Search Result

Good for me. On the flipside, since I own one such car, I must confess over the years my social circle is getting smaller and smaller…
New

MINI John Cooper Works | Grown Up

IN MINI, John Cooper Works, JCW, Cooper, MINI Habitat

The JCW becomes significantly more fun with the bigger engine — growing up isn’t all that bad in this case


New

Why BMW’s M5 Is The Only Sedan I Need | Random Writes

IN BMW, M5, M5 Competition Pack, BMW M5 Competition Pack, Random Writes, Munich Automobiles

The M5 may not sound like a favourable car to most, but here are some of the car’s unique quirks that actually raised its likeable factor for yours truly


Happenings

Back To Basics

IN Toyota, S-FR, Lightweight, Sports car, Concept

Building on momentum of the GT86 Coupe, Toyota unveils a sports car concept that is even smaller and lighter than its already svelte bigger brother - enter the S-FR concept


You see, the 124 Spider is the result of an agreement formed between Fiat and Mazda about three years ago. Mazda would develop and manufacture both its new MX-5 and the Spider at its factory in Hiroshima, with the two cars featuring each brand’s own engines. So, whereas the MX-5 uses a naturally aspirated 1.5 or 2.0L Skyactiv engine, the Spider will come with a turbocharged 1.4L lump from the 500 Abarth.
Happenings

An Itsy Bitsy Spider

IN Fiat, Spider, 124, Roadster, Sports car,

Japanese engineering with Italian style. Fiat revives another iconic nameplate with this, the new 124 Spider.


Say hello to Mike Frost: Mike works for Mobil 1 and his official job title is 'Racing Technical Advisor for McLaren-Honda'. His office is a small mobile laboratory in the McLaren pit garage, literally a cubicle-sized space amongst the various spare parts, tyres and mechanics' tools. It doesn't sound like much, but his role is an important one; he analyses and tests all the car's fluids and lubricants that are supplied by Mobil — such as engine and gearbox oils, and hydraulic fluid. All these oils share the same purpose — to increase efficiency by reducing friction, resulting in increased performance and reliability.
Motorsports

The Winning Formula

IN Mobil, Mobil 1, Esso, Formula 1, Formula One, Fuel, Oil, Engine, McLaren, Honda, Team, UK, Singapore Grand Prix, Singapore GP, F1

The drivers may grab all the headlines, but there so many more heroes in Formula 1, some of whom you never knew existed.


The announcement comes amid media reports that said the two companies are exploring numerous projects. Among them would be an arrangement in which Toyota supplies Mazda with its hydrogen fuel cell system and plug-in hybrid technology, in exchange for receiving Mazda’s fuel-efficient Skyactiv gasoline and diesel engine technology.The latest move comes as global automakers increasingly pool resources on expensive green-car development. In hydrogen fuel cell technology, for example, Nissan has teamed with Ford and Daimler AG, while Honda is working with General Motors.
Happenings

Toyota And Mazda Form Partnership

IN Toyota, Mazda, Toyota Motor Corporation, Mazda Motor Corporation

Long-term partnership signed to 'address cost and technical challenges'


David Sonenscher, Joint Series Director of the GT Asia Series, thanked Yokohama for their involvement with the series over the last three seasons, whilst welcoming the return of Michelin as the official tyre supplier. “I’m happy to be able to announce that we will be in partnership with Michelin in 2015, re-establishing a link that Motorsport Asia Limited have had with the French manufacturer that first began back in 1996,” David Sonenscher said.He continued, “Since that time we have worked directly with Michelin up until 2011 and since then, indirectly though the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Series, so we have had an unbroken link spanning 19 years. We’re looking forward to a strong program in 2015, with some outstanding events, including our first three-hour race at Sepang, following on from what was a big season in 2014.
Motorsports

Michelin Is GT Asia 2015 Official Tyre Supplier

IN Michelin, GT Asia, GT Asia 2015, Motorsport Asia Ltd, Supercar Club Hong Kong, 2015

French tyre maker will be supplying tyres for the full 11-race program


The car we shall talk about today is the Panamera S e-hybrid. Then again, some of you avid Burnpavement readers may question why on earth we’re reviewing a hybrid Panamera again, because we’ve done it before.
New

Electro Magneto | Porsche Panamera S e-hybrid

IN Porsche, Panamera, E-hybrid, Porsche Panamera e-hybrid, Hybrid

A revised version of Panamera’s tree hugger silently made its way here


But when you actually do get behind the wheel of one, it drives surprisingly well.
New

Meat Loaf | Suzuki Solio

IN Suzuki, Solio, Suzuki Solio, 1.2-litre, Champion Motors

It’s no high-performance car whatsoever, but this little Suzuki still impresses in many other ways


On a Saturday night and when you have the urge to play Lewis Hamilton, the C250 remains capable. It thrusts forward with dignity, it overtakes on the expressway without feeling breathless and in a slalom we created, it changes directions in an assuring manner.
New

I C What You Did There | Mercedes-Benz C250 AMG Line

IN Mercedes, Mercedes-Benz, C-Class, C250, AMG Line

The main question here: Is it any better than the 328i and A4 2.0 TFSI?


The circuit opens its doors to the public for the first time today (12th November). For more information, head to the KF1 website at www.kf1karting.com. In the meantime, stay tuned for an upcoming feature where we tell you what it’s like to race on the new track!
Motorsports

KF1 Karting Circuit opens for business!

