the nose might be a few millimetres higher. As if it was going to make much difference.
But somehow we vaulted over the Great Tope of Legend without any metal-on-tope action at all. We must have hit a sweet spot or been blessed by an authentic Mexican miracle. Later, nervously confessing to one of the Mercedes officials, I was startled when he laughed it off. “You should have seen the Japanese guys,” he said. “One foot of air between the car and the road!”
There’s that Mercedes confidence again. They truly believe their car is immortal. They may be right.
Some want to take this test again. Schneider has driven at Monza, Le Mans, Spa and the Nürburgring but was absolutely taken with Mexico’s curves. One morning he bumped into some of the friendly Mexican police during a coffee break. He asked about the sort of fines that would usually be handed out for our levels of speed. The police misunderstood. No, no, they reassured him. You won’t be fined here. It’s all good.
Schneider tried again. “What I mean is,” he said, “what if I come back here for a holiday?”
While you might see a few drunken Frankensteins lumbering about tonight thanks to Halloween, expect to see another kind of monster lurking in well-heeled Oz suburbs next year. BMW has officially revealed the second-generation of its M-fettled X5 and X6 utility vehicles, and they’re heading for Australia.
Headlining the credentials of the new X5 M and X6 M is a slight increase in power from their 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8, which now pumps out 423kW and 750Nm. The engine is the centrepiece of the two’s shared powertrain and uses the same direct-injected unit found in the brawny M5 and M6, but revisions to its induction have liberated an extra 23kW and 70Nm – endowing it with a torque figure not even the recently released 441kW limited edition Jahre M5 can match.
The duo’s momentous torque peak now arrives at 2200rpm, or 700rpm later than the old model’s 1500rpm, holding until 5000rpm before peak power takes over at 6000rpm.
The transmission matched to the twin-turbo V8 has also been upgraded from the previous six-speed auto to BMW’s ‘M Steptronic’ eight-speed torque converter, said to mimic the characteristics of BMW’s double clutcher found in other M models. The extra cogs have lopped a few litres off its official claimed consumption figure; scoring 11.1 litres per 100km in the EU combined cycle – a figure lower than pretty much any HSV or FPV’s.
The powertrain will also be able to distribute the full-750Nm to either the front or rear axles thanks to the use of an electronically controlled multi-plate clutch within the all-wheel drive system.
The pair will both use a staggered set of 20-inch wheels wrapped in 285mm and 325mm wide Pirelli’s (front and rear, respectively) which are tasked with translating all that power to speed, which the Pirelli’s do very well: both vehicles are claimed to hit 100km/h in 4.2 seconds.
Burdened with the arduous role of slowing the cars down are a set of six-piston grabbers up front and single-piston brakes at the rear.
Top whack is limited to 250km/h, however, BMW’s European press release indicates an optional ‘M Driver’s package’ can lift that figure to 280km/h. But if the straight line speed isn’t enough to get your rocks off, BMW has also included an MDM (M Dynamic Mode) setting within the stability control system to allow small-time drifts with a predetermined safety net.
Aesthetically, the exterior of both cars will receive the usual M-style tweaks, notably M-specific wheels, larger cooling intakes, flared guards and a quad-tip exhaust muffler. While the interior of both cars also get the M-treatment scoring upgraded seats and instrument cluster, along with a raft of other M parts.
BMW tells us deliveries of the X5 M and X6 M will begin either late first quarter or early second quarter 2015, whereas prices are yet to be confirmed. However, expect to fork out something near the previous prices of $180K for the SUV and $190K for its coupe styled counterpart.
While you might see a few drunken Frankensteins lumbering about tonight thanks to Halloween, expect to see another kind of monster lurking in well-heeled Oz suburbs next year. BMW has officially revealed the second-generation of its M-fettled X5 and X6 utility vehicles, and they’re heading for Australia.
Headlining the credentials of the new X5 M and X6 M is a slight increase in power from their 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8, which now pumps out 423kW and 750Nm. The engine is the centrepiece of the two’s shared powertrain and uses the same direct-injected unit found in the brawny M5 and M6, but revisions to its induction have liberated an extra 23kW and 70Nm – endowing it with a torque figure not even the recently released 441kW limited edition Jahre M5 can match.
