WhichCar By Wheels

Holden will reintroduce a heavy-duty off-roader to its lineup from early 2013. It will be badged the Colorado 7, and is a full-size seven-seater is a spiritual replacement for the once-loved Jackaroo that was killed off almost a decade ago.

Unlike the Jackaroo, which was built by Isuzu in Japan, the Colorado 7 has been designed primarily for North America and the Middle East, where it will wear Chevrolet Trailblazer badges – as shown at its debut in Dubai this week.

Like the new Colorado ute – shown at the Melbourne motor show, and due in Australia next year – the seven-seat wagon version will be built in Thailand. A new-generation 2.8-litre diesel will be offered, featuring common-rail injection and a variable-geometry turbo. Expect a petrol V6 – possibly an Australian-built Alloytec – to be added to the launch lineup.

Holden claims that, despite its ladder-frame construction, the Colorado 7 will team proper off-road capability with impressive ride comfort for urban and city driving. Expectations are low, however, as the current ute-based competitor set – the Triton-based Mitsubishi Challenger and Navara-based Nissan Pathfinder – do not offer the on-road sophistication of soft-roaders like the Ford Territory and Mazda CX-9.

The Colorado 7 will launch in Australia in March 2013, following the Colorado ute and Malibu mid-sized sedan late next year.

Dubbed the Bat-illac, take a first look at Bieber’s Batmobile – Justin Bieber’s lastest ride.

Customised by Ryan Friedlinghaus, the founder of West Coast Customs, the converted car was originally a Cadillac CTS-V – customised to meet Justin Bieber’s specifications for the fit out.

Bieber’s Batmobile features a black-on-black matte paint job with a Batman logo replacing the original Cadillac badge – with custom ‘suicide’ doors (similar to the Rolls Royce Drop Head Phantom Coupe) and HID headlamps to complete the look. A ‘JB’ logo is also featured on the side panels.

Reported by TMZ, Bieber has already run in to trouble in his new ride. Recently while driving his pimped out Bat-illac in California – Bieber was pulled over for cutting off a Highway Patrol officer. He was let off with a warning.

The executive sedan class has gone through a massive shake-up over the past six months, with the new Audi A6 and Jaguar XF 2.2d launching locally to tackle the perennial favourites, 5 Series and E-Class. From mid next year, a fifth contender will arrive in the fourth-generation Lexus GS.

For too long, the GS has been a poor cousin to the excellent compact-sedan IS250/350, however a first drive of a GS prototype (see Wheels, September) indicates that this new model will be a credible rival to the German (and single Brit) sedans.

Headlining the range will be the GS450h F Sport, a 252kW V6 petrol/electric hybrid priced from around $120K – comparing favourably with the 220kW A6 3.0 TFSI, 225kW 535i and 200kW E350. It will be the first Lexus to introduce an adaptive variable suspension package dubbed Lexus Dynamic Handling System (LDHS), and the world’s first hybrid to feature four-wheel steer. The F Sport package is Lexus’s equivalent of Audi’s S-Line, BMW’s M Sport and Merc’s AMG sports kits.

Initially at least, only one other GS variant will be available. The GS350, with a 3.5-litre petrol V6, will undercut A6 2.8 FSI, 528i and E250 CGI, according to Lexus. At this end of the range, especially, sharper pricing is integral to Lexus stealing sales from its fierce competitor set.

It won’t be difficult to forget the overpriced and uninspired outgoing GS when this sharp-suited new sedan arrives next year.

Not an ‘80s movie quote, but a faulty switch on Volkswagen’s latest Beetle that could literally have heads rolling in America.

According to the NHTSA road safety bureaucrats, if the right front seat somehow becomes, ahem, wet in certain 2012-built Bugs fitted with leather upholstery, the airbag-off sensor that normally detects a child seat may fail, deploying an airbag in an accident and potentially seriously harming your pride ‘n joy.

Some 2471 cars are affected, but Oz-bound cars won’t. Our advice for American readers is to fit snuggier nappies. This is our community service announcement. It’s how we roll. So baby’s head won’t.

Click here to download Wheels magazine’s digital edition.

Nissan has unveiled the brand new PIVO 3 concept car ahead of the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show in December – a compact all-electric urban commuter vehicle that majors in smarts.

As the name suggests, the PIVO 3 follows two previous generations of Nissan PIVO concept, all exploring a similar electric urban mobility theme.

The integrated ‘Robotic Agent’ interface has returned from the PIVO 2. This functions as a digital personal assistant, using cloud computing technology to deliver content relevant to the current driver.

Other high-tech touches include the use of cameras instead of rear view mirrors, fully incorporated into Nissan’s Around View Monitor system, which allows you to see right round the car.

As an all-electric car, the PIVO 3 is intended to be as eco friendly as possible, and represents a future of distributed power grids, rather than central ones – it’s even able to sell electricity back to the network at times of high demand.

Porsche pulled the only surprise rabbit out of the hat at the Los Angelese Auto Show with the announcement of its hardcore Panamera GTS.

Following the same formula set by its four-wheel drive sibling, the Cayenne, the GTS-spec four-door, four-seater limousine packs a more powerful 4.8-litre naturally-aspirated V8 producing 316kW and 520Nm, which is good enough to propel the all-wheel drive express it from 0-100km/h in 4.5sec.

The extra grunt (22kW and 20Nm) over the standard Panamera 4S has been extracted through minor tweaks to the engine’s management system, which has also lifted its peak engine speed to 7100rpm, as well as, camshaft, valve train, induction and exhaust upgrades. The engine’s burly V8 soundtrack has also been amplified with a Sound Symposer, which at the touch of a Sport button, directs more intake noise into the cabin for added aural theatre.

