North East Motor Guide

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N O R T H E AST V I C TO R I A

AUGUST 3 - 9 | 2018

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FOCUS: Bold grille design, deep side swages and a sloping profile give the upcoming new Ford Focus a striking look.

THE next generation Ford Focus won’t be on sale in Australia until November; but in the overheated Australian sales market it made sense for Ford Australia to release details early.

The Ford Focus is made in Germany and will come here with a choice of three model grades at launch: Trend, ST-Line and Titanium. Body types are five-door hatch and station wagon.

At launch, the all-new Focus will be powered only by a new-design 1.5-litre EcoBoost three-cylinder engine producing 134kW and 240Nm. It will be mated to an all-new eight-speed automatic with paddle shifters.

All models have alloy wheels: 16-inch

on new Ford Focus

By EWAN KENNEDY on the Trend, 17s on the ST-Line and 18inch on Titanium.

Ford’s SYNC3 infotainment system is standard on all three trim levels. It uses a full-colour 8.0-inch touchscreen, in-built voice-activated sat-nav with Traffic Message Channel, MapCare updates, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility.

Focus Titanium features a 675-watt 10-speaker B&O Play Premium Audio System including sub-woofer.

The Focus ST-Line replaces the existing Focus Sport and has a honeycomb grille, sporty side skirts and

Titanium also features Stop&Go Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Evasive Steer Assist and Lane-Centreing as standard. The ACC system helps the Focus maintain a comfortable driving distance from vehicles ahead, and with the addition of Stop&Go, has the ability to bring the vehicle to a complete stop.

Safety features that are standard across the Focus range are: Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) with Nighttime Pedestrian Detection and Cyclist Detection, Lane Departure Warning and Lane Keeping Aid as standard across the range. Focus Titanium also has Rear Cross Traffic Alert.

rear bumper capped with a chromefinished twin tail-pipe. The hatch has an integrated boot-lid spoiler.

The ST-Line has sports suspension, a flat-bottom sports steering wheel with red-stitching, metallic pedals, wireless smartphone charging as standard.

Its dual-zone climate control can be operated via voice activation.

Ford Focus Titanium has leather upholstery and an LED Lighting Package that provides a broader headlight spread as well as automatic high-low beam. Camera-based dynamic bending enables the swivel of the light beam into the curve before the vehicle reaches it.

Continued page 2 21d13123-v6/3118

Focus

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2

August 3 - 9 | 2018

More hot models

from Nissan

By EWAN KENNEDY LAST year, Nissan had a toe in the water exercise with its Nissan Navara N-SPORT – and quickly sold out all 500. So it comes as no surprise that Australia Oz has introduced N-SPORT special editions of the 370Z sportscar, the X-Trail SUV, and the sevenseat Pathfinder. All three go on sale from August 1.

NISSAN 370Z N-SPORT Fascinatingly, the Nissan 370Z N-SPORT is based on the Datsun 280ZX “Black Gold� edition, which was designed to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Z, way back in 1980.

It features exterior graphics that start at the tip of the bonnet and stretch over the roof and boot lid, as well as across the base of the doors. Black 18-inch alloy wheels are complemented by black gloss door mirrors.

Inside, the 370Z N-SPORT features yellow accents on the door trim, steering wheel, shift knob, knee pads and dashboard.

Black cloth seats are integrated with yellow embroidery.

With 50 units available, and prices starting from $48,490 plus on-roads, the 370Z N-SPORT is offered in Chicane Yellow, Diamond Black and Shiro White.

NISSAN X-TRAIL ST-L The Nissan X-TRAIL ST-L (in 2WD and 4WD format) also gets the black treatment, with 18-inch black alloy wheels, gloss black mirror caps, dark metallic front and rear bumper finishers, black side sills, a dark chrome front grille and black roof rails.

Colours are Diamond Black, Gun Metallic, Brilliant Silver and Ivory Pearl. Importation of 600 units, pricing begins at $39,250, plus on-road charges.

