Archive for Cars

Motoren Technik Mayer, or better known as MTM, has pimped out the Volkswagen Scirocco with both aesthetics and performance tuning and the result is what you see above - the MTM Volkswagen Scirocco R.

The stock power figures of 200 PS from the 2.0 liter TFSI engine is taken up to 272 horsepower via a reflash, and MTM even gives you the option to upgrade this to 380 horsepower, though that kind of power is beyond just a rechip and requires a few hardware upgrades. The 272 PS is achieved at 6,080rpm while torque is up to 350Nm at 3,480rpm, not very flat anymore but its the price to pay for higher performance. A torque peak like that should also give a nice “boost kicked in” surge. The 272 PS engine upgrade kit costs 5,285 Euros and also comes with a MTM exhaust system.

The aesthetics kit actually only consists of one hardware part - the MTM bimoto 20 inch wheels which cost 5,500 Euros. Additional stopping power is provided by a brake kit which costs 4,427 Euros and gives you VA 380mm x 34mm discs with 8-piston brake calipers. For tighter handling, an MTM sports suspension is available for 1,489 Euros.

So, with the base price for the 2.0 TFSI Scirocco at 31,160 Euros and all the MTM kit slapped on, the MTM Scirocco R should cost you a total of 47,871 Euros. Lose the wheels (which I personally would - 20 inches is just to much) and its cheaper at 42,361 Euros.

More images can be found after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of MTM Volkswagen Scirocco R with 272 PS

Mercedes-Benz has launched two special editions of the goliath that is the Mercedes-Benz ML 63 AMG. One is called the 10th Anniversary Edition while the other is called the Performance Studio edition.

Apparently its to commemorate what happened 10 years ago, when its AMG division decided that even SUVs should be offered with an AMG badge and a highly tuned up engine. That was the birth of the 346 horsepower ML 55 AMG, and I bet you pretty soon we might see something like the X5 M and the X6 M.

Under the hood is the same powerhouse as the standard ML 63 AMG, a hand-crafted 6.2 liter normally aspirated V8 engine producing 510 horsepower and 630Nm of torque, mated to an AMG Speedshift 7G-Tronic 7-speed automatic transmission.

The ML 63 AMG Performance Studio edition is done up in a metallic Peridot brown paintwork and even its 21 inch AMG double spoke alloys (with 295/35R21 rubber) are done up to match this colour. On the interior you get a full porcelain-coloured Nappa leather trim with a diamond-like design. This gives the interior leather a more special feel as alot of cars these days come with leather interiors, so the really premium cars gotta take it up a notch.

As for the 10th Anniversary edition, you also get 21 inch AMG alloy wheels but this time in a five-spoke design. The exterior paintwork is available in a choice of three colours which are metallic obsidian black, metallic iridium silver and calcite white (shown in these photos). The interior gets a two-tone nappa leather trim in two different combinations: black and alpaca grey as well as black and beige.

Look after the jump for galleries of both SUVs.

Click here to read the rest of Two new special edition ML 63 AMG SUVs

Honda Malaysia has officially announced that the new 2009 Honda City will be launched in mid-December 2008! They are also having pre-launch competition where you’ll be able to win passes to the launch and the latest generation iPod Nano.

For everything you need to know about the new Honda City (except for driving impressions of course… that’s to come later), please check out my related posts below.

Related Posts:
2009 Honda City: in-depth details and specifications (must-read!)
2009 Honda City set to hit the European market
2009 Honda City officially unveiled in Thailand
Modified Australian Honda City “Concept”

Autocar UK has a few more details on the upcoming production version of the Lamborghini Estoque, which is expected to hit the showrooms by end-2011.

Apparently one of the engine choices available will be a re-tuned 5.2 liter direct injection normally aspirated V10 engine with 500 PS and 610Nm of torque. I’m not sure how they’re going to manage such an impressive torque to displacement ratio - even about 560Nm for a 5.2 liter engine would be impressive, but I think quite achievable.

The engine currently makes 560 PS and 540Nm in the LP560-4 and I think the whole idea is to increase torque over a wider rev range but produce less power at a lower peak RPM. An example of cars with a rather high normally aspirated torque to displacement ratio is the E46 M3 CSL with 365Nm from its 3.2 liter S54B32 engine, and the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR with 435Nm from a 3.8L engine, which are coincedentally both about 114Nm per liter. 610Nm from a 5.2 would be 117.3Nm per liter! If Lamborghini manages to achieve 114Nm per liter it would mean about 593Nm of torque.

Some other powertrains are also being considered, including… surprise, surprise… a diesel powertrain! Lamborghini’s R&D chief Maurizio Reggiani says fans need not worry as diesels will never find their way into Lamborghini’s supercars, but the Estoque represents an opportunity to develop a turbodiesel engine or even a turbocharged petrol engine for the car as it would suit the car’s driving pattern, plus Lamborghini needs to improve its fleet’s CO2 figures. Thus, a twin turbo petrol V8 or a turbodiesel V8 is possible, as are mild hybrid systems.

Reggiani also revealed that the Estoque is based on an all-new platform (and not based on the Audi A8 as some have speculated) with components sourced from the Gallardo and other areas in the Volkswagen parts bin, which indicates some form of parts sharing with the A8, but not the platform itself.

Related Posts:
Lamborghni Estoque Official Details and Photos

Source

As expected, there will be another round of fuel price revisions coming mid-November (likely the 15th of November 2008, this Friday) and Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Datuk Shahrir Samad indicates that it will most likely be a price cut.

The government announced previously that it aimed for the fuel prices to be revised every 2 weeks and it has kept to this for the past month or so quite diligently. Each round of revisions brought cuts, with the most recent being a 15 sen cut to RM2.15 per liter for RON97 petrol and RM2.05 per liter for RON92 petrol and diesel. This came into effect on the 1st this month.

