Articles by Glenn Butler

Back in 1997 a moose that didn't exist gave Mercedes-Benz one heck of a publicity headache. The German carmaker's innovative new A-class compact model featured a 'sandwich floor' design that let engineers reduce overall length by tucking the engine under the front of the cabin.Problem was it also increased the A-class's height to the extent that the car could roll over when swerving in an emergency situation. A Swedish car magazine discovered this during its 'moose avoidance test'.Benz eventually rectified this dynamic flaw, but the damage was done. The A-class's undeniably innovative design was poleaxed by a moose that didn't exist. Fifteen years later, in a textbook example of 'if you can't beat 'em join 'em' Mercedes-Benz has completely redesigned the baby A-class along more conventional hatchback lines that it believes will have greater appeal with premium hatchback buyers in Australia and around the world.PRICES AND MODELSThe new A-class hatchback priced from $36,000 (approx.) is due in Australia in March 2013. Four/five-door front-drive models will be available initially.Top of the petrol range initially will be an A250 Sport, with a rorty 155kW 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine and unique sports-tuned front suspension.Benz claims an impressive 6.6 seconds for the 0-100km/h sprint, and an equally impressive fuel economy rating of 6.4l/100km. At just under $50k the A250 Sport won't be cheap though, especially when compared with the $42k VW Golf GTi.A high performance A45 AMG model will complete the five-door hatchback range in September 2013. Word is the first AMG version of an A-class will pack a 240kW, turbocharged 2.0-litre engine and employ an all-wheel drive system to get the power down. Expect to pay over $60,000 for this scorching sub-five-second hatchback. Just one diesel A-class will be offered, also badged an A200, and with an automatic transmission. Its 100kW 1.6-litre engine uses just 4.4-litres per 100km.SAFETYThe A-class's safety portfolio includes nine airbags and ESC in a safety-structure expected to deliver a five-star crash safety rating. All models will come with Benz's Pre-Safe collision avoidance system, Distronic radar cruise control, self-parking and Bluetooth connectivity. Benz would not confirm if a reversing camera would be standard across the range.DESIGNA-class development boss Rudiger Rutz says the move to a more conventional hatchback body was inevitable. "From the perspective of an engineer was interesting," he told CarsGuide, "but when you asked our customers what they liked of the old A-class, they don't mention the sandwich floor, or the underfloor engine placement.Yes, they mentioned the higher seating position, but the high body had some impact on driving dynamics."For those who want the high seating position we have the new B-class. For those who want a more conventional, sportier premium hatchback, this is the A-class for them." The new A-class is 16cm lower, yet there's no shortage of headroom front or rear for full-size adults. The new car is 39cm longer but most of this is because the engine is no longer tucked under the cabin floor. Even so, rear seat legroom is not a problem, and boot space of 341 litres is decent for this class of car.DRIVINGThe driving experience is chalk and cheese compared to the old model. CarsGuide sampled the A250 Sport, and A200 petrol and diesel models at the world launch in Slovenia earlier this week. All models pack a sporting dynamism the stodgy old A could never hope to match.The new A-class goes, steers and stops with a willingness and tactility that makes it lots of fun to drive both enthusiastically and sedately. The 155kW 2.0-litre petrol engine packs a vigorous punch, and has a rorty tone that's very un-Benz-like.Even the A200's 1.6-litre petrol engine, which most Australians are expected to buy, accelerates willingly from low speeds and shows plenty of pluck at pace. The 7-speed automatic can be a little slow to react to manual changes, but there's no criticising the smoothness of its gear changes.VERDICTQuestion marks remains over how the firm -- and it is very firm -- suspension tune of the European models we drove shod with 18inch tyres will translate to Australian surfaces. Despite that, this new A-class is a convincing premium sports hatch, and it should have little to fear from mooses, imaginary or otherwise.Mercedes-Benz A-classPrice: from $36,000 (approx.)Safety: 5 starsEngine: 115kW 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol,155kW 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol, 240kW turbocharged petrol 2.0-litre engine, 100kW 1.6-litre diesel engineTransmission: 7-speed automaticThirst: 5.5l/100km, 6.4l/100km, 4.4l/100km 

