3 Years on, the Delkor battery report card

This is yet another report card for Delkor battery.  This round, the 55530 (55Ah) model that I had, lasted 3 years and 2 months.  The battery had not failed completely, but the starting of the car felt sluggish.  Back in 2013, the battery cost RM300 and with 1128 days of usage, it simply translated to RM0.27/days.

This round, I bought another Delkor 56030 (60Ah), and the price now is at RM371, inclusive of GST.  Let's hope this will last for many years to come.

RON97 & RON95 is now @ RM2.10/litre & RM1.75/litre respectively

Crude oil price has been in the up trend for the past months and it is natural the pump price should follow as well.  RON97 is now RM2.10/litre and RON95 is now RM1.75/litre.  It is the Raya festive month, and costing the government a lot for disbursement of bonuses, allowing people with additional money to pay for higher petrol price.  There is always the saying that "Nothing comes free", thus don't be fooled by little sweet deal. 

Although the increase is just RM0.05/litre across the board, including diesel, and assuming during the festive month, an average vehicle owner pump 300 litres, it will be an additional RM15 for the month, and with > 1 million road users, you do the math, easy income!

The much hype of the Toyota Sienta

Most of us have the news the the Toyota Sienta is going to make its appearance as a "Made in Indonesia" product very soon.  Almost a quarter of the Toyota Mega Web showroom in Odaiba Tokyo was filled up the Sienta last year, showcasing the space efficient design of the car.  In Japan, the Sienta is available is an array of bright and funky colours, attracting first time MPV buyer, especially young family.  By the way, Avanza and Innova is not available in Japan, as these are the Asian low cost MPVs.

There has been much hype of the Sienta, as some would think this could be the Perodua Alza replacement, where both share the same wheelbase and almost the same size.  Toyota loves their sliding doors in MPV, as this improve the accessibility into and out of the vehicle, as can be seen in the Sienta, or even their mini size Toyota Porte and others.  This makes perfect sense since an MPV, for it be mini, compact or huge in size, should always be designed with convenience as the priority.  It could even be easier to fit a welcab chair for the disabled...very thoughtful.

	Sienta	Alza	Avanza
Wheelbase	2750mm	2750mm	2655mm
Length	4235mm	4205mm	4140mm
Height	1675mm	1620mm	1695mm
Width	1695mm	1695mm	1660mm

The dashboard and the interior is fairly basic, with nothing fancy, and perhaps this is how Toyota keeps their rate of repair so low.  When there is nothing much, then there is nothing much to fail.  "PRACTICAL" could be the keyword for the Sienta, adding a bit of "STYLE". 

According to the specifications from Indonesia, the only 2-airbag could be a big drawback on this people mover.  As a MPV, the safety structure is very much different from a normal sedan/hatchback car, as most can seen those big MPVs that were involved in accident, could result in fairly bad situation.  However, a smaller MPV could have better rigidity if design correctly.  Anyhow, every single additional equipment that could save life is important.

The Toyota Sienta, should be equipped with the same 1.5-litre engine from the Avanza, could make it to Malaysia.  But news was scare as our very own distributor, UMW Toyota could survive on with their existing boring VIOS, ALTIS and CAMRY.  When we peek into our neighbouring countries, they have more models than us, and at least, the Yaris has been missing from our line up for some years now after it was priced at > RM100k.

The Sienta could enjoy a very good position in the market, as none of other Japanese brands are offering this class of vehicles.  Perodua could be the only one, but we do have majority of people that would like to have a foreign brand instead of a local name.  Toyota has lose out in the B-Segment SUV competition for now, where Honda and Mazda is enjoying the sales numbers from the HRV and CX-3 respectively.  If the Sienta really make it to our shore, it could a a big hit, if priced correctly!  Do not repeat the mistake of the pricey Honda Freed though.

RON97 & RON95 is now @ RM2.05/litre & RM1.70/litre respectively

No big deal this April 2016 as the slight increase in petrol price is only RM0.10 for RON97 and RON95, making them @ RM2.05/litre & RM1.70/litre respectively.  A common 50-litre tank now will cost an additional of RM5, which can be a simple meal.  If an average user pump a tank a week, that would be 4 meals in a month.

Crude oil price has been hovering around USD40 per barrel recently, thus justifying the increase.  It is still low, and it could be helping our economy slightly.

The facelifted luxurious compact SUV, the Audi Q3

Those seeking for a luxury VW Tiguan, here is the facelifted Audi Q3.  Not too sure on whether the luxury brand of VW will actually be more reliable or not, and when the dealership is under DRB Hicom, it could add more doubts.  Too many people out there keep complaining the frequency of repairs with the brand, but it still sell well in our market.  Indeed, putting the boring Mercedes and the mass BMW aside, Audi is another German's brand that bring recognition and envy to others.  

Available in 1.4-litre 150hp/250Nm (RM219k) and 2.0-litre 180hp/320Nm (RM255k) engines, the Q3 could be disappointing when the variant available in Malaysia is not the highest range version.  One can see that the headlight is still of Xenon type instead of full LED version.  Both variants now have no front fog lights, which is not much of an issue here in our hot country, and without that, the Q3 looks better, especially with the new front horizontal slats grille.  The previous Q3 grille was plain ugly and uncle-ish.  The lower end 1.4-litre Q3 comes with 17" tires and a 6-speed gearbox, while the 2.0-litre Q3 comes with 18" tires and a 7-speed gearbox.  Other than these two features, both Q3 are very similar in other specifications.

Interior stays pretty much the same as the pre-facelifted car and as an Audi, the luxurious feel is always there.  That's what you get when you are willing to pay RM40k from its sibling VW Tiguan.  For those who are down to earth, and love a compact SUV driving, perhaps the RM179k Tiguan shall suffice.

RON97 & RON95 is now @ RM1.95/litre & RM1.60/litre respectively

A friend just mentioned that Tun Dr Mahathir had resigned from his political party, and our oil price dropped.  Well, no matter what happen, the consumer could be happy for both news.  Although diesel price remain unchanged, RON97 is now at RM1.95/litre and RON95 is at RM1.60/litre.  Time to drive more, stuck in the jam more, visit to the petrol kiosk more...but sadly our car prices is still exorbitantly high!

Crude oil price is stable for the past month, staying around USD30-35 a barrel.  Still low and it is not doing much good to our economy, where even Petronas has announced a cut of billions in their capital expenditure.  For now, enjoy the drive!

RON97 & RON95 is now @ RM2.05/litre & RM1.75/litre respectively

February is a festive auspicious month, with Chinese New Year in a week time!  Gong Xi Fa Cai and wishes all have a prosperous 2016.  January is a bad start for the year, with oil price dipping below USD30 a barrel, and seems to average around USD30-35.  Even our very own Petronas is cutting on spending.  For those in the oil and gas industry, may the force be with you!

Starting today, Feb 1, 2016, RON97 is now RM2.05/litre (RM0.20 reduction) and RON95 is now RM1.75/litre (RM0.10 reduction).  However, many still making noise that the drop is not significant enough, as in the USA, some petrol station is selling at RM0.90/litre!  Good news for pickup truck owners, diesel is now RM1.35/litre (RM0.25 reduction).