Car News Articles

By Eamonn Brennan

Cars.com

Large and foreboding, the Hummer H2 casts a long shadow over the road – a huge, rumbling symbol of America’s gas-guzzling history.

That same shadow hangs over Mishawaka, where employees have been building the hulking vehicle since late 2001. A few years ago, the plant couldn’t build H2s fast enough, but now with gas prices higher than ever, demand for large vehicles dwindling and Hummer sales in the tank, GM is talking about selling off the brand. Just yesterday, GM announced it would scale back production of H2s at the plant by one-third. GM spokesman Tony Sapienza said the company was confident AM General wouldn’t be forced to lay off any employees, but the people of Mishawaka are uncertain about the fate of the plant’s workers.

“It’s frightening,” said Phil Damico, chairman of business development at the South Bend Chamber of Commerce. “That we could have a number of employees out looking for jobs — it would be a huge deal.”

“The overall community could really be affected,” said Ed McNamara, owner of City-Wide Liquors, which has operated for 17 years on Bittersweet Road, just blocks away from the AM General plant where Hummer builds its SUVs. “That’s a lot of money being pulled out of the community.”

German safety body ADAC has carried out a harrowing crash test between the tiny Fiat 500 and the Audi Q7 four-wheel-drive.

The results show that even the safest small car is no protection against a hulking 4WD.

For me, it is yet another reason why people should be discouraged from buying four-wheel-drives unless they absolutely need them.

While they are worth their weight in gold in the country, there is really no place for off-roaders on city roads.

In short, they are anti-social.

While they may fill their owners with a great sense of security as they negotiate the morning peak hour, they are a menace for those people who drive smaller cars.

They are more likely to lose control because of their higher centre of gravity, they limit the vision of other drivers on the road and - as the Fiat 500 video shows – they are deadly in a crash with a smaller car.

Not to mention the fact that they often have incredibly poor pedestrian safety ratings.

In short, a four-wheel-drive owners’ peace of mind comes at the expense of other motorists, pedestrians and the planet.

In most European cities, big four-wheel-drives are scarce on the roads. In fact, in some places, like Paris, they are looked upon with scorn.

Isn’t it time we weened ourselves off our big four-wheel-drives?

Hell, even the Americans are turning their backs on them.

Richard Blackburn

The Evans brothers Simon, 36, and Eli, 24, all but stole the show in the Sprint Auto Parts Rally of SA over the weekend.

They relegating Neal Bates, who’d won all three national rounds so far this year to the bottom step of the podium.

Bates and co-driver Coral Taylor in their TRD Corolla still lead the Australian Rally Championship on 283 points but Eli Evans-Chris Murphy have closed the gap to be on 226 points and defending champions Simon Evans with wife Sue as co-driver have jumped into third place on 187 points.

It was not only a 1-2 in the SA round for Simon and Eli respectively - Simon’s much needed first-round win of the year after crashing out of the Queensland round last month - but also 1-2 in yesterday’s Heat 2 led by Eli over Simon.

Conditions on the dirt tracks in the Barossa Valley and Hills yesterday were even more tricky than in Saturday’s Heat 1. At one stage dust was coming from wheels on the dirt then it rained a number of times and eventually hail came.

Eli Evans as a privateer in a Subaru Impreza WRX took a stangehold on heat 2 with a blitzing Stage 18, called Floodways. The 23.3km stage was the longest of the rally with fast flowing roads, dips, crests and crossing many floodways. He was a full 15sec quicker that his brother on the stage alone.

“It was tough today,” Simon Evans said of the conditions. “Eli did a fantastic job. He’s nuts!”

Heat 1 on Saturday was won by Simon Evans by 40.9 sec from TRD team-mate Bates with Eli Evans third another 40.2sec back and Spencer Lowndes-Chris Randell fourth in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX. “The weather nade it extremely tricky,” Simon Evans said. “All I could do was drive smart.”

Michael Guest - David Green (Subaru) had a heavy crash into a tree on stage 5 on Saturday but were uninjured.

- The Advertiser

Maserati has beefed up for the new model.

Maserati is pushing its financial fortunes to a higher level thanks, in part, to a bigger engine.

Profits have alluded the company for about 15 years and its financial history includes five bankruptcies.

Now, after starting out in Bologna in 1913 headed by four brothers and then being owned variously by Citroen, de Tomasa and Ferrari, the company is a fully-owned division of Fiat.

Getting back on track is attributed to Fiat demands for a leaner Maserati.

This year it will make only four models based on two cars, though it adds a third car late next year.

It fits two engines - a 4.2 and the new 4.7-litre V8s - and two gearboxes - a ZF six-speed auto and a “robotised” six-speed semi-auto.

The GranSport has been dropped and the vastly superior GranTurismo takes its place. Now the Quattroporte (literally, four door) gets upgraded after five years on the market.

