Kenapa Lampu ABS Kereta Anda Menyala? Ini Sebab-Sebabnya

Kebiasaannya, lampu amaran
Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS)
 akan menyala sebentar sebelum enjin dihidupkan dan akan terpadam selepas enjin dihidupkan. Tetapi apa pula maksudnya jika lampu ABS ini tiba-tiba menyala semasa memandu?

Kereta zaman sekarang kebanyakannya dilengkapi dengan sistem brek anti-kunci sebagai standard. Merujuk kepada namanya, sistem ABS ini berfungsi untuk menghalang tayar daripada terkunci ketika menekan brek. Maksud tayar terkunci adalah tayar anda akan berhenti berputar serta merta ketika kereta bergerak laju dan ia berisiko membuatkan tayar tergelincir dan menjejaskan kawalan kereta.

Bagaimana Sistem ABS Berfungsi?

ABS berfungsi dengan melepaskan brek dan menekan semula brek pada tayar ketika brek ditekan dalam keadaan kuat, tambah-tambah ketika brek mengejut. Penderia pada tayar akan digunakan untuk mengesan sama ada tayar terkunci atau tergelincir. Jika tayar terkunci, ABS akan mengepam brek sebanyak 100 kali sesaat untuk menghentikan tayar daripada tergelincir sekaligus membantu pemandu untuk mengekalkan kawalan kenderaan.

ABS berfungsi dalam 3 peringkat

Pedal brek ditekan

Penderia kelajuan pada tayar mengesan penguncian

ABS mengepam brek

Lampu ABS Menyala

Lampu amaran biasanya akan menyala sekiranya sistem komputer kereta mengesan sebarang kerosakan atau masalah pada mana-mana bahagian dan komponen kereta. Sekiranya lampu ABS anda tiba-tiba menyala semasa memandu, ia menandakan bahawa terdapat masalah yang berlaku pada sistem ABS kereta anda yang memerlukan perhatian. Jika ia berlaku ketika anda memandu, jangan panik dan segeralah lakukan pemeriksaan lanjut di
bengkel
 bagi mengelakkan sebarang risiko kerosakan yang lebih serius atau lebih teruk, menyebabkan kemalangan.

5 Sebab Lampu ABS Menyala

1. Minyak Brek Kurang

Tahukah anda antara sebab utama lambu ABS menyala adalah disebabkan oleh kekurangan
bendalir brek atau lebih dikenali sebagai minyak brek
? Perkara paling mudah yang anda boleh lakukan secara sendiri adalah dengan memeriksa kandungan minyak brek di tangkinya yang terletak di bawah bonet.

Sistem brek hidraulik memerlukan bendalir ini untuk memberi tekanan pada brek untuk menghentikan
tayar kereta.
 Sebab itu anda memerlukan kuantiti minyak brek yang secukupnya untuk sistem ABS berfungsi dengan baik. Jika terdapat kebocoran pada minyak brek, ia akan membuatkan lampu amaran ABS menyala.

Selain daripada lampu ABS menyala, kekurangan minyak brek turut akan menyebabkan pedal brek anda kurang memberi tindak balas berbanding kebiasaannya. Kereta akan mengambil masa yang lebih lama untuk berhenti sepenuhnya dan brek akan menghasilkan bunyi berdengung seakan-akan
pad brek sudah haus.

2. Penderia Kelajuan Bermasalah

Bagi setiap kereta yang dilengkapi ABS, setiap tayarnya telah dilengkapi dengan penderia kelajuan untuk mencatat dan mengukur kadar kelajuan tayar. Maklumat tersebut kemudiannya akan dihantar ke sistem ABS. Sekiranya penderia ini mengesan salah satu tayar berpusing sedikit perlahan berbanding yang lain, sistem ABS akan meningkatkan tekanan pada bendalir brek pada tayar tersebut agar tayar itu kembali berpusing dalam kelajuan normal.

Jika penderia kelajuan ini bermasalah atau rosak, sistem ABS akan mengesan masalah ini lalu menyebabkan lampu amaran ABS anda tiba-tiba menyala. Selain lampu ABS, lampu kawalan cengkaman turut akan menyala menandakan penderia ini sudah rosak. Ia berisiko menyebabkan kereta hilang kawalan ketika pedal brek ditekan dengan kuat.

3. Modul ABS Rosak

Selepas digunakan untuk sesuatu tempoh masa, modul ABS boleh membentuk kakisan yang menyebabkan lampu ABS menyala. Modul ABS yang berkarat tidak dapat menerima maklumat dari penderia kelajuan dengan baik. Modul ABS ini juga tidak memerlukan banyak kakisan untuk masalah ini berlaku.

Sistem ABS ini turut berkait rapat dengan sistem kawalan cengkaman kenderaan yang berfungsi memastikan kesemua tayar berpusing dengan lancar dan sekata. Jika sistem kawalan cengkaman pada kereta mengesan pergerakan tayar yang tidak sekata, kuasa daripada enjin akan diputuskan sehingga kesemua tayar berpusing dengan lancar. Memandangkan kedua-dua sistem ini menggunakan cara yang sama, sebarang masalah pada sistem kawalan cengkaman berpotensi membuatkan lampu ABS menyala.

Sekiranya modul ABS rosak, brek anda akan berbunyi seperti keretakan logam semasa ditekan atau lebih berbahaya, brek akan terkunci ketika pemanduan biasa.

*Kredit foto: Your Mechanic

4. Fius Terbakar

Seperti komponen elektrik kereta yang lain, sistem ABS hadir dengan fiusnya yang tersendiri yang boleh terbakar. Jika fius terbakar atau terdapat wayar yang rosak, lampu ABS turut akan menyala. Sebelum anda melompat dan membuat kesimpulan sendiri, eloklah anda periksa kotak fius terlebih dahulu dan pastikan fius tidak meletup atau terbakar.

Jika lampu ABS anda tiba-tiba menyala tanpa menghadapi sebarang masalah dengan sistem brek atau kawalan cengkaman kereta, besar kemungkinan fius anda sudah terbakar. Tukar sahaja fius tersebut terlebih dahulu sebelum anda menukar komponen lain yang tidak berkaitan.

5. Pam Hidraulik Haus

Jika terdapat tayar yang bergerak pada kelajuan berbeza berbanding tayar yang lain, penderia kelajuan akan memaklumkan ada sistem ABS. Apabila proses ini berlaku, sistem ABS akan mengaktifkan pam hidraulik untuk meningkatkan jumlah tekanan minyak brek untuk
mengimbangi kelajuan tayar
 dan membolehkan tayar mengekalkan cengkaman pada permukaan jalan.

Malangnya, pam hidraulik ini cenderung untuk uzur dan haus setelah bertahun-tahun digunakan disebabkan oleh kotoran dalam minyak brek bergantung pada penggunaan. Perkara tersebut akan menyebabkan lampu ABS anda menyala dan anda perlu menggantikan pam hidraulik itu dengan segera.

Sekiranya pam hidraulik ini sudah haus, prestasi brek akan menurun dan tidak menentu. Ada waktunya brek berfungsi dengan baik, tetapi ada waktunya brek seperti tidak berkuasa. Selain itu, minyak brek yang bocor di bahagian silinder atau bahagian dalaman kereta turut menjadi tanda-tanda pam hidraulik anda bermasalah.

Kesimpulan

Jika lampu ABS kereta anda tiba-tiba menyala, jangan sesekali abaikan peringatan tersebut kerana ia boleh menyebabkan kos penyelenggaraan yang lebih tinggi di masa hadapan. Takkan nak tunggu
total lost
 baru nak pergi bengkel? Sebaliknya, periksa sendiri terlebih dahulu seperti kadar minyak brek atau fius. Jika masalah itu bukan berpunca daripada kedua-dua benda yang disebutkan, barulah anda pergi ke bengkel untuk pemeriksaan lanjut.

Sekiranya lampu ABS menyala ketika anda sedang memandu, anda masih lagi boleh memandu kereta tersebut kerana sistem brek anda masih lagi berfungsi seperti biasa. Tetapi keupayaan sebenar kereta untuk berhenti terutama ketika situasi kecemasan amatlah terhad kerana tayar mudah tergelincir dan terkunci. Ia ibarat anda memandu kereta lama yang tidak mempunyai ABS seperti
Perodua Axia
 varian E yang kosong tanpa ABS dan EBD. Seeloknya, pandu dengan berhati-hati dan teruslah menuju ke bengkel untuk pemeriksaan seterusnya.


TCEC and EMEL Fashion Collaboration - Grand Prize Of A Renault Captur Up For Grabs

TC Euro Cars (TCEC) has collaborated with EMEL to give away a special edition Renault Captur as grand prize in the EMEL COLOURFULRAYA Contest.
The contest, which runs from now until 15
th
 May 2018, does not require any purchase. To enter, participants can go to
www.colourfulraya.com
 or visit participating retail partners Avenue K, Melawati Mall and Parkson (Pavilion, KLCC and Bangi) and scan the relevant QR code to fill out the contest form online.
Alternatively, participants can also access links to the contest through ZALORA.com.my, FASHIONVALET.com and EMEL.my
The grand prize is a
one-of-a-kind Renault Captur
 in dual-tone Ivory white and black roof, accompanied with design from EMEL Raya 2018 Collection theme of Chantilly lace.
In addition to the special edition Renault Captur as grand prize, up for grabs are also 300 other prizes from Panasonic Beauty and another 100 prizes in the form of 'baju raya' from EMEL. In total, there are over RM200,000 worth of prizes to be won.
Winners will be determined through a weekly draw. There will be a total of six draws, with 66 prizes to be won each week. The final draw will take place on 16
th
 May with the prize giving ceremony scheduled for 25
th
 May 2018.
“In conjunction with the upcoming Raya celebration, we are excited to collaborate with EMEL to give away an exclusive edition Renault Captur. One lucky winner is going to celebrate a more colourful 'raya' in style this year and I wish the best of luck to all participants,” said Kuan Kim Luen, CEO, TC Euro Cars Sdn Bhd.
EMEL is the homegrown Malaysian 'baju raya' designer brand and it’s 2018 collection was unveiled at a fashion show in conjunction with the launch of the
COLOURFULRAYA CONTEST 2018.
To recap, the Renault Captur is a fashionable and versatile small urban crossover.
Priced from RM109,000
, the Captur is powered by a 1.2-litre turbocharged four cylinder engine with outputs of 120 PS and 190 Nm of torque from 2,000 rpm. Power is sent to the front wheels via a six-speed efficient dual-clutch transmission (EDC), which records a frugal fuel consumption figure of 5.4 litres/100km.
Standard features in the Captur includes:
Auto Headlights and Rain Sensors
MediaNav with 7” touchscreen, 6 speakers, Navigation and Reverse camera
Keyless entry and start with keycard
Cruise control
Rear seats with sliding function
Four airbags (dual front and dual head/thorax side)
Electronic Stability Control (ESC) with traction control
Hill Start Assist
The Renault Captur also comes with a 5-year unlimited mileage warranty. Read more on
our review on the Renault Captur here
.


BMW Easy Drive’s Unbeatable Deals Brings You Closer to Your Dream Car

At a certain tier in the automotive industry, one expects to reach a level where a car’s prestige level, status, and repute inevitably trickle into the ownership experience even before the keys are handed over.

