Mercedes-Benz has unveiled the AMG-tweaked version of its ML-Class SUV to the public for the first time at the Los Angeles Motor Show.

The go-fast off roader was the pioneer of the sporty SUV class when it was launched in 1999, but since then it now faces a barrage of similar vehicles, such as the Porsche Cayenne, BMW X5M and Audi Q7 V12 TDI as well as a bunch of newcomers from the likes of Maserati and even Bentley.

The third-generation ML from AMG has come in for a major makeover that makes it both more powerful, faster and more efficient than its predecessors. It has ditched the naturally-aspirated 6.2-litre V8 from the last model in favour of AMG’s all-new 5.5-litre twin-turbo V8. In standard form the new ML63 AMG produces a healthy 386kW and 700Nm to help propel it from 0-100km/h in 4.8sec.

But, following the wheel tracks forged by the C63 and E63, Mercedes has an optional Performance Pack that lifts the outputs to a staggering 410kW/760Nm that shaves a further 0.1sec off its sprint to triple figures.

Keeping all that power under control is a new 7-speed SpeedShift-plus automatic transmission and a specially-designed transfer case that splits the torque for a more rear-biased driving character. The air suspension and electronic systems have also been modified for more sporty handling traits.

The ML63 AMG is due to be launched in Australia in June 2012.

Keep an eye out for the January issue of MOTOR, on-sale December 14, for more news.

Motor Magazine’s Editor Andrew MacLean highlighted the best of the best on display at the 2011 LA Motor Show.

Showcasing an array of cars, from supercars to bikes, this year’s Motor Show doesn’t disappoint!

Motor Magazine’s Editor Andrew MacLean highlighted the best of the best on display at the 2011 LA Motor Show.

Showcasing an array of cars, from supercars to bikes, this year’s Motor Show doesn’t disappoint!

The LA Motor show is back and better than ever!

Here’s a selection of some of the best modified cars on display exclusively brought to you by Motor Magazine Editor Andrew MacLean.

Keep an eye on the Motoring site for more LA Motor Show madness!

When Porsche’s head of research and development, Wolfgang Hatz, uses the words, “uncompromising sportscar” and “race track experience” you expect him to unveil a 911 GT3, but these were the word he used to introduce the new Panamera GTS – one of the few genuine world premiers at an otherwise dull Los Angeles Auto Show.

Why you’d want to drive a near two-tonne limo on a race track is not easy to answer. However, the Panamera is not the craziest Porsche to wear the GTS tag that’s was first worn by a Zuffenhausen product in 1963 (904 GTS). Nope that title belongs to the 2008 Cayenne GTS.

Like the Cayenne GTS, the Panamera runs a 4.8-litre naturally-aspirated V8. Power is up 22kW with a peak of 316kW at 6700rpm – 200rpm higher. Torque jumps 20Nm to 520Nm at 3500rpm and the engine now revs to 7100rpm – 400rpm higher than the Panamera 4 and 4S. With these big numbers lurking under the bonnet, it’s no surprise the big bus runs hard. Launch control gets the seven-speed PDK-only GTS to 100km/h in 4.5 seconds and on to a top speed of 288km/h.

Despite the hike in performance the fuel consumption isn’t absurd at 10.9L/100km in European combined cycle testing.

Sitting on air springs, the GTS sits 10mm lower than the regular Panamera and rides on 19-inch Panamera Turbo alloys.

On sale in March next year for $315,300, the Panamera GTS may be a strange but fast addition to a track day near you.

IT’S ALMOST an expectation that controversy will follow the tail (or nose) of a new Subaru Impreza. After the curtain dropped on each of the last two generations, questions were asked about the brand’s styling direction and the dynamic downgrade between the models. ‘A face you’ll never forget’ was the branding given to the bug-eye Impreza of 2000. ‘Shock! New Impreza: what have they done?’ shouted our May 2007 coverline of the seemingly Korean-inspired third generation.

Yet there’s little shock or debate among journalists when the covers came off this fifth generation Impreza at its international launch in Tokyo. Under shiny studio lights, the new Impreza clearly isn’t as ugly as its predecessor(s) but nor is it as appealing as, say, a recent Kia offering. There are quiet nods of approval after sampling the cabin’s soft-touch plastics and improved rear-seat room. Safety equipment is up – a driver’s knee airbag is standard – and the range is a whole lot greener, with a new boxer four and start-stop tech helping to reduce consumption to just 6.8L/100km combined.

