At Proton's Power of 1 Event - On the P3-21A, R3, the Satria GTI & Lots of Satria Neo R3 stuff!

Before I get started I have to say this. The Proton P321A, (shown here leaving the picture because this article isn't about it) is not based on any Mitsubishi, Honda, Volkswagen, Kia or whatever brand you can think of. It is Proton's own design based on an evolution of the Proton Persona/Gen2. I have decided to state this because someone used Google and typed “what car is p3-21a based on?”. This must be one of those individuals who thinks wants it to be a Mitsubishi so that they can put the Mitsubishi badge or one of those Ralliart stickers on the car if and when he or she buys the P321A. I believe this is the only reason why someone would conduct such a search. Trust me. I think I am quite in tune with the Malaysian motoring psyche.

Proton P321A (Persona Replacement?) at Proton's Power of 1

Proton brought out the Proton P321A prototype to its Power of 1 event over at Bukit Jalil yesterday (and for the next few days). The car was in typical test car livery - i.e full of swirly stickers camouflaging the looks of the car. But one can basically tell that it is a 4 door saloon in the same mould of its supposed predecessor the Proton Persona. It looks slightly taller and slightly more contemporary.

Lamborghini Aventador J pictures - Hot from Lamborghini's press people

The ultimate toy and new wall poster for 12 year old kids everywhere. This is my opinion of the new Lamborghini Aventador J concept car. It has no roof, no windscreen. If you want to hit 300km/h in this 1,575kg 700hp roofless supercar you will need a helmet or spectacles that will not lift off that those speeds. While road legal,  it cannot be drive to the office (if you don't own the office building), or the market or any place that anyone can basically steal it. It is so single minded in its pursuit of ultimate performance that it is  basically a toy and nothing more. Lots of Arabs and Russian gangsters are going to love it if and when Lamborghini makes it.

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.

1858kg Volkswagen Cross Coupé Concept consumes just 1.8 l/100 km - Imagine if it were lighter

I usually ignore VW Media emails as it comes in very, very, very, very, very frequently. But this is actually good news - a hybrid that weighs nearly two tons yet still makes 156.93mpg (Imperial Gallons) and can hit 220km/h. This is absolutely the case of eating cake and still losing weight. Hmm, better make that ...and not gaining much weight since it weighs 1,858kg which is pretty heavy.


This is what VW says;
"The Cross Coupé Concept is powered by an alliance of a turbodiesel direct-injection engine (TDI) and two electric motors. Its combined fuel consumption in the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) is a sensationally low of 1.8 l/100 km. This is equivalent to CO2 emissions of just 46 g/km. Noteworthy here is the fact that the Cross Coupé is a powerful SUV with a top speed of 220 km/h, 225 kW / 306 PS of power (system power) and a kerb weight of 1,858 kg. "


But I do wish that VW would use a proper coupe body instead of one of these Crossover SUVs which I dislike. It could even go on and make 180mpg and go even faster. Furthermore that body doesn't look so interesting doesn't it? It looks slab-sided and a little dull if not for the slightly polished front end. Typical VW. Not stunning enough I must say. How about the drivetrain in a Scirocco?

Has Peter Schreyer's team at Kia run out of ideas with the new Kia k9?

Run out of ideas Kia? In both car design and in naming the car? K9 sounds so much like 'Canine' doesn't it?. It looks a little disappointing because the car looks so much like a BMW.

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

Bertone and Pininfarina Geneva concept cars aren't that fanciful

The Pininfarina Cambiano - A idea for a 612  Scaglietti rejected by Ferrari?

The Bertone Nuccio - Not a very balanced looking car

Both Pininfarina and Bertone are two companies responsible for coming out with the design of classics like the Ferrari 365GTB Daytona and the Lamborghini Miura respectively as well as a plethora of supercars, family cars and unique, one of a kind cars for individual customers. These companies also brighten up car shows with the amazing concept cars. But this time I have to say that both have come up with duds this time around. 

Click here to read the rest of the article. Posted over at Myautoblog.org

The New 2012 BMW M6 coupe & cabriolet

I am not very keen on another M powered BMW even though I know they are fast, handle brilliantly and would be more than sufficient to put a Porsche or a Ferrari to shame. This is simply because they have decided not to make one of these super cars into a real SUPERCAR like the late, great BMW M1. The M6 isn't enough if you get what I mean.

Anyway, you can read more about it here. Posted over at MyAutoblog.org.

The Volkswagen Golf 1.4TSI Test Drive and Delusions of Grandeur

The one major problem I see that is caused by the artificial and slightly high car prices in Malaysia is that people think the car they bought is manna from heaven or as I stated earlier their car is a golden chalice from heaven. Some also think that their RM100,000 to160,000 car is a super-duper luxurious status symbol of a car. I see this problem in many owners of cars that cost a tad bit more than the usual below RM100,000 bread and butter models. Yes they work hard to pay their monthly car installments and all that but it is the fact that we are paying so much duty and excise tax that we think we actually bought gems in the first place. One should actually keep a level perspective in the first place and not think like what I will say in the next paragraph.

