Wheels Australia — August 2016

142 WheelsMag.com.au

Price

Eng

type

Eng

size Power Torque Trans.

Kerb

weight

0-100

km/h

0-400

metres

Fuel

cons.RON

Resale

%

Issue

testedDrive

Commodore TheV8sarebloodygreat

Fantastic V8 grunt and sound; brilliant body control and balance; practicality and value

Evoke still plain; chunky A-pillars; sedans miss out on wagon's split-fold rear seats

• The Pick:SS-VRedlineforitssuperbchassis,arrestingperformanceandBrembobrakes
  Evoke $35,490 V6 3.0 185 290 A6 1622 8.1 15.98.3 91 39 07/13 R
  Evoke Sportwagon $37,490 V6 3.0 185 290 A6 1717 — — 8.6 91 40 R
  SV6 $37,290 V6 3.6 210 350 M6 1688 — — 9.0 91 41 R
  SV6 $39,490 V6 3.6 210 350 A6 1685 — — 9.0 91 42 R
  SV6 Sportwagon $41,490 V6 3.6 210 350 A6 1776 6.9 15.09.3 91 42 04/14 R
  SS $44,990 V8 6.2 304 570 M6 1729 4.9 — 12.6 95 42 R
  SS $46,690 V8 6.2 304 570 A6 1744 5.0 — 12.9 95 42 R
  SS Sportwagon $49,190 V8 6.2 304 570 A6 1849 5.0 — 12.9 95 42 R
  SS V $48,490 V8 6.2 304 570 M6 1745 4.9 — 12.6 95 42 R
  SS V $50,190 V8 6.2 304 570 A6 1754 5.0 — 12.9 95 43 R
  SS V Redline $54,490 V8 6.2 304 570 M6 1766 4.9 13.0 12.6 95 43 11/15 R
  SS V Redline $56,190 V8 6.2 304 570 A6 1780 4.9 13.1 12.9 95 43 08/16 R
  SS V Sportwagon $52,690 V8 6.2 304 570 A6 1849 5.0 — 12.9 95 43 R
  SS V Redline S’wgn $58,690 V8 6.2 304 570 A6 1851 5.0 — 12.9 95 43 R
  Calais $41,290 V6 3.6 210 350 A6 1702 7.1 1 5 .1 9.0 91 41 02/15 R
  Calais Sportwagon $43,290 V6 3.6 210 350 A6 1798 — — 9.3 91 42 R
  Calais V $47,990 V6 3.6 210 350 A6 1730 — — 9.0 91 42 R
  Calais V $55,990 V8 6.2 304 570 A6 1778 5.0 — 12.9 95 43 R
  Calais V Sportwagon $49,990 V6 3.6 210 350 A6 1808 — — 9.3 91 43 R
  Calais V Sportwagon $57,990 V8 6.2 304 570 A6 1866 5.0 — 12.9 95 44 R
  Ute Australia'ssportscoupe
  Great dynamics for a car with such a huge boot,especially Redline; mega-strong LS3 V8
  No passenger overhead grab handle; V8 noise not as pronounced as sedans


• The Pick:SSforitsV8value,thoughthesuperbRedline(evenon20s)iswhereit'sat
  Evoke $33,490 V6 3.6 210 350 A6 1656 — — 9.0 91 39 R
  SV6 $33,990 V6 3.6 210 350 M6 1680 — — 9.0 91 41 R
  SV6 $36,190 V6 3.6 210 350 A6 1681 — — 9.0 91 42 R
  SS $40,990 V8 6.2 304 570 M6 1720 4.9 — 12.6 95 42 R
  SS $43,190 V8 6.2 304 570 A6 1733 5.0 — 12.9 95 42 R
  SS V $44,490 V8 6.2 304 570 M6 1736 4.9 — 12.6 95 42 R
  SS V $46,690 V8 6.2 304 570 A6 1749 5.0 — 12.9 95 43 R
  SS V Redline $50,490 V8 6.2 304 570 M6 1739 4.9 — 12.6 95 43 11/15 R
  SS V Redline $52,690 V8 6.2 304 570 A6 1753 5.0 — 12.9 95 43 R
  Caprice Theworld'sbest-valuelimo
  Loads of rear seat leg room; tough elegance; great value for money; nice ride; grunt
  Badge snobs won't like it; exterior unchanged for years despite Commodore updates


