Practical, Accessible Perforance, with surprising handling ability – wrapped opinion-splitting styling.
 3.6/5

Pros:

• Premium Build Quality
• Comfort, Spacious
• Good all rouder

Cons:

• Option list quickly ramps up prices
• Perhaps not as dynamic as BMW counterparts
• A few engine choice and gearbox choices have faded away

             4.1

Initial Impressions

The C class has been a staple of mid sized luxury for as long as I can remember.

A direct rival to the 3-series, there has always been an indulgence associated with the three-pointed emblem that the c class embodied. They sit in a rather curious sector at the moment. Once upon a time, a Mercedes-Benz was reserved for the affluent whereas brand-diversity dictates that they are now somewhat more accessible. The CLA sitting below the C class however still gives it a status of endearment for the corporate crowd that wants to look and feel the part. With the 2019 model upping the pace again, we figured it was a great time to have a look at the run-out 2018 models.

The 2018 C class is no exception and builds and tweaks on the core competencies of the namesake. The exterior is adorned with LED lights front and back giving a sharp appearance crisp illumination. The body takes it styling cues from the S-Class giving it a large appearance parked up on the road. All of the elegant lines swoop towards the rear and it all comes together rather handsomely. With the right spec, this elegance can be directly substituted for aggression when you start dipping into the Pseudo AMG models. Much like the haloed M badge, it has however been diluted to somewhat of a spec level in many cases.

What’s the inside like?

Enclosed in the sleek German Auto-Body of this relatively base-spec C200 that sits in front of us today, is a well-rounded package. The manual-slide, electronic bolster and height controlled seats dominate the interior landscape. They are immediately comfortable falling into what feels like an optimum seating position.

Mercedes switched a while back – around the time of the C63’s debut – to a BMW-esque interface which resembles the i-drive. This was subject of mixed emotions when it replaced Mercedes’ older platform and I’m still of the opinion that they haven’t quite nailed it. The dial awkwardly tilts on its axis as if it doesn’t sit far enough from its pivot point. The dial clicks rather loudly rather akin to an old rotary telephone. That’s not to say it isn’t an effective interface, it just lacks a little finesse.

The interior is ever so slightly more cramped than it’s curvaceous exterior might suggest – I had two lets say – larger occupants in the kerb-side front and rear seat – and was surprised to see the person riding shotgun with his knees jammed up against the front dash.

Granted that’s not to say the vehicle won’t be more than apt for average sized

occupants; nor is it to suggest that it has any less payload than the equivalent 3-series, but it was unexpected. It’s testament to the scaled down S Class body. The interior does a fantastic job of feeling like a premium product. Leather and metal-finish controls adorn most angles of the interior. The interior is designed to cocoon the driver, with hard corners minimised by the curvaceous, elegant design of the interior finishes. A large piano black fascia sweeps down towards the centre console.

This example comes laden with the standard C class niceties. Satnav is available, assuming your car has its memory card installed. Mercedes’ dynamic mode selection allows steering and suspension to be setup for comfort, economy or sports and sports plus. But does it work?

What about kit and safety?

9 airbags, reversing camera, parking sensors, autonomous braking and not to mention auto headlights and wipers means that the C Class, hybrid excepted, achieves a 5 star ANCAP rating. There are also refinements such as fatigue monitoring.

What’s it like on the road?

The ride around town is cushioned and well damped giving smooth, enjoyable progress. The C class manages to be one of the quieter cruises out there, whilst the adjustable dynamics means that whilst it always feels more at home on the freeway rather than country roads it never feels completely out of water.

The C200 picks up surprisingly quickly. It retains the performance of the previous, larger, 2.0 litre unit whilst rewarding superior fuel economy (it is also less weighty that its angular predecessor).  Flick the adaptive air suspension to Sport + (if optioned) and the car’s handling will be tilted towards performance driving.  It’s a magical system, literally like riding on air; however the standard steel suspension is also very good. The standard comfort level leaves a little body roll introduced in excange for a ride that irons out bumps in the road.

