Search Results

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

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?

Working hard at appealing to the car’s intended target segment in a bid to cajole them to eschew their dowdy appearance of batik shirts, black man bags and thick gold chains, Mercedes-Benz has place great effort in making the new E-Class more stylish.

New

Like A Boss | Mercedes-Benz E200 Sedan

IN Mercedes-Benz, E-Class, E200, Sedan, Saloon

The perennial favourite of ‘towkays’ gets a makeover.

To mark G-SHOCK’s milestone 30th anniversary in Singapore, this year’s ‘SHOCK THE WORLD 2013’ tour in Singapore was held at The Coliseum, Hard Rock Hotel, at the Resorts World Sentosa. In an exclusive collaboration between G-SHOCK and two of Singapore’s most talented designers, the event featured the unveiling of limited edition stylized G-SHOCK watches designed by local fashion designers.

The Pit

G-SHOCK Celebrates 30 Years Of Timepiece Innovation

IN Casio, G-Shock, 30th Anniversary

G-SHOCK marks milestone anniversary with a dance and music extravaganza and exclusive local designs that embodies its progressive design and ‘indestructible’ timepieces.

The all-new Lexus IS will be available in three key models — IS 250, IS Hybrid and IS F SPORT. The IS 250 is powered by a smooth 2.5-litre V6 engine providing 208 bhp, while the IS Hybrid is powered by a 2.5-litre inline four-cylinder engine, boasting of 223 bhp. An all-new F SPORT package will also be available for both models.

Happenings

All New 2013 Lexus IS Range Unveiled

IN Lexus, IS, IS250, Hybrid, Petrol, F Sport, Launch

The third generation all-new IS model range was recently unveiled at the new Lexus Boutique.

The natural trade-off though, is in its ability to carve a corner. Despite how tall the Forester is, body roll is less prevalent than expected, no doubt thanks to the Boxer drivetrain’s low centre of gravity, but unless you really enjoy feeling a car at its limit no matter how easily reached it is (which I do), there’s not much reward to be gained from hustling it. The tyres are designed for low rolling resistance and hence give up very easily, running out of grip at even moderate speeds, while the electric steering, though light and easy to twirl at parking speeds, has a vague, non-linear response during the first few degrees of lock. On initial turn-in the steering feels overly light but after that it firms up, with nice weighting and progression through the rest of the turn.

New

The Family Rocketship | Subaru Forester 2.0XT

IN Subaru, Forester, XT, Turbo, X-mode, AWD, Review

With the next generation of WRXes and STIs still at least a year or two away, it’s up to the 4th-generation Forester to uphold the turbocharged mantle in the Subaru stable.

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.

Unveiled to clients and family during Vanishing Point 2013, the International Pagani gathering, the Revolucion would be the ultimate Zonda. Just like the Cinque and the R, the Revolucion has a Carbo-tanium central monocoque which weighs it in at 1070 kg. This lightweight shell is pushed around courtesy of an 800 bhp 6.0-liter V12, resulting in an impressive 748 bhp per tonne.

Happenings

The Last Of Its Kind

IN Pagani, Zonda, Revolucion, R, V12, Track

Pagani builds the ultimate Zonda to celebrate the end of its production run.

Thanks to its lightweight construction (composite body panels on top of a tubular spaceframe chassis), the Twin’Run weighs just 950kg, and can hit 100km/h in 4.5s before topping out at 250km/h. The car sits on 18-in wheels, with double wishbone suspension and Ohlins shock absorbers all around.

Happenings

Run For Miles

IN Renault, TwinRun, Concept, V6, Race

This is the French at their loony best, stuffing a big V6 into the rear of a tiny car. And what did they do with it after that? Thrash it round a track, of course!

When BMW first introduced the F10 M5, many complained about the relative lack of exhaust noise as compared to its V10-powered predecessor. Sure, it may give one less aural pleasure, but the performance gains more than made up for it. However, in terms of aesthetics, BMW still has some way to go before the F10 could look anywhere near as good as its grandfathers.

Happenings

BMW Updates The M5 For 2014!

IN BMW, M5, Competition, F10, 5-series, V8, Turbo

BMW’s flagship performance sedan gets a nip and tuck

Happenings

What The F?

IN Lexus, GS, F-SPORT, Kirk Edmondson, Borneo Motors, LFA, IS-F

We sit down with Kirk Edmondson, General Manager - Brand Management for Lexus Asia Pacific Division, and chat about what Lexus is doing with their F-SPORT range.

Happenings

A 'Selfish' Celebration

IN Lamborghini, Bull, 50, Anniversary, Birthday, Gift, Egoista, Selfish, V10, De Silva, Concept

The Raging Bull turns 50 this year. We weren’t expecting it when the Veneno was unveiled at Geneva, and we certainly weren’t expecting this, the Egoista.

