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We really should not take it personally. Sliding sales of medium and large cars may have reduced the carpet under Mitsubishi 380, Ford Falcon, Toyota Camry and Holden Commodore manufactured in Aussie over the last decade, but it's a global phenomenon that affects all developed markets of the world. 19659002] Read more: 69 years of Aussie manufacturing
Faced with a craze for SUVs, car sales are staggering – especially the traditional media types – dramatically. Ford sold 56,172 Mondeos across Europe last year, supported by more than 200,000 identical Fusion sales in the United States, but even this combined total is not a patch on its 322,716 European sales 20 years earlier. Or enough to prevent the Blue Oval gradually eliminate much of its pbadenger car line, instead of expanding with EVs, SUVs and trucks.
The new generation Opel / Vauxhall badge (born Holden ZB Commodore / Calais) 72,347 sales in Europe last year – a little less than the old model a year earlier, and a world away from the 384,885 Vectras flagellated by GM in 1997 – while the awesome new generation Toyota Camry was beaten by the RAV4 in the US for the first time In 1965, the Hyundai Sonata suffered the same fate in the face to the growing popularity of Tucson and Santa Fe, while the striking Stinger of Kia has not yet made its effect. the design team was hoping quietly. Six months later, just over 6,000 were sold in the United States, while the Australian business figure stands at 1185, just over half of its European total. It is quite possible that the medium-sized crew of the future will become the new niche – one that mixes the benefits of agility, weight and efficiency of a clean car with a new shine and style (think of the imminent Peugeot 508 coupe-frameless sedan). But where does this leave the current harvest? Exchange on old glories or deserve a rosier future?
You know that there is something in the water when even Toyota stops creating its next generation of Camry. The model eight cycle inherits the promising new platform from Toyota TNGA and brings with it a level of art and refinement of Lexus style that has been foreign to Camry for at least 20 years. The engineering of the lowest common denominator is out; Even though the eighth-generation Camry was designed and built for Americans, the ability to meet challenges is still good.
Read more: The Commodore Holden 2018: From Melbourne to Sydney and Back
Miraculously, it's a feat. In particular, our SL Hybrid test car at $ 40,990, with its ventilated perforated leather seats, its soft touch dashboard and its depth of multi-colored Steel Blonde paint. In some lights, it could be a mushroom. In others, almost mauve
This may seem about as trendy as the repair of a denture, but it really improves the beautiful shape of the Camry. For once, a multitude of creases and crimping lines really contribute to the well-being, although this does not apply to the Camry mouthguard grille or its strange Alice Cooper- rear bumper slots. esque.
The similarly priced Holden Calais, in comparison, feels deeply Germanic. Unlike the almost sumptuous Camry SL, the Calais nameplate no longer reflects a soft and lush finish. Instead, we speak soberly about monochromatic colors, firmly upholstered charcoal leather seats, minimal embellishment and a relatively austere feel. That's the style of Calais 2018, with a hint of striped velvet or chrome luster, although what you lose in the blink of an eye certainly earns you in-depth engineering . There is a stallion hidden under the meaning of the Calais dress.
Priced at $ 37,790, the Ford Mondeo Trend is almost the Calais you have when you do not have Calais. Its sporty leather seats with tactile microfiber centers let you dive into it (unlike the $ 44,790 Titan all-leather seats) while from the outside, you'll never know that this 18-inch Trend is more than three less than Holden.
Stretch to Titanium spec and you copy a visual va-va-voom face (sequential indicators, LED headlights, bad-bad 19s, all-glbad roof, the lot), but that's the Mondeo trend that best fits in Calais. Even the circa-2012 fastback form of Mondeo was clearly the inspiration for Opel on the same style.
The faceted Hyundai Sonata can not compete with the level of choice offered by Toyota, Holden and Ford, or even its distant cousin Kia Stinger. . Only two variants remain on the grid in 2018 – base $ 30,990 Active and charged $ 45,490 Premium, with the same turbo 2.0-liter petrol engine with four and eight-speed automatic as the $ 46,990 Stinger 200S – which means that if you want a sonata with grunt, it's premium or nothing.
Read more: Megatest of mid-size SUVs: introduction
Hyundai has practically left nothing intact in its quest to catch the Sonata's attention, at least visually. The Californian-style studio of the Korean brand is unleashed by turning the silent and seductive form of the old model into something that has nothing to do with the result.
The grid of the Sonata revisited the flat-bottomed back, with italicized chest lettering, does not fit the kind of sophisticated touches we expect from one of the superpowers booming automobiles of the world. Strangely, it seems smaller than before and does not have the road presence of its predecessor.
A similar tale applies to the interior. Unlike the previous generation Sonata (i45 in Australia), which mixed a radical exterior with a similar interior, the geometrically simple dashboard of the current car – which is not in itself a major crime – has now boorish air. It's the equivalent of adding extra ingredients to a recipe to fix it, just how much you realize that it's impossible.
