Just resting my eyes on this car puts a smile to my face. Infiniti certainly had done a good job in the styling department with the Q60. We tested the milder 2.0 last year, and were impressed with how involved the drive was, and you always knew that the car looked good from just about every angle. The current Q60 car is lower and wider than the previous model.

When the first Vios reached our shores in 2002, it was a clear signal that Toyota was serious in moving their best-selling Corolla model up-market. While the Corolla did become bigger, better and chock-filled with creature spoils and delivered well on passenger refinement, the Vios held its own. Toyota’s entry-level sedan was then, a youngster’s dream, with many not spared being kept as standard, often getting rims of all sizes, and other aesthetics of varying quality. The 1.5 litre under the hood was a gem of an engine. Reliable, easy to maintain, and delivered decently well on fuel economy.

And an improvement it is! Volkswagen’s mid-life facelift to the Golf GTi brings a needed refresh to the iconic hatch. With six generations behind it, the facelifted Mk7, or affectionately known within VW fan circles as the Mk 7.5, adds a few tidy bits of kit upgrade. The much-loved hot hatch has come across strong against the likes of rally-inspired compact cars, and inspirations of those (grin) and also compact performance coupes, carrying upon its shoulders, legions of fans, perhaps some haters alike. But what is there to hate?

Just like how rice is a staple diet, sedans have become an evergreen body shape. The three box designs may not have the same draw as say a crossover or a coupe, but why do they draw buyers? While some may say that the sedan has lost some of its appeal, one cannot deny that the practicality of these cars, together with competitive pricing is generally hard to beat. Here are 4 compact sedans we feel are ideal for those looking to stretch their dollar!

The previous 5008 came across as a proper MPV. Proper, meant also that it did not leave much of an impression. Perhaps Peugeot product people heard that one loud and clear, and now have returned with a SUV-inspired MPV, or would this be an MPV-inspired SUV? Whichever way it is, one cannot deny, that it does have an ‘X’ factor about it, with styling clearly reflecting Peugeot’s new and edgier design language, and perhaps the French may have a thing or two to show the competition, when it comes to being chic.

BMW had fielded their 2 Series Active Tourer as one of the cars to be made available within their iPerformance range. The 225Xe provides drive to the front wheels with all the assurance of a petrol-engined car, and added range, delivered from electric motors driving the rear wheels. Wait, that sounds like an i8 drivetrain in reverse.

Just about a decade back, I had the chance to experience the first generation S5, which was powered by a ‘milder’ 4.2 litre V8, which was also found in the previous R8. The car made all the right noises from its roaring NA soundtrack. Due to a mix of pressure from green groups and basically the European Union and the like, the second generation S5 lost two cylinders, but benefitted from supercharged force-feeding, and delivering a healthy 333hp. In its third generation, the S5 ditches the supercharger, and gets a turbo delivering 354hp, and 500Nm of torque, 60Nm of twist more than the previous car.

The new XC40, completes Volvo’s SUV range, with a compact car, which sits below the very attractive XC60. But my experience with it in the driver’s seat is anything but compact. But unlike its larger XC60 sibling which utilises their widely-used Volvo Scalable Product Architecture (SPA), the XC40 sits on Volvo’s Compact Modular Architecture (CMA), which will go on to form the underpinnings for the rest of the Volvo 40 series vehicles.

You’re in your final semester: it is time to complete your final thesis, hunt for a job, and dream about what to do with that first pay check. For some, you have already been eyeing your new dream car that was recently released.  Yet, the reality is: most fresh graduates, even with the income gained while doing your internships plus FM (father, mother) sponsorships, will not be able to splurge that much on a new car. Perhaps, you may want to lower your expectations, and consider these 5 cars under $90,000. 

There is the trend going on with manufacturers going the direction of four-doored coupes, which cater to different market segments. BMW has its 640i Grand Turismo, Audi has their A5 and Volkswagen just recently launched their Arteon which replaces the aging CC… And then Opel brings us a sedan…. Which looks a little like one of these cars… Lifting tailgate included. As a design exercise, the styling is rather attractive, and keeps with Opel’s current design language and features twin winged lamps front and rear. But will this car win over more buyers?

Only a few cars can get this personal. The Audi TT Coupe broke convention when it was first introduced in the 90s. Its Bauhaus-inspired design harked back to the 1920s when the design movement was at its peak in Germany. The car featured distinctive arcs at the roof and lights, which contrasted well with the horizontal line styling for the rest of the body. The current TT has been around for a bit, but now, we get a car with an easier-to-swallow price tag.

Perhaps good enough is not enough? The facelifted entry-level Golf sits comfortably around the same price point as some of the Japanese competition. The mid-life facelift sees new daytime running lights, and a chrome strip across the front grille, which continues into the redesigned halogen headlamp clusters. Squint a little, and you would notice that even the VW badge up front has shrunk a little. 

