RESULTS
Enjoys challenge, but needs to concentrate in class. Plenty of happy Jeep owners, but challenge will be ensuring they remain happy and buy a Jeep next time around. Brand well positioned for moderate growth but needs to tackle quality issues as assertively as it does rocky trails.
Rank*: 12th Sales*: 24,791 (+39.4%) 2014 sales forecast: 29,000 Wheels prediction for 2015: 12th *To end October 2014
BACK when every Jeep had to be capable of getting to the moon and back (okay, the Rubicon Trail, which is slightly more challenging), Jeeps were fairly agricultural machines. Compromised on-road, their quality and attention to detail was outclassed by cheap garden furniture.
While the iconic brand and its associated rugged looks were enough to carry it in the good ol’ US of A, Australians were more attuned to what was being waved under their noses and largely stayed away. It was more of a niche brand for those chasing an image – there was a time when the biggest single market for Jeeps was Bondi – or, occasionally, genuine off-road ability.
But it was 2011’s Grand Cherokee that put the brand on the map. Regularly one of the best-selling off-roaders, its combination of value, good interior presentation and a 3.5-tonne towing capacity stole sales from favourites such as the Toyota Prado.
During the noughties, new management decided to ditch the Rubicon Trail requirement so Jeeps could finally be soft – but still look the business. It was a bold move, given the company’s heritage was all around excellent off-road ability, but it’s one that worked. New models such as the thoroughly unimpressive Compass and Patriot ensued, but because they were priced well they bolstered sales to the point where Jeep is now a volume player.
The simple but effective model line-up – still bolstered by the Grand Cherokee that is the brand’s top seller – is well positioned and marketed.
Jeep even scraped into the top 10 best-sellers’ list for one month in 2014, which isn’t bad for a relatively narrow line-up consisting only of SUVs.
OPPORTUNITIES
SUV sales are up 5.3 percent in 2014 while the overall market is down 1.9 percent. Of that SUV growth – a trend that’s been going since the 1990s – it’s the small models that are growing fastest, with the segment up 17.5 percent for the year.
Little wonder that’s where most brands are focusing their attention – and Jeep is no different.
In the third quarter of 2015 it will introduce the Renegade, an Italian-built compact SUV for the city set. While it claims best-in-class off-road ability – many in the class don’t even drive all four wheels, so the bar isn’t particularly high – the Renegade is clearly aimed at suburbia and CBDs.
Pricing is expected in the mid-$20K region, with the upcoming Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V likely to be prime competitors.
Other than that, Jeep model activity is slim. There will be a tweak to the Grand Cherokee later in the year as well as various special editions, including some wacky colour splashes and limited edition bits and bobs on the iconic Wrangler.
CHALLENGES
BIG growth in a relatively short space of time can create headaches for car companies. Volkswagen struggled with that in recent years and even Audi has had to work hard to increase its service network.
Servicing and aftersales typically take a hit as the dealer network rushes to maintain pace with so many more cars requiring parts and servicing.
Jeep is in the very real position of dealing with such issues – exacerbated by quality problems. As we went to print, the Grand Cherokee had just received its eighth recall in a calendar year. Some customers will probably be trying to claim mileage from driving to and from dealerships to get potential issues fixed.
Customer service, not growth, should be at the forefront of the brand’s short term plans. That said, the Renegade will naturally bring some growth, ensuring Jeep will be on the fringe of breaking into the top 10 lists again.
Score: B+
– Back to The Wheels Report results
The lure of the seven-year warranty should work well while important new arrivals bring sales promise.
RESULTS
Not reaching its potential … yet. While sales were soft in 2014, expect growth in 2015 as Kia winds up its aspirations of being a major player. The lure of the seven-year warranty should work well while important new arrivals bring sales promise.
