I drive a Proton Waja Campro 1.6E manual. I rather like it. I like how it corners, I like it’s high speed composure, I like the precise gear change, and all those other little things Lotus has tuned into its handling. That stupid Campro torque dip aside, it’s a good drive. And since the built quality of the Waja has had visible improvement over the past 8 years, it’s not too bad living with one on a day-to-day basis - until you meet a really tight corner.

The Waja’s turning circle can be described as atrocious, and couple that with poor all-round visibility, it’s a pain to drive one in tight spaces. As such, whenever I have negotiate the backalleys of KL, or brave through the jams of Jalan Pudu, my mind goes back to my previous ride, which was a Proton Iswara 1.5 automatic. I’ll be frank here, when I first started driving the car, I hated it. In fact, I felt miserable driving it.

The big problem with this car, as we all know, is its antiquated 3-speed automatic transmission. The torque converter sapped so much power out of the 1.5-litre engine, it made the car feel heavy and immovable. Every overtaking maneuver had to be performed on second gear, or I would never have stood a chance. Same story with corners, in ‘D’, you simply won’t get enough traction to power out of the apex.

I was never in any danger of getting speeding tickets with this car, because I won’t be able to get close enough to the speed limit anyway, let alone breach it. Even in the off day that I do get the speedo close enough to the magical number of 110, because there is no overdrive ratio, the engine noise would be so loud, I would be forced to ease off before long.

The Iswara followed me to Penang for a working stint of three-months. There, in the congested streets of Georgetown and Bayan Lepas, driving was a living hell. The drivers seemed to have their testosterone levels set to maximum and motorcycles were all over the place. In these adverse conditions, the Iswara shined. There was no U-turn it couldn’t handle, no gap it couldn’t squeeze through, and no spot it couldn’t park.

That it was chronically underpowered was no longer of consequence, because, one, I’ve already learnt to live with it, and secondly, what good does 200bhp do when all you see is a never-ending crawl? In situations like these, all you’ll ever need are power steering, automatic transmission and an engine that’s good enough to move you to 50kph. The Iswara had all that, and more. It had a small turning circle and all-round visibility easily superior to my Lotus-tuned Waja Campro.

The Iswara was rubbish on the highways, but in congested town drive, it was brilliant. In that short spell in Penang, I actually grew to like that car, and I felt a tinge of sadness when it was sold. In many ways, the Hyundai i10 I test drove with my mates last Friday reminded me of that car.

Really? We’ll see…

Three of us walked into HYUMAL Trading Sdn Bhd’s showroom in Glenmarie, Subang. One of them helping to make a family decision in swapping their Perodua Kenari for a new car, and the i10 is in the shortlist. The display car wore in Inokom badge, and retails for RM48k. There is also the Inspired model that bumps the pricelist above RM50k, but you won’t need to consider that, as it’s all just cosmetic enhancements.

HYUMAL Trading Sdn Bhd, Glenmarie.

The base model already comes with all the necessary equipment – twin airbags and ABS the most notable. Only a 4-speed auto version is available, though the product catalogue listed specs for a 5-speed manual variant as well. Power comes from a 4-cylinder 1.1-litre engine, whose output is too small to be of any consequence. Interior materials and built quality are not impressive, but not at levels that you would feel short changed.

 
Dash materials a little cheap, but still well put together. Twin airbags standard.

1.1-litre four-pot produces double digit torque and horsepower figures.

On the road, it was bad. I have read about cars that ’sing’, or for the modest ones, ‘progress’ their way to the redline, this one had to be dragged kicking and screaming its way there. Wherever ‘there’ is, because there’s no tachometer to tell. I did, however, appreciate the nice weighty feel of the steering, which at least allows you to take a decent corner. At the upper reaches of our national speed limit, this car is seriously out of depth and out of breath.

No tacho

However, when driven sedately, the i10 becomes quite alright. It fulfills the brief of a city car well – good visibility, ease of driving, and ease of parking. In fact, and this is a surprise, the i10’s steering actually lightened when parking, which means that this car comes with variable rack steering – which is unbelievable for a car at this price. Like my old Iswara, this is a car that would shine in the streets of Georgetown and KL, but is probably rubbish on PLUS Highway.

(+): Twin airbags, ABS, variable rack steering, EuroNCAP 4-star rating - who else offers that at this price?
(-): Engine very unrefined, build quality barely acceptable.

Verdict: Perfect for cities like KL, JB and Penang, just don’t travel between them.

With all the hoo-haa surrounding the City’s launch on 18 Dec, the Honda showrooms all over the country braced themselves for what was going to be an extremely packed weekend, as car buffs and buyers flock to check the new car out. Traveling in disguise, I headed to the premises of Tenaga Setia Resources Sdn Bhd, better known as the ‘Honda Jalan 222 showroom’.

It is one of the more famous navigational landmarks around Petaling Jaya, and being prominently located right alongside one of the busiest roads of the city. As such, it’s one of the first Honda showrooms to cross people’s minds. This, together with the limited amount of space in and around its premises leads to cars of visitors parked by the road side becoming traffic hazards.

“You turn at Jalan 222, and then you see the Honda showroom there, bla bla bla…”

I arrived at the showroom at 3:30pm on Sunday, and it still had a very healthy crowd. There were two display cars in the showroom, both being the Grade S variant. It was not the smartest setup, as this deprived visitors of the opportunity to compare both spec variants live. As a result, the salespeople were seen escorting people outside to view the Grade E test car between test drives. The test car was also decked in the Modulo bodykit and sport rims, that would add over RM7k to the retail price – think properly before ticking these options!

