Hervey Bay Gossip

China is an economy that is bursting at the seams and manufacturers around the world are watching and waiting for an avalanche of cheap products to come pouring out that country.

The car industry is just one of those around the world that is waiting and watching because they know that when China begins exporting cars they are going to have a real battle on their hands.

It’s unlikely that you will ever see this car on Australian roads:

It’s the Geely Beauty Leopard and it is aimed at the US market for some time in late 2006 or 2007. The company believes that it can produce a five seat sedan version that will comply with all US emission laws for under $10,000.

If you want to read more bout the company then check out Aussie Motoring

The Nissan Pulsar is in the process of being phased out of production and it’s replacement is this car, the Tiida.

It’s a very interesting car with some features that we are looking forward to checking out. If you want to have a look then don’t go running to the Hervey Bay Nissan dealer just yet. The Nissan Tiida won’t be released until some time around February and when we enquired at the dealer we were told that everything about the car was still ‘top secret’.

The car is so top secret that it is currently on display at various shopping centres around Sydney and Nissan has already released some details about the Tiida. You can read more about it at Aussie Motoring

There comes a time in just about every man’s life when they start thinking about buying that final car, the one that will last right through until it’s time to let someone else do the driving.

When that time comes it’s quite natural to also think that it’s time for something a little more up market. The kids have grown up, the hard work’s been done so it’s time to take things easy and what better way to enjoy your retirement than with a car that is fully optioned.

Air conditioning, power windows, leather seats and everything else that you could never really afford before now look quite affordable and you deserve them. You’ve worked hard to get to the point where you can afford a car like that so why shouldn’t you have something a little special? After all it is going to be your last car and it will last you for a few years.

But are you missing something there?

All those options are great, it’s wonderful to drive in air-conditioned comfort with power everything and it really is quite affordable while your luxury vehicle is under warranty. Unfortunately though, your fully optioned luxury car is going to change. In the twinkling of an eye it will change from a comfortable luxury vehicle into a very large collection of very expensive spare parts.

And it is inevitable that it will change and the change will occur at midnight on the day your warranty expires.

On the 15th of March this year that change happened to our vehicle. The luxury of power windows turned to the incredible expense of $250 when a minor part in one of the window mechanisms failed. Multiply that by four and you begin to see just how expensive power windows can be.

And that is just one of the things that can and will fail on any vehicle and it’s always more likely to fail when the vehicle is outside the warranty period.

So take a moment to consider whether your last car really should be that luxury vehicle you always dreamed of owning. Dreams are nice but reality can be harsh.

A flying visit to Brisbane and return yesterday (thanks to Rick down at Fraser Coast Computers who swapped cars with us after the driver’s side electric window winder broke on our Hyundai Granduer - the front passenger side window winder broke two weeks ago) showed us that there are still lots of idiots out there on the road so take care.

Old men in hats and younger women with an attitude problem seemed to be causing the most annoyance to other drivers but then there was the older woman who decided that while other traffic was moving along briskly at 100 kph she would overtake into the face of oncoming traffic at 105.

The police are out in force but they can’t be everywhere at once so take care and make allowances for the idiots out there who simply have no clue about driving safely.

Yesterday also seemed to be a day for breaking down. On the return trip we must have passed 10 cars pulled over on the side of the road waiting for assistance.

The hot weather is brutal on any car that is not in top condition so make sure your car is ready for the trip before you leave home.

The time for those trips south to see the kids for Christmas or to visit the oldies is just about upon us once more. While you and the family might be ready is your car ready for such a trip?

There is nothing that can spoil some holiday fun faster than a breakdown that could have been avoided. Even if you aren’t all that mechanically minded there are some basic things that you can do to ensure that your car is ready for that big trip.

You can find a simple check list of things you should look at before your trip here.

Of course there are times when things go wrong with your car that are completely unavoidable. We’ve found ourselves at 4am on the side of the road at Maryborough on a Saturday morning when we had just begun a very important business trip and the traffic indicator/headlight switch was dangling from the steering column.

When those things happen let common sense prevail and don’t press on with your trip.

The older I become the more Luddite tendencies I seem to exhibit. It’s not that I’m against technology or that I don’t like progress but the fun of life is disappearing.

Even in motoring we are surrendering our decision making to computers and the joy and excitement of facing the challenges of the open road and the rough bush track are fast disappearing.

I mean you just haven’t lived until your at the wheel of your 4WD, hanging on grimly as it slides down an almost sheer slope on what is supposed to be a fire trail.

You’re gritting your teeth, you’re in first gear low ratio, your foot is driving the brake pedal through the floor, the hand brake is full on and you’re still gaining speed.

When you finally get to the bottom in one piece you look back up the slope and know that you were in control all the time … yeah right!

