Sunday, November 8, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Freakin' Awesome Drive: the new Nissan 370Z Coupe!
I totally had automotive nirvana driving this gem of a sportscar that redefines the Nissan brand at 'just' RM370k whereabouts (on-the-road with insurance).
Alright, so what if it doesn't make the right (as opposed to politically correct) sporty soundtrack or have the badge of its Stuttgart arch-nemesis of which it is benchmarked against. In the UK, most auto mags have face-off this latest Z-car with the Cayman 2.9 with PDK. Forget that, in Malaysia, none of that matters since a brand-new Cayman S (3.4 with DFI + PDK) with some of the 'right' options ticked will cost almost double the Nissan 370Z!!!
At one point, I was driving 2.5 hours non-stop in the Z through a set of twisties and highway sweeping corners I got morphed into the car. I was at one-with-the-car. Serious. I thought that the Audi TT coupe was great in the way your buttock could 'feel' the road. This is even better! I was doing faster corners I had never thought I was capable of. Relaxed and composed.
The chassis balance was superb while suspension set-up was just right. Makes daily drive livable and comfy, yet poisely planted. The 370Z tracks corners brilliantly with the rear axle following incisively and faithfully. The way its steering whispers back to you into a bend is a finesse in its own Japo way, which the large "Z" emblem constantly reminds you. Yet in its entirety, it is all more Conti-esque in weighting and feel. The rack may not have the talkativeness of a Porsche's but I would say it's more than adequate. The rear donuts may step out a little bit should you push them near their limits, but it's all natural (even with stability programme on by default at all times), unlike the more robotic and 'synthetic' R35 GT-R.
I liked the way the gear knob vibrates too, as you caress it in your left palm. A sense of connectivity, reminiscent of my dad's Datsun 120Y of the late 70s, but in a different kind of way (that it doesn't oscillates on idling!) On the off side, the few gripes I have with the new 370z is the metallic gnashing sound of the clutch upon initial take -off, the often louder-than-desired noises (of water splashing, pebbles 'denting' sound of metallic knocks and rolling tyres) through the rear wheels arches. Looking quite tacky are fuel & coolant LEDs orange 'blips' and digital multi display info, residing within the left-most instrument cluster pod. Rest assured for all its cons here, the superb Bose sound system more than made up for them, especially the part about annoying decibels seeping through rear wheel arches.
Needless to say, Nissan's pioneering Synchro Rev worked flawlessly, much like a twin clutch 'box (which affords uninterrupted torque transfer upon swapping cogs), only here blipping of revs minimises torque dip as you downshift. Worked great for me since I never got the hang of this heel-and-toe shifting. As a result, you could actually feel more instantaneous traction as you drop a gear or two into corners.
At the end of my test period, I had wanted to 'carjack' the tester and not return it to ETCM. It also made me wanna trade my Cayman 2.7 for the new 370z...any demo unit in red or yellow going for a song? For me at least, I think it badly needs a Nismo muffler with a more 'show-off' soundtrack, or HKS or whatever aftermarket tuners have to offer to dump waste gases at the rear more emphatically!
RON97 and the Subaru Forester
Local Subaru distributor gave me another glimpse into the murky world of turbocharged automobiles and fuel grades compatibility, right after the eye-opening Impreza WRX STI Ver.10 and its RON95 dietary requirement.
This time around their new sales manager gave a hard-hitting statement that all their Subarus are filled with RON 97 and nothing lesser. Hmmm....a nice turn of event, I must say. Of course, I had no chance to witness the actual refill for the Forester, since the nice metallic grey tester was filled with approximately 30% of petrol in tank when I took it.
What I didn't notice were the missing plastic cover at the rear window angle (adjacent to C-pillar) on the inner right side. While the similar cover was cracked on the left (or was it vice versa?). Never mind that, the crux of the matter was the same Sales Manager (the last guy, Paul quitted his job after I last took the WRX tester) interrogated me on this by blurting out: "Are you sure?? (it was missing when you took it?)". The fact that I highlighted this missing item to him only aroused his suspicion that I had flicked it or lost it. Omigosh! C'mon, I can sure as hell pay for that little bit of plastic had I caused it to go missing! After spending thousands on my Porsche Cayman mods and maintenance, and being a privately practising professional would I stoop that low as to lie on this?!?
And returning it the next day at 11:15am was both a hassle and harrassment. I got a distress call from this same fella named Owen, alleging that there were some 10 guys waiting to test this car after 12 noon and they needed the Forester back urgently. Heck! Was I born yesterday (to buy all this load of bull)?
Now, I know why my other esteemed COTY judges don't bother with Subaru test cars. The level of courtesy and professionalism of the front-line folks involved with this brand pales considerably with their counterparts over at Edaran Tan Chong Motors (that handles the Nissan brand in Malaysia), as evident from the new Murano 3.5 V6 and the awesome 370Z loaned to us recently.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Porsche Panamera goes for a cool RM1 million and up...only in Malaysia.
If you have ever owned a Porsche 2-door coupe/cabriolet be it the 986/987 Boxster/Cayman or the iconic 911, you must have felt frustrated at some point in time that you cannot share your Porsche experience beyond your other-half, better-half or whatever, best friend/pal/associate and at best, plus two midgets at the back ‘seats’ of a 911.
Porsche AG seems to have an answer to this dilemma of generosity, for those who do not want a cumbersome and not-so-handsome vehicle of an SUV like the Cayenne. Enter: Porsche's four-seater Gran Tourismo, the Panamera, which made a grand entrance to Malaysia at its official launch at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, last Saturday evening.
The event was graced by His Excellency the German Ambassador to Malaysia, Dr Gunter Gruber and the cars were launched by Dato' Mokhzani Mahathir, chairman of Jaseri Automotive Group, the official importer of Porsche in Malaysia.
As its first four-door sports sedan/coupe, the Panamera is Porsche's answer to the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BMW 7 Series and Audi A8. Three variants are available, the Panamera S, 4S and Turbo - the first two are powered by a 400hp/ 500Nm capable 4.8-litre naturally aspirated V8 with the difference being RWD and AWD. As with the 911 sports car, the top of the range is the Panamera Turbo sporting a twin-turbo charged V8, 4.8-litre engine that produces 500hp/700Nm combo!
According to Mokhzani, the best thing about the Panamera is its impressive lo fuel consumption, with claim figures of 10.8L per 100km for the S, 11.1L per 100km for the 4S and 12.1L per 100km for the Turbo. "This is achieved through technology and lightweight construction of the body such as the axles, bonnet, wings, doors and tailgate that are made of aluminium, the window frames and cylinder head cover from magnesium, among others. This saves on weight, and therefore fuel," he said.
The Panamera as with other Porsches, is highly customable: available in eight interior decor styles, six interior colours and four two-tone finishes in several leather variants.
The Panamera S retails from RM998, 000 (manual transmission), while the 4S is from RM1,118,000. The top-of-the-range Panamera Turbo will start from RM1,398,000. For more information, visit www.porsche.com, or visit your nearest Porsche Centre (Glenmarie in Shah Alam, KL City Centre or Penang).
Friday, October 2, 2009
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