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An Epitome Of Style And Class | Rolls-Royce Ghost

IN Rolls-Royce, Ghost

They say in life, you have to work hard in order to succeed. And once you have achieved success, you buy a Rolls-Royce...


In the world where superlatives are easily thrown around, the 9-3 strangely sets out, because it feels like the guy/girl who lives next door. It is not show-off material like its rivals for instance, instead opting for an understated style that has matured nicely with a little bit of mid-life botox injection. Blending just about the right amount of elements to deserve the “sport” in its name and most importantly, it is living proof that being special doesn't mean having to be the best in class.
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Unbroken Progression | The Saab 9-3 Linear 2.0t

IN Saab, 9-3, Linear, 2.0t, Turbo

With Spyker announcing a new 9-3 in 2012, it's about time that we have a look at Saab's venerable sedan and see how far it has evolved.


In the real world, both feel equally sprightly on the road. Especially out on the expressway and Orchard Road traffic, where both doesn’t seem to have any issues keeping up with traffic or overtaking.
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Alfa Romeo MiTo Or Citroen DS3? We Revisit The 2006 FIFA World Cup Finals.

IN Alfa Romeo, MiTo, Citroen, DS3, Italy, France

It was 10 July 2006. A moment of madness from Zinedine Zidane sees him head butt Italian defender Marco Materazzi in extra time of the 2006 World Cup Final which cost France the title...


On the move, the driving characteristic of the MiTo isn’t what it seems to be. You may opine initially that the ride sways more towards the soft side, but when you set its DNA system from “Neutral” to “Dynamic”, you can feel the MiTo stiffen up and provide a reasonable amount of grip that is both sharp and rather precise. Pity the factory-fitted Bridgestone Turanza ER300 tyres that don’t seem to cooperate as they tend to screech and struggle for grip when pushed hard, killing your enthusiasm when shooting in hard into a corner. When it comes to the brakes, the anchors on the MiTo – standard with ABS and EBD - are assuring and offers respectable stopping power with no feeling of brake fade which is useful at hauling all that 1,145kg to a complete halt.
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Ciao Di Nuovo | Alfa Romeo MiTo Multiair TCT

IN Alfa Romeo, MiTo, TCT

If you are a loyal fan of hot hatches, you would have noticed how this particular car segment is sometimes on a roll, but in most instances just plain quiet.


Things got really interesting when the C-series were introduced. Not only were they interesting to look at on the outside, things got funky on the inside. So what happens when Citroen takes the C3 and creates a new hot hatch?
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French Pièce De Résistance | Citroen DS3 THP

IN Citroen, DS3, THP, 150, Turbo

The DS3 is more than just a new car, it's also the first in a new line of DS models after the original DS went out of production nearly 40 years ago.


I like the RCZ's sleek looks. The rear seats are really small and cramped, but the boot's impressive for a car of this type. I found the steering wheel a little on the small side. The cabin's nice and the controls are a bit stiff, but the locations of the steering-mounted controls for cruise control and quite strange.
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Peugeot RCZ Panel Of Professionals (P.O.P.) Session

IN Peugeot, RCZ, Coupé, P.O.P.

For our second P.O.P session, our panel of professionals get an exclusive one-on-one with the sexy Peugeot RCZ. We pen down their thoughts and serve them up raw!


It stops very well too, the 18-inch rims hide 280mm disc brakes in the front and 262mm in the rear. They stop this charging car with finesse and the brake pedal feels great to stomp on too, providing a firm feel. While we weren't mad enough to make the stability controls kick in, this also boiled down to the good grip that the tyres provided.
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Brimming With Optimism | Kia Optima K5

IN Kia, Optima, K5

For those of us that still remember the bland old days of Kia, the last few years have seen it's rise right up to the top. Can the new Optima continue Kia's success?


