BMW 320d Sports

If the BMW 320d that you see above epitomizes the dawn of the modern turbo-diesel passenger cars in Malaysia, it is very promising indeed. Promising because it sips a maximum of only 8.1l/100km even with my persistent ('DS' mode) and absolutely maniacal highway blasts - with a power delivery that is absolutely intoxicating albeit churned out from a narrower powerband than a petrol motor. Even more promising is that it will beat the petrol-powered 320i hands down and renders it irrelevant. Most promising when the newer 'facelift' 320d will boast even higher outputs come year end (?) versus the current stock state-of-tune's 177 bhp + 350 Nm combo.




Needless to say, the E90's handling dynamics and steering's ability to convey agility/confident feel/feedback are one of the best in business. However, this is one selfish car. It will make the driver very happy, but less so the other occupants. Okay, perhaps the babe (or as the case may be: guy) riding along side will still be quite alright. Unlike the Mercedes W204 C-Class the rear seats are quite useless. They are cramped - with high central transmission tunnel not helping things and awkward curving side bolsters at the lateral shoulder level - ouch!

On rough and bad road surfaces, it just gets too jarring for the rear occupants . This sports suspension equipped E90 will easily induce car-sickness for back passengers, especially on B-roads as attested by my young ones. The other turn-off - for me at least least - is the gruffy idling (read: loud) and the incessant idling vibrations transmitted through the steering column, seat bottom and door trim which makes the 320d rather unbecoming for a premium Conti junior executive.

So in conclusion, if you love the drive of say, a Mk6 Golf GTI but would like something with a proper boot, a 'classier' badge and something that returns way higher kilometers to the litre of fuel, this should be top in your list. There is no other diesel-powered saloon like this at this price point, with such engaging and sporting intent. Just make sure you are a single yuppie - and loving it - or if you are married (without kids) you have a mother-in-law whom you would like to shake off from following you on roadtrips!











Related posts:

2009 BMW 3-series facelift
Test Driven: BMW 320i SE

Tried & Tested: Mercedes-Benz E200 CGI (W212)

Click on all images to enlarge

How often have you noticed a burnt-out third brake light of the car in front of you? Or a pair or even all brake lights not functioning at all? More often than can be imagined right? So imagine the gall of the parliamentary lawmakers wanting to amend the Malaysian Road Transport Act 1987 to slap a maximum fine of RM1000 for road traffic offences currently capped at RM300. How often do you see people with malfunctioning brakes lights get pulled over? Not as often as for alleged speeding offences (speed trap) I bet.



Back to the subject of third brake lights, the all-new E-Class from Mercedes-Benz has had it migrating from the rear boot lip to the rear parcel shelf again...and in a very slim form. Neat. However, the rear end appears to be a rehashed W123's arse (think: white diesel taxis in the 70s) with angular theme and larger, horizontal tailamps. Altogether with an up-curved blistered arch that looks fussy and very much an after-thought. With such a disastrous looking butt - more so in solid-white - I seriously do not think the W212 leaves the W211 design for dead - unlike what the W211 did to the W210. It awed many - with its sleek n fluid design - in its movie debut "Men In Black 2". Remember that?



Aesthetic wise, the corner of the front headlamps where it meets the fender, bonnet and bumper is quite a disaster too - with surfacing and meeting of dissection lines grossly incongruent.




Cost cutting are abound almost everywhere in the new E200 CGI. Dash top material is B-class-esque rather than S-class aping. Of course, there are Artico-leather wrapping for the dashboard (Porsche's option style!) in the loftier E350, E500, E63 etc models in other markets but the base material is plain disappointing. So is the inner door rubber strip which is naked now. The premium fibred-fabric wrapping is gone: now a pale grained surface imprint serving to mimic the former. Rear seat are also disappointingly smaller with too much rounded edges, while the front seats bottom rounded sides translates to a noticeable lack of thigh support around the corners. What happened Mercedes-Benz?




