Paul Tan's Automotive News » Test Drive Reviews

BMW F30 3-Series Test Drive Review – 320d diesel and new four cylinder turbo 328i sampled in Spain!

Anthony Lim — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:54:39 +0000

Think BMW, and the first model that usually comes to mind – for most folk – is the 3 Series. Ubiquitous, the model has been at the forefront of things from the get-go, and while the brand has evolved its lineup to incorporate a host of new segment models from the ‘easy-to-figure three-model’ range of the past to the ‘just how many of them are there, really’ of today, the 3er has been very much the standard bearer for the brand, the one by which it has been defined, and association measured. Since 1975, five generations and more than 12.51 million units sold attest to that.

So when a full-model replacement comes about to continue the flag-waving, there’s plenty of bated breath, as well as the inevitable questions. How will it shape up? Will it turn things on its head? Does it change the game, again?

The answer is very nicely, yes and yes. Things haven’t exactly been easy for the 3er in recent times – the grip it has had in the entry-level premium sedan segment has been forcibly relaxed by competition that has studied and learnt from the benchmark, and done so very well. Arguably, the outgoing E90 didn’t help itself – from a design point of view, it was a little too safe, especially from the rear at the start of its life-cycle, almost as if the idea of changing things too much coming in from the E46 would alienate the buyer.

It also didn’t help that on the whole, the E90 felt like it was carrying a bit too much weight arriving at middle-age, and while undoubtedly there are a great many existing generation owners who might argue against this view, I’ve always felt the E90 to be too heavy-set – not ponderous – for its own good from a performance point of view. Simply put, a very able machine, but darker in character than its predecessors, missing that sense of overall sharpness, or that sprightly step, if you will.

Enter the F30, the sixth-generation incarnation of the type. It doesn’t just restore parity in the playing field, but takes the game a few steps further infield, and by all accounts should accomplish far more than the last one did in staying ahead of the chasing pack.

Full story after the jump.

The arrival of the new car was announced last October, but it’s only making its market debut in Europe starting this month. Ahead of this, the media drive for the car took place in December, with the surroundings of Barcelona the location. Though four engine choices, two petrol, two diesel, all TwinPower Turbo mills, are available for the car at point of launch, the drive saw only the 328i and 320d EfficientDynamics Edition as samplers.

The range topping act of the lot is the 335i, with its 3.0 litre, 306 hp at 5,800-6,000 rpm and 400 Nm from 1,200-5,000 rpm mill; in Spain, the closest to be had with it in the metal was through a static display (the one in blue in the photos), and it looks a rather meaty proposition. The petrol mainstay, until the entry-level 320i arrives sometime in spring this year, is the 328i, which delivers 245 hp at 5,000-6,500 rpm and 350 Nm at 1,250-4,800 rpm from the new N20 2.0 litre TwinPower Turbo mill.

The two diesel variants are the aforementioned 320d EfficientDynamics Edition and the 320d, which both run a 2.0 litre commonrail DI variable geometry turbocharged lump, but with different output tunes – the ED Edition has 163 hp on call, while the 320d has 184 hp, both at a similar 4,000 rpm. Likewise, both feature identical torque figures, this being 380 Nm at 1,750-2,750 rpm.

In terms of transmission options, there’s the usual six-speed manual transmission, replete with a modified gear train design, primarily for the North American market, which continues to consume the stick-shifter in ever-dwindling numbers, but the real deal is the advent of the eight-speed automatic box, which the company proudly states is a first in the segment class.

Weighing and sized just about the same as the six-speeder it replaces, the transmission is available as a choice for all four engine variants, and BMW says that it offers identical or lower fuel consumption and emissions than the six-speed manual transmission. Incidentally, Auto Stop-Start is fitted as standard across the model range.

Electronics-wise, aside from Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), which offers ABS, ASC, DTC, DBC and CBC, along with start-off assist, brake drying and an electronic limited slip function for the rear differential under its operating umbrella, the F30 features a new Driving Experience Control function as standard across the model range – there are four operation modes on this one, COMFORT, SPORT, SPORT+ and a new mode called ECO PRO.

The last mode supports an extra-efficient and economy-conscious driving style, doing so by changing the accelerator mapping so that the same pedal travel delivers less power than in standard mode – the Optimum Shift Indicator for manual models and the transmission control strategy for the automatics are modified, bringing forward upshifts and delaying downshifts.

Elsewhere, intelligent energy and climate management logic reduces the mechanical power consumption as well as the consumption of electrical systems, all of which enables additional fuel savings, depending on individual driving style, of up to 20%. I actually had the chance to try ECO PRO out during the drive, but more on this later.

Exterior-wise, the Christopher Weil-penned design features the new BMW face, with flat headlights reaching along as far as the kidney grille, as well as an accentuated width, improving the car’s presence – there are more than a few visual cues to suggest a scaled down F10 5 er , the hood being one, and the headlight shape being another primary focal cue.

Aside from the merged headlights/grille design, the F30 replaces the central air intake of the E90 with two larger intakes, positioned underneath the headlights to the outer edges of the front end. In the flesh, the result is a very lean and flatter looking front, and the bonnet length seems even more pronounced on this one.

For the sides, highlights include flanks that are shaped by a double swage line made up of two character lines running alongside each other, and the back end runs through quite nicely surfaces – in all, it flows well enough, the lines, with the front being particularly outstanding, but as one of the styling designers points out during a discussion on the matter, it’s still a 3er, and there are only that many liberties that can be taken with how the design shapes up.

Retention being the key, an easily identifiable familiarity of what it is can’t be escaped, but on the whole the F30 sheds the pounds visually to come off as a fitter, healthier looking, and very much rejuvenated 3. It’s also figuratively lighter, weighing up to 45 kg less than the E90, depending on variant.

This has been accomplished despite an increase in overall size. The F30 is a larger car than the E90, with a wider track leading things in – the front has been increased by 37 mm, while the rear track has gone up by 47 mm. It’s longer by 93 mm, and the augmented wheelbase, at 2,810 mm, has been increased by 50 mm.

There’s also a corresponding increase in interior space, and in the flesh, the cabin does feel somewhat airier and roomier, though if there’s a bone to pick it’s with how much more prominent the central console bulge from the fascia has become – it does squeeze in front legroom space somewhat in terms of perceived width.

Nonetheless, the cabin is a more comfy place to be on the whole compared to the outgoing car.Rear passengers get the benefit of extra legroom, with an additional 15 mm knee room and 8 mm of extra head room to help things along. The 3er hasn’t always been known for how well it accommodates people in the rear, but rear ingress and egress is certainly better, as our hop in and out sessions during photo-taking sessions showed.

Boot space on the F30 is also up, with 480 litres of capacity, 20 litres more than that of the outgoing model. Additionally, 40:20:40 split rear backrests mean the ability to carry longer items.

Interior features include a driver-focused cockpit, angled towards the driver by seven degrees, with the four main circular dials (fuel gauge, speedometer, rev counter and oil temperature gauge) dressed with a black panel display. The fascia and overall element cues again lend the impression of a scaled-down F10, and the flatter-looking centre stack makes the presentation look nice and tight.

As far as features and kit goes, the F30 is loaded with plenty of ConnectedDrive gear, from driver assistance systems to infotainment. New to the car is a full-colour Head-Up Display, standard on the 328i, and aside from this the likes of Lane Change Warning System, Lane Departure Warning System, Active Protection safety package and Advance eCall are items on the list.

There’s also BMW Parking Assistant, Surround View (with Side View and Top View), Active Cruise Control with Stop&Go function, Speed Limit Info including No Passing Info display and Real-Time Traffic Information (RTTI), among the chockfull of items you can specify for a F30.

A new method of model line differentiation has popped up too with the F30 – in addition to the entry-level version, it will be available in three equipment lines. The three trim levels, called Sport Line, Luxury Line and Modern Line, will allow customers to personalise their rides to their individual preferences, with exterior design elements and selection of materials and colours available for each model; there’s even colour-coding elements for each line, and aside from that found in the cabin, the key-fob gets a similar imprint too, so everyone will be able to tell just which outfit your 3er wears.

Additionally, there’s an optional M Sport package, which includes a lowered M Sport suspension featuring a 10 mm drop in ride height, and this offers firmer suspension and damping as well as harder anti-roll bars, and also featured are 18 or 19-inch M Sport alloy wheels. If you want to take things even further, there’s an optional Adaptive M Sport suspension, with electronically-controlled damping.

There’s also an M aerodynamics package, which can be specified separately, and this one features special body parts and chrome tailpipes, replete with exclusive exterior paintwork and interior trim. The latter has sports seats wearing distinctive cloth/Alcantara upholstery, trim elements with blue accent strips, an M Shortshifter (in models with the manual gearbox), M door sill finishers, an M driver’s footrest and a new M Sport leather steering wheel.

The 328i demonstrator in Spain featured a mix of items, presumably to show off the car’s ability to the best possible measure – the eight-speed auto (there were no manuals on call at the event) Sport Line mules wore the optional 19-inch M Sport alloys with 225/40 front and 255/35 rear rubbers as well as the M Sport suspension. In its standard state, the 328i runs on 17-inch Star-spoke wheels, wearing 225/50 tyres. Meanwhile, the two diesel models are equipped with 16-inch V-spoke or Streamline-style alloy wheels, wrapped with 205/60 rubbers.

The first day of driving began with the 320d ED, in its Modern Line specification. Riding shotgun on the first leg out from the Aeroport de Barcelona towards the hotel in the Sabadell region, there was ample time to study the interior – I wasn‘t quite taken by the textured wood grain paneling on call. Yes, it will find fans, but I’m not really one of them, feeling that it looked rather kitschy on the whole. Otherwise, the rest of the elements in the light-coloured Modern Line looked easy enough on the eye.

Leaving the city, with traffic conditions limiting speed, the 320d ED puttered along ably, the diesel exhibiting all the well-known positives it’s already known for. What was interesting was how the nature of the F30 could be picked up fairly easily, even from the passenger seat – the car feels a lighter, breezier proposition, and not just from a handling point of view. Nearing the changeover point, opening up the throttle revealed a chassis that felt, in a word, alive.

From the driver’s perspective, there’s a strong element of agility that’s immediately apparent, and you don’t really have to push the car hard for it to shine through. Not that I was able to with the 320d ED, really. Taking on the second leg towards the accommodation, I’d barely taken less than 10 enthusiastic turns on the twisty downhill section heading into Martorell when my co-driver signaled he wasn’t liking things that much.

So that part of the drive came crawling down to a 40-50 km/h descent, and gently at that. Shame, because the road was promising, but the flipside was getting to use ECO PRO, since there was no reason to barrel along. By the time we got back to the expressway part of the route, I’d managed to ‘virtually’ gain another 11 km of driving range on that left in the tank, according to the trip computer.

The mode does cut the thrills, and by a fair amount – forget that you’ve left it on that and attempt to speed things up, and you’ll be left wondering why the stallion suddenly feels a bit castrated. I suppose saving fuel and the environment doesn’t – and shouldn’t – equate with excitement.

Vis-a-vis the E90 equivalent, the diesel F30 does come across as a far livelier offering, and it has all to do with the platform. There’s a sense of lightness in its character and behaviour that it makes the E90 feel a bit plodding in comparison. The steering is expecially noteworthy, sharp, precise and offering informative, useful feel that inspires confidence.

As standard fare, the rack is an electromechanical power steering system EPS (Electronic Power Steering), and this uses an electric motor to provide steering assistance, operating the EPS when steering assistance is actually required. Of even more cheer is the optional new, purely mechanical variable-ratio steering system, which of course offers a more precise response to input and sharper handling, and on the 335i and 328i, a Servotronic function for speed-sensitive power assistance is also standard.

The 328i the following day increased the liking for the new car, with the promise of track time on the Circuit de Catalunya capping things off. With new co-driver in tow, an early morning detour back into the city to pick up the co-driver’s wife was even managed. In town use, puttering about through the endless stream of traffic lights in downtown Barcelona, the 328i behaved with impressive civility in low-mid speed conditions – the stop-start worked smoothly and as intended, and of pleasant surprise was the level of ride comfort, even with the M Sport suspension and 19-inch wheels in tow.

At highway speeds, the 328i feels brisk and rapid when pushed, and the N20 mill is quite the standout – the throttle response is lively, and such is the element of poke and muscle, especially in the midband, that any real argument for holding on to a naturally-aspirated six-pot is easily dissuaded as the miles wear on. About the only thing the four-pot lump gives away is with regards to the engine note – there’s no six-cylinder low-end silkiness to be had, no matter how hard you try to hear or imagine it.

But that’s really a small trade-off for the performance returns, and it’s not just the engine that eclipses the old. Tackling the twists takes on a new tack – the F30 doesn’t just feel more articulate and nimble, it accomplishes things in far more inspiring and exciting fashion than its predecessor, even when you decide to be wild about it. There’s a fair bit of wind noise evident at high speeds, but it’s nothing to get worked up about. Seat comfort is high, and provide ample support levels over a longer drive.

By the time we finally arrive at the circuit, virtually all the assembled lot have had their go. This being a ‘drive what you bring’ do, first dibs went to my co-driver, none other than Autocar Asean’s Faisal Shah, who brings the 328i back with the brakes nicely hissing after his spirited track run. I give him a bemused look when he tells me it’s quite alright to go, “there’s no fade, the brakes hold up very well” being his words.

There just being under an hour left before track time ends, I take his word for it. The big plus is that the track is all but empty, so it’s a clear run right through for the five laps scheduled. Surprisingly enough, the brakes do hold up, and impressively so – the F30 wears a larger brake system than before, with a hint of fade starting to creep in only at the very end of the run. One wonders just how much better the optional M Sport brake system, with aluminium four-piston fixed calipers at the front and two-piston fixed calipers at the rear, will be.

The run on track also provided the chance to try out the various electronic driver aid settings, with Sport+ mode – with the DSC thresholds raised – making the car the liveliest, as expected, with DTC continuing to provide a safety net. On the whole, the car tracked well, and driven cleanly is eminently rewarding; though understeer is still present, the limits are far higher than that on the E90. Arguably, a bit more rawness around the edges wouldn’t have gone amiss, but such is progress, and the scalpel-like dynamics on call gives this one its own irresistibility and allure.

The real acid test closer to home will be how the 320i – which will feature the N20 2.0 litre lump with 184 hp and 270 Nm – shapes up when it arrives on the scene later in the year. Given the dynamic impressions painted by both the 328i and 320d ED, it should meet expectations ably enough.

As it stands, the F30 redefines things enough that it sets a new benchmark in the segment, and takes the 3er back to the top of the heap. Of the two, I much preferred the 328i ahead of the diesel variant; despite the diesel’s mule-like qualities, the petrol felt a more versatile offering, with a wider balance and feel about it. If something like the W204 C-Class was the better of the E90 in some regards, then the balance of power has very much shifted back to Munich. The king is dead, long live the king.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 17:28:23 +0000.

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Range Rover Evoque Test Drive Review in Sydney

Paul Tan — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 19:10:02 +0000

The Range Rover Evoque is a simple concept, yet one so brilliantly executed. Take everything that makes a Range Rover so desirable, and scale it down into a compact yet refined vehicle to meet the changing needs of the SUV owner.

The LRX Concept stunned us when it first made its debut, and Land Rover shocked us once again once the production Evoque made its debut – it still looks very much the futuristic concept SUV that the LRX Concept was. Like something sleek and sexy plucked out of the future, but roaming our roads today.

In an age where customers are demanding better fuel efficiency and easier maneuverability around town, Land Rover has conjured up a bespoke model that at first impression seems very much befitting of being called a Range Rover, as opposed to pulling a fast one like former stablemate Aston Martin with its controversial Cygnet city car.

The Evoque is also aimed at making the Land Rover brand appeal to a younger audience, as well as balance out the gender ratio. A regular Land Rover or Range Rover product normally sees about 80% male buyers – with the Evoque this has become a more balanced ratio of 50% male, 50% female.

So the Evoque is not only more accessible in terms of purchase price and running cost affordability compared to the other Range Rover models, it’s also made the brand more accessible to wealthy ladies, who currently are most likely buyers of SUVs like the Volvo XC60, Audi Q5, BMW X1 or BMW X3.

Land Rover offers two different body styles with the Evoque – a 5-door and a 3-door “coupe”, both of which are available in Malaysia. There are two engine options available at the moment – a diesel and a petrol, both turbocharged 4 cylinder engines. In Malaysia, you can have the petrol engine in either a 3-door or 5-door body while the diesel engine is available only as a 5-door.

The 2.0 liter petrol engine is shared with the Ford EcoBoost family, which is also available in Malaysia in the Ford S-MAX, the facelifted Ford Mondeo, the Volvo S60 and the Volvo XC60. The tuning in the Evoque is the most powerful version available currently – producing 240 horsepower at 5,500rpm and 340Nm of torque from just 1,750rpm. In the Evoque, the engine is rated to consume about 8.7 liters per 100km on a combined cycle.

The 2.2 liter PSA/Ford DW12 turbodiesel is also found in the Land Rover Freelander 2 and globally is used in various Ford, Jaguar and PSA Peugeot Citroen cars as well. In the Evoque, it makes 190 PS at 3,500rpm and 420Nm of torque at 1,750rpm – less horses than the petrol due to the shorter powerband but loads of torque to get the Evoque going.

The Evoque is loosely based on the Freelander platform and even rolls off the Freelander’s production line, but as the Evoque rides lower than the Freelander, parts of the undercarriage design was modified to maintain a level of ground clearance that you would expect from a vehicle with the Land Rover or Range Rover badge. So the new platform is referred to as the LR-MS platform, loosely based on the Freelander’s Ford EuCD platform.

The Evoque also has very minimal overhangs, especially at the rear – this improves approach and departure angles. Quite interestingly, we hear the LR-MS platform can be stretched further about 300mm if necessary to create a larger vehicle to slot in between the Evoque and the Range Rover Sport, should Land Rover ever decide to explore that segment.

Other than the choice of a 5-door and 3-door, there are also different trim levels which change a few design details on the car. There’s the Prestige, Pure and Dynamic trim – and the Dynamic trim is the sportiest design, which at the same time also reduces the Evoque’s approach and departure angle capabilities as it’s the most “road-going” of the three designs.

In Malaysia, the Dynamic Plus trim is available on the top of the line 2.0 liter petrol 3-door “coupe”, while the 2.0 liter petrol 5-door and the 2.2 liter diesel 5-door has the Prestige trim.

The Evoque may look small from the outside, but it is surprisingly very roomy in the interior. Land Rover engineers have done a brilliant job with the packaging of this car, maximizing every cubic inch of interior space possible within the exterior dimensions of the car. Shoulder room between the front two seats are very good – it actually feels like a larger SUV and it felt more comfier sitting in the Evoque compared to some other same-class SUVs.

The rear seats are able to seat two adults more than comfortably, with good legroom. If you’re going to carry more than one passenger often, I’d suggest you get the 5-door though, because while the 3-door has a proper adult-sized rear cabin, it’s quite of a pain getting into the rear, as the sporty design of the Evoque doesn’t allow for an easy entry and exit. Once you eventually climb in though, the space you have is quite surprisingly comfortably.

Plenty of the interior space went to the passengers, so there’s not much of boot space left. Although the official number is 575 liters (550 with the 3-door), it doesn’t seem all that big. No doubt, golf bags will fit very nicely but if you have something to put in of a particular shape, such as a luggage bag (see picture above), you can only fit one, and that’s it. Think of the Evoque’s boot as more of that of a hatch like a Golf or Focus, instead of the typical roomy SUV boot.

But as a city car, this shouldn’t really pose too much of a problem, and the rear seats can be folded down to make for more luggage space. When folded down, luggage capacity extends to between 1,350 liters to 1,445 liters for the 3-door and 5-door respectively.

Perceived quality is very good – there’s leather everywhere, and as a front passenger you’re basically looking at a massive expanse of leather in front of you, with beautiful stitched accents. The dash layout is recognisable as a Range Rover, but scaled down. The center dash area has a Volvo-like slant to it with a small storage area under the curve, but it’s quite a small compartment so you won’t be able to keep much at all.

Land Rover has resisted overblinging the interior – the choices of materials are classy and mature, with no overuse of chrome. Some interior designers tend to abuse chrome to make the switches and knobs of the interior feel like knock-off jewellery – the Range Rover Evoque stays clear of this. Most of the surfaces are matte or brushed. There’s also ambient lighting scattered about the cabin for a nice effect at night – you can see some of these lights in the image above.

Our test drive session started off at the Sydney Opera House, through the city. Driving through the city in stop and go traffic, our first impressions was that the Evoque has remarkably good NVH insulation. We set off in the diesel model and we could barely hear a clatter from inside the cabin at idle! Push off from a standstill and you get a nice smooth tone – the only thing that’ll remind you that this is not a petrol lump is the fact that the pitch never goes as high as you’d expect it to while gunning it because of the much lower redline.

City maneuverability was good, though as you’d expect from how the car looks like from the outside – rear quarter visibility wasn’t that good. The Evoque’s roof and shoulderline has the angles of a sports car, so expect outward visibility of a sports car as well. Side mirrors were huge though, so that helps.

We took the opportunity to try out the in-car entertainment and navigation system. With competitors using knob-style devices to control the screens in their cars, it’s easy to mistake the rotary gear selector knob (first seen in the Jaguar XF) for what you’d use to control the computer. The Evoque shares its in-car computer with Jaguar models, so what you have here is a nice touch screen interface with relatively large buttons so it’s easy to touch what you intend to select. Ergonomically, the interface is pretty tight.

Other than reading audio CDs, there’s also Bluetooth audio, USB audio as well as an iPod interface so you’re spoiled for choice when it comes to audio inputs. The iPod interface not only allows you to browse through your songs but it can also access your iPod’s customised playlists and etc. You can’t do the more advanced stuff like Genius mixes and etc though.

The audio output is pretty rockin’ as well – our test units were equipped with a Meridian sound system which delivered great clarity and punchy bass and remained crisp and clear up to insanely loud volume levels. No signs of rattling from the interior from the heavy bass thumping at this point – but then again we were driving new cars.

There are two different levels of Meridian systems available with the Evoque – a 380 watt 12 channel system with 11 loudspeakers (including a 2 channel subwoofer), or a more powerful 825 watt system with 15 channels driving 17 loudspeakers including a subwoofer, centre and surround loudspeakers.

Anyway, soon we out of the city to enjoy the country roads en route to Hunter Valley, a famous wine-making region near Sydney. We had the opportunity to test drive the marque’s previous smallest car – the Freelander – and found it to be surprisingly a fun drive. The Evoque is even better, thanks to the fact that it’s lower slung (27mm lower) and has both a stiff chassis and a suspension tuning that’s more to the firmer side of things.

But while this may mean loads of fun on the bends, I found that the ride can get slightly fidgety on rough patches. Our Malaysian spec Evoque wears 20 inch wheels with low profile tyres, which contribute to the Evoque’s good looks, but it remains to be seen how the car will ride on Malaysian roads.

The high shoulder line of the doors helps mask the commanding driving position and help convey a “sports car” feel to you when you’re seated in the driver’s seat. Land Rover also did a brilliant job at tuning the Evoque’s electric power steering as it didn’t get into the way of a fun drive – if you don’t notice that a car has an electric power steering system, it’s a mark of a good configuration with a natural feeling weight and ratio at different travel speeds.

The top of the range Dynamic Plus 3-door petrol model in Malaysia has Adaptive Dynamics, which has magnetic dampers that can adjust its settings about a thousand times a second. Unfortunately we did not have the opportunity to try that out as a car equipped with Adaptive Dynamics didn’t get cycled along into our possession as we swapped cars and drivers at pre-designated points throughout the journey.

In the models we got to try, the Evoque’s seats are very shapely, are amazing to look at and feel nice to the touch, but if you’re not built like a couch potato American, the side bolsters may not feel cosseting enough to support you during corners if you’re into that kind of thing. Not everyone – especially significant others from my experience – are into big side bolsters though.

There’s another variation of the seats (see picture below in red leather) that are available on the Dynamic Plus trim, which means in Malaysia it’s installed in the top of the line 3-door petrol 3-door Evoque. It doesn’t look like it has significantly more side bolstering though.

Being a dieselhead (we have a total of three turbodiesel company cars here at Driven), I was surprisedly that I found myself liking the petrol version more than the diesel. The diesel has gobs of shove when you start off and the engine note is very smooth – very unlike a diesel – but it tapers off very quickly, while the petrol engine starts off slightly weaker but rode its torque curve very well into the high ends of the rev range. It also feels more responsive.

However, neither the petrol or engines are overwhelmingly fast. I came away with the impression that perhaps the Evoque needs to have a higher end model with a more powerful engine, some kind of Evoque Sport if you will. At that price range, I expected to be blown away but the pace ended up feeling a little lacking. The gearbox is also a regular 6-speed automatic, and thus behaves like one – smooth with well thought out ratios, but shifts are not particularly quick and snappy.

Is the Evoque still a fun drive? Yes, but is it going to set your heart racing? It’s more likely to do it with its super good looks than an exciting drive. But then again that was never the Evoque’s promise to a buyer to begin with. It’s still way sportier than a big lumbering Range Rover where you’re more likely to feel like you’re sitting ON a big leather throne rather than IN a sporty cockpit like you would feel in an Evoque.

Our route throughout the country roads of Hunter Valley also took us to a big riding ranch where Land Rover had set up an offroading track for us to try out the Evoque’s off roading capabilities.

As I mentioned earlier, the Pure and Prestige trim has better approach and departure angles of 25 degrees and 33 degrees respectively, while the Dynamic’s sportier bodywork reduces this to 19 degrees and 30 degrees for approach and departure respectively. The Evoque’s maximum wading depth is 500mm. Front axle obstacle clearance is 215mm while rear axle obstacle clearance is 240mm.

The offroad track took us through various different off road situations – from as simple as a grassy dirty track to some very steep and tight inclines, both uphill and downhill! We also drove through a small river – at first just across it but later we got to a point where we snaked along in the middle of the river on the riverbed along the water flow, which was pretty fun – the key is not to stop or the Evoque’s weight will make your wheels will sink too much!

It was on this off roading track that we got to try the two buttons on the small control panel below the gear selector knob that allows you to control the Range Rover Evoque’s Terrain Response system, a highlight of all Land Rover products.

Terrain Response is a feature that Land Rover introduced on the Discovery in 2005. It basically allows the user to select a few modes according to what type of surface you are driving on. Terrain Response will control systems like DSC stability , the electric throttle, Hill Descent Control, Gradient Release Control, Hill Start Assist and Roll Stability Control to suit the type of surface you are on.

On the Evoque, you’ve got the Dynamic mode (only when Adaptive Dynamics is fitted to the car), the General mode, the Grass/Gravel/Snow mode, the Mud/Ruts mode, and the Sand mode. Land Rover set up signboards indicating what mode we should switch to on different areas of the off-roading track.

Most of the offroad modes actually dampen the throttle input significantly so it’s easier to feather the throttle for the precise inputs you need during tricky situations. Sometimes you also need to dial down the stability control a little as your Evoque’s wheel has to slip to get along on certain surfaces. We used the Sand mode on the riverbed.

As the Evoque doesn’t have a low ratio transfer case, the Rock Crawl mode that’s available on the Terrain Response system of other Land Rovers is missing.

In any case, even though the Range Rover Evoque may not have a low ratio gearbox (neither does the Freelander, BTW), an air suspension system that can raise ride height to comical levels or any other high tech offroading gizmo, it’s still able to do some light offroading, much more than your typical C-segment hatchback is able to do, but of course not as hardcore as a true offroading machine.

All in all, congratulations are in order for Land Rover for successfully doing a small Range Rover right, one with the desirability dial turned on really high. I’m still very curious to see how our Malaysian spec Evoque performs on Malaysian roads with its massive 20 inch wheels, but as there are no media test drive units in Malaysia yet it will have to wait. I’m also curious as to how the car drives and rides with the Adaptive Dynamics suspension system. And who knows, perhaps a shoot-out story next?

As a recap pricing-wise, the Evoque is priced at RM393,888 for the top of the line 2.0L Petrol Coupe Dynamic Plus, while the 2.0L Petrol 5-Door Prestige goes for RM363,888 and the 2.2L Diesel 5-Door Prestige is priced at RM353,888, all on-the-road excluding insurance.

Look after the jump for a mega photo gallery of the Evoque.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 17:28:23 +0000.

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DRIVEN: Proton Exora Bold Turbo, our first impressions

Danny Tan — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 08:30:19 +0000

It’s the hottest model of the moment, and the most talked about for sure. It’s also the first recipient of Proton’s long awaited turbocharged engine, the Campro Charged Fuel Efficiency (CFE). It’s the refreshed Exora, the Exora Bold.

After countless sightings, both clothed and naked, Proton finally officially unveiled the Exora Bold and the range topping Exora Prime last Thursday. With an aggressive facelift and a new powertrain that’s so much more appealing on paper, the Exora is making a strong case to be the best MPV under RM100k.

We’ve driven it already – first impressions and full gallery after the jump.

Here’s a refresher on how the refreshed MPV stacks up. The Exora Bold wears a new face that’s well, bolder and more aggressive, mainly due to the “fanged” lower bumper. The headlamps have darkened housings and the elaborate rear lights have a “tinted” look as well.

There’s a subtle bodykit, including a rear diffuser style piece (painted black) and larger 16-inch wheels. The latter plays a big part in the sportier image and its double-spoke design is much better than the plain old one. I quite like this new Elegant Brown hue, too. It looks rather handsome for a big box, and quite premium relative to price point rivals.

Kit-wise, the Premium CVT is well stocked. Two-tone leather seats with matching door cards, leather-wrapped steering, fog lamps, electric foldable wing mirrors, cruise control and reverse camera with rearview mirror LCD are standard. The latter is useful and similar to the system seen in the Kia Forte 6-Speed. The centre stack, which houses a Clarion head unit with Bluetooth and AUX, is finished with “liquid silver” trim. Wood is reserved for the six-seater Prime.

As usual for the Exora, there’s an overhead DVD player (also accepts USB and SD cards) with flip out LCD screen and roof air con vents for every row. A/C fan speed for the rear section can be independently controlled.

The highlight is of course the CFE engine, which is the latest iteration of Proton’s Campro. Following the downsizing method of a forced-fed smaller capacity engine in place of a say, 2.0L NA unit, the CFE puts out 138 hp and 205 Nm, healthy figures by any measure. By the way, CFE did not start life as a Campro CPS, but is massively reworked from the original Campro engine.

Besides the soft turbocharger (0.75 bar), there’s intake VVT (first in the Campro series, not to be confused with CPS, which is more of a valve lift system) and a “torque-based” 32-bit ECU unique to the CFE. On a whole, engineers say that 70% of engine components are new and unique to the CFE. On the spec sheet, you’ll notice a shorter stroke and lower compression ratio (8.9 instead of 10). Look at the diagram for the rest of the changes.

Click to enlarge

Paired to the Punch sourced continuously variable transmission (CVT), 0-100 km/h is done in 11.3 seconds, not 13.3 seconds as previously thought. We now have a hard copy of the brochure, which lists the faster time. The 13.3 figure came from the leaked scan sent to us by a reader, which is an older and not-finalised version of the brochure. Quoted top speed is 185 km/h and fuel consumption at a constant 90 km/h is 7.8 litres per 100 km.

By the way, the CVT unit used here is not identical to the one used in the Saga FLX. The one here (internal code CVT3) comes with a higher torque rating (220 Nm instead of 186 Nm) and the oil cooler is also more powerful (12.5 kW instead of 10 kW) to cope with the higher load. Also, Proton will only use the original CVT fluid (ExxonMobil EZL799) to maximise reliability.

Turbocharged CFE does not have the CPS system, but comes with intake VVT

The CFE + CVT drivetrain completely transforms the Exora experience. Proton’s first full MPV was a good drive all along, bringing a more sophisticated level of ride and handling to the affordable MPV sector. It is also family friendly, comes with more space than price rivals and has all the features one expects for the money. However one major “could be better” point for us was the strength of the Campro CPS mill, or rather the lack of.

You see, the 1.6-litre CPS is the sort of motor that requires “spanking” to get the best out of it, coming alive in the higher regions of the tacho. This isn’t a bad thing in itself, and there’s a certain pleasure to be had in coaxing out the performance, but an MPV isn’t the best vehicle for such histrionics. It is the lack of low end torque that gave rise to the impression of the Exora being “underpowered.”

110 km/h is done at a relaxed 2,400 rpm; toggling the trip computer is a hassle

Enter the turbocharged CFE. With peak torque of 205 Nm coming into play at 2,000 rpm and staying there all the way to 4,000 rpm, the previously lethargic approach has been banished for good. Combined with the instantaneous rise in revs brought by the CVT, the Bold is quick off the line and response is good. The CFE isn’t as smooth revving as the 1.6L Prince engine found in Peugeots and MINIs, but it’s not particularly coarse as well, so all’s good.