Car Mods: 1st Gen Perodua Myvi Mod Tips Part II

And to start off the month of February we take another look at what can be done to one of the most common car in Malaysia - the Perodua Myvi. Note that if you owned one or intend to own one, you would be similar to a whole lot of Malaysians who own different variants of it (probably hundreds of thousand people including yours truly) and there is nothing really unique about it even if you spend thousands of Ringgit on it. So what you need to do is make it more drive-able instead of focusing too much on cosmetics. That's what I would do to a car that is really common - a nice compact supermini, with decent packaging and ample poke for the highways (but again I state, its no sports car).

Tech Talk: The Nissan GT-R - Japanese, but not as we know it

What we have over here folks is a Nissan GT-R. This is actually one, if not the fastest point to point cars that has ever been built and we all know about its Porsche 911 Turbo eating capabilities. We also know that its 3.8liter V6 engine makes around 520bhp in stock tune and this figure is actually some figure that was cooked up by Nissan for its brochures as almost everyone who's driven one thinks it has about 50bhp more.

The Impreza 1.6TS after almost 7 years and a Volkswagen Golf 1.4TSI

It has been almost 7 years since I bought the little Scooby and right now it is acting its age. It had a whole lot of stuff done to it. Some maintenance (a top overhaul and a radiator change) and some modifications (shocks, pulleys, wheels, exhaust etc.). Whatever it is the car has performed admirably although it is currently in need of some new spark plug cables - it is misfiring currently and not surprisingly the official importer does not keep stock of the part. Singapore is the closest source and I therefore would be driving around with a stuttering car.

Anyway, some of you may ask how fast is a 1.6liter normally aspirated Subaru with 5 speed manual All-Wheel drive? 0-100km/h in about 8 seconds and about 200km/h. Most normal 1.6TS would do it in 12.5seconds and max out at about 175km/h. So it is an improvement nonetheless. NOT 0-100km/h in 5seconds like a WRX STI but note the standard car weighs 1,250kg (1,390kg STI) and mine has a lightened flywheel, crank pulley and it is 70kg lighter too. So it is a decent B-road blaster in my not so humble opinion.

Anyway, I recently drove a Volkswagen Golf 1.4TSI recently and I am not really impressed. UNLESS your intention is buying an affordable German hatchback and not a GTI. Stay tuned folks.

Proton Wira 1.6XLi Important mods - Phenolic Spacers, Metal Gaskets & Aluminium Crankshaft Pulleys

I recently fixed up a dark purple 1998 Proton Wira 1.6XLi automatic that belonged to my late father. It basically needed some TLC after being left under-utillized (since his passing). It was leaking engine oil as its fiber based cylinder head gasket deteriorated over the years. The only mods done to it was a set of 15inch wheels and 195/50/15 tyres.

Indonesia's Daihatsu Sirion .....

...is actually our Perodua Myvi. To those that aren't aware of this fact, The car is either brought in as a whole from Perodua's plant in Rawang, Malaysia or partly assembled in Indonesia by Daihatsu from parts brought in from Malaysia. It is basically our 1.3liter Perodua Myvi with a Daihatsu badge stuck on it. There is no other difference from the Myvi we have over here. All you have to do is go to daihatsu.astra.co.id and you will be able to see the difference. Or lack of it.

Happy New Year People!!!!! And a Picture of a Ferrari Dino to end 2011

2012 beckons! I hope it will be another fruitful year for all of us.

Anyway, I do not wish to be retrospective as too many other websites, facebook and twitter postings would want us to sing Auld Lang Syne and other nostalgic stuff. I did nostalgia recently already remember?

But let's end 2011 with a photo of what a new 'small' Ferrari will never ever be like again. Small and totally curvy for the sake of being curvy. The Dino 246GTS. Spotted around Petaling Jaya early this year and that little car sounded great too. Oh yes, it wasn't equipped with a V8, but a 2.4liter V6. It was actually marketed as 'almost a Ferrari' back then as this was supposed to be the budget line for Ferrari. But everyone calls it a Ferrari Dino. It is actually worthy of the name, even without the supposedly required V8 engine that a Ferrari should have.

But it is small, and if it's small you don't really need such a large engine. Especially in those days. Check out how small it looks next to a Suzy Swift. Dainty isn't it?

Happy New Year people.

I Cover the Century Ultramax and Century Battery Assist Launch

A few days ago I received an invitation to attend the launch of Century Battery Malaysia's new Ultramax battery as well as the Century Battery Assist – Which is Century Battery's new Emergency Battery Assist Service. It was to be held on the 15th of December 2011 at a top secret facility somewhere in KL. I decided to attend.

Well, actually it was held at KLPAC (Kuala Lumpur Performance Arts Centre) in Sentul East (which is actually a glamorous name for someplace Off Jalan Ipoh). It just felt like someplace mysterious to be as if you look at the photo below, it does look like some military bunker of sorts.

