Estates, or station wagons as they’re more commonly known here, appeal to a very small segment of buyers in Malaysia. Most associate them with hearses, but there are fans. I for one, love the idea of wagons even though I’m not married with kids or involved in business that requires lugging around goods; favourites include the B5 Audi RS4 Avant and Alfa 156 Sportwagon, cars which shapes I admire more than their saloon sisters.

Not many choices in this market if you’re after one, so the locally assembled Volvo V50 stands out as a sporty and classy European estate that’s relatively affordable. New for 2010 is a 2.0-litre engine and Powershift double-clutch gearbox replacing the old 2.4-litre five-pot. No change in price, but your RM185,950 will buy you more equipment than before. We see if it’s a compelling package.

Continue reading the report after the jump.

The S40 sedan had always looked awkward to these eyes; its compact and stunted dimensions didn’t bring out sleekness from the basic design like its big brothers did. The V50 wagon is a different story, with nice proportions and a sporty look as opposed to the brick like Volvo wagons of old. It’s almost as if the designers had the wagon in mind before adapting the design to make the saloon.

The 2008 facelift gave it a more dynamic looking face, and the V50 doesn’t look like the seven-year old car it is. Fitted with an optional (and very subtle) bodykit and the bicycle rack, I must have gave off the impression of a fit, adventerous, outdoor person, which is at odds with my growing waistline! If this car was mine, the first thing will be to chuck the 16-inch rims for bigger R design alloys to complete the image.

The V50 appears compact, and studying the dimensions reveal that it’s shorter than a Honda Civic. The Volvo is about the length of a 3-Series Touring, although the Swede’s 2,640 mm wheelbase is a good 120 mm shorter than the BMW’s. That doesn’t sound promising, since the current E90 isn’t exactly what one would call spacious at the back; in practice, legroom is far from generous but not constricting either, and there’s room under the front seats for you to tuck your feet into. Typical of Volvo, seats are comfy and the rear bench features built-in child booster seats that pop up. The V50’s boot is capable of holding 417 litres of cargo (expandable to 1,307 litres with rear seats down), not outstanding compared to today’s B-segment sedans, but this is no traditional Volvo wagon, remember?

Now let’s go into what’s new. The discontinued 2.4-litre five-cylinder engine and five-speed auto pairing was quite enjoyable – pokey enough and the unique five-pot warble sounded special – but the drivetrain was old and thirsty. Volvo’s solution is similar to what many European manufacturers are doing today – downsizing. In comes a 2.0-litre four-pot and a twin-clutch Powershift gearbox. Both are from parent Ford, and the engine is similar to the one in the Focus.

Twin clutch boxes are more efficient than torque converter autos – that’s a fact – but the lowering of engine capacity is normally compensated by direct injection and forced induction, neither of which is present here. How does a 145 bhp/185 Nm 2.0-litre fare in hauling a 1.5-tonne car that when loaded should weigh about two tonnes?

Not very well. Acceleration is merely adequate with just the driver onboard and sluggish with a family of four and luggage. You really need to be heavy with the throttle to build momentum from rest, and the process feels slower than the official 0-100 km/h time of 9.9 seconds. This comes as no surprise as I found the same engine to be the weak point in the lighter and nimbler Ford Focus, but it must be noted that Volvo grade insulation means it’s more mild mannered here. Although the engine is working its socks off, it’s quite serene this side of the firewall save for some boominess around 5000 rpm. It’s quite lively at the top end, just that it takes awhile to reach there. Been awhile since we’ve driven a slow Volvo – this car badly needs a turbo.

How about the Powershift? Very good, but just short of the DSG’s brilliance. At crawl speeds in D, there are hints of jerk, with a tendency to hold on to a gear too low. At this point the engine is revving higher than ideal instead of just easing its way along. Don’t get us wrong though, Powershift (in this application) does very well 95% of the time and is a great replacement for the conventional auto, just not as slick as DSG, even if its miles ahead of Italian robotised manuals.

I did have an issue with changing gears manually though. You tap the gear lever to the left (to the passenger’s side), which is more ideal for left-hand drive, and the shift action requires serious effort because it’s rather sticky. Could do with steering paddles or a lighter up/down movement. When self shifting, the engine revs till 7000 rpm, a couple of hundred revs more than in D.

The fuel consumption isn’t fantastic either. Now, we’re being realistic and do not expect a fully loaded, super safe Volvo wagon achieving Vios economy, not with the poor engine working so hard. But we dried the 62-litre tank in 400 kilometres. That distance included my daily routine (mostly highway, with some city driving) and a solo B-road blast to Ipoh. In the latter, although I extended the engine fully when possible, there were plenty of 90 km/h cruising too. Topping up with RM50 of RON95 gave me 300 km of gentle driving, which equates to about 10.8 km/l and nearer to the 12.3 km/l official claim. Any V50 2.4 owners out there who want to share your figures?

Engine and economy aside, the V50 provided an enjoyable drive. It may sound cliched, but the Volvo feels very solid on the move. The controls are all relatively hefty, and the steering would be downright heavy for those used to Japanese levels of effort, but it suited me fine. Sharing a chassis with the Ford Focus means that the V50 has a good foundation, and it displays good stability, body control and agility – although you’re always conscious of the extra weight over a Focus, body roll is not an issue. However, the slightly fidgety ride over patchy roads wasn’t expected by yours truly, so think twice before upsizing the wheels!

Also enjoyable is the cabin, which is minimalist yet very functional. The Swedes are experts in ergonomics, and I wouldn’t want the V50 to work any other way. The “floating console” with its neatly arranged layout still looks good, but the green text displays look very dated with their dot matrix style fonts. The blue-faced dials you see here is optional, and worth it, as they serve as a focus point in an otherwise dark cabin. It’s not colour coded to the exterior, but just a coincidence. Another option worth ticking is the sports pedals with rubber inserts.

I love the idea of the Volvo V50, a classy, sporty looking wagon that’s solid and safe. Even the price is palatable, given the amount of equipment that’s standard (brilliant 8-speaker stereo, electric memory seats, six airbags, DSTC, BLIS blind spot assist, bi-xenons and keyless entry/start – the latter three weren’t previously available on the 2.4), but it’s not completely satisfying. All major issues can be traced back to one source – the underwhelming engine, which is a case study of downsizing not done right.

A modern direct-injection turbocharged engine (such as Volvo’s latest 2.0 GTDi with 203 bhp/300 Nm) or a diesel is what the V50 needs. Volvo Car Malaysia launched the XC90 D5 even before our country switched to Euro 2M, and maintains that none of those cars have issues with local fuel, so that’s a possible solution we’re looking at, or even the 2.0 lump from the Focus TDCi.

Optional equipment (promotion price shown is valid till 31 March, 2010)
Roof spoiler RM1,231
Body kit RM4,575
Sports pedals RM554
Aluminium bicycle carrier RM574
Blue instrument panel RM1,998
Portable navigation system (inc mounting kit) RM2,266

© 2010 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 20 Mar 10 16:30:44 +0000.

This is a much anticipated test drive report. Not only have we received many requests to feature the Kia Forte, but I myself have been waiting so long to get behind the Forte’s wheel. We missed the media test drive event and Naza Kia’s schedule was so full that only now do we get a sampler.

Priced at RM75,800 OTR including insurance, the entry level 1.6 EX looks to be a steal, and that’s before you realise that for RM6,000 more the SX comes with equipment unheard of in cars below RM100,000. Let’s not forget that this is a C-segment contender to the Civic, Lancer, Sylphy, and Altis, priced below Japanese branded B-segment cars. We see if this irresistible on paper appeal runs deep.

Continue reading the report after the jump.

While I recognise and endorse the improvement made in Korean cars throughout the past few years, to be honest, I’ve never thought of having one myself. Many Kias, Hyundais and the odd SsangYong have passed through our hands, but never have they left a deep impression. Competent? Yes. Desirable? No. Not even the pretty Hyundai Coupe (weak drivetrain), although the diesel Santa Fe SUV is quite a good package.

But Kia is really working its socks off trying to change this. There seems to be an awareness from within the company that techincal competence needs to be supported by design brilliance, and the Forte represents this. The man behind Kia’s “design revolution” is Peter Schreyer, the German who previously worked with Audi. Even if we didn’t know this for a fact, my guess wouldn’t be too far off, for the Forte boasts clean, sharp looks that wouldn’t look out of place on an Audi.

Clean it may be, but the Forte is anything but plain. The front wears a distinctve “mask-like” design that reminds us of the European Honda Civic hatchback, while the scuplted bonnet and the signature crease that sprouts from beneath the A-pillar to form the shoulder line is neat. This, and the spoiler style boot edge distracts from the fact that the Forte has tall sides and a high rump. Of course, for the full effect, you’ve got to opt for the 1.6 SX, which comes with cool 17-inch wheels and low profile rubber. Still, this Kia is the looker of the C-segment – something unthinkable few years ago. Try as we may, photos don’t do it justice, so get down to a dealership and have a good look for yourself.

After hearing and reading so many good things about the Forte from fellow journos , I was expecting something special, perhaps a new class leader (although it’s priced a class lower in Malaysia, we’ll compare the Forte with the C-segment, which was what Kia intended globally), and perhaps it’s this inflated hopes, plus the fact that the Forte looks so good, that caused a slight disappointment even though I really enjoyed my time with it.

The 1.6-litre engine is entirely adequate for daily use, but there were moments where I wished for more pulling power and accleration. Perhaps the nature of the four-speed auto gearbox contributes to this impression – it’s not the most eager to kickdown when you need more go, which is not a problem in itself, but the ratios seem too long and widely spaced. Things get better once you get some momentum on board, but rivals with bigger engines are more effortless.

The 124 bhp/157 Nm Gamma engine also goes about its business without much charisma; it’s quite lively past 4000 rpm, but it also gets a little boomy at this stage. We’re not referring to Campro style resonance in case you’re wondering, but it’s not the smoothest lump in town either. Don’t get us wrong, the Forte’s drivetrain isn’t bad (some wouldn’t even bat an eyelid at what we’ve pointed out) but it’s just not positively memorable.

Here’s something more obvious. If you’re familiar with the class par, and have spent some time with the current crop of C-segment cars, you’ll easily notice that the Forte isn’t at its best at high speed, long distance cruising, and it all boils down to having only four forward ratios. At 110 km/h, the tacho points at 3000 rpm. A bit high, but all’s still well at this stage thanks to the Kia’s good cabin insulation from outside noises (which is above average, we reckon). Go beyond that to, say 140 km/h, and the buzz is loud enough for passengers to notice, and for you to “level” things by turning up the volume. Once again, rivals are more effortless.

Some of them are more fun to drive than the Kia too. I never warmed to the Forte’s steering (hydraulic for 1.6L models) throughout our time with it. While the weighting is surprisingly meaty at low speeds, it feels a little too sensitive and nervous when cornering at highway speeds – it just wasn’t very confidence inspiring for me. This was for the EX with 15-inch wheels and 65-series tyres. On the SX, which rolls on 215/45 R17 rubber, you’ll feel more of the road’s grains through the steering rim, but along with that comes significantly more tyre roar and a high pitched hum on certain surfaces.

The Forte, although not as mushy as Kia sedans of old, is still fairly softy sprung, and the body bucks and moves around quite a bit on undulations, even if it’s never unnerving. While turn in is sharp, some rivals manage to lean less and feel more composed on lumpy roads. The ride quality on the big wheeled SX is noticeably sharper edged than the EX though, so there’s a price to pay for the undeniable style it brings.

The previous five paragraphs may be of little consequence to many car buyers, who simply want a stylish, well equipped family saloon. And the Forte’s showroom appeal is simply amazing. Good looks aside, our EX tester came with all round disc brakes, ABS, dual airbags, trip computer, factory audio with iPod/AUX jacks and steering controls and electrochromic rear view mirror. If you’re impressed already, the 1.6 SX will leave you speechless. For RM81,800, you get keyless entry and start (with start/stop button), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Traction Control, auto air-con, telescopic steering wheel with leather (also on gear knob), alloy pedals and those fetching 17in alloys – all for less than an S-spec Honda City. The 2.0-litre model costs RM93,800 and comes with curtain airbags and leather upholstery.

It’s not just the kit, but the cabin is faultless in terms of ergonomics and comfort, and quality is evident in the tight fitting buttons (all illuminated, even the audio jacks) and panels. The SX gets some contrasting silver painted plastic on the centre console, steering wheel and door trim, as opposed to the matt black of the EX, which also lacks the red “hood” of light on the speedometer. I found my ideal driving position with ease as the height adjustable seats have a long range of travel. And as previously mentioned, insulation from outside noise is good for its class.

In terms of rear space, there’s decent head and legroom although not as much as the Sylphy and Civic, which also has a flat floor to its advantage; the Kia’s all-black colour scheme doesn’t help in giving an imprssion of space either. One small grouse though, off the shoulder and rear visibility for the driver is limited due to the thick C-pillars and rising waistline – the rear screen gives you an upward view, which doesn’t help in parking at all.

The few “could be better” points would not be much of a letdown if the Forte is a mediocre entry, for which we will just say that “it’s very very decent considering the amount you pay”, but because Kia does most things right, I personally feel that it’s a missed opportunity to jump straight to the top, which I bet the Koreans will sooner rather than later. At present, it’s not the best C-segment car you can buy, but then there are no other selling for the price of a Vios or City. Against those price rivals, it’s very hard to ignore the Forte’s appeal – it’s a much better developed and sophisticated car that also happens to look superb and packed to the brim with kit.

© 2010 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 20 Mar 10 16:30:44 +0000.

It’s been only two months since the new F10 5-Series was unveiled and I must say it has quite a huge responsibility to carry. After all, there is a new E-Class in Malaysia now that it must face to continue the fight to try to overtake the E’s dominance in its segment in Malaysia.

The previous E60 5-Series did really well for BMW and is so far the most successful 5-Series to date, although it is its predecessor the E39 that is fondly referred to by some as ‘Car Of The Year Forever’. The E60’s design is a love it or hate it affair. It got even worse when you got inside – the dash design was quite bland. And then there was also that 1st generation iDrive! Just bad! But you gotta give it to the chassis engineers – it did very well in the drive and comfort departments. It’s not just about doing well in both departments but the fact that they could make the car do both well at the same time.

And now we have the all-new 5 which drops the ‘E’ designation in its code name and is now called the F10 (which sounds a lot like the designations used to identify fighter jets). It’s built on a common platform as the F01/F02 7-Series and even the 5-Series GT. We have covered all the latest updates regarding the new 5, right from the launch report to an article that talked specifically about how it was designed.

Now we finally have the all-important test drive report to share with you as we flew all the way to Portugal to have a go in it both on roads and the Estoril circuit!

Read more after the jump.

The Design

When I found out that the new 5 was about to be launched, my fingers were crossed for BMW to come up with something that looked better than the model it was going to replace, because the company did just that when it rolled out the new flagship 7-Series. After seeing the images of the new 5 following its launch at the ‘mothership’ (which is Munich, Germany for those who are unfamiliar), I did not exactly jump out of my seat. It was nice, but something felt missing. Just like the E60, the design just didn’t hit the spot unlike how the E39 did, so I was a little disappointed.

