North East Motor Guide

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

FEBRUARY 22 - 28 | 2019

> available online - www.nemedia.com.au

2019

Renault Koleos

RENAULT Koleos is a product of the alliance between the French automotive giant and its Japanese partner Nissan.

A mid-sized SUV, it sits on the same platform and shares its engine and transmission with the popular Nissan X-Trail.

Adding to its multinational identity Koleos is built at Renault’s Samsung factory in South Korea.

Despite pricing of the two models being in the same ball park, X-Trail outsells Koleos by a ratio of around seven to one.

Koleos comes in three specification levels: Life, Zen and Intens ranging in price from $30,990 for the FWD 2.5-litre petrol Life through to $47,490 for the

By ALISTAIR KENNEDY AWD 2.0-litre diesel Intens.

The FWD-only Life has cloth seat trim, 17-inch alloy wheels, rear parking sensors, rain-sensing wipers and reversing camera.

The mid-level Zen adds the option of allwheel drive together with artificial leather seat trim; front seat warmers; powered driver’s seat with lumbar support; 18inch alloys; blind spot warnings; satellite navigation; push-button start/stop; tyre pressure monitoring; electronic parking brake; and front parking sensors.

The range-topping Intens gets 19inch alloys; LED headlights; panoramic

sunroof; parking assistance system; auto dimming rear view mirror; ventilated front seats; powered front passenger’s seat with lumbar support; and powered tailgate.

STYLING While the overall shape of the Koleos aligns with that of the X-Trail – and with many others in their bulging market segment – they are easily distinguished elsewhere. Koleos has a much bolder grille highlighted by a large version of the distinctive Renault badge in the centre.

SAFETY There’s an excellent list of safety features across the range including Advanced Emergency Braking System (AEBS)

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$46,990

Continued page 2

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DRIVE EITHER AWAY, FROM

CX8 SPORT Turbo Diesel

and Lane Departure Warning. There’s some cost-saving in the entry-level Life with an old-style ignition key and a foot operated parking brake. All higher spec variants have push button start/stop and an electronic parking brake.

ENGINES / TRANSMISSIONS Two engines are offered, a 2.5-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder petrol and a 2.0-litre turbo diesel. The petrol peaks at 126 kW and 226 Nm at 4400 rpm. The diesel, only available in the topspec Intens, provides marginally more power (130 kW) but significantly more torque (380 Nm) and at a much lower 2000 rpm.

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UNDERRATED: Renault Koleos seriously takes on rivals in interior space and safety.

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2

February 22 - 28 | 2019

FIAT’S

By EWAN KENNEDY FIAT Australia will import just 30 units of the cute little 500C Spiaggina ’58 Edition for we folks Downunder.

The Edition pays homage to the 500 Jolly Spiaggina, the first special series of the Fiat 500 in 1958.

Only 1958 of the new Edition are being built for worldwide sale.

Sold only in Volare Blue complemented by a beige soft top, the Fiat 500C ’58 Spiaggina Edition is available in both manual and automated -manual (Dualogic) transmission and has $3000 of additional features over and above the Fiat 500C Lounge on which it is based.

Pretty 500C Spiaggina ‘58 Edition

LIMITED EDITIONS: Fiat’s cute little 500C Spiaggina ’58 Edition.

The original Fiat 500 Jolly was a great looking beach buggy.

2019

From page 1

Renault Koleos

Despite its extra grunt the diesel’s towing capacity is 1600 kg compared with the 2000 kg behind the petrol unit. A Renault spokesman explained that this apparent anomaly was due to the petrol engine being specially retuned to provide extra capacity to meet European demands.

Koleos also comes with the choice of front or all-wheel drive. The latter gives three options: 2WD, Auto and Lock controlled by a switch on the centre console.

INTERIOR Unlike X-Trail which offers optional thirdrow seats Koleos is only available as a five-seater. There’s plenty of space in all directions. The rear seats can handle three adults with more than enough head and legroom although, as expected, the centre seat restricts shoulder and hip-room.

There are twin air vents in the rear.

There’s good storage space helped by the location of the foot-operated parking brake in the Life and the size of the powered parking brake in the other two models.

Boot space ranges from 458 litres to 1690 litres. There’s a full-size spare below the boot floor.

INFOTAINMENT All models get Renault’s R-LINK 2 Multimedia system with voice control

through Siri capable smartphones and customisable home screens as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The system works through a 7-inch touchscreen in Life and Zen, 8.7-inch in Intens.

Intens has two rear-seat USB ports in addition to the single one in the front console.

Life and Zen have an eight-speaker Arkamys sound system, upgraded to a 12-speaker Bose system with subwoofer and digital amplifier.

