Toyota GT 86 - Inspired by AE86!

Toyota had debuted the FT-86 few months ago in concept form, and now the production is known as GT 86. The GT 86 is said to be inspired by the legendary AE86! I'm sure that many know AE86 was the king of the hills (in hill racing, not offroading, mind you) and delivers great handling and performance in the 80s.



Measuring at 4240mm long, 1280mm high, 1770mm wide and with a 2570mm wheelbase, Toyota claims that the GT 86 has the lowest centre of gravity (460mm) among all of its products! It is also the most compact four-seater (2+2 to be exact) available to date!



While I have no unfavourable comments on the GT 86's design, a more sporty and low slung side profile will be appreciated. The front and rear end design of it looks great and prepare to produce some exhilarating performances on the road.



The rear-wheel-drive GT 86 with front mounted 2.0litre Boxer engine is able to churn out 197bhp at 7,000 rpm and 205 Nm of torque at 6,600rpm. The powerplant can be mated to either a 6-speed automatic or manual gearbox. The Boxer powerplant and 53:47 front-to-rear weight distribution will ensure your driving experience an enjoyable one!

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DRIVEN: Volvo S60 T4 !!!

If you've lost touch to the outside world since a decade ago, you will be filled with disbelief if I present the 2011 Volvo S60 to you and tell you it is a Volvo. The S60 is no doubt one of the best products had ever created by Volvo. Comtemporary and sleek styling, not to mention the safest Volvo to date, which is claimed by Volvo themselves. When Volvo says the S60 is the best, you wouldn't have to think hard to know how good the S60 is when it comes to safety...

S60 T4 (left) and S60 T5 (right)

While the Volvo XC60 is Volvo's best looking SUV, the S60 is Volvo's most attractive sedan to date. It has dynamic design that no one would ever possibly imagine a Volvo will be a decade ago. The low slung roofline promotes a coupe-like silhouette, but thankfully this is achieved without sacrificing the rear occupants' headroom.



Settling in the driver's seat and you'll find the driver-focused cockpit centre console and instrument panel looks upmarket and good build quality. Another worth mentioning is the comfortable and supportive seats, together with high quality leather make it one of the best seats I've ever sat in a car. Thanks to the supportive seat which feels like it is hugging you (in a comfortable way), I felt safe already even before the car started moving!



Being a Volvo, a mile long list of safety abbreviations are installed in the S60. For instance, Side Impact Protection System (SIPS), Fading Brake Support (FBS), Dynamic Stability and Traction Control (DSTC), Blind Spot Information System (BLIS), Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), so on and so forth. Speaking of BLIS, I've experienced its effectiveness for the first time when the system informed me that a car appeared in my left side blind spot after I switched on my indicator. It saved my life!!! *exaggerating*



Volvo promises a more engaging drive with its S60, and yes, Volvo did it! Good handling accompanied by superb powertrain. The T4 was powered by a 1.6litre turbocharged engine with 180bhp and 240Nm of torque at 1600-5000rpm. The responsive powertrain is mated to a 6 speed Powershift with Geartronic, but the gear change was not as smooth as I've expected. The engine, however, provide strong pulling power thanks to the high torque figure and turbocharger.

While the brake felt strong and effective, I have to refrain my leg from stepping on the brake pedal too hard because the brake bites harder than some Japanese manufactured car.

The Swede has created a superior sedan that would give its competitors a run for their money. Priced at RM220,000 for the S60 T4, it is a sexy, sporty, sophisticated and safe car that you would never go wrong buying it.

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Ford Ranger T6 is Coming To Malaysia Soon!

Ford Ranger was the 'king of the pickup truck' years ago, abundant amount of them can be found on the road and construction sites. This is because the Ranger is known for its toughness, durability and good carrying cargo ability. The upcoming all-new Ranger, codenamed T6 is coming to our shore in the early 2012.



The newly improved Ranger will have sportier styling without loosing its ruggedness, better aerodynamics, fuel economy, refinement and performance.



There are 2 engines available for the 2012 Ford Ranger. First is the 2198cc turbodiesel engine with commonrail injection which produces 125ps and 330Nm between 1750 – 2300rpm. Second is the 3198cc turbodiesel engine with commonrail injection with 147ps and 470Nm available from 1750 – 2500rpm. Most probably the 2198cc engine will be available to us when it debuts in our market.



