The Kia Sorento shows why buying a diesel can add up

1. Kia Sorento Si THE base Sorento diesel costs just $1500 more than the petrol version, yet simultaneously slashes fuel use from 9.8 to 6.6L/100km and delivers almost 100Nm of extra torque. It’s plainly the pick, though the manual version (as considered here) is perhaps not as liveable as the auto for urban duty.

Considering the amount of metal for the money and the big Kia’s genuine off-roadability, the $39,990 ask is reasonable, while a 69 percent three-year retained value means depreciation is manageable. Factor in cheap insurance, a 12-month service interval and a five-year* warranty, and the Sorento is a smart buy.

2. Hyundai Santa Fe CRDi Active IT MAKES sense that Sorento’s platform-buddy would feature at the pointy end. It was topped – just – due to its slightly greater depreciation and insurance costs. Bet Hyundai wishes it kept the chassis all to itself.

3. Mitsubishi Pajero GLX MITSUBISHI’S Pajero is something of a Gold Star Value Awards regular. Its recurrence in the results correctly suggests that its value equation is rock-solid. Works far better in the bush than the ’burbs.

*STOP PRESS: Since pubication of this article, Kia has increased its warranty to seven years/unlimited kilometres

Notable classmates: Mazda CX-9 Classic FWD, Holden Colorado 7 LT / Number of cars crunched: 13

Value in spades for these spacious seven-seaters

1. Mitsubishi Outlander LS* The Outlander’s seven-seat option starts a spec level up from the front-drive entry-level ES, in the all-wheel-drive LS. The $36,490 mid-range variant also brings a larger 2.4-litre petrol four-cylinder rather than the base model’s 2.0-litre. You get an extra 14kW and 30Nm through a standard continuously variable transmission, and fuel consumption remains respectable, at 7.5L/100km. Comfort and refinement levels can’t match the best in the class, while the handling is merely okay. But the Outlander isn’t big or unwieldy and offers plenty of room for big families for relatively few bucks. Against the Gold Star Cars criteria, it holds its value well and is relatively inexpensive to insure comprehensively. The 12-month service interval is welcome, while the Japanese brand’s five-year warranty is generous. Never mind that the warranty runs to 130,000km, rather than being unlimited. On average, we Aussies only do 14,000km each year – warranty years are therefore far more important than kays. The Outlander’s a winner, and by a decent margin from its nearest rival.

* The original Gold Star Cars feature, published in the Wheels November 2014, named the Outlander ES as the winner of the Medium SUV seven-seater category. Except that, erm … the ES is a five-seater. However, the Outlander’s cash-saving strengths are inherent to the model, rather than one particular spec level, and aside from a higher purchase price and a small fuel use penalty, the LS is just as easy on the wallet as the ES, but with that crucial extra row of seats. That makes the seven-seat Outlander LS AWD the winner of the category.

2. Nissan X-Trail ST FWD 7-seat NISSAN’S new-gen mid-size SUV remains a buyer’s (not driver’s) car, with a third-row option for the first time. A 70 percent three-year resale is stellar, but a six-month service interval takes the shine off.

3. Holden Captiva 7 LS SOLID rather than standout performance earned Captiva the bronze. Its 9.1L/100km economy and 60 percent three-year resale are fair; it’s cheap to insure at $968, but the nine-month service interval is oddball.

Notable classmates: Dodge Journey SXT, Toyota Kluger GX 2WD / Number of cars crunched: 6

European walkover for crossover class

1. Peugeot 3008 Allure THE definition of a crossover is difficult to pin down, but the Peugeot 3008 Allure’s value offer is black and white. A relatively efficient 115kW 1.6-litre turbo four delivers 7.8L/100km on premium fuel, which is as good as many and better than some. Redbook’s three-year retained value is not brilliant, at 58 percent, but little in the segment betters it. However, the Pug’s insurance is more affordable at $1136, and its 12-monthly service requirement is as good as it gets. Steering and ride comfort are no selling points, but the Pug’s design flair brings left-field appeal.

2. Audi Q5 2.0 TDI quattro A STRONG 72 percent retained value reflects the Q5’s atypical brand-of-the-moment cool, which, along with Audi’s miserly 2.0-litre turbo-diesel, does the bulk of the points-gathering.

3. Mini Cooper S Countryman FWD JACKED-UP not-so-Mini is a consistent performer across the disciplines, bringing engine efficiency, sound resale, a condition-based service system and class-cheapest ($1097) insurance to the table.

Notable classmates: Volvo XC60 D4 Kinetic, VW Passat Alltrack 130TDI / Number of cars crunched: 7

­Mazda provides a lesson in depreciation

1. Mazda CX-5 Akera COMPARING the top-spec CX-5 with the base model, which won its category in the cheaper price bracket, delivers a lesson in the cost of depreciation. While the flagship 2.5-litre petrol AWD Akera has an identical 76 percent retained value figure, its extra $20K cost means it sheds more than $11,000 of its value over three years, compared with $6700 for the entry-level variant. To put it into perspective, that’s more than double what you’ll spend on fuel and insurance over the same period, and that’s for a relatively inexpensive car with a resale figure among the best of the GSC field.