For the base model E200 CGI too, there is now measly one-sided muffler at the rear, whereas the last E200K from the onset had a pair of mufflers - regardless of whether the exhaust tips are downturned or not. While the last W211 clearly had better differentiation at the steering wheel from the W203 C-Class, the new W212 compels you to steer gripping an item from a common parts bin. Does not convey a higher premium feel I must say. Not when you are asked to part with some RM366k in hard cash or hire-purchase for that matter.



Also, what's with this 3-zone Thermotronic (or is it called the lower-spec Thermatic) climate A/C now? It used to be twin-zone independent temperature control for the rear passengers, plus silent operation even at full cooling capacity. Now the centre console box mounted rear A/C blower just whirr and whine at its highest or near-maximum fan setting. No good.



While the A/C main control looked decidedly classier now, the cabin air-conditioner fiter(s) has lost its 'iconic' odour filtration finesse. Yes, you can smell diesel fumes and other noxious traffic odour(s) - albeit not excessively - once the A/C goes into fresh air intake mode. For the record, it's almost never insulting to your olfactory (nasal) bulbs in any of the previous W211 variants, unless you are in a diesel trucks and buses stationary convoy e.g. basement parked in KL's Puduraya bus complex.



Now, the good side of the new E200 CGI. The modified (read: recycled with turbocharger and direct injection cam-heads for the new dacade) M271 powerplant - 4-pot displacing 1.8L is now way more refined, NVH-wise than the clunky-cluttery Kompressor. So is the throttle response and engine pulling power, noting the 270Nm advantage over 250Nm previously for the final edition E200K. The 5 A/T 'box also seem better with the extra torque but a 6th cog (or 7-G Tronic?) would have been welcomed for calmer high-speed cruising at possible lower engine revs.


Steering feel, weight and feedback in the E200 CGI is way ahead the the "first gen" W211 E200K and felt like a superbly retuned and recalibrated version of the FL (new generation W211) E200K's rack - launched in 2007. It is very close to the E60 5-series in agility and hydraulic-resistance-feel now, minus the parking-speed "dead weight feel" of a typical BMW M-Sport rack.

Ride wise, it is undeniably firmer now in the E200 CGI. More so when you push the car harder and harder into corners. I reckoned it has got to do with some mumbo-jumbo regarding reactive dampers which closes some valves in the struts, thereby firming up damping rates, non-pneumatic nor electrical nor magnetic in execution of course. After all, this is the entry level W212. Tracking corners are sharper and quicker now, thus inspiring more confidence and smiles as you string up the bends, palpably better than the W211.

Rear passenger calm ride composure are still maintained mostly, even on busily winding B-roads, a classic, affable trait of M-B midsized execs accompanied by excellent incisive rebound damping i.e. no wallows whatsoever. The comfort "Benz" hallmark is not lost in the new E200 CGI, even in the pursuit of better handling and overall sportier drive here. High speed blasting stability still leaves the W204 C200K in the dust. An engineering input (or rather slightly lacking thereoff in the junior sibling) being intentional on M-B engineers part, as evident in W203 versus W211 of the previous decade.



With so much to love under the skin (drivetrain,chassis and suspension) and solid comfort of the new E200 CGI - the fronts seats are okay as you acclimatise to it (rear seats still have room for improvements) - it is sad that the external metal sheets of the new E-Class from C- pillar onwards right up to the butt lost its plot somewhat, somehow. Pity.



You might want to read this:
Mercedes-Benz E200K (FL) versus E200K (first gen)

Volkswagen Passat CC 2.0TSI

Click on all images to enlarge

Human beings, being consumers, can be a funny lot. When it comes to the obsession of automobiles, they can be very discerning and critical. Take for instance the subject of headroom in a car. A case in point would be the Proton Gen.2 which has the rear headroom much like an under-the-staircase storeroom of a double-storey link-terrace house. The Persona has a slightly better headroom - due to lowered rear seats' bottom et al - but sadly that didn't come before the Gen.2.



