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Welcome to Smart Wheels!

January 19, 2009 at 8:37 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Honda Smart Wheels

Welcome!

Buying a car is probably your second biggest purchase in life, if not first. So, it is normal to mull over a decision repeatedly until you get the slightest hint of comfort and assurance. Perhaps some hard facts would help.

In keeping to its relevance to the current market situation, Honda would like to provide relevant tips and information for potential car buyers that aim to help them to make informed decision.

We are also collaborating with independent car reviewer, Paul Tan in presenting you with unbiased advice and guidance. A well known blogger in the motoring arena, Paul brings with him a wealth of knowledge and expertise that could potentially fill your knowledge gap in the subject matter.

We would like to clarify that this blog is an independent portal. Therefore, it does not endorse any car brand in specific, naturally, we do not recommend. However, we believe Paul will be able to guide you in your quest to search for your dream car.

Lastly, let us hear from you and happy surfing!

Brought to you by Honda.

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Mazda Axela Sport 1.5 Smart Edition: now cheaper!

January 19, 2009 at 11:34 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Mazda

Mazda Axela

Mazda Japan has just announced the Mazda Axela Sport 1.5 Smart Edition (the Mazda 3 is called the Axela in Japan), which is over 160,000 yen cheaper than the base Axela 15C model, an obvious sales move to push the last of the Axela stock before the new 2009 Mazda 3 arrives. This version features a 1.5 litre DOHC engine mated to a 4-speed automatic, and the only additional equipment is a rear roof spoiler and an Alcantara case for you to store your vehicle inspection certificate. At 1,498,000 yen and an additional 11,860 yen recycling fee, that’s only slightly over RM 59,000!

Don’t you just love those open market price tags?
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Is the new 510hp Jaguar XF-R an M5-killer?

January 19, 2009 at 11:18 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Jaguar, Videos

Jaguar XF-R

We definitely don’t know if this new high-powered version of the award-winning XF can trump the BMW M5 as a driver’s car, but it’s definitely got the soon to be outgoing E60 M5 beat in the horsepower and torque department. The new Jaguar XF-R is powered by the new AJ-V8 Gen III engine that supercharges 5.0 litres of displacement in V8 configuration to produce 510 PS and 625Nm of torque.

Jaguar XF-R

Now this is definitely less than the twin-turbo RS6, but according to our track tester Harvinder who had a go at the RS6 on Sepang recently, the Audi offering is rather pudgy on the track. What will the new Jaguar XF-R be like? Will it be both nimble and quick or will it be an autobahn cruiser designed to go in straight lines very fast? We already know it does the whole straight line thing very well as Jaguar has officially announced the XF-R as the fastest Jaguar ever, as it can reach a top speed of 225mph, which is approximately 362km/h.

Jaguar XF-R

The top speed run was tested at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah using a Jaguar XFR prototype using a a remapped ECU, a modified air intake and exhaust system and revised supercharger settings. No internal engine components were changed and the 6-speed auto was kept standard, including the gear ratios. The standard production car will be limited to 155mph (250km/h), but you can already expect a slew of tuners who will have products to unleash a few horsepowers and Newton meters from the engine as well as get rid of the top speed limiter.

Jaguar XF-R

The Jaguar XFR goes from 0 to 100km.h in 4.9 seconds, but more importantly it has some decent overtaking abilities as 80km/h to 110km/h acceleration time only takes 1.9 seconds. The R car is equipped with a quicker steering rack, uprated brakes, and a new electronic Active Differential.

Check out a photo gallery of the new XFR after the jump as well as a video of the car’s Bonneville top speed run.
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New F02 BMW 7-Series 740Li and 750Li long wheelbase launched in Malaysia!

January 19, 2009 at 1:45 am By Paul Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars, Local News

BMW F02

The new BMW 7-Series is now in Malaysia! It is sold here in F02 form only, which means long wheelbase for better chauffeured usage. Now one of the reasons which makes this version of the long wheelbase 7 so special is that it doesn’t look like a long wheelbase car. The E66 and E65 looked similiar from the front all the way to the B-pillar, after of which you can see the E66′s rear door looks abnormally extended, spoiling the sleek look of the car. The F01 and F02 look similiar, with the F02 being a longer version but employing more than just a simple stretch to accommodate the longer wheelbase including having a taller roofline to maintain a resemblance to the F01′s roofline.

