Search Result

A mismatch though it may be, the engine is still a great unit. It produces just 94bhp, which admittedly isn’t fantastic, but makes up with 230Nm of torque. That’s more pulling power than some NA 2.4-litre engines! An even bigger selling point though, is its cleanliness — just 99g/km of CO2. Perhaps this why only this engine is being imported here — it gets the maximum $20,000 CEVS rebate, a useful saving in Singapore’s problematic car market. And naturally, being a diesel, fuel consumption is excellent too; I managed just under 17km/l over 370km of not-particularly-economic driving.
New

Call Of The Jungle… | Peugeot 208 e-HDi

IN Peugeot, 208, 1.6 e-HDi, Diesel

… The urban one, that is. Peugeot’s latest baby has landed and, curiously for this end of the market, it’s a diesel!


Let’s talk about the exterior. Visually, the car looks pretty much the same as the standard E class. But squint a bit harder, and you will notice that the car is slightly longer, gaining 140 mm of rear legroom. To make sitting in the rear even more comfortable, the front passenger seat can be electronically adjusted from the rear passenger area. Currently, the car is confined to China only. Various trim levels are available. The launch car shown at the show is called the Sport Sedan version and has been fitted with a more aggressive looking front end with a big three pointed star on the grille. If you want something classier, you may opt for the Sedan trim, which ditches the large grille-mounted badge for one standing on the bonnet. The low-beam headlamps are LEDs as standard.
Happenings

Mercedes stretches the E for China

Revised long wheel base E-class launched at Shanghai Auto Show


New

The Baby Benz Grows Up | Mercedes-Benz A200 Urban

IN Mercedes-Benz, A200, A Class, Hatch-back

Mercedes-Benz calls it the “rebel” of the family. Like most rebels, they may have some traits that you'll admire about them, but most prove to be very hard to live with.


Alas, BMW hasn’t made any mention of engine options or vehicle dynamics or anything at all to do with actual driving — the X4 is for now still officially a Concept, intended to show how the production version will look. Looking at the X3 though, engine options should be carried over directly. That means the turbocharged four and six cylinders as found in the xDrive20i, 28i, and 35i.
Happenings

First reveal of BMW X4

IN BMW, X4, SAC, Concept, Shanghai, SUV

BMW lifts the wraps off its new ‘SAC’ ahead of its premiere at the Shanghai motor show


With that, say hello to the new C4 Picasso. Previewed earlier this year in Geneva by the Technospace concept, the production version doesn’t look like it’s changed one bit, save for the non-body coloured rims. According to Citroen, the egg-shaped cab-forward shell (geddit? Shell? Egg? Never mind) is 40mm shorter than the old car, yet has a 55mm longer wheelbase for added legroom. The new Picasso has also shed 140kg in the quest for lower CO2 emissions.
Happenings

Art For All The Family

IN Citroen, C4, Picasso, MPV

MPVs don’t usually have a right to look stylish, but Citroen clearly disagrees.


Exterior wise, the car has a long bonnet and a long wheelbase and is slated to be a “next-generation luxury sports coupe.” The bold styling of the car includes details such as fluid surfaces courtesy of Hyundai’s fluidic sculpture design language, muscular body lines that run the length of the car, and Hyundai’s trademark hexagonal radiator grille. To make the car stand out even further, Hyundai has equipped it with butterfly doors and aggressively styled 3D rear lights. The rear is rounded off with a pair of exhaust tips on both sides of the car. The attractive body sits on lightweight 22-inch alloys with carbon trim to help keep the weight down.
Happenings

Hyundai Launches Radical HND-9 Concept

IN Hyundai, HND-9, Seoul, Concept, Coupe

Stunning looking concept launched at Hyundai’s home motor show.


Aesthetics wise, Volvo has got the formula right. The very thing that captures your attention first would be the very sporty looking bonnet with its cuts and creases, and the extremely rakish windscreen. Throw in unpainted plastic cladding that runs all round, faux scuff plates (front and rear) and sleek silver roof rails, what you get is a jacked up hatch back with an off-roader presence. 
New

Dull And Drab No More | Volvo V40 Cross Country

IN Volvo, V40, Cross Country, Hatchback

Volvo's V40 Cross Country is style and substance all rolled into one.


