CAR ADVICE

Pricing and equipment for the updated  2018 BMW 3 Series range have been announced this week, before the refreshed line-up arrives in local showrooms from November. Headlining changes include the addition of a bright new Sunset Orange metallic exterior paint, along with updated alloy wheel designs and the standard fitment of BMW’s iDrive 6 infotainment system across the range. Starting at $57,300 before on-road costs for the entry-level 318i, the 3 Series range kicks off $800 dearer than before, with the wider range up in price by around $1000 to $2000 depending on variant. Features include the Sport Line styling package as standard, with a new 18-inch double-spoke light alloy wheel with Jet Black accents now available as a no-cost option. The 318i, 320i, 330i and 330e all get the Sport Line pack included, while the range-topping 340i comes with either the Luxury Line or M Sport packages at no extra cost. Buyers of the 330i and 330e can also opt for the Luxury Line free of ...

The facelifted 2018 Renault Clio RS is now on sale in Australia, almost a year on from its European-market unveiling. Arriving on the heels of its recently launched regular siblings, the revised RS is again offered in just Sport and Cup forms, but the Trophy model – with its new Akrapovic exhaust system and lower suspension – is out of sight. We may yet see the Trophy rejoin the local line-up as a later addition, but, for now, Renault isn’t saying. (“There is no Trophy at this stage,” is the official word from the Australian arm.) Priced from $30,990, the 2018 Clio RS picks up a number of minor aesthetic tweaks, including a standout styling feature in the form of new combination LED fog, cornering and side lights, inspired by Renault Sport’s chequered-flag logo. As with the wider Clio range , the updated RS also gets revised headlight internals, a new front bumper, new LED tail lamps and new-look wheel designs. The RS hatch’s drivetrain is unchanged, with a 1.6-litre turbo fo...

Are you one of the small group keen on a loaded-up and sporty-looking wagon who has no need for genuine go-fast performance? If you are, the new-generation Renault Megane GT-Line wagon is for you: a  très chic load-lugger that looks ritzy but costs $33,490 before on-road costs ($37,590 drive-away) – $1000 more than the existing hatch version. Despite the misleading accoutrements, this French-designed but Spanish-built wagon is actually a humble urban-dweller underneath the skin, positioned between the $5000 cheaper Megane Zen and the $6000 pricier ‘proper’ Megane GT with its actual dynamic engineering. Ergo, unlike the 151kW/280Nm GT that has the go to match its show, the Megane GT-Line has a modest 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine making 97kW of power at 5500rpm and 205Nm of torque at 2000rpm. For comparison, the Volkswagen Golf 110TSI wagon range – $30,490 for the Comfortline and $35,990 for the Highline – has a turbocharged 1.4 with 110kW and 250Nm. As such, t...

The Victorian state government and defence company BAE Systems want to build a fleet of next-generation military vehicles at the former Holden site in Melbourne’s inner-west. Victoria’s Andrews government has signed a Heads of Agreement with the British multinational defence company, proposing to make and maintain 225 new Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles and by extension creating what it claims to be thousands of manufacturing jobs – albeit with indeterminate terms. BAE Systems is one of the short-listed bidders for the Australian military vehicle contract. The other candidate for the $5 billion publicly funded LAND 400 Phase Two contract is German company Rheinmetall, which has selected Queensland as its preferred site. So, either way, Australian jobs. Yet the Holden angle is the one that has naturally piqued our interest. The Victorian Labor government was on the hustings today pushing conservative party prime minister Malcolm Turnbull to choos...

Australian pricing and initial details for the  Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet range have been announced this week, ahead of the drop-top’s local launch in October. Just two variants will be offered here, the E300 and E400 4Matic , with prices kicking off at $123,500 plus on-road costs for the entry-level model. Like other Mercedes-Benz models with the ‘300’ designation, the E300 Cabriolet is powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine developing 180kW of power and 370Nm of torque. Drive is sent to the rear wheels via a nine-speed automatic transmission. Standard features include leather-appointed sports seats, heated front seats, LED headlights, the Comand Online infotainment system, air suspension, Aircap draught-stop system and Airscarf neck-level heating, the driving assistance package, a sports exhaust system (E300 only), AMG Line styling, along with 20-inch AMG multispoke alloy wheels. Headlining the E-Class Cabriolet range is the E400 4Matic...

