As the official vehicle partner of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, VW will provide more than 3000 vehicles to athletes and officials, but none quite like this Amarok.
Built to promote the Games, it’s far from a show car, with VW setting a new Guinness World Record by driving three Polar Expeditions almost 16,000km from Moscow to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky on Russia’s far south-eastern peninsula. This is recognised as the longest direct route within a single country and took the cars 66 days.
To cope with the challenge, the formidable-looking Amaroks had a host of upgrades, from beefed-up suspension and rollcages to the over-sized knobbly tyres.
Just what you need to drive up to a mountain peak for your luge run.
Pride and envy. Those are my two most prominent feelings after driving the Chevrolet SS in the US desert city of Palm Springs.
The source of the pride is obvious; the first rear-wheel drive Chevrolet sedan in 16 years is made in Australia. The envy, well, that emotion bubbles up because this is the best version of the Commodore on sale and Australians can’t buy it.
It’s easy to assume this Chevrolet is just an SS Commodore with the steering wheel on the other side of the cabin and bowtie badges, but that would be wrong.
You can tell as soon as you press the start button. The throttle blips on start-up, creating a tremendous roar. The exhaust grumbles as the revs drop back to idle. That doesn’t happen when you crank an SS.
Thanks to more lenient drive-by sound laws (3dB louder), the Chevrolet SS sounds fantastic. The raucous note means you know you’re driving a V8 all the time. One of the Holden engineers working on the Chevrolet SS program, Steve Manson, commented after a drive in the mountains: “You put the windows down and let the exhaust note bounce off the rocks. You don’t have to go fast, it doesn’t matter, it’s the sound that really makes the experience.”
But the Chevrolet SS has another advantage: it gets the LS3 6.2-litre V8 fitted to most of our HSV models instead of the lesser 6.0-litre Gen IV V8 that powers the Commodore.
The LS3 makes 310kW and 563Nm. That works out to 7kW less and 13Nm more than the HSV Clubsport – the differences due to HSV’s unique intake and exhaust headers. But the Chevrolet SS is considerably more powerful than the 260kW Commodore SS auto.
It’s damn fast, too. Holden reckons it can pull 4.7-second 0-100km/h runs all day long and do the quarter mile in 13.1 seconds. It certainly hustles out of the bends on the test route and can light up the tyres away from the line, if you are so inclined.
The Chevrolet is automatic only – there is no manual option – but gear choice can be controlled by steering wheel-mounted paddles.
These are fantastic and make for a much more involving drive experience. Developed right at the end of the VF creation process, the paddles were ready in time for the SS, but not the VF, which launched earlier. They will appear here with a VF mid-life facelift.
The only downside is that the paddles highlight the slightly slow and often jerky gearshifts of the six-speed 6L80 GM automatic, perhaps because many other cars with shifter paddles have faster changing dual-clutch gearboxes.
There was a question mark over the Chevrolet SS suspension calibration and lingering concerns it would be Americanised; that is, softened off to Sponge Bob spec. But that hasn’t happened. The spring, damper, wheel and even tyre specifications are identical to the Commodore SS-V Redline. Holden and Chevrolet engineers developed a common specification from the start of the VF program and both teams feel they achieved the best suspension for their own market.
The car is fantastically balanced and it’s impossible not to start pushing on wonderful winding roads, especially with that raucous exhaust urging you on.
The electric steering is the same as the Australian car, which means it can feel a little detached sometimes, but it is far more accurate and engaging than the previous hydraulic system of the VE. Capable Brembo six-piston brakes, from the Redline package, are standard fitment.
To top it all off, the Chevrolet SS only costs the equivalent of $49,300, which is close to $4000 less than our SS-V Redline with the lesser V8. And the Americans wonder why we hate them.
1958 – 13 LandCruisers imported to assist on the Snowy Mountains Scheme.
1963 – First Toyota produced outside Japan comes off the Australian Motor Industries (AMI) Port Melbourne assembly line in April – a 1.5-litre Tiara sedan.
1964 – ‘Shovel-nose’ Corona replaces Tiara.
1966 – First Corolla arrives on Aussie soil in November, just one month after going on sale in Japan.
