ECOcar Magazine Issue 19

AUSTRALIA’S GUIDE TO ECO FRIENDLY, FUEL EFFICIENT CARS

www.ecocarmagazine.com.au RRP: AU $7.95 NZ $8.95

Issue 19 December / January 2012-13

ISSN 1836-4500

SUVS

HATCHES - SEDANS

THE LATEST

PREVIEW

A TOUCH OF No longer the ugly duckling, the new A-Class is all that it is expected to be. Chris Mullett reports

I

love the technology built into the latest MercedesBenz range. I actually enjoy washing them, as, in doing so, I can then look closely at the way the steel is fabricated, how the seams roll perfectly into each other and how the standard of assembly is just that bit better than so many other manufacturers.

I am not expecting everyone to grab a soapy sponge to marvel at the way the doors fit inside each frame. However, if you do start to have a slightly closer look than normal at things you might otherwise take for granted, you will become more impressed the harder you look.

That brings me to talk about the latest model to join the brand, and, in many ways, the new A-Class previewed at the Sydney Motor Show heralds a

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totally new approach by the company to compete head-on with mid range, rather than high-end competition.

The new A-Class looks very, very good, both in photography and equally in the flesh. The interior has all the finish and appeal that one could expect from a top-end prestige car. But there’s a difference. The objective here is not just to compete with Audi, BMW and Jaguar; the target caught in the cross hairs wears the VW badge, and it’s called the Golf.

Pricing competitiveness against the Golf range sees the A-Class start with the A180 at $35,600. At the top end of the A-Class range is the Sport, and it comes with a price of $49,900. Compare that to a fully-optioned Golf or Golf GTI and immediately there’s a full-on fight about to occur on the forecourt. Because, when push comes to shove, and the price point is right on the button, and our prediction is that buyers

A TOUCH OF CLASS will move to have the three-pointed star on the front rather than a VW badge.

The new A-Class is aimed at a completely different buyer demographic.

According to Horst von Sanden, Mercedes-Benz Australia Pacific’s passenger car division managing director, “2013 will be one of the most important years in our brand’s Australian history, it will be the year we expect to both springboard our volume north and further expand our customer reach.

“We will continue to do what we do well, and that’s to guide the Australian prestige market in a direction

that makes our vehicles and technology accessible to a broader demographic,” Horst added.

So, when we stand back and look at the new A-Class, what makes it so different?

Unlike the previous A-Class that never looked like anything special, the new A-Class has the style, design and presence necessary to make it stand out from the crowd. But that’s not just a question of looks. The A-Class carries the substance as well, in its overall appearance, interior styling and fuel-efficient performance, to justify the interest.

There are four models – three are built around the BlueEFFICIENCY (BE) principle (the A 180 BE, A 200 BE and the A 200 CDI BE) and the fourth is a full-on Sport model (the A 250 Sport).

Each is available now for order, and delivery is expected early in 2013. One year later, there will be a higher performance, allwheel-drive version with acceleration levels that will leave no doubt behind that MB, as a brand, is set to take on all-comers.

Each of the four models fits the ECOcar criteria for fuel economy. Consumption starts for the A 180 BE at 5.8 l/100 km for the 1.6-litre, petrol four-cylinder, and improves to 4.6 l/100 km for the four-cylinder, 1.8-litre diesel used in the A 200 CDI BE. The A 200 BE 1.6-litre petrol sips a little more fuel at 6.1 l/100 km.

Choose the A 250 Sport, and you’ll be enjoying the performance of the 2.0-litre petrol engine and yet still not using more than 6.6 l/100 km. Emissions levels start from 121 g/km for the A 200 CDI BE, move through 135 and 141 g/km for the A 180 and 200 BE versions, and peak at 152 g/km for the A 250 Sport.

Each of the four engines features direct injection and is turbocharged, has ECO start/stop to automatically cut fuel consumption when stationary in traffic, and each shares

the same gearbox, the 7G-DCT seven-speed automatic transmission, as it drives the front wheels.

Let’s now look at safety.

Around the vehicle perimeter there’s front and rear parking sensors, with safety reinforcement by the inclusion of a reverse camera monitor. The braking system adds hill-hold and brake assist, electronic stability and traction control. You can also have adaptive cruise control, lane departure assistance and collision prevention.

The interior offers nine airbags, belt tensioners and belt force limiters, a satellite navigation system you can talk to and have a discussion about your destination, plus all the usual Bluetooth connections and data streaming options imaginable.

There are some tricky audio systems, with up to 12 speakers and Dolby Digital thingy, thanks to Harman Kardon.