Paul was then invited to a BMW event in Munich earlier this year to take a look at the model in the flesh. I remembered his words: “Photos don’t do justice to the car” and “It looks really good in real life”. So when I arrived in Portugal for the test drive event and looked at the new 5-er for myself, I knew what Paul meant. Trust me, it really looks much better in real life. It looks a hybrid between the new 7 and the facelifted 3-Series. Just like the simple mathematical equation – Seven plus Three divided by two is the new Five.

The taillights are nice to look at night, thanks to the way it glows up, although the actual shape (outline) of it kinda misses the spot. Nevertheless, everything about the exterior design looked just about right. But why it didn’t look as good in the photos? My guess is that the new 5-er has just too many design lines that require us to look at it in the flesh, especially the lines on the hood and on the sides of the car. You can’t really see that in photos so it ends up looking a little bland. The proportions are perfectly sized making it look aggressive yet graceful at the same time.

When designing the new 5-er, the designers had to work around stringent crash, aerodynamic as well as other engineering-based requirements and to be able to come up with this final product. I was also told that the designers had to go over quite a few things to enable the car to carry the Hoffmeister kink in the shape that the designers wanted it.

The Interior

BMW made the right choice to have an interior that is inspired by the new 7-Series. If you don’t pay attention to the details you might just mistake it for the interior of an F01. They’re both differently sized slices cut from the same cake, and it’s a good thing that the cake’s recipe is good in the first place

I really appreciate BMW bringing back the driver-focused centre dash. Switch and control tactility is just perfect. It’s a much better place to be in compared to the E60 that it replaces.

The seats offer very good support from almost every angle as well. The window controls are placed where they should be (unlike the pre-facelift E60, thank God!) and I must also say that the thickness of the steering wheel feels right as well. The steering wheel is something that connects you to the car, so it plays an important role in giving the driver the right feel behind the wheel. There is good support for your hands during normal driving and gives a sporty feel as well, which is good for those spirited weekend drives.

Both leg and head room are good in the front cabin and its the same thing in the rear as well. There are also enough storage compartments in the car. Cup holders in the centre console (instead of popping out of the dash like the E60), a reasonably sized glove box, front seats with pockets behind the backrest and a centre arm rest on the rear seat’s backrest on top of the other compartments on the door cards and so on make up for a practical enough interior. Although the boot isn’t all that deep, but its long.

The Driving

Just like most test drive events, we were given routes that were made up by a combination of curves as well as highway straights. Before we hit those roads we had to spend some time in city roads. In this part of Lisbon the 5-Series behaved well. City driving was a breeze. Just like how I feel that the new 7-Series feels like the 5 when you are maneuvering around town, the 5-Series now feels like a little like the 3. You don’t feel like you are behind the wheel of a big car. Portugal is a left-hand drive market and even with that driving in traffic jams and getting in and out of tight spaces isn’t a problem with the 5.

The model that I drove was the 535i and it was fitted with BMW’s optional Integral Active Steering which means the rear wheels can change their angle, depending on the driving situation. Thanks to this, making U-Turns was easier than ever as it allows for a tighter turning radius.

The 5 can also be equipped with Parking Assistant which works just like the versions found in certain Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz cars. The 5 will be the first car to get this – not sure why BMW took so long when its competitors have had this system for a long time. The system will detect if a potential side parking spot has enough space to accommodate the vehicle. The car can then maneuver itself into the spot by turning the steering wheel itself, leaving just the braking and accelerating to the driver.

You can also use a ’surround view’ system to see a bird’s eye view of the car. This uses various cameras placed on the car. The new 5 also has the option for a reverse camera, which is no biggie anymore at this point of time – alot of premium cars at this level are starting to have it.

The Brake Energy Regeneration feature of the EfficientDynamics system now has an indicator to show you what it is doing. Before this, it worked in the background and didn’t really provide the visual satisfaction that eco-freaks desired. For some reason they don’t exactly want to just save the environment, they want to be constantly reminded that they’re doing it and praised for it. Beside the fuel consumption indicator on the instrument panel you can see a battery logo and the word EfficientDynamics written below. This area is illuminated in sky blue. This simply shows you what the Brake Energy Regeneration system is doing. Whenever I hit the brakes and whenever I lift of the accelerator, the indicator moves, showing that the energy is being collected under braking and during coasting.

The road surface is very very smooth compared what we have to live with back home. The 5 was rather quiet while cruising on the highway and it really felt composed and planted even at high speeds of up to 190 km/h. There’s only one big question mark right now which I feel foreign drives like this don’t really answer for local markets – as European roads are generally better than the rubbish we get here in Malaysia, will the new 5’s ride (with its low profile hard sidewall runflat tyres and whatnot) feel as good on KL roads as it does in Portugal?

The model I drove was also fitted with a Lane Departure Warning system which monitors the lane markings on the road using a camera. It will then vibrate the steering wheel if veer off your lane. It vibrates just enough to let you know that you are not keeping the car in your lane. It feels much like how your steering would normally behave when one of your car’s wheels go over really thick and rough lane marker paint on the highway, and that kinda paint can be found everywhere in Europe so I suppose it feels natural to them.

The system really helps, especially when you are a Malaysian driving in the left-hand drive country! If you ask me, all cars in Malaysia should be fitted with this system and the steering wheel should vibrate even more and perhaps be configured even automatically give the driver a little static shock the next time he touches his door handle to get into the car to punish him if he veers out of his lane a little too often during a drive. That’ll teach those idiots!

A yellow triangular light fitted in the wing mirror housing will also blink if it thinks that the driver is making a dangerous lane change. I decided to try it out when I noticed there was a car on the right lane cruising at the same speed about one car’s length behind. The light blinked as expected and it blinked in a place that I could clearly see. This system is what BMW calls the Lane Change Warning system.

The 535i has a turbocharged, direct injected 3.0 liter 6-cylinder engine that is capable of 306hp and 400Nm of torque. Throttle response is quick and sensitive but not too jerky at the same time. The floor-mounted accelerator paddle (which I think should be standard in all cars!) feels well-weighted as well. Power delivery overall is very smooth and even while cruising on the highway at say 90 km/h and trying to overtake, it proved effortless.

If this engine is already so powerful, thinking of the 4.4 liter turbo-charged V8 in the 550i is really quite mind boggling! The upcoming M5 would be out of this world! The engine is paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission. Thanks to this, gears can even change at below 2,000 revs during normal city driving, and this works throughout all the gears. As a result, when driven sedatedly the car is actually quite silent because the engine doesn’t really get very much over its idle speed. This probably helps with fuel consumption as well.

The model I had a go in featured variable dampers under the Dynamic Drive Package. These dampers adjust according to driving conditions. There are also four modes to choose from including Comfort, Normal, Sport and Sport+. A number of automakers these days can probably just decide not to spend much time on fine tuning the chassis just by using these variable dampers. Chassis engineers might just end up being ‘lazy’ because of this.

But for the F10, even in Normal mode, the car still felt good over bumps and yet still performed well on the twisty roads. That’s a mark of a really tight chassis and the differences in drive enjoyment between Normal and Sport are really not that obvious because of this. Comfort gave a softer ride while Sport stiffened the dampers up. Different modes also offer different throttle and steering responses as well as different gear shift patterns on the transmission.

Estoril Race Track Experience

Unfortunately for us, a rather dull looking sky a day before worsened into showers on the circuit experience day, making it an all-wet affair. It was just my bad luck as I really wanted to push the 5 on the track and see how it performs although I was already given positive hints about it when I was in the mountains.

A wet track meant that we couldn’t turn off the traction control and had to be very careful on track. Even a Formula 1 car will have to slow down tremendously when the weather isn’t friendly. Nevertheless, it gave me the opportunity to find out how the 5 works its way around in such a condition.

The circuit was made up by a couple of short to medium length straights and slow to medium speed corners. I engaged the Sport mode and started my way around of the circuit. I just had to make sure that I don’t brake too late and accelerate too early mid corner.

The wet surface proved to be a nuisance and I had to make sure that the tires didn’t touch the slippery kerbs. The car behaved well through the corners though. Oversteer could be easily corrected by counter-steering and when it was understeer can be tackled by lifting off the gas and hitting the brakes a little to bring the balance back. Most of the time the ESP did it for me by cutting power and performing selecting braking. The 5-er is very balanced, predictable and forgiving under hard driving and it’s almost ridiculous to be using such words to describe a big sedan like the 5-er but that’s just how good the chassis boys at BMW are.

When you are in the market for a premium mid-sized sedan – apart from a more attractive price package – you will most likely look for something that looks good, aggressive and elegant at the same time, something that offers a luxury feel on the inside, something that drives like a dream and something that you take your family with for those weekend ‘balik kampung’ trips.

The BMW F10 5-Series could be the one that fits the bill perfectly, but given that the model we tested was a high spec 535i (not something your average Malaysian will be able to buy here) and we drove it on foreign roads, we’ll reserve our final judgment for when we try the 5-er out in more ‘affordable’ typical Malaysian specs, on Malaysian roads.

© 2010 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 20 Mar 10 16:30:44 +0000.

As motoring journalists, we’re very lucky to have the newest and shiniest cars in town parked in our porch. After awhile, the “immune system” gets build up to a level that only the very captivating will leave a mark.

The Volkswagen Passat CC is one such car because it’s such a beauty. I caught myself looking back everytime I walked away. I unrolled the curtains so I could occasionally look at it while reading the papers. Such was the effect.

Continue reading the report after the jump.

While the Passat CC looks pretty good in pictures, only in real life does it create the abovementioned symptoms, like the captivating girl you remember so vividly one week after that brief five-second encounter.

The CC is not so much a makeover of the standard Passat, but it’s as if this was the original sketch VW designers came up with before sensibility took over. Personally, I think that this car looks better than the Mercedes-Benz CLS, which we presume was VW’s inspiration for its four-door coupe.

Like the CLS, the Passat CC sports a wider, lower and sleeker shape over the car on which it’s based on, and it shares no body panels with the normal Passat.

To be exact, the CC is 34mm longer, 35mm wider and significantly, sits 55mm lower. This, plus the high and rising waistline results in a slim glasshouse which contributes to the CC’s coupe aspirations. Oh, and aren’t those turbine 18-inch alloys sexy?

The frameless doors also do their part in adding sense of occasion. Open them and you’ll find a sumptous cabin in tan leather. Perhaps VW has gone overboard in trying to make the Passat CC special by having just two individual rear seats; while it was just nice for my family of four, the lack of seating for five could be a potential deal breaker for many.

Moving on, while the basic dash design is carried from the normal Passat, the cozy and cocooning surroundings (you sit much lower too) and the very luxe Nappa leather makes it all feel a tad more exotic. The brushed aluminium trim is convincing and VW’s excellent RCD 510 system (not found in GTI/Scirocco) is a welcome inclusion – the full colour touch screen unit incorporates a rear parking camera and ParkAssist, which gives a bird eye’s view of the car relative to obstacles. Just as well, because outward visibility – especially the over the shoulder rear three quarter view – isn’t great, thanks to the small glass area and thick pillars. Coming out of junctions could prove tricky too.

Yes, there are some parts shared with the Golf, but they look and feel good enough to belong in this car. As a whole, the Passat CC’s cabin gives off nothing to premium badged compact execs in quality, and shades them in ambience.

Looking at that arching roofline, I expected the rear quarters to be cramped, but adults below six foot tall shouldn’t have any headroom problems. Those seated here enjoy good legroom and nicely sculptured seats plus ample storage in the centre seperator. Even better if there was a full length glass roof, but we’re just being greedy here. A luxurious long distance cruiser needs a big boot, and the CC’s trunk is so long that you’ll need a hook to get to bags stored deep inside. In absolute terms, its 532 litres is just 33 litres less than the standard Passat’s.

The Passat CC makes a strong case for itself on the move as an executive express, and asks plenty of questions of the German 3-Series/C-Class/A4 trio. With those compact execs, you pay more for less power, and the Passat CC is one swift car with the sole option of a 197 bhp/280 Nm TSI engine (the same EA113 engine as the Mk5 Golf GTI). VW quotes 0-100 km/h in 7.8 seconds and a top speed of 232 km/h, but in practise it feels much faster than those bare figures suggest, thanks to a turbocharged wave of low down torque sustained fairly long, coupled with a willingness to rev. Much has been said about this engine already, so we’ll just add that in the Passat CC, it’s better insulated than other sportier applications, which suits the effortless nature of this car.

The choice of a torque converter automatic over DSG also makes sense in smooth operator like the Passat CC. While VW’s twin-clutch box is fast, efficient and smooth, we imagine that it would be a tad dramatic and abrupt for the Passat CC’s nature. Volkswagen does offer it paired with the 1.4 liter TSI in another variant of the Passat CC though, but the 2.0 liter TSI gets the auto. In any case, the six-speed slushbox is a good one, never caught napping and very smooth. You never really need to do it yourself, which is a mark of a good automatic. The wide 235-section tyres however (with ContiSeal self sealing technology, auto seals punctures from objects up to 5mm in diameter) generated lots of noise when cruising, marring slightly the otherwise excellent comfort.

The Passat CC gets VW’s DCC Adaptive Chassis Control, which electronically matches the damping to the conditions; there are also two driver selectable presets – Sport and Comfort besides Auto. As mentioned before, DCC is not a gimmick and you do really feel the difference between modes. Sport brings with it a heavier steering and a firmer ride, but Auto is good for most of the time. The presets are better sorted than Audi’s Drive Select.

Despite wearing very thin rubber, the CC rides very well, on the firm side when you’re in Sport but never jarring. The steering’s weighting is good, but could do with more feel and the chassis doesn’t respond to hard driving as enthusiastically as the Ford Mondeo we recently tried, but you rarely feel the urge to test the limits in the VW – it’s not that sort of car. On its own, the Passat CC is good to drive swiftly – fast, composed and stable footed, good enough for most of us.

The Passat CC is the best seller of the three latest VWs to hit our market, mainly because of the attractive RM239,888 price. For that money, you get a lot of equipment (besides those already mentioned, bi-xenons, dynamic cornering lamps, electronic parking brake, sunroof, electric rear sunshade and keyless entry are all standard), certainly more than the locally assembled 320i or C200K, both of which cost almost RM10K more.

This good value is likely to seal the deal for those already tempted by the style, comfort and pace on offer.

© 2010 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 20 Mar 10 16:30:44 +0000.

At first glance, this looks like just any other facelifted Ford Focus done up in white sitting in Sime Darby Auto Connexion’s car park by the Federal Highway. But it’s actually something new – find out more on what it is after the jump.

It’s a Ford Focus 2.0 TDCi! I know alot of us more educated motorists have been asking for a new era where we can enjoy the really nice low rev kick of torque and the better mileage that the turbodiesel engines that Europeans seem to love in our daily rides.

When the government upgraded our diesel to Euro 2 last year, it opened some doors for some better diesels to be brought in. Diesel engines that are lighter, smaller and more refined – a newer generation of diesel engines compared to the truck engines that we get in our sub-100K pickups. I know of a friend who bought a Nissan Frontier purely for its diesel engine as he had to travel alot, he wasn’t really interested in a truck.

And then BMW introduced their 320d. It had loads of shove over the 320i and could go over 1,000km per tank if driven frugally. Finally, a diesel compact executive to be enjoyed. You needed deep pockets but not as deep as pockets as 530d or X5 3.0d owners. But it was still priced over RM250k, though during promotions you could get pre-registered units for lower than that.

The Ford Focus TDCi is expected to be priced a tad lower than RM130k, which means a pricetag of about the same as a Honda Civic 2.0S and a Honda Civic Hybrid. This will make it the most accessible turbodiesel-powered passenger car to date.

