Cars To Watch in Malaysia in 2014 !

Happy New Year 2014! The automotive market is in a tough situation, rising fuel cost and rumour has it that the toll price will gain a hike as well. Nevertheless, the automotive sector will continue to grow with plenty of exciting offering from car manufacturers. Below are some of the worth-paying-attention cars which are going to be launched in this year (in no particular order):

1) Ford Fiesta Ecoboost & Fiesta ST

The highly anticipated 1.0 litre Ecoboost engine will be available for the Ford Fiesta this year. The three-cylinder engine is capable of producing 125PS and 170Nm of torque while sipping fuel at a rate of 5.3l/100km! Estimated price from RM96k to RM99k.

2) Honda City, 4th generation

While Toyota has launched its 3rd generation Vios, Honda will soon introduce the all-new City to our shore. Made its debut in India, the 4th generation City now comes with more space, better quality and luxury (hopefully the touch screen controlled air-cond and rear air-cond vents will make it into our market!). 

3) Mazda 3, 3th generation

The details we received from Mazda are the Mazda 3 will be sold in CBU form at the time it debuts in Malaysia with full SkyActiv technology. Estimated price is RM139k. The sleek looking Mazda 3 will be a good package with good handling, albeit the slightly high pricing. 

4) Mercedes Benz S-Class W222

While the outgoing S-Class W221 still looking great (even the Chief Minister of Penang, Lim Guan Eng just bought one!) after all these years, Mercedes-Benz introduced the S-Class W222 to the world. Packed with high-end safety features such as Magic Body Control, Night View Assist Plus, Traffic Sign Assist and the list goes on and on and on...

5) Proton P2-30A (Savvy Replacement Model)

No official name has been given to the Proton P2-30A yet (Proton is in the midst of choosing the winning name for P2-30A from a naming contest now), but the P2-30A is slated to launch in the first half of 2014. No details have been released by Proton yet, but from the spyshots it can be deduced that its size should be somewhere in between Viva and Myvi. 

6) Nissan Sylphy, 2nd generation

Not going to comment on how the outgoing Nissan Sylphy fair in the design department, but I can say the 2nd generation Sylphy looks much better! It should be downgraded from a 2.0 litre to a 1.8 litre engine mated with a CVT gearbox for Malaysia's market. The current Sylphy shines in the comfort and NVH department, the all-new Sylphy is expected to do the same or even better!

7) Toyota Corolla Altis, 11th generation

No further introduction needed for the Toyota Corolla Altis, as it is the best selling car in the world. The all-new Altis don a contemporary exterior design, opposed to the conservative design for the outgoing generation. 3 variants will be available - 1.8E, 2.0G and 2.0V, from RM115k-RM137k. Some gripes are VSC is only for top-of-the-range 2.0V and only 2 airbags across the range. Well, at least the Altis is a comfortable and reliable car...

8) Nissan Teana, 3rd generation

The D-segment Japanese Nissan Teana will soon be replaced with an all-new 3rd generation. Initial detail is the Teana will be available with 2.0 litre engine and 2.5 litre non-V6 engine. This will be a car where boss can drive and chauffeured in style. 

9) 2014 Volkswagen Polo Hatchback

The Volkswagen Polo Sedan CKD has an estimated price of RM87,788 on-the-road with insurance, thus the soon-to-be-launch Polo Hatchback CKD should be priced in the region. There's a huge chance that the Polo Hatchback CKD will be priced slightly lower than the Polo Sedan CKD, grabbing the title as the cheapest Volkswagen in Malaysia. Changes include a normally aspirated 1.6 litre MPI engine and tail lights design. 

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Techtrics Auto - Your One-Stop European Vehicles Maintenance and Repair !

Recently yours truly was invited to visit Techtrics Auto Sdn Bhd, an independent workshop which provides one-stop solution, from maintenance to repair for European cars. Located in the heart of Taman Perindustrian Kinrara, it's easily accessible from the Bukit Jalil Highway heading towards Puchong. 