NISSAN PATHFINDER ST-L The seven-seat 2WD Nissan Pathfinder also gets the N-SPORT treatment; Black painted 20-inch alloys, black mirror caps, front grille, front and rear lower grille accents and roof rails. All are available in Diamond Black, Gun Metallic and Ivory Pearl.

Only 250 of these Pathfinders are coming Downunder and are priced at $56,425, to which on-roads have to be added.

Focus

on new Ford Focus

„ From page 1 Post-Impact Braking (PIB) automatically apply the brakes after a collision to reduce the risk of rolling onto another vehicle, preventing a second collision.

Ford Focus will have a five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty.

Full pricing for the all-new Ford Focus will be announced ahead of its 2018 Australian launch. We will bring this information to you as soon as we receive it.

Other models and engines will be introduced later and we will report on them when announced.

MUSCULAR BONNET: With standard SUV looks on the outside, the Renault Koleos seriously takes on rivals in interior space and safety.

koleos

kicks on in ² HOG RI VDIHW\

WHEN the tsunami of sports utility vehicles started hitting shores around the globe, Renault, in fear of being swamped by the fast expanding market, called on a SDUWQHU WR KHOS ² OO WKH JDS The French automobile giant, already in an alliance with Nissan, was able to morph its Koleos crossover into a mid-size SUV using the Japanese company’s X-Trail as a base. /XFN\ IRU XV $XVWUDOLD ZDV WKH ² UVW PDUNHW to receive the new SUV, which was to become Renault’s best-selling vehicle Down Under.

Now the MY18 Koleos has been given a kick-along by the addition of the latest automotive safety features.

Advanced Emergency Braking System, as well as Apple CarPlay, have been introduced across the range.

STYLING With the second generation, the Koleos left its outdated box-like multi-purpose vehicle styling behind and took on the outward features of the latest SUV. Koleos carries a prominent Renault badge in the centre of a broad chrome grille.

The muscular bonnet lines have several chrome embellishments, including strips that run from the headlights along the full length of the guards to visually lengthen the front end and, Renault tells us, “impart dynamism and elegance�.

With a 2705 mm wheelbase and total vehicle length of 4672 mm it’s among the longest in class.

INTERIOR Inside the SUV looks have a quality usually seen only in a large prestige family sedan.

2FFXSDQWV FDQ VHWWOH LQWR ² UP \HW comfortable seating with dark carbon cloth upholstery.

Dual zone climate control air-conditioning

By DEREK OGDEN makes for a pleasant journey, while front LED cabin lights add further atmosphere and front centre storage console with sliding armrest takes care of accompanying stuff.

INFOTAINMENT All Koleos variants now boast Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone operation, obtained through the Renault R-Link 2 satellite navigation system via a 7.0-inch or 8.7-inch touchscreen depending on the model.

The 7.0-inch landscape screen in our test car offers the same functions as a tablet WZR ² QJHU ]RRP VZLSH SDJH VFUROOLQJ DQG drag and drop.

Voice recognition is on hand for navigation instructions and telephone use. Arkamys audio with eight speakers, provides quality sound.

ENGINES / TRANSMISSIONS The all-aluminium 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine produces maximum power of 126 kW at 5000 rpm and full torque of 226 Nm at 4400 rpm. Coupled with an advanced X-Tronic continuously variable transmission it combines the smooth step-less nature of a CVT, but has steps to make it feel like a standard automatic if your that way inclined.

Manual mode offers a more dynamic drive if you’re are a keen driver.

SAFETY Using forward-facing radar, the advanced emergency braking system is designed to reduce the risk of smashes if a vehicle in front should suddenly slow down or stop.

The system warns the driver audibly and visually and, if needed, applies the brakes through the electronic stability control system.

If, despite the warning, the driver does not

slow down to increase the distance from the potential risk, the system will brake automatically.

If the driver brakes but doesn’t do so hard enough the car takes over and adds more braking force of around 20 to 30 per cent which is applied without any change in the feel of the brake pedal.

If the driver fails to brake despite the hazard, the system brakes automatically for up to two seconds.

During this time the brake lights are switched on automatically.

Driver and front passenger are protected by adaptive airbags, plus lateral pelvis and chest-level airbags.