Usual CVT rules apply, so when one’s in a hurry, there’s a lot of groan and moan from the engine. But there’s a Stepped Automatic Transmission (SAT) button that causes the ‘box to emulate a six-speed conventional torque converter AT. Press it and you do feel the revs fall back “for the next gear,” but the “gearchanges” are blunt and slow.

With SAT activated, the CVT will try to emulate a torque converter auto ‘box

We first encountered the AT-mimicking CVT in the facelifted Corolla Altis, and Toyota’s rendition remains more convincing. Otherwise, the Punch CVT works decently enough, even if it falls short of Nissan’s CVTs for cohesiveness. Personally, I’m not a fan of CVT, but Proton picked it for efficiency, and you can’t argue with that.

There is another function that eluded most of us journos, the “L” function. Pushing the lever down from D to L is sort of like activating a “Sport Mode”, where the revs rise by about 1,000 rpm with the same throttle opening, giving more sense of urgency along with some added noise. However, I found the physical shift action from D to L a little sticky. Small matter, that.

Drive-wise, the Exora rides well despite the wheel upsize to 16 inches. It showed a steady high speed highway ride and good composure on the poorly surfaced B roads that made up a big portion of our route to Tanjung Jara on the East Coast. Unlike some rivals, there’s no hopping around at the rear, and even the few big potholes we hit met with adequate damping.

Steering precision and feel were a little short of Proton’s usual standards, but just about acceptable for an MPV. However, they could have done better than the GT Radial Champiro tyres on our test car. A tyre swap will be a good investment.

From the driver’s seat, the view out is superb, thanks to the generous glass areas (passengers will enjoy this too) and the new reverse camera with rear view camera display is very useful. I also liked the feel of the chunky leather wrapped steering wheel and the individual fold down arm rest for the front seats.

One inconvenience is the process of jogging the info (range, average FC, etc) on the trip computer. There’s just a single button, so you press it till “ODO” shows on the right display, before doing a long press to switch data on the left display. Quite hard to fully concentrate on the road ahead when doing this.

As a middle row passenger, I was thankful for my personal air con vent (rear section fan speed is independently controlled) and the ability to catch a movie (I didn’t), but felt that the bench was a little short and flat.

With the addition of a turbocharged engine and more kit, it’s easier to forget that the Exora Bold is not a rival to the Mazda 5, Honda Stream, Peugeot 5008 and gang, but an RM80k MPV that fights cars like the Toyota Avanza and Nissan Grand Livina. The Proton is a more sophisticated and well-rounded product than those two – it drives better, has a lot more go, has more space and more kit. If a foreign badge is not a must have, this is the best MPV below RM100k one can buy in Malaysia.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 17:28:23 +0000.

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Five-fold mega SUV shootout: Mitsubishi ASX v Nissan X-Trail v Honda CR-V v Hyundai Tucson v Peugeot 3008!

Danny Tan — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 10:35:33 +0000

Granted, the sport utility vehicle segment has a different luster than that of more than a decade ago, when the class was fresh and burgeoning, and manufacturers were falling over each other to fill the slots in the new opening. Then, robustness was generally the operative word, so an SUV had to be tough to tackle terrain and yet be compliant enough for urban use. Not the easiest thing to manage, you can imagine.

Time – as well as trial and error – has seen the category become more refined, and the sparkle these days is probably better at wooing buyers. A more focused scope has come about, with the need to be able to traverse the great outdoors in rugged fashion pretty much left behind, like it should have been in the first place. Today’s SUV is very much a suburban-centric offering, aimed at the urban crowd for which a sedan doesn’t have enough space and presence, and a MPV too much, and boringly so.

Now, most of us know how capable these vehicles are, taken on their own, but how do they fare when pitted against each other? With that in mind, we decided to take a closer look at how they match up, pitting five examples – the Mitsubishi ASX, Nissan X-Trail, Honda CR-V, Hyundai Tucson and Peugeot 3008 – in a quintet face-off to see how it all shapes up.

There are other contenders, namely the new Kia Sportage, the Suzuki Grand Vitara, the long-in-the-tooth Ford Escape as well as the likes of the Chevrolet Captiva, for example, but adding more than what we ended up with would have made the task unmanageable. It’s all nice to read a nine or 10 SUV shootout, but doing one is another thing altogether.

That said, on with the show to see which one ends up as the king of this particular hill.

EXTERIOR

Danny says

The five SUVs assembled here range from a big box to one not much bigger than the hatchback it’s based on, from building blocks to fluidic sculptures, so there’s bound to be one to suit one’s taste. Agree?

I’m not much of an SUV kind of guy (the Audi Q5 is another matter), and there is no overwhelming favourite for me either, but I like the blend of sharp lines and compact proportions of the Mitsubishi ASX. This deep shade of red probably isn’t the most flattering, and it could do with a sportier set of wheels, but I like it best.

The most flamboyant of the group by a mile is the Hyundai Tucson. It’s very eye-catching, and like Anthony, I like that muscular rear three-quarters view the best. Not so in love with the fussy face, but this is a great example of a self-confident, expressive design, as opposed to the “play safe, don’t offend” looks of previous gen Koreans. It’s a gamble, but it’s paying off big time for Hyundai.

Never liked the popping eyes + double grille look of the CR-V, which for reasons unknown, brings a startled hippo to mind. The Honda is no longer repulsive thanks to familiarity, but it’s not pretty either, which brings us to the Peugeot. The 3008 is just too odd for me – the proportions, overhangs, and that face – I just don’t get it. Would love to interview the designer someday, just to know what inspired him. I quite like how its MPV sibling 5008 looks, though

One can’t fault the X-Trail for being a box, because that’s wholly intentional on Nissan’s part. The carmaker says that first-gen X-Trail owners (and there are many of them) love their SUV’s macho square cut lines, so they made more of the same. And with more rivals going the crossover route, the “keep it true” X-Trail may find itself serving a large number of taste buds.

As they say, one man’s meat…

Harvinder says

Lets face it. Looks are somewhat important when you talk about cars and it’s correct to assume so in this case. Good looking cars somehow attract us, but at end the of the day, if a car is good looking to one it doesn’t necessarily mean it is good looking to another. All subjective, to say the least.

In the case of these five SUVs I must admit that two cars stand out from the pack. One is the Peugeot 3008, while the other is the Hyundai Tucson. I think you can safely guess why the 3008 is in my standout list. Well, yes, you’re right, it stands out because it does look a little quirky, perhaps a little too modern for today’s tastes.

Don’t get me wrong, the 3008 does have some good angles, but definitely not as many compared to the rest of the line-up we have here. The taillights remind me of strawberries for some reason, while the front makes me think of JAWS. Weird, I know, but that’s what crossed my mind. Then we have the Hyundai Tucson at the end of spectrum, something that has gone through a lot to come this far.

At first glance, the Tucson strikes you as a good looking thing. Very sweet and pleasant from almost any angle. Hyundai’s designers have been working around the clock to come up with the designs they have now, which I must say, are rather appealing. In this case, just like other Hyundais at the moment, the form is treated with the fluidic design concept and it’s working well here.

However, I do feel that the car is a little too ‘fluidic’ for me, if you know what I mean. There’s a tad too much on the design lines, which I consider the only off-putting thing the Tucson has in terms of design. Nevertheless, that’s just me as the design seems to the be cup of tea to many out there, and I can understand why.

As for Nissan X-Trail, I find this one a bit too utilitarian, a little too boxy. It looks as though it has a lot of design elements that doesn’t seem to fit well together. At times, I feel that some design elements on the X-Trail are afterthoughts. The Honda CR-V seems like a decent looking offering, with the right proportions and not overcooked. However, I think the Tucson comes up ahead of the X-Trail and the CR-V in the design department.

Among all the SUVs we have here, I consider the Mitsubishi ASX as the SUV with the right balance in the looks category. I like the fact that it has Mitsubishi’s trademark jet fighter grille. The aggressiveness is a nice touch and it doesn’t breach the “too much” point in the scale. The ASX looks very good from almost every angle, and is the only SUV here that really looks like a car.

Overall, the Hyundai Tucson and the Mitsubishi ASX are my choices in terms of design. Comparing both, I find that the Tucson is a bit too flashy for me, probably like a model who has a little too much make up, while the ASX feels about right.

Anthony says

The assembled bunch looked every bit the motley crew, what with the box-like X-Trail mixing it up with the flowing Tucson, and the ASX and 3008 looking more crossover than SUV. An interesting mix of shapes, to say the least.

From an aesthetics point of view, the X-Trail isn’t going to win any contests for being the curviest creature, or indeed the sexiest thing on four donuts. With a shape that feels like slabs chunked together, this is very much a box on wheels. The utilitarian shape, however, hints at the volumetric scope within, and you just know this one – which is larger than the first-generation model – is going to offer loads of it. Function over form, indeed.

The Tucson takes its place at the other end of the swing, and showboats all those curves and swoops like it’s going out of fashion. Certainly, there’s nothing reserved about how it parades its wares, though I have reservations as to how the lines will hold up as time progresses. I love the rear though, viewed straight on from behind; of the five, it’s the derriere with the most flair and appeal.

As for the CR-V, the third-generation model is heading towards its end of duty tour, but retains a balanced appeal about it. Not the most exciting, the RE, but plying the safe route means the exterior has held up well enough over the four years plus of its life cycle so far. For sure, the buying public has found – and continues to find – its quiet elegance to be more than agreeable, and this includes my other half; the CR-V here happens to be her vehicle.

Meanwhile, the Peugeot rolls into the fray here looking a bit of an oddity, like it doesn’t quite belong. It’s the smallest looking vehicle of the bunch, and the shape drew mixed opinions from the team. I quite like the front from certain angles, but for sure it’s not the type of vehicle you’d gawk at the whole day. The European influence in its lines is unmistakable though, and it does look very solidly hewn compared to the Asian opposition.

Finally, the ASX. It’s the one with the leanest, most athletic stance, essentially looking very much the prowler. The wedge front works for me and the overall lines offer good proportionate scale, despite its lack of overall mass.

Indeed, it’s my pick of the five from the exterior point of view, the ASX. I’ve always preferred my cars lean and on the smaller side, and while the 3008 may also be so, its disposition is a bit too soft and too rounded for my taste. I’ve gotten so used to the CR-V it’s become a familiar shoe, so it doesn’t have quite the charm it once had. You can probably tell the X-Trail doesn’t work at all for me, and it never did even with the first incarnation. The Tucson’s flash is striking though, so it’s a close second in my books.

INTERIOR

Danny says

Throughout our test period, I spent the most time in the Nissan and Peugeot, collecting the former and returning the latter to their owners. I love the X-Trail’s cabin for its excellent view out (lots of glass, square corners) and comfort. The fabric seats are big and cushy, typically Nissan, and there’s nothing to learn or get used to – you just step in and drive.

However, the spartan look and feel may be a disadvantage in the showroom, making Nissan look stingy. But that’s not entirely true either.

While the X-Trail lacks some basic kit such as climate control, leather and buttons for the steering, as well as flashy toys such as the Hyundai’s push start button/panoramic roof, Mitsu’s 2-DIN head unit or Honda’s cool instrument panel, it’s the only car here to come with electric adjustment for the driver’s seat as well bi-xenons, kit that even the “fully-loaded” Euro-spec Peugeot doesn’t have. And if given a choice, I’d have those over auto air con and auto cruise.

It’s a car that that the family will love as well. Tall seating position, high roof, large windows and the useful boot trays with compartments are good for road trips or ronda-ronda sessions.

The Peugeot is a good family car as well, if you have a small family with young kids, that is. The expansive panoramic glass roof is spectacular, but rear legroom is very tight. Passable if someone my height is seated in front, but if they are tall, rear knee-room can go down to almost nothing. The 3008 must be tried for size, because it’s not for all.

It’s for those who want some sports car feel from their SUV. The Pug’s driving quarters is very cozy and enclosed, with a sloping centre stack and a tall centre console that divides the front section into two distinct areas.

It’s very cockpit like, and the driver is boss, which matches the driving character of the 3008. He/she is faced with plenty of toggle switches and twin pod dials. There’s also the much boasted head-up display (HUD), although I personally find this to be rather gimmicky.

Unlike BMW’s version, the image here is shot on a separate screen that can be erected by a toggle switch, and although the image (only digital km/h) can be adjusted for height, I still had to lower eye focus to view it, defeating the very purpose of HUD. The operation of the screen in our test car was also very noisy.

That aside, I wasn’t very comfortable with the angle of the left foot rest, and my idle foot became quite restless as a result. This is an unusual observation, since I’m usually immune to many ergonomic challenges pointed out by Paul and Harve.

Step into the Honda CR-V and it becomes clear why this is THE SUV to have for many upper middle-class households. It doesn’t have as many toys as some other cars in this test, or even as much soft touch plastics, but feels the most premium from behind the wheel. This isn’t easy to explain, but the lighting, that nice MID between the dials, the brushed trim, the tactile quality of the knobs and buttons, and the full house centre stack gives off a full-function, technical and expensive feel.

I also like the abundance of storage spaces and cubbies in the Honda, derived from locating the gear lever on the centre stack. Rear passengers are also in for a treat – legroom is superb in this company, although it could feel even more spacious with a lighter coloured cabin, as opposed to black.

The Mitsubishi ASX, which also has a dark room cabin, is much less spacious than the CR-V inside, something the spec sheets won’t tell you – the ASX’s 2,670 mm wheelbase is actually 50 mm longer than the Honda’s.

The good stuff surrounds the driver – nice sporty steering wheel, long magnesium shift paddles, clear (almost VW/Audi like) dials – but MMC has improved perceived quality over that in the Lancer.

The dash areas closest to occupants are now padded with soft touch plastics, as are the door caps. The multi-info display is colourful and high res, a big improvement over the jagged figures in the Lancer. Also, the instantaneous FC bar also has a “bookmark” for the average done so far, so there’s extra motivation to be light-footed, if that’s your direction.

The head unit is the usual locally-fitted (by MMM) Kenwood system, which isn’t the most user friendly, but it’s feature-packed (reverse camera, DVD player, large full colour touch-screen, etc) and looks impressive, so no complaints.

Last but not least, the Hyundai Tucson. Just like the bold shell, Hyundai has gone for showcar dashboard design that matches the exterior bravado. Lots of sweeping curves and elements means your eyes are in for a workout. There’s this theme of two opposing kinks in the overall dash mould, the centre stack as well as the steering wheel. As with modern Hyundais, the theme is blue. I can understand the modern, techy appeal of the Tucson’s dash, but personally I prefer something more subtle and refined.

Plenty of adjustment available in the Tucson, so driving positions for various sizes shouldn’t be a problem. Outward visibility is not great in this group, a high waistline and shallow windows see to that. Off the shoulder rear view is also poor, but with such a design, you can’t win it all. The showroom appeal and many toys (keyless entry, push button start, integrated stereo with USB, iPod and AUX input) might delay the dreaded knuckle rap, which reveals hard plastics. They don’t feel super nasty or cheap though, and is not an issue to many.

It’s also good that our 2.0 High Spec test car comes with a panoramic glass roof (split into two, like the W211 Merc E-Class, Sonata YF), since the cabin feels rather enveloping and dark in this company.

In terms of design, in and out, the Tucson is everything the X-Trail isn’t, vice versa. One is unapologetically utilitarian and functional, the other designed to wow and impress. I want some from both ends, and like the CR-V’s blend of good comfort and space, plus premium feel dashboard.

Harvinder says

The cabin is one of the most important things one should consider when buying a car, and unfortunately many potential buyers or owners out there spend less time thinking about a car’s interior before making the decision. It is a place where the driver and his passengers will spend most of the time throughout the ownership experience.

Before I continue with my bit on the interior, I must point out that out of all the SUVs we have here, three are Japanese, one is Korean while another is French. Now, I don’t think I need to emphasize that when it comes interior, the European guys have been doing it well and the Asian rivals, although some are pretty good, are still playing catch up in this department.

To me, I feel that is is true in this case at least. The Peugeot 3008 to me, has the best interior when it comes to tactility and comfort for the driver. As soon as you get into the driver’s seat, you’ll instantly tell yourself that “this is not a driver’s seat, this is a cockpit”. The driver’s section is truly like a jet-fighter’s cockpit with the centre dash somewhat focused towards the driver.

Even the switches and knobs make you imagine you are in a car with wings. The tactility of the interior is pretty good as well, with soft-touch materials in the right places. Personally, I take seat comfort seriously and it is important to have something that is able to support your back properly. It pays when you have those long distance drives and to me, the seat also plays a role to making you feel that you are in a premium vehicle.

The French have got it right with the 3008. The front seats are very comfortable and they offer the best support among all SUVs we have here. I particularly like the headrest design, which reminds me of the ones used in the W211 Mercedes-Benz E-Class. You can tilt it forward to better support your lower neck.

Other features like the glass roof, the rear two-piece tail gate, dual zone air-conditioning and electric parking brake is a nice touch too, but I do agree with Danny on the part HUD portion which is a bit tricky to use. The major downside of the 3008’s interior is that the rear legroom is a little on the tighter side of things. It’s not a very comfortable place for large-sized occupants. Also, it would be great to have a fully-electric front seat, at least for the driver.

The Nissan X-Trail is not a bad place to be in either. It does look a bit utilitarian on the inside, with a rather simple feel to things, but it is quite comfortable and the space, including the rear cabin, is pretty good too.

If you’re okay with the simplistic approach, the X-Trail’s interior can be a nice place for you to be in. There are plenty of compartments, including a double luggage floor system, as well as a 6-way adjustable power seat for the driver, which interestingly is not offered with rest of the SUVs we have here.

The Honda CR-V also has a decent interior and for some reason, it does feel a little premium despite not having many soft-touch surfaces. Honda seems to be good in doing this, even with less expensive cars like the entry level City.

To me, the most striking thing about the CR-V’s interior is its rear legroom, which is very good. You’d be a very happy rear passenger; it’s reminiscent of the Civic, which also offers good legroom space. Just like the X-Trail, storage compartments are very much adequate in the Honda. There are also features like dual zone air-conditioning and cruise control, similar to the 3008.

Just like the exterior, the interior of the Hyundai Tucson also has carries over the flowing design. It looks pretty good if you ask me, but there is a let down though. The interior does not feel premium and it is even outperformed by the X-Trail, if you ask me. There are hard plastics everywhere and even for a car that has done over 30,000 kilometers, the interior felt worn a little, which isn’t a good thing.

Don’t get me wrong, the design is nice, but you have to wonder if it’ll last the distance. Things like the start-stop button are nice to have, but it does little to overshadow the flaws. The ASX has a decent interior which doesn’t look cluttered and at the same time, it doesn’t look cheap as well.

The seating position for the driver is just about right, making it a better option for those who like a sporty feel behind the wheel. I find that the full colour high-resolution LCD multi-information display nestled in between the instrument gauges quite a cool feature to have, thanks to a fuel consumption monitor that incorporates both instantaneous as well as average readings. The rear cabin could have used a little more legroom though.

Overall, I find that the Peugeot 3008 has the best interior; I can make do with the smaller rear cabin, although I really feel that an electric driver’s seat should have been included.

Anthony says

From an interior perspective, the differences in character continue to show. With practically most of the time being spent in the driver’s seat during the comparo, there was little time to delve in detail the sub-practicalities of things such as boot space and rear seat comfort levels, save for the CR-V, which I’m, erm, rather intimate with.

First up, the Tucson, which lends its allure through more sweeping contours on the inside, as well as with a host of tech bling – there’s stop-start button ignition and an auto dimming rear view central mirror, for starters. These mask the lack of items such as cruise control and going the manual air-conditioning route.

If there’s a gripe with the Tucson’s interior, it’s with the presentation – no complaints about how the layout is presented, but the design elan notwithstanding, the hard-looking plastics cheapen the visual appeal considerably. There are also questions about material durability. The interior of the evaluator, with more than 30k on the clock, looked a bit worse for wear. For example, the engine stop-start button’s wording was already looking quite worn, hence the questions.

Still, there’s much more fanfare in it than on the likes of the X-Trail and ASX, which both feature rather austere cabins. The ASX, with its blackened interior, feels the more spartan of the two, and is reminiscent of the Lancer sedan’s bare approach. It’s more premium in feel though than the Lancer material-wise, so points for this.

The ASX also doesn’t feel as small as you think it would be. The cabin is intimate, but not claustrophobic, even if larger-sized drivers in the Mitsubishi look like they’re driving a Hyundai Getz (not my words). The driving enthusiast will find much to like in this one, with everything presented in line with the vehicle’s sporty pretensions, as will those who like their porridge plain.

Meanwhile, the X-Trail offers very much the same path, presenting a cabin that looks plain bare upon first glance. The plastics are typically Nissan, serviceable but not the final word in premium. This plainness is offset by plenty of practical features – cubby holes and storage space are to be found galore, and items such as rear air-con vents, for example, add to the list. And that volume suggested from the outside is translated when you’re in the vehicle. It feels downright spacious, the X-Trail does.

A note too about its seat comfort, which is the softest in terms of comfort of all the five vehicles; it is a little bit too soft for my liking, especially over long distances, but many will no doubt value its plushness. The Peugeot’s front seat, however, is the standout for me.

The Peugeot’s cabin also features the best material and trim, clean and unfettered, but all hewn together in solid fashion and very elegant in its presentation. Cabin space, however, feels pinched, and if you have tall occupants in front, it’s bad news for those in the rear, where legroom is concerned.

And the 3008 still feels lacking in open and accessible storage space, as previously noted when I drove it during its original media test drive a good while back – attempts to house wallet, phone, keys and cigarettes without having to call in the large storage box were as challenging as before. I still think there’s a photon torpedo launcher housed underneath that huge-assed centre console tunnel, but the firing button is proving rather elusive to find.

So, of the lot, my pick is with the CR-V’s interior. It’s easy to forget how well Honda gets it right where it matters – aside from the excellent rear legroom, the cabin presentation has a premium feel to it, even if there’s not much bling and fanfare in terms of tech and features.

The plastics may be hard, but they don’t look cheap, and the centre console layout, along with the instrument cluster – especially lit up at night – is fetching. It’s not quite Pug territory, but it’s well ahead of the rest of the group. Storage in the CR-V’s front is more than adequate, though there are quirks elsewhere, like where the 12V socket is placed, which is set too low and difficult to access, especially in the dark.

Still, throw in items such as cruise control and auto climate control as well as the small, almost imperceptible tactile bits (the feel of the switchgear operation is a perfect example) and you can see exactly how the Honda scores where it counts.

PERFORMANCE

Danny says

Although it’s no sports car, the Peugeot is the sports car of the group. It’s the only Continental on call here, and preaches Europe’s downsizing philosophy – direct injection, smaller capacity, forced induction. The 156 hp it makes is no big deal in our 2.0L SUV party, but it’s the turbo engine’s 240 Nm from a mere 1,400 rpm that makes all the difference here.

This gives the 3008 useful punch away from standstill, and good flexibility. Although the pace is subdued a little from the 308 Turbo, which it shares its drivetrain with, possibly due to the extra weight, it should be more than enough go for those shopping in this segment. The official 0-100 km/h time is 9.5 seconds – it practice, the 3008 feels faster than that. As usual, it’s smooth revving and quite linear in delivery.

We must also mention the six-speed automatic gearbox, which is a quantum leap over the “Porsche Tiptronic” four-speeder of old. It’s still not the fastest or snappiest torque converter auto around, but it no longer has a mind of its own, and is competent enough to not annoy.

The “sports car of the group” rep isn’t just from the pace, though. The 3008 feels quite agile and pointy in the bends, and the way the car resists body roll is impressive. This flat stance encourages one to push harder, since there’s no clumsy weight transfer to put you off. No, it doesn’t claw into corners like a hot hatch, but one can at least make the most of what he has in the Peugeot with ease. Sacrifices? Ride comfort is not the best, others soak up bumps better.

If there’s an element from the other SUVs I would want in the Peugeot’s drive, it’s the ASX’s steering. Direct and blessed with good feel, the Mitsu’s helm is as “sporty” as the wheel itself looks. The ASX is also good to drive, but one downside is the lack of cruising refinement. There’s a good deal of road/tyre roar seeping into the cabin. I wonder if a tyre swap would help…

The ASX carries over the Lancer’s 4B11 engine and CVT gearbox. I’m not a fan of CVT, but the transmission works well, and there’s always the manual mode when the mood arises, although it still doesn’t feel 100% natural in those six virtual ratios.

For non-fans, the company in the best position to persuade is Nissan. Their Xtronic CVT works like a charm in the Sylphy and the X-Trail we have here. It’s the CVT, as advertised. Mostly smooth and cohesive like the best torque converter autos (except pedal to metal from rest, perhaps), I never once used the manual mode because I couldn’t have done it better. There’s real connection between the speedo and tacho needle, and the drivetrain feels almost resistance-free as you pull away.

Stats that read 139 PS and 198 Nm look below par on paper, but the X-Trail’s smooth flowing style meant that I didn’t crave for more go. The only time it felt lacking was when we were searching for top speed way above the speed limit – a lot of effort was needed to get past the 130-140 km/h zone.

That easygoing drivetrain is part of a similarly likeable package. The X-Trail’s ride comfort is best of the lot for me, soaking up bumps like they were never there and staying rock steady on the highway. We get our supply from Indonesia, so perhaps it’s the local tuning to suit the harsh roads there at work? Whatever it is, our roads aren’t great either, so it’s all good.

All these fit well with a tall ride height with cushy seats and good all round visibility, making the X-Trail a great urban machine and a soothing long distance one.

The Honda CR-V would have also been a good highway cruiser, if not for its hyper sensitive steering. It’s good for the most part, but I found myself feeding constant small inputs to keep it on course during highway drives. It’s not a major or safety issue, but it meant that I wasn’t fully relaxed, and my hands got tired after awhile.

Other than that, the popular segment leader is typically Honda. The engine revs happily with a familiar mechanical buzz, and is quite nice to work on, although more grunt would have been very welcome here. The five-speed auto is as precise and quick as ever. The CR-V’s well judged ride is firm, but never crashy or noisy.

Which leaves the Tucson. I truly admire Hyundai’s brave new direction with its latest products, which has dramatically increased desirabilty. Their cars are now technically on par with class leaders, if not better, and there are plenty of toys to maximise showroom appeal. For me though, the most effective weapon in their new arsenal is design, capturing the imagination of many who previously overlooked Korean wheels. Perfect cars then?

Not yet. Technically, all’s good, but the Tucson (and Sonata) aren’t class leaders in subjective matters. For instance, while the 2.0 Theta II engine’s 166 PS and 197 Nm sound impressive and provide decent go, the engine isn’t the smoothest revving four-pot around, and is quite resonant in the third half of the rev range. The six-speed gearbox, while competent, isn’t as intuitive as the Honda’s, for instance.

There’s not a lot of mechanical grip either – I’ve seen the ESP light come on in corners where I didn’t expect any help. And steering, a very subjective thing, is something that Hyundai-Kia has yet to master.

But these finer points are invisible to the majority of buyers, so we don’t blame Hyundai for not putting “driving pleasure” and “finesse” as top priority. If I were them, my resources would have went into the exact same areas: on paper spec, equipment to wow and bold design.

Strangely, I ended up preferring the X-Trail in this segment, although the Peugeot’s pace and Mitsu’s steering are on the wish list. For me, SUVs are family cars, and the Nissan’s ride comfort, ease of use and silky drivetrain is the best combo here. Looking in the rear view mirror, my family agrees too!

Harvinder says

Now to the part I love the most. Let us start off with the CR-V. It comes with a 2.0 litre i-VTEC that makes 148 hp and 190 Nm of torque from 4,200 rpm. The numbers are anything but impressive, and unfortunately with 1,540 kg to haul it feels as if the CR-V can do with a more powerful engine.

Acceleration does feel heavy but once you’ve reached a set cruising speed, the power issues fades away, until you slam the accelerator to overtake the car in front of you, that is. The shifting of its five-speed automatic is decent enough and the electric power steering feels a little heavy at times, but it’s not really an issue to me.

Its ride comfort is good, with no irritating bumpiness whatsoever. In terms of handling, I find the CR-V performance at an average level. The X-Trail’s MR20DE twin-cam engine has less power than the CR-V, at 137 hp, though torque is slightly higher, 198 Nm to be exact, from 4,400 rpm. It does pull away slightly better than the CR-V, and it uses Nissan’s Xtronic CVT transmission, with a six-speed manual mode.

To be honest. I am not a fan of the CVTs – I find the sound that the engine makes because of it being rather irritating. However, the Xtronic isn’t that bad and it works smoothly, or fluidly, to use another term. Acceleration is effortless; however, it does take a while for it to achieve higher speed. In terms of ride comfort, the X-Trail does well in absorbing bumps and irregularities. At the same time it is also firm enough for high speed travel. The Nissan boys have got it right with this one.

The Hyundai Tucson’s Theta II 2.0 litre engine is quite powerful on paper, with 164 hp and 197 Nm of torque at 4,600 rpm, and carries over the power into actual driving. It does however tend to sound a little rough when you rev it hard. The power unit is paired with a six-speed slush box, which does its job well enough, although it could use a little more refinement.

This applies to the drivability of the Tucson as well. It handles good enough for normal day-to-day driving and its un-refinement is easily hidden if you don’t push the car hard. Even so, you can actually toss the Tucson around corners, though it would definitely benefit from a more refined handling and a steering with a better feel. In terms of ride quality, this Korean seems to be a bit stiff, a little bumpier on the rough roads.

The Mitsubishi ASX is one car that seems to excel in the handling department. This is one SUV or crossover or what ever you fancy that handles like a car. Agile and nimble would be the right word to describe the ASX. It is no Megane RS, but among its rivals in this shootout, it is right at the top.

You can practically chuck it around bends and it won’t bite back, as long as you don’t go overboard. The chassis seems to communicate with you well through the steering wheel, which also offers a good feel. In terms of power, it is decent with its 2.0 litre DOHC MIVEC putting out 148 hp , identical to the CR-V, and 197 Nm of torque at 2,400 rpm.

Although quite similar in terms of power figures, you do feel more punch in the ASX. This also joins the X- Trail in offering a CVT unit with six-speed manual mode.

Finally we have the Peugeot 3008, which doesn’t really give us an apple to apple comparison in terms of engine type when put against the other four SUVs we have here. There are two major differences. First up is the fact that the engine is a 1.6 litre, instead of a 2.0 litre with the rest. Secondly, it is force-inducted. It is basically the same engine as the MINI, the rather famous 1.6 litre Prince unit.

It makes 156 hp and most importantly, 240 Nm of torque from as low as 1,400 rpm. The higher torque at lower revs proves to be very instrumental in zipping around traffic. Overall, you can safely say that 3008 is the most powerful of the lot, all thanks to the turbo, so no issues at all with acceleration and getting fast quickly. The Pug uses a good old six-speed transmission, which works without a fuss.

The ride comfort is pretty good, with high levels of comfort too. In terms of handling, you can take some pretty serious corners with it, but I still prefer the ASX. Something about the latter’s character makes the whole driving experience sportier. Overall, my pick would be the ASX in regards to overall performance from the SUVs we have here.

Anthony says

Ambling along the highway isn’t how one should define which of the lot to be the best, but the time spent plying the route did reveal a fair bit about each vehicle’s character; there was some hard driving done briefly on each later, which revealed yet more, but given that 99% of these SUVs owners aren’t likely to subject their rides to such, most of the basis – for me at least – was from that gleaned waltzing along.

The Tucson was my first ride out, and as before, when I drove it at point of launch, the 2.0 litre Theta II mill proved willing to get things moving. It feels perky from the get-go, buoyant in its character; conversely, it feels that bit less refined when pushed, and can be a bit zingy at the top end. As a cruiser the Tucson does well enough, though there is a fair amount of road noise, and the steering needs a bit of corrective input in terms of straight-line retention, but the light, easy feel of the rack makes it simple on the shoulders.

The plastics notwithstanding, the itemisation of the layout and switchgear operation in the Hyundai is pretty much fuss-free. One minus is the lack of reach adjustment for the steering, something that is also an oversight on the X-Trail and ASX. Seat comfort is decent, though not group-leading.

As a driver’s car, or crossover, if you prefer, the ASX is by far the leader of the assembled five-pack. The level of steering feel and communication is by far the highest of the lot, as is the vehicle’s response to dramatic changing load/direction. Agile, in a flamboyant manner, the main reason why you’d want one is because you love to drive, with everything else secondary.

Meanwhile, the 3008 drove well, and the turbocharged Prince 1.6 mill chugged along with the least amount of strain of all the engines throughout the drive. It felt like it was consuming the most fuel, based on the onboard readout, but this proved to be deceptive (see fuel consumption section below). In-cabin comfort is high, and the plushness of the interior, despite that pinched feeling, makes doing the miles all that bit easier.

Still, its size means that it is at a slight disadvantage compared to the rest of the crowd here, the ASX notwithstanding. I still don’t think it’s a SUV, which it was tagged when it was launched. A good compact-ish crossover for the young urban family, yes. Super utility people mover, er, no. Drives well though, so it gets brownie points here.