The duo’s momentous torque peak now arrives at 2200rpm, or 700rpm later than the old model’s 1500rpm, holding until 5000rpm before peak power takes over at 6000rpm.
The transmission matched to the twin-turbo V8 has also been upgraded from the previous six-speed auto to BMW’s ‘M Steptronic’ eight-speed torque converter, said to mimic the characteristics of BMW’s double clutcher found in other M models. The extra cogs have lopped a few litres off its official claimed consumption figure; scoring 11.1 litres per 100km in the EU combined cycle – a figure lower than pretty much any HSV or FPV’s.
The powertrain will also be able to distribute the full-750Nm to either the front or rear axles thanks to the use of an electronically controlled multi-plate clutch within the all-wheel drive system.
The pair will both use a staggered set of 20-inch wheels wrapped in 285mm and 325mm wide Pirelli’s (front and rear, respectively) which are tasked with translating all that power to speed, which the Pirelli’s do very well: both vehicles are claimed to hit 100km/h in 4.2 seconds.
Burdened with the arduous role of slowing the cars down are a set of six-piston grabbers up front and single-piston brakes at the rear.
Top whack is limited to 250km/h, however, BMW’s European press release indicates an optional ‘M Driver’s package’ can lift that figure to 280km/h. But if the straight line speed isn’t enough to get your rocks off, BMW has also included an MDM (M Dynamic Mode) setting within the stability control system to allow small-time drifts with a predetermined safety net.
Aesthetically, the exterior of both cars will receive the usual M-style tweaks, notably M-specific wheels, larger cooling intakes, flared guards and a quad-tip exhaust muffler. While the interior of both cars also get the M-treatment scoring upgraded seats and instrument cluster, along with a raft of other M parts.
BMW tells us deliveries of the X5 M and X6 M will begin either late first quarter or early second quarter 2015, whereas prices are yet to be confirmed. However, expect to fork out something near the previous prices of $180K for the SUV and $190K for its coupe styled counterpart.
THE Mercedes-Benz C-Class Convertible will land here in 2016 for a fresh assault on its rivals, the BMW 4 Series Convertible and Audi A5 Cabrio.
These spy images show a prototype of the new generation C-Class drop-top, which will make a comeback after the previous CLK version was pensioned off in 2010.
The new C-Class Convertible will benefit from the full gamut of tech from the impressive new C-Class sedan.
Unlike the previous CLK convertible, and the current E-Class (A207) that is an amalgam of previous-gen C- and E-Class underpinnings, the new folding-roof pillarless C-Class will use the rear-wheel-drive MRA (Modular Rear Architecture) platform for a less compromised result.
This will arm it with an 80mm-longer wheelbase (now 2840mm), reduced overhang at both the front and rear ends, and more aluminium and high-strength steel to reduce weight by up to 40kg.
The more exotic materials will also make this the stiffest C-Class Convertible to date, helping reduce scuttle shake.
It will continue with a fabric folding roof, like the Audi A5 Cabriolet, and not a full metal version as used on the BMW 4 Series Convertible.
In addition to engineering advances such as clever consolidation of suspension components into fewer, lighter and easier to manufacture parts, the C-Class will have the brilliantly executed interior seen in the sedan, where the entry-level C200 comes with gloss-black facia and Artico artificial leather.
The 7.0-inch centre display will show the standard sat-nav (operated via the superb Comand controller) and an optional head-up display will be available.
Safety equipment includes radar cruise control, blind-spot indicators, Active Parking Assist, a plethora of airbags and ‘agility control’ that offers five settings that control the suspension, steering, throttle and transmission.
Engines should mirror the sedans, including the base 2.0-litre petrol producing 135kW/300Nm, mated to a seven-speed automatic, a 155kW version used in the C250 and a 2.1-litre diesel delivering 150kW/500Nm.
The platform also provides capability for hybrid and all-wheel drive, as well as the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 set for the C63 sedan and wagon that arrive next year.
We could see production of a Mercedes-AMG C63 Convertible for the first time to take on the BMW M4 Convertible and Audi RS5 Cabriolet.
The new Mercedes C-Class Convertible is due in Australia in 2016, with prices expected to be in line with the BMW 4-Series Convertible, which starts at $88,800.
FERRARI is up for sale. Well, a small slice of it could be next year as part of a revenue-raiser for parent company Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, the car-making giant has announced.
