Honda's FALSE ADVERTISING!!! NO FREE GIFT after all!

 

Honda Malaysia has a good customer relationship team, sending yearly birthday card and new car launches invitation to its customer.  But this time round on the new Honda Accord, the team did a very wrong move by sending an invitation to test drive the car to receive a free gift.  There is NO terms and conditions stated on the card, so every customer with the card is happily visiting its dealers for a test drive, hoping for a free gift, yet were being told there is NO FREE GIFT, but a lucky draw by putting the printed number stub into the draw box.

If this card was drafted by the Japanese, maybe their English is no good, but then, send them back to their homeland to work, not in Malaysia.  If this card was done by an advertising agent or Honda's marketing team, these people should be briefed on the seriousness of False Advertising!  Time to send them back to school!

Lexus is good, but the showroom experience is TERRIBLE!

While shopping for a hatchback car, Lexus has not cross my mind, because the showroom is located far in Mutiara Damansara, with traffic gridlock during the weekend.  Anyhow, when I thought Mercedes showroom experience is worst, then LEXUS is HORRIBLE!

I was there looking at the CT200h, for almost 20 minutes, no sales approach me though some are just very free there. Not too sure whether it is my shorts and slippers that keep them away from me, but if the sales person is looking down on people, they do not deserve to sell the Lexus.  UMW should put them to Toyota's showroom.  The worst, while walking out, I complaint to the receptionist, one sales just give me a rude and loud "GOODBYE", to the finale insult!

I have heard incredibly good experience in Lexus showroom, but I would give it thousand thumbs down this round.  Well, at least it has helped me to eliminate Lexus from my shopping list...I am keeping the Volvo, Citroen and Mercedes for now.

 

Feel the "KODO" - Soul of Motion in the Mazda 6

Mazda always has strange jargon on their car, for example the "Jinba Ittai" on the MX-5 and the latest "KODO" on all their new generation of SkyActiv cars, and the Mazda 6 is one of them.  If you put all Japanese D-Segment together, the Camry, the Accord, the Teana, the 6...naturally you will like what I am looking at.  The Camry is known for the old who only care about resale value, the Accord is for the old yet young at heart who believe the innovative Asimo robot will replace our maids, the Teana is for successful businessman who put reliability as top priority and trust of the Datsun will go a long way.  Then the 6 is for who?  The market becomes uncertain.  In my opinion, the 6 is for the young father who takes quality and safety seriously for his family members, yet want to show others the successful and exciting side of his character!

I should have taken the 2.5-litre unit for a test drive instead of the 2.0, which felt sluggish.  The Federal Highway's Bermaz sales just let me take a short distance, front Cycle & Carriage to Jalan 222, and with traffic, barely could hit 60km/h.  If one could make a decision with such a short test drove, he must be crazy!  Try to turn on i-Stop, during the short drive, the system just refused to activate. Well, the good side of Mazda 6 is that the safety is way above others Japanese makes, and it has the SkyActiv 6-speeder.  The 2.0 unit though lack some features of the 2.5, it still have all round airbags.

The 2.5-litre unit should be the choice for all who take safety as top priority.  For additional RM30k, at RM190k, I think it is worth for the life of all occupants.  It comes with the i-Activsense, not designed in California by Apple, but in the rising sun land.  This system incorporates City Brake (auto-brake at speeds up to 30km/h), Blind Spot monitoring, Lane departure warning for those tired or drunk driver who should not even drive, auto high beam control and adaptive front-lighting system that angle the light at a turn or curve of the road.

Besides all the safety enhancement, it also get the Supercapacitor system i-Eloop, again, not by Apple that stores electricity to power electrical equipment in the car, but as an electrical engineer that had used supercapacitor before, I do not think this super battery could power much equipment for long, and all capacitors has a lifetime, adding additional component to replace in years to come.

The dashboard and meter cluster share the same look as the CX-5, not interestig and I felt a bit dull for a Mazda.  Luckily the centre console is in white backlight, a lot more luxury look than the amber light of the CX-5.  But again, the clock still look like a after market addition.