From an interior perspective, the Nissan simply overwhelms the rest. The rather-too-soft driver seat aside, everything about the X-Trail screams functionality. It isn’t the fastest, nor the most agile, nor does it have the sense of presence or grandeur. But there’s acres of space in that cavernous cabin, and something about it works, at least to me – I found myself liking it more with every passing mile.

Easy to drive, there’s nothing imposing in its character; it’s vanilla, really – you get in, turn the key and get to your intended destination without fuss, fanfare or any sort of emotion, for that matter. All that functionality, dished out in a completely neutral manner. It isn’t as bad as it sounds, actually.

Finally, we come to the CR-V. I spent the least amount of time in it during the test session, but driving it regularly keeps reminding me why so many view it as the de facto choice in this market when it comes to putting their money on the table for a mid-price, mid-size SUV.

Yes, the 2.0 litre block can feel slightly underpowered at the lower end pushing that mass (it felt the laziest of the lot in start-offs). The steering is also on the heavier side of things, and needs quite a bit of corrective input during highway driving.

But in every other sense, the Honda gets it right. From the tactility of the switchgear operation (which makes all the others, save the 3008, feel cheap) to the interior presentation levels, the CR-V feels good to the touch and sight. It is agile enough when asked, and balanced would best describe its overall level of driving engagement. In all, it feels well thought out, the type of product that you know a copious amount of time has been spent refining all the key points. In this regard, it’s an absolute toss-up between the neutral functionality of the X-Trail and the refined, cultured presentation of the CR-V.

FUEL CONSUMPTION

During the group test drive, we travelled 412 km from the Klang Valley to Ipoh, and back. It included stop and go traffic, town driving and, of course, highway cruising along the PLUS Expressway.

The route we selected allowed us to test the cars in various road conditions where we spent quite a bit of our time on the highway. During the test drive we also carried out a fuel test for all the SUVs involved, with measures employed to ensure accuracy such as adhering to the 110 km/h national speed limit, keeping a safe distance between the cars, ensuring that all cars are driven by all test drivers (to make sure all SUVs get a consistent driving pattern overall) and so on.

Here are the final results:

Peugeot 3008 (1.6 litre Turbo) – 7.37 litres / 100 km
Mitsubishi ASX (2.0 litre NA) – 7.5 litres / 100 km
Honda CR-V (2.0 litre NA) – 8.3 litres / 100 km
Nissan X-Trail (2.0 litre NA) – 8.6 litres / 100 km
Hyundai Tucson (2.0 litre NA) – 8.7 litres / 100 km

The 3008 took the top honours, with the ASX following closely behind. These were the only two which breached the 8.0 litre per 100 km mark following the test, and the 3008’s lower displacement (and turbocharger) 1.6 liter engine likely has contributed to its number one spot here.

It’s also interesting to note that the ASX, which uses a normally-aspirated 2.0 litre engine, achieved 7.5 litres per 100 km, just 0.13 litres behind the 3008, which makes it the most fuel efficient vehicle among its 2.0 litre competitors and it is also very comparable to the Pug.

We reckon that the ASX achieved almost similar numbers due to its engine tune, its MIVEC (or Mitsubishi Innovative Valve timing Electronic Control system) calibration and of course its transmission tune. The engine also utilises a lightweight aluminium block which helps the ASX achieve positive such results. We must also take the vehicle kerb weight into account. It appears that the ASX is lighter than the 3008, with a kerb weight of 1,375 kg. Its French rival is 1,450 kg in comparison.

CONCLUSION

Danny says

Big or small, boxy or curvy, there’s an SUV for every one. No lemons here, just entries that excel in various areas. At the end of the day, it depends on what you want out of an SUV, whether as a great family wagon (Nissan fits the bill, Peugeot is out), a personal urban mobile (Peugeot and Mitsu are compact enough and drive well) or great value and bold design (Hyundai).

I love to drive, but I also view the SUV as a family car, which means that practicality and comfort are high in the list. The Honda CR-V is a good all-rounder, but I like the honest, self-confident X-Trail. The Nissan is comfortable in its own skin, and will make you feel as comfortable, too. As for those itchy moments, I’ll buy a cheap fun car.

Harvinder says

Overall, there’s no obvious winner here – all the SUVs here definitely pass the minimum requirement, so it’s a matter of personal choice. You should also look at other factors such as safety features and pricing. The 3008 comes with a 5-star Euro NCAP rating which is made up by 6-airbags, ESP and ISOFIX points, among others. It retails for RM146,888 (all prices here are OTR including insurance).

The Tucson on the other hand has two airbags and ESP and it retails at RM139,888 for the 2.0 litre High Spec. The ASX is also fitted with dual airbags and ESP (or ASC, as Mitsubishi calls it). Also in the list is Hill Start Assist. The ASX goes for RM139,980, which is similar to the Tucson. The CR-V comes with four airbags and ESP (or VSA) and it goes for RM149,980.

Finally, the X-Trail, which goes for RM149,500; it comes with, yes, you guessed it right, dual airbags but without ESP, which is interesting to note. It only has ABS with EBD and BA. That’s a bit of a downside, given a price tag that’s a shade off being the most expensive of the lot. To me, the fight would go down between the Mitsubishi ASX and the Peugeot 3008, if I were shopping for an SUV.

Anthony says

There wasn’t a runaway pick of the heap, not where I’m concerned; it’s nice to see how close things have gotten in the segment that there wasn’t one dominant player. The ASX is my weapon of choice from a driving perspective – the CVT aside, it is engaging, to say the least. But that’s never the only reason why one buys a vehicle in this segment. and its size means that those shopping for a full-fledged SUV may find this crossover too small for their needs.

The same goes for the 3008. Pluses are a highly refined interior and tractable, crowd-pleasing mill, but its lack of heft may preclude it as a straight choice to most. Its appeal lies with those who find the allure of a Continental offering winsome, and provides those seeking an alternative to the predominantly Japanese/Korean crowd a perfect option. A small family (quite literally, for rear occupants!) is also a prerequisite.

The Tucson shows how much the Koreans have closed the gap, but still, haven’t quite gotten the cigar – there are key areas in which its lack of absolute refinement shows it up (it’d have been very interesting pitting the plusher Sportage cousin into the mix against the Japanese competition). Still, the external shape is light years ahead of the previous one, and its main point is that it now offers a serious contender as an alternative if you don’t want to go with a Jap offering, and think a Pug is too much work.

In the end, from the assembled crew, I’d take my pick from the X-Trail and CR-V. I didn’t expect the X-Trail to figure as highly as it did – looks truly can be deceiving. I liked its honesty; it doesn’t paint anything more into the picture than it should, and it goes about everything in such clean, unfettered fashion there is much to like about it and its character.

As for the CR-V, well, its strength is in its overall presentation and coherency – here, it never led in any particular aspect, but scored high and kept pace with its overall level of refinement and, most importantly, its consistency in delivery across the board. A large number of buyers have likely found that very essence – and composition – appealing, given the numbers shifted through the years. With this household being one of these, I’m not inclined to disagree with the collective, that plying the safe, consistent route is not such a bad thing. The tick goes in this box for me then in this particular five-way.

Look after the jump for mega photo galleries of all 5 contenders.

GALLERY: Mitsubishi ASX

GALLERY: Honda CR-V

GALLERY: Nissan X-Trail

GALLERY: Peugeot 3008

GALLERY: Hyundai Tucson

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 17:28:23 +0000.

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DRIVEN: Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 in Sepang

Danny Tan — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 16:24:07 +0000

You’re looking at a future classic, the latest generation of a legendary lineage that counts the Countach, Diablo and Murcielago as ancestors. The latest V12 powered big Lamborghini with epic noise and scissor doors. Meet the Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4.

Sant’Agata’s latest flagship made its debut at this year’s Geneva show, and they have already collected over 1,500 orders, with a waiting list of 18 months!

Those with the ability to write a RM2.9 million cheque (that’s the estimated price of the Aventador in Malaysia) are not accustomed to waiting, but for this hot one, they will have to. We’ve also heard that Lambo won’t be making many of these…

Continue reading after the jump.

The Aventador brings new meaning to all-new, especially for Lamborghini. For once, there’s a completely new engine behind the seats. It’s a 6.5-litre V12 that’s relatively compact and lightweight at 235 kg.

The bull’s heart pushes out 700 horses at 8,250 rpm, while maximum torque is 690 Nm at 5,500 rpm. Lambo says that the torque curve is “extremely well-rounded” with “bull-like pulling power in every situation”. Acoustics is of course a main selling point, and great sounds are promised.

Its partner in crime is as fresh faced. Meet the new 7-speed ISR transmission, designed for “the world’s most emotional gearshift feel”. Shift times for this single clutch ‘box are quick – 40% faster than the Gallardo’s e.gear and almost 50% less than a dual-clutch unit, says Lambo – thanks to the ‘box’s Independent Shifting Rod. Apparently, ISR has smaller dimensions than a manual gearbox.

The new drivetrain is contained in a new carbonfibre body. It’s a full monocoque made from carbon fibre, meaning that the entire occupant cell, with tub and roof, is one single physical component. The entire CF monocoque weighs only 147.5 kg.

Together with the front and rear aluminium frames, it weighs only 229.5 kg and torsional stiffness is an amazing 35,000 Nm per degree. This contributes to the Aventador’s trim kerb weight of 1,575 kg, which is the weight of a Camry 2.0 with yours truly in it.

An amazing recipe that brings some impressive results. The Aventador does 0-100 km/h in just 2.9 seconds. Push on and you’ll reach 350 km/h. Lambo is proud to point out that while performance and power is up by 8%, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are down by around 20% from the Murciélago.

Power is laid down via permanent all-wheel drive. A self-blocking rear differential together with a front differential electronically controlled by ESP aid handling. A Drive Select Mode System lets the driver choose vehicle characteristics (engine, transmission, differential, steering and dynamic control) from three settings – Strada (road), Sport and Corsa (track). Finally, the Aventador sports pushrod spring and damper suspension inspired by F1 and carbon ceramic brakes in each corner.

The supercar has reached a new level, and with the Aventador, the boys and girls at Sant’Agata have pushed the ball to Ferrari’s court.

Many think that what we do for a living is cool, but it’s not always fun and games. Getting a chance to drive Lambo’s finest is nice, but after waiting the whole day from morning to evening, I felt like I more than earned those few minutes behind the wheel. And then there’s the writing bit!

Yours truly was last in queue of the 50 plus journos from across Asia Pacific that converged in Sepang for the bull fight, and I was praying hard that those dark clouds hanging above would hold their load, for the fear of Lambo cancelling the session before I had my go, for safety reasons.

The prayers worked, the sky held up, and my turn finally came. The Lambo crew looked like they were in a hurry to close shop, so there wasn’t much time to get comfortable – it was in and drive, not the best prep for a multi million ringgit supercar. Did the bare minimum (chair and steering adjustment, air con vents away from my face) before the Italian voice on the walkie asked “All OK, ready to go?”

Can’t say that I was completely at ease. This is a 700 hp V12 Lambo around a track that might be familiar, but no less technical and challenging, and although I love to drive, I’m far from the best driver in town. It helped that I got the only right-hand drive unit of the three Aventadors on duty, though.

I eased into the throttle as we got away slowly from the pitlane. I was alone in the car, with no teacher, and leading the way as pace car was an Italian Lambo test driver in a Gallardo LP 550-2. Yes, Mr. Casanova may be two cylinders and two driven wheels down, but yours truly soon found out that he stood no chance in the Aventador – the instruction to not overtake the pace car is therefore moot.

The sound of the new Lambo with the new engine is different from the Gallardo in front – it’s a deeper snarly growl, not so high pitched. The sound dominates the Aventador experience, and is so addictive that I stretched it to redline in every gear at every opportunity. If the free revving engine could talk, it would have said: “I’m born to do this, I’m loving it, gimme more!”

Intimidating size, stance and firepower aside, surprise surprise, the Aventador isn’t a hard car to drive. Forward vision is good (rear not so, unsurprisingly), it comes with paddle shifts, the steering is light and the car is easy to point around.

And unlike the Prancing Horses, it’s not super loud at idle and low speeds. I had a small issue with the “working environment” though – the Aventador’s two pedals are located too much to the left in our RHD car, which compromised my seating position. The seats hug, but could have done so tighter considering the g’s we pulled.

So the big bull is docile when not provoked, but driving it hard and making the most of its ability, that’s another matter altogether. Like the F1 cars that visit once a year, it’s full throttle out of the pitlane into the snake that is Turn 1 and 2. I’ve already heard how the V12 sounds at full pelt when I played passenger hours ago, but it’s more amazing when it’s caused by your own right foot. Kick in the back!

Powering out from Turn 2 into Sepang’s first sweeper gave me the chance to stretch the Aventador’s legs for the first time, rowing through gears three, four, five and changing at 8,000 rpm with the right paddle. I reached the uphill right Turn 4 in no time (didn’t look at the speed) shifting down to second to clip the apex.

This was my first experience of standing on the Aventador’s ceramic brakes, which wiped out crazy amounts of speed in a short distance. Not open wheel formula car standard, but not very far off. However, although great, I had a feeling that it wasn’t as super as it was earlier in the day. Perhaps it’s fatigue after serving and pleasing hardcore journos and instructors all day since morning.

That brings us to another observation. The three Aventadors in action never took a break the entire day, and there were over 50 media members doing three laps of Sepang each (including one outlap and inlap) plus the earlier 1-on-1 laps with the pro drivers. They say supercars are temperamental creatures, but these raging bulls were so well behaved despite being spanked all day. Truly impressive reliability.

Anyway, Lambo talks about this single-clutch ISG gearbox having an “emotional shift”. They might have not wanted the clinical and seamless feel of say, DSG, but the shift process is quite brutal really, combining well with the V12 to firmly knock you back in the seat.

Not smooth, even in the mildest Strada mode, but the drama is not necessarily a bad thing in a big dramatic Lambo – no one will buy this then complain the lack of slurry overlapping gearshifts. Right? The rev matched downshifts are nice.

The rest of the lap saw me and the 700 horses lean on those fat Pirellis for dear life. It was clear that the rubber was at the end of their lives – another downside of going out last. Because of that, I’m grateful to the ESP for saving my bacon more than once, like when I got the last corner before the back straight wrong.

Speaking of that, I managed to nudge past 230 km/h on the back straight before having to stand on the brakes for the hairpin. The max speed wasn’t as surprising as the manner it got there, of course. It’s a howl to remember.

So, the Lamborghini Aventador is an amazing car. It looks dramatic, goes like stink and can make one feel like a superhero. Also handy for Mr Billionaire will be the surprising ease of use and the effective safety net. So if you have RM3 million to spare… please wait for 18 months!

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 17:28:23 +0000.

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Thai Motor Expo: Subaru XV unveiled, and we sample it!

Danny Tan — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 07:36:53 +0000

We have returned from the Thailand International Motor Expo 2011, where Motor Image (MI), the Subaru distributor for our region and beyond, unveiled the Subaru XV at its stand.

This XV in question is made in Japan and will go to MI marktes such as Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Malaysia? We have a locally assembled XV to look forward to, scheduled for an October 2012 release.

If you remember, back in July this website broke the news of Subaru’s CKD plans for ASEAN, with Malaysia as the hub. We followed up by revealing the XV as the model to be locally assembled at Tan Chong Motor Assemblies in Segambut, KL. Extra details came in our exclusive interview with Motor Image boss Glenn Tan, where he revealed more about the ASEAN bound XV as well as MI’s big plans for Malaysia. Click here to read the interview.

The XV is powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder horizontally-opposed Boxer engine, which is Subaru’s trademark layout. This engine, tuned for good low to mid end torque, is a new unit featuring Dual Active Valve Control System (DAVCS), 150 PS and 196 Nm.

Another USP of the brand is Symmetrical AWD, and the XV feeds drive permanently to all four wheels. The sole transmission choice is a Lineartronic CVT with manual selection. Brakes are discs all round, with the fronts ventilated. The XV’s suspension consists of front MacPherson struts and rear double wishbones.

While the XV’s shape looks similar to the Impreza hatchback’s at a glance, its front and rear styling is unique. It measures 4,450 mm long and had a 2,635 mm wheelbase, figures that are 35 mm and 15 mm longer than the Impreza hatch, respectively. The concept of the XV is not new, but this time, Subaru has dropped the “Impreza” name from the model, like how the Outback doesn’t wear the Legacy name.

We were given a preview of the XV at Motor Image Thailand’s modern Khlongkum hub, modeled after the all-in-one Toa Payoh Subaru hub in Singapore.

The drive wasn’t much to write home about, consisting of only a straight and a slalom run in the centre’s compound, but it did reveal good response and pick up, while exhibiting less body roll and weight shift than I imagined, considering the raised stance. The driver’s seat feels right for me – it goes low enough and the steering adjusts for rake, too.

The XV should prove to be a pleasant drive, but one will first need to remove any image, idea and expectation of a loud turbo Subaru. Yes, those blue monsters wearing gold shoes that roam our streets

The pics I took are a good preview of our CKD model, but some details are to be ignored. The point of local assembly is to lower the price, so it makes sense to stay away from the unnecessary luxuries. The sunroof you see here won’t be present, as with the full colour display above the centre stack and HIDs.

The factory stereo is likely to be replaced by a 2-DIN touch screen unit (with possible options for reverse camera/GPS) linked to the original steering audio switches. The shift paddles for the CVT will be present.

Fancy display won’t be in CKD car, but a touch screen 2-DIN HU with GPS/reverse cam might

Exterior wise, this is pretty much it, including the 225/55 R17 wheel size and the distinctive design of the alloys. The XV’s identity hinges on the tough off-roader looks, so the black body cladding and roof rails are highlights of this C-segment crossover. Tangerine Orange Pearl, as seen here, is the car’s signature colour, but less flashy hues will of course be available. I’m sure there will be requests for WR Blue!

Price wise, MI isn’t committing a figure yet, but promised that the XV will be priced competitively with C-segment SUV rivals. A lot depends on the exchange rate, and the Ringgit isn’t exactly faring very well against the Yen, unfortunately.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 17:28:23 +0000.

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Megane RS 250 shines at exclusive Renault Sport trackday

Danny Tan — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 08:53:21 +0000

Track days are a luxury for the car enthusiast, especially since there are no smaller (and cheaper) circuits around the Klang Valley, and our only hope is a Formula 1 circuit. A lucky bunch of people recently got to enjoy a track day – these folks are the owners of Renault Sport cars. The event was arranged and sponsored by distributor TC Euro Cars, a subsidiary of Tan Chong Motors.

“People who buy a RM230,000 car with a manual transmission mated to a 250 hp engine are definitely driving enthusiasts; it is with our customers in mind that we felt that what better place to enjoy the full capability of Renault Sport cars than on a Formula 1 track,” said TCEC’s GM, Reza Mutalib.

From what we heard, TCEC is also planning to have a number of exclusive track days in 2012 to further accommodate the growing RS family. We heard about this trackday from a contact who owns a Renault Sport, so we called up TCEC to see whether we could come along for the ride.

Over 60 people showed up at Sepang, the bulk of them owners of the Megane R26, Clio RS and Megane RS250. There were also some who had booked the hot Megane and waiting (im)patiently for their cars to arrive. These soon to be owners had a taste of what their future ride can do on track as they were given demo laps, and from their smiles and expression, not one regretted his decision!

I asked, and apparently the car has been sold out for months. New stocks that are expected to arrive by the end of the month are mostly booked, too. Not that I have the bank balance…

If you haven’t already gathered from our test drive report, we adore the Megane RS 250 for its superb performance (not just speed, but handling and flow) and comfort as a daily driver (unlike say, a Civic Type R). It also amazed me that Renault Sport managed to better the Megane R26 in about every aspect, and the old timer is a cracker, mind you.

Back to the track. Before I drove, I strapped myself in the passenger seat with Denis Lian, who is of course the pro who set the Sepang lap record for the Megane RS 250 at 2 mins 43 secs last year. Denis not only used every ounce of the car’s grip and brakes, but every inch of the track as well – and this is what separates racers from the regular enthusiast. After that we swapped seats for a chance for him to laugh at my skills.

He didn’t (because he’s nice, not because I’m good), but instead gave me pointers as we took on full laps of Sepang. My first full throttle of the day was at the exit of Turn 2 on to the right sweeper and straight before standing (literally) on the brakes for T4. Unlike the R26 and Golf GTI, the Megane RS doesn’t feel as fast as it really is, probably due to the much improved refinement.

But make no mistake, this car is very quick even if it doesn’t kick. We also recently found out that it actually makes much more than the stated 250 hp – click here to read.

Traction out of corners is superb in this LSD equipped car, as I discovered in T4, and one can confidently lean into the following S bends without the fear of Megane throwing you off the road. It will lose traction eventually, but the process is progressive, and you’re likely not to be caught unawares, unless one’s fully drowned in adrenalin, or just plain foolhardy.

Next up was a dab of the brakes before aiming for two apexes in a U. The Megane RS does allow for some degree of roll, which is not a bad thing, as long as it doesn’t get in the way of “work”. The way the suspension “breathes” on the road (as opposed to hopping around) was evident here as I clipped the raised kerbs, without my head hitting the roof or bum shifting in the Recaro.

The final corner before the back straight really brought out the reactive nature of the chassis. This is one FWD car that can dance and flow along, and not just rely solely on grip from the nose. The straights saw me reach about 190 km/h before starting to brake at the 100m mark.

Those four-pot Brembos with 340 mm slotted discs are incredible, to say the least, marrying strong bite and a nice easy to modulate natural feel. 100m isn’t much when one’s hitting 200 km/h, and I’m happy to report that I made the corner with room to spare.

By the way, the Megane RS 250 comes standard with the R.S. Monitor, which displays real-time data (stopwatch with memory function, acceleration timer, g-force meter, turbo pressure, oil temp, torque/power figures) plus the option of five throttle map settings.

Didn’t really have time to play with all that, but I left the g-force meter on, and as you can see, we pulled about 1.2g of lateral acceleration. We achieved the same on the road in our earlier test drive.

Amazing performance on track for a car that’s so usable on the road. With the car and now the track days, these Renault Sport owners have double happiness. As for me, I left the track one part happy, two parts envy!

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 17:28:23 +0000.

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Chevrolet Colorado Test Drive Report from Chiang Rai

Danny Tan — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 10:25:11 +0000

There’s a new pick-up truck coming to town, and it’s the Chevrolet Colorado. The new Colorado was first previewed at the Bangkok Motor Show earlier this year in “Show Truck” guise, and had its world debut in September, appearing largely unchanged from the show car.

This will be General Motors’ first jab at the Malaysian pick-up truck market, but the previous gen Colorado has been selling for some time in Thailand now, where it’s made at the US company’s Rayong plant for local consumption and export.

We told you earlier that the Colorado will be launched by local distributor Naza Quest in December, but that’s been delayed due to the major floods that hit Thailand. The car hub of Rayong is dry, as are GM’s plant and adjacent new diesel engine facility, but various vendors haven’t been so lucky. No parts, no trucks!

Colorado Show Truck at the 2011 Bangkok Motor Show. Looks have been largely maintained

So it should be coming here next year, although no one knows exactly when in 2012. GM ASEAN boss Martin Apfel gives us examples of vendors with their entire factories submerged – some have send divers to retrieve GM moulds while others have had tools flown out by balloon! It’s clearly too early to tell when production be back running.

And bear in mind that this is for a company that’s relatively lightly hit by the disaster – when we were there late October to be the first international media group to test the Colorado in Chiang Rai, GM was one of only two companies still churning out cars in Thailand (the other is Mercedes) according to Apfel.

Continue reading the report after the jump.

But one thing’s for certain – the new Colorado WILL make it here, so let’s see what we can look forward to. This is an all new Colorado, unrelated to the previous model that was a sister to the Isuzu D-Max. As to questions whether this Colorado is “a clone” of the new D-Max, also recently released, GM says that they do share “basic underpinnings” but GM went its own direction very early in the day, and this is very much a GM product.

GM execs say that they have at disposal a very strong truck heritage and unique styling, and one shouldn’t mistake the Colorado for anything other than a Chevrolet truck. In any case, Isuzu is a truck expert as well, so there’s nothing substandard here.

I chanced on this photo of the new and old Colorados side by side, and it’s obvious that the new truck has grown in size by quite a bit.

This is not so much of a luxury but a necessity, since newer rivals such as the Mitsubishi Triton and the market leading Toyota Hilux have introduced us to larger rear quarters, making old timers like the current Ford Ranger and old D-Max/Colorado feel cramped at the back and with poor rear door access for double cabs.

Thailand will have the largest number of configurations that allows for various engine (new 2.5 and 2.8 Duramax diesels), transmission (5MT/6AT), driven wheels (2WD/4WD), stance (high/low) and body style (single, extended, crew) combos, but only the extended cab (some call it king cab, only Nissan sells it in Malaysia) were available in the media test drive.

This is because the extended cab is the first body style lined up for production, to be followed by the double cab. Then came the flood…

However, GM had a prototype crew cab (double cab) unit driven by the staff, and I sneaked into that car for a stint as rear passenger, since only the double cab will be coming to Malaysia. Space and comfort were impressive and far better than the old Colorado. Legroom is generous while headroom is adequate and the seat back is not too uncomfortably upright.

I also noticed that the seat height is not set too low, which can be the case when trying to maximise headroom. Ride comfort was also impressive, gone is the boat-like floaty ride of the old Colorado and D-Max. If all these were previously below par, the new Colorado is now up there with the best in the segment.

The 400 km route chosen by GM was very challenging and it was by far my most extensive and interesting drive in Thailand so far. We started at Chiang Rai airport, where I hopped into a 2.8L 2WD Manual high stance Colorado. Biggest engine, rear wheels only and stick shift proved to be highly entertaining in the snaky mountain roads that border Burma.

From the airport, we headed north on the main road in the direction of Mae Sai, turning left and up the mountains to have a lunch break at Doi Chang Moob. Up here, the Thai and Myanmar soldiers manning the posts play sepak takraw daily, overlooking what seemed like endless rolling hills on the Burmese side.

We also passed the Doi Tung Royal Villa and stopped for coffee and pretty little cakes at Sweet Mae Salong, situated in an ethnic Chinese town on the mountain range. After that it was down, up, down and up the hills again before the day ended at Phu Chaisai Resort. Great roads and great sights.

It was a very steep climb up the first leg, Genting style, but some hairpins were so steep that first gear was needed. It was hot and dry, but I was told that the Thai media had a harder time getting up there earlier – apparently it was fogging heavily and the Bridgestone Dueler H/Ts didn’t have enough purchase on the wet slopes.

Anyway, the new Duramax diesel engine pushes out 180 hp and 470 Nm of torque at 2,000 rpm for the auto and 440 Nm for the manual. That’s a lot of twist to play with, enough to make it the strongest truck in Malaysia when it arrives.

I know it sounds anti social and hooliganish, but it couldn’t resist kicking out wheelspin in gears one and two, which was incredibly easy to do. The wheels also chirped and screeched around in the bends even though we weren’t pushing it to the max. Good entertainment. Might give some the secret pleasure of “taming a beast” too!

Now, I already can imagine some of our more sensible readers shaking their heads in disapproval, but the Colorado is not a truck that threatens to kill you and family in every corner, far from it. The Colorado 2.8 will be coming to Malaysia in top 4WD automatic LTZ spec, which means that Electronic Stability Program (ESP) is standard, the first truck in Malaysia to have the safety net.

The ESP here doesn’t sterilise the experience too much, it’ll only intervene when you’re looking for trouble, i.e. full throttle in mid corner. Good to have a safety net in case one gets too carried away with all that torque on foot. There’s also ABS, Traction Control and Panic Brake Assist.

The Colorado soaks up bumps pretty well, and feels much firmer than before, which is a good thing for both comfort and dynamics. The steering is also improved – more direct and better weighted, but could do with more feel.

The new Duramax engine is not the loudest around and it’s best to just enjoy the low down torque and short shift before 3,000 rpm. It feels quite pointless after that mark, and not very enjoyable too. This doesn’t detract from the overall performance though, it’s a diesel truck engine, not a BMW oil burner. There’s some expected initial lag before the truck powers forward with ahem, plenty of wheelspin if you wish.

Surprisingly, I found the manual only 2.5L Duramax, which puts out 30 hp and 90 Nm less at 150 hp/350 Nm no less enjoyable. Perhaps the initial surge isn’t so forceful, but there’s still more than enough go. It’s also harder to tell apart from the 2.8 as you’d expect, given the big on-paper difference. Plus, it’s smoother revving when extended and feels more balanced somewhat.

So it’s a pity that the 2.5 is exclusively paired to the five-speed manual, limiting the number of people that can enjoy it in Malaysia. The stick shift itself is decent to use although not best in class for feel – the gates are well defined but the throw is quite long and I found fifth to be quite tricky to find.

The six-speed automatic is very smooth and seamless in operation, although not the quickest in response, much like the ‘box in the Cruze. For this particular truck, my pick is the manual.

As for the cabin, there were some hits and misses, for me at least. No issues ergonomically, and the seats are quite comfy. But the “Camaro style” instruments are so highly stylised that I found the speedo to be quite hard to read at a glance – a combo of thick needle, number placement and small distance between markers see to that.

I also preferred the straight forward three-dial air con controls over the high spec car’s donut ring, which leaves plenty of empty space. It’s unique though, and some might find it cool. Noteworthy is the inclusion of a multi-info display between the dials, although browsing via the right stalk will take your hand off the wheel – not the most thoughtful of designs. Shouldn’t complain really, since it’s a rather exclusive feature in a truck.

The Chevrolet Colorado is a good truck, one that has distinctive style, plenty of kit in Malaysian bound LTZ spec, good comfort and space. We are also told that prices will undercut the market leader (that’s the Hilux, of course) despite the long kit list.

The Chevy will come with plenty of showroom appeal, and will make some rivals look very stingy indeed. However, the higher road tax of the 2.8L variant could be a potential issue, and since the 2.5L doesn’t come with an auto ‘box, Naza Quest can’t make it their star variant. It’s also a new segment for the brand in Malaysia, up against established players, so it won’t be a walk in the park.

Selamat datang Colorado! We’re also due to welcome the new Ford Ranger next year, so the pick-up truck segment is bound to get interesting in 2012!

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 17:28:23 +0000.

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Volkswagen Jetta 1.4 TSI – first drive impressions

Anthony Lim — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 09:28:19 +0000

Showing all your cards at one go is a bit of a double-edged sword. It’s undoubtedly great for effect, where the blanket covers significant acreage in one swipe, and it also allows one to understand the philosophy and underlying values at work in much more complete fashion.

It can also prove to be a distraction, not so much for the person sampling the wares, but rather in how each is perceived – there’s a distinct difference in taking each on an individual basis, as opposed to when they’re all lumped together. The danger, of course, is that it ends up showing each other up in some areas, even if the products in question don’t ply their wares in the same category and class.

Such was the case with the three vehicle spread that Volkswagen Group Malaysia launched a couple of weeks ago. The Passat 1.8 TSI, Jetta 1.4 TSI and Cross Touran 1.4 TSI are markedly dissimilar in tone, even if they do share common family traits in behaviour and characteristics. By the end of a two-day drive, however, there was much to be gleaned subjectively as there was objectively.

To improve clarity, we’ve decided to separate the first impressions of the trio into three individual pieces. Granted, there’ll still be observations on each vis-a-vis, especially with regards to the Jetta and Passat, but let’s see if we can dissect and take each on their own strengths and make it easier reading than together as a collective whole.

Full report after the jump.

The drive, which took us to Penang and back, began with the Jetta sedan. Equipped with a 1.4 TSI twin-charged mill offering 160 PS at 5,800 rpm and 240 Nm from 1,500 to 4,500 rpm, mated to a seven-speed DSG tranny, the sixth-generation Jetta – which is made in Mexico – is tagged by VGM as the most powerful sedan in its category.

For RM149,888 (on the road, without insurance), the A6, Typ 1K is equipped fairly well enough, though a bit on the sedate side. There are no Xenons and corresponding LED DRLs, but the on-board kit is more than serviceable.

Not much where the exterior is concerned. The headlamps are of the halogen variety, you get front foglamps, twin exhaust tailpipes and Navarra 16-inch five-spoke alloys shod with 205/55 series tyres, and that just about sums it up with this one, which is 90 mm longer than the previous generation model.

You do get a number of exterior shades to pick from, eight in this case, made up of two solid (Candy White and Tornado Red, the last as seen on the Golf GTI), five metallic (Platinum Grey, Silver Leaf, Reflex Silver, Toffee Brown and Tempest Blue) and a single pearl effect colour (Deep Black).

It’s all in keeping with the presentation – the exterior shape, which VW is proud to say doesn’t share any common panels with the Golf Mk VI (and thus, should not be viewed as a Golf with a boot, so it goes!), has an austerity about it, much of it to do with the strong shoulder line, which is supposed to make the car look lower and to lend it better athleticism.