2. Mercedes-Benz GLA200 CDI THE ageing 2.1-litre turbo-diesel four responsible for the GLA200 CDI’s 4.6L/100km combined cycle fuel use isn’t the slickest unit, but it does help the front-drive base model Benz save bucks at the bowser.

3. Toyota RAV4 Cruiser AWD WHAT’S the best thing about the flagship RAV4? Its badge. Toyota longevity is the stuff of legend, and is reflected here by a healthy 66 percent resale.

Notable classmates: BMW X1 sDrive 2.0i / Number of cars crunched: 4

From a staggering 26 SUVs, we’ve crunched the numbers down to the top three.

1. Mazda CX-5 Maxx IT SAYS everything about the enduring popularity of the sports utility vehicle that this is the single biggest Gold Star Value Awards category. Here, 26 of the category’s finest (well, everything on sale) fought it out for top honours.

Even with a glance at its stats, the entry-level CX-5 has all the ingredients of a value-packed winner. It’s cheap to buy, at $27,880, with resale (76 percent) that reflects the fact compact SUVs are as popular used as they are new. In front-drive manual form, the atmo 2.0-litre petrol engine works okay, and what the four-pot lacks in grunt it makes up for with 6.4L/100km official economy on 91 octane juice. The Mazda’s annual comprehensive insurance bill is among the cheapest in class, too, at $950.

Meanwhile, the 12-month service requirement brings family-friendly convenience ahead of rivals with less generous six-month and nine-month intervals. But the real appeal of the class-leading CX-5 is that the value is designed into it from the start. It’s a fine-driving, well-packaged and efficient compact SUV that also happens to be easy on the wallet.

2. Kia Sportage Si WHAT hurts the Kia soft-roader’s score is that it’s 28 percent thirstier than the CX-5, and worse-off for depreciation (71 percent) and insurance ($1012). However, the Korean brand’s five-year* warranty comes to the rescue to snare the Sportage a silver medal.

3. Mitsubishi ASX LS ‘LS’ MAY stand for ‘less stuff’, but also ‘less spent’. Limiting equipment to the must-haves makes the base ASX a bargain buy. Cheap insurance, solid resale, and a five-year warranty help, but 7.6L/100km economy is nothing special.

*STOP PRESS: Since pubication of this article, Kia has increased its warranty to seven years/unlimited kilometres

Notable classmates: Hyundai ix35 Active, Suzuki S-Cross GL / Number of cars crunched: 26

­The dominant Germans have been upstaged by Lexus

1. Lexus GS300h TRADITIONAL Lexus qualities such as a 12-month service interval and a four-year warranty team with newfound polish and appeal in the Japanese brand’s fourth-gen GS series. The luxo sedan brings a beautifully crafted interior, greatly improved (though still not fantastic) chassis dynamics and, as our calculations reveal, a class-leading value equation.

The four-cylinder hybrid GS, at 5.2L/100km on the combined cycle, brings diesel-rivalling fuel efficiency and the brand’s hard-won reputation for reliability is reflected in a 56 percent three-year retained value. Meanwhile, the fact the GS300h was the priciest to insure, at $1582, failed to unravel its ultimately successful tilt at Gold Star glory.

2. Mercedes-Benz E220 CDI OUTDONE by the Lexus on some counts, but the Mercedes’ three-year resale – top-of-the-class at 61 percent – counts for plenty if you turn your car over often.

3. BMW 520i BMW’s entry-level large sedan performed well everywhere for a close-run third. Condition-based servicing a best-case scenario because it means the minimum number of trips to the mechanic.

Notable classmates: Audi A6 2.0 TDI, Jaguar XF 2.0T Luxury / Number of cars crunched: 5

The Big Three battle it out in time-honoured tradition

1. Holden Caprice THE Big Three vying for podium spots sounds like Mount Panorama in the 1970s, but also describes our sub-$60K large sedan class. Not only do Holden, Chrysler and Ford duke it out, but so do the three mainstream fuel types: LPG, diesel and petrol. The clear winner here is the Lion and LPG, but the finish was closer than many of the great Bathurst battles. There was just 0.04 of a percent between first and second, and 0.05 from second to third! That’s incredible given each car has a different set of strengths. For the V6 Holden, the biggie was the low cost of LPG, but a fair 55 percent resale and nine-month service interval also helped.

2. Ford G6E Ecoboost THE four-pot Falcon certainly doesn’t do it on the strength of its three-year resale – 39 percent, ouch! – leaving the Blue Oval to rely on cheap insurance and a 12-month service interval.

3. Chrysler 300 Limited BUMPED to the bronze by a gnat’s knacker. Resale and insurance are the big Yank’s key wins; six-monthly service requirement and a middle-of-the-road diesel bill its defeats.

Notable classmates: Skoda Superb Elegance 191 FSI, Toyota Aurion Sportivo ZR6 / Number of cars crunched: 5

Approaching the G63 AMG, you get some idea of what went through the minds of Dr. Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler the moment they first laid eyes on Jurassic Park.

You’re looking at something that should have died out long ago, yet here it is, still alive and more ferocious than ever.

