Sommaire pour February 2016 de Torque

When BMW launched the i3 and i8 back in 2013 and 2014 respectively, it proved to be watershed moments for a brand that was already synonymous with luxury and driving performance. With the BMW i cars, the manufacturer was able to exhibit its technical prowess through its processes. RAISING THE BAR Going a step further with the use of carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP) that first featured in the Life Module in the i3 and i8 electric cars, BMW EfficientLightweight involves using this material to create a carbon core in the new 7 Series luxury limousine. However, in the case of the BMW flagship, other considerations such as comfort, safety, luxuriousness of the interior, quietness, driving dynamics and efficiency became as important as shaving weight to achieve the best range…

“THE SORENTO IS THE MOST CONFIDENCE-INSPIRING ON THE ROAD OR OFF IT, THE PASSAT IS THE MOST UPMARKET, WHILE THE ODYSSEY IS THE MOST COMFORTABLE.” THERE are plenty of new automobiles that a buyer with a $160k budget could consider. But for this Group Test, we’ve gathered three of the most common car types in Singapore – a sports utility vehicle (SUV), a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) and a saloon. Sure to appeal to SUV fans is the Kia Sorento, which promises plenty of space and performance. The turbo-diesel variant tested here is also the most powerful one within Kia’s local lineup, and therefore it should entice keener drivers as well. One of the niftiest MPVs available today is the Honda Odyssey. Its low floor and powered sliding doors make ingress/egress…

“AUDIS ARE KNOWN FOR THEIR SOLID INTERIORS, AND THE A4’S BUILD QUALITY REFLECTS THIS.” PRESS drives are typically very smooth events. Brand representatives will greet journalists at the airport and chauffeur them to their (usually swanky) destination, where a fleet of shiny test cars awaits. There will be technical experts on hand to explain the latest features and answer any queries. This particular media drive, however, was a bumpy one. When we arrived in Venice, we waited 30 minutes to disembark, and 40 more for our luggage to arrive. To give us more drive time, the typically long and thorough product presentation was cut short. Although unlikely, perhaps the event was executed in a rough manner to create contrast between it and the new Audi A4, whose character is smooth…

JUST when I got used to the rather long name of “MP4-12C”, McLaren replaced it with “650S” and created a three-tier lineup, consisting of the Ultimate Series (P1 and P1 GTR), Super Series (650S and 675LT) and Sports Series (540C and 570S). The numerals refer to the respective horsepower figures. At first glance, the entire lineup looks alike, right down to the dihedral doors. But as petrolheads like myself get familiar with the make and models of McLaren, we can see the design nuances – like how we can discern one 911 variant from another. Though the different “Macs” share similar profiles because of their common platform and roofline, McLaren has done away with active aerodynamic aids on the 570S, which doesn’t even have a rear wing of any kind.…

The original Mini Clubman Estate was launched in 1969, when the carmaker was still in British hands. Like its 2016 successor, the Clubman Estate’s body has short overhangs, and its four wheels have been pushed out to the corners of the car. This automobile, however, has a unique four-door design. There’s a pair for the driver and front passenger, with the other two forming the “fridge doors” used to access the boot. Production of the Clubman Estate ended in 1982. A quarter-century passed before MINI, now in capital letters and owned by BMW, launched the Clubman. Like the classic Clubman Estate, the modern version features a vertically split tailgate. But the latter has a fifth door. Called a Clubdoor, this extra opening on the right side of the vehicle makes…

“EVERY BIKE IS DESIGNED DIFFERENTLY AND EXPECTED TO BE USED DIFFERENTLY” WHEN 54-year-old Victor Lee is not jetting around the region as manager in a multinational aerospace company that provides repair and overhaul services to airlines, he is busy looking after his “extended family”, helped by his 19-year-old son. Said family is made up of Victor’s Volkswagen Golf GTI and a collection of six motorcycles. Yes, six. Victor’s love of speedy machines began when he joined the Republic of Singapore Air Force in 1978. He saved up for his first motorbike in 1979, a Suzuki GS425E that he promptly modified. As someone who idolised professional riders such as Kenny Roberts and Randy Mamola, and local racers such as Gerry and Fabian Looi, he says: “The bike changed my life.” He…

WINGS & DRUMSTICKS Targeting chicken lovers is 4 Fingers, a home-grown chain known for its crispy fried chicken and MSG-free sauces. Apart from the chicken rice box (above), 4 Fingers also offers chicken burgers, wraps and salads. With the opening of the Orchard Gateway and Jurong Point outlets, there are now six locations islandwide. WIDE SPREAD Indecisive diners who can’t decide on a cuisine can ponder the choices available at Buttercake N Cream, whose extensive menu offerings include seafood, pasta and grill options. There’s a good selection of desserts, too, such as the unique Paddle Pop chocolate bar crunch (above). This eatery is located at #01-52, Block 106, Clementi Street 12. SEOUL SMOKY Korean searching for sizzling delights could head to Seorae, which offers diners galmaegisal, or pork skirt. This…

