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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.


But I think your car has strabismus. Your engineers said that it helps to provide better aerodynamics and apparently they are the only ones who think so. And I reckon I’m right because your blokes at Malvern Link rectified the eye problem four years ago. We were all spot-on except you because being cross-eyed was never a gift especially when you have a recessed nose. It makes driving in the night a grueling task and you can’t have auto headlights as a factory option. That’s the precision you get with hand-built cars.
Readers' Rides

Oh Morgan! | Morgan Aero 8

IN Morgan, Aero 8

Our writer pens a 'letter' to Morgan as he reflects on his encounter with their bespoke supercar, the one and only, defectively flawless, Morgan Aero 8.


Hitting the Sport mode button boosts electrical power to a maximum 650v, increasing overall power train output. Engine revs are held higher, and throttle and steering settings are modified to give a faster response to driver inputs.
Happenings

Lexus' First Compact Luxury Hybrid

IN Lexus, CT, 200h, Hybrid, Luxury, Compact

Promising refinement and driving pleasure, the new CT 200h is geared for the young, highly discerning and environmentally-conscious customers.


The Audi A3 concept is a four-seat notchback sedan. It measures 4.44 metres long and 1.84 metres wide, but just 1.39 metres high — proportions that underscore its dynamic character. The design represents the typical Audi language of sporty elegance. The single-frame grille is integrated into the front end, giving it a sculptured look. Its frame is made of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP), and the transversely mounted, three dimensional aluminum louvers create a visual effect that emphasises the showcar’s width. The headlights merge with the beveled upper corners of the single-frame, forming a transition that marks the starting point of the prominently accentuated lines of the engine hood. The headlights represent a new stage of evolution in LED technology, a groundbreaking innovation from Audi. They become broader as they extend outward, and a line underneath them makes them seem to float on air. Above the front spoiler is a full-length air intake, also made of CFRP, framed by a metal clasp. The spoiler features a splitter that raises the down force on the front wheels.
Happenings

Concentrated Technical Expertise - All In The Audi A3 Concept

IN Audi, A3, Concept, Geneva

At the Geneva Motor Show, Audi unveiled an attractive technical study — the A3 concept.


Happenings

Is This Suzuki's New Power-packed Hatchback?

IN Suzuki, Swift, Sport, Geneva

Suzuki Motor Corporation is exhibiting a new concept car named the Suzuki Swift S Concept at the 2011 Geneva International Motor Show. Take a close look as this may well be the next Swift Sport.


Happenings

New Audi A1 Arrives In Singapore

IN Audi, Audi A1, Audi A1 TFSI, A1

With two engine variants available and a S$127k starting price, the compact A1 proves to be bigger than expected, with style to boot.


Modified

Singapore's Best Mitsubishi Evo | Entry Three (3)

IN Mitsubishi, Evo, Cycle & Carriage, Singapore, Evo 9, Evo X, Evo 10, Turbo

Drive your blues away with this neat and clean Evo X. Pampered with a long list of parts to make it stylish without being loud, 'understated aggression' sums up this blue entry the best!


Renowned design experts such as James Kelly, who heads the Transportation Design department at Pforzheim University, expressed high praise for the coupé. “The design of the Audi A7 Sportback was the best in the group by far,” Kelly said. “The low tail section is especially impressive! I’d buy it immediately.” Othmar Wickenheiser, professor of Transportation Design at the Munich University of Applied Sciences, also praised the car’s styling: “An absolutely harmonious design concept. Unembellished flanks, sinewy shoulders, streamlined sides — perfect.”
Happenings

Audi A7 Sportback Wins Design Summit

IN Audi, A7, Sportback

Distinguished jury selects the Audi A7 Sportback for first place by wide margin, with the win once again affirming Audi’s reputation for fine design.