But those days are just about gone and the Nissan Murano is one more nail in the coffin of those heady days.

I mean what self-respecting 4WD only has one gear? Where’s the fun in driving a vehicle that has only one gear even if it is the right gear for that precise point in time?

Even using the word ‘gear’ is probably not quite right because the Murano comes equipped with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) and that means that it is always in the right gear for the conditions.

The CVT is a stepless transmission controlled by an onboard computer and it gives an infinite number of gear ratios. But just in case the driver happens to have Luddite tendencies Nissan have also provided a gear selector that the driver can use to select from one of a number of pre-programmed gear ratios.

When the vehicle is being driven in full auto mode the drive operates as 2WD only with power going to the front wheels but as soon as any wheel spin is detected the vehicle automatically switches to 4WD. And if anyone is silly enough to believe that this vehicle should be taken off-road then the driver can lock in 4WD.

But even there the responsibility of driving the Murano is taken from the driver because even with the 4WD locked on the vehicle will automatically switch back to 2WD should the vehicle speed exceed 30kph.

The Murano is powered by a 3.5 litre V6 – the same V6 that powers the Maxima and 350Z – and the suspension is very similar to that used in those on-road vehicles too. In fact the Murano also shares its frame with the Maxima.

And you can read more about it on Aussie Motoring.

Quick! … You get just one guess!

And if you said silver you would be agreeing with Dupont, the world’s biggest manufacturer of automotive paints. According to them silver has now been the most popular car colour for the last six years.

That’s it - the silver limo has to go - it’s time to stand out in the crowd by driving a white car

Each week as part of the Hervey Bay Gossip we bring you a motoring review and that has led to a new project that you can see developing over at Aussie Motoring. As part of that project we’re constantly looking at the motoring industry around the world and that has proved to be very interesting.

One of the factors that make it so interesting is the way motoring writers from different countries see the same vehicle. It becomes quite obvious that national influences can creep into a review and have quite an impact on how a writer sees a vehicle.

The Kia Rio is one car that seems to be influenced by nationality of the reviewer.

Here in Australia small cars have been been part of the industry forever. Many of us oldies cut our driving teeth on Leyland Minis so to us small cars are quite acceptable and when a motoring writer here in Australia reviews a small car he or she take it as it comes. Two Australian reviews of the Kia Rio that we saw were quite positive.

But in America, home of the big car, things can be quite different. A motoring writer in the US who wrote a review on the Kia Rio spent time complaining that the base model did not come equipped with power windows.

Instead of power windows, it had the hand-crank style. Who knew they still made those?

He also did not like the fact that the base model lacked central locking, power operated mirrors and power steering and even went so far as to question the marketing wisdom of the manufacturer.

Well all I can say is that he was testing the base model and Kia is making money selling their cars while American manufacturers are busy closing plants because their cars are not selling.

Personally, after having a power operated window fail and gracefully slide down into the door some distance from home and with storms loomimg (and pay $250 for the repair) I’ll happily settle for a hand cranked window any day - that’s an absolute luxury compared to the sliding windows that came with the first Mini.

And if you do want to read the review on the Kia Rio perhaps you should start here.

The Nissan Navara D40 has been released this week. It seems strange to report that this Japanese vehicle is built in Spain but such is the nature of the international economy these days that Japanese vehicles are built in Spain and some of Ford Australia’s vehicles are built in South Africa.

For a quick look at the new Navara check out Aussie Motoring.

Holden and the Queensland Police Service have joined forces in an effort to reduce the road toll and increase road safety leading up to the holiday season.

No fewer than 10 headturning Holden Monaro coupes have joined the Queensland police fleet to provide maximum visibility on roads during peak periods.

The Monaros will be used as a tool that will be a constant reminder for motorists to follow the road rules.

Queensland Police Minister Judy Spence and Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson unveiled the fleet at an event in King George Square in Brisbane.

The vehicles will be distributed to each police region where they can be used to promote road safety messages through high profile traffic patrols.

Each region and district can use the vehicles to employ local strategies based on road crash data and their individual needs.

The Monaros will be equipped with highly reflective markings and road safety messages displayed on the panels.

Each Monaro is fitted with mobile data devices which allow police to access information including driver license details and persons of interest data.

They also feature a range of modern technology to accommodate secure digital radios and mobile radar equipment.

Holden announced earlier this year that it would end production of the current generation Monaro in late 2005 .

The coupe has been Australia’s top selling sports car each year since its release in late 2001 and has been sold under various brands in the United States , United Kingdom , Middle East and New Zealand.

This is not the first time a car company has teamed up with state police to provide something different in the way of highway patrol cars over the Christmas period. Several years ago BMW supplied several high speed sports saloons to the Tasmanian police for patrol work during Christmas.