Motoring

MOTORING JIM BARNETT Not without Aussie-designed kit 34 Terracan sits on a separate ladder STANDARD FEATURES INCLUDE: chassis and features torsion bars with Police Journal double wishbones up front and a coil- * Pollen-filtering air conditioning. sprung rear end. Its part-time 4WD * Cruise control. system is easy to operate using a * Alloy wheels. rotary switch mounted on the console. * Dual front airbags. April 2005 Changes between 2H and 4H can be * ABS. made on the run and low range * MP3-capable sound system. reduction is good, even on the auto. * Central locking with alarm. When the Police Journal first www * Power windows and mirrors. featured Terracan (September 2002), * Roof rails. .policejournalsa.org.au it was not impressed with the * Three 12-volt power sockets. vehicle's suspension on secondary roads. Hyundai has addressed this issue with an optional Australian- Manual diesel prices start at designed Trek n Tow suspension kit. $37,490 ($2,000 more than the value- F Consisting of Eibach springs and priced 3.5-litre petrol) with auto or those who want to head This compares more than Edelbrock shock absorbers, the kit transmission taking the price to further into the bush but operate favourably with the petrol motor was fitted to a Police Journal test $39,590. Terracan Highlander CRDi, on a tight budget, Hyundai's which produces 145kW and 302Nm. vehicle, which performed impeccably. which features a more advanced full- Terracan is hard to beat. It is claimed It competes well with the opposition Ride quality, handling and safety are time 4WD system, climate control, to be the most affordable seven-seat, and provides Terrecan with enhanced all improved, and the vehicle gains and leather and woodgrain, costs dual-range 4WD on the market. Up towing and off-road performance. better ground clearance, increased $4,000 more. until now, it was offered in two well- The other huge advantage of the towing capacity while suffering less These prices are thousands of specified models, each powered by a diesel is its excellent fuel economy. body roll. dollars less than that of a similarly competent 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine. Hyundai claims just over 10L/100km, A test drive of an automatic equipped Pajero or Prado. Hyundai has made Terracan more as compared to Terracan's petrol Terracan CRDi proved that Hyundai Recommend, however ­ particularly appealing with the introduction of an sibling, which drinks half as much has put together a solid product at a for towing or off-road use ­ is the advanced turbo-diesel engine. The 2.9- again (around 15.5L/100km). hard-to-beat price. Around town and $1,990 suspension kit. litre four-cylinder CRDi (Common Rail Hyundai likes to point out that, in the on the highway it's quiet and pleasant Direct Injection) diesel features double Energy Wise Rally held in New to drive. At 110km/h, the efficient overhead camshafts and an air-to-air Zealand last November, Terracan diesel is ticking over at a leisurely intercooler. It produces an impressive CRDi topped the Large/Lifestyle 2,200rpm with stacks in reserve. 120kW of power at 3,800rpm and a vehicle class with economy of Nicely laid out, Terracan has a credible 345Nm of torque at between 7.29L/100km in a mix of urban and comfortable, spacious interior and is 1,750 and 3,000rpm. rural driving. an effective multi-purpose vehicle. SEE AND DRIVE THE FULL RANGE OF "HYUNDAI" AT STILLWELL HYUNDAI Phone Ron at Prospect on 8269 6666 or Grant at Ingle Farm on 8262 6916 for your Special "Police" Deal 8262 6916 Cnr Bridge and Montague Rds, Ingle Farm 8269 6666 TUCSON 26 Main North Rd, Medindie Youthful appeal 35 front wheels. As road conditions and good number of storage bins, trays Police Journal Korean carmaker, Hyundai, has introduced yet another new torque demand changes, the system and cup holders. model to its ever-expanding automatically diverts up to 50 per On the road, Tuscon's town and range. Tuscon is a smart-looking, cent of the available power to the highway manners are pretty good. compact AWD (all-wheel drive) SUV rear wheels. The engine is willing, quiet and works April 2005 which, according to Hyundai, will Drivers can manually lock the extremely well with the flexible appeal to young, active singles, system into 4WD to provide a 50/50 transmission. It's quick off the line but couples or young families. torque split, which is handy in more can suffer torque steer if pushed hard. Its competitors will be Mitsubishi's