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There are currently only two car companies offering hybrid models officially here in Malaysia – Toyota and Honda. Despite the sensitive question of whether Malaysian technicians can maintain a complicated hybrid vehicle, the grey importers have started bringing them in without manufacturer support.

Naza is easily the biggest grey import player in Malaysia, thanks to them holding the largest chunk of Open APs in Malaysia. This 2008 model Toyota Estima Hybrid is currently going for RM 268,000 including a 1 year warranty and the one you see here in these photos has already been sold.

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This is the second generation Estima Hybrid featuring Toyota’s THS-II system. It’s based on a 2.4 litre gasoline engine mated to electric motors which reminds you of the Lexus HS250h and the Camry Hybrid but the implementation here is different – other than the usual front axle motor, there is a motor on the rear axle as well, effectively turning this into an all-wheel drive vehicle, hence the E-Four badge on the rear.

Much like the Camry Hybrid, the 2.4 litre engine is an Atkinson cycle variant, quite different from the one you can find in a normal Camry 2.4. The gasoline engine itself puts out 150 PS and 190Nm of torque. The front electric motor produces 105 PS and 270Nm of torque and goes through a 2.478 reduction gear. The rear motor is of a less powerful variant – 50 PS and 130Nm.

All systems can work together to produce a peak power of 190 PS. It’s not blistering as the vehicle is large. 0 to 100km/h takes 10.8 seconds. Under the 10-15 Japanese test cycle, the Estima Hybrid can achieve 20km per litre.

There is even an exhaust heat recovery system to recover thermal energy from the exhaust and use it to heat engine coolant. This helps reduce engine warm-up time, which enables the engine to shut off earlier when idling (for EV or auto start-stop functions).

We got to drive the Estima Hybrid around abit, though you could hardly call it a test drive that could produce any kind of evaluation as it was only around the Naza Automall carpark next to the Federal highway. All I can say is I love those Alcantara combination seats that this particular model has!

Like the Prius, the Estima Hybrid has a zero-emissions EV mode so you can drive around your neighbourhood, in a jam, or in a parking lot solely on the motor and NiMH batteries with the engine turned off. The Estima Hybrid was not as quiet in EV mode as the Prius. This is because with such a large interior and the many air conditioning vents required to cool it down, you constantly hear the air conditioner working. It didn’t help that it was such a hot day – I could not touch my E30′s steering for a short period of time once I got into my car to leave the place.

Various new meter indicators attempt to explain to you what’s going on but it’s all in Japanese so I didn’t understand at first, but after driving around a little you can pretty much guess which one tells you the battery level and etc.

Look after the jump for a few photos I snapped of the Estima Hybrid.
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UMW Toyota has just launched the new Camry facelift here in Malaysia. Like the outgoing pre-facelift model, three variants are available – the Camry 2.0E for RM144,900, the Camry 2.0G for RM154,990 and finally the Camry 2.4V priced at RM174,990. All prices are OTR with insurance in Malaysia.

Let’s cut down to the chase on what’s new. First up is obviously its looks. There is a new grille, bumpers, and new wheels designs. The 2.0 models share a 16 inch wheel design while the 2.4 litre model gets a different design that is larger at 17 inches. LED lighting is used in the new rear taillamps.

On the interior, all models share a similiar colour scheme. The 2.0E model uses a new seat fabric design while the 2.0G and 2.4V models get a perforated leather trim for the seats. Cruise control has been added to the 2.0G model, previously available only on the 2.4V model. A new AUX input jack is provided in the cntre console for you to hook up your MP3 player or iPod. Front seats for the G and V cars have 8-way electrical adjustment including lumbar adjustment for the driver.

One unique feature is a switch on the side of the passenger seat’s backrest to allow the rearleft occupant to easily move the front passenger seat forward for better legroom. This is a feature usually found only on the large cars like the 7-Series and the S-Class and makes a bit easier for the Camry to be used as a car that you’re driven in.

A new feature for the top of the line 2.4V is the Smart Entry & Start System which is basically keyless entry and go. All you need is for the Remote Control Unit to be near the car on the driver (within a certain distance) and you can grab the door handles to unlock the doors and deactivate the immobiliser. Then a push start button can be used to start the car. A button on the rear end of the car does the same for the boot opening mechanism. VSC Stability Control and Traction Control are only offered on the 2.4V model. All models get ABS brakes.

The engine and transmission options remain the same as the pre-facelift model – a 2.0 litre engine making 147 PS at 6,000rpm and 190Nm of torque at 4,00rpm as well as a 2.4 litre engine making 167 PS at 6,000rpm and 224Nm of torque at 4,000rpm. The 2.0 is mated to a 4-speed Super ECT while the 2.4 gets a 5-speed Super ECT.

Look after the jump for a full photo gallery of the new Camry facelift.
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The Toyota Prius is now here in Malaysia, retailing for RM175,000 OTR inclusive of insurance for private registration. Might be too much for most of us to stomach considering this is supposed to include the rebate that the government is giving on hybrid cars, the same rebate that ensures the Camry Hybrid won’t be sold here in the near future as long as the policies stay the same as it is only for hybrids with engine displacements of under 2.0 litres. The Langkawi and Labuan prices are rather interesting though – its only RM127,408.45 and RM128,046.55 respectively for individual private registration.

As previously indicated we are getting the model without the solar panel, and we are getting the 15 inch wheels instead of the 17 inch wheels. The construction of the 15 inch wheels are interesting – it’s an alloy wheel but it has an additional plastic cover on top to help with aerodynamics. No GPS navi or colour screen on the interior but there is a heads-up display function. Other equipment includes 7 airbags, ABS, EBD, traction control, stability control (VSC), Hill-Start Assist, brake assist, keyless entry and start, and an 8-speaker audio system.

For those who want to check out the Prius in better detail, there is a cut-body model showcased in the UMW Toyota Subang showroom until the 9th of August 2009, after of which it will be moved to Cheras from 10 to 16 and Penang from 18 to to the 31st. This model is said to be one of only two cutaway Prius models in the world – which basically means the Prius is cut to show you the inner components of the THS HSD system.

UMW targets to sell 100 units this year which is probably just about all the allocation they managed to get as there is a bottleneck in the Prius supply globally. For those who want to learn more about the new third generation Prius, you may read the related links below:

Related Posts:
3rd generation Toyota Prius: first impression drive
3rd generation Toyota Prius: official details

The new facelifted Toyota Camry must be coming soon as the updated car has made an appearance on UMW Toyota’s website.

• Toyota Camry 2.0E – RM144,990.00
• Toyota Camry 2.0G – RM154,990.00
• Toyota Camry 2.4V – RM174,990.00

One thing that I can spot is that the 2.4V has something called “Smart Entry and Start System” listed as part of its equipment. The 2.0E and 2.0G has this listed as “without”. This must be a keyless push start system.

Look after the jump for full specifications and equipment list for the new models, as well as a photo gallery of the facelifted Camry from its China launching.
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