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The roadster... | BMW G310R

IN BMW, G310R, BMW G310R, BMW Motorrad

...dressed like a bruiser.


Both are essentially the same car but the variants point to seemingly opposing ends of the spectrum. The A110S is lighter and harder than the standard model, the A110 Pure, that sits in between the pair. While the A110 Legende (pronounced lay-jond) attempts to make a tourer out of this mid-engine sports car. The main highlights of the A110 Legende are leather seats that have adjustable backrests (the Pure and S have fixed angle racing ‘bucket’ seats made by Sabelt), softer suspension and 18-inch wheels that are bespoke to this model. The design of these Sérac wheels pay homage to the Alpine models of the 1960s and 70s.
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Soft Focus | Alpine A110 Legende

IN Alpine, A110, Legende, Alpine A110, A110 Legende, Alpine A110 Legende, Wearnes Automotive

A more comfortable suspension setup and a little weight gain has actually improved the French coupe as an everyday proposition.


Carmakers have taken to christening their estate models with different names to stand out from each other. Audi, for example, uses Avant, while BMW calls it a Touring. Skoda terms theirs as a Combi, while its parent company Volkswagen refers to its variants as um, Variant.
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The Critical Thinker's Practical Choice | Skoda Octavia Combi

IN Skoda, Octavia, Combi, Octavia Combi, Skoda Octavia, Octavia Combi, Skoda Octavia Combi, Skoda Centre Singapore

In a sea of SUVs, the seldom-seen station wagon smartly stands strong. And the Skoda Octavia Combi is one of the strongest there is.


The Mercedes-EQ sub-brand aims to bring ‘intelligent electric mobility’ to consumers, merging typical Mercedes qualities with new-age electric tech. In time to come, the Mercedes-EQ range will offer eco-conscious drivers electrified alternatives to all mainstream Mercedes-Benz models.
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Adapted & Electrified | Mercedes-Benz EQC 400

IN Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-EQ, EQC, Mercedes-Benz EQC, Mercedes-EQ EQC, Electric, Electric Vehicle, EV, Cycle & Carriage

The Mercedes-Benz EQC is the brand's first mass production EV, and brings with it a whole new sub-brand. What’s to be expected?


Traditionally, MINIs are targeted at the young and young-at-heart. Funky colours, endless customization options, and cheerful styling. On this new facelifted MINI, however, they’ve taken all of those unique MINI features… and given it a goatee.
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Goatee Go Fast | MINI One 5-Door

IN MINI, One, One 5dr, MINI One, MINI One 5dr, Eurokars Habitat

With lively handling, Johnny Depp-esque styling and a practical cargo capacity, it’s hard to fault the refreshed entry-level MINI.


A good starting point is the driving position. This is of course highly subjective as the driver’s size and body type makes a big difference. For this writer’s 1.8-metre frame at least, the front seats are perfectly supportive. More crucially perhaps is how the car’s most crucial touchpoints – the steering wheel, gear lever, as well as the pedals – fall readily to hand and feet. Like putting on a tailored jacket, the driver immediately feels comfortable, familiar, and ready to go. This imparts a sense of confidence to explore the limits of the car. The positioning of the steering wheel and gear lever is underscored by also being nicely weighted for feedback that feels sweet and positive.
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Sweet spot for entry performance | Suzuki Swift Sport Hybrid

IN Suzuki, Swift, Swift Sport, Suzuki Swift, Suzuki Swift Sport, ZC33, ZC33S, Champion Motors

The entry point for performance driving begins with this supermini. Does its mild hybrid drive hinder or enhance the experience?


For the longest time, the Volkswagen Golf has been the benchmark for hatchbacks, and if our impressive drive in the new Golf Mk8 was anything to go by, I’d say it still holds the crown, for now.
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Gloves off | BMW 1 Series 116i Luxury

Luxury brands like BMW and Mercedes have been criticised from time to time for ‘lowering’ their standards when making entry-level models. Is this one of them?


