Car Sales
Volvo V40 T5 Cross Country: The Review
In the third (and unexpected) V40 to be parked in A Wheel Thing’s garage, due to a minor but potentially non road worthy sensor glitch in the scheduled S60 sedan, the newly released Cross Country version was offered as a replacement, with the S60 being rescheduled. As such, this review will look at the differences between the Cross Country and its stablemates, rather than a normal in depth look.
Powersource.
It’s the turbo four and six speed 
auto combination; that 180 kW top end and 350 Nm from 1500 to 4500 revs combine sweetly in the Cross Country. It provides plenty of acceleration, makes overtaking a breeze however there’s a hesitation with the gearbox engaging Drive from Reverse and some indecision on light throttle applications. Under way, the transmission responds to the engine’s demands with alacrity.
The Suit.
There’s an inch or two extra ride height, some truly good looking 18 inch charcoal and silver 
alloys, some extra body work on the Cross Country, featuring black urethane panels at the rear, along the sides and in the lower section of the front bumper, plus brushed alloy look inserts under the doors. With the review car painted white, it’s an eye catching mix of 
Stormtrooper toughness and a touch of bling.
The roof is the panoramic all glass style, with shade provided by a interior colour matched screen, that rolls in and out of its storage at the front of the window.
On The Inside.
It’s a standard V40 interior bar a copper coloured 
overlay on the upright console section, between driver and passenger. It’s a striking colour and draws the eye to the control section of the car. This vehicle was as standard as you can get, meaning very few, perhaps no options were fitted.
Colour wise, the seats and dash were black with the roof and pillar lining a shade of light grey-blue, giving an airy and comfortable feel to the office space.
On The Road.
The torque of the four banger works hand in hand with the AWD system fitted to the V40 Cross Country; with more traction comes more control and it’s subtly noticeable in the Cross Country. 
It feels more grippy, more able, yet the suspension is a touch jiggly at times. It never feels that a wheel will lose contact, there’s simply a hint of not quite enough compliance to start.
In turns the Haldex AWD system simply powers through; tight roundabouts and the torque removes doubt about how the car will power through.The steering is Goldilocks right, not heavy, not light, with a good weight and communication from all four paws 
seems there and ready to advise.
Overtaking is a thought process; like the Cross Country up, measure instinctively the gap and press the go pedal. The foreground disappears and the horizon becomes a momentary blur before warp drive is disengaged. Fun? Oh, my, yes.
The Wrap.
As mentioned, it was unexpected to sample the V40 Cross Country; in no way was this an issue as the AWD system and the torque made it, perhaps, the best drive of the three. At $52K plus, it may be a scary price for some, however…
Check with your Volvo dealer for availability and head to http://www.volvocars.com/au/all-cars/volvo-v40-cross-country/pages/default.aspx
For A Wheel Thing TV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAPwWGdFmuk&feature=em-upload_owner
Classic Cars: HDT VK "Blue Meanie".
A certain bank has a singer reciting the refrain “Three Little Letters”. There’s three little letters that resonate with fans of Australian motorsport; they are H D T, Holden Dealer Team. The origin of this goes back to the late 1960s, with the legendary Harry Firth putting together a team of star racing drivers. Amongst them was a young bloke by the name of Peter Geoffrey Brock.Fast forward to the late 1970s and Holden have released their new car, called Commodore. The first model was the VB, followed by the VC, in 1980. As part of a deal organised by Brock in order to get solid finanical backing, he’d agreed to put his name to smartened up versions of the VC and thus was HDT SV (Special Vehicles) born.