While its petrol sibling is available in both hatch and sedan form, the Focus TDCi will only be available as a hatchback, CBU from Thailand in two colours – black or white.

The interior looks pretty much standard Focus. There are just a few changes. Firstly, you get leather seats in the TDCi hatchback. With the petrol version, you only get leather in the sedan, while the hatchback makes do with cloth seats. There is a small extra strip of trim wrapping around the front door armrests.

The most obvious change you’ll notice when you sit in the driver’s seat is the RPM meter, which has a redline much lower than the petrol version. This is usual with diesel engines – they don’t rev as high because of the self-ignition combustion but they deliver all of their massive punch under 3,000rpm.

With the 2.0 TDCi engine here we’re talking about 134 horsepower and 320Nm of torque at only 1,800rpm, with the ability to overboost to 340Nm briefly whenever the engine management decides its needed.

The shift knob area is also slightly different. The petrol version has the letter “M” in place of the “S” you see here. This is because the 4-speed auto in the petrol has your regular “D” drive mode, and a “M” manual mode for you to swap cogs manually – not that there’s really many gears to shift in that 4-speeder.

The diesel version uses a 6-speed Powershift unit – similiar to the transmissions you’d find in the S40 Powershift and V50 Powershift launched by Volvo recently. In addition to the “D” drive mode and manual mode, you also get a “S” mode which is essentially an automatic mode with a sportier shift pattern.

When you start the engine up, you do hear some typical soft diesel clatter from the front of the car as you idle. This disappears as you get moving as the other sounds begin to overwhelm it and it disappears. Thanks to the Powershift technically connecting to the engine via mechanical clutches instead of a torque converter, throttle response is very crisp and nice, something you only feel in an automatic when the torque converter locks up mechanically at cruise speeds. Unlike in pickup trucks where there tends to be vibrations especially in the manual versions where the whole shift lever and 4X4 selector shakes like crazy, the Ford Focus TDCi had no diesel engine vibrations or anything in the cabin. Gear lever and steering wheel remained calm.

Shifts are very smooth and driven sedatedly, the car shifts gears at just over 2,000rpm smoothly and rapidly. Gearchanges are pretty quick, faster and smoother than what a single clutch automatic can do but Volkswagen’s DSG implementation is still the leader in terms of quick upshifts (VW DSG is quite average on downshifts though). There are no jerky shifts and you do not need to lift the accelerator pedal slightly to ensure a smoother shift as with AMT products.

In this new economy where co-development between is needed for viability it’s no surprise to learn that the Duratorq TDCi engine was developed together with PSA Peugeot Citroen and is also used by PSA as their “HDi” engines. If we ever see a Peugeot 308 2.0 HDi here in Malaysia, it’ll have a similiar engine as this Ford. The engine actually sounds like growlier and more ganas than the petrol version and surprisingly sounds quite good for a 4-potter diesel. It’s sweeter and I kinda feel also quieter than the 2.0 4-potter in the 320d and 520d but it’s nothing compared to the great 6-potter BMW diesels.

I probably don’t need to say this, but 320Nm is alot of torque so charging along empty roads can actually be quite addictive. Because there are 6 gears and so much torque, when you accelerate off from a standstill there’s actually alot of gearchanges happening until the transmission settles down in one of the higher gears.

There is a short bit turbo lag when you take off, and if you shift high up the revrange on full throttle you also feel a short half-second lag once the next gear engages before things pick up in full force again. Ford’s 2.5 liter TDCi in Ranger actually does better at eliminating lag. Overtaking is also no issue, just downshift and ride the surge of torque, even going through two gears through an overtaking maneuver is no issue as once you get over that split second of lag that wave of torque comes again.

Other than lots of low-end torque, the only other thing that will probably remind you that you’re driving a diesel is that when you shut off the engine, the engine shivers a little before turning off. And I wish I could say confidently that your fuel bills will also remind you that it’s a diesel but I only took it for a short spin around the Sime Darby Auto Connexion office, up to Bangsar and back so there wasn’t really an opportunity for a fuel consumption test. Once the car is finally launched here in Malaysia I’m quite eager to get a proper test drive and see what the car consumes in terms of liter per 100km.

Thumbs up to Sime Darby for being the first to being in a diesel passenger car for under RM150k. I know alot of us have been asking for this over and over and finally we have one choice, hopefully more to come. The previous ‘cheapest diesel passenger car’ (at over RM250k list price) in our market was the 320d, which also so happens to be sold by Sime Darby since their company Auto Bavaria is a BMW dealer and BMW Malaysia is a Munich-Sime Darby JV. I hope one day Proton will be able to give us our first diesel passenger car under RM80k.

But for now, too bad the Focus TDCi will only be available as a hatchback, from what I’ve heard so far. That’s one reason for people to turn away from it – our love for the 3-box sedan. The other issue with the current generation Focus – both sedan and hatchback – is that it’s interior spaciousness falls behind its rivals like the Civic.

I have a feeling there will be more people looking at passenger diesels come 1st May when our petrol prices will be revised. This is because although petrol prices will go through a revision, the government has hinted that it could leave diesel prices alone. I wonder if I can turn my E39 into a 525tds through a halfcut or something!

© 2010 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 20 Mar 10 16:30:44 +0000.

Years of reading British car mags have made me a bit of a skeptic. If it’s a Jaguar, Lotus or Ford, our UK friends will fall over themselves to hail it as the best in class. Questions like “is the Evora that much better than a Cayman S?” or “can the Ford Mondeo be really as capable and satisfying as a 3-Series?” often linger in my mind. More often than not, the curiosity remains unanswered, as we don’t often get to sample the best of Britain here, so when the opportunity to test drive the Mondeo presented itself, I was rather excited to find out for myself.

Read the rest of the report after the jump.

The Ford Mondeo is the best example of Europe’s answer to the D-segment saloon, a class dominated by the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord in our part of the world, so naturally, these are the reference points we’ll use to compare the Ford with. Fully imported from Belgium, the highly specified 2.3-litre Mondeo is priced within the ballpark of the Thai-made Camry and the Melaka assembled Accord, which makes one wonder about the profit margins of both Japanese companies.

Back to the main subject. Looks are subjective of course, but while the Mondeo’s design is a breath of fresh air on our streets, neat, inoffensive and more dynamic looking than the Accord and Camry, the shape is rather generic and Ford’s Kinetic design is toned down for this application. The rear section of this sedan version (there’s a hatchback in Europe) in particular, appears rather bulky too.

Which may not be an illusion, as the Mondeo is no small car. It’s taller and quite a bit wider than both Japanese cars while overall length (4844 mm) is closer to the Camry (4825 mm) than the class busting Accord (4945 mm). Despite this, the Ford’s 2850 mm wheelbase is lengthier than the Accord’s 2800 mm, which is quite something, since we all know how much rear legroom the Honda has. As a comparison, the E60 5-Series’ wheelbase is 2888 mm long, so this is one big exec we’re looking at.

Space is certainly adequate with those dimensions, and tall passengers will have no complaints seated at the back, but the rear legroom champion is still the Accord. Like the Honda, the Mondeo comes with all-black leather seats and trim, as opposed to the Camry interior, which is specified with light hues for a more cozy and warm ambience.

Up front, comparing the Ford with its Japanese rivals is an exercise of comparing regional tastes. Italians aside, Continental cabins have always been more functional than glitzy, and the Mondeo stays true to form. Sure, there are metal-like accents (not very convincing) and a Sony stereo, but it’s all very sober and business-like, without oooh and ahhh touches such as the Accord’s watch-like dial faces and brushed trim and the Camry’s “floating” instruments. You get two white on black basic dials with straightforward fonts, and a centre console with perhaps half the amount of buttons than the Honda. Personally, I like it this way especially when the basics are covered.

Basics such as memory powered seats that are comfortable (could go a touch lower though), a full featured steering wheel with four-way controls on each side, and well located and easy to use minor controls. Ford also surprised this writer with its material selection. While soft plastics on the main dash moulding and door caps are common on European cars, the Mondeo has the slushy stuff in places I didn’t expect – like the furthest panel from the dash below the windscreen, and below the base of the centre stack, all along the transmission tunnel, places that even some premium brands don’t bother with. Other than one shiny bit of plastic (power window switch area) and steering buttons that are not 100% tight, fit and finish is very good. I did have one annoyance though; my knees hit the bottom of the steering boss everytime I step out of the car. I’m not tall and sit pretty close to the wheel so that grouse might not apply to everyone though.

The Mondeo gave a decent first impression on the move. I didn’t demand much from it in the first two days, only going through my daily routine which includes long highway cruising and city traffic. The ride comfort is very good on those 17-inch wheels, rock steady on the highway and brilliant on bad roads. Bigger intrusions that you’ll certainly feel in the Japanese cars are rolled over with authority, sparing occupants from feeling their sharp edge. The Accord feels a little too firm after the Mondeo, which damping is very well judged. It’s much like comparing a Civic with a Golf, the former lacking the composure and stability of the European car. One thing I picked up though; while insulation is good, the drivetrain sounds a little wheezy at low speeds.

Then I drove it hard. Half a day taking the Ford through the B-roads of Selangor, it turned out to be one of the most impressive drives I’ve ever had in a car this size. To just say that the Mondeo has great handling and great balance is simple, so I’ll try my best to convey what went through my mind as I smiled my way through the bends.

While most of today’s cars have grip limits and safe handling beyond what their targeted drivers put them through, what sets the best from the merely good is how they behave when you’re really pushing on. In the Mondeo, you feel that the car is always on your side as you explore its ability, bit by bit, corner by corner. Like a great dance partner, the connection between driver and Mondeo is excellent – the naturally weighted steering is rich with feedback, the brakes firm and easy to modulate – so there’s no need for guessing how much grip in reserve does it have, or will I brake in time for that, you get the drift.

It’s a big car, but you easily forget its size thanks to the brilliant body control that does so well in managing the shift of weight, so you can concentrate on the next corner. The abovementioned ride comfort also plays a big role in the Mondeo’s ability to flow across country roads with finesse. In view of this, it’s almost forgivable that the Mondeo doesn’t ship with ESP (although it does have seven airbags including a driver’s knee bag). As a comparison, both the Accord and Camry come with vehicle stablity programmes; the Honda has front and side airbags while the Toyota only has two.

However, that intense exercise also revealed the areas that could have been better. In Malaysia, we have a sole option of a 2.3-litre Duratec HE engine with a six-speed auto ‘box. The twin cam engine produces 159 bhp and 208 Nm, quite underwhelming compared to the Accord 2.4’s 178 bhp and 222 Nm. In practise, although not a handicap performance is merely adequate, and you’ll have to rev hard to get the best from it. It doesn’t sound unpleasant as you do so, but it’s definitely not VTEC sweet. The overall package will be nearer to perfect should it come with say, Ford’s Ecoboost turbo engine or even a TDCi.

The gearbox meanwhile, is great news – not only because we’re used to having dated four-speed units from Ford – but because it’s smart in D and quick enough in Sports mode, something which can’t be said about the Focus sold here. Oh yes, and you pull back for upshifts, push to downshift, which is more intuitive than the usual layout (only “driver focussed” brands like Ford, BMW and Mazda seem to use it though). The extra ratio over its rivals means 110 km/h equates to just 2200 rpm, benefiting crusing economy and sound levels.

So I have to grudgingly concede that the the Brits were right about the Mondeo after all; this is a great car to drive and to live with, and it can be considered as a good alternative to entry level premium badged compact execs – not only do you get a much bigger car and the same level of equipment, it’s a good deal cheaper too.

We don’t see it creating big waves in our Camry and Accord dominated market, but for the few who go against the flow, you’ll be very satisfied, in the driving department at least.

By now, you must have gathered that I highly rate the Ford, but both Paul and Harvinder also gave the thumbs up, so the Mondeo gets our unanimous recommendation as a car keen drivers shopping at this level need to try out before opting for something else.

© 2010 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 20 Mar 10 16:30:44 +0000.

Any discussion about the Mercedes-Benz E-Class will without fail include a mention of its eternal rival, the BMW 5-Series. Never mind the Audi A6 or Lexus GS, the folks at Stuttgart must have long accepted the inevitable E versus 5 comparison people will make. But actually, it need not be that way, for both German execs are different cars for different folks, as we find out in this report.

Continue reading after the jump!

Many of us who are younger (read below 40) or belong in the “car enthusiast fraternity” will never ever consider a Benz, which has built itself an old-man’s car image throughout the years. This trend has not gone unnoticed within the four walls of Stuttgart, and the attempt to inject dynamism in their core range started with the current C-Class. The W204 looks good and drives well, which is why it’s making an impression among yuppies who would otherwise have bought a 3-Series. Personally, I’m seduced enough by the C200K to choose it over the 320i.

The visual leap from peanut light C-Class to the W204 was huge, and Merc’s range renewal continues with this – the W212 E-Class. Ditching its predecessor’s organic shape for a sharper, more chiseled look, the W212 is a distinct three-box sedan with a classic outline but there are lots of visual tricks and details going on. The front design retains the four eyed look but the lights are now sharp edged and the overall look aggressive. Today’s must-have LED running lights aren’t integrated into the main units but are built into the lower bumper – an afterthought perhaps?

Run your eyes along the E-Class’ profile and you’ll see “arrows” shooting up from the front. There’s one that emerges after the front wheelarch, slicing through the door handles before fading away after the rear door. Another lower line goes in the same direction, but the highlight is the crease above the rear wheelarch, inspired by the Ponton saloon of the 1950s. Disrupts the elegance a bit, I feel. Although it totally doesn’t look the part, the W212’s drag coefficient of only 0.25 means it’s as aerodynamic as the Toyota Prius and more slippery than most sports cars!

So far so good, but if you first spot a new E-Class from the rear, chances are that you’ll think of something else, something less premium perhaps. Some say Sonata, some say old Corolla, some just say not nice, but while it’s not offending, the look is rather nondescript and doesn’t match up to rest of the car’s visual appeal.

The new E-Class is a big car, and appears obviously larger than its predecessor. Its length, width and height of 4868mm/1854mm/1471mm eclipses that of the E60 5-Series, itself not petite. The BMW’s wheelbase, at 2888mm, is slightly longer than the Merc’s 2874mm though, but that doesn’t mean its cabin is a better lounge, more the other way around.

Open the W212’s doors, and you’ll find a cabin that’s warm and inviting, perhaps the best feature of this E. Compared to the technical feel of the A6, the Camry feel of the GS and the sombre, business-like ambience of the E60, the Mercedes cabin feels like home, and a major reason are the colour schemes. The E200 Elegance has grey or brown hues (we much prefer the latter) while the E300 Avantgarde comes with a black dash, grey seats and headlining – in no way will Mercedes sell you an all-black cabin (unless you custom order and pay extra).

The resulting airiness emphasizes the Merc’s generously spaced interior and puts driver and occupants at ease. The dash design is pleasant and ergonomically perfect. Tasteful dark wood trim and bits of silver work well together, and the instruments, stacked Porsche style, are classy and legible. I found my perfect driving position and liked the seats, but Paul couldn’t get comfortable, so it’s not “one size fits all” – we’ll let your butt be the judge.

Rear quarters? Good leg and headroom that betters its classmates, while the 540-litre boot goes very deep. Big boots aren’t friendly to small cargo, so Mercedes incorporated a retractable drop down “basket” which I found to be very useful. Just as well, because stuff rolling and knocking around in the boot irritates me like nothing else. My three days worth of luggage fitted in the basket neatly!

