Butch Ranger

Issue 1 ● May 2009
MOTOR MONTHLY
Aussie-designed show truck points the way to Ford’s next ute
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Butch Ranger
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Publisher
John Mellor
Editorial
GoAuto Media
Editor
David Hassall
Production
Luc Britten
Chris Harris
Sub editor
Ron Hammerton
Contributors
Marton Pettendy
Byron Mathioudakis
Ian Porter
Terry Martin
James Stanford
Philip Lord
iSelect’s
MOTOR MONTHLY
FC Hammer
Honda supercar proves we
can still be hip and green
It’s good to be 3
Mazda hatches another magic number
Compare, Select and Save
Issue 1 ● May 2009
The Max Factor
Tough new concept is more
than just a cosmetic make-over
Lambo chop
Lamborghini serves up its hot
new 5.2-litre Gallardo Spyder
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\\ Honda FC Sport concept
FC Hammer
Honda supercar proves we can still be hip and green
By BYRON MATHIOUDAKIS
HONDA has rolled out yet another
supercar concept, but one with a very
big twist.
Looking like a cross between a Lamborghini
Countach in silhouette, Clarence the crosseyed
lion front-on and a modern jet-fighter
from behind, the FC Sport design study is a
hydrogen-powered electric concept vehicle.
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It is based on the FCX Clarity sedan that
is available in very limited and controlled
numbers for lease in Japan and some parts of
the United States.
Do not get too excited, though, because this
is merely a show car that has been devised to
give us a glimpse of what Honda may conjure
up some time in the latter part of the next
decade.
Nevertheless, the FC Sport has been
designed to display the myriad new packaging
possibilities of fuel-cell technology within a
supercar framework.
Among its many features are a staggered
three-person seating arrangement (similar
to the McLaren F1 supercar), a low centre
of gravity and, of course, absolutely zero
emissions.
At the FC Sport Concept’s heart is the
Clarity’s ‘V Flow’ fuel cell technology –
carefully arranged in a modular format to
maximise packaging – to provide what Honda
calls “supercar levels of performance”.
Aiding this is a thorough low-weight regime
and systematically-honed aerodynamics. Most
of the car’s mass is centred between the front
and rear axles, creating “a balanced” weight
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Hard cell: Honda utilises the FCX Clarity
sedan’s fuel-cell platform but introduces
an innovative body and interior layout.
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distribution outcome – although the
Japanese company has not revealed
what the actual figures are.
Honda says the modular formation
of the fuel cell stack and related
components ideally demonstrates
what can be achieved with a platformspecific,
hydrogen-powered fuel cell
powertrain.
The latter lives between the rear
seats, with a battery pack residing low
in the centre of the FC Sport, while the
electric motor itself is located forward
of the rear axle.
Onlookers might also spot the pair
of hydrogen fuel storage tanks situated
above the rear axle – an addition
that Honda likens to a faring-free
superbike showing off its engineering
and technological prowess.
This opens up a relatively spacious
cabin for a supercar, with enough
room for a trio of seats.
Like the iconic McLaren supercar of
the 1990s, the driver’s pew is placed
in the middle in what Honda refers to
as a “race car-like” cockpit, flanked by
the lucky pair of passengers on either
side and just behind. Entry and egress
occurs via a rear-opening canopy that
lifts upwards.
According to Honda, the FC Sport’s
“sleek, low-profile body is designed to
convey a high-technology appearance
with sculpting that combines angular
shapes in the front of the vehicle that
taper into geometric, hex forms in the
rear”.
Radiators in the rear ‘hex’ cool
the fuel cell stack while high-speed
aerodynamics are aided by Formula
1-style ‘barge boards’ behind the front
wheels.
Besides running on hydrogen power
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4 /13

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TM .
Kia Soul five-door hatch range
KIA hopes its new small car, the Soul will do much
more than slightly boost its share of the small-car
class. It says it expects to sell only 400 examples
of the five-seat five-door hatchback through its
108 dealers this year, at an annualised sales rate
of around 534 cars – barely a drop in the smallcar
ocean. > FULL STORY
Audi Q5 five-door wagon
THE newest member of Audi’s Q family is now
available in Australia after this week’s launch
of the mid-sized Q5 SUV, which will be a key
component of the ambitious German car-maker’s
bid to overtake BMW and Mercedes-Benz as the
nation’s top-selling luxury vehicle brand by as early
as 2012.
> FULL STORY
Volkswagen Golf VI hatch
VOLKSWAGEN’S sixth-generation Golf may look
similar to the outgoing model, but new drivetrains,
improved refinement, more features and increased
safety mean the premium small-car stalwart
continues to evolve after 35 years (33 in Australia)
and 26 million-plus sales worldwide.