Rank*: 13th Sales*: 23,862 (-5.6%) 2014 sales forecast: 28,000 Wheels prediction for 2015: 13th *To end of October 2014
AUSTRALIA’S first taste of Kia was with trucks back in the 1990s. But the first Kia passenger car dates back to the Ford Festiva in the 1980s and ’90s; it was a version of the Rio with Ford’s Blue Oval replacing the Kia badge.
It wasn’t until 1996 that Kia started selling passenger cars here under its own brand, with instant success from pricing that undercut most competitors and the thoroughly sub-par Sportage that took a ride on the SUV craze despite only being vaguely handy in the rough stuff.
The brand then got more serious with passenger vehicles in the late 1990s and kicked plenty of goals, including with its Carnival that now dominates the people mover category. But 10,000-plus engine failures with the Carnival halted progress as buyers developed concerns regarding longevity and reliability.
The company also took another blow when it took the sales reins from its Australian importer, taking a big step backwards as it was dealt a swift lesson in the intricacies of the market here.
Fortunately it reacted, but it’s been a slow road to growth, and in 2014 there’s even been a slip backwards in market share.
These days Kia has 10 models in its portfolio. While the Sorento and Sportage SUVs sell well enough, the Cerato small car is largely unconsidered in the competitive small car class, leaving the well positioned Rio to pick up some sales pieces.
OPPORTUNITIES
IT’S shaping up to be a decent year for Kia, with early refreshes to the Rio light car and Sportage mid-size SUV, followed by a facelift for the two-door Proceed GT, each of which should make them more competitive. The Cerato small car will also get a model year upgrade.
But Kia’s real wait is for the Sorento. The family SUV gets a new look and modified chassis as well as a fresh injection of driver assistance technology. Being one of the few family friendly seven-seaters with a diesel engine – and a decent one at that – it should team with more energetic marketing to grow sales.
At the other end of the scale Kia is gearing up to introduce the tiny Picanto. As the brand’s new entry-level model – sitting below the $15,290 Rio – it will be an important youth-focused entrant for the brand.
CHALLENGES
KIA has more to gain than lose – and the brand knows it. So do its competitors, many of which are watching keenly to see how sales progress.
Improving product and the successful Australian suspension tuning program has led to a decent model line-up, although for most buyers it’s rarely on the consideration list.
A recent internal poaching (Hyundai is Kia’s parent company) saw former Hyundai exec Damien Meredith appointed as chief operating officer at Kia Australia. As well as having an intimate understanding of what Hyundai is up to, Meredith has a solid understanding of the Australian market and where Kia needs to improve.
He’s also tasked with fixing the sales imbalance between Hyundai and Kia in Australia; while Hyundai is typically the bigger player in global markets, Kia is expected to be closer in sales terms than it is in Australia.
Meredith has already made his first big moves, evolving the marketing strategy and implementing an industry-leading seven-year warranty.
There may soon be room to move once the South Korean free trade agreement is implemented, which could lead to price reductions of around three percent, or extra gear for the same money.
Grade: B
– Back to The Wheels Report results
But brand is at critical juncture where it needs to step up and start conquesting more sales, which could be more difficult than getting to point it is now.
RESULTS
ONE TO WATCH: Temperamental but finally listening in class. Has taken a while but Renault finally seems to be getting hold on Australian market. But brand is at critical juncture where it needs to step up and start conquesting more sales, which could be more difficult than getting to point it is now.
Rank*: 19th Sales*: 7981 (+48.6%) 2014 sales forecast: 9500 Wheels prediction for 2015: 18th *To end October 2014
IT’S been an on-again, off-again relationship with Australians and French brand Renault.
With plenty of loveable cars in its past – the Renault 5 and 19 spring to mind, and even the sleek Fuego was something refreshingly different in the boxy 1980s – Renault had a loyal but small customer base.
That was diluted throughout the 1990s with mediocre products, prompting the brand to eventually pull the pin locally in 1996 and leaving many customers with a sour taste thanks to poor after-sales experiences and even worse resale values.
Come 2001 and it was back on deck following the ground-breaking Renault-Nissan alliance that even today is held up as a model of cross-company and multicultural cooperation.