Sharper design and a nice cabin isn’t enough to win over “non-fans”, and the meat is in the drive. If you come in with pre-conceptions of “how a Mercedes would drive” or have driven the W211 before, a surprise is in store.

The media test drive programme started from Subang Jaya to Tanjong Jara in Terengganu, and the route we took passed by the Karak Highway to cross the main range, before veering off to the Jabor-Jerangau highway, turning right at Batu Buruk on the way to Dungun. The earlier section showed off the E’s ability to cover big miles with ease. I sat behind while my teammates drove, and from the boss’ seat the E’s ride comfort was very soothing. I barely felt the highway expansion joints and the car remained relatively flat even in the bigger corners; no boat like wallowing here. However, we thought that the Conti SportContact3 tyres were generating a little too much noise, which isn’t in tune with the E’s fine cruising ability.

I woke up in time for the fun part of the drive. Getting out of the East-West Highway, it was fast B-roads all the way to Dungun. The road surface left much to be desired, which was ideal to test a car’s suspension. For long stretches, the inside half of the road was patchy and uneven while the outside was normal, so it was to the Merc’s credit that it stayed composed throughout. There were a few mid-corner crests that I didn’t anticipate, and the way the E-Class settled after the rebound was impressive. The so called “Direct Control” adaptive damping system (fully auto, no selectable presets) evened out rough patches while taking the edge off bigger bumps. The setup is tuned for comfort, so the body does move around more than a 5-Series would, but it’s well controlled and never unsettling.

This milder approach relative to the BMW is also noticed from the Merc’s controls. The steering is precise and feels more natural than its predecessor’s helm, but is lighter and less rich in feedback compared to the car from Munich. Ditto the brakes, which feel quite soft, the opposite of some rivals’ over-servoed anchors. Some could take these to mean that the E-Class is less fun-to-drive and a less capable handler than the BMW, but it’s really just a different approach. The latest E-Class can flow through a B-road at high speeds and is satisfying in its own way.

For us, the E200 CGI BlueEfficiency was more satisfying than the E300 and is the better car. It may be “just a 1.8-litre” but the E200’s Charged Gasoline Injection motor combines direct injection, VVT and turbocharging to good effect. A replacement for Merc’s long serving Kompressor engine, it serves up 184 bhp and 270 Nm of torque. As a comparison, the 2.5-litre inline-six in the BMW 523i has 190 bhp and 230 Nm – even the 525i has only 250 Nm.

Yes, Merc’s four-pot will never rev as sweetly as that famed inline-six, but the amount of usable performance on tap is good compensation. In cut and thrust driving, or on B-roads where lots of overtaking is needed, I’m confident the E200 CGI will be swifter than the entry level 5-Series. As a bonus, it’s more well mannered and fuel efficient (by up to 23%, it is claimed) than the Kompressor of old.

It’s the same reasons why we prefer the E200 over the E300, which uses Merc’s old V6 engine. Duck out of a slow lorry to overtake, give the V6 full throttle and you’ll encounter a delay in the power delivery that could be embarassing. The lack of low-down punch plus the not exactly immediate reactions of the 7G-Tronic ‘box means you have to anticipate better and downshift into the right gear (why do you need seven ratios when six well chosen ones will do?) before making a move. It does climb the speedo very rapidly once you’re into triple digits though, and the burly soundtrack is more evocative than the CGI’s gruffy vocals. The E300 also gets shift paddles and a steering column mounted shift lever, as opposed to the conventional location of the E200’s five-speed auto.

Downsizing is all the rage in Europe at the moment, with manufacturers scrambling to lower their corporate CO2 output, and Mercedes calls its movement BlueEfficiency. The CGI engine is a major component of BlueEfficiency, which works with the 0.25 Cd and other smaller measures to offer better economy and lower emissions. The two locally assembled models we tested don’t come with engine stop-start, brake energy regeneration and low rolling resistance tyres, but have on-demand steering pump, fuel pump and alternator.

So it’s essentially a half baked BlueEfficiency, but that’s still better than nothing, especially when claimed combined fuel consumption is an impressive 12.7 to 13.3 km/l. And if the proposed fuel subsidy based on engine capacity plan takes off, E200 CGI owners can line up with Peroduas at the “cheap lane” and incite anger at petrol stations!

Both E300 Avantgarde (background) and E200 CGI Elegance wear 245/45 R17 wheels

Priced at RM366,888, the E200 CGI BlueEfficiency is priced between the BMW 523i and 523i SE. The E300 will cost you RM455,888 (prices are OTR without insurance) but it will buy you a panaromic glass roof and a rear entertainment system with two LCD screens. Coming soon is the E250 CGI BlueEfficiency, which should have all that’s good about the E200 but with more poke – 204 bhp/310 Nm to be exact. That should be the pick of the range, if the price is right.

All in all, a great effort from Mercedes, proving that there’s not just one template to make a great mid-sized exec.

© 2010 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 20 Mar 10 16:30:44 +0000.

Many say that the Mk6 Volkswagen Golf GTI is “just a Mk5” with a facelift. It’s not; there are subtle but significant differences, as we’ll discover throughout this report – but even if it really is just a facelift, is it that bad considering the Mk5 GTI was such as great performance car, one that re-energized the hot hatch segment and revived the legendary GTI lineage?

Continue reading the review after the jump.

I remember very clearly my first experience with the Mk6 Golf over a year ago. Driving the 158 bhp Twincharger GT variant on coarse Icelandic roads in poor weather I caught myself saying: “This is all the car I need”. Yes, it didn’t look very different from the Mk5, and much of the old car’s underpinnings were carried over, but VW has every reason to play the subtle evolution game.

The Mk6 doesn’t change the template, but just by improving on the things that the Golf does well – superb refinement, that unshakable feeling of solidity and stability, segment leading quality, understated class – plus the most high tech drivetrain in its class, and it becomes a superbly satisfying car to drive and own.

The hot GTI version here faces the exact same questions – it’s not seen as a major step from the old model. That’s fully understandable if viewed from the outside, as the Mk6 retains the familiar profile and size of the Mk5 which contributes the floorpan and platform to the car you see here – wheelbase is identical at 2578 mm.

What sets the Mk6 apart is the new VW family look which started with the Scirocco, in comes a flat and long black grille (trimmed here with signature GTI red piping and honeycomb grille) and slim headlights that stretch far back into the front fender. These changes, plus the vertical fog lights placed at the extreme ends of the bumper, successfully creates an impression of added width. The inner elements of the headlights are stylish, but the rear lamps are a little mundane and SUV like. We reckon that this more dynamic stance becomes clear with both cars parked side by side. Which do you prefer?

The GTI is never about shouting, so there’s a discreet rear spoiler, twin pipes (one on each side now) and 17-inch telephone dial alloys with red brake calipers hiding within. Looks good in red but our tester’s solid white helps the new features standout.

The new car’s upgraded interior alone is worth the price of admission as such high quality is rarely seen in cars with mass market badges – the quality of the materials, how solid everything feels, the tight panel gaps and classy touches such as the pinstriped piano black trim and the little splashes of shiny bits – all combine for a great ambience. It’s supremely comfortable too, with great insulation from wind/road noises and good support from those heavily bolstered seats.

Nothing spectacular design wise, but things like the new instrument cluster (now illuminated in white) and the more slimline centre console lifts it above the Mk5. In my opinion, the biggest improvement is the steering wheel – still flat bottomed, but the four-way buttons, chunky feel and design all combine to scream premium. It’s one of the nicest wheels we’ve held in recent times in fact. Too bad our market doesn’t get VW’s excellent full colour touch-screen ICE system.

Anything we miss? The “holes” at the base of the Mk5 centre console to brace knees is one, and the column stalks could tick with more smoothness (Honda stalks work with a high quality feel for instance) but we’re just nit picking in a wonderful cabin. Oh yes, tartan seats should be an option too!

Although a glance at the spec sheet might show identical displacement, bore and stroke with the Mk5’s EA113 motor, this car’s engine belongs to the new generation EA888 family – as does the 1.8 TFSI engine in the Audi A4. Chain driven camshafts and a lower compression ratio are among the differences, although there’s no variable valve lift in this application, unlike in Audis. The more compact and lighter engine packs extra power, 207 bhp to be exact, 10 horses more than before, now produced 200 rpm higher at 5300 rpm. Torque remains the same at 280 Nm from a diesel like low of 1700 rpm. Fuel efficiency is enhanced as well – VW’s claimed combined figure is 13.5 km/l. We managed to hover between 10.5 and 12 km/l, which is good for a car with this much performance.

In practise, the drivetrain experience is familiar. There’s almost zero lag as the boost spools up, the wave of urge that comes is strong and sustained fairly long (older turbo engines tend to fade a liitle at high revs), and there’s plenty of incentive in revving all the way to redline (cut out at about 7000 rpm). Best of all, the flexibility of it all allows you to hang on to high gears comfortably – 60 km/h in sixth anyone? – with power in reserve to overtake. This, combined with the fact that the engine is refined and silent when you’re not extending it makes for a good long distance cruiser that’s on par with the compact exec segment.

As usual for a DSG equipped VW, the twin-clutch gearbox plays a big part in the appeal of the drivetrain. No matter how you drive, or in what situation, it never makes a miscalculation, the right gear is less than a second away, it’s blindingly quick in shifts and smooth to go with it.

It’s so good in ‘D’ that it gives nothing away to a good automatic, but with the immediacy no torque converter auto ‘box can match. If you just stepped out from a Selespeed car into a DSG car, you’d think that they are a century apart – even when you take into account Mitsubishi’s SST and BMW’s DCT, DSG reigns supreme.

The potent combo of the best gearbox in town with a powerful and efficient engine makes for a deadly partnership that goes about its job like a professional hitman. Not much drama (engine doesn’t sound that evocative or lusty, power delivery is very linear, no mechanical thump when changing gears), but Mr GTI gets the job done fast and without fuss.

“Not much drama” also well describes the driving experience. The GTI has plenty of grip in reserve when you’re going for it and will stick on the chosen line unless you’re really being senseless. Steering it is a joy too, as there’s reasonable feel, perfect weighting and speed to accompany. Torque steer is not an issue, just little tugs at the wheel on full power, and there’s not much kickback on poor roads either.

With so much torque at disposal, a front driven car can struggle to transfer it down to the tarmac cleanly, and this is where the Mk6 GTI’s standard XDS electronic differential comes in. We’re not talking about heaven and earth difference here, but the Mk6 can power out of corners slightly earlier than its predecessor, which at times can scrabble for grip when you’re being impatient.

Another welcome addition is the DCC Adaptive Chassis Control system, where you can choose from Sport, Comfort and Auto modes for the electronically controlled dampers. The system is fed data from wheel and body movements, steering, transmission, throttle and brakes to come up with the optimum damping force for individual wheels. Not just for show, there’s a discernible difference between modes: Sport is best for twisty but smooth roads as you’ll pick up more of the road while Comfort is good enough for moderately fast driving; Auto is the best compromise and we’re happy to leave it there most of the time. Also available in the Scirocco, DCC is a much better resolved system than the comparable Audi Drive Select, where it’s either acceptable steering weight/very brittle ride or decent ride comfort/super light steering.

The blend of tight body control plus good ride comfort is what makes the GTI a joy to drive on trunk roads. Combine this with strong, effortless performance and class leading refinement and quality that VW infused into the Mk6 Golf and you get a great all round performance car that’s not short on practicality as well.

I’m a great fan of the Scirocco for its looks, but for a substantial RM34,000 less, the RM209,888 Golf GTI offers a newer engine with more power, XDS and a better cabin. If I had that amount of money to spend on a car, it would be sleepless nights of decision making!

© 2010 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 20 Mar 10 16:30:44 +0000.

The Perodua Alza is surely one of the most anticipated cars of recent times. In fact, this blog has been spreading the news of the Perodua MPV since early 2008, and we’ve been teased by numerous spy shots and revelations ever since. Well, it’s finally here now and we’ve got a chance to drive it over a weekend, covering 385km over a variety of roads.

Read the rest of the report after the jump.

The model we tested

The Alza we sampled is an SXi, which means it’s the Premium spec manual transmission variant priced at RM60,990 (OTR including insurance). Extra equipment over the Standard models include ABS with EBD and Brake Assist, dual airbags, Bluetooth and USB connectivity, leather wrapped steering with audio controls, driver seat height adjuster, fog lamps, rear spoiler, higher grade seat fabric and silver/chrome trim in the cabin. That’s quite a lot of added kit for an extra RM5,000 – well worth it in our opinion.

Here’s a brief recap of how Perodua’s MPV stands on paper to its immediate rivals. The Alza sits on an elongated Myvi platform and its 2750mm wheelbase compares well with the Toyota Avanza (2655mm), Nissan Grand Livina (2600mm) and Proton Exora (2730mm) even though it’s the second shortest here after the Avanza. The Alza’s footprint is actually much smaller than the Exora’s – the long wheelbase is derived by pushing the rear wheels right to the car’s edges.

Under the bonnet is a cast iron block 3SZ-VE 1.5-litre engine, as used in the Avanza 1.5 and Rush, although it’s mounted longitudinally in the rear-drive Toyotas and transversely in the FWD Alza. Perodua quotes 103bhp (104PS) and 136Nm of torque, which is slightly lower than the Avanza’s 108bhp/141Nm – perhaps a slightly different state of tune. Transmission options are a four-speed auto and our tester’s five-speed manual.

For more detailed technical info and measurements, view our previous post.

Living in the Alza

Using wheelbase length as a measure of spaciousness is more applicable in a passenger car than an MPV because rear overhangs contribute to an MPV’s interior length, so we shouldn’t read much into the Alza’s class leading wheelbase. The Alza feels much smaller than the Exora inside, and should be about the size of a Grand Livina, but with a much higher roofline than the Nissan which contributes to an airy and open feel. Stepping into the Alza is very easy, as doors open wide (typically Perodua) and the ride height is just perfect – no need to “climb” into the car.

Access to the third row is trickier. The Alza lacks a tumble fold system for the second row, which means you’ll need to fold down the seat backs (it doesn’t go fully flat) and pull the base – a two-step operation that’s less convenient than the Exora’s two-way, one-touch lever. Once that’s done, the opening is small and those who are less nimble might have difficulty entering.

Once inside, the high roof gives adequate headroom but legroom fully depends on the kindness of other occupants – it can range from zero (if the second row is pushed fully back) to decent for mid-sized adults if a compromise between second and third row members can be made. Anyhow, the seat base is not much higher than the floor so your knees will point high, but this is not uncommon in a seven seater. There’s also very little space for luggage with all seats up. I also wished that the non-split rear seats can be folded flat with just one operation – at present you’ll need to pull two straps (one on each side) to tumble it.

“Is the air-con strong enough?” is a common concern among Malaysian carbuyers and we’re happy to report that despite not having a separate blower and vents for the rear section, the Alza’s air con provides a strong enough breeze to reach rear occupants. The system also cools very fast. There are also plenty of cupholders – 12 in our car!

From the driver’s seat

From the driver’s seat, the driving position, ergonomics and visbility are all pleasant. For me, the highlight of the dashboard is the integrated stereo system, which is full featured, easy to use with big buttons and looks premium with tight fit buttons flush with the surface. In contrast, the Vios derived “bottle cap” style A/C controls look cheap, and without the auto gear lever sharing this space, the area looks rather empty, as if something is missing.