SkyActiv or not, it is just a jargon, the drive does not feel anything different than their MZR unit.  So what is all the hype of high compression engine, except maybe providing slight fuel saving.  The MX-5 I have drive much better than the Mazda 6 and CX-5, except all the noise...but it is a convertible, apa lagi you mau!

Worth the money SUV, the Mazda CX-5

Bermaz just started exporting CKD units to Thailand, signifying a big milestone for the niche Japanese brand in this region. The CX-5 is also the first with SkyActiv technology, which comes with the new chassis, high compression engine and a 6-speed transmission. 

When the car was brought in as CBU, it is the best value SUV in the market, with fully loaded package and bigger wheel till cost cutting for CKD happened. The ride of the CX-5 is of big difference when compare to the Mazda 6. Immediately, you could feel the bumpy ride from the lousy CKD tyres Bermaz has fitted.

Overall drive, you could probably forget about the jargon of SkyActiv, as I still feel my MX-5 is better.  But for a SUV this class, with 6-airbag, traction control, tyres pressure monitoring, it still beat the CRV by many miles.  It also looks gorgeuos when compare to the ill-proportioned Honda.

The centre console climate control looks old-styled, similar to the Mazda 6, this completely spoil the advanced look of the whole car.  Especially the "after-market-add-on" look of the clock below the centre A/C vents.  Mazda could do better or completely do away with the clock and use the entertainment unit screen for the clock.

The steering and meter cluster looks normal, but the right binnacle being a digital display screen, but with not much useful information as the A/C and entertainment control are not integrated to the screen.  Do it the European-styled, the screen could do more than displaying the average fuel consumption.

Starting from RM137k for basic model of 2WD, RM145k for high spec 2WD and RM155k for 4WD, the CX-5 already is a good alternative to CRV and X-Trail, with waiting period of 3 months though the car has been launched for a year now with CKD operations.  Mazda loses out on its warranty which is only 3-year, where Honda now provides 5-year.

Bimmer new A, the new 1-Series

BMW launched the new 1-Series to quickly capture the market that it is losing out.  As of this is written, only the 125i is available for viewing...not in the showroom, but in dealer back-end parking lot as it is still not official yet though news stated it has been launched.  NO.  It is NOT available till earliest October, not even any official price list of catalog.  Damn, if you are not ready, stop exciting us!

Let's compare what is available now on the hot hatch market with 1.6-litre engine, looks like the basic BMW 116 is running out of breathe, though at RM170k, it might be cheaper than the Merc, Volvo and MINI, but things are pretty basic in the car then.  The 118 might become the best selling unit of the 1 as it is then comparable to the rest.

Merc A-200	BMW 116	Volvo V40 T4	BMW 118	Citroen DS4	MINI Copper
156hp/250Nm	136hp/220Nm	180hp/240Nm	170hp/250Nm	160hp/240Nm	120hp/160Nm

The rear looks like a twin of the A-Class, but I think the A looks so much better and sportier not just at the rear, but also the front!

Again, the meter cluster is the common bimmer look.  Looks dull and boring for a hot hatch.

The center console looks functional and simple, as always with any BMW as well.  I have always like the gear shift selector, which look futuristic and of all the hot hatch, it is the only one offered with a 8-speeder.  Never driven anything more than 7, wonder how it will feel in city traffic.

Overall, the size of the car is smaller than the Merc A-Class, and the feel of the quality is not as good as the Volvo.  But BMW knows very well all the rich will still buy it, because it is still offering the worst 2-year-only warranty where most in the market now offer 3-year or more.

Since no real car is available for a test drive, I am not going to write anything more on what I can see and feel for now.  The sales also did not spend time introducing any features of the car, wonder why?  Maybe most BMW owners are uncle and auntie and do not care about what technological advanced safety the car can offer?  To me, safety is the 1st priority!  If it can't offer anything like the A-Class or Volvo, it does not deserve my attention then!