I wouldn’t go as far as to call the Jetta sporty; the simplest way to describe it would be that it’s all business-like with this one. I quite like the rear though – there’s a fair bit of Audi A4 in there, especially with the rear lamp arrangement.

Interior items include a Climatronic air-conditioning system with two-zone temperature control, a RCD310 audio system, a three-spoke leather steering wheel with paddle shifters, Park Distance Control (PDC) for the front and rear, rain sensing wipers, cruise control and seats covered in ‘Sienna’ fabric. There’s less sense of occasion compared to the Passat, but that’s pretty much to be expected.

In the safety department, there’s the usual mix of ABS, EBD and BA, as well as TCS and ESP, and six airbags (front, front side and front/rear curtain), Isofix points on the rear seats and Hill-hold control. Elsewhere, other numbers for the car include 510 litres of boot space, an 8.3 seconds 0-100 km/h sprint time, a top speed of 221 km/h and a combined fuel consumption of 6.0 litres per 100 km.

Despite its 1,417 kg kerb mass, the Jetta never felt sluggish – it’s no rocket, but what it serves up should be pacy enough for most in this segment. The 1.4 TSI mill was its eager and willing self, as is the case with the mill, and that willingness to run offers the car good midband energy. During the drive up to Ipoh, getting back to higher running speeds from the more sedentary moments at 120-130 km/h, to accommodate slower overtaking traffic, was never an issue.

Some thoughts about the car’s suspension. In terms of ride and handling, I thought it was the best balanced of the trio, sitting midway in how it presents things in terms of compliancy and performance, hinting on the side of firm. At the higher end of the speed spectrum, all three vehicles have a sterling composure about them, as expected of the breed, but across a wider speed range and conditions, it is the Jetta’s that remains the most uniform and appealing.

This lends the car the best drivability of the lot, with the overall tone being brisk, dynamic and even cheerful in character, something you wouldn’t expect as you give the exterior the twice over when you walk up to the car.

You can even push it into corners and come out feeling very respectable, the steering is quite precise and the car fairly grippy, though the caveat is measured sensibility and commitment once in – the suspension, in what is just about its only less than desirable moment, comes undone if you carry too much speed in and attempt to correct midway. All lovely if you think those big pitch and wobble moments are great giggly fun, less so if you happen to have folks strapped on at the back. I had fun, but can’t say it wasn’t hairy.

Of course, like as with all good, no-nonsense family sedans, this isn’t what most Jetta owners are likely to do, be a bit scatter-brained about it all. Away from those hijinks moments, which should theoretically be few and far in between, the car accomplishes its intended brief very respectably – the thing is, you come up to it expecting less than what you eventually get, from a driving point of view at least, and that surely can’t be a bad thing.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 17:28:23 +0000.

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Volkswagen Passat 1.8 TSI – first drive impressions

Anthony Lim — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 09:27:55 +0000

Next up in the three vehicle VW spread is the Passat, the changeover from the Jetta taking place in Ipoh. Jumping in from the latter, the shift in presentation with the seventh-generation B7, as its designated, was distinct.

The interior, as befits the car’s D-segment executive sedan status, is naturally the most polished of the three. The material and trim ups the luxury level a fair bit, with brushed aluminium inserts for the centre console and Iridium deco inserts on the dash and doors helping things along, but there’s no denying that it’s all accomplished in VW fashion, presented more matter of fact – and very cleanly so – than with flair and elan. Indeed, there’s nothing ostentatious about all that familiarity, which is undoubtedly in line with how the suits, which are the target market, like it.

Full story after the jump.

Cabin kit on this one includes a RCD 510 6.5-inch touchscreen, six-disc CD changer and eight speaker audio system, black leather Vienna upholstery, three-spoke leather steering wheel with paddle shifters, a press and drive comfort start function and electric-adjustment front seats.

Also to be found are an analogue clock, cruise control, electric parking brake with auto-hold function and hill-hold control, PDC for the front and rear, a tyre pressure monitoring system and a rest assist drowsiness detection system, which is seen for the first time in the Passat.

As expected, build quality and finish is tight for the German-assembled car, though it is when you go through it and the Jetta’s interior on a comparison basis that you find the latter’s fitment a little bit less rounded. Which is not to say that Pablo cannot build a car as well as Hans, of course.

The exterior follows the process – the facelift from B6 to B7 has brought about a slight change in dimensions (it’s 4 mm longer, 2 mm lower and has a 2 mm longer wheelbase than the older car), but looks-wise retains the sturdy sensibility expected of it. I’m not quite sure about the back, especially when viewed dead-on centre; the plainness needs something to dress it up, at least to me it does.

So, nothing too dramatic with this one, because there’s the Passat CC to take care of those looking for more splashes of dash and flash. On the item list are bi-Xenons with integrated LED daytime running lights, LED-equipped tail lamps, multi-spoke Minneapolis 17-inch alloys and 235/45 profile rubbers, six airbags and the usual host of three-letter acronym electronic driver aids. Ten exterior colours abound, three solid, four metallic and three pearl effect shades making up the complement.

The 1.8 TSI turbocharged engine on the RM184,888 offering has 160 PS at 5,000 to 6,200 rpm and 250 Nm from 1,500 to 4,200 rpm for output numbers, and the block is mated to a seven-speed DSG box. Performance figures are a 0-100 km/h time of 8.5 seconds for the 1,517 kg vehicle, and it gets all the way up to 220 km/h.

From a drive performance viewpoint, civilised would best describe the Passat. The output numbers are the same as that of the Jetta, but the tune coming off the 1.8 litre mill is aimed squarely at linearity and progression rather than punch. It isn’t bereft of heft, and is rapid enough getting to highway cruising speeds and shuffling along at even higher ones, but it’s all tinged with a definite modicum of restraint getting there, not just from the midband up.

So, you go along in generally unhurried fashion, as you should. In urban use, for the exec crawling his way to and fro work through morning and evening traffic, with the occasional mild sprint when the road opens up, it’s simply dandy. And on long haul runs, the strong cruiser element in it makes it the most winsome of the trio for the job.

Much of the appeal of the last comes from the ride, which plays ably to the workings of the powertrain. The honour of having the softest take of the trio in terms of ride comfort goes to it, and not the Cross Touran, which, as it turned out, offered the firmest take on things.

The Passat’s suspension is still very much anchored in ‘Continental’ fashion, but there’s less edge to the nuggets of information from the chassis and feedback coming off the rack compared to the Jetta. Most importantly, you perish any thought of doing the dirty with it in the twisty bits, such is how its character is – I simply didn’t bother.

Still, based on what I can remember of it, it’s firmer than that of the Peugeot 508 in its standard MacPherson strut layout – it’d certainly be interesting to toss both up along with something like the new EcoBoost-equipped Ford Mondeo to see what comes about. There’s a thought, then, eh?

In all, the entire direction of the Passat’s presentation falls in line with what’s expected of a car working this particular route. Sturdy and dependable, in a no-nonsense manner, the Passat is the strong and silent type, the one who gets the job done every time, with nary a peep or hint of fuss. The German answer to the likes of the Camry? Absolutely.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 17:28:23 +0000.

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Volkswagen Cross Touran 1.4 TSI – first drive impressions

Anthony Lim — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 09:27:28 +0000

Finally, we come to the last of the Volkswagen trio – after the previous day spent going up in the Jetta and Passat, the return trip from Penang was made in the Cross Touran. The compact MPV sits on a PQ35 platform that the Golf Mk VI wears (the Jetta does too, but in modified form), but still offers seating for seven.

The RM166,888 vehicle, which is assembled in Wolfsburg, gets wider wheel arches and longer suspension springs than the standard Touran in its Cross form here, and the last means that it has 20 mm more ground clearance than the normal Touran. The Cross package also gives it Funplay 17-inch alloys in 6.5J front and 8J rear form, to accommodate the staggered 215/50 front and 235/45 rear tyres it wears.

Full story after the jump.

It’s also equipped with a 1.4 TSI twincharger mill, though in this case in its 140 PS at 5,600 rpm and 220 Nm at 1,250 to 4,500 rpm output derivative form, a positioning choice made to keep fuel consumption low. Performance numbers include a 0-100 km/h time of 9.8 seconds and a top speed of 193 km/h, as well as a combined fuel consumption of 7.1 litres per 100 km.

On the equipment list are bi-Xenon headlamps with dynamic bending lights and daytime running lights, an electronic panoramic tilt/slide glass sunroof, cruise control, ‘Fey’ fabric seats (in natural brown or anthracite options), a leather-covered three-spoke steering wheel, the same RCD 310 audio system as found in the Jetta, park distance control, Iridium decorative inserts for the dash and door panels as well as interior chrome trim, among others.

Like the other two, the Cross Touran comes with six airbags, as well as ABS, EBD, ESP, ASR and engine drag torque control (EDTC). And there are eleven colours to pick from for this one – eight metallic (Pepper Grey, Night Blue, Titanium Beige, Acapulco Blue, Reflex Silver, Silver Leaf, Toffee Brown and Wild Cherry Red), two pearl effect (Venetian Green and Deep Black) and a single solid shade, this being Candy White.

Veedub shouts it up that the vehicle offers plenty of interior comfort and convenience options, despite its size – there are 40 storage bins of all sorts to be found inside, and the Cross Touran offers up to 1,989 litres of cargo carrying space. Mention was made that there are 500 different possible configurations to be had with it in terms of folding, removing or tweaking the cabin layout. Which is a bit, really.

Certainly, there was more than enough space to carry a load of three people and a comprehensive amount of bags and kit. I was originally supposed to drive back to KL on my own, my drive partner having left earlier in the morning with another journo. The inclusion of the event cameraman and videographer as passengers meant that the Cross Touran made the return trip fairly filled up, with the rearmost seats folded to handle baggage duty.

Coming in from the sedans, the dashboard feels the most bare, but though the general presentation remains typical VW, all orderly and functional, the Cross Touran’s interior felt the breeziest – in this regard, the panoramic roof lends the cabin an airier and roomier feel and the suggestion that it was bigger than it was. For its intended role and its size, the presentation and functionality it offers scores high marks.

From a driving perspective, the 140 PS output from the 1.4 TSI mill – and 1,587 kg kerb weight – does take the edge of things somewhat, giving the Cross a more propulsive quality as opposed to it being tagged sprightly. Once you get going, it’s pretty capable of chugging along merrily, and there’s a decent spread of usable midband energy, but by and large this is very much a vehicle in which you ought to go along in unhurried fashion.

Which is where I can’t quite make out the suspension’s workings, or rather the intent. The Cross Touran is the firmest riding vehicle of the three. It’s not jarring, but firm enough for the rear passengers to feel a continuous attenuation at mid-level speeds, especially on poor roads, and for all occupants to discern that stiff is the operative word for this one at national highway speed limits.

Certainly, the amplitude all but disappeared as the vehicle went faster along and, at the top end of the speed scale, is certainly very impressive. Barreling along at maximum speed for most of the second half of the drive, tagged behind the pace-setting Eos, the Cross’ poise and composure was downright exemplary, the vehicle planted and unwavering, even if the engine had effectively run out of puff short off the double century mark, as advertised.

Perhaps it has all been geared up to carry a full load of seven and a fair amount of baggage in mind without turning into a soggy sponge, especially when pushed, I dunno. Whatever it is though, if you decide to fit your entire litter into it and charge along at 160-180 km/h, this one will shuffle along happily without inducing any girly screams from your occupants, that much can be said. It’ll drink like a fish too, if you do so. Still, not many compact MPVs can do what this one does, if it’s such thrills that amuse you.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 17:28:23 +0000.

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EXCLUSIVE: Battery-powered Proton Saga EV driven in UK

Danny Tan — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 00:05:59 +0000

Greetings from England! We’re here braving the wet and cold weather to witness the RAC Future Car Challenge from Brighton to London. The challenge (it’s not a race, according to organisers Royal Automobile Club of Pall Mall London) happens this Saturday in the UK, one day before the RAC’s famous London to Brighton Veteran Car Run.

Just as the Veteran Car Run celebrates the great cars of yesterday, the Future Car Challenge seeks to promote, demo and challenge clean and green cars – the cars of the future. The FCC also runs the opposite direction of the veteran run, starting from the coastal town and heading to the capital city.

This is the second year of the RAC Future Car Challenge, which seeks to find the most efficient and least energy consuming cars in different categories. National carmaker Proton, which won the “Best Range Extender EV” award last year with the Exora REEV, is entering three cars this year – Saga EV, Exora REEV and Persona Elegance REEV, the latter a newly built car with the same drivetrain as the MPV.

These cars were developed in partnership with Frazer Nash Research Ltd, a British based R&D company specialising in electric vehicle powertrains. Earlier today, we visited FN’s headquarters in Surrey to learn more about the company and its relationship with Proton. We also got to sample the Exora REEV and Saga EV at a small test track. Having already driven the Exora REEV last year (click here to read our exclusive test drive report), I paid attention to the electric Saga.

Continue reading the report after the jump.

Some might have heard of an electric Saga before, perhaps an older concept, or some university project. But this is the real thing, one that’s just been handed over to Malaysian government agencies for fleet testing, and one that Proton plans to sell to Malaysians for around RM70,000 come 2013. Out goes the Campro drivetrain, fuel tank and differential, and in comes a Frazer Nash created electric drivetrain.

This consists of a permanent magnet AC synchronous motor, powered by a lithium ion battery pack (15.9 kWh peak energy, 105 Wh/kg density) from a German company. Expect a 10-year warranty for the battery in the production car.

Output is rated at 52 kW (70 hp) and 198 Nm of torque. Typical of EVs, all that torque is available from rest or 0 rpm, so it feels very fast. While the target is 0-100 km/h below 10 seconds (Saga 1.6 AT does it in 14 secs), it feels a lot faster in the real world. They don’t have it, but an 0-40 km/h reading should prove the point well.

Of course, this is an EV and the main points should be zero tailpipe emissions and zero fuel consumption. The claimed range on a full charge is 120 km, but we’re told that 75 to 80 km of real world use is easily achievable. In the most recent test, the Saga EV on 91% charge did 93 km cruising with 20% charge left.

Some might doubt the level of engineering here – can a Proton EV be as good as one from Mitsubishi, Nissan or Renault? Others will ask whether a carmaker that doesn’t make the best conventional cars around can make advanced EVs work. Here’s the answer given: first, Frazer Nash has 20 years experience with EVs and has proprietary tech that’s best in the business. Secondly, the future is electric, and EVs are new to all, so Proton can start on the same line as the bigger companies, not play catch up like with its conventional cars.

A drive should be enough to kill the skepticism, as the other media personnel, EV virgins, found out. They were smiling ear to ear and gushing with praise for the Proton EVs after driving them on Frazer Nash’s mini test track. My turn came and I left truly impressed as well!

The interior is standard Saga except for the instrument panel and centre stack display, which are similar to that on the Exora REEV. This means that there’s no rpm meter, but an energy meter, and all EV info such as range and charge level are displayed on the touch screen central display.

Started the car silently and started of in D mode on the gear lever, and the Saga eased off without noise in typical EV fashion. There are no sounds apart from a faint whirr and road/tyre noise, the first things first timers will notice. In D, speed is capped at 30 mph (48 km/h) and my chaperone tells me that the Saga is using only 20% of its potential at this point. Maximising efficiency is great for city traffic, but I didn’t have much time…

So into S mode and the inner section of the wet and slippery track, which has some incredibly tight corners. Floored it and the stock tyres screeched a bit before the car thrust forward. The strong, effortless acceleration wasn’t surprising, and the experience not too different from what one will get in an i-MiEV. Then came the first corner.

It had gone in too fast, and the FWD Saga was understeering into the grass. But I remembered the “digital differential” Frazer Nash is very proud off, and instead of backing off the gas, gritted my teeth and powered on. And like magic, the car dug in and changed direction. From then on, I went into each corner faster than I would normally, and powered through the bends. Getting up to speed again was also instant thanks to the low down torque. Surreal in a Saga on a wet track!

The Goodyears made a lot of noise throughout, but the Saga EV continued to defy logic. But to get it in the zone, one must overcome the natural reaction of “back off when understeer” and ignore the mega body roll – this is no sports car and the comfort oriented suspension is stock. Basically, ignore all signs that you’re gonna crash and you’re gonna be rewarded with giggles. Time pasts faster when you’re having fun, so my two tight laps were over in a blink.

This “digital diff” is basically software that delegates torque to the wheel that has grip in corners, like how a limited slip differential (LSD) works in cars like the Megane Renaultsport. It’s also something like torque vectoring in mega SUVs. This means that there’s no mechanical diff at work, something Fraser Nash thinks is an outdated and inefficient solution.

The Saga EV as an autokhana hero? Sounds as absurd as asking a police officer to write ad copy, but I’m already imagining it with sports suspension and better tyres now – could be very tasty! But of course, the Saga EV is all about emissions free motoring and never needing to visit a petrol station again. Along with the REEV powered Exora and Persona, it should do well in the RAC Future Car Challenge this Saturday. Stay tuned!

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 17:28:23 +0000.

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Mitsubishi Pajero Sport VGT Test Drive Report from Sabah

Danny Tan — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 17:38:03 +0000

We’ve wanted it since Thailand had it earlier this year, and Mitsubishi’s Variable Geometric Turbo (VGT) engine is now here, packaged within the Pajero Sport SUV body. Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia (MMM) launched the new variant last month.

With the addition of VGT, the 2.5-litre DI-D commonrail diesel unit puts out 178 PS and 350 Nm of torque from 1,800 to 3,500 rpm. It’s quite a substantial increase from the non-VGT engine’s 136 PS and 314 Nm. Better still, the benefits stretch at both ends – the Pajero Sport VGT is claimed by MMM to be 12% more fuel effiicient that before.

We recently got to drive the Pajero Sport VGT on the beautiful mountain roads of Sabah. Read the full report after the jump.

As a recap, the Pajero Sport was launched here in mid 2009. The seven-seater SUV is based on Mitsubishi’s stylish Triton pick-up truck, but is also more than just a Triton with a canopy. Features that set it apart include plusher materials, Tiptronic manual shift, third row seats and rear coil spring suspension in place of the Triton’s leaf springs.

Currently, MMM sells 2WD and 4WD versions of the Pajero Sport, and the VGT, available only in 4WD automatic form, is an addition to the range. All are imported CBU from Thailand.

Visually, there isn’t much to differentiate the VGT from its less powerful siblings, only a locally fitted VGT badge on the tailgate and a “Hi Power” emblem on the sides. All else is familiar. Inside, the VGT is quite well equipped. The centrepiece is an aftermarket 2-DIN Kenwood ICE system. This full colour touch screen head unit incorporates a reverse camera and Garmin GPS guidance.

Other useful features are cruise control (buttons on the steering’s right spoke), leather upholstery, auto climate control plus rear AND front parking sensors (upgraded from two to four eyes at each end). A new addition here is Mitsubishi’s magnesium shift paddles, as fitted to the Lancer and ASX.

The long and conspicuous paddles control a new gearbox – a five-speed INVECS-II automatic transmission, one ratio more than the non-VGT Pajero Sport. So it’s a new engine, new gearbox and more features in the cabin for the extra RM5,000 over the GS 4WD. The Pajero Sport VGT is priced at RM167,375.80, slightly less than the Hyundai Santa Fe 2.2 CRDi Premium, which MMM considers a rival.

The Pajero Sport has always been a decent SUV to drive, taking into account its truck underpinnings. Not much of a surprise really, since Mitsubishi’s entrants into the C-segment sedan and SUV markets are on the better side of the driving scale. The Triton, which contributes its platform to the Pajero Sport, is also the pick-up truck that those coming from cars will be most comfortable with.

The Pajero Sport rides well, and I reckon that this comfort is one of its main strengths. Besides ironing out bad roads and soaking bigger bumps well, the big SUV is also firm and steady past the highway limit. And the rear end doesn’t hop around independently, thanks to the coil springs that replace the Triton’s leafs. By the way, the front seat design is new, and it’s more supportive than before, too.

The Pajero Sport is not the sharpest tool in the bends, for obvious reasons, but it hangs on pretty decently if you ignore the body roll and weight transfer, and push on. Two-time Dakar champion Hiroshi Masuoka was brought into Borneo to show us how it’s done. In a parking lot with cones, the champ threw the Pajero Sport’s considerable 2 plus tonnes into crazy lean angles, even lifting some tyres in the process.

As usual for Masuoka san (yours truly is lucky to have rode with him on several occasions now) he was twirling the wheel nonchalantly, smiling and talking in the process. Like a well oiled driving machine, the man was consistent round after round from start to end.

We did not go to such extremes on the road, but it’s good to have the knowledge that this isn’t an easy car to topple despite protests from your passengers.

Nothing has changed in that respect, which leads us to the powertrain. It’s been very long since I drove the Pajero Sport, and without a back to back refresher, it’s hard to tell the difference, although I’m sure an extra 42 PS and 36 Nm will feel different. In isolation, it’s a strong diesel engine in the truck mould, which means it roars and one shouldn’t expect BMW 20d refinement or response.

Engine response isn’t the most immediate, which may give the (wrong) impression of a big lazy beast, but speed rises faster that you’d think – just observe the speedo. Also, the VGT engine’s turbo whistle is quite apparent, if that tickles your fancy. Wind down the windows to appreciate.

We drove a long scenic route from Kota Kinabalu city (they have great beef noodles!) to Mesilau up in the mountains, and I found myself using the shift paddles a lot, definitely a useful addition and more convenient than the shift lever, which has Tiptronic on the far side of the driver. Those long sickles are standard Mitsubishi issue, the best of its kind, in my opinion.

Our route included an off road stretch that the Pajero Sport dismissed with ease. While the stretch was mild for off road standards, I still wouldn’t have attempted it in a crossover SUV. Here, one has good ground clearance, approach/departure angles and a robust frame, plus MMC’s Super Select 4WD system with four modes – 2H, 4H, 4HLc and 4LLc.

The Mitsubishi Pajero Sport VGT is a good SUV in the traditional sense. Rugged underpinnings that can truly go off road, but with good comfort, space and amenities for those who use it solely as an urban machine. Although it might look unflattering next to the Hyundai Santa Fe for some, the Mitsu is a different sort of animal really, one with its own set of strengths.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 17:28:23 +0000.

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French flair: Peugeot 508 test drive report from Spain

Anthony Lim — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 01:04:54 +0000

The French have always had a certain fortitude and self-belief about them, nowhere more so than when it comes to their approach to cars. Love it? Tres bien. Indifferent, or not taken by it? Unlike the Italians, who would beg to disagree – rather strongly – if you happen to think one of their designs isn’t quite the trick, the same response from the French would be, well, it’s your loss then, because it is such a gem, non?

That cavalier train of thought, equivalent to an adage that ‘we build it the way we see it best, and so it is, indeed, perfect,’ has worked well enough in the past. And, up till the last few years, it has even gotten them by, even if fissures were starting to show.

Take the Peugeot 407, for instance. Lovely looking car, and sizeable enough, but what about that massive front overhang and oodles of unutilised space, which you could house a dog in (anyone remember the Italian incident with a 207)? The interior certainly wasn’t shabby, but rear passenger comfort seemed an afterthought. Not lacking in form, but questionably, function. Likewise the 607, hardly the commercial success, though that one was pretty much scoped from an era of such idée fixe still well and truly entrenched.

Well, a significant softening in approach has come about, one that suggests that the company, if not exactly abandoning core ideals, has adopted a less parochial view of things and a more global take on matters. This new fashion is reflected in something like the 508, Pug’s replacement for both the 407 and 607. Coming in from those, it’s almost radical, even.

Full story after the jump.

The M2, or D segment 508 is available in two bodystyles, saloon and estate (SW). The shape reinterprets cues from the stylistic codes seen on the SR1 concept, with a single grille rendered in a floating style and strong expression of the headlamps setting the tone up front – taut and dynamic are good descriptors for the car’s face. The sides are clean and balanced, and this carries on to the simple, but flowing rear. It’s a handsome car, the 508.

By and large, I’ve never really been gobsmacked by French offerings in the past, design-wise. The shapes haven’t really worked for me, or rather the manner the lines have been interpreted. For example, I still don’t think the 308‘s rear really gels with what’s happening up front. This one, however, threads everything together quite tidily despite its size, and organically so. Granted, it’s all shaded a bit on the conservative side, despite the sleekness, but it works – the SW is also every bit a looker, arguably more so in my books.

The car shares the same platform as the second-generation Citroën C5, and both vehicles are made side by side at the PSA plant in Rennes. To affirm that this is indeed a serious push on a global scale, the car is also being made in Wuhan, China for the Chinese market, though only the saloon is being sold there.

Presumably, the last has to do with how the car has shaped up, figuratively at least – Pug expects that China will be the largest market for the car, and with size and space being paramount in that particular arena, the 4.79 metre long (4.81 metre for the SW), 1.83 metre wide and 1.45 metre tall dimensions for the 508 means that it’s sized up – to wit, it starts by being 101 mm longer than the 407 in saloon form.

Other notable numbers include a reduced front overhang (- 43 mm) and increased wheelbase (+ 92 mm) and longer rear overhang compared to the 407. Oh, and with the increase in dimensions come much improved space for the rear passengers. All this volume, with a reduction in weight – the saloon weighs 25 kg less than the 407 version, while the SW weighs 45 kg less than its older equivalent, based on like-on-like engines.

As you’d assume, boot space is also up over the 407. The saloon offers 545 litres, while the SW has 660 litres, and with the split seatbacks folded, the volume goes up to 1,581 litres for the saloon and 1,865 litres for the SW.

A number of engine variants abound for the car in Europe, starting with the 120 hp 1.6 litre VTi form right up to the range-topping DW12C diesel, which is the 2.2 HDi FAP mill. The engine options for the car are less than that available for the 407, but the consolidated lineup – with the familiar 1.6 litre 156 THP Prince unit in there – works well enough.

Gone is the 240 PS and 450 Nm 3.0 litre HDi biggie of old, but the 2.2 HDi on the 508 has been reworked to offset that. Previously, in its DW12B form, the 2.2 litre turbodiesel offered 170 hp and 370 Nm; the revised DW12C incarnation now puts out 204 hp and 458 Nm.

Two front suspension setups are available for the car, a drop-link double wishbone and a more conventional McPherson strut type. The more sophisticated double wishbone is only available with the 2.2 HDi-equipped GT version, to offer dynamic road handling in keeping with the engine’s workings, as the company puts it, with the rest of the model range going the pseudo McPherson route. At the rear, a multi-arm suspension features across the entire model range.

As to why the intrinsically superior double wishbone front setup isn’t featured across the board, the answer is all down to both price and weight. Aside from cost, the pseudo McPhersons offer a weight saving of 12 kg over the double wishbones, and the Peugeot people explained that the gains obtained could be then put back into the car in the form of other equipment or kit, without bloating the final kerb figure. Nice explanation, actually; you can imagine a shrug of the shoulders as a response in days of old!

Similarly, the GT is the only 508 to get the new AM6 six-speed automatic gearbox (with paddle shifters), and the Aisin co-developed tranny features reworked bearings, segments, clutch linings, special oil and a new converter, among other elements. Gear change times have also been reoptimised, and the company says that on the whole the unit is quicker and smoother than the AT6, which features on the rest of the model range alongside a six-speed manual.

Elsewhere, three different-sized front brake discs are to be had; a 283 x 26 mm unit that equips three variants, a 304 x 28 mm unit on the 1.6 litre 156 THP and a 340 x 30 mm unit for the GT. At the rear, the entire range wears 290 x 12 mm discs.

Among the items to be found on a comprehensive equipment list are six airbags (dual front, side and curtain), ESP (which includes stability control, emergency brake assist and EBD), a colour head-up display, push start ignition, directional bi-Xenon headlamps with a LED signature, four-zone air conditioning, on-board navigation and a WIP Sound six-speaker audio system, with a JBL 10-speaker, 10-channel 500 watt amplifier system available as an option.

The Pug’s cabin feels roomy, a significant leap from that of the 407‘s, especially at the back. The front has good shoulder room too; my partner during the drive wasn’t a small chap by any measure, but the shoulder-to-shoulder space afforded more than ample distance proximity values, and throughout the drive comfort levels with regards to space – as well as seating – were high.

It feels premium as well, the interior – the layout may seem a bit homogenic from a flair context, but everything is presented very cleanly and with sophistication. Textures are good to sight as well as touch, especially with regards to primary contact and visual points. Certainly, there can be little for anyone to complain about in terms of trim and material.

Some thoughts about space for items though; large cubbyholes and boxed areas offer a total of 22 litres of cabin storage space, according to the numbers, and these are well workable, but the central console area still suffers from a lack of placement options.

The media drive took place in Spain earlier in the year, and there was a chance to sample the saloon, both in 1.6 litre 156 THP (with the six-speeder manual) and 2.2 HDi-equipped GT form. The course around Alicante took us up as far as Xixona, and provided an ample platform for the 508 to show what it was all about. We started out in the GT, which turned out to be a blast, because the car is definitely something to shout about.

The mill’s tractability is naturally the standout element – the low to mid-band punch makes light work of hauling the mass around, and exuberant best describes the character, but the rest of the car has an excellent vibrancy about it as well, more than enough to keep interest levels high.

The suspension’s suppleness and deftness of feel contribute to things, with plenty of useful information coming off it being particularly impressive. The chassis keeps pace as well, offering a good degree of neutrality and tracking ability. In all, the GT never felt cumbersome or slow, despite its size.

The changover point at Biar took us over to the 156 THP, which sobered things a little. The stick shifter helped to keep things fairly lively, at least for me, but it was hard to lose almost half the torque and not feel it.

Not that the Prince isn’t able – you can still get the car going, and there’s decent pull, but you’ll have to work the vehicle hard for the thrills. Pushed hard, the McPhersons also felt less inspiring than the double wishbones; not soft, mind you, just less refined in soaking up undulations and bumps. Indeed, with everything set more linearly, the entire focus shifts the presentation, making this one feel more executive than unbridled.

Once we’d settled down and stopped gunning it like we stole it though, the variant’s character began to shine through. Driven sensibly (well, it is an executive sedan, I can imagine some of you saying so right now), the 156 THP’s workings alluded that it would – coupled to the likes of the AT6 auto – feel very much at home in the urban scene here in KL, with its polished, refined mien offering plenty of appeal.

Still, the GT would be the pick of the 508 crop, and it’s easy to see why. Yes, I know, enthusing about a variant that isn’t coming here is a bit like telling you how great a toy is, but you’re never going to be able to play with it, but really, it’s a shame we won’t be getting the GT. You can imagine that the pricing won’t make it that competitive, besides the obvious as to why it isn’t coming, but that really is our loss.

For Malaysia, the 508 will come in a single form, the 156 THP (with the AT6 transmission), and the Prince is certainly strong enough a performer to carry the car for the intended target market. The car itself represents an impressive leap forward, coming in from the 407, and those into their Lions will find plenty to cheer about.

It will however find a new buying segment here; though it is the replacement for the latter, the shift in focus, translating to a shift in pricing, means that the 508 will come in at a higher price point than the 407. For the crowd looking for something along the old one’s lines from a price point of view, there’s the 408 over the horizon. Those who can bag it, however, will find in this one how the French have finally moved on. Tres bien? Certainly.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 17:28:23 +0000.

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BMW ActiveE: We drive Munich’s electric 1-Series Coupe

Paul Tan — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 04:37:39 +0000

The new BMW ActiveE is an electric car based on the BMW 1-Series Coupe, and is BMW’s second electric vehicle key learning project after the MINI E which made its debut in 2009.

BMW has used data obtained from the MINI E’s lease to learn user behaviour, customer acceptance as well as requirements for an e-infrastructure. From MINI E usage patterns, vehicle usage for the electric MINI only differed marginally from that of comparable MINI Cooper and 116i users. Basically the conclusion was that an electric city car with a range of about 100 miles with an expanded interior space would meet virtually 100% of the mobility needs of urban drivers.

There are quite a few MINI E leasers who will be “upgrading” to the BMW ActiveE, and perhaps later to the new BMW i3. The ActiveE willl be offered with a 24 month/50,000km lease period, and will fill the gap until the launch of the BMW i3.

The main purpose of the ActiveE is to approve the new electric power train and battery. As opposed to the MINI E where BMW worked with a third party to supply the EV components, the BMW ActiveE’s electric power train is an in-house development, and will also be used in the upcoming BMW i3.

The ActiveE is produced together with other normal BMW cars in an in-line assembly process at their Leipzig plant. BMW has designed a 1,100 car production line for the ActiveE there. It is still a conversion vehicle like the MINI – this means BMW took a chassis designed to house the power and fuel components of a regular international combustion engine and converted it for electric use. As the chassis is not optimal for EV usage, the ActiveE ends up weighing a massive 1,815kg – compared to the purposes EV built BMW i3 Concept which weighs just 1,250kg.

