Car News Articles

Brabus specialist unveiled the SLR McLaren Roadster, tuned specially for Geneva Motor Show.

The BRABUS SLR McLaren Roadster is equipped with a bodykit that includes a carbon-fiber front spoiler, a rear apron with a carbon-fiber diffuser and new lightweight 20-inch alloy wheels wrapped around Pirelli or YOKOMAMA tires (255/30 ZR 20 up front and 305/25 ZR 20 at the rear). Inside, the drop-top SLR’s cabin is dressed in a combination of red and black leather.

The SLR McLaren Roadster gets a tuning kit for its 5.5-liter supercharged V8 engine that consists of special camshafts and a fuel-cooling system. Power output increases by 24 Hp to 650 Hp. The tuned SLR Roadster goes from rest to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.6 sec and reaches a top speed of 337 km/h (211 mph).

The guessing game is over – HSV has confirmed its all new high performance flagship will be called W427. At least that’s the name in its show-car guise.

The HSV W427 is one of the stars of the 2008 Melbourne motor show and here at Drive we’ve been given exclusive access to the HSV team that brought the car to life. Our exclusive special feature covers everything from the design to the massive engineering effort required to make the W427 a success.

And, of course, we have full details on the race-inspired 7.0-litre V8 (complete with 370kW of power) that is the heart of the fastest, most expensive Australian muscle car ever built.

The W427 will begin production – possibly using a different name – around mid-2008 and first customer deliveries are due around September.

Dealers have already been taking deposits for some months and, unlike the stillborn HRT 427, HSV is adamant the W427 will make it to the showroom. And we can’t wait to finally get behind the wheel.

The W427 is an exciting performance car and one that’s set to earn its place in the rich Australian muscle car history.

On paper it looks to have the goods to take on Europe’s best, such as the BMW M5, Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG and Audi RS6.

It’s a big challenge but one HSV looks set to take on.

So, what do you think of the HSV W427? Do you like the unique design? Should it have a bigger rear wing? Does the 370kW, 7.0-litre V8 have what it takes? And can the HSV W427 compete with Europe’s finest?

Toby Hagon

It may not be as exciting as the Honda Fit, but the Yaris is a good, solid small car.  Inside is surprisingly roomy, with comfortable, supportive seats. Rear seat passengers have impressive legroom, and the trunk provides considerably cargo space. Styling is clean but nothing exciting, and that is not unusual for Toyota sedans. Like the Scions, the gauges are in the center of the dashboard. I know that this make it easier to sell the car in right or left hand drive markets, but I find it annoying.

With only 106 horsepower, Yaris won’t be winning any races, but it feels peppy and can hold its own on the freeway. Handling is decent, and ABS is available. Dual front airbags are standard, and Yaris can be equipped with side airbags and airbag curtains.

Of course, one of the biggest draws of the Yaris in today’s market is its fuel economy. Rated in the mid 30s in the city, near 40 in the highway. The other draw is the base price – Yaris starts at just over $10,000. Our tester was the Yaris S 4-door sedan. S adds a better audio system as well as additional front and rear under-bumper spoilers. Well loaded with all the safety equipment, our Yaris was priced around $17.000. Still a good deal for everything that you get.

–Perry Stern

It began nine years ago with an old, beat-up HQ Holden.

Aged just 18 and straight out of high school, Ashley Cooper stumbled across it at the Oran Park truck races selling for $3000.

“What do you reckon we buy it?” he asked his dad.

A year later, with little more than a full tank of petrol, Cooper and his Holden finished second in the NSW HQ racing championships.

It would start a love affair with motor racing that this week left not just a family, but an entire community, devastated by the tragic loss of one of their favourite sons.

“He was a thorough gentleman,” father Alan Cooper said from Royal Adelaide Hospital yesterday.

“He was not only my son, he was my best friend. He changed my life. I model myself as a father off him — that is how much he impacted me.”

Mr Cooper last night revealed his family had donated Ashley’s organs, potentially saving the lives of seven gravely-ill people.

The 27-year-old father of two died on Monday after sustaining head injuries in a high-speed accident during the first race of the Clipsal 500 V8 Supercar series in Adelaide on Saturday. The rookie had taken his first steps to becoming a national star but he was still an Ulladulla boy to the core.