difficult terrain. Also influencing its Once up and running, it's a delight and www Outlander, Honda's CRV, RAV4, drive train are traction control and four- offers a ride and handling which are .policejournalsa.org.au Nissan's X-Trail and Subaru's Forester. channel ABS with EBD (Electronic well-sorted. It feels equally at home Tuscon complements Hyundai's Brake force Distribution). on secondary roads, as the existing Santa Fe AWD and Terracan Outside, Tuscon features a wide suspension easily soaks up the 4WD range. It's available in two body, smart profile, short front and biggest of bumps. model specification levels ­ Tuscon Like everything in this class, this is rear overhangs and reasonable ground and Tuscon Elite ­ each of which is no serious off-road machine. With powered by the same 2.7-litre all-alloy clearance, although the exhaust proper care it could be taken a quad cam V6 engine that features in remains vulnerable. multitude of places. This market is the slightly larger Santa Fe. In Inside, it's fresh, smart and airy with crowded, but Tuscon is keenly Tuscon, it produces an impressive good visibility from all seating priced, highly specified and one of 129kW of power at 6,000rpm and positions. Seats are firm but the most powerful. offers a respectable 241Nm of torque generous and provide good levels of On test, it averaged 13.1 litres per at 4,000rpm. comfort for all passengers. The 100km, a little more than some of its This makes Tuscon one of the most spacious rear seat comes with multi- four-cylinder opposition might use. powerful in this class; and its $29,990 adjustable back supports. starting price, Hyundai likes to point A handy feature for quick access to STANDARD FEATURES INCLUDE: out, makes it the only V6 in this class smaller items is Tucson's lift-up below the $30,000 price barrier. tailgate with its flip-up glass window. * Alloy wheels. The only transmission on offer is a Cargo space is generous and * Dual airbags. smooth four-speed Selectronic quickly converted into a much larger * Air conditioning. adaptive automatic, with a clutchless space with a flat floor by dropping one * CD MP3 Audio. sequential manual mode. or both of the 60/40-split rear seats. * Power windows. Tuscon features an on-demand all- The front left seat drops completely * Keyless entry with alarm. wheel-drive system that generally flat to carry long items such as a * Cruise control. delivers all available power to the surfboard. Designers have included a SEE AND DRIVE THE FULL RANGE OF ELANTRA "HYUNDAI" AT STILLWELL HYUNDAI Phone Ron at Prospect on 8269 6666 or Grant at Ingle Farm on 8262 6916 for your Special "Police" Deal 8262 6916 Cnr Bridge and Montague Rds, Ingle Farm 8269 6666 26 Main North Rd, Medindie PATROL OVERHAULED 36 Nissan's tough-as-old- A new centre console features a In addition, the popular ST features: boots Patrol has received a higher armrest but, in spite of all the Police Journal substantial facelift for 2005. improvements, it's still hard to find a * Alloy wheels. In addition to interior and exterior spot to mount easily a CB or two- * Power windows. improvements, it gets more way radio. * Dual airbags. equipment, more power on some A new satellite navigation system * New moquette trim. April 2005 models and a new model variant. with rear-facing camera is standard * Cruise control (on TD42 and While some manufacturers have fitment to top-spec Ti and available as TB48 only). softened their latest 4x4s, Nissan has an option on all seven-seat models. * Keyless entry. maintained Patrol's legendary Some models feature handy flip- * Colour-coded bumpers. www toughness. In fact, Patrol continues to down tables attached to the rear of .policejournalsa.org.au be one of the most capable and robust each front seat. New ST-S features Alcantara seat 4WD wagons on the Australian market. Patrol's new model line-up consists trim, ABS, and rear tables, while On the outside, nearly every panel of five-seat DX, seven-seat ST, ST-S, ST-L has leather trim, rear air has been revamped on all seven-seat ST-L and the range topping Ti. conditioning and power front seats. models. Up front are a new grille, DX and all ST variants are powered In addition, Ti features: lights and bumper, with the bonnet by the popular ZD30 3.0-litre turbo also receiving surgery. diesel engine with a choice of four- * Satellite navigation system. Patrol's profile is enhanced with speed automatic or five-speed * Rear-seat DVD. new over-fenders, integrated side manual