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.

Jeep Compass taking on the car-based SUV competition!

If you have the extra cash to spend and not afraid of losing your lifelong saving on the almost RM250k for the American Jeep Compass, then go ahead to write a cheque for it.  Even since DRB Hicom had a great launch party for the brand, we could hardly see any Jeep on the road yet.  The Compass Limited is the brand car-based SUV that is suppose to hit the Honda CRV or Nissan X-Trail market, but sadly, the build quality is still far from the competitors, yet the distributor is demanding an RM100k more for such segment SUV.

The rather small (to American's standard) displacement 2.4-litre engine is only capable of 170hp/220Nm of power, though it is mated to a 6-speeder auto gearbox.  Comparing to the slighly larger Honda CRV, where its 2.4-litre engine could easily churn out 187hp/222Nm of power from a 5-speeder autobox. 

Interior of the Compass is good as how an American car could be.  Still very confuse to find anything great on the Jeep Compass, and it seems the 8-colour choice of body colour could be the only winning factor here.  The 9-speaker Boston Acoustics system could be a plus point, but again, will you spend RM100k more for the speakers, which the 6.5" screen is desperately the minimum size available in the market nowadays.

Exterior of the car looks as dull like it is from the 90's.  Except for chrome grille that makes its brand stand out, the front is not handsome, the rear is never sexy.  The Compass design might win many hearts back in its home soil, but definitely not in Malaysia.  The price you pay could bring a feel praise from your peers on how daring you are to get a Jeep, but nothing more.  The car does not turn any head, and it is an urban SUV, which is not design to be fully 4WD capable.  The Japanese could easily proof to be the wiser choice here.  Be prepare to pay hefty maintenance as well if you decided to get one.  The currency rate is getting scary at almost RM3.8 to USD1 now!

Toyota Avanza, the affordable people/business mover!

The Toyota Avanza used to be the most affordable people/business mover during its first generation days.  However, with more choices in the market over the years, the Avanza has lost its appeal to the customers, especially when the most basic 1.3-litre model is priced at RM66k, where one can get a fully-spec1.6-litre Proton Exora at the same price.  The 1.3E, 5-speed manual gearbox (90hp/117Nm) is really basic, as is with the 1.5E, 4 speed auto gearbox (102hp/136Nm) model, where both only enjoy dual airbags and no anti-lock braking system (ABS).  14" wheels are standard as well.  Only with the G (RM76k) and S (RM79k) specs, one get the ABS.  What is the research company claiming Malaysian are willing to pay more for better safety features in car?  The crowd that they have selected in the survey could be very wrong.  Most will see a lot of customer still prefer paying less and not appreciating their own precious life.

 

Interior of the Avanza is pretty basic, which is understandable as this is only and emerging-market model.  Avanza is not available in developed countries with stringent safety and emission control, and Malaysia has yet to be in this category. 

Only on the 1.5-litre models, you get a 2-Din radio.  However, all models get 7 seats with dual blower aircon for backseats comfort in our hot weather.  This shall at least keep the kids calm and queit...tablet or smartphone not included!

As a MPV, the last row of the seats could be folded 50:50 and 2nd row could tumble and slide forward to create a huge storage, providing convenience trip to Ikea or to carry any bulk item.  Seats cushioning are thin though, thus it might not survive the many years of abuse.

The Avanza is a simple and basic MPV, design with reliability in mind from the Toyota brand.  It does not have an impressive look nor safety features to protect your loving family members, but it could keep running for the years to come if you follow Toyota's maintenance schedule (which car does not if you keep spending to keep it well maintained).  Before you make a decision for the T brand, do note that there are larger MPV out there which is cheaper as well!

The flagship Citroen DS5

DS5 is the flagship model for Citroen DS series of models.  It is the best selling DS and once you get inside the DS5, you will know that why you want one and will forever let your C5 behind.  All the DS series are only available in hatch form, and this is not everyone favourite, especially on our road where most of us are accustom to the saloon/sedan body style.  It is time for a change, if you were as sexy as a Frenchman, depreciation is not a concern, and like the feel of people turning heads while you are driving this babe!  Available OTR at RM189k, the DS5 is equipped with the all familiar Prince engine with 154hp/240Nm of power, mated to a 6-speed slush box.

As I mentioned, once you get inside the DS5, it is all "Wows", starting with the perfect sculpture leather seat, oohh, so comfortable.  A look up the windscreen, you will start to fantasize being a pilot, with its cockpit-styled roof and button.  Only if DS5 has the Peugeot 2008 jet-styled handbrake level, which it has none here and operated with electronic switch.  However, the center console buttons and switches are any letdown, as it is as intriguing.  Most will definitely love the analogue watch, as this add a touch of explicit luxury.  Denon Hi-Fi system, with Arkamys audio processing, makes the DS5 a moving orchestra.  It is difficult to have a French car with a top end Japanese audio system.

Citroen has never compromise on safety, thus you get a car fully loaded with gadgets and devices that save life.  It even has a reverse tilt side mirror, reverse camera and parking space gap measurement for those that have difficulty is maneuvering into a parking spot.  Head-Up-Display is standard to keep the driver inform.  If you are worry about the reliability of the hydropneumatic suspension (the air suspension), it has now gone down the history book in all Citroen's models.  Even the popular C5 has dump the expensive toy to join the spring generation!  Citroen now only make the expensive stuff for Roll Royce.  On the DS5, it is the common MacPherson front suspension and flexible transverse beam at the rear.  Nowadays, cars are so comfortable you will not feel much different, unless one always take the roads less travel which are full of potholes.

It's time to get rid of your common D-Segment sedan, forget about the Peugeot 508, Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, Hyundai Sonata, Kia Optima, and get into the Citroen DS5.  This will definitely bring you to another level.  Just don't cry years later when you get into the depreciation woes, and maintenance nightmare.  Citroen car is reliable, and with tender loving care, it can last a lifetime.  Go for it.  I have been there, done that, and will never buy another Citroen...as I am still driving one...12 years on!

RON97 & RON95 is now @ RM2.55/litre & RM2.15/litre respectively

No, you did not read wrongly, RON97 and RON95 is now priced at RM2.55/litre & RM2.15/litre respectively.  The country debt is in need of the public to repay...but the question is where is the money?

Comparing to last month crude oil price, isn't there a slight dip instead?  The road ahead is freaking dark now!