The Volvo 850 T-5R and the 850R

"Once upon a time, Volvo was famed for its safe and utterly box-like or brick-like 240, 740, 940 series of cars. Everyone who was an uncle actually wanted one. It exudes safety through its brick-like shape and Volvo marketed the 'S' for Safety word to the hilt. Volvo marketed safety and some people like me would say that it also marketed dullness. "

No Volvo in the last fifteen or so years made as much impact as the 1995 Volvo 850 T-5R.

Click here to read what I think about it and the Volvo 850R that came right after it. Written by yours truly and posted over on MyAutoBlog.org.

Capturing the essence of the original Skyline GT-R: Wald Black Bison Nissan GT-R

".... their Nissan GT-R Sports Line Black Bison Edition is very tasteful in my opinion. It captures the essence of the first Nissan Skyline GT-R, the KPGC-10 from the 1970s with that simple black rear wheel arch extension and it works."


I think you readers will also agree wholeheartedly with this opinion of mine. Click here to read about it. Posted over at Myautoblog.org.

Nissan Latio Sedan = London Black Taxi....Really

Recently I keep seeing black coloured Nissan Latio sedans on the road. I have a problem with the way the Latio sedan is styled. It basically has one of those failed hatchback to sedan designs. It may not be as ridiculously bad as the previous generation Honda City or that Pug Ugly Peugeot 207 Sedan. But it's close, quite close.

You see, the Latio Sedan maintains that ridiculously high roofline of the Latio Hatchback. It then has a truncated looking boot that makes the roof look even higher. And then it has small wheelarches, this also makes the roof and the body of the car look tall. The whole car is ungainly. It looks like it was designed for women whose hairdo require building permits due to height issues. It the good old days where men wore top hats the Latio would be well accepted. Men who wear such hats would love it. Women with those KLCC height hairstyles would adore them.

Racing drivers and tuners would totally hate the car for the unnecessary height. Anyone who thinks that their Nissan Latio is from the same Nissan tree as the GT-R must suffer from some sort of mental disorder. Really. The car that is the actual relation of the Nissan Latio sedan is actually a modernized London Taxi Cab. And if you buy a black Nissan Latio, it cements this link even further.

Let me give you a run down on the London taxi cab as well as comparing it with the Latio sedan.

Taken from everyone's favourite free encyclopedia – Wikipedia - The traditional black cab (so-called, despite being of various colours and advertising designs) is designed for its purpose. There have been many models over the years. The space beside the driver's seat can be used for luggage, although there is much luggage room in the passenger compartment. The turning circle is smaller than other vehicles of similar size (a black cab is said to be able to "turn on a sixpence"). The cab seats three people on the back seat, and two more in backwards-facing "jump seats"; there is good headroom, originally for passengers wearing top hats.

Now let's fill in the blanks with the Nissan Latio - The traditional Nissan Latio Sedan (so-called, family car despite being of various colours and advertising designs including something called the Latio Impul) is designed for its purpose. There have been many models over the years. The space beside the driver's seat can be used for luggage, although there is much luggage room in the passenger compartment. The turning circle is smaller than other vehicles of similar size (a Nissan Latio is said to be able to "turn on a sixpence"). The Nissan Latio interior seats three people on the back seat,"; there is good headroom, originally for passengers wearing top hats.

Okay, I've edited it slightly it slightly, but now take a look at the photos below. The similarities are striking and with that, I hereby state that if you buy a Nissan Latio Sedan, you're actually buying a London cab.  

Upcoming F10 BMW M5 - Restrained Aggression... How The Ultimate Driving Machine is Suppose To Be

"The F10 BMW M5 is another car that I am looking forward to as it somehow brings back what I truly like about BMWs - discreet restrained aggression. Think E39 M5, E30 M3 and the E34 M5 as well as the earlier 3.0CSL coupes from the 1970s and you'll know what I am trying to say. "


Do click here to read more about the upcoming F10 BMW M5. Posted over at Myautoblog.org.

Saab is Bleeding .... But I Honestly Do Not Care

"I still wouldn't give two hoots if Saab kicked the bucket. They've not shown me anything within the last year or so that would make me weak in the knees, make my jaw drop or drool all over like a rabid dog in heat." 

I don't really care about Saab and if you want to know more about what I think, do click here to read about it. Posted on myautoblog.org.

Keeping the Volvo XC90 fresh with Heico Sportiv

"........ But I suppose the target market for the Heico Sportiv XC90 are in fact people who use their XC90s for school runs and these people don’t want children running away sobbing, in fear and afraid of crossing paths with a highly modified Volvo."


Click here to read what I think about Heico's XC90. Posted on Myautoblog.org. 

Where to eat in Singapore....and in Kuala Lumpur

..if you fancy Murtabak Singapore you should head over to ZamZam at either its original location in Singapore or at Jalan T.A.R. in Kuala Lumpur.

Click here for some travel advice. Posted over at MyAutoblog.org.

