replicant

There's the exchange rate for a start (one AU dollar buys 1.07 of our dollars) and GST is higher in NZ (12.5% vs 10%). On top of that the discounting structure is different in NZ for fleet sales due to the fact that there aren't many private buyers of new cars (mainly because imported second cars from Japan have saturated the market) - although Honda are pretty brave and have a ONE PRICE policy so don't offer fleets the discounts some of the others offer (and are a lot cheaper sticker price wise but closer to even stevens after haggling with the others) The sticker price and what the cars actually sell for are usually quite different - especially with run out deals. The word was the Mitsi dealers were so desperate to shift the last of the Diamante/Magnas that discounts close to 40% off RRP were being bandied around. On the other hand, they are still offering run out deals on the BA MKIIs... mine ended up being put thru as a specific factory build as most of the options had to be factory fitted (mainly the luxury pack) although an aftermarket reversing camera might have been a better option in hindsight than the reversing radar (anyone used one on a BF yet?) I have no idea what my BF cost to be honest. Our tax rules are different so there is no such beast as a novated lease here... so the company is leasing the car and providing it to me as part of my remuneration. I got to choose the car and the options up to a monthly lease cost (subject to the proviso it was a four door automatic sedan), they pay the lease and the PULP booked up on the card for the servo (and the lease is fully maintained and includes replacement tyres too!) I had the same thing with my Territory at my last job - just lucky I've worked long and hard enough to get to a position where I can this as part of the job.

I've noticed that the specification/features of the XR6T are different between the two markets - although there is a price point difference between the two countries. Typically, in NZ the vehicles have many items that are options in Australia -included in the base specification or as no cost options. In NZ - The ZF six speed is a no-cost option on the XR6T over the T56, the side airbags are standard as is cruise control and the 'prestige' six pack CD player with the steering wheel controls - whereas in Australia these are all extra cost options. It's similar with the Territory where the rear cargo blind, the 6 stack CD and cruise, body painted bumpers, alloy wheels were standard in the TX model from the get go in the SX version but extra cost options in Australia. Interestingly, the only RWD variant (and therefore the only one with the Ion 4 Speeder is the base model TX RWD). All the rest of the range are AWD - which is quite different from Australia where over half of the sales are RWD only. My BF XR6T arrived last week with the iDesign Luxury Pack... suffice to say it's more tasteful than the tyre tread upholstery in the standard trim. The ZF transmission is outstanding and the DSC seems to be reasonably well tuned so it doesn't interfere until you are giving it the stick... and you can turn it off. There's also news that Expensive Daewoo will continue to sell the Gen II 5.7 litre engine in the NZ spec of the SS Late model camira after the New Year. Although, Australian Expensive Daewoo V8s will change over to a truck based 6 litre Euro III compliant engine, the NZ MD indicated that by the time that they would be ready to go in NZ, then VE would be due (and NZ doesn't require compliance with the new ADRs). The new 6 litre engine IS NOT the same engine as the HSV/Corvette but one based on a 'commercial vehicle' ie it comes out of a US pick up truck. This isn't as bad as it sounds... the engine for the GT40 and for that matter the Falcon GT are based on truck blocks (the GT40 engine is uncannily similar to the supercharged F150 Lightning). It's also supposed to have more mid-range torque where most of the driving is done...

One of the reasons, to use nitrogen or for that matter medically dried regular air is that it doesn't contain much moisture. The drier the gas in the tyre, the less likely it's going to vary in pressure due to temperature variations. However, it still doesn't get around that you should check your pressures regularly anyway - mainly because there are other factors including bead sealing or for that matter slow punctures that can result in slight deflation or worse still tyre failure due to sudden loss of pressure. Even if you do deflate the tyres and refill them with nitrogen, it's going to take a few iterations of this process to get rid of the original air used to inflate and seal the tyre on the rim. Each time the proportion of Nitrogen will be higher due to mixing so eventually after a couple of inflation/reinflation it will be close to 100%. The optimum tyre pressure varies depending on the vehicle, loading, surfaces and to an extent the way you drive. Otherwise, I and just anybody who's been involved in any kind of racing has been wasting their time trying to optimise performance with measuring tyre temperatures and varying pressures - on some tracks you may even end up with 2-3 psi difference left to right!. Or for that matter if you run an AWD then anyone who drives on sand regularly will probably deflate for the soft stuff and then reinflate once they get back on the firm stuff. Or if you do high speed touring or towing a box trailer for that matter you usually increase inflation pressures. Maximum recommended pressures usually don't help if it's wet either and as you may have noticed don't help with ride comfort. On the other hand, underinflated tyres mean added drag and increased wear - I'd guess that most tyres are underinflated most of the time as most folk don't check them between services. My limited experience with run flats is that even with the tyre inflation sensors you should still check the pressure and condition of the tyre for obvious damage. The red light will flicker on the dashboard if suddenly there is a sidewall failure due to catastrophic damage (like sidewall failure) - which won't be that reassuring as you slide sideways into a ditch or lose control. As for nitrogen on road cars - if you did lots of mileage in hot and cold conditions then it might be something in it. But you'd be ahead of most folk if you checked your pressures and tread/sidewall condition weekly... then again you'd be ahead of most folk if you checked your oil levels every second fill.

Traction control is there for a reason - it helps minimise wheelspin. At least in a Ford you can turn it off (you can turn TC 'off' in a Merc... well the switch says it's off but granny comes and stops the fun if you really stomp on it... as it is never totally OFF in a Merc). The TC works on rotation rates and will sense an individual wheels rate compared to the other driven wheel and perhaps an undriven wheel. It will allow a certain degree of slippage before intervening... intervention in the form of either activating the brake for the slipping driven wheel initially and then resorting to retarding the ignition or at the very most cutting off the fuel injector cycle. I think the Bosch 8 DSC tries to avoid using the electronic throttle control (ETC) in the Falcon installation except as a last resort because it affects throttle response. TC usually uses the ABS sensors to detect wheel rotation so most bits are already included just need a brain and a suitable connection/programming to connect to the engine management system. DSC is the evolution of TC and using some other sensors including steering angle, throttle position, yaw etc can detect either understeer or oversteer. It usually brakes one or more wheels to counteract the unwanted yaw forces. It won't save you in the event you do something really silly but in marginal situations may assist a driver in maintaining control. Try doing circle work in an AWD Territory in a snowed/iced over ski field carpark with the DSC on and then off to get an idea of how much difference it can make. And you can always turn it off - sometimes when you on sand you might want the whole system OFF no TC no DSC OR if you want to take full control and not have the electronic granny look after you. On the other hand, in the wet unless you're on a track I usually have it ON! TC/DSC self check happens at start up.

Nope I didn't really like the fabric pattern either. You can sidestep this by ordering the iDesign XR Luxury pack for the XR Model (XR6 NA, XR6T and XR8) so the seating is in leather with fabric inserts and it gets the ICC centre console module out of the Ghia ie 'prestige' sound system, dual zone climate control and the color TFT screen. (which presumably means that you can add satnav or the reversing camera from the TS and Ghia Territory as a retro fit sometime). The shifter on the 6 speed when you put into the Performance mode doesn't have the longish travel of the 4 speed auto 'box either so it's seems to be more user friendly and quicker to make the changes. The 6 speed has the grade logic control which the 4 speed gets as part of the BF update but was in Territory from the get go. The XR6T gets DSC standard and the bigger brakes out of the Territory parts bin too. Ford is still in run out mode here in NZ we aren't scheduled for the BF to go officially on sale for another week or so. Mine is due sometime around Christmas.