Officially launched on 30th June 2013, a grand opening was held with approximately 600 attendees have attended the event. Since then, Techtrics Auto has gained many customers' trust by offering quick and precise solution for their cars.

Professional technicians with years of experience in diagnosing and mending problematic cars are there to help you solve the trickiest car issue! They are trained to take on different brands of continental cars such as Mercedes-Benz & Smart, BMW & Mini, Audi and Volkswagen, to name a few.

Every professional car workshop need to have a customer lounge to allow customers to relax in it while waiting for their cars to be fixed, and I was totally flabbergasted by the one Techtrics Auto has! It's one of the most vibrant and relaxing customer lounges that I've ever seen. Everyone could practically doze off after sitting in the lounge for few minutes while waiting for their beloved car! You could also watch the TV or surf the Internet using the free WiFi if you are not drowsy!

What if you car breaks down at home or somewhere along the street? No fret. Techtrics Auto provides 24-hour breakdown service, 365 days a year. No matter it's mechanical fault, ran out of fuel, punctured tyre or flat battery, Techtrics Auto will be there to assist you. Want to service or fix your car but on a tight schedule? There is a pick-up and delivery service to make your life easier.

Techtrics Auto uses Mobil 1 products, which provides exceptional protection against engine wear, giving you a peace of mind. Currently my car is using Mobil 1 engine oil and I can actually feel the engine runs smoother with lesser vibration! 

Customers' Big Four! No, I'm not talking about the audit firms! Well, you get what I mean :)

A vintage Rolls Royce and Bentley (at the back) paid a visit too!

Both founders of Techtrics Auto, Mr. Steve Siew and Mr. Fong Weng Hong are graduated from renowned automotive universities, with numerous years of hands-on experience in repair, diagnose and service consultation of cars. So they know what's best for your car and what customers want!

Tectrics Auto, your trusted and recognised workshop!

Address:

Techtrics Auto Sdn Bhd

No. 61, Jalan TPK 2/8,

Taman Perindustrian Kinrara,

Sek 2, 47180 Puchong,

Selangor Darul Ehsan.

Tel: 03-5891 6661

Fax: 03-8076 6161

24-Hours Breakdown Service: 014-5191818

Facebook

Website
E-mail: admin@techtricsauto.com

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W222 Mercedes-Benz S-Class unveiled !

Mercedes Benz S-Class, a symbol of power, wealth and luxury. A S-Class will appear in everyone's mind when asked about the car a CEO would be chauffered in. The W222 is quite a looker, especially with the AMG Sport Package above. Stylish and luxurious at the same time. Slightly larger in every dimension, the W222 still managed to get a coefficient of drag of 0.24 - even better than a Prius.

Name me a car where its tailgate line is separated from its tailights other than the W222 S-Class. None that I could think of has such dainty design feature. Taillights resemble its predecessor's, but with uniquely styled LED lights.

As the flagship of Mercedes-Benz, the whole car is loaded with goodies. Huge 12.3 inch screens used as the instrument panel and infotainment system, First Class Rear Seat package with thermo cup holders that warm or cool drinks, ten speaker with optional Burmester Surround Sound, Air Balance package which has a built-in perfume dispenser and Warmth Comfort package with heated headrest, armrest, steering wheel and seats. Design details wise, retro-styled air-cond outlets, 2-spoke steering wheel, analogue clock and whole lot of stitched leather.

Safety wise, it will take me literally forever to mention all of the safety features loaded in the W222 S-Class. As starter, the W22 comes with knee airbag for the driver and seatbelt airbag for the rear passengers. Below has more detailed explanation on some of W222's safety features:

 So, here's a summary of what safety features the S-Class has:

It's amazing to see that whatever safety features that you could possibly think of are available in the S-Class. Even the steering wheel can intervene and steer on its own (by a little) when things get wrong. Scary and eye-opening at the same time. Watch this to get a better idea of how these features work:

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COTY2U 2012 @ Matrade

COTY2U autoshow is back for 2012! Let's see what it had installed for the public.