Does the cabin look familiar to you? If you are an owner of a Casio G-shock watch, you'll find the dashboard has resemblance of the G-shock. The result is a rugged but also stylish dashboard, something its competitors are lacking of. The cabin space of the all-new Ranger is much improved compared to its predecessor, which I would say is at a premium.



The 2012 Ford Ranger is also awarded 5-star in EuroNCAP crash test. It's the first pickup truck awarded with the maximum stars! It is a great achievement and this shows that Ford is committed in making a tough but also safe pickup truck.

What can I say? The 'king of pickup truck' is back, stronger and more confident than ever!

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2012 Toyota Avanza leaked!

The current Toyota Avanza found on our road has been around for many years. Despite that, it is still selling well and became some small families' trusty family mover or moms' favourite car to fetch their kids to school due to its compact MPV dimension.

The all-new Avanza's exterior dimension didn't change much compared to the outgoing Avanza. The former is wider by 30mm at 1660mm, longer by 20mm at 4140mm while the wheelbase and ovrall height remain unchanged.



The exterior styling has become sleeker and less boxy compared to the outgoing model. More curves were added to the front, side and rear of the all-new Avanza, making it less dull and more lively.

According to the spec sheet, the all-new Avanza uses Electronic Power Steering (EPS) which is found in many modern cars like our very own Perodua Myvi. It promotes lower maintanence, fuel consumption and easier manoeuvrability.



The cabin features tidier looking dashboard, resemblance to the Rush's I would say. The steering wheel design also has hint of Vios'. However, the overall design looks more upmarket than before.

The Avanza Veloz is offered 2 choice of engines. One is the 1.3litre engine and another one is the 1.5litre engine, similar to the choices offered in Malaysia now. The 1.3litre VVT-i engine is capable of producing 92bhp and the 1.5litre VVT-i engine can churn out 104bhp. I bet the larger engine will favor the family movers because the 1.3litre engine is said underpower when it is fitted in the outgoing Avanza.

Toyota Avanza was once the best selling MPV in Malaysia due to its affordable pricing and branding, and the new generation of Avanza will sure continue its predecessor's legacy, if everything is done right.

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2012 Ford Escape - Stylish Than Ever !

Ford has been producing some awesome looking cars when they start to introduce its kinetic design language into them. For instance, Ford Mondeo, S-Max, Fiesta, to name a few. Now, Ford has evolved its kinetic design language, make improvement to the already attractive design, and the result is the above - Ford Escape.

The new design language first appeared in Ford Evos Concept, a 2-door concept car with a brand new 'face of Ford' which is similar to the one found on the latest generation of Ford Focus. The overall design resemblance of the Ford Kuga, and coincidently Ford Espace will wear the 'Kuga' badge when it is sold in some countries.

There will be 3 engines available for the all-new Escape. A 1.6 EcoBoost with 173bhp and 240Nm, a 2.0 EcoBoost that offers 237bhp and 338Nm and a 2.5litre engine with 168bhp and 226 Nm of torque.



A new feature for the Escape is the hands-free tailgate where people can open the tailgate by a gentle kicking motion at the underside of the rear bumper. This is convenient when that person has the key fob in his pocket but is carrying stuff with both hands. The tailgate can bbe closed by doing the same action. Cool huh?

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2012 Honda CR-V - Bolder and Bigger!

I remember vividly when Honda unveils its third generation Honda CR-V, a huge SUV but with controversial styling. Not everyone was able to accept its design and criticized it, especially the 'shark mouth' front end. Now, the fourth generation of Honda CR-V is debuted with a more upmarket and less (but still has) controversial styling...



The front end design is toned down compared to the 3rd generation CR-V. The added ruggedness to the exterior design helps to gain more road presence. The bulkier rear end promotes more boot space, but I think the CR-V looks slightly butt-heavy from the side. Overall, I would still say the CR-V's design is a commendable job since Honda previous work on the all-new Civic doesn't work quite well.



I know Honda tried hard to give the rear end of the CR-V a style of its own, but it still has resemblance of Volvo XC60's.

