Car News Articles

The Drive team has just completed the most exhaustive back-to-back comparison test of the all new Ford Falcon and its most direct rival, the Holden Commodore.

Our four-day test began in Melbourne, travelled via Albury, Bathurst and Sydney and ended in Brisbane.

The seven cars – four Falcons and three Commodores – each travelled more than 2000km, taking the combined total to more than 14,000km.

This week we’ve published the results of the test for the entry-level and luxury versions of the new Falcon and Commodore.

On Saturday 3 May we’ll publish the results of the comparison between the sports-oriented models, the Falcon XR6 Turbo, Falcon XR8 and Commodore SS-V.

Throughout the drive, testers were impressed with the value the new Falcon and Commodore offer. You get a lot of metal for your money in spacious sedans that also drive impressively. And they’re not exactly poorly equipped, coming with everything from a trip computer, iPod inputs and buttons on the steering wheels to cruise control, electric windows and stability control systems, not to mention responsive engines.

On paper, Falcons and Commodores make compelling family car arguments.

Yet each night our discussions centred around how good the latest Falcons and Commodores are, but that none of us would be likely to own one.

It was a surprise to all eight of us (seven drivers and a cameraman) that none would be likely to splash out 40 grand or more on two of Australia’s best-selling cars.

In short they don’t really suit our needs. Or, more specifically, our wants.

So, what would we buy?

Something different, like one of the new breed of mid-sized cars that bring more personality to the family car race. Or a small four-wheel-drive that can add a modicum of off-road ability to a practical family wagon. Or even a hot-hatch or small car, the latter of which is likely to be more fuel efficient around town.

Clearly we’re not alone, because buyers are abandoning large cars in droves, shifting to all manner of imported alternatives. Many have grown out of love with large cars.

New-car buyers seem more intent to downsize to a smaller car and pick up more equipment as a trade-off for more metal and space.

It was a reminder of just how much buyer tastes have changed, even if loyalties still remain; almost everyone still seems to have an opinion on which is best - Ford or Holden.

There’s no doubt the latest Ford Falcon and its Holden Commodore rival are excellent cars and represent fantastic value for money. But if buyers are looking for something else, it doesn’t matter.

So, what’s going: have Australians really changed that much?

Toby Hagon

Whether you’re a driver or a navigator, once you get the Targa Tasmania bug, it’s almost impossible to find a cure.

That’s the case for Queenslander Graham Copeland, who is lining up for his 10th crack at Australia’s ultimate tarmac rally next month.

Copeland has won his Classic class at Targa once and has finished on the podium in the overall Classic category four times, driving a variety of vehicles.

He has driven Triumph TR4s and TR8s, and more recently moved to Datsuns, but this year sees a different challenge emerging.

“I was hoping to drive my 1938 Dodge Speedster but that will now have to wait until 2009,” he said.

“I’ll be co-driving this year in a rare Bizzarini GT America.”

Copeland will be sitting beside successful circuit racing star, Wayne Park, who has won numerous Queensland and Australian championships, and has also driven at the Bathurst 1000 four times, with a fifth place his best result.

“I find Targa is quite addictive,” Copeland said.

“I’m really looking forward to teaming up with him Wayne this year. Targa is like no other event.

“The roads are unbelievable, the organisers do a terrific job and the public are really supportive of the event. Targa is the most fun you can have with your clothes on.”

The 1967 Bizzarini is a valuable piece of machinery that is certain to create enormous spectator interest.

With upgraded shock absorbers and a bit of sorting and tuning by Park’s Brisbane automotive business, the car is now a real contender in the Classic class.

“The Bizzarini GT America is a very rare car and it is even rarer to see one competing in full competition in events like Targa,” Copeland said.

“But the car’s owner, Rob Sherrard, believes in using them as they were meant to be used, not wrapped in cloth in some museum.”

The 17th Targa Tasmania, featuring dozens of exotic cars, starts on April 15, taking the record-breaking field of 305 entries along some of the best rally roads in the country, before the grand finish at Wrest Point on April 20.

- The Mercury

Queensland drivers have performed dismally on an audit of their basic tyre safety and maintenance abilities.

An independent Newspoll for leading national tyre retailer Beaurepaires asked Queensland drivers about their knowledge of recommended tyre tread, inflation and safety inspection intervals, with the results suggesting drivers are apathetic about the condition of their tyres.

