Love them or hate them, SUVs - or crossovers - are here to stay. The general public just can’t seem to get enough of them, and the industry that shifted so much to the point where producing SUVs has now become a make-or-break move necessary for keeping a brand afloat. Here’s where the Maserati Levante comes in. Introduced in 2014, it’s the Italian marque’s answer to the ever-increasing demand for cars that drive on stilts. Today, it’s one of Maserati’s best-selling models, but does it hold up to the Trident’s famed long-standing history? Handsome is my middle name
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Maserati Levante GT - Anima Italiana

IN Maserati, Levante, GT, Anima, Italiana

The Maserati Levante GT continues to exude the Italian marque’s famed flair and mantra, now packaged in a family-friendly package.


If you happen to have a cool million dollars lying around, BMW now has a solution to spend it all in one go. This is the BMW XM, and it’s a monstrous plug-in hybrid (PHEV) sport utility vehicle (SUV) that also comes with a monstrous price tag – S$1,003,888 to be exact. Thank god that price includes the certificate of entitlement (COE). Making a statement
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This is the all-new million-dollar BMW XM

IN BMW, XM, BMW XM, Launch, Singapore, Million Dollar

The BMW XM is not just an ordinary luxury SUV; it’s a statement piece.


From its inception, the Jeep Wrangler has always had unique appeal going for it. It’s one of those iconic cars in automotive history that exudes a certain philosophy, and to this day it still refuses to bend its traditional formula in order to conform with the rest of the industry. A dinosaur in our strange modern times, but one that a lot of like-minded enthusiasts can appreciate. So then, does this brute still have a place on our sterile roads? Imposing looks and flexed muscles
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Jeep Wrangler Sahara - Road Warrior

IN Jeep, Wrangler, Sahara, Road, Warrior

The Jeep Wrangler has been retrofitted with modern creature comforts but still retains its old-school barbarian charm.


In what is a world first amongst any automotive manufacturer, customers, fans, and dealer partners can now virtually specify any of Aston Martin’s breathtaking product range within the high-performance setting of a Formula 1 pit garage. Launched ahead of the second Grand Prix of the season in Saudi Arabia, the new digital environment displays Aston Martin’s AMR23 challenger within the garage, allowing customers and fans to take inspiration from the pinnacle of motorsport engineering and design when bringing to life their bespoke interpretation of an Aston Martin.
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Aston Martin welcomes customers and fans inside its Formula 1 pit garage to spec their dream car

IN Aston Martin, Customers, Fans, Formula 1, Pit garage

Aston Martin launched an all-new environment on its online configurator, welcoming customers to spec their own car within the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One garage.


Though ingress and egress wasn’t exactly a cinch, I’m happy to report that it is rather easily doable without having to worry about throwing one’s back out, which is more than can be said about some other low-slung sporty/sports sedans and coupes. At over half a million dollars before COE, the 911 Carrera finds itself going up against the likes of the BMW M3 and M4, an historic rivalry that still continues to this day. From a practicality standpoint, the Bimmers naturally have the upper hand, but they’re both sedan-based and taller, whereas the Porsche is ground-up a lower-slung sports coupe. Outside
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Porsche 911 Carrera - Base Isn’t <i>Just</i> Base

IN Porsche, 911 Carrera, 992

The 992 Generation of the 911 Carrera shows why it is still THE daily-drivable premium sports coupe.


The GR010 Hybrid #7 of Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and José María López bounced back from a practice accident on Thursday to take victory after a hard-fought 239 laps at the home of endurance racing in the United States. After a tense race-long battle at the front, World Champions and 2022 Le Mans winners Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa also clinched a perfect result for Toyoto Gazoo Racing by finishing second in the #8 GR010 Hybrid, with a gap of just 2.168 seconds. Relentless consistency, flawless team operations and strong tyre management combined as Toyota Gazoo Racing overcame the challenge of new Hypercar rivals from Cadillac, Ferrari and Porsche. Toyota managed to lap all competitors twice, earning the team’s 40th WEC victory.
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TOYOTA GAZOO Racing secures Sebring 1-2

IN TOYOTA, GAZOO Racing, Secures, Sebring, 1-2

Toyota Gazoo Racing dominated the opening round of the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), securing a 1-2 victory in the 1000 Miles of Sebring in the face of strong Hypercar competition.


On top of offering a free trial for their streaming app, SPOTV NOW, fans can enjoy 2 weeks of live streaming on SPOTV NOW for free when they sign up during the period of 22nd March – 4th April 2023. This will not only garner free access to catch all of the action from the highly anticipated opening MotoGPTM race in Portugal and MotoGPTM Argentina race, but also the Formula E Prix in Sao Paulo Brazil. 2023 is poised to be the biggest year of premier class motorcycle racing yet, as the 2023 MotoGP™ World Championship will not only mark the 75th edition in the history of the Motorcycle World Championship, but also the 1000th Grand Prix at Le Mans in May.
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SPOTV kickstarts 2023 MotoGPTM Season with free trial on SPOTV NOW

IN SPOTV, 2023 MotoGPTM, Season, Free trial, SPOTV NOW

Sports fans in Southeast Asia are in for a treat as leading sports entertainment platform, SPOTV, kicks off the new MotoGPTM season this week.


