The C-SUV BMW X1

When the BMW X1 was introduced back in 2012 here, it generated a lot of noise in the C-SUV segment, as during that time, there were not much choice if you wanted a LUXURY SUV for your wife to ferry the kids to school.  Before then, Honda CRV has always been the favourite, then come the Mazda CX-5 which till today still has a long waiting period.  Most that purchased the X1 are now in the queue to get rid of it, maybe in exchange for the same X1 with the iDrive system which is recently added, or even head over to the American camp to look for the extra-ordinary Ford Kuga.  The VW Tiguan and Audi Q3 are the closest contenders here.

BMW has always makes the xDrive diesel (184hp/380Nm) and sDrive petrol (184hp/270Nm) available here, thus customer are spoil for choice.  8-speeder is standard across all BMW now.  X1 looks and feels smaller and lower when compare to others in the same segment, much like a big-sized hatchback.  At the end-2013, the dealers are giving about RM40k off to get rid of the model without the iDrive system and it was a sell-out.  In 2014, you get the iDrive unit and the 2.0-litre petrol is asking for about RM239k, whereas the torque-y diesel is about RM269k.

With the additional iDrive, the outdated non-luxury look of the X1 is gone.  With this, the interior is now align to the current generation of all beemer.  If you preferred a SUV instead of a sedan, prepare yourself for the not-so-good ride quality, even on the X1.  During the test drive, the car felt heavy even with a 2.0-litre engine, and the back passenger could suffer from uneven bump and our patched-potholed-manhole covered road surface.  BMW is always a good driver car, but not an enjoyable passenger unit.  But the X1 is cool for the soccer-mom, so who cares about bumping the kids at the back, they could handle it like nothing happen, with their latest tablet in hand.

Is the X1 a good choice?  I would seriously look into the Q3 or Tiguan if continental were the preferred choice.  However, with the Diesel engine, one could hauling up a house when needed...380Nm is a lot of pulling torque here!

The Not HOT Citroen DS3!

Finally, at RM117k, one could get a Citroen DS3 at the now authorized Citroen distributor, Naza Euro Motors.  Official launching could be soon as pricing is available, and booking is open.  In fact, there are already some units at their showroom.  The DS3 was originally incepted to compete with the like of MINI in 2009 and now it has started to look dated.

The front of the car still look uniquely Citroen, and attractive, but the side profile is a let-down.  If not for the sexy rims and the shark-fin B-pillar, the DS3 is not as sexy as its sibling 3-door Peugeot 208.  It looks like a mini station wagon instead of being a hot hatch.

The rear lamp cluster has nothing unique, it is as boring.  Malaysia only get the car in 2014, a 5-year late since the DS3 is available.  Whoever that buy this car could see a new model in the next 2 years, as the existing model marches into its usual 7-year lifecycle.  

Powering the Malaysia-spec DS3 is the standard VTi 120 engine, which is the same unit in the Peugeot 208 and 2008, mated to the same 4-speed slush box producing the familiar 118hp/160Nm of power.  Many are asking why?  We want the turbocharged unit in a hot hatch, not the lame unit for the ordinary people.  Everyone knew very well that only extra-ordinary people dare to own a Citroen anyhow.

Looking further into the interior, ALAMAK is the first response.  At RM117k, you get a very old fashioned single zone aircon control, and the non-integrated single-din player with dot matrix display is for the nineties, and not in this century!  Even the Peugeot 208 has better interior.  The DS3 has a different colour roof and matching side mirror, but where is the panoramic glass roof?!  The DS is suppose to be a luxury range from Citroen, and this DS3 literally blew its brand off.

OK, now for the consolation, the meter cluster still look classy, but anyone notice it has a very clean and plain steering wheel.  Look ma, no button at all!  In summary, Naza is bringing in the most basic DS3 to be priced competitively for the "mass" Citroen fans, but wouldn't the Peugeot 208 kill this completely, especially with tons of missing specifications.  Unless you like to be different, like the double chevrons logo, there is no other reason to get this car at RM117k.  I would only consider it if it were below RM90k, plus the dealer throw in 5-year free service, with reputable tinting, and maybe free insurance and roadtax for as long as you own the car.  

Anyone notice the "DS" logo is actually formed with two chevron logo!

No more CBU hybrid and EV incentive!

Except for ex-stock from 2013, all CBU hybrids and EVs exemption of excise duties and import taxes is no longer valid in 2014.  Nissan should be crying to hell now as the just launched Leaf and infrastructure invested might go down the drain with no taker.  Toyota now has no CKD model to offer, so there goes the Prius, back to the original price of about RM180k.  RM40k can get you a lot of petrol.  Defy the conventional is not a good idea now!  The 500 bookings of Audi A6 Hybrid shall be cancelled as those "future owner" will need to fork out > 100K for this super hybrid.  Honda Jazz is the only model available now which is tax-free!