One weekend every year the Earl of March turns the driveway of his leafy British estate, Goodwood, into a petrol-head's dream. The Goodwood Festival of Speed, now in its 20th year, is easily the most diverse motor sport event in the world.  It gives enthusiasts the chance to watch F1 cars, Le Mans cars, rally cars and supercars -- past and present -- all screaming along the Earl of March's 1.6km driveway to the main house.  Every year Lord March chooses a theme for the Festival, and this year's is 'Young Guns - Born to Win', "This year's going to be a great year, a vintage year. We're celebrating young guns. Young engineers, designers and drivers who broke onto the motorsport stage and changed it forever. Sebastian Vettel has to be one of the biggest young guns, and it's great to have him here." Along with the two-time F1 champion, this year's event featured more than 150 cars and 100 motorcycles from an assortment of motorsport eras. Pre-war F1 and Indy cars mix with Sir Jack Brabham's 1962 machine and Mark Webber and Lewis Hamilton's current weapons. Supercars from bygone eras like the incredibly rare Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing scream up the hill immediately after the latest and greatest from modern supercar makers like Ferrari, Audi, Porsche and Lotus.  Rally cars like Sebastian Loeb's Citroen DS3 WRC and Dakar-style trophy trucks like Jesse James 600kW Chevy monster, and even a five-tonne racing prime mover with more than 1,000kW, thunder up the short course, wowing spectators as they drop wheels onto the carefully manicured grass either side. Then it's Ari Vatanen's 1988 Pikes Peak-winning Peugeot 405 (Google 'Climb Dance' for some of the most amazing footage you'll ever see) followed by the 2012 Le Mans' winning Audi R18 e-tron just three weeks after it took the chequered flag. Then comes an unreleased 2013 McLaren MP4-12C GT3 racer followed by Nissan's groundbreaking and whisper-quiet Leaf electric race-car prototype. Dozens more drive up the hill, some at breakneck speeds like Nick Mason in the bullet-shaped 1936 Auto Union Type C, others more sedately like the 1903 Mercedes 60HP with its 9.3-litre four-cylinder engine. And that's before dozens of racing motorbikes from seven decades of two-wheel motorsport howl like angry hornets across the usually serene English countryside. Superstars and celebrities are the event's other huge attraction. Wandering among the garages and displays and arenas, it's not unusual to see motorsport legends past and present chatting like mates at a sunday barbie. Formula One guns Sir Stirling Moss sharing a laugh with Sebastian Vettel and Alain Prost. Australian motorbike legends Wayne Gardner and Troy Corser swapping wheelie tips with Sir John Surtees, the only person to win both motorcycle and F1 world championships. Indycar and F1 racer Emerson Fittipaldi and six-time Le Mans winner Sir Jacky Ickx, Kiwi-born multiple Pikes Peak winner Rod Millen and his compatriot and seven-time Bathurst winner Jim Richards, Pink Floyd drummer and car collector Nick Mason, AC/DC's gravely-voiced frontman Brian Johnson… Not all have raced, but all are united by a love of cars, just like the fans who've come to see them. Since the demise of the British International car show, car companies have leapt at the opportunity Goodwood presents to put their latest in front of the English public. Audi, Lotus, Toyota, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and many more erect massive pavilions on Lord March's lawn, some more than three stories high, and all filled with shiny new cars for punters to paw and drool over. But the real action is on the track, and there's no shortage of fancy new cars tearing up the track among the racing classics, and this only adds to Goodwood's uniqueness. Where else can you see the latest Ferrari, Benz, BMW and Toyota being put through their paces in the one place? Electric cars were also featured -- Australia's own Mark Webber drove Infiniti's new electric supercar, the Emerg, up the hill -- but their noiseless progress left some fans cold. Engine sound, it seems, is an important part of enjoyment.  