Simon Har

SHOWROOM: 2018 Perodua Myvi !

noreply@blogger.com (SiMon Har) — Tue, 21 Nov 2017 06:54:00 +0000

The baby Myvi that has been flooding Malaysia's roads for over a decade is no longer a baby anymore. I was surprised on how much the all-new 2018 Perodua Myvi has grown compared to its predecessor when I first lay eyes on it in the showroom. The changes are apparent. 3,895mm long, 1,735mm wide, 1,515mm tall with a wheelbase of 2,500mm, it has grown 205mm longer, 70mm wider, 60mm longer wheelbase but a mere 30mm lower for a sportier stance without sacrificing cabin space. More on this later :)

Features wise, it is impressive, I mean IMPRESSIVE! The most impressive would be the Advanced Safety Assist (ASA) for the Myvi 1.5 Advance. At RM55,300, the Myvi 1.5 Advance is the cheapest car you can get with autonomous braking technology in Malaysia at the moment. The next would be the Hyundai Ioniq Plus, priced at more than the RM100k mark.

Exterior design of the Myvi has been an evolution. For the first time ever, the taillights of the Myvi has been switched from vertical to horizontal, making its way into the tailgate. There is also small glass area after the C-pillar, which contributed to the enlarged stance but will also promote better rear view visibility. With the 15-inch alloys on the 1.5, the Myvi has potential to be a hot hatch with larger spoiler and all-round bodykits!

The door opened with a light pull on the door handle, showing the redesigned, more modern dashboard. Some cues of Honda City's dashboard can be seen, especially around the air-cond vents area. Overall, the cabin feels well built, albeit a little plasticky and some silver trims on the door seems to have rough finishing appearance. But well, we can't complain much for a car of its price.

There is also a slot to insert your toll card and a digital display to read the balance under the wing mirror adjuster. The transmitter (like our Smart Tag) is on the right side of the dashboard, I wonder will it be able to transmit the signal if the owner installed thick tint on the windscreen.

Boot space has increased from 208 litres to 277 litres, it's one step closer to the class leading Honda Jazz, enabling the Myvi to fit in 4 cabin luggage bags with ease. A boon for Uber/Grab drivers I would say.

For people who have sat in a Myvi before will know how spacious the cabin is. With a longer wheelbase for this all-new Myvi, I can officially announce that I am able to put my leg up like a boss at the back seat, with the front seat adjusted to my 180cm height! Headroom is not a problem as well, eventhough the roof line has been lowered for a more aerodynamic and sportier outlook.

By the way, the Peppermint Green (which looks like light blue) colour scheme looks refreshing (no pun intended). Too bad I do not have a photo to show you guys. It's an attractive colour which can be taken care easily. So, what do you think about the all-new Myvi? This 3rd generation Myvi definitely will win a lot of Malaysians' heart again.

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2018 Perodua Myvi Spec Revealed!

noreply@blogger.com (SiMon Har) — Wed, 08 Nov 2017 13:11:00 +0000

Teasers are out for the all-new 2018 Perodua Myvi! One of the bestselling hatchback in Malaysia is back, this time "Lagi (more) Features, Lagi Best"? The initial spec revealed for the Myvi has been nothing but impressive. Let's take a look...

Codenamed D20N, Perodua managed to design the all-new Myvi's upper body completely in-house. I'm glad it's not a rebadge of the existing Boon, where its design is not really what I'd call locally-tasted.

Five variants will be offered: 1.3 Standard G (5-speed manual), 1.3 Standard G (4-speed auto), 1.3 Premium X (auto), 1.5 High and 1.5 Advance. 1.3 utilises the same engine found in the Bezza, producing 94hp @ 6,000rpm and 121Nm of torque at 4,000rpm, while the 1.5 produces 106hp @ 6,000rpm and 136Nm of torque at 4,200rpm. With the help of Eco-Idle auto start-stop, the 1.5 engine fuel consumption is rated at 20.1km/l, compared to 15.4km/l of the existing Myvi 1.5. Perfect considering RON95 petrol has increased by 7sen to RM2.31 per litre starting tomorrow!

Ala-Citroen C4 taillight.

Features wise, the breakdown according to variants is as below:

One notable mention is the Advanced Safety Assist (ASA), only available in the Myvi 1.5 Advance. Similar to autonomous braking technology such as Honda Sensing or Toyota Safety Sense, it comprises Pre-Collision Warning, Pre-Collision Braking, Front Departure Alert and Pedal Misoperation Control.

A forward-facing camera is mounted in the housing of the rear view mirror, where Pre-Collision Warning will warn the driver if a collision is bound to happen and Pre-Collision Braking will perform automatic braking to prevent the collision (up to 30km/h), good for misjudgement or lack of attention. Front Departure Alert is to warn to driver where the front car has moved while you are not (such as paying attention to your phone). Lastly, Pedal Misoperation Control is to retard acceleration when the sensor senses there's an object in front.

No official dimension has been revealed. I do hope that the interior space and its practicality could rival the Honda Jazz, which is one of the best in its segment. The outgoing Myvi has a boot space of 208 litres, which can barely fit two medium size luggage bags.

With the better fuel consumption and larger cabin space, get ready to see the all-new Myvi flooding our roads again very soon. It also will provide a good option to Uber/Grab driver as well for their daily operation.

1.3 Standard G (manual): RM44,300
1.3 Standard G (auto): RM46,300
1.3 Premium (auto): RM48,300
1.5 High (auto): RM51,800
1.5 Advance (auto): RM55,300

*Price excluding insurance.