But anyway, once I entered the KLPAC's lobby cum event location it looked....

...like any other launch event. Which is good. Obviously.

Maybach bites the dust....Again

No one wants a Maybach actually. They'd rather buy Bentleys, Rolls Royces, Aston Martins and even Perodua Myvis. Which is why parent company Daimler AG, more famous for owning Mercedes Benz is ending the brand in 2013.

Read what I think about this whole thing here. Posted over at MyAutoBlog.org.

Of Nostalgia, Of Supposedly Having No Future and the Rolls Royce Corniche

I feel a little nostalgic. I suppose with the big four-zero closing in rapidly one would suddenly feel that life has just passed by in an instant. Just fifteen years ago I was at the prime of my life, just starting out my career in. Just twenty two or so years ago I sat for my SPM or MCE for those older than I. It is of this period in my life that I believe is pretty interesting on several levels.

But then again, I have always had a pretty interesting teenage and very interesting twenty something life. It is indeed a blessing and a whole dose of luck that I am still, relatively speaking, in one piece. Aside from a weak left knee, some broken bones and a nice scar on my forehead I am glad to report I managed to survive my school and college days. In fact, I should be extremely thankful. Which I am.

Now one incredibly interesting story that had happened in my past was the fact that I happened to end up at the St. John's Institution, Kuala Lumpur in 1988 and was to sit for the SPM the following year. So at SJI I was put into the last class as it was the only one that offered arts as a subject. I couldn't count properly at that time so I basically hated accounting. Nothing balanced and before I ruined my SPM I had decided to take arts as a subject. And being in the last class this meant that we were the black sheep of the whole school. It also meant that it was a bloody fun place to be when you are 17.

With Power Comes Stupidity................

......Or was it responsibility? Sometimes a high speed convoy is actually a very dangerous thing to be in. It may look cool, but one mistake, as was the case over in Japan. A convoy to a supercar meet ended up in the most expensive pile-up to date.

A Ferrari up front lost control and the rest couldn't stop in time) and a bazillion Yen worth of Ferrari (about 8), Lamborghini (1), Nissan (1 GT-R) a few Mercedes Benz (3) and a Prius (somehow caught in between all that carnage). Sometimes being rich does not mean you have the skill and talent to handle more than 300bhp. Some of you out there have the skill to only operate a Prius. Or an ugly Peugeot 207. Or actually ride in a bus. Understand?

This is also the reason why I seldom participate in any 'drive-to' TT (teh tarik) sessions as it is actually quite dangerous. This is also the reason why I prefer to do b-road runs by myself. Sometimes, the kampung roads around the famed Ulu Yam - Genting Sempah area can be pretty dangerous - Chickens, dogs, cattle and even village folk who simply make U-Turns whenever they want as it IS their everyday road. Of course, you would be doing the run early in the morning or late at night. But it pays to be careful and it also pays to take it a little easy sometimes.

I still do agree to morning runs myself. But I am not bothered to wake up early these days. Anyway, this is an epic fail. Truly epic.

Destroying a Testarossa isn't cool. 

Things May Be Quiet As I Have Been Busy....and a List of Cars

Busy. This is a nice excuse to give everyone that you're just too lazy to start typing something. But I actually have been a little busy with family, work and friends. Work for MyAutoBlog is ongoing but other stuff has slowed down a little. It is Idul Adha anyway and I should be taking a breather from things.

Now that being said, I have prepared a short list of what I think about a few of the cars currently on sale in Malaysia (grey imports not included)
Toyota:
Camry - Ultimate Unclemobile, it makes me sleepy as soon as I enter one
Corolla Altis - Smaller Unclemobile, same effects happen as soon as I get into one.
Vios - Dull, tinny sounding and I rather drive an Inspira
Prius - Unclemobile that's trying to save the world.

Honda:
Accord - Unclemobile with handling
Civic - Decent Transport with a badge that Malaysians like
City - Skinny tall car with a badge that Malaysians like
Insight - Better looking than the Prius, but not as well built. I still won't buy it though.
CRZ - Hybrid little coupe for posers, mums, wives, girlfriends, daughters. Not a "Tap-R."

Lancer GT -  A car all Inspira owners yearn for
Lancer Sportback - A car that looks good but no one buys it because Proton might make one and cause its resale value to drop drastically
ASX - a toad of a car..why buy one when a Sportback looks and drives better?

Peugeot
308VTI -dull handling, heavy, underpowered French croissant
308turbo - dullhandling, heavy, better powered French croissant
3008 - Hippotamus on wheels, enuff said.
207 Sedan - Ugliest car in Malaysia. Why buy it over an Inspira? The Badge? You stupid, stupid person you.

Volvo
All Volvos - For Life. This means you only buy one throughout your whole life.

I think I'll end it for now. I've got to be someplace elsewhere soon.