Included are front and rear curtain airbags.

Hill start assist aids setting off on inclines.

Rear sensors and rear-view camera help when parking and cornering-function fog lights illuminate the road when turning.

DRIVING The 2.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine tries hard to keep up with the workload while pushing the 1.5 tonne-plus two-wheel drive Koleos Life around in varied road conditions.

By all accounts, the recently-added 2.0-litre turbo-diesel Koleos Intens model, with all-wheel drive, does the job better.

But there’s an added cost of $16,000 on purchase for that option.

The test petrol-powered Life put in a fairly frugal fuel performance, averaging just over 8 litres per 100 kilometres across a range of on-road driving from crowded city streets to free-rein highway stuff.

Most impressive was the amount of room IRU SDVVHQJHUV DQG OXJJDJH ZLWK DOO ² YH seats taken, there is still 458 litres of cargo space in the back, while with both rear seat backs folded, this increases to an extremely generous 1690 litres, matching many upscale rivals.

The aforementioned emergency braking V\VWHP JLYHV WKH GULYHU D FRQ² GHQFH ERRVW HVSHFLDOO\ LQ FLW\ WUDI² F ZKLOH WKH DGGLWLRQ RI Apple CarPlay to Android Auto connectivity keeps touch with the requirements of modern-day motoring.

SUMMING UP It has to be said, Renault Koleos comes into a heavily congested market and will need all the help from the latest in automotive technology to get big sales.

However, the roomy Renault has plenty to offer in the space race.

3

August 3 - 9 | 2018

Nissan Navara

By VANI NAIDOO AUSTRALIA may not be Nissan’s biggest ute market but it is one of its most knowledgeable. That is hardly surprising given our love-affair with utes and the remarkable fact that it leads the pack when it comes to new vehicle purchases.

It’s no secret that Australians expect a lot from their utes – work vehicle and leisure mobile, family carrier, weekend warrior, 4WD-adventurer, dump hauler – the list is almost endless. But we also want a vehicle with creature comforts and performance cred.

Nissan has updated the Navara to iron out suspension bugbears, largely based on Australian feedback, and we took the dual-cab ST home to see if they hit the mark.

STYLING The Navara keeps its chunky muscular style with a no-nonsense nose, bold wheel arches and carefully sculpted tweaks to add a touch of softness. Interestingly, the change to the rear suspension is visible LQ WKH ³HVK ZLWK WKH WUD\ RI WKH GXDO FDE ute sitting noticeably higher, rather than dipping slightly like the Navara it replaces.

The interior tells that familiar tale of function and simplicity with the Nissan Navara featuring an uncluttered dash, effective instrumentation and uncomplicated controls. The 7.0-inch colour touchscreen feels a bit on the smallish side , but it will do, and there are enough storage options to keep most people happy.

There are reasonable comforts for those in the second row too. It is a touch tighter back there than the accommodations in some competitors and the seat feels slightly shorter but the kids are hardly going to complain – they will be too busy playing with the sliding glass window that gives access to the tub. Rear air-vents are a considerate inclusion while new IsoFix clips in the outer rear seats reinforces the family-friendly brief.

The tray in the ST is long and deep with the wheel arches not detracting from its usefulness. It is as adept at carrying camping gear and the family’s bicycles as it is at hauling tools and yes, those pesky palm fronds, so happy days.

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4x4 ST

NO-NONSENSE: Nissan Navara has a chunky muscular style.

spring for one so at least you can carry stuff without it all getting rained on.

This Navara has a towing capacity of 750kg (unbraked) and 3500kg (braked) with a gross vehicle weight of 2910kg. The towbar kit is an additional $1000.

INFOTAINMENT A 7.0-inch colour touchscreen is the face of the Navara’s infotainment system.

Connectivity is exceptionally easy, mapping is accurate and graphics are reasonable. The visual for the reverse camera can be a little grainy but it works well enough.

The system itself is easy to operate, radio sound quality is good and there is a USB connection and four 12V plugins should you need it. There is no smartphone mirroring for any ute in the Navara range at present.