Webber's first visit to Goodwood was in 2011. "Lord March always puts on an amazing event. Everywhere you look there are a lot of motor racing legends, both cars and drivers. It's great for different generations of fans to see all this stuff in the one place." Webber says Goodwood gives professional racing drivers a rare opportunity behind the wheel. "There's no competition so it's more relaxing. It's good to give a few burnouts and a nice wave." Officially the cars are timed as they climb the 1.6km driveway, and there is a finish line, but few come here for the trophy. Instead most cars are driven 'creatively' up the hill. Professional drivers more used to carving swift, clean lines around the world's racetracks take the opportunity to express themselves on Lord March's bitumen. Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel seem determined to outdo each other behind the wheels of their respective F1 cars.  Hamilton sends his million-dollar McLaren into lewd slides and double donuts before screaming off in an expensive cloud of tyre smoke. "It's great to be here again," he said afterwards. "Beautiful day and just great to get back into one of my old cars and do some donuts. Normally you don't get to do that, so it's pretty cool." Not to be outdone, Vettel matches Hamilton spin for spin, then locks the Red Bull's front wheels and floors the engine, creating great clouds of smoke.  Eventually the back tyres overpower front wheel grip and the Red Bull claws forward, front tyres stubbornly but futilely locked. Conservative estimates put the cost of the four F1 tyres Vettel ruined at more than $10,000. At Goodwood, it's not about saving tyres or who's quickest. It's about who gets the greatest roar of approval from the adoring crowd. Because everyone is here to celebrate the rich history, diverse present and exciting future of motor sport.  

Toyota’s new large, front-drive sedan is not for Australians, and that's a good thing.Toyota USA took the wraps off the 2013 Toyota Avalon at this week’s New York Auto Show. Toyota USA spokesman Bob Carter said the new Avalon is more refined, more spacious, more technically advanced and more dynamically competent than the seven-year old model it replaces.But, before Toyota-philes get too excited, we should tell you up front that the fourth-generation Avalon will not come to Australia. Even though Toyota did build the (second-gen) Avalon in Port Melbourne from 2000 to 2006, Toyota Australia abandoned the Avalon program to develop the Aurion large sedan off the Camry platform.But still, we thought you’d like a look at the Avalon we ‘could’ have had, although any suggestion we’d be better off with this one is a long bow to draw, especially in light of the Avalon’s struggles in the USA. Sales of the third generation model which this one replaces have dropped from a first year high of 95,318 in 2005 to just 28,925 in 2011.By comparison Toyota Australia sold 9,815 Aurions locally in 2011. That’s just one-third the volume in a market one-fifteenth the size of America. It’s some consolation to Toyota USA that they have the best selling passenger car in the country in Camry, which sits in second overall behind the Ford F-Series utility truck. Where Avalon does 28,000 a year, Camry does around 42,000 a month.The American Avalon and Australian Aurion siblings may be similar insofar as they both are large front-drive sedans with the same 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine up front, but the American car is significantly larger overall — some 14cm longer and 2cm wider, thought it roofline sits 1cm lower — and therefore heavier.Last time I sat in an Aurion, I’m pretty sure it had loads of legroom. So, anyone who wants 14cm more is just being greedy. So, now you know. Ours is better than theirs.