Believe it or not, the McLaren P1 is now 10 years old, and Mclaren is celebrating its first decade anniversary since the P1 first appeared at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. This was also coincidentally 60 years after Bruce McLaren founded the firm. Exclusive and highly desirable (due to limited numbers) when it was first revealed, the McLaren P1 sold out within mere months, and all 375 cars were allocated soon after and sent to the far ends of the globe.
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McLaren celebrates 10-year anniversary of the P1

IN McLaren, Celebrates, 10-year anniversary, P1

The McLaren P1 pioneered electrification in supercars 10 years ago when it was launched at the Geneva Motor Show.


That was the dream Horacio Pagani had when he was little. It was 1992, and on a day that could have been like any other, Horacio Pagani showed Maurizio Ferrari a wasteland. A wasteland, that in years to come, would turn into one of the automotive world’s best bespoke factories.
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Pagani Automobili, 25 Years Of Heart, Hands and Passion

IN Pagani, Automobili, 25 Years Of Heart, Hands and Passion

One man's dream and ambition gave birth to jaw-dropping moving works of art.


Electric Vehicles (EVs) are undoubtedly the future for the automobile – at least for the next decade anyways, until governments and manufacturers come around to e-fuels… However until then, if or when, the car industry is firmly committed to producing EVs. Like everyone else, I’m all for anything that is an improvement over whatever it replaces and so EVs ticks almost all the boxes. One very big box that remains unchecked, however, is the business of charging. If you are an apartment dweller like me, who doesn’t have regular access to a personal wall box or is using your EV for a road trip, then you’ll know that you have to set up an account with the charging provider, and store your credit card number. And since there are several operators, it would be prudent to hold several accounts to minimize the chances of not being able to charge your EV when need to. Oh, on road trips, charging stops have to be planned lest you be stranded with a dead EV. Compare this with the convenience of refuelling conventional Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) cars. The drive down the I-5 to Los Angeles takes you through one of the most uninhabited places in California. Yet, you could still find a gas station with no more than 25 miles between them. You can drive up to any station, use any method of payment, including cash – imagine that, fill up and be on your way for the next 400 miles or so. All in 10 minutes or less. While EV charging technology is getting faster, and over time will be more common, the business of paying for the charge is ridiculously complicated to paying at the pump. No amount needed, just hand over your money and go. How is this progress? Okay, I’m sure someone is working on making EV charging more convenient. Wake me up when September ends. Testing the hybrid theory Until charging an EV becomes as convenient as refuelling, perhaps hybrid cars will be relevant in the sense that they offer all the advantages of an EV without the drawbacks. This proved to be the case when I drove a 2023 BMW 330e from Los Gatos to Los Angeles. The car was chosen on the assumption that its 107hp electric motor would be sufficient for pottering around the city while the 181hp 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine would have the legs to handle the endless stretches of Interstate Freeways without breaking a sweat. Working in tandem with the electric motor, there’s a combined output of 288hp and 310Nm at its driver’s disposal. Over 300 miles or so of interstate driving, the motor, along with regenerative inertia and braking would have plenty of time to charge up the batteries so I essentially could cruise in the city.
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2023 BMW 330e xDrive: The Really Easy e

IN BMW, 330e

A drive from Silicon Valley to Los Angeles shows why plug-in hybrids still make sense in a growing EV world.


I say revisited, but in actuality, it was my first time behind the wheel of a Jimny. Having heard a lot about this mini off-roader and having watched a few YouTube videos, I thought I knew why Jimny-owners liked it so much. Nope. Not until that pleasantly-surprising day.
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Plucky Revisited with the Suzuki Jimny 1.5

IN Suzuki, Jimny

Flexin' baby!


