Car Reviews

If you are bored of seeing too many Sciroccos and find the Veloster Turbo too quirky for your own liking, then the Astra GTC should be your perfect fit.

Of course if you’re no badge snob, that’d be better as this is an Opel.

Now with the new Astra GTC, Opel is really showing off their design capabilities. One glimpse and I’m sure words like ‘sexy’, ‘beautiful’ and ‘gorgeous’ comes to mind. Just take a look at all those lines flanking the car; then the upswept headlamps that look as one with the sloping A-pillars. A lot of thought obviously went into the car’s design.

Less flattering of course, is this shade of blunt white. Makes the Astra GTC look like an airport service vehicle…

It looks graciously good viewed from the side too – fr...

Hearing stories of Singaporean drivers clocking high mileage on a daily basis is just a rarity. It might come across as a myth even.

But ask around and I’m sure you can find one. And no, clocking 150 km a day doesn’t even qualify. By the way, cab drivers do not qualify here too.

Well, I know of a certain individual who clocks 600-odd kilometers thrice a week: he’s no cab driver, he’s no delivery driver but on the plus side, he does such runs in a 2.5-litre German sedan. 

Wondering what he does? Manage the family’s factory in Melaka and Malaysian office in the heart of KL. 

Let’s call this character Mr. X. Mr. X’s current car is only two years old, but has already clocked close to 180,000 km. It’s running fine (according to him), but ...

The Chrysler 300C is perhaps the most successful American model in Singapore in modern times. They’re everywhere day and night, always on the fastest lane and like an exclusive by-invitation only clan, are always decked out in black, and black only.

Oh wait, they are cabs…

I was told that was a brilliant introduction to this review here today, so there it goes. Some of you readers might digress, but before you do so, let me elaborate on how this new model is a far brilliant and more desirable version than it’s predecessor.

As long as they’re not turned into cabs (sorry, can’t help it… Ha… Ha.)

On a more serious note, the first generation 300C was a, for no better word, cool large sedan. It’s the sort of car that presents it as an alternativ...

If you’re single and looking for a spacious car, please stop reading this review right now. Goodbye.

But if you’re a family man with a small family, well read on. Thing is my friend, the new B-Class is surprisingly practical and useful and should be able to stay long with the family.

Comparing it to its predecessor, this new B-Class – available only in B200 guise for now – looks far sportier, curvier and easier to the eye. Before this, it looks somewhat on the staid side and appealing only to those dreaming of their first ever Mercedes-Benz. So yes, it now has a wider appeal.

Even my eight year-old daughter gave her two thumbs up.

On the outside, there’s quite a lot to like about the car. Well it hasn’t shed the minivan shape that much but ...

Hyundai’s Veloster is a fantastic looking car. Compare it to the slew of coupes, Scirocco, 86/BRZ, Koup and RX-8 even, it’s hard not to notice how it has far more design character; bold curves, wide wheel arches and glitzy details makes it a brash alternative in a country proud to be full of car enthusiasts.

Ok so the Veloster is no new car; it has been in our market for – at the blink of an eye – eight months already. Scout around and you can even find a used unit lying on some dealer’s lot.

But now comes a much powerful version that, on paper, looks good enough to match the German Scirocco.

Which is a good thing, as it provides a good alternative to the Scirocco that has been the yuppy mobile for as long as you can remember. For a start,...

If you were to read this review back in 2005, you would probably be reading about a Peugeot 407 2.2 versus a Volkswagen Passat 2.0 instead.

But oh my, how times have changed.

Today, downsizing is the current trend – particularly among European brands. Of course, Volkswagen started this. Practically speaking, turbocharging a small engine makes very good sense, especially in markets where engine capacity determines how much you have to fork out for insurance, road tax and emission levels.

And in a unique market like ours, and ours only, a piece of paper that gives you a right to drive a car only for a decade.

Which brings us to the two cars in today’s comparison story: a small engined Peugeot 508 and the even smaller engined Volkswagen Passat ...

If you’re reading this, it’s obvious that you have a penchant for small, two-door, only-for-two roadster; great for driving fast from A to B, awesome for all that top-down driving and most importantly, good at impressing others.

Now the thing is, if you were to buy the wrong roadster, you’ll be in for a rude shock. They might not deliver what you’ve expected and worst still, they swallow petrol like a drunk banker on a Saturday night.

Gladly though, BMW’s Z4 doesn’t fall into that category. Ok, so the previous N55 3.0-litre engined sDrive35i might be quite the drinker, but now with a smaller and friendlier engine, the Z4 makes for a very charming proposition.

By now, you should already know the Z4 was designed by two ladies (read our previ...

Hot-hatchbacks. Always the sort of car you wish you could buy and drive for a lifetime. The problem is, they’re always deemed ‘immature’, impractical and inappropriate. Worst still, they’re not cheap to insure. So it’s no surprise then that locally, every hot-hatchback models change hands pretty often.

But what if you can still get power, practicality, fun and coolness all in one package?

Ford, then, is your saviour. Meet the Focus ST, currently the daddy of front-wheel drive hot-hatchback money can buy.

Let’s start firstly by noticing how it doesn’t have a staid exterior – the Focus ST is now more exciting, invigorating but not over the top. Ok, so this shade of yellow might not win fans or will even get you arrested for disturbing the pe...