Compare, Select And Save

Issue 9 ● January 2010 

MOTOR MONTHLY 

Compare, Select and Save 

iSelect’s 

British elite’s fastest model ever races into Australia 

r 

Ê 

N 

H

Editorial 

GoAuto Newsroom 

PO Box 18 

Sandringham 

VIC 3191 

(03) 9598 6477 

newsroom@mellor.net 

Editor 

David Hassall 

dhassall@mellor.net 

Production 

Luc Britten 

Chris Harris 

Sub-editor 

Ron Hammerton 

Contributors 

Marton Pettendy 

Byron Mathioudakis 

Terry Martin 

James Stanford 

Philip Lord 

Advertising enquiries 

Sally Mellor 

(03) 9598 6477 

0425 700 904 

sally@mellor.net 

iSelect’s 

MOTOR MONTHLY 

Continental souped 

Bentley’s potent Continental 

Supersports is a 329km/h monster 


Issue 9 ● January 2010 

Mokin’ Gun 

Beachcomber reprises the Mini 

Moke, an Australian icon of the 1960s 

Achtung Powers 

Teutonic twin-turbo V8 rips 

up the road. Yeah, baby! 

Driving us NUTs 

LA shell-shocked by Honda’s radical three-seater P-NUT 

r 

Ê 

N 

H 

2 /14

Bentley Continental Supersports // 

Continental souped 

By JAMES STANFORD 

BENTLEY has unleashed its most 

performance-oriented model in 

Australia, the Continental Supersports. 

But the fastest Bentley ever produced is 

not cheap at $525,000, which represents a 


$126,413 premium over the standard GT and a 

$96,753 premium over the GT Speed. 

The first car has just arrived in Australia, 

with more customer cars expected to arrive 

in January and February. Bentley expects to 

deliver 15 of the ballistic coupes to Australian 

customers before the end of next year. 

The Continental Supersports is the first 

model to emerge from the Volkswagenowned 

company’s base at Crewe in England 

with carbon fibre components, which have 

helped Bentley engineers cull 110kg from the 

Bentley’s potent Continental 

Supersports is a 329km/h monster 

Continental GT Speed. 

Around 26kg of this comes from the 

removal of the rear seats, which means the 

Supersports is now a two-seater coupe, while 

another 45kg has been saved by replacing 

the sumptuous leather front seats with new 

r 

Ê 

N 

H 

3 /14


r 

carbon fibre bucket seats (sourced from 

the Bugatti Veyron). 

New super-light wheels, lighter 

chassis components and the introduction 

of carbon fibre brake discs have saved 

another 39kg but, despite the cuts, the 

Continental Supersports still weighs in 

at a hefty 2240kg. 

The big Bentley is still has a top 

speed of 329km/h and is able to post 

a remarkable 0-100km/h sprint time of 

just 3.9 seconds, which is 0.9 seconds 

faster than the Continental GT and 0.6 

seconds faster than the Continental 

GT Speed. 

The Supersports features a similar 

twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre W12 engine 

to other Continental models, but the 

turbo boost pressure has been increased 

to produce a whopping 463kW of power 

at 6000rpm and 800Nm of torque at 

1700-5600rpm. 

The engine has also been modified to 

run on E85 ethanol-petrol fuel as part of 

Bentley’s attempt to give its muscle car 

a green tinge. 

The official fuel consumption figure 

does not look too green, though, coming 

it at 16.3 litres per 100km for the 

combined cycle. The city consumption 

figure is a staggering 24.5L/100km. 

The Supersports runs a torque 

converter-type six-speed automatic 

transmission that has been adapted for 50 

per cent faster shifts. This transmission 

can be controlled with the central 

gearshift or by dash-mounted paddles 

behind the steering wheel. 

Like the other Continental models, 

the Supersports has constant all-wheeldrive. 

But, while the other models 

feature a system that sends 50 per cent 

Ê 

N 

H 

4 /14

“Stuck choosing 

car insurance?” 

Searching for car insurance 

can be confusing – that’s why 

iSelect compares its 

participating insurance 

products – side by side, 

making it easy for you to 

choose. For a better 

way to buy, just call 

13 19 20 or go to 

iselect.com.au/car to 

compare, select and save TM . 