What, made by aliens, was it? Well, not the “little green men” sort of alien you’re thinking of (unless the workers in Honda’s Suzuka factory wear green coveralls), but fans of Doctor Who would certainly appreciate one of the Jazz’s best-loved qualities since its inception: its TARDIS-like ability to swallow up more stuff than its exterior dimensions would suggest.
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Going That Extra Mile | Honda Jazz Hybrid

IN Honda, Jazz, Hybrid, Jazz Hybrid, Honda Jazz, Honda Jazz Hybrid, Kah Motor

The Honda Jazz has always been an economical little car, but this new hybrid version is little short of miraculous.


This latest car that has gotten our blood pumping in a way that no other car has for a really long time is the Toyota GR Yaris. Depending on who you ask, you might get a different answer as to what makes it special.
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Instant Classic | Toyota GR Yaris

IN Toyota, Toyota GR, Toyota Gazoo Racing, Gazoo Racing, GR Yaris, Toyota GR Yaris

We’ve driven this much-lauded supermini, and the hype is real. Prepare to want one.


But I’m guessing the RS6 caters to owners who would be in their late ’40s or mid to late ’50s. These guys have enough money to buy whatever they want, and probably already have (or had) whatever they fancied (think Ferrari 488, Porsche GT3 or McLaren 600LT), but want something that works daily that won’t give them a headache or a backache, yet makes a statement about their choice in cars.
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A Class Of Its Own | Audi RS6 Avant

What do you get when you’re fortunate enough to own a stable of supercars but need a practical daily driver that’s just as quick and ‘showy’? The Audi RS6, of course.


This time however, the LC 500 finds itself in a slightly different world. By the time COE and a few options such as an alloy wheel or paint colour of your choice are added the new 992-generation Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabriolet, you’d be knocking on the door of $700k. There is however, an even better reason to be considering this car, the LC 500 Convertible. If you want the purity of a naturally-aspirated V8 engine, this is the only game in town. To the uninitiated, this means that there’s less plumbing to get in the way of the exhaust noise to make its way out.
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A V8 to Savour | Lexus LC 500 Convertible

IN Lexus, LC, LC500, Lexus LC, Lexus LC500, Convertible, Lexus LC Convertible, Lexus LC500 Convertible, Borneo Motors

We may never get to hear a V8 unadulterated by turbochargers again. That alone is reason enough to buy this car while we still can.


With such a massive transformation, you’d expect this is an all-new car we’re talking about here. But no; the 2021 Lexus IS is technically still the same 3rd-generation model that debuted in 2013. The interior, for example, is almost unchanged, save for the infotainment system featuring new software, adopting Android Auto/Apple CarPlay connectivity, being moved 15cm closer to the driver, and most importantly, capable of touch operation.
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Old Dog, New Tricks | Lexus IS300 & IS300h

IN Lexus, IS, IS300, IS300h, Lexus IS, Lexus IS300, Lexus IS300h, Borneo Motors

Athletic, comfortable, and with looks to die for, the new Lexus IS is the small premium saloon of choice for the keen driver.


It’s a brilliant masterstroke by the Japanese outfit because they’ve immediately made what would normally cost three to four times more, more easily accessible by the mass market.
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Quick spin | Suzuki Jimny 1.5

We spend a day with Suzuki’s popular Jimny and see what the fuss is all about.


As a result, it’s not surprising that we almost never get the chance to present to you, dear readers, the kind of daydream-inspiring metal that our UK counterparts regularly do; today is different, however. Apart from the VW Golf GTI and Honda Civic Type R, no other cars can lay claim to being as indelible a part of the 21st Century hot hatch zeitgeist as the reincarnated Mini and the Renault Megane RS. The three generations of each have generally been fabulous even in standard form, but it’s their apex, most focused iterations that have most vividly captured the imagination - the John Cooper Works GPs in the British/German corner, and the R26.R and Trophy Rs in the French one.
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The Winners’ Circle | Mini JCW GP & Renault Mégane Trophy

IN MINI, JCW, JCW GP, MINI JCW, MINI JCW GP, Renault, Megane, RenaultSport, Renault Megane, Renault Megane RS, Megane RS

We round up two of the rarest hot hatch icons in Singapore - the MINI JCW GP and Renault Mégane Trophy - in search of the ultimate front-wheel drive thrills.


