Many European car companies have gone the route of engine down sizing to improve efficiency. All this came when the oil price was very high but in the recent year the oil price is at its all time low but yet car companies are still going on with engine down sizing. Volvo has been one of the early birds with engine down sizing sticking to their 2.0 and 2.3 litre turbos since the 1990s when most of the other car companies like BMW, Mercedes and Japanese makers were sticking to their bigger capacity naturally aspirated engines.
this time round Volvo took the step a little further and will introduce a 1.5 litre 3 cylinder engine with a turbo charger. With this small engine one would expect them to bolt it on a smaller model like the S40 or V40 model but this is not the case. The new 1.5 turbo is planned for the S60 and S90 models which are much bigger in physical size. Volvo also plans to connect a hybrid system with this engine similar to that of the new XC90 with a plug-in hybrid system.
Volvo seems to be serious about push their development and with the improvement in financial position since being Chinese owned, Volvo has really found their step in the R&D department. It is yet to be seen if Volvo can catch up to the Germans but they are moving in the right direction. Previously Volvo was very conservative with their design approach and appeared lost, they didn't have a very good selling individual model and the line was ageing fast. Something had to be done to inject some life into the brand and by developing new technology it appears that Volvo is back on the map again.
Volvo is also putting to use their Polestar department where performance oriented models will be released. Volvo is following the footsteps of BMW with their M division and AMG for Mercedes. It is a good move to help shake the sedate and boring image of Volvo. Polestar is relatively unknown to people who are not fans of Volvo. It is about time the Polestar brand came to light and show the world that Volvo cars are not necessarily safe and boring.
Tuesday, 8 March 2016
Thursday, 3 March 2016
Mercedes A45 AMG facelift
Mercedes appears to be pushing the performance envelope with the A45 AMG with its recent facelift. The car's power and torque has been increased by 21hp and 25Nm respectively to 381 and 475Nm which is very high for a small car. The little pocket rocket is definitely a fast car and not one to take lightly. It is immensely capable and has great character from its rowdy exhaust note. the new facelift model comes with a modular exhaust valve where it can alter its opening to suit slow speed city driving or full bore wide open throttle applications. Looks wise the car hasn't changed much, the changes were mostly under the skin. The Mercedes A class is not ugly to begin with so better not mess with the looks.
The previous model despite having 4WD the car had a tendency to understeer when pushed hard into turns. this probably because it is 4WD and the weight of the engine is over the front wheels. In the hands of a good driver it still can manage impressive lap times in any race track and in the hands of the novice it will make him look like a hero.
Mercedes is definitely doing well with its new model line up with can appeal to the younger buyers which was something Mercedes was aiming for. In the past Mercedes were associated with older buyer or someone more matured, this meant Mercedes was losing out on the younger buyer which was promptly snapped up by BMW. This has all changed and Mercedes has taken the fight to BMW and Audi. this is the first time in history where Mercedes as so many new models on offer from the A, B, C, E, S, M, G, GLA, GLC, GLE, GLK, SL, SLK, CLK, AMG GT and Vito. The buyers are spoilt for choice. This definitely also helps Mercedes capture more sales world wide and broadens it brand appeal. It does not look like BMW or Audi is able to follow the pace where Mercedes is expanding it range.
Having visited the Mercedes museum in Stuttgart, the museum will be in need for more space soon at the rate Mercedes is expanding it model range.
The previous model despite having 4WD the car had a tendency to understeer when pushed hard into turns. this probably because it is 4WD and the weight of the engine is over the front wheels. In the hands of a good driver it still can manage impressive lap times in any race track and in the hands of the novice it will make him look like a hero.
