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Supercars, in general, have made great strides in terms of usability over the past few decades. Rewind time to before I was born, and most supercar owners were stuck suffering with temperamental machines that were often broken down by the side of the road and were all but unusable in adverse weather.

These days, however, supercars are practically as usable as your run-of-the-mill Prius; you'd be pretty much fine toddling down to the shops and picking up groceries in a McLaren or Ferrari as you would in a Toyota.

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2022 Audi R8 RWD Performance - Swansong For A Friend

IN 2022, Audi, R8, RWD, Performance, Burnpavement

The naturally aspirated Audi R8 reminds us of the glories of a soon-to-be-bygone era.

In a heartwarming gentlemen’s gesture, together with their fellow podium finishers, Evans and Martin dedicated the result to their friend and fellow competitor Craig Breen, a Hyundai WRC star who tragically lost his life in the build-up to the event.

Martin was coincidentally Breen’s co-driver between 2014 and 2018, claiming their first WRC podiums together.

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Toyota Gazoo Racing returns to the top step in Croatia Rally

IN Toyota Gazoo Racing, Croatia, Rally, WRC, TGR

Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin have returned to the top step of the podium, taking victory at the 2023 Croatia Rally.

Considered the first pure asphalt round of the season, the Croatia Rally joined the WRC schedule two years ago and the varied roads around the country’s capital city, Zagreb, are already seen as some of the most challenging on the calendar.

With the service park located within Zagreb itself, the stages take place in the north of Croatia close to neighbouring Slovenia. The roads feature a wide variety of different asphalt types, which means that available grip is constantly shifting, while mud and rain can bring about further challenges. Some sections are technical and twisting, but many others are fast and flowing with jumps and crests.

Much of the route for this year is familiar from 2022. After the shakedown on Thursday morning and a ceremonial start in Zagreb that evening, Friday’s opening day action takes place just to the west of the city.

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Toyota Gazoo Racing makes asphalt return in Croatia

IN Toyota Gazoo Racing, Croatia, WRC

Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team heads to the Croatia Rally for the fourth round of the 2023 FIA World Rally Championship season on April 21-23, 2023.

Has the horsepower arms race ended yet? If cars like the car tested here are anything to go by, Subaru could well be at the leading edge of a new movement. Yet, the surprise is that it might not be a bad thing. The Subaru Forester e-Boxer 2.0i-S Eyesight Hybrid as the car tested here is called in full makes all of 150hp and 194Nm of torque. Quite a long way off the heady days when the mighty 2.0XT made up to 240hp less than a decade ago.

The downside of the XT however, was its woeful fuel efficiency as it came with a four-speed automatic and needed a heavy weight engine oil and had to be fed high octane petrol. Add all-wheel drive into the mix and you’ve got a recipe for a proper guzzler.

These days, when fuel prices being what they are, the Forester needs to work smarter, not harder to stay relevant in the market.

To this end, Subaru has done exactly that.

To kick things off, the new Forester is literally a green car in more ways than one…

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2022 Subaru Forester e-Boxer Punches Above Its Weight

IN Subaru, Forester e-Boxer 2.0i-S Eyesight Hybrid

New styling, better fuel efficiency, improved features and a noticeable improvement in quality makes the (literally) evergreen Subaru Forester more relevant than ever

After a long hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, SGRETROCAR is resurrecting their esteemed GT-Rally charity drive event with our Northern neighbours’ re-opened borders. This charity drive is scheduled to be held from 2nd December to 8th December 2022.

In order to participate, one would have to own a car which is above 25 years old. However, unlike previous iterations, this year’s itinerary would be more exclusive, as the group is limiting total convoy capacity to just 8 cars.

Classics

SGRetroCar Cross Country GT-Rally 2022

IN SGRETROCAR, Classic, Cars, Charity, Drive, 2022, Thailand, Donations

8 Cars. 2200km. One big retro car charity drive adventure.

At time of writing, a Cat A COE costs S$86,000, which would put its full price at a shade under S$165k. This makes it cheaper than all other EVs apart from the Chinese BYD and MG models.

Happenings

Peugeot e-2008 officially launched in Singapore

IN Peugeot, 2008, EVs, SUVs,

This compact SUV is the only European EV on sale here with a Cat A COE

Happenings

FL5 Honda Civic Type R Specs Revealed

IN FL5, Honda, Civic, Type R

Honda finally discloses technical specs of its new hyper hatch

Back in the '80s, during F1's original turbo era, Porsche was an engine supplier, providing McLaren Racing with a 1.5-litre twin-turbo V6. But before putting it into the race car, it had to be tested, and for that, McLaren and Porsche stuck it unmodified into a 930 Turbo test mule. This white prototype - largely unmodified save for 17-inch RUF wheels, a front bumper from the 930 Flatnose, and a taller whaletail engine cover with extra vents - was kept secret by McLaren until it surfaced in the middle of last decade.

Happenings

These 3 F1-engined road cars beat the Mercedes-AMG One to the punch

IN Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-AMG, Mercedes, AMG, One, Hypercar, F1, Formula One, Porsche, 930 Turbo, McLaren, Yamaha, Ferrari, F50

The Mercedes-AMG One isn’t the only car with a Formula One powerplant. Here are a few that came before it.