Accord...Sedan for the forties still young at heart

Good to know that the Transformer-styled Honda Accord was now replaced with the latest ninth-generation unit. The new Accord is shorter, yet provide a better interior space, and look stunning at the front and rear.

For it be Honda or Toyota, both brands are always known to provide the the least features and safety yet able to fetch for high pricing from fans around.  For a car that is > RM140k, it only has dual front airbags, whereas nowadays most others make are providing 4 - 6 airbags.  What is wrong with the Japanese thinking we Malaysian are not safety centric.  My 10-year-old Citroen C3 and 8-year-old MX-5 already came with 4 airbags.  As always with the case, the highest range Accord (this time round, a 2.4-litre version), with have the side airbags, Lane Watch (Only passenger side blind spot camera), auto dimming rearview mirror and active cornering light as added safety features.  I knew what you are thinking, still HALF-BAKED, "kedekut" offering and only for people that could afford the RM172k unit.

2-litre (155PS) version uses the same old engine, whereas the 2.4-litre (175PS) uses the all new Earth Dream engine.  Both paired to 5-speeder which is decent.  You may ask what is Earth Dream.  Well, maybe it is Honda dream to beat Camry...which it will never happen.  People buy Toyota not for safety, not for feature (it is non anyhow), but for its reliability (if you follow schedule and replace almost all non-failing part as suggested by the SA) and high resale value.

This time, the dashboard has big improvement as well, with Dual Screen display, and a southward pointing rev meter.  If the designer were to design the speedo with southward pointing as well, then it will be perfect, instead of now the HALF-COOKED miss-matched style.  The big round button next to the audio system is also a spoiler.  Should have make it more elegantly.

5-Year unlimited mileage warranty, with service internal of 10,000km and 6 free alternating services included, and looks better than the designed for fifties and sixties Camry and Teana, and you want a Japanese car with good resale value, this is the only choice.  Of course, I would give the Mazda 6 a look first which is gorgeuos for the thirties and forties.

Test drove the 2.4-litre unit as this is the only one available for feeling the new Accord, it drives good and the NVH is so much better.  Wonder why only 2.4-litre demo car, maybe the 2.0-litre does not feel good at all.  So if you only want to spend on a 2.0-litre budget, insist to test one on the actual unit, as it might feel like a tortoise!

Chopped of Sedan...The Proton Suprima

OK, without any further testing, ANCAP awarded the Suprima a 5-Star status.  Wow...no structural change from Preve, but chopped shorter, threw in more airbags, viola, the magic of star.  Kind of remind me of playing Mario's Brother, keep hitting the brick, you got to have more stars!

The salesman claims it is a "soft" turbo, don't even dare to tell customer it is a real turbo.  So what is a "soft" turbo, no one can explain it!  Well, Proton has improve the quality a lot now, at least the banging of door will not have anything falling off.  The soft touch dashboard is a welcoming feel, though the tradition of having a hard plastic and slight misaligned glove box carries on.

Suprima shares most parts with the bigger brother Preve, thus also lead to an ugly oversized plastic fuel door.  Depending of what colour you choose, some paint on plastic will not look the same on metal.

Checking further on the built, spending just less than 3 minutes, one could easily find manufacturing quality concern on the car.  Here is an example on the edge of of hatch door circled in red.  The edge is rough and looks like the laser cutter is dull and how could a Proton's QA missed this.

The rest of the car...looks just similar to Preve, including the interior, front fascia and engine, though this car comes with a lot of safety feature and convenience.  But at RM77k, one would have more selection from Japanese or Korean or European makes.

Proton always has the cheap looking meter cluster as usual and since the Waja days, the big "underwear" shaped triangular steering wheel is really someone bad taste.  Even the Man of Steel does not need the underwear now.

Judge yourself before placing an order, but if you like an oversize hatch that is not hot and not sexy, then Suprima might be yours.