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Takata Airbag Recall - Personal Experience

noreply@blogger.com (SiMon Har) — Mon, 17 Oct 2016 14:45:00 +0000

Recall - Normally perceived as something negative due to fault in design or production stage of a product by the public. Things will get tensed when there are fatality caused by defective product and an immediate recall will be inevitable. The infamous Takata airbag rupture is one of the main reasons many car manufacturers are issuing worldwide recall to fix the 'ticking time bomb' in many of their cars fixed with Takata manufactured airbags. The defective component could send shrapnels to the occupants at the moment the airbags are inflated in an impact.

In Malaysia, UMW Toyota calls recall as Special Service Campaign, and created a vehicle identification number (VIN) checker website which enable us to check any Toyota manufactured vehicle which is affected in the campaign by keying in the VIN. As my father owns a 2002 Toyota Corolla Altis, we got news that it is actually included in the campaign despite being aged more than 10 years. Using the VIN checker confirmed the validity of the news as well. In the VIN checker there was a form to fill in to request UMW Toyota to contact us (which was around mid of July 2016) for the airbag replacement.

After submitting the form for 2 weeks, it seemed that there was no respond from UMW Toyota either in the form of phone call or email. So in early of August, I took the initiative to email the customer support which I got from the official website. It took UMW Toyota few days to respond via email, which they explained that they are still waiting for the principal confirmation on the parts arrival date. The good thing is the customer support personnel did ask which branch of service centre which I prefer to go to, which I chose the one nearest to my home.

Then things got silence for a month or more... Sometime in September, someone from the service centre called, informing that there is still not available stock for the passenger airbag replacement (apparently only the passenger airbag is affected for the 2002 Corolla Altis).

Thankfully the good news starts here. Finally in the first week of October, someone called to inform there is available stock and we can send the car into the service centre for 2 hours on a Saturday. I immediately placed an appointment on the first coming Saturday and sent the car in. Surprisingly the whole replacement process took just half an hour and it is free of charge!

I believe both sides (manufacturer and the owners) should take initiative in this issue, or else unfortunate incidents are bound to happen. But one thing for sure, another giant Japanese marque in Malaysia (well, you know who) has put in greater effort in resolving this issue.

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2016 Volkswagen Vento - Available with TSI and DSG!

noreply@blogger.com (SiMon Har) — Sun, 22 May 2016 03:38:00 +0000

After a long hiatus, yours truly is back to blogging because the Polo Sedan CBU that I own has undergone another facelift ( and gained a new name to be exact!). I am intrigued when I heard that the Volkswagen Vento, the new name for Polo Sedan, comes with 3 variants - Trendline, Comfortline and Highline; where the latter is equipped with the infamous 1.2 litre TSI engine and a 7-speed DSG gearbox.

I'm lucky that the showroom has all 3 variants as its display units, so a clear differentiation can be done visually. While the black car above is the Highline, the best item to differentiate it among the 3 variants is the 215/45 wide and low profile tyres with 16-inch 'Syenit' two-tone alloys, which is one inch above the other 2 variants with 185/60R15 'Riverside' 7-spoke alloys.

The Vento bears some resemblance of the Passat, isn't it? It's not a bad thing, considering the facelift has given the Vento a more upmarket design. Below, on the left is the Comfortline while the right is the entry variant Trendline. Being the base model, the Trendline loses out chrome bar and fog lights in the lower air vent. Other than that, it is mostly identical to the Comfortline.

The rear gained a new graphics for the taillights, a newly positioned chrome bar on the tailgate and a redesigned rear bumper.

One improvement over my CBU unit is the electronic latch found on the tailgate, much more convenient than using the latch on the driver door or the remote to unlock the tailgate.

As for the Highline 1.2 litre TSI engine, it generates 105PS at 5,000rpm and 175Nm of torque from 1,550-4100rpm. On the other hand, the 1.6 litre naturally aspirated MPI engine produces 105PS at 5,250rpm and 153Nm at 3,800rpm. I have always feel that the 1.6 litre NA engine is just adequate to power the Polo Sedan, so this 1.2 TSI engine should be a great addition for drivers who want more power!

Interior wise, you will notice the steering wheel in the pic below looks a bit bare. Yes, it belongs to the Trendline, where it comes with basic features and chrome bits here and there are omitted. No front center armrest and rear aircond for Trendline as well.

Now this looks a little better in the Comfortline, with piano black finishing and control buttons on the flat-bottomed steering wheel. It comes with Climatronic automated air-conditioning, leather-wrapped steering wheel and gear knob, front center armrest with rear air-conditioned. Both Trendline and Comfortline are equipped with ABS, EBD, Intelligent Crash Response System (ICRS) and the Comfortline gained additional 2 side airbags, cruise control and Bluetooth connectivity. Thus, I would say the previous Polo Sedan CKD units are on par with what the Comfortline is offering now.

As for the Highline, it gained 'Cable' fabric upholstery. Volkswagen should offer leather seats for the Highline, in my opinion. However, I feel that the seats are padded more generously than the CBU units. Safety wise, it adds on hill assist control and Electronic Stability Programme (ESC) which finally make itself eligible for 5-star ASEAN NCAP rating! It will be perfect if it comes with 6 airbags though.

One thing I noticed is the graphic of the digital instrument panel in the Vento (left) seems like a downgrade from the one available in the CBU unit (right). It just does not look as premium.

