Peugeot 407 CKD Review

Finally, some great European engineering with prices for the masses! The facelifted Pug 407, courtesy of Naza comes with loads of goodies, namely auto xenon lights, auto wipers, 10-speaker JBL sound system, GPS, electric seats, stability control, to name a few. At RM125-133k, there are few Japanese executives sedans that offer these many goodies at a relatively 'reasonable' price, Malaysian style.

First, the driving position was easy to find, with the 6-way electricaly adjustable seat and steering that adjusts to height and rake. I must say the the seats were extremely comfortable and had that snug-comfy-armchair feel.

The engine was quiet and relatively vibration free, and had decent acceleration, but runs out of breath quickly. The engine needs to be pushed in order to overtake passing cars, but driven in a sedate manner, you will have no complains. The reworked engine now has 10Nm more torque and features Variable Valve timing for improve economy. The 4-speed auto maybe be dated in this category today, but is still capable of decent fun in manual mode. The test model had only 300km in it, so it really has not been run-in fully for perky performance.

Ride was top-notch, as expected from Peugeot. Suspension setup was neighter hard nor soft, but was comfortable enough for the daily grind and some spirited runs on the highway. Highway driving is where the 407 shines, with very controlled turn ins, and a firm, planted ride. The Japanese had their work cut out trying to match the Europeans on this.

Interior wise, 407 slams the competition head on. Nice soft touch plastics on the dashboard and door panels, plus and great fit and finish make it a value buy. My only grouse would the the pletora of buttons on the dash, which take some getting use too! The salesman told me he had not attended the 2-day training from Peugeot/Naza, so he didn't know how to reset the trip computer!

There were some forummers who complained that the rear legroom was small, but I found the legroom to be adequate, with plenty of support for the thighs. The rear A/C blower was a plus too.

I espeacially enjoyed the auto xenon lights, auto wipers and the very cool headlight washers - two nozzles pop out from the bumper the spray clean your headlights at a touch of a button! The onboard computer also informs you of your next service, oil levels, and even a tire pressure monitor the tells you which tire needs more air.

Small niggles aside and at the risk of sounding like a Peugeot salesman, the 407 seems like a logical executive choice over the boring Japanese offerings, so much more car - for less money. In my book, that's a good buy.

Review: Facelifted Volvo S40

Its been 4 years since the understated little Volvo S40 has been on our roads, and yet its presence is not significantly felt. Well, that might the case for the old version, but the newly-facelifted version is set to steal some sales from the hotly-contested small premium car segment.

After undergoing some minor cosmetic changes, the new S40 looks rather like a smaller, handsome S80. As you can see from the pics above, the nose and grill is reshaped to look bolder and the previous black-out headlights have been replaced with a shiny-projector style lights-ala S80.

The changes are little more noticeable at the back, with the rear lights that have rearranged graphics and illuminate courtesy of LEDs. The bumpers have also been reshaped to look larger with rear reflectors. The V-O-L-V-O font is spelt out quite prominently on the rear bootlid - a pleasant throwback to the days of the P50:)

For the interior, changes are very subtle - unless you are a die-hard S40 fan, it will look exactly the same as the old one, but there are a few nifty changes I spotted: the 4 buttons at the free-floating centre console are now chrome-ringed, the handbrake is the same one from the C30, and the cupholders are redesigned.

I really have to commend the car's sound system, its superb - fastastic bass response and has a surround sound feature. The drivers seats are now electric memory seats with 2 settings and are supremely comfortable. News is not so good are the back though - the seats are small and cramped, but should fit 2 adults comfortably.

There is only one engine choice - the carry over 170hp 5-cylinder unit good for 230Nm of torque. Don't expect to win any races though, this one's built for economy, but still has decent get-up for the occasional racer-boy (or racer-girl) in all of us! Geartronic - Volvo's 5 speed auto can be changed through the shifters on the gear lever (+/-) to urge the lerthagic engine to kickdown for faster get-up.

