Fast Lane

Sydney Morning Herald

Friday August 8, 2008

Jaedene Hudson

Renault releases its sporty duo

Renault this week unleashed a pair of hot hatches - a petrol and a diesel. The petrol-powered Clio Renaultsport 197 costs from $36,490, while the bigger, diesel-powered Megane Renaultsport dCi 175 starts at $39,990.

The Clio 197 is powered by a 2.0-litre (145kW, 215Nm) four-cylinder engine and is matched with a new six-speed manual gearbox. The 197 accelerates from 0-100kmh in 6.9 seconds.

The 197 has a longer wheelbase and wider front and rear tracks compared with the standard Clio III.

Wider front and rear wings, a lowered stance, profiled side skirts and a rear diffuser help distinguish the sports model from the normal Clio models.

The wheelbase is 10mm longer, while the front and rear tracks have been widened by 48mm and 50mm respectively. It is 15mm lower than a standard Clio III.

Interior highlights include aluminium pedals and a leather steering wheel with red centre-point stitching. The instruments feature white data on a black background. The rev counter incorporates a gear-change shift light.

The Clio has a five-star Euro NCAP crash rating and the 197 has eight airbags, height-adjustable front headrests, integrated seatbelt pre-tensioners and load limiters, and a disconnectable sports-tuned stability control system.

Standard equipment includes 17-inch alloy wheels, Brembo brake callipers, power windows, multi-function trip computer, cruise control, CD player and split-folding rear seats.

Options include metallic paint ($800), xenon headlights ($1750), six-disc CD player ($800) and a panoramic sunroof ($1890).

Powered by a 2.0-litre (127kW, 360Nm) turbo diesel engine the Megane Renaultsport dCi 175 (pictured) is a hot hatch with good fuel economy.

Priced from $39,990, the 175 uses the same underpinnings as the petrol-powered Megane Renaultsport 225. It has an average fuel consumption of 6.3 litres/100km and carbon dioxide emissions are just 165g/km. Like the 225, the 175 has a Brembo braking system. It has a five-star crash rating and standard safety equipment includes stability control, front airbags, front and rear side airbags and dual curtain airbags.

The diesel is only available as a five-door. Standard equipment includes 18-inch alloy wheels, a leather interior, leather-trimmed steering wheel and gear knob, aluminium pedals, climate-control air-conditioning, automatic xenon headlights, six-disc CD player, automatic wipers and cruise control. Metallic paint ($800) is the only option available.

The things we left behind

In a recent survey of its British branches, Europcar has revealed some of the strange things its staff found in the back of returned vans and cars.

CDs, sunglasses and umbrellas are common but staff at Europcar's Liverpool branch were surprised to find a false leg in one car. The same branch found a pair of white ladies' shoes that didn't belong to the renter or his wife. Staff at different branches have found $1000 worth of designer clothes, department store vouchers and cash. One car was returned with a mannequin aboard.

Keys, mobile phones, portable GPS systems and wallets are commonly left behind. Other odd items included a toy elephant, half a pint of beer, a CD called The Art Of Speed Seduction and colostomy bags.

Soft-roaders go ahead

High petrol prices are not necessarily forcing people into smaller cars, says Australia's biggest-selling car maker. Toyota Australia's senior executive director for sales and marketing, Dave Buttner, says the sales growth of soft-roaders such as the Kluger (pictured) is testament to that. Soft-roader sales increased by 10.9 per cent for the first seven months of this year compared with the same period last year - three times the rate of the overall market.

Almost 125,000 soft-roaders were sold in the first seven months of this year - just 13,000 fewer than the small car tally.

"Rising fuel prices have definitely accelerated demand for fuel-efficient four-cylinder cars," Buttner says. "However, families and other soft-roader buyers are focused on requirements such as space, comfort, performance and reliability as well as fuel efficiency."

One soft-roader to have lost ground is the Ford Territory - down 21.5 per cent for the first seven months of the year compared with last year.

The race is on - and on ...