I would say the pricing (OTR without insurance) is well planned:
Trendline: RM80,646
Comfortline: RM87,646
Highline: RM94,461

Trendline is low enough to make buyers of usual Japanese B-segment think twice, while the Highline is well below the RM100k mark. Although the top-spec of Honda City is better equipped than the Highline, but the performance and handling should give the Japanese competitor a run for its money.

Worried about the TSI and DSG reliability? The Vento comes with 5 years unlimited mileage warranty and 5 years mobility guarantee. But then, my experience with VW service center as well as showroom were not that pleasant either...

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Fuel Price: March 2015

noreply@blogger.com (SiMon Har) — Sun, 01 Mar 2015 01:52:00 +0000

Fuel prices have been dropping recently, but what goes down, will come up again. Global crude oil prices have been increasing since January 2015, thus below is the updated fuel prices for the month of March 2015 based on a managed float system:

RON 95 Petrol: RM1.95 (+25sen)

RON 97 Petrol: RM2.25 (+25sen)

Diesel : RM1.95 (+25sen)

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Fuel Price: February 2015

noreply@blogger.com (SiMon Har) — Sat, 31 Jan 2015 13:03:00 +0000

As we are marching into the second month of year 2015, new fuel prices have been announced due to the discontinued fuel subsidies:

RON 95 Petrol: RM1.70 (-21sen)

RON 97 Petrol: RM2.00 (-11sen)

Diesel : RM1.70 (-23sen)

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Fuel Price: Jan 2015

noreply@blogger.com (SiMon Har) — Thu, 01 Jan 2015 14:01:00 +0000

It's a brand new month with brand new fuel price listing! Ever since the subsidy of fuel by the government is discontinued last month, Malaysian have been paying attention closely to the global crude oil price. As the global crude oil price continues in a downtrend, you can enjoy cheaper fuel now!

So here you go, the updated fuel price for January 2015, a good news to start the new year:

RON 95 Petrol: RM1.91 (-35sen)

RON 97 Petrol: RM2.11 (-35sen)

Diesel : RM1.93 (-30sen)

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2015 Perodua Myvi Facelift Spied !

noreply@blogger.com (SiMon Har) — Thu, 18 Dec 2014 12:37:00 +0000

The B-segment hatchback market has become very competitive between our two national car manufacturers. To ensure Perodua doesn't fall behind in the fight, Perodua is prepping its triumph card - the Myvi, with a facelift for year 2015. Spotted somewhere which looks like a car storage yard, the Myvi (should be 1.5) shown in this article gained a nose job. The projector headlights and fog lights retained, but the radiator grille has grew larger and meaner. Eagle eyes will notice the additional front parking sensor.

The rear, on the other hand, received subtle changes. Clear lense taillights (1.3 should be red-in-colour) and a new rear bumper. The alloy rims doesn't seems to get a change in size, but the design is now turbine-like.

The cabin received a newly-designed meter cluster, head unit and rumour has it that Perodua added in ECON button for the Myvi.

Will these changes adequate to allow the Myvi to conquer the market again? Hmm... Hard to say.

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Adjustment in Fuel Price - Effective on 1st of December 2014

noreply@blogger.com (SiMon Har) — Sun, 30 Nov 2014 12:36:00 +0000

After the announcement about the subsidies for RON95 petrol and diesel will be removed from 1st of December 2014, their prices will follow the managed floating system, like what RON97 is on now.

Our government has announced that the changes of the price of fuels, effective on December 1 as follow:

RON95: Drop 4 sen to RM2.26/litre
RON97: Drop 9 sen to RM2.46/litre
Diesel: Increase 3 sen to RM2.23/litre

The price of crude oil is hovering around US$70 per barrel, currently at its lowest point since a long run. Hopefully we'll see further reduction in fuel price as a good start for a new year!

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2014 Honda Civic Facelift - Lower Price from RM114k

noreply@blogger.com (SiMon Har) — Sun, 16 Nov 2014 13:28:00 +0000

Honda Malaysia has never fail to surprise us in terms of pricing and equipment level, not unlike the introductory of the facelifted Honda Civic FB. Priced from RM113,800 OTR including insurance for the 1.8S variant, it is cheaper by RM2,180 compared to its pre-facelift's price. No, reduction in price doesn't mean reduction in features too. The Civic 1.8S now comes with additional keyless entry with push-start button, cruise control and auto headlights, while existing Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) is retained. Airbags count remains at two.

As for the 2.0S, it is now sold at RM125,800 OTR with insurance, and that's RM6,180 cheaper than the pre-facelift model! Similar to the 1.8S, the 2.0S also gets auto headlights, as well as 6 airbags now! Top-of-the-line 2.0 Navi now comes with a slightly larger 7-inch infotainment screen with navigation (6.1-inch in the pre-facelift). Selling OTR with insurance at RM132,800, which is RM4,180 cheaper than the pre-facelift model.

Mechanicals have been left unchanged. The 1.8 litre VTEC engine still produces 141PS/174Nm of torque while the 2.0 litre VTEC engine churns out 155PS/190Nm of torque. It's pretty hard to spot the changes of this facelift exercise. The Civic gains a new honeycomb grille as well as a chrome strip in the middle of the lower air intake grille. On the inside, chrome surrounded the driver's air-cond vents.

The improved spec of the Civic 2.0S makes it a stronger contender in the C-segment market. This will definitely give its closest competitor from the big 'T' a run for its money.