The steering however is not as sharp as that of the 3 series. It is nicely weighted giving good manoeuvrability at low speeds and around town; however lacks precise feedback. You therefore loose a little confidence at faster speeds which reduces the level of engagement that you would otherwise feel.

How Economical is it?

Whilst the 2019 face lift might not be significant on the surface, it introduced more engine ranges and removed others.

There’s a versatile selection of engines available, petrol and diesel. At the time of writing, C200, C200d, C250 and C250d. And lets not forget the C250e which, as you’ve probably guessed – is a hybrid. Both 250s deliver 155kw which is dragged along by 350Nm of torque but with the hybrid delivering an extremely frugal 2.2L/100km if driven with the right intent. The Oil Burning 250d delivers 155kw with a truckload of torque – 500Nm in fact, while returning 4.6L/100km. The “entry level” 200 which I took for a jaunt delivers 135kW along with 300Nm of torque delivered by a 1.5 Turbo Charged motor. It still achieves 6.5L/100km whilst retaining a good level of drivability both around town and in the twistier stuff. There are of course the C43 and 64 models but they deserve their own attention rather than being diluted here.

To Summarise

With the 18 C Class, Mercedes appear to have been trying to extend the reach of the model, shaking off some of the dull, stern-ness of models of old for an attractive exterior and polished interior. And it’s been somewhat successful. In my mind it’s more attractive than the equivalent 3 series or A4 – even though it might not quite drive quite as rewardingly.

The C200 is simply great value, feeling like a much more accomplished, exclusive vehicle than its circa $60k price tag  when new might suggest.  The end result is a well built, well paced bit of executive engineering. As always the spec list is a sprawling list of desires which will not only impact residuals, but also effect your enjoyment of the car from up-rated audio to additional comfort tweaks.

Lined up next to a 3 series, it not only is a viable alternative but a preferred one.

This made the perfect opportunity to test out some cars that will eat up the windy, sweeping mountain roads – but on the weeks where I needed something to lug loads and soak up some rought workhorse treatment, try out a few ‘sensible’ mid-size family SUVs.

So at 4am I get dropped off at the Airport clutching a duffel bag loaded with detailing gear and enough microfibers to dry off the Titanic. Good job too, given the rain we’ve had in NSW over the last few weeks!

Pros:

• Low Cost
• Reasonable all rounder
• Spacious

Cons:

• Dated drive-train lacks refinement
• Cheaper interior
• A few engine choice and gearbox choices faded away

 

A Good Budget all-rounder, but starts to feel out-of-place outside of its comfort zone.

The first warrior was a base spec Mitsibushi ASX. $25,000 – $40,000

Initial Impressions

From a quick walk around you can see some rather old school styling cues, rugged looking wheel arches, a determined crease or belt-line descending towards the front and with a bold front end. It sort of breaks the mould in that taking minimal visual upgrades from its 8-year lifespan it retains a bit more of a rough and ready look that you don’t find in offerings by Toyota or Mazda.

What’s the inside like?

It sits larger than the Mazda too, at 1640mm high against the Mazda’s 1550mm. That means that there is more space inside – and you feel it when climbing on board. Fold the second row of seats and you’ll find a generous 1140 litres of stowage space. You get a deep storage container and two cup-holders up front, along with a little handy storage shelf by the Air Controls.

The ASX perhaps lets itself down a little in build quality, with the materials feeling a bit dated. Plastics give a hollow, tinny rap when yo tap on them. The Seats aren’t the most comfortable in the biz – after the 5 hour dash I developed a bit of a back ache – call me old, but it hasn’t happened in other cars on the same route – including a Boxster.. The seats have next to no lateral support – not that you’d expect bucket seats, but it does mean your legs tire from keeping yourself rigid on a country road.

