CIRCULATING IN WANGARATTA, BENALLA, MYRTLEFORD, BRIGHT, MT BEAUTY, BEECHWORTH, YACKANDANDAH, RUTHERGLEN, CHILTERN AND DISTRICTS
NORTH EAST
January 9, 2015
available online - wangarattachronicle.com.au
PRINTED FORTNIGHTLY — VOLUME 464
Renault Clio RS Monaco GP Storypage3
MAZDA CX-3: Set to be launched in Australia this year.
Mazda CX-3: an exciting SUV crossover I
f you haven’t heard of the new Mazda CX-3, you soon will. This SUV crossover is set to become the next big thing on the Australian motoring landscape by shaking up the booming small SUV segment. How big could it become? Right now we would predict segment leadership and probably Mazda’s third highest volume vehicle behind icons Mazda3 and CX-3’s big brother, CX-5. Not since Range Rover Evoque has a vehicle yet to hit showroom floors caused such a stir. It wowed the international media at the 2014 LA Motor Show. With Australia set to be the second country to take the CX-3 – Japan is the first – Australian motoring writers were the first in the world to get a taste of the CX-3 in a closed track session at the Anglesea Australian Automotive
By MURRAY HUBBARD Research Centre, just outside Geelong in Victoria. CX-3 has an exquisite body style that will lure and then seduce buyers in Mazda showrooms. The style alone will generate sales but as we found out at Anglesea, there is a lot more to this small crossover than a provocative body style. It’s a seriously good thing to drive and will have massive appeal to young couples and those with small families. We have no doubt CX-3, to be launched in Australia in the second quarter of 2015, will win major design awards. We drove two pre-production cars at Anglesea – a high spec 1.5-litre turbodiesel, six-speed auto with AWD and a mid-spec 2.0-litre petrol, also with six-
speed auto, but this time with 2WD. Mazda is yet to announce pricing or what the model range here will look like, other than to say there will be combinations of 4WD/2WD, manual and auto transmissions, and petrol and diesel engines. There are likely to be two or three specification levels. Pricing is likely to fall between the upper level of Mazda2 – the same platform on which the CX-3 is based – and the Mazda3. This could mean from around $23,000 to $37,000 depending on specifications. Mazda is rolling out new cars that feature the company’s current “Kodo – Soul of Motion” design philosophy and the CX-3 is the latest to get the treatment. To our eye there are three major features to this car: the long bonnet of a sports car, the small
cabin of a coupe and the rear end of an SUV, along with some clever, yet subtle, lines that add sculpture to the end product. Mazda had the chief designer for the CX-3, Youichi Matsuda, on hand at Anglesea. He told us that the designers penned a car they would like to design for themselves, but within Kodo framework. In particular the long bonnet line, which extends to the rear door, gives an impression that this vehicle is a lot longer than it really is at 4275 mm. This is also enhanced by the black D-pillars. That also results in the car having proportions that are as near perfect as we have seen in recent years, down to the 18-inch wheels that fill the arches ideally and set the car off for its road presence.
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NORTH EAST
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January 9, 2015
CLASSIFIEDS
2003 Toyota Echo 3dr hatch, auto, 97,000km, great condition, no smoke, reg 9/1/2016 (1DT7NB). $5950 ono. Ph 0408 532 636.
2011 Great Wall V200 ute, 34,000 kms, manual, rear wheel drive, diesel, canopy, 8 months rego (YOR967), excellent condition. $17,500 Ph 0406 735 256.
Mazda CX-3: an exciting SUV crossover
HOLDEN Astra 2001, 91,000km, 1 owner, 5 speed, drives like new, 3 door, silver, unreg, eng no. RHN2982001, $3200 ono. Ph 0424 580 025.
FULLY enclosed & lockable tandem motorcycle trailer. 1.8mx4m. suitable for 3 large bikes. Hydraulic lift up roof. Drop down tail gate. Side access door. Fully lined. LED lights. Interior lights. Spare wheel. Tows really well. Great condition. RQR 0DQVÂżHOG ph 0427 250 035.