• The Pick:WN Caprice has always been great and new LS3 V8 raises the bar
  V$60,990V86.2 304570 A6 1851 5.0—12.9 95 44R
  Cascada Drop-topAstra,sansgrunt
  Connected steering and capable chassis; well-equipped; spacious; handsome
  Weighthurtsagility;performanceandeconomy;cabindesignfarfromcuttingedge


• The Pick:An Astra, although Cascada is fresh metal in a class where fashion rules
  $41,990 L4T 1.6 125 260 A6 1744 9.9 — 7.5 95 65 07/15 F
  Trax Traxmarksthespot
  Neatly packaged and styled; steering and handling; excellent auto; value for money
  Hemmed-in rear seat; daggy-looking LS; 1.8’s raucous manners; LTZ’s awful vinyl trim


• The Pick:Considering its vastly superior engine, the LTZ 1.4T, hopefully with a discount
  LS $23,990 L4 1.8 103 175 M5 1356 — — 7.0 91 48 10/13 F
  LS $26,190 L4 1.8 103 175 A6 1371 — — 7.6 91 47 F
  LT Z $ 28 , 49 0 L4 1. 8 1 03 1 75 A6 1 3 7 1 11.4 18.07. 6 9 1 4 8 0 1/ 1 4 F
  LTZ $29,990 L4T 1.4 103 200 A6 1421 9.3 16.7 6.9 91 48 05/15 F
  Captiva 5and7becomeone
  Simplified range uses larger Captiva 7 body; sharp pricing; great standard connectivity
  Commodore-derived 3.0 thrashy; old basic design, and showing it; average dynamics


• The Pick:LT diesel is affordable and torquey and benefits from AWD, but Captiva is past it
  LS $26,490 L4 2.4 123 230 M6 1712 — — 9.5 91 43 F
  LS $28,690 L4 2.4 123 230 A6 1737 — — 9.5 91 44 F
  LS 7-seat $30,490 L4 2.4 123 230 A6 1762 — — 9.5 91 46 F
  LS 7-seat $33,490 L4TD 2.2 135 400 A6 1873 — — 8.1 D 46 F
  LT $36,490 V6 3.0 190 288 A6 1920 — — 10.1 91 44 A
  LT $ 3 7, 49 0 L4T D 2. 2 1 3 5 4 0 0 A6 1 9 74 — — 8 .1 D 4 4 A
  LTZ $40,490 V6 3.0 190 288 A6 1934 — — 10.1 91 45 A
  LTZ $41,490 L4TD 2.2 135 400 A6 1984 — — 8.1 D 45 A
  Colorado7 Seven-seatgrand-daddyspacemaster
  Better value than almost identical blood brother, the Isuzu MU-X
  Not as cohesive and polished as the slightly smaller Captiva 7, and doesn't drive as well


• The Pick:If you're space-chasing, the entry level LT has all you need in terms of kit
  LT $ 47, 49 0 L4TD 2. 8 1 47 5 0 0 A6 2 1 70 9. 2 D 5 3 A
  LTZ $50,990 L4TD 2.8 147 500 A6 2205 9.2 D 53 A

Gen-F2 Blow(n)medown!

Brilliant GTS drivetrain, R8s not far behind; superb agility for such a big, powerful car

F2 GTS unchanged; cheaper 340kW LS3 models no lomnger available; blown V8's thirst

• The Pick: GTS is a legendary machine, or wait until 2017 for the new 500kW-odd hero car
  Clubsport R8 LSA $80,990 V8S 6.2 400 671 M6 1890 4.5 12.7 15.3 98 47 06/16 R

Price

Eng

type

Eng

size Power Torque Trans.