ENGINES / TRANSMISSIONS Nissan Navara is offered with two diesel engines – a 2.3-litre single turbo (120kW/403Nm) or the twinturbocharged unit that powered our test car. The latter is good for 140kW of power and 450Nm of torque and was paired with a seven-speed manual transmission.

It is a not a quiet blighter, especially

when working hard and can feel somewhat underpowered at times. It is, all said and done, a capable performer though – even when weighed down – provided of course you don’t expect it to GR NP LQ ²YH VHFRQGV SAFETY 7KH 1DYDUD UHFHLYHG D ²YH VWDU $1&$3 rating in 2015 and in addition to seven airbags, traction control and EBD, the 4X4 also gets a Redarc brake controller for towing, hillstart assist and hill descent control.

Rear parking sensors are only available in the range-topping ST-X but all models ZRXOG EHQH²W IURP WKHP DV ZHOO DV blind-spot monitoring, and autonomous emergency braking which is rumoured to be on its way.

DRIVING OK, so the whole reason for this midcycle update was to improve the way the Navara felt on the road especially under load. The coil spring rear suspension was criticised for being too soft when this Navara was released in 2015 and the steering response too slow and dull.

Nissan tried to remedy the suspension criticism by introducing new rear dampers

the following year but there were still murmurings (OK, shouts) of unhappiness IURP WKH UDQN DQG ²OH Now, Nissan has revised the suspension with stiffer dual-rate springs and introduced a faster gear ratio for steering too so you can feel like you are having some impact on the turning wheels.

Certainly, under load, the Navara feels much improved with less wallowing and GH²QLWH PRYH DZD\ IURP WKH MLJJOLQJ WRZDUGV D EHWWHU GH²QHG VWUXW DQG FRQ²GHQFH LQ LWV DELOLW\ ,W VHWWOHV TXLFNO\ over bumps, rights itself without fuss and doesn’t bottom out when least expected.

The compromise though is that without a load in the back, the dual-cab Navara is not as cushy for backseat passengers as the one it replaces. We are not talking RUJDQ MDUULQJ HVFDSDGHV KHUH EXW \RX GH²QLWHO\ IHHO PRUH WKDQ WKH RGG EXPS That aside, Nissan Navara is a steady performer erring on the side of guts rather than grace but perfectly willing.

The driver’s seat is pretty comfortable GHVSLWH VHHPLQJ TXLWH ³DWWLVK LQ appearance and we did a four-hour stint without complaint from the small of the back.

The Navara is fairly good in the economy stakes too with our test week (7.8L/100km) keeping it within spitting GLVWDQFH RI WKH RI²FLDO / NP ²JXUH Nissan offers a three year/100,000km warranty with capped price servicing for WKH ²UVW VL[ YLVLWV 6HUYLFH LQWHUYDOV DUH months or 20,000km.

SUMMING UP At the very least consumers want to feel heard and plaudits to Nissan for not only listening to comment from the Australian market but also responding positively.

The Navara is a healthy proposition in an environment in which one is spoilt for choice and these new tweaks are likely to support that position.

4

August 3 - 9 | 2018

MG is back - but not as we knew it

By ALISTAIR KENNEDY

MG is best known for producing two-seat convertible sport cars.

The name is an abbreviation for Morris Garages, and has been around since the mid-1920s.

Since that time ownership has passed to a number of different car companies including the British Motor Company (BMC), British Leyland, Austin, Rover and, since 2011, China’s largest automaker, the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC).

Although you can be forgiven for not noticing it but Chinese MGs have been on sale in Australia since 2013 starting with the small-medium MG6 hatchback or sedan followed in 2016 by the MG3 city hatch.

With little or no marketing support sales of both have been negligible.

Given the current trend the logical next step was to enter the SUV market and this is now under way with the arrival of the mid-sized MG GS in early 2017 and the subject of our test the ZS compact SUV which followed at the end of 2017.

Two MG ZS variants are available with almost identical VSHFL² FDWLRQV EXW ZLWK GLIIHUHQW powertrains.

