Dirty deeds uncovered as cars lose power

MANY of Australia’s most popular new vehicles have been detuned in order to comply with strict new national exhaust emissions laws that came into effect this year.

Market-leading models from brands such as Toyota, Holden and Nissan are among the cars to come in for a power cut, while other high-profile models have disappeared altogether because of the prohibitive cost of upgrading their engines to comply with the latest regulations.

GoAuto last month reported Toyota’s Corolla – Australia’s top-selling small car – had been detuned to meet the new Euro III-equivalent Australian Design Rule (ADR 79/01) Emissions Control for Light Vehicles, which came into effect on January 1, 2006.

All Corolla sedans, hatches and wagons produced from October 2005 deliver 7kW less peak power (now 93kW) and 10Nm less peak torque (now 161Nm) than their predecessors.

As a consolation for its downgraded performance, acceleration and, potentially, resale value, Toyota claims the 2006 Corolla is more environmentally friendly than many of its small-car rivals as it now meets Euro IV emissions standards not due in force here until 2008.

However, a GoAuto investigation conducted this month has revealed that the flagship of the Corolla range, the five-door Sportivo, will not grace Toyota showrooms this year, following the failure of its 141kW 1.8-litre engine to meet the new ADR. An all-new Corolla is due in the first quarter of 2007, when a Sportivo model should re-emerge after a 12-month absence.

There is more.

Toyota’s diesel-powered LandCruiser 100 Series wagon variants have also come in for a performance cut – despite the fact ADR 79/01 does not apply to diesel-powered light vehicles (under 3500kg) until 2007 – with 2006 examples of the 4.2-litre oil-burning engine (available in GXL and VX variants) producing the same 96kW but offering a significant 10Nm less peak torque at 285Nm.

The 100 Series wagon’s turbo-diesel engine (available in GXL, VX and Sahara grades) has also been nobbled for 2006, offering 1kW less peak power, while models with the 170kW/410Nm 4.7-litre V8 remain unchanged.

LandCruiser’s opposite number at Nissan has also received a performance reduction, with the Patrol’s 4.8-litre inline six-cylinder petrol engine now offering more modest power and torque figures. Once pedalled as the most powerful engine in its class, the 4.8-litre engine – which is available in ST-S, ST-L and Ti wagon variants – now offers 180kW (down from 185kW) and 400Nm of torque (well down from 420Nm).

Even more significant for Nissan is the reduction in performance of the X-Trail, one of Australia’s top-selling compact SUVs.

From top: Toyota Corolla Sportivo, Nissan X-Trail and Holden Acclaim.

All X-Trail models now produce 123kW – down from the 2005 model’s 132kW – and 230Nm of torque (down from 245Nm, or more than six per cent), making it less powerful than Toyota’s new RAV4 (125kW).

Subaru’s turbocharged Liberty GT is another high-profile passenger car to have been discontinued this year due to excessive emissions. An upgraded 2007 model year version will be relaunched around October with a larger and more powerful 2.5-litre turbo boxer engine.

Meantime, GM Holden’s Adventra V8, which was launched with great fanfare as GMH’s first crossover vehicle in 2003, has also disappeared.

Powered exclusively by a 5.7-litre Gen III V8 before an Alloytec V6 variant joined the range in February 2005, Adventra attracted just 2500 customers in 2004 – well short of its 4800 sales target despite slicing $4000 from its original retail price. Officially, the discontinuation of the flagship V8 version from this year was due to “the need to reduce model complexity”.

Given Holden’s Gen III V8 was replaced by the 6.0-litre Gen IV in all V8-powered models from this year because it did not comply with ADR 79/01, fitting the cleaner-burning new L76 V8 to Adventra would not have been cost-effective.

Furthermore, the Adventra V6’s power output has been reduced by 2kW (to 188kW), while peak torque has dropped 10Nm (now 330Nm). The same changes apply to Crewman Cross6.

But arguably the most significant – and surprising – casualty of ADR 79/01 is Australia’s most popular model.

Holden announced revised 2006 specifications for its Commodore-based Alloytec V6 models in a press release issued on December 29, 2005. The significance of a table outlining the relatively new V6’s power and torque figures from 2006 was easy to overlook, but reveals reductions in performance for Holden’s basic 3.6-litre Alloytec V6 as well as the "Alloytec 190" reserved for premium models – both of which were introduced just 16 months earlier in the VZ Commodore range.

Commodore’s base V6 – which powers Holden’s volume-selling Executive, Acclaim and Berlina sedan and wagon variants – now delivers 3kW less peak power at 172kW. Maximum torque is unchanged at 320Nm. Commercial vehicles such as Ute, Ute S, Crewman, Crewman S and Crewman Cross6 are also affected.

Holden’s more sophisticated Alloytec 190 has not escaped alterations either, and from 2006 will offer 5Nm less peak torque at 335Nm. According to Holden, the revised V6s feature new fuel-injectors, a different exhaust catalyst and upgraded engine calibration to meet ADR 79/01.

Ford also upgraded the 4.0-litre inline six-cylinder that powers Falcon and Territory to meet ADR 79/01 as part of the BF/SY facelift last October.

