2007: the auto year that was
With more manufacturers selling more models and volume than ever before, 2007 was a vintage year for the Australia auto industry. According to industry statistician VFACTS, by year end no less than 46 passenger car marques were represented Down Under. With all but a handful launching new or updated models during the year, there was plenty of new machinery for the Carsales Network road test team to drive during the year.
Recently we published what you, the car buying public, said was your favourite cars of 2007 (or at least the ones you sought to purchase during the year, here) and in January our colleagues at Wheels magazine will publish their findings as to the best of the best, the Wheels Car of The Year (COTY) winner. But now it's our turn.
The brief to the Carsales Network test team was simple: name your best drives of 2007. Here's what they decided
Mike Sinclair
Editor in Chief
BMW M3
Replacing a legend isn't easy so BMW didn't try. With a V8 engine, altogether more upmarket appointments and day-to-day manners that go beyond the previous E46 generation, you'd be forgiven for thinking the E92 M3 has gone soft. That is until you point its more aggressive, piston-packed snout at a sinuous piece of tarmac or the racetrack of your choice. More usable performance, more thrills and more music -- music that while played differently, is still operatic and urgent in nature.
Mercedes-Benz W204 C-Class
For years Mercedes-Benz built the bridesmaid. It was never quite as polished as the main act, never quite as much fun and never quite as sought after. This year the perpetual runner-up got the jump on its 3 Series archrival. Though the C-Class ascendancy may not last long -- BMW is madly upgrading its 3 Series to address what's seen as its shortfalls (standard equipment, diesel powerplant) -- there's no doubt the new volume Benz is a cracker. And good value...
Subaru Impreza
Let's get the 'but' out of the way first -- Hyundai's i30, and even Nissan's born-again Micra are better finished inside than the new Impreza. So why is it on my list -- notwithstanding the significant jump in standard safety features (Mitsu's Lancer deserves praise here too!), the big step forward in Impreza is refinement and the excellent blend of roadholding, handling and ride. Even in base form, but especially in the latest WRX guise, Impreza is a great car that just needs an extra $US100 spent on cabin plastics and textiles.
Volkswagen Tiguan
Not for Australia 'til late next year (and isn't VW Australia happy about that -- not!), VW's first softroader will go straight to the top of the class when it arrives. Combining the upright driving position and versatility of the archetypal softroader with the joie de'vivre of a Golf GT, given some surety of supply volume, the jack-of-all-trades Tiguan will be VW's bestseller Down Under with 18 months.
Melissa McCormick
Production Editor
Hyundai i30 CRDi
Hyundai has moved from a price to product-led offensive with i30. Both models' powerplants are responsive with good drivability, but the quiet and smooth turbodiesel is a standout. The CRDi is quick off the line and any difference in noise level or quality is barely discernible in-cabin... You'll quickly forget any compromise made for driving a diesel.
Volvo C30
Neat, petite and best of all unique among the hatchback crowd for its high-end fit, safety and style. Followers of the safe Scandinavian brand have seen Volvo's cool side before and the C30 is a reminder of the early '70s P1800ES 'sportwagon' with its frameless glass hatch design. The T5 model is the pick of the range but the diesel or even the entry model will do nicely.
Audi R8
A no-brainer that Audi's Le Mans-inspired racer for the road would figure in many 'best of' lists this year. If you weren't already aware, the Ingolstadt brand is the new endurance sportscar king and the R8 won't disappoint. The 4.2-litre V8 is a strong, hard-revving highlight among many and the R8 echoes the Porsche 911's everyday 'driveability' but with a whole lot more exclusivity. Australians didn't have to wait that long for the R8's arrival, at least for the S Tronic version, but hold off 'til the manual option arrives.
BMW M3
Major bang for bucks. Another launch at Phillip Island revealed this particular road warrior to be completely at home on the track, with incredible response and balance, lap after lap. No-one's really missing the straight six, surely...
Ken Gratton
News Editor
Citroen C4 HDI Picasso
The Picasso is a surprise package: full of innovation and lateral thinking, yet also practical and easy to use. In urban driving, it provides a cosseting ambience for driver and passengers alike. The commanding driving position should appeal without the compromises that a similarly high-riding SUV would bring to the party. Access to the Picasso is easy for people of all statures and the third row seat must be the easiest on record to fold and deploy.