1967 – Toyota Crown begins local assembly.
1968 – Local assembly of KE10 Corolla sedan begins.
1972 – Toyota buys out British Leyland’s share of AMI and announces it will invest $27 million for engine and gearbox production.
1978 – Engine production begins at Altona.
1979 – Toyota achieves commercial-vehicle market leadership in Australia.
1981 – Volume production of body panels begins at Altona.
1986 – Toyota Australia exports its first car – a Corona wagon to New Zealand.
1987 – Corona production ends with 336,197 built, replaced by locally built Camry.
1988 – AMI-Toyota becomes Toyota Motor Corporation Australia.
1991 – Toyota achieves overall market leadership for the first time.
1992 – One millionth locally built Toyota produced.
1994 – Car production transferred from historic Port Melbourne site to a new $420 million facility at Altona, south-west of Melbourne.
1995 – Exports of left-hand-drive Camrys to the Middle East begin.
1999 – Corolla production ends at Altona, totalling 601,101 across 31 years.
2004 – Two millionth locally built Toyota (a silver Camry Sportivo) leaves the Altona plant in April, exactly 41 years after Australian production began.
2004 – Toyota becomes the first manufacturer to sell 200,000 cars in Australia in a year (201,737).
2006 – Port Melbourne plant, still producing seat trims and bumper bars, is finally closed.
2006 – Toyota Australia exports its 500,000th car – a Camry to New Zealand.
2013 – Toyota finishes the year as Australia’s number one automotive brand for the 11th consecutive year.
2013 – Toyota produces 106,000 cars at its Altona plant – 74,000 of which are exported, mainly to the Middle East.
2013 – For the first time in history, Australia’s best-selling car is a Toyota (the Corolla).
He raced in Formula 1, is a German Touring Car legend and taught some bloke called Mark Webber a thing or two when they were Mercedes teammates. This is what happened when Wheels grabbed German racer Bernd Schneider at the Bathurst 12 Hour.
What do you think of the 12 Hour? It’s a fantastic race, with very high competition. There are some great cars here this year. It’s always something special driving at Bathurst. Climbing up the Mountain is always a big challenge and every lap is exciting. It’s definitely one of the most challenging racetracks in the world. There’s no runoff, like you have on modern GP circuits, and in some corners you can’t keep the throttle open, even though the car can handle it, because there’s no room for error. It’s one of the reasons drivers from all over the world want to come here – it’s a big challenge.
You’re racing a Mercedes-Benz SLS this weekend. Is it true you were instrumental in creating it? Yes, I was already involved when we started the road car and when we were finished I told my bosses, “This would be a great racing car”. Luckily they listened, and the success we’ve had since they presented it to the market has been amazing. It’s really quite a simple car, but the results, and the number of cars we’ve sold, has been really impressive.
How does it feel to have a limited-edition SLS named after you? It’s a road car, with my set-up and I helped install the engine. We only built five of them and my name is on the engine because I helped hand-make the engine. But they’re all still running, which is good [laughs]. They all sold, and Michael Schumacher has one, which I hope to see him back driving soon.
What do you drive on the road? I have a Mercedes-Benz C63 station wagon and I love that thing.
What’s been your favourite racing car throughout your career? In 1995 I had a chance to drive a McLaren Mercedes Formula 1 car and this was just something really special. But I’d also say the CLK GT1 car was something unique with its big V12 engine; I really enjoyed every lap in that car. And, of course, the SLS. It’s got my genes in it and it suits perfectly my driving style.
Ever thought you might die in an accident? Yes, I had some big crashes in Formula 1 and I’m actually really lucky I survived. The hardest was at Jerez and it was a straight impact into a tyre wall at 200km/h. It hurt, trust me. I could drive the next day, but everything was hurting. It was in the day before HANS devices, so my neck was really sore.
Are you superstitious? Ah, yes, I have some. But I don’t talk about them. That’s one of my superstitions [laughs].