There is a more affordable McLaren on the way. Equally, those for whom a 330km/h top speed is insufficient, there’s a Mega-Mac coming, too. It’s all part of British supercar maker McLaren’s plan to go to war with Ferrari as a “full range supercar company”. “We’re not about making one-offs and then disappearing,” spokesman Mark Harrison told CarsGuide during a tour of McLaren’s L18 million new manufacturing facility in Woking near London. “We are committed to offering customers a full range of performance cars by mid-decade.” McLaren is best known as the successful Formula One team behind world champions Lewis Hamilton and Jensen Button. McLaren’s first road car was the F1 released in 1992.  This high-performance supercar used innovative design and engineering and a 461kW BMW V12 to smash all existing supercar records. To this day, the F1 is still among the fastest sports cars. McLaren also partnered with Mercedes-Benz to produce the SLR, a gullwing supercar that Harrison says “taught us a lot about achieving high levels of quality”. Last year McLaren began producing the MP4-12C performance coupe in its new facility. With annual demand for the 12C expected to peak around 1,000 units, there’s plenty of room for more models in the factory’s 4,000 annual capacity. Derivatives of the 12C, such as a convertible with a folding hard-top and a track-focused GT3, are planned. McLaren will also revive the F1 icon with a hypercar, due in 2014, but just handfuls of this $1million-plus machine will be built each year. That still leaves close to 3,000 capacity, but don’t expect sedans or SUVs. Harrison says McLaren will stick to what it knows best — performance coupes at the higher end of the performance and price envelope. “Something to compete with the Porsche 911 Turbo, for example.” There’s no doubt the Ferrari California will also be in this model’s sights. So, three completely new cars in five years sounds like a lot of work for Britain’s only mainstream supercar maker. But with McLaren’s pedigree in motor sport and experience building world-class supercars, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche and Europe’s other fast car makers have a reason to fear the British again.  

Forget it fellas, the venomous new SRT Viper V10 sports coupe is not coming to Australia. Street and Racing Technology (SRT) boss Ralph Gilles has quashed any hope of sending the lighter and more powerful fifth-generation Viper to our shores.“It’d be a $20 million dollar investment to engineer the Viper for right-hand drive. And we’d need at least 500 units per year to make that viable.”Which means Australia would need England and Japan to take the lion’s share of that volume, and that’s not likely given both countries’ road rules allow for low-volume left-hand drive cars.So, we miss out on the new, lighter Viper and its all-aluminium 8.4-litre V10 engine good for an estimated 480kW. Gilles further estimates the Viper will hit 100km/h from rest in under four seconds.Both the power and performance are 'estimates' because SRT doesn’t actually know yet. The car revealed at the New York motor show is an early prototype. Actual production doesn’t start until later this year.The Viper is the first official ‘SRT’ model, which is why it no longer carries the ‘Dodge’ moniker. This is part of a plan to set SRT up as its own performance brand, similar to HSV and FPV.It’s also the most advanced car ever from SRT, says Gilles. “It’s got ESC and launch control. It’s got adaptive suspension, variable valve technology, 4-channel ABS. We wanted to include all that but not at the expense of its performance soul. The car has the ability to turn all that off and go back to its roots with the flick of a couple of switches."The Viper will be sold in two guises in America, Viper and Viper GTS, the latter with two-mode adjustable suspension. The Viper will also form the basis of SRT’s entry into the American Le Mans racing series.It’s almost enough to make you want to move to America… but not quite. 

The British marque used the New York motor show to confirm the C-X16 concept coupe revealed late-2011 will go into production as the F-Type.The name’s a deliberate attempt to evoke the 1960s E-Type, the car Enzo Ferrari once called “the most beautiful car ever made”. But we’ll have to wait a little longer to decide if the modern interpretation lives up to its storied predecessor’s style and grace; Jaguar chose to only show a heavily camouflaged prototype in New York, holding the production version for a reveal later this year.The F-Type roadster will be the second two-door model in Jaguar’s range after the XK Coupe. It’s expected to be more hard-edged than the grand tourer XK, Jaguar promising it will "focus uncompromisingly on delivering driver reward".Unlike the C-X16 concept, the all-aluminium F-Type will not be a coupe, at least not initially. A soft-top roadster will be the first version to market when production starts mid-2013, though Australians are likely to wait until 2014.A coupe version will follow, both strict two-seaters and likely to be powered by an all-new family of turbo-four petrol and diesel engines.Jaguar has also promised a high performance engine “to at least match” the concept’s 280kW supercharged V6, which also featured an F1-style “push-to-pass” hybrid system good for another 70kW.As for pricing, with the Australian launch at least two years away it’s too early to know for sure, but we're confident eager buyers will need to write six figures on their cheque. 