More than 21,000 BMW X5 and BMW X6 SUVs have been recalled by BMW Australia, as the ongoing Takata airbag issue continues to expand. Affecting 21,649 second-generation E70 BMW X5 s and first-generation E71 BMW X6 s built between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2012, the recall relates to the possible malfunction of the driver’s airbag. According to the official recall notice on the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) product safety website, “the gas generator of the driver’s airbag can malfunction if subjected to high levels of absolute air humidity.” “If the gas generator explodes, metal parts may be propelled out of the airbag due to high internal pressure, potentially causing injury to the driver and/or passengers,” the recall notice says. In response to the recall announcement, BMW Australia product communications manager Adam Davis told CarAdvice , “We are notifying impacted owners and are working to rectify as quickly as possible.” Although BMW Aus...

Full details for the all-new 2018 Peugeot 3008 , now properly ‘SUVified’ (that’ll never take off) to compete in Australia’s most popular market segment, have been handed down today. Declared European Car of the Year in March, the new 2018 3008 arrives as a dramatically restyled replacement for the dowdy first-generation model, never popular here. No doubt, Peugeot’s new Australian distributor, Inchcape, will be hoping the new model’s proper SUV styling will help it move many more cars. In Australia, the made-in-France 2018 Peugeot 3008 will be offered in four trim grades, with a pair of four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines and one ‘EAT6’ six-speed automatic transmission. Both get a Stop&Start idle-stop system to reduce fuel use in traffic. The range will open with the familiar Active from $36,990 before on-road costs, moving through to the Allure, GT Line and GT models. The Active will also be offered with a limited-time ‘launch special’ drive-away price of $39,990 . En...

Australian pricing and specifications for the updated  2018 Subaru Levorg  range has been announced this week, bringing a new engine option, a much sharper price of entry, and lightly revised looks. Headlining changes is the introduction of the company’s 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder ‘boxer’ engine, which develops 125kW of power from 4800 to 5600rpm and 250Nm of torque between 1800 and 4800 rpm. Performance figures for the smaller engine aren’t quoted by the company, though Subaru says it uses 7.4L/100km on the combined cycle – 1.4L/100km less than the larger 2.0-litre mill – aided by an idle stop/start system. Drive is sent to all four wheels through a continuously-variable transmission (CVT). From the outside, the most noticeable difference are the revised LED headlight units, along with “higher quality” LED fog-lights. There are also slight changes to the front bumper and grille. New features across the range include active headlights which follow the driver’s ...

The new-generation 2018 Volkswagen Polo is on the horizon, so the company has sexed-up the outgoing current version for one final hurrah. Volkswagen Australia announced this week its intention to dump the familiar Polo Trendline and Comfortline variants and replace them with new models called the Urban and Urban+ . Both new variants retain the same relatively aggressive drive-away pricing as the Trendline and Comfortline, but sweeten the deal with between $1500 and $3000 worth of extra stuff. The Trendline-replacing Polo Urban adds 15-inch ‘Tosca’ alloys; a leather steering wheel, parking brake and gear shift knob; Multi-Function Display trip computer, illuminated vanity mirrors and some badging that says ‘Urban’. Ooooh. The Urban+ adds more than $3000 in value including 16-inch ‘Portago’ alloys, front fog lights, dark tinted windows, automatic headlights, driver fatigue detection, rain-sensing wipers, and badging. The “enhanced” interior treatment includes heated comfort spor...

GM is currently working on new electrical and infotainment systems, which will allow the company to issue over-the-air software updates in the near future. Last week, Mary Barra, CEO of GM, told analysts and journalists, including Automotive News , the company would begin issuing over-the-air vehicle updates “before 2020”. Up until now, GM has only used over-the-air updates for its OnStar in-car security, navigation and emergency response service. Barra said GM is “in the process of deploying a new electrical architecture … as well as a whole new generation of infotainment systems”. Both of these systems can be updated via new software delivered via a wireless network. Vijay Iyer, head of communications for GM’s connected vehicle services, confirmed the Chevrolet Bolt has an infotainment system capable of accepting over-the-air updates, but this capability had yet to be enabled. Although smartphones, tablets and other connected devices have long been capable of over-the-air s...