Twin USB ports are found up front and another in the storage bin – all things that I’m a fan of though. The I.C.E. is handled by a 7-inch touch screen which is loaded with Apple car-play which handles business like it should. The 6 speakers aren’t bad, lacking a little feeling and bass but for a casual listen you can’t really complain. The Top Spec ASX is where you’d want to be sitting, loaded with heated leather, LED running lights, roof rails and push start – the one I was driving however wasn’t that. (although to be fair, it didn’t sit too far beneath the spec.)

A piano black fascia sits behind the large display which gives a bit of much needed garnish to an otherwise functional layout.

What about kit and safety?

The base spec ASX is a cheap entry point. It will be bare-bones, but functional with most of the trimmings mentioned above. For around $1500 you can add Auto Braking and from there you can add Mitsubishi’s Driver assist systems which include auto emergency braking, lane-departure, rear-cross traffic and blind spot alert as well as auto wipers and headlights which automatically engage high-beam and dip when trafffic is present. Very Safe indeed

From there you can add leather, power seats and large panoramic-esque sunroofs which add some nicer touches which make the car feel a little more complete.

The ASX comes with anti-lock brakes, stability control, rear reversing camera and sensors and seven airbags – two in front of driver and passenger, one in the outside of each seat to protect from side-impacts, a curtain airbag at head level and an airbag for the driver’s knees, giving it a 5 star rating from the early days.

What’s it like on the road?

Driving around town, it’s quite compliant, really. Bumps are smooth enough, it sways into corners without ever really making you feel at peril – but does have a reasonable amount of body-roll – but mostly I would summarise it as a car that is best suited to casual use. That’s not a bad thing, but as I tip into nice flowing mountain bends, and stop off for a little lunch down a rough off-road track, you get a feeling that you never really want to push too hard; and neither does the car.

It’s not the fastest nor the most dynamic car you can buy in the bracket but then it doesn’t particularly do anything badly either. I had an AWD version, which I feel had a smidge more stability than the Front-wheel drive version – just as well as disappointingly they became unavailable with a diesel turning all four wheels.

But it’s when you start to push the engine that you get a little disappointing. The wheel jostles as you accelerate and the majority of the power turns the front wheels. You can hear the engine working up-hill without ever really feeling it. Cruise control up a steep hill becomes a dance of applying more gas as it downshifts and struggles to keep your momentum. On the dirty stuff it performs as well as you can really expect a family four-by to really do, sufficient for some rough access tracks to whatever activities you have planned.

The ride is quite firm – which you might not expect from a tall car – but as you would know from reading, I generally like in a car. It makes it feel connected and solid on the road – although a few degrees of dead space steering play off-centre doesn’t do much to build on this.

On a nice open road, it is composed enough to ride over sudden bumps – but this becomes a bit crashy in an urban setting. Tyre noise will bother some, being a rather noisy place to sit.

How Economical is it?

The 2.0 petrol unit though is unfortunately less suited than the 2.2litre turbocharged unit that was phased out. The 2.0 allegedly returns around 7l/100km – although I don’t think I came close to that. Even though the route had a number of hills and some stop-start sections due to roadworks, I did find the 11l/100km a little disappointing. The 60 litre tank did however last the round-trip returning over 720kms with a little to spare.

To Summarise

I don’t love the ASX. But then – I don’t hate it either, and that seems to be where the car excels – at the ordinary. Now that might seem harsh, but it’s not intended so and I’ll explain why.

There are cars that are significantly lets say classier – that cost significantly more. And there are smaller cars in the same price range that don’t offer space, all-wheel drive and the driving position and setting that comes with it. As you up-spec the ASX though you loose the benefit of it being cheap and it encroaches on the pricing territory of more-rounded buys

But if you simply want a larger daily car for daily duties with the benefits of an AWD in terms of space, rougher than usual roads and elevated position its well worth consideration, especially at the lower price bracket.

How does the 2016 Ford Mustang GT Drive on Australian Roads?

