Mazda MX-5 2.0 Malaysia's Specifications and Price

Yes, the all new Mazda MX-5 is coming and it is only 3 days away.  The launching event is by invitation only and not open to the public.  This could be the largest gathering for all existing and ex-owners of MX-5 and could see as many as 40 MX-5 participating in the event.

Priced at RM226k, it is very attractive, though a lot of of us are hoping it could be around RM190k as what Datuk Ben Yeoh stated in his interview with BFM recently.  Guess with a selling price of RM206k, he is keeping to the promise, and adding the GST and insurance, which raise the price to what it is now!

Only Auto variant available, and only 2.0-litre engine choice.  In fact, the sweet spot of the MX-5 could be the 1.5-litre unit, especially when it is at less than a ton in weight.  That could bring the price down lower!

The unit we are getting is almost a full specifications version, minus the LSD and minus the manual tranny!!!  Bermaz...we want a choice of manual gearbox and we want LSD as well!!!

For now, enjoy the 3 older brothers, which are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new born!  Owners of NC, NB, NA are kind enough to loan these cars to Bermaz as a showcase for the ND launch!

Inspired by adventure, the Renault Captur

The Renault Captur is the best selling B-Segment SUV in Europe since its launched back in 2013.  Stock is limited, where TC Euro Cars only managed to import few Japanese units in for their soft launch, trying to capture the early market share from the yet to be launched blockbuster Mazda CX-3.  The Honda HR-V has already mark its incredible success as it is a full specifications car, with a decent size in the segment, back by a reputable brand.  From the slow selling record of Ford Ecosport and Peugeot 2008, the Captur could get a good start and taper off with its high indicative price of RM118k-RM123k, which sit in the range of the Peugeot 2008.

Powering the Captur is a 1.2-litre Euro-6 turbocharged engine, mated to the dual clutch 6-speed gearbox.  Engine is by Renault instead of the Nissan derived unit in the Clio or Fluence, which could distance some buyers away.  However, with 5-year manufacturer warranty stated on the invoice, owner could start worrying only after that period.  Owning the Captur sure will keep friends envy and their head turn for its handsome look and dual-tone colour scheme where the roof is available in a contracting colour of white or black.  All four colours (Arizona Orange, Ivory, Pacific Blue and Beige) looks distinctive in the sea of boring black, white and silver.

Interior of the Captur is simple, and the show car now does not have a working AV system yet.  The Malaysia-spec unit should be equipped with a 7" touchscreen with navigation, as similar to the Renault Clio that we have here.  Meter cluster is very similar to the Clio as well, with the digital speedometer located in the centre.  

The small displacement engine is capable of 120hp/190Nm of power, which is similar to most naturally aspirated 1.5-litre engine.  As with how Peugeot market its 2008 as an urban crossover, the Captur share the same character, with no sport utility ability and only good for normal driving.  With a kerb weight of 1.2 tons, the engine is barely enough to pull the vehicle on the road.  A test drive shown that the Captur is not aggressive at all like how it looks, and in fact is slow.  Driving in the manual mode help a little, but the ECU kick in to up-shift the gear automatically over-riding the manual interaction.  The gear number start blinking when it detect low RPMs for the selected gear if you are trying to shift up too fast, and the ECU will shift the gear down to maintain the power needed.  Well, good design for driver seeking for an easy-drive car.  But not a good news for the sporty type.

The Captur is a symbol of of a lifestyle vehicle, thus do not expect it to have luxury interior.  In fact, hard plastic is everywhere on the dash and door panel.  The top storage cover is difficult to open as well, which could be the first sign on bad built quality.  Second sign is the gear stalk button, which feel lose and without the solid confirmation movement.

Do note that the Captur steering wheel buttons are for cruise control usage, and the AV control stalk is mounted on the steering column instead.  A smart design for this as control using finger behind the steering is always easier and safer than looking down at the steering searching for the appropriate button.  The AV stalk is friendlier to use in this manner.  Even the trip reset and trip computer control is done via buttons on one of those signal/wiper control stalk instead of beside the meter cluster.  Clean design!  By the way, lightly tapping the signal stalk to turn on the left/right turn light for few blips, useful for notifying drivers behind you of your intention to perform a lane change.

The Captur looks tiny in size when compare to other competitors, but looking at the actual measurements, it is not too bad.  Don't be deceived by how it looks from the outside.  The rear seats can slide backward to create an ample legroom for rear passengers, which could be the best in its class.  Sliding it forward creates larger trunk for your house moving needs.  Too bad that the rear seats is only 60:40 split and do not fold flat to the floor.  But for a car this size, the trunk is consider huge at 1235 litres with seats folded down.  The trunk also has a panel that split the trunk to 2 levels, offering further convenience for keeping your "barang-barang" organized.  Moves the panel to the bottom, you get one huge space.  This is very similar to how Citroen offered the same concept in their Modu-Board design which is available in the 1st generation of C3.