But customers – many who bore scars on their bank accounts – weren’t as forthcoming and the dreamed-of 25,000 sales never eventuated, with the brand failing to sell one-fifth of that.
But another relaunch in 2010 brought with it a grounded approach to growing the brand, and it’s one that is hitting targets. In 2014, sales are up almost 50 percent, with the company on track for record Australian sales, north of 9000 units.
Key to the success is the Clio light car and Megane small car, while the Trafic commercial vehicle is the brand’s second-best seller.
The Koleos SUV delivers meaningful numbers, although it’s a bit player in the SUV segment in competes in, with age doing it no favours.
OPPORTUNITIES
ANYTHING big for Renault in Australia is generally fairly small when you consider its miniscule 0.9 percent sliver of the market. But two important models due in 2015 should continue the healthy sales growth.
The Clio-based Captur compact SUV is one that could add 10-15 percent to the sales tally and give Renault an entrant in one of the fastest-growing segments.
Then there’s the new version of the Trafic van, a vehicle that is Renault’s second-best seller.
There will also be minor tweaks to other models, including the brand’s number one car, the Clio, and the Megane that still struggles to find clean air in the hotly contested small-car market.
CHALLENGES
RENAULT’S biggest issue is consistency; something only time will solve. Since disappearing then reappearing with little sales fanfare there has been constant speculation about the brand’s future here. With such dominant share in their home market, French brands have often shown little interest in exports – and Australian customers have returned the favour.
Now that the brand is growing it needs to reinvest to build customer assurance. Already Renault is growing its footprint. In 2011 it had just 21 dealers, while by the end of 2014 there will be 43. The brand has focused on ensuring it has adequate coverage in CBDs and is now targeting major metropolitan centres that could yield incremental growth.
Volkswagen is still the brand’s biggest adversary, with a strong foothold in the affordable European market that Renault wants to encroach upon.
While it’s hard to see Renault taking vast chunks out of its German rival’s sales, there will be opportunities on which to capitalise. It requires good – and attractive – vehicles, something that seems to be happening at Renault.
Then there’s French arch rivals Peugeot and Citroen, which have flailed around in Australia for years with minimal success. Each has some exciting new models that could naturally tempt people away from a Renault showroom.
Grade: B+
– Back to The Wheels Report results
The first motor show of 2014 is upon us!
Yes, right now, thousands of the world’s best motoring journalists are donning jackets and beanies and flying into Detroit which currently has temperatures as low as -30 C.
Luckily, each of the show’s halls is heated, meaning all of the new, shiny metal (and there’s lots) will be displayed in all its glory. So to help guide you through this year’s Detroit Motor Show – which kicks off on Jan 13 – we’ve cobbled together this preview.
Remember to tune into Wheelsmag.com.au for all the action from Detroit as it breaks.
Mercedes-Benz: S Class, GLA45 AMG, C Class
We’ve seen the new S Class before, but Benz will use Detroit to reveal the new, V12 powered S600 which is tipped to produce around 390kW. The new, harder, faster AMG variant of the GLA crossover will also be shown, as will the all-important 2014 C Class which is tipped to also be shown as a wagon.
BMW: M3/M4, 2 Series
After months of waiting, BMW will use Detroit to finally reveal the new M3/M4 which are powered by a 3.0-litre twin turbo straight six churning out 316kW/500Nm. Sharing the stage will be the new 2 Series, which Robbo will drive after the show, and face lifted versions of the X1 and Z4.
Hyundai: Gensis
A hugely important car for Hyundai Australia, the second generation Genesis will be shown at Detroit. Expect engine and interior upgrades.
Porsche: 911 Targa
Fleshing out the iconic 911 range will see Porsche reveal a new Targa in Detroit. Expect it to hark back original body style first seen in 1966, if ‘leaked’ images online are to be believed.
