"Open the windows," says Nadeem Arshad. "Even if it's 40 degrees outside, it's going to be 65 or 75 inside. So getting air that is cooler, even if it's still relatively hot, is the best thing."
It's great advice for normal motorists from one of the world's leading luxury brands.
Arshad, the aircon expert at Aston Martin, is getting his first experience of Australian conditions by driving a camouflaged prototype for more than 9000km through the outback and Top End.
He — and we — can't talk about the future Aston but he still has plenty of advice on maximising cabin comfort.
"The highest solar loading (index) we had seen was around 1100 in Dubai, but we're getting 1450 here at Alice Springs."
"You need to pull the cabin temperature down as quickly as you can. Once you get some fresh air inside, it helps the airconditioning do its job."
He says the default setting should be 22 degrees and using the "recirc" button will continually circulate the air without having to do too much cooling. Get the occasional burst of fresh air through the windows to add oxygen to the system.
But Arshad also has questions about Australia, after encountering our blue-sky heat during the test drive.
"We're wondering if we need to recalibrate our instruments. The highest solar loading (index) we had seen was around 1100 in Dubai, but we're getting 1450 here at Alice Springs. Could that be right?" he asks.
My answer is as simple as his advice on cooling: "Welcome to Australia, mate."
This article originally appeared on CarsGuide.