Like every successor, the all-new Honda CR-V is more refined, safer, has better fuel economy and improved practicality compared to its predecessor. Not to mention improved performance and handling (lower centre of gravity and revised suspension). The improvement is why every generation of Honda CR-V is found in almost everyone's garage.



For this time around, Honda CR-V has a 2.4litre i-VTEC engine with 185bhp and 221Nm of torque. An all-new Real Time All-Wheel-Drive (AWD) with Intelligent Control System is fitted to improve handling and efficiency.

Honda is good in improving its product without overdoing it, in this case Honda has done it again with the 4th generation CR-V. Looking forward to its arrival in Malaysia!

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P3-21A, Exora Bold and Saga FLX SE !!!

This post will be about a compilation of Proton's upcoming models and new variant for existing models. First of all, the car don in yellow will be the Persona replacement model, codenamed P3-21A. Its design is inspired by Proton Tuah Concept which was unveiled in KLIMS 2010.

The Persona replacement model is fitted with daytime running LED lights, something which is trending recently and is fitted as standard on many cars. The headlights joined the grille, giving the car a wide stance, but the grille design... Hmm... Hope it won't turn out to be something as hideous as Savvy's.



Proton Exora is going to debut a facelift model soon. There is rumour saying the Exora facelift will be called Exora Bold! It has revised grille and front bumper styling, along with changes to the alloy wheel, taillights and rear bumper as well. Hopefully the Exora Bold will be fitted with the long awaited 1.6litre turbocharged CamPRO engine!



Proton had introduced CVT gearbox to the 1.3litre Saga and now, it is shown in a leaked brochure that Proton is putting the CVT into the 1.6litre variant and call it the Saga FLX SE (what a long name)! The Saga FLX SE gains a few bodykits, leather seats, new 15-inch alloy rims and clear taillight lens. Clearly Proton is targeting the Saga FLX SE to the younger generation.

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DRIVEN: Honda Civic 2.0S vs Toyota Altis 2.0V !!!

Honda Civic and Toyota Altis have been destined to be two 'samurais' battling each other ever since their birth. However, both are different kind of samurai. One sided the handling while another sided the comfort. Both have their own pros and cons though. So this comparison will be judged based on the overall package of the Honda Civic 2.0S and Toyota Altis 2.0V, where both are top of its pack.


EXTERIOR DESIGN:

At one glance, youngster or even young at heart customers will be in love with the futuristic styling of the Civic. Sharp and shaped like an arrow, the Civic's design still looks like it can last for few more years despite being in the market for more than 6 years already! Fast-forward cabin design, sporty 17 inch design and aggressive styling enable the Civic to stand out from the crowd.


On the other hand, Toyota decided to play safe with the Altis and as a result, the 10th generation Altis bears some resemblance with its predecessor. However, after a mid-life facelift for the Altis, it looks spectacularly elegant and sporty at the same time! A huge melioration compared to the dull pre-facelift design of the Altis.

Civic: *****
Altis: ****


CABIN:

Space age concept was incorporated into the Civic's cabin design. The two-tier instrument panel, although need some time to get used to, was easy to read and unique. With a wheelbase of 2700mm, the Civic triumphs the Altis (wheelbase of 2600mm) in cabin space. Rear legroom is definitely more ample in the Civic, but headroom was hampered by the low roofline.

All the parts in the cabin has good fit and finishing. Although high quality materials were used for the Civic's cabin, I found that some materials were still a bit plasticky to me, especially the dashboard and door handle.

Different things can be said for the Altis. Top notch quality materials were used throughout the cabin, a mini Camry or even Lexus I would say. Although the Altis' dashboard doesn't look as amazing as the Civic's, it was user friendly and ergonomics were great. Rear legroom loses out to Civic, but still it has reasonable amount of it to provide a comfortable journey to its rear occupants. Both rear headroom of the Civic and Altis leaves much to be desired.

Civic: ****
Altis: ****


PERFORMANCE & HANDLING:

This is the part where the Civic excels. The 2.0litre Civic mated with a 5 speed automatic gearbox is capable of producing 155bhp at 6500rpm, making acceleration from zero a brisk. Floor the pedal and the responsive powerplant will bring you to high speed even if you are going up a slope. 2.0litre Civic has Electronic Power Steering (EPS), where I think is a boon in low speed and it slowly weighs up when travelling faster. Firm suspension also helped improve the handling of the Civic, where body roll is almost not noticable in low speed.