Ford Focus TDCi
Ford's Focus is no longer necessarily the best value in the small car segment (that probably goes to the Mitsubishi Lancer), but the diesel version of the Focus is a variant that Mitsubishi can't match. Although shaded somewhat by the i30 Hyundai, it's still a pretty good package for value.
HSV Grange
It's heavy on juice and lacks some of the refinement you might expect in a car retailing for around the $80k mark, however, it's enormous fun to drive, can be comfortable and serene when required, accommodates kids or adults of any size and flies under the radar compared with a ClubSport or other tear-arse Holdens.
Toyota LandCruiser 200
Right from the start, it felt right and did everything it should. It's highly capable offroad, but must also rate as one of the best all-round SUVs for bitumen touring. When you're hurling a block of flats into a bend at 130km/h and it feels no larger than a RAV4, that's impressive.
Joe Kenwright
Reviewer and used car guru
Hyundai i30
Potentially a Datsun 1600 in a 21st Century context, when it almost succeeds in matching the presence and function of the likes of BMW 120i/Mazda3/Subaru Impreza for a fraction of the price. The smart money has already worked out the $21,490 diesel might offer the least exposure to future oil shocks for those needing a new five-door family car or commuter transport.
Nissan X-TRAIL
In six-speed manual trim the X-TRAIL is an impressive combination of all-road practicality, safe handling, compliant ride and some offroad ability. It is also one of the few new models that works just as well if not better in $31,990 base ST spec as the top level. Only the glaring omission of a diesel and slipping-clutch feel of the CVT transmission let it down.
Ford Fiesta XR4
Fun little car with dial-in attitude helped by stripe kit that transcends gender. XR4 replicates the accessibility and fun of the original Mini Cooper with the added ability and refinement to be a docile weekday commuter. Its dependence on cubic inches, not multi-valves or turbocharger, gives it the same big-hearted feel from low revs as an Aussie V8, only in miniature.
BMW X5
Overshadowing even its more expensive V8 counterpart, the new X5 3.0d is a wonderfully balanced, refined and capable piece of kit that is also remarkably frugal. It provides a serene and undemanding environment akin to a lounge room thanks to its higher profile tyres and slightly softer presentation. If I needed lounging room for more than one or two people, there would be one in my garage already.
Russell Williamson
Reviewer
Audi RS4 Avant
Few other cars combine performance and practicality like it. Although it slipped onto sales lists right at the end of 2006, it was one of this tester's favourite drives of 2007 thanks to a mix of near-supercar performance and a practical five-seat compact wagon. Thanks to its 309kW V8, the Audi claims a sub-5.0sec 0-100kmh time. What the numbers don't show readily is the blend of torque and rev-ability -- the engine will happily growl right through to near-8000rpm yet 90 per cent on max torque is on tap from 2250-7600rpm. Our only gripe is the $170K sticker.
Volvo C30 T5
C30 is the 'form-over-function' model that has the potential to change Volvo's staid image once and for all. With echoes of the 1960s P1800 coupe, its distinctive presence gives it street cred and being based on the same platform that spawned the Ford Focus/Mazda3 and Volvo S40/V50, the C30 is also a fun drive. It's a Volvo Jim but not as we know it... And ain't that a good thing.
VW Golf GT
When VW launched a Golf with a 1.4-litre petrol engine and called it a GT, you may well have heard the cackling up the back of the room. But the secret to this car is the world's first volume production 'twincharger' engine that combines super and turbocharging to generate 125kW and 240Nm -- and usuable power from idle to redline. We managed to return better than 7.5L/100km (better than the official slurping rate of 7.7L/100km), but it was the drive that impressed. Volkswagen may well be onto a viable answer to the ever-pressing performance/environment conundrum.
BMW 335i
When BMW introduced the new mag-alloy 190kW/300Nm 3.0-litre straight six, it was loudly proclaimed as one the best sixes ever. Then it went one better -- the 335i's twin-turbo six added 35kW and a huge 100Nm without any sacrifice in the refinement. Available in coupe, sedan, coupe-cabriolet and, soon, wagon variants, the 335i may just be one of the best examples yet of a wolf in a woolly coat.
Mike McCarthy
Reviewer
Audi TT 2.0 TFSI Roadster
Proof that front-drive and sports-roadster spirit aren't mutually exclusive. Although the TT Roadster also offers a V6/quattro awd drivetrain option, the turbocharged 2.0-litre's performance is more than 'oomphy' enough for most needs or tastes. Besides, the four-cylinder's lighter front-end contributes meaningfully to the 2.0's patently well rounded, well balanced driving qualities. The TT Roadster 2.0 points where you steer it, brakes strongly, has adhesive roadholding and handles with surefooted direction. As a bonus, the turbo huffs and puffs lightly but enthusiastically, especially with the top down.