For a brand like BMW, that expectation becomes the default position where the extra care, attention, and personal touch extends to any prospective buyer, welcoming them into the fold and making their aspirations come true with accessible packages from BMW Financial Services.

With their Easy Drive financing, low monthly instalments are always around the corner and driving that dream BMW can become a reality for so many more of us with exclusive rebates and unbeatable end-of-term flexibility.

Sitting behind the wheel of a BMW for the first time knowing it is yours is a sensation not soon forgotten; a highlight forever preserved in the memory of our automotive journey. Feeling the texture of every corner while that silky, athletic TwinPower Turbo powerplant responds to your every whim.

Alternatively, BMW’s latest range of fully electric vehicles offer an unparalleled zero emissions experience that combines the serenity, dynamism and sheer driving pleasure which the brand has always held as a hallmark of their winning formula.

With up to 30% lower monthly instalments (compared to conventional financing) and flexibility at the end of tenure, Easy Drive financing provides owners with 4 end-of-term options; 1) for those who love a new car, trade-in your vehicle and upgrade into a new BMW, 2) return your vehicle to the dealership and walk away. This sets Easy Drive financing apart thanks to the Guaranteed Future Value.

Guaranteed Future Value (GFV) is the guaranteed value for your car at the end of your financing tenure, another flexibility game-changer. One could opt to upgrade to a new BMW or pocket the balance should the market value exceed the GFV. However, should the market value fall under the GFV, you’d have the option of handing back the keys and walk away with no additional cost.

Should you wish to maintain the relationship with your current car, you also have the option to 3) Settle the optional final payment or 4) Refinance it. The optional final payment amount is the same as the GFV.

There’s no better time to own your dream BMW as Easy Drive financing currently offers exclusive rebates of up to RM10,000.

To get more information on BMW Easy Drive latest offers and price list, click
here
 or go to your nearest Authorised BMW Dealership. Also, be sure to follow BMW Malaysia’s official
Facebook
 and
Instagram
 accounts!


Aston Martin and Wearnes Launch New Kuala Lumpur Showroom

Following the success of Aston Martin’s partnership with Wearnes down south in Singapore, the British luxury car brand has extended that relationship to Malaysia. This begins with a new landmark showroom, housed on the ground floor of the Etiqa Twins, along Jalan Pinang. The showroom’s prestige matches its surroundings, with the Petronas Twin Towers and the Mandarin Oriental for neighbours.
For Wearnes, the launch of the Aston Martin brand helps them add a premium level on top of the other brands that they currently handle in Malaysia, and they are very excited to be taking stewardship of the brand locally. The showroom is a multi-million investment on the part of Wearnes, and demonstrates their commitment to the brand’s presence and growth in Asia. Rather impressively, Wearnes is actually older than the British brand itself, established in 1906 while Aston Martin was established in 1913.
The new showroom includes various facilities that Aston Martin feels is necessary to provide a proper customer experience. There are various displays throughout the showroom in gallery-style spaces which put various materials and colour choices on display. There’s also a customer lounge to allow customers to relax, with private rooms for consultation with sales staff.
The flagship model on offer is the new DB11- but there’s a long waiting list for this that stretches long into 2017 as many countries are grabbing up units faster than Aston Martin can make them. There’s no official price listed, but Wearnes estimates the price will be in the region of RM 2 Million after GST and taxes.
Since Aston Martin is largely about the bespoke experience (and when you’re dropping that much money on a car, you should be able to select what you want), customers are given a wide range of options to choose from. This also means that there is a long lead time from factory as your particular DB11 cannot be built in mass production, and it will take roughly 4 months from time of purchase to delivery of car (once Aston Martin clears that backlog, that is).


Is This The New 2015 Suzuki Swift For Malaysia?

Casually shopping for pet food can be interesting, because sometimes, you run into strange things like this. It’s a 2015
Suzuk
i
Swift
, for sure, but is this an updated version for Malaysia?
If we’re right, this is an updated 2015 Suzuki Swift GLX that we’ve spotted at the Empire Shopping mall about a week back (it didn’t make it to you sooner because we were waiting on some confirmation from Suzuki Malaysia).
And yes, it looks quite different to the regular Swift we know, because that’s the Swift Sport’s front grille and surrounding body kit. Note the rear diffuser with dual exhaust tips and rear wing, too. There are even a few things on this that haven’t even been spotted on the Swift Sport.
When we first set eyes on it at the roadshow it was on, we initially presumed that this was a Swift Sport and got pretty close to just moving along, but then, it hit us that the car was in a dark shade of blue – the Swift Sport isn’t offered in any shade other than yellow or white in Malaysia: various other colours are available elsewhere, though.
Taking a few steps closer, we spot the regular Swift’s reflector headlamps, and then the regular Swift’s alloy wheels on it. So we ask the sales rep on site what this was, and he tells us it’s a 2015 Suzuki Swift GLX – the top-spec Swift. We argue for a bit with the slightly uninformed sales rep, going back and forth, “No that’s a Swift Sport’s body kit,” “No, this is a normal Swift sir, the GLX one. Swift Sport not here.”
Looking inside, all the GLX’s kit is accounted for: fabric seats, 2-DIN head unit, keyless entry, it’s all the same.
So, could this be an updated Swift for 2015? We asked Suzuki Malaysia a week ago, and they, seemingly wanting to mask its potential arrival (understandably), told us that this was a “dealer initiative” at first, and then didn’t give us an answer to whether or not this exact arrangement would be up for sale to Malaysian customers.
To answer that, we think it’s very likely, based on two developments since capturing these images. One, we’ve recently been invited to the launch of a new Suzuki Swift. Two, we’ve seen the same thing on the road, in white, but weren’t quick enough to snap a photo of it.
To recap, the regular Suzuki Swift features a 1.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that makes 95PS and 130Nm when paired with its four-speed torque converter auto transmission. It’s a plain-jane appeal with some very nimble handling on the side – this writer knows because his wife owns one (previous-gen). We don’t expect any changes to appear on the updated Swift here, nor do we expect too many changes to its interior as well.


Send Your Dashcam Footage To PDRM If You Catch P-Hailing Riders Riding Dangerously

PDRM is going all out in trying to catch law-breaking p-hailing (food delivery companies) riders and has even asked the public to get involved.

According to a report made by AstroAwani, road users have been asked to share their dashcam video footage if they see a p-hailing rider
violating traffic laws
 or riding dangerously.

Head of Selangor Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department (JSPT), Superintendent Azman Shariat, said that his department received complaints from various parties regarding the behaviour of
p-hailing riders
 who often ride dangerously.

"Saya menyeru kepada pengguna jalan raya jika kesan penunggang p-hailing yang melanggar peraturan supaya menghantar rakaman video dashcam menerusi Facebook JSPT Selangor dan kita akan ambil tindakan susulan. Kesalahan ketara yang boleh menyebabkan kemalangan adalah melanggar lampu isyarat merah, abai lalu lintas termasuk menunggang secara melawan arus dan kesalahan tertinggi adalah menunggang tanpa lesen," said Azman.

He also continued saying that operations will be carried out in several locations where there are
frequent law violations
 involving p-hailing riders.

He also pleaded to the riders to be lawful and that in the pursuit of livelihood, we must not neglect the safety of ourselves and other road users as many families wait at home for the safe return of every road user.

On top of the special p-haling operations, he said that regular and continuous motorcycle operations would also be carried out, not only focusing on p-hailing riders but all road users as a whole.


2015 Honda Jazz 1.5 V Full Review - Versatile Virtuoso

The
Honda

Jazz
, as it’s known here, but elsewhere as the Honda Fit, is now into its third generation. A lineage that stretches back to 2001 and was bumped to the version we see today in 2013.

In those intervening years, the Jazz has been hugely popular with over five million sold worldwide, heralded for its reliability, practicality, affordability, ease to drive, and, well, that puppy dog look that it hasn’t quite been able to outgrow even in its current maturity.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but perhaps
Honda
 Malaysia have long started gunning for the young male demographic with officially available kits such as ones from Mugen (fitted here) or Modulo. I'm getting ahead of myself, and we’ll get to the exterior in a further section.

The Jazz has always been at the foreground of the small hatch market, but other automakers aren’t sitting idle, happy to let Honda have it all their way. Other, more affordable options too have cropped up and claim to be able to tick most, if not all, of the boxes that the Jazz does. Some are
even local
, landing wide of the mark. Has the Honda been able to keep the rhythm?

Key Specs

Price:
RM89,400 - on-the-road with insurance, inclusive of GST

Engine:
1,497cc four-cylinder SOHC 16v i-VTEC

Power:
120PS @ 6,600rpm

Torque:
145Nm @ 4,600rpm

Transmission: ‘
Earth Dreams’ Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)

Fuel Economy:
17.8km/litre or 5.62-litres/100km (claimed)

Kerb Weight:
1088kg

Overview

Closely related to the
City
 sedan, they both share the same engine, transmission and even sit on the same underpinnings: Honda's Global Small Car Platform. But unless you’re absolutely in love with having that extra depth in boot space, the Jazz’s added compactness and more affordable price -
the RM3k gulf between it and the top-spec City isn’t huge, but still noteworthy
 - will cover more bases for the pragmatist.

But nearly RM90k for what’s essentially still a small hatchback is quite a big ask, but with some clever touches and premium flourishes, the Jazz 1.5 V hopes to make a good enough case that justifies that premium and attempt to meld practicality with desirability as deftly as it can.

Exterior

With the Jazz 1.5 V, it’s clear Honda wanted to deliver a car that looked as good as it could while roaming in its destined habitat: the 'city', rather ironically. The third-generation Jazz’s already pronounced styling cues are made to complement the larger wheels and rather deep accent creases that run along the car’s body.

Add to that the Modulo Package for RM4,174 or the less subtle Mugen Package for RM4,826, and the Jazz actually takes on a legitimately aggressive look, something I doubt I would hear myself admit. The Jazz has always been well styled. Agreeable, and sometimes even a handsome little car, but the extra touches on this test car gives it more edge, especially in this Tinted Silver Metallic finish, without straying into the murky waters of ostentation.

The tail lamps are a little odd, though. They do the job of lighting up just fine, but the lit cluster is reserved for the car’s midriff while the red perspex that extends roofward from that and flanks the rear windscreen serves no purpose. To my eyes, having the tail lights extend to the top doesn’t really add much visual flair anyway.

Interior & Practicality

This is one the most important factors in a compact hatch, and thankfully it’s one of the Jazz’s high points. Clever packaging, in particular, is where it leaves the rest of it’s competition for dead - more on that soon. There’s keyless entry, and while you don’t get leather seats even in the top-end Jazz 1.5 V, the fabric seats acquit themselves well with their comfort, support and airy sink.

Facing the driver, the instrument cluster is sharp, and the right-most digital display is easy to decipher, an impressive feat as it has to cram in readouts for the trip computer, fuel economy (average and real time), clock, fuel level, and ambient temperature. The steering wheel - which tilts and, even better, telescopes outward - itself is a good size and comes with the usual stereo controls but also with several phone function buttons that you press toward you instead of away, a standard that should be used for many other tactile controls, as I feel it’s more natural as a driver in the same way paddle shifters require you to pull and not push.