2001 AUII Ford Falcon Forte. Full service history, original 136,740 kilometres, AM/FM radio & CD player, automatic, cruise control, 2 airbags, electrical aerial, electric mirrors, electric windows, remote control locking, towbar, air conditioning, economy drive button, 4 wheel disc brakes, rear wind spoiler, 6 months reg, includes RWC (QWM523). $5000. Ph 0402 746 434.
SOLD
2008 Mazda 6, Titanium with auto, 76,000 kms, one owner, always garaged, RWC, 10 months rego,(UIA-651), excellent condition, 7.2 ltr/100km on a trip, $11,750 neg. Ph 0407 066 902 or 03 5722 2257.
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Mazda say the car is a crossover – but say that crossover term is for a vehicle designed to be a crossover of lifestyles for younger buyers. Cargo space is light on at 264 litres with the rear pew in use (and compared to others in the segment), but this seat does have a 60/40 split and fold flat, so there are options for various cargo requirements. Also, the cargo area has a removable false floor for storing valuable items. The SkyActiv-G 2.0-litre petrol engine develops 109 kW of power and 192 Nm of torque. Mazda Australia expects fuel consumption to be in the low sixes per 100 km. The SkyActiv-Drive six-speed auto is based on the unit in the Mazda 3. The SkyActiv-D 1.5-litre turbo-diesel is also found in the Mazda 2 on other markets, but not in Australia. It produces 77 kW of power and 270 Nm of torque, with fuel consumption expected to be under five litres per hundred kilometres. CX-3 has a lightweight, highstrength body that carries the Mazda SkyActiv tag. Add six SRS airbags, ISOFIX
2004 Holden Astra CD Classic, auto, 1 owner, silver, 11 months reg (TGA553), service h i s t o r y, g a r a g e d , 54,800kms, $7000 neg. Ph 5722 4665.
2008 Toyota Corolla Ascent Sport, low kms 114,000km, auto, RWC, 4 new tyres, rego May 2015 (TZZ646). $10,500 ono. Ph 0432 252 891.
FORD Festiva 1998, reg no (OVM446), one owner, auto, aircon, pwr str, mech A1, very clean/tidy, near new tyres, just serviced, beaut 1st car/runabout, RWC, $2950. Ph 0407 505 040. LMCT11086.
1998 silver Mitsubishi Lancer manual petrol, 94,000 kms, tyres 80%, reg exp 09/05/15 (1BP1XL) Great economical car, hands free Bluetooth stereo, RWC. $4500. Ph 0428 788 279.
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rear outer seat anchors as well as top tethers, stability control, traction control. CX-3 also has Mazda MZD Connect, a media system designed to reduce distraction while driving and is a connectivity system that eases the use of internet connectivity and communications for media such as Bluetooth. While the design of the Rangie Evoque has some shortcomings with rear vision, the Mazda CX-3 – which does resemble the Evoque’s rear swooping roofline, has better vision. We drove the diesel CX-3 AWD first on a high-speed circuit, then a typical twisting country road and finally a patch of gravel road. The turbo-diesel is impressive for a 1.5-litre. In the cabin there is little evidence of it being a diesel, with only minor noise intrusion, what sound there is does not contain any typical diesel rattles. Both test cars were fitted with a six-speed auto. The diesel’s were less inclined to swap gears, instead relying on the engine torque. We had no problems in hitting speeds of up to 170 km/h on the straight and no rear end issues as we backed off.
The car sat flat and clung to the two long sweeping corners with no feeling that it was going to let go. On the switchback section the car handled beautifully and maintained excellent passenger comfort despite the constant direction changes. We then took the CX-3 2WD 2.0-litre petrol auto for a spin around the same circuit. If the diesel was impressive, then the petrol version takes it to a new level, apart from rear end uneasiness in sharp highspeed turns, where we felt the AWD variant was superior. The petrol / transmission balance feels sharper though with the gearbox being more responsive to driver input for the higher revving petrol power plant. Handling is good and flat, but when driving at speed the AWD seemed more composed. The 2.0 litre SkyActiv-G 2.0 is also found in the Mazda3, but is slightly de-tuned at 109 kW and 192 Nm of torque. This is a quiet cabin that is classy in a subtle way. Both cars have high comfort levels for the front seat passengers. We also like the head-up speedometer read out in the higher specced diesel variant.
