It might look the same, but VW has given its Jetta a tech-driven refresh for 2015.
Unveiled today in New York, the face-lifted Jetta cops subtle styling tweaks, including a new front facia, fancier bi-xenon headlights and special spoilers front and back.
Another new addition is an active grille shutter on the radiator, which closes at high speed to reduce drag.
VW says the changes improve the Jetta’s aerodynamics for greater efficiency, but it’s underneath where VW has really gone to work.
The biggest news is the addition of a more efficient 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engine that produces 112kW/333Nm, joining the existing family of three petrol engines.
Inside, VW has updated the Jetta’s interior, including the addition of new trim options such as chrome-edged air vents, while safety tech including blind-spot detection, cross-traffic alert and VW’s frontal collision warning system have been added to the options list.
Expect the 2015 Jetta to go on sale in the US in the fourth quarter of 2014, with Australian deliveries to follow.
Land Rover has revealed that the first member of its new Discovery family will be called the Discovery Sport.
The small SUV will make its world debut next year and will replace the current Freelander.
Australian deliveries will coincide with the world launch, meaning Aussie buyers won’t have to wait to get their hands on the new model.
Discovery Sport will become the first model of Land Rover’s revamped Discovery family, with the company confirming it has concrete plans for at least one other model – a replacement for the current Discovery in 2016.
Company execs couldn’t say how many models the Discovery family could hold, with JLR’s marketing director Phil Popham telling Wheels: “I can’t tell you because right now I simply don’t know. And that’s the truth.”
Industry scuttlebutt, however, suggests as many as four distinct models could wear the Discovery badge.
All variants will draw design inspiration from the Discovery Vision Concept, revealed this morning at the New York motor show.
Crammed full of ground-breaking technology, which you can read about here, Land Rover’s design guru Gerry McGovern told Wheels the Vision concept sets the tone for new Discoverys to boast radical new styling.
As for other details, such as engines and drivetrain info, JLR remains frustratingly tight-lipped, but Popham did confirm the new Disco Sport won’t get the new aluminium architecture used by the Range Rover Sport.
The Discovery family will use JLR’s range of new 2.0-litre four-cylinder Ingenium engines, but they’re unlikely to be fitted from launch.
JLR wouldn’t be drawn on the subject of pricing, but Popham hinted that the new Discovery family, which JLR plans to give a more premium feel, could command higher price tags.
“We don’t think there’s a ceiling in terms of pricing,” he told Wheels.
“We’re a luxury brand and we sell to affluent buyers. There’s a huge amount of people willing to spend more, so I would expect a broadening of the current price range.”
Hyundai is looking at a high-performance sports version of the new Sonata – due for Australian launch in August/September – to differentiate it from its mid-size rivals.
Powered by a slightly detuned version of the turbo engine that powered the previous Sonata in the US, the new seventh-generation model features a 183kW/340Nm 2.0-litre turbo engine mated to either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic, though the auto is expected to get more ratios during the life cycle of the new model.
Hyundai says a small reduction in engine output makes the car more responsive at low revs.
Known as the Sonata Sport 2.0T in the US, the performance version would likely be called SR in Australia, and was developed at the Nurburgring. Yes, Sonata and the ‘ring in the same sentence: how things have changed at Hyundai.
Bigger front brakes, four exhausts, a specific suspension tune – developed locally by Hyundai Australia – a different steering wheel, paddle shifters, and racy orange stitching on the seats, doors, and steering wheel are among the changes expected on the SR.
Entry-level models come with a 139kW 2.4-litre direct injection four, similar to the engine that powered the previous Sonata, called i45 in Australia. A claimed drag coefficient of 0.27 is said to be the lowest for any non-hybrid mid-sized car.
Inside, the cabin is so roomy it’s rated a ‘large’ car by the EPA, the US agency in charge of fuel economy and emissions.
A wide range of safety and technology features are offered in the US and many are anticipated to be available on Australian cars.
Radar cruise control, blind spot detection, and rear cross traffic alert are all available.
Digital radio, Bluetooth and full iPod integration are standard in the US while navigation and a 400-watt premium audio system are optional.
