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American Make
Chevy, GM, Ford, and other American Makes
Ford Fiesta 2010
Jun 29th
The compact 4 door sedan market in Malaysia is pretty much dominated by 2 Japanese models: Toyota Vios and Honda City. Both cars are priced at around RM 70-90k range, with decent space, and around 1.5 liter engine capacity. From outside looking in, you have the Naza Bestari 206 with 1.4 liter engine, as well as Suzuki Swift, 1.5 liter engine but slightly smaller built.
Ford Fiesta – 1.5 liter hot hatch from Ford
Enter Ford Fiesta, this is actually the 6th generation of Fiesta that was originally debuted in 1976. The hatch definitely poses very impressive specs with price rumored to be in direct competition with other B segment cars like the above mentioned Vios and City.
- Engine: 1.6 liter Ti-VCT with 120 PS at 6,500 rpm and 152 Nm of torque at 4,500 rpm
- Transmission: 6 speed Powershift dual clutch
- Airbags: Dual SRS
- Wheels: 16″ alloy rims
- 0-100 km/h: 9.9s
- Top Speed: 193 km/h
There’s even optional electronic traction control that’s usually only found in high end cars. This Ford certainly has the spec to match it’s aggressive looks. We’ll see ho well the Malaysian market embrace it.
I for one surely hope there’s some competition to the current duopoly in B segment cars.
Ford Focus 2.0 Sports
Mar 14th
Thanks to AutoConnexion, the official dealer of Ford in Malaysia,I had a chance to take the Ford Focus 2.0 Sports for the weekends not long ago.
Ford Focus was the car that replaced the venerable Ford Escort (or Ford Laser in this region) about 10 years ago. The car I got was the newly face lifted 2nd generation Focus, the 2.0 Sports hatch.
At first glance, I was quite impressed with the built of the car. The doors felt solid, workmanship on the exterior pretty much flawless, and the interior too was rather refined.
After adjusting the seats (manually) and steering wheel to make myself comfortable, I noticed that the visibility of the car was very good. Very big windshield and the small A pillars gives you a very clear picture of what’s happening in front, while the bigger than usual side mirrors offer a clear rear view. The smallish center rear view mirror though, is no different from most other cars.
Meter cluster is mounted right in front of the wheel with the tachometer (red line at 6500 rpm) and speedometer sandwiching a central display and two smaller meters on top (temperature and fuel indicator).
The display is bright and pretty easy to read in both day and nighttime driving conditions, with the central display showing current fuel consumption, number of kilometers left for available fuel, outside temperature, current gear (with sequential shift), trip meter, and a few other information with the manipulation of a little control stick.
The car also comes with a 6 speed CD changer (with mp3 function) and 6 speakers that performs pretty decent for an OEM unit. There is also a steering column mounted audio control for changing radio channels, volume, track, etc.
Air conditioning performance is one of those things that is of supreme importance in this country. While this fully imported model still comes with heater, the air conditioning did not disappoint. Driver and passenger gets to control their own temperature zone, and there are also two air vents for the rear passengers.
The ride of this car was actually pretty smooth and comfortable with a very good level of noise insulation. However, the car really shines when you attack the corners with heavier foot. While the 143hp engine with it’s 4 speed auto transmission isn’t exactly in the sports car’s league, it is pretty sufficient for city driving and those occasional spirited moments.
The price? RM 116k or so for both the sedan (with leather seats) and sports hatch model.
Dodge Challenger SRT8 2008, Muscle Power
May 29th
After a quarter century since the 2nd generation Dodge Challenger stopped production, the the classic muscle car is back again with a vengeance. The 3rd generation Challenger, the SRT8, is bigger, heavier, more luxury, meaner, and way, way more powerful than its predecessors.
2008 Dodge Challenger, the classic muscle car
This baby churns out 425 bhp with a massive 420 lbs/ft torque off the 6.1-liter HEMI V8. A 5 speed AutoStick automatic transmission is mated with this engine. A set of 20″ wheels complete the package. Although the car weighs a hefty 4140 lbs, it is still able to do 0-100km/h in less than 6 seconds and a 1/4 mile time below 14 seconds. We shall wait for the real world results before the end of this year.
Other than the in-your-face exterior that is both very effective and aesthetically pleasing, the race inspired interior is equally as good. The simple black and blue lume color scheme is a stark contrast with the loud orange exterior, but somehow jives very well.
luxurious and classy interior
Of course, for the US $40k you pay, the Challenger SRT8 does come with other bells and whistles like GPS, keyless entry and hands-free system. Then again, for a car this impractical with the current fuel price, who cares? All we want is to have some tire-burning fun. I’m sure there aren’t many people from the 6400 cars booked this year who’ll use it as a daily driver.
Ford Mustang Giugiaro 2006 Concept Car
Dec 4th
Ford presented the Mustang Giugiaro 2006 concept at the prestigious L.A. Auto Show. The external design is done by Italdesign, led by styling director Fabrizio Giugiaro, making it an American machine with an Italian shell.
This concept car has a panoramic roof, with the front wind shield, roof, and rear screen forming a single unit that provides almost 180 degree of unobstructive view. Not entirely sure how one can get away from the sun though. This Mustang also comes with the scissor doors made famous by Lamborghini.
the next American stallion?
Although this pony comes in at a hefty 1,500 KG, it does have an engine capable of 500 hp with huge amount of torque (480 lb/ft). Those fat 20″ wheels should come in handy to distribute the power onto the tar.
Will this concept make it to the road? We shall see, the major hindrance might be the unique roof though. A big piece of curved glass is expensive to produce and not easy to take care.
Specs at a glance:
Engine: front mounted, rear wheel drive,
estimated 500 hp, 480 lb-ft of torque
4.6L, 24-valve SOHC V8 Supercharged
Curb Weight: 3,307 lbs (1,500 kg)
Wheels (front/rear): 275 40 ZR20 / 315 35 ZR20
sources:
automobile.com
abc news