The 7-inch touchscreen infotainment interface was surprisingly intuitive and easy to operate despite the resistive nature of the panel. I was able to pair my phone via Bluetooth with no fuss and it was quick to reconnect every time I started the car back up. The climate control dials are also touch sensitive, and although I’d prefer a physical dial as opposed to having to repeatedly poke at the centre console, it wasn’t nearly as annoying as I anticipated and does give the dash a very neat and clean look for its lack of protrusions. One gripe was that the controls for ‘Home’, ‘Menu’, and ‘Back’ were located to the left of the screen, requiring some awkward elbow extension. Move it over for right hand drive markets, Honda.

iPhone users even get Siri Eyes Free functionality, although voice commands are restricted to very basic functions such as placing a call (because apparently we can’t be trusted to multitask with anything else without finding a tree swerve into). There are also plenty of little pockets for storage and a good amount of cupholders for all your drive-thru or mineral water needs.

Material choices are well selected, with surfaces feeling well assembled and smooth under the finger. Yes, there are plastics - what did you expect - but they’re of good quality and are mixed in with leather and faux aluminium that’s far from being as bad as it sounds. In all, it feels good.

The rear seats are nearly as comfortable as those in the front and there’s ample room for passengers to stretch out, with generous amounts of head, and legroom. Something that can’t be said about competitors such as the
Ford

Fiesta
.

Moving to the Jazz’s party piece: its ultra-versatile rear seats. From a purely spacial standpoint, the trunk itself is already very commodious with a wide opening and low sill that’s nearly flush with the boot’s floor that makes loading and unloading even strenuously heavy items a breeze. The rear seats, as expected, do fold flat in a 60/40 split, bringing the car’s cargo space to an expansive 1,492-litres.

The rear seat cushions also fold upward and lock upright in an arrangement Honda dubs Tall Mode, and upon clicking into place, allows for a floor-to-ceiling vertical cargo area that’s perfect for items such as a tall plant or…..a scarecrow.

Drive

Out on the road, it becomes apparent that Honda has carefully considered how the Jazz should handle, how compliant the ride should be without having it wallow disconcertingly around bends. Being a small car, the Jazz is predictably very easy to thread through town and into a parking spot. The surprise came at how competent it feels overall on the move, and how planted it was when cornering.

The ride was composed, even premium-feeling, over our pothole-ridden roads and the steering, while light, was precise, quick, and easy to modulate, a characteristic that was mirrored by the brakes (front discs, rear drums), allowing the to come to a very smooth stop without much effort, even with twitchy toes. Larger, more linear bumps however, as with common with smaller cars, does unsettle the Jazz somewhat - just remember to brake a little more before coming into contact with one.

The 1.5-litre i-VTEC engine isn’t shouty, and with 120PS/145Nm, can’t quite match some of it’s rivals for pure punch, but is no slouch either, able to accelerate as quickly as I wanted it to and even up some steep inclines without struggle. It’s a smooth powerplant that’s devoid of irksome vibrations and is responsive, even excitable, to prods on the accelerator pedal.

That peppiness is tempered, for the better, by the continuously variable transmission (CVT) that does a fine job of dialing in the power to the right ratio for an acceleration that’s almost diesel-like in terms of its seeming lack of effort. While some CVTs downright dimwitted are occasionally attributed to being the weakest link in a car fitted with one, with behaviours such as leaving the engine at a high rev until the car catches up in speed, the Honda's unit here complements the Jazz well and aids in its un-rushed and dignified personality while being more conservative of the fuel in its tank. This is a CVT that works; one you can (and probably will) literally forget about.

On highway cruises, the Jazz has a substantial and secure feel about it, requiring minimal steering adjustments to maintain a steady line at speed, even when a large lorry is alongside.

Running Costs & Maintenance

The Jazz, with its economical engine and CVT transmission is going to be a rather cheap car to run day to day. During my time with it, I could not match Honda’s claimed maximum of 17.8km/litre, but reached an impressive consumption figure of 15.6km/litre or 6.41-litres/100km in mixed driving conditions.

Honda Malaysia offers the Jazz with a service package that offers up to six waivers of labour fees for service intervals up to 100,000km along with a 5-year unlimited mileage warranty. The breakdown for maintenance fees are as follows:

1,000-30,000km:
 RM750.14

40,000-70,000km:
 RM1,192.51

80,000-110,000km:
RM1,907.82

120,000-150,000km:
 RM1,598.64

160,000-200,000km:
 RM2,598.14

Safety

The Honda Jazz comes with standard dual front SRS airbags, while the top-end 1.5 V comes with additional side and curtain airbags. Anti-lock Brakes (ABS), Electronic Brake-Force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist are also standard across all variants, however Hill Start Assist, Emergency Stop Signal and Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) are only available in the E and V variants. However, seatbelt reminders, rear seat ISOFIX mounts, 4 corner reverse sensors are all standard across all units.

Conclusion

Honda has landed upon a winning combination with the Jazz, and has steadily built upon the original’s strengths, rounding them off to the current third-generation model. As it stands, it’s a car that really does excel at almost everything it sets out to do.

It’s now a stylish and fun car to drive, and expands upon the ease-of-use, reliability and strong versatility that made the previous iterations such a hit. There’s a reason why it’s still top of the heap when it comes to the compact B-segment hatch, and its competitors have a lot of ground to make up if they intend to unseat the Honda Jazz from offering an unmatched blend of looks, economy, quality, comfort, practicality, space, and price.

On the topic of price, the Jazz 1.5 V comes in at nearly RM90,000, and closer to RM95k if you add in the cosmetic packages from Mugen or Modulo. But if you can live without some of the frills, middle variant 1.5 E at RM81,000 (OTR with insurance and GST) is also an excellent purchase.


Paddle Shifters: Do You Use Them At All?

Do you ever use your paddle shifters?

When
Ferrari
 first introduced paddle shifters to the world through their Formula One car back in the late eighties, who'd thought that their innovation would eventually make its way into run-of-the-mill cars?

What was once a performance tool in race cars is now a feature in a lot of automatic transmission vehicles, which we guess helps provide the illusion that the car has some sort of sporting attributes.

The big question is, are paddle shifters necessary in ordinary cars? Or is it just more of a feature that helps manufacturers boast about how extensive the equipment list is in their cars?

To help answer these questions, we take a little peek at the history of paddle shifters.

Ferrari's attempt to make their Formula One cars faster and more efficient resulted in the semi-automatic gearbox. John Barnard designed it. After many difficulties in making it work, the Maranello-based supercar manufacturer eventually won a race in 1989 with a car equipped with a semi-automatic gearbox that actuated the gears through two paddles behind the steering wheel.

Although many others followed Ferarri's lead, the paddle shifter mechanism stayed in motorsport. In 1997 however, Ferrari decided to include the paddle shifter in their 355 road car, calling its transmission the "F1" box. After that,
Alfa Romeo
 and
BMW
 produced similar systems for their performance road cars, resulting in reduced shifting delays for each new model.

So as we can see from this little snippet of automotive innovation history, the pursuit of building faster performance cars resulted in the inclusion of paddle shifter, so why is it do we see them a lot more in regular cars?

We believe the answer lies within the fun and engaging aspect of a car instead of function. Most automatic transmission logic these days are very good and might even get you better performance around a track, but none of them will make the car as engaging as a vehicle with paddle shifters as it allows you to take control of the shifting.

There are other applications for paddle shifters too, like when towing or carrying heavy loads. When towing with SUVs or trucks, drivers can use the paddle shifters to quickly change gears when approaching a hill in order to maintain a constant speed. The same applies when going downhill, as drivers can descend with more control by manually engine braking through the paddle shifter.

As you can see, the paddle shifter has evolved since its inception back in the eighties. What was once a time shaving tool on the track has evolved into making boring cars a bit more engaging. The application doesn't stop there either, as from our example up top, you can see that it can also be used as a method to help tackle hilly roads.

So perhaps there is a place for paddle shifters in ordinary cars after all. It might not be for performance's sake, but there does seem to merit for its existence.

What about you? Do you ever use your paddle shifters? Let us know in the comments.


Proton Sold 70,991 Vehicles In 2017 – 1.8% Drop Due To Poor Fleet Sales

Proton has announced its sales performance figures for the year 2017, having sold a grand total of 70,991 units compared to 72,291 units in 2016.
Despite the slight drop in total, retail sales increased 2.5 per cent from 66,513 units in 2016 to 68,184 units in 2017.
A healthy growth was also seen from the Central, Southern, as well as East Coast regions and East Malaysia, each recording between 1 and 10 per cent increase in units of cars sold.
The factor that caused a drop in the overall number was poorer fleet sales, with 2,807 units sold in 2017 due to lower taxi orders.
Focusing on the models, Proton said that the best-sellers last year were the Saga, Persona, and Ertiga which made up 80 per cent of the total units sold. Out of the three, the Saga was the crowd favourite, having registered above 30,000 units.
The Persona however, registered a 27 per cent increase with 19,510 units sold compared to 15,390 units last year.
The Ertiga on the other hand also gained healthy acceptance in the market with 6,091 units sold in 2017.
“Part of the reasons that sales of our cars stabilised in 2017 is due to the aggressive quality improvement exercise done internally. Our counterpart from Geely Auto performed a stringent quality audit of our cars and within 3 months, we were able to improve our quality points threefold,” said Abdul Rashid Musa, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Proton.
On another note, Proton is now rewarding its customers with “prosperity discounts” of up to RM3,500 for the Saga,  RM4,500 for the Persona, RM5,000 for the Iriz, RM5,500 for the Exora, and up to RM13,888 for a Perdana as part of its Chinese New Year Promotion.


23 tahun Memandu Tanpa Road Tax – JPJ Pahang Sita Kereta

JPJ Pahang telah menyita sebuah kereta dengan
cukai jalan
 tamat tempoh sejak tahun 1999 atau hampir 23 tahun lalu dalam Ops Pengarah
Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan (JPJ) Pahang.

Menurut Pengarah JPJ Pahang, Kamarul Iskandar Nordin, kesalahan itu dikesan hasil pemeriksaan ke atas 325 kenderaan dalam operasi selama tiga jam itu.

Ops Pengarah Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan Pahang

Sebuah kereta tanpa cukai jalan yang sah telah menjadi salah satu kenderaan yang disita ekoran sudah 23 tahun bergerak tanpa perlu mengeluarkan sebarang modal untuk membayar cukai jalan dan
insurans
.

Daripada keseluruhan kenderaan diperiksa, pihaknya berjaya mengesan dan mengambil tindakan terhadap 85 kenderaan atas pelbagai kesalahan. Sementara itu, sebanyak 131 notis dan 162 saman telah dikeluarkan atas pelbagai kesalahan dengan 40 saman melibatkan kesalahan tiada lesen memandu.

Menurut Kamarul, sasaran operasi kali ini lebih kepada kesalahan berkaitan teknikal nombor pendaftaran dan lampu
strobe light
,
namun kesalahan-kesalahan biasa seperti tiada lesen memandu yang dikesan terus diambil tindakan,

Beliau mendapati bahawa masih ramai penunggang motosikal di Pahang tidak memiliki lesen yang sah. Mereka yang ditahan rata-rata memberikan alasan seperti masalah kewangan sedangkan mereka mampu memiliki motosikal yang harganya berkali ganda berbanding kos mendapatkan lesen memandu.

"Golongan ini dinasihatkan agar segera mendapatkan lesen memandu dan tidak mengambil mudah kesalahan menunggang tanpa lesen," katanya.