Plenty of visitors even at 3:30pm. Had to wait for over an hour for my test drive.

Only Grade S City on display.

A customer gets ready to take the City for a spin.

Due to the sheer number of customers present, it was over an hour before I got a chance to take the car out for a quick spin. This gave me plenty of time to examine the car in much closer detail, observe the actions of other visitors and also put some of the salespeople to test with their product knowledge.

Having pored through the entire press and technical release kit I picked up from the launch, I also have a reasonable degree of familiarity with the City’s features and technical bits. However, most people (me included) still have no idea of what the gear ratios are, as this piece of information was not available anywhere in the sales catalogs or press kits.

I am not looking for accuracy of each ratio to four decimal places, but I was curious whether the fourth gear was a 1.000 or an overdrive ratio. When quizzed about this, the salesperson I asked told me that there was ‘no overdrive, only got paddle shift.’ Well, I saw no point proceeding further, and I was none the wiser.

While the salespeople were not expecting to face someone secretly armed with info from Honda’s press release, they seemed more than ready to face the rest of the masses, as I saw all of them talking customers into nods. How many of those nods translated into bookings, only they would know, but we could see the Malaysian car inspection culture at its meticulous best – anything that can move was tested to its full range of motion. Every panel was felt to its entire length. The doors, and the boot were opened and closed more times in that one day than what most cars get in a year.

“Engine powerful or not? Save petrol or not?”

With the brighter lighting in the showroom compared to during the launch at Mandarin Oriental, I was able to get a better look at some of the smaller things in the car. The gadget-happy folks will be glad to know that their iPODs will dock with the audio units of both variants. And, as highlighted in the brochures, there were plenty of storage spaces for small objects, though the centre console box is shockingly tiny, being definitely smaller than even those found in a Wira.

iPOD dock available even in Grade S trim.

I had a bigger centre console box in my Wira.

In what was definitely the most shocking omission from a car’s spec sheet of all time, good old UMW Toyota actually specified the Vios J without intermittent wipers. Thankfully, Honda did not go down that route in the cost-cutting stakes, and kindly included intermittent wipers as standard. However, with the Grade S, you don’t get variable speed adjustment, and you have a stalk that so obviously blanked out that feature.

You at least get intermittent wipers, but no variable speed though.

Fortunately, for the rest of the car, there didn’t appear to be many obvious cost-cutting measures that can be deemed unreasonable at this part of the market. However, the rear shelf panel does appear to be rather cheap being made of a rough grade of hard plastic, and for the Grade S, there was just empty space which made me wonder how much would the underseat tray specified for the Grade E variant have cost.

Honda claimed that they have shifted the pedals of the new City 15mm to the right from the outgoing one, though I am not sure why they even bothered. The reason for this shift was to accomodate a footrest for the left foot, but having did all the hardwork redesigning the geometry of the linkages, all Honda did was slap a rubber piece which almost blends into the floor. It really didn’t feel like it was even there.

You call that a footrest?

For the rest of the interior, I have few complaints, though it seems that the rear headroom has been reduced, with my head now just touching the roof when sitting upright. Reduced practicality aside, this is still a well-designed and well-built interior – definitely superior in quality and equipment compared to the Toyota Vios even in the RM89k 1.5S trim.

In case you didn’t know, the new City’s bootspace increased from the outgoing model by a total of six litres, bringing it to 506 litres of bootspace. Access to those 506 litres is facilitated by opening a bootlid that has an inverted Y-shape shutline, and a C-shaped type hinge. In order to avert interference between the bootlid and taillights when opening, the geometry of the bootlid’s opening motion was engineered to come slightly outwards before going up. The C-shaped hinges also do not intrude too much into the bootspace, which is a problem I trust Proton Waja owners will definitely be familiar with.

“Upside-down Y” shutline consumed many engineering hours.

Finally, time to hit the road. As I reversed the car out of the parking spot, and maneuvered to exit the showroom premises, I immediately noticed that the steering is weightier and had more feel than the previous City. Thumbs up to Honda for addressing that one. I remember when testing the old City, I almost ‘over-steered’ the car onto the kerb, being not used to the degree of assist from the electric power steering (EPS).

The new 1.5 i-VTEC engine packs sufficient punch when pressed. The engine does roar a bit past 4,000rpm, which might not be to everyone’s taste, though it’s not as gruff as, say, the Waja/Lancer 4G18. The response of the paddle shifts were quick enough under hard acceleration, with only a very minor delay in shifting time. There wasn’t sufficient time to draw a proper conclusion, but the powertrain’s performance is adequate for most city and even PLUS highway driving conditions.

Whether this City is an improvement to the old is a matter of debate. Some argue it is, some argue it isn’t, both for, amazingly, very same reasons. Some like the sportier edge of the new model, others moan the sacrifice of the old model’s renowned practicality. Some think dropping the CVT for a 5A/T is a great idea, while others think the opposite. The outgoing City was more practical, and had a lot of clever and thoughtful ideas. The new one drops a few of these ideas and embraces a more outgoing image – more conventional, yet more aggressive. It’s hardly a better car, though in the eyes of many, it’s probably more likeable.

I once said to my friends, “BMW events never disappoint.” The very first BMW event I attended was held at the Glenmarie branch, where I test drove the E46 325i and the highly acclaimed E60 530d. I went on to attend one event after another, adding to my list the likes of the 545i, the 645Ci, and the Z4 3.0. Every time, when I thought that there was nothing BMW could do to impress me, they just throw up an event, I attend and go home with a smile of satisfaction on my face.

