CIRCULATING IN WANGARATTA, BENALLA, MYRTLEFORD, BRIGHT, MT BEAUTY, BEECHWORTH, YACKANDANDAH, RUTHERGLEN, CHILTERN AND DISTRICTS
NORTH EAST
November 28, 2014
available online - wangarattachronicle.com.au
PRINTED FORTNIGHTLY — VOLUME 462
MAZDA CX-5 AKERA: IT LOOKS SHARP AND DYNAMIC.
Mazda CX-5 Akera a sharp SUV
M
azda’s CX-5 is a runaway sales success. They’re everywhere, bought by young ‘uns and not-so young ‘uns in vast numbers. But chart success is not always a hallmark of quality as a brief glance at what passes for a music chart will attest. The CX-5, though is different. Along with its cheery sales numbers comes handsome looks, some clever tech and a reputation for ride and handling. The top-spec Akera though is a test – priced where the Germans start (Audi Q3, BMW X1, Mercedes GLA), it has to fight badge snobbery as well as a crowded field from Japan and Korea. The CX-5 range starts at a very modest $27,880 for a two-wheel drive manual petrol 2.0-litre and goes all the way to nearly $50,000 for the diesel Akera. This petrol Akera is the last stop before that high water mark, weighing in at $46,570.
BY PETER ANDERSON The Akera’s long list of standard features include leather interior, keyless entry, nine-speaker Bose-branded stereo with Bluetooth and USB, reversing camera and parking sensors all round, cruise control and a cluster of sensors inside the windscreen for auto-wipers, headlights and lane departure warning. The headlights are of the adaptive bi-xenon variety (and very good, too), the seats up front are electrically adjustable, heated and have two memory slots. The Mazda CX5 is a lot of car and the Akera’s big 19-inch wheels add to that big look. Sadly, its rather lovely styling causes a couple of little problems. The first is that over the shoulder, you can’t see a thing through those tiny windows. On the Akera, blind spot monitoring is a
very welcome addition. Secondly, the rear doors are not an easy proposition for smaller kids. They don’t open very wide and it’s a bit of a climb up. Once they’re in, though, there’s plenty of space and they sit up nice and high and they can easily see out. It’s not bad in here, but a car that costs the same as an Audi Q3 or a BMW X1 could do with a bit more luxury than what’s on offer. Having said that, it’s all perfectly functional. That screen isn’t really big or smart enough for you to use, it’s actually quite fiddly. Once you’ve deciphered it, though, it’s not bad and sounds quite good. Needs work, though. The Akera is powered by the larger SkyActiv 2.5-litre four-cylinder. There’s no turbo, but it pushes out 138kW and 250Nm of torque through all four wheels
and with a very good six-speed automatic. Mazda claims a combined fuel figure, aided by stop-start, of 7.2 litres per 100km but this seems a distant possibility with our 12.2 L/100km figure that didn’t include an undue amount of hard acceleration. The CX-5 is without doubt one of the better SUVs and holds up pretty well against a lot of lower-slung sedans. The power and torque figures don’t suggest it, but together they do an impressive job of pushing the 1650kg Akera down the road at a very decent pace. The transmission is very responsive to the right foot and there’s some real fun to be had behind the wheel. Passengers will be very happy with the good ride and lack of body roll that one or two competitors suffer from (CR-V and Forester).
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CLASSIFIEDS
MAZDA 626, classic 1998, Rego (XRK506) until April 2015, auto, climate control, cruise cont, elec doors/mirrors, pwr steer, in beaut cond, mech A1, new brakes, exc tyres, RWC, great 1st car or suit family. $3850. LMCT11086. Ph 0407 505 040.
1989 Subaru Brumby, 4WD ute, good condition, RWC, reg. July 2015, (ZJX038). Ideal town runabout, $3850 ono. Ph 5752 2086 or 0458 522 888.
2003 VY SS Holden Commodore. 5.7ltr. Auto. 217,000 kms. 4 new tyres, new windscreen. 18 inch mags, 6 CD Stacker. VIC Rego to April 2015 (CASS20). $7000 ono. Please phone 0411 185 209.
MAJESTIC Gold Tourer 2004, 16ft Poptop, single beds, battery pack, 8 mths reg, excellent condition, many extras. $16,500 ono. Ph 5766 2330.