If you specify satellite navigation, Apple’s “Eyes Free” Siri integration is also fitted. For even further iPhone integration, Apple’s CarPlay will be made available later in the year.
Mazda plans to offer both 1.5-litre and 2.0-litre (and normally-aspirated) versions of the new MX-5, including in Australia.
But it wasn’t always going to be the case.
The car was originally developed around the concept of a new, high-revving, SkyActiv 1.5-litre engine, at least until the Americans got wind of the plan and argued in favour of a bigger-capacity 2.0-litre engine – as offered in the current model – for the fourth-generation model.
As easily the biggest single market for the sports car, America insisted on the 2.0-litre engine, even if it meant a delay in the launch timing.
Eventually, the Japanese caved in and worked on a higher-revving version of the same basic 2.0-litre engine as used in the Mazda3 and CX-5.
Australia is expected to get both engines when the new car goes on sale in 2015.
Still warm from last month’s hot reception in Geneva, the new S-Class Coupe turned the burners right back up in New York City with a preview of the AMG-enriched S63.
The new-generation S63 AMG hit the Big Apple brandishing a hand-built 430kW/900Nm 5.5-litre bi-turbo V8 in place of the standard 335kW/700Nm unit that will power the S500 base car.
The regular S-Class Coupe will be launched in Australia early next year and will be followed about a month later by two AMG models, the S63 and a twin-turbo V12-powered S65.
The rear-drive S63 Coupe is capable of reaching 100km/h in only 4.3 seconds, not bad for an aluminium-skinned two-tonne four-seater coupe bursting with standard gear.
Not such good news is that this is 0.4s slower than the 4Matic all-wheel-drive variant that will not come to Australia because Benz won’t build it in right-hand drive.
Nevertheless, ‘our’ rear-drive express combines impressive frugality (10.5L/100km) with blistering performance due to efficiency-enhancing actions by AMG – including the fitment of a specially modified seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, idle-stop tech, ceramic composite brakes, lighter (19-inch) alloys and even a lithium-ion battery – that also save 65kg.
The S63 AMG Coupe ushers in ‘Magic Body Control’, an active suspension system that employs a road-scanning camera to anticipate and then counteract cornering forces as they occur via hydraulic-pressure dampers.
Looking lower and meaner than its regular two-door S-Class siblings, the New York debutante scores a unique bumper design, gloss-black rear diffuser and a quartet of exhaust outlets.
SUBARU has played it safe but smart with the latest-generation Outback wagon.
Surfacing at the New York International Auto Show on the 20th anniversary of the debut of the original – based on a Liberty wagon – the sleeker fifth iteration is scheduled for an early 2015 launch in Australia.
Essentially a rebodied version of its 2009 predecessor, with smoother lines and subtler detailing, the newcomer is only slightly larger in every dimension.
Yet the Japanese crossover offers sizeable interior space improvements due in part to a more cab-forward silhouette that sees the windscreen pushed forward by a few centimetres.
Deeper side windows, thinner pillars, repositioned door mirrors and a higher seating position make for better all-round vision, while the total cargo area is also larger than before.
Controlling weight has been a priority, with the bonnet now made of aluminium, which in turn helps improve steering feel and response while aiding fuel economy.
An active grille-shutter system has been installed for reduced heat loss and less wind resistance.
Economy is also helped by an updated version of the Lineartronic six-speed CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) with a more powerful and efficient yet quieter 2.5-litre four-cylinder horizontally opposed four-cylinder petrol engine.
CVT also makes a belated debut in the flagship 3.6-litre six-cylinder models, consigning the old five-speed torque-converter automatic transmission to history.
The all-wheel drive system features a new active torque-vectoring distribution arrangement to further enhance economy and improve traction, backed up by hill-descent and hill-start assistance as well as an X-Mode device for light off-road conditions. Ground clearance remains unchanged at 213mm.
Back on the bitumen, the new Outback’s electric rack-and-pinion steering now sports a quicker ratio, the MacPherson strut front and double-wishbone rear suspension systems have undergone a number of modifications that Subaru says results in a softer riding but more dynamic driving experience, and the brakes are bigger on the base cars (with ventilated discs now fitted all round).