The WRX concept has been designed as a ready-to-rally 4 door sedan. With a much lower and wider stance, it looks a whole lot more aggressive than the current car. To make the car even more aggressive, Subaru has ditched the tiny grille of the current car and have gone for an extremely pronounced front meshed grille and large air intake. The front end is then rounded off by a large bonnet scoop. The rear of the car has received some rather un-Subaru-like cues too; Subaru has ditched the WRX’s huge wing and replaced it with a BMW M3-esque lip spoiler. The whole package certainly looks smart, and knowing Subaru, will probably go like stink too.
Happenings

Subaru Stuns with the Scooby

IN Subaru, WRX, Impreza, WR Blue, Concept, New York

Incredible-looking WRX Concept is miles ahead of the Impreza, yet retains some of its classic DNA.


Enter the new Forester XT. With a 2-litre ‘Direct Injection Turbo’ flat-four putting out 240 bhp and 350 Nm, the car will sprint to 100 in 7.5s and top out at 221 km/h. And, this being a crossover, the long-travel suspension should be able to soak up the bumps quite decently. The perfect replacement for newly minted dads needing something more family-friendly than their hopped-up WRXes?
Happenings

A Real Trailblazer

IN Subaru, Forester, XT, Turbo, X-mode, AWD

No, not that honking great GM SUV; Subaru’s latest offering has the pace to be a real scorcher.


As before, two engine options will be available, with a choice of 6-speed manual or 7-speed PDK gearboxes. The base Cayman has a 2.7-litre flat 6 with 275 bhp, while the S shares its 3.4-litre engine with the 991 Carrera, albeit in a different state of tune, producing 325 bhp. Thanks to stop-start and direct injection, Porsche claims a 15% improvement in fuel efficiency, bringing the figures to 7.9km/l and 8.4km/l for the base and S models.
Happenings

Arrival Of The New Cayman

IN Porsche, Cayman, S, PDK, Boxster, Coupe

Evolution is once again the name of the game at Porsche, with the launch of the 2nd-gen Cayman and Cayman S.


No need to hunt for a parking lot or wonder where to go, the Basement 2 car park is dedicated to receive you. Just pull up at the service reception bay and a service advisor will attend to you promptly. He will then run through the areas that your car will be worked on for the day, and proceed to give you a cost estimate.
Happenings

Audi Service Excellence 'Test Driven'

IN Audi, Audi Centre, Aftersales, Service, Premium Auto

They could have sent out a press release saying that they've got a great aftersales service program. But Audi went one better and invited us to experience it for ourselves.


What better way to celebrate the company’s 50th and the F1’s 20th birthdays than by unleashing a new all-conquering hypercar on the world? With McLaren’s vast Formula One experience and technology at its disposal, the P1 certainly has a shot at besting its chief rivals, the LaFerrari and Porsche 918 Spyder. It may not be the fastest in a straight line (the P1 gives away about 50 bhp and 2 sec to 300 km/h to the Ferrari), but then again, McLaren have said all along that their goal was to make the fastest road car round a circuit, not just a straight line.
Happenings

Brutish British Bulldog

IN McLaren, P1, F1, Hybrid, V8, Turbo, Hypercar

Enter Britain's contender for the 2013 hypercar World Cup...


Combine that brief with Tilke's characteristic safety features and tarmac run-off areas (less exciting for professional racing, much safer and friendlier for trackdays), and everyone's a winner. As a car enthusiast in Singapore caged by endless rules and taxes, this news comes at a perfect time to give us hope and take our minds off the recent ridiculous trends in our car industry. If you'll excuse me, I've now got to start saving for my own trackday monster...
Happenings

FASTrack Iskandar Appoints Hermann Tilke As Track Designer

IN FASTrack, Iskandar, Johor, Malaysia, Track, Racetrack, Motorsports, Trackday

Motorsports fans and petrolheads rejoice. After news of the Changi Motorsposrts Hub's demise left car enthusiasts disappointed, there now seems to be hope for the local motorsports fraternity.