Altis was also equipped with EPS, but it was too light for my taste, and barely weighs up when going faster. Feedback was inadequate from the steering wheel and the feel provided by the EPS was a tad of artificial. The amount of body roll, albeit apparent, was still acceptable when cornering. The good news is, the Altis was equipped with a new Dual VVT-i engine which produces 147bhp at 6200 rpm. Although it was 8bhp lesser than the Civic, it still provides a zippy acceleration and overtaking was no less difficult than doing it in the Civic.

Something worth praising the Altis was the super smooth 7 speed Super CVT-i gearbox, and the paddle shift which was easier to use and shifted quicker than the Civic.

Civic: ****
Altis: ***1/2


COMFORT:

Let's start with the Civic. It absorbs road imperfection well, and that's the end of the good stuff. The suspension setup was firm, which was good for handling but bad for comfort. Huge humps (no thanks to its low ground clearance) and worse road condition unsettle the Civic, making it not so suitable as a family car. Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH) of the Civic was good in relax kind of driving (but most owners of the Civic rarely does that, right?), but engine noise became very harsh when pushed. Sound dampening effort was not that great in filtering the noise from outside too.

Altis shone in this department. What its predecessor is famous for - comfort, continues in this generation. Generously padded seats welcomes your first contact with the cabin. Engine was barely audible and no vibration when the car is idle with its engine on. The same happened when the Altis was on the move. It glided over the road imperfections while the passengers are cocooned inside the cabin, isolated from the outside world. Altis is one of the best C-segment car for chauffeuring, where the boss and relax in the back seat after a tiring day of work.

Civic: ***
Altis: *****


OVERALL:

It won't go wrong buying either a Civic or an Altis since they are selling well in the market for so many years and their proven reliability and resale value. However, requirements of the buyers will be the key in purchasing either the Civic or Altis.

Civic: 16 out of 20
Altis: 16 & 1/2 out of 20

Based on the result of my test drive, Altis outperform the Civic by just a mere 1/2 stars. Both are equally capable cars, but for me Altis is more of an overall package car where it performs adequately well in every aspect.

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DRIVEN: Mitsubishi MiEV !

I met the ingenious Mitsubishi MiEV in the recent COTY2U 2011 event. I appreciate that Mitsubishi arranged an engineer to sit beside the driver to explain how the car works while driving around Matrade.

The Mitsubishi MiEV is based on the Mitsubishi i kei-car which is only available currently in other countries. Being a kei car, it measures 1475mm wide, 1600mm tall, 3395mm long and a staggering 2550mm long wheelbase (compared to Myvi's 2440mm!). These figures translate a cabin which is bigger than normal kei car like Perodua Viva!

Test drivers checking out the MiEV!

The exterior and interior of the MiEV looks ordinary and almost similar to Mitsubishi i. However, the instrument panel is changed to accomodate information about the electric powertrain. There's a meter which will move from charge to eco depending on your driving condition, almost similar concept like Honda's eco lighting in the instrument panel which will turn from green to blue when you drive aggressively.

As an electric car, the MiEV is utter silence when it's not moving on the outside. When you turn the ignition on, the MiEV only vibrated with an unapparent frequency. You can only listen the sound of the air-cond blasting when it's stationary. It is quiet on the move at low speed, but the electric motor noise will intrude when you floor the pedal, so it is not as pin drop silence as I imagined an electric car is.

The performance of the MiEV surprised me! I was flabbergasted when I floor the pedal on a minor slope and the MiEV thrust itself to the front forcefully, thanks to the 180Nm torque in the 47kW electric motor. Top speed of 130km/h can be achieved, so it is possible to drive it on our national highway.



We will usually put the gear at 'D' for normal driving condition, right? Same goes to the MiEV, but 'B' and 'C' serve slightly different purposes. MiEV comes with regenerative braking where energy is generated when the brake is applied, and regenrative braking will work on all 3 modes of gear. However, 'B' is best used in downhill condition like when you are going down Genting Highlands, where regenerative braking happen most of the time.

'C' on the other hand, is a comfort mode. Using 'C' drives a little bit smoother compared to 'D' and 'B'. This is because more power is used for output, but the battery will be drained a little quicker.