As the pinnacle of motorsport, F1 holds an appeal to carmakers like no other. To win at F1 means you can make absolutely the best car in the world, and ever since the series switched to turbo-hybrid engines, one team has dominated, winning eight championships in a row: Mercedes.

Happenings

The F1-engined Mercedes-AMG One is finally here

IN Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-AMG, Mercedes, AMG, One, Project One, Hypercar, F1

No other car has ever translated “Formula One for the road” quite so literally

Now, it's looking to make a revival of sorts of that golden era, with the Prodrive P25. That’s a reference to the number of years since the Subaru Impreza World Rally Car (the 2-door one, not the 4-door Impreza 555 Group A car) hit the stages in 1997.

Happenings

22B, or not to be? That is the question, as Prodrive previews 400hp Subaru Impreza 22B STi restomod

IN Subaru, Impreza, STI, 22B, Prodrive, WRC

The Prodrive P25 will be a modernized tribute to Subaru's '90s widebody icon

The collective brainchild of Ken Block and BBi Autosport, the Hoonipigasus was built to be the fastest overall at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado, USA, which celebrates its 100th running this year. BBi has had several class wins on Pikes Peak in various 911s and Caymans, so if anyone can pull this off, it's them.

Starting with a Porsche 964 as a base, BBi stuffed a 4.0-litre flat-six out of a 911-gen Porsche GT3R racing car behind its rear seats to make it mid-engined, then gave it two massive turbos (the biggest ones that turbo maker Garrett has ever made) and all-wheel drive. It runs on methanol, revs up to 9,600rpm, and produces 1,400hp at sea level.

Happenings

The 1400hp Porsche 911 “Hoonipigasus” is Ken Block’s latest insane ride

IN Ken Block, Porsche, Porsche 911, Hoonigan, Pikes Peak

And he’ll attempt to conquer the Pikes Peak Hillclimb in it too.

Happenings

Toyota GR Supra to get manual transmission

IN Toyota, Supra, GR Supra, Gazoo Racing, Save The Manuals

Toyota goes doubles down on the #savethemanuals movement, but what does this mean for BMW?

But alas that’s not to be. As we covered recently, the Subaru WRX STI is gone. Dead. Finito. Thankfully however, Toyota has taken that same rally-inspired recipe and - as celebrity chefs like to say - gone and given it its own little twist, and it is as glorious as the STI’s demise is sad. Say hello to the Toyota GR Corolla.

Happenings

The Toyota GR Corolla is the WRX STI that Subaru won’t build

IN Toyota, GR Corolla, Gazoo Racing, Corolla, Hot hatch, Manual

The latest addition to the Gazoo Racing family is the rally-inspired manual hot hatch of our dreams. But will it come to Singapore?

Classics

Be mesmerised by priceless classics drifting on a frozen lake at ICE St Moritz

IN Concours, ICE St Moritz, Classic cars, Drifting

A gazillion times better than Disney On Ice

Factor in the current COE price of $82k and the M340i comes within striking distance of the $376,581 Audi S4, also an all-wheel drive 3-litre turbocharged sport sedan that makes 353hp and 500Nm of torque. Altogether, that’s good for an electronically-limited 250km/h top speed and 4.7 second sprint from 0-100km/h. Compelling?

Moreover, even though it still sports a straight-6 turbo engine, the M340i is now available in Singapore only with all-wheel drive, or xDrive as BMW calls it. Cue moans and groans from hardcore BMW enthusiasts.

Since the regular G20 has already been covered in a previous article, we’ll simply focus on what makes this an M Performance vehicle.

The Important Bits

The M340i features bulging intakes up front, which sets it apart from the regular 3er and makes that front-end look sharper and meaner. Don’t be deceived by those slim headlights though – they’re up there with the best that we‘ve tested.

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BMW M340i xDrive: Formerly known as Prince

IN BMW, M, M340i, XDrive

True commitment to (most of) BMW’s traditional values is needed

With the exception of genuine mud-pluggers like Land Rovers, Jeeps, the Toyota Land Cruiser, Mercedes G-Wagen or Suzuki Jimny, what can SUVs do that other car types can’t? Just need a personal or family runabout? An equivalent-sized saloon or hatchback will be cheaper and more economical. Regularly need to lug lots of cargo around? A wagon can swallow just as much stuff while being easier to load/unload (due to being lower), and being more economical as well. And what if you have an extended brood? Well, proper MPVs will always be more spacious and comfortable than even the largest of 7 or 8-seater SUVs. Add to all that the fact that physics ensures an SUV’s extra height and weight works against it in road manners, and it’s still a wonder how, for the first time last year, they became the best-selling type of new car in Singapore.

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Clawing its way to the top | Jaguar F-Pace 2.0 R-Dynamic

IN Jaguar, F-Pace, Jaguar F-Pace, Wearnes

Handsome looks, superb handling and an excellent new infotainment system make the facelifted Jaguar F-Pace one of the most desirable medium luxury SUVs around.