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Toyota Corolla Altis 1.8G - New Variant

noreply@blogger.com (SiMon Har) — Sun, 19 Oct 2014 12:25:00 +0000

Good news for those who need lesser power but more features. UMW Toyota Motor has removed the 2.0G variant of its Corolla Altis and added in a new 1.8G variant. The 1.8G is priced at RM119,900 (RM3k cheaper than the outgoing 2.0G) while the 1.8E has increased its priced by RM1k to RM115,900. The top-of-the-line 2.0V is still selling at RM136k (add RM3k for Additional Safety Package which include Vehicle Stability Control and 7 airbags).

Yes, there is still no VSC available for the 1.8G.

The powertrain for the 1.8 variants uses the current Dual VVT-i unit with 139PS at 6400rpm and 173Nm of torque at 4000rpm, mated to a '7-speed' CVT gearbox. What differ the 1.8G to the 1.8E is that the former has black combination leather seats, Optitron meter combination, Bluetooth handsfree function, DVD player with 7-inch touchscreen and reverse camera.

The new 1.8E also gained Smart Entry and Start System and auto on/off headlights.

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FIRST IMPRESSION: Perodua Axia !

noreply@blogger.com (SiMon Har) — Wed, 17 Sep 2014 13:52:00 +0000

Perodua Axia, say "Ah-see-ya"! Read the name in our national language and you will find yourself saying 'Asia'. Nevertheless, it's a great name for one of the most affordable cars you can get in Malaysia. With price starting from RM24,600 OTR, many Malaysian can now own a car. The Axia is the replacement model of Viva, but somehow Viva is still selling in the market with its entry model selling at RM22k. However, the entry model Axia Standard E manual, which is just roughly RM3k dearer than the cheapest Viva, makes the former a hard car to ignore.

Perodua Axia, which has been granted the status of the first energy efficient vehicle (EEV) in Malaysia, has been given two faces - a cute, jovial face for the Standard E and G variants (above), and a more aggressive looking face for the SE and Advance (AV) variants (below). Which has the better look? In my opinion, the jovial looking front end suits better to this A-segment hatchback. However, the projector headlights and honeycomb grille on the SE and AV variants give the car a more upmarket design.

The Axia is 3640mm long, 1620mm wide, 1510mm tall and comes with a 2455mm wheelbase. Surprise, surprise. The wheelbase of the Axia is actually 15mm longer than the Myvi's! Axia's interior length (+50mm) and width (+5mm) are than Myvi too! However, if compared with Viva, the difference is apparent. Perodua Axia is 65mm longer, 145mm wider, has a 65mm longer wheebase but is 20mm lower in terms of overall height.

The brilliant packaging by the engineers also allow 4 suitcases to be fitted into the 260 litres boot, and we are talking about those big suitcases you will find in the airport! The boot looks averagely sized in person, but somehow it is capable of swallow more stuff than the upcoming Proton B-segment hatchback!

Every variant is powered by the same 1.0 litre all-aluminium, 3-cylinder engine. It produces 66bhp at 6000rpm and 90Nm of torque at 3600rpm, mated to either a 4-speed automatic transmission or a 5-speed manual transmission. Both transmission are capable of achieving fuel consumption rating of 20.1km/l and 21.6km/l respectively in ECO mode, pretty impressive. I guess the Electric Power Steering (EPS) helps too.

Cabin is where the Axia excels. Spacious for 4 full-sized adults, 5 at a squeeze (just a little). The rear headroom somehow felt more ample than the Myvi's. Cabin is wide for a small car like this, thanks to the thin door and door panels, but this contributed a sense of 'lightness' to the doors and they doesn't give a reassuring thud when closed. Material wise, hard plastics dominated the cabin but at least they doesn't look or feel cheap. Even the entry level's steering wheel felt good to the touch and the fabric seats are well sized and comfy!

What's weird is that the steering doesn't have tilt or telescopic adjustment. I was fondling around underneath the steering rack for quite a long time, trying to find the adjustment lever but to no avail. One thing though, I doubt the air-cond knobs' plastic labels will be able to stand the scorching heat in Malaysia as one of the showroom's unit already has bubble in it.

From top: 1.0AV, 1.0SE and 1.0G.

Perodua upped the game by increasing the practicality and flexibility of the Axia's seating arrangement. You can fold flat the rear seat, or fold the front seats backward into a lounge. Not as cool as Honda's ULTRA-seat, but still better than nothing.

A nifty feature designed by Malaysian, for Malaysian. A handbag lock that can take a maximum of 3kg located at the inner side of the front passenger seat. At least now female drivers can have a place to hang their handbags instead of placing them on the seat. There's also an integrated tissue box holder at the back of the front passenger seat. It's good to prevent some people from putting the tissue box on top of the dashboard, where the airbag is located.

Perodua Axia has been rated 4-star in ASEAN-NCAP crash test and is equipped with two airbags across the range. However, ABS, EBD and BA is only available in 1.0SE and 1.0AV. No stability control available, not even as optional. One worth mentioning is the availability of front parking sensor for 1.0SE and 1.0AV.

So there you have it, the affordable and value-for-money Perodua Axia. For the first time Perodua is also offering five-year or 150,000km warranty for the Axia, and the deal extended to Myvi and Alza too! All these make the Viva dull in comparison and the Axia a more sensible purchase, maybe better than a Myvi too...

