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The Renault Megane RS 265 did that to me. You see, I have an affinity for Renault’s modern hot-hatches; they’re special and unique, and you need to drive them (hard, most times) to truly appreciate these finely tuned cars. The first Megane RS I drove - yes, that oddly shaped one - was a blast and definitely began my whole entire love affair with hyper Renaults. Then came the hotter R26 — a few laps around Sepang made me wonder how on earth did Renault put together such a brilliant car.

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Go, Go Power Ranger | Renault Megane RS 265

IN Renault, Megane, RS, RS 265, Renault Megane RS 265, Wearnes Automotive

What to do when you want to keep your sweet handling hot-hatch ahead of the competition? Well according to Renault, you add more powaaaaaah…

Then the flood came. And again. Suddenly, buying an SUV makes so much sense. Jokes aside, most SUV drivers made the decision to get one because of the simple fact that it provides the ability to look further ahead in congestions; a sense of security, in other words.

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Practically Speaking | Hyundai Santa Fe GDI 2.4

IN Hyundai, Santa Fe, GDI, Komoco Motors, Hyundai Santa Fe

The Santa Fe returns with a classier and bolder look, showcasing the Korean’s new upmarket identity; question is, does it drive as good?

The whole 'alternative-fuelled cars' fever is pretty much still going on, and if there’s one car company that you have to thank for it all, well, it has to be Toyota. They may not be the first to mass-produce hybrid cars, but they definitely did a good job at commercialising this concept and also making it the way forward.

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The Electric Co | Audi A1 e-tron

IN Audi, A1, E-tron, Audi A1 e-tron, A1 e-tron, Ingolstadt, Audi Future Lab, Audi TSC

Audi let us briefly sample their innovative electric A1

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All Grown Up | Toyota RAV4 2.0 Premium

IN Toyota, RAV4, SUV, 2.0

The redesigned RAV4 gives it the performance and features to keep up with the leaders in this compact SUV segment.

The AVH-X8550BT is Pioneer's top-of-the-line system. It's a double DIN multimedia receiver that has a full touch screen 7-inch panel. It features a VGA display with LED backlighting for a sharp and bright playback. Like most modern systems, it plays a wide range of media formats and more! The list includes DVD, DVD-R/RW, CD-R/RW, MP3, WMA, AAC (iTunesÂ®), DivXÂ® and DolbyÂ® Digital Decoder.

The Pit

Pioneer Leads The Car Audio Game With Unparalleled Connectivity

IN Pioneer, Car audio, ICE, Multimedia receiver, MP3, IPhone, Mobile phone, Andriod, DVD, Bluetooth

It's been about 2 weeks since I've had the Pioneer AVH-X8550BT multimedia receiver in my car, and all I can say is that it's a pretty amazing piece of kit.

Happenings

SPARKâ„¢ Car Care's SPOT, SNAP & WIN Program!

IN SPARK, Decal, Contest, SPARK Car Care

Since May 2103, we've been partnering SPARKâ„¢ Car Care in an awesome car decal program that put 16 SPARKâ„¢ cars on the road. Have you spotted any?

Pricing for the Wraith starts from $1,258,888 without COE, before options. First deliveries to local customers are expected to commence in the last quarter of 2013.

Happenings

Don’t Be Spooked…

IN Rolls-Royce, British, V12, Wraith, Luxury, Coupe, Rolls

For decades the Rolls-Royce name has been a byword for luxury, opulence and comfort. With the new Wraith, the British marque is gunning for sportiness too.

Happenings

What The F?

IN Lexus, GS, F-SPORT, Kirk Edmondson, Borneo Motors, LFA, IS-F

We sit down with Kirk Edmondson, General Manager - Brand Management for Lexus Asia Pacific Division, and chat about what Lexus is doing with their F-SPORT range.

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Beetle Juiced | Volkswagen Beetle 1.4 TSI

IN Volkswagen, Beetle, 1.4 TSI, Supercharged, VGS

With some added power, the otherwise cute Volkswagen Beetle is now quite the road beast.

Sit yourself inside the Cayman, and you'll find that this is one sports car that is easy to get comfortable in. It may be low slung, but the seats are comfortable and visibility all round is excellent. Materials used in the cabin are of high quality - what else would you expect from the Germans. That being said, the Boxster S we have in our company stable is starting to show signs or wear, even the plastic areas we hardly come into contact with are beginning to scratch off. No chance of a long term test with this Cayman though, so we wouldn't know how it's interior will stand the test of time.

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So Good It Hurts | Porsche Cayman 2.7 PDK

IN Porsche, Cayman, PDK, Coupe, Eurokars, 2.7

The new Porsche Cayman is seriously good. In fact, it's definitely the best drive I've had this year so far. So why am I still missing the previous one?

A mismatch though it may be, the engine is still a great unit. It produces just 94bhp, which admittedly isn’t fantastic, but makes up with 230Nm of torque. That’s more pulling power than some NA 2.4-litre engines! An even bigger selling point though, is its cleanliness — just 99g/km of CO2. Perhaps this why only this engine is being imported here — it gets the maximum $20,000 CEVS rebate, a useful saving in Singapore’s problematic car market. And naturally, being a diesel, fuel consumption is excellent too; I managed just under 17km/l over 370km of not-particularly-economic driving.