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


I will openly admit to being pretty nonchalant when the opportunity to share a test-drive of the EQE 350+ with Sheldon was presented. Having read and watched multiple reviews of the EQS, I wasn’t exactly thrilled to partake in an EQ-product review. You know that saying about how one should NOT judge a book by its sibling cover? Mmmm hmmm… The day arrived when Sheldon showed up at my driveway in the EQE 350+. I couldn’t help but pull a Jonathan-impersonation, with the first words out of my mouth being, “it looks like a fish. Good thing it’s not silver, or it’d be a silverfish!”, accompanied by an pseudo-evil creepy-leery smirk, the type that one would be highly tempted to slap 73 different kinds of stupid out of. Sheldon groaned. Then we proceeded to the photoshoot. The Mercedes-Benz EQE 350+ AMG Line is the tri-point star brand’s answer to mid-range luxury. Unique to Singapore’s market though, it pretty much sits on its own. The Tesla Model S, its natural albeit less-luxurious rival, is not available here, and its nearest price-competitor, the Audi e-tron GT is a lower-slung two-door coupe. So, by some weird twist of fate, the EQE 350+ kinda sorta finds itself going up against its big-brother EQS in Singapore. Die Außenseite There’s no mistaking it. The EQE 350+ is big. B-I-G-G. Its nearly 5-metre length takes up a normal parking spot lengthwise, and then some. Parked next to other sedans and wagons at an open carpark, its bright white roofline could clearly be seen from a distance, since it towers around 1.5-metres above ground level. The curvy and flowing lines of the bodywork further accentuate this perception of ‘bigness.’
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Electrified Luxury with the Mercedes-Benz EQE 350+ AMG Line

IN Mercedes-Benz, EQE 350+, AMG Line

Janis Joplin would probably approve of the EQE 350+ with glee from Heaven above


But, this wasn't what Volkswagen did. They quietly launched this - the new face-lifted Arteon. Most people won’t realise this is new, even if it's sitting pretty right in front of you in the showroom. Ironically, this new facelift actually makes for quite a compelling upgrade over its predecessor, and I feel the Arteon should receive more love in that regard.
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2022 Volkswagen Arteon : Regal-Line

IN Volkswagen, Arteon, Review, Singapore, R-Line, 2022

In order to drum up as much publicity as possible, automakers tend to launch new facelifts to tons of fanfare, even though most of the time there are barely any changes to the existing model.


There likely will come a time in a car enthusiast’s life where one needs to transition towards more family-related motoring options. I’d like to propose that an enthusiast needn’t perform the drive of shame around fellow enthusiasts when turning up to and departing from a car meetup in the Toyota Sienta Hybrid. Now now... stay with me here. I’m NOT for one second suggesting that the Sienta Hybrid is an enthusiast-vehicle. FAR from it. But there’s more to it than meets the eye. Read on, and it will become clearer. Moving seven people around in a cost-effective way is what the Sienta Hybrid is best known for. Pretty sure there have been more than a few occasions when a private-hire vehicle was booked, and a Sienta turned up – for good reason. In this segment, the Sienta Hybrid’s closest competitor is the also newly-launched Honda Freed. Both mini-MPVs feature seven seats in a compact monocoque form-factor, but the officially-imported Freed has a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated i-VTEC(-kicked-in-yo!) engine without hybridisation, leaving the Sienta Hybrid pretty much in a class of its own.
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Toyota Sienta Takes the Hybrid Game Up A Notch

IN Toyota, Sienta Hybrid

Quirky, funky looks and practicality maketh the latest gen Sienta Hybrid memorable and likeable


There used to be a time, up until the early 2000s, or thereabouts when you could tell you were driving a BMW just by how the steering felt and how the car handled. It didn’t matter which model you were behind the wheel of; 3, 5, or 7 Series, maybe even a Z4 or early X5, every model was united by an unmistakable steering feel and way the controls fell to hand.
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BMW M240i rolls back the years

IN BMW, 240i

This sporty two-door shows that the Bavarian automaker hasn’t forgotten how to make a great driver’s car


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BMW i4 eDrive40 review: A 4gone Conclusion?

IN BMW, I4, Saloons, Luxury saloons, EVs, Electric cars, Reviews

The i4 is BMW’s first EV saloon, but is it worth a look compared to its other four-door rivals?


It's no secret that the BMW Active Tour was a big hit when it first arrived back in 2014. As a compact MPV it pretty much ticks all the boxes of being well-built, spacious and, well, a BMW.
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BMW 2 Series Active Tourer 218i M Sport

It's a good thing that the new 218 Active Tourer is very good, because, with COE prices this high, you'll want the bang for your every buck.


If you’ve never been to the United States, California would be a good place to start your American experience. Many first-timers might gravitate to the adrenaline-filled joy rides that Southern California is known for; Disneyland, Universal Studios and Hollywood – you get the idea…
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Discovering California: Land Rover Discovery R-Dynamic S

IN Land Rover, Discovery, R-Dynamic S, California

The multi-faceted Golden State proved to the be perfect setting to put Land Rover’s most versatile SUV through its paces


What other body style gives you both car-like driving dynamics and all the practicality a car owner could possibly need? None. Nada. Only a wagon can.
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Perfection | Skoda Octavia Combi RS 2.0 TSI

I start all my wagon reviews by saying this: “If you’ve been reading Burnpavement articles for some time now, you’d know that I’m a wagon fan.”



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