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Toyota Camry XV50 Facelift Unveiled!

noreply@blogger.com (SiMon Har) — Mon, 01 Sep 2014 02:51:00 +0000

Looks much better isn't it? By taking cues from Toyota Camry's elder brother, the Avalon, the newly designed front end gave the Camry a fresh breath of air. No more squarish, Lexus-like front end and after market-like daytime running LED lights (now integrated in the headlights housing).

Rear end received subtle changes. There's a new chrome strip which runs into the taillights now and a newly designed rear bumper. Other than that, it's still basically retained the design of the pre-facelift Camry.

The most noticeable changes in the cabin must be the 3-spoke steering wheel and the 4.2-inch colour TFT display that is situated in between 2 dials in the instrument panel. The centre console is restyled too, but the overall shape is generally unchanged.

Russia will be getting an updated 2.0 litre engine with 6-speed automatic transmission. Hoepfully Toyota Malaysia will bring it in. With this facelift, Toyota Camry should be able to gain more sales compared to the slow-moving outgoing model in Malaysia.

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Perodua Axia Open for Booking - From RM24,900!

noreply@blogger.com (SiMon Har) — Fri, 15 Aug 2014 15:09:00 +0000

From RM24,900? It's like Perodua Kancil all over again, but the all-new Perodua Axia is much more better equipped, better looking and not to mention a larger cabin too! Malaysia's first Energy Efficient Vehicle (EEV) is now open for booking with a booking fee from as low as RM250.

Perodua Axia comes with 4 variants, where the entry-level E grade is only available with manual transmission while the top-of-the-line AV grade comes with only automatic transmission. Can't drive a stick? Have to start your options from the G grade. Measuring at 3640mm long, 1620mm wide and 1510mm tall, the Axia position itself in between the Viva and Myvi, not sure Viva will be sold along with the Axia in the future or not though. With 260 litres of boot space, that's larger than a Myvi's!

Perodua Axia is powered by a 1.0litre 1KR-DE2 engine which produces 66hp at 6000rpm and 90Nm of torque at a low 3600rpm. Together with the help of Electric Power Steering (EPS), the manual transmission Axia is able to achieve fuel consumption figure of 21.6km/l, a very impressive figure.

SE and Advance grade are for those who need more features and style, as they will receive a sportier front bumper design, side skirting with chrome finishing and rear spoiler. It shocked me that the SE grade will have front parking sensor, a first in its class. It might be cool to have, but is it necessary to have a front parking sensor for a sub 4-meter long compact car? Advance grade is a little over-specced, unless you have a crush for leather seats and touchscreen multimedia audio system.

Safety wise, 2 airbags are standard across the range, kudos to Perodua. ABS with EBD and BA are only available from SE grade onwards. Perodua claims the Axia is able to achieve 4-star in ASEAN NCAP crash test, presumably the Axia has gone through the crash testing in its facility.

While Perodua decided to stop its 3 years free service campaign, it has been compensated to the Axia with a 5-year warranty! Talk about value for money!

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Cabin of Perodua Axia leaked !

noreply@blogger.com (SiMon Har) — Tue, 15 Jul 2014 07:04:00 +0000

Shots of cabin of the upcoming Perodua Axia (is the name confirmed?) has leaked into the web. Posted in a renowned Malaysia's Mandarin forum, the two leaked photos show a dashboard design resembles to the Perodua GMA Space concept unveiled in KLIMS 2013. The photo above shows the trim level of a base line model, which looks contemporary and stylish for a small car.

The cabin below comes with a touchscreen unit and leather-wrapped steering wheel with integrated audio controls, hinting there will be at least two variants available for the Axia.

This is most probably the 'Extreme' variant of the Axia, as the aggressive looking front bumper might not be everyone's taste. Will the Axia replaces the ageing Viva? With Perodua's recent move in reducing the selling OTR price of the Viva, it's either to help position the Axia in between of Viva and Myvi in the market later or trying to clear out the existing stock of Viva.

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Kia Cerato KX - RM89,888!

noreply@blogger.com (SiMon Har) — Sat, 05 Jul 2014 16:13:00 +0000

While our first national car manufacturer came out with 'SV' variant for its models, indicating them as the base line models, Kia has came out with 'KX' for its Cerato. When the C-segment Cerato was launched, the base 1.6 litre variant is priced just slightly below the RM100k mark. However, the price is a huge leap compared to its predecessor, the Forte, which started from RM75k. By introducing the Cerato KX will pull the gap closer, which is a good thing.

It is inevitable that some features are omitted along the way of the reduction of price. Now priced at RM89,888 OTR with insurance, few changes are noticeable from the outside. The largest change must be the taillights, now with a simpler design with bulbs rather than LEDs. The chrome window strip found in the regular Cerato is replaced with a black strip. Other than those and a 'KX' emblem on the tailgate, it is largely identical to the regular Cerato.

Interior wise is a different story. Auto dimming rear view mirrors, auto dual-zone air-cond (replaced with a manual single-zone unit), auto levelling headlights, shift paddle, electric seats and aluminium pedals are omitted. Soft touch upper door trim has been replaced with hard material. It gained a 8-inch touchscreen with navigation and reverse camera (the reverse screen is incorporated in the rear view mirror previously), which replaces the previous 4.3-inch unit.

Airbags count is down from 7 to 2 and Electronic Stability Programme has been removed. Front and rear parking sensors retained, but I would prefer some comfort creatures to be omitted to compensate for more safety features.

