Went around the showrooms alone today. Wei Jian came and join me as he was nearby. Test drove the Lexus IS250 today. Great, Luxurious, Comfortable feel! Love the V6 and Paddle Shifts. Everything inside feels classy.
And this is the Commercial for the latest IS:
Being greeted "Happy Birthday" repeatedly through calls, SMSes, Whatsapp, Ebuddy/MSN, Facebook makes my Day!
Being greeted by a row of 15 Mercedes, ranging from E Class to S Class, from CLK to CLS, from SLs to SLS makes my Day too! Not leaving out the awesome Maseratis and Audis too!
Being greeted politely by professional MacDonalds staff makes my Day!
Harlies make me Happy too!
Called Holiday Inn Window on the Park to make a reservation for dinner. They gave me a slot for their buffet when they were fully booked, just because I said it’s my Birthday and I would like to have my celebration at their place!
Had a relaxed morning in a Mac somewhere in town, reading a novel, listening to nice music, occasionally checking my iPhone for Facebook Birthday wishes…
A very happy morning…
Lunch at a place I’ve not heard of… Food was nice!
I’m a Happy man. 
Been to the BMW Motorshow on the last day.
Overall, the motors were awesome! Oh ya, no wonder they are called "Performance Motors"…
I was about to stride over to take a photo on one of the motorcycles… This "bouncer-like" usher came up to me and said in a stern tone:
"Sir, don’t touch the bike, sir.
If you drop it, you might not be able to pay for it."
For goodness sake, this is an INTERNATIONAL MOTORSHOW! All the cars can be sat in, but not the motorcycles? Or does he not know I have handled heavier bikes than BMW? Even Harlies can be sat on in their showroom!Moreover, I don’t see a "DO NOT SIT" sign on any of the motorcycles. Is BMW simply living up to their name "Performance MOTORS" and nothing else but their MOTORS?
The previous time I attended a BMW Roadshow at Millenia Walk (late last year in fact), I was warmly greeted by a part-timer, a 23/24 year old in fact, who explained the models and specifications to me politely and later rendered his helping hand in taking a few shots of me on the bikes.
Service matters, I don’t think I’ll ever buy my car from BMW.
Ooh!!! I was there for this year’s challenge!!! (as a spectator)
I was there when the 2 final contestants were surviving!
I was there at the 75th hour! (and left when it was just 17min more before the champion emerged *diao* )
A very smart way by Subaru to promote their brand and to create sales.
It would be cool if I can win the WRX through the competition…
But cooler if I can earn it myself through hard work…
If I’m not wrong, this should be the limited edition Lamborghini Murciélago LP670-4 SV. Neither an awful nor awesome looking car in my opinion, but it’s definitely awesomely-designed and priced! I think the road tax alone amounts to about $6000 a year. Didn’t have my LamborCam with me, snapped a few shots with my iPhone instead.
And not too faraway, a Ferrari. I’m guessing this is the older model of the F430? I don’t really know about Lambos and Ferraris, the only thing I know is I hear news of them catching fire pretty often in the hotter regions on Earth.
I love my GranTurismo best.
This car is Ultimate Awesome. Love it to the MAX! New Dream Car found.
And the equally Awesome hard-top version:
The Maserati GranTurismo!
Thousands of Altis owners were invited to the launch of The New Corolla Altis. So many Altis-es gathered in the vicinity of the showroom, what an Altis-ing sight!
I’ve never love the Mercedes or BMW as much as the Aston Martin. And here’s a elegant V8 Vantage I love.
Pretty cool, you don’t fall over or get wet like on a bike. You can travel fast too. Looks too big to squeeze thru traffic though.
Tuition.
Tested the Kia Cerato Forte SX 1.6. I like the styling, the sportstronic, the reasonable power… This is the 1st Kia car I don’t dislike.
Caught G-Force.
Saw this nice 911 at Holland V.
Root Beer Float with White Chocolate.
99th!
I came to realise something… I actually like Merz a lot, perhaps more than BMW! I just… fell in love with Merz again…
Woo!!! It’s Merz or Audi, if I have the money. Wahaha!
The Lambor is familiar to many, and most people don’t think a Merz can beat it. *Chuckles* Not if it’s a SLR!
Subaru has the R1 & R2.
