The MGB GT

The MGB GT is a car that I had driven many years ago but one which I remember like I drove it only yesterday. It was a car that my late father once owned and sold around the time I was born (circa 1972) and a car that I had the pleasure of driving very often during the 1990s. To the friend of mine who let me drive the car, you know who you are, and I am extremely grateful for the experience. No,my father didn't actually sell the MGB because I was born. Some other incident happened so I am safe to say that I wasn't the reason my old man sold his sports car!

"The 1.8liter engine sounds typically old school. The twin SU carburettors (which need proper fettling to get it in-synch) and that simple four branch manifold as well as how the engine is tuned for the MGB (instead of, say a pathetic Austin Maxi) makes for a very butch sounding 4 cylinder engine. You won’t find this much bass in any new car these days. The sound on idle and when it starts to move is something which you could never replicate in a new twin cam, multi-valve and fuel injected engine. "


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

Proton Saga FLX - Proton Updates The Saga Automatic With A CVT

Imagine the recently facelifted Proton Saga FL (Face Lift - so utterly obvious) with another letter slotted in behind the 'FL'. Nothing else happens except the model becomes the FLX (Face Lift X-tra?)

I suppose the extras are incorporated into the now common and slightly better looking Saga FL (The car is less dumpy looking compared to the original).The new additions is a CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) in place of the ancient (in circa 2011) 4 speed automatic gearbox, ABS (Anti Lock Brakes), EBD, driver and passenger airbags. These extras or more of these extras are found in the Saga FLX Executive Auto as the FLX Standard Auto only gets the CVT as a new toy. It doesn't even get the airbags. This means that the Saga FLX Standard is still stuck in the 1980s.

Oh yes. This main change is the CVT gearbox. It has six virtual ratios and the main reason Proton has adopted this transmission unit is to bring their cars up to date. A four-speeder is ancient these days and does not allow enough ratios for the car to have decent acceleration down below and a low-rpm cruising speed that a transmission with more than four gears would allow. This added gears also means better fuel economy which in turn allows for better emissions. A Proton with Euro 5 emission controls?

I suppose this is the way to go. CVT. But I hope that Proton sourced the CVT from a reliable source and not one that is half baked. You see, CVTs have a belt/chain system that can change through infinite amounts of ratios between the maximum and minimum values. The transmission somehow keeps the engine running at optimum or high revs when you need the grunt and the gears then slur up to the desired road speed. Of course this means a slightly rubber band effect (A Mitsubishi Lancer/Proton Inspira has this effect but a B8 Audi A4 somehow does not -which is why the A4 costs a whole lot more). Personally, the only CVT that is worth driving is the one in the Audi. I've driven Fiats, Mitsus, with CVT gearboxes which I hate.

The other issue is reliability. Even on the latest Lancer GTs it has been known to overheat until Mitsubishi started putting in its own specific transmission cooler (the first batch GTs in Malaysia DID NOT have this option). The previous pig-ugly Honda City had CVT and some experienced problems so much so that when Honda launched the current City, it had a traditional torque convertor transmission. The Fiat Punto of the 1990s had CVT Belt slip problems giving its owners head and heartaches as well as the distributor back breaking warranty claims.

And now Proton offers one in its bread and butter model. I have my doubts. We've seen Honda turning its back on CVT with the latest City on the grounds of costs but this isn't the clincher yet. The clincher is the fact that when the new Toyota Passo was launched over in Japan it had a CVT box but when Perodua launched its latest Myvi, it was still equipped with a normal torque convertor box. Cost savings I suppose, but I somehow believe that reliability issues were the main reason Perodua stuck with the torque convertor box for the new Myvi Automatic.

But Proton seems to be Proton. Always trying to be innovative and slightly ahead of the curve. Remember the time when Proton pushed the Gen2 AND Savvy hatchbacks at the time when everyone wanted sedans? Now, when we see people buying Ford Fiesta, Peugeot 308s, and a whole lot of affordable hatchbacks Proton have no new ones in the market. Proton using CVT boxes may actually be the way of the future, but I am quite worried that they've actually moved forward too soon. Or that Proton bit more than they could chew. Time will tell and lets hope that the gearboxes are reliable.

But the real issue that got me writing is the fact my pal Zairul brought up. The SAT Switch that is located in the Proton Saga FLX. What the heck is a Stepped Automatic Transmission (SAT)? Why does Proton think that we need a switch that needs to simulate a normal torque convertor transmission as it does not have a sport mode with manual shift or 'tiptronic' functions at the gear shifter nor does it have flappy pedals behind the steering wheel. If you do not have control over the shifting why bother with the need to feel the slurring of the gears like a normal automatic gearbox when it would be smoother without it?

Does this actual mean that Proton is so afraid that normal users would feel alienated or feel that the new Saga FLX drives like it has a rubber band tied around its gearbox? I think this is the reason as I cannot think of another reason other than this. If it does not allow any semblance of driver control other than P,R, N, D and L  then there isn't any reason to have 6 virtual ratios to simulate a normal transmission.