Good selection of small cars in Thailand...we have Kancil and Viva

Malaysia started the Asia car industry, yet lack behind our neighbouring countries like Thailand and Indonesia in having the best selection for the consumers.  While we count the makes of cars in a shopping parking lot, it goes like this: "Perodua, Perodua, Proton, Toyota, Proton, Proton, Perodua, Perodua, Perodua, Proton, Honda, Hyundai, Perodua, Perodua, Proton, VW, Perodua, Suzuki, and last but not least, a Lamborghini occupying 2 parking spots and a Mercedes taken up the Handicapped space inconsiderately.

I am a small cars fan, and like all kinds of A-Segment and B-Segment cars, especially hatchback.  First, they are economy to run (important when fuel price keep hiking).  Second, it is easy to park and navigate in a city where most drivers are inconsiderate and drive with white coffee licenses.  Lastly, it is cute and attract attention of girls...

Nissan produces nice car like the March, available in Thailand, not Malaysia.  In Malaysia, we have the "not so affordable Viva".

Thailand has the Mitsubishi Attrage for some times now, and Malaysia is yet to launch it.  Although this is the sedan of the Mirage, but the looks is much better the Ford Fiesta sedan.  Of course, the Mazda 2 sedan looks good and balanced too.

Again, Thailand has Honda Brio...in my favourite green.  Malaysia has Viva and Kancil.

Indonesia has Toyota Agya, we Malaysia has Viva and Kancil and Myvi again, all from one same manufacturer.

Please, let the consumers have more choices with affordable eco small car here in Malaysia, from reputable brands and good after-sale service.  We do not want to only have Viva, Viva, and Viva.

The most balance-designed hatch, Mazda 2 Sport

I knew, the Mazda 2 has been in the market for few years now, but till today, I still like it and would comment it is the well balance-designed hatch.  My colleague like this car so much, so I thought of sharing my view here as well.  The photos were taken in Hua Hin, where I can see their "kampung people there could own good nice cars and enjoy fast internet that shame the neighbouring Malaysia!"  First, look at the tail-end of the car, when compare to the same segment Ford Fiesta, Mitsubishi Mirage, Chevy Sonic and Hyundai i10, the Mazda 2 looks the best.

Though its 1.5-litre engine is not the most powerful, it should do fine to pull this little car.  The build quality is Japanese standard.  The dashboard look simple and placement of button is perfect.  No complicated "triangle-shaped" or "weird-shaped" layout...Straight to the point and user friendly.

When the 2 was launched back in 2010, it has a GREEN colour as selection, but due to the fact the people that like this colour is rare (I am special, so I am the rare one), and most hate the second-hand value drop slightly because of the colour, it just could not fetch sales figure like the Blue, Grey, Black, Red...all the common boring Pantones!

Safety in its name, the Volvo...the V40!

Last weekend, I was a Federal Auto, taking a test drive of the V40 T5.  First of all, the sales advisor, Rajen is really professional and know what a Volvo is.  He introduced every single feature of the car, in detail, showing all the setting, from lighting to interior to safety, everything, I meant, all!

Look at the LED DRL, isn't it looks sharp!  Some might ask, where is the fog light?  The car headlight is smart enough to avoid having it nowadays, similar to the Merc A-Class.  This elegance car is equipped with Active Bending Light that assist navigation in dark country road.

The front of the V40 look moderate, but the rear is freaking sexy.  The brake light is smart as well, where under emergency braking, it flashes before turning on the emergency signal light!  Rajen even ask me to test everything, taking the car for a longer route, from sport setting, to steering setting and the auto parallel park feature.  This thing works wonder, it spot the empty space in between of 2 cars, guide you on the brake and gearshift, it will then take over the steering and move into the space flawlessly.

Even the interior lighting comes in rainbow colour choice.  The digital speedo looks analog and has 3 settings, Elegance, Sport (in Red) and ECO mode.

When I took the A-Class for a test drive, the ECO Start Stop just will not activate, and now I knew why! In the V40, the same feature will only activate in external temperature of below 30C, since the compressor will stop, with only blower working. What a thought, I will not want to be stuck in a hot hatch with hot air blowing in my face.