At each corner of the car the wheel and tyre package is variable, from 17-inch through to 18-inch alloys, each shod with run-flat tyre technology and aspect ratios down to 40-Series. One rubbery point that is different here is the availability of a temporary space-saver tyre, adding at least some support to the theory of non-intervention in run-flats.

The interiors, and there are several package alternatives here, are extremely attractive and in no way emulate the expected dour and dark interiors for which Volkswagen has the patent. And, as if to prove the point, there’s ambient lighting in various parts of the interior to shed a little added illumination where, previously, shadows existed.

There is a selection of packages that add specific upgrades, but none of these is priced over $2,990 and most come in at around half that amount. At the peak of the list is that of the AMG Exclusive Package, and for that you add topECOCAR ISSUE 19

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FIVE TESTED

HUNDRED

MILES IN A FIAT 500

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he best way to recover from a non-stop flight to England is bursting out onto the motorway leaving Heathrow Airport. Even though English traffic moves slower nowadays, the sheer density of cars and trucks moving at 70 – 85 mph (110 – 135 km/h) is remarkable.

You need to be mentally prepared and willing to go as fast as everyone else, any form of faint-heartedness being quite dangerous.

The tiny, pale-blue Fiat 500 awaiting my dawn arrival exuded timidity. It appeared to be quivering at the thought of anything more forceful than reclining outside an Italian café, and probably quite incapable of accelerating to match the speed of the traffic. It was brand new, the odometer showing just 13 miles, but had already developed an attitude.

With luggage stowed in the surprisingly roomy boot, I put all the usual items like sunglasses, pocket camera, phone, and map on the passenger seat, fired up the little 1.2-litre petrol engine and released the clutch. The little Fiat launched with such ferocity that everything on the passenger seat disappeared through the rather enormous gap between the seat cushion and backrest.

Refusing to be deterred, I headed toward the motorway.

However, my Fiat 500, being the Lounge model, comes with a glass roof, able to cleverly direct all early morning sunlight onto the matching Volare Blue and Ivory, retro dash.

Designed, on even the bleakest of English days, to replicate the holiday joy of sunning yourself on a lounge on the Amalfi

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Coast, sunglasses are a must, and, of course, mine were now somewhere on the back floor.

After covering just one mile, I was crouched at the side of the road, leaning in the passenger door, groping around under the seats, managing to not only find my items, but, rather curiously, for a car having travelled just 14 miles, some coins and a pair of socks.

Bellissimo.

My first destination was the Goodwood Revival, one of the world’s great car festivals celebrating motoring from the 1940s to 1960s. It is superbly organised and this year featured the famous Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows racing against the Auto Unions of the same era, the cars even being transported on the original

FIVE HUNDRED MILES IN A FIAT 500 trucks of the fifties. You could actually spend your whole time at Goodwood just wandering around the carpark, as thousands attend in a classic car of the era.

The Goodwood racetrack is part of Lord March’s magnificent estate, and I was fortunate to be a guest of one of the members of the Goodwood Club. Guest entitlements included a highly prized ‘Forward Parking’ sticker, which enables one to motor serenely past the serfs, who queue most gratefully to park in muddy fields.

With forward parking sticker filling the Fiat 500 Lounge’s windscreen, I joined a short line of magnificent Bentleys, Porsches and Ferraris for the VIP area. An attendant, immaculately dressed in period clothing for fleshing out pheasants, was inspecting tickets, and I quickly leapt out and ran around to the passenger side to retrieve mine, which was now under the left-hand seat.

While the cars in front were parked on display, almost on the racetrack itself, the little Fiat was sent to a corner of the field next to a dilapidated Ford Transit van. However, come day’s end, the VIP carpark was chockers with gentry, and exiting taxed the management of even the best pheasant wackers. Luckily, the cleverly parked Lounge-with-Attitude was able to bounce around the outside of the field and slide through the exit gate, undetected other than hanging dust and grass clippings.

Mountain biking at Ambleside in the Lake District, a mountainous region in North West England, was next, staying at the highly recommended Easedale Lodge. This required a long motorway journey, and the Fiat’s engine was starting to free up. Other than lunging off the line, the 500 can feel quite underpowered, until you realise just how tall the gearing is and learn to just keep your foot buried through the firewall to get up to motorway speeds.

It does nearly 35 mph in first gear, almost 60 mph in second and over 80 mph in third, and seems to enjoy every bit of it. It is in fact, very like one of my all-time favourite cars, the Datsun 1600, which had similarly tall gearing and an accelerator pedal that seemed to do nothing for 90 percent of its travel then gave all of its performance in the final 10 percent.