Ops Khas Modifikasi Teknikal

Sementara itu, JPJ Pahang turut melakukan Ops Khas Modifikasi Teknikal di Jalan Tanah Putih baru-baru ini di mana operasi itu memberi fokus kepada motosikal diubah suai tanpa kebenaran. Dalam operasi itu, sebanyak 310 kenderaan diperiksa dan 70 daripadanya diambil tindakan atas pelbagai kesalahan.

Antaranya ialah:

Mempamerkan nombor pendaftaran kenderaan milik orang lain

Menggunakan kenderaan yang diisytiharkan telah tidak digunakan

Jika anda masih lagi tidak mempunyai lesen atau cukai jalan yang sah, sila dapatkannya dengan segera bagi memudahkan proses menuntut ganti rugi atau mengelak segala kesusahan ketika waktu kecemasan. Ingat, lepas daripada pihak berkuasa harini tak bermakna esok juga sama. Sampai bila nak hidup dalam ketakutan?

*Kredit foto: JPJ Pahang


KL residents, business owners want parking limit introduced

Residents and business owners are calling for DBKL to implement a two-hour parking limit in the central business district to help ease parking congestion and rid of those who hog the parking bays from morning to evening.

 The theory behind a two-hour parking limit is to ensure that there is an adequate turnover of vehicles in a particular area, especially in areas where parking spaces are limited.

By imposing a time limit on parking, it allows more people to have access to the parking space throughout the day, rather than having the same car parked in the same spot for an extended period of time.

For this exact reason, residents and business owners want DBKL to implement such parking rules, especially in severely congested areas like  Brickfields and Bukit Bintang.

According to The Star's report, the locals of the area are seeking DBKL’s intervention to resolve the long-standing issue of no parking as they are fed up with having to look for it constantly.

Tong Soon Mansion resident, G.S Maniam said they have been waiting for the 2 hour parking limit implementation for the longest of time now, ever since people who are working in the offices are occupying the parking bays for many hours.

Devotees at the Buddhist Maha Vihara Temple in Jalan Berhala also want the same ruling for parking, as they have struggled to find parking every day,” said temple secretary Tilak Leslie Jayawardena.

While Bukit Bintang residents and business owners share the same problem, theirs are a bit more unique as not only do they have to fight with the hogging of parking bays, but they also have to deal with abandoned vehicles and food trucks.

“These cars have expired road tax. Service vehicles and food trucks are also occupying the parking bays for long hours,” said business owner John Sim, reported The Star.

DBKL had actually planned to impose a two-hour parking limit in the central business district to reduce traffic congestion since 2016,the plan however, was never implemented.


RFID Di Lebuhraya PLUS Mulai 15 Januari – Masih Boleh Guna Touch ‘n Go, SmartTAG Hingga 2023

Bermula 15 Januari 2022, transaksi tol menggunakan
teknologi Identifikasi Frekuensi Radio (RFID)
 untuk kenderaan ringan persendirian (Kelas 1) akan dilaksanakan sepenuhnya di laluan Juru, Pulau Pinang hingga ke Skudai, Johor di Lebuhraya Utara-Selatan (PLUS).

Menurut Kementerian Kerja Raya (KKR), transaksi tol menggunakan RFID adalah langkah kementerian itu untuk mengurangkan kesesakan lalu lintas di
plaza tol
 dan pelaksanaan tersebut selaras dengan Rancangan Induk Sistem Pengangkutan Pintar yang
termasuk Sistem Aliran Bebas Pelbagai Lorong (MLFF).

Menurut Pengarah Urusan PLUS, Datuk Azman Ismail, bagi merealisasikan MLFF seperti yang dilaksanakan di negara lain, pengguna lebuh raya terlebih dulu perlu beralih kepada RFID secara berperingkat dalam satu jangka masa tertentu bagi memberi peluang mereka menyesuaikan diri dengan kaedah pembayaran tol alaf baru tersebut.

Antara kelebihan RFID ialah sistem RFID membolehkan pengguna lebuh raya untuk menikmati perjalanan lebih lancar tanpa perlu berhenti di lorong RFID dengan kelajuan 30 km/j serta membolehkan pengguna melaksanakan transaksi tol tanpa sentuh sekali gus membantu mengurangkan risiko jangkitan Covid-19.

RFID juga menawarkan sekuriti tunai digital dan tambah nilai tanpa tunai melalui penggunaan
Touch 'n Go eWallet
 tanpa perlu lagi mengunjungi kaunter tambah nilai. KKR sehubungan itu mengajak pengguna lebuh raya untuk beralih kepada RFID dan mendapatkan tag RFID secara dalam talian menerusi aplikasi Touch 'n Go eWallet, portal Touch 'n Go, ejen pemasaran yang dilantik atau mana-mana 39 pusat pemasangan tag RFID di seluruh Semenanjung.

Bagi mereka yang bimbang dengan penutupan dan penghapusan lorong Touch ‘n Go dan SmartTAG ekoran pelaksanaan RFID yang meluas mulai tahun hadapan, Azman memberitahu bahawa pengguna masih boleh menggunakan kad Touch 'n Go dan SmartTAG kerana hanya satu lorong RFID disediakan di plaza-plaza tol di laluan berkenaan.

Walaupun ia masih boleh digunakan, namun Timbalan Menteri Kerja Raya, Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup berkata, penggunaan kad Touch 'n Go dan SmartTAG mungkin diberhentikan pada penghujung 2023. Tambahnya, pemberhentian sistem tersebut juga akan dilaksanakan secara berperingkat. Sehubungan dengan itu, KKR telah menyasarkan penggunaan RFID di Malaysia sebanyak 60% menjelang akhir 2023 nanti.

Sudahkah anda memasang pelekat RFID pada kenderaan anda? Lihat video di bawah untuk mengetahui cara-caranya.


The best Grab car is...?

If there is one thing that movement control order (MCO) has thought us in the last couple of months is that being part of Grab is really one of the most secure jobs around.

In times where people were losing jobs and receiving pay cuts, partners of Grab were profiting from a worldwide lockdown due to an unprecedented global problem. If in this situation, your job is safe, then your job will most probably be secure for the foreseeable future.

With this in mind, we have heard that many have thought about joining Grab as a Grab driver, so let us give you a list of cars that we believe are the best bang for buck for your Grab car.

According to Grab drivers and forums, when choosing a Grab car, the two most important things are fuel economy and the size of the boot. Understandably the fuel economy of your vehicle can help put money in your pocket instead of burning away. At the same time, the size of the boot can also determine whether you can make those big profit drives to the airport and back where luggage space is essential.

So is there an affordable sub RM50k car that has these attributes? Just so happens, we know of a few.

Perodua Bezza

The best compromise between price, boot space and fuel economy belongs to the Bezza. Yes, it is the most expensive car on the list, but it potentially ticks all the boxes to be one of the best, if not the best Grab car out there. If you can't afford a new one, find a slightly used one as they can be had anywhere south of RM40k. The 1.3-litre Dual VVTi engine is peppy enough to run most trips.

Price: RM49,980

Fuel Economy: AV Variant, 22km/L

Boot Space: 508L

Proton Persona

The second generation Proton Persona is a really good car. Proton really upped their game when they made it. The NVH is good and so is the general build quality. It only loses to the Bezza because of its fuel economy. but if you're after a Grab car with the biggest boot, then the Persona is for you. It also comes with 5 star ASEAN NCAP, if you value safety for your passengers and yourself. The 1.6-litre VVT engine has a decent amount of torque and the car handles well like most Protons.

Price: RM44,600

Fuel Economy: Standard CVT Variant, 16.4km/L

Boot Space: 510L

Proton Saga

Whilst the Proton Saga might have the lousiest fuel economy out of them all; it is cheaper than the other two. Saying that however, this is the Proton Saga, Malaysia's darling and probably one of the best examples of what Malaysians can do when they put their mind to it. The recent one is, of course, the most impressive since its inception and probably the choice to go for if you do not have a lot of start-up money. The interior is spacious and the 1.3-litre engine mated to a 4-speed gearbox can pretty much reliably get you anywhere you need to go for a long time.

Price: RM35,800

Fuel Economy: Standard AT variant, 15km/L

Boot Space: 420L

Are you a Grab driver? Do you agree with our choices? Let us know what you think in the comments.


Porsche’s Upcoming 718 Boxster And Cayman Teased Again, This Time Under Sheets

Porsche
 shocked us all when it suddenly revealed a
new naming scheme
 for their
Boxster
 and
Cayman
 sports cars. A name that’s a throwback to its 718 racing car that dominated in the late 1950s and early 1960s, which famously was very lightweight and powered by a mid-mounted four-cylinder boxer engine.
Presumably because that layout and engine configuration (plus a turbocharger) are making a return for the successor to the 981-series Boxster and Cayman, Porsche saw fit to add a three-number prefix to their names, and following their debut in 2016 - likely at the Geneva Motor Show in March - will be known as the 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman.
While both the cars in this teaser image are under wraps, their outlines are somewhat exposed, allowing us some room to speculate. A particular point of note is the design of the new Boxster’s headlamps which seems more recessed and takes on a more swooping angle akin to those of the 718 racer placed next to it from which its new name is derived. Visible on both the covered cars, their rear haunches also seem more pronounced than in the current 981, but apart from that we’re hard pressed to find any other stand-out details.
At least outwardly, Porsche is certainly being rather unapologetic in discarding the much-lauded six-cylinder engines from its entry-level, but very capable, sports cars. And while we do know that its history with flat-four engines are impressive and significant, we can’t help but feel a twinge of sadness to see them fade into history, at least in this mid-engine offering.
After all, the term ‘turbo flat-four’ is usually associated with the
Impreza

WRX
, with
Subaru
 being the only other manufacturer to be heavily invested with the boxer engine layout. We expect Porsche is doing all they can to distance that affiliation, and is keen to retain as much of the effervescent character and sonorous exhaust note that its previous six-cylinder engines were known for.
Still, there are benefits to Porsche’s downsizing and turbocharging ways and they’re hardly the only manufacturer to be heading down this path. The reduction of cylinders and addition of turbocharging means improved fuel economy, reduced emissions, and a lighter engine to improve dynamics even further.
Two version of the turbocharged flat-four engine are reported to be released, one with 270hp destined for the entry-level models and a more powerful 310hp version for the higher ’S' versions.
Porsche also included a video lovingly details the racing history of its iconic 718 racing car to bring everyone up to speed with the name’s pedigree.


OP Khas Nombor Pendaftaran ‘Fancy’ – 74,437 Saman Dikeluarkan

Op Khas (Nombor Pendaftaran)
 yang berlangsung sepanjang bulan lalu telah mencatatkan sebanyak 74,437 saman berkaitan nombor pendaftaran dan pelbagai kesalahan lain.

Menurut Pengarah Jabatan Siasatan dan Penguatkuasaan Trafik (JSPT) Bukit Aman, Datuk Mat Kasim Karim, daripada jumlah
saman
 keseluruhan, sebanyak 24,909 saman melibatkan nombor pendaftaran
fancy
, tiada nombor pendaftaran dan nombor pendaftaran tidak ikut peraturan manakala selebihnya merupakan lain-lain kesalahan.

Daripada 24,909 saman melibatkan nombor pendaftaran, pengguna motosikal mencatatkan jumlah saman tertinggi dengan 49.45% atau 12,318 saman diikuti dengan pengguna kereta dengan 42.35% atau 10,549 saman.

