Wanted - a small car for city driving in Malaysia

Wanted a small, affordable second car for city driving in Malaysia.
The maximum budget is RM 40K (approx £7298).

If I had that budget here in the UK, I would probably go for a second hand car and would have several options.

However, in Malaysia there are only 2 options available, namely the Perodua ViVA (Yes! That is how the name is written) with prices starting from RM 24,936.45 (for the ViVA 660 BX - Manual, solid white colour) and the Proton Saga with prices from RM 33,426 (for the Saga SV Manual, solid white colour). The SV stands for Super Value.

Dimension wise, the Perodua ViVA (3575 x 1475 x 1530) is slightly smaller but taller than the Proton Saga (4278 x 1680 x 1520).

Looking at the websites of the two Malaysian car companies, I am quite impressed with the information provided from engine specs in detail to the various accessories available.

Though there is nearly RM 8000 difference in prices between the two cars, the Viva seems quite underpowered even for a city car with an engine displacement of only 659 cc. If I choose the ViVA 850 - Manual (847cc), prices goes up to RM 32,756.45.

I am not too concerned about the maximum speed but I am definitely interested in the fuel efficiency.

The Perodua website does not tell us anything about the fuel efficiency, other than mentioning that the cars have been equipped with "Dynamic Variable Valve Timing (DVVT), Double Overhead Camshaft (DOHC) and Electronic Fuel Injection  (EFI)".

The Proton Saga has a CamPro IAFM, 4-cylinder, DOHC 16V 1332cc engine and according to their website, the fuel consumption at @ 90km/h (approx. 56m/h) is 5.7 litres.

So if you had RM 40000 to spend on a car, I would definitely recommend the Proton Saga.

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Subaru Forester & XV - for those who love the rural life

Have you watched the recent Subaru ads?

They show their two vehicles  from their all-wheel drive range, the Subaru Forester & XV in action. They are perfect for those who love life in rural areas.

Forester Features:

• Heated door mirrors
• Remote control key system
• Roof rails
• Subaru Vehicle Dynamics Control
• Multi-function display
• Bluetooth, iPod and USB connectivity

The XT model is turbo-charged.

XV Features:

• Reversing camera
• Steering wheel audio controls
• Cruise control
• Hill Start Assist
• Rain-sensing windshield wipers with de-icer
• Leather gear lever & steering wheel

Prices for the XV starts from £21,995 and £24,995 for the Forester.

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Can you power cars using AA batteries

What did you think of the post "Clubbing together for an electric revolution!" yesterday?

I am sure most of you must have realised that it was a spoof post.

"LipraLoof" is an anagram of APRILFOOLS

Unfortunately, you can't power cars using AA batteries yet.

Happy April Fools Day

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Clubbing together for an electric revolution!

The UK’s largest independent car club, City Car Club, is working with innovative start-up LipraLoof Technologies Ltd, to trial smart power technology, which could one day see cars powered by AA-style batteries. Who’d have thought it?

James Finlayson, Managing Director of the hourly rental car club said: “When LipraLoof approached us we instantly realised how exciting this technology was – it has the potential to revolutionise the way we drive. However, like with any new technology, rigorous real-world testing is a must and with a 700+ fleet of cars which are used mainly for short journeys, we are in the perfect position to help.”

LipraLoof’s batteries contain complex mix of four metal hydrates which creates a quad, or 4A battery, which produces far more power than a standard battery. When these batteries are combined with technology that harnesses, stores and reuses the energy usually wasted when driving, it creates a system capable of powering a car up to 88mph over a significant distances.

LipraLoof’s founder and managing director Dr Ed Heaverben, explains: “We’ve combined our quad batteries with virtually 100% regenerative breaking which harnesses the energy normally lost when we brake. Another significant area where we’ve conserved energy is with the tyres – we’ve developed a specially designed tread that ‘grabs’ energy which normally escapes onto the road as heat. This saved energy is then stored in a French-Luxemburg engineered Flux Capacitor, ready for use when needed.”

It’s expected the trial and development phase will last around two years, and hopefully the commercial version of the complex system will be ready for market in 2016-17, and we at Auto Lah can’t wait to test it!

Car clubs are all about providing a realistic, flexible alternative to car ownership that benefits individuals, the wider community and are environmentally sustainable.
For further information visit www.lipraloof.co.uk.


Happy April Fools day

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Subaru VIZIV 2 Concept

According to Subaru, the new VIZIV 2 crossover concept is "introducing the future of All-Wheel Drive vehicles."

VIZIV stands for Vision for Innovation and Subaru is using it to showcase how advanced hybrid technology can be used with "Subarus All-Wheel Drive (AWD) while also indicating at a future design direction for Subarus production vehicles."

