I see, you see

Monday’s going to be a good day. We’re getting the M3 Competition, you see. *skips around laptop

And while it’s only for a day, that’s still a bloody good excuse to not be in the office at the start of the week. Also the RX270 and IS250. I don’t know how we’re going to manage all these drives between the both of us.

Something daft: the new Astra Opel just released. SGD$110,000 for something that does 0-100kph in 13s?! Unacceptable. A Kia Cerato is faster. (Ok, it was the base model. But STILL.)

Something dafter: Holden’s HSV line in Singapore. Dude, if the road tax doesn’t kill you, the overwhelming bogan-ness will mush your brain. It’s so daft I plan to call Harvest after December to see how many they sold, and if the Australian High Commission has a bulletproof one yet. Why in the world would someone pay $300,000+ for something a construction worker/plumber/electrician would drive?

Just stupid: Car launches at Changi Avation Drive. Are you guys retarded? Do you know taxis deliberately avoid that soulless arse-end of Singapore? Has it occurred to you that not EVERYONE has a car? And if it rains (it always does) you/me/everyone is fucked. Oh and if you absolutely INSIST on having it at that god-forsaken destination, at least get pick-ups/drop-offs arranged. In view of the inconvenience you’re putting the press through, it’s just courtesy.

I’ve got some pictures to share, but I left them on the other computer.

Next time then.

xoxoL

 

STAM #9-10

I realise that solely due to where I live and work, I am prone to taking pictures of the same cars again and again.

Oh well.

Had a few photos come through re: the new SLS. It’s one sexy machine. But this one’s probably the clearest -

Somehow it looks a little better in the pictures. Don’t get me wrong, love the long hood and those yummy wheels, but the sloping back is kinda undramatic compared to the rest of the car. Maybe it was a bad angle.

Anyway, finally had a go on the Peugeot 3008 and surprisingly, it exceeded my expectations. Also – the VW Passat CC. Looking forward to the new 3-series, and the X1. Again. We spoke about it some time ago but this is to be the sDrive18i  petrol version. Also, the new Volvo S60 and that new-fangled crossover Saab. Which looks like an inflated 9-3.

I’d write more but my new LASIKed eyes are starting to hurt.

Soon, soon.

xoL

X1 – Anywhere but here

Harbour Bridge and Opera House

Back from Shitney and straight into work. Not surprisingly, mostly spent with wine,whisky and good company; I feel like another holiday from this one. The entire time, I only saw ONE Aston Martin. ONE.

(Have got the TV on and the SPG sounding girl on Universal Channel’s promo ad is rather cringe-worthy. I like the old uncle with his wife though, he’s got the best line.)

Aaaanyway. Here’s the delightful BMW X1 we borrowed for a long ass drive to Hunter Valley – Pacific Highway, Wisemans Ferry Road, Great North Road and a few roadkill ‘roos – took slightly under four hours, but good drivable roads are nonexistent in SG.

Squish bug galore

Vino mobile

I tell you what, we’re kind glad we didn’t end up with a little hatchback or something, cos we had a serious amount ‘tasting’ bottles to lug back into Singapore. It’s a solid drive. A little soft on the suspension, but not a bad thing when you hit a pothole. Steering’s clean and direct, you feel comforted knowing you’re in good hands in case a stray wallaby hops out. The lady who owned the guest house lumbered over to share her opinions on our ‘posh car’. And how the interior is more or less comparable to her Lexus. Not wanting to waste anymore time discussing the genre of vehicles appropriate for the area, we agreed. But between you and me, it’s not. I’d like to think the X1′s interior a little more current than her Lexus.

The only thing that put me off is that damn start-stop thing. I believe the last time I spoke of it was my blurb on the Countryman. Very unnerving when the engine cuts and you’re up on a hill. We got the base xDrive 20d model, apart from the ghetto part-manual seats, everything else is lush. Fuel consumption is pretty stellar, 3 days pottering around the Hunter including a 5-hour back and forth, left us with approximately a 1/4 -tank.

Take me home... country road...

There you go. Now to crack open one of those refreshingly light semillions.

Blood in my alcohol

To the 10 people who follow this blog, sorry! But my schedule’s been vicious -Work, drink, sleep; work, drink, sleep (repeat x14). Mostly work/drink, if we’re honest.

I haven’t even done a new test drive since, though we’re due to get a couple of new cars soon. X1 during an upcoming trip to Sydney.

On a totally unrelated note – Ku De Ta is a pretty dope place. Service was pretty good considering the ridiculous amount of beautiful people there. Also, $3 drinks at DblO. Ghetto, but c’mon, $3 drinks! Checked out Filter at Gallery Hotel – serious penis-waving competition there. It was a bloody miracle I made it to work each morning. (Only to face an onslaught of proofs and deadlines.)

xoL

Spot the Aston Martin #7-8 (STAM)

I realise I have all of FIVE people who regularly check my blog. This includes my mum and dad. This also brings the word “exclusive” to a whole new level. If you’re launching anything with the words “Limited Edition” at the end of it, drop me a line. I’ll gladly help out.

On the way to some mighty fine crepes we found on Seah St, we found this champion:

I hate colouring within the lines

Which is evidence that crap drivers should drive small, maneuverable cars so they can friggin park properly and stop making an embarrassment of themselves. Big cars should be left to experts with a better grip on estimation.