Melalui operasi ini juga, seramai 35 individu telah ditahan di bawah Akta Pengangkutan Jalan (APJ) 1987, Kanun Keseksaan dan Akta Dadah Berbahaya. Sementara itu, sebanyak 111 kenderaan pelbagai jenis telah disita di bawah Seksyen 64 (1) APJ 1987.

*Kredit foto: Bernama

PDRM mempunyai kuasa untuk menyita kenderaan bagi tujuan mengenal pasti identiti pemandu kenderaan atau untuk memberhentikan sesuatu kesalahan daripada berterusan di bawah Seksyen 64(1) APJ 1987. Daripada 111 kenderaan yang disita, 60 buah merupakan motosikal, 35 kereta dan 16 kenderaan lain. Jika disabitkan kesalahan, pemilik kenderaan ini boleh dikenakan tindakan di bawah Seksyen 14 (4) APJ 1987 dibaca bersama Seksyen 119 APJ 1987.

Walau bagaimanapun, kenderaan yang disita masih boleh dituntut atau dilepaskan sekiranya:

Identiti pemandu atau kenderaan telah dikenal pasti

Kesalahan yang dilakukan telah diberhentikan

Dilepaskan oleh mahkamah

PDRM mengalu-alukan kerjasama orang ramai dalam meningkatkan lagi keberkesanan kempen Op Khas (Nombor Pendaftaran) ini. Sebelum ini, JPJ telah memberikan lampu hijau kepada orang ramai untuk
melaporkan mana-mana kenderaan yang memasang nombor pendaftaran mengelirukan, kabur atau
fancy
.

Menerusi kenyataan yang dikeluarkan oleh JPJ, aduan tersebut boleh disalurkan menerusi e-mel
aduantrafik@jpj.gov.my
 bersama gambar kenderaan dan butiran lain yang berkaitan seperti lokasi, tarikh dan masa gambar itu ditangkap.

Mat Kasim berkata, Op Khas (Nombor Pendaftaran) bertujuan mendidik pemilik dan pengguna kenderaan supaya sentiasa mengikut peraturan, selain memastikan undang-undang jalan raya dipatuhi tanpa kompromi.

*Sumber: JPJ

Katanya, operasi
Sekatan Jalan Raya (SJR)
, rondaan cegah kemalangan dan pemantauan berkala oleh petugas trafik di laluan utama serta taman perumahan akan terus ditingkatkan bagi mengesan pengguna jalan raya yang menggunakan nombor pendaftaran tidak mengikut spesifikasi.

“Pihak berkuasa juga akan mengekalkan konsep tiada tolak ansur dan penguatkuasaan penuh di kawasan tumpuan orang ramai. Ini merupakan strategi utama bagi mengesan kenderaan yang mengubah suai dan menggunakan nombor pendaftaran
fancy
 yang tidak mengikut spesifikasi ditetapkan Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan (JPJ)," katanya.

*Kredit foto: Polis Daerah Pendang

Dalam pada itu, Mat Kasim menasihatkan pemilik kenderaan supaya segera menukar dan mempamerkan nombor pendaftaran mengikut spesifikasi dan kegagalan berbuat demikian akan membawa kepada tindakan saman serta pertuduhan di mahkamah.


Review: 2020 Jaguar XE - For Those Who Want To Stand Out!

The 2020 Jaguar XE facelift made its debut in Malaysia towards the second half of last year. It is available locally in a solitary R-Dynamic variant. It is the most fun I've had in a rear-wheel-drive sports saloon yet!

Specifications:

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbocharged Ingenium

Horsepower: 300 PS at 5,500 rpm

Torque: 400 Nm between 1,500 to 4,500 rpm

Tranmission: ZF 8HP45 eight-speed automatic

Drive: Rear-wheel

0-100: 5.7 seconds

Top speed: 250 km/h

Safety: 6-airbags, All Surface Progress Control (ASPC), ABS, Emergency Brake Assist (EBA), LKA with Driver Condition Monitor, Front and rear parking sensors, 360-degree camera, Rear Traffic Monitor, Traffic Sign Recognition and Adaptive Speed Limiter, DSC, Rear ISOFIX

Price: RM395,831 (including SST, excluding road tax and insurance)

So far in my yet short-living automotive journalist (if I can be called that) vocation, I have had two vehicles that I've had trouble returning. My love for the
Volvo S60 T8
 is well documented hence it is no surprise but I never saw myself falling for a Jaguar!

After having the car over the weekend the question that kept lingering was "Why don't we see more of the XE on our roads?"

Unfortunately, Jaguar in Malaysia has the same conundrum as Audi. They both offer CBU vehicles competing against a sea of CKD challengers. So like Audi, Jaguar has to be smart in packaging their vehicles, offering the luxury and prestige of a Jaguar at a price point that is palatable. It is no easy task.

But boy, oh boy did they hit the nail on the head with the XE!

Look, it ticks off all the boxes of a premium, opulent, classy marque - it is sophisticated yet elegant, bold without being garish, subtle yet imbued with presence.

But that is not where it excels in - it is the drive in which this Jaguar XE pounces, lithe and limber as its namesake!

It is a car that begs to be driven hard, it is most rewarding over B-roads, chuck it around a corner, and awe at its torque vectoring abilities. Just when you think the rear is about to step out, the rear tyres offer up more grip as you crest the apex of the turn. Stopping power is equally impressive with vented 350mm front discs and 325mm rear discs providing improved resistance to brake fade especially when pushed hard.

From the moment you get into the XE and get strapped in, you're in flight mode. From the very low floor which means you just might knock the air-con vents as you climb in, to the SportShift gear selector that is shaped like a plane sidestick controller. The Jaguar XE makes no pretensions and it wants you to know that!

Make no mistake, however, it will comfortably carry four. I had my wife and son in the rear for a road trip to Kuala Selangor and they had very little to complain about. My wife did remark that the car was a little low which made ingress and egress a little cumbersome. Boot space at 455 litres is bigger than the Volvo S60's at 442 litres but smaller than both its German rivals that come in at about 480 litres or so. Being so low to the ground made it easy for me to load and unload items from the boot. Cabin refinement is top in class even at speeds of 150km/h. Conversations can be had between the front and rear passengers without having to raise voices over tire roar.

The infotainment unit in the XE now features a Touch Pro Duo system with crisp crystal clear dual touchscreens. The top 10-inch display gives you access to infotainment, navigation, and media functions. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are supported. The 5.5-inch lower unit provides climate control options that are adjustable via dynamic rotary dials. Wireless charging is also available.

The XE will get up to cruising speeds with ease even in Comfort mode and comfortably amble along at speeds above the national speed limit but like I've intimated above, that's not where it shines. It comes alive like the red lights on the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster when you toggle the JaguarDrive control switch to Dynamic.

The steering gets sharper, the gearshifts quicker, the exhaust rumble bass-ier. It is in Dynamic mode that the integral link rear suspension (that according to Jaguar promises sharp response and handling whilst at the same time retaining a refined ride) comes alive. The integral link setup coupled with the front double-wishbone suspension ensures that most sought after 'feedback' every 'driver' looks for. The Jaguar XE is a driver's car - there are no two ways about it.

In a sea of 3's, and C's - the XE stands out especially in Santorini Black with a Siena Tan leather interior. It's a head-turner!

For the German badge loyalists or those who think with their wallets then this Jaguar isn't for you and that's fine really but for those of you who treasure exclusivity, then you owe it to yourself to take the XE for a test drive. After all, it is where saloon meets sport.

Oh yes, if you need to crank up the volume to some Metallica while you're carving those B-roads then the 6-speaker, 125W amplifier Jaguar sound system makes the car into a concert with you being centre stage.

*
Thinking out loud
 - wouldn't it be cool to put the BMW M340i, Mercedes-AMG C43 Sedan, Volvo S60 T8 and Jaguar XE P300 R-Dynamic up against each other? Hmm...

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Honda Civic (FC) Earns 5 Stars From ANCAP

Following the 5-star rating awarded by ASEAN NCAP (applies to all Civic variants sold in Malaysia), the FC-generation Honda Civic has also garnered the maximum five stars rating from Australia and New Zealand’s ANCAP, scoring 34.68 points out of 37.
ANCAP’s overall results for the Australian and New Zealand market Civic is collated from ASEAN NCAP’s test results for frontal and side impact barrier collision, as well as ANCAP’s own tests for side pole collision test.
It is also important to note that the side impact test done by ASEAN NCAP is with a base model Thailand-market Civic that has no side or curtain airbags. Curiously, although all Civic models sold in Australia (and Malaysia) come with six airbags as standard, ANCAP’s scores for the Civic’s side impact performance is still base on the Thailand-market base model’s two-airbag only scores.
Even without side airbags, the Civic performed well enough, garnering a maximum 4 points for head, abdomen and pelvis protection, with points deducted only for chest protection (2.93 points scored). Again, this information is purely academic as all Civic models sold in Malaysia come with six airbags and electronic stability control (also known as VSA in Honda’s terminology) as standard.
The additional side pole impact test was done by ANCAP with a Thailand-made Australian market base model Civic. It scored the maximum 2 points.

Related Articles

Euro NCAP, ANCAP, ASEAN NCAP – What’s The Difference?

Buying Guides

October 06, 2020

All-New 2016 Honda Civic – Here’s What We Know So Far

Auto News

September 12, 2015

All-New 10th Generation 2016 Honda Civic Debuts In USA - Best In-Class Everything!

Auto News

October 07, 2015

Overall, there is no difference in safety features between the Civic tested by ANCAP (also a base model 1.8-litre naturally aspirated variant) and the ones sold in Malaysia.
However ANCAP’s requirements for a five-star rating differs slightly from our ASEAN NCAP. On top of ASEAN NCAP’s mandatory ESC and seat belt reminder functions, ANCAP also requires advanced driving aids (ADAS) features like blind-spot monitoring, lane keeping assist and autonomous emergency braking to be made available on higher range variants – these are available on higher range variants of Civics sold in Australia and New Zealand.


Proton Preve To Be Turbo-Only After 2016 Persona Launch

Proton
 will be discontinuing lower-powered variants of the Preve following the
new Persona’s
 launch later this month, a company source revealed during a behind-closed-doors preview session of the upcoming model at the company’s Shah Alam plant today.
This rationalization stops a long-running Proton habit of having multiple models overlap one segment, a habit particularly prevalent at one time when the company had the previous-generation
Persona
,
Preve
, and
Inspira
 – all similarly-sized family sedans – being sold side-by-side with each other.
The
future Proton line-up
 will be far more clearly demarcated. As far as sedans are concerned, there will be the
entry-level Saga
 offering only a 1.3-litre engine, the new Persona powered by a naturally-aspirated 1.6-litre engine, and the Preve further up with a turbocharged 1.6-litre powerplant.
Currently, the Preve is offered with a choice of two 1.6-litre engines. The naturally-aspirated Campro IAFM version puts out 107hp and 150Nm, whilst the more powerful turbocharged engine has access to 138hp and 205Nm.
The soon-to-be-discontinued IAFM model can be had with either a 5-speed manual or continuously variable transmission; the turbocharged CFE variant is CVT-only, although Proton has been long-rumoured to have a 6-speed manual package in the works for this engine.