Mercedes launched the SL350 in the COTY2U 2012 event! The SL350 is one of the best looking cars available in the event. Selling at RM890k!

With the help from Sultan of Johor, 5 generations of SL were successfully acquired and displayed in a row!

Green cars such as hybrids and electric vehicle (EV) were displayed near the entrance of the Matrade building.

Chevrolet Volt, an EV, returned to COTY2U autoshow for 2nd consecutive year.

Another EV, Nissan Leaf was displayed. If you are lucky, you'll get to see a Leaf on our road (not the green one) because few lucky ambassadors were chosen by Nissan Malaysia to own the Leaf for six weeks!

Every autoshow will surely have its pageant queens!

"Oh my, I'm sorry that your friend on the right has lost one of its foot in a crash!" It's my first encounter with crash test dummies!

Die-cast models of exotic cars and also Malaysia's Evo police car! Priced quite dearly, unfortunately...

COTY2U 2012 also featured some upcoming car models, for instance, the Chevrolet Sonic which is going to be launched anytime soon.

Chevrolet Orlando, a MPV.

Mitsubishi Mirage, launching at end of this month.

Finally the Kia Rio!

After all the great stuff, it's time for some bad ones. First of all, I noticed there were lesser choices of car models available for test drive compared to last year. Lastly, visitor had to park at the nearby mosque, court and Publika (but has free shutter bus to fetch visitors from these places to Matrade) because the huge parking space in Matrade's compound is closed for construction.

I parked at the court (because Publika charges parking fee and not familiar of where the entrance to the mosque is), but I don't know where to wait for the bus due to inadequate signage! Then I have no choice but to drive back into Matrade to look for a parking space (which took me half an hour to do so). I saw many parked on the road side just outside of Matrade compound though. Very inconvenient to the visitors...

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Back Seat Passenger: Mercedes S-Class

Telling people you have a Mercedes S-Class is like telling people that you bought a luxury bungalow, owns a renowned football club or simply to imply that you are rich and able to afford Mercedes' flagship sedan. It's a symbol of power, status and prestige; it's a car which (mostly) CEOs or bosses are chauffered around town; it's a car which everyone hopes to own one.

Being most likely to be replaced very soon, the pre-facelift S300 still looks elegant and upmarket on the outside. The exterior design of the S300 has nothing to shout about, but bold curves and sharp lines at certain parts of the exterior prevents the S300 from being dull to look at. However, the best world of a S-Class is not on the outside, but is on the inside......

Forgive me to amendment my previous sentence. The best world should be at the back seats, where passengers are pampered with techs and comfort creatures. Digital climate control is available for each of the back passenger, where there are air-cond outlets at the centre and also one on each B-pillar.

There are also electric-powered leather seats with multiple configuration, electric window blind and illuminated vanity mirror for the rear left and right passenger. Now, the only thing that is lack of in this S300 is a headrest-attached LCD screen. Perhaps it is made available in the higher spec S-Class.

There are acres of space for the rear passengers too. You can dance Oppa Gangnam Style stretch your legs out to the max in the back seats without worrying the front seat is blocking you. Headroom is ample too, good for young CEO (or young-at-heart) with spiky hair. The cabin is impossible to be cramped for you, unless you are as tall as Yao Ming or as big-sized as a club's bouncer.

Pardon me for being underdressed...

Comfort is a priority when the S-Class is designed. Plush seats and great refinement where the engine, wind and road noise are greatly suppressed. Eventhough the suspension soaked up the undulations very well, but it's not the magic carpet ride-like that I imagined. There are some stiffness in the suspension setup that make the S300 feels planted on every corner with minimum body roll.

Visited Raub's gold mine's entrance.

Although the S-Class doesn't come cheap, most of the people who can afford one will have it in the buying list. The Mercedes S-Class not only has '3-pointed star' badge recognition, but the name is already a different (good) story of itself.

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