Therefore, against the backdrop of one excellent event after another, the Joy event at the Auto Bavaria Glenmarie branch last week was a little underwhelming (read comments here). It made me reconsider the validity of the statement I made to countless people about BMW events. With that experience still fresh in mind, I approached the Sg Besi edition of the celebrations with a little less enthusiasm than used to give to BMW events. In fact, I almost decided to give it a miss.

Auto Bavaria Sg Besi.

But, miss it I did not, because there is, at the very least the newly facelifted 3-series to check out, and the BMW Performance Drive that made the event held at AB’s Segambut branch such a delight was restored to the lineup. As I entered the showroom, the atmosphere felt friendlier than what I experienced in the Glenmarie branch, being politely greeted by no less than three different people.

Friendlier atmosphere here.

Unlike the preceding editions at Penang, Segambut and Glenmarie, the Sg Besi branch had the advantage of having the 3-series facelift launch happening just two days earlier. As a result, in the showroom area, all that was on display were the 323i, the 325i Sports and the 335i Coupe. It was most unfortunate that none of the new variants were available for test driving – especially the 335i.

As I was viewing the 335i Coupe, I was approached by a saleslady whom I shall only identify as Ms M (M for M3, M5 & M6). For now, I’ll just mention that two of us enjoyed a brief but pleasant conversation, exchanged name cards, and walked away from each other. During our talk, she gave me the standard salesperson introductions of the new 3-series and all its available variants. I’ll get back to her later in the article.

335i Coupe

From the rear.

The interior

iDrive controller

3.0-litre twin-turbo redlines at 7,000rpm.

The 335i Coupe you see above can be yours for RM470k. With that money spent, your car is armed with a 2,979cc twin turbo straight-six that punches (according to BMW) out 306bhp of power at 5,800rpm and with 400Nm of torque from as low as 1,300rpm. However, according to this entry in Wikipedia, a third party has tested this engine to produce 332hp and 422Nm. Whatever the actual figures are, paired with BMW’s 6-speed Steptronic auto, the N54B30 engine propels the 335i from zero to 100kph in just 5.7 seconds.

Parked next to the 335i was a 325i Sports sedan which goes for RM310k. Hanging around this car were a series of placards highlighting all the various unique selling points (USP) of the car. When I arrived at the showroom, there was a gentleman with a microphone walking around the car reading out all the various (I presume) newly added features to the car.

Introducing….. the new 325i Sports!

I think everyone knows about this.

… and this too.

New look rear. The E90’s original taillights received heavy criticism for being too bland. BMW responded, though I am not sure if the new ones really do look better.

Bonnet gets more aggressive creases.

The interior, with M-steering wheel. Paddle-shift controls override for 6-speed Steptronic.

New iDrive interface

For the facelift, the 325i will only be offered with the Sports variant which comes with various M-badged accessories and a stiffer chassis setup for improved handling – though the comfort oriented might find it too hard to bear. I’ll be able to tell you more for sure after a test drive. However, I can tell you for sure that the services of the highly rated 2,497cc N52B25 is retained. Featuring a light weight magnesium block, this straight-six engine is rated at 218bhp @ 6,500rpm and 250Nm @ 2,700rpm.

A BMW salesman once told me, that for customers who switch allegiances from Mercedes-Benz are usually introduced to the 523i instead of the more aggressive 525i Sports. The rationale is that someone accustomed to the softer setup of a Mercedes would find the harder sprung 525i too uncomfortable to deal with. Therefore, I believe a similar rationale lies in the introduction of the 323i into the Malaysian lineup.

The BMW 323i

I doubt I’ll need a test drive to confirm this, as it is clear even on paper, that the 323i will cater the more conservative set of customers from the scream-at-your-face 325i. The absence of aggressive body kits say as much, so does the lower state of tune for the same engine as the 325i. Here, the same 2.5-litre straight-six is rated at just 190bhp @ 5,900rpm and 230Nm @ 3,250rpm. I am quite sure the suspension setup is much softer in the 323i as well. The 323i goes for RM276k.

Absent from display were the 320i and 320i Sports, retailing at RM237k and RM249k respectively. Both these variants are powered by the 1,995cc N46B20 inline-4 engine that was introduced back in 2004. This engine, with Valvetronic and double VANOS is still good for 156bhp @ 6,200rpm and 200Nm @ 3,600rpm. Differentiating the Sports from the standard 320i are once again the usual M-badged stuff that hypes up the looks and stiffens the handling setup.

Besides the display cars, there were the usual buffet of finger foods and sales of various BMW merchandises in the showroom. In a room, at the side of the showroom, was a Service Clinic conducted by their After Sales General Manager, Mr Steven Adolpho, who was giving talks on the use of proper car care products and driving safety. On the other side of the showroom was a Playstation simulator and a treadmill, where participants who clock the fastest times stand to win a weekend with a BMW. I tried the Gran Turismo simulation on the PS, and it’s safe to say that I won’t be in the running for the winning prize.

Mr Adolpho giving a talk at the Service Clinic.

The range of BMW car care products.

PS simulator and treadmill – you can win a weekend in a BMW here.