Still on safety, additional airbags have arrived in the form of front seat cushion restraints, the side curtain airbags can be deployed via a new rollover sensor for improved protection and a reversing camera is expected to be standard on all models.
Finally, a redesigned dashboard brings the usual array of bigger screens, improved multimedia connectivity and softer-touch material quality, while some models now offer the convenience and security of rear-vehicle and cross-traffic detection, blind-spot alert and lane-change warning systems.
The Outback’s role will step up significantly in Australia since there will be no Liberty wagon model offered in the foreseeable future.
Instead, Subaru is expected to import the Levorg – a smaller wagon between the Impreza and previous Liberty in size.
Nissan executive vice-president Andy Palmer wants to see a four-pillar sports coupe range to broaden the company’s demographic appeal.
Firstly, Palmer confirmed that a GT-R successor is in the pipeline: “Are we working on a new GT-R? Will there be a new GT-R? Absolutely, it’s inconceivable that Nissan wouldn’t have a GT-R in its line-up.”
He then saidthat both the retro-themed IDX Concept and the visionary eco-focussed Blade Glider EV electric vehicle, both revealed at last year’s Tokyo motor show, are also under development and are production feasible.
However, even if they get the green light, we won’t see either before 2016 at the very earliest.
“(The IDX Concept) is in development,” he told the Australian media at the New York International Auto Show this week.
“To be clear, that’s not the same as confirming that it is definitely going to come, because normally you have a number of milestones that you confirm. We’re going through the evaluation of IDX.”
While hesitating to confirm concrete production plans for the IDX Concept, Palmer did reveal that such a car would have the Toyota 86 in its crosshairs in terms of both pricing and positioning.
“That would be the kind of territory that you would need to be looking at,” he said.
“I’d love to do it, and in my mind I see this eco system of four sports cars that essentially define and cover the segments.
“You’ve got the GT-R as basically the fast and furious sports car, you’ve got the next-gen Z, which is more classical, you’ve got the IDX, which is very much aimed at being what sports cars were when I was a lad, for bad boys, that you could afford and have fun, and then off the map is the guilt-free fun that is the Blade Glider.
“IDX is about light weight, connected, rear-wheel drive and downsized smaller engines, so it becomes something affordable from an insurance point of view. And the power-to-weight ratio becomes very good. So I see that as an alternative – a sort of mirror or inverse of the Zed for the younger generation.”
Palmer said he is especially excited about the Blade Glider’s radical packaging possibilities for keen driving enthusiasts.
“The Blade Glider is an electric sports car, but when you no longer have to put the engine where God meant it to be. You can put the engine in the wheels.
“And when your platform is essentially a battery, then everything you do essentially above that level is entirely at the whim of the designer. So you can create something like Blade Glider that transforms your perception of what your car should look like.
“And that design of Blade Glider, with its narrow front end, when you have a chance to drive that, it’s phenomenal. It changes your perception of how a sports car should handle.”
Adding that Nissan’s engineers have already undertaken all the necessary groundwork, Palmer said a production-based Blade Glider would remain true to the concept.
“And why not? We’ve been making cars for 80 years. We know the crash regulations, we know most of the pitfalls.
“We’ve already made it. We’ve made prototypes and it works. There is no reason why you can’t have a narrow track.
“And we wouldn’t put a car on the market that wouldn’t pass a crash test.”
The end result of all this sports car activity is to get young people interested in Nissan again.
“Hopefully we can re-engender some excitement with the youth of today who are a little bit disenchanted with the motor car.”
Volvo has rediscovered safety as its prime spiel for the Naughties but this time it’s not just safety.
The all-new XC60 all-wheel-drive crossover comes with one of the most impressive safety suites we’ve experienced outside of expensive, high-end Germans. But these days Volvo isn’t just playing a one-note tune.It’s taken some time but the Swedes now understand that playing the safety game is not nearly enough. Even when they claim proudly that this “is the safest Volvo yet”.The XC60 is handsome, contemporary Volvo. With that signature grille and strong shoulder lines, it is even at a fleeting glance, unmistakably a Volvo.