Visit iselect.com.au/car for participating brands. 

13 19 20 

iselect.com.au 


compare, select and save 

to the front wheels and 50 per cent to the rear, 

the Supersports has it split 40 per cent to the 

front and 60 per cent to the rear for sportier 

performance. 

To achieve greater stability, Bentley has 

increased the width of the rear track by 

50mm. This engineering change also led the 

designers to flare the rear wings, which give 

the Supersports a slightly meaner look. 

The front suspension features stiffer bushes, 

a retuned anti-roll bar and aluminium forward 

levers, while all the dampers have been 

recalibrated, along with the steering. The 

wheels are lightweight forged aluminium, 20 

inches in diameter, and shod with 275/35 ZR20 

Ultra High Performance Pirelli tyres. 

Bentley has also retuned the electronic 

stability control system to allow for sportier 

driving. 

It spared no expense when it came to the 

Supersports’ anchors, fitting what Bentley claims 

are the largest and most powerful brakes ever fitted 

to a road car. The carbon discs have a 420mm 

diameter at the front and 356mm diameter at the 

rear, gripped by eight-piston calipers at the front 

and dual piston calipers at the rear. 

Like all Bentleys, the Supersports’ interior 

can be customised, but has several carbon 

fibre surfaces and a combination of leather and 

alcantara on the doors and the seats. 

It is easily identifiable from outside, thanks to 

deeper front and rear bumpers, larger exhaust 

pipes and bonnet vents, which Bentley insists 

are fully functional. There is also a slightly 

more pronounced rear wing, at the front of the 

boot, which pops up at 80km/h. 

The traditional chrome bright elements have 

been replaced by blacked-out items and Bentley 

says the process of painting these stainless steel 

parts – which include the headlight surrounds, 

window surrounds, front grille and option 

wheels – is an industry first. 

The Supersports is available in 17 standard 

paint colours, as well as two matt colours 

that will be available in limited numbers as a 

MOTOR 

$60,000 option. 

r 

Ê 

N 

H 

5 /14

\\ Mini Beachcomber concept 

Mokin’ Gun 

Beachcomber reprises the Mini Moke, 

an Australian icon of the 1960s 

By RON HAMMERTON 

and DAVID HASSALL 

MINI has curiously chosen the frozen 

climes of wintry Detroit to reveal 

the sunniest of concept cars – a 

born-again Mini Moke called the Beachcomber 

– at the North American International Auto 

Show in January. 


The open-top doorless all-wheel-drive fourseater 

is unlikely to see the production line in this 

exact form any time soon, due to its lack of sideimpact 

crash protection, but speculation from 

Europe suggests the car has strong engineering 

ties to Mini’s forthcoming fourth model line, a 

small SUV to be called the Countryman. 

Due in September 2010, the Countryman is 

likely to share the Beachcomber’s all-wheeldrive 

system, larger wheels and taller ride 

height when it joins the Hatch, Cabrio and 

Clubman body styles in the Mini line-up. 

And, while the Beachcomber has pillarless 

open-air sides like the utilitarian Mini Moke of 

the 1960s, it clearly has side openings capable 

of taking four doors in SUV form. 

The original Moke was penned by Alex 

Issigonis, designer of the first-generation Mini 

and the man credited with putting the world 

into front-wheel drive cars. 

Production started in the UK in 1964 – five 

years after the original Mini donor car – but was 

discontinued in 1968, when production was 

shifted to Portugal. Remarkably, it remained 

r 

Ê 

N 

H 

6 /14

The Beach is Back: Mini has taken the spirit of the Mini 

Moke to preview the brand’s forthcoming baby SUV. 

in production there until 1993, mainly as a 

supply of hire cars for holiday destinations. 

Australia had a particular fascination for the 

Mini Moke and it became something of a cult 

car. It was manufactured here under Morris 


and Leyland badges from 1966 to 1981, with 

many exported around the world. 

Australian Moke production ultimately 

totalled 26,000 – more than the combined total 

for the UK (14,500) and Portugal (10,000). 

