The new Nissan Navara - tested and tuned for Australia and New Zealand
The new Nissan Navara - tested and tuned for Australia and New Zealand
Honda’s new electric supermini, the Honda e, represents the state of the art for green driving. It lacks some of the more advanced safety features present in the Honda Jazz but produces a respectable four-star rating in Euro NCAP’s latest tests, nevertheless. The more conventional Hyundai i10 brings up the rear in this batch of tests. In the full-width frontal impact, the driver’s pelvis slipped under the lap belt, a phenomenon known as ‘submarining’. The Hyundai i10 also offers a more limited AEB functionality then some other small cars, and ends up with three stars overall.
The new Nissan Navara - tested and tuned for Australia and New Zealand
With the all-new Aygo X, Toyota is introducing an exceptional crossover vehicle for the A segment. Developed, designed and built in Europe, it precisely meets the wishes and needs of local customers from urban centers and the surrounding area: The new Aygo X is compact and extremely manoeuvrable, combines advanced technologies with economically low operating costs and arouses emotions. The latest compact model in the Toyota product family is based on the successful GA-B platform. As a key element of the Toyota Global New Architecture (TNGA), it celebrated its world premiere with the current Yaris generation - the Car of the Year 2021 in Europe - and also provides the foundation for the Yaris Cross. In order for the new Aygo X to establish itself as the best offer in its class, Toyota researched the contemporary demands on a city vehicle at an early stage through detailed market research. The result: European customers expect a car with a modern design that combines a strong appearance with small external dimensions.
The overall effect gives the Artura an almost ‘shrink-wrapped’ appearance, evolving a McLaren design approach seen in recent models to a new level. The lithe, technical sculpture has only minimal body shutlines and panel joints, assisted by features such as an entire rear clamshell engineered and superformed as one panel. The shape of the Artura, sculpted to optimise performance and manage airflow for aerodynamic performance and cooling, is driven by the McLaren design principle of ‘everything for a reason’ that is in evidence throughout the car. The centre of the front splitter is an example of this, being the intake for the eHVAC system and also housing the front-mounted radar that forms part of the optional ADAS package. Inside, the Artura is no less of a revolution, with the cockpit centred more than ever around the driver. The driving mode selection – which retains separate Powertrain and Handling controls – has been moved to the instrument binnacle, which is in turn mounted to the steering column and adjusts with the steering wheel to further enhance driving ergonomics. Consequently, the steering wheel is kept clear of unnecessary switches, however, the driver is still able to adjust driving modes without taking their hands away from the wheel.
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