The Panamera’s all-wheel drive system has also been tweaked to provide more rear-bias handling characteristics, the air suspension has been lowered by 10mm and the 19-inch Turbo-style wheels offer more width than the standard car for increased steering response.

The GTS also gets the flagship Turbo model’s front bumper with larger air intakes and its origami-like rear spoiler for added downforce at high speeds. The model will be added to Porsche’s Australian lineup from April next year, costing $315,300.

Keep an eye out for MOTOR’s January issue, on sale December 14, for more news.

Porsche Cars Australia boss Michael Winkler just said to me that the 991 represents an enormous leap forward over the outgoing and already brilliant 997 model. “Think of the leap from 993 to 996 and then double it,” boasted a supremely confident Winkler. In the near decade I’ve known Winkler, I’ve never seen him give in to hyperbole.

Despite this confidence, and a very positive review from our own Ash Westerman in the current issue of Wheels (on sale now), I am nervous about driving the new 991 911 (isn’t that a recipe for dyslexic meltdown).

Like every motoring journo and car enthusiast, I have a top ten of cars I’ve driven, and the current iteration of this ever-changing list is dominated by 997 911s (see below). I’m curious to see if the 991 will crack that top ten. But I’m nervous because the 991 has switched to electric assistance for the power steering. I’ve driven plenty of cars ruined by electric assist but am yet to drive one improved by it.

A chatty, writhing steering wheel is a 911 trait and one I’m hoping hasn’t been engineered out of the 911. Why did Porsche make the switch? It saves 0.1L/100km. Say that again, 0.1L/100km. If you look at that tiny number relative to the 500 or so 911s Porsche will sell in Australia next year, and assuming the national average kilometres of 13,700km (in truth, 911s cover significantly fewer kilometres) the switch to electric steering will save 6850 litres of fuel (13.7 litres per car annually). That’s the yearly consumption of five gently-driven V6 Commodores.

Perhaps this math explains why there’s a persistent rumour that Porsche’s Motorsport department will retain hydraulic steering assistance for the upcoming GT3, GT2 and RS models – they build only a few thousand of these models and they get driven for fewer kilometres than the mainstream 911s (albeit driven harder).

All this highlights the enormous pressure car makers are under from environmental regulations. Porsche is willing (or forced) to potentially corrupt a major brand trait for such a tiny number.

Tomorrow I head to Santa Barbara for the international launch of the 991 Carrera S. Only then will I know if and where the new 911 slots into the list below.

Note that just a single turbocharged car (the GT2) makes my list. The top ten of Peter Robinson’s excellent Top Fifty featured just two turbo cars (Audi’s Ur Quattro and the Ferrari F40).

Check out our gallery: Robbo’s Greatest Cars of All Time

The international launch of the new Porsche 991 Carrera coupe finished on Sunday and Porsche has already released first images and information on the new Cabriolet models. Set to debut at the Detroit motor show in January, the Carrera and Carrera S Cabriolets mirror the spec of the coupes.

The Carrera Cabriolet is powered by a 3436cc direct-injection flat-six with 257kW at 7400rpm, and 390Nm at 5600rpm. The Carrera S Cab runs a 3.8-litre engine with 294kW at 7400rpm and 440Nm at 5600rpm.

The conversion to drop-top adds 70kg to the equivalent coupe, with the Carrera manual starting at 1450kg and the Carrera S PDK topping out at 1485kg. The extra weight has only a minimal effect on performance adding 0.2 seconds to the 0-100km/h sprint. A Carrera S with PDK and launch control will achieve that benchmark in 4.3sec, while the smaller-engined Carrera with the seven-speed manual takes a flat five.

Fuel consumption goes up by a similar number with the Carrera Cabriolet fitted with PDK remaining the economy leader at 8.4L/100km on combined cycle (up 0.2L/100km more than the coupe).

The soft-top also has a minimal effect on aero performance with both models achieving a drag co-efficient of 0.30 (0.29 for the Coupes).

The Cabriolet models will arrive at Australian dealerships in April next year, just a month after the coupes. Prices start at $255,100 for the Carrera Cabrio manual (a $25,200 premium over the coupe), and $288,300 for the Carrera S Cabrio in manual (again a $25,200 premium).

It took him all year, but Mark Webber has finally notched his first win of the Formula One season, sealing third spot in the championship race with victory in Brazil.

Mark Webber believes his win in the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix will be a “good tonic” for him to return stronger in the 2012 Formula One world championship.

The 35-year-old Australian was overshadowed by Red Bull teammate and double world champion Sebastian Vettel this year, with the German enjoying 11 wins and 15 poles on his way to a second title.

Webber’s victory meant he finished third in the 2011 championship behind Jenson Button.

The world’s fastest Honda Jazz is being readied to rally in Australia next year. Dubbed ‘G2’, the tuned-up small hatchback will be raced in the 2012 Bosch Australian Rally Championship (ARC) by a second Honda team – the drivers to be announced early next year – alongside existing drivers Eli Evans and Glen Watson in their Civic Type R.

Powered by a Mugen-tuned 2.0-litre four producing 183kW at 9000rpm, the Jazz G2 offers an, er, whopping great increase from the stock 88kW 1.5-litre Jazz, yet will remain two-wheel-drive only.

Honda claims that many of the rally-specific engineering components in the Jazz G2 are shared with World Rally Championship (WRC) cars. Although internationally Honda no longer participates in F1, Honda Australian spokesperson, Lindsay Smalley, quoted company founder Soichiro Honda’s famous line that “if Honda does not race, there is no Honda” to back Honda Australia’s expanded commitment to the ARC.

“Honda is proud to continue its support of Australian rallying and we hope next season will be better than the last,” Mr Smalley added.