Cameron Highland Impression

 

1) Love the cooler weather up on the hills. I think it is about 1300 to 1500 metres in height. Temperature is about 20 to 22 degree.

2) Single carriageway winding roads. One up and one down. There are a few sections that have wider dual carriageways. It is more challenging than Genting due to the single lane road especially when there is heavy vehicle in front, making overtaking difficult if not dangerous. During my return journey, there was rain causing the road to be slippery. I saw a small hatchback that spined 180 degree on the road, hitting the guard rail. Fortunately, it didn't go down the hill. Really have to focus on driving the winding road and get a car with good handling characteristics. Please ensure that there is plenty of rest in between the destination.

3)  There was a motorcyclist who probably knew the road well enough to guide motorists as he was in front of a heavy vehicle. He signaled to us that it was alright to overtake the heavy vehicle. In essence, he looked out for incoming traffic from the other direction. Due to the winding road, there are plenty of blind spots to be careful. 

4) Roadworks blocking in any direction will mean that there will be traffic marshaller and the traffic will be halted for a period of time. Be ready stop and keep a safe distance with the car in front of you.

5) Love the strawberry ice cream that was made from the strawberry grown on the highland.

6) Love the peppermint leaves grown in various gardens. Very refreshing.

7) Scenery is amazing and that cannot be seen in a city. 

8) We used Waze for directional guidance. There are signages along the way to guide driver.

Drive safe and enjoy the journey.

Proton Saga 2019

 

I rented a Proton Saga for 2.5 days and drove the car from Ipoh to Cameron Highland and to Taiping. It was a 1.3 litre standard version (no frills). The price of rental is about RM138 per day, excluding petrol but including insurance.

Back in the 90s, I had sat on a Proton Saga 1st Generation. It was a boxy looking car and appeared to be bigger than the 2019 version. Of course, the first generation car used the Mitsubishi engine block, while the 2019 car used the firm own engine.

Recently, I have the opportunity to drive the car to hilly and winding roads as well as the North-South highway between Ipoh and Taiping. 

Some good comments about the car:-

1) Good handing - Especially when facing winding roads in a rainy day.  It was able to grip the road well. 

2) Good automatic gear response - Able to downshift appropriately especially when going downhill.

3) Easy to drive - Compact and easily maneuverable. The car even has parking sensor (front and back) which I found it useful.

Some negative comments about the car:-

1) Not as smooth and refined as compared to my Honda Civic 10th Gen (2019 year of manufacturing).

2) Engine required revving and heavy foot especially when travelling at the highway. Could be a sign that 1.3 litre block is under-powered.

3) At speed of 120km/hr and above, the steering wheel was vibrating. This does not give confidence to the driver.

It is a good car if the driver does mostly city driving and occasionally drive in highway. At a price of less than RM40000 (USD8900), for the basic auto-transmission, it is a value for money option.

Honda Civic FC 2019

I have sold my Audi A3 Sportback and bought a Honda Civic FC. This is at a time when COE is supposed to be at its low end due to uncertainty in the economy.

Audi
I have owned the Audi A3 Sportback for 5 years and 9 months. The good thing about the car is a powerful 1.4 turbo engine and a good brake stopping distance. A fantastic fuel consumption of 14km/litre. It also has a reputable brand although its internal parts are from VW Golf.  The bad things are :-

1) Lousy Dual Clutch transmission. Noise from its transmission and a total failure of its mechatronic unit. Audi Singapore charged me more than S$4000 plus even though there was dispute on the warranty of the car. I am highly displeased with this service and asserted that I would never buy a Audi car again.

2) Poor battery. Failed every year. They are original battery from Audi. This is not typical for a car.

3) Turbo lagged. The car is either slow or very fast. The smoothness of transmission is missing. Before the turbo kicks in, it is still a underpowered 1.4 litre car. I cannot imagine the new Audi A3 with 1 litre motor.