Kajang SILK Highway Flooded after Heavy Downpour Due to Clogged Drains

The evening rush hour traffic at the Kajang SILK Highway was made even worse yesterday when the KM25.6 stretch was completely
flooded
 heading towards Kajang.

Although the downpour only lasted for an hour, it was enough to completely submerge the road and the traffic congestion spanned all the way to the Sungai Besi toll plaza heading south to the Kajang exit.

The Selangor Fire and Rescue Department was called to help remedy the situation and they claimed that the sudden rise in water levels on that particular stretch of road was due to blocked drains. The heavy rain only lasted for an hour, but it was enough to completely submerge the highway under three feet of water.

*Image credit: Bomba Selangor Twitter

Luckily, there were no casualties reported in the area, but those who were used to using that route to get back home to areas in Sungai Ramal, Bandar Baru Bangi, Kajang, Putrajaya, and nearby areas had to wait for the water levels to drop or took alternative routes.

The moral of the story? Don't simply throw your rubbish out of the window. The consequences have proven to lead to a clogged drain and flash floods plus hundreds (if not thousands) of folks getting severely delayed to get back home or pick up the kids from school. Think of the children!


Amazing Deals, Prizes At The Carlist Raya Pre-Owned Virtual Roadshow 2021

As we are celebrating a relatively quiet Hari Raya celebration in 2021, that doesn’t mean that we can’t safely enjoy amazing pre-owned car deals, promotions, extended warranties, and exclusive offers this festive season!

Mark your calendars for Carlist.my's 2021 Raya Pre-Owned Virtual Roadshow, happening between the 19th and 23rd of May to bring you on a fully digital experience, showcasing more than 100 cars in tip-top condition from certified pre-owned car dealerships.

We will be showcasing vehicles from renowned brands such as Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, Mazda, Honda, Nissan, Toyota, Range Rover and Perodua, ensuring that everyone will have a chance of finding their next dream car at an unbeatable value, no matter the budget or criteria.

Trapo is also giving out 11% off storewide with the promo code CARLIST, exclusively during our virtual event.

To inject some extra festive spirit, there will also be lots of prizes to be won in the many lucky draw sessions and social media contests happening in conjunction with our Raya Pre-Owned Virtual Roadshow 2021. There are plenty of Lazada gift cards and car dashcams to be won. Not to mention, there will be RM200 cashback and RM100 Trapo cash vouchers for the early bird bookings, so let's get ready to 'gaya' with a new ride this Raya!

These sensational cars at exclusive promotion prices won’t hang around for long, so don’t delay.
Join us now
 or feel free to contact us for more information. See you there!

For more latest car news, reviews, car buying guides and videos visit us at Carlist.my
Auto News
.

Check out all the best new & used car deals in Malaysia at
Carlist.my.

Sell your car fast with the best offer? Visit us at
CarlistBid.my
.

Get the latest new car promotions at
New Car
 website now.


Toyota Confirms Malaysian Prices For Rush, From RM 93,000

Towards the end of last year, a number of new cars were launched in Malaysia with provisional pricing that hadn't yet been approved by our Ministry of Trade and Industry. UMW Toyota has now confirmed the pricing for one of these such models, the Rush, which was one of the more important models for their lineup as it was a large step forward for the Rush namesake.
The Rush comes in two variants: 1.5G A/T, and 1.5S A/T. The former is priced at RM 93,000 (unchanged), while the latter stands at RM 97,000 (less RM1,000 from previous estimated price).
There's also an optional Premium Security and Solar Film that goes for RM 2,120. Both variants are available in a choice of five colours: Dark Green Metallic, Silver Metallic, Blue Metallic, Dark Grey Metallic, and White. There's also a five year warranty from the date of registration with unlimited mileage.
Read more about the Toyota Rush and
the various differences in specifications here
, as well as our
first impressions of the car here
.


Police hunting down owner of red Proton X70 for allowing kid to go on a sunroof joyride

Petaling Jaya district police are trying to track down the driver of a red Proton X70 who allowed a child to stick his head out through the sunroof.

 While it might seem like a fun idea to let your kid stick his head and body out of the sunroof, it's just
plain ol' not safe
, which is why the cops are clamping down on this type of joyride.

The Petaling Jaya police are trying to track down a driver of a
Proton X70
 who allowed a child to stick his head out through the sunroof. This act got the attention of the police after it went viral on social media recently.

Petaling Jaya District Police Assistant Commissioner Mohamad Fakhrudin Abdul Hamid said they detected the nine-second video recording that was uploaded by the owner of the Twitter account, @nabilahroslan, at 12.15 midnight last night.

"In the video recording, a red Proton X70 SUV was seen being negligent towards the safety of a child by allowing him to stick his head out through the vehicle's sunroof."

"Based on the recording, the incident happened on the New Klang Valley Expressway (NKVE) from Subang Jaya towards Bukit Lanjan," he said in a statement.

Mohamad Fakhrudin said that the case is being investigated according to Section 336, which is for negligent acts that endanger the life or safety of others.

"If convicted, the individual involved can be sentenced to imprisonment not exceeding three months or a fine not exceeding RM500 or both.

"The police advise road users to not carry out these types of actions that endanger the lives or safety of others," he said.

He also called on the owner or driver and witnesses who saw the incident to come forward and make a police report for further investigation.

"People who have information regarding the incident can contact Sergeant Major Mohd Yusof Hamzah on 011-23065984 to assist with the investigation."


2022 Mercedes-AMG C 43 Revealed With 2.0-Litre Mild Hybrid - Death To V6, V8 Engines

Mercedes-AMGs have always been about their engines, and having pulled the wraps off their first high-performance interpretation
of the W206 C-Class
 - surprise surprise - it’s powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder.

Mercedes-AMG C 43 4 Matic

More specifically, the 2022 C 43 4Matic for 2022 is now also a mild-hybrid, using a 48-volt electrical architecture to deliver some efficiency and performance gains which we’ll get into shortly.

An important addition here is,
as the recent SL 43
, the use of a turbocharger that uses an electric motor to artificially spool up, eliminating turbo lag and vastly improving responsiveness.

Over the W205-based car it replaces, power has actually risen to 410PS (+20PS) with the electric-starter generator able to spool the turbo for a brief overboost to an additional 14PS, though peak torque is lower at 500Nm (-20Nm).

Four-Cylinder Mild Hybrid The Way Forward?

With that precedent set, it’s pretty much a certainty that four-cylinders are about as much as
we can expect for the forthcoming C 63
, following the A 35 and A 45 duo that brought true supercar pace to the A-Class platform.

Like the unit found in the newest entry-level Mercedes-AMG SL, the engine found in the new 2022 C 43 is but a modified version
M139 that premiered in the A 45
, tweaked to feature that electric turbocharger and a longitudinal layout.

As ever with any fast Merc, it delivers its fury to all four wheels via the 4Matic permanent AWD system with a 31:61 front/rear torque split and an MCT 9-speed automatic transmission.

Affalterbach’s fabled engine works division seemed to have had to severely cut back on producing some of the most beloved V8 and V12 engines of the modern era, now relegated to partially hand assembling performance derivatives of Mercedes-Benz’s engines based on the widely used M270 four-pot.

All we know is that the optional Driver’s Package will raise top speed, most likely through a software update to disable the electronic limiter, to 265km/h from the standard 250km/h.

AMG Real Performance Sound Package

They’ve tried to give it some added vigour with a modified sports exhaust but have insultingly paired that with something called the AMG Real Performance Sound package to blast synthesised engine notes into the cabin via the sound system.

We can already sense some of the magic being sapped. And this sense of paradise lost will only deepen when the C 63 inevitably arrives with an even more boosted version of that same 2.0-litre engine, probably as a plug-in hybrid.

Given the added power via more aggressive turbocharging and weight advantages of a smaller engine, we’re very sure the all-new 2022 C 43 4Matic would spank the older model on pretty much every metric despite AMG so far not releasing any numbers to back this up just yet.

Mercedes-AMG C 43 4Matic Specifications

The 2022 C 43, more encouragingly, has been treated to a revised front-axle with bespoke steering knuckles and load-bearing joints, double-wishbone front suspension, multi-link rear suspension, and adaptive dampers with AMG Ride Control.

Even better, AMG has tuned the C-Class’ all-wheel steering system to further enhance the car’s direction changing abilities with a maximum of 2.5 degrees of steering angle to the rear wheels, which as standard are 18-inch alloys but can be specified up to 20-inch.

On the styling front, the 2022 C 43 more closely resembles the C 300 AMG-Line than any C 63, as has been the case before. Subtle changes include the Panamericana front grille with vertical louvres and unique front and rear bumper, beefier side sills, and chromed tailpipes.

Inside, again, the usual AMG visual touches are found in abundance such as a flat-bottomed steering wheel, sports seats, and plenty of badges. The graphics displayed on the MBUX displays do also have AMG-specific interface themes and menus.

The 2022 Mercedes-AMG C 43 4Matic is available in both a sedan (W206) and wagon (S206) body styles and there’s a decent chance that, like the previous generation car, could be offered in Malaysia
as a locally assembled AMG model
.


VIDEO: Park Like A Fool In Penang And Watch Your Car Get Forklifted Away

There’s lots of reasons why you should not park inconsiderately, and they don’t involve the threat of using industrial machinery to lift your car away. Just being a conscientious human being involves having to think about others when leaving your (seemingly) immobile car somewhere.
The incident in the video transpired around the Bukit Jambul area of Penang. We suppose that Penangites do things a little differently. Perhaps, righteously?
Now we do not condone the use of a forklift to carry cars out of the way – there may be some damage done to the
Toyota

Unser
’s undercarriage, after all. But we’ve all been in or heard of a situation where, in frustration, you’d wish you could just pick up and throw the car that’s blocking you and/or everyone else as a result of the owner’s thoughtless parking decisions.
This, perhaps, is the next best thing besides being imbued with Kryptonian super-strength.

Parking lagi merata..lokasi:Bukit Jambul PenangKredit: Kahiri Rahman
Posted by
Siakap Keli
 on Tuesday, July 7, 2015


All-New 2016 Honda Civic Previewed - Epic Civic!

After lumbering along several years with an underwhelming ninth generation
Civic
,
Honda
 has wow-ed the crowd at this morning's opening of the New York International Auto Show with this Civic Concept.
Ignore the coupe body style because this is clearly a thinly disguised concept car that previews the all-new 10th generation 2016 Honda Civic.
The outgoing ninth generation Civic was conceived at a very difficult juncture in Honda's history, at the peak of the global financial crisis. Now that Honda is back stronger than ever before, having introduced the tech-fest all-wheel drive NSX hybrid supercar, the all-new Civic is in the words of John Mendel, American Honda Motor Co. Inc. Executive Vice President, an 'epic Civic.'
"In every way, this will be an epic Civic," said Mendel.
"But let me be very clear, we have never in our history embarked on such a comprehensive redesign of Civic. The all-new Civic lineup features not only a new styling direction, but a new platform and powertrain," he added.
As
reported earlier,
 the all-new Civic will be powered by an all-new 1.5-litre VTEC Turbo engine, and the hallowed Type-R badge will also make its return.
"Now, there has been tremendous buzz from owners and the press about the Civic Type-R, especially about whether we would ever bring it to the US. As we have a large representative sample of the motor press here today, I'd ask for your vote on whether we should bring the Type R here.
"OK then, lets do it! We agree that the Civic line up is not complete without the Type-R, as a true race-bred compact car and the performance flag bearer for the Civic brand. So, with your strong support, stay tuned, as we'll have more information on this in the coming year," said Mendel.
It is not clear if this Civic Type-R will be the same as the
European market hatchback Civic Type-R.
 In any case, now that Civic Type-R badge has moved beyond a European/Japanese market-only model, the Civic Type-R may finally become a global model that is available across all major markets in the region, further raising its chances of making a comeback in our local market.
The VTEC Turbo engine will feature direct injection, and will be paired to either a six-speed manual transmission or a CVT automatic. Honda also touted class-leading fuel economy, and fun-to-drive performance with near-luxury levels of cabin quietness and ride refinement as among the highlights of the all-new Civic.
Like the NSX, the Civic is developed not by Honda's R&D division in Japan, but by its North American R&D team.
More information will be revealed when we closer to production Civic's global debut in 2016.