Lexus: RC-F
Lexus will reveal its BMW 4 Series fighting RC-F in Detroit. Tipped to use a 5.0-litre V8, expect big performance numbers.
Ford: Mustang
We’ve already seen it, but Ford will official shown the all-new Mustang, which is bound for Australia, at Detroit.
Chevrolet Corvette Z06
Expect to see a harder, faster and track-focused Vette at Detroit, with Chevrolet already ‘teasing’ images of the new car.
Subaru” WRX STI
We already know what it looks like courtesy of leaked online images, but Subaru should provide tasty performance details of the new STI in Detroit. Expect a 2.5-litre turbo engine producing around 225kW.
Concepts: Kia GT4 Stinger, Mini JCW, Volvo XC Coupe, Toyota Vision Gran Turismo
As always, concept cars will play a big part at Detroit, with the above cars expected to be shown.
Now in its 51st year, Wheels magazine’s Car Of The Year is the world’s longest continuously-running new car award. It’s also Australia’s most respected automotive accolade…and the COUNTDOWN IS ON.
With only six days remaining before the 2013 Wheels Car Of The Year is globally revealed, the motoring world is abuzz — What will the winner be?
The answer will come from a field of 15 finalists, selected from 49 eligible candidates released in 2013. Each finalist was put through the wringer by the Wheels COTY expert panel and judged against established criteria that includes function, technology, efficiency, safety and value.
This year, Wheels will be utilising its strong web and social media presence to engage the community in the lead up to its COTY announcement. You can join the conversation by using the #WheelsCOTY hashtag across your social media platforms, following us on Twitter (@WheelsAustralia) and liking our Wheels Australia Facebook page.
The winner will be announced at the Wheels Car Of The Year function on Wednesday, January 15, with the COTY issue on-sale from Thursday, January 16.
DON’T BE surprised to see the F12 here.
We know it’s not exactly a real-world selection, but when the F12 sits at the peak of my list of Best Cars Ever, the $691K Ferrari simply can’t be ignored. Not just because the F12 is the fastest Ferrari road car of all time – in outright acceleration and around Maranello’s famed Fiorano test track (at least until we test LaFerrari, the 708kW hybrid) – more that, despite being dominated by the staggering power of its normally-aspirated 6.3-litre V12, the F12 is only intimidating if you consciously set out to access all 545kW and 690Nm.
Ferrari has thoroughly re-engineered the now direct-injection V12, now surely the best performance engine in the world, to reduce friction, increased the compression ratio to 13.5:1 and by employing all kinds of clever technology to help increase low-end torque. The result is an engine that revs to 8700rpm, yet provides 80 percent (or 552Nm) of peak torque from only 2500rpm. Incredibly tractable and responsive as well as rev happy, you quickly discover that there is no need to be constantly changing gears via the paddles that operate the brilliant dual-clutch gearbox.
To benefit traction, F12’s transaxle and a V12 that’s almost all behind the front-axle line, produce a 46/54 weight distribution. Yet, such is the F12’s power that its steady-state understeer can easily be pushed through by flexing your right foot.
So transparent and accessible is the car’s balance that you adjust the cornering attitude and balance on the throttle, exiting turns in power oversteer. Save this hooliganism for track days, knowing that the literally tyre-shredding performance demands concentration at the limit, but also that heroic point-to-point times are possible without fear, so trustworthy is the handling (if you avoid tapping too far into the ferocious performance).
Light and super-quick steering, just 2.0 turns lock-to-lock, disguises the respectable 1630kg bulk to make the car feel agile, while turn-in is instantaneous, more thought process than deliberate movement of the wheel. The ride, too, is exactly right in matching the conditions or the driver’s mood. Electromagnetic dampers allow a choice between soft and firm settings that is independent of the stability-control system and the electronic differential and traction control.
The F12’s pace is epic, barely believable. As is the refinement, drivetrain flexibility and ride quality. No car currently made delivers exhilaration and sophistication as effectively as the Ferrari F12.