Click to enlarge

Above is the spec sheet of the Mitsubishi MiEV. As you can see, the charging time is located at the bottom left corner. Malaysia has to build some charging stations first before selling electric car to the public. Or else, we can only depend on household electricity which will take some long 8 hours to charge the battery to its brim. It will be, I would say, ridiculous to travel for 160km (MiEV's max distance per full charge) and have to charge another 8 hours before we can run the next 160km.



There's a turtle indicator if you are running low on electric, Mitsubishi does have a sense of humour! The Mitsubishi MiEV is an interesting car and should be brought over to Malaysia when the sales of EV starts.

+ Nippy performance, ample cabin, zero emission.
- Ride and handling, cabin plastic.

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Prius C - New Member of Prii !

In case you are wondering what is Prii, Prii is the plural for Prius (Toyota is now adding new words into language!) and Prius C is the newest addition in the Prii family.

Being Prius' smaller hatchback sibling, the Prius C is 3995mm long, 1695mm wide and 1445mm tall. It's a low slung design (low centre of gravity), but the 2550mm wheelbase will contribute more cabin space.

Aqua will be Prius C's name when it is sold in Japanese Domestic Market.

The Prius C has Hybrid Synergy Drive technology, which is a combination of a 1.5litre petrol engine and an electric motor that achieves 35-40km per litre on the official Japanese test cycles. It can perform better than 50mpg in the city, highest city mpg of any non-plug-in vehicle.



We can see Toyota tried hard to give the Prius C a nice looking cabin, at least it is not boring to look at compared to some cars of its class. As a member of the Prii, you get a Prius' steering wheel!


On the other hand, Toyota also unveiled the FCV-R. I think it's the Toyota Prius' replacement model in 2015, what do you think?

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COTY2U 2011 (Part 2) !!!

Continued from Part 1

Click to enlarge

Let's start our Part 2 with some electric vehicles (EV)! First off is the Mitsubishi MiEV, the first registered EV in Malaysia! Mitsubishi arrranged a test drive session for the public and of course, I won't miss that out! I will post my experience in driving the MiEV in my next blogspot, so stay tune!

Electric powered scooters, Vectrix were also there!

This is the award winning Proton Exora REEV!

Proton Saga EV (in vintage mode)! Proton was offering taxi ride for both Exora REEV and Saga EV but I didn't get to try.

Click to enlarge

Proton Saga EV has a bright future if it's offered in Malaysia's market! No fuel needed (uses only electric) and good performance (based on the specification table).



While walking to Chevrolet's booth, saw the Mini's booth which is not quite ready yet XD



I think this is the first batch of the electric-powered Chevrolet Volt in Malaysia! An electrifying (sorry, can't stop myself from using this word) and unique exterior design. Check out the location of the gear level, isn't it cool?

Muscle car by Chevrolet!

Coincidently, Chevorlet is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year and has brought few of its models which are only available in other countries.



Chevrolet Corvette, Avalanche, Suburban and Bmblebee Camaro!



Volvo S60 is one of my favourite cars and I'm delighted to say that I've test driven it in COTY2U 2011! Driving impression on the Volvo S60 will be coming soon!

Peugeot was displaying its latest offering in Malaysia, the 508 and other models in its lineup. I'm very impressed with the 508, a classy and elegant car, inside and out. Peugeot had never fail in building high quality cabin, no matter to the touch or to the sight. The black interior is accompanied with chromes in all the right places, stylish!



Check out this interesting idea where the boot release button is located in the center of the '0'! Press there and 'poofff', the bootlid is opened!



Peugeot even fitted microphone on both of the A-pillars so that every command and message by the occupants can be received clearly!



The COTY2U 2011 was a pretty interesting event. However, there were a lot of weak points which can be improved, especially the parking fee (felt cheated when they collected RM5 for entering the parking bay and at the entrance of the display hall) and the congested road around Matrade building. The bumper-to-bumper traffic failed to give test driver a chance to test the car well.

All in all, I hope it will be back next year so that the public can have a better insight on Car Of The Year (COTY) 2012.

+ Test driving was available, we were feel to check out the interior of some premium cars, availability of automotive talks.
- Parking fee, should bring in more cars which are unavailable in our market, congested road around Matrade.

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