Naza Kia to Launch Six New Models in Malaysia This Year

2017 looks like it is going to be a very busy year ahead for Naza Kia Malaysia, the authorised distributor of Kia vehicles in Malaysia as the company today announced its intentions to launch at least six new models by the end of year.
The models include:
Third-generation Picanto
Featuring a redesigned exterior, interior, as well as a wheelbase that is longer by 15 mm,
the new Picanto
 also gets more colours this time, complementing the already available wide range of funky colours. All set to make its official global debut in Geneva in March, the car also comes in the sporty GT-line guise.

Fourth-generation Rio

This is the
fourth generation of the Rio
 and it features a completely new look, with an updated front end styling, ‘bi-function’ lights, longer bonnet and front overhang, and new creases. Overall it’s longer than before (15mm) and a tad lower (5mm) with a 10mm longer wheelbase. The new Rio also gets Kia’s Vehicle Stability Management (VSM) with Electronic Stability Control (ESC) as standard. Providing power for the car is Kia’s latest three-cylinder 1.0-litre T-GDI (turbo gasoline direct injection) engine with either 98 or 118bhp.
Fourth-generation Optima
Although at first glance the
 fourth-generation Optima
 looks like just a facelift, Kia claims the exterior design is all-new. The body has marginally grown in size compared to the previous car, with 10mm added to the wheelbase and height, and a 25mm increase in width. Inside, the dash has been redesigned with an upper 'display' zone with the central touchscreen, and a lower 'control' zone with individual banks of buttons. More upmarket materials also feature, while the 8-inch touchscreen is new and features Kia's real-time infotainment services.
Sportage Diesel
Currently offered only with a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated engine producing 155 PS and 192 Nm of torque, the diesel variant of
the new Sportage
, which will be launched this year will be much cleaner and more powerful, kicking out 182 PS of total output. With all the bells and whistles offered as standard, the diesel variant promises to be the more sensible choice compared to the petrol variant available now.
Sorento Diesel (Top spec)
Already launched in Malaysia last May, Naza Kia said that it will be adding a high-spec diesel variant of
the new Sorento
 to the line up this year. We can expect the full-spec variant to have a few features that were available in the petrol version but not in the diesel, such as Bluetooth connectivity, a reverse camera, 19-inch wheels, larger touch-screen, as well as powered seats among others.
Grand Carnival
While
the Grand Carnival
 is already available in showrooms nationwide, it is yet to be launched officially. So, we can expect the 8-seater MPV to be the first to be officially launched in the lot.
Having gone through a complete transformation from what it was, the Grand Carnival now measures at 5,115mm long, 1,985mm wide and 1,740mm tall and comes with a wheelbase length of 3,060 mm long.

Featuring a more modern and bolder appearance, the Grand Carnival's exterior is highlighted by a new muscular front fascia, a fully integrated version of Kia's signature grille, xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights, 19-inch wheels, powered sliding doors, a powered tailgate, as well as a roof spoiler.
Inside, the eight-seater MPV offers 960-litres of luggage space with all the seats up, and with the second and third row folded, the MPV offers a massive 4,022 litres for owners to store their belongings.
Offered with 5-years warranty, the Grand Carnival is powered by the same 2.2-litre diesel engine as the Sorento, paired to a six-speed automatic gearbox.
On another note, the company also announced that it is currently in the midst of elevating the brand value for Kia, where it is destined to become a more premium brand compared to what it is now.
That said, we can expect the prices of the models to increase as well, but nothing has been confirmed as far as the pricing goes. So, we shall wait and find out.


Volkswagen Is Debugging The Mk.8 Golf, Due For October Debut And Production

As cars become more and more connected, you can expect the on-board systems to become exponentially more complicated as layers upon layers of code are piled on in order for the systems to interact with everything from the engine to (potentially) traffic lights and a greater connected city. It's this complexity that is in turn making development of next-gen vehicles a little tricky, especially as standards and protocols are being decided upon and developed in-the-now.
Volkswagen is facing this particular problem with their up and coming eighth generation Volkswagen Golf. Originally planned for debut at Frankfurt in September, Volkswagen decided they wouldn't rush out an unfinished product and postponed the global debut to October - around the same time it is slated to begin series production, according to
Automotive News Europe
.
When you package smartphone functionality and connectivity with a vehicle, you can imagine that software engineers will have to spend as much time to develop and test compatibility with devices as there are devices on the market. As some of you may know, just because two phones run on Android, it doesn't mean that they will behave the same way in all situations.
To make matters more frustrating, the connectivity with the outside world is only the beginning of the problems. Individual control units within the car have to react to inputs and produce outputs based on these systems, and debugging the problems can be difficult as trying to isolate which particular control unit is throwing up problems can be a very time consuming task.
Ultimately, this is the price you pay for a car that appeals to the modern consumer - one that treats a car more as an appliance than a vehicle. It's also worrying in a way as cars may soon be developed with as much planned obsolescence as your smart devices, and you may find yourself driving an outdated vehicle in as little as three years.
To find the best deals on the current Volkswagen Golf, click
here
.


Honda Ends Development Of ASIMO, Technology To Live In Future Products

Honda's iconic humanoid robot - the ASIMO, will not receive anymore upgrade in technology. ASIMO, which is an acronym for Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility, appeared in 2000 as the first robot to walk on two legs.
Honda on Thursday mentioned that it may scrap future generations of ASIMO, which last saw major new technologies being rolled out in 2011.
“We will still continue research into humanoid robots, but our future robots may not be named ASIMO,” Honda spokesman Hajime Kaneko said.
ASIMO’s technology has been slowly transferred to personal mobility and assistance devices, such as the UNI-CUB, the
 Bodyweight Support Assist Device
as well as the
Walking Assist Device
.
The self-balancing technology from ASIMO in large portions also contributed to the creation of the Riding Assist, a self-riding concept motorcycle that was shown at CES 2017.
The strategy taken by Honda is in pursuit of a greater research and development (R&D) approach to focus on advancements in artificial intelligence (A.I.), big data, and other digital technologies.
Much of the technology, as well as the personnel behind

  ASIMO, have been placed in the newly established, non-traditional-approach R&D operation called ‘R&D Center X’, which focuses on research of robotics technology, energy management, and mobility system.
Robotics and personal mobility has high acceptance in Japan, with a growing ageing society and thus an increasing demand for devices which can aid the mobility of the elderly, or assist them in their daily activities. In a high-income country which is facing an increasingly serious problem of labour shortage, there will be interest in humanoid robots.


Geely Selects Garmin As Camera Supplier For New Models

Geely Auto Group has recently announced that they have selected Garmin to provide its camera technology and driving recorder systems for upcoming Geely models starting from 2020.
Matt Munn, Garmin automotive OEM managing director said, “We are proud to be selected by Geely for their next generation integrated camera solution, and we look forward to providing them the best integrated camera platform solution on the market. This award solidifies the trust Geely places in Garmin to meet the needs of their fast-expanding customer base with quality OEM solutions.”
The move will see Garmin utilizing its high tech production facility in China to manufacture automotive grade cameras and recording systems for Geely. With the integrated solution, Geely owners are able to utilize the camera as a personal eyewitness on the road.
Currently, Garmin offers a range of car digital video recorders (DVR), with some models incorporating Amazon Alexa voice assistance.


More Than Just For Show – A Look Into Mitsubishi Outlander’s Multi Select 4WD System

Before the term ‘SUV’ or ‘Sports Utility Vehicle’ entered popular culture, the genre of go-anywhere vehicles were commonly referred to simply as a ‘Four-Wheel Drive.’
Older folks might even generically refer to them as a Land Rover, or even a Pajero. Never mind if the vehicle in question is actually a Toyota Land Cruiser, or even a Honda CR-V. It’s a reflection of the brands’ heritage in 4x4.
In fact, it could be argued that it was the Pajero that showed Malaysians how an SUV can fit into their lifestyle better than a regular sedan, thus paving the way for the today’s generation of urban-biased SUVs, which are also sometimes referred to as crossovers.
Later on, Mitsubishi debuted the first crossover in Malaysia, the first generation Outlander, better known as the Airtrek, as the Outlander’s turbocharged sibling was known as locally.
Today, Mitsubishi’s line-up of SUVs is wider than ever before, from the compact ASX for young families, to the mid-size seven-seater Outlander, and the Triton pick-up truck-based Pajero Sport for hardcore off-roaders.
While the Outlander is primarily aimed at urban families, many might be surprised that this ‘softer on the edges’ urban SUV still packs a pretty sophisticated 4WD system beneath those sharp chiselled looks.
We also like how it marries genuine 4x4 capability with urban appeal. It’s has a pretty upmarket interior plus a proper third row seat that allows it to accommodate up to 7 adults. Unlike the 5+2 seater Nissan X-Trail, the Outlander has reasonable legroom for adults to sit in the third row.
And unlike its competitors, the Outlander, despite its urban-biased focus, still retains a rather sophisticated 4WD transmission. This is after all still a Mitsubishi – a brand that takes great pride in its forte in 4x4 technology.
Unlike other mechanically actuated, passive working 4WD system, the Outlander’s Multi Select 4WD system is always active in the background, and is constantly predicting what’s going to happen. This compares against passive systems that engages only when at least one tyre starts to lose grip.
The Real Time 4WD system used in the Honda CR-V is a passive system, but the All Mode 4x4-i system used by the Nissan X-Trail closely matches the Outlander’s. The i–Activ AWD system used in the Mazda CX-5 is also an active-type system, but being an all-wheel drive (AWD), it lacks the Outlander’s ability to seamlessly switch to a 2WD only mode to save fuel.
The Outlander’s Multi Select 4WD system has an electronically controlled coupling that when driving in 4WD Eco mode, decouples the rear axle, sending all available torque only to the front wheels (essentially operating in 2WD mode) to save fuel. But as soon as the system – via a complex network of sensors - detects that driving conditions has become more challenging, it instantly re-engages the rear axle to divert an appropriate amount of torque rearwards to maintain optimum traction for all four wheels.
Additionally, drivers can switch to 4WD Auto, which delivers even better driving performance by diverting an appropriate amount of torque to the rear axle when accelerating away on all types of surfaces, plus if necessary, optimising torque distribution when turning into tight corners.
The final 4WD Lock mode should only be use on slippery or rough surfaces (avoid using it on paved roads). This mode diverts more torque to the rear wheels to provide the best combination of navigation (steering) and forward motion control.
Most owners will be served well with just the 4WD Eco and 4WD Auto mode, but just like Luminox watches, few owners will ever make use of the watch’s 500 metres water resistance capability or its 25 years illumination feature by going deep sea diving at night with it, but it’s good to know that you are buying a product that’s made to be a lot tougher than necessary.
This is after all, still a rather upmarket, urban SUV that comes power-operated tailgate, sunroof, voice command activated infotainment system, dual zone climate control, upscale cabin materials, with the added capability of seeing you through almost any challenging situations the weather can throw at you.
Read our review of the all-new
Mitsubishi Outlander here
.