Kerb

weight

0-100

km/h

0-400

metres

Fuel

cons.RON

Resale

%

Issue

testedDrive

HSV

3yr/100,000km

hsv.com.au

Honda

3yr/100,000km

honda.com.au

Jazz Lowerprice,greaterclass

Ripper entry price for all-new Jazz; polished interior; superb packaging flexibility

Messy styling; vague steering; numb handling; value dissipates at the top end

• The Pick: Either the entry-level VTi or possibly the neatly equipped VTi-S CVT
  VTi $14,990 L4 1.5 88 145 M5 1048 — — 6.2 91 55 F
  VTi $16,990 L4 1.5 88 145 C 1053 10.2 17.3 5.8 91 53 03/15 F
  VTi-S $19,790 L4 1.5 88 145 C 1095 — — 5.8 91 56 F
  VTi-L $22,490 L4 1.5 88 145 C 1130 — — 5.8 91 57 10/14 F
  City BootedJazz,re-booted
  Riding on an all-new platform, new-gen City is far from the putrid drive we expected
  Not pretty, but it's better in the flesh; VTi-L's wheels introduce some ride harshness


• The Pick: VTi manual if you have to, though the CVT ain't too bad if you don't like cars
  VTi $15,990 L4 1.5 88 145 M5 1082 — — 5.8 91 48 F
  VTi $17,990 L4 1.5 88 145 C 1103 10.7 17.7 5.7 91 48 10/14 F
  VTi-L $21,390 L4 1.5 88 145 C 1107 — — 5.7 91 50 08/14 F
  Civichatch ThePommyCivic
  Makeover brings dynamics upgrade; clever seating; impressive drivetrains
  Messy dash arrangement; range-wide price rises make rivals more attractive


• The Pick: DTi-S manual, though Focus, Mazda 3 and Golf are all superior
  VTi-S $22,150 L4 1.8 104 174 M5 1265 — — 6.4 91 56 F
  VTi-S $24,450 L4 1.8 104 174 A5 1302 8.8 16.5 6.6 91 56 12/12 F
  VTi-L $26,990 L4 1.8 104 174 A5 1318 — — 6.6 91 56 F
  VTi-L Navigation $31,090 L4 1.8 104 174 A5 1325 — — 6.6 91 52 F
  Civicsedan Aclassiccomeback
  Sparkling performance from 1.5 turbo; supple ride; refinement; steering; space
  No manual option; unnecessary growth on exterior proportions; new hatch a year away


• The Pick: The 1.5 is the better engine option and the VTi-L is more than enough
  VTi $22,390 L4 1.8 104 174 C 1261 — — 6.4 91 07/16 F
  VTi-S $24,490 L4 1.8 104 174 C — — — 6.4 91 07/16 F
  VTi-L $27,790 L4T 1.5 127 220 C — — — 6.0 91 07/16 F
  RS $31,790 L4T 1.5 127 220 C 1331 6.8 — 6.0 91 07/16 F
  VTi-LX $33,590 L4T 1.5 127 220 C — — — 6.0 91 07/16 F
  Accord Thecarthatcan(sortof)steeritself
  Freshened nose stands out; very refined; plenty of punch from V6; rear seat space
  A car for those who begrudgingly drive; dated five-speed auto; hybrid is no longer


• The Pick: Keep it cheap and go for the VTi, which at least has the space, if not the pace
  VTi $32,990 L4 2.4 129 225 A5 1510 — — 8.0 91 F
  VTi-L $43,990 L4 2.4 129 225 A5 1572 — — 8.2 91 F
  V6L $52,590 V6 3.5 206 339 A6 1667 — — 9.2 91 F
  HR-V BestsmallSUVforspace
  Coupe-esque styling; generous equipment; 'magic seat' packaging; okay dynamics
  Limited range (no 4WD, no manual); flimsy luggage cover; anaesthetised steering