There is a cacaphony of safety features -DSC (Stability Control), whiplash protection, front and side curtain airbags, ABS, and so on (what else would you expect in a Volvo?) There is also cool features like rain sensor, ground puddle lighting and a auto dimming rear view mirror.

Also this for RM12k cheaper than the previous version - at RM169k.

First Hand Look at new Audi A4 1.8T B8

I had a chance to sample the Audi A4 1.8T last weekend and came away somewhat impressed.

Hot on the heels of Mercedes Benz's new C-Class saloons, the all-new Audi A41.8T, or known as the B8 in Audi circles, comes in an interesting time. Priced at RM235k, its the same price range as the arch-rivals BMW 320i and C-Class, but fully imported from Germany. One wonders how much profit margin both BMW and MB makes with their tax-favourable models!

You will never mistake the A4's distictive daytime-running lights for any other car, and it certaintly is an understated "look-at-me-I'm-not-BMW" sort of muse to it. The shape is any evolution from the B6 guise, with a massive 20cm growth in length. Suprisingly, the rear seats are not very large and lack thight support, but the drivers seat is another matter. The LED obsession moves to the rear seat footrest, lighted by some cool blue leds too.

The new 1.8 liter TFSI engine features gasoline direct injection and peak power is 160 PS from 5,000rpm to 6,200rpm, and peak torque is rated at 250Nm at a very low 1,500rpm, provides loads of low-end grunt. The engine is mated to a CVT box with “virtual gears” - 8 speeds for you to choose from now, though for best acceleration you should just leave it in the normal CVT behavious mode so it can stay at the optimum RPM.

Volvo still makes the best seats in the business, and Audi's are fine, but the Sport version's side bolstered seat would be better. Fit and finish is impeccable and there is no faulting the the controls, although the dash seems like a cacophony of buttons. Shockingly, I find the some of the buttons are not as tactile as they should be, having the el-cheapo "clicky" sounds! The steering wheel is spot on, nicely weighted and with audio and cruise control buttons on the wheel. Shutlines are tiny, and the doors close with a very,very reassuring thud not seen in Japanese cars of any class.

The car comes with a 12-speaker Audi Symphony sound system, which sounds great, and the Audi MMI (Multi Media Interface) which takes some getting used too.

On the move, Audi is yet to give me a test drive car- please, AutoDunia, please...:) Until then, enjoy the pics.... I still can't take my eyes off those lights!

Photos courtesy of UrlFan

New Nissan Sylphy Hits Our Shores

Alas, there is a new contender in the coverted C segment in Malaysia. Albeit its feminine-sounding name, the Nissan Slyphy has a few aces up its cards. Although I have not driven it, initial impression is good, in terms of build quality.

In terms of outlook, the car has an understated elegance and looks much like a scaled down Teana, and with slight references to the sweet Japan only Fuga.

I checked out the 'Luxury' model at MidValley recently, and the the door trims are fitted with 'soft-touch' plastics and rear legroom is really impressive! You could actually cross your legs and sit! The car is a little on the narrow side, so it is not as wide as the Civic or Altis. Although I am not a fan of faux wood, it is well executed here.

The driver's seat seam to lack thigh support, as the back seats, but could be something Nissan needs to look into. The foot-operated parking brake frees up the center console, so you get a rather nice illumated console with plenty of cubbyholes. Its a pity that the steering wheel does not even have audio controls, not to mention cruise control.

On the downside, the 2.0L engine makes only 133hp (compared to the Civic's and Lancer's 155hp), but I am guessing it has been detuned for the CVT box's smoothness and fuel economy. Initial reports state tha the CVT box is much smoother than Honda City's, and this car is tuned for comfortable city driving.

No, no's: Thang Chong Motors has also left out Traction Control, something that is critical at this price range. It retails for Rm112k for the Comfort version and RM115k for the Luxury version which adds leather seats and V-Kool tint.

New Corolla Altis: Old Sheep in 'New' Clothing?

