Car News Articles

Its a first photo of upcoming Volkswagen Robust mid-sized pick-up, which will be launched at the end of 2009 as a 2010 year model. Volkswagen Robust truck will be available as a single cab and double cab combined with either rear-wheel-drive or four-wheel-drive.

VW make plan to produce the Robust truck in Argentina for the South American and African markets.

Consumers are increasingly coming to expect satellite radio and on-board navigation systems in the new cars they buy, according to a study conducted by J.D. Power and Associates.

Market penetration for the two features has grown to meet consumer expectations. According to the study, 55% of new-car owners report having satellite radio, drastically up from the 39% who had it in 2007. The percentage of people with navigation systems has racheted up from 20% in 2007 to 25% in 2008.

Expect those numbers to continue to climb, especially given that 60% of consumers say they want a navigation system in the next car they buy, while 66% assert they’d better have an easy way to play MP3s.

The escalation of expectations for on-board technology means a boon for companies that make the systems, but should also benefit consumers as these features become cheaper and more consistently standard.

Volkswagen calls it ‘DSG’, Audi says ‘S-Tronic’, Mitsubishi ‘TC SST’, BMW ‘M DCT’, Nissan ‘DCT’, Porsche ‘PDK’, Ford and Volvo ‘Powershift’.

And even Ferrari will debut its own ‘DCT’ later this year on its new California.

They are all, of course, the car maker’s different names for their dual-clutch transmissions - the greatest threat yet to the manual gearbox.

VW was the first to put the trick transmission into mass production, and it’s easy to see why other manufacturers are following suit.

Not only are dual-clutch transmissions capable of shifting gears faster than a human can with a manual gearlever, they are also more fuel efficient. And forget comparisons with traditional autos.

As I’m sure most of you know by now, the dual-clutch systems can work like an auto, because there’s no clutch pedal and gearchanges can take place without driver input.

They’re not technically an automatic, however, because instead of a torque converter there are two electronically controlled clutches – one to operate odd gears, the other even gears. Shifts are super-quick because while one clutch has a gear engaged, the second clutch has the next gear already pre-selected.

If you’re a driving enthusiast, you can still change gears manually via the gearlever or, for a more Formula One-like experience, paddles on the steering wheel.

Having driven a number of cars now fitted with DCTs – various VWs and Audis, Nissan GT-R, and Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X – I have to admit it would be tempting to tick this transmission box rather than the manual.

But then there are the cars I’ve driven this year that remind me that there’s still nothing to beat a good stick shift – BMW 125i Convertible, BMW M3 (er, actually pretty much every BMW manual connected to six cylinders or more), Mazda RX-8 GT, Audi R8, Mini Clubman, and, most recently, the brilliant RenaultSport Clio 197.

There’s nothing more satisfying than getting out on a twisting country road and rowing through the gears using your own judgement to extract maximum acceleration, or blipping the throttle on downshifts to match engine revs to road speed for optimum cornering.

Driving is an art for those who see cars as more than mere transport. And dual-clutch transmissions – as brilliant and clever as they are – still can’t help but detract from the visceral experience of driving.

While the world is dominated by automatic cars – and driving enthusiasts, alas, are a relative minority, I hope I’m not being too optimistic or idealistic in believing car makers are likely to continue to offer manual gearboxes – in sports cars, at least.

Jez Spinks

Changes to the format of the V8 Supercar championship will take effect next year.

I have had a crack at calling for changes to the V8 Supercars Championship in previous columns.

Well, it looks as if we’re on the money with many of the changes, such as spicing up the racing and having a more condensed calendar, looking likely to come into reality.

There is a buzz around the V8 paddock that sweeping changes will be made to the championship next year, plans which I’m led to believe were presented to the board at the category headquarters at Southport yesterday.

There is talk that the three-heat format has been given the boot and will be replaced with two heats at the smaller rounds like Queensland Raceway at Ipswich, which starts with practice today.

From the talk going around the series at the moment, it also looks like we’ll go to E85 blended ethanol fuel next year.

V8 Supercars have the opportunity to show the public ethanol is not, as many perceive it to be, a low-performance fuel.

There’s also a perception that it’s bad for modern engines with their associated sophisticated electronic systems, but that is simply not the case.

The big plus with adapting E85 is that it’s better for the environment.

The fact that there is likely to be a change in the format at sprint rounds, which I believe will include 2×200km races, is a good development.

Change is good because the last thing you want to be doing is running the same formula year in, year out.

There is also strong mail that some three-day meetings will be cut to two days in the interests of cutting costs, which essentially is a smart move.

The switch to 2×200km races in place of the 3×120km style, which will be the case at Queensland Raceway this weekend, presents a few problems from a technical point of view.

The fuel range in our cars is good for a maximum of about 200km. Therefore it is almost certain we will not make it to the finish without having a fuel stop.

The promise that the break between rounds in 2009 will be reduced is a positive step and one which I’ve called for previously in this column.

It’s a big plus for us, the teams, but most importantly it’s better for you guys — the fans.

 

- The Courier-Mail

© 2008 News Limited

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