Now for some tech specs – the BMW ActiveE has its electric motor integrated into the rear axle. Peak power is 125kW while maximum torque is rated at 250Nm from standstill. The electric motor has no transmission, so its 12,000rpm redline can take the car up to about 145km/h. The car hits 100km/h in 9 seconds, which isn’t particularly fast but brisk enough not to feel underpowered.

Power is provided by a 32kWh lithium ion battery with a total of 192 x 40 Ah cells supplied by SB LiMotive. It is liquid cooled and separated into three storage packs to help the car achieve a 50:50 axle weight ratio. Charging time is approximately 10 to 12 hours on a 230V/12A power supply, or as low as 4 to 5 hours on a 230V/32A power supply. The battery pack provides an New European Driving Cycle pattern range of 205km, or a customer driving average range of 160km.

We had a chance to try out the BMW ActiveE in Munich recently. It was a pretty rainy day and the route was designed to simulate a typical city commute of about 35km, so we didn’t exactly get any opportunities to test out the 50:50 weight distribution of the car, if you know what I mean. But we came away with findings on how the ActiveE tackled city car duties.

Firstly, this car is quiet. Really eeriely quiet. Ease onto the throttle and you get a diesel like surge in acceleration, except all you can hear is a soft whine from the electric motor, kinda like how one of those new direct drive motor washing machines sound like. Throttle response is very good, but it takes some getting used to because there’s some really strong engine braking upon releasing the throttle.

This is because ActiveE puts its motor into reverse to become a generator to recharge the batteries upon lift-off. If you leave the throttle closed, the car will eventually come to a stop pretty quick – you have to keep the pedal pressed to coast and the engine management will adjust the power needed to maintain your speed accordingly. The engine braking is so strong that you can probably control the car’s stop and go within the city using the accelerator pedal alone, and indeed I managed to do this for quite some time.

We managed to hit the top speed of about 145km/h while on a straight highway section – check out the video above to see that happen. There was no drama, but of course if you plan to drive this car at 145km/h often don’t expect much range out of the batteries.

The iDrive screen has lots of information on how much power you’re using and how much range you have left but it’s kinda hidden in the menus. But info on range and remaining battery charge can be had at a glance as BMW has appropriately reworked the instrumentation panel gauge to show battery charge instead of fuel tank level.

The car felt just like any other BMW – there was no odd feeling of any weight imbalance because the EV components were mounted strategically, as well as low in the chassis to help lower the center of gravity. Everything else also functioned like a regular internal combustion engine car, down to the air conditioning system which worked well. It was a cold rainy day of course, so I don’t think the air conditioning system needed to work much.

The ActiveE doesn’t ask much from the driver in terms of getting adjusted to the idea of driving an electric car instead of a car with a normal engine, other than the fact that you should remember to charge it.

Look after the jump for a photo gallery as well as 2 other videos.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 17:28:23 +0000.

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Perodua Myvi SE 1.5 and Extreme launched – manual and auto, from RM50,900 to RM61,700 – we’ve driven it already!

Danny Tan — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 05:00:03 +0000

After rounds and rounds of spyshots, this time, it’s the real thing. Moments ago, Perodua officially launched the much anticipated Myvi SE 1.5 which is a new Myvi with a 1.5-litre engine, the biggest capacity lump that has ever been put into the popular hatchback.

And if the new Myvi launched in June is called “Lagi Best” (34,000 people agree and have booked the car) the Myvi SE’s tagline is “Lagi Power, Lagi Best”, referring to the bigger 1.5L engine powering the car.

There’s also the Myvi Extreme 1.5, a name which we broke last week. The Extreme is essentially the same car as the SE, but with a more extreme bodykit and some added kit. It can be immediately recognised by the grey lower lip missing on the SE.

At the back, the Extreme gets a unique bumper, a more elaborate spoiler and chrome door handles. The new seven-spoke rim design and grille insert are shared by both.

Click to enlarge price list

Both the SE and Extreme are available with a four-speed auto gearbox or a five-speed manual. Prices range from RM50,900 for the SE manual to RM61,700 for the Extreme auto, figures that are lower than some have speculated. To recap, the Myvi 1.3 range starts from RM43,900 and tops out at RM57,400 for the 1.3 Elegance auto.

Myvi Extreme (white) easily identified via grey bumper lip, fog lamp housing has less bars

Let’s start with the heart of the matter. The SE and Extreme are powered by a 1.5-litre twin-cam engine with DVVT. This is the 3SZ-VE engine used in the Alza, and not the 1NZ-FE from the Toyota Vios. The chain driven (timing chain, not belt) engine puts out 102 hp at 6,000 rpm and 136 Nm of torque from 4,400 rpm, a 12 hp/19 Nm jump from the Myvi 1.3.

While this is lower than the Vios’ 108 hp/141 Nm, the Myvi 1.5 (at 970 to 995 kg) is lighter than that sedan, and Perodua’s power-to-weight ratio charts sees the SE beat the “Model SS” (Suzuki Swift), “Model V” (Vios) and “Model P” (Persona).

Rear bumper design is unique for each variant, Extreme gets a more elaborate spoiler

Lagi power eh? The Myvi 1.5′s acceleration is not to be scoffed at – the SE manual does the 0-100 km/h sprint in just 9.98 seconds, which is very swift. To compare, a BMW 320i Sport does the same sprint in 9.8 secs, so don’t play play! The Myvi SE auto is timed at 12.49 seconds. So 2.0L sedan owners, don’t be too surprised if that pesky yellow thing runs neck-to-neck with you in the traffic light GP!

As for fuel consumption, Perodua claims 15.9 km/l for the manual and 12.9 km/l for the auto. These figures are slightly down from the 1.3L, but are still better than competing national cars, says P2.

All black interior and steering buttons are standard, Extreme gets leather seats and tinting

Inside, the Myvi 1.5 gets an all black dashboard and interior, unlike the dual-tone scheme on the standard car. The steering wheel is now wrapped in leather, and there are audio controls on the left spoke, a first in Myvi history. The front seats are also unique – Perodua calls them “semi bucket seats”.

Start the car and you’ll also realise that the Camry style instruments – orange illumination in 1.3 Standard, turquoise in the Premium/Elegance – is now in red, with white for the needles and trip computer. The dial design is also slightly different and there are chrome rings thrown in. The plastic surround for the meter panel is now in sliver.

Myvi 1.5 instruments are in red and white, design is different, chrome ring added

The Myvi SE comes with the “flush type” audio system as seen in the Myvi 1.3 Premium. This one has Bluetooth, USB and the a sliver carbon fibre look, but the backlight is now red to match the instruments.

The full colour DVD touch screen system with navigation found in the Myvi 1.3 Elegance is an option for the SE automatic and standard on the Myvi Extreme.

The other additional kit that are exclusive to the Myvi Extreme include leather seat covers (with Extreme badge on the front seat backs), Extreme carpet mats (driver’s mat comes with locks to keep it in place), and window tint. These are in addition to the exterior differences mentioned and shown above.

We’ve driven the Myvi SE 1.5 already. Read our first impressions and view the hi res gallery after the jump. You can pore over 50 images of every nook and cranny, and there’s a presentation video, too.

Perodua Myvi SE 1.5 and Extreme – First Impressions

Two days ago, we attended a media preview and test drive of the Myvi 1.5 around Cyberjaya, the same place where Perodua did the media preview for the new Myvi in June. Fortunately, we got to drive a bigger loop this time around (about 10 km), giving us the chance to stretch the Myvi SE’s legs a little and test out the “Lagi Power” claims.

The changes to the cabin were immediately felt once I stepped in the car. Perodua may have been too liberal to call those seats “semi buckets” but the seat backs are new, offering more side support for the lower back section. However, they should have also changed the flat seat base, which was carried over from the standard Myvi.

One sits very high in the Myvi (SE and 1.3), even when the seat is set to the lowest position – not very sporty or conducive for hard driving, but a boon for most Myvi drivers. I’ve seen some so petite, they’re fully “sheltered” by the seat, and cannot be seen by the car behind, have you?

The steering feels much better in the hands with the leather wrap, noticeably chunkier but not too thick. The red dials were chosen for a sportier feel, and most will love it. Oddly, I prefer the cool blue dial lighting in the Myvi Premium/Exclusive, though. In any case, the Camry style instruments are a big deal for a car this price – they do so much to raise perceived quality and premiumness.

After being told that the manual Myvi SE is a 10 second car, I had to try the stick shift first. Far from the most satisfying gearshift feel, doing it yourself in the Myvi SE is a typical Perodua manual shift experience. No snick snack, the shift feel is rubbery and the gates don’t go deep enough/not very well defined for yours truly. Gets the job done, but not the most fun to use. But remember that the Myvi SE is no hot hatch, so it’s unfair to expect Swift Sport shifting!

Flooring the pedal and getting past the first three gears, the Myvi SE’s improved acceleration is very apparent, and getting to highway speeds is very easy. The pick up is really quite impressive, and the buzzy engine is quite energetic at the higher end of the rev counter.

The first bend I encountered, a long sweeper, also revealed a weightier and generally nicer steering feel. I later learned that there’s no difference in the EPS, and the difference in feel is due to the reworked suspension.

Speaking of that, the Myvi SE feels firmer than the standard car. Body roll is still a frequent visitor, although the lean angles are smaller now. There wasn’t bad roads to try the ride comfort in our route, but my guess is that it shouldn’t be too uncomfortable. I sat at the back for a round (headroom is less generous than the previous gen Myvi) and the high speed ride is quite composed.

I got hold of an engineer from the R&D team, and he explained that the rebound and compression rates for the shock absorbers were a little higher than the standard setting. Same for the springs, which are untouched in front but stiffer at the back.

He also revealed that the Continental CC5 tyres used were specially tuned for the SE, a unique Perodua spec 175/65 R14, in other words. Rubber wise, they sacrificed a little bit of ride comfort for better stability. The tyres are not too loud and grip was better than I expected.

So the Myvi SE is a better drive than the Myvi 1.3, and not just for the improved pace, which is the most impressive part of the car for me. But don’t get us wrong, this is no hot hatch, and a Ford Fiesta 1.4 trumps the SE in every subjective driving criteria.

However, if one’s in the market for a Myvi, do test the SE first. Unlike the old one, this SE is not just leather and bodykit, but a better car. The Myvi SE is lagi best than the Lagi Best!

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 17:28:23 +0000.

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Test Drive Report: New Nissan Livina X-Gear 1.6 Auto

Danny Tan — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 08:29:38 +0000

Edaran Tan Chong Motor (ETCM) officially unveiled the new Nissan Livina X-Gear yesterday, while also giving the media a chance to sample the new crossover in a drive from KL to Penang and back. If you missed yesterday’s launch post, click here to view it.

In a nutshell, the X-Gear is a five-door version of the Grand Livina that we’re familiar with, decked with SUV style bodywork. While it’s shorter and has one less row of seats, the five-seater X-Gear shares the same wheelbase and tracks as the Grand Livina. Offered in a single spec – 1.6-litre auto – ETCM is pitching it as a spacious alternative to typical B-segment hatchbacks such as the Ford Fiesta, Mazda2, Honda Jazz and Suzuki Swift.

Read the review after the jump.

I started the first half of the journey from KL to Ipoh at the back seat. Headroom and legroom is very generous in the X-Gear, allowing me to file the launch story in relative comfort. By the way, the legroom pic from yesterday’s post was taken on the move – the driver was around my height (170-175 cm) and that was his correct driving position.

Note that ‘correct driving position’ is backrest upright with elbows and knees slightly bent, not fully stretched, boy racer style. This is what we’ve learned from various driver training sessions by professionals, and not simply plucked from the sky.

In any case, I’d say that legroom is very good in the X-Gear, and there’s also room for feet to tuck below the front seat.

One significant change in the cabin is the deletion of the rear air con vent of the Grand Livina (GL), replaced by a cupholder that can transform into two. The central strip vent on the dashboard that’s supposed to direct air to the rearmost sections of the GL has also been omitted.

This rationale for this is that the X-Gear’s shorter cabin length doesn’t require the GL’s extra vents. Anyway, it’s not a crime for a two-row car below RM100k to not have rear blowers, and I didn’t miss them.

After lunch in Ipoh, it was my turn behind the wheel. The driver’s work area is instantly familiar, although things like the silver dial faces and black dashboard/interior (both introduced with the recently facelifted GL) lift the ambiance for yours truly. The headlining isn’t in black, so it’s not too dark.

The ‘Tartan’ fabric works well to break the monotony. Things like seat height adjustment and steering reach adjustment/audio controls remain on the wish list, though. I also found the wing mirrors to be on the small side, but maybe it’s just me.

With 105 PS and no VVT, the engine looks poor on paper. The auto ‘box is also just a four speeder. But the X-Gear driving experience is far from lethargic. A sensitive and responsive throttle plays its part, and the gearbox, while not possessing the silkiest change, is fault free in perceptiveness.

If it doesn’t compute, let’s just say that sometimes bare figures don’t tell the full story, and making the most of what you’ve got is important. For instance, I’d rather have the Vios’ good response over the City’s 11 PS, 4 Nm and extra gear ratio paper advantage.

The X-Gear revs freely and willingly, but it does get quite vocal in the second half of the rev range. If you’re wondering, the sound is more buzzy bee than sweet honey! So it’s a good thing that the X-Gear is doing around 2,700 rpm at 110 km/h, which is decent for a four speeder. Acceleration feels stronger than the Grand Livina 1.6, which is logical since it’s 105 kg lighter.

I pushed hard between Jelapang and Sungai Perak since the won’t be many curves after that stretch. The X-Gear’s EPS steering is light and easy to steer, but not very grounded and assuring at high speeds. This is quite a tall car with high ground clearance, and the body moves around quite abit at high speeds (above our highway limit) and when overtaking trucks. A more planted feel for high speed cruising wouldn’t go amiss, but bear in mind that we were driving way harder than most X-Gear owners will.

Handling and grip wise, it doesn’t fare too bad. The X-Gear is nimble when cornered hard, and held its line with determination in the S bends down the hill, despite the comfort biased Continental rubber. Carving corners isn’t what it’s made for, but given a choice between this and the (non Impul) Latio on B roads, I’ll have the X-Gear, which is quite a surprising discovery.

What’s more surprising is the ride comfort on offer. Perhaps it’s my bad memory, but I don’t remember the Grand Livina riding so well. Bumps, potholes, ridges and bad roads were absorbed very well – no thumping and harsh landings, the well damped X-Gear didn’t feel like a small Japanese car at all, to be honest! Definitely more compliant than the Latio, too. This quality makes the X-Gear a good urban vehicle.

Later, ETCM revealed that spring and damper rates are different compared to the Grand Livina. They are softer, since the X-Gear is a lighter car, and doesn’t need to be tuned to accommodate the bigger loads of the GL.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that the X-Gear rides softer than the GL, just that this is the most optimum setting for the car. Whatever it is, it works. This is no flash in the pan actually; the X-Trail is one of the better riding SUVs in its class.

To sum it up, the good ride comfort and easily accessible performance are big plus points for the X-Gear, along with the generous rear legroom and boot volume. It’s not the best equipped car around, though, and keen drivers are much better served in a Fiesta or Swift. However, those cars don’t double up as family transport very well, something the X-Gear excels in. Can’t have it all, so it all depends on one’s priorities.

The X-Gear will never outsell the Grand Livina, but is sure to give B-segment car buyers some good food for thought.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 17:28:23 +0000.

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Rolling in electric – We drive the battery powered Rolls-Royce 102EX a.k.a. Phantom Experimental Electric!

Danny Tan — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 12:26:29 +0000

Oil is a finite resource, something we cannot enjoy forever, certainly not at the rate the world is burning today. Downsizing is the “in thing” of the auto industry today, which is producing smaller, more frugal combustion engines alongside hybrid powertrains. What then is the future of a brand like Rolls-Royce, renowned for mega luxury cars with equally big V12s?

Back in February 2010, Rolls-Royce announced the birth of its 102EX, also known as the Phantom Experimental Electric. As its name suggests, the Phantom EE is a battery powered version of Goodwood’s flagship Phantom, built not to preview an upcoming production model, but to spark debate, and give us a glimpse of what could be the future.

Throughout 2011, the fully functioning and drivable Phantom EE will tour the world to give owners, VIPs, the media and enthusiasts the chance to experience an electric Rolls, gathering feedback for the company in the process. One fundamental question the Phantom EE poses is: Can an all-electric drivetrain deliver an authentic Rolls-Royce experience that customers expect, and an experience that befits the marque?

“After this program, Rolls-Royce will be in the position to make a more informed decision on its future,” Hal Serudin, Rolls-Royce Asia Pacific’s Corporate Communications Manager told us. Our neighbour Singapore, the nation with the highest concentration of millionaires in the world, was the first city on Rolls-Royce’s 102EX International Tour (China and USA are the next stops), and we were lucky to be among the first in the world to sample the electric Phantom, of which only one unit exists at present.

Continue reading after the jump.

I have to admit that I approached the 102EX with some trepidation. The Phantom is a gigantic car, bigger than any passenger car on the road, and the 102EX is a left hand drive car on right hand drive Singaporean roads.

It’s also the only running unit in the world – if I had damaged it, this writer would have single handedly disrupted RR’s International Tour! Oh, and it took Rolls-Royce the small sum of US$3 million to make one!

Here’s what the car is about, in a nutshell. Based on the standard wheelbase Phantom (3,570 mm, Extended WB is 3,820 mm), the 102EX has a Nickel Cobalt Manganese battery pack and two electric motors in place of the regular 6.75-litre V12 engine and six-speed gearbox. The motors are mounted on the rear sub frame and are connected to a single speed transmission with integrated open differential by Xtrac.

Each motor produces 145 kW, giving the Phantom EE 290 kW, or about 390 hp, in total. This is less than the V12 Phantom’s 453 hp, but the 102EX has 800 Nm of torque available from rest compared to the standard car’s 720 Nm at 3,500 rpm. The torque isn’t so much a luxury but a necessity here, since the 102EX is heavier than the Phantom by almost 200 kg (unladen weight is 2,720 kg).

The battery pack powering the motors consists of five modules of cells (96 of them in total) arranged to resemble the overall shape of the gasoline engine and gearbox. It can be replenished either via single-phase charging (20 hours), three-phase charging (8 hours) or wait for this – wireless induction charging!

Basically, this trial method just requires the Phantom EE to be parked above a transfer pad on the floor (I’m imagining a burger frying pan) connected to a mains source. Power frequencies then travel magnetically to the induction pad lining the 102EX’s underbody.

This system is said to be 90% as efficient as the standard charging method, although I’m not sure what will happen when that proud neighbourhood kitty decides to sashay across the pan! Anyhow, Rolls-Royce didn’t bring this along to Singapore, so we didn’t get to try anything funny.

Notice the brilliant sparkling paintjob in our opening photo? That’s the 102EX’s special Atlantic Chrome finish that stands out even more in the metal, especially when the sun is out. A special car needs special paint, but that’s not easy to do when Rolls-Royce already has a range of bespoke paint options with 45,000 colours!

Atlantic Chrome is a type of highly reflective paint using ceramic nano particles. How small are they? Just about 80,000 times smaller than the thickness of hair and 1,000 times smaller than a normal paint particle! In all, 16 coats of paint were needed to achieve the stunning finish (four of which were Atlantic Chrome) plus many, many man hours.

Besides the birth of the 102EX, 2011 also marks the 100th birthday of the Spirit of Ecstasy, which has stood proudly on Rolls-Royce cars since it was registered on 6 February 1911. So the 102EX wears a special one made of Makrolon (a type of polycarbonate) and illuminated in blue. Also notice that the double R badges are in red, reserved for EX models.

Back to the experience. My drive partner took the wheel first, allowing me to sit where most Rolls-Royce owners sit – at the back. While one can specify a Rolls in any colour or material possible, the most popular and traditional choice is lots of timber and a light hue.

For the 102EX, RR took the experimental theme into the cabin as well, which features dark brown Corinova leather, leather floor carpets in place of lambs wool and a white carbon fibre style finish (RR calls the pattern aluminised foil weave) on the dash.

Now, there’s more to the leather than just its colour. The name Corinova is taken from an experimental natural vegetable tanning process that uses chestnut extract and Tara powder from South America to make Glutardialehyde.

Unlike the usual chrome tanning process, Corinova uses less paint finish and creates less waste, and delivers more curves, creases and features that makes the leather look more “alive”, for lack of a better description.

Rolls-Royce says that with further development, Corinova leather can be used to aerate soil in agriculture. From dust to dust.

The Corinova leather completely transforms the interior ambiance, and while it’s quite unique, I can’t say that I prefer it over the typical RR living quarters. Same goes for the contrasting white trim, which could be a hit with bling loving hip hop artistes.

The leather flooring feels more “robust” and is much easier to clean though, and the Phantom EE has a flat floor since the electric drivetrain doesn’t need a propshaft. The dark tanned hide covers the roof lining as well, so it’s quite dark inside compared to conventional RRs.

The experience of rolling in electric is as hushed as you like; the EE’s electric drivetrain dovetailing perfectly with RR’s specialty of insulation from the outside world, which is otherworldly in the world of cars. I’ve been in a couple of electric cars before, but none feels as remote as this. The seating position on the sofa bench is high and upright, and the view out is quite regal.

My switch from “boss” to driver came soon enough, and after the ritual of thumbing the parking brake button and putting the steering column mounted gear lever into D, we merged into Singapore’s West Coast Highway.

There’s no sound or shake from the drivetrain at start up, since there’s no engine – there was just a faint whirr from the motors as we pulled away, and the only thing we hear in the car is the air-con blowing. Speaking of that, the ventilation remained cool even when the motors stopped working at idle.

By the way, one of the major things RR wanted to bring home from Singapore was the 102EX’s range with the AC in use, as well as in hot temperatures. The official range figure is 125 miles (200 km), and 116 miles has been achieved around Lake Geneva, but Singapore will be a tougher test for the Phantom EE.

The Phantom is huge, but Singapore’s wide lanes made it an easier task to place the car than my previous limo experience of the BMW ActiveHybrid 7 in Munich. One also sits high and upright in a Phantom (both front and back) and the cliff like front with the Spirit of Ecstacy as marker all combine to help. The thin rimmed wheel is also very light and effortless.

After some junctions and a roundabout, I floored the pedal for the first time. No, it doesn’t pull away like a plane on take off, or even a twin-turbo BMW, but there’s enough torque for swift overtaking. The process is very efficient and graceful, and all the sound we hear is a faint whirring.

While an electric motor doles out all its torque from “0 rpm”, it’s neutralised a little by the 102EX’s great weight. A button on the wheel activates a maximum brake regeneration mode that’s much like the ‘B mode’ in the Toyota Prius – the greater drag is very apparent.

Top speed for the 102EX has been capped at 100 mph (160 km/h), and while I didn’t reach there (it’s Singapore!), I did come close, gliding along above the Malaysian highway speed limit when given the green light by the event organisers. Truly effortless and pleasant for all onboard – now, if RR could come up with a noiseless air con blower…

Rolls-Royce gave us the chance to drive the 102EX back to back with the regular petrol powered Phantom for comparison. Let’s just say that the gulf isn’t as wide as a electric/petrol comparo for a lesser car, because the Phantom is the pinnacle of refinement.

The big V12 is as silent, smooth and cultured as they come, and it isn’t undesirable even after the 102EX experience. Other than on full acceleration, you won’t hear much of it. Acceleration felt noticeably stronger than the EE, though.

A stint in the rear quarters gave me the chance to remove my shoes and dig my toes into the thick and soft lambs wool carpets absent in the 102EX. The light colours also gave the impression of a larger cabin – I like it this way.

Normally, the lack of drivetrain noise in an electric vehicle amplifies din from other sources such as the suspension and tyres, but since the 102EX is a Rolls-Royce Phantom, there’s no such thing to write about. The silent and graceful climb to speed in the EE is a great, and almost like-for-like, swap with the RR V12 experience, and you never ever have to visit a petrol station again.

This means that the most luxurious EV ever made is also the best example of the EV today. I can imagine it as a great as a point-to-point city limo, or doing the home to office commute where recharging can be done at both points. However, the question of range remains.

At present, the Phantom EE is not capable of ferrying its owner from KL to Singapore for a business meeting or to Penang for lunch without a recharging stop, for instance – and this is compromise for a group of people, and a brand, that’s not used to such a word. Battery technology will improve though, and perhaps one day, the mega rich will all roll in electric.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 17:28:23 +0000.

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Proton Saga FLX 1.3L – first drive impressions

Anthony Lim — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 20:59:26 +0000

There’s much ado about the new Proton Saga FLX, and for good reason – the entry-level offering from the company now wears a continuous variable transmission, and the variant also finally brings stuff like ABS and EBD to the playground, so you can expect that there are plenty of questions as to how the just-launched variant shapes up.

Nothing like sampling the car then, and though it was a only a short workout, it did reveal enough about the new prospect and whether things buzz as well as the promise suggests.

Full story after the jump.

Proton arranged a test drive session of the P2-11C, to give the car its internal code, yesterday at its semi-high speed test track in Shah Alam, and also provide more detailed info on the changes and new tech featured on the FLX.

While not radical in number, the revisions are nonetheless substantial, given that the FL Saga was introduced into the market less than eight months ago. Meaningful would best describe it. Leading the way in for the new is of course the CVT unit, which comes from Belgian manufacturer Punch Powertrain. No mention was made of the model being used in the FLX, but given specification requirements, it should be the VT2 that’s on the car.

Plans for the introduction of a new drivetrain began at the end of 2008, and among the options looked at were five- and six-speed autoboxes as well as DCT, with CVT eventually being the pick. While improved driving comfort and fuel economy are the primary draws, the company says going the CVT route offers other positives, among them a lower cost due to its simple structure, the usage of less components as well as easier operation from a smaller, lighter package (it’s 25% lighter than the current four-speed auto).

Other pluses include less engine fatigue and a more reliable transmission on the whole, since the discrete gear changing forces the engine to run at an optimal speed. And, there’s no full service requirement with this one, which should offer a 200,000 km service life and has 25% less moving parts than the 4AT. The wet clutch design features a oil cooler to help combat that CVT bugbear, high operating temperatures.

On the FLX, the CVT features a six-speed artificial Stepped Auto mode called SAT, which is engaged by a push-button switch next to the gear shifter, as well as a L mode.

When engaged, L mode brings the ratio a step lower than the current cruising ratio, allowing for improved response to acceleration for overtaking or climbing a gradient. The mode can also be used to provide engine braking if you’re going downhill. There’s no manual sequential option here, but word is that this will come about in future applications for the transmission.

Oh, and the manual variant of the FLX also sees a change, this being in drivetrain choice, the Aichi Kikai five-speed tranny making way for a Getrag five-speeder. The selection goes the same route as that chose with going with CVT – better efficiency and improved fuel economy.

To wit, the final drive’s ratios reveal much; on the Japanese gearbox it’s 4.7, while the Getrag’s is 3.8. There was no manual FLX during the drive – the word is that it’s coming about soon, and the Getrag stick shifter will make the transition to the FL as standard fitment as things move along.

Elsewere, the 1.3 litre CamPro four-pot mill on the FLX is now of the IAFM+ variety, the plus suffix indicating that some minor revisions to the cam profile have been carried out, addressing some quality-related issues and for better integration with the CVT drivetrain. In terms of output figures, there’s no change – 94 hp and 120 Nm are still it, the same as found on the FL.

There’s also the inclusion of ABS and EBD, which is only available in the 1.3L Executive, essentially the M-Line version of the car. Other additions to the FLX are a new interior finishing called Tempest Grey, an exterior colour called Elegant Brown (as seen in the photos) and new graphics for the instrument cluster meters, the last offering better legibility and visual appeal compared to that on the FL.

New instrument meter graphics (top) compared to the old.

Additionally, the FLX also features changes to the suspension setup, something that wasn’t mentioned in the presentation. The revisions are again subtle rather than radical, but for what’s on, offer a nice jump in handling performance.

The new package features stiffer springs, a thicker front anti-roll bar (21 mm, as opposed to the 19 mm one on the FL) and revised shocks – among other things, the APM-made units feature a reworked rebound rate, offering 20% to 30% more stiffness. Also, the stopper length at the back has also been increased, essentially to stop the rearward sagging look of the car.

The result on the whole is reduced body roll and the promise of more neutral handling into corners. A more aggressive handling package was also delivered during trials, which offered even better performance, but at the expense of ride comfort. This one then strikes the best balance between ride and handling, and these changes are set to make its way on to the standard FL Saga.

On paper performance figures for the CVT show improvements across the board in fuel consumption as well as CO2 figures, as noted in the photo below. We were told that the figures in the chart are for the unit operating in pure CVT mode; while engaging SAT continuously doesn’t change the torque curve, it does affect overall consumption through its modified behaviour.

Across the speed spectrum, the CVT-equipped FLX is also quicker getting to the 0-100 km/h mark than the 4AT Saga – not exactly blazing, but its 13.20 seconds in that particular sprint is 0.9 seconds (or 6.38%, if you’re percentage inclined) faster than the 14.10 seconds managed by the Saga FL 1.3. Of course, the manual still gets to the century faster, taking 13.0 seconds to do so. Top speed for the CVT variant is 155 km/h, and 160 for the manual.

In use, it’s not night and day, that timing difference is, not as far as going round and round a test track would ever show, though the FLX felt a bit sprightlier being pushed. I started out in a FL, which provided handy direct comparison in terms of feel and perception.

Stood on, the FLX felt more willing to go, and felt more composed – and smoother – doing so, from a propulsion point of view. Tonally though, I actually preferred what was coming off the engine/4AT pairing on full-on acceleration; the CVT isn’t louder, the overall scope with throttle wide-open being about the same volumetric-wise, but it certainly is raspier sounding, decidedly sharper in note.

Of course, barrelling along with the right foot stomping on the accelerator pedal isn’t the measure of everything, and settling into cruising at 80-100 km/h changes things in favour of the CVT, the FLX feeling that more poised and quieter.

A lot of it has to do with the marked difference in the FL and FLX’s RPM band at various speeds – the FL’s four-speed AT runs at 2,400-2,500 rpm at 80 km/h, and at 100 km/h the revs sit at 3,000 rpm. The CVT leans this out by being 500 rpm less across the two speed samples – 2,000 rpm at 80 km/h and 2,500 rpm at 100 km/h.

Taking it up to 120 km/h brought another corresponding 500 rpm increase, to 3,000 rpm, showing things to be very uniform for each 20 km/h gain. Hence the perception of the FLX being smoother and quieter – running less revs means less engine drone, and that surely helps.

As for behaviour, the CVT’s characteristics are clean, the Punch box exhibiting good linearity. Its D mode is preferable to that in SAT, at least to me. I didn’t quite like the induced shift-shock feel’s transients, which feels a bit lazy, especially when the car is pushed.

The video shows how the CVT behaves in both modes under full acceleration, as well as normally in SAT mode. Still, I suppose those wanting the behavioral patterns of an automatic will no doubt find the SAT nice to have around.

The suspension revision looks like being a standout, based on what was suggested during the countless go-round runs. Belting around an oval test circuit doesn’t best show the improvements, but even then the FLX showed better turn-in feel and a sharper response in agility. Big pluses here, by the looks of it.

Questions remain, as they inevitably do, coming off such a short sampling in rather determined conditions and terrain. How the CVT shapes up in daily urban use – both consumption and performance-wise – and what gains it offers over the 4AT will only be answered by doing the grind in real-world conditions. Based on first impressions, it all looks quite promising.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 17:28:23 +0000.

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Mercedes-Benz C-Class W204 facelift arrives in Malaysia – C200 CGI and C250 CGI BlueEfficiency driven

Anthony Lim — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 00:10:14 +0000

How time does fly. It has been four years since the third-generation Mercedes-Benz C-Class was introduced, and the compact executive car has certainly done very well for itself, with more than a million units sold worldwide. The announcement of the mid-life facelift came in December last year, a little more than halfway through the typical seven-year life cycle for a model like it.

In Malaysia, since arriving in the second half of 2007, more than 6,000 examples have found owners, not a staggering figure, but impressive nonetheless. The C200 K and C230 that paved the way were replaced by the C200 CGI and C250 CGI, with the primary changes being in terms of powertrain.

Seven months on after the facelift’s announcement, the car has arrived on these shores. For its introduction here, the lineup retains the similar feel to the outgoing pre-facelift version in terms of model variants – the locally-assembled C200 CGI and C250 CGI BlueEfficiency roll in, at RM258,888 and RM290,888 respectively, looking to continue the successful run their predecessors had. There’s quite a fair bit of new in the car, even if it isn’t noticeable at first glance.

Full story after the jump.

The W204 was a dramatic step up in styling and design compared to the W203, almost a blitz in how it changed perception of the car. If the latter was a bit boring and dowdy, the W204 was most certainly not. For the facelift, Merc has seen fit not to alter the exterior too much, even if it has made no less than 2,000 component changes to the car, thereby retaining the shape’s poise and character.