What compels people to become a racing car driver and risk their lives? Honestly, if you become a racing car driving in Europe, when you race you are at no more risk than if you were driving on the road. The difference is everyone sees when racing cars crash; they don’t on the motorway. I mean, a taxi driver has a more risky life than I do. But I’m working hard with Mercedes to make their cars even safer. We want to have the safest road cars as well as racing cars.
Are you born a racing driver or can you learn? No, you are born a racer. I started karting when I was five years old, so motorsport is in my blood, definitely.
Boasting updated exterior styling and overhauled cabins, the cars were caught winter testing in Germany wearing only light camouflage.
Design tweaks include revised front and rear bumpers plus changes to the front and rear lights, with the shooting brake to get a redesigned front grill.
Inside, the cabin cops a redesigned steering wheel and an updated infotainment system. Engines are likely to be carried over from the current model lineup which is headlined by the twin-turbo 5.5-litre CLS 63 AMG S churning out 430kW/800Nm.
This is the new 4-Series Gran Coupe, a car that completes the 4 Series family (following the two-door coupe and cabrio). Longer, sleeker and lower than its 3-Series sedan brother, the Gran Coupe rides on exactly the same platform as the regular 4-Series but cops a 12mm higher and 112mm longer roofline. Oh, and unlike the rest of the 4 Series range, it has four doors. Which makes the ‘Coupe’ nomenclature little more than marketing rhetoric.
The 4 Series Gran Coupe has a bigger boot, up 35 litres up over other 4 Series models, accessed via a hatchback-like tailgate. That, and improved rear headroom, is why BMW says the Gran Coupe offers a more practical experience than a regular 4 Series.
A softer suspension tune is expected, as is a greater overall weight, but don’t hold your breath for any changes under the bonnet. The Gran Coupe will employ the same range of petrol and diesel engines as the 4 Series – headlined by the 435i’s 225kW/400Nm 3.0-litre twin turbo six.
The BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe is due Downunder from September, with pricing to reflect the current 4 Series range.
Porsche has finally unveiled its much-anticipated Macan (pronounced ‘Ma-khan’) premium compact SUV – the Stuttgart firm’s sixth and most affordable model line, joining the 918 Spyder, 911, Panamera, Cayenne and Boxster/Cayman – yet it’s far from the last new entrant we’ll see from Porsche.
Talking frankly at the Macan’s international launch in Leipzig (the German town in which it’s built), company chairman Matthias Muller expressed his desire for a broader model spread, saying: “In our opinion, seven model series would be a good line-up”.
Given that the average lifespan of each Porsche model is seven years, that would mean one major model launch every year – a crucial brand-builder in an era defined by self-promotion.
Porsche sales have doubled over the past four years – from 80,000 in 2009 to 162,000 in 2013 – and the Macan is expected to contribute at least another 50,000 units to Porsche’s annual tally. And, given the undoubted appeal of this “sportscar of the compact SUV segment”, that number could easily stretch to 75,000 or even more.
Speculation of what the seventh Porsche model line could be is exactly that, though the one car that could bolster sales (and profits) without damaging its brand image is a sub-Panamera sports sedan. Think a 5 Series/E-Class rival with the sporting DNA and enthusiast appeal for which Porsche is renown.
So how does the Audi Q5-based Macan fare in light of Porsche’s “sports car” claims? Pretty well, in fact.
If you approach the Macan as a Cayman on stilts, you might come away a little disappointed, simply because it lacks the intimacy of feedback that defines Porsche’s entry-level coupe. But if you think of where the Macan sits in relation to top-spec BMW X3s, Volvo XC60s and Audi Q5s, the Macan is a revelation.
Unlike Audi’s over-firm SQ5 sports model, the Macan blends a decent ride with terrific handling, though go for the air-suspension option and the Macan raises the game even further. We’re talking a car with up to 21-inch wheels that rides smoothly, corners aggressively and can still go a fair trek off road.
About the only real negative is weight; the Macan Turbo has to lug 1925kg around.
The Macan range kicks off at $85K for the S Diesel with a 190kW/580Nm 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 shared with Audi, followed by a petrol-powered S for $87K with a Porsche-developed 250kW/460Nm 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6.