4) The 7 speed transmission automatic kicks down when slope is detected which makes the journey rather unpleasant, even though there is no necessity.

5) Start Stop function which I think is unnecessary.

Honda
I have driven the Thailand made Honda Civic FC for more than 3 months. It is a reliable car with no noise from its moving parts. Driver has a piece of mind on quality of product as I have driven the Honda Stream for 9 years previously. However, it has its deficiency. They are:-

1) Underpowered car which it is paired with a CVT. The CVT is like a turbo, it needs time to spool up the transfer of power from motor to wheels. As many car expert would say, CVT is like an elastic rubber band. The underpowered car is more severely felt if the fuel is just Ron 95. I have to use Ron 98 to compensate the lack of power and to achieve a smoother drive. This means I have to pay for more for fuel. In fact, the Suzuki Swift is more fun to drive although it is just 1 litre car with a turbo. I was contemplating between a Suziki Swift or Honda Civic.

2) Better fuel consumption than my 1.7 litre Honda stream but poorer than Audi A3. Average fuel consumption is about 12 to 12.5 km/litre.

3) Poor radio reception. The sound from its radio is the worst I have seen in all my life of car ownership. The head unit has other function tied in, eg aircon, car settings which make it difficult to change.

4) Servicing is every 10,000 km. Likely to mean twice a year compared to Audi which is once a year servicing.

There are good points such as brake-hold, spacious car, reliable quality, reasonably price parts, lower insurance etc. It serves well as a point to point transportation car. Honda Civic is commonly seen on road which doesn't make it unique. Hope my simple review is useful for potential buyers.

Quote of the Month

VW Beetle in Deutsches Museum

".... This thing is 52 years old and it still works great. And with that rear engine transmission design and it still handles really well for a car that is 52 years old. They are still fun to drive. So now you know, a Volkswagen made in ****** stuff. When men were men and cars were made of metal."

Scotty Kilmer describing his 1967 Volkswagen Squareback and comparing it to modern Volkswagen cars. (Sep 2018)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vDqyn-qmwM

Toyota Corolla E70

Toyota Corolla DX E70. The background has the latest Toyota Corolla Altis.

Toyota Corolla DX Rear

Toyota Corolla DX (E70), a rare car nowadays to see one in Singapore. It is probably more than 35 years old. I sat in one back in 1991, 92 period. This one still has the original colour as seen from the condition of the paint. The unique large front and rear crash bars are so 80s car. A reliable car that is still being driven today.

Quote of the Month

"Its not uncommon to see a Prius with over 300,000 miles in its original drivetrain. Meanwhile, a Honda will grenade its transmission before it gets there. And a Subaru will puke out its head gaskets and domestic cars, hehe...forget about it. Sure a European car will get there if you don't mind paying for the car 3 times over in maintenance during that time. And now every car guy hates me."

Hoovies Garage, Youtube, "I bought a Cheap Toyota Prius - with a Dead Battery"  Oct 6 2017

Audi A3 Mechantronic Failure

Last Monday, while travelling on Central Tunnel Expressway (CTE), my Audi A3 suddenly had a 'pop' sound and there was immediately lost of power. The engine/motor was still running as I could see the tachometer was not at zero revolution. The lost of drive was extremely dangerous while the car was on an expressway, in the middle of the road with heavy traffic. If I was not careful, there would be accident.

Fortunately, I was able to maneuver the 'dead' car slowly to the side of the expressway. I tried to restart the car and it managed to restart but there was no gear engaged. There was an transmission error message on the display gauge. The car had to be towed to Audi service centre.

It was discovered that the gear controller had failed. The gear controller is also known as the mechatronic. It is part of the infamous DSG (Direkt-Schalt-Getriebe) on VW and Audi cars (S-tronic). The cost of replacing the gear controller amounts to approximately S$4000. What an exorbitant amount! The car was driven only for about 3 years and 9 months with mileage at less than 46,000 km.

