Search Results

But yes, spacious it most assuredly is. The middle row can be configured and two large and comfortable seats, or a full bench when they are pushed together and snapped into place. The rear is good for three adults too. Like all MPVs, the seats can be folded to create more space if you need more luggage area.

New

Tall And Handsome? | Mazda Biante 2.0

IN Mazda, Biante, Trans Eurokars, Eurokars, MPV

The new Mazda Biante is a true people-mover. The massive 4.71 metre-long MPV is set to take the game to it's competitors, the Toyota Alphard and the Nissan Elgrand.

Oh yes, Mercedes’s A-Class; now how could we ever forget about it?

New

Star Light, Star Bright | Mercedes-Benz A220 CDI

IN Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes, A-Class, A220, CDI, A220 CDI, Diesel

A diesel-powered Mercedes mini might not sound compelling enough for the masses, but in a twist, the A220 CDI does have it’s own set of surprises; dieselphobes, read this…

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.

Reputed for being ultra exclusive, ALPINA produces just 1,200 BMW ALPINA automobiles each year for worldwide distribution dedicating only a limited number of units for the Right Hand Drive market like Singapore. To share the joy of exclusive ALPINA ownership, each BMW ALPINA automobile comes adourned with its own ALPINA Production Number.

Happenings

Munich Auto Is Southeast Asia's First Alpina Dealer

IN BMW, Alpina, B3

Munich Automobiles has revealed that it will be the first ALPINA dealer in South East Asia.

Cliche as it may sound, power is nothing without control, and if great handling is what you want, handling is what you get. Upon plonking yourself hurriedly in the driver's seat, and fretting about your future wives reaction, ooops a typo there, 'wife's' I mean (bit of a Freudian slip eh?) the first thing you’ll want to do is push the Start button, and with that, the turbocharged 2.0-litre engine burbles into life with a bassy note to boot. The next button you would want to push would be the 'Mode’ button next to the gear lever and select from the available settings of Comfort, Normal, Sport, Eco and Individual. The changes affect the suspension, steering and throttle response of the car and in Sport, performance is aplenty as the car settings are adjusted to be more dynamic. In fact mashing the accelerator is a treat, as the car resonates with a rich burble and a near instant response that eggs you on to push it harder. And with the reworked and improved sport suspension, grippy Continental ContiSportContact 2 tyres and a steering wheel that offers great feedback, indulging in a bit of necessary spirited driving results in your best man going

New

Golly, That's Insane! | Mk7 Volkswagen Golf GTI

IN Volkswagen, Golf, GTI, Mk7

The all-new Mk 7 Volkswagen Golf GTI has got it all covered as the best all rounder hot hatch. Pavement burner or wedding car, the GTI does it all!

Let's take a look at this not-so-subtle Edition One-specced A45. With it's rear wing, side canards and matt black livery, this little car looks fast without even moving, if a little ostentatious. That said, without the Edition One add-ons, the A45 could pass off as a regular A-Class with a Sport kit. Only upon closer inspection, will you notice the

New

A Star | Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG

IN Mercedes-Benz, A45, A Class, Hatch-back, AMG

The A45 is Merc's entry-level AMG model. But there's nothing basic about this premium hot hatch at all.

Using Nokia's innovative collection technologies blended with a team of local experts with an intimate knowledge of local road networks and surrounding areas, the True II vehicle is a specially equipped vehicle used to collect and verify real time location data about buildings, street signs and roadways and then puts that information into HERE maps, which are used by Microsoft’s Bing, Windows Phone devices and cars throughout the world.

Happenings

HERE's True II Car

IN GPS, Mapping, Nokia, True II, Volkswagen

With Nokia's next-generation data collection vehicle called True II, high quality navigation maps can be built and kept fresh.

BP: Some people have said that the best racing drivers didn’t pass their driving tests on the first try - Jenson Button for example. How many attempts did you take to obtain your driver’s licence?
Alain: I did the test when I was 18 years old, the normal age at the time, and passed on the first try. (chuckles)

BP: What was your first car, and what’s your preference for your road cars you drive?