Torque presented trophies to the 10 “Best in Class” winners in the ST-Torque Awards 2015, including the coveted Straits Times Car of the Year 2015 award, which went to the BMW i8. This is the fifth time that Torque has partnered with The Straits Times to select the best new cars of the year, based on a robust voting system that sets the standard for automotive awards in Singapore. The ceremony was held last month at Portico Prime, a modern European restaurant in Dempsey. Portico Prime’s special lunch menu for the event featured items inspired by the judging criteria of the ST-Torque Awards, such as “performance” beef short…

Lexus has introduced the LC500, the brand’s long-awaited successor to the SC430 hard-top convertible, which ended production in 2010. The LC500 is built on a new rear-wheel-drive platform, and has a body that Lexus claims is the stiffest it has ever produced. Power comes from a 5-litre V8 (the same one in the RC F coupe) that kicks out 470bhp. The carmaker claims this automobile does the century sprint in less than 4.5 seconds. Lexus has introduced turbocharged powertrains in its “regular” vehicles, but a spokesperson confirmed that naturally aspirated large-displacement engines favoured by most enthusiasts would still be used in sportier models. Debuting on the LC500 is a 10-speed automatic transmission – the most forward ratios in any passenger car today. Lexus says that this gearbox’s shift times rival…

If you don’t need seven seats, then the impressive Volkswagen Passat is worth your consideration. Apart from its greater roominess compared to its predecessor, this car also has punchier performance and a ride quality you’d only expect to enjoy in luxury models costing 20 percent more. The Honda Odyssey is designed for ferrying seven adults in comfort, but if you fold the rearmost seats, it happily doubles as a spacious station wagon catering to motorists who need a vehicle for moving bulky items. The Kia Sorento offers a different kind of flexibility for $160,000. Its all-wheel-drive system and generous ground clearance enable it to tackle just about anything our concrete jungle can throw at it, including flash floods. Its well-designed seven-seater cabin is a good bonus. KIA SORENTO 2.2 (A)…

IN 2009, Lamborghini quietly rolled out the rear-wheel-drive (RWD) Gallardo LP550-2. While several were sold in Singapore, other places in the region such as Thailand didn’t order a single unit. In 2014, the company introduced the Huracan LP620-2 Super Trofeo for its racing programme, which adds to the allure of the rear-drive Huracan. The LP580-2 looks more aggressive than the LP610-4, with a larger front spoiler to create greater front downforce and enhance cooling. The rear has a new diffuser, which is more steeply raked to cut rear lift. Atop the rear deck is a lip spoiler that does without any active aero aids. Capping it off is a new set of staggered 19-inch wheels, shod with specially developed Pirelli P Zeros. Not much has changed inside the cockpit, except…

“SAFETY CONCERNS ASIDE, THE COST OF ROADABLE AIRCRAFT WILL BE SKY-HIGH.” “TO OPERATE A FLYING CAR, YOU DON’T NEED TO BE A COMMERCIAL PILOT WHO DRIVES AIRBUSES.” CARS do take off from the tarmac every now and then. Rally machines and touring racecars, for instance, or the occasional F1 guided missiles and street-legal supercars. The flying car, however, is something else altogether. It’s an airplane that can really taxi, all the way between the nearest airstrip and your home/ office garage. It’s like a large car, but with tail fins, folded wings and a propeller or two. This is fly-drive for daily life. American firm Terrafugia has a working prototype, called Transition, that shows how the flying car concept could take off – literally and as a business. The Transition’s…

HAVING spent almost a week driving a Porsche 911 Carrera GTS, I now have an inkling of what it would be like to actually own such a car. “Awesome” is a word that comes to mind when I imagine such a scenario. One reason for the 911’s enduring popularity is its everyday useability. For instance, even if you don’t live in a landed property, the Porsche fits nicely in an HDB carpark space, with inches to spare on either side of the demarcating lines. During my time with the GTS, its front bumper never kissed the bottom of the ramps in my multi-storey carpark. There were no worries, even though the ride height is 10mm lower than standard. Driving to work in the GTS was a dream. The morning commute…

ABT Sportsline has taken the Audi SQ5 and turned it into the ABT SQ5 – a diesel-powered sports utility vehicle capable of outrunning hot hatches and pulling like a freight train. This automobile is already potent to begin with – packing a 3-litre turbo-diesel V6 that pumps out 313bhp and 650Nm. With the ABT Power piggyback ECU installed, the engine produces an additional 47bhp and 50Nm, for a total of 360bhp and 700Nm. The motor does not receive any additional modifications. ABT does not provide performance figures, but it’s likely that the ABT SQ5 is quicker than the “regular” SQ5, which hits the century mark in 5.1 seconds. To improve the vehicle’s handling, the SQ5 is fitted with ABT height-adjustable springs. The ride height can be lowered by as much…