DRIVING Entry and exit is easy and the driver’s seat is wide, supportive and comfortable.

The steering wheel is both tilt and reach adjustable.

Our test car was the relatively Spartan 2.5-litre petrol entry-level Life with its keyin-ignition start, foot-operated parking brake and manual front seat adjustment.

These minor annoyances aside it’s a capable enough vehicle with good, but unexciting, performance from its 126 kW / 226 Nm engine, the latter not reaching its peak until a fairly high 4400 rpm.

We found it needed a bit of coaxing to climb steepish hills and when overtaking.

Fortunately there is a pre-set manual to assist the CVT. Even when pushed the cabin remained

well insulated from outside noise.

Fuel consumption is listed at 8.1 litres per 100 km. We averaged 9.6 L/100 km during our usual blend of urban, motorway and rural conditions. Expect double figures in exclusively city driving.

Suspension is a little harsh and relatively firm without making the ride uncomfortable. Steering is light and direct.

SUMMING UP Koleos is an attractive, capable familysized SUV with excellent interior space and a high level of safety equipment.

It certainly doesn’t deserve to trail its market-leading competitors to the extent that it does and so is well worth a comparison test drive.

The close alignment between Koleos and the big-selling Nissan X-Trail is a big plus for the French car because it should reduce possible reliability and quality concerns. At the same time Koleos offers significantly better value including a five-year unlimited kilometre warranty as compared with Nissan’s three year / 100,000 km coverage.

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February 22 - 28 | 2019

MX-5

back on track to much-loved tradition

By DEREK OGDEN ALMOST a year ago I accused the MX-5 of ‘going soft’, when I wrote, “the Mazda, born in 1989 in the tradition of the compact British cloth-top convertibles of the postwar era.

“The latest (iteration) to appear is the MX-5 RF (for retractable fastback), a sleek fastback with a smooth line joining the roof to the rear of the car – a far cry from the pared-back proportions of the original MX5.”

Maybe someone back at Mazda HQ was listening because the latest version of the best-selling roadster has been given a makeover to hark back to those early days of new-found driving excitement without reproducing its privations.

The latest Mazda MX-5 has been imbued with more power, torque and technology in all its three variants, from the entry-level Roadster, through the mid-range RF to the top-dog RF GT. The 1.5-litre and 2.0-litre four-cylinder units have boosts, to 97 kW and 152 Nm, and 135 kW and 205 Nm respectively. The 2.0 has its redline lifted to 7500rpm.

The driver is pampered with telescopic steering wheel movement to find the most suitable driving position; safety is boosted with a rear camera and new standard safety technologies across all models, while newlook alloy wheels have been added to all models.

Prices have taken a nudge north, with the RF GT 2.0 manual (the test vehicle) putting on $1070 to $45,960, plus on road costs.

REBORN: The MX-5 has maintained its up-to-the-minute sleek looks without losing its high level of performance.

Mazda Australia director of marketing, Alastair Doak, says the update gives a driving experience that is true to the original, while refining and enhancing the thrilling drive that is unique to our iconic two-seater.

STYLING With the metal roof up or down, the Mazda MX-5 RF (for retractable fastback) GT is true to the tradition of the Triumph, AustinHealey, MG and Lotus of old.

The RF features the same compact front and centre as the soft-top model, including length, width and wheelbase. Overall height has increased by 5 mm. The RF’s retractable hardtop consists of a front, middle and rear roof, and back window glass. When the roof is open, the front and middle roof sections are stowed together with the back-window glass in the space behind the seats.

With the roof up, the appealing fastback styling comes into its own with a beautiful smooth line joining the roof to the rear end.

What is considered at the heart of all true sports cars. The RF GT has its own 17-inch bright finish wheels.

INTERIOR There are five interior trim options for MX-5, with Mazda’s Chroma Brown nappa leather available as an option for RF GT. The test car featured black leather.

The simple and clearly set out threemeter instrument cluster is unchanged with the information display to the left of the cluster having a dedicated 4.6-inch colour TFT LCD screen that displays an animation of the roof when it is opening or shutting. The button for operating the roof is positioned on the panel below the dials

for the air-conditioning system.

INFOTAINMENT Mazda’s MZD Connect, with its centraldash positioned screen and centre console control knob, makes for safe and easy access to functions, including internet connectivity and access to social networking services while driving. It also offers hands-free phone operation, access to Twitter and other communication functions, as well as satellite navigation.

The RF GT boasts a nine-speaker Bose premium sound system, the same as on the soft-top. The premium Bose includes a pair of headrest speakers on the driver’s side delivering more music pleasure and clearer phone conversations.