Mercedes is definitely doing well with its new model line up with can appeal to the younger buyers which was something Mercedes was aiming for. In the past Mercedes were associated with older buyer or someone more matured, this meant Mercedes was losing out on the younger buyer which was promptly snapped up by BMW. This has all changed and Mercedes has taken the fight to BMW and Audi. this is the first time in history where Mercedes as so many new models on offer from the A, B, C, E, S, M, G, GLA, GLC, GLE, GLK, SL, SLK, CLK, AMG GT and Vito. The buyers are spoilt for choice. This definitely also helps Mercedes capture more sales world wide and broadens it brand appeal. It does not look like BMW or Audi is able to follow the pace where Mercedes is expanding it range.
Having visited the Mercedes museum in Stuttgart, the museum will be in need for more space soon at the rate Mercedes is expanding it model range.
new race track needed
Malaysia at the moment has 2 race tracks dedicated for motor racing, Sepang F1 track in Kuala Lumpur and Pasir Gudang in Johor. Sepang F1 track was designed specifically for Formula One racing and the track is advanced, wide and well planned out for large racing events however the cost of renting the track for weekend warriors is just too prohibitive to most of the locals. The track rental for 1 hour is RM6,000 or US$1400. Often organisers will rent the track for blocks of 4 hours and share the cost with participants who then pay RM400-500 or US$100-120 to drive for 4 hours. Situated near the airport, it is 70km away from the city and it only allows circuit driving. Drifting or drag racing (in proper form with burn outs) is prohibited as Sepang management wants to protect the tarmac for Formula One.
Having such a high tech facility is good but when it is not accessible to the masses it is a problem. Many young hot headed drivers take to the city streets or highways to race illegally. The Government previously mooted the idea of creating a secondary smaller track just at the fringe of the city. The project was dubbed KL Motopark but shortly after the ground breaking ceremony the project ground to a halt for no specified reason. It could be lack of fund or other reasons. The street racing is a nuisance and many tragic accidents have occurred as a result. In the latest move by the Government a Minister came out with an idea to close off some streets on a sunday to allow moped racing. this is not well received by the public since the moped racing gangs are already a nuisance and it will encourage them more when there is no racing.
The areas surrounding Kuala Lumpur city still have abundance of vacant land which can be converted to a smaller race track with basic facilities. It is not necessary to build world class facilities on a small track, the aim is just to provide a place for the motor heads to drive or race taking all the illegal racing off the streets.
Having such a high tech facility is good but when it is not accessible to the masses it is a problem. Many young hot headed drivers take to the city streets or highways to race illegally. The Government previously mooted the idea of creating a secondary smaller track just at the fringe of the city. The project was dubbed KL Motopark but shortly after the ground breaking ceremony the project ground to a halt for no specified reason. It could be lack of fund or other reasons. The street racing is a nuisance and many tragic accidents have occurred as a result. In the latest move by the Government a Minister came out with an idea to close off some streets on a sunday to allow moped racing. this is not well received by the public since the moped racing gangs are already a nuisance and it will encourage them more when there is no racing.
The areas surrounding Kuala Lumpur city still have abundance of vacant land which can be converted to a smaller race track with basic facilities. It is not necessary to build world class facilities on a small track, the aim is just to provide a place for the motor heads to drive or race taking all the illegal racing off the streets.
Monday, 22 February 2016
Honda Turbos
Honda seems to be first of the Japanese car makers to put turbo charging with a small engine into its mainstream model with the new 10th generation Civic. It is a fine example of engine downsizing coupled with a turbo. Lexus did it with the NX200T but this model is meant for the premium market whereas the Civic is more for the masses. Honda was well know for using turbos in the 1980s and it had great success with turbo engines in Formula One. The Civic is the first time Honda is using turbos again after 2 decades and it looks like they did a fine job with the 1.5 litre turbo.
174hp and 220Nm from a 1.5 litre is nothing to scoff at. it is very efficient and powerful. On a recent dyno run in the US, a car review video put a new civic on the dyno to test its power output and to be surprised it managed 177hp and 258Nm which is more than the factory claim. This is very surprising considering that most factory claims are never met or exceeded when the car is tested on a dyno machine.