With no roof, the Moke’s Mini-based 

platform was reinforced by large box-like side 

sections – one of which alarmingly held the 

petrol tank. 

The Beachcomber differs from the original 

chop-top Moke by retaining side roof rails that 

boost rigidity and roll-over safety. 

While the original Mini was powered by 

a transverse four-cylinder engine that grew 

progressively from 1.0 litre to 1.3 litres over the 

r 

Ê 

N 

H 

7 /14

years, the Beachcomber Concept is believed to 

house one of the Mini’s 1.6-litre range of petrol 

and diesel powerplants, also in a transverse 

layout. 

Unlike the two-wheel-drive Moke, however, 

the Beachcomber (and Countryman) will 

provide drive through all four wheels, using 

the company’s ALL4 system. 

Curiously, Alec Issigonis also built an allwheel 

drive prototype just before the launch of 

the original Moke. This 1963 test car, which 

was referred to as the “Twini”, was fitted 

with a pair of standard Mini four-cylinder 

engines mounted on the front and rear axles 

respectively to provide go-anywhere ability. 

Two more all-wheel drive prototypes were 

built in Australia in the late 1970s with a view 

to making the Moke more suitable for off-road 

applications, but the program was shelved and 

local production ceased soon after. 

The Beachcomber’s tonneau-like soft-top 

roof also draws comparisons with the Moke’s 

rudimentary original rain shelter, sliding from the 

rear to fastening at the top of the windscreen. 

Transparent plastic inserts in the sides and 

rear provide the “windows” while “door” 

openings in the sides and rear are lashed shut 

to keep out the elements. For more secure 

protection, solid plastic panels are available to 

provide a roof, sides and cargo cover. 

All four seats provide fore and aft adjustment, 

and the backrests all fold flat to provide space 

for bulky items. 

Large 17-inch alloy wheels fitted with 

chunky tyres for off-road work sit in flared 

mudguards, giving the Beachcomber a 

serious look. Knock-resistant unpainted 

black trim – including the bumpers – add to 

the macho look, as does the crossbar grille 

that harks back to the original Moke’s basic 

flat stamped design. 

A spare tyre mounted on the back of the 

Beachcomber completes the classic Moke 

MOTOR 

look. 

Compare, Select and Save H 

8 8 /15 /14 

r 

Ê 

N

\\ BMW X6 M 

Achtung Powers 

Teutonic twin-turbo V8 rips 

up the road. Yeah, baby! 

By BYRON MATHIOUDAKIS 

YOU didn’t ask for it, but here it is 

anyway – the 2010 X6 M, the most 

fabulously acrobatic SUV money can 

buy, or so says a confident BMW. 


A tradition-breaker in more ways than one, 

the US-built, twin-turbo V8 with four seats is 

a vehicle of extremes – docile enough to be 

the family runabout while frantically running 

about a racetrack. 

It is brilliant, obnoxious, offensive and 

deeply moving (in both senses) … but would 

you still buy one? 

Priced from $179,900, it packs a mighty 

wallop thanks to a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 

petrol engine that delivers 408kW of power at 

6000rpm and 680Nm of torque from 1500rpm 

all the way through to 5650rpm. 

In contrast, rival outputs are 375kW/630Nm 

for the Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG, 

r 

Ê 

N 

H 

9 /14

King Crossover: BMW’s unusual 

coupe-style SUV gets the M treatment 

that is more go than show. 

404kW/750Nm for the Porsche Cayenne 

Turbo, 368kW/1000Nm for the Audi Q7 V12 

TDI and 375kW/625Nm for the Range Rover 

Sport S/C V8. 

Despite weighing 2305kg, the X6 M 


accelerates from standstill to 100km/h in 

only 4.7 seconds (0.1s faster than a Cayenne 

Turbo), while the 14.3 litres per 100 

kilometres fuel consumption average and 335 

grams per kilometre carbon dioxide emissions 

are better than its petrol-powered rivals (the 

diesel-powered Audi returns 11.3L/100km 

and 298g/km. 

BMW’s EfficientDynamics philosophy sees 

the inclusion of Brake Energy Regeneration, 

an on-demand fuel pump, a detachable airconditioner 

compressor and a volume flowcontrolled 

supply of the hydraulic fluid that 

goes to the active anti-roll system. 