Worried that your little sedan or hatchback would stall in some flash flood and turn the average bus riding aunties into Stomp Spielbergs? As the cloud cover and cold weather attract shopaholic Thai tourists to contribute to excellent Charles & Keith January profits, well-proven amphibious Vezels and C-HRs are set to enjoy superb taxi surge prices for some time. That means, if you are the average post-bonus commuter who seeks to impress in the new job and/or workplace – getting to office on time without wet shoes or clothes is going to be a costly affair. Here are 3 compact SUVs you should seriously consider without breaking the bank.

Five-doored coupes are the next alternative when you want a coupe, while having the seating capacity and the same number of opening doors like a sedan; and most importantly, providing similar rear-seating accommodation. Mid-life crisis maybe? But actually no… We beg to differ. The Audi A5 is into its second generation, and the Sportback might be considered an oddball in a traditional sense, but it suits its purpose of being a car that really would do everything you want, yet, not fit into the now over-crowded SUV box.

KIA’s top-of-the-line SUV seats five and another 2, drives on all four legs and delivers on value. The Korean brand has come a long way, and like its sister company, are both known for loading their cars with more goodies than their Japanese counterparts… Bigger, more goodies where they count and at a more attractive price, has been a failsafe formula, and their range-topping Sorento GT is no exception for this rule.

For those who believe that a safe choice is always a good thing, there have been many generations of who have been keen buyers of a Corolla. The facelifted car faithfully carries on with it all the values of what had made previous generations an international best seller. Even now, with market interests leaning towards the SUV/Crossover, the sheer numbers of this compact sedan on the road signify how close to the heart the values of “reliability”, and that “you cannot go wrong with this car” are to buyers.

While the Range Rover Velar was crowned Oneshift’s Car of the Year 2017, for its excellent build, features, and overall appeal, here is a look at just some of the cars that came our way, which qualified to be this year’s Car of the Year.

Just when the hype of their LFA supercar had died down, Lexus delivers a front-engined, rear drive grand tourer… Just like the LFA, the LC 500 breaks away from traditionally predictable design… With Lexus producing one of the most proportionately balanced and beautiful cars we have seen this year. The new platform the LC 500 sits on is part of their global architecture for luxury vehicles (GA-L), which forms the blueprint for their front-engine, rear drive Lexus cars. 

There is a special word known as… Value. What do you value most in an Executive Sedan? The features? Or how about the performance? The Genesis G80 presents a circumstantial question mark, in a market where cars this size, and in this market segment would cost an arm and a leg more. Putting all that aside for a while, we take a closer look at what Korea’s answer to the 5 Series and E Class is as a car built with the quality of those qualities in-mind. The brand is the result of Hyundai’s efforts to basically “pull off a Lexus”, and with the size and feel of the G80, it is quite evident that they are aiming at one of the world’s largest automotive pies… an American one…

How about a sleeper version of the Audi Q5? It is quite a bit quicker, looks a little hotter, and still slips right under the radar gun (if you are wise enough). So Mercedes-Benz went ahead with a coupe version of the GLC, slipped a 3.0 V6 under the hood, and called it AMG. Audi on the other hand, kept to the SUV styling, fiddled with some of the cosmetics (and some) to build their idea of what it should be. With SUVs bringing in the bulk of the car sales, it is no surprise that the German marque is doing its part in rolling out with the punches.

The new Range Rover Velar fills the space between the fashionable Evoque, and the higher-end Range Rover Sport. Designed around the principle of ‘reductionism”, the new Velar might look striking, yet simple in design. The Velar moniker was first seen in prototypes back in the late 60s, and the current car, according to Land Rover Chief Design Officer, Gerry McGovern, is the “Avant Garde” Range Rover…. Whatever that means…. 

The new Honda CR-V presents an attractive option to those who might be looking for a MPV alternative.  While the engine offerings are just down to one choice of a new turbocharged 1.5 litre unit, it is in our lens a good call by Honda, given the current trend of right-sizing engines, for reasons of fuel efficiency.

For those who do know about Opel’s range of cars, may find it a little strange that the German marque has two SUVs in their range that are rather similar in size. The Mokka X is 4,275mm in length, while the new Crossland X is slightly shorter at 4,212mm.

Where do we go with this one? BMW has just launched something of an oddball. It really is part coupe, part sedan, part hatch, part estate, and there is a bit of a lean to performance with this one. While there at first glance, the new car looks just like its 5 Series GT predecessor, but is it any better? Oneshift’s Clifford Chow gets to the bottom of this confusion, to find the sense and sensibility in Beemer’s new GT.