I also tested the City Safety feature, not to mention the standard Blind Spot warning light.  At 0-50km/h, when the car detect a possible frontal collision, the car will auto brake and stop the car.  Rajen actually place a construction barrier in front and let me drive to it.  These people at Volvo are really confident in their safety.  7 airbags, if activated at the same time, might create enough floatation in the car.  Of course, Volvo signature whiplash protection system is a must, reducing possibility of hurting your spine in a rear end collision.

So, what's the complaint?  The NVH of this car is not as expected, with surrounding vehicles noise intruding into the cabin.  When compare to the A-Class, V40 did badly and it is noisy, removing all the comfort of a luxury hot hatch.  The T5 uses a torque converter 6-speeder, rather than a dual clutch unit, but this might proof to be reliable in the long run.

The T5 also comes with a Cross Country variant, mainly with different body kit, roof rail and interior dual tone seat and center console.  But these item make it looks like it is for a family man instead.

With 5-year unlimited mileage warranty, inclusive of yearly maintenance cost @ 20,000km, what are you waiting for...If safety is your priority, want a hatch C-segment, this is a very good contender.

 

Test Drive experience, the worst!

Been to Cycle & Carriage the week the new A-class was launched for a test drive since I wanted to look for a new car, thinking of disposing off the C3 and MX-5, for a more reliable monster.  The new A comes with all attracting technological advanced safety feature, looks good, and the three-pointed star give an impressive status when compare to the French and Japanese beasts.

The worst experience is with the sales at CnC, with no one approaching me even after almost 30 minutes in the showroom.  Finally I had to approach the few chatting at the receptionist area to arrange for the test drive.  However, I do appreciate there is no hard pressing sales talk, but the salesgirl spoke almost nothing during the session, not even introducing what's good in the car.

Flipping the steering column mounted gear stalk came slightly unfamiliar, removing the sport-feel of having the traditional stick-shift style, though this car comes with a set of pedal shift.  The 1.6 litres unit is slow, yet comfortable and quiet. ECO start stop never kick-in, where the sales didn't know how to explain this.  The collision prevention assist warning keep coming on while driving along the federal highway which is annoying and distracting.

The meter cluster is my favourite southward pointing analog unit.  But the pop-up entertainment display in the middle looks like an after-thought.  It's ugly and non-integrated.  Mercedes exercises too much cost saving to bring all this over from the CLA.

For almost RM200k, this could be a Golf beater, but the dealer must employ better-trained sales.  Mercedes still lack on the warranty (4-year-only) when compare to its competitor.  Seriously thinking about it...I still have the V40, DS4, DS3, MINI on my shopping list!

You will be fined for having a bald wheel, who will take charge in a Pump hose crack then?

If you ever send your car with bald wheel to Puspakom, or during a JPJ operation, the car will not get certify for ownership transfer until you rectify this.

2 weeks ago, I was at a Shell station in Kota Damansara, and saw this fuel pump hose cracking badly.  Now, the question is, who will take charge to ensure the safety of the public.  This is complete negligence by the owner of the petrol kiosk and Shell.  Bring in the audit team and they should verify all station before people jump for the fire extinguisher.

I wrote to Shell, with a reply that they will inform the station owner.  That's it, no more followup!

Aircon Rest Function...The Citroen DS4!

I own a C3, the DS4 look very sexy, but maintaining the C3 for 10 years now, is a pain-in-the-ass thing!  Somehow, the attraction of turning head and being the isolated few driving it make any Citroen's owner proud...yet we condemn quietly at home! Sob..sob...

In the DS4, what interests me is the aircon REST function, which keep the aircon running for short stopover at the 7-eleven to grab the free Sun paper daily, or getting the sugar-water BIG GULP in the hot sunny day, knowing the time you go back into the car, it is still cooling and comfortable.  Excellent feature to have.  When will other car manufacturer consider this for our hot climate?

Now, let's just hope owning a Citroen is as comfortable, and not frequent trips to the SC and bank ATM!