The good thing about having bought a car is that I can go back to reading car magazines just because I enjoy them, and not because I need to choose a car for myself.
I'm now free to appreciate the curve of a wheel arch or the knurling on an indicator stalk with complete disregard for the practicalities of actually owning one.
And that means that I can stop looking at station wagons for another four years...
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A concentrated period of internet searching revealed that there was only a single car in the whole of Perth that matched all of my criteria, those being:
- Seven seats, to accommodate kids, grandparents
- Room for the dog, bikes, camping gear
- Reasonably throaty engine so that it can still move when loaded with the above
- Five or more gears, as a laughable nod in the direction of fuel economy
- Cruise control, so I don't have too much to think about on the freeway
Happily, Eve was OK with the price and Range Ford were happy to take the Magna as a trade-in, so we bought it, and here it is:
Compared to the stick-out-like-a-sore-thumb bright green Magna this is an ultra-conservative all-over silver. I actually have to remember where I park it because it certainly doesn't stick out in a crowd. There are a few things that make up for the anonymity though. Electric windows for a start. In know that they aren't exactly a revolutionary idea but for years I've been winding my own, and having a little motor doing it for you is quite a treat. The split rear tailgate is handy because, as anyone with a station wagon will know, you inevitably find yourself parked too close to the thing behind you and can't open the back without first driving forward.
It's also got a trick ZF 6-speed gear box which has found a home in several cars much further up-market than the Ford. Its electronic brain notices when you are going up-hill and helps by not up-shifting, down-shifts if you brake when going down-hill, and will delay changing up until you have straightened out of a bend. There's a performance mode that actually makes a noticeable difference and you can change the gears yourself should the urge grab you. My only criticism of this fantastic device is the disappointing feel of the shifter when you move it. In a Jaguar I'm sure that it must go snick-snick-snick but in the Ford it goes flub-flub-flub. A small strip of metal in there would have made all the difference.
It feels big, but although it is taller than the Magna it isn't actually any longer. It makes plenty more leg room in the second row by moving the front seats forward and having a shorter bonnet - something I noticed when I first put it in the garage and stopped well short of the wall. Using my foolproof line-the-windscreen-up-with-a-brick method I have to drive a whole brick further in with the Territory than I did with the Magna.
Quick facts:
- 190kW (255bhp) 383Nm (282lb/ft) 4.0l DOHC 24V straight six
- 12.8l/100km fuel consumption official figures (22mpg), although I'm getting closer to 12.1
- Weight 2.1 tonnes
- Length 4.8m, width 1.9m, height 1.7m
There's no denying that's a lot of metal to move, and there is plenty inertia to overcome when sudden acceleration is called for. It's not hard to get it moving but there is a moment just after pressing the pedal when the warp engines spin up to full power - and then you surge forward crushing the smaller cars beneath those enormous wheels...
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Actually there is a third choice - a 2005 Misubishi Magna!
On the plus side you get quite a lot for your money thanks to price-slashing on the 380 model that replaced it, but on the downside it wouldn't offer much novelty.
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My trusty Mitsubishi Magna is getting a bit long in the tooth and is starting to make noises that suggest imminent and expensive repair bills. By happy coincidence there's some money in the bank and so I am looking for a replacement.
Ideally that would be a large station wagon with a three litre diesel engine, an automatic gearbox and a good selection of safety systems. Unfortunately the only cars that meet those criteria in Australia are the BMW 5-series and the E-class Mercedes, both of which cost about four times what I can afford. I'm also not sure that I'd be entirely comfortable lobbing my slobbering dog or half a hundredweight of timber in the back of a car costing $120k and upholstered in leather and luxurious wool carpets.
Excluding the insanely expensive European offerings what's left? From Holden there's the Commodore, but it's the last hurrah of the VT version that sprang off the drawing board in the mid nineties, and is hardly state of the art. Ford's Falcon wagon is aimed squarely at photocopier repair technicians (semi-elliptical leaf springs, for God's sake) and is only drivable if loaded to the gunnels. The Japanese manufacturers have completely abandoned the large wagon - the demise of the Magna in 2005 meant that not one of them makes anything bigger than a compact.
So what's left? Only two choices I'm afraid: an SUV or a people mover. And those options present a few problems...
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Did I mention that I've got a bit of a thing about cars? Nothing gets me going like the curve of a well crafted wheel arch.
And there were plenty of those on display at the Perth Car Show last weekend. Not one of the world's best known automotive concours d'excellence, but more than engaging enough to occupy the male members of my family for an astonishing six hours.
The main reason for going is so that I can bang on interminably about all and sundry. "Of course, the sweep of the C-pillar pays homage to the coupe of 1965". "Did you notice that they've made a subtle change to the design of the rear indicator lenses?". Every button on the dashboard needs to be pressed, the seat folding mechanisms in the 4x4s need a good workout, the flip 'n' spin cup holders need to be flipped 'n' spun.
This year's highlights included the gargantuan Mercedes CL coupe (always rewarding to leave finger marks on a car that's worth more than my house), the Mitsubishi Concept Sportback - no doubt the next Lancer will be just like it, but with all the interesting bits removed - and the fabulous rear-end of the Alfa Romeo Brera.
None of which are likely to be my next car. I spent the whole time gazing at something gorgeous and thinking "If only they would do it as a station wagon"...
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