When In Kuantan Do As The Locals Do....A Drive On The Beach

It is pretty fun actually. Take a car right up to the water's edge,  do some figure eights (but do be careful that the front wheels don't dig or you might actually roll over), and some driving on the sand. The thing about the beach along Pantai Balok in Kuantan, Pahang is that the sand is pretty packed and not like the soft sand you get on some beaches. I also suppose this is because it was low tide and the waves on the East Coast pound the beaches over there pretty hard till the sand gets compacted. I know you can't do this on Batu Feringgi, Port Dickson (as it is actually hard to find an access road right to the beach with development everywhere) and some other beaches on the West Coast.

I believe that driving on the beach shouldn't be limited to watching TV shows like Top Gear doing it. We should do it too and if any of you skeptics start making statements like "that Perodua is going to rust after that". It won't. Firstly, it isn't a car from the 1970s, secondly it isn't an Alfa Romeo or a Fiat from the 1970s and thirdly, all new cars get decent galvanizing on their chassis these days and don't really rust. Let's also mention that I wasn't the only one doing it. Locals do it too. And if you don't know what galvanizing is, please look it up yourself.

And fourthly, if you've been following my blog, I have been telling you people that you should live a little. Buy a car you like, not because of resale value, and enjoy the car instead of keeping it at home while you take the bus or motorcycle to work. It's only metal so you don't have to treat it like a trophy for display only and it's the thrill of the driving experience that is most important. This is one of them, and as I also said, sometimes a driving experience isn't about the speed, or the power. This is one of them.

Mobiado-Aston Martin Concept Phone

It doesn't work yet, according to gsmarena.com. But it begs a few thoughts by yours truly.


"Anyway, it can display maps showing stuff from Foursquare and with cameras integrated to the future Aston Martin the occupants in the car can take photos of themselves inside the car and post it on Twitbook or Faceter. Imaging twitting “Driving the DB10 today, boy I feel good.” to all your slightly poorer social networking friends out there. Oh, the envy." 


Read more about this concept phone here. Posted on myautoblog.org.

At the Mercedes GP Petronas Meet The Fans Session - Pre-2011 Malaysian GP (UPDATED)

The Meet the Fans session for the Mercedes GP Petronas team happened on the 6th of April. I happened to be at SURIA KLCC for the event. It started at 545pm and was quite interesting.

Nico Rosberg and Herr Schumacher....doing what F1 drivers do aside from drive. A lot of PR activity.

Schummi's Biggest Fan(atic).....It is a real tattoo, not a temporary paint job. Shocking.

The Mercedes GP F1 car.

The mighty Mercedes Benz CLS 63 AMG. First preview in South East Asia. We're lucky Petronas is sponsoring the Mercedes GP team as we get to see the latest mega Mercs before others do. We got to see the SLS AMG before most countries last year too. More pics and a detailed report would be posted soon over at CarThrottle.com and also over at MyAutoblog.org.

UPDATED - A detailed report has been posted over at www.carthrottle.com. OR Click here to go directly to the write-up.

Project Kahn Audi A5

This is another one of those Audis that ape the Audi R8. I now have the opinion that if you actually used this bodykit you're just trying too hard.

Click here to read about Project Kahn's Audi A5 mod job over at Myautoblog.org.

Porsche's Hybrid Supercar, the 918 Spyder

The 2013 Porsche 918 Spyder is a hybrid supercar. It's like eating a whole chicken, some spare ribs, a bucket of whipped potato and still losing weight at the same time!


 And oh yes, buy this hybrid and you can buy a limited edition 911 Turbo S Edition 918 Spyder too. What new marketing gimmicks would manufacturers come up with next!!!!

Click here to read about it. Posted over on MyAutoblog.org.

The Mercedes Benz C63 AMG Coupe & The Ugliest Car Sold In Malaysia Today

Don't you just love Mercedes-AMG cars? They sound really superb. This new one looks a little plain-Jane though. Maybe they're keeping the steroids off until the Black edition of the car comes out?

This Mercedes Benz C63 AMG Coupe may look a little plain but whatever the case, any new AMG is worth waiting for these days. Especially if it has a normally aspirated V8 in it. Oh the noise.It's always about the noise when it comes to AMG Mercedes'. It makes you weak in the knees. The heck with everything else. And while it is plain looking, it is not ugly. Which is what no one wants in a car. Unless you're those sad souls in Malaysia who think that buying a Peugeot 207 sedan means you're better off or have more class than a person buying a Proton. Let me break it out to you NOT gently - You're worse than the Inspira owner. Your Pug is PUG UGLY.

I apologise for that outburst. But it seems to me that the Peugeot 207 Sedan is the MOST UGLIEST CAR sold in Malaysia, replacing the previous generation Honda City tadpole on stilts. Note that this is the ugliest car category. The Mini 'Alphard' or the Chana Mini MPV is still reigning champion in the MPV category.

Anyway, click here to read more about the Mercedes Benz C63 AMG Coupe. Posted over at MyAutoblog.org.