With petrol prices continually on the rise, many people in Australia are looking at alternatives. One of the popular options is diesel, which in many parts of the world costs roughly the same as petrol but yields way better fuel economy. This what makes the diesel-powered Ford Mondeo TDCI wagon so alluring. Ford is undecided about offering the car in Australia, and even more unlikely to bring it to the US, where wagons (and diesels) are not exactly received with enthusiasm. Too bad—the Mondeo has great styling and is powered by a 2.2 litre turbo diesel producing a modest but sufficient 129 kw (173 hp). It also offers plenty of storage space, with a cavernous 535 litres in the standard configuration or 1733 litres with the seats down. Sounds like a winner to me!

It’d be an understatement to say that the Aurora 101 is remarkable car. Built by a group of volunteers “dedicated to achieving extreme efficiency in transport,” the Aurora is no conventional family sedan, though it’s got some pretty interesting features. The frame is constructed from carbon fibre while the upper body is made from polystyrene and composite materials. It weighs in at 160kg, with 30kg of batteries and no driver. Powered by an electric motor that produces a continuous power output of 1.8kw, it harnesses the sun’s rays using solar panels that take up a surface area of 5.9 meters. All of this technology was put to good use last year with the team, taking 3rd place at the 2007 World Solar Challenge. They also won the “Spirit of the Event” award.

The thing that I really like about shows like the Melbourne Motor Show is concept cars. I’ve never been a huge fan of Renault, but one concept that really did surprise me was the Koleos: if this is a sign of things to come, I might have to reevaluate my perspective. Designed as a crossover, the Koleos incorporates elements of a car that is due to be released later this year. It’s powered by a 4-cylinder 2.0 litre, 18-valve turbocharged diesel. It produces 130 kw (175 hp) and is controlled by a six-speed manual gearbox. The all wheel drive system rests on 19" custom alloys. Hopefully the vehicle that does hit the showrooms will contain a lot of what the Koleos represents; otherwise, it might just be another case of crossover blandness.

It’s funny how seeing a car in real life can change your perspective on it. I had only ever seen Elfins in magazines and on the net, and hadn’t really paid much attention to them. However, I have to admit that they’re pretty impressive in person. Elfin has been producing cars in Australia for almost 50 years. Their current offerings are the Clubman (below) and the Streamliner. The Clubman really caught my attention. Powered by a 5.7 litre OHC 16 valve V8, it produces 245 kw (329 hp) which runs through to a 6-speed manual gear box. And weighing in at a mere 900 kg, the car has a very decent power-to-weight ratio. What’s more, Elfin is quite happy to do custom jobs, and produced this interesting version of its Streamliner for the No Fear Company.

It’s interesting, the surprises that can come your way at a car show. I’ve never considered Skoda to be a world conqueror when it comes to making cars, and I approached their stand thinking I would give them a quick once over and move on. I have now realized that if I was looking for a small or midsized car I would have to give them serious consideration. The car that impressed me most goes by the endearing name of the Roomster, and it actually is pretty different from most of the small cars available in Australia. Boasting a total of 6 airbags, it also has ESP (Electronic Stability Program) which includes ABS, EBD (Electronic Brake-Force Distribution) and ASR (Acceleration Slip Regulation). With the choice of a fuel-sipping 1.6 litre petrol or 1.9 litre diesel engine, it really does have everything that you could want in a small car. It looks like Volkswagen’s money has been well spent.

As promised, I’m at the Melbourne Motor Show this week. As soon as I got in I made a beeline for the one car that I had to see at this year’s show: the Bolwell Nagari. Australia’s Bolwell produced only about 800 cars in the 60’s and 70’s, and I was left wondering if the legend was ‘bigger’ than the car. But the redesigned Nagari did not disappoint. Unlike other car makers that have hopped on the retrostyling bandwagon, Bolwell designed the Nagari as a breed apart from its 20th-century predecessors. With its supercar lines, it doesn’t actually bear much resemblance to the original Nagari at all; the old and the new share only a name and a basic body style. The new Nagari has all the updated internals like a fully independent suspension and power-assisted ABS.  And powered by a 3.5 litre, all-alloy V6, with an optional supercharger, it’s a thoroughly upgraded in the power department as well—it really is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Go below the jump for some more views.

I’m the first to admit that I am over the whole retrostyling trend. It started with the New Beetle, and was followed by the Mini and a host of others. Don’t even get me started on the PT Cruiser–although not strictly based on a specific older car, it just rubs me the wrong way every time I see it. Fairly recently, Fiat announced its new retrostyled version of the classic 500, an development that didn’t get my attention until the Geneva Motor Show: it turns out that Fiat’s Abarth Rally Division has released a rally-tuned, 150 hp version of the 500. The heart of the Abarth 500 is a turbocharged 1.4 litre, 16-valve petrol engine. Its body kit gives it a rough-and-ready stance reminiscent of the original 500, in a way that really separates it from all the other micro-bots that are hitting the market. One cool feature that really caught my eye is the Torque Transfer Control system, which ensures that the peppy Abarth stays stuck to the road when cornering. This is one that I will definitely be checking out at the Melbourne International Motor Show. Take a look at the video of the 500 whipping its way around a road course!

To be perfectly honest, I gave up on going to the Melbourne International Motor Show a few years ago. It had become boring and was filled with cars that you could see at most dealerships. However, that has all changed this year and there are three very good reasons why I will be going. Ray Bauman will be showing off his Monster Bike. The Bolwell Nagari is making a comeback, and David Walter’s E-Vade is making its debut! Walter, an engineer with the Australian Navy, developed the E-Vade with his wife’s encouragement. According to Just Cars Magazine, he built the car for himself “and if we end up making and selling more of them, then that’s something extra.” Looking over the E-Vade’s specs, I wouldn’t be surprised if Walter got a few orders. It has been designed as a car that’ll be at home on both the road and the race track. It features a mild-steel frame chassis and a fiberglass body and, powered by a twin-turbocharged Nissan V6, the E-Vade pumps out a quite respectable 500kw (670 hp!) in the track-tuned version. There’s also a more sedate 300kw (400hp) version available for cars used primarily for road driving. The feature I like the most is the built-in hydraulic jacking system, which gives the car enough clearance for quick tyre changes.