Unless you’ve been living under several large rocks you would have noticed the arrival of the the first Mustang to be sold on the world stage. Now the hype and expectations have settled, it’s still clear that there are a range of emotions associated with the latest Prancing Pony which has received everything from admiration, praise and criticism from the Automotive Elite. So we had to burn some rubber and see what the fuss was about.

Available in 4 cylinder and v8 guise, the common view in these parts is that a 2.3 Mustang just seems. Well. Utter Nonsense.

Yes, people will cite fuel economy and surprising performance from ‘only a 2.3’ but that seems to be missing the point by a country mile. Needless to say we arranged a jaunt in the V8.

The day started with a blurry eyed 5am Trip to Perth Airport to land in the Sunshine State. The touchdown in Brisbane airport was bumpy, sharp and after the kid in the seat in front spilled his cookies, frankly, a mess. I hoped this wasn’t an omen of things to come. To the airport to meet Gorges who hands me a simple, black key fob and goes on his merry way, my car park search is brief, helped by the fact that the thing is brighter than a pack of vegemite. I blip the key bearing the Pony emblem, and the accompanying post-it note “Ford Mustang GT – Enjoy!” And what a presence it has. It sits, almost taking up two bays, muscular and with a sort of stance that suggests its up to no good, picture the dodgy looking gym junkie wearing a gold chain that you see in the corner of a club on a dingy Saturday night.

First impressions? Relief. I was looking forwards to the trip but couldn’t shake the feeling that the Mustang would be very reminiscent of the last 2004 ‘Stang that I drove on a jaunt to Vegas a few years ago which had an interior derived from recycled wheelie bins. It feels very ford inside, a big Sat Nav display takes centre stage and a steering wheel littered with buttons hovers in front of you. At first it was a little of a visual assault but the longer I would drive the more the layout would seem well thought out.

The seats remind me of a reclining armchair I have at home. Surprisingly supportive but actually very comfortable, more so due to the in chair air conditioning. Keyless remote lost somewhere in my backpack, pushing the stop/start button gives a satisfying but subtle growl as she springs to life. Idle is thick without being earth

shattering. The interior is an interesting one. The Mustang is renowned for being ‘accessible’ as far as prices are concerned, I believe the theory was that every 12 seconds a mustang was being sold (in circa 2006); To maintain that, there obviously has to be compromises. But it’s balanced with some nice touches. Red LEDs add accents to the foot wells and door handles. The fighter-pilot style switches have been criticised as being a little cheap but I quite like them. They’re clunky, easy to operate and pleasing enough to the touch although maybe a sturdier, metal construction would have added to this effect. The leather is far from the plush Nappa that you’d be used to in your BMW; it feels more ‘leatherette’, quite thin and with a slightly plasticy sheen. The soft touch dash top feels a little on the hard side, and the brushed metal-effect plastic facia feels sturdy but perhaps a little hollow.

The switches overall feel typically ford, which don’t get me wrong is no bad thing. And that sums up my point as far as the interior is concerned. You have to remember what you’re sitting in. You’re not in an M3, or something coming from Audi, you’re in a Ford with a big dirty V8. It’s a muscle car, so the refinements you do get are more than ample enough to set it apart from a run-of-the-mill Blue Oval sedan.

The SatNav is delightfully easy to use, aided by the massive screen size. Menus are very well thought out, voice control picks up my Anglo-cum-Aussie accent which is more than I can say for a lot of the solutions out there. Apple Car play annoyingly cuts out, honestly, you don’t need it here and I found the factory system less frustrating to use. The in-car screens display a plethora of stats and gauges which will keep the most avid petrol head playing for a while. Speaking of cost savings, the dash is a ‘mirrored’ design which allows a single dash piece to serve for left and right hand models. Nothing new, nothing bespoke, but an example of how ford have blended cost savings and performance with a global approach. The vents that tuck up into the corners of the cowls in this dash are flimsy, I suspect something to do with the construction of the duel purpose dash. I hope it doesn’t sound like I have more negatives than positives as far as the interior goes, as frankly it is a very comfortable place to be for a cruise or weekend jaunt. The only thing that annoyed me in reality, was that if you flip the chair forwards to allow the back seat passenger out, it doesn’t retain its position much like the infamous civic type R seats. Not a deal breaker, chances are you won’t be taking too many passengers (especially if you are wary of the NCAP 2 rating.)