Details are still sketchy, but FCA is believed to be preparing to sell off a 10 percent stake of its Italian cash cow, listing the privatised stake on the US stock market, as well as potentially in Europe.
According to reports, the remaining stake in the Maranello supercar maker and F1 aspirant will be distributed to shareholders in the Dutch-registered, US-listed and London-based Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
Analysts have estimated that the standalone Ferrari business could be valued around €5 billion ($A6.3 billion).
The decision to shed the exotic car-maker comes as the newly merged Fiat Chrysler attempts to raise funds to help the Italian side of the business complete its takeover of the US car brand.
As part of the takeover, the recently formed Fiat Chrysler Automobiles plans to spend almost $A60 billion in an effort to make-over its product line-up and stay competitive against the likes of General Motors, Ford, Volkswagen Group and Toyota.
FCA’s third-quarter financial results, launched overnight alongside the announcement about Ferrari’s future, show the car-making giant posted a €188 million ($A268m) pre-tax profit for the period, on par with the same three-month period last year.
While the parent company’s performance was relatively flat, its Maserati and Ferrari sports car divisions were the stand-outs.
Maserati more than doubled sales in the third quarter – shipping 8896 vehicles, up from 3953 in the same period last year, as buyers warmed to its new Ghibli saloon and diesel Quattroporte – for a pre-tax profit of €90m, up from €43m.
Despite building one-fifth the number of cars as Maserati, Ferrari clocked up a similar pre-tax profit of €89m, about the same as last year, even with a one-off €15 million in “compensation costs” related to the departure of former chairman Luca di Montezemolo.
DIESEL is still a dirty word at Lexus.
The company launched its new compact prestige SUV in Adelaide this week, but there was no diesel model in the line up.
The two biggest rivals for the new model are the Audi Q5 and the BMW X3. Audi says around 80 per cent of the Q5s it sells have a diesel engine, while BMW says 77 per cent of X3s it sells run on diesel.
They are compelling numbers, but Lexus has no plan to offer a diesel in the NX or any other model it sells.
Instead, it has launched the NX in Australia with a petrol-electric hybrid NX, which is to be joined by a turbo petrol four-cylinder next year.
The chief engineer of the NX, Takeaki Kato, said diesel was never part of the NX project.
“No, the problem with the diesel is the NOx (nitrous oxide) and the particulates, he said.
“We are focused on hybrids.”
Kato says the prestige brand, owned by hybrid pioneer Toyota, only has so much money to invest in power systems and it is better directed at non-diesels.
“Powertrain developments require a lot development investment,” he says.
“We have to develop plug-in, we have to do fuel-cell… we are not so focused on the diesel.”
Wheels asked the chief executive of Lexus Australia, Sean Hanley, whether the NX would be at a big disadvantage by entering the diesel-dominated SUV market without a diesel.
He said: “It is clear that there is demand for diesel in Australia, but Lexus made a decision eight years ago that hybrid technology was our future solution to alternative drivetrain motoring and we stick by that.”
He added: “We feel somewhat vindicated from our own sales and now our competitors are releasing their own hybrids.”
When it comes to volume alone, hybrids are small fry in Australia, with VFACTS figures showing Australians bought just 9344 hybrid vehicles during the first nine months of this year. Over the same period, they bought 529,855 petrol cars and 121,114 diesels (not including utes or vans).
However, around 40 per cent of cars Lexus sells locally are hybrid and Hanley is confident that number can increase to 50 per cent in the near future.
Lexus does not produce any cars with diesel engines, instead offering petrol-electric hybrids for every model, barring the hulking LX 4×4, which is closely related to Toyota’s LandCruiser.
The LX would be a perfect candidate for a diesel engine because of both its size and the fact the donor vehicle has a diesel already.
“I think in that large SUV segment it is clear that there is interest, but right now, in the immediate future, we have now plans for that,” Hanley says.
The NX 300h hybrid, which costs between $55,000 and $75,000 depending on the model, is available as a front-drive or an all-wheel drive.
Its 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, CVT and electric motor all driving the front wheels is largely the same as the Toyota Camry Hybrid.
However, the AWD version is different again as it has an additional 50kW electric motor that feeds power to the rear wheels when directed by the engine control system.