Stay Safe and Get Rewarded by Michelin This Hari Raya

With the festive season upon us, many would already be planning their much anticipated “Balik Kampung” trips. However, the erratic weather conditions that we’ve been experiencing lately, with heavy rain and flash floods expected to continue in many parts of Peninsular Malaysia is a reminder for us to ensure that our vehicles are in the best of conditions.
Under such unpredictable driving conditions, it is important for motorists to ensure that their tyres; which are actually the most important safety features on their vehicles, are in optimal condition as they ensure the safety of the motorists’ loved ones.
So, it is important to make it a habit to inspect your tyres regularly and keep an eye on the tread wear. The common mistake made by most drivers is that many assumed that as long as the tread has not worn down to the level of the indicators, the tyre is still safe.
While a tyre might still be within legal limits, braking performance however is significantly compromised once the tread depth drops below 40 percent (about 3 mm). In fact, braking performance will begin to taper off once the tread depth drops below 60 percent.
So, if you find the tyres of your vehicles to be in critical shape, and realise that it is time for you to replace them, there is a good reason to head over to your nearest MICHELIN outlet this Raya.
With a wide range of tyres on offer, MICHELIN offers tyre solutions for your budget and your vehicle type.
The high performance MICHELIN Pilot Sport 3 aims to deliver uncompromised driving pleasure, in both wet and dry conditions.
The MICHELIN Primacy SUV is developed specifically for high performance SUVs, and seeks to complement the sophisticated safety features available in high-end SUVs by optimising the braking performance in both wet and dry conditions.
The MICHELIN Primacy 3 ST developed for regular sedans and hatchbacks strikes a good balance between comfort, fuel economy and driving performance.
The entry MICHELIN Energy XM2 is an extremely durable tyre, lasting 20 percent longer than other tyres, without compromising on safety and fuel economy.
All MICHELIN tyres are developed with the MICHELIN Total Performance System, which our promise to deliver tyres that offers outstanding performance not just in only one specific attribute, but to offer top-class performance in all areas.
For this Raya season, with the purchase of 4 Michelin passenger car tyres of 16” and above, customers are entitled to receive a Michelin Picnic Blanket with Pouch. Those who purchase 4 Michelin passenger car tyres of 15” and below, will receive a Michelin Barrel Bag.
Besides the above-mentioned promotion, Michelin is also having the "MPSE Ticket Contest" over the same period (from now until 8 July 2016), where those who buy 4 Michelin Pilot Range Tyres stand a chance to win an MPSE ticket, and get some track experience at the Sepang International Circuit.
Click
here
 for more information on Michelin's Raya Promotion.


2017 Honda CR-V: No 4WD For The Highest Specs Variant, Why?

If you have been following our coverage of today’s launch of the all-new fifth generation Honda CR-V, you would’ve noticed that four-wheel drive (4WD) function is conspicuously missing from the most expensive 1.5 TC-P variant.
Honda’s variant line-up for the all-new CR-V now reads:
2.0-litre i-VTEC 2WD - RM142,400
1.5-litre VTEC Turbo TC 2WD - RM155,700
1.5-litre VTEC Turbo TC 4WD - RM161,600
1.5-litre VTEC Turbo TC-P 2WD - RM167,700
Prices indicated are on the road excluding insurance.
To an average Malaysian consumer, that’s a very odd hierarchy. We have been conditioned by decades of Malaysian-style automotive marketing that indirectly says “If you want all the safety and comfort/convenience features, you will have to take performance enhancing but expensive and fuel-thirsty 4WD drivetrain as well.”
Mazda is one of the few brands to buck this trend when it offered the outgoing CX-5 with identical specifications for both 2WD and 4WD variants. Given the choice, with an identical list of features, majority of CX-5 buyers have opted for the more fuel efficient 2WD variant.
That change in buying habits hasn’t slipped Honda Malaysia’s attention too. When Honda Malaysia introduced a 2.0-litre 2WD variant for the facelift model of the previous generation CR-V, slotted beneath the 2.0 4WD variant, with nearly identical list of features apart from leather seats and touchscreen infotainment system, majority of buyers shifted to the cheaper 2WD base model.
Despite being a base-model, the previous generation CR-V 2.0-litre 2WD contributed 60% of CR-V’s sales in Malaysia, which is unusual because typically in Malaysia, it is the mid/highest range variants that are usually the best-selling variants for any given vehicle model.
It tells you one thing - Malaysians want a feature-packed SUV, but they don't want it with 4WD. They want are better safety features, better practicality, at lower cost. 4WD is a nice to have function, but it’s something that 60 percent of CR-V buyers couldn’t care less.
Thus explains the omission of 4WD in the most expensive 1.5-litre VTEC Turbo TC-P variant. By trading off 4WD, Honda Malaysia is able to pack in more features, like the full suite of active and passive safety features including Honda Sensing, which supports the driver to automatically brake or steering the vehicle away from danger should the driver fail to respond to repeated warnings by the vehicle. More on Honda Sensing
here
.
With the line-up, Honda Malaysia is convinced that 80 percent of CR-V sales will come from 2WD variants.
At this point, we will also like to add that many consumer’s impression that 4WD increases fuel consumption is not necessarily true, at least not for the CR-V. This is because the CR-V uses a Real-Time 4WD system that only engages the rear axle when necessary. Most of the time, drive is transferred only to the front wheels. The adoption of CVT-type automatic transmission has also greatly improved fuel efficiency.
Yes, the CR-V’s Real-Time 4WD is completely useless in a Borneo Safari-type terrain, but which CR-V owner drives his/her car off-road? Within the context of its target customers, trading away supreme off-road performance for better fuel economy is perfectly acceptable.
Compared to the previous generation CR-V, this all-new model’s Real Time 4WD is now lighter (which also contributes to reduced fuel consumption) and delivers 10 percent more torque to the rear wheels.
Claimed fuel consumption for the all-new CR-V is just 7.3-litre/100 and 7.0-litre/100 km for the 2.0-litre naturally aspirated i-VTEC variant and 1.5-litre turbocharged VTEC Turbo variant respectively. The difference in fuel consumption between 2WD and 4WD variants for both engines is less than 5 percent, a difference that's so small that out in the real world, can be attributed to a change in driving habits.
Of course, this applies only to the CR-V. For SUVs that use Permanent 4WD or AWD systems, fuel consumption will be significantly more than an equivalent 2WD model.
In addition to that, traction and handling of the all CR-V variants (including 2WD models) is further aided by AHA (Agile Handling Assist), a brake-based torque vectoring function that selectively brakes individual wheels to tighten/correct the vehicle’s driving line when approaching/exiting a corner at speed.
More on the 2017 all-new Honda CR-V:
2017 All-New Honda CR-V Launched, Priced From RM143k
2017 Honda CR-V: Why It Works Best As A Five-Seater
2017 Honda CR-V: What is Honda Sensing?


Mercedes-Benz Unveils All-New 2nd-Generation (X254) GLC-Class For 2022

Mercedes-Benz has pulled the covers off the all-new GLC (X254), the second-generation evolution of the German marque’s popular SUV. How can this new one better armed to attack the
BMW X3
 and
Volvo XC60
?

The ‘more is better’ adage does somewhat seem to apply consistently across the automotive industry with each subsequent car being larger, better equipped, and usually more expensive than the one it replaces.

A C-Class SUV, As Usual?

With the GLC, kind of like clockwork, Mercedes-Benz has revealed the all-new version roughly 16 months after the
debut of the W206 C-Class
, its in-segment sister model. Like the saloon, this GLC is built upon the same MRA architecture and has broader, more advanced compatibility for electrified/electric powertrains and support for optional rear-axle steering.

From the exterior, there’s not too much that sticks out as different, unique, or new as there are both visual callbacks to
the older X253
 as well as nods to the W206 such as that tail lamp cluster that adds a sense of visual width to the rear end.

X254 GLC-Class - Improved Specs

It measures 4,716mm from nose to tail, is 1,650mm at its highest point, and is 2,075mm wide making it slightly larger than the older model in all those dimensions. However, it’s the GLC’s 15mm increase in wheelbase that might yield the most appreciable improvement to passengers. Surely this is the biggest contributor to the extra 50-litres in cargo space.

Mercedes-Benz has not revealed the full breadth of variants and their associated powertrains and spec breakdowns, but for now we have details on the GLC 200 and GLC 300 that will no doubt make up the bulk of units sold as was the case before.

X254 GLC-Class - Powertrain

Both feature a 2.0-litre M254 inline-4 turbocharged petrol engine each with a 48V belt-driven starter-generator that effectively makes them mild hybrids (EQ Boost). Power is between 203PS and 257PS and will be distributed through a 9-speed automatic transmission to all four wheels via the 4Matic AWD system.

Plug-in hybrid variants will supposedly comprise many more variants than there were previously with buyers getting the option of the GLC 300e and GLC 400e. They are essentially using the combustion engine as the GLC 200 and GLC 300, but with a 136PS gearbox-mounted electric motor for additional fuel economy and substantially higher outputs of 310PS and 378PS, respectively.

Mercedes-Benz is also pairing the GLC with a couple of turbodiesel engines with or without that accompanying electric motor. However, their availability won’t be nearly as widespread as the petrol MHEV or plug-in hybrids, which can yield an impressive pure electric range of up to 120km and supports DC fast charging at up to 60kW.

GLC-Class - AMG

On the matter of performance, there are two AMG performance variants of the all-new GLC, likely to be GLC 43 and GLC 63, and mirror the powertrain and mechanical upgrades from the C-Class based C 43 and C 63, both of which are slated to ditch the big V8 to be high output plug-in hybrids
utilising F1-style electric turbocharger
 for insane boost pressures into a small-displacement four-cylinder.

Class-Leading Interior

Like the W206 C-Class, this GLC uses the same multi-link front and rear suspension but only the SUV supports the brand’s Airmatic shocks with self-levelling and adjustable damping, which comes standard on plug-in hybrid variants. This also allows the car to give itself 20mm extra ground clearance when a special off-road mode is engaged.

The cabin is another area where the C-Class' influence is very clear, using the same combination of 12.3-inch digital instrument display and portrait-style 11.9-inch centre infotainment touchscreen. Just as the C-Class has been praised for elevating the level of material quality and luxury over its predecessor, so too should the GLC.

In most markets, the spread of equipment levels and variants should follow closely, if not identically mirror, their C-Class equivalents. These would include certain premium additions such as a panoramic roof, a 710-watt Burmester sound system, and all the usual expected active safety features.

Of course, we’ll keep our ear to the ground as to when we can expect Mercedes-Benz Malaysia to bring in this newest 2nd-generation X254 GLC-Class. Like its predecessor as well as the W206 C-Class, it will likely arrive in showrooms as a locally assembled vehicle, skipping any early CBU confusion.