Gear in D, foot off the brake and she rolls out of the car park. You immediately start to get a feel for the girth of the car but it doesn’t feel unmanageable. The muscular bonnet’s bulges remain in full view through the windscreen, which I can’t lie, I absolutely love. A constant visual reminder that you have every right to blip the throttle and get a snarl from what lies beneath. Flick the gearstick into S and you get a manual mode relying on input via the pseudo-paddles for gear changes. The auto-box is surprisingly very smooth and controllable once you get a feel for it’s behaviour as far as kick down points, shift conditions and so on go; once you know what the gearbox will do in reaction to your position on the pedals, it becomes a very relaxing affair if you want it to be. But who wants to relax? The first red light and the 17 year old inside me whispers in my ear, giggling. Green light, foot down onto the freeway on-ramp, flicking up through the gears, traction control having a panic attack. The sound is terrific albeit a little muted at idle and low revs. On full-chat it gives out a pleasing roar which has you grinning ear to ear as the 0-100 in 4.3 seconds claim is put to the test. You’ll be forgiven for thinking it is a stereotypical muscle car for use only in the straights, but not necessarily correct. The steering toggle in the line up of fighter-pilot style switches, changes the steering response from Comfort, to Normal and Sport. Comfort dulls the cars reactions, making it ideal for gliding over bumpy roads, but not much more. It will depend on preference, but I prefer the direct, sharp response provided by the sports mode for cruising and when things get a little more active.

Considering it is a 500bhp rwd tank weighing in at over 1.7 tonnes, the Mustang’s mannerisms are surprisingly polite when it comes to being thrown about. Body roll is tolerable given its size and setup. It will never be as composed as something Mercedes with similar states, but we’re back to remembering what we’re in, what it costs and ultimately what it is about. If you’ve been brave enough to flick it into race mode, taking off the traction control and dulling the ABS, a dollop of gas will see the rear wheels rip that smile on your face open another couple of inches. It’s such a hoot.

The national speed limit comes up in no time at all, as does a lengthy driving ban if you’re not careful. I jump on the costal roads heading down to North New South Wales with a surprising amount of traffic, so I elected to leave it in normal driving mode for the time being. The cruise control is easy to operate which sounds a simple thing but can be fiddly to say the least on many cars. One cluster of buttons on the wheel controls the in-dash display, if you want to check oil/intake/gearbox temperatures on the fly, reset trip computers, see your fuel economy (top tip: don’t bother!) and so on. The right hand side are all the controls you will need to navigate your music collection with ease.

As I pull up for a break and photo-op I realise it’s the little things that really cement the Mustang into quite a unique bracket. LED red background lights stay on in the footwells and door handles and illuminate the mustang logo on the door sills. Little Mustangs are projected onto the ground from within the door mirrors. The Speedometer is labelled ‘Ground Speed’ just in case you forget that you’re not actually flying. The whole car doesn’t take itself too seriously, whilst somehow avoiding being too cheesy. The Kicker audio system does just that with a great range of base and highs coming at you from all directions and a single occupancy mode which adjusts levels accordingly. I probably got in and out of the car 18 times over the weekend and each time felt like a new adventure. I know I go on about sense of occasion a lot, but this has it in spades.

The Brembo brake kit up front has been reported as suffering from fade during police trials which adds to the woes faced by ford trying to get a government uptake on the mustang, but on the road they are plentiful. Initial bite is sharp and the brakes give you confidence that the two tonne lump will pull up in time in an emergency. Several power stops and constant fettling through some twistier chicanes didn’t see a hint of a performance dip on my run so maybe it is a problem more experienced in the most vigorous workouts. For an automatic they add to a responsive package.