Kato says the real motor is called on when the front wheels start to slip, but it is also used in all conditions when the car accelerates quickly and when it runs through a corner (to help the car corner better).
WHAT IS IT? Officially the greenest version of the revised third-generation Cayenne, but with plenty of performance despite the stunning fuel economy numbers
WHY WE’RE TESTING IT To find out if it really can provide the best of both worlds – the performance of the Cayenne S and better fuel numbers than the V6 diesel
MAIN RIVALS Range Rover Sport, BMW X5, Range Rover Sport
WHEELS VERDICT Looks great on paper, but will struggles to get close to its amazing economy figures if you want to leave the city
PLUS: Looks, handling, comfort, performance MINUS: Expensive, heavy, limited electric range, can’t match diesel economy on longer journeys
THE WHEELS REVIEW It would be unfair to say the Cayenne S E-Hybrid is a one-trick pony. Like the rest of the recently tweaked-and-tucked Cayenne range it’s extremely good at everything from high-speed cruising to mild off-roading. But it will definitely be its economy numbers that win it the most attention.
The official figures border on the surreal. On the EU test cycle – which plug-ins are allowed to start with their battery packs fully charged – the E-Hybrid consumes just 3.4 litres/ 100km. This in a vehicle that has a total combined power output of 306kW and, despite weighing 2350kg, can drag its lardy arse from 0-100km/h in 5.9 seconds. Drive a hulking great SUV, save the planet, all at the same time.
But, of course, there’s a but: like all of its plug-in brethren the E-Hybrid can only deliver those numbers if you never stray too far from an electrical socket. Beyond its electric-only range of 35km, it’s just a hybrid carting around an extra-large battery pack.
Mechanically the Cayenne E-Hybrid is pretty much identical to the plug-in version of the Panamera that’s been on sale in Europe for over a year. Both share the same supercharged V6 and 70kW electric motor that is sandwiched between the engine and the standard eight-speed auto ‘box. The Cayenne has slightly more battery capacity – 10.8 kW/h versus 9.4 kW/h – but otherwise the two cars are Appalachian cousins in terms of shared DNA.
The good news is the greenest Cayenne it’s no hair shirt special. Left to its own devices the e-Hybrid operates in electric-only mode at low speeds, and this makes it extremely smooth and quiet when asked to trundle. The engine cuts in as required, with the powertrain’s transition from electrons to hydrocarbons seamless. You can lock it into electric-only mode at speeds of up to 125km/h, although faster progress destroys battery range.
The rest of the driving experience is almost identical to the standard V6 Cayenne S. You can feel the E-Hybrid’s extra mass when attacking a tighter road, but it still grips and turns remarkably well for something so tall and heavy. Under extreme abuse it does wilt in a way the standard Cayenne doesn’t – with the brakes starting to fade after being asked to cope with repeated big stops. A stretch of Autobahn confirmed it’s happy to cruise north of 200km/h, little use though that will be over here…
And economy? Porsche laid on a gentle 50km test route which the E-Hybrid started with a fully-charged battery pack, the trip computer reporting 3.4 litres/100km at the far end – the award from Greenpeace is in the post. For contrast, 50km of enthusiastic caning in the same car saw the display reading 19.6 litres/100km, and brought a knighthood for services to the petrochemical industry. The truth lies somewhere between those contradictory extremes.
Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid Engine: 2995cc V6, dohc, 24V, SC with 70kW electrical motor Max power: 306kW @ 5500rpm (total) Max torque: 590Nm @ 1250 – 4000rpm (total) Transmission: 8-speed automatic Weight: 2350kg 0-100km/h: 5.9sec Fuel economy: 3.4L/100km (EU) Price: $139,200 On sale: Now
THE MAZDA CX-3 will be shown at the 2014 Los Angeles motor show and will pose a genuine threat to the Holden Trax and the Nissan Juke. Despite the name, the CX-3 is not based on the Mazda 3 but instead rides on the same underpinnings as the new Mazda 2 hatch that arrives in Australian showrooms this November.
Sitting below the soon to be facelifted CX-5 in the Mazda line-up, the 4.25m-long crossover will use the same 1.5-litre SkyActiv four-cylinder engine as the diminutive 2 hatch for front-wheel drive models, albeit mounted longitudinally, with a larger 2.0-litre four-cylinder delivering more grunt for higher-spec all-wheel drive versions. That also means a choice of six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic transmission with shift-paddles to choose from.