An M-massaged ZF six-speed automatic 

r 

Ê 

N 

H 

10 /14

German superpower: The complex 

408kW twin-turbo V8 engine (bottom 

right) has explosive performance. 


r 

gearbox with paddle shifters sends 

drive to all four wheels, distributed 

continuously according to road 

conditions and driving style – up 

to 100 per cent of torque can even 

be delivered to the front wheels if 

necessary – and with the assistance of 

a raft of electronic control systems. 

Brakes are massive 19-inch highperformance 

discs using lightweight 

technology with ‘virtually’ no fading, 

BMW says, while the steering is a 

hydraulically powered Servotronic 

system, with a ‘Sports Mode’ setting 

via an M Drive button that sharpens 

high-speed cornering and control 

capabilities. 

BMW Australia launched the highperformance 

SUV on the challenging 

Phillip Island race circuit near 

Melbourne, the thinking being that 

the X6 – always the most car-like of 

all the luxury SUVs – is transformed 

in M form into a vehicle of almost 

supernatural ability, response and feel 

for a 2.5-tonne elephant. 

And it’s true – this BMW bends 

the rules the moment you tip it into a 

corner, since the combination of a trick 

rear diff, xDrive all-wheel drive torque 

transfer, a hydraulically controlled 

anti-roll bar, and car-like front and rear 

suspension design create an SUV that 

is much closer to a sports sedan than 

a truck. 

Throw in the explosive 4.4-litre twinturbo 

petrol V8 with a set of lungs deep 

enough to blow Dorothy from Kansas 

to Krypton and you have the makings 

of an epically powerful machine. 

And all this is in normal mode. Slot 

the auto-only lever into Sport, press the 

Ê 

N 

H 

1 /14

“Stuck choosing car insurance?” 

Searching for car insurance car be confusing - that’s why iSelect 

So compares many car its participating insurance providers. insurance 

Way 

products 

too many 

- side 

options. 

by side, 

But iSelect 

making 

helps 

it 

you easy find for the you right to choose. car insurance For a policy better at the way right to buy, price, just call like 13 that. 19 For 20 a or better go 

way to iselect.com.au/car to buy, just call our consultants to on 

13 compare, 19 20 or select visit iselect.com.au and save to 13 19 20 

iselect.com.au 

compare, select and save. 

TM . 

Kia Koup 

KIA, perhaps even more than Hyundai, is a stirring 

giant who has at last quit hitting the snooze button. 

Models such as the Soul and latest-generation 

Sorento point to a marque on the rise, while the 

new Cerato Koup – perhaps the best-looking car 

you can buy for not much cash – proves it. 

> FULL STORY 

Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG 

MERCEDES-BENZ launched its hairy-chested 

new E63 AMG super-sedan on the same Classic 

Adelaide rally roads where the car made its recent 

Australian debut in the hands of five-times world 

MotoGP champion and past owner of no fewer 

than 10 AMG models, Mick Doohan. 

> FULL STORY 

HSV Clubsport GXP 

compare, select and save 

HOLDEN Special Vehicles (HSV) has followed 

Holden’s lead by applying the Pontiac G8 treatment 

to its most popular ClubSport sedan and Maloo ute 

models. Due to join the HSV model line-up from 

March next year, the limited-edition 2010 ClubSport 

GXP sedan will be priced at $59,990. 

> FULL STORY 


M-Sport button on the steering wheel spoke 

and straight-line acceleration goes from bloody 

quick to blisteringly, hurling you towards the 

horizon with a mental soundtrack to match. 

Be brave enough to switch the stability 

and traction controls off – we didn’t for 

long, that’s for sure – and there is enough 

sideways sliding action to have you figureskating 

this like no SUV ever has in history 

while remaining composed and in control 

the whole time. 

But the sheer talent of the BMW around 

corners is ultimately its undoing because, 

although there is nothing else on earth like it 

that will keep up, soon even the X6 M starts 

to make promises that simply cannot be 

delivered. 

