A MINI 5-door, is this right?

A MINI 5-door?  The MINI Countryman is already not a MINI, but MAXI!!!  Now...now...MINI has made a 5-door variant?  Yes, this could be politically incorrect in the history of MINI, but it is now German instead of English, where the Berlin wall could fall and English still love their gossips of the royal families.  It is the innovator vs. the traditionalist, and it is the reason behind the MINI "fall" into the hand of the Deutschland.  The MINI 5-door is 16cm longer...oh...that is a lot, and most noticeable is off course the 2 additional rear doors.  For all MINI lovers, once they open the door, the first disappointment will be the framed door window, which is similar to the Countryman.  Frameless windows on the original MINI is what give it a sporty feel.  Anyway, the 5-door MINI is not for motoring sport craze fans, but for the father/mother that still need to fetch their young kids to school.  Oh, yes, the rear, though could sit 3, it is only good for young kids below 5, and it is for distance not exceeding 50km.  The claustrophobic while at the back of the this MINI has been minimized, but not completely eliminated...at least a bit of the MINI tradition has been carried forward to this model.

The interior of the MINI 5-door is similar to standard MINI Cooper 3-door, although the variant available is a Cooper S.  Priced at RM238,888, this is not the fully loaded Cooper S Wired edition one can get, but for a 5-door family MINI, it should suffice.  What is lacking is the larger MINI Connected screen and touch controller and some other comfy items.  The 2 additional doors are asking for extra RM10,000 from your bank.  If you really want a MINI, get the 3-door version, as at the same price, it is equipped with everything you need in a MINI Cooper S.  Of course, for all Cooper S, it is pulled by a new 2.0-litre engine, capable of of 192hp/280Nm of power.

Looking at the side profile, one could start condemning the 5-door MINI.  The elongated tail make it look real awkward, much like an after thought from the original design.  Start thinking when you use an image editor and lengthen the MINI 3-door image out of proportion, there you go, a MINI 5-door, which now provides a usable boot volume...hmmm...don't think it will fit a golf bag without flattening the rear seat still.

Still want a 5-door MINI...the Countryman could be the better choice, but it is awaiting for the a refresh.  Forget about this MINI 5-door, as it will only look good when view from the front and back.  The side profile...is just plain ugly!

The Baby SUV, Mercedes GLA 200

Yes, the baby SUV or urban SUV finally is becoming the latest trend for 2014, with Peugeot 2008 making its appearance earlier of the year, follow by Ford Ecosport, and now ending the year with the luxurious Mercedes GLA!  Now that car manufacturers had noticed that the crossover tag was confusing, thus decided to re-use the SUV category in this segment.  It is also known that most urban people seldom need a real offroad vehicle, but style and functional are the priorities.  In coming year of 2015, there shall be more similar segment SUV coming on board, such as the Mazda CX-3, joining the mid-end competition.

The GLA share the same platform from the A-class, where the similarity in the front styling, and the identical interior.  Of course, being a SUV, though mini in size, it sits higher and larger, with good interior space for this segment of vehicle.  Notably, the boot is huge, which is good for the occasional golf sessions, and definitely good enough for a family trip to Cameron Highland.  The power boot provides additional convenience, which makes the GLA ladies friendly as well.  However, the muscular look of it could turn the elegancancia girls away.  The boot lid integrates the rear view camera, which will lower itself when Reverse gear is being engaged, NICE!

The GLA 200 is powered by the similar turbocharged 1.6-litre engine from the A-Class, which produces 156hp/250Nm of power, which makes this a comfortable SUV.  If one need more power, the GLA 250 with a 2.0-litre engine (211hp/350Nm) is available, and the 4MATIC all-wheel drive make it value for the additional RM30k from the GLA 200, which is priced at RM239k.  Both variants are equipped with the 7G-DCT dual clutch gearbox.

The interior, as mentioned, is exactly similar to the A-class, retaining the sporty southward pointing meter cluster, with the gear stalk mounted on to the steering column as well.  Except for the small little screen, the dashboard design could be perfect.  Mercedes should bring the screen from the C-class to the GLA.  The seats are wrapped in ARTICO leather with fabric insert, which further add to the sporty impression.  18" run-flat wheels roll the GLA 200 and 19" on the GLA 250.  From the standard Yokohama C-Drive2 fitted on the GLA 200 could means Mercedes is making it a comfortable and economy SUV, that shall bring smile to the owner.

The GLA finally completes the full range of vehicles from the 3-pointed-star!  It now have good competitive product to take on the market, which is now dominated mainly by the VW Tiguan, BMW X1 and Audi Q3.  Of course, with the Mercedes name and latest design, the GLA will surely beat all of them!  Waiting period could be 3 - 4 months, which is much better than the unrealistic CLA which takes 1 year of queueing period.  A lot could change in a year time! 

1% deposit will put you in the queue for the GLA if you like the baby SUV.  If hatch is still your choice, the A-class looks as fresh still, though the facelift model should be arriving in 2015!

RON97 is now @ RM2.55/litre

The crude oil price is at its lowest now, thus naturally, petrol price should be lowered and here you have it, with RON97 adjusted to RM2.55/litre, a good RM0.20 drop!

Government has just announced that starting Dec 1, 2014, RON95 will cease to be subsidized.  That's good news, but when Malaysian could enjoy lower priced car?  MANIFESTO BULLSHIT!