Other automakers are craftier. Take Mercedes-Benz for example: their W211 E-Class vs their other 'clone' the CLS-Class, allegedly the world's first 4-door coupe. BMW with their X5 vs their very own X6 SAV Coupe. Volkswagen with their Passat sedan versus their latest Passat CC. Do you hear people complaining about seating only two at the rear and the accompanying sloping roofline that shaves off a significant amount of rear headroom? With rear ingress & egress may be an orthopaedic nightmare for those having Osteoarthritis of hips. No?

Well, that's because it's by choice that these paying motorists are buying a 'coupe' over the mundane regular-sedan version of the same thing. Pity then the folks at Proton didn't name their Gen.2 as Gen.2 coupe or GT (ala 5-series GT?) and the Persona as the Gen.2 sedan, launching time-line of both these vehicles notwithstanding. But we are not here to discuss about that.





I am now writing about a squashed Camry - especially its frontal visage. Yes, that was my initial visual impression when I spotted one of the first new Passat CC running on the road months ago. However, the actual car when parked right before your very eyes instantaneously play tricks on your visual cortex. You'd get a barrage of endorphins shooting a high in your brain - depicting something very handsome, sleek, classy and cutting edge in design - in short: very desirable. So much so, you'd find that the rear double individual seating isn't an issue. So is the smaller shoulder room for bigger sized rear occupants due to the shapely tapering rear flanks. Or that the CC's dashboard may be a tad old-school having been nicked form the sedan sibling. Even the moon-roof for its namesake doesn't open beyond a minute tilt but hell, I didn't care.





Truth be told, I was initially doubting how could a front-wheel driven (FWD) saloon like the Passat CC be selling at a price hovering near to stalwarts like the BMW 320i, Mercedes-Benz C200 Kompressor and to a certain extent, the Audi A4 1.8 TFSI. I couldn't possibly explain the multiple "Wow" factors - not just aesthetic brilliance - in words here. Go to the nearest VW showroom, see the car in the flesh and ask for the keys to a Passat CC tester yourself.

For one, the DCC - adjustable dampers rate in regular speak - in this Volkswagen works solidly well. The chassis doesn't hop and jump as in many of M-Sport spec BMW E90 - not even in 'Sport' mode. Though FWD, its steering rack has better weighting and feel than M-B's hot-selling W204 C200K/C230 V6. Credit also goes out to the VW engineers for their extra-edge over their counterparts in Audi AG e.g. with their quattro A4 (B7) - in both the steering and rear passengers' (calmer) ride composure department.

In all, the Passat CC may be 'soft' compared to the other iconic GTI in the same stable or any BMW 3-series so to speak. Yet the Passat CC is very convincing in its whole package. The CLS-esque looks is simply miles better than the very car it seeks to mimic. With a DSG 'box now standard issue for all 2010 Passat CC and a rear three-seater version coming soon - perhaps by Q3/Q4 this year - it will make a stronger case for this fluidly sleek and avantgarde (no pun intended) 4-door coupe. Oh! Did I forget to mention that the EA888 engine in the 2010 Passat CC has a boosted power ratings that matches the Mk6 Golf GTI's 210 ps/280 Nm (previously capped at 200ps)?

For those who could get pass their blue-propeller and three-pointed star 'inertia', the Passat CC is all a knowledgeable and tasteful buyer's choice that'll keep him/her serene and unruffled on long highway journeys, yet at the same time still able to adrenalise the owner should he/she wants to hurry things up a bit.

What's (not) so great about VW Mk6 Golf GTI

A lot of superlative pluses have been showered on the sixth incarnation of Volkswagen's iconic GTI thus far. Name me one absolutely bad test review and I shall buy you a dinner of your choice.

So is this about to change here: the dark & ugly side of the Mk6 GTI be dissected upon and laid bare for all to feast? Forget the bland, allegedly less-sporty styling (I like it) - some say more matured, discreet and understated versus the Mk5 (that's why I dig it) - what you are about to read below may make you cringe like you do towards those MPs who have suddenly gone 'independent'...