Key to this extra aggression is the fitment of AMG’s 5.5-litre twin-turbo V8. Even ‘detuned’ to 400kW/760Nm it manages the Herculean task of hauling 2475kg to 100km/h in just 5.4sec.

Other motorists are left in a state of shock and confusion as this giant house brick blasts away from the lights, its side-exit exhausts bellowing like a wounded T-Rex as it does so.

Unfortunately, even the longest straight road eventually turns a corner and that’s where the problems start. The G63 is the first vehicle I’ve ever driven that has no handling. Concentrate hard, line up your apex early and, if you’re lucky, you might only miss it by half a metre or so.

Of course, no-one in their right mind is going to buy this ubergelandewagon to take on a track day, but even simply driving it day-to-day is tiring. The steering is heavy at parking speeds, offers zero connection to the front wheels and requires constant correction, even in a straight line.

Live axles front and rear make the ride restless, though it does do a remarkable job of ignoring large bumps, presumably by steamrollering them into oblivion. And don’t be fooled by the low-range gearbox and triple locking diffs.

The G63 is about as suitable for off-road use as a speedboat. It’s like having a watch that’s waterproof to 2000 metres, despite the fact you never swim deeper than the hotel swimming pool.

Things improve little on the inside. Yes, there’s plenty of lovely diamond-quilted leather, but it’s weirdly cramped front and rear and while all the usual Mercedes trinkets are present, they’re randomly scattered around the interior wherever a space could be found – it feels a bit aftermarket. Oh, and the turning circle is comically awful.

So it’s rubbish then? Well, objectively, yes, yet as an object the G63 is almost without equal. It’s cooler than Silvio Berlusconi with his head in an ice bucket and you couldn’t attract more attention if you were piloting the Starship Enterprise.

None of the MOTOR crew were very fond of driving it, but we’re all glad it exists, as it’s a car with a sense of humour. You’d have to be loonier than Sarah Palin to buy one over a Range Rover, but the world needs people like that. And cars like the G63.

Specifications:

Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG

Engine 5461cc V8, DOHC, 32v, twin-turbo

Power 400kW @ 5500rpm

Torque 760Nm @ 2000-5000rpm

Weight 2475kg

0-100km/h 5.4sec (claimed)

Price $240,000

2.5/5

Commodore is a clear-cut winner, but which one isn’t

1. Holden Commodore Evoke AS AN experiment, we threw both the petrol and LPG versions of the entry-level Commodore into our Gold Star Value formula, and the result is surprising. There’s just 0.1 of a percentage point between the barbie-gas V6 in first and the old-fashioned petrol in second. So, for great value in the class, it’s clear that you should get a Commodore. However, in terms of which fuel type to choose, there’s little in it.

Taking all other costs as constant, and with the LPG rebate now closed, it comes down to the extra $2500 outlay for the LPG model, which means it’s hit harder by depreciation, versus the cost you’ll save on fuel (an estimated $1187 over three years). In our view, that makes the petrol a no-brainer. It’s cheaper to buy and can work out about even in the long run.

Then there’s the fact that, like any LPG engine, the gas Commodore drinks the admittedly cheaper fuel at a prodigious rate. The resultant range limitations come with no significant cost saving, so buy the petrol one and avoid queuing with taxis at the servo.

2. Skoda Superb 118TSI SUPERB? Last year, only 436 Aussie buyers thought so. But when it comes to real estate for the money, the big Skoda should be on more buyers’ radar. It rivals a long-wheelbase Holden for space, yet under the bonnet it’s decidedly more Golf-sized. Resale is weak, though, so it’s an even better buy used.

3. Chrysler 300 Limited 3.6 IT’S rare that buying outside the square is also the smart thing to do financially. In this case, treating yourself to some Yank-tank character is as good for your mobster image as it is for your bank balance due to its strong 63 percent three-year resale.

Notable classmates: Falcon Ecoboost / Number of cars crunched: 5

Volvo’s performance models will soon switch to four-cylinder power as the Swedish brand downsizes its engine line up.

The turbocharged petrol four-pot that will debut in the brand’s second-generation XC90 family bus already delivers a substantial 236kW/400Nm, but a new ‘triple turbo’ engine concept makes around 100 extra kilowatts and could be used in future performance offerings.

The headline power figure is 335kW, or the same amount offered by the big 5.0-litre supercharged V8 lump found in the new XR8 Falcon.

Key to the engine’s V8-rivalling power output is two parallel turbochargers which are fed by an electrically operated turbo-compressor.

Where a regular turbo setup draws air from the engine’s exhaust system, Volvo’s turbos are fed by another electric turbine, thus eliminating the lag normally associated with big diameter, high-boost turbos.

Audi introduced a similar idea with its RS5 TDi concept earlier this year. That car featured a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 diesel engine with a third electrically-driven turbo used to spool up the two conventional ones.

As all future Volvo models adopt the firm’s SPA (Scalable Product Architecture) platform, its six-cylinder engines will be phased out and replaced by more fuel-efficient four-pots – that means the big Polestar-developed six-cylinder’s days are numbered.

But this ‘triple-turbo’ engine concept at least confirms that Volvo is still committed to making performance cars.