The highlight of this event was definitely the BMW Performance Drive which took place at the Bukit Jalil stadium car park. Unfortunately, when attempting to sign-up for the event at the counter, I was told that the slots were all taken up. Having already did it in Segambut, I did not feel too disappointed, and walked off, ready to go. As I was heading to my car Ms. M (remember her?) called out from behind. She was going to ferry two gentleman (one with his son) to the Performance Drive and invited me to come along. Well, who was I to refuse? One of the two gentleman took the keys, and we headed off to Bkt Jalil in a 523i SE…

Getting ready to go… Interior of the 523i SE

An example of good ergonomics, this gearstick is easy to grip, and intuitive to operate (once you get it)

At the National Stadium carpark, for the BMW Performance Drive.

To be continued….

Throughout my days as a car nut watching out for and attending various car events, I notice that these things have a natural tendency to come out together. It’s like there are magnets around certain dates which cause the manufacturers and dealers to pick them. A good example was the last weekend, where this writer attended no less than five events throughout the Klang Valley.

Among the five, is the Naza Carnival 2008 at the Naza Auto Mall along the Federal Highway. I usually don’t care much for showroom events organised by Naza Motors, because for all the glamorous machines they have on display, all you’ll ever do is just to look at the cars and do nothing more.

Carnival atmosphere here for two days.

The thing about me is this, as crazy as I am about cars, the idea of just seeing a car without driving it doesn’t excite me terribly – no matter how ’up there’ it is. As such, I usually give events without test drives a skip.

So, you’d probably understand that I did not go to the Naza Carnival 2008 on Sunday at Naza Auto Mall with bags of enthusiasm, even though there was a test drive for the Peugeot 407 available, part of the 407 Test Drive Me campaign, and a row of Kia test cars parked in front of the showroom.

Available for test drive.

My companion and I tested none of those. Instead, we went around looking, admiring and photographing the what everyone knows to be the largest collection of the finest and most exotic automobiles in the country. My personal guess is that the nett worth of their cars is probably worth, no, not a house, but a whole premier housing estate.

Each more expensive than an average house.

As we were walking, a young (and reasonably attractive) lady approached me to give me a little sticker, assuring me that it’s absolutely free, and then convincing me to part with forty one and a half of my ringgits for an RM36 Shell petrol card, a Shell James Bond Aston Martin DBS collector’s toy car and a total of RM60 worth of lubricant vouchers. It was a reasonable deal, if only for the lubricant vouchers, though I must admit that a male salesperson won’t stand half a chance sealing the deal.

Not long after handing over my cash to the lady, there was the cracking sound of a Ferrari V8 engine nearby. They were having a ‘Product Presentation’ session for the Ferrari F430. There was also another one for the 599 GTB Fiorano scheduled earlier, but I missed that one.

Presenting the F430 & 599 GTB Fiorano

And here’s my opinion on the ‘Product Presentation’: it was not up to scratch. The presenter was fumbling through his ‘cheat sheet’ stammering through words. It begs the question why an entity of Naza’s considerable resources did not spend more of it to train him better before going on stage.

However, that presentation, together with our up close encounters with the likes of the Nissan GT-R, the BMW M3, the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, the Ferrari Enzo, the Maserati MC-12, and many others, faded into obscure memory for me and my companion as we came across something a lot more astonishing – at the Peugeot section!

Nissan GT-R

BMW M3

Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

Ferrari Enzo – yours for RM6.68m

Oi, don’t touch la, cannot read ar?

Maserati MC-12

All the money went to the cars, leaving nothing for the plumbing.

Surprisingly, but by far, the best part of the show was here.

Believe it or not, on our way home, our thoughts were dominated by the humble Naza 206 Bestari. In all my years following the car industry, never before in my life, have I ever come across a deal that reads like this: RM0 downpayment, 0% interest for 12 years. Yes, that’s right.. 12 YEARS! The amount of time needed to raise kids, and we have a loan package that lasts that long and charges no interest.

Staring in disbelief, we scratched our heads at the incredulity of the deal and pressed the poor salesgirl serving us to reveal all the fine print. There was none. You pay an RM100 booking fee, you wait one week, you drive the car away – just like that. Then each month, for the next 144 months, you pay RM390 (M/T) or RM425(A/T) back to Naza Credit, you get yourself a brand new Naza 206 Bestari.

We pressed to ask if the offer was just 0% interest for the first one or two years, but the salesgirl firmly said 0% for 12 years – a claim verified by her colleague. Now, I am used to hearing all sorts of baseless claims from salespeople, but the black and white on the pamphlets are clear: 0% interest for 12 years – no fine print whatsoever.

Here’s the most astonishing thing: after adding up the total instalments of RM390 and RM425 respectively over 12 months times 12 years, we arrived at a figure LOWER than the advertised price. There was no indication how long this offer is going to last, but I’d recommend anyone shopping for a car to check this deal out. I am not recommending whether you buy it or you don’t, but this is too amazing not to even look at it.

Thinking of getting one?

Now, do you still recall the Ferraris, the M3 or the GT-R earlier in this post? Don’t worry, neither did I.

For the final two months of 2008, UMW Toyota is giving away massive promotions for its entire lineup of Toyota vehicles. Dubbed the Festive Moments Celebration, the promotions were given an extra push as Toyota showrooms nationwide organised festive open houses on 15-16 Nov.

Customers are tempted by goodies such as vouchers to fully cover for three years of maintenance, low downpayment rebates, low interest rates, bodykits, and/or a Sony Video MP3 player. Different models are offered with different combinations of the above, though the free maintenance vouchers and low interest rates seem the most useful. According to the promotional materials, all offers are valid from 1 Nov till 31 Dec, with the MP3 players attached with the usual ‘while stocks last’ label.