It is clear that ford are not aiming the autobox at road racers and instead are targeting those who want a cruise with some hustle when needed. Think Bullitt rather than Fast and the Furious. Responsive enough to give you a bit of neck trauma, but smooth enough not to wake your girl in the passenger seat when you want it to be. The spirited drivers may be more at home in the manual. This is further proved by the fact that the paddles are tiny and wheel mounted as opposed to fixed to the column, meaning that you have to think if you were trying to downshift whilst negotiating some bends.

Light show: the illuminated sills add to the visual drama.I’m under no illusion that the Mustang has its flaws. The yellow paint, eye catching as it is, lacks a deep factory shine; instead of a bathroom mirror image you get a slightly pixelated reflection. A few bits of trim may not withstand the test of time with some cheap feeling mountings in places. It weighs a lot and can be a bit of a tank around town when negotiating smaller, busy streets but it never feels unwieldy or cumbersome. But as a package none of that seems to matter as you ride a rumble of torque into the distance. They say if you don’t look back at your car as you walk away you’ve brought the wrong one and it’s safe to say that as you join the bystanders in staring back at your beast after parking up – there’s not much risk of that. If you’re aware of the sort of experience you’re signing up to, the chances are that you’ll enjoy cruising around in a Mustang; and in typical fashion the routes for customisation and modification will end up unparalleled if you’re willing to import.

Ford has been sure to remind you that you’re buying a Mustang and not a ford. Just try to find a Ford badge on the car. All livery replaced with that famous prancing pony and for good reason. People buy a Mustang for the Same reason that many buy  a Harley Davidson. They may not go as fast in certain conditions, they may not be quite as well built together as their German counterparts. But the drama, the noise, and the presence are something that they bring to the table that just aren’t measured in numbers

Iconic. The Mustang plaquard sits proudly on the passenger side of the dash.

First Impressions

The road to Port Douglas. Windy, twisty, scenic and thrilling. It’s a sunny day, 30 degrees in fact, and our hour long journey through the hills and along the coast will test out our vehicle’s climate control to the max.

While the road is fitting for an exotic sports car as the sun rises, we’re taking a less cliché approach today. I collect a Nissan X-trail, and slide the key fob into my pocket, never to be seen again.

The keyless entry blips and in we climb. The first thing I notice is that the x-trail is uncharacteristically toy-car like as I’ve come to expect at least in lower end Nissans. Rather than the ‘quirky’ approach of the Qashqai, the X-trail features roominess and practicality by the truck load. The plastics, whilst not on the level of a Mercedes or BMW, aren’t expected to be. What they do bring to the party is a no-nonsense, rugged feel.

Behind the Wheel

Perhaps outgunned by the driving position in something like the CRV, The X-Trail is still a nice place to be.

The controls are spaciously laid out and I didn’t find myself fiddling for the right button like I would in a Falcon for example. The speedo is large enough that my mum would be able to read it without too much of a squint. Functional, bold and effective.
An LCD rides in the middle giving you the necessary details about your ride.

Happy to say that the Bluetooth pairs up nice and easily too – and stays that way. You get a large LCD media screen which can display a plethora of apps through your smart phone. Nissan have gone the way of Toyota in utilising the navigation through your phone as opposed to an inbuilt mapping system – which has its benefits, the main one being that you don’t have to worry about updates.

The first impressions continue with a walk around. Front and rear park sensors? Check. Reversing camera? Sure. In fact this Fully loaded rendition of a family 4×4 comes equipped with:

Blind spot warning.

LED daytime running lights

19inch Alloys

The standard Cruise control

Tyre pressure monitoring,

Six Speakers,

360 camera,

Dual Zone Climate Control and;

Automatic lights and wipers, to name a few of the features.

My favourite bit is a little vent in the arm rest cup holder to keep your ginger beer nice and chilly. The range steps from entry level ‘Visia’ through to Chart-Topping ‘Tekna’

There are plenty of trimmings such as leather and electric everything that you can add in addition. The boot is spacious offering 500 litres of capacity; that’s enough to carry two large bags equipped with a shirt for every occasion and a small chemists supply of men’s grooming goods. Oh and of course a couple of cartons. The doors open generously wide making getting in and out child’s play.