The CX-3 will have same 2750mm wheelbase as the new Mazda 2, which only has a 220-litre boot, but it’s likely that Mazda will have repackaged the rear of the CX-3 for maximum space and versatility. Rivals such as the Holden Trax boast a 356-litre boot, while the updated Nissan Juke has addressed poor packaging issues to liberate 103 litres of space for a 354-litre cargo bay. Saving space (and cost) for the Mazda will be a torsion-beam rear-end, with McPherson-type struts up front.
For the new Mazda, there will also be a full suite of safety and infotainment in the cabin, which if the Mazda 2 is anything to go by, should be plush for its class and well-executed, with a tablet-style touchscreen and safety gear offered including radar-cruise, lane change assist, blind-spot monitoring and automatic emergency braking.
Mazda Australia expects the CX-3 to outsell the 2, with it potentially being the brand’s second-best seller behind the 3 – the best-selling car in Australia for 2012, runner-up in 2013 and currently locked in a tussle with the Toyota Corolla for the Number One position this year.
The Mazda CX-3 should be in showrooms in late 2015, priced from around $21K.
STRANGE and wonderful things are happening at Volvo. In its first season it Aussie V8 Supercars, its blue S60 is grabbing oodles of pole positions and winning races.
The tradies and CUBs like the street version, too. The sneers have gone. The Volvo S60, track star, is fashionable. Admired. Loved.
Australia, a demanding and discerning place for performance cars, has been a pilot market for two punchy, limited-run road versions of the Polestar-tuned S60 since June 2013.
Starting as a Volvo racing team, privately owned and Sweden-based Polestar has evolved to now engineering production versions of the Volvo S60 and (as from October) the Volvo V60, lavishing them with special go-faster touches.
The taste testing is done and Australia and the world (well, seven other markets including the UK and USA) are getting the sizzling new, further improved S60 and V60 Polestar.
Make no mistake, these are spirited, carefully created cars for the new breed of punters.
Power and torque was never an issue. The turbo straight six lays down numbers to worry any competitors, with a pleasing, active exhaust sound accompanying any serious urgency with the throttle.
Torque range and transmission have been optimised for driveability. In Sport and Manual modes, the six-speed auto gives minimal “interference” meaning it holds gears longer and won’t change unprompted mid-corner.
With stability control turned off and sensors measuring lateral forces and throttle position, the Haldex AWD concedes more wheel slip and gives more rear-drive bias. The throttle can be picked up oh so early and firmly exiting corners, and if you nail the sweet spot there’s even a touch of oversteer.
But like most autos, there is a slight delay between tapping the upshift paddle and the ‘box grabbing the next gear. This isn’t dual-clutch speedy….
Suspension has been tweaked since the MY14 iteration, increasing chassis control. Settings are 80 per cent stiffer than the regular S60 R Design model, but still splendidly compliant. Anti-lock brakes and electronic stability control have been recalibrated around the revised suspension tune and tyre/wheel package.
Low-profile 245/35 ZR20 Michelin Pilot Super Sports instead of 19-inch Bridgestones have helped lift corner pace and accuracy, along with comfort (noise), albeit with some light roar on secondary roads. Better than before, though.
Resulting grip levels are notable and corners can be tackled confidently at rocket-like speeds with the added knowledge that any modest understeer can be eliminated with subtle throttle adjustment, without unsettling the rig.
On the race track, stopping performance of the big Brembo brakes, with new main cylinder and brake booster, remained consistent.
Enthusiast owners may climb underneath with a spanner for personal rebound and compression tuning of the bespoke Ohlins shockers anywhere from fully firm (0) to the softest setting (20) to suit conditions and road surface. Takes just a few minutes. We were more than happy with the factory setting which nods to a mix of poise and ride comfort.
The S60 and V60 are loaded with safety, comfort and convenience goodies. Hero colour is the same blue as the two V8 Supercars, but other hues are available – white, silver, black…
The important improvements to the seating and introduction of paddle shifting earlier in 2014 help deliver an impression of this being a fine, cleverly sorted all-round driver’s car.
Polestar’s MD Hans Baath emphasises that the S60/V60 Polestars are civilised, full factory Volvos, with the usual warranty and quality.