transmissions. They can also * Six-disc CD audio. steps and bigger 17-inch alloy be fitted with the larger TD42 4.2-litre * Tilt/slide sunroof. wheels. A new bumper bar is the most turbo diesel mated to a five-speed * Side impact airbags. noticeable change to the rear end. manual transmission. Nissan hasn't messed with the roof ST-S and ST-L can be optioned with While the TD42 and TB48 engines and, much to the delight of many Nissan's powerful TB48 4.8-litre six- remain unchanged, the 3.0-litre diesel serious off-roaders, Patrol still has rain cylinder petrol engine with a choice has been tweaked to provide a modest gutters for bolting on that old roof rack. of five-speed manual or five-speed power increase and a substantial Inside, Patrol comes with a automatic with manual shift mode. increase in torque. However, the completely redesigned dashboard Top-spec Ti is only available with the increased torque is only realized on which features a new instrument big-six petrol engine and the five- manual models. Modifications to the cluster, shut vents and a revamped speed auto transmission. injector pump, injector nozzles, exhaust central facia. DX is available with three wheel system and reduced engine friction Redesigned seats provide greater packages, including split rims for the provide an additional 26Nm of torque comfort and are available in new outback diehards. It also has new and 2kW of power. Alcantara and leather trim on cloth trim, air conditioning, driver's air Power output is now 118kW with a selected models. bag, central lock and CD as standard. healthy 380Nm of torque available with THINKING 4X4? - THINK NORTH EAST Nissan X-Trail Mention this ad to receive e! $300 of free accessories when you sign up on any new Nissan. The Dealer that gives you mor People you'll like to do business with 8368 6000 490 North East Road, Windsor Gardens MORE CHOICE * MORE SAVINGS * MORE QUALITY SERVICE Patrol continues to be one of the most capable and robust 4WD wagons on the Australian market. 37 Police Journal April 2005 www .policejournalsa.org.au manual transmission and 354Nm with articulation and one of the best low- really shines. Nissan claims it will applications, including medium the auto. Maximum toque with each range reductions available. Not on climb a 39-degree gradient and wade towing. It also gives excellent fuel transmission is realized at 2,000rpm. offer are fancy electronic driver aids, through 700mm of water. economy, especially in light of Patrol sits on a big ladder chassis such as traction control, swerve Prices for the DX start at $49,540, Patrol's size and weight. and features coil-sprung live axles in control or hill-decent control. But who the ST at $51,990, the ST-S at $53,990 It's not unusual to hear of economy the front and rear. It features a part- needs them when Patrol keeps all and the ST-L at $58,240 (all 3.0-litre figures of sub-10L/100km on the time two-speed transfer case with four paws on the ground long after diesel manual). Automatic transmission highway. With Patrol's big 125-litre auto-locking hubs that also feature a most others have given up. adds around $3,000, while the 4.2-litre tanks, the diesel has an excellent manual positive-lock system. One The Police Journal test-drove a 3.0- diesel adds around $7,000. The range- touring range. can make changes between 2H and litre diesel ST-S with automatic topping Ti costs $77,490. The only disappointment is the lack 4H on the run with the hubs transmission. The sheer weight of this The price of the ever-popular 3.0 of cruise control with the 3.0-litre automatically engaging. In difficult excellent highway cruiser provides a litre ST represents very good value, diesel motor. sand, one can manually lock the hubs solid road presence. But, pushed into especially when Nissan Australia using a wheel brace to prevent corners, Patrol is quite agile. regularly throws in a bull bar, driving unwanted unlocking. On secondary roads it soaks up the lights and tow bar at no extra cost. Patrol has good ground clearance, worst bumps and corrugations with The baby diesel has proved long wheel travel, excellent axle ease, but it is off road where Patrol powerful enough for most THINKING 4X4? - THINK NORTH EAST Nissan Patrol ST Mention this ad to receive e! $300 of free accessories when you sign up on any new Nissan. The Dealer that gives you mor People you'll like to do business with 8368 6000 490 North East Road, Windsor Gardens MORE CHOICE * MORE SAVINGS * MORE QUALITY SERVICE