Driving Audi’s best seller today – the compact Q3 40 TFSI quattro S-Line
Sportback SUV – a 2.0-litre turbo 132kW four-cylinder seven-speed dual clutch
automatic with all-wheel-drive. I’ve always highly regarded the Audi Q3 and the
sloped roof Sportback variant adds another perspective – these days its grown in
price like a lot of cars – now $78,245 drive-away but fortunately still under the
luxury car tax threshold. A roomy cabin and nicely proportioned power front
seats make this a very comfortable compact SUV – it’s the perfect package size
for four good sized adults. And despite the sloped roof, headroom in the rear
remains nearly as good as the wagon version. A flat bottom steering wheel gives
it a sporty feel while an excellent dash and instrumentation with large touch
screen and a driver’s display can be configured in different ways. The driving
side features a nice torque band from 1400 to 3900 revs while Sports mode steps
up the enjoyment level making it real driver’s car. Push it hard however and it can
become a little thirsty, I managed 8.9l/100 on 95 grade petrol. But with a stack of
convenience, comfort and driving features the compact Audi Q3 Sportback offers
just so much despite its hefty price tag. I’m David Berthon

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Driving Audi’s compact Q3 SUV today – available in both five-door Wagon and Sportback. The Q3, Audi’s best seller, and the biggest selling small prestige SUV. I’m driving the Audi Q3 2.0-litre turbo 40TFSI quattro S-line Sportback, $78,245 drive-away, not inexpensive today but importantly, still under the luxury car tax threshold. The Audi Q3 Sportback has always appealed, the perfect package size, the sloped roof giving it a sporty feel. Powered by a 2.0-litre turbo driving through a seven-speed automatic to all four wheels plus Audi drive select with four different drive modes – this aspect so rewarding – all-wheel drive giving it a solid footprint on the road with well shod 20-inch alloy wheels. The Audi Q3 Sportback excels in interior room, seat comfort, 360-degree cameras, power front seats, leather trim, a great dash and instrumentation and thankfully knobs and buttons for temperature and fan speed, far superior to the touchscreen functionality of many cars today. It also features a full gamut of infotainment services like weather, fuel prices and Google services plus Audi virtual cockpit plus with a digital configurable instrument cluster and much more. Warranty five- years/unlimited kilometre. The Audi Q3 Sportback remains an impressive compact premium SUV and one can see why it is so popular. I’m David Berthon

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Korean manufacturer Hyundai celebrated the production of its 100 millionth
vehicle recently, the Hyundai IONIQ 5 rolled off the production line at the
company’s Ulsan Plant, this facility recognised as the birthplace of the Korean
car industry. Here in 1975 Hyundai produced its first independently developed
model the Pony. For the record Hyundai Motor Company was founded in 1967,
building its first car, a Ford Cortina under license, before moving on to its own
car design a year later. I well remember the brand’s arrival in Australia under Alan
Bond’s distribution in 1986 where it became one of our fastest growing brands
with the cheap and cheerful small Excel hatchback. The company snapped up Kia
in the mid-nineties – last year becoming the world’s third biggest producer
delivering 7.1 million vehicles behind Volkswagen with 8.8 million and Toyota
with 10.8 million. I’m David Berthon

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A recent school holiday road safety blitz in Queensland saw 9584 people charged with offences including more than 800 driving under the influence – 446 caught under the influence of alcohol came from 40,506 roadside breath tests representing 1.1 percent of those tested. However, the 417 caught under the influence of drugs came from just 2,265 roadside drug tests representing a staggering 18.4 percent of those tested – a very concerning result so too the fact that 1 in 10 Queenslanders still admitted to not wearing a seat belt. 212 people lost their lives on Queensland roads in the first 9 months of this year, up 17 percent on the five-year average – 18.6 percent of those fatal accidents were contributed to speeding and the same percentage to drug driving, 16.5 percent to drink driving. Quite clearly drug driving is becoming a growing concern. I’m David Berthon