The powertrain uses a new 1.6-litre turbo-diesel DIT (Direct-Injection Turbo) Boxer engine and three electric motors, one to power the front wheels and one on each of the rear wheels which operate independently.

We are looking at a possible future generation of hybrid technology powered Subaru AWD vehicles.

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BMW 4 Series Gran Coupé

Roomy and sporty Coupés from BMW. Four frameless doors and a large boot.

A great example is the BMW 435i, which is powered 6-cylinder TwinPower Turbo petrol 225 kW (306 hp) engine and accelerates from 0 to 62 mph in 5.5 seconds.
Average fuel consumption is quite modest at 28.3 to 29.0 mpg (Steptronic transmission: 30.9 to 31.4 mpg), accompanied by CO2 emissions of just 193 to 189 g/km (Steptronic transmission: 178 to 174 g/km).

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The hi tech new Peugeot 108

PEUGEOT has just launched its new city car - the new PEUGEOT 108. It is clearly targeted at today's connected generation - it features a large touch screen and the Mirror Screen function, including the new MirrorLink and AppInCar connectivity protocols which will linkup with your smartphone seamlessly. The Mirror Screen function operates using MirrorLink technology for telephones running on Android, RIM and Windows, and by AppInCar for telephones running on iOs.

The car is available in two body styles: the PEUGEOT 108 hatchback and the PEUGEOT 108 TOP! convertible which can be personalised in various ways.

By opting for the PEUGEOT 108 TOP!, the customer has the freedom to choose the roof colour: Black, grey, Red Purple. They can decide to suit their taste, according to the body colour chosen. Among the eight colours available, two are exclusive to the model: Aïkinite, a golden copper, and Red Purple, an unusual violet. Reserved only for the 3-door hatchback, two versions of two-tone paint are available: Red Purple and Gallium Grey or Lipizan White and Aïkinite.

The customer can then select from the seven personalisation themes and three interior ambiences. The personalisation themes comprise exterior stickers, shells for the door mirrors, interior stickers, floor carpets, key fob shells (mechanical, plip or Keyless Entry and Starting card) while the three interior ambiences determine the colours of the finishers on the dashboard and centre panel.

Red Purple PEUGEOT 108 5-door hatchback, covered with diamond shaped motifs playing with the light.

PEUGEOT 108, 3-door with two-tone paint, marrying Red Purple with Gallium Grey on the upper parts of the body.

The PEUGEOT 108 offers a choice of six trims. Curitiba cloth is exclusive to the Access trim level. On Active and Allure trim levels, the PEUGEOT 108 hatchback is trimmed with Carolight cloth, a revisited tartan, the PEUGEOT 108 TOP! convertible with Rayura Aïkinite cloth. Leather, exclusive to the Allure trim level, is available on both body styles.

At 3.47m long and 1.62m wide, the PEUGEOT 108 is has quite compact dimensions. According to their press release, its reduced overhangs and turning radius of just 4.80m allow it to avoid with obstacles with ease. The driving position also provides excellent forward vision.

When loading the boot, the PEUGEOT 108 reveals one of its many strengths. The Keyless Entry and Starting card allows the doors to be unlocked, the tailgate to be unlocked and partially opened with just a press on the appropriate button. On opening the tailgate, the shelf automatically folds away against the rear screen and reveals a boot that is generous for the category: 196 litres with the puncture repair kit, 180 litres with the spare wheel. Loading is easy with the low sill, just 77 cm, and a wide 1 metre space between the wheel arches. The initial volume can be extended to 750 litres by folding the 50/50 rear seat backrests.

As for safety, the car comes with a set of six airbags fitted as standard: two frontal airbags (the passenger airbag can be switched off), two lateral airbags at the front, and two curtain airbags covering the front and rear seats. Finally, for the safety of children in the car, the two rear seats are equipped with IsoFix mountings.

As for the engines, there is a choice of four 3-cylinder power units:
- 1.0 e-VTi68 5-speed manual, 88g/km CO2,
- 1.0 VTi 68 5-speed manual, 95g/km de CO2,
- 1.0 VTi68 5-speed electronic, 97g/km CO2,
- New Puretech1.2 VTi 82 engine with 5-speed manual gearbox, 99g/km CO2.

There are two tyre sizes used, 165/65 R14 or 165/60 R15. They are continuously monitored by the Indirect Tyre Under-Inflation Detection system.

The braking system includes as standard, ABS, Electronic Brake Force Distribution, Emergency Collision Braking System and switchable ESP. The braking system is completed by 247mm ventilated discs at the front and 200mm drums at the rear.

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