However, rather than offering less performance, the cleaner-burning Falcon and Territory models now deliver 190kW (up 8kW) and 383Nm (up 3Nm) – as well as lower fuel consumption – with the fitment of dual independent variable camshaft timing, dual knock sensors and increased engine compression (from 9.7:1 to 10.3:1). Ford Performance Vehicles’ BF models also meet ADR 79/01 and offer better fuel consumption without reducing performance.

A number of light commercial utilities and vans have also been either discontinued or detuned for 2006.

One the biggest selling vans on the Australian market, the Kia Pregio, was among the first casualties of tighter global emissions standards, including ADR 79/01. The redesigned version of the South Korean manufacturer’s sole commercial van was released here in July 2004 but was discontinued here last October and has ceased production because its 2.7-litre diesel engine fails to meet forthcoming diesel emissions regulations.

Similarly, Ford’s stalwart van representative, the Econovan, continues to be marketed by Ford Australia in short, medium and long wheelbase guises but will cease to be available once stocks built before January 1, 2006 are depleted.

The Econovan's 1.8-litre and 2.0-litre four-cylinder engines fail to meet ADR 79/01. The same engines are fitted to Mazda’s Econovan-based E Series van twin, 2005-plated examples of which also remain on sale until sold out. As is the case with the Econovan, Mazda Australia has confirmed there is no plan to replace the current E Series any time soon.

Ford also announced last August that four-cylinder versions of its Courier utility would become unavailable once current stocks were depleted in 2006, due to their inability to meet the new emissions requirement. Diesel and V6-powered Courier models continue.

Ford’s all-new Courier and Mazda’s B Series replacement – to be named the BT-50 – will go on sale here around November, powered by two new-generation 2.5-litre and 3.0-litre turbo-diesel engines. While Courier/Bravo’s current V6 will continue to be available in the new models (and is likely to be upgraded at a later date), neither model is expected to feature four-cylinder power. B Series diesel pricing was recently realigned to make it more attractive in the absence of a four-cylinder version.

Mitsubishi has also been affected, although most customers benefit from the change. Its revised 2006 Express van range released last month has substituted the no-longer-compliant 2.0-litre petrol engine for a detuned version of the (now discontinued) walk-through model’s 2.4-litre engine in order to meet the new emissions requirements. The 2.4-litre 16-valve SOHC four-cylinder engine now produces 84kW (down a substantial 13kW) and 188Nm (down 4Nm.)The case for cleaner cars on our roads
AUSTRALIAN Design Rule 79/01 (Emissions Control for Light Vehicles) was introduced for new-model petrol and LPG-powered light vehicles (under 3500kg) from January 1, 2005, and for all petrol/LPG light vehicles from January 1, 2006.

The same emissions standard will come into effect for diesel-powered light vehicles from 2007, which will also require vehicles to comply for a period of up to 80,000km.

Bringing Australian emissions regulations fully in line with Europe for the first time, ADR 79/01 is equivalent to the United Nations-developed Stage Three emissions standard – commonly referred to as Euro III – which came into effect in Europe in 2000.

ADR 79/01, which roughly mirrors emissions laws introduced in the US in 2001 and in Japan in 2000, restricts hydrocarbon emissions to 0.2gm/km, oxides of nitrogen to 0.15gm/km and carbon monoxide to 2.3gm/km, as well as introducing new restrictions on fuel evaporation. New testing procedures also mean engines must now comply from "start-up" as well as at -7 degrees C, while a new on-board diagnostics system will reveal if emissions exceed their designated outputs.

An even tighter Euro IV emissions regulation came into effect in Europe this year. It will be adopted in Australia from 2008 and is expected to reduce pollution emitted by passenger cars by up to 50 per cent of those under Euro II.

Furthermore, under the Fuel Quality Standards Act 2000, the amount of sulphur permissible in Australian automotive diesel fuel was reduced to 500mg/kg from 2003, and to 50mg/kg from 2006.

According to the Australian Greenhouse Office, the main greenhouse gas emitted by motor vehicles is carbon dioxide (CO2). The level of CO2 emissions is linked to the amount of fuel consumed by the car, and the type of fuel used. In 2003, Australian government research estimated that 80 per cent of the carbon dioxide in some Australian cities could be attributed to motor vehicles.

Australian vehicle manufacturers have committed to a voluntary fuel consumption target for new passenger cars of 6.8L/100 km by 2010, representing an 18 per cent improvement over the 2001 rate and requiring improvements at twice the rate achieved over the last 20 years.

However, the voluntary target does not include some of the fastest-growing sectors of the Australian new car market – 4WDs and light commercial vehicles – and is behind the current European targets.

GONE:

Ford Econovan

Ford Courier four-cylinder

Holden Adventra V8

Kia Pregio

Mazda E Series

Mazda B Series four-cylinder

Mitsubishi Express 2.0

Toyota Corolla Sportivo

DETUNED:
Holden Adventra V6	Down 2kW/10Nm
Holden Crewman/S/Cross6	Down 3kW
Holden Ute/Ute S	Down 3kW
Holden Commodore/Acclaim/Berlina sedan and wagon	Down 3kW
Holden Commodore SV6	Down 5Nm
Holden Calais/Statesman/Caprice V6	Down 5Nm
Nissan Patrol 4.8	Down 5kW/20Nm
Nissan X-Trail	Down 9kW/15Nm
Toyota Corolla	Down 7kW/10Nm
Toyota LandCruiser diesel	Down 10Nm
Toyota LandCruiser turbo-diesel	Down 1kW