The new Quattroporte offers two models - the continuation of the 4.2-litre V8 with the ZF gearbox - and a high performance 4.7-litre V8 that will be called the “S” and that takes the engine from the GranTurismo.

The Quattroporte S goes on sale for about $320,000 in October.

Styling changes are led by a vertical-slat grille that looks more purposeful and aggressive than the tea-strainer design of the current version. This grille is based on that fitted to the first Pininfarina-designed Maserati, the A6 GCS of 1953.

The touch of Pininfarina is pertinent given that one-time Maserati owner, Ferrari, refused to allow Maserati access to this designer. The Quattroporte was the first Maserati by Pininfarina since the A6.

The latest Quattroporte adds a new bootline with bolder lights that use LED technology (there are 64 LEDs across the back and 20 across the front as indicators), bigger wheels starting at 19-inch as standard and remodelled side skirts. Even the cabin is fresher and boasts a more ergonomic centre console.

The equipment level is exhaustive though the company will let you choose from thousands of leather, wood and colour combinations.

Which is all very nice but it’s not what we’re here for. The stand out feature is the 4.7-litre V8 that has been borrowed from the two-door coupe, the GranTurismo S.

Maserati has retuned - some say, detuned - the engine for 317kW and 490Nm of torque.

The GranTurismo S gets 323kW and 490Nm.

For the saloon, the 4.7 has been modified to flatten out its low to mid-range torque delivery that polishes out any low-speed weakness and gearbox abruptness.

It is enough to push the Quattroporte to 100km/h from rest in 5.4 seconds which is commendable for any coupe and startling for a sedan that weighs 2-tonnes.

Unlike the GranTurismo S which has a new semi-auto transmission - one that’s vastly improved over the first generation box - the saloon gets the same six-speed ZF automatic as the lesser 4.2-litre version.

That makes it quiet, smooth and more importantly to the well-heeled who will get behind the wheel, dead easy to drive.

But it doesn’t make it very fuel efficient. The company claims the S model will average 15.7 litres/100km, up 1.0 l/100km on the 4.2, while CO2 emissions are 20 grams/km more at 365g/km.

Maserati’s Australian importer Ateco plans to sell 220 cars this year with about 80 being Quattroportes. Of that, about 55 - or about 60 per cent - are forecast to be the 4.7-litre version.

The S model is expected to be about $320,000 while the 4.2-litre version will sit under $300,000.

DRIVING

Put a 317kW engine in a two-tonne saloon and you’d hope for reasonable performance.

But the Quattroporte surprises with a real lust for performance.

In a straight line it wil knock the socks off a lot of rivals. It will outrun the BMW 750L and Audi A8L to 100km/h and stay alongside the Mercedes-Benz S500. The only one in its class that will beat it is the Jaguar XJ8 - it weighs 280kg less - and then only by 0.1 seconds.

But where the Quattroporte really comes alive is through the bends.

When the road twists tighter and the camber goes offside and it starts to rain as the road narrows and becomes rutted, this big four-door comes into its own.

There is barely no understeer so the Quattroporte revels in being pushed hard and close into corners. The engine is set behind the front axle line so its responds instantly to incremental changes to the leather-wrapped steering wheel. There is also two suspension modes - standard and Sport - to suit driver and road conditions.

The brakes are stunning - diametric metals of steel discs with alloy centres that have been melded when liquid - in power and amazing in their fade-free characteristics. Repeated jabs and longer pressure periods through northern Italian mountains showed no fade.

What the colourful brochures fail to convey is the serenity in which it’s all delivered.

There’s the comfort of soft leather and the insulation that bares all noise except the muted throaty roar from the four exhaust pipes.

Maserati has greatly improved the dashboard by using a similar centre console of the GranTurismo.

But though it all looks wonderful, there are some annoyances.

Many of the push-button controls are hidden behind the spokes of the steering wheel. Personal storage space is good, though has room for improvement.

The boot is small and there’s no room for a full-size spare. Some versions, in fact, get no spare at all.

But even in its home country, Maserati is looked upon in awe.

It will glide through a city and passers-by will still gawk. Cruise the country and people wave.

It may have been decades from dicing with Ferrari on the racetrack but Maserati proves it still carries a powerful allure.

- The Sunday Times

Although it was pretty before (and it was not that old,) like a Hollywood actress, the BMW M3 got a facelift to keep its fans happy. In an official document revealing details about the 2009 M models, BMW also revealed the images of the touched-up M3.

Similar to the 3-Series sedan, the 2009 M3 receives new two-tail lights with L-shaped contour LED light, the bumper and the rear lid have also been modified. On the interior it features a redesigned grille fresh air in the center of the cockpit, a new folder under the arm on the center console. BMW offers new color for all three body variants: Le Mans blue.