• The Pick: Entry-level VTi offers a tempting package for a tasty price
  VTi $24,990 L4 1.8 105 172 C 1328 — — 6.6 91 50 03/16 F
  VTi-S $27,990 L4 1.8 105 172 C 1366 — — 6.9 91 50 F
  VTi-L $33,340 L4 1.8 105 172 C 1366 10.2 17.5 6.9 91 52 05/15 F
  CR-V Smalleroutside,biggerinside
  Excellent 1.6 diesel; sweet petrol drivetrains; roomy cabin and boot; thoughtful design
  2.0-litre trades flexibility for economy; dull dynamics; patchy ride; vague steering


• The Pick: The less you spend, the better, though the new DTi-L's 1.6 diesel is terrific
  VTi $27,490 L4 2.0 114 190 M6 1460 10.0 — 7.8 91 52 F
  VTi $29,790 L4 2.0 114 190 A5 1488 — — 7.7 91 52 F
  VTi AWD $32,790 L4 2.4 140 222 A5 1580 — — 8.7 91 54 A
  VTi-S $32,290 L4 2.0 114 190 A5 1488 — — 7.7 91 54 F
  VTi-S AWD $35,290 L4 2.4 140 222 A5 1580 — — 8.7 91 54 A
  VTi-L $39,290 L4 2.0 114 190 A5 1488 — — 7.7 91 55 F
  VTi-L AWD $42,290 L4 2.4 140 222 A5 1580 11.3 17.9 8.7 91 55 08/14 A
  DTi-L AWD $44,290 L4TD 1.6 118 350 A9 1754 10.2 — 5.9 D 56 03/16 A

Clubsport R8 LSA $83,490 V8S 6.2 400 671 A6 1907 4.7 12.9 15.0 98 47 12/15 R

Club’ R8 LSA Tourer $85,990 V8S 6.2 400 671 A6 1974 — — 15.0 98 47 R

Senator Sig’ LSA $92,990 V8S 6.2 400 671 M6 1885 — — 15.3 98 45 R

Senator Sig’ LSA $92,990 V8S 6.2 400 671 A6 1902 4.6 12.6 15.0 98 45 R

GTS $95,990 V8S 6.2 430 740 M6 18864.7 12.8 15.3 98 47 09/13 R

GTS $98,490 V8S 6.2 430 740 A6 1903 4.5 12.615.0 98 47 10/14 R

Grange TheStealthGen-F

Gen-FGrangescoresfruity340kWV8,top-specinteriorandlastestMRCsuspension

Misses out on the new supercharged V8; looks unchanged; no aluminium boot/bonnet

• The Pick:Australia’stakeonanAMGS-classisamuch-alteredcarbeneath its familiar skin
  $86,990 V8 6.2 340 570 A6 1844 — — 12.9 98 54 R
  Maloo Businessupfront,partyoutback
  Unique take on a two-door sports car; feels premium inside; strong supercharged V8
  Hard tonneau cover looks bulky; it's not particularly good at carrying heavy things


• The Pick: Finally has the punch to justify its price premium over the awesome SS Redline
  R8 $76,990 V8S 6.2 400 671 M6 1870 — — 15.3 98 57 R
  R8 $79,490 V8S 6.2 400 671 A6 1887 — — 15.8 98 57 R

L=in-line,

V=vee,

F=flat,

R=rotary.

Number of cyls or rotors.

T=turbo,

S= s'charged,

D=diesel,

H=hybrid

LitresKilowattsNewton metresM

=m

anual,

A

=automatic,

S=sequential,

C=CVT

Kilograms0-100km/h acceleration, in secs (Wheels

tested figures in italics)

0-400m acceleration, in sec s (Wheels

tested figures in italics)

Fuel consumption in Litr

es/100km

Recommended octane ratingGlass's predicted resale ra

ting, retained after 3 years

Rec When we drove it

ommended Retail Price

at time of publication(* indicates driveaway) F= F

ront drive,

R=Rear drive,

A

=All-wheel drive

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