TRAKMASTER Kimberley off-road pop top, 15’ x 7’ 2008, build #493, includes: 2,000 kg heavy duty single axle, Sugarglider suspension, 17" alloy wheels, 12" electric brakes, 2x 120 amp HR batteries, 4x solar panels (total 272 watt), 2x 80 ltr independent water tanks with monitors, waWHU ¿OWUDWLRQ V\VWHP ltr Waeco compressor fridge, gas/24v HWS, gas cooktop with griller, external gas bayonet point, internal shower/ toilet, queen bed, cafe seating, fantastic roof hatch, radio AM/FM / CD player, bike carrier, stone guard. $52,000. Ph 5777 0659 or 0417 687 555.
HYUNDAI Excel 2000, 5sp man, a/c, exc FRQG LGHDO ÂżUVW FDU UHJ Feb 2015 (QAK812), 135,000km. $2500 ono. Ph 0400 650 211.
2012 Mazda CX-9. 42,000km, 7 seats, colour - aluminium, charcoal interior, tow bar, reverse camera, 6 airbags, great family car, in excellent condition, full service history, 1 lady owner. (YTA019). $32,500 ono. Ph 0408 273 673.
2010 Husaberg FE 450, excellent condition, force radiator guards, barkbusters, no time to ride, rec rego Oct 2015, 7100 km, $6500. Ph 0429 193 506.
CLASSIFIEDS - 5723 0101
Selling your car has never been easier or cheaper!
NORTH EAST
SOLD
2010 Holden Captiva LX diesel auto. 78,832km, power steering, air con, air bags, central locking, cruise control, climate control, 6 disk CD player/ aux port, built in GPS, reverse camera, mag wheels, tinted windows, 7 seats, nudge bar/ towbar and sunroof. 4 brand new tyres, $1800 has been spent within last month & 8 months rego. Will be sold with RWC (XQD374). $23,500. Call Joel on 0432 495 552.
2009 Mazda 3 NEO manual, one lady owner since new, 123,523km, power steering, air con, air bags, central locking, cruise control, climate control, single disk cd player/ aux port, Bose stereo system, 4 brand new tyres, recently serviced. Will be sold with RWC and detailed (XBD982). $10,500. Call Kylie on 0417 057 305 or 0428 215 677.
XK 1962 Falcon delux sedan, original condition, $5500. Vin No. 36783. Ph 0404 258 603.
LOW KLMS, Holden Barina XC 2005, 5 speed manual, in great condition, mech A1 aircon, pwr str ABS, 2 airbags, CD radio elec windows, 12 mts rego (TSB506) and RWC, low 100,000 klms, beaut 1st car r/about. $3850. LMCT11086. Ph 0407 505 040.
November 28, 2014
HYUNDAI Excel GLX, 1999, (PPG908), one owner, auto, aircon, power steering, radio, new brakes, 4 new tyres, mechanical A1 service history. Great ÂżUVW FDU UXQDERXW 5:& a bargain $3400. Ph 0407 /0&7
1997 Sleekline Contage, great working condition, recently serviced, ready to go, perfect first family boat. $15,000 ono. Call Paul on 0407 753 224.
HOLDEN 2004 VZ Commodore Acclaim for immediate sale. $4500 ono. 170,000k, (TDW306). Ph 0449 670 089 or 5721 2258.
FORD wagon AUII 2000, 193,000kms, LPG, new tyres, mechanically sound, rego till Feb15 (QOU593), RWC, $3900. Ph 0427 090 226.
BMW 318i E30 1987, 1.8L, (XIZ167), 194,716km, 11/14 Vic Reg, eligible club rego, very neat, no RWC, $2500. Ph 0407 240 370 Chiltern.
MERCEDES Benz C180 Classic 97, auto, immaculate condition, extremely safe small car, many safety features, Mercedes sports mag wheels, always garaged, RWC, reg (AFZ83G), bargain price $2850. Ph (02) 6035 3853.
WR450 09, 2500km, too many extras to list. Immac cond, unreg. $6800 ono. Ph 0413 800 263.
3.5MTR aluminium boat, 6hp Johnson motor and trailer, boat and trailer registered, $1200. Ph 5721 7233.
TOYOTA Camry 1998, green, 5spd manual, towbar, 2 new tyres, reg to June 2015 (QFO808), $1500 ono. Ph 5722 3947.
TA R AG O 2 0 0 6 , excellent condition, roof rack, towbar, 73,000 km, RWC, (YEL551), $20,999. Ph 0408 574 224.