> FULL STORY
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Lambo to the slaughter:
FC Sport has more than hint of the
Lamborghini Countach in side profile.
and boasting lightweight construction, the FC
Sport’s environmental credentials run to green
construction techniques that are designed to
reduce this car’s carbon footprint.
“An organic, bio-structure theme is carried
through to the body construction where
exterior panels are intended to use plantderived
bio-plastics,” Honda states.
Reflecting this is the concept’s Glacier
White body colour, with Honda choosing
dark wheels and a heavily tinted glasshouse
to provide a symbolic contrast “befitting the
vehicle’s unique combination of clean power
and high performance”.
Development proceeded at Honda’s
Advanced Design Studio in Pasadena,
California, under the leadership of designer
Jason Wilbur, with the express objective of
using existing fuel cell technology as the basis
for an ultimate Honda sports car.
Honda Research and Development Americas,
which runs the studio, commenced in 1975
with local market research activities and has
steadily grown to encompass all aspects of
new vehicle design and development.
Although Australians have not been privy
to some of its more recent work, visitors to
America will see the company’s signature
work in models such as the big Pilot SUV, USonly
Ridgeline truck, boxy Element ‘lifestyle’
vehicle and pretty Civic Coupe.
Honda has another California design centre
specifically for its upmarket Acura brand
located in Torrance among 11 R&D facilities
in North America alone.
“The Honda FC Sport explores how to satisfy
automotive performance enthusiasts in a world
beyond petroleum,” said American Honda
Motor Company vice-president Dan Bonawitz.
“People who love sports cars will still
have a reason to love in a hydrogen-powered
MOTOR
future.”
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By TERRY MARTIN
FORD displayed an Australian-designed
show truck at the Thailand International
Motor Expo in Bangkok late last year,
demonstrating the design direction the Blue
Oval brand is taking for the next-generation
Ranger one-tonne ute.
Due for release in 2010 – although the
current economic conditions could see that
pushed back – the next-generation Ranger is
being designed and engineered in Australia on
a new global platform codenamed T6, and this
is the first indication of what the vehicle will
look like.
The sporting intentions are obvious,
which is a significant move considering the
unremarkable sales of the current version
and the emergence of high-performance light
trucks Down Under – not to mention the
question mark hanging over the medium- to
long-term future of Falcon-based utilities.
Ford Ranger Max //
The Max Factor
Tough new concept is more than
just a cosmetic make-over
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Questions over the Falcon Ute have arisen
in recent times after Ford Motor Co placed its
global rear-wheel drive development program
on hold and revealed that it was considering a
front-wheel drive future for the Falcon.
Such a move could mean the end of the
popular and iconic Falcon-based utes as we
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know them, or at least a radical shift. It could
also see the end of Falcon ute production
in Australia, which in turn could see the
Ranger – which is currently built in Thailand
– rolling down the assembly line at Ford’s
Broadmeadows plant in Victoria.
Being built off a workhorse (rather than
passenger car) platform virtually guarantees the
Ranger will never be in the same performance
league as the Falcon ute.
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Mechanical specifications for the nextgeneration
truck are still to be divulged, but
the concept shown here, known as the Ranger
Max, at least features a strong and sporting new
design with a number of elements expected to
make it onto the production version.
Note in particular the big three-bar chrome
grille, bonnet ‘power dome’, deep-dish 18inch
alloy wheels, a unique crossbar/sports
bar (sculpted with air scoops and integrated
grabhandles) that runs across the back of the
cab, and a customised remote-control hard
tonneau that covers the tub.
Chief designer Paul Gibson, who works
with Ford’s Australian-based Asia Pacific and
Africa development team, confirmed that the
Ranger Max carried design cues that could be
seen in the forthcoming all-new model.
“The Ranger Max is not just about creating
show excitement,” said Mr Gibson. “We have
Away in a Ranger … with a tray for a bed.
a great opportunity to test design themes that
may make their way into production.
“Ranger Max says exciting things about the
possibilities for truck fans in Ranger’s future.
“When you look at the front design, the
three-bar grille, the overt nostrils and open
mouth, you’re looking straight into the face of
Ranger’s evolution. There are design elements
we are developing and Ranger Max is one
possibility.
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7 /13

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Throbbin’ Hood: Ranger Max bonnet
features a distinctive power dome.
“We’ve crafted the face of the Ranger Max
to explore a new look. Elements from it could
evolve into the new identity of Ford Ranger.”
Likening the Ranger design to a modern
industrial tool, Mr Gibson said the orange
paintwork with matte black accents was
inspired by the functional design found in
power tools, which he says also explains the
lack of fancy chrome.
Other inspirations apparently came from
active sports such as rock climbing.