Polestar and Volvo also reveal the S60 and V70 are the forerunners to more like products, at a time the car maker is poised to move to efficient new platforms and a versatile range of turbo fours.
Bring ‘em on. We’re loving the new-age Volvo Polestars.
It looks slightly confused, but the Mercedes-Benz GLA45 AMG sets the performance benchmark in a booming compact SUV market.
WHAT IS IT It’s the high-riding alternative to Merc’s already proven A45 hatch and CLA45 coupe, and it may just be the best all-rounder of the performance trio.
WHY WE’RE TESTING IT We like to have our cake and eat it too. The GLA45 promises ballistic performance from its 265kW/450Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder AMG engine in a more practical package than the hard-core A45 hot hatch.
MAIN RIVALS Audi RS Q3
THE WHEELS VERDICT Plus: On-road ability; everyday usability; Mercedes-Benz quality Minus: Somewhat ungainly looks; slow gearbox Verdict: Breathtaking power and roadholding without the single-mindedness of a dedicated performance car
THE WHEELS REVIEW I’LL ADMIT that I didn’t get the GLA45 at first. The concept of a performance SUV seems fundamentally conflicted; sporting competency usually comes at the expense of practicalities like ground clearance and cargo space. I approached the GLA45 wondering whether a compact SUV could legitimately wear AMG badges.
Our road test took us on a series of Victorian highways and B-roads before ending up at Sandown Raceway. I quickly realised how far I had underestimated the GLA’s ability to cope with the AMG treatment.
AMG claim its 265kw/450Nm 2.0-litre engine is the most powerful production four-cylinder in the world. Its massive torque hoists the GLA45’s nose as the tyres scrabble for grip, the revs climb freely and the exhaust cracks when shifting at redline. It feels special.
Traction is impressive, especially when launched using the race-start function.
The lack of understeer and huge front-end grip is outstanding, only letting go when provoked foolishly on the track.
Braking power is remarkable. Initial bite is ideal and the pedal has a lovely, even progression.
On the road, the GLA45 makes the most sense. Its fierce power thrills in a more liveable package than the track-focused A45 AMG hot hatch on which it’s based, the more compliant suspension rides beautifully even on the standard 20-inch wheel and tyre package, and the steering calibration is perfect for the road, with great initial turn-in.
Getting off the line normally takes a deliberate stab of the pedal to wake the dual-clutch gearbox. Once away, the seven-speed DCT is unobtrusive, though not as rapid as some others.
One side-effect of highly strung turbocharged engines is a struggle to pick up speed from low revs in higher gears. A quick paddle flip drops you into the peak torque band of 2250-5000rpm.
The GLA’s raised centre of gravity does bring more body roll than its sharpened sibling, but not by much. Stay patient with your inputs, let the car settle and it’s a thoroughly enjoyable drive.
A weight increase of 30kg over the A-Class applies across the GLA range due to chassis strengthening.
Visually, the GLA45 has novelty value, especially when fitted with the attention-seeking Edition 1 pack and rear spoiler for those who really want to advertise their AMG purchase. Neither is to my taste, but they’re easily left off. According to Mercedes, uptake on the spoiler is about 30 percent.
If you’re over six feet and enjoy the odd track day, you may struggle to squeeze between the seat base and roof lining with a helmet, as I did.
Though small inside, it’s beautifully made. Notable AMG touches include perforated leather seats and an unusual octagonal suede-lined steering wheel.
Being the range-topper, the GLA45 comes at a lofty premium. Its list price of $79,430 makes it some $21,530 more expensive than the GLA250 beneath it.
You do get a lot for your money, and Mercedes isn’t short of buyers; orders for the GLA45 AMG run through to March/April next year, with new customers set to wait until May/June.
The Mercedes-Benz GLA45 AMG aims to break down barriers and it does the job well. What it loses in pointedness it makes up for in practicality. As an all-round compromise for the real world, it’s ahead of the pack.
Model: Mercedes-Benz GLA 45 AMG Engine: 1991cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v, turbo Max power: 265kW @ 6000rpm Max torque: 450Nm @ 2250-5000rpm Transmission: 7-speed automatic Kerb weight: 1585kg 0-100km/h: 4.8sec (claimed) Economy: 7.5L/100km (EU) Price: $79,430 On sale: Now