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Call Of The Jungle… | Peugeot 208 e-HDi

IN Peugeot, 208, 1.6 e-HDi, Diesel

… The urban one, that is. Peugeot’s latest baby has landed and, curiously for this end of the market, it’s a diesel!

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The Baby Benz Grows Up | Mercedes-Benz A200 Urban

IN Mercedes-Benz, A200, A Class, Hatch-back

Mercedes-Benz calls it the “rebel” of the family. Like most rebels, they may have some traits that you'll admire about them, but most prove to be very hard to live with.

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Mercedes-Benz CLS350 Shooting Brake

IN Mercedes, CLS, Mercedes-Benz, Daimler Chrysler

Mercedes may have launched this stylish looker here under the radar. But in our opinion, it should have been the star of the CLS range.

Aesthetics wise, Volvo has got the formula right. The very thing that captures your attention first would be the very sporty looking bonnet with its cuts and creases, and the extremely rakish windscreen. Throw in unpainted plastic cladding that runs all round, faux scuff plates (front and rear) and sleek silver roof rails, what you get is a jacked up hatch back with an off-roader presence.Â

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Dull And Drab No More | Volvo V40 Cross Country

IN Volvo, V40, Cross Country, Hatchback

Volvo's V40 Cross Country is style and substance all rolled into one.

Already distinctive and rather good to look at, the new 3 Series is made even more desirable with this aggressive bodykit. While the stock 3 has design cues that resemble the bigger 5 Series, the added M kit seems to lend well to help the 316i carve its own identity, which is definitely a good thing.

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Less Can Be More | BMW 316i M Sport

IN BMW, 3 Series, 316i, 335i, M-Sport

Last to the 3 Series family, the 316i may pack the least power, but it's so affable, it may just leave its middle siblings neglected by the crowd.

No need to hunt for a parking lot or wonder where to go, the Basement 2 car park is dedicated to receive you. Just pull up at the service reception bay and a service advisor will attend to you promptly. He will then run through the areas that your car will be worked on for the day, and proceed to give you a cost estimate.

Happenings

Audi Service Excellence 'Test Driven'

IN Audi, Audi Centre, Aftersales, Service, Premium Auto

They could have sent out a press release saying that they've got a great aftersales service program. But Audi went one better and invited us to experience it for ourselves.

Two models of the A-class will be available here, both powered by turbocharged 4-cyl engines: the 1.6-litre A200 with 156 hp and 250 Nm of torque, and the 2.0-litre A250 Sport with 211 hp and 350Nm. Claimed performance figures for both models are 8.3 s and 6.6 s respectively for the 0-100 km/h dash, and top speeds of 224 km/h and 240 km/h. Thanks to Mercedes' BlueEFFICIENCY engineering philosophy, both cars are rather fuel efficient at 5.8 and 6.4 l/100km, while CO2 emissions of 136 and 148 g/km ensure up to $10,000 in CEVS rebates.

Happenings

All-New Mercedes A-Class Launch

IN Mercedes, Mercedes-Benz, A-class, A200, A250, Hatchback, Cycle & Carriage

The previous Mercedes A-class was an innovative exercise in compact packaging and practicality, but suffered from ungainly looks and the results of the infamous Elk Test. Will the new one redeem it?

The 3.8-litre V8 engine, although smaller than the previous flagship's 4.7-litre, is built to deliver 18% more power and 39% more torque, while having a 20% reduction in emissions. 530 bhp is available if you're gunning it all the way to 6800 rpm, but a hefty 650 Nm of torque starts to warm you up from as low as 2000rpm. Oh, and this can be overboosted to 710 Nm from 2250 rpm, enabling the car to hit 100 km/h in 4.7 seconds!

Happenings

Private Preview Of The All New Maserati Quattroporte

IN Maserati, Quattroporte, V8, V6, Sedan, Twin turbo

Maserati's all new Quattroporte received a warm welcome by the media recently at a private preview held by Hong Seh Motors, distributors for the italian marque.

The new Mazda 6 has adopted the 'KODO — Soul of Motion' design theme the most. Inspired by the movements of the cheetah in the wild, the new model features the signature wing grille, the new family face of Mazda. Headlamps incorporate LEDs and a new halo ring light, while linking the face to the side character lines and onwards to the signature tail lights.

Happenings

Mazda Launches The New Sexy 6!

IN Mazda, 6, SkyActiv

The Mazda TAKERI and SHINARI (sounds like sushi) concept cars were great. The actual car while not as wild, is certainly a worthy interpretation. But will it sell as well as its predecessors?

Built near Milano where the company is based, the quality in the manufacturing and finish is nothing short of staggering. From the A-pillar backwards, the new exterior body panels are hand-shaped in steel — including the roof, new wider rear wings, and the internal reinforcements of the complete rear section of the car.

Happenings

Eurosports Auto Unveils Bespoke Bentley Continental Flying Star

IN Bentley, Eurosports Auto, GTC, Bentley Motors Limited, Touring Superleggera, Flying Star

It will roughly cost the price of three Bentleys and only 19 will be made. This Bentley built by italian coach builder Touring Superleggera is indeed reserved for the discerning few.