This car will get many young buyers excited as this opens up the doors to tuning. With a turbo engine extra power can easily be squeezed out with increase of turbo boost or increasing fuel pressure. The only down side about this new Civic is the transmission. Honda decided to stick to the CVT for the sake of fuel economy. If the car was paired with a manual transmission or a twin clutch gearbox the car will be fantastic all round.
I wonder which Japanese car company will follow this path. It is rumoured that Toyota is planning to introduce their own turbo charged small engine car soon. Daihatsu has been making small engines with turbos for many years but these cars are popular only in Japan and rarely seen outside Japan. The Civic is a global model that is sold in US, Europe, Middle East, Asia. Honda's decision to follow the footsteps of the Europeans seems like a logical one despite the low oil price but the oil price will never stay low forever. the new Civic does offer many advantages over earlier Civic models and that is torque. The turbo engine enables the much needed torque for low and medium RPM driving. Honda's have traditionally had low engine torque but high horsepower at high RPM. this is good for racing where engine speeds are high however in city driving conditions one would need good torque spread and high torque at low and mid RPM is always more enjoyable to drive.
174hp and 220Nm from a 1.5 litre is nothing to scoff at. it is very efficient and powerful. On a recent dyno run in the US, a car review video put a new civic on the dyno to test its power output and to be surprised it managed 177hp and 258Nm which is more than the factory claim. This is very surprising considering that most factory claims are never met or exceeded when the car is tested on a dyno machine.
This car will get many young buyers excited as this opens up the doors to tuning. With a turbo engine extra power can easily be squeezed out with increase of turbo boost or increasing fuel pressure. The only down side about this new Civic is the transmission. Honda decided to stick to the CVT for the sake of fuel economy. If the car was paired with a manual transmission or a twin clutch gearbox the car will be fantastic all round.
I wonder which Japanese car company will follow this path. It is rumoured that Toyota is planning to introduce their own turbo charged small engine car soon. Daihatsu has been making small engines with turbos for many years but these cars are popular only in Japan and rarely seen outside Japan. The Civic is a global model that is sold in US, Europe, Middle East, Asia. Honda's decision to follow the footsteps of the Europeans seems like a logical one despite the low oil price but the oil price will never stay low forever. the new Civic does offer many advantages over earlier Civic models and that is torque. The turbo engine enables the much needed torque for low and medium RPM driving. Honda's have traditionally had low engine torque but high horsepower at high RPM. this is good for racing where engine speeds are high however in city driving conditions one would need good torque spread and high torque at low and mid RPM is always more enjoyable to drive.
Friday, 19 February 2016
Can one's driving skill match the car they can buy with their money?
We have seen so many spectacular crashes and even slow speed crashes on Youtube. Often these videos are of people driving exotic cars like Ferraris, Lamborghinis and etc. These people have the money to buy it but many of them don't have the skill nor the experience to drive it. Having a heavy right foot can spell disaster for many of these folk who take it for granted that they can handle the car's power. Many times the problem comes with the ego of the owner. Companies like Ferrari and Porsche regularly offer driver training programs for new car buyers so that they are taught properly how to drive their new cars in a safe environment. Upon passing these driver training programs the owners are better equipped to drive their cars. However many of the new owners are too egotistical to acknowledge that they need to be taught how to drive their cars. This is especially so in Asia. Some of the buyers got rich very quickly and do not have much driving experience (especially the young ones) and it also goes the same with Americans who think they are great drivers but going fast straight and really knowing how to control the car under all conditions is a different thing.