“We know Ranger is tough and durable, and
Ranger Max adds to those qualities,” said Mr
Gibson. “The show truck does not follow a
trend; it sets a new tough style direction for
compact trucks.
“Ranger Max is genuinely tough, and it is a
truck that gets the job done. This high-impact
show truck also has the bold visual presence
that looks great on the urban scene.
“It wasn’t meant to be elegant or pretty. The
robust nature of Ranger means that it is the
dependable workhorse, and with Ranger Max we
wanted to create a show truck that is cool as hell.
“Ranger is respected and Ranger Max
amplifies that identity, which gives it a modern
and youthful character that’s really suited to
sporting and social activities, too.”
The Melbourne-based designer graduated
from the Royal College of Art in London
before heading south in 1990 to lend a hand
on several Falcon projects, including EBII and
V8 race cars.
Two years later Mr Gibson moved to Ford’s
world HQ in Michigan, where he spent four years
working on the Thunderbird and Ford Minivan
exteriors, before moving to Ghia’s Italian
design studio to work on a Lincoln show car, as
well as the Ford GT Concept and the Europeonly
‘Streetka’ Ka convertible, then in the vital
preliminary stages of the second-generation
Focus in Cologne, Germany. MOTOR
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\\ Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder
Lambo chop
Lamborghini serves up its hot
new 5.2-litre Gallardo Spyder
By DAVID HASSALL
LAMBORGHINI introduced the
convertible version of its Gallardo
LP560-4 to Australian enthusiasts at
the recent Melbourne Motor Show, six months
after the Coupe went on sale here.
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However, the LP560-4 Spyder will not go
on sale here until the second half of this year,
and buyers had better have deep pockets.
Although exact pricing will not be
announced until the car is officially launched
here, the $475,000 price of the Coupe
indicates that the new Convertible may cost
around $520,000.
Like the new Coupe, the Gallardo LP560-
4 Spyder (is the German spelling of ‘Spider’
because Lamborghini is part of the VW
Group?) comes with significant drivetrain and
chassis upgrades in addition to a mild exterior
makeover.
Power comes from a new direct-injection
5.2-litre V10 engine courtesy of the VW Group
parent company and is similar to that found in
the Audi S6 and S8.
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However, while the
Gallardo shares its 540Nm
peak torque output with the
Audis, its 412kW of power
(or 560 horsepower, and
hence the new model name) at
some 8000rpm easily eclipses
the peak figures of both the
S6 and S8, which produce
‘only’ 320kW and 331kW
respectively.
With 30kW and 30Nm more
than the outgoing Gallardo
Spyder’s 382kW/510Nm
5.0-litre V10, and with the
latest Gallardo being 20kg
lighter than before, the soft-top
is consequently considerably
faster than before.
Driving all four wheels
through a new, lighter
transmission that is claimed
to allow 40 percent faster
shift times by (Corsa Mode),
the new Gallardo Spyder has
a claimed top speed of 201
miles per hour (323km/h) and
accelerates from 0-100km/h in
4.0 seconds – 0.3s faster than
the superseded model.
At the same time, Automobili
Lamborghini says that the
fuel consumption and CO2
emissions have been reduced
by 18 percent.
As well as a new chassis
and suspension set-up, the
LP560-4 Spyder wears the
same subtly new front bumper
and headlights with daytime
running lights as the Coupe,
plus a new rear fascia with
LED tail-lights and revised
rear air-diffuser, which
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contributes to a claimed 31
per cent better aerodynamic
efficiency.
“The new LP560-4 Spyder
adds another dimension to
the Gallardo’s lineage with
extreme design language and
class-leading performance,”
said Automobili Lamborghini
president and CEO Stephan
Winkelmann at the car’s world
premiere in Los Angeles.
“The open version of the
successful Gallardo LP560-4
is the result of Lamborghini’s
two-model strategy including
the Gallardo and Murcielago.
“As the successor to the
best-selling Lamborghini of
all time, the new LP560-4
Spyder combines the Coupe’s
design, performance and
handling characteristics with
the open-air pleasure only a
soft-top super-sportscar can
deliver.
“As the brand’s largest
global market, the United
States – specifically Southern
California – was strategically
chosen as the perfect
location to unveil this car. In
2007, Southern California
contributed to approximately
30 percent of all Lamborghini
sales in the United States,
maintaining its position as
the country’s most successful
region.”
Lamborghini has built more
than 8500 Gallardos since it
was introduced in 2003 and in
2007 the US accounted for 39
per cent of sales. MOTOR
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By BYRON MATHIOUDAKIS
ARGUABLY the most important new
car of 2009 has arrived in the form
of the second-generation Mazda3
– Australia’s most popular car with private
buyers in recent years.