In 1984, the VK Commodore was released; marketed as a world class car, it became the basis for what has become, possibly, the most famous car from the HDT factory. Australia had moved to follow the international Group A motorsport classification and Brock’s magic wand was about to be waved over the VK. A process called homologation was in place, effectively a way of showing that cars that could be raced were to be sold to the public and not specifically developed just for racing; with 500 needing to be sold the HDT team swung into action. The venerable Holden 5.0L (308 cubic inches) was, under Group A regulations, destroked to 304ci (4987cc), a body kit was bolted on, consisting of a deep front air dam, side skirts, huge rear spoiler, “letterbox” grille and silver or white painted aero wheels with the car itself based on the SS model available. The engine pumped out a decent, at the time, 196kW and had a massive 418Nm of torque at a usable 3600 revs, breathing through a HDT specific cold air intake and a Rochester 4 barrel carbie mounted on a port matched intake manifold. Power was put down through the rear tyres 
via a four speed M21 manual transmission and single plate dry clutch however a five speed was optional. Bridgestone supplied the rubber, their Potenza 225/50s on those luscious 16 inch diameter wheels and the car rode on the tried and proven McPherson struts/Panhard rod suspension. Stopping power was provided courtesy of the 281mm discs, vented at the front. The colour that would be the seed for the car’s now legendary status, Formula Blue, coated the VK’s flanks and close to thirty years after it was released, still looks fantastic. SS Group A decals, complete with the Brock signature, were placed on the front quarter panels and badges were placed inside confirming that your car was, indeed, one of the (in this case) 502 built.
Performance was considerable; with a body weighing just 1340 kilograms, first gear would see 87 km/h on the clock, on the way to 100 km/h in just seven seconds. The grunt of the 4.9L would ultimately propel the slippery beast through to a top speed of 215 km/h and cover the standing 400m in a then rocket like (for a non racing car) 15 seconds. The price for all of this performance? There was a premium over the standard car, to be sure, at a lick under $22000, plus aircon was a $1035 option… but it’s the car that has firmly implanted the HDT SV name into the Australian automotive consciousness. After Brock died in that terrible crash in 2006, his good mate, Peter Champion, bought the HDT SV business and continues to build excitement, including the VE Commodore based “Blue Meanie”.
Back to the Future: Ford Signs Off With the Last GT.
Although Ford Australia will cease local manufacturing in the next couple of years, it hasn’t forgotten about its history; with a nostalgic nod to the past, Ford has resurrected, for the final time under Australian making, the iconic GT moniker. There’s also the return of the three fabled numbers, 351. In this case, rather than the brawny 5.8L V8, it’s a supercharged 5.0L with 351 kilowatts. Having said that, the engine will need to rev to a stratsopheric 6000 rpm, just a few hundred more and with some in reserve compared to the carbie fed monster of forty years ago, when GT became a byword for pure, unadulterated grunt.
The one that really fired up the GT legend.
Marketed under the FPV banner, the GT F, as it will be known, has had substantial work performed on its engine and transmission electronic control systems in order to reach that iconic number. 
From Ford:
“To achieve the engine’s landmark output, Ford’s engineering team developed an updated version of its Powertrain Control Module (PCM) software which, combined with a unique calibration strategy and torque management techniques, has provided a number of improvements in engine and vehicle performance while ensuring the vehicle meets Ford’s durability requirements. Specifically, the new software has delivered improved functionality of the boost control system, enabling finer tuning of the supercharger for further optimisation of the power and torque output of the engine. This electronic management has also ensured that while power is improved, no extra load has been placed on the driveline or the engine components themselves, ensuring continued durability.As a result of this fine tuning, maximum torque remains at 570 Nm of torque from 2,500 – 5,500 rpm. However, peak torque is produced for as long as possible throughout the full engine rev range, making the new GT F sedan even more responsive on the road or for track days.”
Seconds to last in a line of legends.
There’s no lack of grip, with 275/35 Dunlop Sports Maxx tyres wrapping 19 inch diameter alloys, plus Ford are adding a launch control feature; braking comes in the form of Brembo 6piston calipers at the front and four pots at the back. The exterior is apparently going to be a “hark back” to the heady days of the 1970s, with a black stealth highlight design to complement the five colour range (white, blue, black, orange and dark grey).
Compared to the now unbelieveably cheap price, for what the original GTHO was, of under $5000, this GT will come with a sticker price of $77990 (plus on roads) however there are rumours that the allocated run of 500 (plus 120 utes) has already been presold.
Tradie's Five Alive: Toyota HiLux SR5
Toyota’s HiLux is a nameplate that’s been with us for quite some time, 1968 in fact. It’s been available in two and four wheel drive, hi rise and low rise configuration, two and four doors, diesel and petrol with one constant: a utility tray at the back. I look at the latest model SR5, with two doors, four seats and a diesel manual drive train.