The range-topper for now is the $123K Macan Turbo, with a stroked 3.6-litre version of the bi-turbo V6, pumping out 294kW/550Nm and capable of 4.6sec to 100km/h with launch control, though an even gruntier Turbo S is in the pipeline.
There’s also a Macan GTS in the works to sit between the S and Turbo.
The Macan should land in Porsche’s Australian showrooms in June.
No world-class motor show would be complete without a swathe of gorgeous models to round it out. There are few things that work together more beautifully.
Promotional models at the Geneva Motor Show this year were equally as showstopping as the cars they adorned. Here’s a photo gallery to illustrate our point for those who were not fortunate enough to make it there.
If this was a post-race press release following, let’s say, the Russian Grand Prix, it’s the equivalent of the Marussia F1 team explaining what went wrong and why they finished second last. In other words, no-one would read it and nobody would care.
That’s right, folks, the Wheels component of Mazda’s annual media-versus-media MX-5 ice race in deepest Siberia managed to cover itself in ignominy, finishing a solid eighth. Doesn’t sound too bad until you add the words “out of nine cars” and “three laps behind the winner”. At least we beat the Poms.
Before delving into the professional racing driver’s usual list of excuses for a startling lack of outright speed, it’s probably worth explaining what the hell I’m talking about.
Don’t be too alarmed if the MX-5 Ice Race hasn’t featured in your list of must-follow motorsport events of 2014. Basically a publicity exercise organised by Mazda, it brings together teams from a variety of countries, drops them off at a frozen lake near Yekaterinburg about 1600km east of Moscow and lets them battle it out for a metre-high trophy of absolutely no prestige anywhere in the motorsport world.
Practice day started with mutterings of dirty dealings when it was revealed the Russian team had already spent a day getting to know the fearsome circuit snow-ploughed into the ice. For the rest of us, it was a matter of coming to grips – quite literally – with the Mazda 3 autos and race-prepped MX-5s that would be our steeds for the two 100-minute races.
Tyres studded with metal spikes helped, but the first section of the circuit was fast, so the MX-5 with traction control switched off was wagging its tail at the slightest steering input at speeds of more than 100km/h. On the tighter hairpins, any sniff of throttle at the wrong moment post-apex (if you could find it) meant armfuls of opposite lock.
Coach Stanislav Gryazin – retired Russian rally ace, race instructor and our Yoda – advised using ridiculously high gears to aid traction on the slippery surface by keeping revs as low as possible. So on what would normally be a second-gear hairpin, the idea was to search for fourth and fifth ratios in the MX-5’s six-speed box and use what there was of the engine’s torque to slither and shimmy up to speed on the straights.
And, rather than following any kind of racing line, aim for the white (snow covered) bits of race track, not the black (bare ice) parts.
All good in theory, but with all four members of what with wild optimism became known as Team Bradbury being ice-racing virgins and only one having competed in any race at all, things looked grim when we qualified well down the pack.
Race One was in the auto-transmission Mazda3 and we finished a remarkable sixth, bravely battling understeer but nevertheless making the talent scouts sit up and take notice.
Things fell apart in the MX-5 race because we were just too damned slow. The focussed and experienced Russians were lapping in the 3m40s region; we were lucky to crack four minutes.
Still, we kept ahead of the equally inexperienced Poms, who kept running off the track, and for a moment it seemed the Bradbury ruse would play out when the Australia A team, who for a while were dicing with the Russians at the head of the field, speared off the track and beached their MX-5 on a snow bank.
The members of Team Bradbury may have lacked the killer instinct that makes any great racing driver strive for victory, but you know what? Never has a motorsport category been invented that’s so much fun, and so challenging to overcome the track and conditions.
And the car is a cracker. The MX-5 may be due for replacement next year, but Mazda isn’t going to mess with the formula of rear-wheel drive, a beautifully balanced chassis and the ability to make car and driver as one. Didn’t need to go to Siberia to work that one out, but will be forever glad it happened.
The 2014 Formula 1 World Championship fires up in Melbourne this weekend. Prepare yourself by taking a lap of the Albert Park circuit with V8 Supercar driver, David Russell. Ride onboard with him in a mighty Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Edition 507!