Our intrepid former rally champ and resident eco-driver, Ed Ordynski, takes to the roads of England to visit the Goodwood Revival historic motoring festival, tackle some hardy mountain biking in the Lake District and attend the 50th birthday celebrations for the MGB sports car – in a Fiat 500

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PREVIEW he small car market continues to develop increasing competition, and it’s one area where German manufacturer, Opel, has the runs on the board, gained through a history of car making that spans 150 years. Admittedly, those runs are all Europeanbased, and to make a success in our market the brand has to signify its ability to be different.

Making a successful impact on any market takes time, and already the Opel brand for Australia is nearly two years in the making, since announcing its intention to sell its products Down Under.

The first indication of Opel’s intention to join the Australian market came back in January 2011. The ramping up continued towards vehicle launches with management and staff appointments towards the end of that year.

By June 2012, a total of 17 dealerships had been announced, but it was not until August of the same year that

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the company felt sufficiently confident to make public the pricing and model specifications – the selected models being Corsa, Astra and Insignia.

The Sydney Motor Show was the first opportunity for Opel Australia to show off its potential with any degree of product strength.

Set to join showrooms from early 2013, the Astra OPC is a coupe-styled hot hatch with a 2.0-litre, turbocharged, directinjection engine that produces maximum power of up to 206 kW and peak torque of 400 Nm, claimed by Opel as being the most powerful hot hatch available in its segment.

The Sydney Motor Show display included an Astra Sport 1.6-litre turbo hatch, Astra Select 2.0-litre diesel Sports Tourer and the three-door Astra GTC Sport.

Dropping down a size and the flaming-yellow Corsa Colour Edition was certainly an eye catcher. This 1.4-litre hatch comes complete with coordinated interior coloured trim, black gloss roof and 17-inch black gloss alloy wheels.

OPEL OPTIONS Every brand needs a flagship model, and, for Opel, this is currently the Insignia sedan. The show version on display was the Dark Mahogany, Insignia Select. Opel has high hopes for this model to move the brand perception from that of a maker of small hatches to being able to offer a full suite of solutions.

The Insignia has won over 50 international and national awards since launch and comes with a 2.0-litre petrol turbo or optional 2.0-litre turbo diesel.

The Corsa was designed and engineered in Russelsheim, Germany, and is manufactured in Eisenach, Germany, and Zaragoza, Spain.

Due to its long wheelbase and wide track, both Corsa body styles offer plenty of interior space. Storage volume in the rear boot is 285 litres. Storage increases to 700 litres in the fivedoor model with the rear seats folded down, and, at maximum capacity, there is storage available for up to 1100 litres.

Standard options include a 7-inch colour information display with satellite navigation, the AFL+ lighting system complete with bi-xenon headlamps and

Surprisingly spacious, the Corsa is a good, safe starting point for newcomers to the brand.

LED daytime running lamps, segment leading AGR accredited seats with front seat ventilation, and 19-inch alloy wheels.

ECOcar’s first brush with a newly imported Opel has been to spend a week in the Corsa automatic hatch.

The Corsa comes as either a three-door or five-door hatch, both of which share the same overall dimensions. Both have full five-star Euro NCAP rating for crash safety and all the now-expected standards of electronic stability programmes, SRS airbags, anti-lock brakes and traction control. Bluetooth connectivity and a USB port are also part of the standard package.

With over 10 million Corsas sold in Europe, this is Opel’s challenger against competitors such as the VW Polo.

Updated back in 2010, changes to the current vehicle then included revisions to the chassis, steering system and engine line-up.

Opel’s 1.4 engine produces 74 kW at 6000 rpm and up to 130 Nm of torque. The engine is matched to a five-speed manual transmission as standard, with a four-speed automatic transmission available as an option.

It’s at this point we have to suggest that the next generation of small hatches has already moved on from five-speed manual gearboxes and four-speed automatics.

We expect more these days by way of better performance alternatives that in turn lead to better fuel economy. Hence, on this score we think that, although Corsa is new to our market, it needs to think of its next step up the ladder before too much water flows under the Opel bridge.

Fuel economy for a car in the small hatch segment is not particularly exceptional and comes in with a combined figure of 5.8 l/100 km for the manual five-speed and 6.3 l/100 km for the four-speed auto. Even large sedans are easily beating this result, and Opel needs to look at how it can make gains in this area in the short term rather than long term. Emissions levels at 136-147 g/km of CO2 are okay, but nothing special.