He went to the local primary and high schools where he made friends that became some of his most dedicated crew members.

At Ulladulla High he also met his future love. Partner Casey and their two children, Ella, 5, and Bailey, 3, were the only loves he placed more highly, and was more dedicated to, than his passion for V8 Supercars.

He got a brief taste of that dream at the weekend. On Friday night, after the qualifying rounds, he was itching to get back on the track. To do better. To push the car harder and faster.

After graduating from the HQs, Cooper moved on to the Saloon class before going into the Commodore Cup. In 2006 he became Rookie of the Year in the V8 Utes. He raced in the 2007 Fujitsu series before buying his own car — the Paul Morris Motorsport-built VZ Commodore called Astro.

The Clipsal 500 in Adelaide was his first race in the new car. Afterwards, he was to have flown back to Ulladulla in time to play in Oz-Tag semi-finals on Monday night in a local competition he helped run for almost 10 years.

While chasing his V8 Supercar dream Cooper managed the family business in credit control.

His dad was the team manager, his mum Maree the caterer and brother Aaron, 21, was perhaps the biggest team supporter.

A funeral will be held in the park next to the Mollymook Surf Club next Wednesday, around the corner from the house he built with Casey.

- The Australian

It’s easy to dismiss the Iveco Daily 40C cab-chassis as a van derivative like the similar light truck spin-offs, but the Daily’s truck chassis makes it different.

The Daily is built on truck lines with a separate chassis that puts it in a class with small trucks such as the Isuzu N Series, Hino Dutro and Mitsubishi Fuso Canter.

Until recently, anyone wanting a small truck they could drive on a car licence had to choose between a lighter Daily model with a GVM of 4.2 tonnes, 300kg below the maximum GVM allowed on a regular licence, or a more expensive downrated five-tonner.

Iveco uprated its 4.2-tonne model to the full 4.5 tonnes GVM, which made it more competitive against the car-licence trucks offered by the leading truck-makers.

To achieve the extra GVM Iveco revised the rear suspension by fitting uprated rear springs and more durable bushes.

Being a European-built, semi-bonneted truck, the Daily offers a number of advantages over its Japan-built cabover engine rivals in terms of driver health and safety.

Driver comfort is an important aspect of health and safety. A comfortable driver is a less stressed driver, one who is less tired, one who makes better choices when driving and is less likely to have a crash.

Getting in a truck can be taxing when you’ve got to scramble over the wheel arch, as you do in a cabover model. It’s unsurprising that drivers develop back troubles.

Throw in the pogo-stick ride that comes with a cabover truck and there’s more impact, which can lead to health problems.

There’s lots to like about the Daily before you turn the key. It’s easy to get in and out, and because you’re sitting behind the front wheels the ride is smoother and more comfortable than that of a cabover truck.

Inside the seats are comfortable and have plenty of adjustment for height, reach and rake to find a comfortable driving position. There’s a bench seat that accommodates two passengers to carry a crew of three.

The dash is has a comprehensive cluster of gauges and controls for the standard airconditioning and radio/CD sound system are located well within reach. Power windows and mirrors, and remote central locking, all add to the vehicle’s convenience factor.

The mirrors give a good view to the side and rear, with small spotters to give view of the black spots that can be difficult to see.

As delivered, the Daily doesn’t have airbags but they can be selected from the option list and come in combination with ABS brakes.

The test truck was a 45C14 tray top with a 3.0-litre direct-injection, intercooled four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, which delivers 100kW at 3500rpm and 340Nm between 1400 and 2800rpm. It came with optional AGile six-speed automated manual shift transmission.

On the road the combination worked well, the turbo diesel engine was smooth with good power delivery and the automated shift gearbox shifted smoothly and in a timely manner. When necessary the driver can also select gears manually.

The Daily’s ride was smooth and comfortable while still truck firm. The handling was precise and the power steering well weighted, but at 13.4m the turning circle was large.

Disc brakes at both ends ensure the Daily stops with assurance. ABS added to the safety package on our truck.

The Daily is available in three wheelbases, 3450mm, 3750mm and 4100mm, with payloads of 2558kg, 2545kg and 2536kg respectively, including the weight of the bodies fitted.

To drive away in the test Daily you’d need to spend $38,072 for the base truck, and add $3500 for the AGile box, which gets you ABS.

- The Daily Telegraph