So it's a little bit here and there which helped to lower down the price, but the Cerato KX has still a pretty impressive equipment list. Keyless entry with start-stop button, cruise control, rear air-cond vents, auto headlights and wipers, pocket lights in the door handle area, puddle lights on the wing mirrors and Flex Steer system (which enables three choices of setting for the steering feel) are still available!

The same 1.6 litre GAMMA powerplant with 130PS @ 6000rpm and 157Nm of torque @ 4850rpm is fitted for the Cerato KX. Moreover, 5-year unlimited mileage warranty is provided. So will you consider a C-segment Korean sedan priced in the usual B-segment sedans price range? I would!

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2014 Honda Jazz Open For Booking!

noreply@blogger.com (SiMon Har) — Wed, 02 Jul 2014 13:26:00 +0000

Third-generation Honda Jazz is a whole new beast. More aggressive and sharper than its predecessor, the 2014 Honda Jazz will be available in Malaysia in mid-July 2014 in CKD form. Best of all, booking is open from now on! Booking made from now to July 15 will be entitled to 2.53% financing and will be in the running to win a trip to the Maldives!

The Jazz has the same powerplant found in the City. A 1.5 i-VTEC engine with 120PS at 6600rpm and 145Nm at 4600rpm. Paired with a CVT gearbox,

What we know now is the Jazz will be available in S, E and V variant, similar to what the City is having now (except for the S+ variant). The initial spec sheet suggests that the Jazz (most likely the top variant) will be equipped with tons of features such as 6 airbags, VSA, HSA, touch panel auto air-cond, smart entry with push start button and 16-inch alloys. Yes, the practical ULTRA Seats is standard across the range!

Pricing wise? Everyone is hoping that the base model will have sub-RM70k pricing. Then it will be giving its competitors serious run for their money! Since the Jazz has a smaller footprint compared to the City, people will be expecting the Jazz's price to be lower than the latter.

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Proton P2-30A (GSC) spied !

noreply@blogger.com (SiMon Har) — Mon, 16 Jun 2014 14:50:00 +0000

It seems like someone working in a crash test laboratory captured the upcoming Proton Global Small Car (GSC) codenamed P2-30A on camera! Successor of the flopped Proton Savvy, the GSC (ahem...) is spotted to benchmark against some of the top players in the B-segment hatchback such as Ford Fiesta and Volkswagen Polo Hatchback. A quick (but detailed) look at the GSC above reveals it has keyless entry system (normally come along with push-start button) and projector headlights (possibly with daytime running LED lights). It's a grainy photo but is it front parking sensors on the front bumper?

The rear, however, doesn't look as contemporary as the front. It's better executed compared to Proton Suprima S, but still can be done better in my opinion. LED taillights are standard. Rumour has it that the GSC (depends on variants) will come with Electronic Stability Control (ESC), touchscreen centre console, 6 airbags and a CVT gearbox.

Price wise, what do you think is the suitable price range for the GSC? Looking at what it is packed and who are its competitors, I would say RM45k-RM55k would be attractive enough!

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Hyundai Xcent – Xcellent, Xciting, Xcent

noreply@blogger.com (SiMon Har) — Thu, 05 Jun 2014 12:41:00 +0000

The compact sedans or sub-4 m cars make up as much as 80% of entry level mid-size sedans in India. The bulk of sales came primarily from two models – Honda Amaze and Maruti Swift Dzire. These two highly successive models might intimidate any car manufacturer. But Hyundai is definitely not one of them and has entered the fray with their new Xcent. The Hyundai Xcent comes in the price range of Rs. 4.65 to 7.38 lakh.

Based on the Grand i10 and available with petrol and diesel options, the Xcent in true Hyundai fashion is well priced too. The design is neat and proportionate, especially given the constraints faced while designing a sub-4 m sedan. The Grand i10 and the Xcent are identical till the rear doors. Styling has restrained the iteration of Hyundai’s fluidic sculpture design language. The tail section is very well integrated with the rest of the body, though it looks a bit stubby. The shoulder line flows smoothly into the large wrap around tail lights and the rear section gets some details too, a sculpted bumper and a lip at the top of the tail gate. The tail gate opens to reveal a sizeable 407 L boot.

The front facade has swept back headlamps, chrome plated radiator grille and trapezoidal air dam incorporated on the body colored front bumpers.

The diesel unit is a three-cylinder 1.1 L U2 CRDi engine with a maximum power of 71 bhp @ 4000 rpm and peak torque of 180 Nm @ 1750 rpm and is mated to 5-speed manual transmission system. The U2 CRDi engine on the Xcent has been tweaked around to offer more power and torque. This includes an electronically controlled turbocharger which makes it much more precise and increases the overall torque by 13%. The power delivery is extremely linear, the acceleration smooth, and the engine noise absolutely cut out from inside the cabin.

The 4-cylinder 1.2 L Kappa dual VTVT petrol engine has a displacement capacity of 1197cc and generates 82 bhp @ 6000 rpm and has 114 Nm of peak torque @ 4000 rpm and mated with either 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission gearbox.

The cabin is feature rich and spacious. The dashboard and central console are a carry-over from the Grand i10. The Xcent includes an automatic climate control, steering mounted audio control, Bluetooth, 1 GB of on board music storage, electric-folding mirror, reverse camera, and push-to-start button. ABS is only an optional extra and airbags are available on the top variants only. There is a lot of leg room at the back and the seats have adjustable head rests, rear A/C vent ducts, and arm rest with cup holders. The front seats come with ample lateral and thigh support.