Two models of the A-class will be available here, both powered by turbocharged 4-cyl engines: the 1.6-litre A200 with 156 hp and 250 Nm of torque, and the 2.0-litre A250 Sport with 211 hp and 350Nm. Claimed performance figures for both models are 8.3 s and 6.6 s respectively for the 0-100 km/h dash, and top speeds of 224 km/h and 240 km/h. Thanks to Mercedes' BlueEFFICIENCY engineering philosophy, both cars are rather fuel efficient at 5.8 and 6.4 l/100km, while CO2 emissions of 136 and 148 g/km ensure up to $10,000 in CEVS rebates.
Happenings

All-New Mercedes A-Class Launch

IN Mercedes, Mercedes-Benz, A-class, A200, A250, Hatchback, Cycle & Carriage

The previous Mercedes A-class was an innovative exercise in compact packaging and practicality, but suffered from ungainly looks and the results of the infamous Elk Test. Will the new one redeem it?


Now however, they have unveiled a new, smaller mid-engined sports car to rival the Porsche 911: the B6 Venator. Currently still a concept, it is slated to begin production for most markets in early 2014, and for North America in Autumn 2014.
Happenings

Spyker Returns With The B6 Venator Concept

IN Spyker, B6, Venator, Concept, Geneva

Spyker is back with a vengeance as it announces its first new model in over 3 years, and it has the Porsche 911 in its sight.


The 3.8-litre V8 engine, although smaller than the previous flagship's 4.7-litre, is built to deliver 18% more power and 39% more torque, while having a 20% reduction in emissions. 530 bhp is available if you're gunning it all the way to 6800 rpm, but a hefty 650 Nm of torque starts to warm you up from as low as 2000rpm. Oh, and this can be overboosted to 710 Nm from 2250 rpm, enabling the car to hit 100 km/h in 4.7 seconds!
Happenings

Private Preview Of The All New Maserati Quattroporte

IN Maserati, Quattroporte, V8, V6, Sedan, Twin turbo

Maserati's all new Quattroporte received a warm welcome by the media recently at a private preview held by Hong Seh Motors, distributors for the italian marque.


The new Mazda 6 has adopted the 'KODO — Soul of Motion' design theme the most. Inspired by the movements of the cheetah in the wild, the new model features the signature wing grille, the new family face of Mazda. Headlamps incorporate LEDs and a new halo ring light, while linking the face to the side character lines and onwards to the signature tail lights.
Happenings

Mazda Launches The New Sexy 6!

IN Mazda, 6, SkyActiv

The Mazda TAKERI and SHINARI (sounds like sushi) concept cars were great. The actual car while not as wild, is certainly a worthy interpretation. But will it sell as well as its predecessors?


The difference is not only cosmetic. The new DB9 gets more poke too. That said, this is no Vanquish; the new DB9 is heavier than the Carbon-Bodied Vanquish. Anyways, back to the topic. The new DB9 is powered by Aston Martin's trademark 6.0-liter V12.
Happenings

Aston Martin Facelifts The DB9

IN Aston Martin, DB9

The DB9 is the latest Aston to receive a facelift. So how did its little surgery turn out?


Built near Milano where the company is based, the quality in the manufacturing and finish is nothing short of staggering. From the A-pillar backwards, the new exterior body panels are hand-shaped in steel — including the roof, new wider rear wings, and the internal reinforcements of the complete rear section of the car.
Happenings

Eurosports Auto Unveils Bespoke Bentley Continental Flying Star

IN Bentley, Eurosports Auto, GTC, Bentley Motors Limited, Touring Superleggera, Flying Star

It will roughly cost the price of three Bentleys and only 19 will be made. This Bentley built by italian coach builder Touring Superleggera is indeed reserved for the discerning few.


Ok, so we've driven it on curvy italian sweepers, but how does it fare on our local roads. We grab the keys to a Golf Sport which packs 140 bhp and 250 Nm of torque. The 1.4 TSI turbocharged engine will enable the Golf Sport to hit 100 km/h in 8.4 seconds from standstill, and onto an impressive 212 km/h, where roads allow.
New

Hole-In-One | Volkswagen Golf Sport 1.4 TSI

IN Volkswagen Group Singapore, Volkswagen, VW, Golf, 1.4 TSI, TDI, DSG, Mk 7, 7, 1.6 TDI

Volkswagen scores a hole-in-one with the new Golf. We drive it, only to find out that it has just bagged the coveted Car of the Year award. We couldn't agree with the judges more.



© 2015 BURNPAVEMENT