First, the price increase: from RM198k to RM211k. It's a new generation you might argue. Well, most Mk5 owners might say it is more of just a re-skin exercise ala Audi A4's B6 to B7 generations. With the RM13,000 increase you'd be getting:

1. Only 17" alloys
2. Lack of sunroof
3. No Tyre Pressure Monitoring system
4. RCD 310 CD-Radio which leaves a lot to be desired (very mediocre audio quality, absence of in-dash CD changer, no USB port and no touch screen interface...) Mk5 all came standard with in-dash 6-CD changing headunit
5. No scuff plates
6. Smallish wing mirrors with quite horrendous lateral blind spots
7. No rear LED lights
8. No daytime running lights (just pushing luck a little further here)
9. No memory function for the one-&-only electric seat i.e. the driver's
10. Drabby colour choices. The tester in Candy White (CW) is so Mark5! (For a fact, CW looks stunning on the Mk5, lesser so on the Mk6)
11. Lack of red-thread stitchings on seats to match parking brake lever, gear-knob and leather steering rim







To make things worse:

1. The Mk6' roof noise is absolutely appalling in our thunderstorm rain pelting the tinny-sounding metal sheet over your head. Absolutely disconcerting! (think: Honda City/Civic, Toyota Vios/Altis/Camry)

2. Some plastic part is of sub-standard quality e.g. the rear luggage cover suspension hook which can be easily fractured Day-2 into ownership (RH) and seemingly even the 5-years warranty doesn't cover it!

3. There IS turbo lag when you drive in 'D' with the compressor wheel seemingly off-boost when you're doing anything below 2,000rpm. Yes, the brochure states that max. torque of 280Nm start twisting from a low 1,700rpm...perhaps the tachometer reading has gone off scale or something.

4. You can almost never drive with the DCC in anything other than 'Auto'. In 'Comfort' your rear occupants will go all dizzy & car-sick on B-roads. In 'Sport' it will rattle your brain so bad that you may leak CSF through your nostrils should you brake too hard on those grabby rotors' calipers!

5.You can't really do mid-sweeping-corner lane-change-overtaking-maneuver (especially to outer arc) as fluidly and confidently like you do in a RWD vehicle. I certainly didn't sense the XDS - VW's electronic-braking pseudo-LSD thingy helping out here.

6. Slow traffic crawl with the DSG gears swapping from 'D2' to 'D1' can be a bit of a judder should you be hesitant in braking to a slowdown/complete stop. Yes, the DSG isn't perfect yet. Surprising indeed.

So, for those of you who'd still like a Mk6 GTI you can call your own, better have an extra RM25k to upgrade that ICE system to RCD510 or RNS510 (with GPS) plus change of speakers, upsized 18" alloys (Scirocco's Interlagos alloys looks yummy), soundproof your roof with extra-extra thick padding, change the wing mirrors to Passat CC's or Eos', APR ECU remap (to be done discreetly of course) in due time - hopefully this will cure the turbo-lag and the perceived drivetrain lethargy. And not forgetting the more aptly-matching Golf-R's rear-LED lights with alien-like 'written' characters akin to the Na'vi tribe's in Avatar.

So much for the Mk6 Golf GTI's "No enhancements needed" tagline from VW Group Malaysia, eh?

To be absolutely fair, the Mk6 handles tighter than how most wives keep tab on their husband's whereabouts and/or finances. The level of grip is phenomenal with tightness into and out of corner that defies belief. Body control isn't just taut, it's damn bloody tied down! Solid. Rock steady. Enabling a tracking of corners that will awe most of us, if not all those with a keen sporty driving instinct. The steering though a bit artificial (with DCC et al) in feedback and feel, is quick, weighs just about-okay and sharply accurate. Well, the steering wheel itself with red stitching, aluminium bits, micro-pocked leather sections and flat-bottom passes off like an expensive Sport option from the boys at AMG, M-division or Dr Ing HcF Porsche.

The brakes though snatchy and quite hard to modulate initially - like the Audi A4 TFSI (B7) - are very clinical in scrubbing off speed, hence reassuring for late braking into corners. While those lovely bucket seats will keep you snugly planted whatever your lateral, accelerating and decelerating antics are.