To be fair though, the Audi TT Ultra Quattro Concept isn’t all max power and unhinged lunacy. In fact, the thinking behind it is fairly inspired — using Audi’s racing experience to shed massive amounts of weight: the car weighs just 1,111kg, 300 less than the TTS on which it’s based.

Happenings

Superleicht

IN Audi, TT, Quattro, Concept, Worthersee, Festival, Lightweight, TSI

Like a Superleggera, but German. The Audi Audi TT Ultra Quattro Concept makes Lamborghini's (and indeed everyone else's) efforts at a lightweight special seem completely inadequate.

Sit yourself inside the Cayman, and you'll find that this is one sports car that is easy to get comfortable in. It may be low slung, but the seats are comfortable and visibility all round is excellent. Materials used in the cabin are of high quality - what else would you expect from the Germans. That being said, the Boxster S we have in our company stable is starting to show signs or wear, even the plastic areas we hardly come into contact with are beginning to scratch off. No chance of a long term test with this Cayman though, so we wouldn't know how it's interior will stand the test of time.

New

So Good It Hurts | Porsche Cayman 2.7 PDK

IN Porsche, Cayman, PDK, Coupe, Eurokars, 2.7

The new Porsche Cayman is seriously good. In fact, it's definitely the best drive I've had this year so far. So why am I still missing the previous one?

Called the Jetta Special Edition, the car gets a full bodykit for the front, rear and sides, 18-inch Preston alloy rims, chrome tailpipes, tinted windows and aluminium pedals. Mechanically it’s identical to the Jetta and Jetta Sport, with a choice of 122 or 160 bhp 1.4 TSI engines, mated to the familiar 7-speed DSG gearbox. The $10,000 CEVS rebate applies for the Jetta SE too.

Happenings

Hitting The Gym And Working Out

The Jetta’s always been a competent performer, with this sporty new variant, Volkswagen is hoping to enhance its appeal and win new hearts.

A mismatch though it may be, the engine is still a great unit. It produces just 94bhp, which admittedly isn’t fantastic, but makes up with 230Nm of torque. That’s more pulling power than some NA 2.4-litre engines! An even bigger selling point though, is its cleanliness — just 99g/km of CO2. Perhaps this why only this engine is being imported here — it gets the maximum $20,000 CEVS rebate, a useful saving in Singapore’s problematic car market. And naturally, being a diesel, fuel consumption is excellent too; I managed just under 17km/l over 370km of not-particularly-economic driving.

New

Call Of The Jungle… | Peugeot 208 e-HDi

IN Peugeot, 208, 1.6 e-HDi, Diesel

… The urban one, that is. Peugeot’s latest baby has landed and, curiously for this end of the market, it’s a diesel!

New

The Baby Benz Grows Up | Mercedes-Benz A200 Urban

IN Mercedes-Benz, A200, A Class, Hatch-back

Mercedes-Benz calls it the “rebel” of the family. Like most rebels, they may have some traits that you'll admire about them, but most prove to be very hard to live with.

Happenings

Mercedes' New AMG is a 'CLA45' Act!

IN Mercedes, Benz, CLA45, CLA, AMG, Coupe

The CLA gets a powerful 4 cylinder engine and all wheel drive to turn it into a mad, track munching beast.

Happenings

Beetle: Now With Added Poke

IN VW, Volkswagen, Beetle, TSI

VW Singapore bolsters the Beetle range with a more powerful 1.4 TSI twincharged engine that packs 160 bhp.

Stomp on the pedal from standstill and the new GTI will accelerate to 100 km/h in 6.5 seconds and reach a top speed of 246 km/h. The GTI Performance will edge ahead a little at 250 km/h and 6.4 seconds for the sprint to 100 km/h.

Happenings

New Volkswagen Golf GTI To Grace Geneva Motor Show

IN Volkswagen, Golf, GTI, Geneva Motor Show

Following the news on Volkswagen's GTD diesel hot-hatch, their iconic GTI has officially been announced and will make an appearance at the Geneva Motor Show.

Built near Milano where the company is based, the quality in the manufacturing and finish is nothing short of staggering. From the A-pillar backwards, the new exterior body panels are hand-shaped in steel — including the roof, new wider rear wings, and the internal reinforcements of the complete rear section of the car.

Happenings

Eurosports Auto Unveils Bespoke Bentley Continental Flying Star

IN Bentley, Eurosports Auto, GTC, Bentley Motors Limited, Touring Superleggera, Flying Star

It will roughly cost the price of three Bentleys and only 19 will be made. This Bentley built by italian coach builder Touring Superleggera is indeed reserved for the discerning few.