North East Motor Guide

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

MARCH 9 - 14 | 2018

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FACELIFT: Slick styling of the latest Hyundai Sonata makes it look almost new, rather than a mere facelift.

2018 Hyundai Sonata Premium

HYUNDAI Sonata is due to be replaced by an all-new model in the first quarter of 2019, but the current one has received significant changes to see it through the intervening period. The importer has trimmed the range to just two models by discontinuing the Elite. Sonata is now offered only in Active and Premium format.

STYLING A major facelift has given the Sonata a striking appearance. Its front end has a huge grille, sleek headlights and large daytime running light housings. The tail has received a sort of sporty treatment, with slimmer lights and a bold shape to the diffuser.

By EWAN KENNEDY Though Sonata’s sides remain virtually unchanged the trim around the window line has been modified to change the appearance somewhat.

INSIDE Inside, changes are minimal with switches and buttons having a gloss piano black finish. See the Infotainment segment of this review for further details.

New-design steering wheels are fitted, with a sporty flat-bottomed unit in the Sonata Premium, the latter being the subject of our week’s test.

INFOTAINMENT Satellite navigation with SUNA traffic

updates is now standard in both Sonata models. There’s a new in-dash 8.0-inch touchscreen, as well as an Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. Bluetooth phone and audio streaming, an upgraded AM/FM radio is used. Aux and USB audio inputs are fitted.

POWERTRAINS The 2018 Sonata carries-over the engines from the superseded model. Sonata Active is powered by a 2.4-litre, naturallyaspirated engine which develops 138 kW, and 241 Nm of torque at 4000 revs.

It drives the front wheels through a sixspeed automatic.

Sonata Premium gets a turbocharged 2.0-litre engine that develops 180 kW, and

353 Nm. Maximum torque runs all the way from 1350 to 4000 rpm.

The turbo engine in the Sonata Premium sits beside a new eight-speed multi-mode automatic transmission. Driving modes are Comfort, Eco, Sport and Smart. The Smart setting automatically switches between the other three modes as the computer senses changes to the driver’s demands as well as road conditions.

SAFETY Both 2018 Sonata models have electronic stability control, anti-lock braking with assist, and electronic brakeforce distribution, hill-start assist, traction control and vehicle stability management,

Continued page 2 v/21d11337-v141/1018

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2

March 9 - 14 | 2018

Lexus RX

By EWAN KENNEDY

LEXUS has introduced a stretched version of its popular RX that expands seating capacity to seven occupants. The tag of Lexus RX L indicates the important new model.

The body is 110 mm longer and the roof a touch higher, raised by just 10 mm. The tailgate has a steeper slope to give the RX the sort of sleeker look that’s becoming increasingly popular in the midsize SUV class.

For easy third-row access, one-touch levers on both sides of the Lexus fold and slide the second-row seats forward. The second row is positioned slightly higher for the third row to make good foot room for rear passengers.

When the 50:50 split-fold third row seat is in use Lexus RX still has a boot length of 566 mm. The sort of space needed for a large stroller. At the touch of a button, the third-row seats fold completely flat giving 432 litres of cargo space under the tonneau cover.

now offered as seven-seater

ROOMY: You wouldn’t call the new seven-seat Lexus RX L sleek, but it does have flair to its looks.

A three-zone air conditioning system provides occupants of all seat rows vents and controls.

The all-wheel-drive RX seven-seat variants are offered in two equipment grades, Luxury and Sports Luxury, with features almost identical to their five-seat equivalents.

Luxury RX L variants are priced at just $3300 above the five-seat models. They are equipped with LED headlamps, daytime running lights (DRLs), front foglamps, 20inch alloy wheels with black centre caps, roof rails and rear privacy glass.

From page 1

2018 Hyundai

emergency stop signal, rear-view camera with dynamic guide lines and four-sensor rear park assist.

Sonata Premium adds blind spot detection, driver attention alert, lane change assist and lane departure warning, rear cross traffic alert, smart cruise control and four-sensor front park assist system.

Two IsoFix seats are installed in both Sonata variants.

DRIVING The front seats are comfortable and provide the sort of support we like without being overly aggressive. The rear seat has good legroom and can take three adults if they don’t mind a bit of shoulder rubbing.

Mum, dad and three little darlings will find the Sonata makes a fine family sedan.

Boot space is good at 510 litres and is reasonably easy to load. The back seats have a 60:40 split.

Obviously sedans cannot accept bulky items the way hatchbacks can, but the added strength at the rear gives the Sonata a solid feel that’s not always there on hatches.

