The Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4 is one of those rare high-performance sports cars from the ’90s that has remained under the radar of petrolheads. While the majority of enthusiasts obsess over the Toyota Supra and Nissan Skyline GT-R, the 3000GT VR4 was considered not to be on par with its aforementioned competitors despite sporting a lot of high tech. The reason was that it was deemed too anodyne compared to its rivals. Perhaps Mitsubishi’s sports car was ahead of its time, thus it was unjustly overlooked, something that seems to have changed as prices for 3000GT VR4s have been all over the board recently. Lux Sport out of New York has a ’91 3000GT VR4 with just 2,190 miles on the clock. 49,995 for the coupe, which is a bit rich. Still, this is probably the closest an enthusiast will ever get to buying a model in near-new condition, as this could be the lowest-mileage 3000GT VR4 in the U.S. The 3000GT VR4 features a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 that produces 300 horsepower and 307 pound-feet of torque, four-wheel steering, electronically controlled suspension and a variable-note exhaust system, which makes it a quite advanced piece of kit. It also punched way above its weight when it came out, with a zero-to-60-mph time of roughly 5.2 seconds and a top speed of 250 km/h. That’s a difficult one to answer. 8,518 on Bring a Trailer last year. Then again, that car had 100,000 miles on it, so it’s not really a fair comparison.
Estate models use a slightly revised suspension setup to their hatchback counterparts, but the end result is effectively the same. You’ll notice the identically precise, well-weighted steering, as well as the balanced and adjustable behaviour. In fact, no rival can match the Focus Estate for driver fun. It rides well, too. The ST-Line is 10mm lower than other Focus models and is slightly firmer, as well - yet it brilliantly toes the line between compliance and tautness. It rarely feels troubled by rougher surfaces, and manages to resist roll in corners. Ford’s 1.5-litre three-cylinder EcoBoost engine is as good here as it is in the lighter Fiesta ST, despite having less power. Responses are dulled below 2,000rpm, but past this point it pulls quickly and smoothly to its 6,000rpm power peak. At town speeds and on the motorway it’s as quiet as you’d want - and there’s relatively little wind or tyre noise either. There’s load of different trims to choose from; the Focus Estate is also available as a luxurious Vignale variant, and will eventually be sold in rufty-tufty Active form. Throw in a wealth of equipment and safety technology, and it looks like the current class-leading Skoda Octavia Estate has a real fight on its hands.
With all the SUV hype at Volkswagen in recent years revolving around the midsize Tiguan, it's been easy to forget all about the brand's flagship truckster - the Touareg. Grey nomads wanting something a little nicer than the aforementioned Toyota. But next year, it'll be upgrade time for the Volkswagen Touareg. And while the second-generation car was hardly a stripper, the third-generation vehicle that will replace it in May 2019 steps up a class into luxury SUV terrain. Fairly nice' is out, replaced by a genuinely premium five-seater that shares a platform and many components with some far more prestigious cousins - the Audi Q7, Porsche Cayenne, Bentley Bentayga, and even the Lamborghini Urus. Ahead of its staggered Australian launch next year, Chasing Cars travelled to Morocco for an extensive cross-country drive of the 2019 Volkswagen Touareg, sampled here in 210kW/600Nm V6 diesel form. As you'll see from the pictures and video available on this review, the new Touareg ushers the SUV into a modern era of Volkswagen design.
We think the previous car aged gracefully but it was getting a little soft around the edges - not so here. The Touareg 3 is all creases and sharp surfacing, with a prominent front grille. By contrast, the rear end is still curvy, with retro wide-spaced badging. Trapezoidal exhausts disguise real twin outlets. The 18-inch wheels seen here - in beefy all-terrain tyres - will not come to Australia. Instead, wheels will range from 19 to 21 inches down under. On paper, the new Touareg should be the poor cousin to the aforementioned blue-blooded SUVs - Cayenne, et al - but in reality, that simply isn't the case. The Touareg will be a good-value way in to that lineage. 95,000 before costs. We'll know more on this front in February. Mostly because it sounded cool - an opportunity to drive Volkswagen's most capable vehicle, and their flagship product, in an exotic location. This wasn't the international launch of the vehicle, which took place in Europe in May, far in advance of the Touareg's local arrival, which was delayed by Australian emissions testing requirements that are now inconsistent with modern European standards.