Designing a car for a single purpose is relatively easy. With a sharp, specific focus, whether that’s the ability to go around corners fast, or climb rocks, or carry eight people, few compromises are involved in the layout or packaging, which is basically defined by the vehicle’s intended function.
Creating a car to do everything – well, almost everything – is impossible because some attributes are mutually incompatible, even if a Range Rover tries hard to prove me wrong. The greatest car, then, is the all-rounder, a jack-of-all-trades and master of none.
Behold the Volkswagen Golf GTI. Fast and frugal, practical, beautifully finished, well equipped and dynamically appealing, the latest GTI adds a welcome touch of real-world comfort to the equation. If I had to choose just one car to last for the next decade, this would most probably be it. Play sports car, via the superb 162kW third-generation EA888 engine, and the GTI combines fun with real performance. Its 0-400m time of 14.5 seconds is a match for any rival at remotely the same price, while the efficiency (6.2L/100km combined-cycle economy for the manual) is remarkable. A new level of chassis composure and effortless manners is also laid upon VW’s best car.
The interior oozes quality and feels as if it belongs to a German car of twice the price. If you don’t believe me, shut the door: the solid thunk defines the engineering integrity that characterizes Golf VII (and VW’s new MQB architecture).
That refinement, the supple, yet controlling suspension (courtesy of adaptive damping that really works), brilliant seats and a high-quality steering wheel ensure the GTI feels expensive from behind the wheel. The now-variable-ratio steering is super quick – 2.1 turns combined with a tight 10.9-metre turning circle – and transfers information without the intrusion of nasty torque steer. If I’m super critical, feel is vaguely artificial but the steering remains one of the best electric systems and a massive step over the old car.
We love the Golf GTI because, even with the raft of enhancements that elevate it to new levels of performance and finesse, at heart it remains a GTI. The GTI’s giant-killer role, achieved with utterly civilised composure, confirms this VW as all the car you’ll ever need. No wonder the GTI is expected to takes 20 percent of all Golf sales in Australia next year.
All those years ago, Holden’s advertising for the original VK Calais trumpeted how it was ‘World Class’. For the time (1984), it probably was, but not like this. While the sporting VF Commodore models are stand-outs for their performance and their superb ride and handling, it’s the entry-level Calais sedan that smashes people’s preconceptions.
In terms of its appearance, refinement, comfort and cabin ambience, the Calais is a $60K-plus European luxury sedan masquerading as $39,990 Aussie special. And nowhere is this more evident than in the Calais’ multi-hued, beautifully textured interior.
Everywhere you look, all the things you’d imagine are optional are actually standard in the $40K Calais. High-grade, two-tone leather, Alcantara dash trim, an excellent full-colour touchscreen – it all makes a massive difference to the Calais’ quality perception. In that context, it’s almost impossible to believe what we accepted in the VE Berlina for the same price back in 2006. An incongruous strip of poplar wood on the dash, a leather-bound steering wheel and dual-zone climate control. Whoopdee frigging do!
Out on the sort of roads that populate vast expanses of this country, the 18-inch-wheeled Calais is sublime. Its Touring-grade suspension is supple without being overly soft, its body control disciplined, yet cushioned in a way that French luxury cars used to be. Add very low levels of tyre noise and impressive cabin isolation and it’s no wonder the VF Calais does such a great impression of a car costing twice its price.
The other great benefit of the VF’s comprehensive NVH improvements is the newfound culture of the 210kW 3.6-litre V6. It’s never going to sound like a Dell’Orto-fed Alfa, but the Melbourne-built V6 is a muscular performer that blends a wide spread of torque with a genuine eagerness to rev. Add a well-calibrated six-speed auto and the VF Calais’ commendably light 1702kg kerb weight and the result is a terrific sports-luxury sedan.
You can have a lot of fun in the VF Calais, exploiting its superb chassis balance and the sort of keen, uncorrupted steering that only rear-wheel drive can muster. Yet the Calais is equally at home transporting five adults at pace across any country road you want to throw at it, with unmatched comfort and disdain. And unexpected thrift.