We found that the height of the SUV, mixed 

with its almost unbelievable grip and flat 

cornering attitude, just makes you drive harder 

and faster because it doesn’t feel that fast, to 

the point where even M GmbH can’t quite beat 

the laws of physics. 

Plus it’s hard to feel electrified by the 

experience because the steering – though 

responsive and super-accurate – is bereft of the 

sort of tactility and feedback you might expect. 

It’s just too remote to be a real sports car. 

The X6 M is the sort of vehicle that you 

walk away from with a newfound respect 

for its talents and capabilities … but you are 

still happy to walk away because it lacks the 

interaction and intimacy you demand of an 

M-badged car. 

However, the X6 M is for the family man 

who needs a vehicle with perhaps the most 

extreme automotive personality traits available 

on earth. And in that it succeeds brilliantly. 

Sadly we can’t tell you how the 20-inch 

wheeled behemoth rides on our patchy roads 

or just how efficiently dynamic BMW’s 

engineers have been once reality seeps in and 

you’re looking at filling up yet another empty 

tank of premium unleaded. 

But we can tell you that the X6 M would 

have you laughing out loud as you hurl it 

impossibly fast from one apex to another on 

MOTOR 

a race track. 

r 

Ê 

N 

H 

12 /14

By TERRY MARTIN 

IT IS impossible to look at Honda’s allnew 

P-NUT as anything but, well, a 

car designed to look like a peanut, but 

the Personal-Neo Urban Transport concept 

unveiled at the recent Los Angeles auto show 


Honda P-NUT // 

Driving us NUTs 

has a more serious purpose in pointing to a 

future “ultra-compact and sophisticated city 

coupe”. 

Following similar urban concepts from 

Nissan (LandGlider), Renault (Twizy) and 

Volkswagen (L1), to name a few, the P-NUT 

is a three-seat, rear-engined, rear-drive vehicle 

claimed to be able to accommodate a number 

of different potential powertrains, including 

a conventional internal combustion engine, 

petrol-electric hybrid or full battery-electric. 

However, Honda provided no specific details 

LA shell-shocked by Honda’s 

radical three-seater P-NUT 

on the powertrain used in the P-NUT concept 

car shown at the LA show in early December, 

if indeed there even was one installed. 

Created at the advanced design studio of 

Honda R&D Americas in LA, the P-NUT 

has a 1+2 seating configuration with a 

r 

Ê 

N 

H 

13 /14

central driving position and two 

rear positions at either side – an 

arrangement designed to maximise 

legroom for all occupants and which, 

according to Honda, is equivalent to a 

medium-sized sedan in a vehicle that 

has an exterior footprint similar to a 

micro-car. 

The rear seats can also be folded to 

increase storage room, while at the 

front end the windscreen serves as 

a head-up display for the navigation 

system and reversing camera. 

The Japanese manufacturer 

describes the exterior as “sleek 

and aggressive”, with the outwardspanning 

design allowing for a 

“spacious and open interior with 

excellent visibility”. 

The P-NUT is intended to capture 

“a future direction for premium 

sophistication while balancing the 

need for maximum interior space 

and an aerodynamic appearance”. It 

is 3400mm long, 1750mm wide and 

1439mm high. 

“A new generation is discovering 

the benefits of living in urban centres 

that provide convenient access to 

business, entertainment and social 

opportunities,” said Honda R&D 

Americas’ director of advanced 

design, Dave Marek. 

“The Personal-Neo Urban 

Transport concept explores the 

packaging and design potential for a 

vehicle conceived exclusively around 

the city lifestyle.” 

While the P-NUT is still a long way 

from reaching a production line, Mr 

Marek said it demonstrated that ultracompact 

cars in the future would be 

far removed from current models. 

“The objective of the exterior and 

interior designers was to explore 

the potential for a new type of 

small-segment category vehicle that 

overcomes many of the objections for 

existing micro-car designs,” he said. 

“While the Honda P-NUT concept 

introduces function-oriented 

concepts, it also shows that small 

cars don’t have to compromise on 

style or amenities.” MOTOR 


In a NUTshell: The interior 

features a central driver’s seat 

with two rear seats on either side. 

r H 4 14 /14 

Ê 

N

Compare, Select And Save

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?