Yamaha has the R1 & R6.
Audi has the RS4 and R8.
Mazda has the RX8.
I see nice cars everyday on the road. Most of the time, I don’t have LamborCam on hand to shoot them down. Saw a SLK parked just right for me to take a couple of decent shots:
9999 outside Liang Court:
6666 at some random car park:
Didn’t manage to get 2222 & 3333 shot, will try harder next time.
This is amazing! I didn’t know limousines can be so beautiful! From Audi to Porsche, from Mercedes to Ferrari! Awesome!
Simply orgasmic, even if you don’t know about cars!
If I could just own one of the following:
Haha, if you’ve been following my blog, you probably might be thinking why am I test driving so many cars.
Ans:
1. I won’t know if I really like a car unless I test it on the road. Exterior is important to me, but performance is of primary concern. Only cars with reasonable performance will be considered.
2. I get to know more about cars, different variants, different models etc.
3. Test Driving is free! Renting a car costs quite a lot. You get to spin around you probably won’t have a chance to drive normally.
4. It makes me high. The adrenaline that comes when the car performs up to or better than expectation is like ecstacy!
5. I’m crazy. (I bet you agree with this) =p
So what did I test today? Brought Xinyi along this time for test drive. Tested quite a lot of cars so far, so that leaves me with a few choices left. Xinyi suggested “Volkswagen” (It’s German, you’re supposed to pronounce it as “Volksvargen”), so we visited Volkswagen at Alexandra.
For the New Beetle, it comes only in 2 versions, the 1.6A Hard Top and the 2.0A Cabriolet, priced at $68,800 and $106,300 respectively. Xinyi didn’t bring her license, so she couldn’t test. My license is still under probation, so we could only test the New Beetle 1.6A.
The ride was ok, but I don’t like the Beetle. It has style, but it just isn’t my type. Xinyi prefers the Cabriolet. Like the Mini, many would agree that the Beetle is a ladies’ car.
There are the Eos and Passat R36 that I pretty like, nice cars. Price is pretty steep though and it’s not really that appealing, though it appeals to a certain extent.
Next, went back to Honda, all time favourite mah… This time, tested the Honda City LX 1.5A ’09, the one that no longer looks like a cockroach. I somehow feel it looks quite like the Civic. And the appealing thing is that though it’s only 1.5, it gives me 120bhp and it has paddle shifts! Tested it, was satisfied with the power it provides. Other 1.5 don’t give me this feeling. Compared to the Civic 1.8A, it is about $17,000 cheaper. Quite a decent car to own actually.
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Suddenly had this random thought of selling cars in future. Love cars so much. I don’t mind being a Honda or Mazda salesman man.
Feeling emotional this afternoon. Probably feeling the stress that’s coming from exams. Met Kazu and Momi at Oasis, they made me smile.
Aft MB102, went test drive again. Tested the Honda Civic 1.8 and 2.0 i-Vtec. Love it. Papa used to drive Honda Civic 14 years back. Even my bike is Honda Vtec! All time favourite man. Like the engine and performance a lot. Although it’s out in the market for a couple of years, the interior design still appeals to me. I like the dashboard, the digital speedometer, the “welcoming” wipers and the large windscreen.
Ah long took photos with her favourite Orange car, the Honda Civic Type R! Weili then tested his beloved CRV.
Then we visited Subaru, too bad their last test drive car for the Impreza has been sold. Then we visited Toyota. Weili tested his Camry 2.4. Pretty continental kind of feel, and it’s pretty quiet and comfortable too.
Finally, we went to Mitsubishi again. The previous time, I tested the Lancer EX GT 2.0A, this time I tested the EX GT 2.0M. I guess I’ve gotten pretty bad with manual. Over rev while changing gears. Perhaps it’s a different car from the Integra or others, it happened only for this car. Either that, or my skills have really deteriorated.
Conclusion: I want a car that gives me reasonable power and comes with paddle shift/tiptronic features. Choice after testing so far, in order of preference:
1. Honda Civic 1.8A (Black)
2. Mitsubishi Lancer EX GT 2.0A (Red)
Yet to test a Mazda RX8, Subaru WRX and a later Integra. For now, I guess the above choices are more relevant given my wants and needs, and Papa and Mummy’s likes/dislikes.