I have a friend who is retired Porsche and Mercedes AMG instructor in the US from Asian origin, he was relating to me numerous stories about how Americans think Asians can't drive and they have no business teaching Americans how to drive. Well! Stereotyping is downright stupid since the person who came to learn can't drive well himself! My friend went on to put down a challenge that the American who came to the driving course will no doubt get better but his girl friend will beat him at the end the day. Having heard this challenge the American guy wouldn't want to lose his bet and the ego got the better of him. Instead of listening to proper instructions he would think that having more power in his car would mean that he can go faster... yes and no! To the ignorant it may sound like a fact but to the informed, there are many factors to consider. this American guy couldn't help himself and disregarded all forms of instruction and mashed the throttle hard coming out of turns causing his 500hp Mustang to lose control and spin. The final test course at the end of the day was a real test of driving ability and whether he paid any attention to the instructors. As expected he was 4 secs slower than his girlfriend and made himself look like an idiot. Instead of admitting defeat he was dumbfounded and insisted on a rematch in which he lost again. Finally he came to accept that his ego was the problem.. not his car, and not the instructor.
Having a super powerful car with a person that has no experience or skill is like giving a kid a loaded gun. Slow speed crashes may not be so serious but high speed crashes will definitely cause a lot of damage and even result in death. Many years back there was a case where a teenager crashed a Ferrari into a petrol station in NZ and killed a little girl. The parents of the deceased child was devastated and no amount of money offered by the teenager's parents would be enough. Money can never replace a life and responsibility of the driver is something that no one can take for granted.
Having money to buy a nice car is good... but one should really learn how to drive.
I have a friend who is retired Porsche and Mercedes AMG instructor in the US from Asian origin, he was relating to me numerous stories about how Americans think Asians can't drive and they have no business teaching Americans how to drive. Well! Stereotyping is downright stupid since the person who came to learn can't drive well himself! My friend went on to put down a challenge that the American who came to the driving course will no doubt get better but his girl friend will beat him at the end the day. Having heard this challenge the American guy wouldn't want to lose his bet and the ego got the better of him. Instead of listening to proper instructions he would think that having more power in his car would mean that he can go faster... yes and no! To the ignorant it may sound like a fact but to the informed, there are many factors to consider. this American guy couldn't help himself and disregarded all forms of instruction and mashed the throttle hard coming out of turns causing his 500hp Mustang to lose control and spin. The final test course at the end of the day was a real test of driving ability and whether he paid any attention to the instructors. As expected he was 4 secs slower than his girlfriend and made himself look like an idiot. Instead of admitting defeat he was dumbfounded and insisted on a rematch in which he lost again. Finally he came to accept that his ego was the problem.. not his car, and not the instructor.
Having a super powerful car with a person that has no experience or skill is like giving a kid a loaded gun. Slow speed crashes may not be so serious but high speed crashes will definitely cause a lot of damage and even result in death. Many years back there was a case where a teenager crashed a Ferrari into a petrol station in NZ and killed a little girl. The parents of the deceased child was devastated and no amount of money offered by the teenager's parents would be enough. Money can never replace a life and responsibility of the driver is something that no one can take for granted.
Having money to buy a nice car is good... but one should really learn how to drive.
Wednesday, 17 February 2016
Tesla Model 3
Tesla recently many announcement about introducing the Model 3 which is an entry level version of their electric car. It is a much needed model for Tesla considering that the Model S and P and X are too expensive for many people despite tax rebates or other incentives. Their target price for the Model 3 is around US$30,000 or less. This will enable Tesla to sell a lot more cars and let people have a taste of electric car without paying more than they have to.
The Model 3 is not ready yet but it looks promising. The estimate driving range is approximately 300km on a single charge. It is not great but still better than the Nissan Leaf with 250km. If Tesla is able to stretch the driving range to over 350km it will turn the tables in its favour. Right now the biggest gripe with owning an electric car is the driving range. The Model 3 is also critical for Tesla in a sense that it will be able take the challenge to bigger car makers. Porsche and Audi are already planning more electric cars which undoubtedly will compete for sales with Tesla.