I am not happy with Audi because:-

(1) Car should have certain reasonable quality and durability in its parts. Technology without quality is as good as beauty without substance.  My previous Honda Stream did not have any gear transmission issue when the car was driven for 9 years with more than 100,000 km mileage.

(2) VW / Audi should not continue to use this gear controller or DSG given its quality issue. Before I bought the A3, I had asked the salesperson whether Audi had resolved the issue on its gears. I was assured by the salesperson that it had as Audi product was superior than its VW counterpart. He was wrong and I had to pay for his misrepresentation.

(3) When the gear controller had failed, there was no power from its engine/motor. This is an extremely dangerous failure that can lead to accident and even death. How could Audi / VW put in their cars mechanism that has no back up factor of safety and gave consumers cars that could lead to potential accidents?

I am extremely disappointed by German cars in specifically Audi.

Singapore Road Tax Disc

Singapore Vehicle Road Tax Disc

The Singapore Road Tax Disc is obsolete. No more a requirement to display Road Tax Disc on the windshield of a car. Many years later, this will be viewed as a heritage item. In driving a car since 1998, there was only one time when I was stopped by traffic police for inspection of the validity of the road tax. No major concern as I have been paying road tax promptly.

New York Porsche 911

I saw this 2 Porsche in dusty and being repaired condition in Brooklyn. My guess is the garage wanted to sell the Porsche and might include repair cost to the final bill. From the side mirror, it looks like it is a 912 Coupe model.  Being a classic Porsche, I don't think the price will be cheap.

Coincidently, Porsche has announced its 1 millionth production 911. To mark the event, Porsche has designed a modern rendition of the original 911 of 1964 (with its chrome rear mirror and its green body).



Copyright of AFPRelaxNews

Other than Porsche, I saw this beautiful Mercedes C43 with nice rims in New York:-

Also, I saw Tesla being sold in Washington DC. The advertisement behind shows that monthly installment is about US$1000/month. This model comes with autopilot.

Hotwheels Porsche 934

Porsche 934 Hotwheels

Hotwheels Porsche 934 purchased from Mid Valley, KL Toys R Us. It costs RM7.90 which is about S$2.60. In Singapore, a hotwheels will cost S$3.90 (at Takashimaya Singapore). I could not find the same Porsche 934 at Takashimaya.

I think it is quite rare to find a Porsche Hotwheels. I will probably keep it together with its packaging intact.

Audi Malaysia Prices November 2016

Audi A3 RM 159,900 (S$53,000)

Audi Q5 Quattro

Audi Q5 2.0

 

I have the opportunity to drive this car, an Audi Q5 2.0 Quattro (Year 2014). In Singapore, this car retails at about S$200,000.

As compared to A3 which I own, A6 which I had driven, the Q5 has a different feel.

Cons of Q5
* The brake is weak as compared to A3. It takes a lot of leg effort to stop this car.
* High fuel consumption. Estimate it to be 10 km/litre for expressway and much less for city travel. A few probable reasons, firstly it is a 2 litre car, then it is heavy and lastly it is 4 wheel drive.
* The A3 feels more agile and highly maneuverable. The Q5 is very much bigger in size and driving it requires more attention. I do like the big side mirror.

Interior of Q5

 

The Good about Q5
* The suspension is better as compared to A3 but not as good as A6, especially Avant. A3 tends to vibrate more as it is lighter in weight comparing it to Q5.
* The sitting position is such that getting in and out is easy. The ride height is very convenient especially for older folks.

* The power steering works well even though this is a heavy car. Turning is light.

* It is spacious both at the front and rear seats.

Alfa Romeo Brera

Alfa Romeo Brera

I saw this nice Alfa Romeo Brera in grey colour and dark rims. The rear of the car is beautifully curved and distinctive. The curvature is in one continuous loop which is difficult for family car when space is a consideration. But this is a coupe, hence beauty is emphasized more than functionality. The rear lights are also matching with the curves.