BMW F02

Two models are available at launch time, the 740Li and the 750Li. These models use 2 of the 3 engine variants that were unveiled during the global launch, with the third being the single turbo diesel 730d. The 7-Series was launched with a 100% turbocharged engine line-up, which is a stark contrast to just a few years ago when BMW was championing the purity of the normally aspirated engine.

BMW F02

The BMW 740Li is powered by the 3.0 litre twin-turbocharged inline-6 engine from the N54 family. It produces 326hp at 5,800rpm and 450Nm of torque at 1,500rpm, which is slightly higher than the version of the engine installed in the 135i and 335i. 0 to 100km/h acceleration takes only 5.9 seconds. Since the 740Li engine now has a 3.0 litre displacement, this is good news for buyers in Malaysia who can save a massive amount in road tax, we’re talking about thousands of ringgit a year here. The 740Li goes for RM848,800.

BMW F02

The 750Li’s engine is the 4.4 litre twin turbocharged V8 that was first installed in the X6. This engine produces 407hp between 5,500 to 6,400rpm and a peak torque of 600Nm between 1,750rpm and 4,500rpm, which is good for sprinting to 100km/h in 5.2 seconds. This baby goes for RM1,138,800. Both the 740Li and the 750Li are CBU units from Germany, as the F01/F02 are currently only built there. Previously for the E66 our CBU 730Li came from Thailand. Speaking of the 730Li, there isn’t one in existence yet at the moment but a BMW Malaysia official said one is in development that will probably feature the N52 3.0 litre normally aspirated magnesium alloy engine producing about 272hp, as found in the BMW X5 3.0si.

BMW F02

BMW F02Our 7-Series now also features the option for a rear seat bench that has massage and ventilation functions. The massage function comprises of 12 massage units and 6 rotating elements that focus on the occupant’s upper and lower back.

We also get additional air cond vents on the roof of the car. The 750Li gets its own iDrive system at the rear while the 740Li uses a remote control that looks like the iDrive controller, which oddly seems to look like a better idea despite being a “lower end” option.

Like the new E90 facelift, the new 7-Series gets the new iDrive system which comes with an 8GB hard drive-based navigation system which can also store your music. BMW ConnectedDrive is not available in our country yet, so the NetFront web browser in the iDrive system will be useless for now. Stay tuned for a test drive report of the 750Li, which should serve its purpose as a teaser before the 730Li that potential customers will likely be eyeing makes its debut here.

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What will personal mobility be like in 80 years?

January 19, 2009 at 12:31 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Honda, Videos

This second video from the Honda Power of Dreams series of documentaries poses some interesting questions. What would personal transportation be like 80 years from now? Yes, not 8 years but 80 years.

A few folks were asked these questions and there answers were quite expected. You have stuff like flying cars, individual space craft, personal helicopters, and even teleportation and magnetic levitation. Someone’s idea was walking – yup 80 years from now we’d just go back to our origins and walk everywhere, it’s exercise and good for health after all.

The video then looks back on what a bad idea the internal combustion engine was in the long run, and points out that the new car of the future has to make our existing cars look like land lines compared to cell phones. It should make you ask yourself why would you ever use a landline anymore when you’ve now got cellphones. Of course being a Honda video, there are plugs for the FCX Clarity hydrogen fuelcell car inserted :P

Anyway, how about you? How do you think human transportation will be like in the decades to come? Watch the video after the jump.
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Honda Dreams Short Film Series: “Failure: The Secret to Success”

January 18, 2009 at 11:53 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Honda, Videos

Honda has just launched a new campaign focused on the US market to build its “Power of Dreams” theme. It’s essentially a website with a collection of short documentary films. The website just went up and will start off with 3 films, with more to be added later in the coming months. This is the first of the three films called “Failure: The Secret to Success”, which encourages you to not be afraid to try something new.

It features various Honda-affiliates personalities such as Danica Patrick, who drives a Dallara Honda IndyCar race car. She was also scheduled to become a test driver for the Honda F1 team, but it was called off and in the end Honda pulled out of F1 altogether.

After the first half of the video it starts getting really interesting because we get to hear engineers talking about engines blowing into millions of pieces during early trials. Just FYI, here’s a short intro to the Honda IndyCar engine. It’s a 3.5 litre normally aspirated 32 valve V8 putting out an estimated 650 horsepower on 100% fuel-grade ethanol, and revs up to a 10,300rpm rev-limited redline.