As with all current Australian Hyundai passenger vehicles new Sonata has unique-to-Australia suspension and steering tuning. Developed by a team of

engineers from this country as well as South Korea and including a great deal of testing on local roads.

We feel that the engineers have reached the right compromise between comfort and handling. Some Aussie imports have modified suspensions that lean too far in the sporting direction. Hyundai is well aware that its Sonata will typically be bought by people who want a responsive car, but have no intention of ever driving it hard.

Noise reduction was impressive on smooth roads, however, rough ones, particularly good-old Aussie coarse-chip surfaces let quite a bit of noise into the cabin at times.

Fuel consumption was typically in the nine to eleven litres per hundred kilometres range around town, dropping to five to six litres on the open road. The latter low figures are the result of an efficient turbocharged engine and the large number of ratios in this new eightspeed auto.

SUMMING UP Hyundai Sonata offers all of the benefits of a four-door sedan in the way of ride comfort and a large boot. It’s up against some tough competition with the new Toyota Camry and others, so the local importer must be hanging out for the allnew 2019 Sonata.

Inside are an 8-inch display screen, satellite navigation, and a 12-speaker audio. Front seats are heated and ventilated with 10-way power adjustment and driver’s seat memory.

Leather-accented trim is used in the first two rows of seats. Sensibly, the third row has durable synthetic coverings.

The top grade Lexus also has adaptive variable suspension, 14-way power adjustment for the front seats, a 15-speaker Mark Levinson sound system, 12.3-inch display screen and panoramic parking monitor.

These Lexus models are powered by either a V6 petrol engine in the 350L, or a petrol-electric Hybrid Drive system in the RX 450hL. The hybrid uses the Lexus E-four intelligent on-demand all-wheel-drive (AWD) system that incorporates a 50kW electric motor on the rear axle.

Curtain-shield airbags have been extended to protect third-row passengers. An additional child-seat anchorage point is also included.

Lexus RX has been on sale in Australia for 15 years and has proven popular for that entire time. The move up to a seven-seater should see the tradition continue.

Sonata Premium

At a Glance NOTE: THESE PRICES DO NOT INCLUDE GOVERNMENT OR DEALER DELIVERY CHARGES. CONTACT YOUR LOCAL NISSAN DEALER FOR DRIVEAWAY PRICES.

Sonata Active 2.4-litre petrol four-door sedan: $30,990 (automatic) Sonata Premium 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-door sedan: $45,490 (automatic)

SPECIFICATIONS

(Hyundai Sonata Premium 2.0-litre turbopetrol four-door sedan

ENGINE: Capacity: 1.998 litres Configuration: Four cylinders in line Maximum Power: 180 kW @ 6000 rpm Maximum Torque: 353 Nm @ 1350 rpm Fuel Type: Petrol 91RON Combined Fuel Cycle (ADR 81/02): 8.5 L/100km CO2 Emissions: 198 G/KM

DRIVELINE: Eight-speed automatic

DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES: Length: 4855 mm Wheelbase: 2805 mm Width: 1865 mm Height: 1475 mm Turning Circle: 10.9 metres Kerb Mass: 1645 kg Fuel Tank Capacity: 70 litres

BRAKES: Front: Ventilated disc Rear: Solid disc

STANDARD WARRANTY: Five years / unlimited kilometres

3

March 9 - 14 | 2018

Navara irons out creases,

now for the opposition

By DEREK OGDEN THIS placid pick-up truck is a far cry from previous iterations of the popular workhorse, which Nissan would be the first to admit to being rather agricultural in character. Not that the new chum is a shrinking violet.

Performance upgrades give the 2018 Nissan Navara more pulling power on and off road, while offering an easier and more enjoyable drive, both of which were illustrated on a launch drive in Melbourne and surroundings.

Initiated by Nissan Australia, and tested extensively in, and exclusively for conditions Down Under by Nissan ute experts from around the world, upgrades apply to Dual Cab SL, ST and ST-X variants in the Australasian market.

Particular attention was paid to ride and handling with a new dual-rate rear-spring system incorporating an integrated lower and higher spring rate. This comes up with a comfortable ride unladen or with a light payload and allows heavier loads to be hauled without compromise in ride and handling, the last especially when towing.

Also, steering ratio on Dual Cab SL, ST and ST-X was trimmed from 21.5:1 to 19.0:1, so the steering wheel is turned less to get the angle, or degree of turn, from the wheels, while lockto-lock steering wheel turns have been cut from 4.1 to 3.4, both making the Navara more manoeuvrable.