Its like the Ford Fiesta or the VW Polo. You get a DSG gearbox that you have no control whatsoever and its only the power of marketing that drives you forward. There are no flappy pedals or manual shifting options in these cars too.

So S.A.T.actually means Silly Advertising Thingamagic and not the past tense of SIT, or the short form of Saturday. It does absolutely nothing whatsoever except add another acronym to the Proton Saga. You get FLX, ABS, EBD, SRS, CVT with SAT. Lets end this article with WTF is Proton's marketing people up to again?

A pathetic looking rally Honda Hybrid wins.....and the losers whine and complain.

"This hybrid Honda competed in the Formula 1000 Tarmac Rally Series and was officially requested to withdraw due to complains by rival teams stating that the hybrid rally car has an unfair advantage. "

Spoilsports. Being whipped by a skinny tired hybrid of a rally car is so pitiful. And when you start whining and complaining about it, it sounds worse.

Click here to read about it. Written by yours truly, posted over at Myautoblog.org.

The Proton Savvy and Fried Mamak Mee

I like frequenting our local mamak stalls and restaurants. Most of us do actually as the food and drinks are cheap and the atmosphere very relaxed. A nice mug of teh tarik and a roti canai would do wonders especially since both items would only cost you RM3.00 and below. It’s 2011 okay, and not 1989 where you could get both items for about RM1.00.

What I think of the new and improved but still challenged in the looks department BMW 1 Series

"Firstly, it is not styled by Chris Bangle. Any BMW not styled by Chris Bangle is a good BMW (with the exception of the 1st generation BMW Z4 which is messy with all the lines here and there, but still proportionate).....".


Click here to find out more about what I think of the new 2012 BMW 1 Series. Posted over at Myautoblog.org.

The Good Die Young: BMW Is Killing Off The 1 Series M Coupe...

...after they produce it for one miserable year. And the thing is, motoring enthusiasts aren't really coming in droves to buy this car. Everyone's talking about this car as a return to BMW's E30 M3 roots but people aren't really buying it. They want big huge V8 M3s instead.


"But the question is, is the M Division into selling cars that are actually the 'Ultimate Driving Machines' or up to market forces? The reason I stated market forces because the report also stated that BMW admitted that less than a thousand units of the 1 series M Coupe will be produced instead......."


Click here to read more about it. Posted over on Myautoblog.org.

Since everyone's doing an Audi TT into an R8.....

"..... if you're rich and you couldn't care less about your Audi R8 looking like a TT, you should be the one doing such a thing. Everyone is making cheaper cars into more expensive ones so it will be something unique indeed if someone did it the other way round. "


Click here to read about it. Posted on Myautoblog.org.

The New Perodua Myvi: Pictures and Opinion

Typical Toyota/Daihatsu. In a way that is. The reason being that this all new Perodua Myvi is actually a million times better looking than the Toyota Passo version of it that was launched circa 2010 in Japan. That car (pic below) ended up looking ultra feminine and basically caters to the Japanese 'Ah Soh' customers (or those not familiar with the term - older auntie type people). These sort of customers buy the Passo simply as a means of transport. To the market and back. To the weekly bingo game and back. To the Hair Saloon and back.

Presenting Another Crazy Russian Monster SUV cum Sportback - Dartz Nagel

".... these Russians amaze the heck out of us. I get very amazed watching Sukhoi SU30s do incredible low speed maneuvers (at airshows), seen those large Russian Mil helicopters dump tons of water over fires (in a demonstration), felt the robustness of an AK47 and have even met a 75 year old Russian rocket scientist/engineer (who was still employed at the time) due to my line of work but when it comes to making cars, the Russians seem to think in ways weirder than even the Americans...."


The Russians are now King of the SUV hill. In my opinion that is.


Click here to read about it.

R172 Mercedes Benz SLK gets tuned by Piecha Design

"Styling exercises actually make more money for these tuners as nearly everyone wants the car to look really good outside of clubs, bistros and hotel lobbies instead of tearing up the autobahn."


Bodykits hit the streets so fast it makes your head spin. The new R172 Mercedes Benz SLK gets tweaked as soon as its out of the showroom. But as usual, its only about the looks. Performance parts take awhile longer.


Click here to read about it.

Subaru small cars are now Toyotas and why the new Impreza is slightly dull

"Of course it does. But they're so utterly predictable and dull vehicles. Take the Toyota Passo a.k.a Daihatsu Sirion/Boon a.k.a Perodua Myvi a.k.a Subaru Justy. They may look slightly different with different eylashes, skirts or jewellery, but they are basically the same shape."


So economic pressures have led Subaru to stop making their own small cars. Sad news. And why does the new Impreza look a little dull?

Click here to find out. 