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TESTED

V

olkswagen, the premium German brand that shook up the commercial sector with its Amarok work ute's game-changing safety benchmark, has done it again.

This time, though, the carmaker has stunned rivals with its smallest, most fuel-efficient, petrolengined and cheapest car on the Australian market, simply known as the up!, which will feature an automated, plug-and-play crash avoidance system as standard.

The snub-nosed, boxy up!, which will cost from $13,990 before on-roads in three-door form and costing an extra $1000 for the five-door version which went on sale in early October, includes similar technology to Volvo’s radar-based CitySafety and Subaru’s camera-based EyeSight that can automatically

pull the small VW to a complete stop, or even reduce the impact, if it believes a rear-end crash with the car in front is inevitable.

VW’s system differs again, using a forward-looking laser mounted above the rear-vision mirror that uses a prism to split the light beam into three separate beams that scan the road ahead.

At speeds below 30 km/h, a pair of receptors, mounted below the laser, watch for light reflected off objects in front of the car.

It can pick other vehicles, and even motorcyclists clearly, but VW says the system is not yet smart enough to pick out pedestrians, and maybe even cyclists.

The PLUG-AND-PLAY

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THE PLUG-AND-PLAY SAFETY CAR However, there’s a “but” on the safety front, and it’s a doozie. Volkswagen has equipped the up! with just four airbags, meaning that, like the dual-cab version of the Amarok work ute, it misses out on head-protecting side curtain airbags that help the two rear-seat passengers in a side-on collision.

It hasn’t deterred the big German, though, which is confident the up!’s top five-star EuroNCAP ranking will convince independent crash-testing authorities here that it deserves similar merit as the Amarok's top five-star rating, despite the lower airbag count.

It comes with five star safety but can it rival the Korean alternatives for value?

At only 3.54 metres long, the up! is quite compact – so compact that the alreadydiminutive Polo is 50 centimetres longer.

Inside, there are signs of cost-cutting to get the up! down to its cheap-for-a-VW price tag.

For starters, there’s not a soft-touch surface anywhere, with hard and, at times, colourful plastics and the odd showing of painted metal dominating.

The square-bottomed steering wheel is plastic and doesn’t adjust for reach, the single grab handle mounted above the front passenger door rudely snaps back up, and the air-conditioning controls harken back to the 1980s with a manual slider to manipulate air flow from the outside.

On the bright side, the hatch sports a mobile phoneinspired blackened glass panel that lifts quite high. Splitfold rear seats and a front seat that also lays flat open up a 2.0-metre-long flat load space. Here's a real surprise though: under the height-adjustable boot floor hides a full-size spare wheel.

Just because it is cheap doesn’t mean the up! needs to show it, and the secret is in the seats. The tall driver’s pew with its fixed headrest has plenty of adjustment and, more importantly, revels in heaps of headroom. While space in the 251 litres of wide and deep, but narrow boot, lidded with a cargo cover, is at a bit of a premium – the decent, adultfriendly rear-seat legroom it yields is a good compromise.

Volkswagen’s attempt at producing a three-pot engine sets a benchmark, outshining the Suzuki Alto and Nissan Micra, and even Peugeot’s newly released and slightly larger threecylinder installed in the 208 light car.

Smooth, reasonably quiet and with a distinctive thrum, the 1.0-litre displacement feels bigger than the 55 kW of power and 95 Nm of torque suggest. It sits low in the engine bay, too, which leaves a larger air gap between it and the bonnet, to reduce injury to pedestrians.

What it isn’t, though, is particularly fuel-efficient when driven like an everyday driver. Around town, Volkswagen claims the up! fitted with a five-speed manual gearbox will sip just 4.9 litres of premium unleaded fuel per 100 kilometres, which puts it in the ranks of some of the most fuel-efficient conventionallyengined cars on the market, and pins it with a top five-star Green Vehicle Guide rating. However, the bigger, dieselengined Polo 66TDI Comfortline will officially sip 4.6 l/100 km, and that’s with a seven-speed twin-clutch auto.

Volkswagen’s tiny up! resets the city car safety benchmark, but there’s a catch, writes Barry Park It’s disappointing, too, that the up!’s mill misses out on the latest direct injection fuel-saving technology, opting for the less precise, and therefore less economical, multipoint injection instead.

And, the theoretical fuel test doesn’t have to deal with the reality of Melbourne’s crowded streetscape – the location where Volkswagen chose to launch its city runabout.