I was at the Subang Jaya branch on Saturday afternoon, where despite the gloomy skies above, my companion and I test drove the manual versions of the Vios 1.5J and the Avanza 1.3E.

Festive Moment at the Subang Jaya branch.

Bad weather failed to stop us getting a test drive.

I have actually tested the Vios a couple of months back. While accompanying another friend car shopping, we tested back-to-back, both variants of the Honda City and compared them against the Vios 1.5S, which retails at over RM88.3k against the City’s RM79.8k (i-DSI) and RM85.8k (VTEC).

The 1,497cc 1NZ-FE VVT-i, paired with a four-speed auto, does not produce terribly exciting figures on paper, but gave the Vios adequate shove on the straights. On the bends, the car handled surprisingly well, despite not having an independently sprung rear axle.

Going inside, for the interior, the Vios lost a quite a bit of ground against the City. Despite being the newer model against the outgoing City, the Vios’ cabin was neither as well designed nor as well built. The cabin ambience felt a class lower, and the materials felt a grade lower. All in all, at close to RM89k, I think it is a bit pricy.

Toyota Vios 1.5S - overpriced at RM89k.

However, going down the hierarchy, Toyota has the base-spec 1.5J model for your consideration - yours for RM73.5k, if you’re willing to forego the skirtings, airbags, alloy rims, rear discs, electric door mirrors and even the intermittent function for the wipers (a shocking omission, this one). You also have the option of a manual transmission, which would slash RM3.7k off the pricetag.

Indeed, at RM69.8k, the manual 1.5J is well within striking distance of even the Proton Waja CPS, and making it now a far more attractive preposition. The only omissions of consequence are the rear discs and airbags, which are still fine to most people, though the lack of intermittent wipers (standard in the Perodua Kancil) is kind of like a shocking-omission to me.

Paired with a five-speed manual, the 1.5-litre engine gives the Vios more than adequate shove, with the engine revving smoothly up to the 4000-5000rpm range. However, I was a little dissatisfied with the quality of the gearchange, which despite being sufficiently precise, had a rather long throw, while the clutch pedal was light to the point of being tricky to balance. 

I rarely recommend the entry level variant of any model as my preferred choice, but in the case of the Vios, the maths say it all, the 1.5J, at over RM16k cheaper than the 1.5S, represents the superior value.

The 1.5J – at RM69k the Vios makes more sense

Dash is plain looking, but no complaints. Five-speed gear change sufficiently precise, but clutch a little tricky to balance.

The other model catching our attention was the facelifted Toyota Avanza. To be frank, while I’ve never quite fancied an Avanza, I do respect it for being a practical and sensible family carrier. It doesn’t tickle one’s fancy, but it gets the job done - ferrying your family and things around – with minimum fuss, and I respect that.

However, the folks at UMW’s product planning division had bigger ideas and decided to tack on a set of skirts,  fake taillights on top of the D-pillar, and carbon fibre inserts on the dash. I have no idea how they came to this decision, but my companion and I found these new additions more than a little amusing. Rather than spending RM77.1k on the 1.5S, the smart money would either be on the RM69.9k 1.5E or the RM74.3k 1.5G, which both do away with these add-ons.

 
The facelifted Toyota Avanza 1.5S

What’s with the fake taillights?

Carbon fibre inserts for an Avanza?

Credit where credit is due, this water bottle hole is properly useful.

Another option to consider is the base model 1.3E, which goes for RM62k (M/T) and RM65.5k (A/T). I took a manual version out for a spin. That car came with 14-inch steel wheels but had the 1.5S bodykit which I suggest that you not take. You’d be surprised to read this: but it was a properly good drive.

The gear change was excellent – slick and precise in a way that a car like the Avanza has no right to be. When revved hard, the engine picks up pace quick enough for most people. You can’t take corners too spiritedly, but do you buy an Avanza for that? I suppose not. However, driven smoothly and sedately, the Avanza gives you brisk progress around town, and the superb turning radius makes it an excellent urban runabout.

I must admit that the Avanza gave me a properly pleasant surprise. On the road, I actually liked it better than the sedan-bodied Vios, an outcome which I totally did not expect. I would be quite happy to recommend the Avanza to anyone looking for a small practical people carrier, with the tested 1.3E manual my personal pick of the bunch. For those who want an auto, my fingers would point to the RM69.9k 1.5E, which is technically identical to the more expensive G and S variants.

Entry level 1.3E’s plain looks better than ’sporty’ 1.5S

Though 1.3E test car is equipped with 1.5S bodykit.

Interior for 1.3E does away with carbon fibre inserts. Five-speed manual offers surprisingly good gear change quality.

As part of its 20th anniversary celebrations, Auto Bavaria has been organising a series of “Joyful Events” at its various showrooms throughout the country. The celebrations kickstarted on 20 Sept in the Penang branch, and since then they have been throwing these parties in Segambut (27/28 Sept), Kuantan (31 Oct / 1 Nov) and most recently Glenmarie this weekend.

I attended the one organised by the Segambut branch over a month back and was absolutely blown away by the experience. After going through a brief safety driving clinic, my mate and I set off in a BMW 525i, heading straight for the nearby Matrade Center parking lot to experience what was called the BMW Performance Drive, where we were each given a 320i to do braking, slalom and skidding tests. Later, back at the showroom, we were then treated to a buffet catered from DeCanters.

Memories of the Segambut event.

