Ben’s Car Blog

I love car magazines. I love free stuff. What’s not to love about a free on-line car magazine?

Winding Road is literally free, yet it’s a propper car magazine. It’s free because they have almost no distribution costs. All their costs are paid through their advertising.

WR focus on what could be loosely called drivers cars so the uncharitable could say that they’re avoiding things that they’ll have to say are awful. They’re based in the US so they’ll occaisionally feature things that people in the rest of the world don’t get (or are spared). I’ve often heard my US-based car-blogging friends complain that the US auto press are scared to say that “domestic” cars are any good or to criticise foreign cars, particularly Honda and BMW. The current issue of WR has a US v. Europe feature and if you think the results are obvious, it’s worth a read.

At the Melbourne Motorshow Ford Australia are previewing a bunch of interesting cars, all of which are enough to make Joe from My Ford Dreams green with envy.

First we have the Turbo Territory. 245kw or 330-odd horsepower in a BMW X5 sized urban assault vehicle. Why Ford North America dropped the ball on the amazingly dull Freestyle I don’t know. I can’t really see myself in a Turbo Terror but the press here thinks a reguluar Territory is a better can than an X5 so here’s hoping they sell a stack of them.

Memo to Ford NA: you want need the Falcon and Territory. If Ford.au can build these cars for the tiny Australian market (and teensy-tiny exports to NZ and South Africa) and price them well and spec them well (electrically adjustable pedals anyone!) then even if Ford NA have to re-tool a bunch of factories I’ll bet they’ll sell more Falcons and Territories than 500s and Crown Vics put together. (PS: our Fairlane is three times the car the Crown Vic is.)

Moving into cars that I’m more interested in, there’s the Focus XR5. Now that’s what I’m talking about! Who needs a Golf GTi?

Channel 10’s “creativity” knows no bounds. DriveTV is a pretty much direct rip-off of Top Gear, from the unseated audience to the mystery driver who posts times in hot cars for comparison. Sadly, on DriveTV they mystery driver’s name is “The Chip” which is much less enigmatic than TopGear’s “The Stig”.

Michael Stahl, one of my favourite motoring journos, is the main presenter. He’s no Clarkson but with only one episode under his belt he might loosen up in a while.

It’s on Saturdays @ 4pm. If you’ve never seen TopGear, DriveTV is probably a revalation. If you have, well, it’s almost there.

CarsGuide has a very poor storyby Paul Gover on the (un)likelyhood of a new RX-7.

There will be no new Mazda RX-7. That is the message, loud and clear, at the Tokyo Motor Show.

This line makes me think that an “RX-3″ is more and more likely:

But Mazda continues to deny plans to put a born-again RX-7 into its line-up. It says it has more than enough sports-car coverage with the MX-5 and RX-8.

I also like this:

Mazda Australia’s former managing director, Malcolm Gough, who is now general manager of overseas sales at Mazda headquarters in Hiroshima, says: “There is no plan for an RX-7. There is nothing firm. So far as I know, nothing is happening.”

It reminds me of Seargent Schultz from Hogan’s Hero’s. “I know nothing! Nothing!”.

Let’s not even discuss the “1980s RX-3″ part at the end. RX-3s ceased production in 1976, as can be ascertained from the Mazda Australia website.

SBS has licenced two series of Top Gear from the BBC. Cool.

This is really tempting (though it’s probably false economy, too) — I was watching the Australian Motorshow webcast and Doug Dickson announced the new Mazda6 diesel with Mazda’s award winning MZR-CD engine. Now that’s what I’m talking about.

There’s still no information on the Mazda Australia website but all going by the extensive press release from March this year on Autoweb the diesel cars will only come with the new 6-speed manual. There are apparently 2 versions of the engine one with lower power rating and one higher. Both are quoted as having the same Co2 emmissions and fuel economy. Overseas the diesels are available in the sedan, hatch and wagon body styles. I’m not sure which we’ll get but I’m guessing we won’t get all three (six counting engine variations) which is a shame because I could really dig a high-power 6-speed diesel Mazda6 wagon.

Dear Mr Dickson — please approve the wagon. Please!

Today is obviously the end of the embargo on the new Mitsubishi 380 so it’s all over the ‘net and the papers.

See it at:

• Carsguide
• Drive
• Extensive coverage at CarPoint courtesy of Wheels 1, 2, 3
• Fullboost (including the best shot of the dash on the ‘net)

On the whole impressions are positive. Here’s hoping that they sell a heap of them.

Interesting editorial over at The Truth About Cars on GM’s expansion into China. Short version: Robert Farago thinks it’s a bad idea.

GM Death Watch XXVIII: Distant Waters

CarsGuide interviews Denny Mooney, Holden’s CEO.

Basically: Things are tough right now; VE will be really good; Ford beat us with Territory and we don’t have a counter-punch; small Korean cars will let us win the price war.

How are things at Holden?

Things are pretty difficult right now.

Anytime you make an announcement like we made on the third shift is difficult for everybody. Not just the people at the plant and their families. Everyone wonders what’s going on in the business and the future of the business.

It’s not unlike what’s going on in the auto business worldwide. I tell people that if they don’t like cars and you don’t like competition, they might not want to be in the auto business.

It’s certainly not the most positive of interviews.

(Holden crisis talks - Exclusive interview

Tom Phillips, CEO of Mitsubisi Motors Australia and star of their recent ad campaign has resigned.

(Mitsubishi chief announces departure)