Nissan Australia sees the car as also facing off against the Ford Focus ST, Renault Megane RS and Mazda3 MPS in the sub-$40k performance market. The new-generation Pulsar hatch on which the SSS would be based was revealed at the Shanghai motor show in 2011, and is expected in Australia in January 2013. The sedan variant is set to bow in Beijing later this month and would hit Aussie showrooms mid-2013. A reborn SSS variant could follow as soon as six months later. It is likely to be based on the hatchback if history is any guide; Nissan sold a Pulsar SSS hatch in Australia from 1991 to 2001 with sports suspension and bodykit, and a 2.0-litre non-turbocharged engine good for 110kW of power.  Nissan sales chief Ian Moreillon says the Pulsar SSS is on Nissan Australia’s wishlist, but stopped short of labelling its return a done deal. “There’s a lot of heritage for the SSS in Australia.If we can find a way to do that, we will. We recognise that the appeal of the Pulsar is not just as a base model. If we can do something with it, that would be good.Certainly, if we can attract the SSS buyers of the N15 and N16 days (the 1990s) back into our brand then that would be good. “Whether or not we do that; wait and see.” To have the street cred crucial for a performance hot hatch to rival the VW Golf GTI, Renault Megane RS, Mazda3 MPS and Ford Focus XR5, a reborn Pulsar SSS would need a turbocharged engine producing somewhere between 160kW and 190kW of power. It would also need sports tuned suspension and a bodykit to match its abilities. Moreillon agrees. “All of those ways of making a car perform are good. There’s capacity, there’s turbocharging, supercharging… all those things could give a car the presence in the market to replace what the SSS 2.0-litre represented at the time.Nissan Australia is not just planning a hot Pulsar. A 200kW V6 is also in the works for Nissan’s Altima medium sedan rival to the Toyota Camry and Mazda6 revealed at the New York auto show this week. “Look, we mentioned that we’d like to have a sporting edge to our brand going forward that matches what we are doing with V8 Supercars.We’re comnsidering that for all appropriate Nissan models, and if Pulsar can leverage off that, fantastic. Moreillon drew the line at tipping an all-wheel drive system which would put the new-generation SSS head-to-head with the Subaru Impreza WRX. “No, I can’t see that. I think that opportunity is too distant.”

Two-time Bathurst winner and team owner Kelly likened the incoming Car of the Future program to a “cyclone ripping through the town of V8 Supercars” and said that rather than promoting close racing, the new formula would lead to early-season blowouts where the teams with deeper pockets and bigger resources would win easily. The new rules for V8 Supercars come into effect for the 2013 season. They stipulate a one-size-fits-all vehicle platform over which carmakers can drape the sedan body of their choice, and utilise whichever production-based V8 engine they like to drive the rear wheels. The rulemakers will then artificially hobble the engines to achieve performance parity, hopefully leading to close, entertaining racing. Nissan has formed an alliance with Kelly Racing — which will be renamed Nissan Motorsport — to field four Nissan Altima race cars driven by Rick Kelly, Todd Kelly, Greg Murphy and Karl Reindler. Rick was involved in developing the COTF project and agrees that it may end up delivering close racing, but thinks “there will be bigger discrepancies in performance initially”. “This whole Car of the Future program is a cyclone ripping through the town of V8 Supercars and knocking everyone’s house down. And we’ve got to rebuild it.” Kelly said the new platform which all teams must use has “over 33 million tuning parameters”. “The most significant changes is the rear end which goes to an independent suspension and has a transaxle (rear-mounted gearbox). Having driven it, I can say it is a very different car to drive, and more importantly to tune.” Kelly said the fact that all racing teams have to move to the new formula will actually help the nascent Nissan MotorSport team. “If we were trying to build a car to compete with the current platform, we’d have one hand tied behind our backs. But everyone’s got to go to a new platform of car.” He said the smaller teams will struggle early on. “2013 is going to come down to resources. It will not be the field leveller some think. a chance for those with the resources like 888 to go further ahead.” Kelly Racing is determined not to be left behind, and has hired 10 new people to help it manage the transition from the existing Ford and Holden formula, six of which are engineers, data analysts and designers imported from overseas. “We’ve invested close to $20 million in our facilities. We now have 50 people working there towards what equates to 150 hours of racing in 2013”. Nissan Australia’s deal with Kelly Racing is a “multi-million dollar, multi-year contract” but Moreillon stopped short of calling it one of the biggest spends in Australian motor sport. He did say that Nissan expected big results from the team. “There is always a performance element to every agreement. I won’t say exactly what, but I will say we expect to be competitive and we expect to be on the podium.” Rick Kelly went one step further. “We will go into the first race expecting to win.”  