I have been to more BMW events than I can remember. I have test driven a 645Ci and a Z4 3.0 top down. I have driven a 545i up to 180kph in pursuit of a similarly powered X5 4.4i only to be stopped by a Kancil suddenly coming into our lane. I have even attended an event that served abalone sushi, but suffice to say, the “Joy” event in Segambut trumped them all. There’s nothing like driving a car in a no-holds barred situation.

Seeing what Glenmarie has in store.

Therefore, against the backdrop of the “joy” I had in my last time out, the Glenmarie edition was rather disappointing. Though admittedly, this one seemed to be catered for existing BMW owners, as they were given free 20-point checks for their BMWs. There was also a mini treasure hunt, dubbed the “Joy Hunt”, open to 50 BMW cars on Saturday and Sunday each.

For us non-BMW owners, besides viewing lineup of BMW cars, which on that day included an M3 Coupe, a 325i Sports, and a 525i Sports, we also had the chance to speak to some of their technicians who showed us the difference between a normal tyre and run-flats, how they diagnose faults in the latest electronic laden BMWs, and also AB Glenmarie’s reknowned impressive BMW body repairing capabilities.

Normal tyres vs run-flats – both tyres are deflated

Displaying their impressive arsenal of tools

Going straight into the brains of your car…

This machine reads out your car’s faults like a book

After looking through all the admittedly impressive exhibits, it was all just viewing and photographing the cars on display. Despite the advertisement on the website saying “Test drive and view the latest BMW cars”, there seemed to be more emphasis on the ‘view’ rather than the ‘test drive’ part, my mate and I were pretty much left alone after putting down our names on the front desk.

All in all, it wasn’t really an event which I considered to be worth my time, which is a shame, considering the edition at the Segambut branch earlier was absolutely amazing. It was quite obvious that this event seemed to be catered to existing or prospective BMW customers, with little room for us mere enthusiasts.

 
Crowd was good though

The 325i Sports with aggressive details

Under the hood of the BMW M3

M3’s S65B40 sings up to 8,250rpm redline, producing 420hp and 400Nm along the way

I remember the very first time I took a showroom car for a test drive, I was only 18 years old and was still holding my P-license. On that day, EON was having a Test Drive Carnival at Glenmarie, and I walked in and enquired if I could take the Waja for a test drive. At that point in time, I have only ever driven, not including the Kancils during my L-license time, a Wira 1.6, Wira 1.5 and an Iswara 1.5 – and they were all autos. I filled in the necessary forms, surprised that my P-license did not raise any eyebrows, and also the fact that the salesman was chatting with me as if as I was buying!

No matter, on the road I went. Having only driven other Protons, the Waja came off as a truly impressive car to me. On the long stretch of straight to the old Subang airport, I thought I was doing a mere 80kph until I saw the speedo pointing at 120kph. The car felt planted and stable. Of course, with the test drive lasting about 10-15 minutes, I did not pick up on the inherent ergonomic errors, massive blind spots, and questionable build quality. Nevermind that, I was impressed, and I posted it on Autoworld’s forum (or more popularly known as “AW Forum” in short) . Don’t bother searching, the thread is gone – it was that long ago.

Of course, if I were to test drive that same Waja today, I probably won’t be half as impressed. No doubt I would have appreciated the tight handling and stable riding even more – I would also have noted the coarse nature of the 4G18 at high revs and the cheap nature of the materials used inside. Fortunately, this didn’t happen back then, and it only whetted my appetite to go out and do more test drives. I went on to add the Toyota Vios, Hyundai Elantra and the Nissan X-Trail into my list of driven vehicles.

Not satisfied, I also went on to test expensive and powerful continental cars like BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Peugeot and Alfa Romeo. There was a period of time where I went to every test drive event there was in the Klang Valley. The most memorable ones include a BMW test drive at Souled Out, Sri Hartamas and a Mercedes event where I got my hands on the E55 AMG – I suspect that was a blunder by the showroom staff, because the E55 was parked at a secluded corner after I was done with it.

A very quick and rough estimation tells me that up till now, I’ve easily driven a total of RM15-20 million worth of cars. Somehow or rather, news about test drive events organised by car companies just never seem to escape my attention. Many of them are grandiose events that are part of the company’s investments into good brand building and public relations, some are also haphazardly done and poorly organised. There were quite a few events that I went to with a newspaper advertisement promising test drives, only to be turned away because of one excuse or another.

One event I went to recently, which was advertised in a local paper. It was just a small ad (not occupying more than 2 square inches of area) in the listing of events which was very very easy to miss. Fortunately though, my eyes were sharp enough to spot the words ‘Mazda RX-8 Test Drive Campaign’. The event was listed as happening ‘today’ at the Bermaz Motor outlet at Glenmarie. Needing no second invitation, I headed there after lunch for my first drive of the highly rated sports car.

I have read a lot about the RX-8, thus I know all about the fantastic handling, the suicide rear doors, and the rev happy 1.3-litre Renesis motor. Unfortunately, the closest I got to feeling all these are in the Need for Speed games, which hardly beats the real thing. Driving with the keyboard means you lose out on feedback, you lose on precision, and you don’t get to develop a good old-fashioned bonding with the car.

Arriving at the showroom, I felt a little underwhelmed. For a car with such a massive and enthusiastic following the atmosphere could have been injected with a lot more enthusiasm. There wasn’t really much of a crowd to speak of, and the overall atmosphere was too sombre for a car as exciting as the RX-8. No matter, all the better actually, since I won’t have long queues to deal with.

RX-8 test drive here, are you sure?