The centre mounted instrument pack is OK for clarity, but the trip computer didn’t have much info other than Range. The manual variant also lacks the driver seat extension and fold down arm rest since the gear lever and hand brake are in their traditional location – between the seats. What it gets over the auto are a couple more cubbies and cupholders.

On the move, the Alza is a very easy and undemanding car to drive – the steering is light, turning circle is tight and clutch is similarly effortless. But the clutch pedal does not seem to have any biting point – it’s either up or down – and those without the habit of resting their foot on the clutch might crave for a foot rest – at present, the pedal is so near the centre console that Perodua wouldn’t have been able to fit one anyway.

The Alza’s gearchange could also be better. The shallow gates and imprecise rubbery feel means that there’s little satisfaction to be had swapping gears; the process feels quite crude and van-like actually.

Many have doubts whether a 1.5-litre is sufficient for an MPV and this is where the Alza surprised us and our passengers. Acceleration is lively, whether from rest or in gear, and there’s enough low down torque to merge with faster flowing traffic without venturing high up the rev range. You do hear and feel the engine buzz, as you would in other Peroduas, but it’s never annoying.

I ferried the family up to Genting Highlands to see how the Alza would cope with four adults on board, and it managed the task admirably. For the first half of the journey on the Karak highway, the Alza made decent progress in fifth gear; only a few times did I need to downshift to fourth to regain momentum. After exiting the highway to begin the climb, the Alza took care of slower traffic and more powerful but poorly driven cars mostly in second gear, even for the few super sharp slopes on the route. It did struggle a little to be honest, but so does its rivals, so there’s not much of an issue here.

That experiment showed that the Alza is pretty flexible on the move, although there’s an occasional hesitation and pause in the mid range, as noticed in our preview report. The Perodua feels more energetic, responsive and effortless than the 1.6 CPS powered Exora and although we did not do a side-by-side comparison, my money is on the car from Rawang in a performance test.

The Alza rides and handles capably as well. There’s not much body roll to speak of, and the ride comfort is relatively good – it doesn’t buck and bounce around like the Avanza or react so sharply to small bumps and ridges like the Grand Livina so it’s a good effort from Perodua. The 185-section Silverstone tyres aren’t exactly high on grip (ours were barely scrubbed in) but other than a steering that I feel should be tighter in high speeds, there’s very little to complain about. What the Exora does better is isolating the engine from the cabin, general refinement and car-driver communication.

On the matter of fuel consumption, I did 385km in the Alza with the trip computer showing a range of 150km (two bars of petrol) when I returned the car. The Alza’s full tank capacity is 42 litres and I added 10 litres to it, so the rough calculation points to 10.3 km/l, which is pretty decent considering the Genting detour. Perodua’s claim is 15.5 km/l for the manual, but keep in mind that it’s almost never possible to hit official figures.

Conclusion

Alza’s rear resembles the pre-facelift Myvi; here, it’s parked next to the current Myvi

As an MPV, it’s far from perfect. But to its credit, Perodua doesn’t call the Alza a full-sized MPV, preferring the “5+2″ occasional seven seater status. And if viewed as a bigger Myvi with much better legroom, a huge boot and two “emergency seats” the Alza becomes a brilliant proposition. We can see how popular the Myvi is with Malaysians, and if given more of the same with the abovementioned benefits at a small premium, there’s no reason why the Alza won’t be a runaway success. As a bonus, the Alza has adequate performance and is entirely decent to drive.

© 2010 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 20 Mar 10 16:30:44 +0000.

Over the past year, the Malaysian car market has been blessed with much more variety than we’re used to seeing, and some new entries have blurred the price lines that many use to categorise cars.

For instance, someone looking to purchase a Vios or City at the region of RM90,000 will have new alternatives from a class above priced within reach. The Peugeot 308 VTi is one such good value product, the others being the just launched Kia Forte and the subject of this test report – the Hyundai i30.

Unlike the Forte, which launch blast included TV ads and special inserts in local mags, the Hyundai i30 had a relatively quiet introduction with very little fanfare. I for one have not seen any on the road besides the media test cars and many people we spoke to don’t know of its existence!

So let’s recap. Belonging to Hyundai’s new generation of ‘i’ badged models, the i30 is a C-segment car designed to compete in the European family hatchback market, and is benchmarked againts class leaders such as the VW Golf. Both the i30 and its smaller sibling, the i10, have garnered impressive reviews from UK and Europe – no small feat for a Korean brand in markets much more sophisticated than ours.

And now, you can have it here for the price of a Modulo kitted Honda City – the i30 family starts from the 1.6 manual at RM92,388 to the 2.0 range topper at RM112,888. We try the mid range 1.6 auto which costs RM97,888.

Showroom appeal

A sure sign that Hyundai has come a long way is in the i30’s cabin. Quality is immediately apparent in the dashboard moulding’s soft padded plastic, which is not unlike that of the Peugeot 308 – the brown hue chosen for the seat fabric and upper half of the cabin is quite pleasing too, reminding us of the Mini Clubman’s ‘Hot Chocolate’ pack.

Materials and ergonomics are well sorted – all controls fall easily into place and are simple to use, except for the aftermarket Pioneer stereo, which looks flashy but is frustrating to operate. Interestingly, Hyundai took the effort to link the non-factory player to the standard steering wheel controls; the wireless connection worked fine in this car, but less so in another unit I tried previously.

Everything else is familiar – the blue illumination and instrument design are typically Hyundai; not the most classy in appearance but effective. Fussy Europeans demand things like telescopic adjustment for the steering as well as comfy seats, and the i30 duly delivers.

However, the Hyundai’s equipment list is underwhelming compared to the RM93,800 top spec Kia Forte – the i30 does without the 2.0-litre Kia’s Stability Control, leather seats/steering and curtain airbags, although it has basics like a full trip computer and single-zone climate control.

The i30 is one of the biggest cars in its segment, if you discount the new Opel Astra which really pushes the size boundary of this class. The Hyundai’s 2650mm wheelbase is for instance 70mm longer than the VW Golf’s, which translates to good rear legroom. There’s also space under the front seats for backbenchers to tuck their feet into. The boot volume at 340 litres isn’t great though, as the rear needs to accomodate an independent suspension and a full sized spare tyre. The rear multi-link system is more space consuming than a torsion beam suspension and more expensive to produce, but it pays off, as we find out.

Talented on the move

It doesn’t take more than a drive around the block to discover that the i30’s chassis competes well with class leaders such as the Golf and Ford Focus, and that it’s far removed from Korean cars of old. You do get a feeling of solidity, an intangible factor that distinguishes Continental cars from their Asian counterparts. The i30 rides really well on 16-inch wheels, cushioning road imperfections from the cabin instead of transferring the shock wholesale like how a Honda Civic would. The 2.0-litre variant wears 17-inch rims which introduce a harder edge to the ride quality, but it’s still far from brittle.

The i30 offers good body control, but not of the iron fisted stiff springing kind – the suspension is allowed some travel but movement is always well controlled. The result is a fluid drive over B-roads, much smoother than a Peugeot 308 in fact. We observed that the steering of the 1.6 feels more natural than the similar electric system on the 2.0-litre, which is quick and direct but has what feels like inconsistent assistance/weighting.

In truth, the Hyundai lacks the unflappable nature of the super composed Mk6 Golf or the communication of the Focus, but it’s a very good effort and probably offers a better ride/handling balance than the Civic/Sylphy/Altis trio.

Powertrain

Two engine options are available for the i30: a 141bhp/186Nm 2.0-litre Beta engine and our tester’s 1.6-litre Gamma unit with 120bhp and 153Nm of torque. The smaller engine is noticably slower, but was suprisingly sweeter revving than the 2.0 and with less buzz coming into the cabin.

Both CVVT engines have a decent spread of power throughout the rev range but our car could have done with more low-end urge – the Peugeot 308’s Prince engine beats it for flexibility and smoothness. We achieved fuel consumption of around 10 to 10.5km/l in our three days with the i30, according to the onboard trip computer.

The i30’s four-speed automatic worked unobtrusively, which is what a good auto should do – it was quick, smooth and smart enough although we’d gladly have an extra ratio for lower rpm highway cruising and better fuel economy. A five-speed manual is also an option for the 1.6; we’re eager to try it out when Hyundai-Sime Darby has a test unit available.

Worthy of our money?

The Hyundai i30 is a brilliant effort from a carmaker that has of late churned out cars that can match the best without excuses. It, the Peugeot 308 and Kia Forte should pose serious questions to those looking to buy a locally assembled Japanese B-segment sedan, as these cars from the next class up are much more sophisticated in design and quality.

As for the Hyundai, it deserves more attention for its abilities but is unlikely to get much due to the lack of design flair and desirability, which is a pity because there’s real substance beneath.

© 2010 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 20 Mar 10 16:30:44 +0000.

Michelin claims a reduced rolling resistance of 13% compared to the MXV8, as a result of testing conducted on a Honda Civic 1.8 i-VTEC using 2.4 bar tyre pressure on all four tyres. Michelin also recorded reduced dB levels for road and tread noise compared to the MXV8. The new tread pattern also gives 21% more rubber contact on the road surface compared to the MXV8.

Michelin’s product positioning has placed the new tyre under the Primacy line to move it up towards the Performance category instead of Entry-level category. There will be three “brands” in Malaysia for passenger cars – the Pilot, the Primacy and the Energy.

The Primacy LC is available in various sizes – 31 in total, ranging from 15 to 19 inch and 40 to 65 series, with 195 to 245 section widths. There is Rim Protector for all sizes 55 series and below. It is made from a full silica compound and comes in V, W and Y speed indexes.

Click for enlarged image with available tyre sizes

I tried out a 205/55R16 tyres on my Perdana V6, replacing the set of Bridgestone Potenza Adrenalin RE001 tyres that were previously had fitted. I had previously found the RE001 a little too loud and while it is a high performance tyre that gave excellent grip in the dry and decent enough in the wet (no crazy stuff in the wet for the Perdana), and a great feel devoid of much tyre flex during cornering, it didn’t really suit the kind of ride and feel that I wanted with the Perdana. The noise levels were too high for my liking and to put it plainly, the tyre felt too ‘hardcore’ for a stock standard Perdana. It’s more of a performance tyre and I really should have gone for a “touring” or comfort kind of tyre instead.

The tyres are rather smooth and exceptionally quiet on roads where JKR have been holding up their end of the bargain, but it somehow gets very affected when the roads are a little bad, though I would still say they perform quite well in absorbing most of the little bumps and imperfections on the roads. Driving right through a puddle of water on the highway (at non-excessive speeds of course) also proved to be no problem for the tyres. I’ve not taken the tyres to the limit yet but so far the car continued feeling as stable as a Perdana can be when negotiating the usual medium-speed bends and curves especially on highway entry and exit ramps. I really doubt the grip is going to be outstanding but the tyre’s characteristics suit the kind of drive I am looking for.

I think it’s a decent candidate for those looking to replace “baseline” tyres and are looking for something quiet and comfort-oriented. Are any of you using Primary LC tyres, or any of its similiar competitors? Share your experiences to help other fellow motorists make a decision their next tyre purchase.

© 2010 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 20 Mar 10 16:30:44 +0000.

It may be different for the enthusiast but say the word hybrid to the layman and he’ll automatically associate it with the Toyota Prius. And now, the third generation is here, and slated to be launched in Malaysia next month. Let’s have a look at the new iconic hybrid Toyota that you’ll be able to buy at showrooms before the end of the year.

First of all I think it’s best to define what a hybrid car is, and the various types of hybrid cars available on the market. A hybrid vehicle essentially combines two or more power sources to move the vehicle. It commonly refers to hybrid electric vehicles, which combine a combustion engine with electric motors.

When you implement a hybrid system, there are a few ways to configure the combustion engine and electric motors. With the introduction of the Honda Civic Hybrid, we’ve been introduced to the concept of a mild power assist hybrid system, or a mild parallel hybrid system.

In a mild parallel hybrid system, the internal combustion engine is always used as the primary power. A electric motor is installed between the engine and the transmission. It is only used to assist the combustion engine whenever needed, hence Honda calling it an Integrated Motor Assist system. Because the motor steps in whenever the driver demands more power, a smaller and more fuel efficient combustion engine can be used. However with this configuration there is no such thing as a zero emissions full EV mode – the car cannot run solely on the electric motor.

And then you have series hybrid cars, where a combustion engine running at a constant most efficient RPM is used as an electricity generated to power an electric motor, which drives the wheels.

The THS Hybrid Synergy Drive system in the Toyota Prius is of the variant called a full hybrid, a power-split hybrid or a series-parallel hybrid. It offers the best of both world, can run on either the combustion engine only, electric motor only, or both, but is heavier as it has more parts, and more complicated in design.

THS consists of an internal combustion engine, two water-cooled motor-generators (electric motor with dynamo functions), a powersplit device, and a battery pack. The first motor-generator functions as a power generator, converting the internal combustion engine’s mechanical power to electric power, which recharges the battery and supplies electricity to power the second motor-generator. The second motor-generator is used to drive the vehicle. It is mounted on the driveshaft. It also serves as a dynamo during brake-energy regeneration.

Power from the internal combustion engine is split via the power split device and goes to either the front wheels or the first motor-generator. The Prius combustion engine revs independently of the vehicle speed much like how a car with a CVT transmission would, but there is no CVT transmission in a Prius! Some trickery between the power split device, motor-generators and the combustion engine play around with the engine revs that one would find confusing, but the bottom line is the end result is perceived to us as CVT-like. Toyota calls it an ECVT system.

But the best part of such a system is the EV mode where the car runs on the electric motor only. On one end really fast 0 to 100km/h acceleration times can put a smile on your face but I found out that the other end is also true! Complete silence from the car while you are creeping through a traffic jam or looking for parking in a parking lot can be strangely satisfying, it could be something to do with the fact that your car can do something that most likely no other car in that parking lot can do.

The internal combustion engine of the new Prius is the 2ZR-FXE, an Atkinson cycle engine with 1.8 liters of displacement. This is up by 0.3 liters from the previous 2nd gen Prius 1.5 liter engine. The new engine puts out 99 PS compared to 77 PS from the 1.5 liter engine, and 143Nm of torque at 4,000rpm. Now why does a 1.8 liter engine put out so little power you ask? It’s because of the Atkinson cycle – it’s more fuel efficient however has less power density. The engine is now beltless thanks to an electric water pump. The combined output of the motor-generators produce 60kW and 207Nm of torque.

The Prius continues to use a NiMH battery. Some competitors have talked about starting using lithium ion and Toyota says they also have a li-ion battery coming by the end of this year but according to Prius chief engineer Akihiko Otsuka, NiMH and Lithium Ion both have pros and cons. EVs might need the larger capacity of lithium ion batteries, and they can be larger because of the lack of a combustion engine and fuel tank, but in hybrids where the battery can be smaller and of less capacity, NiMH is more suitable as it can sustain a high power output over a shorter period of time. But for plug-in hybrids in the future, they can benefit from lithium ion technology.

Something interesting is an optional feature which is a solar panel on the roof. This panel doesn’t recharge the battery but it actually helps keep the car cool while it is parked under the sun. Unfortunately from what I hear, UMW Toyota specifications for the Prius in Malaysia will not carry this solar panel.