HONDA Shadow 750cc, 5000km, mint condition, rides as new, absolutely beautiful bike. Quick sale, $5200. Ph 0418 524 152. BA Fairmont sedan, VGC, drives great, s e r v i c e d a n d RW C supplied, engine no: JGSW2498829, $2200. Ph 5721 7761 B/H. HOLDEN VZ SV6 2005, rego (ULD727), RWC, good service h i s t o r y, e x c e l l e n t condition, drives like n e w, 2 7 5 , 0 0 0 k m s (highway kms), this would be the best VZ SV6 anywhere for this price, $5800. Ph 0422 227 177. HYUNDAI Getz, 2006, 120,900 kms, VGC, RWC, reg till Oct. 2015, (ZIS442), $5600. Ph 0400 922 171. MAZDA 626 sedan, 130,000km, manual, second owner, great condition, registered till July (OWY496), RWC, $3500 negotiable. Ph 0407 202 310. 3.7 metre Aluminium Savage Snipe boat and trailer, 14hp Mercury o/board, boat trailer and boat reg till August 2015, $2700. Ph 5725 3218.
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November 28, 2014
Mazda CX-5 Akera a sharp SUV
Holden’s Cruze SRI-Z hatch BY PETER ANDERSON CRUZE SRI-Z HATCH: Z for zoom? Not quite.
H
olden's small sedan and hatch, the Cruze, has been a little lost for sales since the Commodore's VF-led resurgence. Made in both Australia and Korea, the Cruze's popularity has suffered somewhat as big brother stole the limelight. The Z Series release was meant to alleviate things with a bit of extra bling, particularly on the SRi, but little else to write home about. We tested an automatic sedan a while ago and were impressed with the size, the chassis and the steering. The Cruze 1.6 turbo manual hatch was next on our list. VALUE Kicking off at $26,890, the SRi-Z is impressive value among its peers. There's keyless entry and start, leather throughout the climate-controlled cabin, auto headlights, Bluetooth and USB, rear parking sensors and camera, Sat-Nav and power windows all round. The only option is $550 prestige paint which in our case was the terrifying Fantale orange, rendering the car still-visible on our retinas long after dark. DESIGN The Cruze hatchback is rather less successful than the sedan counterpart. It's all standard Cruze from the front to about halfway between B and C pillars. There the sedan's stylist seems to have either given up or thrown the pen to someone with less experience and it all went a bit timid. The pleasing, Calibra-like (remember those?) arc of the sedan's roofline had to go for practical reasons but the tail now looks like it was grafted on from a mid-90s Corolla. The SRi adds a curiously angled spoiler that looks a bit boy racer. Distractions come in the form of side skirts, deeper bumpers and a handsome set of 18-inch alloys and ill-advised, chintzy chrome on the door handles. Inside is standard Cruze with some metallic finishing that unfortunately reflects light into your face should you venture out when the sun is high overhead. This isn't the only Holden afflicted with this problem, the Malibu and Commodore also suffer.
It's a good car for passengers - quiet, roomy and, in the SRi-Z, the seats are quite comfortable when covered in leather. Front passengers have stacks of head and elbow room and the driver's seat has an excellent range of adjustments. SAFETY Six airbags, ABS, traction and stability control, brake assist and pre-tensioned and load limited front seatbelts allow for a five star ANCAP rating. INFOTAINMENT The MyLink in the SRi includes sat-nav rather than the BYO phonebased BringGo of the Trax or Barina. It also suffers the indignity of the inferior interface common with the Commodore but, having said that, it's still one of the better systems around. The screen is seven inches but is set back in the Cruze's dash, so the edges are a bit difficult for fingers to hit without fouling the surrounding plastic. The Cruze has six speakers scattered around the cabin. None of them seem to be particularly powerful but the sound is pretty good. MyLink also features voice recognition that hasn't been introduced to Australian accents as well as Siri Eyes Free functionality. ENGINE / TRANSMISSION The 1.6-litre turbo under the bonnet produces 132kW and 230Nm of torque from its single intercooled turbo. There is absolutely nothing startling about this engine from a technical
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perspective, so one imagines it has a long, gremlin-free life ahead of it. Holden claims 7.4 litres per 100km for the combined cycle but this seemed a very distant possibility. A mix of driving yielded a best of 12.4 L/100km - the figure barely budged in the week we had it. To be fair, we didn't see figures anything like this on the automatic, so there may have been gremlins. Our car had the six-speed manual transmission, driving the front wheels. DRIVING The bad stuff out of the way first the accelerator pedal travel is way too long, the clutch has exactly no feel and is too light and long and despite being the sporty model, the SRi just isn't very fast in a straight line. It doesn't feel as fluid as the automatic, the gears widely spaced with gearchanges kicking you out of the torque band when driving normally, which means you have put your foot down if you're wanting to press on in traffic. Enthusiastic acceleration out of corners also sees the inside tyre spinning away the power or the power being cut by the traction control. But once you hit the open road, the widely-spaced gears and lack of grip become less of an issue. It's an incredibly quiet cruiser, the engine but a distant drone. It's the same at the lights, an idle so smooth and quiet you sometimes