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January 9, 2015
Renault Clio RS Monaco GP BY MURRAY HUBBARD
W
ith Renault Clio sales up more than 500 per cent yearon-year one gets the feeling 2014 will go down as Renault’s breakout year in Australia. No doubt the biggest influence on Clio sales was the dramatic remake: three doors to five, 2.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol to 1.6 turbo-petrol and manual-only transmission to six-speed, dual-clutch auto. Now, like big-brother Megane, Clio is getting a boost along with the inclusion of a new limited edition sports model, the Clio RS Monaco GP. The Clio RS Monaco GP was launched alongside the Megane RS 275 Trophy last month on Tasmania’s sublime roads, many of which are Targa Tasmania stages. Like the limited edition Megane, the Clio RS Monaco GP sticks to the tarmac like a go-kart. The car comes standard with pearl white body color and contrasting black roof. It’s a head-turner. Renault Australia managing director, Justin Hocevar, said, “The Clio RS Monaco GP combines the acclaimed performance of Renault’s latest hot hatch along with the style and sophistication of Monaco, with its elegantly appointed cabin and eye-catching white and black color scheme. “Renault Sport is known for constantly invigorating the brand with desirable limited editions and the Clio RS Monaco GP is a fitting addition to the Renault Sport range,” he said. The Clio Monaco hits the streets with a bottom line of $38,290, just $700 under the asking price of another icon, Subaru’s WRX. Unlike the WRX that comes with an option of manual or
RIPPER RENAULT: From the south of France to Australia comes the brilliant Renault Clio RS Monaco GP. CVT auto, the Clio 147 kW 1.6 turbo comes only with a sixspeed, dual-clutch automated manual. Only 55 examples of the car will go on sale in Australia, making this small Renault an exclusive owners club. Clio comes in 10 variants starting at $16,790 for a Clio 0.9-litre, $20,290 for the 1.2-litre Clio Expression through to the 1.6-litre Club Trophy at $37,290. The significance of this broad range is simple: light and small cars represent more than 30 per cent of the entire Australian market. So the more cars you have in the segment, the more you will sell. Clio Monaco also gets black deco highlights on the front blade, rear diffuser, side
AtaGlance PRICE: $32,290 WARRANTY: FIVE YEARS/UNLIMITED KM ENGINE: 1.6 LITRE TURBO CHARGED 147 KW/240 NM TRANSMISSION: SIX-SPEED DUAL-CLUTCH AUTO protective strips, door handles and door mirrors. The rear spoiler gets the same treatment and a Monaco badge sits in the lower protective panels on either side. Renault has kitted the car with gloss-black 18-inch alloy wheels, which also feature on the Clio RS Cup. The end result is a car that looks like it means business. Like the Megane RS Trophy the Clio is not about straight
line speed, it is far more subtle than that. It’s only when you tackle roads like those selected for Targa Tasmania that you get a feel for just how good this pint sized Renault is. The Clio Monaco engine belts out 147 kW at 6000 rpm and 240 Nm of torque from 1750 rpm. It can run on 95 RON petrol, but Renault recommends 98 RON.
The Getrag-built six-speed dual-clutch is smooth in the shifts and does not seem to have any bad habits at low speed, a negative in some other dual clutch systems. Drive is through the front wheels with no sign of torque steer. With a kerb weight of a tad over 1200 kg the Clio Monaco sprints to 100 km/h in 6.7 seconds. Our overall driving impressions of the Clio Monaco are that it is for those who want a hot small car that not only looks great, but can back that up on road, or even on the track. It handles that well it would make a basis for an excellent rally car. It’s one of those cars that
seems to get more grip and handle better the quicker the pace. After driving both the Sport chassis and the Cup spec chassis found on Clio Monaco – they differ in suspension settings – it’s our feeling the Sport is slightly better, but you can only tell by driving on the absolute limit where the Sport has slightly more grip when taking tight corners at high speed. Clio Monaco’s steering is direct and it points beautifully into turns giving the driver a lot of confidence powering out. The dual-clutch offers drivers a manual shift either on the column paddles or the conventional shifter that provide immediate access to more grunt when required.
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