Honda will cease production of the HONDA CRZ - Not gonna miss it much actually.

One of the most disappointing Honda cars in recent history has recently been confirmed to be discontinued. According to some the Honda CRZ was being discontinued with the launch of the CRZ Final Label in Japan. Then we received word that Honda was officially ceasing production of this small hybrid sports car. So the CRZ Final Label is indeed the end of this hybrid sports car. The news mentioned that the CR-Z will be discontinued at the end of the year to make room for the Accord Hybrid and Clarity Fuel Cell cars. 

Spotted for Sale: 2012 Honda CR-Z 2.0 - It should have been like this all along

It's been a while since I did any 'Spotted for Sale' articles. I suppose it's because there haven't been anything truly interesting out there when I was checking out the want ads. This time we have a winner folks, a 2012 Honda CR-Z with a nice big fat VTEC inside. By nice I mean a 2.0liter with 2.4liter stroker kit Honda K20a Type R engine plonked into it instead of the standard lethargic 1.5liter with a tiny electric motor for assist. 

Spotted for Sale: 1990 EF8 Honda CRX SiR - Unregistered! Malaysian JDM fans rejoice.

Now this would interest the local JDM fanboys. Someone has actually imported in a 1990 Honda CRX SiR from Japan as I have spotted on the local mudah.my website. As it is something from 1990, it is a good 25 years old and qualifies for classic car status as well as the classic car import status too. This is pure Honda VTEC folks. A holy grail aside from owning an NSX.

Fun under RM150,000. Honestly..where the heck are the Japs these days.

In Malaysia RM150,000 seems to be a the threshold when it comes to buying a slightly more premium car. This figure could be seen as a sensible figure where the price buys you something large and nice or fast and sporty without breaking the bank.

Of course, this price segment is filled with large D segment cars with a 2.0 liter engine like the Honda Accord or a Hyundai Sonata or European and Japanese C segment type cars with either a 2.0liter normally aspirated engine or a smaller 1.6liter and below turbocharged one. But when it comes to actual performance cars in this price range we have to ask...where the heck are the Japanese?

Volkswagen Polo BlueGT - Economy and Power equals to some fascination on my part

Hello chaps. I am just too lazy to type this out in my own words so let's just let VW say it for me.

"The new Polo BlueGT stands out in its ability to combine superior dynamic performance with extreme fuel-efficiency. The technical highlight of the progressive compact car is the cylinder deactivation system, which is being introduced for the first time in a Volkswagen – also known as active cylinder management or ACT. The system was realised with the new 1.4-litre TSI of the Polo BlueGT. The torque-strong TSI develops a power output of 103 kW / 140 PS, yet has a combined fuel consumption of just 4.7 l/100 km* (equivalent to 108 g/km* CO2). If the Polo BlueGT is ordered with the optional 7-speed dual clutch gearbox (DSG), fuel consumption drops further to 4.5 l/100 km* – and, bear in mind, this is a petrol, not a diesel (105 g/km* CO2). Nonetheless, this car, with a top speed of 210 km/h, accelerates to 100 km/h in just 7.9 seconds. This uncommon coexistence of efficiency and dynamic performance is enabled by the systematic interplay of ACT, downsizing (reduced engine displacement plus direct injection and charging) and BlueMotion Technology (Stop/Start system, battery regeneration). As such, the Polo BlueGT closes the gap between the Polo 1.2 TSI (77 kW / 105 PS) and the Polo GTI (132 kW / 180 PS). The new car will already on the market in July."

If you took the trouble in reading the above, it basically means that this 'Green' Polo BlueGT has more power than the basic Polo 1.2TSI and less power than the Polo GTI. It however is more economical than the 1.2TSI which only makes a combined 5.3l/100km against the BlueGT's 4.5l/100km.

Imagine if you decide to boost the turbocharged engine with one of those aftermarket tuning options (ABT, REVO, Superchips) when such an option is available the BlueGT may even get you the same horsepower as the Polo GTI. And it should still be pretty economical too.

The only problem with the Polo is that ...it is a Polo. That slightly too narrow a chassis would basically mean a  slightly twitchy car and very high speeds. But then again, as if most of you VW Polo 1.2TSI owners out there actually get out of town and hit the B-roads anyways.

Another question would be whether I really care about saving so much fuel in the first place until I would end up buying one over say, a Ford Focus TDCi or a 140bhp Mazda 3 hatchback or that sort. If the VW Polo 1.2TSI costs about RM113K and the Polo GTI costs RM145K, it would mean that the BlueGT may cost RM130K or thereabouts IF VW Malaysia decides to bring it over here. Such a small car for so much money - As is the Polo GTI, which in my opinion would struggle for sales as it VW sells the same engine in the larger, albeit much softer Golf TSI.

The Honda CRZ and One With Totally Radical Mods

I nearly threw up the tea I was having when this photo came up into my laptop. A CRZ with a turbo as big as its engine. And yes, it is still a hybrid. So it still supposedly saves the ozone layer, rain forests, tuna, whales and so on. Amazing. I promptly noted that the car is also Japan's Car of the Year, beating out the new VW Polo. This was of course the highest ranking non-Japanese car in the event, but I suppose, the CRZ had more innovation than the Polo (and that it is Japanese not German).

Click here to go read about this. Posted on Myautoblog.org, written by yours truly.