The Nissan Altima was revealed this week at the New York Auto Show, and will go on sale in Australia in the second half of 2013. Before that it will be seen on Australian racetracks as Nissan’s challenger to the dominant Holden and Ford V8s. Nissan is still firming up local specification, but we can expect the 136kW 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine in a range of models with a starting price under $30,000.A 200kW V6 model may also be offered as a sporting variant to capitalise on Nissan’s V8 supercar participation. But not even the race-car will be as advanced as its road-going sibling. The American version revealed in New York includes the following among its technology highlights:- Seats designed by NASA, that are said to reduce fatigue on long trips and relieve pressure points on the occupant’s body no matter what shape or size.- An ‘Advanced Drive-Assist Display’ 3D-effect digital screen located between the speedo and tacho that puts key information in front of the driver and is said to improve cognition and reduce distraction.- NissanConnect which integrates with Internet music service Pandora, offers handsfree text messaging, and voice-controlled, Google-enhanced satellite navigation.- Tyre pressure monitoring system with ‘Easy-Fill Alert’ that does away with the need to trust dodgy petrol station gauges because it honks the horn when the correct pressure is reached during refilling.In addition to these features, the new Altima has a reversing camera that integrates lane departure warning, blind-spot warning and moving object warning systems, some of which are not currently offered on medium cars in Australia.Questions remain as to whether any or all of these features will be available on Australian models, Nissan saying it comes down to infrastructure support and Australian Design Regulations as much as customer demand.

Nissan believes the Altima has the potential to overtake the Mazda6, Honda Accord Euro and Subaru Liberty to be Australia’s favourite mid-size import, and second only to the locally-built Toyota Camry in the mid-size market.The Nissan Altima sedan is scheduled to arrive in Australia in the second half of 2013 in a range of specification levels and possibly priced below $30,000. The front-drive Altima is classified as a mid-size car and will sit below the Maxima large car even though, at 4.86m x 1.83m, it is longer and wider than the Maxima.  “There’s definitely a place for both cars , at least initially” said Nissan sales boss Ian Moreillon. “They’re two totally different offerings that will appeal to different buyers”. Australian models will get a 136kW, 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol version coupled with a continuously variable transmission. A 200kW, 3.5-litre V6 is offered on American models, and could come to Australia as a sporting variant to leverage Nissan’s V8 Supercars participation.But it would then raise questions over the sales viability of the Maxima which has the same engine. Moreillon admitted this could be a concern: “We don’t want to have cars overlapping.” Because Nissan Australia is aligning itself with the American market for Altima, there’s little chance of a diesel variant, at least in the first few years.  Nissan believes new car buyers will be attracted to the Altima’s design, packaging, space efficiency and technology. The Altima has what Nissan is calling “NASA-inspired Zero Gravity seats that help relieve pressure points no matter the occupants body shape or size”. Nissan Australia could not confirm whether the Altima’s advanced entertainment and satellite navigation system - which integrates with Internet-based subscription music service Pandora and Google’s POI search - would make it to Australia.