There were no city drives as part of the test drive session that I attended at the Tokachi International racetrack in Hokkaido. Instead, Toyota had designed a series of acceleration and braking patterns set by a pace car over a total of 10.2km on the racetrack that’s meant to emulate city driving. While this isn’t really an indicator of real life driving, CBT’s Thomas Huong and I managed to score a nice average 31.6km per liters fuel consumption, which was the most economical figures of the day.

We later repeated the same track run at full throttle and managed to score about 9km per liter, which is still pretty decent considering it was pedal to the metal for most of the track. I think the Prius would be able to score a decent 20km+ per liter in real life fuel consumption, which is impressive for largeish (you could call it European D segment) car with a 2,700mm wheelbase. The chassis is a common one called the MC platform shared with some Toyota cars such as the RAV4, Estima, Avensis and Auris.

The model with the 17 inch wheels was actually pretty surprisingly fun to drive on the track thanks to a decent chassis with a compliant suspension coupled with the strong torque of the electric motor assist. Grip levels and the tight handling were far lower on the second gen Prius and third gen models with smaller wheels, with VSA stability control kicking in to reel the car in way too often. Big difference – just shows you how much wheels play a part in the dynamics of a car. But all in all, really very surprising for a car that’s focused on boring old fuel economy. Could be something to do with the fact that the chief engineer drives an Alfa Romeo…

The first thing you notice about the interior of the new third generation Prius is the fact that the big Electro Multi Vision touch screen is now gone. Other Prius trademarks are still there such as the tiny shift by wire gearknob and the On button that does nothing but bring some of the dashboard lights up to life. It doesn’t feel like you’re turning a car on but more like an electrical appliance.

The EMV system has been replaced by integrating more displays into the instrumentation panel located at the forward-most end of the dashboard, closest to the windscreen. Stuff like the fuel consumption bar graph history and the real-time display monitoring what sources of power the car is currently powered by are much smaller now but functionality-wise it is much better as they can all be looked at by glancing quickly at the panel instead of looking left at the EMV as per the 2nd generation Prius.

This is all in the interest of keeping the driver focused on the road. Another feature that helps in this aspect is the Touch Tracer system. As the vehicle monitoring display is now near the windscreen, there is no longer any touch screen functions. Instead you control the various displays via steering wheel controls.

You may feel like taking your eyes off the road and glancing at what your steering wheel to look at what button your fingers are resting on. With Touch Tracer you don’t have to do that. The steering wheel controls have dual level sensitivity. Touch lightly and a display on the instrumentation panel that mimics the steering wheel control design shows you what button your finger is touching. Then you activate the button only if you press down a little harder.

All in all the changes to the new Prius makes it look and feel more like a normal car but with exceptional fuel economy rather than a hybrid. The exterior looks way better, less space-age and more sporty, but the interior is more like a regular car, and somehow while it looks much more modern it feels much less expensive compared to the 2nd gen Prius. It’s not just the dashboard but the instrumentation panel – the graphics look quite pixelated. But the third gen is definitely an improvement over the 2nd gen, and the Hybrid Synergy Drive system trumps the motor assist systems of its competitors both in owner experience and in terms of fuel economy.

However in Malaysia the estimated price is expected to hover around a Camry 2.4’s price. That’s quite a premium and if you’re buying this to save fuel, that’s alot of fuel “prepaid”! The drawing factor will undoubtedly be the whole hybrid lifestyle such as the ability for the EV mode, and making an eco statement.

And we still don’t have any clear answers as to how long the battery lasts and how much it costs to replace, though Toyota claims it will last over 10 years and possibly the lifetime of the car. There needs to be a solid answer and guarantee for this. Perhaps a longer warranty for the battery compared to the rest of the car will give better customer confidence. More details on the Malaysian specifications for the Prius will come when the car is launched next month.

GALLERY: Toyota Prius Product Shots

© 2010 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 20 Mar 10 16:30:44 +0000.

Ah, it’s nice to see yet another C-segment competitor here in Malaysia. The new Mazda 3 was launched about a month ago by new Mazda distributors Bermaz, part of the Berjaya group. Although it has an all-new exterior and interior, the new Mazda 3 continues to ride on an adaptation of the old car’s platform. What kind of competitor is this new sporty-looking sedan and should you buy it? We find out after the jump.

Mazda’s new front grille which features a rather large smiley is the first thing you’ll notice if you have the front of the car in view. The design is quite dynamic and has a little organic touch to it, looking more like a hybrid metal and organic alien lifeform rather than what we’re used to seeing, especially in the design cues of the typical C-segment sedan. And it’ s a very happy-looking one indeed.

The sporty stance is helped by the fact that it looks quite compact. The current pick of the crop best all-rounder Civic dwarfs the Mazda 3 in comparison, and this theme continues in the interior – it feels narrower than average and rear legroom is also quite limited. It’s going to be quite a tight squeeze in there if you have a tall person in the driver’s seat, and if thats the case functionally it’s going to be a 3+1 seater.

Surprisingly the new Mazda 3 is one of the few modern cars who still provide some really nice soft padding on the dashboard, although its only in a majority of the surface and not everything, so that’s a nice touch. The seating position is slightly higher than a regular sedan’s so it depends on your personal preference whether you like this or not. Nevertheless when the situation comes, it helps with maneuvering the car around tight spaces because you get to see the edges of the car more clearly.

The entertainment system and steering wheel are chock full of various dials, buttons and other controls because the car is specced quite generously, with a CD changer with USB and MP3 text support, and a trip computer with lots of useful tools such as service reminders, a dedicated odometer for maintenance tasks such as tyre rotation, rain sensor wipers, light sensor headlamps and etc. In other markets the multi-info display is available in full colour with integrated GPS navigation but in Malaysia it gets a regular monochrome display with a white backlight, which looks rather out of place in a sea of red on black displays.

The 2.0 model has a two-tone dark grey and beige interior and a matching two-tone black and beige colour for the decent supportive leather seats (it seems that the leather is a RM2,800 option), which are done locally instead of coming together with the imported car. A quick chat with the Bermaz folks upon returning the test unit revealed that customers can customise the leather seat colour if they really want it, but it could cause delays in delivery time.

Some controls especially on the center dash area are just about above average in feel but the steering wheel controls and signal stalks feel very good and tactile, especially the switch-like controls on both sides. The steering wheel audio controls are quite complete with even a quick mute button to quickly silence your audio system for incoming calls.

There is a paddle shift function and the implementation is not the usual left to downshift and right to upshift, but instead both sides of the steering wheel provide the same upshift and downshift functions via pulling and pushing respectively. Manual shifting can also be done via the gear lever and I like that Mazda has implemented the “proper” way of pulling to upshift and pushing to downshift.

Unlike the Focus which has the same powertrain, the Mazda 3’s transmission has 5 gears instead of 4 allowing for a bit more flexibility in choosing just the right gear to be in when you attack a corner, as there more ratios within a specific range. You won’t be forced to go in with an overly screaming engine, or too slow with the engine not in the powerband.

The Mazda 3 has bi-xenon headlamps, which means you get xenon headlamps for both the high beam and the main beam. Alot of car manufacturers only equip xenons for the main beam, leaving the high beam functionality to a regular halogen bulb. The default setting is pointed rather high so you may want to adjust this in order not to annoy other road users, but at the default, the cast of the beam is far, wide and bright. The 2.0 liter model also uses LED for the rear lighting instead of normal bulbs for the 1.6 liter.

The 2.0 liter model produces 145 horsepower at 6,500rpm and 182Nm of torque at 4,500rpm. The test unit we drove probably had something wrong with the engine. The same engine is found in the Focus 2.0 and the previous Mazda 3 and it definitely did not feel the same. For the test unit, while the engine pulled strongly towards the redline, it was quite hesitant, a little rough, and there were little pockets of random torque dip on the way there. The engine had less than 5,000km on it so it could be something wrong with the run-in process? Any early adopters of the Mazda 3 here? How does your engine feel like?

In terms of ride comfort, it tackled road irregularities decently enough though the ride is slightly on the firm side.. Most bumps and rough roads can be felt but its nothing jarring, with the car soaking up some but not most of the vibration. It’s a trade-off for the sporty handling, though the steering and the way the 3 behaves as it slices through the bends isn’t quite as engaging as the Focus. Firm and planted but somehow not as fun, could be something to do with the high-ish seating position.

There’s lots of grip and not much bodyroll though so it’s still enough to impress all but the most sensitive butt-o-meters who are fussy about how much the steering picks up everything it goes over. Although its platform-mate the Focus provides a more engaging drive together with the same engine, but the Mazda 3 holds its own quite well in that aspect. It can be used as a tool to enjoy the occasional B-road on the way back to the kampung, or just up and down for fun without any particular destination in mind.

Safety features include 6 airbags (all of them are for the front passengers), and anti-lock brakes. Sadly, no traction control! The remote control is able to control the car’s windows so that’s an added convenience, allowing you to pre-air the car after its been parked all day long on a hot day before you embark on your way home.

So what kind of car is the new Mazda 3? It’s more of a niche product for someone who wants something that looks different and drives sportily enough. The car has little nice and friendly touches to it to remind you that you’re in something different, such as the center dash illumination that pulsates every time you change the volume, or the welcome and good bye messages that display on the multi-info display. Heck, you can even customise the volume of your turn signal indicators clicks! All these little things are nice touches and let you know you’re driving something out of the ordinary, especially at this segment. For those who want to move their family in comfort and want the most metal (equals to space) for their money, you’ll be disappointed with the smallish interior. It’s more of between the B and C segments.

At over RM131k (it’s apparently around RM133k now) it seems like alot of money to pay (probably because its fully imported, and even then word is that the introductory price is going to go up by abit!) but the 3 gives back to the buyer in terms of equipment level, though the cheaper but very well equipped 308 manages to do the same at a cheaper price. But that’s only for those who don’t mind a hatchback.

So what you’re paying for here is some exclusivity and a relatively high equipment level. Like I said, a niche product and a rather charming one at that, because based on my own personal needs I can’t bring myself to pay this price for a small interior.

© 2010 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 20 Mar 10 16:30:44 +0000.

With the arrival of the Peugeot 308 GT last year on Malaysian shores, Malaysians now have a cheaper way to enter the world of European turbocharged hot hatch motoring.

The MINI Cooper S is a bloody fun car to drive and many will be looking at the 308 GT as a cheaper way (RM159,999) to experience something close to the Cooper S. This is because the Cooper S and the Peugeot 308 GT share the same engine. It’s also way more practical in the sense that the 308 can seat 4 comfortably while the Cooper’s rear seats aren’t a very nice place to be in.

The 1.6 liter Prince engine with direct injection and a single twin scroll turbocharger, producing 175 horsepower and 240Nm of torque from just 1,500rpm. That’s a full 25 horses and 40Nm less than the Golf GTI, but surely the 6-speed manual will make up for it in terms of driving experience?

Find out my thoughts on the 308 GT after the jump.

The exterior design of the 308 is pure Peugeot. It’s a hit or miss thing because of its rather unorthodox looks. Many people are used to a more conventional face on their car. The 308 has a completely unique feline look with large headlamps that sweep far backwards. Look at the 308 from the side and the headlamps actually extend behind half the length of the front bonnet. And then you have the Peugeot badge on the nose – there’s no separation between the radiator grille and the lower bumper grille – it is just one large grille with a thick brace through the middle.

From the side you get a sleek 3-door profile which looks way better than the more practical 5-door. The doors are not frameless though, which would have added a nice touch, but it’s not something you miss. The large 18 inch wheels suit the car in the sense that they do not leave you wanting for something bigger, you might get the urge to slam the car lower though.

Click for enlarged image

The car has a nice rear end though far from as radical as the front and, and I find that it’s pretty odd Peugeot decided to keep the car’s exhaust tail pipes hidden when this is a sporty model. Malaysian Peugeot distributors Nasim probably agree with me as say they are working on a bodykit that includes some visible tail pipes at the rear.

Click for enlarged image

The driver’s seat is a very nice place to be. In front of you are some of the best-designed instrument clusters around. The dials have a white face with a red needle and the individual gauges have a classy chrome ring surrounding them. At night, the dials light up in entirety instead of just the numbers being backlit.

If I were to be fussy, perhaps having the speedo and RPM needles start from the 6 o clock position would make them seem sportier, but if that were the case it would not be possible to fit the various indicators, clock and odometer in the 5 to 7 o clock area of the two main dials.

Click for enlarged image

Between the two main dials is a little red multi-info display with various information such as fuel consumption and above that are two little dials that show the fuel gauge and most importantly the temperature, something that is slowly disappearing from alot of modern cars.

The rest of the interior is also nice, with a soft touch dashboard and a decent feel to the various controls. It’s all very classy somehow. The dash leans towards the front of the car and ends near the windscreen with a little LCD display that displays various in-car entertainment details, including a graphical display of the front and rear proximity sensors that shows how close you are to objects near you. You can also access various configuration settings of the car from this display, such as follow me home lights timing, auto-door lock and etc.

Also, notice the CD changer? It isn’t really a “changer” per say, there are dedicated slots for each CD! Looks kinda like an air cond vent to me at first. There is also the JBL Hi-Fi system. The audio controls are mounted on a separate stalk and that needs getting used to a little at first but it was a quick learning experience for me. Steering wheel looks a little bland though.

That aside, somehow everything just seems to have some kind of nice flair about it which invokes a happy feeling, like this car wasn’t just made to make money but to please the owner too. The cabin feels very airy and nice thanks to the massive panoramic moonroof, which can be covered up with a shade in case you’re driving in too hot a day.

Click for enlarged image

And now to the driving. After all, isn’t that what one would have in mind when one buys a turbocharged hatchback with a manual transmission? Well for one the 308 GT definitely does not feel as fast as the Cooper S. As you row through the gears there is a massive push when you start off because of the turbocharger’s 240Nm of torque kicking in so early but the engine somehow goes a little out of breath towards the upper edges of the redline, like the kind of torque curve best mated to an automatic.

Click for enlarged image

The shift knob feels nice in your palm and the gears click in nicely though I wouldn’t call it one of the best slick-feeling shifters I’ve ever used. The clutch is set way too high with a short range of travel. This combined with a snappy accelerator pedal means it will be a tad frustrating to drive the 308 GT smoothly at first, but this is something you’ll hopefully get used to. There is also no foot rest.

The ride is a little firm but still pliant. There’s lots of grip afforded by the very nice 18 inch Pirelli tyres, and the steering tightens up at high speeds to provide the driver more precise control over the steering angle.

Click for enlarged image

Open the rear hatch and you get access to a pretty deep boot but it’s not very tall. The headlamps are a real dream to drive with at night, they are so bright and clear and a passenger actually commented that they might be a little too bright and was afraid we were offending oncoming drivers.

On the interior the front seats are decently sized and they fit my big bulk quite nicely. It doesn’t have super aggressive semi-bucket-like side bolsters. Most importantly they look reasonably upmarket, along with the rest of the interior, which is really a nice place to be in. The rear seats will fit 2 comfortably (see legroom and headroom shot).

I feel Peugeot tried a little too hard to appeal to too wide a spectrum of customers with the 308 GT. They should have left that job to something like the Turbo. Despite 3 doors and a 6-speed manual the car somehow still feels a little too soft. Like it doesn’t have enough hot hatch DNA. Or is that a job that Peugeot delegated to the 207 GTI? Is a 308 GTI coming later?