One thing though, Honda seems to like video-based campaigns alot. Another video-centric online campaign by Honda is their Drive Every Drop online travel show. Anyway please watch the video after the jump.
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Naza Citra KopLink/AmBank 12-year loan

January 18, 2009 at 11:35 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Kia, Koreans, Local News, Malaysian Makes, Naza

Naza Citra

Need or want a 7-seater? Are you a government servant or an employee of a GLC? Can’t afford the monthly installments even if you stretch your payment period to the very long 9 year term? If you think 9 years was pushing it, wait until you see this. I do not recommend taking such insanely long loans for a rapidly depreciating item such as a car but there is such an option now anyway, if you want to put yourself in such a situation.

Naza Kia Sdn Bhd has teamed up with the Koperasi Pendidikan Usahawan Berhad and AmBank Berhad to offer a 12 year low interest rate loan for the Naza Citra RS and GS. Monthly installments can go as low as RM647. There is also a promotion now where you will get free 2 months installment, a free 2 year or 50,000km service maintenance package, and an extended 5 year or 125,000km warranty.

Call 1-800-888-542 to find out more. Those who want something newer can check out the Naza Citra II Rondo.

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Have you seen this Peugeot 308 teaser truck?

January 18, 2009 at 11:16 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Peugeot, Videos

Peugeot 308 Truck

This truck transporting nothing but a large signboard featuring the Peugeot 308 logo (it’s lit up at night) has been going around the Klang Valley (and maybe other states, I’m not sure as I’ve only seen it in the Klang Valley), a large and obvious teaser of the new Peugeot 308 that’s due to be launched sometime this month.

As previously reported, the new 308 will be available with a choice of two engines. One is a 1.6 litre PSA-BMW Valvetronic engine with 120 PS and 160Nm of torque, while the other is also a 1.6 litre engine, but turbocharged to produce 150 PS and 240Nm of torque. The 120 PS car will go against cars like the Mazda 3 1.6 and the Toyota Corolla Altis 1.6, while the turbocharged car will compete with the likes of the Civic 2.0, and the Lancer 2.0. It won’t lead in the horsepower department but outclasses all of its competitors with a massive 240Nm (approximately equivalent to a 2.4 litre engine) of torque from as low as 1,400rpm all the way to 5,000rpm.

This massive torque at low RPMs that provides a smooth and easy drive is what the Europeans have been enjoying all this while with their torquey diesel engines and recently an onslaught of turbocharged downsized displacement engines. The turbo engine (also found in the MINI Cooper S in 175 PS form) should also prove to be popular with those who always want to squeeze out every last bit of performance from their cars as it could probably easily be boosted up to produce more power and torque with a rechip.

Look after the jump for a video of the teaser truck.
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VIDEO: BMW Sauber F1.09 Teaser Part 1/3

January 18, 2009 at 6:33 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Formula 1, Motorsports, Videos

BMW Sauber F1.09

The BMW Sauber F1 Team has released a teaser video of its yet to be unveiled BMW Sauber F1.09 race car. Brace yourselves for yet another ugly machine when the car is actually unveiled. The team seems to be presenting the online unveiling teaser in 3 parts, and this is the first video. The teams that have revealed their 2009 race contender so far are Ferrari’s Ferrari F60), Panasonic Toyota’s Panasonic Toyota TF109), the Mercedes McLaren MP4-24 and the Williams-Toyota FW31 from AT&T Williams.

Check the video out after the jump.
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Lexus HS 250h Detroit Auto Show Unveiling Video

January 17, 2009 at 11:33 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News, Lexus, Videos

Lexus HS 250h

Essentially what you could consider a hybrid version of the Toyota Avensis, the new Lexus HS 250h is not exactly a dedicated hybrid version by that definition but in the Lexus line-up it does come only with a hybrid powertrain, which is what Lexus means by a “dedicated hybrid vehicle”. It is powered by the 2.4 litre Atkinson cycle combustion engine and electric motor hybrid system from the Camry Hybrid. This is vehicle platform and powertrain sharing at it’s best, one that rivals the Volkswagen Group’s. We’ve previously already taken a look at the HS 250h but for the 99.9% of us that did not get to witness the HS 250h’s unveiling at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, here’s the official launch video from Detroit, along with new photos.
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