Among the research findings:

* Almost nine in 10 Queensland drivers (87 per cent) cannot say what a tyre’s minimum roadworthiness tread depth is.

* Just over one in 10 Queensland drivers (13 per cent) know a tyre’s minimum roadworthiness tread depth is 1.6mm.

* A third of Queensland drivers (34 per cent) check their tyre pressure, at best, once every two to three months.

* Four in 10 Queensland drivers (42 per cent) cannot say, or think the suggested interval for checking their tyre pressure is monthly or less often.

“Tyres are the only thing keeping a car safely on the road so it is somewhat concerning to learn most drivers don’t know about the basic easy steps they can take to keep their tyres safe and roadworthy,” said Beaurepaires general manager Andrew Jose.

The total area of a tyre tread in contact with the road at speed is around 115cm, which is about the size of a CD case which underscores the importance of regular physical and visual inspection to ensure tyres are inflated correctly, and that they have uniform tread depth of at least 2mm and are wearing evenly.

Jose said the survey results were even more worrying when compared with the results of a random assessment of tyres on customers’ cars at Mitre 10 stores.

Qualified Beaurepaires tyre fitters checked the tyres for inflation and tread depth.

An alarming number were unroadworthy and unsafe due to a combination of insufficient tread and incorrect inflation. The assessment found:

* 68 per cent of tyres were incorrectly inflated (over or under).

* 32 per cent of tyres did not have sufficient tread to be considered safe or roadworthy.

“A tyre is required by law to have at least 1.6mm of tread measured at varying points for it to be considered roadworthy, but we recommend if the tread is less than the 2mm mark then it’s time to get new tyres,” Jose said.

Most tyres have tread depth indicators that appear when a tyre is wearing out.

Over and under inflation can cause a vehicle to over or under steer, and when a vehicle is travelling at speed this can have implications on a driver’s ability to keep a vehicle safely on the road.

“Notwithstanding the safety benefits of correctly inflated tyres, drivers can also save money as fuel economy can be better for cars fitted with correctly inflated tyres,” Jose said.

Jose said if drivers had any concerns about the condition of the tyres they should consult a qualified expert.

- The Courier-Mail

The all new 2009 Dodge Ram, presented in January 2008 at the Detroit Auto Show, is almost there. The first units should be reaching the dealerships in September.

For all the loyal Dodge Ram fans this truck should be worth the wait. The big 5.7L HEMI engine has been worked on to produce 10% more power (380hp / 404lb) and 4% better gas economy. The truck is packed with 42 clever storage spaces, such as the optional ‘ram boxes’ that act as miniature trunk space located in the rear fenders. Those boxes can be locked and are water proof as well. The interior is coming to a whole new level. With a dual tone instrument panel, featuring hand stitching and the first heated steering wheel in its class. But breaking through technology is located behind the rear wheels. The 2009 Ram will be the first pickup to receive coil over suspension. This technology is supposed to bring the Ram to another level in comfort and handling without altering its legendary capability.

We can’t wait to see if it is as good as they say it is, but it surely looks good.

Exterior

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Interior

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Engine

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2009 Dodge Ram - Official pictures

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When the Cadillac CTS-V and Corvette ZR1 were introduced in Detroit, they both had nice, round horsepower figures that look good in a press release. Last week, GM restated the output of the ZR1, raising it from 620 ponies to 638, which is an increase of about 3%. Cadillac admits that they didn’t want to overstate the final horsepower figure for the CTS-V either, so we’re likely to see a similar press release from GM’s luxury division in the near future. Given the fact that the 550 hp figure for the top CTS was likely a lowball figure, Inside Line used the same 3% understatement from the ZR1 to peg the CTS-V’s real horsepower number at 567.

While Inside Line’s 567-hp hypothesis was based on the fact that the CTS-V has the same basic engine as the ZR1, 567 is nothing more than a well-placed dart on the horsepower pinwheel. When we talked with GM’s Ron Meegan, he pointed out that there were several differences between the two powerplants, including the length of the rotors in the Eaton Supercharger. While adding 3% to 550 sounds logical, there is likely more to it than that. But as is the case when making a guess, they may actually be right, too. Whether the final output is 550 or 567 hp or somewhere in between really doesn’t matter, as anything in the 550 range represents an absolutely ludicrous tally that will surely catapult the CTS-V to the stratosphere of sports sedans. We can’t wait to take one for a spin.

[Source: Inside Line]