When I picked up the Aurion after having Toyota’s Camry i-Tech for a week my first thought was why would anyone purchase an Aurion when the Camry is more comfortable and better specified? But a journey from Auckland to Feilding and back gave me the answer: you buy the Aurion because you want the sensible aura of a Toyota but you want a swift sedan with sportier styling and handling that will make short work of overtaking dawdling holidaymakers.
The Aurion makes the Camry feel Read the rest of this entry »
Coincidentally this is only $10 less than the base model Lexus hybrid (the CT200h), but if you plump for the top-of-the-line CT200h F Sport which has similar features to the Prius i-Tech you’ll pony up $72,000.
Today I read a scathing dissertation on global warming in Rolling Stone magazine. The main thrust of the article was that the globe simply can’t tolerate a 2% rise in CO2, but the oil companies are too politically powerful to be legislated against and that 
Strong lines are what characterize the VW CC’s external appearance, the strongest of which starts at the top of the front wheel arch and makes an arrow-straight crease right to the top of the rear light where it flicks up to join the integrated boot spoiler. Two other lines help create a three part harmony that draws your eyes down the car. They are formed by the door trim and sill line following through to the rear bumper. On the bonnet, the lines from the grille sweep upwards towards the A-pillars.
Viewing the CC from the side you realize that it could easily wear a larger wheel size – perhaps the optional 18- or 19-inch wheels rather than the 17-inch alloys that come as standard. These are shod in 235/45 self-sealing tyres. The width of these tyres helps the in-corner handling feel confident. There are two suspension modes – sport and comfort. There’s not a lot of difference between the two; sport didn’t feel uncomfortable or crashy like it can in, for example, an HSV, so it stayed in sport mode for almost all my driving time.
When the roads get twisty you’ll find this motorway cruiser starts feeling a little heavy at the front, but still supremely easy to place on the apex. Even with the suspension in sport mode the CC was comfortable over rougher back roads. Power is readily available from the two-litre turbodiesel – 125kW at 4200rpm and 350Nm between 1750-2500rpm. This is mated to VW’s excellent six-speed DSG gearbox which gives near-seamless, lightning quick gear changes.
Fuel economy is quoted at 5.5l/100km. This is helped by the CC’s Bluemotion technology: a start-stop system that shuts off the engine when the car is stationary, and a regenerative braking system that recycles braking energy.
There’s some extra soundproofing in the CC so the diesel doesn’t sound like a diesel. There’s still a little of the growly bassline, but none of the clattering rhythm section that characterizes oil burners. Take advantage of this by firing up the eight-speaker multimedia system. It supports iPod/MP3 players, 6 CDs and WMA files. It’s controlled using the large touchscreen.
The flat boot floor conceals a drawer and cubby hole into which you can place items that might normally roll around in the boot; it also allows you to conceal items out of view. On the right of the boot there’s another small receptacle with a lid, too.
Its practical interior is enabled by a practical exterior. If you took a 
While you can spend more on the 
The inside is appointed tastefully. Faux carbon fibre dashboard inserts would usually be dismissed as a little tacky because this isn’t Formula 1, but in the Santa Fe they seem perfectly natural. Four LCDs display air conditioning, stereo, clock and trip computer. The driving position is 
On this top-of-the-line SL those arches are filled with 17-inch wheels wrapped in 205/50 R17 tyres. These are driven by Subaru’s excellent Symmetrical All-wheel Drive which features active torque splitting to make sure the right amount of power is going to all wheels. In the WRX STI this is useful in any conditions, but with the Impreza SL’s