	Captur	HR-V	2008	CX-3	Ecosport
Length (mm)	4122	4294	4159	4275	4273
Width (mm)	1778	1772	1739	1765	1765
Height (mm)	1566	1605	1556	1535	1675
Wheelbase (mm)	2606	2610	2538	2570	2519

French always make good seats for their car and the Captur share the trait as well.  The seat cover of the Captur could be taken off easily by unzipping and pulling them out as it was hold on with velcro.  If the local distributor ever offer optional varieties of car seat covers, you could even style it differently daily for the ride.  The show car light grey seat covers were not good at handling abuse as it get dirty easily.  Wonder frequent washing it will erode off the quality of the fabric or not?

With only 30 units available for the 1st batch delivery, which could start in September, and order book of > 50 now, expect to wait till end of the year of even into 2016 for further delivery of the Captur.  

Thinking of ordering it now?  Wait for the Mazda CX-3, it shall as well.  But if this French beauty is what you love, romance is what you envy of having, the Captur is the one!  Do note that this car only come with 4-airbag, while most now have 6.  5-star NCAP rating is based on a car with 5-airbag (including a driver's knee airbag).  The Captur side large airbag provides protection to head and chest though.   However, it will be perfect if it were equipped with full curtain airbag that protect rear passengers as well!

Lastly, the EDC gearbox is again from Getrag 6DCT250 family, similar to the one widely use in Ford Fiesta.  Dry clutch seems to be on its way out, as according to Getrag, and Renault has not sold in quantity in Malaysia to proof its reliability.  Finger cross, folks!  Ford and VW has so many complaints on their dry clutch boxes...Good luck!

RON97 & RON95 is now @ RM2.45/litre & RM2.05/litre respectively

Been out of the country, and this is the second good news for August, where the 1st is the impending launch of the Mazda MX-5 ND on Aug 21st of this month, then came the news of all variant of petrol price going down by RM0.10/litre. 

Looking at the crude oil price, it has drop below USD50, and RM0.10/litre of adjustment could be a decoy from the huge donation headline.  Anyhow, public now need to donate less to keep their cars running, but only RM0.10/litre.  By the way, I don't mind some supporters donating to keep laymanauto's blog site running, so that I can turn this into my full time job, providing more interesting layman automotive news.

Mazda MX-5 ND, August 21st in Malaysia

August is always an auspicious month, and good thing happens, thus let's start the month with the best news I could share.  It's official, Bermaz is having a pre-launch event for the Mazda MX-5 ND on August 21st.  Only invited current, ex owners of MX-5 and the press are invited to the full fill  party at its Glenmarie HQ.  Will this be the largest local MX-5 gathering ever in Malaysia.  We have seen a large group during the club's Tri-5 event in 2013, but that was an event of 3 nations!  Details available here.

A revisit of Mazda 2!

With the recent new colours selection added to the Mazda 2 hatchback family, let's revisit it for a simple test drive.  Before everything start, looking at the specifications and pricing, those with safety concern will actually stay away from it and choose Honda City instead, for a simple reason that the Mazda 2 is only equipped with 2 front airbags.  Again, this is a complete let down as for the RM88k OTR it is asking for, the car should be a fully equipped unit instead.  

I would think drop the HUD, which is not really too useful and only serve as a something to brag-about gadget on your dash.  It only show you the driving speed and the direction if you pay RM1.2k extra for the navigation map.  Most will find the HUD annoying as the translucent screen need time to get use to.  

During the short test drive, the car is really nimble and nice to drive, albeit the light steering and noisy engine sound, especially when you flip it to "Sport" mode to enable the 6-speeder to keep the gear till higher revs.  Overall, driving this is powerful and it handles real well on the B-road, with its paddle shifter.

The best of the M2 is the Mazda Connect system, that is standard with a touch screen.  And it is built in a way that while the car is in motion, the touch will be disabled and user will need to contol it using the knob below the gearshift stalk.  The i-stop is good to save the owner on petrol cost, but not advisable during a hot weather traffic jam, as the aircon compresor will cease to work as well, leaving the occupants with only air blowing through.

Another good thing on the M2 is that it is available in sedan bodystyle, for those that is more family oriented.  It is the only hatchback-turn-into-sedan model that does not look out of place, yet still look sync to the Mazda family of models.  No such thing as a add-on boot, and the M2 does in fact looks like a mini Mazda 3 sedan.  

So you want to be different by owning not a Toyota Vios or Honda City, the Mazda 2 could be a wise choice.  Do note that the price is higher, the specifications in safety is lower, the size is smaller, but for a car targeted at the younger generation, the M2 styling is at the top of the list!

Peugeot 508, the French D-Segment winner

The Peugeot 508 has finally received inherited the current facial of its range of models, easily identified with the claw-like headlight, which is now uses LED technology.  Nasim is kind enough to bring in the full variant of the new 508, with the THP 1.6-litre (163hp/240Nm) Prince engine as the flagship mass selling variant, which is available in sedan and Station Wagon (SW) body styles, as well as the 2.2-litre Diesel GT (203hp/450Nm) variant in sedan body style.  All variants are mated to the standard 6-speed gearbox, which could be control from paddle shifter behind the steering wheel and could be enhanced with a Sport mode that allow a higher rev before switching to the next gear.

