When the words ‘cross country’ appear on a vehicle, there’s an immediate issue in managing expectations. Volvo’s new V40 derivative suffers from just such a challenge.

Cross-country it’s not. In truth, the V40 XC is a compact, premium, sporty all-wheel drive hatch in which regularly maintained, secondary dirt roads can be tackled with a reasonable – albeit measured – degree of enthusiasm.

Avoid anything with washaways, berms and camel-humped crowns common to roads deep within the inner reaches of our continent because, as sure as a Kevin Rudd meltdown, it will all end in tears on the back of a Quiklift. The V40 XC is a shrink-wrapped pastiche, which will make city folk think and feel like they’re ready to go interesting places when, in fact, it’s only down to the local shops.

Just two auto-only XCs are imported here from Belgium, in the same Luxury spec level as the front-drive V40. And they’re crammed with nice kit such as heated leather seats, centre colour screen, rear camera, adaptive digital instrumentation, eight-speaker multimedia, daytime running lights, and sat-nav.

In its front-drive guise, the 2.5-litre V40 T5 costs $49,990. In the T5 XC version, the same 187kW/360Nm five-cylinder stormer is coupled to a Haldex all-wheel drive system and six-speed auto, and costs $3K more ($52,990). This extra cash adds visual bling that mimics the style of big-brother XC70 through cosmetic, but sensibly durable polymer cladding on the sills and bumpers, plus anodised black on framework and mirrors, and integrated roof rails.

The ergonomics are, as you’d expect, first-class, and the cabin, while constrictive (particularly in roof height compared with logical SUV rivals like the Audi Q3), oozes a quality Scando ambience. The AWD system, with torque vectoring and stability control, works a treat in the T5. It has an engine always keen to get involved yet, on our brisk sample drive, it still returned 9.4L/100km.

What doesn’t make much sense, aside from its cheaper price, is the 130kW/400Nm 2.0-litre diesel version – the D4. This is a two-wheel drive “cross country” – visually identical to the T5, but significantly less capable of anything, apart from using less fuel. While turbo-diesels are usually the bush driver’s engine of choice, going scrub in the XC D4 armed with only a slightly higher ground clearance (barely 15mm) and without the necessary all-paw grip, would be courting disaster.

So here, then, is the V40 XC’s conundrum: it’s a wannabe soft-road SUV bereft of a turbo-diesel AWD version, which, by charting the success of others in the market, would appear to be a no-brainer.

Melbourne’s cruising scene goes into deep hibernation during the winter months, so by the time spring rolls around, everyone is itching to get their hot rods and muscle cars out of the garage. Around 200 tasty-looking rides braved high winds and some dodgy looking clouds to attend the first Classic & Rod Club Cruize Night for 2013, held in Cranbourne. It didn’t really matter what your automotive persuasion there really was something for everyone with a mix of hot rods, classic muscle cars and some very cool cruisers and customs. They plan to do it all again next month (Nov 20th) and every month until March 2014. For details, check out www.classicandrodclub.com.au

Porsche has teased its long-awaited Macan SUV ahead of the new model’s launch at next month’s LA Motor Show.

Teased in an official image (above) and an online video, Porsche promises the new five-dour, five-seat SUV will retain the brand’s iconic sporting heritage and boast ‘defining facial features’ – like quad-lamp headlights lifted from the 918 Spyder hypercar.

Drivetrain details remain sketchy, although base models are expected to use engines sourced from the Volkswagen family, with higher-spec variants tipped to boast Porsche-built turbo V6s.

Production of the baby-SUV will kick off in Germany this December, with local deliveries expected mid-2014.

Stone motherless last. Not a position you really want to find yourself, unless, say, you’re a guest of the Americans in Guantanamo Bay and there’s a lengthy cue for a go on the water board.

For Kia, that position in our last small-car mega test (December 2012) must have caused some furrow-browed consternation. But did can-do Kia start sooking? Pop a spot of anthrax in the post? Invite us over for a little water-boarding session of its own?

No. Instead, it got on with the job of building a better Cerato. This third-gen model ditches the slight anonymity of the previous version; it’s also longer, wider and lower than the car it replaces. It rolls on a platform that increases the wheelbase by 50mm (shared with the Hyundai i30), is powered by new engines, and still offers one of the best warranty and fixed-price servicing deals in the business. Crucially, as with the Cerato sedan we drove in June 2013, the hatch has also seen some worthwhile spanner time with Kia’s go-to local chassis bloke Graeme Gambold.

Another bout of cellar dwelling seems very unlikely. Clearly the Koreans understand the importance of local suspension tuning. Springs, dampers, bushes, anti-roll bars and tyres have all been given attention to get the thing breathing in sync with Aussie roads.

As with the sedan, Cerato hatch is yours in one of three spec levels. The base S runs a 1.8-litre four (110kW/178Nm), comes pretty well equipped and squeaks under the $20,000 drive-away mark. At least it does as a manual – the auto adds $2000, as it does on whichever Cerato you fancy.

Mid-spec is the Si, which gets you behind the 2.0-litre direct-injection four, making 129kW. It rolls on 16-inch rubber; importantly, the size on which the local suspension work centred.