In reality, you’re working the engine hard with a lot of flat-tothe-floor driving in order to keep up with the cut and thrust of traffic, holding gears much longer than the instrument clustermounted gear-shift indicator suggests. Fuel use, then, is a tricky one.

Torque feels a bit light-on below 2000 rpm, but, as revs rise, the engine has a sufficient reserve of poke to think about ducking into a gap in the traffic.

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TESTED

Q3 It’s a little on the pricey side, but this German compact SUV has plenty of attraction

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Q3 AUDI'S COMPACT ALL ROUNDER

O

ne can imagine that the Audi people were somewhat nervous when launching into what for them is a completely new and unchallenged vehicle segment.

Such is the Q3, a compact SUV with all-wheel-drive capability that takes Audi very much into uncharted territory, whether the buyer actually goes off road or not. Describing the Q3 as compact doesn’t decry the fact that, internally, it’s spacious and provides plenty of headroom for those in the rear as well as the front seats.

Designed in Germany, the Q3 is actually built at the Martorell plant outside Barcelona in Spain. This is a relatively new plant that’s been the subject of a 250 million Euro investment and yet has to prove that its build quality can match that of the Audi homeland.

wellbeing on the part of the driver. Yes, undoubtedly it’s all part of a fiendish plot to make the car feel more expensive, but it seems to work well, differentiating itself, for example, from VW alternatives such as the Tiguan.

Access into any part of the interior is relatively easy, and, once in the seats, the occupants are treated to a black leather world that again suggests this car is a cut above the competition. Remember, though, to raise the headrests on the rear seats before you climb aboard, as otherwise they’ll be pressing into the space between your shoulder blades in an extremely annoying and slightly painful manner.

Luggage space is admittedly rather on the small side, sufficient for two large suitcases and not much more. If you need extra room, and don’t have rear seat passengers, the rear seat backs flip forwards on a 60/40 split to lie flat on the seat bases, expanding the available luggage area considerably.

It’s also a good looking SUV, with smooth lines and a strong frontal treatment that gives the car a forceful appearance often only found in more expensive vehicles. The wedge-shaped headlamps are outlined by daytime running lamps, and those that choose the Xenon Plus option will be more than content with nighttime illumination out the front, even at maximum highway speeds. Adding the optional high-beam assistant package dips the headlamps automatically, as it detects approaching vehicles, and then hits high beam again when they have passed. This option also brings with it cornering assistance beams that illuminate side areas off the front corners of the car at lower speeds.

As suggested by our use of the word “Compact”, the Q3 is neither large, nor heavy. The entry-level version, powered by a 2.0-litre TDI manual, tips the scales at just 1,445 kg, and, in terms of external size, the dimensions are a length of 4.39 m and a width of 1.83 m, all contained within a height of 1.59 m.

Although much of the instrumentation in Audis comes from a straight swap with fellow compatriot, Volkswagen, there’s an element of being one notch higher than VW in the action of the knobs and switches. The control knobs on the centre console have a good feel to them and move in gradated clicks, establishing a personality of their own.

The Bluetooth system works well for audio streaming and also for matching your mobile phone. All the information for the radio/phone directory, recently made or received phone calls, and other bits of info, including the Sat/Nav mapping, all appears on a pop-up screen that sprouts out of the centre of the dashboard. This is very much an Audi style affair the Q3 shares with its larger stablemates, and, while extremely functional, it does tend to look a little like an afterthought.

The steering wheel with its thick, leather clad rim feels equally strong and contributes to a feeling of

There’s a very high degree of inclusions in the Q3, and our test vehicle had lots of goodies to evaluate. Firstly, there’s a Start/Stop function that cuts the engine while stationary at traffic lights etc. Not having the engine running needlessly in traffic saves fuel. When you take your foot off the brake, the engine spins back into life without hesitation.

The reverse camera vision projects onto the same screen and is crystal clear, also backed up by beeper proximity alerts front and rear. Another part of the standard programming mutes the radio when reversing, removing yet another possible distraction that could reduce attention to the dangers around the rear of the car.

If you are totally inept in terms of driving ability, but still demand the right to drive, the Q3 can park itself in a suitable space without bothering the driver too much. Personally, I believe these auto/park systems increase the danger of parking and dumb down any necessary skill set. Equally, nobody has yet explained how the driver who uses this technology actually parks a vehicle that is not so equipped at some stage in his or her life.

One good benefit from side radar systems that are fitted to enable hopeless drivers to park is that the systems also provide an alert against a blind spot when changing lanes on a freeway. The Q3 offers this advantage, but it should be used as an addition to a driver’s skills and not relied upon as a replacement.