Toyota Etios Cross is another hot selling car in the Indian market is at price 5.7 lakh onwards.

DRIVEN: Volkswagen Polo Sedan CBU !

noreply@blogger.com (SiMon Har) — Sun, 18 May 2014 03:32:00 +0000

When Volkswagen Malaysia first launched the Volkswagen Polo Sedan CBU at sub-RM100k price, it dropped the jaws of many. For the first time a premium car brand is selling its car under the RM100k mark, and Volkswagen Malaysia kept the best for last. Polo Sedan CKD came in and further lowered the price to RM89,888, about RM10k cheaper than its CBU counterpart, making it as one of the most affordable continental sedans in Malaysia.

With a competitive price now, buyers who are looking for a B-segment sedan will not take the Polo Sedan for granted and go straight to the usual Japanese competitors. The Polo Sedan is unmistakeably a Volkswagen from afar, bearing the similar design language as its elder siblings such as the Jetta and Passat. Yes, the design is unexciting, but yet it is still brilliantly executed with a touch of elegance.

Open the door and you'll notice that this is not an average B-segment sedan. Its doors opened easily with just a light pull and closed with a reassuring thud. Tactile feedback on the buttons are good. The meaty leather-wrapped steering wheel and handbrake lever were nice to hold. Although the cabin is mostly made of plastic parts, they doesn't look cheap and fit and finishing is top notch too. With a 2552mm wheelbase (96mm longer than Polo Hatchback), rear passengers enjoy ample legroom and have fair amount of headroom. One thing though, the fabric seats were a little firm for my liking. Perhaps leather would be more suitable for the Polo Sedan.

Oh oh oh, all 4 windows can be winded up and down via the remote control! Perfect for ventilating the heat out from the cabin in a hot sunny day, and also to wow your peers. People who buy a Polo Sedan instead of a Polo Hatchback must have taken the boot space into consideration, and I'm glad to say the boot space doesn't disappoint. However, it is noticeably slightly smaller than most of its competitors.

The small monochromic multi-info screen in the middle of the instrument panel is a nice touch. It displays various info such as speed limit warning, average fuel consumption, real-time fuel consumption and outside temperature.

The centre stack of this India-made Polo Sedan CBU looks slightly obsolete, but thankfully chrome trims are all over the cabin to cheer things up. I guess Volkswagen Malaysia took note of that and for the CKD models, it introduced the RCD 320 audio system that doesn't leave any empty space on the dashboard and replaced the 3 knobs with electronic automatic air-cond switches.

Storage area is everywhere. Smart Tag device can be stored nicely in the rubberised centre storage compartment, huge glove box that can swallow a full-sized tissue box and a book with ease, 1.5 litter water bottle holder on the doors and some other small storage areas here and there. The only, I would say flaw (instead of user friendly), in the cabin is the position of wing mirror adjuster. The angle and location of it is just wrong... We have to twist our wrist in order to adjust the wing mirrors.

As for every Volkswagen, the headlights, tail lights and fog lights control are all at the knob on the right side of the dashboard. Turn clockwise to access the main headlights, pull once to turn on the front fog lights and pull once more to turn on the glaring rear fog light (only to be used during heavy rain or foggy environment). Instrument panel brightness and headlights levelling can be done manually too.

The Polo Sedan comes with a 1.6 litre MPI engine which produces 105PS at 5250rpm and 153Nm of torque at 3800rpm, mated to a 6-speed transmission automatic gearbox with Tiptronic. This tried-and-tested combination is suitable for buyers who are looking for a reliable car in a long run. For those who are looking for Volkswagen's infamous TSI engine and DSG gearbox have to look elsewhere. While the power output wouldn't win you any race at the traffic light junction, it's still adequately powered that the Polo Sedan doesn't feel underpowered when climbing up the stretch of highway near Genting Sempah.

Ride and handling are where the Polo Sedan shines. It can be said that the Polo Sedan is one of the best among B-segment sedans. The firm ride over road undulations doesn't send judders into the cabin. Body roll is apparent, but it doesn't make the Polo Sedan go off course easily. The steering wheel is direct and light enough to ease manoeuvre at low speed, although could use a little more weight at high speed. Best of all, it felt very, very composed when going through puddles of water, this can put many Japanese C-segment sedans to shame.

With the help of cruise control, driving on the highway is a delight. NVH is good where the engine is muted almost all the time, except when pushed. But it can be better because wind noise is noticeable at speed above 100km/h, breaking the silence in the cabin. Unfortunately too, the audio system with 4-speaker does not produce audio quality which matches the car's brand. Safety wise, the Polo Sedan comes with 4 airbags as standard, 3-point rear seatbelts for the middle occupant and anti-pinch for all 4 windows. There is no any form of Electronic Stability Programme available, not even as optional.

5-year unlimited mileage warranty is provided and without TSI and DSG, the Polo Sedan should be an easy to maintain Volkswagen product. The more affordable price of the CKD has enable more Malaysian to be able to afford a continental car. Seems like 'the people's car' is heading the right track!

+ Price, ride and handling, safety, quality.
- Could use a little more power, wind noise.