Alain: I never liked driving sports cars. When you’re driving in Formula 1 you want something a little more comfortable. The first car I bought was an Opel Kadett GT/E, which was a rally car. Unfortunately, that was the only car I had an accident with. I was going quite slow to be honest, but it was on gravel, and my friend and I ended up going 30m down the (side of a) hill. I’d only had the car three weeks, so that was quite a bad experience!

BP: I understand that your son is currently a test driver for Lotus. How is he going with that? With Kimi moving to Ferrari, might there be a spot for him next year?

Alain: It is never impossible, because he has done a good job in the last two years, and spent a lot of time on the simulator. But being a development driver, he is very focused, and it is a different way of working and it is very good for the team. Being a race driver is going to be another different thing, with qualifying one lap or doing the start, (or) even if he races in endurance or other types of races. So it is two different things and I realised it and he knows it himself that it will be difficult for him to be chosen by the team but you never know.

BP: All the best for that!

Motorsports

A Meeting With The Professor

IN Renault, Alain Prost, Prost, Wearnes,

Racing drivers live and breathe motorsports throughout their careers, but have you ever wondered what happens when they stop?

The Ford Mondeo is celebrating its 20th anniversary and more than 4.5 million sales in Europe, including 1,400,000 in the UK alone. “Mondeo has a rich history and a bright future,” said Barb Samardzich, vice president Product Development, Ford of Europe. “Across two decades, Mondeo has stood for great driving dynamics, surprising technologies, excellent safety and outstanding fuel efficiency.”

Happenings

20 Years Of The Mondeo

IN Ford, Mondeo, 20th birthday, Regent Motors

A forgotten hero in Singapore's market, Ford's Mondeo celebrates it's significant 20th birthday this year.

Setting the R apart from other Golfs are different bumpers front and rear, as well as a diffuser and quad chrome-tipped tailpipes. 18-inch ‘Cadiz’ wheels are standard, 19s an option, and the R gets a unique paint colour called Lapis Blue metallic. Inside, you get sports seats trimmed in alcantara or Nappa leather, stainless steel pedals and door sills, as well as a smattering of R badges throughout the interior, including on the leather-wrapped steering wheel.

Happenings

Rated R for Rapid

IN Volkwagen, Golf, R, VW, Hot hatch

Not long ago, the Golf R32/Golf R had its corner of the market to itself, its power and price elevating it above tamer hatches. But with new rivals from premium brands, is the Golf R still the daddy?

The new Gallardo Squadra Corse is very close to the race cars. Both share the same V10 engine, which is used in the racing version with no modifications. Likewise, the Squadra Corse has the same rear wing for greater aerodynamic load — achieving, under the best aerodynamic conditions, three times the load of the Gallardo LP 560-4 — for increased dynamic stability during tight, high speed driving. Another element taken directly from the racing version is the removable engine hood with quick-release system. Both the rear wing and the hood are made from carbon composite material, as are a host of other components on the Squadra Corse.

Happenings

Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4 Squadra Corse

IN Lamborghini, Gallardo, Squadra Corse, LP 570-4

The Squadra Corse brings race track emotion to the road.

The Pit

Vision Gran Turismo

IN Gran Turismo 6, GT6, Sony, Playstation

Celebrating 15 years of Gran Turismo, manufacturers, design houses and other brands will showcase special concept cars to feature exclusively in Gran Turismo 6.

Changes to the new Fluence are mostly cosmetic. The most obvious difference is the redesigned front end, proudly incorporating the Renault diamond front-and-centre, ala the new Clio. Expect future Renaults to also feature this new family face.

Happenings

Updated Renault Fluence Launched In Singapore

IN Renault, Fluence, Wearnes

Renault’s mid-sized sedan gets a refresh to keep it competitive in its segment.

Every $30 nett spent gives customers a chance to try their luck with Caltex’s Lucky Star Promotion. Simply key your total expenditure and your vehicle’s registration number into the iPad mini at the service kiosks, and print out your lucky draw coupon and a set of 4 winning Lucky Numbers! If your slip has 4 Lucky Stars, or any permutation of your vehicle’s registration number, you win $100 and $500 Star Cash respectively. If you’re lucky enough, you might win $1,000 Star Cash, when your Lucky Numbers match up to those of your car.

Happenings

Count Your Lucky Stars With Caltex!