IMPRESSED ME NOT JIMMY LIM Dear Torque , I’m not impressed with the article Impress Me Not by Lynn Tan [her column in the December 2015 issue]. I believe the writer is simply oversensitive (and she had admitted as much) to a random sales guy who’s doing his job and practising good customer service. It is important not to dichotomize gender differences. From an evolutionary perspective, it’s likely there are some differences between the sexes in emotion. Indeed, the odds of men and women having developed the exact same emotional psychology are basically zero. It would be nothing short of a Darwinian miracle for men and women to have evolved precisely identical emotional designs. In my opinion, Lynn has set a high standard…

The E-Class was the best-selling Mercedes-Benz model in 2015, and its all-new successor, which will arrive in the second half of this year, might be just as successful. In terms of styling and equipment, the latest E-Class has grown closer to the flagship S-Class limousine. Compared to the previous model, the new version is 43mm longer, and its wheelbase has been stretched by 65mm to increase cabin space. Inside, this executive saloon can be equipped with a pair of 12.3-inch screens that function as displays for the instrument panel and infotainment system, as seen in the S-Class. The cabin also features a 64-colour lighting system. That’s more than nine times the number of hues in the S-Class, and the most in any vehicle to date. The conventional buttons on the…

THE year was 2001, a good 15 years ago. Jaguar had announced the X-Type, built on a Ford Mondeo platform. The British marque’s new American owners at Ford wanted a junior executive saloon to sell, and hence the X-Type was born. Jaguar design chief Ian Callum would later admit that it was a fait accompli – essentially designed in Detroit and presented to a reluctant Jaguar board. Times are different now. Jaguar is owned by Indian conglomerate Tata, which has injected development funds into its British subsidiary that includes Land Rover. The plentiful rupees gave the talented team at Coventry what car companies need to create great products: the freedom and funding to express themselves “in the metal”. So here we have it, the first bona fide Jag entrant in…

FOR the past 18 years and across three model generations, the Prius has been the poster car for eco-motoring. The new fourth-generation model is likely to stay on the same “poster”, thanks to even greener performance made possible by state-of-the-art hybrid technology. But this time, Toyota has tried to make the Prius less geeky and more funky. When chief engineer Koji Toyoshima introduced the key points of the new car to the journos, “excellent fuel economy” was third on the list, after “fun to drive” and “eye-catching design”. The newcomer’s exterior design is quite a sight indeed. There are hints of the radical Mirai (hydrogen fuel-cell Toyota) in the styling, that integrated rear spoiler is neat, and the red LEDs in the tail-lamps look dramatic when lit. Dramatic, too, is…

DRIVER’S LICENCE 5 NUMBER OF CLUBS HE HAS BEEN TO JEREMY CHUA He has partied at nightclubs before, but none was as funky or as luxurious as the all-new MINI Clubman. IF you’re one of those MINI fans who have been yearning for the brand to return to its minimalist roots, you’ll be sorely disappointed with the new Clubman. The latest version isn’t just larger than its predecessor, it is also the longest MINI to date and boasts the most doors (six) of any model in the range. To rub more salt into the wounds of said fans, the new Clubman is also the most upmarket MINI to date. MINI enthusiasts might have forgotten, but the original version was also positioned above all other variants within the brand family (see…

WHEN I order car-themed T-shirts online from the US, I always tick “Standard” for the shipping option. That’s the slowest, taking two to three weeks, but it’s also the lowest in price. “Expedited” is faster, requiring one to two weeks, but it’s costlier, which would greatly reduce any savings from the online shopping. “Express” is the fastest, sending my package to me in a matter of days, but it’s expensive enough to make my new tees, well, too expensive for me. The two German wagons gathered here are meant for express delivery – extremely express. With these speedy machines doing the shipping, goods go ballistic between the warehouse and wherever your house is. And the larger wagon of the two, the RS6, can carry plenty of goods, or groceries, or…

“HYDRAULIC PRESSURE ACTS ON THE STEERING GEAR TO BOOST THE DRIVER’S EFFORT.” SOME five decades ago, it was a man’s job to parallel-park most cars. This isn’t a chauvinistic statement insulting woman drivers of the era, but rather, a factual statement – a lot of arm muscle was necessary in those days to twirl the steering wheel, especially when the car was stationary. Back then, power-assisted steering (or power steering, for short) was a costly high-end option, and only a few luxury vehicles had it. In the years that followed, power steering became more common as standard equipment, across a wide range of models. The good old unassisted steering was thus relegated to automotive history. Modern cars can be steered so easily with power assistance, regardless of their size and…