I signed up for the test drive, with only one customer ahead of me in the queue. He and his mate left as I was filling in the request forms. He was gone for quite a while, which also excited me to an extent because it meant that I would be out on the road for just as long. As I waited for my turn, I strolled around the showroom, inspecting their range of products that also includes Skoda cars and a Mercedes van.

On display: Mazda6 2.0, a Mercedes van, and the CX-9

The Skoda lineup

The Octavia 200FSi, with the VW Group’s famous 2.0 FSI engine. In NA guise, this engine feels just as powerful and revs smoothly all the way to the redline.

My turn came soon enough, after the previous customer’s long awaited return. I felt like I should have timed his session, because my turn on the wheel felt much shorter than his. Nevermind, I still got a good enough feel of the Renesis motor powering its way to the 7200rpm redline. My test car, was worth RM230k that sports a 6-speed automatic transmission channeling 212 bhp to the rear wheels. There’s an option package worth RM14k that includes a nice bodykit enhancement.

My test car

Turning the ignition key not only brings the engine to life, but lights up an ultra-cool looking three-binnacle instrument panel that houses the all important tachometer in the centre with the fuel and temperature gauges in the flanking binnacles. The digital speed indicator is in the centre binnacle together with the tacho, and while it gives the panel a cool racing game feel, it also makes the side binnacles look decidedly empty

Instrument panel… cue Knight Rider music.

The 6-speed auto is equipped with paddle-shifting manual override mode, and as I said before, all these manual overrides wear off their novelty eventually because under the skin, it’s still a torque converter automatic transmission that’s best left to its own devices. However, in the case of the RX-8, you do need to go to manual mode for more spirited driving – be it to explore the full range of revs or to give you the extra control of traction when taking a fast corner. Having said that, it is a massive disappointment that manual transmission is not even offered as an option for the Malaysian market.

It was also most unfortunate that I was only given a short test route, which did not give the car its chance to sufficiently display the finest qualities of its engine and chassis. I was able to push the car all the way to the 7200rpm redline, but never did I manage to feel the car at the three-figure speeds it was meant to cruise at, nor was I able to fully test the car’s handling abilities with fast sweeping bends.

I have to be frank in saying that it was neither an event nor a test drive that did the RX-8 any justice at all. I truly applaud Bermaz Motor for bringing in fantastic cars like the RX-8, Mazda3 and Mazda6, and I think they deserve even more praise for giving free test drives to the public for this exciting model. Unfortunately, despite the good intentions, the execution lacked enthusiasm and energy, thus undermining the whole exercise. 

See also: Showroom Experience: Mazda RX-8

Below are a few pics I took in a showroom visit to view the newly launched Mazda RX-8 upclose. It’s priced in the region of RM230k and RM240k depending on options. As there were no test drives available, I will refrain from making any verdicts on this one.

Visitors admire the RX-8…

… while neglecting the poor MX-5.

The rear three-quarter view.

Front three quarter. This one does without the optional bodykit adorning the red car above.

 
Uprated Renesis power

No option for manual transmission – a disappointment.

More aggressive details pepper design throughout.

Fender indicators.

Interior seats 4 comfortably, if you’re not too big.

Interior in red & black trim

Reknowned Mercedes-Benz importer and dealer, NZWheels Sdn Bhd re-launched their newly refurbished Autohaus in Klang on Sunday. The launching was performed by NZWheels’ CEO En SM Faisal Tan Sri Nasimuddin in a ceremony that quite clearly dressed the showroom to impress.

Carrying a theme of the ”Malaysian Futuristic Lifestyle”, the RM 3 million Autohaus is designated as NZWheels’ flagship Autohaus, and rightfully so, when you examine how well equipped this facility is. The SL63 AMG parked to the left as you step into the showroom signals that this showroom means business. Indeed, there is a whole corner dedicated to their AMG cars as you step further into the showroom.  Parked in this corner, are not the average Mercs with tacked on AMG kits, but the real deal monsters – such as the SLR and CLK DTM.

The SL63 AMG – means business!

The AMG corner – girl not included.

The rest of the showroom looked just as impressive, ensuring that every customer who walks in is cocooned in a premium and luxurious environment. Particularly impressive is the Malaysian Indoor Garden, a landscape which consists of a pond and beautifully arranged plants in an air-conditioned environment, allowing customers to enjoy themselves in a peaceful and serene environment.

It claims to be the ONLY Mercedes-Benz showroom in the country showcasing the entire Merc line-up, and caters towards every single requirement for Mercedes-Benz owners - be it a limited edition or a unique customized colour. It says in the press release kit: “NZWheels is determined to fulfill every request.”

The Malaysian Indoor Garden

Even after you have signed the order form, your experience with them does not need to end with your acceptance of the car keys. NZWheels have also invested in setting up a full-fledged service centre in the same premises to cater for your Mercedes’ maintenance needs. I was not given a tour of the workshop floor, but looking at it from across a glass window, it appears to be properly clean, professionally run and generously equipped. Of course, while the technicians fiddle with your car, you can pass your time pampering yourself with a cup of coffee or sink in the relaxing ambience of the Indoor Garden.

Service reception area

Your Mercedes is in good hands.

Even ignoring the sugar coated words of the press release, it was hard not to be impressed by this awesome facility. It has in its possession an arsenal of top class equipment, and has set a new standard for vehicle sales and service. In his speech, Faisal remarked that this is beyond a 3S centre, but rather it’s a 1S i.e. One Stop centre. It’s hard to disagree.

I’ll let the pictures tell the rest of the story.

Wowing guests with some great melodies. 