Though lower-end power delivery can be a tad lumpy in regular 'D' drive mode with an equally woolly throttle response below 2000rpm. Snap the DSG lever into 'S' and with a relentless assault on the rubber- studded-aluminium-plated gas pedal, the GTI will slingshot towards the horizon with a mettle, not unlike a junior version of a BMW 335i coupe. With much plantedness and feel the need-for-more-speed since not much can be felt anyway. Yes, in a Mk6 GTI high velocity is deceptive. Very much so and you get accustomed to it very quickly. That's the very reason why the aftermarket tuners are having a field day remapping/reflashing the new EA888's ECU as we speak.

For the record, Vmax of the Mk6 GTI is an indicative 248km/h, tried and tested on a private stretch of road, and this is stock standard performance. Average fuel consumption that ranges from 8.2l/100km for cool, sedate, long-distance driving to a high of 13.5l/100km for those speed demon blasts! For that, it takes a very well engineered car to stay calm & composed, plus that fuel efficient. With that, I guess I'd still not have to buy anyone their preferred meal off a restaurant's evening menu.

Driven: Toyota Passo Sette! (Perodua Alza EZi)

A little imagination can do wonders. You could be having a bite at McDonald's right in downtown Kuala Lumpur's Golden Triangle (corner of Bukit Bintang and Sultan Ismail) and yet think you're in Tokyo's Shinjuku district. Pardon me for the inaccuracy in the title of this blogpost but it's deliberate.

"Why?" you may ask. Well, Perodua has got it so right in their product mix that their latest Alza, so much feels like a Toyota, looks like a Toyota, drives likes Toyota; but not a Toyota. (Hmmm...sounded like one famous lawyer's testimony on court recently) And in Bolehland context - pricing it cheaper than even the base model Toyota Vios J-spec - that can be a good thing, a very good thing. Though frankly, I am of the opinion that the Passo Sette clone should not have crossed the RM60k mark, even for this Ezi spec version - to make it a truly value-for-money buy for the rakyat. But we are not here to to debate about social service, are we?




Admittedly, my initial enthusiasm was lacking upon picking up this COTY tester from Perodua. However, that soon changed as I got bitten by the travel bug soon thereafter. Loaded with 3 adults, one almost-adult teenager and three kids, we soon headed up to Cameron Highlands. On the following day, back through to Ipoh and returning to KL. The 3SZ-VE doesn't disappoint, being adequately responsive with an eloquently paired 4A/T, which resulted in decent tractability and driveability. On the downside, the naturally aspirated 4-pot 1.5L lump were often caught thrumming a little too loud - somewhat hoarse - as you venture near 6000rpm for that little extra top-end grunt. The other pleasant little surprise was that its average fuel consumption worked out to about 12km/l over some 863 km travelled. (That's roughly 15- 16 sen per km, running on RON95 @ current retail price of RM1.80/litre) Win some, lose some.





In all, there isn't much to complain about the Alza, expect for maybe absence of 2nd row a/c vents. A passenger in the 2nd row was complaining of getting hot and bothered even with the a/c blower set to fan speed #"3" during an afternoon drive. A full blast to #"4" did cure things but it was a hurricane for both occupants up front! I was getting a bit flustered and bogged down with so much of TURBULENT cold air enveloping my cheeks and temple, even with the vents angled upwards and away.

Could Perodua please add a 2nd ceiling mounted blower for the 2nd row? While at it, can the 3rd row of seat backrest be spilt into a 50:50 fold down to enable 2+3+1 seating with a little more luggage hoarding capability?

Back to the climatic indices of thermal comfort, I am sure there is enough cold air-conditioner gasses for a small 2nd auxiliary cooler coil. Seeing that, no imagination will be able to execute cooling comfort for 2nd and especially 3rd row passengers. Not even Toyota, which at this very moment happens to be a goliath of an automotive company busy with its tagline "Moving Forward...Non Stop!".