Once again it was a weekend packed with motorsport. Garth Tander (left) secured Holden's third round win (out of nine) of the V8 Supercar series at Winton Raceway on Sunday. Tander and Ford drivers Jamie Whincup and Will Davison finished the event on 272 points - the first time ever in the Australian Touring Car Championship/V8 Supercars that three drivers have finished on equal points.

A round result is determined by the highest position of those who are equal first, so Tander's win in the last race earned him the round win.

Tander leap-frogged Ford driver Mark Winterbottom to claim top spot on the championship table, with 1844 points. Winterbottom is now second, with 1832 points, while Whincup is third on 1758.

Former V8 Supercar driver Marcos Ambrose (centre) had a heart-wrenching loss at Montreal on Sunday. The weather was so bad that, for the first time in NASCAR history, officials red-flagged the race so all teams could change to wet weather tyres.

Ambrose led the race for 27 laps but a pit lane speeding violation cost him his first victory. After serving a drive-through penalty, he finished in third position.

Meanwhile in Finland, Sebastien Loeb (right) has won the latest round of the World Rally Championship. The Frenchman lead the event from start to finish, recording 15 fastest stage times. Australian Chris Atkinson was third overall. Ford driver Mikko Hirvonen leads the championship table on 67 points.

ON THE ROAD TO TUCSON

Hyundai has freshened up its baby soft-roader and made stability control and an integrated Bluetooth audio system standard on all Tucson models. All get a new front grille, a different front indicator colour, redesigned rear tailgate garnish, new alloy wheel designs and a charcoal black interior. The cost of all models rises by $500 - the starting price for the range is $25,490.

Equipment on the SX four-cylinder models now includes 16-inch alloy wheels (with full-sized alloy spare), anti-lock brakes, dual front airbags, front fog lights, keyless remote entry, alarm, power windows and mirrors, roof rails, a trip computer and automatic headlights.

The Elite four-cylinder models have full leather seat trim and Bluetooth audio with integrated USB and auxiliary sockets. Other extras include front- and rear-passenger side curtain airbags, driver and front-passenger side (thorax) airbags and an power glass sunroof. The SX V6 has unique alloy wheels, body colour protective cladding and twin chrome exhaust tips.

A safety package is available on SX and SX V6 models for $700.

The Tucson is available with two engine choices and in front- or all-wheel-drive.

The 2.0-litre (104kW, 184Nm) four-cylinder petrol engine powers the front-drive system. This model comes with a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic. Average fuel consumption is 8.0 litres/100km (man) or 9.2L/100km (auto).

The all-wheel-drive 2.7-litre (129kW, 241Nm) V6 model is auto only. Average fuel consumption is claimed to be 10.9L/100km.

YOUR CHOICE OF SX4 AWDs

Suzuki Australia has added a new all-wheel-drive model to the SX4 range.

The SX4 AWD will now be available in two equipment levels - SX4 AWD and SX4 AWD S, mirroring the SX4 front-drive range.

The range starts from $21,990, while the S model starts at $24,990.

The S model gains seat-mounted side airbags, curtain airbags, keyless entry, cruise control, climate control air-conditioning, alloy wheels and fog lights.

A four-speed automatic gearbox adds $2000.

CHEROKEE SRT8 ON THE WAY

Chrysler's fastest Jeep has had a makeover. Its price has jumped by $4000 - it starts at $89,990 - but the Street and Racing Technology Jeep Grand Cherokee is still the quickest 4WD in Australia for less than $100,000.

Powered by a 6.1-litre HEMI V8 producing 313kW and 569Nm of torque, the Grand Cherokee SRT8 covers the 0-100kmh dash in little more than five seconds.

The front bumper aerodynamics have been tweaked, while the rear bumper has a new design with two 100mm exhaust tips.

Inside, the SRT8 has a new instrument panel and centre console, and an SRT-designed leather-wrapped steering wheel.

The MyGIG Multimedia Infotainment System is now standard and includes satellite navigation and a rear camera.

The updated SRT8 model will arrive this month.

© 2008 Sydney Morning Herald

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