Of all the VFs we drove this year, it was the quiet-achieving Calais that surprised us the most. Yes, the SS-V Redline is a cracking sports sedan, but it’s the everyman’s Calais that most deserves inclusion in 2013’s Top 10 cars.
The French have a long history of building great small cars, and in modern times, Renault in particular.
But most of those accolades have been directed at the top end – turbocharged, hyper-focused Megane hot hatches and a succession of rev-obsessed hot Clios developed by the very talented petrolheads at Renaultsport.
Yet here we have a turbocharged Renault that relies on forced-induction to make it one of the most fuel-efficient petrol cars on the market. Underneath this Clio IV’s shapely, pedestrian-friendly bonnet sits a tiny 898cc three-cylinder engine producing a modest 66kW at 5250rpm, capable of sipping fuel at an average of just 4.5L/100km on the government cycle. Even the urban claim is only 5.6L/100km, and in our experience, no matter how hard you drive a Clio TCe90, you’ll record no worse than mid-sevens. This is an exceptionally frugal car.
What makes the experience, though, is the three-pot Clio’s effortlessly charming personality. Its claimed 0-100km/h time is an equally unassuming 12.2sec, yet the torquey little engine, matched to a sweet-shifting five-speed manual gearbox, will effortlessly breeze along using its torque, to the point where you feel that five ratios is ample. The joy with this engine comes from its thrummy character and its tractability, like an old Volkswagen flat-four, not its high-rev excitement. That’s the job of the forthcoming Renaultsport Clio 200.
But everything else that makes the TCe90 Clio great is shared with every other Clio IV. A well-damped ride with suspension travel that’s disciplined yet absorbent. An alert electric steering set-up that encourages drivers to press on, guided by a lovely-to-hold steering wheel. And soft, yet supportive seats, in fine French tradition, that come in an array of vibrant, customisable colours – just like the exterior.
Finally, there’s the new Clio’s brilliant chassis, which makes maintaining momentum in the low-powered TCe90 one of life’s simple pleasures. It scythes through corners using every degree of rear-suspension geometry to hold the tightest line possible. It’s both entertaining and reassuring, which isn’t something you could’ve said of the lift-off oversteer antics of days gone by. And it carries Euro NCAP’s five-star crash rating, just in case things do happen to go tits-up.
It has taken Australia a while to cotton onto the charms of grown-up small cars like the Clio IV. In the TCe 90’s case, the quest for sophistication doesn’t make having a good time behind the wheel mutually exclusive. And if you happen to relish giving your roomy little hatch a right royal flogging, you won’t be forced to pay for the privilege at the pumps.
Australian rally star Chris Atkinson is returning to the World Rally Championship with Hyundai. And this is the beastie he will be driving.
The global reveal of the Hyundai i20 World Rally Car included the announcement of Shell as the primary sponsor, along with prominent ‘N’ logos pointing to the newly created Hyundai road car performance division, which Hyundai Australia has shown great interest in bringing to the local market.
Queenslander Atkinson has played a major part in the i20’s WRC development program, having been appointed to the testing squad. The 2012 Asia Pacific Rally Champion has been confirmed for several events in 2014, partnering lead driver Thierry Neuville. Thankfully, Atko’s program includes Rally Australia.
“It’s a nice early Christmas present to be given this opportunity to return to the WRC with Hyundai Motorsport,” he said. “It’s going to be awesome to compete in front of my home crowd on the Coates Hire Rally Australia.”
The 34-year-old has made 75 starts in the World Rally Championship, with six podium placings. His last factory drive was with Subaru in 2008, where he finished fifth in the standings.
In all, the i20 WRC has completed more than 8000 kilometres of mixed-surface testing as the buoyant Korean company looks to compete with the all-conquering factory Volkswagen Polo Rs in 2014.