Pedal Down    

A firm push on the start/stop button and the peppy 1.6 diesel engine springs to life, the only engine available in the range at one point, now complimented by a 2.5 petrol option which is somewhat a testament to the market that Nissan is targeting here.

It’s zippy enough, pulling the X-Trail from 0-100 in 10.5 seconds. For such a large machine, that’s not a bad effort by any measure. The six speed manual boasts 139g/km co2 emissions, making it the pick for fleet owners. There is however the CVT gearbox, aka the Xtronic which is designed to feel like a traditional auto.

It spits out 96kw and 320Nm of torque so it is set to battle through the typical family duties. Despite it’s brutish appearance, the X-Trail will only tow 750kg unbraked. Enough for a getaway perhaps, but not to tow a jeep that has gotten bogged. Which leads to another point but we’ll touch on that later.

The X-Trail claims to be capable off-road, and you can’t deny it tries. But before you hit the mucky stuff, you’ll have to chew up some tarmac kms first. And credit where credit is due, the X-Trail doesn’t have the mannerisms of a relatively large family SUV on the road. It steers nicely and dare I say it, even gives some useful feedback through the wheel. The supple suspension smooths out the roads and as I push on the Chassis control kicks in, applying the brakes to each wheel tenderly and independently to keep us travelling the right way up.

The 1.6 diesel isn’t the ideal choice, whilst the turbo charger keeps it chugging along when it gets up to speed, around town and taking off from the lights, it feels a little asthmatic. A victim of the small capacity turbocharged engines that are becoming all so fashionable.

Throw the X-Trail from side to side and you will feel the chassis lurch, but for more gradual twisties, it is soothing enough to pilot. You don’t feel like you will get out of shape and it recovers from bumps with stability. In the wet stuff, the 4×4 will keep you going, but don’t expect to go everywhere a Landcruiser would. Naturally. It just isn’t build for serious exploration. The clearance is more family convenience than Bear Grylls, and I was surprised to hear a crunch from under the vehicle when I pulled into my hotels poorly maintained carpark with a bit of gusto. In sand you feel the wheels scrambling for grip as all of the pseudo-fourby’s do.

Keep in mind that if you opt for 7 seats, you also opt for two wheel drive; and if you opt for 4×4 you loose the under boot storage.

The competition

The CRV is the natural competition for the X-Trail, without being notably more capable or rewarding. Larger vehicles such as the Kluger we tested feature curtain airbags for the third row seats unlike the X-Trail, whilst offerings from Honda, Mazda and Subaru have the option for automatic emergency braking which doesn’t make an appearance at club Nissan.

The Verdict

How do I feel? Surprised. I expected a slightly more hardy-go-anywhere vehicle in the X-Trail which was perhaps disappointing. (Maybe I had too many memories of the original X-Trail advert below!) BUT. From the easy entry from the keyless fob, to the comfortable seat, to the roomy cabin and long list of options, I can’t dislike it. It has typical modern Nissan styling, polite driving mannerisms, and (in petrol form at least) a bit of guts to match the garnish.

There are more capable wagons out there but that doesn’t detract from the X-Trail from being

satisfyingly universal, the X-Trail would make a great daily commuter-come-weekend greenlaner and is a perfectly good compromise between family life with a little adventure!

There’s not always a reason, but sometimes it’s worth looking at the detail.

The Ford and Holden debate rages on as we near the end of the production of their staple vehicles. I’ll admit that I went into driving the XR6 wary. Wary that I’ve always had the tendency to lean towards Ford in the past.