Well, this article is long overdue, but I felt that I have to put my 2 cents worth on Toyota's latest offering in Malaysia, the 2008 Toyota Corolla Altis. The Altis, in its latest iteration comes in 4 different variants here, with 1.6E coming in at RM102k all the way to the higher spec 1.8G at 118k.
The 1.8G version is the closest competitor to Honda's 1.8 Civic, but comes at a 5k premium, which really begs the question - "What are you up to, Toyota?"
I admit I have not driven the last Corolla, but I had a close look at the nearby Toyota showroom and came away very unimpressed!

For starters, the "new" Corolla carries the same 1ZZ-FE 1784cc engine churning 132hp and 170Nm at 4,200rpm. In fact, this engine has been detuned by 4hp to comply to Euro IV emissions - so there you have it, an 8 year old engine! No need to stop there, Toyota also threw in the previous version's 4-speed autobox. I guess the boys at Toyota taught religious Corolla fans would not notice it...


Inside, the interior seems snug with decent soft-touch plactics on the door trim, but tupperware quality trim at the lower part of the door. The 2600mm wheelbase (versus 2700mm wheelbase of the Civic) makes the rear legroom a real premium, and my knees where actually hitting the backrest of the drivers seat. Consolation is that apparently the soundproofing is pretty good, isolating road noise imperviously. Oh and not forgeting, and the 1.8G version has 8-way power driver's seat too.

So there you have it, an "all-new" Corolla clothed in old mechnicals, served up to the unsuspecting Malaysian public that will take 9-year car loans to impress their neighbours: "See my new Corolla-la!"

New Kia Soul production model will retain concept's name

Kia Motors Corporation has confirmed that its all-new production model will retain the spirit and name of the SOUL concept cars shown earlier this year at the Geneva Motor Show, and the first SOUL concept debuted at the 2006 North American International Auto Show. As well as confirming the name, Kia has released the first official photograph of the production car, which will be called the 'Kia Soul'.

The three concept cars – SOUL Burner, SOUL Diva and SOUL Searcher
– were created by Kia's European design team led by Gregory Guillaume, under the guidance of Kia's Chief Design Officer, Peter Schreyer.

They were developed from the original SOUL concept car designed jointly by Kia's California and Korea design studios and unveiled in 2006 at Detroit.

Speaking about the choice of name for the original 2006 Detroit concept car, Tom Kearns, chief designer of Kia Motors America commented, "We wanted to inject some life into this car's design and give it a soul. And of course 'Soul' also is a homophone for the home city of Kia Motors headquarters, in Korea so it'
s a fun play on words."

The new Kia Soul production car will make its world premiere at the Paris Motor Show October 2008. Meanwhile, check out the concepts here: http://soul.kiamotors.com

Initial Impressions of New 2008 Honda Accord

The 2008 Honda Accord has finally arrived in our shores, and I have decided to have an initial look at it in one of the local showrooms, and here is my initial reaction. The 2008 Accord is certaintly a large car (4945mm), exactly 20cm longer than its previous incarnation - this would make parking in our anorexic Malaysian parking lots even tougher! Compare this to parking a Camry (4825mm) in length.

The 2.4L version you see here is clad in sumptious black leather, and there is tons of room inside and a neated designed front console remeniscent of Honda's Acura luxo-badge.

However that's where the comparisons stop. Although the upper door trims are wrapped in soft-touch plactic, the top meter panel, side moldings and lower console plastics feel cheap and hard to the touch. At RM 171k, I would certaintly expect better than this for this price! I have also noticed that the rear seats are not of the 60:40 folding type, but the whole back rest drops down, which means no carrying passengers if you have an awkward long load in your trunk, which would rarely be the case, as it is cavernous!

Although I have yet to drive it, certain car review magazines have noticed that the suspension has been firmed up, and the previous 2.4L i-VTEC powerplant is retained, with slightly more power on tap to 180ps at 222Nm of torque. However, many have noted that noise supression for a car this size is not up to mark yet.

RM171k buys you a decent set of wheels with electric leather seats, premium audio with subwoofer, 4 airbags, ABS + Stability control, cruise control and electric sunshade.

Apparently over 2000 people are already on the waiting list. 9-year car loans, anyone? :)