The front of the car is however a disappointment. The car is beautifully curve at the rear, but there is a break in the design when the head lights of the car are straight and the front bumper edge is sharp. I think the flatness of the front panel is to match the Alfa Romeo grille. Not many people fancy the grille design as it looks like a skeleton nose with the head lights as the eyes.

Alfa Romeo Giulia (from Alfa Romeo USA)

It would have been better if the Brera front has a more rounded, curved bumper and head lights like the Alfa Romeo Giulia although I must say I still find the grille difficult to accept.

I would give the rear a 9 marks out of 10. But the front is probably 4 out of 10.

BMW M3 - An Article in Automobile Magazine Nov 2015

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An interesting article on Automobile Magazine about history of BMW M3 in the United States. Author of the article is Ms Laura Burstein.

All rights reserve of Automobile Magazine.

Germany Part 24 - BMW E21

There are at least 2 E21 at the BMW Museum.

I made 2 mistakes during the visit to BMW Museum. Firstly, I arrived at BMW Welt only to find out that the museum was not opened on Monday. Secondly, I revisited again on Saturday at 8:45am and thought that it would open by 9am, only to find out that it would open at 10am.

The first E21 was located with a family of 3 series. It was a 323i in gold colour. Back then the '23' in 323 referred to the engine capacity and in this case 2315 cc. This produced a power of 105 kw and 143 PS in the 6 cylinder engine. A maximum speed of 190 km/h was specified. The car was manufactured from 1978 to 1982.

The second E21 was located within a family of 1970s car which also include the 5(520), 6(633 CSi) and 7(745i) series. It was a grey 323i right at the bottom of the stack.

The interior of the grey 323i has a blue carpet and fabric finishes. I recalled my E21 had a black leather seat and cream carpet finishes.  The tachometer in the museum also did not look like mine on the E21. My speedometer had a VDO shown. The other big difference was my car was a right hand drive car. I remember the hazard light next to the air conditioner vent would pop up whenever the weather was hot. The manual window winding handle was so classical. The steering had no power steering.  In memory of my old E21.

 

A photo of my old red E21 can be found in the link below:-

http://e21s.blogspot.com/2008/07/cars-year-1998-2001-bmw-e21-3-series.html

Germany Part 22 - Porsche 911 der Moderne 2004 to 2015

A. Porsche 997








B. Porsche 997 (Hybrid)




C. Porsche 991 (Targa) - Porsche advertisement on the 911 targa which has a black body looks so good. This one on display in Porsche Museum looks plastic.

Germany Part 21 - The Unusual Porsche 911

A. Porsche 993 - A very strange line designed at the front next to headlamp. The rear looks good.






B. Porsche 996 - Not the conventional headlamp. Likewise the rear looks good. For 911 to continue its iconic heritage, the front, rear and the unique C pillar must abide by its ancestry design.







C. Porsche 996 ~ Sally Carrera with a shortened wheelbase.




D. Porsche 911 Flachbau (Slantnose) - No photo available. Again a different front that is different from original 911.

Germany Part 20 - BMW M4 vs Audi TT S Interior

Which one do you prefer?

BMW M4 - Classical BMW look
Audi TTS - Its more sporty looking

Germany Part 19 - Iconic Porsche (1970 to 1993)

These are my favourite 911 series:-

A. Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 (1973)

Nice colours including the rims.

An unique rear spoiler that resembles a bucket

B. Porsche 930 (circa 1978)

C. Porsche 964 (1993) - This is a Turbo S version

Germany Part 17 - Nice Cars: Porsche Classic (1959 to 1969)

A. Porsche 754 T7 - The predecessor before the 911 (Year 1959)



A history of 754 T7

B. Porsche 911 2.0 Coupe - The first generation of 911 (Year 1964)

A history of first generation of 911 2.0 Coupe

In Singapore, someone tried to sell a 1967 Porsche 911 2.0 Coupe for S$250,000 (equivalent to about US$182,000 or 164,000 Euro).

C. Porsche 912 Coupe (Year 1967)