PS: I’m not an expert in cars. Some of the comments in this post might offend certain car lovers. Please forgive me. =p
I love red cars, that’s why you see them throughout this post.
Previously, me and Weili tested the Mini ONE 1.4. It’s not my kind of car, small and no power. The price doesn’t match what it provides, all you’re paying for is just styling. If you’re going for Mini, buy something of a different variant, like the S Clubman or the John Cooper Works, you just have to fork out a few more thousands.
Just last week, tested the Mazda 3 SP 1.6 with mummy, price matches what it provides. Good enough power, good styling, cool technology, good price.
Today, I dated Geraldine for a series of test drives at Ubi. 1st, KAH Motor, Honda Showroom. Most would have known how good the Honda Jazz is. Jazz has the best fuel consumption among cars so far, better than Vios or Altis. The previous model of 1.4 is no longer on sale, unless you buy it 2nd hand. The all new Jazz features a 1.3 and a 1.5, with MT or AT. And this time, 1.5 has come out with a transparent roof, yes, the whole thing is glass! Nice styling there. Took the 1.3M for a test, no power. Took the 1.5A for a test, same, still no power. The 1st hatchback I consider disappointed me. Yes, you probably are saying “1.3 & 1.5 nia, what you expect? If want powerful car then go for WRX or GTR lah!” But that’s not true, the Mitsubishi Colt Turbo is 1.5, the RX8 is 1.3, they give me what I want. Of course, other factors like engine type are important, but overall, Jazz is a no-no for a power-hungry Melvin.
The New Honda City looks way better than the previous facelift. No longer “cockroach-like”. But City has never give me a good feeling, didn’t bother testing it.
Heard of the Chevrolet? Yes, we went there aft Honda. Walked in, sat in the Optra Magnum and Epica, stepped out of the showroom in less than 5. The flimsy signals and wiper levers are total rubbish! And the feeling in any Chevrolet sucks! (Purely my opinion) Totally disgusted with everything. For that, I’m not posting any pictures of it, the sight of it turns me off.
It was still early, so we went around, thinking whether to go to Toyota or Nissan. But I’ve seen every car in Toyota back in Leng Kee. And apart from the high-end cars like the GTRs and Skylines, Nissan cars are basically boring and crappy. And Nissan will not allow Test Drives for those high-end cars lah!
So, what’s next? Not Lexus nor Jaguar nor BMW nor Merz, those people inside will probably not entertain youngsters like me. That leaves Geely, Hyundai, Kia, Mitsubishi, Proton. Geely out! Proton out! You’ve heard enough on what crap they produce, I don’t have to elaborate more. Visited Hyundai at Leng Kee earlier on too, still ok but not really interested. We travelled on my beloved Super 4 and tadah! We came to Cycle and Carriage, which owns not only Merz, but Kia and Mitsubishi.
Walked into Kia, saw the new Kia Cerato Forte 1.6. Tested the Manual version, somehow it’s simply another car that turns me off. Somehow, it’s the favourite of Malays, like the Chev Optra. Disappointed, we went back to the bike and wanted to go off. Suddenly, geri and me decided that we should visit Mitsubishi, since it’s just next door.
I always thought apart from the Evolution, Mitsubishi produces average cars like Lancer, Colt, Airtrek etc. Walked in, was greeted by this young guy, Rick. Nice chap. Looked thru the Lancer and the Lancer EX 1.6, turned off. Looked at the Colt and Colt Plus, turned off. But hey, that’s just the beginning of an exciting test drive, in fact 2 test drives. Rick has a Colt Turbo he owns, not in the showroom, but Mitsubishi sells it. He showed me that hatchback, quite satisfied with the sporty outlook. 154bhp, pretty much actually, but he tuned it to a 230, and that’s almost like a WRX! Since it’s not in showroom, we couldn’t test drive that, but nice Rick generously took us in that car for a spin. And freak, it feels like a WRX. He cornered close to hundred at this freaking sharp bend, whacked the car like how I whack my bike, and god damn it, it was orgasmic!
Back to the showroom, pretty tempted by the car. But compared the price with the Lancer EX GT 2.0, realised they’re really close. Insurance for the GT2.0 is lower than the Colt Turbo! Traditionally, Hatchbacks give people the feeling that they’re cheapos, something with a boot always look better. Anw, the GT2.0 looks good, and with the paddle shift and tiptronic (manual functions w/o clutch) controls, I can’t withstand myself but to request for a test drive of that car.