Soon, Accord and Camry shall join the CKD line, but no firm date given as yet.  I am not a strong advocate of Hybrid as there are too much uncertainty in the used car value, and the reliability of the battery in our weather.  Conventional Petrol-driven car is still my choice!

BMW 316i, is it a poorman beemer?

Back in July 2013, BMW Malaysia made its 316i available to the mass, and price at RM209k, it is the most affordable beemer sedan!  The cheaper 116i is not a everyone car anyhow, thus this does not count.  With all models now come with iDrive, this lower end 3-Series has almost everything similar to the more luxury and sporty brothers of 320i and 320d.  Of course, the facial and buttock look exactly similar except for the 3-digit model at the rear.  We had just stepped into 2014 and learning how car dealers need to clear their 2013 car, one should happily ask for a hefty discount.  How would the dealer do this without violating the terms and conditions with the manufacturer and protecting other buyers of similar model from quick depreciation?  The answer is fairly simple, dealer will pre-registered a new car, then sell it to the buyer.  A Pre-Reged car then will be viewed as second hand though it is brand new with zero-mileage on it.  The pre-reged 316i could be had for only RM190k, an almost RM20k off the price, and now this is worth every single cent.  Well, colour selection is close to none here.

Though the latest MINI has march on with new 3-cylinder engine, the BMW 3-Series and 1-Series will continue with the Prince engine (N13) it co-developed with Peugeot-Citroen.  In the 316i, the turbocharged unit could produce 136hp/220Nm of power, from a super smooth 8-speeder.  Though not an impressive figure here, but this engine is very willing to rev, and could hit 100km/h in a mere 9.2s.  During the test drive, one cost easily notice the engine and road noise in the 316i, and the Start-Stop system seems to react slower when compare to other BMWs.  The car at the back honk at us while we wait for the car to start again after lifting the foot off the brake pedal.  Well, at least the aircon is still cooling when the engine stop, unlike some other car manufacturers that stop the compressor from activating in this mode.  If you did not like this feature, just press the (A) button on top of the engine ignition button to switch if off.

The dashboard and meter cluster is as usual a beemer, simple and elegant.  The iDrive and the 6.5" screen add a touch of luxury to the basic 316i, and BMW always has the best looking gear stalk.  Luckily BMW has not omitted this feature.  If you look at the BMW X1 without the iDrive controller, the car look so NOT COOL and outdated. 

As a RWD car, it is indeed difficult to get a flat floor at the rear seat and the 316i has a big hump here, reducing the comfort for the person sitting in the center.  Of the whole car, this is the ugliest looking portion.

Though being the most basic 3-Series Beemer, the 316i is loaded with most standard safety features, and the best is the dynamic braking lights which adjust different signal to the brake according to the intensity of the deceleration.  6-airbag, DSC, ISOFIX, TPM, auto wiper and headlight are all standard. 

During the drive, switching to Sport mode remapped the throttle response and the response of the steering wheel, and this setting is more enjoyable than leaving the car in Comfort of ECO PRO mode.  But the non-stop petrol price hike could make most owner to leave the 316i in comfort mode.  Hey, the Ultimate Driving Machine is suppose to be driven aggressively at time, not like a toy car running out of battery. 

The steering wheel leather felt a bit fake and rough, and the meter cluster could be better if it could have some red finishes like the beemer usual sport line dials.  Overall, the 316i is all worth the money, and it is not as basic as what some would think.  In fact, it is quite fully loaded with features, including electrical control seat with memory function, cruise control, BMW Live and TeleServices, Bluetooth connectivity and the standard run-flat tyres...wait till you need to change them, and see your wallet thin out.  So now you knew how to get a brand new beemer with good discount...ask for a pre-reged car...not a demo unit!

The answer: No, not a poor man beemer, but a starter unit for the young professional!

Yet another false advertisment, by Peugeot Malaysia

Here is yet another car distributor false advertisement!  Wonder who is their marketing and advertisement agency.  The special interest rate is applicable for 408 only.  Furthermore one is entitle for low interest of free 5-year free service.  Once I heard this, need not ask further on how the 8 months free installments work, as the advertisement is clearly MISLEADING!