The front is where it’s most noticeable. For starters, there’s a redesigned bumper, which has a more expressive and dynamic contour, the front section being brought closer to the brand’s new design idiom. As a central element at the front, the shape of the radiator grille is more prominently supported by the bumper, and the central air intake opens out upwards in a V-shape, forming a visual base unit for the radiator grille.

Meanwhile, pronounced side sections on the bumper extend from the sporty V-shape at the centre; these sections – beneath the headlamps – blend into the feature lines along the vehicle flanks, creating a better link with the sides. Lastly, the side air inlets in the bumper are positioned low down, to give the car a more road-hugging appearance.

There’s also a new aluminium bonnet, chosen for its lightweight properties and contoured around the headlamps and radiator grille in such a manner that it emphasises the V-shape of the front section more prominently than before. Aluminium as material also features on the front wings and the door modules.

Elsewhere, the headlamps have also been redesigned, and the new shape creates a more dynamic and resolute impression, so Merc says, aiding the rest of the front’s new cast to get the V-shape going further. The bi-xenons – which now feature the Intelligent Light System (ILS) as standard – has some rather subtle design cues, including a position light with a distinctive C-shape.

As is now the standard, LEDs feature prominently – the lower section of the headlamp is formed by a horizontal broadband LED indicator unit, and on the bumper sits LED daytime running lamps.

Not much change in the rear, with just the tail lamps and rear bumper being reworked. For the latter, the light-catching contours and dividing lines have been modified to emphasise the width of the car even more. As for the tail lights, a continuous covering lens helps neaten their integration into the tail end, and the use of LEDs again feature prominently, offering a high recognition factor in the dark.

As before, the radiator grille helps differentiate the models, the C250 wearing one with a sizeable tristar slapped on it, while the C200 makes do with a more civil looking one, its Merc logo sitting on top of the bonnet.

Wheels also help signify the difference – both wear 17-inchers, the C250 being a 5-twinspoke design (with staggered 225/45 front and 245/40 rear rubbers) while the C200′s is a 7-twinspoke pattern, wrapped in 225/45 series tyres.

Still, the exterior work doesn’t change things much from an overall perspective, at least not to those who don’t know what they’re looking at. Aside from the front, the side profile and rear view offer very little to the uninitiated that this is the facelift. During the media drive up to Ipoh last week, hardly anyone took notice of the car, though on the return trip, I did catch one person checking the car out whilst on the move, and it happened to be a pre-facelift owner, chugging along in his W204 C200 CGI.

Inside though, there’s no mistaking what exactly this one is. It’s where everything’s happening, so much so, what’s been slapped on makes the pre-facelift model’s interior look a bit shabby when you explore it now. The new dashboard leads the way, and its more angular lines that offers a more focused presentation. Styling-wise, the fascia follows on that found on the W212 E-Class.

Gone is the central pop-up lid in the pre-facelift model, which hid the COMAND LCD screen – I always thought it was a bit gimmicky and plasticky, and the open configuration sitting underneath the stepped extension to the instrument cluster now offers a far more pleasant view, and not just from a legibility point of view.

The trim and choice of material have also been significantly improved. If there was one major thing to pick about the old car’s interior, aside from the aspects of design and layout, it would be that things felt a bit cheap (not tacky), and not truly befitting of the car.

Now, texture to both sight and touch have taken a big jump – the surfaces of the control elements are more finely detailed and galvanised, the upper dashboard section wears a new surface grain, and there’s more decorative trim to be found on the dash (specifically, into the passenger side area), among other things.

Some of the changes are imperceptible, especially if you’re not familiar with that on the old – the rotary volume control knob’s weighing as you turn the dial is now heavier and offers a better tactile feel, for one. Others are easier to spot – there’s a new instrument cluster, with its three tube-style surrounds dressed in a galvanised surface, featuring an integral colour display in conjunction with a completely redesigned multi-function 12-button steering wheel.

Speaking of the steering wheel, the C200 CGI gets a four-spoke one, replete with a chromed trim panels for the controls, while the C250 CGI has a new generation three-spoke steering wheel, first seen in the new CLS. The three-spoker is a delight to the eye and hand, offering good ergonomics and fit at its 3-9 contact point area.

The updated C-Class continues with two lines. Going the Elegance route with the C200 bags you dark brown burr walnut wood trim as well as an instrument cluster with a cream backplate, and there seems to be a choice of interior colour combinations to be had – the two C200 examples I hopped into had different ones, one in black and the other, cream. The seam outlines are also in a contrasting light grey, less noticeable on the cream-based interior. Meanwhile, the darkened interior of the C250 gets brushed aluminium trim, a silver backplate for the cluster and horizontally stitching for its seat rests and backs.

With the different routes also comes different outputs. While both variants wear the M271 DEH four-cylinder 1.8 litre, direct injection, turbocharged engine, the state of output tunes naturally differ. For the C200, this is 184 hp at 5,250 rpm and 270 Nm at 1,800-2,500 rpm, while the C250 has 204 hp at 5,500 rpm and 310 Nm at 2,000-4,300 rpm.

Performance specs include a 0-100 kph time of 7.8 seconds and a 235 kph top speed for the C200, while the C250 is a shade quicker at 7.2 seconds and 240 kph. In essence, the engines remain unchanged for the makeover.

New though is the inclusion of a 7G-Tronic Plus seven-speed auto transmission to replace the five-speed in the pre-facelift, and both versions get it (the C230, incidentally, featured a seven-speeder). With wider gear ratios, an improved Sport/Eco shift programme and greater mechanical damper insulation, the improved NAG II FE+ box – with an overall ratio optimised for fuel economy – promises improved drive feel. In terms of fuel economy, MB says that the facelifted C-Class variants offer a 13% improvement over their pre-facelift siblings.

Other items on the equipment list include new driving assistance systems from Adaptive Highbeam Assist and Attention Assist to Parking Guidance for the Parktronic system, as well as a new telematics generation offering new features such as phone book transfer, display of SMS messages, wireless music reproduction via Bluetooth and a USB interface that is now accommodated in the centre armrest.

Besides a Dynamic Handling Package, the C250 also comes with built-in navigation and a COMAND Online multimedia system; as its name suggests, internet access – via your mobile phone connection – is provided in the C-Class for the first time, though surfing is limited to only when the car is stationary.

All that out of the way, it’s time to find out how it all fared in use, even if a short media drive isn’t going to be all too all-encompassing. Having jumped into the drive directly off a long-haul flight in the same morning, there was little to suggest that anything had radically changed performance-wise upon first measure – the outward bound journey was made in a C250, and it felt very much like the pre-facelift in its dynamic qualities and character behaviour.

The car felt brisk enough on the highway, pretty much what I remembered the previous CGI version to be in terms of zip, a bit on the raw side when pushed, but efficient nonetheless. The steering remains lightweight in feel and feedback – it’s fast enough (a bit skittish at speed, even), but there’s none of the directness and information coming off it you’d find on a Munich equivalent, and we’re not talking merely about weight here.

Now, one can argue that for most C-Class drivers, this is hardly going to be anything they’d fuss about. I do think the new three-spoke steering wheel is the bee’s knees though; sure, the grip isn’t as meaty as a Veedub’s, but it’s an absolute gem to hold.

Switching on the Sport mode out on the open road proved to be a quick affair, in that switching it back off came very quickly after – going in a straight line is hardly the terrain to try out firming up the suspension. We’ll get to that when the car comes in for a more complete test session.

In the end, there was only one corner that offered the chance to push, a hairpin that the car aced comfortably (pardon the term) with Sport mode on. Still, you always get the feeling that prodding the C into corners isn’t exactly what it’s all about and why you’d buy one in the first place.

The return journey the next day, in the C200, proved how much of a cruiser this one is – I drove back alone, my driving partner having hightailed out earlier in another car. With the effects of jet lag still plenty in evidence, the drive home – at mixed speeds – turned out to be effortless, and that I came out of it no more worse for wear than I already was at that stage is testament to the car’s ability to soak it all up. Of note is the seat comfort levels, which are high. Granted, Ipoh isn’t exactly Mars, but a couple of hundred clicks when you’re tired feels a bit like it.

If there’s an area where performance has improved, then it has to be with the seven-speeder, which smoothens things out considerably and adds further to the C’s refinement levels. In terms of response, it’s far more rapid than the old five-speed box, for sure.

Having spent a fair amount of time in it, the new interior is, simply put, fetching. The switchgear feels good to the touch, and the new instrument cluster and LCD screen is well easy on the eye. In all, the entire bag of tricks really does make the reworked C a far plusher offering than before.

In 2007, when the C-Class first arrived here, I decided to pit it against the BMW E90 3 Series in a two-way comparo for the publication I worked for then (to kick-start shootouts there; it had never been done in the newspaper, and it’s not something that will be done now), and with three different drivers providing their opinions, the C200 K ended up ahead of the 320i as the preferred choice for all three reviewers, which was a revelation to us.

Yes, the 3er ran rings around the C in drive dynamics and left it trailing doing all the ham-fisted stuff – feedback to input, progression, steering, traction, linearity, the BMW simply ticked off all the boxes ahead of the Merc. But it was also less forgiving in its character, less compliant on the whole and certainly less comfortable in an urban environment on a day-to-day basis.

As much as the E90 had eminent drivability (if lacking in power) and appealed to the driver in me, the balanced – and arguably, better – temperament of the W204 was hard to ignore. Certainly, given that most owners don’t drive their cars like they stole it, you can see where we all ended up, the cruiser winning the vote over the bruiser.

Nearly four years on, I’d like to believe that things haven’t really changed all that much. Undoubtedly, the arrival of the F30 will bring about another change in the landscape and perspective, but for now, the status quo remains. One where the choice is made with the heart, and one made with the head, as before. And you can call me soft, but if done once more, I’d know which one I would pick. Again.

C200 CGI

C250 CGI

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 17:28:23 +0000.

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Hybrid powerhouse: BMW ActiveHybrid 7 driven in Munich

Danny Tan — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 08:59:14 +0000

Over the past month, I’ve sighted on average five to six Honda Insights in my daily travels in Klang Valley. The costlier “full hybrid” Toyota Prius is a less common sight than the motor assisted Honda, but they’re still more of them around compared to in 2010. This is of course the effect of Budget 2011, which abolished import and excise duty for hybrid cars below 2,000cc.

The hybrid car as we know it, is a more efficient and eco-friendly alternative to regular gasoline powered cars. With the assistance of a battery powered electric motor, cars like the Insight can get away with just a 1.3-litre engine. Fuel consumption and CO2 emissions drop as a result, not to mention that road tax is just RM70 per year in the Honda’s case.

Recently, we were lucky to be able to sample a different sort of hybrid, one that’s more about 700 Nm of torque than RM70 road tax. In the BMW ActiveHybrid 7, the batteries aid km/h, not km/l. Welcome to the performance enhancing hybrid car.

Continue reading the report after the jump.

The ActiveHybrid 7 made its world debut at the 2009 Frankfurt show. Designed to be “the most dynamic and luxurious rendition of the hybrid car”, it’s available in both short and long wheelbase formats of Munich’s S-Class rival. This is not a full hybrid where the electric motor can solely propel the car, but a mild hybrid without a dedicated EV mode.

The car’s main mover is a 4.4-litre V8 petrol engine featuring BMW TwinPower Turbo Technology and High Precision Injection, as used in the 750i. Despite already having power boost from the electric motor, BMW really went all out and has seen fit to tweak the V8 to produce 449 hp and 650 Nm of torque (from 2,000 to 4,500 rpm), which is quite a significant increase from the 750i’s 407 PS/600 Nm.

Now, throw in the output from the three-phase synchronous electric motor and you’ll get a total of 465 horses and 700 Nm of twist. Acceleration is staggeringly fast and effortless as a result – 0-100 km/h is completed in just 4.9 seconds and you don’t have to work hard to get it from there to the electronically limited 250 km/h top speed.

Taken bare, the figures aren’t out of the world, but put (or rather felt) in the context of a big, heavy limo, you won’t be asking for more pace.

On the other end of the scale, average fuel consumption in the EU cycle is just 9.4 litres/100 km or 10.6 km/l. The non hybrid 750i drinks 11.4 litres per 100 km, so there’s a big enough gap to justify the hardware. The CO2 rating takes a 47 g/km drop to 219 grams per kilometre. A gain on all fronts is hard to argue against.

The electric motor is positioned between the combustion engine and the transmission converter, and is connected firmly to the crankshaft. Shaped like a disc, it weighs just 23 kg. The battery that feeds it is the lithium-ion type, as opposed to Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) in Toyota/Lexus hybrids.

Comprising 35 cells and weighing 27 kg, the 37 x 22 x 23 cm battery unit (quite similar in size to a normal car battery) is located in the boot next to the left wheelarch. It takes up about the same space as the additional compressor for the rear-seat air con in the standard Seven, which is not present here.

Click to enlarge

From the driver’s seat, there’s nothing to tell that you’re not in a regular Seven, until the black panel instrument cluster lights up to give some clues. At the fuel consumption gauge, there’s the word ‘ActiveHybrid’ in light blue, along with the ‘READY’ sign next to the gear selection. Heed the call and press the Start button and instead of a loud V8 rumble, it’s so silent that you wonder it’s alive. This is a hybrid all right.

We carefully inch out of the incredibly tight parking lot of Munich’s Sofitel, trying hard to not to kerb the ActiveHybrid’s unique aerodynamically optimised turbine style 19-inch alloys. In the motherland of superminis, our Seven feels every bit the limo it is. We ease our way into Munich’s morning traffic while taking the first ten minutes to reacquaint ourselves to left hand drive. Wafting around town, we could hear more of the other vehicles than our own powertrain – the AH7 cabin is very well insulated indeed.

At low speeds, the electric motor does part of the work so as to not trouble the V8 too much, helping fuel economy. The big engine, mounted as far from the nose as possible in typical BMW fashion, was rudely awakened when we had the first opportunity to floor the gas pedal. It responded angrily to the poke, and yours truly was left speechless as the AH7 took a squat before propelling itself down the road. It felt much shorter than five seconds to reach 100 km/h, probably because the response seemed so improbable moments ago.

Speed isn’t fun without noise, and thankfully the good insulation we noticed in the city wasn’t so good to block out all of the engine noise, which is a deep, bassy growl in this case. From this moment on, we gave it full beans at every opportunity just to be punched by the speed/noise combo, even if it attracted disapproving stares from the locals. One lady cyclist gave a particularly nasty look. No class, they must be thinking.

Getting out of the city and into the country got me thinking the same. This is no S-Class. This fifth-gen Seven is a great car to drive for what it is, and we applaud BMW for making it like that despite the fact that most of these limos will never breach 70% of their cornering ability as to not alarm the boss. By the way, the AH7 manages to stick to the 50:50 weight distribution Munich is obsessed with, despite the added hardware.

Pushing hard still feels unnatural due to the car’s width (amplified on narrow Euro country roads) and the visual of that long hood from behind the wheel. There were some close shaves with oncoming trucks, and I was relieved to return the car later without any dangling side mirrors. While it’s more suited for Sheikh Zayed Road than Bavarian country road, look past those and you’ll be rewarded.

“Shrinks around you” may sound a little cliched, but it applies to the ActiveHybrid 7. Like the rest of the Seven range, it’s very nice to drive and doesn’t feel as clumsy as its bulk suggests, the only deterrents being the above-mentioned width and view of the long hood.

Push on and you’ll find tight body control and a planted feel in Sport mode, although we couldn’t find any bad roads to test ride comfort. The difference between Sport and the softer, lazier Comfort is apparent, the former holds revs for longer instead of upshifting at every opportunity.

Back when BMW first launched its eight-speed auto gearbox, I questioned the need for so many ratios – wouldn’t a well chosen six-pack be enough? But it works well and the feared gear hunting is not present, so all’s well. By the way, there’s auto start-stop as well, so you don’t burn fuel for nothing when idle.

After establishing that the AH7 isn’t a fish out of water clipping apexes on country roads, we went on to fiddle around with its green gadgets via iDrive, which in present form, is no longer as cumbersome to use as the original version that debuted in the previous generation E65/E66 7-Series.

The large central screen can display a live graphic that shows the energy flow, whether it’s support from the electric motor when accelerating away, or from brake regeneration into the batteries. The current charge level of the batteries is also displayed. If you’ve been really good, give yourself a pat on the back as you analyse the current level of efficiency in per cent. A bar diagram updates itself every minute, showing to what extent the efficiency potential of the hybrid components have been exhausted in the last 15 minutes.

That’s all cool in a geeky way, but I reckon that maximising fuel savings and minimising dirty emissions isn’t what the ActiveHybrid 7 is all about. This hybrid is about performance, performance and performance, and the improved economy and CO2 ratings are just convenient subsidiary benefits to help justify adding more horsepower to a two-tonne car in today’s climate. Cheeky!

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 17:28:23 +0000.

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Porsche Cayman R launched: 10 hp more, 55 kg less, RM630k – our brief impressions from the track

Danny Tan — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 19:19:20 +0000

Sime Darby Auto Performance, local guardian of the Porsche brand, launched the new Cayman R yesterday at the Sepang International Circuit. The hottest Cayman was first revealed to the world at the LA show in November last year. More hardcore and uncompromising than the Cayman S, the Cayman R loses weight, adds power, and takes on a different character from the S.

The 3.4-litre flat six engine from the Cayman S gains 10 horses to make 330 hp in the R, while torque remains at 370 Nm. The redline for this water-cooled, direct injection naturally aspirated powerplant is 7,500 rpm, which one will reach easily while rowing through the seven-speed dual-clutch PDK gearbox. SDAP (a yummy acronym!) says that they will forward customer orders for the six-speed manual to Germany, if they insist on self swapping.

We don’t think many would want to do so, as the PDK version is faster to 100 km/h and more fuel efficient than the manual. The century sprint is dispatched in 4.9 seconds on to a 280 km/h top speed. Combined fuel consumption is 9.3 litres per 100 km, or 10.75 km/l. Compare this to the manual’s 5.0 sec and 9.7 litres per 100 km.

The other main point is weight reduction. The Cayman R uses aluminium doors (15 kg saved) and special seats (shells made of glass and CFRP, 12 kg saved), and Porsche goes to the extent of replacing the inside door handles with fabric straps. The 19in wheels are the lightest Porsche has, and a complete set of four weighs only 40 kg.

In Europe, one can have the R without air con and radio for max weight savings, but these are essentials here, even on a car like this, so SDAP ordered them. Unladen weight is 1,295 kg. If money isn’t an issue, the RM32k optional Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes (PCCB) can add stopping power and shave a further 15 kg off the weight. One can also order a lithium ion battery in place of the normal lead acid battery – this saves 14 kg.

From the outside, the Cayman R can be spotted via its signature “Peridot” colour. But if it’s not in that shade of green, one can look out for the fixed rear spoiler, “PORSCHE” lettering along the doors, black framed headlights and a body that’s lower by 20 mm over the S. The latter is part of the sports chassis which also includes more rigid springs, bespoke anti roll bars, stiffer dampers, wider tracks (+4 mm front, +2 mm rear) and a standard rear differential lock.

A larger negative camber has also been set for both axles to increase directional stability. Also, as Stuttgart set out to build a “purer” sports car, the R cannot be specified with PASM electronically controlled dampers.

At the launch, Porsche allowed journos a chance to sample their new baby on Sepang tarmac. There was a long queue with only one running unit, but yours truly managed to squeeze in one lap before they closed shop. Read our brief impressions of the Cayman R and view the gallery after the jump.

Brief impressions of the Cayman R on track

Sime Darby Auto Performance chose Sepang as the launch venue for the Cayman R, which is very appropriate, as full attack in the safe confines of a circuit gave us a chance to explore the limits of the sports car, without the risks of public roads. However, this also means that we have no idea how the R will fare on our less than smooth roads.

The launch coincided with Porsche Driving Experience, a driver training programme for customers and the media. This means that besides the Cayman R, other Porsches such as the Cayenne, Panamera, 911 GTS and Cayman/Cayman S were available for sampling.

As mentioned, there was a long line to try the Cayman R, so I took the chance to lap Sepang in the standard 2.9-litre Cayman. With “only” 265 hp and 300 Nm, some might think that the base Cayman doesn’t have enough firepower to excite, but I beg to differ. It certainly feels fast enough, and the loud flat-six soundtrack from behind the seats provide the necessary drama. And if I remember correctly, the engine sound is much more audible here than in the 911.

Smiles didn’t fade after the initial blast out of the pit lane. Snaking through turns 1 and 2, the Cayman’s nose was extremely easy to point around, feeling almost weightless. No engine up front, and the wheels don’t need to channel power to the road, hence the purity. This lithe, agile feel was a constant companion in my two laps, and the cabin feels like the pivot point of the car – you can easily feel it adjust based on throttle inputs.

The Cayman is fun, but I found it to be quite forgiving as well, great for non pros like yours truly. In the fast sweeping bends of 5 and 6, leaning on the final ounces of grip, I backed off the throttle too abruptly and immediately realised my mistake, but instead of snapping us into the gravel, the Cayman wobbled a bit before carrying on. By the way, PSM isn’t the most strict nanny around and some innocent fun is allowed.

The PDK with paddle shifts worked perfectly. For those thinking Golf GTI, the overlapping here is not as seamless, but for the better, as the kickback and “mini bomb sound” during full bore shifts complemented the howling flat six well. The gravelly crescendo at the top 2,000 rpm is quite addictive, and you’ll want to go there in every gear. Special mention to the brakes as well; their stopping power gave us confidence to spend as much time on the throttle as possible. They also withstand heavy duty use very well.

The Cayman R’s more focused brief is apparent the minute one steps in. I’m now surrounded by dark alcantara instead of tan leather, and I reached for the seat height and rake adjuster, only to find none – the seats are fixed backed items. They hold very tightly, and the seating position is perfect for serious driving.

The previously mentioned engine sound is significantly louder here, and the tone is harder edged, too. It also feels a lot faster than the base Cayman, although the difference would have been smaller if I had previously tried a Cayman S instead. The steering remains natural and feelsome, but the R corners much flatter. There’s more grip, translating to higher cornering speeds, and one can power out of corners earlier as well.

It would have been better if we got to try the Cayman S beforehand, but I suspect that while the noticeable gap would have been smaller, it would still be substantial enough to put the Cayman R a notch above. The R is a serious machine that feels right at home on the track, and we hope that the 20 to 25 buyers SDAP wants to find this year will give it the occasional circuit exercise it deserves.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 17:28:23 +0000.

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VIDEO: MINI Cooper S Countryman Review

Paul Tan — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 06:55:23 +0000

No, Driven isn’t back yet… but we’re trying out our first online video review. Remember the hijack video that was on this site sometime back? Harvinder has a little fun both on and off the road with the MINI Cooper S Countryman. Look after the jump for a full hi-res photo gallery. Or you can read our text test drive review by Danny Tan.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 17:28:23 +0000.

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MINI Countryman test drive report from Hamburg, Germany

Danny Tan — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 06:29:24 +0000

The new MINI, or the BMW MINI, is one of the great motoring successes in recent times. We’re not sure, but it’s possible than even the bigwigs in Munich never envisioned such great reception for the reborn icon. Whether as a style accessory that transcends class in Europe or a toy for the rich in Malaysia, the MINI is still every bit as desirable as it was when it debut nearly a decade ago (has it really been that long?)

Fun to look at and fun to drive it may be, but the hip and happening early adopters from a few years ago might have moved on in life, and may require more space. To keep them in the brand they love, and to attract those who love the idea of a MINI but whose lifestyle/family does not permit, a bigger MINI was needed.

Continue reading the report after the jump.

So came the Clubman in 2008, which was basically an elongated MINI hatchback with quirky barn style rear doors and a little Clubdoor on the driver’s side for RHD cars. Identical to the hatch from the B pillars forward, the Clubman was longer than the original car by 240 mm including an 80 mm longer wheelbase. It improved on the style over space packaging of the MINI hatch, but not by much. And for the extra room, one would have to trade the MINI’s perky shape for an odd design. Didn’t really catch on, and we’re not surprised.

It’s still early days, but we’re predicting that the new MINI Countryman won’t suffer the same fate. This is a car that’s truly practical and spacious (qualities that MINI drivers might find alien) yet fun to drive, like a MINI should be. It’s a likable car, as we found out driving it in northern Germany.

Let’s start with the looks. It may be the first MINI measuring over four metres and the first modern MINI with four doors, but there’s no doubt which family the Countryman belongs to, thanks to the cartoonish face and those familiar proportions. Like the hatch, this is something you’ll either get or don’t, though. I wasn’t crazy about the hatch’s looks when it came out, and it still hasn’t grown on me all these while; perhaps I’m not the trendy buyer they’re targeting either. But the Countryman did grow on me after awhile…

The headlamps aren’t exactly round here, but they’re large, and the main projector is very prominent. There’s an extra slat of grille to mark out the Cooper S variant, but the “bridge” between the A pillars and front wheelarches are standard across the range. The roof looks stuck on, which is a MINI trademark, but the glasshouse is unique. It’s as though there are two segments – front and rear – merging at the C pillars. Looks a little incongruous at first sight, but I hardly noticed it after awhile. Our Cooper S test car wore 17-inch rims.

At the rear, the elements have been reshuffled and enlarged. The license plate moves down to the bumper, which has two cutouts for the pipes, and the winged MINI logo is really large. The overall look is truly unique, and you’ll notice the Countryman not just for its bigger size – it’s more than just a larger scale MINI hatch.

Size wise, the Countryman is 411 mm longer than the 3.7 metre long MINI, 106 mm wider and 154 mm taller. While those are big jumps, the C’man’s footprint is actually smaller than a five-door VW Golf’s (about the same width but 89 mm shorter), so we’re not looking at a bulky SUV here. If the exterior dimensions mimic a C-segment hatch, the 350-litre boot space is on par with the Golf, which is far bigger than the Clubman’s 260 L and the hatchback’s tiny 160 L.

Step inside and you’ll notice the unchanged template for the dash. While the design is toy like – huge centre speedo, tiny rev counter in front of the wheel, large round air vents (they seem even bigger here), toggle switches – the quality isn’t. Plastics are of a high grade and switches and buttons feel good in use. As usual, ergonomics aren’t perfect when style is the priority, but it’s just a matter of getting used to the layout.

You’d have noticed the large colour screen within the speedo. That’s MINI Connected, which is similar to BMW ConnectedDrive (click here to read all about it). If one has an iPhone (which we presume is the phone of choice for trendy MINI customers), he/she just needs to download a free app, then connect the Apple to the car.

Controlled by a joystick and two buttons (home/option, located between the front seats), one can call up RSS news feeds, Twitter updates and a variety of web radio channels, among other things. There’s a special dock for the iPhone in centre box. We’re expecting MINI Connected to feature in Malaysian bound Countrymen, as it was recently made available in Malaysia with the facelifted MINI hatch.

The most unique feature in the Countryman cabin is the Centre Rail. Imagine a “railway track” that runs the length of the interior, where you can clip on accessories on it and slide them around. In our test car, there were cupholders and a sunglass box, and there are plans for more cutesy stuff.

But unfortunately, this is only applicable to the four-seater version; the five-seater BMW Malaysia will import has a rail that ends with the front seats. As with the individual seats seen here, the three-seat rear bench can slide in a 60:40 split.

Comfort wise, there’s good space for all four individuals on board, and there’s plenty of shoulder room at the back, which I got comfortable in. Quite sure that it won’t feel the same with three abreast in our Malaysian spec car, but the higher seating position, taller roof and extra glass area over conventional hatchbacks makes for breezy journeys. Needless to say, it’s a much better car for passengers over the MINI hatch – the difference is night and day.

Added practicality aside, the big question is does the Countryman drive like a MINI. In a nutshell, take away the inevitable consequences of the added size (not so easy to nip in that gap in traffic), height (body roll) and weight (still fast but not so explosive) and yes, it does drive very well, the experience is still fun, still MINI like.

Each paired with a panda coloured Countryman, we were let loose in Northern Germany starting from the port city of Hamburg. Since the diesels will have little chance of reaching here, yours truly opted for the Cooper S Countryman ALL4, the highest spec petrol powered variant. ‘ALL4′ signifies four-wheel drive, which is a first for the brand. It’s a full time permanent system that splits torque equally between axles, with the ability to chuck 100% to either side when required. This is done via an electromagnetically controlled central clutch.

The Cooper S, with its 184 hp and 240 Nm of torque available between 1,600 and 5,500 rpm (260 Nm on overboost), is the best performing Countryman. Those figures are made from a twin scroll turbocharged 1.6-litre direct injection Prince engine, now with BMW’s Valvetronic variable valve management. This is the first MINI to join all three forces – turbo, DI, Valvetronic – in one engine. Our test car was a six-speed manual.

The Cooper S Countryman with ALL4 accelerates to 100 km/h in 7.9 seconds and has a top speed of 210 km/h (8.3 sec, 205 km/h for the six-speed automatic that will come to Malaysia). Average fuel consumption stands at 6.7 litres per 100 km, which is a litre less than the automatic at 7.7 l/100 km.

We are fans of the Prince family of engines, be it in Peugeots or MINIs. Pulls with gusto, smooth revving, nice linear delivery, it has all the vital ingredients of a good engine. The script is unchanged in the Cooper S Countryman, which is properly quick. While 7.9 seconds to 100 km/h doesn’t sound too impressive, one is rarely left wanting for more pace thanks to strong in gear acceleration and flexibility. In a word, drivability.

The six-speed self shifter is also a joy to use. Engaging gears require just a light and short throw into the well defined gates. Not the best we’ve ever tried, but it’s slick, positive and not easy to snag. No complaints about the clutch as well.

But if you jump in the fastest Countryman expecting MINI Cooper S hatchback pace, you won’t find it. Our manual Countryman ALL4 is 250 kg heavier than the 1,130 kg Cooper S hatch and it shows. It’s no longer manic, but still quick. Not only in pace, but the ‘less manic’ trend is also evident in other aspects of the drive.

If the Countryman was a mainstream C-segment Euro hatch, it’s straight out from Graz to the top section of the class, driving wise. We’re sorry if you’re lining up to hear bad news, but we can’t find any in the drive.

The controls are all brilliantly intuitive, so much so that we’re trying hard to refrain from using motoring cliches such as ‘extension of your limbs’. The zero slack steering is very quick and the resulting turn in response sharp, and yet it retains enough composure and stability at high speeds to not feel nervous. There’s a constant supply of feedback, too, and torque steer isn’t that big a distraction, just little tugs at full throttle. The brake pedal feels natural, is easy to modulate and the stopping power is strong.

This C’man acquitted itself very well on our German country road route. Despite the raised height, body roll is not at all an issue, noticeable only when you consciously look out for it. Overall grip and traction out of corners is strong (no, we didn’t mention ‘drives like on rails’). The primary ride comfort is eye opening for a MINI, although the smooth surfaces we encountered didn’t really give an idea of how the big MINI would fare on Malaysian roads.

We did sample the AWD capabilities of the Countryman, too. It’s not for serious mud plugging and off roading due to the limited ground clearance (only 149 mm, a BMW X1 has 194 mm) and road tyres, but it’s very fun and playful on gravel. If you do buy one, let the Countryman provide you some laughs with its tail wagging antics. We say ‘buy’ because it’s unlikely that the BMW showroom will let you wander off tarmac in their test unit!

Put the Countryman on the MINI scale and ‘less manic’ is again the phrase that I think best describes it. The difference is for the better, at least for me. Side by side with a Cooper S hatch, the big one is less flat in the corners and not so explosive in acceleration, but it possesses a much less ‘active’ ride comfort, true long distance capability and crucially, retains the fun to drive qualities of the brand. Go karting is fun, but I don’t want to do it everyday.

An enlarged MINI is an an oxymoron all right, but there nothing wrong about the Countryman’s blend of qualities. Who says more matured means more boring?

The MINI Countryman will be launched in Malaysia this week. Two variants will be available – Cooper and Cooper S – and we’re estimating that the non turbo Cooper will be priced around RM230k, with the Cooper S priced around RM270k. Stay tuned for the confirmed prices and specs!

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 17:28:23 +0000.

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The Japanese D-segment trinity shootout: Honda Accord vs Nissan Teana vs Toyota Camry

Danny Tan — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 17:36:07 +0000

We’re a busy lot manning this website. Unlike monthly magazines or newspaper pullouts, daily updates mean that there isn’t much time to organise shootouts. But when the Nissan Teana came along, it was a great opportunity to test the newcomer and compare it with the Japanese D-segment stalwarts – the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord.

Here’s a slightly different take on the good old triple test: one weekend, three drivers, three opinions. In this 3-in-1, we look at various aspects of the competing cars with the aim of pointing out more than what a solo reviewer normally can.

Read the full report after the jump. Enjoy!

EXTERIOR

Danny says:

Concept cars do come to life, but sans the motorshow bling, may not be that captivating after all. I remember being at the Nissan stand at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show, looking at the feminine product named Intima concept.