And in other ways too, it is willing and able to go up against some stellar performers led by the popular BMW X3, Lexus RX and the Land Rover Freelander. Soon it will have the Audi Q5 to contend with in a market segment that can only grow as its snares customer away from the bigger, pricier products in a world adjusting to lots of economic pressures.The XC60 hits the market on the fly with sharp pricing starting at $57,950, greatly improved ride and handling, good equipment levels, smart cabin, excellent visibility, the practicality of a wagon with clever seating/cargo configurations, and the choice of two turbocharged engines – a 3.0-litreV6 petrol T6 and a five-cylinder 2.4 diesel D5.The T6 and T5 are both mated to Volvo’s six-speed Geartronic auto, with a manual sequential mode. The T6, additionally, gets a livelier Sport mode.The petrol six is a jewel, with 210kW and 400Nm (all the way from 1500 to 4800rpm) and a claimed zero-100km/h time of 7.5 seconds.It gives the XC60 a clear sporting feel. Quick, somebody please check is this is really a Volvo…The old five-cylinder turbodiesel has the same peak torque as the six but offers up just 136kW of power. It lacks – and this was a surprise – low down torque. The tacho needs to be above 2000rpm before it starts to haul, and then it hits the wall at 2750. But right through the rev range it lacks the urge of the petrol six.Refinement is impressive, with the sounds of the petrol engine nicely subdued, even when working hard.The common-rail diesel, strangely, has quite a raunchy exhaust note, moving into a pronounced throb as it works up through the upper reaches to the 5500 redline.The diesel’s big attraction, not surprisingly, is fuel efficiency.With the cruise control set on 112km/h, the D5 returned 9.5litres/100 in a 100km route on undulating rural back roads. The petrol model would struggle to get below 14l/100km over the same territory. Earlier, pushing it hard over the Snowy Mountains, Wheels returned 15.6L/100.It was a small price to pay for some genuine fun at the wheel of a VolvoThe wooden steering and dull front-end feeling of Volvos past is missing.On 235/60/R18 Pirelli PZero Rossos, it gobbled up the mountainous twists and turns with ease, the petrol six firing us out of tight turns with all the enthusiasm of a sporty machine.The platform, also used by the excellent current Ford Mondeo, a vehicle of acclaimed dynamics, has been well used by Volvo.It may not quite be the equal of the X3 in ride and handling and steering, but it is a great leap forward from even 10 years ago. The ride is firm, but it recovers from bumps in a heartbeat and stays unerringly on track.But the standard electro-hydraulic steering is a tad light on road feel and lacks a little in the straight ahead. But most owners will find nothing to quibble about in the driving experience, except perhaps for the seats, which lack the necessary side bolstering to keep the torso planted when using the vehicle in an enjoyable fashion..The brakes are excellent and the anti-lock threshold is now just right. In the bad old days, the ABS would start chattering if you moved your foot near the brake pedal.The all-wheel-drive system is Volvo’s fourth-generation Haldex which adapts on the run to meet road-surface changes and driver input. On take-off, it operates in AWD, but quickly directs 95 per cent of the drive to the front wheels for efficiency (while monitoring the grip available to all four wheels). If the road conditions change, up to 50 per cent of the power may head to the rear wheelsFunctionality is a strong point. We noticed the XC60 has a tremendously handy turning circle reminiscent of the old rear-drive Volvo 240 series.Standard cargo area is 490 litres. The rear opening is claimed to be the widest in the segment. The split fold is a versatile 40/20/40 form. All the seats, including the front passenger will fold flat to create a very useful luggage carrying capability.The cabin is full of comfort and convenience features – leather seats, power-operated driver’s seat, climate control with filter, Volvo’s two-stage integrated booster seats in the rear, rear park assist and plenty more.We didn’t go for the blond wood console trim. Very Ikea. But there are alternatives and plenty of leather combos. A notable absentee is a sat nav system. It’s part of the optional Technic Pack which also includes Park Assist reversing camera, active bi-xenons and Bluetooth ($3990-$4990, depending on model)Sit back, relax, grab a drink and read the list of standard safety items: Dynamic