The Q3 we evaluated featured the 2.0 TDI, four-cylinder diesel, but teamed it with the seven-speed twin-clutch, automated manual transmission that VW calls its DSG ECOCAR ISSUE 19

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LAUNCH he name Corolla is uniquely associated with small, well priced, affordable transport.

The name itself means “Crown of Flowers� and, with the 11th generation about to hit the Australian market, ECOcar takes a first look to see if Toyota can retain the crown.

T

Toyota Australia cleverly introduced its new 11th generation Corolla while offering ECOcar the opportunity to drive each of the previous ten generational versions during a privately organised drive day.

through the ranks of the KE20 series introduced in 1970, the KE30/50 series of 1975, then into the KE70 series of 1981.

By March 1983, Toyota had already celebrated the production of over ten million models of the Corolla, and the design shifted from rear-wheel to front-wheel-drive with the introduction of the AE80 series in 1985. The same year heralded the introduction to twin-cam, multi-valve technology for the Corolla, and its validation in motorsport, where it won 24 consecutive class wins in the Australian Touring Car Championship.

We started with the 1967 KE10 series, which was assembled at Port Melbourne from 1968, also moving up

GENER With the launch of the 11th-generation Corolla, Toyota has cut its cloth to suit the market

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1975

GENERATION GAP The introduction of the 1.6-litre and 1.8-litre twin-cam AE90 series cemented Corolla’s position as market leader for the first time, and competition continued to improve the breed with Neal Bates campaigning the Corolla in rallying to its first international victory in 1997.

From 1998 onwards, the Corolla achieved greater sophistication with higher safety levels, and engine capacity grew along with the number of ratios in the gearbox. A further three model changes turned what had been a low priced and relatively basic hatch or sedan into

improvements now taken for granted, even for the lowest priced models on our market.

Apart from the obvious compact interior dimensions of the early versions of Corolla, driving at anything over a sedate speed reinforced how well modern cars handle when compared with their predecessors. The feel of the car, the ride and handling, the demonstrably better control of a modern car, plus a steering wheel thicker than a knitting needle all contribute to a much-improved driving experience for today’s car buyer. That’s not to say that the early Corolla was specifically lacking in driving pleasantries, it’s more a case of the experience being a reminder that all cars produced in those eras can’t hold a candle to what we expect today in even an entry-level, minimum-priced model.

This preamble serves to explain how cars benefit from ongoing development, and, as we move into the realms of the

a highly efficient and attractive form of small to medium car segment transport.

The opportunity of driving an example of each of the models through the ages was invaluable. It showed just how our attitudes to the physical participation of driving a vehicle and our expectations of ability have grown to match the technology

latest 11th-Generation Corolla, we start by looking at the pricing. With a start point of $19,990, it really is phenomenal value.

RATION

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GAP

1981

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LAUNCH

SANTA SENO I

f you ever relive the era of the great crooners like Bing Crosby, you should know the song On the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe, written about the famous railroad. Also recorded by Judy Garland, it won an Academy Award in 1946 for Best Original Song when it featured in the movie The Harvey Girls.

In case you remember that part of history slightly differently, as well as being recorded by Bing Crosby, it was also recorded

by Johnny Mercer, who wrote the original lyrics.

One of the larger railroads in the US, its construction was commenced in 1859, but, because of difficult terrain, the line never actually reached its destination of Santa Fe in New Mexico, from Atchison in Kansas.

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All this detail of course has absolutely nothing to do with the new Hyundai Santa Fe, but it might serve to benefit those interested in playing trivial pursuit.

In the meantime, however, ECOcar has been spending some very pleasant quality time in the new all-wheel-drive Santa Fe, and, while not heading off down a rail network, we can verify it’s a great way to travel if you prefer the bitumen.

We’ll start by explaining there are three different models: the entry-level Active, the mid-range Elite and the top-of-the-line Highlander.

There’s a choice of engines between the 2.4-litre petrol, direct-injection Theta version, or the 2.2-litre, four-cylinder,

SANTA FE SENOR

TA FE OR

It’s the capital of the State of New Mexico and it’s also a top-rating SUV from Hyundai. ECOcar visits the vehicle, not the city

common-rail, direct-injection diesel engine called the R-Series.

There’s also a choice of transmissions, between a six-speed manual and a six-speed automatic.

Pricing for the Active model with the 2.2-litre diesel and sixspeed manual gearbox starts at $39,990, and, in our view, we think this is one of the great bargains on the market.

Now, we’ll make selection easier for ECOcar readers.