The Model X SUV is simply too expensive and the gull wing doors are not really practical. It may look impressive and is powerful but a smaller entry level model will make more sense for Tesla. The more cars they sell, the more recognition the brand receives. It will also spur many first time buyers to try Tesla or even someone who has never owned an electric car.
Tesla is well received in California but in other countries where electric cars are still not well received, the Model 3 will help Tesla get a foot in the door. The official launch of the Model 3 is still many months away and many industry observers are eager to see the outcome of the new Model 3 and how it will impact Tesla's growth.
The Model 3 is not ready yet but it looks promising. The estimate driving range is approximately 300km on a single charge. It is not great but still better than the Nissan Leaf with 250km. If Tesla is able to stretch the driving range to over 350km it will turn the tables in its favour. Right now the biggest gripe with owning an electric car is the driving range. The Model 3 is also critical for Tesla in a sense that it will be able take the challenge to bigger car makers. Porsche and Audi are already planning more electric cars which undoubtedly will compete for sales with Tesla.
The Model X SUV is simply too expensive and the gull wing doors are not really practical. It may look impressive and is powerful but a smaller entry level model will make more sense for Tesla. The more cars they sell, the more recognition the brand receives. It will also spur many first time buyers to try Tesla or even someone who has never owned an electric car.
Tesla is well received in California but in other countries where electric cars are still not well received, the Model 3 will help Tesla get a foot in the door. The official launch of the Model 3 is still many months away and many industry observers are eager to see the outcome of the new Model 3 and how it will impact Tesla's growth.
New Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and Toyota Fortuner
Toyota and Mitsubishi recently introduced their large (large by Asian standards) SUV based on a pick up truck. The Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and the Toyota Fortuner. Both models are based on the Mitsubishi Triton and the Toyota Hilux. These models are popular in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and Australia. The strange thing is that these two cars are starting to look very much alike. I am not sure who is copying who but why do the Japanese have a tendency to make their cars look similar?
Anyway, both offer upgraded engines and transmission to improve where they left off with the previous model. The one that was much needed for a replacement model was the Toyota since toyota was super conservative with their Hilux and the previous Vigo model has been around for about 10 years. It is extremely long for an one model especially for a Japanese marque. I know if it isn't broken don't fix it.. but in such a competitive world not improving one's self or just staying put, you will be left behind. Toyota saw this towards the end of the Hilux Vigo life cycle where it faced very stiff competition from the Ford Ranger and the Isuzu D-Max.
The Fortuner and the Pajero sport is a good choice for Asian cities that are prone to flooding. It gives the versatility of a SUV and a truck combined. the high ground clearance definitely helps in the event of a flash flood and the 4WD traction will allow it get out of tricky situation in mud slides. Both car companies went to great lengths to improve the suspension so that the rear passengers are not bounced around like rag dolls. The leaf spring suspension from the truck makes for very bouncy ride at the rear but with additional modifications to the rear suspension the ride is more compliant.
Anyway, both offer upgraded engines and transmission to improve where they left off with the previous model. The one that was much needed for a replacement model was the Toyota since toyota was super conservative with their Hilux and the previous Vigo model has been around for about 10 years. It is extremely long for an one model especially for a Japanese marque. I know if it isn't broken don't fix it.. but in such a competitive world not improving one's self or just staying put, you will be left behind. Toyota saw this towards the end of the Hilux Vigo life cycle where it faced very stiff competition from the Ford Ranger and the Isuzu D-Max.
The Fortuner and the Pajero sport is a good choice for Asian cities that are prone to flooding. It gives the versatility of a SUV and a truck combined. the high ground clearance definitely helps in the event of a flash flood and the 4WD traction will allow it get out of tricky situation in mud slides. Both car companies went to great lengths to improve the suspension so that the rear passengers are not bounced around like rag dolls. The leaf spring suspension from the truck makes for very bouncy ride at the rear but with additional modifications to the rear suspension the ride is more compliant.
I believe both cars will be well received in Asia. The updated looks are definitely better than the previous models.
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