There are plenty of amenities in the Sonata Premium: full glbad roof with sunroof, heated and cooled front seats with two-position memory for the driver, rear door blinds, wireless phone charging. But the materials that do not fit, Paul Smith's faux striped decorative inserts, excess plasti-chrome and curious utilitarian / ergonomic flaws (why the doors only take 600ml bottles and why the back seat wastes Does it all this space?) Unlike the expense
Contrast all this with the Stinger designed holistically by Kia. That's the wildcard of this group in that it's a rear-hatchback hatchback supposedly part of a bigger car category. Yet, if you read the fine print, the Stinger is actually the shortest and lowest car here, by far the longest wheelbase. It all depends on the proportion – this crucial determining factor that Sonata misses so desperately – and the Stinger releases abundantly.
We wanted a basic Stinger 200S of $ 46,990 (now with standard AEB and collision warning) for this test. our hands on a $ 200K 200Si. So, if you can imagine the same Stinger without front parking sensors or lane keeping aid, adaptive cruise, automatic windshield wipers, a luggage net, a pair of subwoofers, and with a smaller touch screen and non-leather So here's your 200S – still the most expensive car here but probably the richest.
It can be said that the team responsible for interior architecture was on the same page as the aesthetes who created the hips of Stinger's coke bottle and its planted position. Internally, this is certainly a case of less is more, where a simple and elegant design and fluid shapes prevail, yet the packaging of the Stinger perfectly supports its GT form. It may not offer the Sonata room, but you enter a comfortable, comfortable four-seater, with its steering column much closer to the horizontal and your legs outstretched at the front, sporty style. car, not in a vast area
Read more: Kia Stinger Range review
With four bodies on board, it's exactly how the Stinger behaves. Even on relatively modest 225 / 45R18s, you feel tense when driving yourself, to the point that you always know what's going on underneath, but when you punish it on a pitch. difficult, we can continue to add speed and the Stinger simply demolishes the surface of the road. It has a flexibility and uniformity underlying its suspension behavior which, combined with its immediate handling and rear-wheel drive purity, helps it to transcend the medium-sized clbad in which it is so obviously competing .
Same thing for the luxurious VF Calais, it's an extremely interesting exercise that examines the differences between its old car and the turbo-petrol ZB front-wheel drive version. For starters, Calais's new packaging is terrific, with plenty of leg room at the back and an amphitheater-style view in all directions, combined with large amounts of front height adjustment.
If you're mega-tall (like some Germans), you can empty Holden's support chairs on their runners – at the expense of the back toe room – and still have your head under its little narrow skylight. But the tilted rear roofline of Calais hinders the rear clear space. If you demand vertical space, buy the Commodore Sportwagon more beautiful and more useful.
What can not be overlooked, however, is the unbreakable journey of Calais. You can pound on rough surfaces and it does not want to be shaken, even if it's not as quiet as the Camry, and the ZB offers an anti-bombing feel that lets you go through many hours with its superb driving position effortlessly.
The reverse of this bomb-proof nature, however, is that the Holden is also provided a bit like a bomb shelter. It's a name only Calais. In lieu of the age, heat and texture of the nameplate, the new car feels a hack of the German fleet, with a distinct flavor of Aldi. His seemingly resistant interior should do a decent job of rolling with life's punches, but it's about as colorful as a coal mine. Unlike the Stinger and the new Camry – not to mention a three-year Volkswagen Pbadat – the Calais ZB is not the high-end alternative it needs.
La Mondeo is not either. defense. The Daggy home silver Hi-Fi console and the absence of a digital speedo show off the 2012 Ford vintage. Yet the Mondeo is endowed with an inherent accuracy and flexibility that keeps it at the forefront of the panache. In fact, its all too familiar shape and dashboard design completely surpbad the finesse and depth of engineering found in the chbadis and transmission of this car, not to mention the overall quietness and comfort of rolling. Kia Stinger GT v Skoda Superb 206 TSI v Jaguar XE 25t comparison
La Mondeo sits between the controlled tension of the Stinger and Calais, and the refined suppleness of the Camry, rounding the edges of the bumps while retaining an excellent control of the body and handling, up to the point where Holden's steering maneuverability and steering precision finally push it in front of the heavier, softer Ford.
But it's the Camry that takes the lead. While the rear seats leave the pbadengers sitting a little apart from the legs, without the feet and toes of the Ford and Holden, the gently suspended Toyota is gently damped and slips with a calm, like Lexus. Even its wipers have a silky movement emblematic of the forward in the dynamic qualities of this car.
In combination with a remodeled hybrid configuration that combines a brand new Atkinson four-direct-injection cycle with battery placement now beneath the rear seat rather than in the boot, the Camry has been transformed. It has a smooth fluidity, but it responds beautifully to the braking cornering track, involving its sophisticated double-wishbone rear in procedures while providing much more maneuverability than anyone could expect. And its smooth transmission now gets an effective Sport mode, adding tiered speeds for engine braking and even shift paddles on its beautiful new wheel.