Holden Commodore VE Ute
The perhaps surprising but indeed welcome fact is that this not-so-humble load-lugger re-writes the utility book for userfriendly functionality and dynamics. Indeed, the chassis engineering most emphatically distances Holden's new hauler from pre-VE utes. The VE has the ride, refinement and handling that put its driving squarely in the car category; the driver's-car category at that.
Renault Sport Clio F1 Team R27
Although only driven at a test track (in France), and it won't reach Oz until second-quarter of 2008, the R27 immediately joined the original Mazda MX-5 and Honda Integra Type R in a special corner of my memory bank. Don't know how the MX-5's 'Jinba Ittai' philosophy translates to French, but the R27 has that same rare sense of oneness between horse and rider. And like the renowned original Type R, the R27's 145KW 2.0-litre engine and manual six-speeder are a marriage made in heaven.
Mazda 6
In looks, the second-generation Mazda 6 (due locally early '08) shares virtually nothing with its so-successful predecessor. And while the mechanical specifications have strong links with the past, seemingly small differences (in the engine, suspension, steering and brakes for example) add up to more than the sum of their parts.
Gautam Sharma
International Newshound
Land Rover Freelander II
Land Rover has finally nailed it: excellent all-round dynamics and attractive packaging has forever banished memories of dud predecessor.
Honda Accord
Not arriving Down Under until early in 2008, but improved styling clothes a very competent midsizer. Refined, agile (particularly in four-cylinder form) and well built -- it's shaping up as a real Camry basher
Audi R8
Not exactly cheap, but still good value for what it represents -- essentially a more accessible Lamborghini. Highlights are its jaw-dropping looks, sonorous V8, practicality and sheer fun factor.
Nissan GTR
Creating a Porsche 911 Turbo rival is a tall order in itself, but to achieve that in a package that costs less than half as much is astonishing. Racecar dynamics (and, unfortunately, ride quality) in a car you can drive everyday.
Otto Insider
Auto industry diarist
Chrysler Nassau
As someone who has their eyes firmly fixed on the future, the best four cars of 2007 aren't for sale yet, but they would be if Otto ruled the world... Any way, Nassau has been my favourite place on earth since the James Bond movie Thunderball and how do you go past 10-spoke 22-inch alloys, a taut five-door body with nary a line out of place (unusual for Chrysler, let's face it), and oh, yes, a stonking great V8 under the hood, ah, bonnet. What's not to like? If Joe90 was making a comeback, instead of Michael Knight, I reckon he'd be a Monte for the bejewelled Nassau.
Ford Interceptor
Captain Scarlett, however, would probably trade chasing the Mysterons for a week or three behind the wheel of the Ford Interceptor, if the 2007 Detroit Motor Show concept could be run down the production lines at Henry's joint in the near future. Claims to recall the sporty elegance of 1960s sedans but I like it because it is based on the Ford Mustang, and runs a Ford Racing 5.0-litre Cammer engine. Imagine how crime would evaporate if the rozzers were thus mounted. Maybe Capt Scarlett was the wrong call. Ideal wheels for RoboCop III, instead?
Suzuki Kizashi
Gesundheit. Now of course every Ginza dreamer worth his Teppanyaki is drooling over the return of the Nissan GT-R, but even more earth-shattering derring-do is afoot at Suzuki. Might sound like it belongs on the menu, or look like it has escaped from the sequel to Who Killed Roger Wabbit, but you have to admit Kizashi's sleek, seductive lines. The name means 'prelude' or 'foretaste' in Suzuki's mother tongue, but I reckon 'foreplay' is closer to the mark, judging by the teasing going on.
Stola Coupe
Finally, as Auto Emperor, I order the Stola Concept be produced. It starred at the 77th Geneva flash fest and I'm thinking Gerry Anderson should be awoken roughly and ordered to create a new Thunderbirds series just to feature this machine. Unplug Lady P from the Supertanner deluxe Mk III and get her in the back of this baby. Brabus provides the worked 6.3 V12 (natch) and it rides on 315/25 22 Pirelli rubber. Each tyre has its own postcode. Parker. Bring the car round. Now. We're going hunting.
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