Bold Hot Hatch, the Hyundai Veloster

If the VW Scirocco is too much too handle, and the French's Renault Megane is not in your list due to lack of service centres, then you could give Hyundai Veloster a chance to fun-fill your dream of owning a hot hatch.  A 3-door design, which means you will get 1 driver-side door plus 2 passenger-side doors, odd and unique design.  People can put their money down just because they like the suicide-door of RX8, and people will put money down for this just because of the odd number of doors it has.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, thus some will love the Veloster for its bold and muscular design.  If you get me to rate it, among the Scirocco, Megane, and this, the Veloster slot in between, with Megane on top of the list.  Scirocco, if you focus for awhile longer, you will see the shadow of the old Proton Satria at the rear.

 

Equipped with a 1.6-litre Gamma engine, with 128hp/158Nm on tap, this is unlike the real hot hatch.  Veloster is a "hot-hatch-look" car, but not very hot in the performance.  Though, turbo unit is available, there is no official price and word on this after they showcased it in the KLIMS in 2013.  Luckily the Veloster is decently equipped, with a 6-speed transmission, 17"/18" wheels, VSM, HSA, ABS, and the bare minimum of 2-airbag.  You are not suppose to put passenger at the back anyway in a hot hatch, so Hyundai could lower down the price by saving some safety gadgets here.

Interior is pretty standard Hyundai, with a sporty look supervision meters cluster, integrated 7" touch screen, good placement of USB connectivity access, bluetooth, panoramic sunroof, auto aircon, reverse camera, and best of all, sub-woofer and centre speaker for those "Ah Beng" that like to blast their ears out in this tiny space.  For the fully loaded unit, it will take RM132k from your bank account.  Seldom see one on the road...Hyundai has to do more to boost their reputation here in Malaysia, especially with expensive spare parts and inconsistent after sales service, not to mention almost no resale value.

The turbo unit as displayed will have a more aggressive front and rear, big mouth and rear bumper mounted lights.  The rest of equipment is very similar, except for the engine, which could produce 201hp/265Nm.  This make it a real hot hatch then!  Especially if Hyundai brought in the Dual Clutch unit!

A Hyundai?  For the affordable price, Yes!  Worry later!

WEF Jan 8, 2014, RM2.80/litre for RON97

Majority of the rakyat will not feel it, RON97 will be adjusted to RM2.80/litre on January 8, 2014.  While overall crude oil price is still steadily below USD100.  What the heck!

US cold weather could be a reason for the increase!  We have smart-ass people doing all the calculation and could use whatever reason to justify this!

Look ma, no Petrol needed, Nissan Leaf

Looking back at 2013, the Nissan Leaf could be the car of the year and the most risky car model that conservative Tan Chong has embarked on.  Of all the good Nissan cars, Tan Chong chose to launched an all electric car in Malaysia, further with huge investment in setting up public charging points. If you wanted one, it will cost you almost RM170k for Leaf, which could buy you many litres of petrol for the next 10 years.  If you ever wanted to drive this from KL to Ipoh, you can forget about the road trip as at full charge, it could provide about 190km of journey, and this is calculated, not real world range.  As it is an electric motor car, it could produce 108hp/254Nm of power, from a single-speed gearbox, good enough to carry full load of 5 adults.

 

No engine, thus no noise, however, you still need some common fluid to run the car, such as the brake oil and coolant.  The battery in the engine bay is used to power electronic accessories, which is charge by a roof mounted solar panel.  Wow, that's green in design.  For safety reason, it is equipped with noise generator, which Nissan called it VSP (Vehicle Sound for Pedestrians), produced high pitch of approach sound and also reverse sound to warn nearby person.  Being a car with 5-star Euro NCAP, it has 6-airbags, traction control and hill-start assist.

The interior looks fairly simple and being a Nissan, there is nothing to shout about.  The space is huge for a hatchback and seat are comfortable.  The lithium-ion battery is seated beneath the front and rear seat.  Thus hopefully it is well protected from water and against foreign item from punctuating the underneath floor.  A Tesla caught fire when the battery at the bottom was punctured by a foreign item while on the move.

The Leaf really could take a lot of thought for one to decide to put their money down, as it could only serve well for short groceries shopping trip and the rich to show off.  In our heavy traffic city, you could be very worried as there are only 4 public charging locations in Klang Valley, which are located in KLCC, Lot 10, BSC, and Petronas Serdang Solaris.  I would think without much incentive, this car is most suitable for Green advocates only, but has people ever think about how poisonous the battery is and what is the proper recycling process in our country!  By the way, if you live in an apartment or condominium, this is not your choice then, as you could not install the charger in an open car park!  For the landed property owner only!  Worst still...3-Year-Warranty is too short for the battery which is known to degrade in hot weather.  Further read here before you decide on how Nissan bought back their lemon leaf in US.