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CAR NEPHEW TRIUMPHS

I am the car uncle to a youngster whose parents don’t share his automobile fascination. This role requires merely the occasional car-related conversation and delivery of old magazines, but is incredibly rewarding; never more so than last Wednesday, when car nephew’s mother turned up in her new Subaru Liberty 3.0R-B wagon.

It was selected by 11-year-old car nephew.

He was informed of available funds and certain dimensional requirements, then left to his own devices. His choice is brilliant; only 15 or so years ago, a midsize Japanese wagon would’ve been the last pick of anyone car-savvy, but this thing completely rocks. Engine is torquey and revvy (six cylinders, redlined at 7000rpm); gearbox (six speeds) is smooth and direct; handling is incredibly potent (all-wheel-drive helps—punched out of tight, potentially-slidey second-gear corners, it just grips and goes).

It also has the most intuitive heel-toe pedal set-up of anything I’ve ever driven, up to open-wheel racing cars. The whole deal feels like a sports car de-tuned to passenger car ride and comfort levels rather than a sportified passenger car (the difference between these approaches is surprisingly large). Got $A50,000 to spare for some new wheels? Trust it to an 11-year-old. They know what they’re doing.

(In other speedy news, I’ll be testing this next week. Nearly 400 horsepower; very little weight over the rear wheels; praying that rain doesn’t fall.)

Posted by Tim B. on 06/03/2005 at 09:06 PM

  1. Hope you got to take nephew out for a spin on a suitable WRCesque road to show him your drifting technique through the corners.

    Posted by rinardman on 2005 06 03 at 10:27 PM • permalink

  2. Whoo-hoo, circle work! Gotta deefa for the back?

    Posted by slatts on 2005 06 03 at 10:33 PM • permalink

  3. And the lad didn’t suggest a Prius? Just what are our schools coming to? After all those indoctrination um awareness classes . A Japanese car as well,won’t anyone think of the whales?

    Posted by Nic on 2005 06 03 at 10:50 PM • permalink

  4. A Maloo R8? What a ridiculous name for a car; I don’t want to drive it, I want to cuddle it!

    Posted by Tony.T.Teacher on 2005 06 03 at 11:00 PM • permalink

  5. So Tim, is the Maloo the Aussie version of the El Camino?

    Posted by Cris on 2005 06 03 at 11:56 PM • permalink

  6. Yikes, it’s an El Camino. What do you call those down there, “bogan wagons” or some such?

    (still taking baby steps with the Australian language)

    Posted by Dave S. on 2005 06 04 at 12:06 AM • permalink

  7. If you need some weight over the back wheels, I’m prepared to be flown down there as long as you spring for the beer, too.

    Posted by richard mcenroe on 2005 06 04 at 12:18 AM • permalink

  8. Richard, you don’t want to ride in the back of a 400hp ute, trust me. Tim, may I suggest placing a railway sleeper over the rear axle, 6 bags cement, P.Adams + M.Moore, you get the drift....or they will ! Hope the brute’s got LSD.

    Posted by JAFA on 2005 06 04 at 12:57 AM • permalink

  9. My first jeep driver used to be a gun-jeep driver in ‘Nam.  I’ll betcha there ain’t nothing Tim can show me about flying in close formation to an open automobile…

    Posted by richard mcenroe on 2005 06 04 at 01:05 AM • permalink

  10. Be interested in hearing how much damage, I mean how much fun you have with the maloo.

    Posted by youngy on 2005 06 04 at 02:31 AM • permalink

  11. You dont have to drive a Commodore hard to damage it. Bits will fall off it in the driveway.

    Posted by Lucky Nutsacks on 2005 06 04 at 05:43 AM • permalink

  12. So, is it some kind of electric car?  Why the reference to power output in “kilowatts”?  How many horses is that?

    Posted by R C Dean on 2005 06 04 at 07:48 AM • permalink

  13. Hey, listen, “out of the mouths of babes” isn’t just a cliché.  Not when you have to call a 13-year-old to come over and help you figure out all the bells and whistles on a new microwave oven.

    Posted by RebeccaH on 2005 06 04 at 12:11 PM • permalink

  14. 11 yr old arrested after suburban high speed chase in stolen car last night.
    Finished up embedded in the fence of a daycare centre,unhurt. Neither fortunately was his little brother.
    Hello mother, hello father - where were you?

    Posted by crash on 2005 06 04 at 12:49 PM • permalink

  15. You dont have to drive a Commodore hard to damage it. Bits will fall off it in the driveway.

    Methinks we have a Ford man…

    Having said that, ‘Maloo’ sounds like the teddy bear of Percy Weatherbottom-spotsworth III or something.

    Posted by RhikoR on 2005 06 05 at 08:45 AM • permalink

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