I collect the keys to the chunky, three buttoned, flip key remote, flip open the doors  and slam the clunky door shut. I’m

greeted by dials sporting a simple yet pleasing blue hue, surrounding an oblong LCD display giving you the vitals. The build quality is typically Ford. Clunky, chunky, and plastics which while aren’t the soft-touch that you’d expect in some premium vehicles, are firm yet, somewhat warming. Some piano black inserts feature in the passenger’s side of the dash and doors, with a silver plastic facia surrounding the central computer and media centre.

Turn the key and you get a little blip of the motor as she springs to life. The engine is keen to rev, with a nice low range torque pull and the handling is very compliant.

The XR6 does a very good job of remaining nimble, seeming like a smaller car than it is. It corners relatively flatly given it’s type and girth, with the traction control kicking in to stop things from getting too out of shape, with all the sideways rotation you could ask for with it disengaged.

The styling is sharp  if not a little to neutral towards the rear, but the muscular front, reminiscent of the new Mustang, wrapped in gorgeous, angular, almost art-deco-esque LED daylights is amongst the high points here.

You’d think then, that the Ford is ticking all of the right boxes – a suitable end for the lineage. But it’s from there that the holes start to surface. Little things, the sum of which dampens the overall package.

I’ll start with the motor. The Autobox is by no means bad, but it does feel like an old Olympian showing his age. Nail your foot to the floor and you’ll get a slight hesitation and then kickdown, and unless you hit it at just the right time, after a second of thinking about it, you’ll get kickdown again. That means rather than an instant pull into the back of your seat, you have a second, which feels like an hour of hesitation as the box second guesses itself.  And speaking of the gearshift, although the manual mode wasn’t too slow to respond, the action of the lever was stiff, rigid and with little motion. As if it was never expected to be used.

Fuel economy compared to the SV6 on a similar run seemed to be heavier. After doing the same run, the Holden needed $58 of fuel, the Ford needing $75. But then familiarity breeds confidence, and confidence breeds more flat out acceleration. Perhaps in hindsight a better test would have been to have taken both cars on an already familiar run to ensure the same steady progress. There is of course the confidence in the car which has a similar effect and I feel this was a little higher in the XR6, with the SV having a slightly greater tendency to understeer.

A mixed bag then.

Then we have the interior. The plastic facsia, whilst firm and sturdy, is made of two halves, I suspect to allow the same parts to be used for Falcon’s supplied without the computer/sat nav. This means there is an unsightly line between the two halves. Again, menial – but something that was in constant sight. The Dash, lacks the soft backed leather that the SV6 we drove recently had. The media centre features a messy mess of buttons which although I suspect will become second nature with time, for the short term did little but take my eyes off the road. ‘’no problem. Use the voice control!’’ I hear you cry. Well yes and no. Although on  the basic level the voice control works perfectly – change temperature, set radio station etc. But where it becomes clunky and frustrating is when you try to use the satnav. It requires an extremely rigid set of commands, no ‘navigate me to spud shed please’ here. (as a note – another issue was that several locations were mis-spelled. “spuo shed anyone?’’) You have to go through each menu step by step which often features the sat nav asking you to repeat yourself with added frustration as it fails to recognise words like ‘Airport’. This is of course not a unique problem to ford, more a qualm with voice activated naviagion in general. The rest of the voice functionality works surprisingly well and unlike the SV6, the bluetooth connected each time without drama.

So the XR6 offers an armchair driving experience, ample legroom for passengers whether in the back, or tied up and blindfolded in the ample boot, and comfortable if not truly sporty handling. The bland exhaust note is no doubt the result of the eco-fairies sprinkling their pixie dust, but the car delivers ample if not excessive power.

I simply can’t call it a bad machine, because it isn’t.  All in all it ticks a lot of boxes and comes at a good price point; As a driving experience, the XR6 does what you want. It delivers in my opinion a slightly more settled ride than the SV6, with ample power to keep things entertaining, albeit with less modulation. But as a package, the one touch down only driver’s window, the lack of keyless start, the lack of controllable parameters from the centre, the finish – all hints at ‘less effort’ put into the final product which is shown up by Holden’s all guns blazing approach.