Subaru has played it safe with this Impreza, unsurprising since the company is desperate to catch the class benchmarks. Deputy Product Planning Manager, Kazuhiro Abe, concedes that the outgoing Impreza is a dynamic disappointment, a retrograde step from the model before it. Apparently, forcing engineers to prioritise refinement and ride comfort resulted in the inferior handling. For new Impreza, sharper steering and less bodyroll without ride comfort compromises was the brief, the Volkswagen Golf the clear benchmark (openly confirmed by Kazuhiro-san and the two Golfs we spotted at Subaru’s Tochigi proving ground).

Although Subaru is keen to improve the Impreza’s dynamics, the company also understands that the regular variants must be quietly conservative to achieve mass appeal. Enthusiasts won’t regard the outgoing model as a great car, but it was the most successful, averaging 1005 sales a month in Australia, compared with 518 for ol’ bug eyes. Corolla-copies clearly sell well.

The lift in cabin quality is appreciable; about par with a Mazda 3 but adrift of the class-leading Golf. Where the Impreza trumps both rivals is with cabin space. Both Impreza and Mazda 3 sedans share identical length, however the Sube – with a 25mm stretched wheelbase over the last model, and now 5mm up on the Mazda – is roomier in every direction. My head brushed the ceiling in the rear of the 3 SP20 sedan tested this issue (see p66), my toes jammed under the front seat. I could’ve donned a Panama hat and slipped on a pair of Ugg boots in the back of the Impreza, and still had space to spare.

Like the Skyactiv-engined Mazda, the Impreza’s brand-new FB flat-four proves (at least on paper) that downsizing-plus-turbo isn’t the only way to reduce consumption. According to Subaru, the new engine is responsible for five of the 20 percent economy improvement over the old model, with the CVT (five percent), stop-start (ditto), aero mods (three percent) and electric steering (two percent) the other contributors. Rated at 6.8L/100km (CVT) or 7.1L/100km (six-speed manual), the all-drive Impreza comes close to matching the front-drive 3 SP20 (6.1L/100km) and DSG-equipped Golf 90TSI (6.2L/100km).

Where it can’t match its rivals is with performance. The CVT is slow to wind up, the engine painfully thrashy at high revs. A generally sluggish duo overall, the 10.7sec 0-100km/h claim leaves Impreza as the slowest in its class. A 2.0-litre turbo-diesel is available overseas, however Subaru Oz says the oiler is unlikely because the petrol engine is now so frugal.

Speed-limited laps of the 1.7km handling circuit at the proving ground weren’t enough to make a definitive handling assessment, however both steering and ride seem improved. Subaru’s first electric-assisted steering system is decent; light and linear but without much on-centre feel. The suspension feels more disciplined than the previous model, falling somewhere between 3’s firmness and Golf’s plushness. The circuit’s randomly-placed manhole covers and lumpy imperfections were dispatched with neither impact harshness nor wallow.

On the ‘speed’ bowl (limited to 130km/h) the new Impreza seemed noisier than the previous model. Engine refinement is improved – at 120km/h the CVT allows the engine to spin at 2200rpm – perhaps exacerbating the tyre roar and wind rustle around the door mirrors.

When the Impreza lands here in February it will be better equipped – cruise and climate control are standard on 2.0i; a sunroof and rear-view camera are added to the mid-spec 2.0i-L; and leather and xenons on the 2.0i-S – for around the same money as the existing variants. That’s an accurate reflection of this safe-playing new Impreza as a whole: improved value, less offensive to look at, moderately better to drive. For shock, and hopefully awe not horror, we’ll have to wait till 2013 for the WRX and STi.

THE A6 is arguably the model that best represents the core spirit of Audi, with a DNA that stretches back to the original 100 of 1968. It’s never been a big seller in Australia, outdone by rivals from Mercedes-Benz and BMW, but that’s likely to change with the introduction of the fourth-generation C7 A6 – especially in four-cylinder, front-wheel-drive form tested here.

We sampled petrol and diesel 2.0-litre four-pot A6s and both are certainly impressive enough to fight for class honours. The 2.0 TDI develops 130kW and 380Nm, while sipping only 5.0L/100km on the combined cycle and emitting just 132g/km of CO2, while the petrol 2.0 TFSI makes 132kW and 320Nm, with a combined fuel figure of 6.4L/100km and 149g/km. Both employ stop-start tech and put their power to the road via Audi’s Multitronic CVT auto.