COVID restrictions meant we only had an hour with the car during the launch event of the new Mk8 Golf and Golf GTI (and that included time for photography as well), so we can’t give you much more than the most fleeting of first impressions. Oh, and conspiring against us further still was some truly appalling weather. But even so, there are signs that VW has turned up the aggression slightly in the Mk8 and made it a more willing entertainer than its forebears.
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FIRST DRIVE: Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk8

IN Volkswagen, Golf, GTI, Golf GTI, Volkswagen Golf, Volkswagen Golf GTI, Volkswagen Group Singapore

A brief taster of the new Golf GTI suggests that Volkswagen has injected a bit more sportiness back into the long-reigning hot hatch king.


So, any drivetrain differences? Unfortunately, no. Power output stays the same, with 244 bhp and 353 Nm of torque from the 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-pot. This means a 6 second century sprint, up to a 240km/h top speed. The lack of drivetrain updates isn’t necessarily a bad thing, considering how well it already drives. Its Nürburgring-developed chassis is nicely balanced between performance and comfort, despite the fixed dampers (Stinger GT gets electronically adjustable units). What’s lovely is how the suspension absorbs mid-corner bumps, ensuring that the chassis stays planted with no nasty surprises.
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Adding to Excellence | Kia Stinger 2.0 GT Line

IN Kia, Stinger, Kia Stinger, GT Line, Cycle & Carriage Kia

Kia’s already-excellent Stinger gets a mild facelift and quite a bit more equipment inside, but the price tag grows, too.


Drive it like a HEV, and the battery charges itself up with regenerative braking. This turns energy typically wasted during braking, into useful electric charge for the battery that can be used in future. Got access to an EV charging point? You’ll also be able to juice the battery up for a bit of extra electric go.
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Bit of Both | Volvo XC40 T5 Recharge PHEV

IN Volvo, XC40, Volvo XC40, Hybrid, Plug-in hybrid, PHEV

Volvo’s latest XC40 Recharge PHEV crossover provides a semi-EV experience, but works best if you have a private charging point.


The car we’re testing here is a face-lifted RS5. Mostly the same as the outgoing model, the front of the car sports the most distinctive tweaks. To give the updated car a fresher face, Audi has opted for perpendicular diamond-shaped black side grilles that house the fog lamps. Along with a minor redesign on the headlamp LEDs, these side intakes make the face a bit more aggressive.
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Safe House | Audi RS5 Sportback 2.9 TFSI

Fast and kinda furious, the face-lifted RS5 is still quick and sensible. But are fast Audis getting too efficient for their own good?


Of course, not everything was perfect over the last half-century. After the sublime near-perfection of the ’90s E39 generation came a couple of stumbles: the ’00s E60 with its maddeningly perplexing early iDrive system and controversial “Dame Edna” styling (though the passage of time has been kind to it), followed by the slightly bloated – aesthetically and dynamically – F10 from the early 2010s.
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Old Faithful | BMW 530i M Sport

IN BMW, BMW 5, BMW 5 Series, Performance Motors Limited

Want a large luxury sedan that can do it all? The cleverer and ostensibly greener facelifted BMW 5 Series takes some beating.


Paired to a 6-speed manual (!) transmission in the Kona, the 1.0-litre was a mightily capable engine. A brilliant mix of engagement and efficiency, it was no Kona N, but still managed to brighten your commute a bit.
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Downsized but Decent | Hyundai i30 Hatchback 1.0 Turbo

IN Hyundai, I30, I30 Hatchback, Hyundai i30, Hyundai i30 Hatchback, Komoco Motors

Hyundai’s shrunk the engine of the popular i30, but the equipment list has remained properly sizeable.



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