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Volkswagen Service Centre Dissatisfaction

noreply@blogger.com (SiMon Har) — Sat, 17 May 2014 15:33:00 +0000

While many have dissatisfaction with the after-sales of Volkswagen, I faced similar condition too. I bought a pre-owned Polo Sedan from a particular Volkswagen dealer with a service centre, the car is great but the Sales Advisor gave me a headache. The car was promised to be polished before handing the car over to me, but scratches and even some peeled paint spots (which I asked them to touch-up on the spot) are spotted at the moment of delivery. A day after that I realised even the plastic piece covering some electronics below the steering wheel is missing too. I accepted the fact that it's a pre-owned car but at least do a more thorough checking before handing it over to customer. The mileage was around 15,000km, but the SA gave a reason that service centre has no slot to do servicing and asked me to drive first because Volkswagen owners can now drive for 16,500km before servicing without getting our warranty void.

To bring my car for its first service, I made some phone calls to the service centre to make the appointment. The calls were hard to get through and this is also commented by another customers which I eavesdropped in the service centre. So, after I have successfully made an appointment, I have to trouble myself to take a day off from work on one of the Saturdays, headed to the service centre with a complimentary service voucher for my first service. Guess what? My car had actually been serviced before my purchase without any note in my service booklet and also the SA's knowledge!

I was dumbfounded, thinking how come the service centre can be so negligent. Right now I still have no idea about will I get another complimentary voucher for my second service or not, at least as a courtesy for all the confusion, right?

Volkswagen is a great car, I don't mind getting another one if I can afford. I know Volkswagen Malaysia is trying to improve by introducing services on Sunday in certain service centres and an Extended Warranty Programme of 1500km goodwill allowance to the existing 15000km service interval mileage. But Volkswagen Malaysia got to re-evaluate each of its dealers, especially in the after-sales service. Don't let the after-sales service becomes your Achilles' heel...

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Volkswagen Jetta CKD Launched!

noreply@blogger.com (SiMon Har) — Mon, 28 Apr 2014 12:57:00 +0000

The locally assembled Volkswagen Jetta has finally launched in Malaysia. Being the 4th Volkswagen cars under Completely Knocked Down (CKD) form after Passat, Polo Sedan and Polo, the Jetta CKD's price has been reduced by a whooping RM21,000! With improved equipment, mind you, not reduced. At RM130,888 on the road without insurance, it is now can be said giving its competitors a run for their money!

Exterior wise, the Jetta CKD is identical to its CBU counterpart. The same 16-inch 'Navarra' five-spoke alloys, the same front headlamps assembly and bumper, the same tail-lamps and rear bumper. No changes under the hood too, where the Jetta CKD is fitted with the 1.4 TSI engine with 160PS at 5800rpm and 240Nm of torque from 1500rpm to 4500rpm, mated to the 7-speed DSG gearbox.

Interior, however, has few changes. The most notable one is the RCD 320 audio system (with Bluetooth and USB connectivity) which replaces the RCD 310 in the CBU. The controls for the dual-zone Climatronic Control has been changed into three knobs instead of two in the CBU. Rear air-cond remains but so does the 'Sienna' fabric seats upholstery.

Safety kit counts remained too! 6 airbags, ABS, EBD, ESP, Hill-hold control etc. It will put some D-segment Japanese sedan (read: Toyota) into shame. The Jetta CKD comes with 5-year unlimited mileage warranty and a 5-year roadside assistance package.

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2014 Nissan Sylphy Teased!

noreply@blogger.com (SiMon Har) — Thu, 17 Apr 2014 13:24:00 +0000

Nissan Malaysia has teased its upcoming 2014 Nissan Sylphy in its own Facebook page. Features of the Sylphy is teased by a series of numbers from 2 to 6:

2: Dual-zone auto climate control
3: Nissan signature three-dimensional chrome front grille
4: Four-wheel disc brakes with Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) + Traction Control System (TCS)
5: Designed to achieve five-star ANCAP crash test rating
6: Comes with six-airbags

Engine will be downsized from the current 2.0 litre to 1.8 litre with 131PS and 174Nm of torque, mated with a CVT transmission. Hopefully the six airbags and VDC+TCS will be available as standard instead of optional like some other manufacturers.

I guess the most important question right now is how much is the all-new Nissan Sylphy? With such attractive styling and generous features, it would be well received if priced at RM120k or below.

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Perodua Myvi XT launching tomorrow?

noreply@blogger.com (SiMon Har) — Wed, 09 Apr 2014 14:43:00 +0000

Rumour has it that the Perodua Myvi XT will be launched tomorrow. The Myvi XT is set to be the entry-level Myvi 1.3, replacing the previously cheapest 1.3 Standard variant with an estimated price of around RM42,000 (most likely with manual transmission). As seen from the leaflet above, two new colours will be offered - Dazzling Red and Lime Green.

As a base model, there is no fog lights, but it gains rim instead of wheel cover (grabbed over from its facelifted predecessor), while the side mirror turning lights and projector headlamps remain. Different front grille spotted though. Sources said the interior received Bluetooth connectivity and new seats' fabric design.

Safety wise, 2 airbags, ABS and EBD are standard. Previously ABS and EBD are omitted in the Myvi 1.3 Standard. With the help of 'What's Up Graduate' scheme, buyers will receive RM500 worth of Petronas gift card, RM500 Perodua voucher and RM20,000 personal accident insurance coverage for FREE! 3-year warranty and 3-year free service are offered as well!

So, what do you think about the new myvi XT? It seems like a modest effort from Perodua, where the changes are minimal. However, this will still help to push sales of the already hot selling Perodua Myvi.

*UPDATE: The Perodua Myvi XT is officially launched! No ABS and EBD for it though. Price starts from RM41,936 for manual transmission with solid colour to RM45,436 for automatic transmission with metallic colour.

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Simon Har

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