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Talking about Chinese brand GWM and their small Haval Jolion Hybrid SUV
which arrived in 2021 and was upgraded in July – there’s three Jolion Hybrids, I
drove the flagship Hybrid Ultra, now $3,000 more affordable at $37,990 drive-away
combining a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine with an electric motor and a
two-speed hybrid automatic transmission. The transition between electric and
petrol power well managed, smooth and imperceptible. The steering adjustable in
three steps lacks a little feel but perhaps best in comfort mode. Using 91 regular
unleaded I managed a best economy of 5.6L/100km with a mix of city and country
driving. That aspect of the Jolion Ultra Hybrid is well sorted, not so some of the
driver assist elements like lane keep assist and active cruise control. Far too
reactive and in need of refinement. Road noise also is most noticeable on a
coarse surface. Overall, this is a very easy to drive small SUV, good build quality
with comfortable seating although front legroom somewhat tight – as the Ultra
name implies it has all the features including panoramic sunroof, LED headlights,
360-degree camera, head up display and much more. And it comes with a 7-
year/unlimited kilometre warranty and 8-year/unlimited kilometre battery
warranty. I’m David Berthon

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Chinese brand GWM has been enjoying strong success this year, on the back of
its best seller – the small GWM Haval Jolion SUV. I’ve just tested the upgraded
2024 Hybrid Ultra model, $37,990 drive-away. GWM distinguishing it from the pure
petrol model with styling updates yet inside it remains as before. And the hybrid
gains a most welcome multi-link rear suspension. This front drive hybrid
combines a 1.5-litre petrol engine with an electric motor, combined outputs of
140kW and 375 Nm of torque driving through a 2-speed hybrid automatic
transmission. A nice cabin however front legroom is tight, rear legroom excellent
and well serviced by dual air vents. Luggage space smaller to the pure petrol
model due to the battery pack and disappointingly a tyre repair kit replaces a
spare wheel. The infotainment screen well sized but vehicle functions need too
many frustrating presses and a combination of buttons for climate would be far
more user friendly and there’s no wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The
GWM Haval Jolion Ultra Hybrid offers much for the money though including a
panoramic sunroof, a head up instrument display, a 7-year unlimited kilometre
warranty and service costs of $810 over three years, $1550 over five years. I’m
David Berthon

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Nissan Australia boss Andrew Humberstone made some interesting comments
last week regarding the company’s ‘Australianness” in a market that’s being
rapidly disrupted by new Chinese brands, new regulations, and economic
pressures. Mr. Humberstone, in outlining his new long-term business strategy,
said he had to move Nissan Australia from mediocrity to excellence to avoid
falling out of a market which he forecast will see up to 100 brands fighting for a
slice of only 1.2 million sales. His plan to lift Nissan permanently into the top six
sellers and guarantee its long-term profitability. He made it clear that reinforcing
Nissan Australia’s identity and heritage is at the heart of his bold new strategy,
also pointing out that Nissan is the only local manufacturer – its Casting Plant in
Dandenong producing around 1.2 million components for 80 global markets as
well as 160,000 tow bars. I’m David Berthon

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Another new Chinese electric brand is due to hit the market in the fourth quarter.
Deepal, a new all-electric brand from Chinese manufacturer Changan Automobile
will launch here initially with the mid-size S07 SUV. The Deepal brand distributed
by the Inchcape Group which already handles the distribution of Subaru,
Peugeot, and Citroen brands in Australia. Deepal, one of around 12 new Chinese
brands to hit our market in the next 12 months, tells us “it pushes boundaries to
transform cars from modes of transportation into intelligent mobility companions,
embracing the harmony between technology, nature and human experiences.”
Which all sound rather romantic but it will be interesting to see what this new
electric SUV has to offer the consumer over the established opposition. Clearly,
the automotive landscape in Australia is going to look a lot different in the 12
months time. I’m David Berthon

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