Top-spec SLi adds leather, nav, 17s, and heated/vented seats, among other things, but pushes the price in auto form to just shy of $30K, which kinda tempers its appeal a bit.

Styling wise, the hatch shares the good-looking (if slightly Botox-in-a-wind-tunnel) front-end treatment of the sedan, but ties it with a pert rear, capped by a discreet roof-mounted spoiler.

Inside, what was already one of the more accommodating small cars has become even more generously proportioned, making the packaging a real Cerato strong suit. Hip-point drops slightly compared to the old car, freeing up a little more headroom, while the seats are wider and the roomier rear is fine for two six-foot adults, or three smaller units.

On the road, the mid-spec Si Cerato tends to be one of those small cars more noteworthy for its chassis than its engine. The atmo four is not gutless down low, but in this increasingly torque-rich turbo age, you quickly notice that peak torque doesn’t arrive until 4700rpm. The six-speed auto is largely unobtrusive, but does demand a sizeable boot via the throttle to acknowledge your intentions. A shame, then, that paddle shifters are only offered on the top-spec SLi.

Point the Si into a typically patchy Aussie backroad bend, though, and it’s instantly apparent that Gambold’s forces of good have been at work under the Cerato. There’s confidence in the front end, decent body control, and a rear that soaks up the bumps without kicking off line. The ride, too, has a nice level of pliancy, and the whole thing feels well resolved, apart from the remoteness of the steering.

The suspension tune doesn’t translate as effectively in the top-spec SLi model on 17-inch wheels and tyres. The ride is way busier; the road surface not as well masked. Not ideal, but well short of torturous. And comfortably clear of that cellar.

Click here to read the full range review of the Kia Cerato.

The world’s economy might be in the toilet, but that hasn’t stopped the super-rich from dropping big bucks on shiny pieces of metal like this ultra-rare Ferrari 250 GTO.

Yep this 250, known as ‘chassis 5111’ has just sold for…$55.63 million ($52m US) in a private deal, easily making it the world’s most expensive car.

Sold by car collector Paul Pappalardo, the 250 GTO’s price tag is a staggering 49 percent higher than the previous most expensive car – another 250 GTO previously owned by Stirling Moss – which fetched $36.6 million in July.

But then again, Pappalardo’s 250 has got quite a history, having won the 1963 Tour de France. Add in the fact it’s one of just 33 Series 1 GTOs left in the world, and you can begin to understand the supersonic price tag.

But $55 million? That’s 30 LaFerrari hypercars. Or 1567 Holden Commodores.

Ouch.

The world has gone small-SUV mad. In markets all over the globe, the satchel-sized Sport Utility Vehicle has become the hottest thing since sleeve tattoos and manufacturers can’t keep up with demand.

Indeed, Australia is about to be bombarded with new entrants, and Holden’s Trax is up first. It lands smack-bang in the middle of a huge Holden advertising campaign, and beats its Ford Ecosport and Peugeot 2008 rivals to market by two months.

The two-model Trax range kicks off at $23,490 for the LS manual and tops out at $27,990 for the six-speed auto LTZ. And while the 18-inch-wheeled LTZ might scrimp on some equipment details (the ‘Sportec’ seat trim is a pretty name for vinyl), it absolutely nails the infotainment and connectivity stuff sure to win over so many Gen Ys (see breakout).

Surprisingly, so does its styling, which appears chunky and purposeful in the flesh, and looks particularly distinctive from the rear. According to Richard Ferlazzo, Holden’s chief of design, Trax’s front-end was styled in Melbourne.

When Ed Welburn (GM Vice President of Global Design) saw the front-end proposals for Trax, he said “I like the Holden one, let’s use that”.

The Aussies have also had a large hand in Trax’s tuning. Just one engine variant will be offered for now – GM’s venerable 1.8-litre Ecotec petrol four – which, thanks to calibration by Holden’s engineers, does a highly commendable job powering the Trax.

Driven hard, this 103kW/175Nm slogger isn’t quiet, but the 1.8 sounded less strained in Trax than an auto Cruze wagon I drove recently, and most of the time, it operates unobtrusively and effectively. It produces more than 90 percent of peak torque from 2400 to 6500rpm, and when tied to the intuitive six-speed auto, the 1.8 is a tractable and capable performer. Apparently the 1.4 turbo is “under evaluation”.

Where the Ecotec donk shows its age is in quoted fuel efficiency. The ADR number for a Trax auto is 7.6L/100km – better than Mitsubishi’s ASX CVT (7.9) and Nissan’s Dualis CVT (8.3), but well behind the forthcoming Renault Captur 1.2 turbo (5.4L/100km).

The five-speed manual (available only on the base LS) claims 7.0L/100km, but given the choice, we would have the slick auto over the long-throw manual.

Underneath, Trax shares Barina’s front-drive Gamma platform (AWD won’t be offered here), although its wheelbase is 30mm longer (2555mm) and tracks are over 40mm wider.

At 4278mm, Trax is slightly shorter than an ASX, but it has a well-shaped 356-litre boot, and the rear seat double folds for a completely flat cargo bay. Indeed, one of Trax’s greatest strengths is its packaging.