From page 1
have to check if you've stalled. If you like chucking your cars down the twisties - probably a decent likelihood if you've picked the SRi there's some fun to be had. Again, we'll get the bad news out of the way - this isn't a cut-price Golf GTI, not by a long shot. It is, however, a good, balanced chassis that when pushed does eventually dissolve into gentle understeer. The Bridgestone RE040s let you know when it's coming and there's even a bit of participation from the rear end. The traction control is a mildly hamfisted kill-joy and even when switched off seems to put in an appearance, sneaking in under the guise of an unswitchable stability control. SUMMING UP 3.5/5 A rambunctious hot hatch it is not. You'll have to spend more money and switch badges if you want that, unless you can wait for the return of the Holden-badged Opel Astra GTC. It is, however, a surprisingly refined warm hatch, with terrific interior space and a good dose of family car practicality. The looks may not be great in hatch form and some of the plastics and panel fit a bit suspect, but if feels well made and engineered. For the family person looking for something fun under $30,000, it's genuinely hard to beat.
MAZDA 3
On the freeway, they will also appreciate the quietness of the engine and the well-suppressed wind and tyre noise. From the driver’s seat, you could be driving a well-sorted hatchback with some kind of clever dimension-shifting windscreen. It is hard to believe it’s a highriding SUV, which is quite an achievement. The wheel is well-weighted for the most part, so banging around the ‘burbs is never going to cause the CX-5 any trouble. The throttle is pretty soft to aid smooth progress but on the plus side, this means that there won’t be any embarrassing lurching when it wakes from stop-start. The Akera’s biggest problem is the price. Up at the $45,000 mark, it’s not out of line to expect a bit more plushness. Aside from that, it is packed full of stuff, including a very decent set of safety features. Price aside, it’s definitely one of the top three SUVs for anyone’s list and its dynamic abilities more than justify how many of these cars that fly out of Mazda showrooms. There’s a few flaws, but none fatal or even significant for that matter. It looks good, drives well and does the job without looking like a box on wheels. More to the point, it does the job just as well as the European, Japanese and Korean competitors, if not better.
Features STANDARD IN ALL MODELS: ✔ CRUISE CONTROL ✔ DUAL FRONT AIRBAGS ✔ FRONT SIDE AIRBAGS ✔ ELECTRONIC STABILITY PROGRAM ✔ REVERSING CAMERA ✔ USB / AUXILIARY AUDIO INPUT ✔ BLUETOOTH ✔ STEERING WHEEL MOUNTED CONTROLS
ONE MILE
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10 Templeton Street, Wangaratta Paul Davenport 0408 057 837 Michael Henderson 0418 512 531 Kylie Stevenson 0428 215 677
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MELBOURNE ROAD, WODONGA PHONE: 02 6051 5555 www.mcraemotors.com.au LMCT 498 Offers end 2nd December 2014, while stocks last. *At participating Kia dealers. Demonstrator vehicles must be purchased by December 2, 2014. Offers valid while stocks last and exclude fleet, government and rental buyers. Kia reserves the right to change, supersede or extend these offers. Warranty start date may have commenced for particular vehicle. Purchaser will receive the balance of unused portion of 7 year Warranty. Speak to your participating Kia dealer for warranty start date for the vehicle in question. Terms and conditions visit www.kia.com.au. Balance of unused portion of 7 year/150,000km warranty for vehicles used for the following: rental vehicles, hire cars, taxis, courier vehicles, driving school vehicles, security vehicles, bus and tour vehicles. Capped Price Service: maximum payable for specified number of manufacturer’s standard scheduled maintenance services up to 7 years or 105,000kms, whichever occurs first. Roadside Assistance: balance of 7 year Roadside Assistance package available from warranty start date (subject to eligibility). Terms and conditions, eligibility and exclusions for Warranty, Capped Price Servicing and Roadside Assistance can be found at www.kia.com.au. Premuim Paint extra $495. DMM290628/11.
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PLEASE NOTE: McRae Motors will be closed Friday 28th November for Wodonga Gold Cup Holiday. We will be open Saturday 29th November from 8:30am to 1:00pm. A/H Rob Meyer 0422 848 854.