IN Caltex, Petrol, Fuel, Contest, Promotion

Stand a chance to drive off in a BMW 316i at any CaltexÂ® Station

BP: So what kind of emotions did you experience inside the car as you finally set the record?
AG: As I came out of the measured mile, through the final timing lights, I knew that we had set the record. However, it’s not over at that point — I’m still travelling at 1,200 km/h and the car needs to stop safely. There’s also a small chance that the timing gear didn’t work — so no celebrations yet. Once the car has stopped, about 10 kilometres and 90 seconds later, the timings come through on the radio — our second run was supersonic and within the required one hour time window, and now we know we’ve done it, time to shut down the car, climb out, and join the celebrations — we’re the world champions!

Happenings

Sonic Boom!

IN Andy Green, BLOODHOUND project, Supersonic, Land speed record, Singapore Science Centre

Andy Green, the fastest man alive, tells us more about going supersonic at a recent meet at the Singapore Science Centre.

Exterior-wise, the car looks pretty much looks like a mix of the Grand Turismo and a shrunken Quattroporte; the combination has produced a car that is dotted with sleek lines and sexy curves. The same cannot be said about the car’s rear end; the Kia Cerato-esque lights just do not fit the curvature of the Maserati bodyshell.

Happenings

Ghibli Is Ready To Take On The Middle-Weight Champs!

IN Maserati, Ghibli S, Diesel, Quattroporte baby, Luxury,

Maserati shrinks the Quattroporte and slaps in a V6 diesel.

On the outside, it may look like very little work has been done. But look a little closer, and you will realise that Kia has lengthened the Soul, tweaked its headlights and front bumper, and smartened up its rear end. The rear taillight cluster has been replaced by a much smarter and more modern unit, while the rear tailgate has been widened and is now made up of a single piece of glass, with the centre decked out with a piece of body-coloured trim.

Happenings

Kia’s Got A New Soul!

IN Kia, Soul, New, Supermini, New York

Kia ditches the ‘boy-racer’ look and goes for a more matured look in the facelifted Soul.

The stats, though, really do make for quite some startling reading. The 6.3-litre V12 is a development of the unit from the F12 Berlinetta, but massaged to produce 790 bhp at a screaming 9000 rpm. Coupled with Ferrari's HY-KERS (HYbrid-Kinetic Energy Recovery System), the LaFerrari manages a grand total of 950 bhp and 970 Nm of torque, eclipsing the McLaren by about 50 bhp, and murdering the Porsche's 785 bhp. As a result, 0-100 km/h is done and dusted in less than 3 sec, 0-200 in less than 7 and 0-300 in 15 sec. The mighty Bugatti Veyron SS, with around 200 bhp more, can only manage those benchmarks in 2.5, 6.7 and 14.6 sec respectively.

Happenings

The New LaFerrari - LaAwesome, Or 'Come On lah'?

IN Ferrari, LaFerrari, Geneva, Hybrid, Hypercars

Years of planning, research, testing and teasing have led to this. The War of the Hypercars is upon us and Ferrari wades into battle with the biggest arsenal. It's gonna be an exciting year ahead...

To maximise driving feedback, the car has to be set up just right. KW takes care of this by allowing the driver to adjust the characteristics of the front and rear dampers independently, while still remaining true to the high safety standards of the C63 AMG set by Mercedes Benz. The “Comfort” damper setup has a very soft damping (displayed in the App with 0%), while the “Sport+” damper setup is much harder(displayed in the App with 100%). However, controlling the dampers via the app is an option that involves the installation of a W-LAN module. Once that is installed, the unit uses secured WiFi to communicate with the iPhone.

The Pit

KW DDC ECU Suspension Kit Available For Mercedes C63 AMG

IN KW, Coilovers, Mercedes-Benz, C63, Suspension, AMG

Tired of the ‘soft’ suspension in your C63 AMG? KW is here to help.

The V6 is offered with a choice of drivetrains from an AWD ‘Q4’ system that is LHD only, to a more traditional RWD. Both V6s are capable of a top speed of 285 km/h. This “Q4” system is a revolutionary first for the new Quattroporte.

Happenings

Maserati Quattroporte unveiled at North American International Auto Show

IN Maserati, Quattroporte, V6, V8

Maserati hopes the redesigned Quattroporte can help achieve a sales figure of 50,000 cars by 2015.