At 16 dead the standing 400m and 80-120km / h in 5.3sec, the Camry could be the slowest of all cars here, but it never feels uncomfortable. However, its overall efficiency is exceptional, even without the benefits of its battery-only mode in town. The Camry drove an average 7.5 L / 100 km test, crushing the Sonata and Stinger cousins respectively by 9.7 and 10.3 L / 100 km, without forgetting the very ambitious Mondeo (11.3). and Calais (11.6 L / 100 km). [19659005] The Restyled Sonata demonstrates how much Camry has come in his generational leap. The Tunisian Hyundai Aussie has handling balance on his side, and the purchase of his dear Michelins, but he feels like a mosaic of elements forced to cooperate. Its front seats do not go down low enough, but there is a lack of space for the toes beneath them, and anyone sitting at the rear will experience lateral changes, vertical movements and percussions on the roads. rugged. His leadership will also occasionally snatch from the driver's hands pushing into the lumpy corners, though compared to where it once was, Sonata has come a long way.
But not far enough. Not after driving the Stinger, Mondeo or Calais. And despite its new eight-speed automatic transmission, Sonata's test engine has turned out strangely off-color, displaying significantly lower performance than the brave stinger, but without any detriment to its soft refinement. Indeed, the force of the acceleration of the Kia (0-400m in 15 dead, and 80-120km / h in 4.6sec) effectively supports the immediacy of its turn-in, the implication instant of his rear suspension and the multi-layered talent of his manipulation. The slight numbness of direction to death and the rather vocal synthesized induction note of the motor are minor flaws on a dynamic repertoire that extends off
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the Calais can really challenge the Stinger for handling. Clear and precise steering, a perfectly sized three-spoke wheel and a really fun handling make Holden go beyond its disappointing appearance. And then there's its excellent four-cylinder petrol turbo of 191 kW / 350 Nm, which lags only 0.3 sec at 100 km / h (6.5 sec) on the AWD V6 version and can reach a quarter standing 14.7 seconds. In rolling acceleration, the Calais quails the rest of this group. In fact, it is strong enough to challenge any hot hatch near its price point.
If only the automatic nine-speed GM would keep gears with a certain level of sport mode logic (that's a -fits-all 'box) . Maybe our attempts to provoke him could explain some of his fuel thirst, although we can not understand why a car as fast and as sporty as this one does not have steering wheel paddles
The aging Mondeo gives way to dynamic talent in Calais, but as it approaches, it remains an absolute delight. A truly sporty mode, a pair of co-op paddles, and a still-strong and spirited engine make the Mondeo the sweetest dynamic compromise here most of the time. It may be old, but age proves no obstacle to its ability … provided that people can forget that the Ford Mondeo will never be an SUV. It's just a good bloody car.
Unfortunately, that's where the problem lies. If the secret of salvation for the middle clbad is freshness, dynamism and flair, then a sedan like the Hyundai Sonata is flying dangerously close to extinction. Not only is the MY18 model an imperfect example of how to deal with a car, it's a sub-standard product in a declining market sector. And if that does not scream "dead duck," his US commercial performance should send messages to Namyang in bright red capitals.
Exactly the opposite is true of his spiritual blood brother, the Kia Stinger. Developed on the same testing ground in South Korea, with a large dose of European aesthetics, a vibrant Nurburgring flavor and a good old instinct for good measure, the Stinger is the only car that really is' cool".
[19659005] Even in basic four-cylinder version, the Stinger is a super-smooth driving car that energizes every trip, not to mention the practicalities of seating four adults and racing a Huge tail up for their luggage. It's just a decent set of rims away from looking like $ 60-80K worth, and there's a boutique-ness that makes you feel the most expensive car here. Yet, there is also real value in this uncompromising concoction anti-SUV, gran-turismo-esque, coupe-liftback-sedan.
The new generation Camry approaches a similar level of "special" from a different point of view. On paper, it's just another front-wheel drive Toyota with a familiar hybrid powertrain (albeit largely modified) and a curved yield. But how effective! Beautifully built and remarkably refined, it does everything Toyota buyers want, but has finally discovered sophistication, luxury and nuance. You could even go so far as to say that it's the best American car currently sold in Australia.
This leaves the European Ford and Holden to fight for the ground. Despite their age difference, they are surprisingly similar in terms of capabilities – especially their outstanding stopping performance, as can be expected from two cars designed to spend many hours driving German autobahns. However, the Mondeo wins in terms of refinement, mechanical softness and general finesse.
Confident and capable as the Calaisian, he does not meet all the points as effectively as his Kia, Toyota and Ford rivals. In fact, the only areas where the Calais beat the Mondeo are acceleration, 10 tenths maneuverability, cabin space and the number of reports. Otherwise, it's just another German company car – very good at what it does, but also rather unattractive in some ways, in addition to the dynamic flavor that the Holden chbadis engineers are giving it .
the medium-car category. For the moment, however, if you are opposed to joining the SUV brigade, some fine alternatives are waiting.
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