On sale now from $21,990 (a $500 increase
over the old Neo Sport), it is not new from
the ground up, but the recently independent
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Japanese company has redesigned the body to
make it larger, roomier and more refined.
Revised drivetrains, better safety – including
electronic stability control (ESC) for all models
– more convenience features, improved driving
dynamics, greater refinement and expected
price increases complete the new BL-series
Mazda3 picture.
More than 90 per cent of the car is now
Mazda3 hatch //
It’s good
to be
recyclable and Mazda claims the new model
is 11 per cent quieter at 60km/h, but it is also
between 39kg and 76kg heavier than before.
A return to the original Mazda3 model
nomenclature sees the Neo Sport revert to
Neo, Maxx is back, Maxx Sport carries on, and
SP23 turns SP25 to reflect a larger engine.
The Diesel version has been delayed until
next year – “to give the new model space to
3
Mazda hatches
another magic number
breathe”, says one Mazda insider – while the
high-performance MPS model will launch in
about August 2009.
The Mazda3 is the company’s top-selling car
locally as well as globally, so Mazda has chosen
not to mess with the formula this time. Chief
designer Kunihiko Kurisu said the aim was to
have a bolder presence while maintaining the
previous model’s crowd-leasing design theme.
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Two body styles are offered from the start,
again in four-door sedan and five-door hatch
guises, which are 90mm and 45mm longer
than the respective previous models.
Apart from the nose, which loses the grille
but gains an oversized air intake shaped
like those found on other recent Mazdas,
the stylistic form virtually mirrors the old
car. Words like “evolve” and “faithful to the
previous Mazda3” abound in the press blurb.
Mazda says better aerodynamics help
quell noise, vibration and harshness issues,
while increased suspension rigidity, better
placement of vibration-dampening material
and beefed-up body and panel rigidity also
make the small car quieter.
Improved interior quality was another
Mazda goal and this manifests itself in the use
of soft-grained materials on high-visibility
areas such as the top of the dashboard, while
the cabin’s join lines are also slimmer.
A much more efficient air-conditioner is
now fitted, which is good news for Australian
buyers. The heat exchanger is 20 per cent
larger while the air compressor expands by
50 per cent.
Driver comfort levels also rise thanks to
a relocated gearshift, redesigned switches,
buttons and other controls, a larger (4.1-inch)
information display and new technology like
hands-free Bluetooth and MP3 capability.
Mazda has also standardised newly
available satellite navigation in the up-spec
Maxx Sport and SP25, meaning that more
than 50 per cent of cars sold will feature
GPS.
A revised 2.0-litre twin-cam four-cylinder
engine with 108kW of power and 182Nm of
torque powers all petrol Mazda3s, bar the
sports models.
A six-speed manual replaces the old fivespeed,
while four gives way to five speeds
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Down the hatch: Mazda claims the new
five-door hatch is quieter than before.
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in the automatic, which matches the
Honda Civic for ratios and now goes one
better than most others such as the Toyota
Corolla, Ford Focus and Subaru Impreza,
but still trails the new Volkswagen Golf’s
seven-speeder.
Using regular unleaded petrol, the
manual model’s fuel consumption
improves 0.3L/100km to 7.9L/100km,
while the auto’s 8.2L/100km is
0.2L/100km lower than before.
Also on the descent are the Mazda3’s
carbon dioxide emissions, pegged at
193g/km instead of 199g/km.
The SP25’s 2.5-litre unit is a twin-cam
16-valve variable-valve powerplant and
produces 122kW and 227Nm, up from
115kW and 203Nm in the old SP23’s
2.3-litre engine without losing anything in
terms of fuel consumption or emissions.
Mazda calls the carryover MacPherson
strut and multi-link rear suspension
systems “newly evolved”, with
widespread modifications and alterations
to help achieve an improved balance
between handling and ride.
The rack-and-pinion steering system is
a revised electro-hydraulic set-up to help
cut fuel consumption. Turning the wheel
now requires less effort and offers more
linear control, says Mazda.
Brakes are by four-wheel discs with
ABS (with electronic brake-force
distribution and emergency brake assist),
supported by the electronic stability
control and traction control.
Still on safety, dual front airbags,
active front head restraints and intrusionmitigating
brake and clutch pedals are
fitted to all cars, but front-side and tworow
curtain airbags cost $500 extra on the
base Neo. The company believes that at
least 10 per cent of buyers will opt for the
Neo’s Safety Pack.
Mazda is aiming to sell 30,000 BL
Mazda3s a year, with the Neo accounting
for 35 per cent, followed by the Maxx
Sport (30 per cent), SP25 (25 per cent)
and Maxx (10 per cent).
The sedan will account for around 55
per cent of volume (down from 70 per
cent for the previous model), while 45
per cent of all Mazda3s are expected to
be manual. MOTOR
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