Upon getting into her and turning her on, she comes alive immediately, purring with great pleasure, her raspy engine note serenading to you in sweet seduction. Sitting in the electric sports seat shod in luxurious and supple Nappa leather, it sets you up for an intimate feeling of being in perfect harmony with the RCZ. On the move, this lioness with her turbo charged engine mated to a smooth shifting six speed automatic transmission churning out 156 horses and 240Nm worth of torque sends you into sheer automotive ecstasy in nine seconds with strong in-gear acceleration. And should you try to be blatantly unfaithful to her on the road by attempting to chase down an even more beautiful Italian 'super model', she shows her displeasure with her caterwauling engine screaming
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Peugeot's Belle Époque | Peugeot RCZ

IN Peugeot, 1.6 Turbo, RCZ, Coupe

The date was set for a rendezvous, a tryst that bordered on sheer adultery. As I got on my way, a thought came to mind, how can something so wrong feel so right?


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The Griffin Soars Again | Saab 9-5 2.0T Vector

IN Saab, 9-5, Vector, Turbo

The 9-5 is the first model to be introduced after Saab was saved by Dutch sports car manufacturer, Spyker. However, is it Swede, or Dutch?


If you do notice the side wedge profile, there's a slight resemblance to the previous-gen hybrid from another Japanese manufacturer, but with more curves thrown in. Honda has done well with the styling to keep it from looking boring: The front end looks angular and slightly aggressive, while at the back, you get that unique CRZ and Civic FN2 twin-glass tailgate, and futuristic LED tail lights.
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Time For Eco Divination | Honda Insight

IN Honda, Insight, IMA, Hybrid, Green, Eco

The cheapest hybrid on the market today has much promise for a brighter and greener future.


Parked up next to it's rivals, the Touran, despite it's new looks and lights still looks boxy which would put those who prefer a sleeker profile for their cars off. However, not many MPVs in the region of the Touran's price range can offer this amount of space with a quick pace. And, can you really deny fine German engineering?
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Force Fed People Mover! | Volkswagen Touran 1.4 TSI

IN VW, Touran, MPV, TSI, Family, People, Mover

Now with sharper lines, the new German compact MPV looks all set to VW-room!


On the move, the Passat CC as with its Sport moniker and 'coupe' identity performs admirably. The turbo charged two litre four pot pulls off readily with excellent throttle response and is virtually lag free, even more so in Sport mode. And when the accelerator was floored hard, the addictive sound of wheel spin was heard in tandem with the gruff sounding engine snarl in protest of the rev needle's ascent, further highlighting the car's sporty potential even though the car is meant to be a smooth and refined drive.
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Keeping Up With The Passats | Volkswagen Passat CC

IN Volkswagen, Passat, CC, VW

Can the adage of 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it" be refuted? In the case of the Passat, Volkswagen has certainly proved its point.


Lexus' name for class-leading refinement goes out of the window when you fire it up. With its deep throaty exhaust note, the IS F begins to show it's beastly side with its 417hp and 505Nm, 5.0L V8 growling. In fact, we longed for the moment we could stick it in sport mode on a long empty road and mash the throttle to the floor.
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A Lion In Sheep's Clothing | Lexus IS F

IN Lexus, IS, F

With such unassuming looks and the fire-power it packs, we wished it came with a madder name, like Lexus Surprise Attack Weapon!


Now let's begin with the exterior. Shy, retiring types who like to keep their feet firmly on the ground should look elsewhere, for what we have here is a soft-roader that is very big, very bold and very, very in your face. The X6M is deeply aggressive from the front, with its big air intakes and angry-looking headlamps. With those bumps on the bonnet, subtlety does not figure greatly in the overall design philosophy of this SUV. From the side, it looks rough and tumble and you can know that BMW's designers subdued themselves to not go overboard with the bodywork. Details are definitely well planned, with each and every crease functional in reducing drag at high speeds. You then get a set of 20-inch M alloys, wrapped in grippy-but-stiff Bridgestone Dueler HP Sport rubbers (275/40 R-20 front, 313/35 R-20 rear) to complete the package.
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To Infinity And Beyond...

IN BMW, X6, M

Who would be odd enough to come up with a performance SUV? Surprisingly, BMW - and here's their staggeringly out-of-this-world X6M.