Click for enlarged image

But it is because of all the soft edges that makes the 308 GT a practical enough yet fun car to be used everyday, even if you regularly have to take in rear passengers. The interior is far from cramped, the ride is pliant enough and operating the front passenger seat to allow access to the rear bench is not cumbersome. Heck, the huge moonroof makes the interior such a nice place to ride in that I’d pick hitching a ride in this car over a sedan in the same segment anytime, if its not a very long journey!

It’s a decent daily or weekend car to have, especially with the potential tweaking that can be done to that turbo engine. On top of the base price of RM159,999, potentially over 200 horses could be unleashed if you spend a little money.

Only problem is if you spend that kind of money to solve its imperfections to suit your needs will it push the overall cost to that of a pre-registered Golf GTI?

© 2010 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 20 Mar 10 16:30:44 +0000.

Story by Harvinder Singh Sidhu

The Toyota Vios is doing well in placing itself among the best in terms of sales in Malaysia’s B-Segment vehicle class, even with strong opposition from the Honda City, as well as from the much cheaper Proton GEN2.

To help maintain the Vios’ strong stance in the segment especially that the new City is here, and to prove that Vios can also be used to take you from point A to point B swiftly, UMW Toyota Motor has been working around the clock to come up with an official TRD (Toyota Racing Development) performance and styling package to offer Vios drivers the option to make their city movers look a little more aggressive, and perform a little better in the engine performance and suspension departments.

The auto maker has transformed two standard Vios’ (Automatic S and manual J). Although still in the development stage, Toyota has decided to pass on both these cars to us to find out what we think. Before we move on to these upgraded rides, lets first check out the standard Toyota Vios S.

Continue reading after the jump.

Toyota Vios S Automatic

Design

The current Vios features an “organic” design style, with more curves and a more “roundish” look. Personally, I prefer the previous Vios, as it looks a little more “solid” and aggressive, over the current design language. With a design that, to me, is more suited to the opposite gender, the top of the line Vios S comes with a few more additional fitments over the base models that help improve its rather modest looks.

These include 15 inch 5-spoke alloy wheels, and an Aerokit which comprises of a front bumper spoiler, side skirting, and a trunk spoiler that helps the Vios feature a wider stance which is a good thing. The Vios S also comes with a chrome package can be seen on the rear license plate garnish and on the body side moulding.

There are also wing mirrors (power adjustable & retractable) with integrated signal lamps. Although the opinion on the exterior design is very much subjective, and that the large number of Vios’ on the road is a clear indication of how most of us feel about the car, I just wished that the exhaust tail pipe is straightened, instead of featuring a visible tip that points downwards.

Interior

The first thing I noticed as I got into the Vios S, is the very much noticeable finish quality of the dashboard, in terms of visible gaps that are not consistent. It looks as though its put together better, especially compared to the base Vios J series, which can be justified by the lower price tag. But wouldn’t it be good if both car models offer the same finish quality?

To me, with a height of 178 cm, sitting on the driver’s seat isn’t much of a problem, with decent legroom and headroom, but I feel that the steering angle can be further improved. Although the steering angle is adjustable, but I feel that the Vios can offer a better seating position if the steering can be tilted upwards a little more, perhaps by an inch.

With even an inch, it would give a person with an average height a more comfortable and sporty seating position. Even at maximum setting, the steering wheel is mounted rather too low, and it should prove to be a little difficult for a plus sized individual to feel completely comfortable behind the wheel.

The other thing about the Vios seating position is it’s rather high, more towards the typical sitting position of a car like the Honda Jazz rather than of a sedan. I know most women like this but it feels odd, like you’re sitting on a stool rather than nicely cosseted in a chair.

Apart from the above, the Toyota Vios is pretty much a decent place to be in, with easily reachable switches and buttons. The Vios S and G comes with a dashboard integrated audio system with steering mounted controls that features MP3 and WMA playback with a CD player, tuner as well as 6 speakers and a printed antenna. The Vios S also comes with a Multi Information Display (MID). To me, the centre mounted instrument panel isn’t much of a problem, and I did not find any difficulty getting used to it.

With a generous use of plastic that is justified by a rather affordable price tag, the Vios also features a comfortable rear cabin with adequate legroom and head clearance. The practicality of the interior is also enhanced with a total of three cup/bottle holders, excluding two bottle holders featured on the front door cards. The Vios also has a number of compartments, such as the ones both sides of the lower part centre console, as well as a storage compartment on the right side of steering wheel. The rear seat back rest can also be folded down via a 60:40 split (for all models expect J) to help increase its 400 liters trunk space.

Driving

The front wheel drive Toyota Vios features an inline 4-cylinder DOHC 16-valve 1.5 liter powerplant with VVT-i and, in the case of the Vios S, is mated to a 4 speed automatic with Super ECT and a gate shifter with ratios set at 2.847 for first,1.552 for second, 1.000 for third and 0.700 for fourth, and with reverse set at 2.343.

The Vios offers reasonable performance, especially when accelerating from a standstill. With a 1.5 liter engine what is tuned to produce the most amount of performance it can while consuming little fuel, the powerplant does its job pretty well overall.

During acceleration, there is no noticeable torque dip, while gear change, although not that quick, is rather smooth. The more I spend time with it, the more I notice that the gear ratios are tuned to offer better acceleration from speeds that are less then 100 km/h. On the highway, the revs on the engine settles at about 3,100 rpm, while traveling at 120 km/h in top gear, with reasonable wind noise. This feels rather high, but proves the shorter city-tuned gearing. It is at such speeds, acceleration proved to be a little on the heavy side of things. It drops a gear when you floor it, and acceleration also becomes highly depended on the gradient of the road. But end of the day, its a B-Segment people mover and at such a price, so I don’t expect it to act like a sports car.

Overall, engine performance is very decent, and considering my experience with the latest Honda City, I must say, that Toyota has done a slightly better job in this department. Although the City has 125HP and 145Nm of torque, while the Vios has 107HP and 141Nm of torque, the Vios has an upper hand. This may also be due to the lower kerb weight of the Vios. Compared to the City’s 1,140 kilograms weight, the Vios is lighter by 90 kilograms, at 1,050 kilograms. While driving on a downhill, the transmission kicks down a gear to make sure that the Vios is at its optimal gear position at such a condition.

Suspension wise, the Vios comes fitted with a MacPherson strut setup with stabilizer up front while the rear features a standard torsion beam. With its electric power steering, that isn’t too light (which is a good thing), the Vios also features good handling. Although it has hints of understeer and body roll, but I only noticed it when I pushed the car closer to its limits at sharper bends. Even on a long distance drive, the bump absorption is pretty good, leaving the car to go over certain road irregularities unnoticed.

Stopping power is up to expectations as well, with ventilated discs up front and solid discs at the back for Vios S and G while the Vios E and J features drum brakes at the rear end. With decent NVH, the Vios performs very well as a city car, and it can even be taken for long distance journeys without a fuss.

Getting in and out of heavy traffic as well as parking spots is something the Vios is very good at. Overall in my opinion, the Vios S is a nice city car, with its RM 88,325 (with insurance) price tag. Other models include Vios G Automatic, which does not come with the Aerokit that goes for RM 85,025 while the Vios E Automatic which comes with a 2-DIN Head Unit with MP3 and WMA compatible CD Player as well as 14 inch alloy wheels can be fetched for RM 79,425.

The base J range, that comes with a 1 DIN head unit with CD Player and steel wheels can be taken home for RM 73,525 for the automatic variant and a very affordable RM 69,825 for the 5 speed manual version. All models also come with warranty for 3 years, or for 100,000 kilometers, whichever comes first.

Other features

Other fitments the come with the Toyota Vios, among others include; dual SRS airbags (for Vios S and G, only driver’s airbag for E, and no air bags for J), ABS, EBD (Electronic Brake-force Distribution), Brake Assist, reverse sensor, collapsable steering column as well as Whiplash Injury Lessening (WIL) for the front seats.

Toyota Vios S TRD (Automatic) and Toyota Vios J TRD (Manual)

Features

Toyota would be offering a number of styling and performance upgrades with its TRD package, but at the moment, it is still at the development stage, so expect additions (less likely) and omissions of certain features. As mentioned earlier, the auto maker has made available two variants, based on a Vios S and a Vios J. Both cars are finished with a number of TRD fitments including, TRD front and rear bumper spoilers as well as TRD side skirts, a TRD trunk lid spoiler, TRD fuel tank cap, 15 inch sports wheels, door visors (for the Vios S TRD) and the TRD Sportivo logo mounted on the trunk lid that make up the exterior upgrade.

On the inside, these cars feature different seats, TRD gear knobs as well as TRD pedal sets. The Vios S TRD is fitted with seats that are covered with TRD designed seat covers while the Vios J TRD is fitted with FIA full bucket seats. To help improve performance, Toyota has added a TRD radiator cap with 1.3 bar of pressure resistance, a TRD oil filler cap, a TRD air filter as well as sports suspension, that includes the TRD Sportivo suspension on the Vios S TRD that lowers the car by 15 mm and TIEN suspension that brings the Vios J closer to the ground by 45 mm. The springs on the Sportivo suspension is a little hard than the standard springs, while the TIES suspension features even harder springs and tuned dampers.

Among the above mentioned performance enhancing features, the only ones that really make the difference include the new suspension and the TRD air filter, which should bump up the horsepower by about 3 to 5hp (speculation only).

Driving: Toyota Vios S TRD (Automatic)

Visually, the Vios S TRD with the TRD bodykit treatment looks a little better than the Vios S with the Aerokit. Just like the Aerokit, it makes the Vios S TRD look a little more aggressive thanks to its wider and lower stance, at a higher level compared to the Aerokit. Inside, the Vios also looks sportier with the TRD gear knob, TRD pedals and TRD seat covers which I quite fancy.

All this aesthetic features help bring out some sportiness from the Vios. The driving experience is also improved, offering a sportier drive. The first thing I noticed is the slightly hardened suspension, compared the Vios S. Being stiffer, I had more confidence negotiating curves, thanks to reduced understeer and bodyroll at its limits. However, ride comfort is slightly compromised.

Although I did not notice much of it while driving it in the city, except when I went over potholes, I did definitely feel the difference when I got onto the highway, as every single bump on the road can be felt. But don’t get me wrong, it is not excessively stiff, just a little, which is tolerable. If Toyota plans to offer a sporty suspension option, this setting is perfect as its offers a very good balance between good ride quality and improved handling.

The next thing I noticed is the slight improvement in power delivery and a more engine note, thanks to TRD’s sports air filter. Especially while accelerating, I felt a slight improvement, with the needles on both on the rev meter as well as on the speedometer moving upwards that much quicker. Sound coming out of the engine is more noticeable, but it isn’t intrusive at all. Overall, I like what they have done with the Vios S TRD. It features a good trade off between comfort and performance, while looking better at the same time.

The only thing I have to complain, is about the lip on the front bumper. It is mounted a little too low, causing it to scrape the road surface if I go slightly faster over speed bumps. Although I can go slower, it still doesn’t change the fact that it scraps the cement surface while I made my way down the elevated parking lot of Gardens MidValley, no matter how slow I was driving. I feel there has to be at least an inch more in terms of ground clearance. Other than that, its perfect!

Driving: Toyota Vios J TRD (Manual)

The Vios J TRD, compared to the Vios S with the TRD treatment features racing bucket seats, as well as a suspension that is further tuned to offer race like handling and a MOMO sports steering wheel that is removable, with just a push of a button. The TEIN suspension, as mentioned earlier, is fitted with stiffer springs and dampers, while it brings the car lower to the ground by 45 mm. It is really quite low, in fact so low that Toyota had to remove the front lip from the original bodykit because it kept scraping the irregularities on the road. Other upgrades such as the TRD radiator cap and TRD air filter are retained.

With the manual, the acceleration performance is slightly better compared to the automatic transmission. As opposed to what I mentioned earlier during my initial test drive at the Sepang F1 Circuit, the gear lever now offers better tactility. Toyota has probably fine tuned it or probably the gear lever saw better days during the test Sepang. The lever offers a slick and precise feeling when shifting gears. The lever feels more properly weighted which is a very good thing.

The bucket seats are fixed and conform to FIA specifications, meaning they hug you like they never want to let you go, which is great when you take the car to the track, but not very practical for daily driving which involves frequent access and egress. The problem I faced with the Vios S TRD regarding the front bumper spoiler that is too low was not evident with the J TRD, as it was removed since this version is significantly lower than the S TRD, which would make it almost impossible to go over speed bumps, no matter how slow you drive. The fact that the suspension is so much stiffer than the Vios S TRD’s is really noticeable.

If I were to compare it with another car, It would be the Honda Civic Type R! It is very stiff, and too stiff for daily use. Unlike the Civic Type R, which is justified by it having a powerful motivator, the “super hard” and race like suspension would serve no purpose with a 107h powerplant. However, it does enable the Vios to offer excellent handling characteristics with understeer and bodyroll that is almost unnoticeable.

It gave me the confidence of pushing it harder, and it allowed me to do so. The TEIN suspension would be excellent for track driving, although I would not say the same for daily use. Toyota may also offer official TRD exterior decals, like the ones which are visible both these cars, but as mentioned earlier it is still in the development stage.

Conclusion

Overall, comparing both the Vios S and J TRD, I reckon that the upgrades performed on the Vios S, minus the front bumper spoiler, would be preferable for daily use, while offering a sportier ride compared to the standard Vios. It is more balanced, with a just “perfect” sports suspension that is easy to live with, compared to the more vigorous TIEN setup on the Vios J TRD. I also like Toyota’s take on the meaning of performance upgrades, that includes upgrades for improving engine output and handling of the car, unlike just esthetic or visual upgrades.

I will also prefer if Toyota can further improve the engine’s power output, via the package, by another 10HP perhaps? But that may prove to be heavy on the wallets of the buyers, as development cost may drive up the price tag of the upgrade package. On the other hand, buyers can also perform upgrades to hike up the horsepower via the aftermarket scene. We will update you as soon as Toyota launches the official TRD upgrade package for the Vios. Stay tuned!

Story by Harvinder Singh Sidhu

© 2010 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 20 Mar 10 16:30:44 +0000.

A few members of the Malaysian media got to drive the Kia Koup today. Yes, the production model that was just unveiled less than a month ago – I believe our congregation is the first in the world to get to try Kia’s latest 2-door coupe out.

I believe the Kia Forte marks a significant milestone in the history of Kia models. For the first time (at least for me) in a long time a Kia model looks bloody good enough for a thought to spark in my head that it would be nice to see one parked in my garage, something appealing for me to look at when I step out of the house every morning, and not just something that I tell myself I bought because it was merely cheaper.

The Koup in particular is also Kia’s first two-door coupe, while its Korean sibling Hyundai has gone down that road many times even a long time ago with the Scoupe.

The Forte and Forte Koup’s design and details are pleasant to look at, without anything garish or shocking, with the only thing that stands out being the rather aggressive front bumpers. In fact at first glance the Forte Koup looks pretty much like just a 2-door Forte but the Koup actually only shares the engine bay hood with the Forte, with every other panel unique, for example the front fenders may look the same but the Koup’s are actually more aggressive and seem to bulge out more to cover the front wheels.

In the US, it goes head to head against the Honda Civic Coupe (which it looks kinda similiar to), the Scion tC, the Chevy Cobalt Coupe and the aging Ford Focus Coupe. The chassis uses MacPherson struts at the front and a torsion beam at the back.