With a combined fuel consumption figure of 9.0 l/100 km, the Theta petrol engine is above our maximum guide figure of 7.0 l/100 km, so, on those grounds, it loses out for any comparison. We therefore turn our attention to the diesel only, and find it’s a sweet performing, smooth power delivery unit with very acceptable fuel consumption of 6.6 l/100 km, if you change gears yourself, and 7.3 l/100 km if you prefer an automatic that shifts gears for you.

You get all the safety levels of seven airbags, anti-lock braking, electronic stability and the whole box of goodies that goes with that suite of safety items. You also get a rear reverse screen camera and parking sensors, Bluetooth phone and audio streaming, front and rear air conditioning (two separate systems), Projector beam headlamps, seven seats, automatic dusk sensing headlights, cruise control and 17-inch alloy wheels shod with 235/65R17 tyres.

Before getting into deep and meaningful discussions on power and performance, let’s just look at what makes the Santa Fe interesting.

The Santa Fe fits in the large SUV market, and it’s this category that is growing rapidly, now taking 11 percent of the total vehicle market, with annual volumes of 120,000 units.

Seven out of ten buyers have children, and, of these, eighty percent have two children.

This is a seriously good package of inclusions at a price that is very attractive to any prospective purchaser looking to transport heaps of stuff as well as their children and the occasional other kids that you tend to collect along the way.

One of the standard features common to all models is a three–way selection of steering response and feel. Because the power steering uses an electrically-assisted system, it’s possible to vary the feel at the touch of a button mounted on the steering wheel to give three distinctly different feel settings: Normal, Comfort and Sport.

If this description sounds familiar, you would also have worked out that, with each of the Santa Fe models offering seven seats (including the driver), it’s preferable to buying a people mover, and the driver doesn’t become stigmatised for piloting a Mum Bus. If you are a male, you buy a large SUV for the ability it provides to head for the country at weekends – living the rural life and peddling your bike or taking long walks. If you are female, you have to put up with a husband that wants to do all the above, but probably never does.

When climbing in and out of large SUVs and 4WDs, it’s normal to get mud or dirt transferring off the doorsills onto your clothes. Not so with the Santa Fe. Check out the door panel design and you’ll see it takes the door skin over the sill area to prevent dirt getting lodged around the interior of the doorframe. In styling terms, it’s called a door wrap, and, having driven the new car extensively on dusty dirt roads, we can vouch for it working very effectively.

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PREVIEW

ZOOMING

FORWAR

T

he word performance in terms of a car company is usually associated with how fast a car can accelerate, how it corners and how it handles. But performance can also claim a far broader definition when it is considered in the light of continued excellence in corporate governance.

In the same way that it becomes comforting to hear an older voice from the captain’s chair over the public address when flying, for the auto industry success comes not only from enthusiasm, it comes from experience.

Doug Dickson, managing director and CEO of Mazda Australia, is, at the age of 64, one of the longest standing auto industry executives in the Australian market.

In an exclusive interview with ECOcar, Mr. Dickson outlined just some of the reasons why his company is currently selling the number one most popular car in our market (Mazda3), and what it is that sets the company apart from its competition.

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In September this year, the company celebrated its best ever month and looks set to achieve annual total sales exceeding 100,000 units for the first time in its history. Results for the first nine months of 2012 were also the best ever for Mazda, and all this is taking place in a total market that is expected to peak at 1.08 million vehicle sales, again a record achievement in Australia.

“It’s highly likely we will be the first full-line importer to achieve 100,000 units sales,” said Mr. Dickson. “This comes off the back of the Mazda3 success, but this is also underpinned by the other models in our range, such as the Mazda2 and Mazda6,” he added.

As CEO of Mazda, Mr. Dickson has steered the company forwards through times of economic stress that have seen its competitors drop market share.

ZOOMING FORWARD “There’s certainly a fear of recession amongst some manufacturers. Usually, in severe circumstances, it’s common policy in many companies to react to a recession by cutting back on staffing levels, reducing advertising and marketing activities, and basically bunk down to ride out the storm,” said Mr. Dickson.

RD

“My philosophy has always been to maintain activity and to, in fact, increase our focus when faced with a market downturn. While others see their market share reduce, we have seen our market share increase in every example.

“We gain market share when economic times are tougher because we work with our dealer group to provide them with the support they need. We have an excellent record of association with our dealer group, and they in turn are known for their high levels of customer service.

“Dealing responsibly with our customer base and recognising the need to provide high levels of customer service have resulted in our customers providing ongoing support to our brand. That, and the opportunity to provide interesting technology within our product range, is what sets us apart as a company,” he said.