It’s a grunty 3.0L diesel under the broad intake scooped bonnet, a low revver at that, with 126kW peaking at 3600rpm whilst torque is a sizeable 343 torques. What’s important here is the rev point: just 1400 rpm. This allows short shift as there’s little point goint past 2000 and it’s borne out by how rapidly the engine 
feels breathless. The gearbox is a five speed manual with transfer case. The lever for the manual is long, mostly intuitive but there were times when it refused to play ball, with reverse or third occasionally simply refusing to acknowledge its presence. The transfer case lever was the same; down and to the right and up again to go from 2WD to 4WD high range to 4WD low range. A hefty shove was required to move it back to 2WD position. Clutch pressure was ideal, balanced, with the pickup point also ideally positioned in the travel rather than lightswitch on/off.
On the road the 4WD suspension is taut, tight, jiggly, with speedbumps sending the rear end skywards and sideways easily; the front is also tight but not quite so. Turn in is tight, with a touch of understeer as the tyres (mounted on stylish 17 inch alloys, at 
265/65 profile) understandably, with an offroad tread, squeal their way through corners however there’s no noticeable lift off understeer at speed, especially on a downhill run. It’s a hard call; soften the rear to deal with roads better (knowing it’s tight due to presumed usage for workers) or leave it for a purchaser to decide if it’s too much IF they’re using it for family usage.
During a freeway run the HiLux rolls along nicely, as expected from such high torque at low revs 
(somewhat surprised only a five cogger though) but the drone from the body/intake is tiresome on the freeway. The audio system, adequate at best, needs to be turned up to the proverbial eleven in an effort to mute the sound. It’s noisy, unpleasant and wearisome. Acceleration is leisurely, progressive rather than being thrust back in your seats fast, with gear ratios in mind for the more intended loaded up usage, I suspect. The tautness of the suspension is noticeable here, with smaller undulations coming across as the pea in the princess’ bed. The higher ride height also plays havoc, at night, with smaller cars in front, with the headlights ideally placed to beam straight into the rear vision mirror.
Interior comfort levels are good, with the driver’s seat feeling, initially, somewhat short in the seat squab and feeling as if under thigh support wasn’t there all the time. It took a day or two for that to be of no consequence; what was noticeable was the chintzy silver plastic garnish around the audio system and central airvents and on the tiller. Cheap, cheap cheap, yuck. It sits atop a simple, graphic based, aircon system, with a monochrome display. Foolproof. The rear seats are, ostensibly, for 
three people. That’s possible if they’re small. With two sub seven year old kids and with the requisite child seats, it’s a tad squeezy. The cushions are flat, unsupportive and wouldn’t be great for runs 
of more than a couple of hours, if that long. Nor would they be suitable for two adults as: 1) only the passenger seat flips forward for rear seat entry and 2) leg room is a compromise.
The dash is elegant in its own simplicity; two major dials and two sub dials, giving you speed, revs, fuel and 
what temperature to cook the eggs at. A soft red backlight at night adds to the lustre.
It’s a bluff, no nonsense look on the outside; it’s an upright centre grille rolling either side to a gentle slope towards the windscreen from the headlights. Being the XTra Cab and two doors, there’s a bit of extra sheetmetal abaft the doors before leading into the tray, fitted (in this case) with a floor only liner (full tub liners should be available via Toyota spare parts) with the rear ‘gate sporting the reverse camera, somewhat oddly positioned off to the left. Sidesteps, a solid step rear bar and dual pipe sportsbar 
complete the picture.
At $50K or so driveaway (pricing can be found at: http://www.toyota.com.au/hilux/prices) for the diesel SR5 manual, it’s a bit of an ask for a vehicle that, on the face of it, doesn’t appear to offer much different to interlopers of recent times. On the face of it…Toyota has built a reputation on a few things, including almost bullet proof four wheel drive vehicles (witness the Top Gear UK episode which featured a HiLux) and that is something that sits almost subconsciously with buyers. This HiLux isn’t for me, but I’m not its intended market.
Level 2, 9 Help Street