That huge sedan has morphed into the Teana that we see here, relatively intact – the shape, the signature arch, the boot shape, rear lights, and even the dash architecture, they’re all similar to what the design team envisioned. Only the concept’s impractical B-pillarless frame and four-seater layout was deleted.

In the real world, the Teana looks bigger than it really is. We’d never had guessed, but the Teana is 95 mm shorter and slimmer than the Accord. Not only big, but grand as well, which is important in a segment that satisfies the ‘luxury’ needs of the mass market.

Style is subjective, but I’m not a fan of the Teana’s looks. The plain front end would be how a larger Sentra will look like if there was such a thing, but the bigger issue is the bulbous rear end of the Nissan. Backpacks aren’t the most elegant of things to carry around.

The other two are familiar views. The Accord is the largest of our trio, but its mass is masked well, while the Camry’s shape is quite timeless. Never fashionable or shouty, the Toyota was elegant when it was launched, and still looks classy today. The mid life facelift in 2009 gave it a sportier face that works well on that comparatively slimline body. Five years down the road, it’ll look the least dated.

Paul says:

The Nissan Teana is not the most photogenic car out of the three Japanese barges in this three-way test, but I personally like its clean cut no-frills looks very much, with a big prominent chrome grille up front and sizeable headlamps. The side angle is also very clean, and this is perhaps the Teana’s best angle when you photograph it as it just presents itself as a large and grand-looking sedan, almost American in its looks.

The rear end also looks the most outstanding when parked next to the Accord and Camry – the LED design in the rear tail lamps give it a lot of character, and the Teana can also be very easily mistaken for something pricier than it really is, especially at night.

The xenon HID headlamps are very bright, and when photographing the cars we found that most of the time the camera lens was pretty much overwhelmed by the amount of light hitting it directly. I think Nissan may have angled the Teana’s HID headlamps a little too high for the comfort of other motorists (it’s JPJ approved though), although as a result it casts light further, benefiting the driver.

The Teana looks huge and I believe it was a conscious decision by the designers to style the car in such a way that it looks as big and grand as possible. But when parked next to the Accord and Camry, it looked curiously narrow in comparison, and you can actually see the top half of the car get slimmer by curving in from the shoulder line to the roof. The Teana didn’t just look narrow as we found out later when observing the interior.

Joining us from the H-camp is the pre-facelift 8th generation Honda Accord, which will be facelifted sometime this month. It’s got the most aggressive looking design out of the three, which kind of hides how large it looks. When you place it next to the Camry and Teana, it looks the widest as well as the longest. The rear end has the least night-time presence when compared to the Camry and the Teana, which both feature a LED design in their tail lamps.

The facelift is expected to be a very minor one – a new front grille at the front, and some minor changes to the tail lamps, as seen from the US, Thai and Japanese market facelift photos. I wish Honda could have at least added some light bars to the tail lamps to bring the design up to date. The Accord has the most adventurous design, but it seems to be getting a little old.

Although there exists a current generation Camry with more radical looks akin to a larger Corolla, our market’s Camry’s exterior design is very safe. What you call a Camry in the US and Japan looks very different. Our Camry is actually derived from the Australian market Toyota Aurion, and you can actually see a very nice example in Naza World with a sporty black interior and a huge and powerful 3.5 litre V6 engine.

While not particularly exciting, I reckon the Camry’s design will be the one that will age the best amongst the three here. It’s also the only one with projector headlamps.

Anthony says:

Looks are always a subjective thing, and so it is here. Now, plying the executive sedan path generally means that a design has to look more stoic than daring, if not to offend sensibilities of its intended audience, though emerging shapes in the class are displaying more fluid, flowing lines.

For me, of the trio, preference goes towards the Camry – not the most exciting, of course, but the XV40 looks like its hewn from a solid mass of metal; the lines and flow-through textures work very well, and arguably this is a shape that will retain its appeal best as time goes by. Toyota has its work absolutely cut out in making the next one as proportionately balanced, methinks.

The eight-generation Accord, well, never quite worked for me. It is muscular, certainly the boldest form of the three, but somehow seems like it tries too hard in how it interprets rugged and attempts appeal. And though only three years in, it doesn’t seem to be aging well, at least to my eyes.

As for the Teana, it tries to be safe, a little too safe, in my opinion. It’s the sort of outline you give a cursory look at, but don’t really linger to dissect the lines on. The front plays the safe game to a T, but the rear jumps out at you figuratively and litreally, and looks a little too amplified in terms of proportion especially from a rear three-quarter view. Nonetheless, blend-into-the-background looks aren’t always a bad thing; you don’t excite, but you don’t offend either. Well, maybe you can hide that butt a bit better, Ingrid.

INTERIOR

Danny says:

The first thing I noticed upon stepping in the Teana was the uncluttered/minimalist layout of the dash. It has the same (or more) functions than the other two, but they’re clustered in a way that makes the dash look sparse. Some will prefer this, others the button fest of the Accord, while most won’t find fault with the conventional Camry interior.

Coming from the Accord, the Teana feels narrow. The letterbox front door pockets are near useless and the centre console is slim. With the cupholders occupied, there isn’t enough space to empty my pocket’s contents. Like the Latio and Sylphy, today’s Nissan sedans aren’t the widest in their class, but they never scrimp on seat size. Speaking of that, the Teana’s seats (powered, with memory on driver’s side) are cushy and comfy. Next to Volvo, I can’t think of any carmaker that does it this way.

The luck of the draw meant that I spent most of the weekend in the Honda. It’s a dark place to be in, and I don’t particularly like the cluttered look, but it’s a conducive environment for faster/harder driving. The seats are firmest here, the lumbar support greatest, and the steering is smaller and quicker too. It’s also the only car here to have paddle shifters.

But the Accord is poor in equipment. Shockingly, this RM168k car doesn’t have a multi-info display, so there’s no way of knowing fuel consumption or available range. Personally, this is the biggest issue for me, kit wise. The others also have keyless entry with push button start while the Accord uses the standard key twist.

At the back, the big Honda offers the most legroom and feels the widest. But it’s the Teana’s light colours and well shaped bench that’s the most pleasing to the passenger. The Camry feels the coziest in the back, but it’s not what we would call cramped. The Teana is the winner in this aspect and we’re pretty sure your family will agree at the showroom.

Paul says:

The Nissan Teana easily has the best seats of the lot. We had all three cars lined up together and tested each of the seats one by one and I felt there was a marked difference on how the Teana’s seats felt, especially when it came to the rear seats.

However, the Teana’s front seats did not have much side support, as I found out later when it was time to trash the cars around a little around the bends. The Accord had decent side support and even though Camry isn’t much of a driver’s car, there was still something at the sides to lean against.

The Accord is one huge sedan on the inside. You can really take note of this while sitting in the rear seats looking towards the front, and legroom was in abundance, easily the best amongst the three cars. The Accord was also the widest, so you may want to take note of this if you plan to frequently fit three people in the rear.

I’m very particular about car interiors – I believe it’s far more important than the exteriors in the long run as that’s where you’ll be experiencing the car the most as the owner. So I’m going to point out some issues I found. We start with the Teana. Firstly, the interior is the narrowest of the lot. As a result, the two front passengers may sometimes find their elbows touching if you’re both large.

The door cards also seem to be quite thick, but this is presumably to create a more substantial space for door-mounted arm rests, which were quite good. The door card pocket storage is pretty much useless; it’s too small to store anything other than a couple of flyers or a folder of A4 papers and it can be a tight squeeze getting your fingers in there to maneuver it around to get anything. The only storage you have is the two cupholders aft of the gear lever. I couldn’t really find anywhere to keep my Smart Tag. There’s a small area in front of the gear lever but it isn’t really a container – there’s no side support there so things tend to fly off during corners.

The thickness of the door card also made it quite a tight fit to reach the electric seat adjuster controls – thankfully the memory function buttons are mounted higher up on the doorcard near the power window controls. The position of the engine start-stop button is also perfect, and it glows with a nice amber in the dark.

While the Teana felt narrow, interior length was quite excellent, closer to that of the Accord’s rather than the shorter Camry’s. Rear passengers get ample legroom and there’s substantial space to tuck your feet under the front seats. I had an issue with the rear center arm rest though – I felt that it was very low – too low to be of any use as an arm rest for me. This isn’t even a problem with personal preference – you can actually see that the rear door arm rests are much higher than the center seat armrest.

As you can see from the image above, the arm rest is of average thickness, yet it lies flat on the rear seats. Here lies the problem – the arm rest mounting point should have been mounted higher. The arm rest would end up shorter in terms of horizontal length when folded down, but this would allow a higher overall arm rest height, at least matching the arm rest height of the comfy one on the door.

The interior color theme of the Teana is rather unique. Nissan obviously picked this to give the cabin a nice airy and bright feel. I personally think it works and I have no complaints about the overall color scheme. I think it’s refreshing compared to the usual grey. But I do feel they should have made it a little more two tone – there’s actually a very nice darker shade used for the top of the dashboard but this isn’t used anywhere else in the cabin. Perhaps the top part of the doorcards and even the steering could be changed to be finished in this darker shade. Or Tan Chong could have just gone for this colour scheme (see linked image), but retain our shade of wood.

The bright beige on the steering wheel looks a little too monotonous and bottom heavy in terms of design. The all-beige steering color choice has already started to show its faults – in a Teana with close to 5,000km of mileage on it, the steering wheel is already starting to look very dirty.

Nissan has chosen to sort of compress the areas of the interior with controls down to as little areas as possible, so what you get is lots of beige and wood with concentrated clusters of small buttons. Wherever there isn’t beige, matte faux wood usage on the surfaces is maximised so much to the point that there are only minimal cut outs in the ‘wood’-finisher for the shifter and shift position indicators.

The climate control buttons are mounted high near the multi-function display with small buttons that need some getting used to. Because of the angle that they are mounted at, I felt that you couldn’t really see what button did what easily at a glance as they’re not at a very good eye level, but I think this shouldn’t pose much of a problem over a few weeks of ownership.

Another ergonomic issue that I had is the position of the volume control on the steering wheel – the button is quite small and is mounted quite far away from where your thumb would typically be able to reach if you’re grasping the steering wheel in a 3 and 9 o’clock position.

Arm rest issue aside, the Teana’s rear cabin space is simply the best place to be amongst all the three cars. It’s not the biggest but it’s definitely the cosiest. Thumbs up to Nissan for that.

The Accord goes with a completely different colour scheme – it’s all sporty black and grey, with a dark wood design! This kinda goes well with the car’s character actually, though you only get this in the 2.0 VTi-L and 2.4 VTi-L. The basic car gets a beige interior.

Cubby holes in the Accord was better than the Teana’s. The door pocket storage was quite usable and there was some extra storage space in front of the gear lever. Some space is sacrificed for a proper handbrake (the Teana and Camry use foot brakes) yet they’ve managed to better the Teana in this aspect.

We had some concerns on how well the Accord’s interior stood the test of time. Our test car was about three years old and you could already see the silver paint peeling off on the piece of plastic near the door armrest. There’s also no multi-info display with average/real time fuel consumption, distance to empty, etc. No keyless entry and push start button either.

Our Camry test car was the most well appointed, with a 6-inch colour LCD 2-DIN player with Garmin GPS and reverse camera, but even that is an optional feature priced at about RM4,500. The GPS doesn’t allow you to key in addresses while you’re driving, by the way. The standard integrated head unit only has AUX input. A unique feature is the Plasmacluster air conditioner which is supposed to clean up your air. I didn’t feel much of a difference, but Anthony said it helped with the lingering smell of cigarette smoke on his clothes.

The Teana has AUX-in at least, but other than that it’s the usual case of large LCD screens in the interior that look like they could have a nice big colour screen installed, but instead are only filled with monochrome screens displaying large calculator-like fonts.

We don’t understand why these expensive D-segment cars sometimes offer so little in terms of standard multimedia features when even a car like the Perodua Myvi has Bluetooth and USB input. Even the Proton Exora has Bluetooth capabilities with steering wheel controls for telephony functions.

In terms of overall design and ergonomics, it’s hard to find fault with the Camry, other than the shiny brown wood, which looks a little tacky. Buttons and knobs are all very intuitive to find and use, and the Camry’s interior is by far the most convenient. The area between the two front seats has been maximised with two storage areas, and there are even two power sockets at the front – one at the usual cigarette lighter location below the radio, and another in one of the storage areas in between the front seats. The door pockets are more usable than the Teana’s too.

I like the additional passenger seat angle and slider controls that are easily accessible for the driver. There’s also a unique feature where you can even control the Plasmacluster air conditioner from the steering wheel, so the reason for you to take your hands off your steering wheel while driving are minimal. Everything is just very well sorted out.

Anthony says:

Space should be a bit of a given for cars of this nature, and happily all three have ample enough to offer inside. At the back, the Accord, which has the largest cabin (and indeed, the largest car of the lot), takes the gong.

Even with a black interior, its volumetric scope is undeniable. Get into the back and you get a cavernous fore-aft perspective, and the front has oodles of space too. Its dashboard layout is certainly the most aggressive of the three – you either love the futuristic rocket-ship presentation, or you don’t.

Meanwhile, the Camry also has good dimensional acreage, second in terms of space offered at the back. Of course, while the Teana may be the smallest of the lot, it doesn’t feel cramped, and it actually has the best rear seats – they’re cosier than the Camry’s and the Accord’s.

Storage-wise, from a driver’s point of view, the Camry has got the best spread of the trio – never face a quandary where to plonk your keys, phone and other what-not items with this one. The Accord rolls in a neat second, even with a levered handbrake taking up space. As for the Teana, it could have offered more in the way of cubby-holes (and that door side pocket won’t hold anything significant).

As for dashboard presentation, the Camry again has the broadest appeal of the three; it doesn’t look expensive, but has a refined, plush feel about it that the other two don’t have about them. It’s also the easiest to work around, visually.

The Teana’s dash layout – which follows on that in the Murano – takes some getting used to; nothing wrong with the central console screen’s legibility and visual acuity ease, height-wise, but the rest of the instrumentation is a bit trickier. Angled as they are, the climate control buttons are a bit difficult to view at eye level (well, maybe not if you’re 6ft 4); likewise, the audio buttons. Still, if you own one, this point shouldn’t be a contention after a while.

Meanwhile, the creamy beige shade chosen undoubtedly brightens the Teana’s cabin, and thus lends it more sense of spaciousness, but some elements look like they won’t face hard usage well. Take the steering wheel, for example. The leather wrap on it was already getting a bit skanky, and this on a car with only 6k on the odometer, so you can imagine it after 60k.

So, the honour of having the best cabin goes to the Camry. Indeed, we had trouble picking up faults or items lacking in the Toyota. It really is that well-thought out, save perhaps in one little area. Access to the push-start button, which is hidden away on the left behind the steering wheel, could be better. The Teana’s, sitting right on the edge of the dashboard, is perfectly placed (and it’s a way cooler-looking item). Speaking of push-start and keyless go, the Accord’s ignition key is now looking decidedly tired, and chances are the soon-to-arrive mid-term facelift won’t have it too.

PERFORMANCE

Danny says:

Everyone in this office loves the Teana’s creamy V6 sound and grunt, me included, but I have a thing for the Accord’s K-series engine. Rev loving like only a Honda four-cylinder (or an Alfa Twin Spark) can, the Accord’s 180 PS motor grabs an energy bar when it passes 4,000 rpm and powers on to the red line with gusto. The raw mechanical scream is also unique. While you’re enjoying this, many other four pots are either fading away or begging for mechanical sympathy by vibrating.

It’s easy to deceive these days when it comes to gearboxes, just put in a minimum of six forward ratios (more is better) even if the car doesn’t need it and your product will be hailed as technologically superior. Not sure about you, but if forced to choose one, I’d rather have quality over quantity. The Accord’s five-speed auto is a good example of ‘just right’. It’s so slick that there wasn’t a situation where it was caught off guard, thinking twice or hesitating. So good was the telepathy, the shift paddles were left alone for the most part.

I covered over 400 km of midnight country road driving in the Honda, and it left me with no doubt that it’s the best driver’s car of this group. The biggest car here feels like the smallest to drive. Quick and light steering with decent feel, good body control, grippy chassis and the abovementioned drivetrain combine for an engaging drive. The ride is never too firm or harsh on this 17-inch wheeled 2.4 either, so it’s the best package in my view.

If there’s a complaint, it’s the higher than normal road roar and tyre noise from the Honda, exposed by the comfort-oriented Teana and Camry. The Nissan isn’t just very plush riding, it handled surprisingly well. To be honest, I approached the Teana expecting a super soft, wallowy boat, but it proved me wrong. Yes, the steering wheel needed bigger turns and the tyres don’t major on grip, but the Teana’s composure when driving hard is impressive. The CVT isn’t the best tool for our blast up the hills, but the Nissan was quick, as our diesel-powered Mercedes-Benz photography car can testify.

The Teana is very pleasant in city driving. Nissan’s Xtronic CVT is very responsive and is a far cry from the early CVTs introduced to Malaysians. Common booby traps such as pot holes, scarred surfaces and highway expansion joints are damped nicely, a skill that’s not as common in this class as you think.

The Camry’s roadholding was the opposite of impressive. It rained the whole weekend, and the Toyota was all over the place the few sectors I drove it. Fast sweepers on the Karak highway revealed the Camry’s low limits. It wasn’t helped by the glassy feel of the steering, which gives you very little idea of how much the tyres have in reserve. It ends up as the least confidence-inspiring car to drive here.

Paul says:

The Nissan Teana is the clear winner here, which is no surprise given that the V6 engine has the largest cubic capacity of all the three cars. It makes 182 PS at 6,000 rpm and 228 Nm of torque at 4,400 rpm, which on paper doesn’t stray far from the Accord’s 180 PS at 6,500 rpm and 222 Nm of torque at 4,300 rpm, or the Camry’s 167 PS and 224 Nm at 4,000 rpm.

CVT transmission puts the V6 in just the right powerband all the time and the Teana pulls away significantly strongly than the Accord or the Camry, while keeping its revs around the 3,000 to 4,000 rpm range. The V6 sounds silky smooth and most people would probably never want to go back to a four-cylinder after driving a car with one. A four-pot somehow feels a little downmarket when you compare it a V6.

Toyota’s 2.4 litre engine doesn’t make much power, but the driveability is quite good for the kind of driving it does as there’s a good amount of torque in the mid-range. It kinda runs out of steam in the higher RPMs although it remains refined. The Accord’s 2.4 litre engine makes a lot of power on paper but curiously it’s a little lazy in the low revs – you really need to pile on the revs for it to pull strongly. The engine in the Accord also sounds louder.

The Toyota Camry’s suspension is completely comfort biased. You can actually just run over bumps like you were driving an SUV and the Camry seems to smoothen out all the bumps and knocks that our Malaysian roads can give it. It also felt the most quiet, although the Teana was very close behind. The Accord on the other hand, had a noticably higher sound level. However, the Accord performed the best during a hill run between the three cars, with the Camry driver having to push the car to about 90% of its capabilities just to keep up.

To be honest, the Camry is completely unsuited to any kind of spirited driving. It’s suspension is very comfort biased and at times a little unsettlingly so, as you can feel the effects of crosswinds much more in a Camry than the Teana or the Accord. But I prefer the Camry’s steering weight to the Accord’s – the Accord had the lightest steering although it had plenty of feel in it, while the Camry’s steering is pretty isolated. Light steerings make a car feel a little nervous and you have to take care to make sure you hold the steering properly at higher speeds, as it just feels too loose.

The Teana’s steering was kind of like the Goldilocks porridge of D-segment steering – it’s got just the right kind of weighting and some good feel as well. The ratio could have been a little quicker though – it felt like you had to turn the steering a little more than usual to change direction. The Teana rolls in for a corner at a nice pitch, and although it doesn’t corner flatly it remains quite steady through the turn, while the Camry is quite floaty. The Teana is a little firmer, although still comfortable. The Accord of course leaves the two cars in the dust when it came to the hill run.

Anthony says:

Here’s where things get noticeably broader in scope. The trio exhibit very different characteristics, with the Accord continuing to be the most dynamic of the trio. True, that 2.4 litre lump isn’t the quickest off the line, and only offers its magic when you work it hard, but keep it humming within the power band and it’s a right stonker. It is also the loudest of the three pots when you belt it.

At low to mid-speed levels, and tackling terrain such as Bukit Tinggi, one of the areas we took the cars to, the Honda champs it, with the fast steering and equally adept response from the chassis right at home in these conditions.

The Camry, of course, is pretty much out of its element in the twisties. Going uphill – in wet conditions, mind you – and chasing after Danny in the Teana (which looked fairly comfortable hustling its way up) made for some rather, shall we say, breathtaking moments; I don’t think I’ve ever heard the VSC in a Toyota go off repeatedly as much as then. It’s not something I’m inclined to repeat. Sitting at the very limits is fun, but definitely not in a car like this.

But that’s not what the Camry is about. Actually, that’s not really what any of these three cars are about, but it’s nice to know that something like the Accord is there for the enthusiast who wants to let his hair down once in a while, even if he has had to acquire some responsibility – and an executive sedan – along the way. It’ll certainly be intriguing to see how it shapes up against the likes of the Kia Optima, if that one does arrive here with the equivalent of the Oz suspension tune.

Out in the highways and piling on the miles in a straight line, the Camry more than restores its pride. It does remarkably well, actually. The 2AZ-FE has more poke than the Honda pot at low to mid levels, so there’s better immediacy and take-up. The steering does the deaf and mute act in accomplished fashion, and it’s also the quietest of the three cars in terms of road and tyre noise. Simply put, that decoupled steering and soft suspension do a remarkable job of making everything downright compliant and as cushy comfy as can be.

The Accord, ever the boisterous gal, doesn’t just have a raucous, zingy sounding block, it’s loud in other areas as well; compared to the Camry and Teana, it has certainly got far higher levels of tyre and road noise. So, there’s a price to be paid for all that handling and performance. Well, if you end up with a vixen, be prepared for her to also be a screamer when the going gets heavy.

The Teana proved the surprise pick; that 2.5 litre V6 deserves all the plaudits it has earned, and the CVT is smoothly efficient right up the range. I’d expected it to present things closer to the Camry, with soft and wallowy being choice adjectives, but this was far from being the case. Its suspension at low-speed levels is actually the firmest of the lot, but it’s never jarring, and while it doesn’t remain as taut as the Accord does when pushed (or arguably, hold the lines as well), the car keeps its composure very well. There’s a fair amount of pitch, but it is by far more poised than the Camry doing bends in rapid fashion.

CONCLUSION

Danny says:

Generally, a D-segment ‘big car’ is bought mostly for image, luxury and comfort, and what I like about the Accord is most probably of no concern to the average punter. Should I be in the market for one of these, it’ll be the Accord for its ability to entertain. Honda is very stingy though; the Accord’s kit list is way below par. We’ll see if the impending minor facelift addresses this.

The best all rounder here is the Nissan Teana. The newcomer is comfortable, as well kitted as the Camry (the Teana is cheaper by RM2k) and better to drive than the market leading Toyota. You’ll also enjoy the luxury of a pedigree V6, the only such engine in a class of four cylinders. Shoppers in this segment have to at least give the Nissan a test drive.

Paul says:

To be honest, I had a very hard time picking between the Teana and Camry for this D-segment Japanese car shootout. The Accord just wasn’t a car that had the characteristics I was looking for. I set myself out to be a buyer looking for a nice comfortable A to B runner, someone who already had a fast car for his weekend monkey-business. It was a very close fight – the Teana had lovely seats and the best powertrain combo but the Camry had a very much better thought out and convenient interior.

I only made a firm decision on Sunday night, when I was driving the Camry back from KLIA on the MEX highway. For those of you in the Klang Valley, you’d remember a seriously heavy rain storm in the early night. It was pouring heavily and there was a lot of wind. It wasn’t very pleasant driving in the storm in a car with not much steering feel and a body that was rocking with the heavy winds.

To be honest, I have no idea how the Teana would have tackled that situation, but it made me think of passive safety and things like steering safely around obstacles on the highway. I reckon the Teana could probably do a brake and swerve maneouvre better than the Camry. So, I’d have to go with the Teana.

Anthony says:

Spiritually, the Accord is my kinda broad. It’s a real vamp when you consider that the other two list librarian and accountant under vocation (alright, so I’m taking liberties with creative licence here), and its Goth-like nature appeals to the driver in me.

Still, at the risk of slapping myself, I actually ended up liking the Camry more. I can imagine the other half keeling over in response to this if I told her that. “What? Camry? YOU??” would be pretty much it. But when you’re not wanting to get around in a hurry, like over the weekend, the Toyota was actually a (*grits teeth*) great place to be in. I can now begin to see why the XV40 appeals as it does to many.

In all, I thought the Teana was actually the most balanced of the three in terms of overall performance over the various driving conditions. There’s plenty of pep, and it seems adept in all areas. In effect, it sits right in the middle performance-wise, not too soft or lazy, and not too hard or unforgiving. As much as I love the Accord’s precise handling and positioning sense, and the Camry’s magic carpet treatment and unfettered presentation, the Teana’s middle ground treatment strikes the best balance. Not too dull, not too fiery, in essence, just right. Now, if only it managed to get some right clothes and slap some make-up on, you can imagine it’d be the sort of car Goldilocks would be most happy in.

FUEL CONSUMPTION

As we expected, the larger V6 engine ended up being the thirstiest of the three. The test was conducted across mixed driving conditions with the three cars traveling together in a group, including our Mercedes-Benz CDI photography car. The route was to fuel up and meet at the start of the KL-Karak Expressway (from different directions), drive up the winding stretch (moderate speeds), exit at Bukit Tinggi, climb (flat out) and descend the hill (cruise down), and cruise again back to KL, with the finish point at MRR2. All three cars were switched between three drivers.

Not exact science, but here are the results:

Camry: 77.1 km, 9.41 litre = 8.2 km per litre
Accord: 83.1 km, 9.37 litre = 8.9 km per litre
Teana: 86.4 km, 11.46 litre = 7.5 km per litre

We expect the gap between the two 4-cylinder cars and the V6 car to become smaller on a driving cycle that has less “gutsy driving” as compared to ours.

PRICE

Honda Accord 2.4 VTi-L – RM172,800
Nissan Teana 250 XV – RM173,000
Toyota Camry 2.4 V – RM174,990

Photos by Anthony Lim, Charles Leong and Danny Tan.

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This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 17:28:23 +0000.

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Proton R3 Satria Neo – short test drive impressions

Danny Tan — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 11:50:13 +0000

We are back from a short test drive session of the Proton R3 Satria Neo, which happened at Proton’s testing ground in Shah Alam. Unlike the RM115k limited edition Lotus Racing Satria Neo (back when Proton and 1MRT were still on friendly terms), this version is much more accessible at RM79,797 but will still provide enthusiastic drivers with plenty of smiles.

To keep the price down, the R3 Neo doesn’t include the Lotus Racing Neo’s headline Ohlins suspension and AP Racing brakes, which were inspired by the real Lotus cars. The modded Campro CPS engine is the same. As we found out, the changes don’t detract from the fun factor and performance of the LR Neo, which makes it the better buy. There are even some improvements thrown in.

Continue reading the report after the jump.

This R3 Neo isn’t an afterthought or a development of the Lotus Racing Neo, although that limited edition came out first. On the contrary, development of this car started three months before the LR Neo was launched, which translates to early 2010, explains Tengku Djan, head of R3. After that, the idea of a Lotus Racing Neo came along, and R3 had to rush that car out within 6-7 weeks.

So we are actually looking at the final fruit of R3′s tweaking of the Satria Neo. In a nutshell, the R3 Neo is powered by the exact same engine as the LR Neo, which is the Campro CPS unit upgraded to make 145 hp at 7,000 rpm and 168 Nm of torque at 5,000 rpm. The stock engine makes 125 hp and 150 Nm. No Ohlins coilovers and mega AP brakes here; this car comes with R3 specified suspension and stoppers.

The S4PH powerplant has been given a host of upgrades to reach this state. Reprofiled camshafts that increase valve lift and overlap helps breathing, aided by a K&N filter in a carbon air box. Lightweight adjustable camshaft pulleys reduce inertia and enable fine tuning of valve timing.

To match all these is an R3 ECU calibrated with revised fuel maps and a focus on performance. There’s also a 4-2-1 R3 exhaust system similar in design to that found in the LR Neo, except that it’s in full stainless steel and without ceramic coating. Mated to the engine is a close ratio five-speed manual gearbox – there’s no auto option. 0-100 km/h is done in 9.2 seconds, top speed is 205 km/h.

For the suspension, R3 ordered a few settings from the OE manufacturer before finally deciding on this set. The springs are shorter and their rates firmer than the standard Neo CPS. As for what they were looking to achieve for the handling, drift master Tengku Djan said that R3 wanted to “bring back a bit of the old GTI feel”, referring to the old body Satria GTI and Satria R3. Ride height is 10 mm lower than the Neo CPS.

Brakes wise, the R3 Neo uses performance pads that have an operating temperature of up to 400 degrees C and increased fade resistance over the standard car. The calipers are stock.

The Satria Neo is already one of the most sporty three-door hatchback designs around, and the R3 Neo takes it a step further. Only available in “Fire Red” with a black roof and bronze accents, it looks fantastic in the sunlight. Not sure about you, but I never really liked the LR’s green and yellow theme – this looks much better in my opinion. Also nice are those six-spoke 16-inch R3 alloys in gunmetal.

Unlike the LR edition, the R3 Neo uses the standard Neo CPS bodywork, with additions such as a front splitter (reduces undercarriage turbulence and increases downforce, according to R3) and a new design spoiler, which is more subtle than the standard car’s and improves aerodynamics. There are R3 logos on the sides of the wing. The rear bumper is stock, although the trademark central exhaust tip is different.

I stepped in the car expecting the typical Neo reception of zero headroom (I’m not that tall at 175 cm, but we’re required to wear helmets when driving at Proton’s oval) and looking through the top quarter of the windscreen, but was pleasantly surprised to find that there was room to spare.

I was then told that the seats are new – the rails are in the same place, but the seat base goes deeper now to free up some much needed headroom. You’ll also notice that the seat backs are more shapely compared to the old chairs – there’s added thigh, hip and shoulder support here.

The steering wheel is wrapped in “Trivel Fibre”, which is an Alcantara type material, and has a red centre marker, just like in Renault Sport cars. The panels around the audio buttons have the carbon fibre look. There are lots of panels in red to match the exterior and like in the LR Neo, the gear knob is a chromed ball. The aluminium pedals are identical as well.

We weren’t given much time behind the wheel, but enough for a good impression. Flex your right foot and the louder exhaust note is immediately noticeable. The R3 Neo pulls away cleanly and smoothly, without being bogged down by any holes and trenches in the torque delivery. But it’s not particularly strong below 4,000 rpm, which is the point the high lift cam profile comes into play.

As expected, from here, the engine gains a second wind as it charges towards redline, which is 7,500 rpm in the R3 Neo (cut off at 7,800), although the unchanged meter panel will show that you’re already swimming deep in the red sea. Once in the zone, the tacho needle gains urgency that’s previously unseen, and there’s no slowing down because the Variable Intake Manifold (VIM) changes to the short runner at 5,500 rpm.

The R3 Neo, like the standard car, is meant to be revved all out for enjoyment, and with the short ratio gearbox, it’s extremely effortless to get there – it’s time for the next gear before you know it. The sound is more towards boomy than VTEC screamy, but it’s fun nevertheless.

We also tried out the R3 Neo over a section of crests and dips to check out the primary ride, which it passed with admirable composure. Rolling over thin metal strips saw the Neo cushion away the impact instead of reacting with a bounce or shimmy. We’ll never know how it feels like on a poorly surfaced B-road with these examples, but I’m betting it’ll cope well.

Doing the slaloms at 70 km/h revealed a slightly different character from our limited Lotus Racing Neo experience (never got to drive it on public roads). While the green car gave hints that it likes to dance around the cones, rear end edging out a little, the R3 Neo felt less active at the back. More like a normal road car, in other words, albeit a grippy one that corners very flat. Turn in is sharp, and steering feel is good. Can’t wait to drive it on the road.

We did some braking tests as well, and while this car doesn’t have the stupendous stopping power of the LR Neo’s AP Racing brakes, it’s more than good enough, and there wasn’t any fade although I wasn’t the first to do the test. The LR edition is probably the most over braked car in the world, so we’re just reverting to the real world – no big loss.

The R3 Satria Neo serves up good looks and good vibes for the enthusiast driver. It’s quite good value too – 80k for 145 hp can’t be found elsewhere (correct us if we’re wrong, new cars only) – and has new features that the wider market appreciates such as a push start button and a 2-DIN touch screen ICE system with GPS.

It’s not perfect though – just as I was getting tempted, the Neo’s long and heavy free swinging door slammed on my hips upon exit, not for the first time.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 17:28:23 +0000.

