Archive for Cars

Many considered the BMW X6 to be quite bizarre when it first came out. Its top half was of a coupe but with a bottom half of an SUV. Kind of like the love child of a 6-Series and a BMW X5. To top it all off the sloping roof threatened to destroy rear headroom in the way the GEN2’s roofline did, and it only sat 4 instead of 5.

Despite all of that many were taken in by its sexy looks and already over 6,000 units have been sold since its launch 3 months ago in Spartanburg, USA. Three models are available - two petrol and one diesel, and all three are turbocharged. The X6 was the vehicle chosen to debut BMW’s new 4.8 liter twin turbocharged V8.

The BMW X6 is now in Malaysia. One variant is available immediately, with the other two to follow next year. The BMW X6 xDrive35i is priced at RM698,000 on the road without insurance, with BMW Service Inclusive + Repair. The xDrive35i model is powered by the N54 3.0 liter twin turbocharged inline-6 engine that produces 306 horsepower thanks to its twin parallel turbochargers and direct injection.

The other two X6 models available worldwide is the xDrive50i powered by the 4.8 liter twin turbo V8, and the xDrive35d powered by the sequential twin turbocharged 3.0 liter diesel engine from the 335d. I don’t think BMW Malaysia has introduced any models with the twin turbo diesel here in Malaysia (thanks to our diesel quality), so we may have to skip that one and have only one additional variant.

The X6 looked quite menacing in real life, with its huge wheels and equally large disc brakes. BMW had two cars showcased at its launch event - one was grey and the other was red. The red one had a fully black interior while the grey one was a combination of a black dash and beige seats.

Rear headroom was pretty much as expected (example photo after jump) - not as bad as 2+2 seaters but if you are a tall person the top of your head would be just a few millimeters away from the ceiling, which may not go well with people who feel claustrophobic.

Hopefully BMW will register a test drive unit for the media. But for the moment, please enjoy some photos of the X6 after the jump.

Related Stories:
BMW X6: full details, specifications and photos
BMW Concept X6 ActiveHybrid at Frankfurt 2007

Click here to read the rest of BMW X6 xDrive35i available in Malaysia

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Honda has launched the new Honda Jazz in Malaysia and although the two engine options are gone, the single i-VTEC engined model comes in two different equipment levels - Grade S and Grade V priced at RM104,800 and RM109,800 respectively.

Let’s look at the new Honda Jazz after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of New Honda Jazz S and V launched in Malaysia

Sime Darby Auto Connexion Sdn Bhd has launched a new variant of the Ford Ranger called the Ford Ranger XL. Compared to the TDCi-powered XLT, the XL loses some equipment such as the lack of airbags and a less powerful engine.

Under the hood of the Ranger XL lies a less sophisticated 2.5 liter 12 valve SOHC indirect injection turbodiesel engine producing 109 PS at 3,500rpm and 257Nm of torque at 2,000rpm, compared to the TDCi’s 2.5 liter 16 valve DOHC direct injection turbodiesel with a VGT turbocharger producing 143 PS. The Ranger XL is also only available with a 5-speed manual, but the good news is the 4X4 system remains.

The Ranger XL has a different, less chunkier steering wheel. It has 16 inch alloys, fog lamps, an MP3-capable CD player, electronically controllable side mirrors and a tilt adjustable steering wheel. For a limited introductory period, customers will get a free bed liner and sport bar.

It comes with a 3 year or 100,000km warranty finished in 6 colours - Black Mica, Arizona Gold, Silver Metallic, Titanium Gray, Ranger Red and Solid White. It is priced at RM69,888 in Peninsular Malaysia nad RM73,388 in East Malaysia.

Look after the jump for photos of the interior, and promotional bed liner and sport bar.

Click here to read the rest of Ford Ranger XL 4X4 launched in Malaysia

Some of you may have seen this huge pink monster of a coupe with large 4 inch fins around town. This is a 1959 Cadillac Coupe deVille with a Cadillac 390cui pushrod V8 engine. That’s 6.4 liters of displacement and 325 horsepower driving the rear wheels for you, mated to a 3-speed automatic transmission.

This particular car is owned by Peter Klement, an Austrian businessman living in Malaysia. He has restored the car 3 times in total, and to get to its current form the car was scraped down and then marine sandblasting, treated and painted. I could not believe when I heard the amount of money spent on this monster but looking at it and hearing how it sounds, I know the owner feels it was probably worth every penny.

Despite being a car from the late 50s it has features sometimes not found in modern cars, which surprised me. It has a power steering, working power windows for all 4 windows (the rear quarter glass goes down as well), and an air conditioning system that runs perfectly. The owner says its just like driving any other modern car - you have all the creature comforts you could ever need.