Mr. Dickson was speaking to ECOcar on the eve of the public preview of its new Mazda6 at the Sydney International Motor Show.

Together with the chief designer of the Mazda6, Mr. Akira Tamatani, he described how the new model moved the company forwards in competitiveness.

The all-new Mazda6 comes in two variants, the sedan and wagon. Interestingly, the wheelbase of both vehicle designs is not common, the wagon being slightly shorter, at 2,750 mm, when compared to the sedan at 2,830 mm.

As Mr. Tamatani explained, the intention was to produce a sedan design that flowed perfectly from the front section right through to the rear. This fine attention to detail has resulted in incredibly low aerodynamic drag levels of 0.26 for the sedan and 0.28 for the wagon.

“The design of the rear of wagon, from the B-pillar backwards, is totally different from the sedan. It wasn’t necessary to extend the length of the body to achieve symmetry,” Mr. Tamatani said.

Mazda seems to be doing all the right things to increase market share, as ECOcar discovered at the preview of the all-new Mazda6

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I

FEATURE In the minds of most drivers, performance and environmental responsibility are usually mutually exclusive considerations.

After all, why would you even consider fitting traditionally performance-killing low rollingresistance tyres to your car if all you want to do is go out and pitch it at corners?

According to tyre maker, Hankook, that is all about to change. The Korean company reckons it has achieved a world first – the happy compromise between saving fuel, money and the environment, but dishing out the most important part of a driving enthusiast’s needs: grip.

In the view of national sales manager, Ray Barr, the Ventus S1 evo2, as the “ultra performance” tyre is known, is the first of Hankook Tyre Australia’s design-driven hoops that, instead of just popping out of a mould to suit a single purpose, are genuinely a jack of all trades.

For example, in just the same way a golf ball flies further through the air thanks to its dimples, the sidewall of the evo2 tyre also contains small indentations that help it cut through air, making it quieter.

To get over the problem of wear, Hankook’s engineers developed a series of “steps” into the tyre’s tread, so that, as it wears, a bigger contact area is exposed to the road to maintain a consistent level of grip.

It runs deeper. Barr says the evo2 is also a “molecular” tyre that improves durability and heat tolerance by cross-linking sulphur molecules, much like building a latticework out of a pile of sticks.

As the official supplier to Germany’s DTM racing series, Hankook has drawn on its race experience to help with one of the driving enthusiast’s biggest concerns: heat.

Look in between the tread, and the big, deep grooves have small ribs in them, designed to increase the surface area of the tyre not in contact with the road and more effectively dissipate heat. There’s also a series of what Hankook describes as “intercoolers” – in reality small indentations in the tyre’s sidewalls that create turbulence to dissipate even more heat.

Lightweight steel cords reduce the mass of the tyre, making it more fuel-efficient to spin up, too.

Barr admits that it is difficult to make a tyre that does everything well, but says the evo2 comes close.

“A tyre can have properties where it is exceptionally good in the wet, but then it tends to be noisy,” Barr says. “It can have great grip, but what it gains in grip it loses in its mileage, or it can have exceptional mileage but then it loses in the handling.

“This tyre is probably the first tyre that is balanced, and it’s probably the first tyre that can have all these unique properties stand on their own in balance with the others, including low rolling-resistance.”

AND

Lambs Tyre maker, Hankook, reckons it has found the right balance between performance and environmental responsibility – and it's all in the one tyre as Barry Park reports

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LIONS AND LAMBS Barr says drivers are now educated enough to make the distinction between traditional performance tyres and his new one.

Hankook gave ECOcar a chance to test the new tyre against its predecessor in a back-to-back comparison at Melbourne’s Sandown International Raceway using a pair of Holden Commodore SV6 sedans.

Despite having 25 percent higher rolling-resistance, the evo2 showed a higher level of grip and a higher threshold of understeer – where the nose of the car tries to push wide – than the tyre it replaces when driven back-to-back around a circle of cones.

The evo2 tyre was also able to roll about five metres further while coasting to a stop from 15 km/h, although a test of the new tyre’s wet and dry braking ability was too variable to make any definitive findings, even if the newer tyre did appear better at pulling up.

Claims that the new tyre is also up to eight percent quieter than the version it replaces were equally difficult to verify.

While the new Hankook tyre is fitted standard to several BMW 3-Series models in run-flat form,

Low rolling resistance, excellent handling and improved fuel economy can all go together.

a version of the tyre that will fit the Holden Commodore won’t have the ability to keep rolling even after it has a puncture, despite being available in European markets.

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