Stability and Traction Control, Roll Stability Control, ABS, Electronic Brake Distribution, Emergency Brake Assist, Trailer Stability Control, Whiplash protection System, flashing emergency brake lights, dual stage passenger and driver’s airbags, Side Impact Protection including SIPSA front-seat airbags, Inflatable Curtains and Intelligent Driver Information System, pre-prepared restrain system and laminated glass.Now back to the safety story…and the XC60’s big news, the City Safety collision avoidance technology.Here’s the preamble. City Safety is intended to tackle the epidemic of car collisions in urban environments with impact speeds of less than 30km/h. They don’t necessarily kill but they do hurt…your bank account. And about 75 per cent of all prangs are at speeds of less than 30 km/h .The City Safety system works by continuously monitoring other traffic up to eight metres in front of the XC60. It’s done using a laser sensor fitted high on the windscreen. Should a potential whack be detected, and the speed differential between the two vehicles – the XC60 and a possible tail-end victim – the system brakes the car hard and thus avoids a nasty collision.A second scenario – if the speed differential is above 15km/h, the system will brake the car quite dramatically and so reduce the severity of the impact.We tried both scenarios on a closed course near Canberra – using soft inflatable cars – and it is impossible to go away not believing City Safety has the potential to save the bacon of drivers who may have been distracted or day dreaming…It won’t work if there is a significant overlap to the vehicle ahead (in this case the sensor may ‘miss’ the target). But in many cases it works wonderfully and it’s small wonder that the insurance industry is hailing City Safety as a breakthrough potentially worthy of a 20 per cent reduction in premiums.City Safety is standard on every XC60 model, and will be gradually fitted to others in the range.Volvo admits now that it needed to make safety ‘sexy’. Gone are the sad, old days of presenting the safety tome in a car that looked like industrial packaging. Consumers have re-embraced safety in a major way lately, but it needed to come with the whole nine yards. This one goes close.Looks, pampering comfort, good dynamics and performance are inclusions, although the XC60 loudly screams its array of safety virtues.The XC60, on our one-day 500km appraisal, seems to measure up as a powerful rival in the compact luxury AWD niche.Volvo expects the take up of petrol versus diesel to be roughly 50-50, despite the D5’s price advantage.There is a luxury D5 LE priced at $64,950 while the lone petrol model, the T6, is $64,950.Coming in the third quarter is the 3.2 XC60 at a price point below the Luxury Car Tax and below the D5.So there’s keen enough pricing to go with the most enjoyable Volvo since, um, maybe the P1800.
Retract the roof on any convertible and you immediately open a forum for robust opinions, usually sharply contrasting. Clearly one person’s ticket to gently tousled hair and the heady notes of spring air is, for another, a one-way pass to sunburn, diesel fumigation, the shimmy of scuttle shake and cries of “wanker alert!”
So where do you sit with regard to Lamborghini’s new LP560-4 Spyder?While you decide, it’s preening itself in the sunshine not giving a toss. Somehow, through its exclusivity, wedgy visual impact and ceiling-scraping price tag, it manages to mostly defy conventional open-topped assessment.The fact is, no-one needs a $455,000 Lamborghini coupe, so it stands to reason that a convertible version, now crossing the half-million-dollar threshold ($502K plus options) should be an extravagant irrelevance to rival, um, a private jet for car-company executives. Okay, bad analogy.Yet Stephan Winkelmann, dashing, debonair Lamborghini CEO, (who swears he doesn’t own a private jet, by the way) confidently predicts that the ratio of convertibles to coupes will be 60/40 in the first year, exceeding that of the previous-generation Gallardo variants.So clearly plenty of Lambo customers – those who’ve ducked the credit crisis, at least – see powerful appeal in the convertible option. And having experienced the car on the sinuous, sensational roads in the Canary Islands at the international launch, it’s not hard to see why. Actually, make that hear why. The new 5.2-litre direct-injection V10 is an engine with a seemingly endless vocal repertoire, and removal of the roof slots you straight into the mosh pit for a searing, sometimes savage aural assault.