ENGINES / TRANSMISSIONS With the aim of matching the free-revving feel of the 1.5-litre motor, engineers got into the Skyactiv-G 2.0 unit, pushing up the red line to 7500 rpm, boosting power from 118 kW to 135 kW and torque from 200 Nm to 205 Nm. This saw changes made to the air flow intake and exhaust systems, piston shape and weight, crankshaft and connecting rods, achieving increased air intake, improved combustion speed, reduced exhaust losses and mechanical friction.

SAFETY Mazda MX-5’s five-star ANCAP safety rating has been further improved, with the addition of a rear camera to all grades, and more advanced i-Activsense safety technologies to the standard package, including smart city brake support (forward) and traffic sign recognition.

DRIVING It was clear that to match the extra engine power, the manual transmission had been revised, delivering a sharper response and more direct driving feel than in the previous model.

Attention to shift timing at turn-in and torque control at turn-out meant they were more attuned to precision in sporty driving situations. The engine note had been made more meaty too, which thanks to a large acrylic see-through wind deflector, cut cabin air turbulence while maintaining rear visibility, was pleasing to both driver and passenger.

Fuel economy was just that – sparing, with use kept under 8 litres per 100 kilometres around town and a miserly 5.1 litres per 100 kilometres on the motorway and easy paced country roads.

Raising and stowing the retractable metal roof was no hardship, with operation fully automatic at the press of a button.

Cabin controls and instrument set-up would be familiar to most MX-5 owners, with little changing from the previous model, or indeed, any of the modern Mazdas.

Improvements are limited to the detachable cup holders having been made more rigid for less wobble and easier to fasten and remove, while seat levers have thicker internal frames to give a more solid feel when gripped.

SUMMARY The MX-5 RF GT is for those who want to relive the joy of traditional small sports car motoring without forgoing the comfort and convenience of modern living. A gem.

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February 22 - 28 | 2019

Mazda MX-5

By EWAN KENNEDY MAZDA Motor Corporation surprised the motoring world at the Chicago Auto Show, on February 9, 1989 when it unveiled its cute little MX-5 open top sportscar.

Until that day the general feeling had been that safety regulations meant that it was probably impossible to ever build open top cars again.

Mazda MX-5 proved them wrong and today it’s all but impossible to find an auto maker that doesn’t have open top models in their range.

At the Chicago Auto Show, on February 9, 2019 Mazda Motor Corporation unveiled a 30th Anniversary Edition of the MX-5 - to join the more than a million MX-5s already on the road.

Mazda says the 30th Anniversary Edition is, “to express its gratitude, and its high hopes for the future of the MX-5�.

The Anniversary Edition is finished in Racing Orange and features forged alloy wheels (Rays ZE40 RS30) developed exclusively for the MX-5.

Orange is also featured on accents on the

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brake calipers, vent surrounds, seat piping and stitching; stitching on the steering wheel, door trims, dashboard decoration panel, gear lever and parking brake.

Bilstein dampers further improve road handling. The front brakes are Brembos, the rears Nissin.

Sales will be limited to 3000 units worldwide, including both soft-top and retractable hardtop. Each will have a “30th Anniversary� build plate ornament with a serial number.

Australia will receive an allocation of just 30 soft-top models. Based on the 2.0-litre roadster GT they are aimed at keen drivers so will all have a six-speed manual gearbox.

They won’t be imported until the second half of the year. Price is yet to be finalised but we anticipate it will be in the high $40K driveaway range.

Mazda Australia says they “will be offered to Mazda’s loyal MX-5 customers on a first come first served basis, communicated via eDM�.

It might be an idea to pick up that phone and dial your favourite Mazda dealer asap.

SOLD MOTOR VEHICLES

FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED: Bright orange paint certainly suits the 30th Anniversary Edition of Mazda MX-5.

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MOTOR VEHICLES

MOTOR VEHICLES

MOTORING TRADES & SERVICES

MOTOR VEHICLES

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VW 2012 CADDY VA N , e x c e l l e n t delivery or service van, extremely economical, exceptionally neat and clean with only 148,800km, this is a 5 door, 4cyl 1.6L turbo diesel van with 5 speed manual gearbox, rear and side cameras, cruise control and much more, rego (1AA9JB) to July 2019 with RWC, $14,400 ono. Ph 0419 914 919.

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2011 XR6 Supercab tray, genuine 119,000km, anniversary XR6 wheels, canvas seat covers, great condition, great to drive, (PB1354), $16,000 ono, RWC supplied. Ph 0402 800 872.

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