The power delivery in sport mode can be a little sudden. It accelerates normally, followed by a surge when the turbo kicks in. We do love the explosive acceleration but in heavy traffic, it's a bit hard to drive smoothly unless you leave it in Normal, or Eco mode which has the least throttle responsiveness, but delivers the smoothest drive.
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Can You Dig It? | Nissan Juke DIG-T

IN Nissan, Juke, DIG-T, Turbo, Crossover

Striking, bold and curvaceous, Nissan has been brave with the Juke. But is it naughty enough? We drive it to find out.


The test car that we have, happens to be the exact antithesis that the purists loathe. But just in case you're one of those touchy purists who is about to fly into a rage and smash your fist into your computer screen as you read this review, let me just tell you more about this car's saving grace. This pristine white E90 M3 is not just another one of those entry level M3s, but a car equipped with BMW's Competition Package option, which is a set of performance oriented enhancements to quench the enthusiast's yearning for the CSL to make its return. CSL by the way stands for Coupe, Sport, Lightweight, the very three alphabets that represent the purest driver and most track oriented cars BMW has to offer. And with the Competition Package, this E90 M3 is the closest one can get to a CSL, save the M3 GTS due to its price point in comparison.
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On Competing Terms | BMW M3 Competition Sedan

IN BMW, M3, V8, Competition, Sedan

With the BMW M3 Competition Package, this is possibly BMW's modern iteration of the CSL.


However, if there’s any comment to be made on the exterior of the new fifth generation Polo, it does come with some lineage pretensions, its silhouette resembling a Golf from afar. It sports the same chunky dimensions as its older sibling with the same staid looking roof line. Product differentiation wise, there are still some elements that separate the Polo from the Golf such as the rear lights and a sportier looking front bumper.
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That's A Mint Car! | Volkswagen Polo Sport

IN VW, Volkswagen, Polo, 1.2, TSI

A new engine offering petrol performance with diesel economy, does it even exist? Look no further than this sporty little Polo 1.2 TSI.


Build quality and design aside, how does the car fare in performance? Using the very same engine found in the 308 hatch back and SW, the 308CC’s 1.6-litre turbo charged engine paired with a responsive and smooth shifting slush box churns out 156 horses and 240 Nm worth of torque and performs ably, going from zero to 100 in 9.5 seconds, which is a reasonable time for its class. The car however should not be misconstrued as an all out performance car as it is more of a boulevard cruiser than a tarmac bruiser. In terms of handling, the 308CC feels like a relatively large sedan that needs to be eased around bends. The steering is a tad light weight but offers decent feedback which is perfect when driving at low speeds, but should you prod the accelerator hard, the drive becomes less confidence inspiring, which is why you should never thrown it round a corner. But on the daily get go, the 308CC does offers a pliant and comfortable ride, with its suspension taking the road irregularities well in its stride. Scuttle shake however is still existent, but that is just a typical trait found in convertibles.
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Gallic Sun Kiss | Peugeot 308CC

IN Peugeot, Coupe, Cabriolet, 308, CC

Pioneering the art of folding roofs since 1930s, Peugeot has never lost its desire to give drivers the liberté to drive in either the coupé or cabriolet configuration.


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Innocent By Association | BRABUS B20

IN BRABUS, Mercedes-Benz, B20, Singapore, Black, AutoVox, First Automobile Premium

The three-pointed star has always been a typical 'big boss' car. It is almost impossible to shake that image off, unless you're clearly too young to be one, but then you're likely to be "his son".


The 2.5-litre V6 unit is unchanged and pushes out a healthy 205bhp from its 24-valve Dual VVTi set-up. It is a quiet and smooth powerplant and dispatches the century sprint in a rather quick 8.4 seconds. Yet somehow, the car seems to lack the 'oomph' the figures suggest. It could be partly due to the overall (excellent) refinement that masks the speed.
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Same But Better! | Lexus IS 250

IN Lexus, IS 250, Face-lift, V6

This is the newly restyled Lexus IS 250. Not much has changed you say? Well, you couldn't be more right, and wrong.



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