Austin Mini 1275GT

I wrote a piece for Carthrottle.com on the Mini 1275GT recently. Imagine that, driving a tiny little car all the way from Ipoh to Kuala Lumpur. I left at night from Simpang Pulai near Ipoh and it was raining. The wipers were intermittent in that the wiper motor did not have enough juice to move them all the time (due to faulty grounding) and I was basically driving a dark B-road in the rain. Quite a scare but at least the very old car had good lights to balance things off slightly.

On those B-roads I felt like Paddy Hopkirk driving in a rally. Of course this wasn't a snowy Monte Carlo but it was pretty wet nonetheless. Driving a Mini on a B-road is certainly one of motoring's greatest pleasures.

Driving on the highway was slightly unnerving at the start. You feel slightly small until you get used to those lorries and busses passing by or when you're passing them instead. At least you can maintain a steady cruise of about 100km/h so that progress isn't that slow. It was a nice slow drive basically, one that I could actually enjoy listening to that 1,275cc engine and transmission do its Mini-like thrum. No other car has a noise combo like it so much so that when BMW made the new Cooper S, that supercharger actually mimicked that original gearbox whine.

 "On the B-roads it was a little bouncy but on the 12 inch Minilite wheels and tire combo the ride felt waaayyy better than the original 10inch rims and tires. I suppose this is due to the improvement in modern rubber. The Mini actually cornered better and rode more comfortably than when it first left the factory nearly 35 years ago. "

Read more about the Mini 1275GT here.

p/s. I did not drive back to KL without some semblance of back-up. Two cars left for KL that night, the other was this car from the cat family. A real mis-match.

More on my trip to Kuantan and something about New York's Yellow Cabs

As some of you readers may have read I was in Kuantan recently and this is a slightly more detailed write-up about it. Of course, I still left some bits out, mostly non-motoring. I took hundreds of shots, from a 16mp camera down to a 2mp camera phone. This mostly came from a 5mp camera phone as downloading a lot of 16mp photos takes up bandwidth and a chunk of my data plan. But what these photographs do is tell the story.

Click here to read about Kuantan.

And now, on something iconic. The yellow cabs in New York will be replaced in 2013 by Nissan Minivans. Sigh.

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

A-pillars in Cars These Days

I wrote a piece on how A-Pillars and side mirrors in cars have grown over the years over on MyAutoblog.org. A very relevant topic if I may say so.

" A Hyundai Atoz suddenly appeared out of nowhere. 'Nowhere' in this context meant that it appeared after it was hidden behind the A-pillar as well as the large elephant-like driver's side mirror."


Click here to read about it. 

Peugeot EX1 - Yes, It Sets A New EV Speed Record...BUT.....

"The Peugeot EX1 was piloted by Stephane Caillet and lapped the 20.8km Nordschleife in 9 minutes 1.338 seconds with an average speed of (yawn) 138.324km/h. Note that Peugeot have quoted until the 1/1000th of a decimal point for both lap time and average speed. I suppose when you're going this slow every 1/1000th of a second counts. "


Click here to read more about the Peugeot Electric Car That Looks Like A BatMobile But Is Slower Than One. 

Taiwan's Luxgen Neora is a Mish-Mash of Ideas

A concept car by a Taiwanese car maker. Nothing really interesting but this is what new manufacturers try out in order to find a distinctive identity.

Click here to read more about it. Posted over at Myautoblog.org.

Tony Fernandes Buys Caterham...Why?

To piss off the people at Lotus I presume. Click here to read more about what I think about this piece of news.

A Bentley that thinks its a Porsche GT3 RS

"You can tell that it is very much a boy racer with those ‘ISR’ go faster stripes on its side; ala Porsche 911 GT3 RS. Somehow no one told Bentley that the over 2000kg Continental Supersports that no matter what you do, a Bentley will not float like a butterfly and then sting like a bee."

The Bentley Continental Supersports ISR...... Click here to read more about it. Posted over at Myautoblog.org.

Some thoughts about car interiors of the near future

"The sketch you see above is one of a future Audi A3 Sedan. Ignore the funky steering wheel as it may be drawn that way to show the rest of the dashboard. And what do you actually see? A dashboard devoid of signal switches, wiper stalks and gear knobs. "

I posted some thoughts on the interiors of cars over at MyAutoblog.org. I suppose soon we will see stuff like those in I Robot turn into reality.

Click here to read more about it.

Volvo Concept Universe - The First Concept Car Under Geely and It Looks Slightly Awkward But Nice

"Those that are familiar with classic Volvo design would recognize the Volvo PV544-like bonnet, low set headlights and the shape of the grille. Its design team actually did spend some time looking at classic Volvos and I believe that it does look portray the essence of the earlier Volvos. The nose from the three quarter angle shows off the car pretty well. It may look awkward at first but it does make the car a little different than the norm."


Click here to read about it. Posted over at Myautoblog.org.