Parting shots of 2008: Top 25 cars tested

In no particular winning or preferential orders, the automobiles that tickled my fancy and delight in a myriad of ways for 2008 are as below:

Porsche 911 Carrera 4S with PDK

Audi TT Coupe 2.0TFSI

Suzuki SX4 Sedan

Peugeot 308GT

Mazda6 2.5L

Jaguar XF 3.0V6

Hyundai Grand Starex 2.5CRDi

Hyundai Coupe 2.0

Fiat Bravo 1.4 T-Jet (M)

Renault Clio RS

Volkswagen Eos 2.0TSI

Mercedes-Benz E280 AMG Sports Package

BMW M3 Sedan with DCT

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution (X) & Honda Civic Type-R (FD2R)

New Proton Saga 1.3 (M)

Mitsubishi Triton Lite (M)
Chevrolet Captiva 2.0VCDi (turbodiesel)

Inokom (Hyundai) Santa Fe 2.2 CRDi (turbodiesel)

BMW X6 xDrive35i

Audi A4 (B8) 1.8TFSI


Honda Accord 2.4 VTi-L

Honda Civic Hybrid

Toyota Vios 1.5J (M)

Nissan Sylphy 2.0 CVTC

Here's wishing all my readers a "Happy New Year 2009". May your motoring dreams come true, despite the impending gloom and doom of the world's - as well as local - economic climate.

Above all, drive safe. And please buckle up at the rear from 1st Jan 2009 onwards!

2009 Nissan GT-R

Nissan wasted no time in upgrading its venerable (R35) GT-R with a mild (some may say negligible) power hike, suspension tweaks and a new exterior color called ‘Storm’ (Pearl White), for 2009 model year. Hardly or just after a year, the ‘new’ Nissan GT-R will also sport Gun Metal grey coloured Rays seven-spoke alloy wheel while the Premium Edition GT-Rs, i.e. Black Edition will have similar design alloys, albeit shaded in black (?!?).

The 2009 GT-R's 3.8L V6 twin-turbo engine gains 5ps (485ps) while torque is maintained at 588Nm. A slight gain in horsepower along with better fuel economy is always welcomed - even in this class of supercars - with Nissan claiming an average fuel consumption of 8.3km/l versus 8.2km/l for the 2008 model. Nissan has also extended the traveling range of the GT-R by increasing its fuel tank capacity from 71liters to to 74liters.

Apart from tinkering the suspension spring rate settings to improve ride comfort, the 2009 model will benefit from a standard OE set of Dunlop SP Sport 600 DSST tyres. These are the same rubbers that Nissan used during their ‘infamous’ fast lap of 7mins 29secs at Nurburgring, a timing which was controversially disputed by Porsche recently. Speaking of which, the iconic 911s from the same German sportscar manufacturer will undergo a facelift (PDK, 3.8L boxer, Direct Fuel Injection, improved AWD system et al) that will result in a 'new' 911 Turbo and probably 'new' GT2, well before end-2009. So Nissan will have to get serious about a proper GT-R V-Spec in excess of 600ps and 700Nm of torque by then, for the new Godzilla to remain significant and relevant.

The 2009 mild “facelift” GT-R has a 'value-added' premium of roughly 3.8 percent to its pricing in the U.K. Any new orders for the 2009 GT-R can only be fulfilled by mid 2010, with about 1200 U.K. customers currently awaiting official deliveries from March 2009 onwards. Additionally, there are some 1300 buyers in queue from other parts of Europe. With such healthy demand in these trying times, no wonder Nissan is playing the V-Spec/V-Spec II/Nismo/Nur edition cards close to its chest.

HONDA CITY 2009

The all-new Honda City will make its European debut at the Istanbul Motor Show in October 2008.

The compact sedan is a radical departure from the previous generation car, with a totally new exterior style, featuring some visual elements of the stylish Accord. The restyled exterior is joined by a new 1.4 i-VTEC engine, which gives the Honda City significantly more power and better performance.

The new engine, which is also shared with the new Honda Jazz is fitted with Honda's acclaimed i-VTEC system, which provides excellent performance and flexibility, without compromising fuel economy or emissions. The new engine gives the Honda City 100PS, a healthy 17 PS increase over the previous model. This extra power helps the new Honda City complete the benchmark 0-100 km/h in just 11.8 seconds for the manual version, an improvement of 1.6 seconds. The automatic version hits 100 in 14.7 seconds, almost half a second quicker than before.
The manual transmission for Honda City is a modified version of the current gearbox, with carbon synchromesh for smoother changes, improved refinement and a new set of optimised gear ratios. The Automatic transmission is all-new and adds the option to shift gears with steering wheel mounted paddles for the first time. With a sport mode, improved shift logic and ratios the new transmission better compliments the new car's more powerful engine.
The all-new model has been further enhanced over its predecessor with a higher quality of materials, improved aesthetics and functionality. Increased storage capacity around the cabin including a bigger glove box improves practicality, while a new design of seats improves passenger and driver comfort.