Anyone want to try to guess how much the cut will be this time?

And here we have it, a slightly mixed up creation by Ferrari - a hardcore stripped down rear engined, rear wheel drive racing car… with a convertible roof! This is the drop top version of the 430 Scuderia and its been christened the Ferrari 430 16M Scuderia Spider, limited to only 499 units. It’s apparently to celebrate their F1 team’s 2008 constructor championship title.

The 16M Scuderia Spider shaves 80kg (as a comparison, the 430 Scuderia shaved 100kg off the regular F430 coupe) off the regular spider through the omission of a few stuff like floormats and other weight reduction measures such as increased use of carbon fiber. Playing around with product tie-ins a little, there is also a Ferrari-customised Apple iPod Touch integrated into the center dock in front of the dashboard.

Unlike the 430 Scuderia which featured the single clutch F1-Superfast2 transmission, the 430 16M Scuderia Spider gets an even faster shifting 6-speed twin clutch transmission for uninterrupted power transfer. Interestingly this is one cog down from the 7 speeds in the Ferrari California, I wonder why.

0 to 100km/h only takes a blistering 3.7 seconds, thanks to the power unit which is the highly tuned direct injection 4.3 liter unit from the Ferrari California putting out 510 horsepower at 8,500rpm and 470Nm of torque at 5,250rpm. It revs up to a limiter of 8,640rpm.

Look after the jump for a whole photo gallery of the new Scuderia Spider.

Click here to read the rest of Ferrari 430 16M Scuderia Spider: only 499 units!

Will the new small Honda for India be based on this new vehicle? Perhaps, but for the moment let’s have a look at the Japanese market version of the new full model change Honda Life that was launched in Japan earlier this week.

The new Honda Life is available in three styles and two engines. The standard Honda Life is the yellow one you see above, while the Honda Life Pastel is the pink car with a front nose that follows Honda’s new corporate nose more than the other two. Finally, the Honda Life Diva is the top of the line appearance package with a sporty large and wide bumper intake flanked by foglamps at the sides.

The Life, Life Pastel and Life Diva is available with a 660cc 3-cylinder i-DSI engine (52 PS at 7,100rpm, 60Nm of torque at 3,600rpm) in both FWD and 4WD models while the Life Pastel and the Life Diva has another turbocharged 660cc 3-cylinder i-DSI version (64 PS at 6,000rpm and 93Nm of torque at 4,000rpm), also in FWD and 4WD. All are mated to a 4-speed automatic transmission.

The car is built on a monocoque chassis with MacPherson struts at the front and a torsion beam at the rear for FWD versions, while 4WD versions get a 3-link de Dion tube at the rear. The power steering settings and suspension geometry have been optimized for a light, nimble feel when maneuvering the car.

On the interior, the front passenger and driver gets a hip point 35mm higher than the previous life, which makes entering and exiting the Life easier. The windows, pillars and headlight markets have also been opimised for this new hip point. The new rear suspension design now allows the distance between the front and rear seats to increase by a massive 85mm, increasing rear occupant space by a large margin. Rear seat cushion thickness has been increased by 25mm (Honda says it is now as thick as the Accord’s), seat length increased by 55mm, seat back height incrased by 50mm, and the rear headroom now gains an extra 60mm.

The cheapest Honda Life Type-C with the normally aspirated 660cc engine in FWD costs 945,000 Yen (RM34,277) including consumption tax while the most expensive model is nearly twice the price at 1,680,000 Yen (RM60,938) including consumption tax for the Life Diva Turbo Styling Package with the 660cc i-DSI turbo engine.

Still kind of expensive… for this to become a low cost car for the Indian market it still needs to have some cost slashing.

Look after the jump for more images of the Honda Life.

Click here to read the rest of All-new Honda Life launched in Japan

Nasim Sdn Bhd is having a second Test Drive campaign for the locally assembled facelifted Peugeot 407 this weekend (15th to 16th of November2008) at its Peugeot showrooms from 10am to 7pm.

The following are the Peugeot showrooms taking part in the event: Peugeot Blue Box Glenmarie, Peugeot Bangsar, Peugeot Klang, Peugeot KS Blue Box, Peugeot Plentong (JB) and Peugeot Penang. Click here for the contact details of the Peugeot centers in Malaysia or call 1-800-88-6292.

140 lives were saved this year in the UK thanks to rocket high fuel prices, claimed a research report by the Automobile Association. The AA suggests that high fuel prices encouraged drivers to slow down, accelerate gently and avoid sharp braking. This was observed over a period of 3 months between April to June 2008. Traffic volume during that period dropped by 1% during that period, but deaths in accidents dropped by a larger margin - 580 during the period compared to 721 during the same period last year. Quite interesting… another reason other than encouraging frugality to keep fuel prices high? Source

A total of 5 Volkswagen cars have managed to get the US Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Top Safety Pick award for 2009 - the Volkswagen Tiguan, the Volkswagen Rabbit (called the Golf outside of the US), the Volkswagen Jetta, the Volkswagen Passat and the Volkswagen Eos.

IIHS says the winners offer superior overall crash protection among the vehicles in their classes, and to quality it must earn the highest rating in the IIHS front, side and rear crash tests. It also must have some form of stability control, and IIHS says it is now a trend for ESP to be standard on all trim levels in a model range. The EuroNCAP also recently announced that it has revised its rating system to make it impossible to get 5-stars if ESP is not a standard feature.

This kind of puts into perspective how far behind Proton is in terms of its safety feature offerings in Malaysia. Nevermind as standard, what about optional? We’re still waiting for some form of stability control to be offered at least as an option on a Proton car… and you can say the same about side airbags.