Another mean machine – the CLK DTM 

 
Setting the stage for the grand launch. On normal business operations, this whole hall would of course be filled with Mercedes cars for your viewing pleasure.

 
Ice-mounted bar serving drinks for guests.

 
Yours truly jostling for a place among established journalists.

 
Launch draws a massive crowd!

Supermodels in Jimmy Choos emphasize the premium feel.

Hello AW readers,

You’re reading my first piece of writing as a contributor to this blog. Those of you from the forum might probably have seen some of my scribblings under the nickname TheGunner. Like most of you, I believe, I am also a massive car enthusiast who probably spends hours a week poring through car mags, blogs, sites and forums to satisfy my passion. Therefore, the when the opportunity to write for this blog came, it was too difficult to refuse.

Unlike the more established journalists, I will not be getting test cars to keep for the weekend and will have to make do with short test drives secured courtesy of showrooms. However, that should not stop me from delivering quality write-ups for the readers on a regular basis. I will be adopting a different approach to most testers, where I will not only review the car, I will also be reviewing the quality of service I receive from the sales branch and determine whether or not to recommend them to the readers.

Remember that a car can be quite a hassle to buy, what with things like hire-purchase applications, insurance, JPJ registrations and all sorts of paperwork to go through during the purchasing process. After you get the car, you also need to deal with all the maintenance, servicing, and (touchwood) warranty claims. Therefore, it is absolutely essential that you not only choose your car right, but you also choose your salesperson right. A salesperson who won’t even invest ten minutes of his or her time to take you out on a test drive isn’t likely to be willing to pull all the stops to ensure you, the customer, get the best possible service after you sign on the dotted line.

Here’s my tip, whether or not you’ve made up your mind: Insist on a test drive! You are not just testing the car, you are testing the salesperson. Don’t just use the test drive to push the car’s handling limits but also use it to evaluate the salesperson’s character and see how enthusiastically he or she serves you and answers your questions. If you like the car, but dislike the salesperson, go and test drive the car again at another branch. Remember, as a customer you have options!

And speaking of options, TC Euro Cars Sdn Bhd have simultaneously introduced FIVE new Renault models into the Malaysian market. Feel free to have a read on the write-up on all the five cars by YS Khong on the AW main page. Not to be left out, I also headed to the showroom at PJ Section 14 (next to Jaya 33) to have a look at them. As I stepped in the showroom, I walked around aimlessly for a few minutes, admiring the cars, with my eyes particularly fixated on the two that bore the RenaultSport badge: the Megane R26 and the Clio RS.

Making sure we all know about Alonso’s exploits 

After that, it didn’t take long for me to exchange a few pleasantries with a man, who turned out to be the branch manager, and after delegating one of his salesmen to serve me, off I went to the road in the Megane R26. This baby houses a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine under the hood that packs 230hp of power and 310Nm of torque. Impressive? You bet, each horsepower churned out by the engine is worth a thousand of your ringgits.

That adds up to a lot of money to pay for one car, but then, this is also a hugely capable machine. The congested roads of PJ did not allow me to give this car the test drive it deserves. Nevertheless, what I managed to gather was fortunately, mostly positive. The steering was sufficiently weighty, which gives confidence going into corners. The suspension was taut enough for the car to corner flat, but yet still provided the car with a compliant ride.

Accelerating on a straight road, the 230hp/310Nm motor gave the car plenty of pulling power. The six-speed manual transmission that channels all that power to the wheels shifted precisely, but a gripe is that the gates were too close to each other. You need to be a little delicate in your gearchange. The car corners with sufficient confidence, but there was never a chance to push it to its limits.

Stickers add 10hp.

Going from the R26 to the RS, one might expect the RS to be at a disadvantage being compared to its bigger sibling. Skimming RM20k costs you 33 horses, 95 Nm of torque, and 0.4 seconds of your 0-100 time (6.9s vs 6.5s), but curiously none of the fun. The RS more than held its own against the R26, and in my opinion, I would much prefer the RS than the R26.

While the RS does not have as much power in the R26, it delivers what it has in a more linear and somehow more satisfying manner. It felt more rewarding to push the RS than the R26, and it corners with almost as much confidence. The RS‘ steering is less weighty, but the quality of its gearchange is identical to the R26, sufficiently precise, but require a little delicacy in operation.

Unfortunately, the biggest gripe for the RS for me is a pretty serious one. Compared to the R26, I could not find a seating position that I was comfortable with. Naturally, for such a car with sporty designations, you sit low, but then again, the dashboard is slightly aligned upwards, which made it a little awkward for me

RS holds its own against more expensive R26, and more fun somehow

At RM210k and RM230k respectively, the RS and R26 will have a lot of expectations to live up to, and also they have the likes of the hugely capable 200bhp Golf GTI undercutting both of them by a significant margin to compete with. Then not forgetting the Civic Type-R and Mini Cooper JCW, the salespeople at TC Euro Cars will have a real task at their hands. They are truly capable cars, but it would take some convincing to justify their lofty price tag.

Not forgetting the rest of the range.

Visitors treated to a small buffet.

See the French connection?

Verdict

R26: (+) Handles confidently, responsive engine, weighty steering, manual transmission; (-) Lofty price tag, gear change, grabby brakes
RS: (+) More fun than R26, manual transmission; (-) Equally lofty pricetag, uncomfortable seating position.

Showroom Service: Sales personnel were enthusiastic, greeting everybody with smiles. For those bringing their families, there is a section of the showroom for the kids to play. A showroom I would recommend.