Likewise steering and handling. “I wanted the car to really inspire confidence”, said Holden vehicle dynamics engineer, Michael Barber – spouting words like “enthusiastic” and “eager” to describe Trax’s dynamic flavour.

Riding on quality Continental tyres, the Trax feels poised and surefooted, with pointy yet progressive steering and a sophisticated feel. The 215/55R18-tyred LTZ has more consistent steering weighting than the 205/70R16-tyred LS, but the base Trax has a slightly cushier ride.

Thing is, the Trax looks so much better riding on 18-inch wheels, its firm ride is an easy trade-off. Same argument applies to the LTZ’s visual bling, although you can option charcoal 18s and even GT stripes on an LS if you desire.

But it’s the Trax’s value-for-money, its polished driveability, and its unmatched connectivity that’ll really draw punters in.

This is a scary statistic – just three percent of the drivers teaching L-platers in NSW would pass a driving test, according to the NRMA.

The eye-opening stat comes from a new study of 624 supervising drivers, which asked them to complete a 16 question online road rules test similar to the Driver Knowledge Test prospective L-Platers must pass to their licence.

Shockingly just 18 of the 624 managed to pass, with the average score being nine out of 16.

A score of 15 was needed to pass.

“The average score of 9 out of 16 indicated parents and supervisors needed a better knowledge of road rules before getting into a car with a learner driver,” said NRMA Wendy Machin.

“Young drivers pick up on the driving habits of their supervisors – both good and bad – and this means taking time to prepare before getting in the car.”

For the man who has everything, and we meaneverything, we bring you this – the $7.8 million gold Lamborghini Aventador model.

Yes, this multi-million dollar car isn’t actually a real Lamborghini, but rather a 1:8 scale model. Crazy huh?

Set to officially become the world’s most expensive model car when it’s offered up for auction, the model is wrapped in solid gold over a carbonfibre body.

But they’re just two of the exotic materials used in its construction, with the model also featuring platinum, sterling silver and gemstones – which adorn the interior. Apparently the cost of materials alone is $2.6 million.

But before all this excess makes you feel sick, or in fact you realise a real, drivable Aventador costs (only) $760,000, there is a small silver lining to this story.

At least $650,000 of the model’s $7.8 million price tag will go to charity.

Forget the Peel P50, there’s a new king of the tiny automobile – everyone meet the world’s smallest car.

With no official name, this custom-made vehicle, which measures 63.5cm tall, 65.4cm wide and 126cm long, has just been officially declared the world’s smallest road-legal car by the Guinness World Records.

The brainchild of American, and obsessed record chaser, Austin Coulson, the car is fully road legal (in Texas) and is powered by a child’s quad bike engine.

Sporting ‘IM BIG’ numberplates, it also sports a safety glass windscreen, functioning wipers, blinkers, seatbelts and a horn.

Top speed is limited to 40km/h – anything higher would be ‘terrifying’ according to Coulson.

As would any sort of accident. We can’t imagine it having a 5 star ANCAP rating…

Unsurprisingly, it seems we’ve upset the Victorian Police with our Raise the Limit to Lower the Toll campaign.

Not only have the men in blue slammed the campaign as “reckless” and “high-risk”, but they feel so slighted that they failed to catch our speeding journalist – who drove from Melbourne to Sydney at 130km/h – Wheels understands officers are now reviewing CCTV footage in the hope of prosecuting after the fact.

Officers have contacted Volvo, which lent Wheels the car used in the campaign, to demand the dates of the trip, and are also reportedly looking to discipline the highway commands that failed to catch the Wheels journalist.

After an initial rebuff, Wheels is still awaiting an official response to the above claims, although Victoria Police did release an official statement on the issue yesterday.

“What I’ve been told is the driver deliberately drove compliant with speed limits through road safety cameras that we know exist on the Hume Freeway, including the point-to-point safety cameras,” said Police Superintendent Neville Taylor.

“Speed is still about one-third the contributor to road trauma on our roads in Victoria. Speed is by far one of the most single behaviours we need to keep focusing on for road users to change to reduce road trauma.”

Wheels Editor Stephen Corby has dismissed the criticism of his magazine’s campaign, saying “Obviously the police are upset, because they sell the idea that if you speed, you’ll get caught. Apparently not.

“Wheels is by no means encouraging reckless speeding with this campaign. Rather it is looking to begin a conversation about an important issue and make people realise other countries have successfully implemented higher speed limits and have seen a reduction in fatalities. And so has our own Northern Territory.

“We don’t believe what we did was reckless or unsafe, on the contrary we think we’ve proven that large sections of the Hume are safe at 130km/h and, by cutting more than an hour off the trip, doing so would reduce driver fatigue and thus lower the number of crashes.

“Pleasingly, we’ve also received unofficial backing from members of the police force, past and present, for our campaign, not to mention huge support from the public.

“The Victorian Police, and other authorities, seem to be out of step with public opinion on this issue.”

To learn more about the campaign, and register your support, clickHERE! or Head to our Facebook page Wheels’ Facebook page to join the debate.

It’s time for sensible speed limits. Make your voice count.