IN Motorsports, Karting, Go-kart, Singapore circuit, Track

Brand new track in Kranji a major boost to Singapore’s flagging motorsports scene.


And then you start to look around. “Hmm… Still a Cooper”, you thought.
New

This Could Be The One | Mini One

IN Mini, One, MINI One, 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder, Turbocharged, Eurokars Habitat, BMW Asia

Mini’s entry-level model may sound diminutive, but how it performs is in no way small at all.


Fortunately, the list price of the Jetta Highline is not too lofty. At $126,300 with COE, it sounds like pretty good value to us, considering the fact that it is also one of the safest cars in its class with six airbags and Electronic Stabilisation Programme (ESP), contributing to its five-star rating by Euro NCAP. Want one? The Jetta Highline will be soaring into VW showrooms from the 6th of September 2014.
New

Volkswagen Jetta Highline Soars In

IN Volkswagen, Jetta, Highline, DSG, TSI, ESP, VW

Volkswagen freshens up the Jetta with a 'higher' trim level.


If you suddenly lost the interest to continue reading this review, don’t worry about it; we understand, bro.
New

Watch Your Back | Alpina B3 Biturbo

IN Alpina, B3, Biturbo, BMW, Alpina B3 Biturbo

The other hyper 3 Series but with 600 Nm of torque, enough to scare supercars — or is it?


Well, that is on paper. Factor in the almost 2-tonne kerb weight and you should be able to realize why it takes 9.5 seconds to get from standstill to 100km/h. Realistically speaking though, the 508 RXH feels brisk when moving off traffic light junctions; it won’t do the job as rapid as an A4 Avant (2.0 TFSI quattro), but it is not as breathless as you would expect as well. I took the car up for a day-trip to Melaka, and I must say it does the job of chomping mileage at high speeds rather respectably — notably, while it seems flat higher up the power band, the sweet spot lies within the mid-range.
New

Rubic’s Cube | Peugeot 508 RXH Hybrid

IN Peugeot, 508, 508 RXH, Peugeot 508 RXH Hybrid, Pug, Diesel, Hybrid

Peugeot is aggressively introducing diesel-powered models, and to up the ante, they have a hybrid-diesel wagon available now — yay, or nay?


The transmission, although shifting smoothly, somewhat has the tendency to shift up earlier than expected even in Sport mode. Thankfully BMW made paddle-shifters a standard fixture here, which allows you to manually pick your own gears. While at that, the car is willing to stretch all the way to its 7,000 rpm redline; however, it does feel flat past 5,000 rpm.
New

4 The Win | BMW 420i Coupe

IN BMW, 4 Series, 420i, Coupe, German, BMW 420i, Performance Motors, BMW Asia

If you must have a German coupe for whatever reasons it may be, BMW’s entry-level 4 Series is worth a close look


In our test though, we left it on the dashboard to charge. With just over an hour of direct sun, we could easily fully charge our iPhone 5. That's almost as fast as plugging it into the wall! It's versatile at the same time and can be charged via the sun, wall or USB connector.
The Pit

Sun Power | mPowerpad 2

IN Solar power, Charger, IPhone, IPad, MPowerpad 2, Thirdwave power

In a recent drive up to Malaysia, we brought along a rather interesting gadget to aid our multiple-phone charging woes. A solar-powered charger that worked remarkably well!


The SQ5 is powered by a 3.0-litre supercharged unit that pushes out 354 bhp and 450 Nm of torque. That might not be a lot in this day and age, but it is enough to take the SQ5 from standstill to 100km/h in a mere 5.3 seconds. That puts it way ahead of its competitors like the Cayenne and X5.
New

Speedy Utility Vehicle | Audi SQ5 3.0 TFSI

IN Audi, SQ5, TFSI, Audi Centre Singapore, Audi Singapore, Premium Automobiles

Audi seems to be on a roll, soup-ing up everything in their stable. The Q5 3.0 TFSI we drove earlier is already as fast as anyone would want an SUV to be. Is there really a need for an 'S?


Like the previous model the full-sized MPV will come in two variants - the EX and the EXV. The EX is the 'base' model, although it already comes with quite a list of features and seats the most number of people (eight vs. seven in the EXV). Available as standard on both models are Honda's new 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system, HondaLink navigation and of course, the 2.4-litre DOHC i-VTEC engine with Earth Dreams technology. The unit pumps out a healthy 172bhp and 225Nm and will return a fuel consumption figure of 12.7km/L.
Happenings

New Honda Odyssey Launched

IN Honda, Odyssey, Kah Motors, MPV, Earth dreams, I-VTEC

The Honda Odyssey loses its low-slung profile, but makes up for it with more space, more features and more bits of modern tech.


Then there is the space. The front bucket seats are rather huge and do eat into the rear legroom, but they still leave enough margin for three adults to be seated comfortably. As a wagon though, the boot space is substantial and it will swallow up a whole lot of things.
New

RS Is For Rudolf's Sled | Audi RS 4 Avant 4.2 FSI

IN Audi RS4, Audi Singapore, Premium Automobiles, RS, Avant, V8, 4.2 FSI, Christmas

Audi's RS 4 Avant is one cracking wagon. An astonishingly fast car that is the epitome of 'vroom and room'. But how does it perform as Santa's helper? We put some antlers on and find out.



© 2015 BURNPAVEMENT