The 2018 Nissan Navara has also upped the ante in safety with technology updates including a 360 degree Around View monitor, standard on ST-X grades, second row IsoFix child seat mounting points, on all Dual Cabs, and rear-view cameras are now available on all Pickup variants, while satellite navigation has been added to King Cab ST. And from June production, all SL, ST and ST-X models will feature a digital speedometer included in the instrument cluster, and tie-down hook points have been either increased in number or re-positioned to help secure loads.

Three cabin styles are on offer. These include the Single Cab, King Cab and the most popular model, the Dual Cab. There are 27 Pickup and eight Cab Chassis options and 10 4x2 and 25 4x4 variants.

Power is supplied by one of two engines, the most popular being the 2.3-litre intercooled twin-turbo diesel

HEY GOOD LOOKIN’: Little change on the outside, but the latest Nissan Navara goes a long way in performance to closing in on its rivals. with 140 kW of power at 3750 rpm and 450 Nm of torque between 1500 and 2500 revs. There’s a choice of a six-speed manual or a seven-speed automatic transmission, the latter with manual mode.

The Navara boasts class-leading fuel consumption of 6.5 litres per 100 kilometres on the combined urban / highway cycle.

While prices generally remain unchanged, eight of the variants carry increases between $200 and $500, reflecting additional gear that is now standard. Pricing for Single Cab starts at $25,990, King Cabs come from $28,490 and the Dual Cab from $33,490.

For $1500 extra Nissan offers a leather accented seat option on King Cab ST-X seven-speed auto and all Dual Cab ST-X grades. A tilt-andslide electric sunroof package is also available for $1000 on the Dual Cab ST-X 4x4. Available in eight exterior colours, the 2018 Navara is on sale now.

Announcing the new Navara by Nissan Australia the media was addressed by Ashwani Gupta, vice-president of Renault’s Light

Commercial Vehicle Division since 2014, where he oversees Renault / Nissan worldwide LCV business.

Mr Gupta said, while not a volume market, Australia was a trendsetter in sports utility vehicle performance development throughout the world, so local testing in Victoria had been a feature of the new Navara.

It was also stacked up against its main rivals, the Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger and Holden Colorado.

With this in mind, Nissan Australia wheeled out its upgraded Navara for

a media launch in Melbourne and the Yarra Valley. First cab off the rank, so to speak, for this writer was an ST Dual Cab with no load in the tub.

Rolling on Toyo A25 Open Country tyres, the 4x4 served up little road noise inside. The cabin calm was enhanced by a mere hum from the engine, even when pushed.

Steering was light with enough feedback to keep the vehicle on an even keel, even on testing winding, narrow country roads. On a mix of city and country driving, fuel consumption was 8 litres per 100 kilometres.

Next up was an ST-X with a 650 kg load tied down in the back. There was a definite push from behind downhill on the bitumen, as you would expect with a load on board.

On an undulating stretch of gravel, the Navara 4x4 stood its ground, producing a stable ride with surefooted grip at every turn.

However, the climax came with an SL Dual Cab with trailer hitched, toting a cement mixer, plus gravel and sand cruising the Hume Freeway at the legal speed limit, with not a twitch from behind.

Hills presented no problem to the set-up, either climbing or descending, after all the Navara is rated to tow 3500 kg braked. All in all, the 2018 Navara showed much improvement in performance on the vehicle it replaces, no bad thing in such a robust market.

4

March 9 - 14 | 2018

All-new Ferrari Portofino premiered in Byron Bay

By EWAN KENNEDY THE Ferrari Portofino Grand Tourer replaces the California in the Ferrari lineup. It takes its name from the famous village of that name on the Italian Riviera. It’s powered by a 600 horsepower, turbocharged, high-revving, 3.9-litre V8 driving through a seven-speed automatic transmission.

Portofino can reach 100 km/h from rest in 3.5 seconds, get to 200 km/h in 10.8 seconds and has a top speed of 320 km/h.

This stunning grand touring Ferrari has a retractable hardtop that can be opened or closed in just 14 seconds and on the move at low speeds.

There’s good cockpit space for two in the front, with a pair of rear seats that, to quote Ferrari are, “suitable for short trips.�

Ferrari V8 2+2 Portofino has a recommended retail of $398,888 (All these 8s in the price are presumably there to appeal to ChineseAustralian buyers!). Orders can be placed now with Australian deliveries expected in August or September.

Ferrari Australasia announced the significant expansion of its local dealer network at the premier of the new Ferrari Portofino in a spectacular event at Byron Bay. Three new Ferrari-only showrooms in Sydney, Melbourne, and the Gold Coast take the number of Ferrari across Australia and New Zealand from six to nine.

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