The ZS Excite (previously called Soul) is priced at $20,990 and the Essence at $23,990 plus onroad costs in both cases.

A lower-specced model called Core is expected to be added later this year.

MG ZS Excite comes with an impressive list of standard equipment that includes automatic transmission; 17inch alloy wheels; automatic halogen headlights; front and rear foglights; cruise control and OHDWKHU WULPPHG ³ DW ERWWRP steering wheel.

Designed in Britain and built in China, the MG ZS is a neat, attractive and capable small SUV. MG Essence adds a panoramic sunroof that extends almost the full length of the car and push button start/stop.

The only option with either variant is metallic paint at either $499 or $599.

STYLING New MG ZS certainly looks the part.

Its British designers have avoided the curves and swirls of many of its competitors and stuck to a traditional ‘two-box’ design.

The large grille carries the traditional ‘MG’ badge in its centre.

The badge also features prominently at the rear where it doubles as the boot opening handle.

Large wheel arches sitting around the 17-inch wheels do give a bit of gawky look.

INTERIOR For a vehicle of its external

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dimensions MG ZS is surprisingly roomy inside especially for rear seat passengers where the legroom is comparable to that of larger vehicles.

The boxy shape provides good headroom even in the Essence with its panoramic sunroof.

Our main gripe was that the front seats are quite narrow which in conjunction with tall side bolsters can make it quite uncomfortable for larger occupants.

While the steering wheel can be adjusted for height there is no reach adjustment.

There’s a real quality look and feel to the dashboard with carbon ² EUH WULP ZKLOH WKHUH¬V D VRIW touch coating to the top.

Then there’s that MG badge again, sitting prominently in the centre of the steering wheel.

Boot volume is 359 litres extending to 1166 litres with the 60:40 split rear seatbacks folded.

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HONDA VTR250 2006 model comes with Ventura rack and tinted windshield, very reliable, little vtwin with plenty of torque, (FC363), $2600. Ph 0424 580 025.

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2011 Nissan Dualis J10 Series II Ti, manual 6sp, 88,750km, 16” alloy wheels, cruise control, Bluetooth, seat warmers, (YOH214), $13,000. Ph 0411 145 906.

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The spare wheel is a 15-inch steel spacesaver.

ENGINES / TRANSMISSIONS The MG ZS Excite has a naturally-aspirated four-cylinder 1.5-litre unit and four-speed automatic transmission; while the MG XS Essence has a more modern three-cylinder 1.0-litre turbo-petrol mated to a six-speed auto.

There’s little difference in power and torque outputs with the 1.5 peaking at 84 kW and 150 Nm and the 1.0 at 82 kW and 160 Nm although the turbo does peak from 1800 rpm compared with the 4500 revs of the non-turbo.

Like many in the compact SUV segment drive is only to the front wheels, there’s no all-wheel-drive option.

SAFETY MG ZS only received a four-star ANCAP rating when tested in December 2017 due to a below average frontal offset test result.

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It doesn’t come with either autonomous emergency braking or lane departure warning.

Other standard safety features include a reversing camera, rear parking sensors, hill hold control (in an automatic), brake disc wiping and IsoFix child seat anchors in the outboard rear seats.

INFOTAINMENT The 8.0-inch colour touchscreen is just about the best of its size we’ve seen.

It’s crystal clear, sharp and easy to use with a minimum of driver inattention.

Bluetooth pairing is virtually automatic connecting when the smartphone locates the connection without any input from within the vehicle.

Apple CarPlay is standard but not Android Auto.

There’s no embedded satellite navigation instead ZS uses a combination of smartphone and Google Maps.

SUMMING UP Although it will struggle against its many big name rivals in the ultra-competitive small SUV segment the MG ZS has already made a promising start with just over 600 sales in the first half of 2018.

No doubt some of these sales will have been because of the nostalgia attached to the badge but it also offers plenty more including an excellent value package, appealing looks and competent performance.

The big question-mark hanging over previous Chinese cars has centred around their build quality.

SAIC has tackled this issue up front by providing ZS and future MG models with the security of a seven-year, unlimited kilometre warranty.

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