BHP will soon start selling Euro-5 standard Diesel in Klang valley, making a big welcome to modern diesel engine.  The 508 could easily travel for 1000km without any refueling, making it a top choice for frequent long distance drives.  However, the reliability of such diesel engine in Malaysia has yet to be proven for long term usage.  But the powerful torque it could deliver is really very tempting.

Quality of any French car is always impressive, with excellent build quality.  The GT variant uses Nappa leather, with red stitching, which further bring up the level of luxury in the 508.  The THP/SW variant standard leather seat is as good too.  10 JBL speakers with subwoofer and Arkamys audio processing could mean a concert hall on wheels.  Did I mention it even has an 8GB internal memory to store your favourite songs just in case your iPod is now a toy for your kids.  7" HD touchscreen with navigation and reverse camera, quad zone aircon, colour HUD and front seats with electric lumbar support are all standard in all variants.  For the diesel-powered GT, massaging driver seat is a plus point if you intend to have a long drive around the country.

Nasim has never been "kedekut" in bringing the highly specifications car.  The Peugeot 508 is NCAP 5-star rated, with all the standard safety features one can find in any continental car, such as Blind Spot Information System, all round airbags, hill-start assist, ESP, as well as Dynamic cruise control.  Pricing start at RM174k for the THP, RM184k for the SW and RM202k for the GT.  One would wonder who want a SW body style, and don't be surprised that it in fact look weird, but with the huge 660-litre cargo space, one will start to appreciate it when it is being used for family outing trips.

If you were bore on what a Nissan, a Honda and a Toyota can offer in the D-Segment, the Peugeot 508 has always surprise a lot of new-found-continental-car owners.  Once you have one, you will never look back as it drives and handles really well, besides just being luxurious.  

Of course, when it is time for you to trade in a French car years later, you can start crying.  Peugeot and Citroen should start looking into how to keep customer coming back with loyalty program, such as higher trade in value.  

Worth it or not, the Hyundai Santa Fe

When you are in the market searching for a suitable 7-seater SUV, there seems to be limited choice as more and more people will prefer to get a MPV if they need to sit 7 person comfortably.  Visit to any parallel importer, the lot is usually fill with Alphard, Vellfire and Estima, where all are from Toyota.  Well, a van look MPV usually does not sustain well in an accident and if one precious the life of his/her love one, I would strongly recommend skipping an MPV, but getting a car or SUV that has better safety structure.

The Santa Fe seems a direct competitor to Hyundai owned Tucson, as most family will not really need a 7-seater SUV.  At the price you are paying for, you get a 2.4-litre (174hp/226Nm) Theta II engine mated to a 6-speed gearbox, which is being shared with its brother, the Kia Sorento.  Of course, the Santa Fe does looks much better than the Sorento.  Hyundai does offer a diesel variant of the Santa Fe and by paying a lot more, you can get the Premium version.  Worth it or not, it is you that shall define it.

Comparing the size below, using Tucson as a reference, only the X-Trail and Sorento could compete in this mid-sized SUV range.  Honda CRV will compete with the like of Mazda CX-5 and Hyundai Tucson.  The Mazda CX-9 is out of the league as it is significantly larger and more expensive.  The CX-7 is no longer in production as its in-between CX-5 and CX-9 size has proven to be a slow seller.

	Santa Fe	X-Trail	Sorento	Tucson
Length (mm)	4690	4640	4780	4410
Width (mm)	1880	1820	1890	1820
Height (mm)	1690	1715	1685	1660
Wheelbase (mm)	2700	2705	2780	2640
Price	160k	166k	157k	117k

The interior of the Santa Fe is really nice, especially the Brown Nappa leather seat available for the premium variant.  For the Elegance model, you get it in black though.  If safety is your utmost concern, you have to put your cheque book down for the premium version, as this will be equipped with every safety features you could think of, such as 6-airbag, rearview camera + recorder, cornering light and HID headlight.  The elegance version makes do with all the basic a car can get, which is a big let down.  When budget is a constraint, you can start looking elsewhere for a cheaper and better specifications car, such as the Sorento!  There are reasons why Santa Fe is not doing well in Malaysia!  For RM160k, even for the basic version, one will want it with high specifications.  Sime Darby Hyundai should have known better.

So, you have 2 kids, wife, dad and mom and maybe a maid, add up to the magic number 7, and MPV is not what you want, then go ahead to start shopping for a 7-seater SUV.  Do note that once you kids start growing, the rear seats are not design to ferry them comfortably.  If you prefer a MPV, do remember to drive them safely.  A bus is not a high speed vehicle, similar to a MPV.  SUV will always fair better in safety standard.