There’s little evidence that the roof removal results in a loss of rigidity. The steering, as in the coupe, is meaty, deliciously direct, and full of feel. Grip levels, especially on the optional P Zero Corsa tyres, are huge. It takes a committed attack to find a nudge of understeer on the way in, and a determined right foot to neutralise it, via the rear-biased all-wheel-drive system, on the way out.Cabin turbulence is calmed via the small glass rear screen, allowing conversation up to around 140km/h. Beyond that it starts to get a little gusty, although we did we see 240km/h without loss of caps, sunglasses or hair follicles. Top speed is a claimed 324km/h, but personally, I’d suggest raising the roof (in a mere 20 seconds) at oh, 320 or so.Does anyone really care, though? Surely it’s as superfluous to a potential Gallardo Spyder buyer as the 0-100km/h time (okay, a claimed 4.0 seconds since you asked.) For those with the means, ownership is a statement of arrival; a wave of the wealth flag. And what better way to improve that flag’s visibility than through the open roof of a car as extroverted, intoxicating and accomplished as this?No Bull, just the facts Engine: 5.2-litre V10, 40v, dohc Power: 412kW @ 8000rpm Torque: 540kW @ 6500rpm Weight: 1550kg (dry, claimed) 0-100km/h 4.0sec (claimed) Top speed: 324km/h Price: $502,000
Calling this a ‘launched’ piece is a bit premature, really. Skoda’s second-generation Fabia mini is almost certain for Oz … but when is another story.
It’s been on sale in Europe since 2007, appearing there around the same time the Czech brand was relaunched here with Octavia and the off-beat Roomster.There’s nothing avant-garde about Fabia, however. It has a certain style, but this is a relatively straightforward supermini of the ‘boxy-but-good’ school. It’s aimed at the likes of the Fiat Punto, Renault Clio, Peugeot 207 and its fellow traveller within the VW Group, the Polo.It’s an orthodox front-wheel drive layout with strut front and torsion-beam rear suspension, offered with two turbo-diesel and three petrol engines in several states of tune. They slot into either five-door hatchback or wagon bodies, both of which are under serious consideration for Oz.Farther out, there is the prospect of a turbocharged RS hero model.For our recent sampling in England and Wales, however, it was the less exotic combination of 1.4-litre three-cylinder turbo-diesel and five-speed manual transmission. This is the drivetrain that may come to Australia.And it’s a good one, too. Producing 59kW at 4000rpm and an accessible 195Nm at 2200rpm, the Fabia happily sits on 130km/h on the motorway, belying its 0-100km/h claim of 13.2sec. Combined economy is a claimed 4.6L/100km.Away from the straight and narrow, the engine proves free of the lag that afflicts many small-capacity turbo-diesel engines. Thankfully the manual gearbox is also a good match for the engine. There’s some diesel clatter at idle and low speeds, but it tends to be drowned out by tyre noise as speeds rise.While noise insulation might not be a highlight, on the winding and quite rough B-roads of northern Wales, the Fabia showed off a level of ride comfort that is quite exceptional by mini standards.Where it lags a little is in the accuracy of its steering and the tightness of its body control. Corners sometimes require two or three bites.Rear-seat room is impressive. Two 180cm adults will have no complaints when it comes to head, knee, foot or elbow room. The rear doors also open 90 degrees, aiding access. And there’s good storage on offer — Mazda 2 take note.Boot size is a very useable 300 litres, growing to a mountain-bike-swallowing 1163 litres with the rear seats split-folded.Its many virtues make a strong case for the Fabia; now we just have to wait while Skoda sorts out how to get the car here with the requisite six airbags, ESP, correct engine and transmission options for a price that reflects the value proposition that is integral to the brand. Launch date? The second half of 2009 at the earliest.
Skoda Fabia
Engine 1422cc 3cyl, dohc, 16v, t/d Max Power 59kW @ 4000rpm Max Torque 195Nm @ 2200rpm Transmission 5-speed manual 1-100km/h 13.2sec (claimed) Price $20,000 (est) On Sale Mid 2009 (est)
