Archive for the ‘Test Drive’ Category
BMW 320d – Striking and Forceful
Diesel betters petrol as an everyday proposition. Over in Europe, it isn’t uncommon for a diesel powered premium sedan to outsell its petrol powered variants. This makes us wonder if BMW’s 320d has enough charm to overcome diesel’s stigma as the fuel of peasants, so to speak. Thumb the start button and you certainly can’t [...]
Myvi Extreme 1.5 vs Saga 1.6 FLX vs Swift GX
WHEN it comes to model changes Perodua seems to have adopted the strategy of glacial progress. Today’s new Myvi is nearly exactly the same as the old Myvi underneath its body, save for a few mechanical improvements to increase space and decrease fuel consumption. Only when the new Myvi got the 1.5-litre engine did it [...]
VW Polo Sport 1.2 TSI
In its native German language, Volkswagen (VW) is literally translated into ‘people’s car.’ The nature of our vehicle tax structure meant that most VW Group Malaysia’s fully imported models are unintentionally priced closer to premium brands. New for this year, the Polo, now in ‘Sport’ trim, has been upgraded with front fog lamps, 17 inch [...]
Lexus GS 250 – Quiet, reliable and comfortable
Perception is a very important tool in marketing – you can have the best product in the price bracket but depending on the target groups, it has to live up to expectations. Before we drove the car in question, we were presented with “Best this, smooth that, luxury this…” With all the right words thrown [...]
For RM72,990, the Premium Preve is priceworthy
THE 280-km drive from Subang to the seaside resort of Cherating in Pahang earlier this week was literally a breeze in the Preve 1.6 CVT, the much awaited offering from Proton. This was the Preve that attracted a lot of attention since Proton paraded it as the “Tuah” concept car at the 2010 KL International [...]
Sylphy 2012 – Same on the inside, sexier on the outside
Nissan must have had a hard time breathing new life into lady Sylphy: how do you make an award winning car even better? More importantly, make it appeal to a newer younger crowd? The carmaker’s answer to this is to retain the car’s overall performance and give it a new, slightly spottier makeover. With new [...]
Driving the i-MiEV In The Real World
Proponents of electric vehicles (EV) often cite studies showing the average daily total driving distance for an urban commuter is less than 50 km. An average electric vehicle has a range of 150 km on a single full charge, thus range anxiety should not be an issue. There is no published data on Malaysian driving [...]
Toyota Prius – An Actual Owner’s Experience
I am involved in a business that requires me to visit up to 20 customers and suppliers daily, and all of them are within a range of 3 to 30 minutes of driving. Unfortunately, starting and stopping a car frequently is more damaging than continuous driving on the highway. Thus I need an ultra reliable [...]
VW Sharan – A Dream Drive, Almost
Powered by a two-litre TSI engine that churns out 200 hp and carrying a six-speed transmission, you can hardly fault the Sharan for being touted as a sporty people mover. Essentially, the Sharan is a luxury MPV that carries the same turbo-stratified injection engine found in the Golf GTi, though slightly de-tuned, and the six-speed [...]
Huanghai Plutus – A Brute That Delivers
It is quite an over-achiever this pick-up, the Huanghai Plutus brought in by China Auto Manufacturer Sdn Bhd (CAM). The Plutus performs rather well, which doesn’t really come as a surprise when you consider the fact that, considering the brand is a rather newcomer, its two entries finished sixth and seventh in last year’s Larut [...]
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