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Ford Mondeo Facelift 2.0 Ecoboost Powershift – short drive

Paul Tan — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 09:17:38 +0000

When we first reviewed the Ford Mondeo in February 2010, our man Danny enjoyed the drive and gave his overall thumbs up but commented that the package would be closer to prefect if it had an Ecoboost or a TDCI engine, as the 2.3 litre Duratec HE engine’s 159hp and 208Nm was a little underwhelming.

It looks like Danny’s wishes has come true as we hear SDAC is preparing for the launch of an updated Mondeo later this year. We jumped at the opportunity of trying out one of the new facelifted Ford Mondeos currently available in Singapore in Titanium spec with a 2.0 litre Ecoboost engine and a 6-speed Powershift transmission. Our current Mondeo is of Trend spec, with a normally aspirated 2.3 litre engine and 6-speed slushbox automatic.

Look after the jump for our findings after a short drive.

Other than the new front end which features a new grille, LED daytime running lights, bumper design (similiar to the facelifted Focus), and various other changes, the headlamps have also been updated to new feature projector lenses with HID which gives it a more upmarket look compared to the current Mondeo’s reflector lense.

The tail lamp’s shape has been changed very lightly – if you look at the photo above, the right hand side of the tail lamp was not an arrow-point shape as per what you see now – refer to this photo for the pre-facelift shape. There are now LED light bars integrated into the tail lamps so it will stand out more at night.

Get in the car and the biggest change will be staring straight at you in the face – the change from the Trend trim level to the Titanium trim level gives us this color LCD multi-info display in between the two instrument gauges, a significant upgrade from the instrumentation panel that does not feature this LCD screen.

Other than displaying a settings menu which you navigate using the four-way arrow buttons on the steering wheel, the multi-info display also takes on the duty of the fuel gauge, headlamp and door indicators. You can also configure it to show fuel consumption in real time, average fuel consumption, distance to empty, etc. You can also configure the display’s color theme – there are two. This blue theme that you see here looks nice and adds color to the cabin during the day. You can also select a black theme if you want the display to blend in better with the rest of the interior.

There’s also a Ford ECO mode menu which scores you on how economical your driving pattern is. You can be scored based on speed and anticipation – the latter probably takes into account how often you change between braking and accelerating, which you can minimize if you cleverly predict the traffic patterns around you.

The Titanium spec also adds keyless entry and start to the Mondeo’s equipment level, also an upgrade over the current Malaysian Mondeo’s spec level.

The most significant change is of course the powertrain, which now features a 2.0 litre EcoBoost engine mated to a wet clutch 6-speed Powershift transmission. This is the exact same combination found in the Volvo XC60 2.0T and the upcoming CKD Volvo S60 2.0T. The EcoBoost engine makes 203 PS and 300Nm of torque. This is the lower tune of the two EcoBoost engines available on the Mondeo – there’s also a 240 PS version on the Titanium X Sport trim. I suppose this hints at the possibility of remapping the EcoBoost for more power if you’re interested in aftermarket tuning.

As Volkswagen’s DSG is the benchmark for twin clutch transmissions, a comparison of course has to be done – the 6-speed Powershift doesn’t shift as quickly or as seamlessly as DSG under hard driving but I felt that it did a little better than DSG at low speed high precision maneuvers, such as inching your way through a traffic jam or when precisely maneuvering your car into a parking spot. The creep behaviour of the Powershift transmission also felt more natural and similiar to a slushbox automatic. The wet shift Powershift is miles ahead in refinement compared to the dry clutch Powershift found in smaller Fords.

Being a modern turbocharged engine, the engine was very torquey from the get go and turbo lag was quite minimal. The combo actually feels much better to drive with a light to medium throttle and minimal downshifting as it is quite a desirable trait to have the car pulling away strongly despite low engine RPM (which also translates to low engine noise). The combo allows you to drive this way most of the time and if you do so you’re more likely to save fuel as well. In fact, you may feel a little underwhelmed with the sensation of revving the engine to the redline as the engine already gives you so much punch in the mid-rev punch that it doesn’t get very much better nearer to the redline.

The airbag count remains as 7 as per the current Malaysian spec Mondeo, but ESP stability control has now been thrown into the mix, which is a very welcome addition. I did feel a little torque steer when flooring the pedal on a slightly uneven road. Other changes I could notice – seats are now leather, there are air conditioning vents for the rear passengers integrated into the B-pillars, and there are now proper tail pipes instead of the odd-looking tips hanging down below the rear bumper on the current generation Mondeo.

As an overall, the facelifted Mondeo with EcoBoost and Powershift feels like much more complete package compared to the current Mondeo. Although there’s no word on exactly when SDAC will launch the car here, the price could be revised upwards into the RM18x,xxx range, up from the current RM178,888 price tag (you can currently get a pre-reg unit with integrated GPS at a cheaper price currently), which isn’t too bad for a high spec CBU Belgium car that offers us exactly the same stuff the Europeans are enjoying.

Look after the jump for more pix of the Singaporean car.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 17:28:23 +0000.

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Second Generation Volvo S60 2.0T Test Drive Review

Danny Tan — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 19:40:26 +0000

I still remember the day when I first set eyes on the original Volvo S60 – a black T5 with those gorgeous multi-spoke rims. As with most young men, Volvo wasn’t a brand that I had lust for (I was attracted to the allure of the four rings then), but the turbocharged S60 with 250 horses was a different kind of beast. Actually, the so called ‘Revolvolution’ started with the S80 before that, but the more compact S60 wore those shoulders better. Sexy, almost.

That was a full decade ago. They took their time but Gothenburg has finally given the world a new S60. Like how the original attempted to change people’s views of the brand, the new S60′s mission is to change one’s perception that Volvo’s are dull to drive. This car is the most sporting Volvo has ever made. Heard that before? We’ll find out if it truly is, but one thing is for certain – this S60 looks the part.

Continue reading the report after the jump.

Like the old S60, this new one doesn’t debut a new design direction. The production XC60, which is a faithful rendition of the XC60 Concept of 2007, had the honour. Design chief Steve Mattin, whose team came up with this new look, describes it as “pumping up visual volume” for Volvos to be a “magnet for the viewer’s eyes.” His goal in words is this: “If you say that you recognise a Volvo from 50 metres today, I want to get to the point where you will instantly spot it from twice that distance in the future.”

The XC60 is an eye catcher all right, but the S60 takes it a step further. It has the same face, but trades the crossover’s more upright front for a slim, low and wide nose that reminds this writer of a snake. Like the XC60, the S60 also has a twin LED bar arrangement for the driving lamps, but the headlamps are more swept back on the saloon and feature “eyebrow” indicators. With highly sculpted bumpers/air intakes, it’s quite an imposing sight in rear view mirrors.

If the head is serpent like, the profile looks slippery. Volvo’s trademark shoulders have evolved from arrow straight to a gentle wave, not unlike that on the Audi A5. Overhangs have become unfashionable since the old S60 debuted, so the wheels are pushed more to the corners of the car, although not as much as a 3-Series.

“Four-door coupe” is in vogue these days, and also very overused, although none can accuse Volvo of doing so – the S60′s roofline is more sweeping than some real coupes, and the C pillar flows straight down to the tail lamps without flattening out.

At the rear, the elements that will catch your eye are the tail lamp clusters. Instead of the usual blocky items, the S60′s are cut into a curve. They house two lines of red strips that seem to be inspired by Puma shoes. There are two exhaust pipes – one on each side – jutting out from the must-have “diffuser style” rear bumper.

The overall look is sporty yet graceful and sleek, not overtly muscular or aggressive, just like how a modern Volvo should be. Size wise, the S60 doesn’t stray far from the compact exec template set by BMW and Mercedes, which is the segment this Swede is aiming at. The S60 has a slightly bigger footprint though; its 2,776 mm wheelbase is 16 mm longer than the the identical measurement of both the E90 and W204, and the Volvo’s overall length breaches 4.6 metres, unlike the sub 4.5-metre Germans.

The most dynamic Volvo ever? Certainly, if based on looks alone, but how about the meat in the pie? Volvo Car Malaysia gave us a go at these Singapore registered units recently and we got to experience the S60 on both highways and B roads. It was a very pleasant drive, and quite a revelation, if not exactly mind blowing.

Looks aside, the S60 made a very good first impression. Step in the cabin and you’ll find a typically warm and inviting Volvo interior, although it’s all very modern. Volvo’s brand of Scandinavian minimalism and ergonomics is easier felt than explained with words, but we’ll try.

Although it looks fresh, the layout and elements are familiar. The floating centre console – now angled slightly towards the driver – features four big knobs and a cluster of buttons for the audio and climate.

The humanoid shape is genius and there’s no diving into menus or multiple steps for simple everyday functions. Sounds elementary, but you’ll be surprised that not everyone gets it right. The brushed metal trim is fit for a fine timepiece, and the dials are as legible as a good watch should be.

One new element is the colour screen above the centre console, which has displaced the air con vents into a rather unusual layout. It displays menus, settings and camera views from both ends of the vehicle, which can be shown together on a split screen.

The vital contact points are fine, too. Volvo seats are among the most comfortable in the business – they’re big, cushy and perfect for long journeys, although those who are used to firmer and grippier German chairs may not like them. True, a tighter hug wouldn’t have gone amiss, but one can’t have it all.

The inviting rear seats are deeply scalloped but the middle section is relatively flat, so the third person won’t have it that bad. The sloping roofline may lead one to think otherwise, but rear headroom isn’t an issue. Volvo actually designed two cutouts where rear passengers’ heads would be, freeing up a few extra centimetres.

I didn’t have a ruler on hand, but the three-spoke steering felt smaller than usual for a Volvo, and is nice in the hands. Not so sure about the cream coloured inner rim though. Bear in mind that the trim colour of this Singapore spec car may not make it here; we’re likely to get a more sober palette.

But we are getting a very high spec CBU cars at launch, so expect a fully loaded S60 with memory electric seats, keyless entry, xenons, big wheels and a host of safety toys. The latter includes Pedestrian Detection with full auto brake, City Safety, Rollover Protection System, Collision Warning with Auto Brake, Driver Alert Control, Blind Spot Info System (BLIS) and Advanced Stability Control. It’s a Volvo after all!

Speaking of safety, Volvo prepared a demo run for us involving an inflatable doll. The objective was to try for ourselves the effectiveness of Pedestrian Detection. PD not only detects human presence in front of the S60 (via radar on the grille and camera on the windscreen – radar detects object, camera determines if it’s human), but will fully brake the car if the driver somehow doesn’t react to audible and visual warnings. It works.

The S60′s new dual-mode radar’s wider field of vision ensures that pedestrians about to step into the frame can be detected early on. The higher resolution camera makes it possible to detect the pedestrian’s pattern of movement. It works to prevent collisions at speeds of up to 35 km/h. At higher speeds, the system will engage to slow down the car as much as possible to minimise impact and injury.

This is actually a development of City Safety, which made its debut on the XC60. This means that besides humans, full auto brake also responds to vehicles in front that are either at a standstill or moving in the same direction as the S60. It all sounds like magic, but Volvo designed these aids to backup a driver if he loses attention, not as a replacement for good defensive driving and full attention on the road. At the end of the day, the most effective safety equipment is the driver himself.

We didn’t fall asleep at the wheel that’s for sure. These Singapore registered units were 2.0T models with a 2.0-litre turbo four-pot producing 203 hp and 300 Nm of torque from 1,750 to 4,000 rpm (320 Nm on overboost) – putting it well above the 320i, 323i and C200 CGI in the numbers game. 0-100 km/h is done in 8.2 seconds and top speed is 230 km/h. That 0-100 time beats both BMWs and matches the Merc’s.

It’s also a modern downsized engine from the GTDi family that sends off the familiar five-cylinder engine from the old S60 to retirement. If there’s anything we miss, it’s the old lump’s tunes, not its fuel consumption. This one is rated at 8.3 litres per 100 km on the mixed cycle, or 12 km/l.

Numbers aside, the engine itself is par for the course. Like other modern direct injection turbo motors, there’s no shortage of low end go and one doesn’t need to work it to the max to go fast – even if you do explore the 6,500 rpm redline, it’s smooth and unstrained at the top end. The 6-speed Powershift dual-clutch transmission performs as expected, which is very good but ultimately not as slick as a DSG. By the way, there are no shift paddles.

Volvo has two suspension settings for the S60 – Dynamic and Comfort, with the difference in shock absorbers and anti-roll bar thickness – and Malaysia will get Dynamic. We didn’t get to try Dynamic because the test cars were in Comfort spec, but they performed very well throughout, which left us wondering if the “sportier” suspension will be too uncompromising – only time will tell.

The S60 feels refreshing and miles better to drive than its predecessor and big brother S80. In both high speed highway cruising and lumpy B roads that would’ve caused the S80 to bottom out, the S60 (in Comfort spec, remember) held on well. Body roll isn’t a distraction while body control is surprisingly decent. It’s a softer, better damped ride than a 3-Series that’s for sure, which is a desirable trait in my opinion.

Very surefooted and stable, the impression it gave me was similar to when driving the Mk6 Golf TSI flat out for the first time on a dark and wet Icelandic morning – not overtly sporty in nature but good to drive fast and without any vices. The smaller steering wheel is nice and the rack is precise and quicker than before, although there’s not much absolute feel transmitted. Grip is good, too. Good enough for most people most of the time, but there are better entertainers in the class.

The most dynamic Volvo ever isn’t a hollow boast. The S60 shows that its creators has got hold of how a modern Volvo should drive – turbocharged speed, safe, secure and not awkwardly out of element when hustled. Add in a stylish and comfy cabin and you’ll have a competent premium saloon that offers something different from the usual German suspects. A good addition to the class, we say.

The S60 will be launched in Malaysia at the end of March, and will come in two variants – this 2.0T and a range topping T6 powered by a 3.0L turbo in-line six with 304 hp/440 Nm, paired to a six-speed Geartronic (torque converter) auto ‘box. The T6 will also ship with Volvo’s self adjusting FOUR-C active chassis. Estimated pricing is RM350k for the T6 and RM290k for the T5. Local assembly is planned for the third quarter of the year, and will most likely include smaller engines from the GTDi family.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 17:28:23 +0000.

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Kia Optima 2.4 GDI Test Drive Report from Australia

Anthony Lim — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 16:46:06 +0000

How far it has all come along, indeed. If, in the past, Korean cars were seen as dowdy, perceived as unimaginative and subject to the more than odd derogatory comment in passing, then surely whatever is transpiring before our eyes is, quite simply, nothing short of a revelation.

Revolution, even. Granted, it has certainly taken time for things to kick in, but you only have to look at the past two years and see how rapid things are coming on line, where the slew of offerings coming about have, one after another, sought to not just placate, but accomplish something far more radical – how about excite for a suitable adjective?

Whatever you may call the current Hyundais and Kias of the world, they are most certainly not dowdy, unimaginative or befitting anymore of derogatory comments. Not even if you happen to be an erstwhile Japanese brand loyalist, even though the latter will undoubtedly still be flung this way.

For Kia, the pathfinder has unquestionably been the Forte, at least on these and nearby shores. This one proved once and for all that you could get a Korean offering that had the drive to match the looks. In many ways, it has helped alter the poor perception from all this while, stuck on with some pretty nasty glue.

The likes of the new Sorento, Sportage and Optima – all displaying the new design language set about by Peter Schreyer – are the next wave, set to capitalise on this little foothold on the beach. It is with the Optima that our story unfolds here, and what a neat little tale it has turned out to be indeed.

Continue reading after the jump.

It certainly wasn’t like that in the beginning, a decade ago. The original MS Optima, essentially a rebadged Hyundai Sonata, could hardly be called exciting; as a Jag rip-off, it wasn’t too bad, but on the whole felt like a bit like soggy toast.

The next one that came along, the second-generation MG, which arrived five years later, proved a far better proposition, and after its mid-life facelift, where Schreyer gave the car a new face, it even started to look like it was getting serious about things.

In truth, the MG was a proper car, proper being that it drove fairly well and displayed all the necessary and appropriate manners for a sedan. In all, the vehicle was hardly a poor offering, but it wasn’t eye-catchingly good, and it never had quite enough panache to catch consumers’ attention.

Third time should be the charm, then. Designed from a clean slate at Kia’s studios in Frankfurt, Germany and Irvine, California, Schreyer and his team have come up with what really is a stunning looking car in their interpretation of the TF, which is longer, wider and lower than the one it has replaced. If the new Sonata is all about verve, and fluidly so, then the Optima plays a suitable counterfoil, its muscularity and boldness simply fetching. The grand thing is that it’s never once shouty.

Yes, you’ll find hints of the familiar – the rear lamp assy of the A4, the front shoulder of the E60 5er and a rather Saab-ish rear upper deck, but the entire amalgamation of lines hangs together so organically the profile just works.

It looks simplistic upon initial glance, all that contouring, but you have to admire the complete manner in which the lines are so fully resolved on this one, and it takes a moment beyond the first few glimpses to realise that – witness the sculpturing from the C-pillar back on to the tail and you’ll get an idea of how the complex seems simple.

It’s quite the achievement, really, and this is a shape that will arguably have better appeal retention over a long haul than something which is dramatic and full of flourish. Schreyer says that this car looks better each time you clap eyes on it, and I’d have to say he’s spot on that dot.

The initial media drive for the car was in Dubai last year, but the Malaysian motoring press wasn’t on that one, so first dibs for us came only a couple of weeks ago, in Australia, coinciding with the Optima’s national launch Down Under. Special mention must go to Kia Motors Australia’s efficient handling of the drive event, which was held in Melbourne.

The car goes on sale in Australia in a single variant form at this point – with a 2.4 litre Theta II GDI D-CVVT pot and what is tagged as a Platinum variant, with just about all the bells and whistles you can strap on it. It’s not too badly priced either, rolling in at AUD$36,990.

For the money, you get a whole lot of kit with the Platinum spec level, starting with the flash-bang stuff – dual exhausts with chrome tips, a black chrome two-tone front mesh grille, new front and rear bumpers, sculpted side sills, rear lip type spoiler, LED daytime running lights (located above the fog lamps, and set into the front bumper) and LED rear combination lamps, not to mention a very, very bling looking machine-finished 18-inch, 10-spoke flush-faced alloy wheel.

With the wheel, you’re either going to love it or think it’s all over the top, but the point is that with Kia now looking like it’s openly adopting the peg of being the sportier sibling of the Hyundai/Kia pairing, such a display of brazenness fits perfectly into the scheme of things. It does sit well on the car the more you look at it.

Inside, the black interior is unfettered, and is actually quite cosseting as you spend more time in it. The centre stack instrument panel goes back to being driver-centric, contoured towards the driver at a 9.6 degree angle, and on the whole the interior projects an acceptably sporty outlook, in line with what’s happening outside. The dash also features soft-touch material, which feels great to the touch.

Standard kit on the Oz issue are full-leather seats (with 8-way and 4-way powered adjustment for driver and front passenger respectively) with cooling ventilation for the driver and seat warmers on both front seats; a four-spoke leather steering wheel with paddle shifters and function controls; dual-zone, fully automatic temperature control and a three-piece, full-width panoramic glass sunroof.

Elsewhere, there’s a six-CD changer, seven-speaker Infinity Premium Sound System, replete with a four-inch centre speaker, eight-inch subwoofer and an external amplifier, with MP3, USB, iPod and Bluetooth connectivity; cruise control and a twin-cylinder Supervision instrument cluster incorporating a 3.5-inch TFT-colour LCD screen for core information display

Other standard features include push-button engine start/stop, LED side repeaters, electric door mirrors, and a tailgate-mounted reversing safety camera with interior mirror display monitor as well as illuminated door scuff plates.

Safety-wise, there’s ESC, which incorporates ABS, EBD, TCS, brake assist and hill-start assist control, as well as active front headrests and six airbags (dual front, front side and full length-curtain).

The 2.4 litre gasoline direct injection block offers 198 hp at 6,300 rpm and a maximum torque of 250 Nm at 4,250 rpm (an extra 20hp and 21Nm over what’s on the MPI 2.4 litre block), working with a six-speed automatic transmission. An Active ECO system button reoptimises the ECU and transmission control unit as well as the AC’s compressor to offer better fuel economy – the company claims up to 9% improvement can be had. Performance specs include a 0-100kph time of 9.0 seconds, and a 210 kph top speed.

The GDI lump is especially noteworthy. We won’t be getting the unit, of course, what with our fuel being what it is, but that’s our loss. In use, the unit proved willing and meaty, especially in the lower midband – it’s still a bit lazy at the start of the jump, but there’s no shortage of pull once you’ve stated your intent that you want to hustle along.

Elsewhere, front seat comfort levels are quite high over an extended duration, and the seat cooler function is quite the trick (it’s summer in Australia, so that proved a handy thing indeed) – it’d have been nice to have it for the front passenger seat as well. The boot wasn’t used except to store a picnic cooler bag, but the 505 litre trunk looks like it should pass muster for all but the most extreme cargo-carrying demands.

The Optima isn’t arriving in Malaysia until the third quarter of the year, so there’s really no information at present as to what the outfitting and specification levels will be (in likelihood, the 2.0 litre and 2.4 litre Theta II pots, in EX and SX variant guise, should be the ones, I’m speculating), but there are some things from the Aussie version that I’d argue are virtually a must for the inbound car, when it comes.

The big ticket item here isn’t the block, which is a real kitten, nor is it so much the level of trim and kit, which is nice to have around. No, it is the revisions in the suspension that make for the deal with the Optima, revisions that make for a vastly improved – and easily perceptible – difference.

In its stock form, the Optima’s handling and ride would fall right beside that of the Sonata. Having driven the 2.0 litre Sonata here, the car represents a significant leap forward from the previous one. It’s a winsome beast with a lot of flash, but it does vacillate when it comes to handling.

In a straight line, the Sonata offers a firm-ish ride, arguably with a bit too much roll into corners. Nothing that’ll go amiss if you amble along, but push things and you’ll find that the front and rear don’t talk to each other, or for that matter, to the driver. Coupled to a light steering with a completely vague feel (which is of course a boon in day to day traffic, in counterpoint), one’s left with just what’s coming off the butt in feedback when charging into corners. Exhilarating, certainly, but there were moments when it was all left to faith, and faith will only take you so far.

Some reports from the Australian motoring press have been rather critical of the Sonata’s handling, working along very similar lines, and with the Optima’s standard tune being identical to the Sonata, Kia Motors Australia went about reworking that particular equation.

Working with its local ride and handling partner, GTS, the company has come up with a revised tune that distinctly separates it from not just from its Hyundai cousin, but the same car with the global tune.

New Sachs high performance dampers, with floating pistons compared to the stock damper’s fixed ones, revised spring rates and thicker 24 mm front and 18 mm rear swaybars were plugged on, and the hydraulic steering on the car was reworked to offer a weightier feel, up by 20%.

Quite a bit of work went into achieving this – using a mobile workshop with a shock dyno, the KMA team, working with a Sachs engineer who flew in for the job, conducted around 10 rebuilds at each end of the vehicle. Dozens of test drives and more rebuilds later, the team finally arrived at the optimum damper settings, sway bar and spring rate combination.

In use, the revised stock suspension offers an excellent balance of firmness and compliancy where ride is concerned, with the car being closer in deportment to an European offering, with enough nuggets of information coming off the steering to prevent it from being too humdrum.

Having a media test drive in Australia does present some limitations, of course; for one, I can’t tell you how things behave past the 110 kph zone, which is as fast as anyone could get to. The only negative thus far would be with the level of tyre noise which, while not jarringly intrusive, is there.

As for handling, the drive route took us well into the scenic Yarra Valley and surrounding areas, so when we could get off the beaten track and well into gravel and significantly quieter B-roads, the chance to try out if everything was as well sorted as suggested was never refused.

The Optima responds to thug-like behaviour quite splendidly. It’s not an all-out bruiser in this regard, for sure, but the front/rear unity is solid, and the car tracks cleanly when pushed, never wavering or hesitant in the middle of things, with no fuss in the follow through. Nicely integrated, and very well sorted, there is everything to suggest that it is now the definitive form in handling (with this particular tune level), easily more than a measure for the Honda Accord, which has been the class-leading performer in that area for the segment over here.

All in all, KMA has achieved a sterling plug with the car’s R&H, and the argument is ripe that we should grab that same tune, something that was pointed out to the Naza Kia people. There’s also a UK/Europe tune, which is coming about; it’d be interesting to see how different that one is.

We’ll have to wait to see how it eventually shapes up in Malaysia, but certainly, the first impressions of the Optima have revealed a car that has thrown down the gauntlet at the status quo, more than itching for a scrap (and oh, wouldn’t that 274 hp, 365 Nm 2.0 litre turbo running in the US be a right devil?).

Handsome to a fault, robust and willing, it’s definitely a revelation, and all that stands against it will inevitably be perception, here at least (the word is that it will be priced competitively, with the 2.0 in the RM140,000 region). Still, notwithstanding the local front, in the larger scheme of things, the Optima is very much proof that the revolution is not only well and truly underway, but irresistibly so.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 17:28:23 +0000.

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Test Drive Report: Second-generation Volkswagen Touareg

Danny Tan — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 07:55:10 +0000

After the big bang entry of the Golf TSI and new Polo, the arrival of Volkswagen Group Malaysia’s next new model will be relatively low key, and rather unexpected. The first batch of the second generation Touareg SUV is already in town, as we discovered when filling up at a petrol station last month. You can register your interest now, but we understand that sales will start in January 2011.

VGM responded to our request for a test drive with the same brown “999″ unit that we spotted. It is a 3.6-litre V6 powered model paired to an 8-speed automatic gearbox, the sole variant offered in Malaysia. Despite being improved in every area (as you’ll read about after the jump) and loaded with equipment, the price is unchanged from the outgoing model – yours for RM437,283 OTR excluding insurance.

Continue reading the report after the jump.

Our short fling with the new Touareg started off on the right note. I’ve always loved the previous gen car for having the traditional broad shouldered macho 4X4 look (none of those crossover thing here) while being understated and classy. This new car doesn’t change the recipe, but improves on it. It’s big, it’s handsome, and it’s a very “manly” sort of car, for the lack of a better description. Looks like a facelift at a glance, but pore over it a little and the all new sheetmetal becomes apparent.

As expected, it wears Volkswagen’s new family nose as you’d find on the Golf. Compared to the previous vertical grille look, the new nose is meant to make the cars look wider, and this effect is truly amplified on the Touareg. It’s a very bold and proud front, with a big VW logo, large air intakes that don’t nod down in shyness and U-shaped LED daytime lights. It’s a face that most will yield to when you barrel down their rear view mirrors.

That assertive face is stuck on a muscular body. Like the old car, the shoulders stand high and broad, but there’s more sculpture on the rear section now. The body is less slab sided than before and there are slight concave door panels plus a glasshouse that narrows towards the rear (used to be square). The profile shot you see below shows the extra depth of the new look. More 3D, if you like.

The rear is immediately recognisable as a Touareg, but is less flat. The tail lamp clusters are smaller and the design switches from round to L-shaped with a dot in the middle, a look that can also be had on the Golf as an upgrade. The rear bumper has a mild diffuser-style piece with neatly integrated twin tail pipes.

The Touareg looks huge, but its footprint isn’t much bigger than before. Overall length has grown by 41 mm and the wheelbase is longer by 38 mm, but the 1,928 mm width is unchanged. The new car sits slightly lower than before too.

The big news here is that model for model, the 2,103 kg new Touareg is 210 kg lighter. That’s the weight of two very big blokes, so it’s quite substantial despite not having the old model’s aluminium bonnet and plastic front fenders. The diet programme includes the extensive use of tailored blanks, new steel suspension that’s 43 kg lighter and a lighter gearbox. Amazingly, rigidity is up by 5%, so there’s no sacrifice.

Unlike the old Touareg, this car is offered in two configurations – 4Motion (AWD with Torsen LSD, off-road programme that manipulates ABS/EDS/ASR, Hill Descent Assist) and 4XMotion (45 degree climbing ability, driver switchable 5-mode AWD system with locking differentials and low-speed low-ratio transfer case). Ours is the 4Motion, which should still be able to get you out of that construction site and climb up to 31 degrees. Approach and departure angles are smaller now, but that’s of no importance to most of the VW’s urban users.

If the outer sheetmetal went through mild evolution, the interior design takes a quantum leap. Function dictated form in the Mk1, and everything was straightforward and square without flair. The new dash is much more warm and classy, even in our test car’s all black colour scheme (there’s a dark brown option that’s very nice). Quality soft plastics blend very well with metallic pieces and wood trim, and that huge panoramic glass roof (front portion can slide open) is great to have on evening drives.

Many of the elements – four-way steering buttons, shift paddles, light dial, meter design – will be familiar to a Mk6 Golf owner. That usually isn’t a compliment, but not this time – there’s nothing that feels cheap or will make one feel shortchanged, which says a lot about what goes into VW’s people’s car. I like the “3D effect” of the instruments; the two circular dials are slightly raised from the full-colour central display, like islands.

The centre console is much less busy that before, and that’s thanks to the big colour display that groups together various functions. You can access the stereo, climate, phone functions via Bluetooth and navigation from here. There’s also a screen that shows a compass (with the name of the road you’re on), elevation and steering angle.

But the chief party piece is the Area View 360-degree camera system. It stitches together live feed from four cameras (front, rear, wing mirrors) to give a top view of the Touareg via the central TFT screen. More than just a gimmick, Area View, which works in tandem with audible warnings, is incredibly accurate (zero lag) and helpful – the Touareg is a big car and I was really thankful for it when parallel parking and maneuvering through narrow car park ramps.

It comes on automatically when reverse is selected, but can be called upon anytime via a dash top button. You can also choose the camera you want to focus on by tapping the screen, like side to see how much room from the kerb you have, or front to check out another car’s butt close up. Passengers are bound to ‘Oooh’ and ‘Aaah’ seeing how it works. Brilliant.

The Touareg’s width isn’t just felt in the parking lot. At times it feels like our lanes are too narrow, and I needed some time to get used to the size in town. But once settled, this big VW surprised in the drive. It’s very agile for something so large and is entirely comfortable being driven with gusto. There’s relatively little body roll and the steering hits the sweet spot in weight and accuracy. Personally, I like the fact that the rim itself isn’t too thick and that it doesn’t feel artificially heavy.

Couple the above with good grip and you have a skill set that’s very accessible, and more than adequate for the regular SUV driver in my opinion. While the handling may not be as genre defying as a Cayenne or even an X5, how often do you see one of those carving up back roads?

The Touareg’s ride comfort is good and you can drive the length of the NSE without tiring, but it’s not unflappable. A hint of choppiness surface on highway stretches that are less well made, and big bumps can be felt. It’s very good, and we’re nitpicking here, but it never feels as magic carpet magnificent as a Land Rover Discovery does.

The VR6 engine under that huge hood is not new, but improved. It’s a 3.6-litre FSI direct injection unit with 280 PS and 360 Nm of torque, figures that are identical to the old car’s. However, it has been updated with a new engine controller (that integrates a new thermal management system, among other things), features a more precise machining process for the cylinder crankcase, modified piston rings and weight-optimised forged pistons.

All that, plus the new 8-speed auto and lighter weight, combine for better performance and efficiency. Fuel consumption is 20% improved at 9.9L/100 km and CO2 emissions are down by the same figure. The 0-100 km/h sprint is done in 7.8 seconds, 0.8 sec better than before. Top speed is 228 km/h.

In practice, the engine is quite characterful, emitting a growly note when you extend it. Once momentum builds up, you’ll be climbing up the speedo at a fast rate, and the engine enjoys revs.

Some might wonder why there’s no DSG here but a torque converter auto. For luxury applications, Wolfsburg prefers the smoothness of a TC auto over the efficiency of a DSG. But it’s not like any Touareg owner will complain about this 8-speed Aisin 0C8 ‘box, because it’s quick shifting, very smooth and makes the right calls, so much so that I never felt the need to use the paddles. Gears seven and eight are overdrive ratios – the engine ticks at just 1,800 rpm at 110 km/h.

At highway speeds, the engine disappears into the background, leaving just wind rustle from the top section (could it be the glass roof?) and tyre roar, which can get quite loud on the PLUS highway’s concrete surface.

Other notable inclusions are regenerative braking, where the alternator will charge the battery when the Touareg is coasting or braking. VGM has ticked every box on the spec list except for air suspension, which translates to a lavishly equipped SUV.

12-way electric adjustable front seats, 18-inch rims, bi-xenons with washer, electronic parking brake, keyless entry/start, automatic tail gate and the abovementioned panaromic glass roof plus Area View are all standard. The latter is part of the touch screen RNS 850 system with navigation, 40 GB hard disk, two SD card slots, DVD playback, Bluetooth, AUX-in and 6 CD changer.

The RM437k price tag may sound steep in isolation, but there’s actually no price increase over the old car, despite the better kit count. In comparison, the entry level BMW X5 with a 3.0-litre engine will set you back RM568k. The only thing that could probably hold some buyers back is the lack of a seven-seat option, something the X5 and Discovery 4 offers. Otherwise, the new Touareg is a very strong package in the big SUV segment.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 17:28:23 +0000.

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