On local shores, we hardly recognize it as the DeLorean. My mum recalls it as that time-machine from my favorite time-traveling trilogy. While I’m having a crack at summoning 1.21 “jiggawatts” of nuclear power to go back in time, it is all but fictional. However, the fictitious DeLorean Time Machine brought back fond memories of the past, including my maiden visit to a cinema when I was slightly younger. Back To The Future was the first ever movie that I caught on the big screen with my mum after copiously threatening to burn my school books if she didn’t bring me to watch it. I was barely 10, and I was in love with The Time Machine, one of the sporadic relationships I had that she did not protest against. The tickets were modestly priced at $3.50 for a child and you even get a short screen break at the hour-mark of the movie to visit the washroom. My mum was my first date, I’ll always tell my friends. Shortly after the movie, I made up my mind that I was going to buy myself a two door coupe with butterfly wings and a hooked fishing rod at the top and wait for lightning to strike. I seriously wanted to do 88 miles per hour and break the time-barrier.
Classics

Back To The Future! | DeLorean DMC-12

IN DeLorean, DMC-12, Michael J Fox

Our guest writer travels back in time for some nostalgic revision of his childhood.


WTCC is pleased to announce the signing of a three-year agreement with Vicar Promoções Desportivas, promoter of the Copa Caixa Stock Car, that will also be promoter of the WTCC Race of Brazil in 2011, 2012 and 2013.
Motorsports

Curitiba To Host The Opening Of Two Car Racing Series

IN WTCC, Copa, Caixa, Brazil, Curitiba

The capital of the Brazilian state, Paraná will be seeing the green flag for the FIA World Touring Car Championship and the Copa Caixa Stock Car series.


The good people from Noble have managed to extract an astonishing 425bhp from a three litre Ford Duratec V6 mid-mounted engine that is sometimes awfully squandered on the Ford Mondeo ST220. It has modified fuel injectors, high-lift camshafts and twin turbo-chargers, making it a roaring feature on the track. The superb power-to-weight ratio of 400bhp/ton suggests how it should be named and you can’t be too wrong about that. The German Getrag six-speed manual with Quaife LSD transmission is clearly the trigger and what you would call, a better playmate than your Gran Turismo gamer.
Classics

Noble Intentions | Noble M400

IN Noble, M400

A year ago, I was on the verge of being reduced to combating for reserved seats on the public transport because I was left with three points on my driving record.


Even though there's only one trim level available, its comes nicely specified with 16-inch alloy wheels, a 160W sound system with USB playback support and vehicle speed-sensitive volume control and of course, climate control and cruise control.
Happenings

Honda Insight Launch | Time To Go Eco

IN Honda, Insight, Kah Motor

Kah Motors recently launched Honda's latest hybrid car in the Singapore, the venerable Honda Insight. When the first generation was launched in 1999, it was a 2-seater 3-door hatchback.


Motorsports

Roal Motorsport Returns With Coronel

IN Roal Motorsport, BMW, 1.6 Turbo, Coronel, WTCC

Italy-based ROAL Motorsport will come back to the FIA WTCC, fielding one BMW 320 TC car powered by the new 1.6-litre turbo engine for Dutch driver Tom Coronel.


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.


And what is the most essential part of a Lamborghini? Right, it is the wing doors. And nobody really knows why the Gallardo is not equipped with them straight away. Hamann offers these for the Victory II.
Happenings

Hamann Victory II

IN Hamann, Lamborghini, Gallardo,

Back in 2007, Hamann launched a balls out Lamborghini Gallardo with the full aftermarket add-on works called the Victory. Now the Laupheim based German car tuner has done it again with the Victory II.


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.


Happenings

Peugeot RCZ Roars Into Town

IN Peugeot, RCZ, Coupé

The voluptuous RCZ, first seen in concept form back in 2007, has landed on our shores. Just as gorgeous in the flesh as it appeared on paper, it looks set to be the next big thing!


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.


Under the bonnet, the performance of the 2.0-litre 16V turbo engine has been enhanced with an optimised electronic engine control system. Despite regulatory restrictions, the Mégane Renaultsport N4's engine puts out 265hp and torque of 470 Nm. It is linked to a five-speed H-pattern gearbox, developed specifically for this purpose. On the strength of its experience in the field, Renault Sport Technologies has sought to design an innovative, reliable and high-performance package that also takes on board the notion of cost control at every stage of development. The intention is to make Renault Mégane RS N4 accessible to all drivers, and be both easy to handle and economical to run. Like all of the vehicles in its rally range, Mégane Renaultsport N4 is to be sold by Renault Sport Technologies in the form of a kit comprising all the specific parts.
Motorsports

Renault Megane RS N4

IN Renault, Megane, RS, N4

Noted for its striking design and having won acclaim for its chassis and engine, Renault's Mégane RS is now to give rise to a rally car, the N4, intended for private teams and drivers.



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