The design changes are complimented by several improvements to the Noise Vibration and Harshness technologies applied to the car. A host of new features in the body, interior, suspension, engine and mountings have been included to bring further refinement to Honda's newest sedan. The NVH enhancements allow customers to make the most of the new audio system which offers iPod connectivity and better sound quality.

The new Honda City is based on the platform of the award winning new Honda Jazz, and benefits from the many of the technologies seen in the new hatchback. The longer wheel base gives a significant improvement in interior space as well as the associated ride and handling benefits. Safety performance is also enhanced with the adoption of the ACE Body Structure (Advanced Compatibility Engineering), which better protects occupants of both cars in the event of a collision between vehicles of different heights.

sketch

building...

Asian Auto-Bosch Fuel Efficiency Awards 2008: Hyundai Sonata 2.0L, Elantra 2.0L & Accent 1.6L garners three awards

Asian Auto, in a tie-up with Bosch held their “Asian Auto-Bosch Fuel Efficiency Awards 2008” recently. The awards is to give Malaysian motorists a clearer and better picture of which car in the Malaysian market currently has one of the best fuel consumption i.e. the lowest fuel consumption in its class.

The Hyundai Sonata 2.0L competed in the luxury car segment competing against the Japanese luxury sedans (as well as European car makers) and won the 2^nd best fuel consumption at 8.4L/100 km only losing out to Mercedes Benz B-Class 170. (Hyundai Sonata 2.0L – 2^nd lowest fuel consumption).

The Hyundai Elantra 2.0L competed in the premium family car segment and won the 3^rd best fuel consumption at 8.4L/100 km. (Hyundai Elantra 2.0L – 3^rd lowest fuel consumption).

The Hyundai Accent 1.6L competed in the family car segment and won the 2^nd best fuel consumption at 7.0L/100 km. Losing out by 0.4L/100km to the Honda City 1.5L.

The Awards given to the Hyundai Sonata 2.0L, Hyundai Elantra 2.0L and Hyundai Accent 1.6L shows that the Hyundai passenger cars distributed by Oriental-Hyundai Sdn Bhd / Kah Bintang Auto Sdn Bhd has low fuel consumption even when compared to Japanese cars.

AC Schnitzer tuned Toyota Innova 2.0G VVTi

Spotted at a small town - down south of Kuala Lumpur - is an AC Schnitzer "tuned" Toyota Innova 2.0G. Sporting lowered coilovers, reinforced chassis, strut bars, thicker anti-roll bars, AC alloys with semi-slicks (?) and full works bodykit, this sleek and sporty Toyota people-carrier (MPV) must be sporting a remapped ECU, cold air intake et al. Possibly pushing close to 225bhp and 215Nm, in naturally aspirated form, with all its RWD glory?!?

Eat your heart out, upcoming UMWT's TRD Vios!!!

2004 Nissan Terminator 350Z by Craig Lieberman

2004 Nissan Terminator 350Z by Craig Lieberman Specifications

Chassis
Brakes F/R:ABS, vented disc/vented disc
Tires F-R:R19

Engine

Type:V6
Displacement cu in (cc):213 (3500)
Power bhp (kW) at RPM:n.a.
Torque lb-ft (Nm) at RPM:n.a.
Redline at RPM:n.a.

Exterior
Length × Width × Height in:n.a.
Weight lb (kg):n.a.

Performance
Acceleration 0-62 mph s:n.a.
Top Speed mph (km/h):n.a.
Fuel Economy EPA city/highway mpg (l/100 km):n.a.
Base Price: 2004 Nissan Terminator 350Z by Craig Lieberman - n.a. (last update: 2/20/2007)


Terminator 350Z
The car features custom built 19" HRE Wheels, Falken Tires and a VeilSide Version 3 body kit. For audio/video, the Terminator theme was integrated into the car which now features an assortment of Bazooka products. Other electronics include racing compass and switchgear by Ignited. The final touch was a 100 shot of nitrous, courtesy of Nitrous Express.