Look after the jump for a hi-res photo gallery of the 1959 Coupe deVille.

Click here to read the rest of 1959 Cadillac Coupe deVille in Malaysia

Before Daimler got rid of Chrysler, there was a team in DaimlerChrysler Malaysia (now known as Mercedes-Benz Malaysia) studying the possibility of introducing the Chrysler brand here in Malaysia, and other marques within the Chrysler group. If that happened, one of the vehicles that could have found its way onto our roads would be this.

Introduced at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show, the Dodge Journey only went on sale to the public in March this year in the US, and soon in Europe as well. The Journey is based on an extended D-segment Dodge Avenger platform and its wheelbase measures a long 2891mm, providing excellent interior room for its three rows of 7 seats.

Under the hood is a choice of engines including the 173 horsepower 2.4 liter GEMA engine that is also found in cars like the Hyundai Sonata and Mitsubishi Outlander, a 235 horsepower 3.5 liter V6 and a 190 horsepower 2.7 liter V6.

It’s trademark Dodge muscular and boxy styling gives people an alternative to all the more sedate-looking soccer mom MPVs out there. Threatening to ruin ride comfort are large 19 inch wheels with low profile tyres. The car is front wheel driven by default but all-wheel drive is available.

Look for more hi-res photos after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Dodge Journey 7-seater MPV

These shots show a Peugeot 308 GT (tell tale trapezoidal integrated rear twin exhausts) being transported on a trailer in Malaysia. We’re heard talk in the past about Nasim Peugeot Sdn Bhd going to introduce the Peugeot 308 here soon as a C-segment contender, but will its product line-up include this 308 GT?

If we are indeed getting this car and at a sub-200k price, it will allow many people to enjoy a really fun and fast hot hatch with the same torquey lag-less 1.6 liter Prince engine in the MINI Cooper S that makes 175hp and 240Nm of torque at a very low 1,600rpm.

Look after the jump for 3 more photos of the 308 GT.

Click here to read the rest of Peugeot 308 GT snapped on trailer in Malaysia!

The American market 8th generation Honda Civic which has different styling cues compared to our Asian market Honda Civic has been facelifted and revealed in these brochures scanned by a member of the 8thCivic forums.

The facelifted USDM Civic has a larger, more prominent grille that has a trapezoidal shape. This is obviously to bring the Civic closer to the Jazz, Stream and Accord in terms of “family resemblance” as the other two cars also feature this more angular grille shape. The front bumper looks more muscular while the rear gains a new chrome stripe between the two rear lamps.

Since the USDM Civic has been facelifted, we can expect a similiar refreshment to our Asian market Honda Civic very soon.

More images after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of US-market Honda Civic facelift unveiled!

The same car that we saw on test in India and was presumed to be the new Honda City has now been spotted in China. These photos from sohu show the same car finished in a nice white paint. Unlike the previous shots, we can now see the tail lamps in full glory.

What is this mysterious car? If it is truly the new Honda City it will definitely sell like hot cakes, it looks really good! It will have a winning formula of good looks, above average fuel economy, a price of under RM100k (under 70K is a dream but maybe possible with 1.3 manual?), and a Honda badge!

If you look closely at the ceiling of the interior through the windows, there is something that looks roughly like a sunroof, but oddly shaped as its not very clear. I could be mistaken. Can you see what I am seeing? The City may be an economical model to us but in countries like India where it is high-end, it is available with a sunroof.

The current generation Honda City one of the Honda cars available in China and have also been used as Chinese police cars in the past.

Look after the jump for more shots of the car.

Related Posts:
New Honda City spotted on test in India
Artist’s impression of the new Honda City
Photoshopped Honda City found on Thai forums

Click here to read the rest of New 2009 Honda City spotted in China?

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A first photo of the upcoming convertible version of the Infiniti G37 has been released. The Infiniti G37 Convertible will be unveiled live to the public at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show in November, and will go on sale in the US market in early 2009.

The convertible will feature a 3-piece folding hard top, and its interior’s audio and climate control systems have been tuned to operate at optimum settings whether the top is up or down. Like the G37 Sedan and Coupe, the G37 Convertible will feature the new VQ37VHR engine producing 330 horsepower and 366Nm of torque.

The new Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X will hit the streets of Malaysia this week through official importer/distributor Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia Sdn Bhd. As of time of posting, a countdown timer on the Lancer Evolution teaser microsite shows another 2 days and 22 hours until launch its launch on the 21st of August 2008.

The teaser site lists the Twin Clutch SST gearbox as one of the features, so the twin clutch model is sure to be in - the only question would be if the manual model will be available. The car will have Recaro bucket seats done up in combination leather.

More updates to come later when the car is officially launched!