With the TDI revving so easily and delivering an extra hit of torque, it’s hard to make a case for the thirstier TFSI, especially as it’s slower from rest to 100km/h (8.3sec plays 8.2). Left to its own devices, the CVT keeps both engines in the middle of their torque bands in gentle driving, and that’s where the diesel works best, pulling this 1585kg car without fuss. A little too much diesel drone filters through to the cabin, even on a light throttle, but otherwise the drivetrain is difficult to fault.

Punting the A6 across the most challenging roads of South Australia’s Barossa Valley revealed no dynamic vices, though this big front-driver is hardly ‘sporting’. The electrically-assisted steering is benign and effective, lacking ultimate feel but providing enough feedback to keep you interested, while the trade-off between ride comfort and handling is well-judged – it rides comfortably and it understeers, which will suit owners focused more on equipment level and badge kudos.

Standard kit on the base car is impressive – it includes leather trim, sat-nav with MMI (Multi Media Interface) touchpad and an eight-inch screen, keyless entry, dual-zone climate control and eight airbags. The interior is probably the car’s best feature – it’s mini-A8, designed, built and finished to a peerless standard.

A sub-7.0L/100km figure qualifies both the TDI and TFSI for Luxury Car Tax green car dispensation – prices start at $77,900 for the TFSI and $78,900 for the diesel. As a package, it’s more competitive than any previous A6. As a car, it’s good enough to beat its rivals on its own merit.

THE Chum Creek Road is one of Victoria’s driving delights, curling its way upward from Healesville into the Toolangi State Forest. The corners can be rough or smooth, changes of direction rapid-fire or constant.

To a road like this you bring a performance car, not Volkswagen’s medium-sized Jetta sedan. Yet the Jetta is acquitting itself well. There’s consistent feel from the firmly-weighted steering, a distinct resistance to front-end scrub or overblown lift-off oversteer. A sudden shift right-left over a brow demonstrates admirable body control.

Up front, the 103TDI 2.0-litre four-pot is huffing away with quiet determination. Set to sport mode, the six-speed DSG is finding the right gear without any need for manual manipulation.

Really, we should not be surprised. The old Jetta was pretty good, albeit blighted by an exterior design that tacked an oversized boot and undersized body onto a Golf platform.

The result? A car that could carry heaps of luggage but not four adults in comfort. This was the Jetta’s Achilles heel against fine mid-sizers like the Mazda 6, Subaru Liberty and – to a lesser extent – Honda’s Accord Euro. Sure, it won awards and sold okay, but always with the proviso that those with leggy rear-seat passengers should look elsewhere.

So a 55mm wheelbase extension, and an overall stretch of 190mm, to 4744mm, helps deal with that issue (although a 3mm reduction in width means no additional elbow room). Now you can fit the adults in the back seat and their luggage in the voluminous 510-litre boot.

But the Jetta’s exterior is still nothing special, while inside, it’s recognisably mid-spec VW, so logical and comfortable but not original.

Volkswagen has laudably found between 15kg and 69kg in weight savings across the four Jetta spec levels. That means the three carry-over engines – 118TSI twincharger and 147TSI turbo-petrol and aforementioned 103TDI diesel – have no dramas hauling the expanded Jetta along.

Also going under the knife is pricing. The 118TSI, which now comes in a base model derivative that retails for just $26,490, is $2500 less than the discontinued 77TDI. If you do opt for the base model, be prepared for equipment omissions: steel rather than alloy wheels, no ski-port or rear centre armrest, manual air rather than climate control, no parking sensors – but important safety equipment remains unchanged across the range.

All this equipment and more is added as you climb the range, depending on whether you opt for Comfortline (118 and 103) or Highline (147) specifications.

So, rationally speaking, Jetta adds up to a pretty compelling purchase. Which is handy, because its unlikely many potential buyers will go for a test drive along the Chum Creek Road to discover its hidden talents.

Have you ever wondered what sort of work goes into making a road sign? It’s actually an intensive, ongoing process – one involving more than posting giant white lettering on a big reflective sign.

Traffic experts from around the world attend conferences on the creation of effective road signs. They do studies and experiment with visibility, legibility and understandable instructions for drivers whizzing by.

And yet… signs have defied more than a century of attempts at standardisation. And then there’s just good old human error. Check out some of these humorous head-scratchers.

These days, we’re spoilt rotten. Even the cheapest and most basic cars on sale now have air conditioning, electric windows and CD players. But it wasn’t always like this. From post-war austerity to just keeping it simple, here are our top 10 cars which did without stuff.

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