Aussie Motoring

It’s built in Germany by Opel on the bare bones of last year’s Holden Barina and Holden expect the car to appeal to women but the fact is that the Holden Tigra is turning heads wherever it goes.

It looks like a hard top but it’s really a convertible and you can have one for just $34,990.

The Tigra is powered by a 1.8 litre DOHC motor coupled to a 5 speed manual gear box. It’s a combination that provides good acceleration when you need it but the fuel consumption is not quite what you might expect from such a small car. Around 8 to 8.5 litres per 100km seems to be the average for this car.

There is no automatic transmission available for Holden Tigra and that places this car at a disadvantage with it’s closest competitor the Peugot 206CC. The Peugot in automatic mode is proving to be rather popular.

You can find a full road test on the Holden Tigra here and here and if you’re going to buy one be sure to stock up on the sun screen because you’re going to need it.

Ice racing is hardly likely to catch on here in Australia any time soon but in Europe it certainly does have a following where a Kia Rio driver has just beaten an F1 driver to take out the championship. The win gives Kia Riao it’s third consecutive series win.

Kia Rio driver, Yvan Muller, has taken sufficient points in the final round of what is regarded as the World Championship for the unique motorsport of ice racing, the Andros Trophy, to beat former F1 Grand Prix World Champion Alain Prost and win the championship title for the third successive year.

The domination of the series, which is held in freezing conditions on specially-built race tracks on the top of mountains in the Alps, by Muller and the Rio was achieved despite Muller carrying more weight-penalty ballast as the twice-previous championship winner. Muller comprehensively fought off last minute challenges from former F1 Grand Prix World Champion Alain Prost in a Toyota, Jean-Phillipe Dayraut in a BMW and Franck Lagorce in a Fiat.

The Kia team wrapped up the title with a superb tactical performance in Super-Besse, high in the Alps, recording solid placings in both races that were sufficient to secure enough points for Muller to win his tenth ice racing title.

According to Muller, “It was the hardest ice racing season in my career, and surely the most beautiful victory, even if I had to play a game I’m not used to. During the last three seasons, the team proved we could beat everybody, dominating in 2004 and 2005, or playing tactics and nerve breaking games this season.”

“In racing we are used to hearing about ‘fastest times,’ but this year we had our ‘fastest’ time even with 490 kilos of ballast,” commented Paul Bourion, Kmotorsport team principal. “We did three seasons with the Kia Rio and we won three championships, thanks to Yvan, while this year and in 2005 we also won the constructor’s championship. And we are very proud of that record,” he added.

Muller and the Kmotorsport team now go to Paris and the Stade de France for the final event of the season — a non-championship round on a specially created ice-track at the country’s national stadium on 18 March.

Many many moons ago when I was a teenager set to conquer the world I was persuaded by a good mate to go halves with him in buying an old Mk1 Land Rover. It was a beast that only two adventurous kids could love.

It used more oil than petrol, a fully laden semi trailer could - and did - out-accelerate it going up a hill and it looked nothing like a Land Rover. By the time it came into our possession it had a combination aluminium and timber body, it was painted bright orange and it was definitely never going to be a chick magnet.

But it went and it took us to places our cars wouldn’t take us and somehow I wish I still had that monster.

But time moves on and even today’s Land Rover looks nothing like the Mk1 Landies of long ago. Today they reek of comfort and prestige but they’ll still get you to places most other vehicles will never reach.

So let’s have a quick look at what the press is saying about today’s modern Land Rover Discovery.

The Discovery comes with a choice of three engines. There is a V6 and V8 Petrol and a V6 diesel that was designed by Jaguar. The standard transmission is a 6 speed automatic that includes a variety of settings that takes into account the ground conditions that you’re travelling over.

The Good Points

Rides and handles well in most conditions

It will go places in two-wheel drive where others need four

Good cabin space

Quiet inside the cab at highway speeds

Good fuel consumption from the diesel.

The Not So Good Points

Good equipment levels but the quality of the equipment was not up to the same standard as competitors

Cheap looking seat fabrics and dashboard

Fuel consumption in the petrol versions

Presented as a premium vehicle in a class where it doesn’t quite match the competition

You can find more in-depth reviews here and here.

And from all that you might see that the Land Rover Discovery is an honest vehicle that doesn’t quite meet the competition and somehow that reminds of that old Mk 1 Landi I once co-owned.