We had two units of the Kia Forte Koup to try out, both automatic models, one with a 2.0 liter engine and the other with a 2.4 liter engine. The 2.0 liter engine produces 156 horsepower and 195Nm of torque mated to a 4-speed auto transmission while the 2.4 liter model puts out 173 horses and 227Nm of torque, mated to a 5-speed auto. Both models had pre-production interior panels without any texture but the dash looked finished.

The Kia Forte Koup has a decent seating position with the driver’s chair able to go far back enough for a comfortable driving position for me, however with my seat pushed far back rear legroom was compromised, but that was better when a shorter Korean engineer took the driver’s helm with me sitting at the back. The steering has both rake and reach adjustability which means I was able to adjust the steering wheel to be close enough to me for an optimum driving position, which means the base of my hand was able to rest on the top of the steering wheel.

And off we go. Our test drive was not on public road but in Kia’s Namyang R&D center, where there was a very long and wide multi-lane straight where we could drive down, do some low and high speed lane change maneuvers, and U turn at the end in whatever fashion you’d like, whether a regular smooth turn or a crazy one if you can make yourself do so in front of the Kia Motors engineer in the car.

First up was the 2.0 liter. It is from the Theta II engine family but with CVVT only on the intake, unlike the new Optima facelift’s dual CVVT on the intake and exhaust. 156 horses felt quite spritely, which was expected really as it felt decent in the Optima so it should do better in the lighter Forte, and do better it did. Gearshifts are smooth and response to kickdown was quick and satisfactory, and so was the manual shifting with the gear lever. There is no Sport or S mode on the gearbox, you can either go into D or into manual mode. Push forward for upshift and pull back for downshift – I would have preferred it the other way around really as it feels more natural.

The 2.4 liter was pretty powerful though like the 2.0 it didn’t sound particularly exciting, which is something every inline-4 engine faces. In stock form it just buzzes all the way to the redline without any rumble or grunt like a V6 or V8, and not even silky smooth like an inline-6. 173 horses and 227Nm of torque is nearly as much as the MINI Cooper S actually, so flooring it from gear 1 on the automatic did cause some protest from the tyres, though the engine is either 1) not powerful enough to cause any kind of torque steer or 2) Kia managed to sort out the driveshaft length and front suspension right.

Our cars were equipped with Kia’s MDPS or Motor-Driven Power Steering. This is an EPS system much like in the Civic, which uses an electric motor to drive the steering instead of it being directly hydraulically driven. This allows variable steering assistance – heavy at high speeds but lighter at low speeds to assist with parking. But I found that Kia hasn’t really got the speed, angle and assistance levels mapped out perfectly yet – it does not feel very smooth and natural and sometimes it switches from heavy to light when you don’t feel like it should.

At low speeds, some maneuvers that did not require much of steering angle still resulted in a heavy steering – it’s only when you turn more that assistance increases. But other than that it felt like a proper hydraulic system with nicely weighted self-centering and etc, which is okay for a first time attempt at EPS but a second generation improved version should be worked on immediately! We may not get the EPS at all of course, because Kia engineers say a traditional hydraulic power steering is also an option with the car so it depends what the Malaysian distributor orders.

The Forte Koup has a slightly firmer suspension than the Forte sedan, with reduced ride height too. A sharp turn produced in no awkward reaction from the chassis, there was some body roll in protest to the sudden maneuver but there was no awkward bouncyness or etc so that’s decent.

So yeah, it’s quite a nice 2-door coupe actually and from what I hear our local Kia distributors are looking into bringing both the Forte sedan and Forte Koup in, with 1.6 from the sedan and 2.0 for the coupe. I reckon the 2-door coupe as a CBU unit could be priced at around the Honda Civic or Hyundai Coupe’s level, matching the two cars as a 2.0 liter automatic C-segment vehicle but I think Naza Kia would have to load up the car with nice specs such as a sunroof to get around the badge snobbery.

Rear legroom especially the seat behind the driver’s seat varies depending on how far the driver’s seat is pushed back, but headroom is sufficient for someone 183cm tall like me, as there was still a 2 to 3 finger gap or so between my head and the ceiling, so its perfectly capable of being a 4 or 5 seater, though 5 may be abit of a squeeze especially since the rear floor is not flat.

Other things nice to have but absent on the Koup are a slightly thicker steering wheel rim for a nicer grip and paddle shifts for the automatic.

I can’t wait to get the Koup down on some real roads to see how it really drives like because it looks good (looks are subjective of course, how many of you agree with me?) but as a coupe that looks like it has some pretty sporty intentions, how fun the drive is will be very important to maybe half the customer base out there, with the other half likely to buy it purely based on its looks. From initial findings it definitely drives better than the rather softly setup Hyundai Elantra which it shares a chassis and alot of parts with, except the engine where the Kia uses a newer, better and more modern family.

Look after the jump for a full gallery of the Koup from our test drive session at the Namyang R&D center.

© 2010 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 20 Mar 10 16:30:44 +0000.

When the E90 3-Series first came out, it was not to many people’s tastes. The signature L-shaped tail lamps were gone and the front kidney grilles had a little chrome bar running across the top, a design feature nicked from the 6-Series.

The 3-er had also swelled to proportions nearly the same size as the E39 5-er, so enthusiasts started to worry whether it would lose the qualities that made the E46 so popular. Despite all of this, it sold well of course, and minor design concerns can barely do any damage to the 3-er’s fantastic road-holding and agile feel.

The 3-Series facelift is now in Malaysia, with a new variant, the 323i. We’re not going to touch on that today, instead let’s go into the details on what has changed in the new 3-Series on the overall, as it’s not just a reskin on the outside, but it introduces BMW’s new and much improved iDrive sytem. We’ll also look at BMW ConnectedDrive and the features it offers the owner.

You’ll also read our impressions of a 335i automatic and a 330d manual, which features BMW’s new and improved 3.0 liter single turbo diesel engine.

Have a look at our write-up after the jump.

LCI Changes (Life Cycle Impulse, BMW nomenclature for facelift)

BMW has definitely been listening to the grouches from consumers about the 3-er’s styling. Frankly the slightly oddball cues were made even worse by the E92 3-Series Coupe released later which looked perfect, hardly anything to complain about. When the M3 Sedan came out it had the benefit of the 3 Coupe’s front-end, while the Sedan soldiered on with the flat kidney grilles until this facelift.

The 3 Facelift returns to a 1-piece kidney grille design. The bonnet gets a new set of crease lines in the middle that’s meant to look like the narrow and sharp nose of a Formula One car. The bumper is also different. Headlamps have been revised to use LED signal indicators.

On the side, there is an additional line carved into the side skirts give the side profile a little more character and it helps with the car’s stance as well because of the way it curves from the front to the rear. The side mirrors are also larger to offer a larger view to the driver.

On the rear end, the butterfly lights are finally gone and we’re back to the traditional L-shape design of the E46. Because of the reshaped tail lamps, the boot lid has also been redesigned. The tail lamps have two strips of LEDs into them, which seems to be a new design direction for the tail lamps of all BMWs these days, something that was also found on the E39 5-er. Like the front, the signal lamps light up with LEDs. The rear is supposed to look wider because its rear track has been widened by 24mm thanks to a new wheel carrier and other modified suspension parts.

The bonnet has been reshaped to include an extra two profile lines in the middle, which BMW says mimic the thin and sharp nose of an F1 car.

The front bumper’s lines are more curvaceous now and I feel the looks of the front end of the regular E90 and the M-Sport E90 are closer now. On the rear end there are various different tailpipe configurations. The regular cars will get a twin tailpipe design on the left side, which is similiar to the 330d that you will see in this post’s photos. The 335i gets a twin tailpipe design too, but with a large tailpipe on each side of the rear bumper. Quad tailpipes are of course reserved for the M3.

There are not much changes in the interior in terms of looks, just a few extra chrome highlights around the aircond vents, push-button starter and various other control knobs. BMW says the center console (arm rest storage area) offers a larger storage compartment now, and within it is an aux-in socket, a power socket and a special recess for a MP3 player to be stored in.

Other than the new iDrive system which we will cover later, one of the best changes in the interior is the fact that BMW has improved the door armrest padding. It’s much more comfortable for you to rest your arm there now. On the driver’s side, the power window and side mirror adjustment control panel have been moved back 2cm towards the driver for more comfortable access.

The Drive

I have been on some international media drives before but this time it was unique as I had a chance to drive the car alone, after my driving partner had to leave mid-way to settle some issues. Driving in Munich (or any other similiar European country) in the beginning of Autumn is truly an experience as you take in all the amazing colours in the show that nature just begins to put on for the people living there right before they have to go through a grey, wet and gloomy winter.

I’ve always remembered the 3-Series to be ever so slightly on the harsher side of things when it comes to ride comfort and compliance in Malaysia but it was amazing in Germany, where the roads are just so much better, especially on the Autobahns. I am not entirely sure whether this is because the 3-er has had some sort of change to the springs to make them softer, or it’s just the difference in roads. It probably explains why BMW was so eager to go all run-flat especially with the latest run-flat technology.

But in any case if indeed the 3-er is softer now it’s a wise move to make in a world where a facelift model is contending with the new A4 and the new C. Being more comfortable would give the 3-series more appeal while reserving the best driving experience for those who opt for the M-Sport suspension.

Driving dynamics is still the best in class in terms of steering feedback, body reaction to steering input and lane change composure. There’s just something about the way the tight BMW chassis responds to a quick lane change maneuver that the W204 and the B8 just cannot seem to match at the moment, at least according to my personal experience. They’re close but its just not the same, and it is this magic ingredient of the driver feeling so connected is what pushes the E90 or just any other sporty BMW sedan ahead of its competitors.

Sweet 6-potter petrol and diesel engines

This trip was the first time I was getting to sample the new twin turbocharged 3.0 liter petrol engine, mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission. The engine is a true cracker, serving loads of boost from the get-go pretty much immediately, and sustaining it all the way to the redline.

306 horsepower and 400Nm of torque means overtaking without dropping a gear is seriously possible, if you are lazy to shift down with a manual of course. With the auto the gearbox is pretty responsive to downshift commands. I only have on complaint, somehow I suspect the direct injection has spoiled the engine note a bit.

The N52s in the 325i etc we have here in Malaysia are alot more metallic and screaming like a banshee towards the high-ends of the rev range, in a very good way of course. The turbocharged direct injection N54 just did not sound as good somehow. It’s a bit muted and somehow just not as smooth.

The N52 is being replaced with the new direct injection (High Pressure Injection) normally aspirated N53 around the world, and although I’ve never driven one yet I hope they don’t end up sounding like the N54. It’s a good thing our petrol is shit, otherwise we won’t be able to still continue enjoying the N52!

As for the diesel, we used to have a 320d in Malaysia in wagon form but with the LCI that’s been removed. I managed to sample the 330d with a 6-speed manual. It was my first time driving a modern manual BMW. The clutch was not overly light but far from heavy either, the feel very just nice. No complaints about the shift feel. But what truly surprised me was the diesel.

This is a new diesel engine, a development over the previous generation 3.0 liter. It has an aluminium crank case and is lighter in many areas. Some of you who drive diesels would probably know this common trait of many diesel engines – they start off very strong but taper off shortly after, sometimes feeling very heavy-ish even as early as 3,500rpm. This VGT-equipped diesel was not like that.

It was bloody amazing! It stayed strong all the way to the redline, just like a petrol engine. In fact, you could hardly tell you were driving a diesel if not for the slightly different gruntier engine note, but there’s not much injector clatter either.

But then again it’s not to the point where you would wind down your windows in a tunnel at night and really work the engine just to hear the engine note. No, it doesn’t sound THAT good of course. You’ll wind down your windows to hear the woosh and whine of the turbine, but that’s about it. So BMW still has more room for innovation, so until the next diesel.

The new all-improved BMW iDrive

All in all iDrive is so much easier to use now especially the maps and address searching because it runs from a hard drive now so access speeds are much faster than loading stuff from a DVD. I believe the processor also must be faster. Maps are now from TomTom’s TeleAtlas subsidiary, instead of the DVD-based Nokia-owned Navteq system.

There is a map 3D view now that shows gradients. Apparently there is also a version which can show the buildings around you but I think our route did not go through an area with that kind of detailed mapping, but it did have the gradients though, showing uphills, downhills and the mountains around us.

In our journey we managed to try out how iDrive works with traffic info systems, something that we cannot try in Malaysia. On the journey to the airport for our trip home, some of the other media got trapped in a massive traffic jam which caused them to miss (or nearly miss, I forgot) a flight. iDrive actually warned us of the traffic jam and took us around it.

The user interface takes cues from one of the most popular consumer electronics out there, the iPod. Rotating knob interfaces are always associated with the iPod anyway and most of us already intuitively know how to operate it thanks to Apple having already “trained” us.

The new iDrive system’s hard drive can also function as a music jukebox, so you don’t have to carry your CDs around with you and risk them being damaged from being in a car that’s being baked under the hot sun all the time. Just load them in and rip them. iDrive will store them on its built-in hard drive. Only a couple of gigs out of the whole large drive will be used for music of course, because in Europe the 3D maps and etc are huge and take up alot of hard drive space. These maps do not take up as much space in Malaysia so there will actually be alot of wasted hard drive space that’s not being used by maps but not allowed to be used by music.

We had the opportunity to test out BMW’s new ConnectedDrive web browser which uses a SIM card for an EDGE speed data connection. The web browser is based on NetFront, which is a commonly used web browser when it comes to embedded applications. It is also used in devices like the Amazon Kindle, and the PSP as well as the Playstation 3. No Flash support yet though, and Gmail loads up in HTML.

From the video above I think you can already see one improvement that BMW can make – when you key in the website address there should be predefined choices for “.com”, “.net” and “.org”. BMW has already realised this of course and it is planned in the next version. It’s quite interesting that BMW’s rationale for Google to be its starting website is that so many people use Google as their start page these days, so it helps the user feel that the web browser can access “real internet”, not a special limited “BMW internet”.

I tried the browser again later and the speeds are actually quite bearable, EDGE is much faster when it works properly compared to the kind of 3G/3.5G service we get here (I’m looking at you, Maxis). Text can be small and hard to read at times but there is a zoom feature.

On local soils

The 3-Series LCI is already here, with some new models and some models gone. The 320d Touring will be missed by the likes of enthusiasts but the common folk really won’t notice its gone. The 323i is a good move, replacing the regular 325i without the M-Sport kit and allows a cheaper entry into 6-cylinder BMW ownership.

I still like the 3-Series the best out of the German trio that compete in the premium C-segment. Discounting the 320i of course. I love the tight chassis and the way it responses to driver commands. To me, it’s really not about how each car does at the very edge of safety but how it handles regular spirited driving, something you do when the roads are a little more empty and you stick the gear shifter into DS. The 3-Series does that the best and provides the best feedback.

It still retains the throne of the best driving car in its segment. But for those who don’t care about driving that may not be enough looking at its competitors compelling features and “new factor” (they’re just released).

Oh yeah, not to forget, I wanted to show you guys this comparison photo above. The 3-Series is so much bigger now that it’s almost as big as the previous generation E39 5-Series! How much larger will it grow?

Please enjoy the large set of high-resolution images below.

GALLERY: BMW 330d LCI

GALLERY: BMW 335iLCI

GALLERY: BMW E90/E91 LCI

GALLERY: BMW E91 LCI (Touring)

GALLERY: BMW E90/E91 LCI International Media Launch