Borgward has teased a concept car ahead of its unveiling at the 2017 Frankfurt motor show in September. With the edges of its bonnet raised to accommodate the car’s wheel arches, the Frankfurt-bound car seems to be a sports car of some description, probably a coupe. The teaser was posted on the company’s social media feeds with the caption, “She is back!”. The use of the feminine pronoun hints at a revival of the Isabella name, which graced Borgward’s most popular model range, and included a convertible and coupe, as well as a two-door sedan, wagon and ute. Above: Borgward BX5. Any of these body styles would mark a departure for the brand, which was revived in 2008 by Christian Borgward, grandson of the marque’s founder. It took until 2015 for the company to formally relaunch itself , and begin releasing concept and production vehicles. Despite being based in Europe, the company has focussed most of its efforts on cracking the Chinese market, and to that end has released a ser...

A proper, heavy-duty tow test for the 2017 Ford Everest Ambiente materialised thanks to equal parts coincidence and five-steps of sheer stupidity – but the rare opportunity to put a large-SUV through its heavyweight towing paces on the highway was a chance not to be missed. What’s that sheer stupidity you ask? Step 1: Buy an 1800kg, 1965 Buick Riviera from interstate. Step 2: Think to yourself, ‘yep I can tow that home no problem’. Step 3: Realise most common hire trailers are rated to 1400kg max. Step 4: Also realise most trailers won’t be big enough for the 5200mm long car. Step 5: Confront the reality that most SUV test vehicles don’t have the requisite electric brakes. And then, like a bolt from out of the Blue (Oval), in steps the Ford Everest, booked in for review anyway, ideally for a proper tow test, and with the correct electric braking system, at just the right time. The only negative? I have 800km of driving ahead of me – each way – over two days. Road trips are...

The  Haval H9 is China’s answer to an array of large off-roaders like the Toyota Prado , but at a fraction of the price. The company revealed in Darwin last week, it has been working with Aussie company Ironman 4×4 on a local tuning program – similar to how Hyundai and Kia tune their models specifically for our market. Compared to the standard car, the metallic green H9 Premium  (from $46,490 before on-road costs) prototype adds heavier springs, upgraded shock absorber valving and slight changes to the toe-in setup. The prototype is the result of a collaboration between Haval Australia , Ironman 4×4, and Haval’s global R&D engineering team. With the suspension upgrade, the company claims the H9 offers significantly improved manners on the road, with ride and cornering performance the main focus. Other than that, the H9 features the same running gear as the regular H9, which is powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine. Developing 160kW of power at 5...

You know Jaguar Land Rover’s Board of Directors knew Gerry McGovern (Chief Design Officer, Land Rover ) and his team had another winner on their hands with the new Range Rover Velar , purely for the fact they didn’t even bother building a concept car, instead, going straight from clay model to series production. Funny thing is, no one seems to be able to properly prove the precise origin of the model name itself, despite the official company line stating Velar is derived from the Latin ‘Velaris’, meaning to veil or cover, which became the codename given to early prototypes of the first Range Rover in the late ’60s in order to throw off rival carmakers and press alike. McGovern likes to recount a less intriguing story, in which the under-resourced development team of the day, simply didn’t have enough letters to make up the words ‘Range Rover’ for all 26 prototypes running around. Either way, while the mystery is likely to remain unsolved for a while yet, the end result is a genuin...

The facelifted 2018 Honda Jazz is now on sale in Australia, with a lightly revised exterior matched to a mildly updated interior. The Japanese light-car range remains a three-tier offering, with the entry-level Honda Jazz VTi joined by a mid-spec VTi-S and a flagship VTi-L. All powered by the same 88kW/145Nm 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder engine as before, a five-speed manual is again only available on the base VTi, with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) the exclusive option on the VTi-S and VTi-L – the latter coming standard with steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters. New-look bi-LED headlights, LED daytime running lights (for VTi-L), and LED tail-lights headline the 2018 revisions, along with new 16-inch alloy wheels (for VTi-S and VTi-L). Inside, there’s also a new 7.0-inch central colour touchscreen, home to both satellite navigation (on VTi-S and VTi-L only) and the display for the rear-view camera. A new Phoenix Orange colour has been added to the ...