Much more sporty than the 1.6, with 18″ sport rims, spoiler, paddle shift etc. It somehow resembles the Evo 10, but not that ex, not that fierce, not that striking. For $73,000, it’s pretty worthy. Compared to a Camry or Accord that’s 2 litre, this car has style, looks younger, cheaper and delivers power that I’m satisfied with. Whacked the car, it gave me what I wanted. And the paddle shifts gave no lag in changing gears, superbly smooth too. This is the type of car I’m looking for!
After a day of test drives, I know what suits me best now. I used to think manual gear shifting is what I’ll definitely buy. But now that technology is so advanced, I do understand why sports cars are turning auto and the reason behind more people choosing AT. An automatic car with paddle shifts or tiptronic feature is what I’ll be looking out for. Hatchbacks and cars w/o the power I want will be out of my list. A fulfilling test drive day, choices streamed down to a few. I’m surprised Mitsubishi has came into my list. The next test shall be Subaru’s.
Yesterday, mummy and I went facial at Adelphi. 1st time experiencing that, don’t really like the beauticians who kept pushing for me to sign a package.
Anw, that’s not impt, what’s exciting is what happened next. I was fetching mum home on my Super4, then at a junction, I suddenly had the urge to bring mum for a test drive at mazda. And so we went.
Then we saw Mazda 2, my mum said:
“这个不好，没有屁股的。”In case you don’t understand, Mazda 2 is a hatchback.
So we went on to Mazda 6, and mum loves it too. then the RX8!!! My personal favourite! Renesis Rotary engine! 1.3 litre (cheap road tax, COE etc), coupe and sports car look-a-like! 210+bhp!Then we saw the CX7, the 4WD SUV and the Mazda 5.
Mum commented on the RX8:
“是很美啦，可是后面只可以坐两个人，不好。”
I knew the Mazda 3 SP was what mum really loves. After COE closing this week, it’s a freaking cheap $52688, and $54688 for the luxury version (some cosmetics upgrade). So I asked for a test drive and we went Zoom Zoom on the road!
The new Mazda 3 SP has superb features! with enhanced interior design such as black leather electric seats and black speedo, safety add-ons like 1 more air bag and retractable driver window in case of obstruction while the window is winding up, and automatic wing mirrors which retract when the car is locked aft shutting down and open when you start the car, we ZOOMed off!
For those who know me, when I test a car, I really test the car. Mum was at the back. I was slowing down when approaching a hump, and the sales person said don’t need to slow down, just accelerate. I did as instructed and to me and mum’s surprise, the jerk was minimal. Then I saw another more acute hump, I accelerated and freak, it was damn smooth. This car has improved rear suspensions like those of a BMW’s which stabilises the car well on bumpy surfaces.
Then we came this long stretch on Serangoon Road. I switched it to the Activetronic mode (manual feature w/o clutch) and floored the accelerator. Whacked real real hard like how I normally whack my bike. At gear 2, around 7-8RPM, I was going at 100+km/h. And my mum loves the acceleration too. For a 1.6, it has performed above my expectations. Again, for those who know me, my expectations for cars are really high.
A couple of harsh accelerations and we were back at the showroom. I must comment Frankie, our sales person. He’s the best salesperson I’ve ever seen. Not only is he patient, friendly, detailed, humble, handsome (I’m not gay though), he’s a true gentleman. The little exchange with him is superb, and mum loves him too.
If I decide to buy a Mazda, I’ll buy from him. And for those who are interested in buying a Mazda, I’ll refer you to him.
After consideration, hesistation, ponder, thoughts, Mazda 3 has emerged my top choice for a mid-range car. The manual feature and styling is what attracts me most. If I have the cash, I’ll settle for manual, sports cars. A WRX, RX8, EVO, Integra will suit my style. But for now, if I have to buy a car, Mazda 3 and Honda Civic are on my list.
I love cars, manual cars especially, sports cars definitely.
Photos and clips of the Mazda 3 and RX8 for your viewing pleasure. I love the “Zoom zoom zoom” tune… very catchy… Enjoy. =D
2. RX8
3. Mazda 3
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