In other news, SUVs and Mercedes Benz drivers continue to plague the world with their bad driving.

On a slow STAM day, I caught this on the way back from Marina Bay Sands -

Bentley drivers signal too

Very sexy. If I had to drive only one car for the rest of my life, this would probably be it.

But managed to catch a couple of STAMs over the week -

 

Grrrr… Anyone with new numbers to buy TOTO with?

Because grown up MINI people need 4 doors

So Mini made a car with FOUR (4) doors and called it the Countryman. I don’t know if scenesters with kids will buy a Countryman, cos really, it’s about time they moved on. Seriously.

I think people who buy MINIs are like (the same?) people who buy iPhones. If it’s shiny, new and “hip”, on the bandwagon they go. But brands like that have this amazing ability to make you feel “special” (when you’re not, really, because every other sucker will have one too) and instil this “special” sort of brand loyalty. So the far-sighted people of Mini have gone, “Oooh, it’s about time our customers began procreating. Let’s make a car for their little gremlins too! And they can all have their own individual doors! And a slidey thing in between to shove stuff back and forth! *skips and claps hands*”

Okay I dunno lah. But I have a Blackberry (because if I wanted to play games, I have a Wii and an Xbox) and I don’t particularly like the VW Beetle (it has a vase. A VASE.) or the MINI. Yes, even the Cooper S. Don’t ask me why I lopped the Beetle together with the Mini Cooper, maybe because they’re always driven by people who have iPhones. But you always have to give these new-fangled 4-door scenester cars a chance right?

Off I went to Hamburg to give it a go.

Mini Countryman in a blueberry field. Tasty blueberries.

It’s not a bad car. It’s comfortable. The BMW lady fell asleep in the backseat, so I won’t read too much into it and take it as a good sign.

Backseats with decent legroom. Choose between a (barely) 3 person bench, or two comfy seats. With a rail thingy in the middle.

You see the rail thingy in the middle? Here’s a close-up:

Cool rave-looking rail thingy.

I think it’s the best idea Mini’s come up with. You get to either store, or slide things from one end of the car to the other. Like drinks, weed and stuff. I had a conversation with the lady who’s in charge of interiors, and her sole job is to match colours and materials. But not naming them. Someone else does that. She even told the story of a fad colour called “Light Coffee” or something, inspired by a Chanel nail polish colour. That’s cool.

Count it - One, two, three, FOUR doors!

Anyway, the test version we had was a top-of-the-line, 4-wheel drive version, with 4X4 being an option. Keyword: OPTION = pay more $. It’s not bad if you’re really lugging little tykes around, but I wonder how the base model will feel like.

The Mini Countryman:

• 181hp/5500rpm
• 240Nm/1600-5000rpm
• 0-100kph in 7.9s

But seriously, don’t use your kids as an excuse to buy this car.

BMW LIKE A POSH HOTEL ROOM

On a chirpy sunny Monday morning, off I went  to Performance Motors with a colleague to pick up the brand new 5-series. There, we were greeted by Geri who offered us some tea and a couple of BMW polos. She suggested I could use it as a “night-dress” perhaps. Oh well. Germans are rather large.

I have a friend whose 5-series got stolen by another mate in Sydney, but that’s another story for another time. But when I laid eyes on the new Miss 5, she. was. HAWT.

“It looks like a bullet!” one acquaintance declared. “Nay, more like a shark!” said another. Whatever. I liked it enough to want to drive it just for the sake of it. The press car was a 535i which meant 3-litre twin-turbo. Which also meant: A lot of fun.

Hot right?

I much prefer the previous model’s headlights but thoroughly approve of bigger kidney grilles. I’m such a sucker for bling. Ooh, and big rims. I love big rims.

So I slide into the driver’s seat, and yes, it feels exactly like how it looks.

It’s like bloody driving your own hotel suite around. Sure it’s no Rolls or Bentley, but pretty damn decent for SGD$294,800. Yes, it’s no 7-series either, but you’re talking about a mid-level executive banker-wanker car, so you’re not quite needing a chauffeur yet, but you ain’t exactly broke. (And it’s about another $100,000 more for a 7.)

The 5 is sailing smooth. Pop it into Sport+ mode to take on just about anyone. Cept maybe the super-luxe category – but you’ve more class than that. The first thing that struck me is how quiet the cabin is. And how the music simply… radiates from all corners of the car. It’s rather soothing, especially when they’ve got some generic bossa nova on the system’s hard drive -which can store some stupid amount of music. Something like 50+ or 80+ GB. Can’t remember, I was distracted with the head-up display. I love head-up displays.

Rather enthusiastic brakes, which is not necessarily a bad thing; but possibly rather grating in stop-start traffic. GPS – ah the GPS. Some say it’s the best, but it’s a pain to punch in entries when you haven’t got the iDrive system down to a pat. It doesn’t seem to store previous locations (or am i missing something?) A system with a little more intuitive touches would help. You can tell they’re swimming hard to catch up to Audi’s rather hip/new-moneyed image, but perhaps they should iron out their kinks and target the people who want to spend their money on sensible luxury cars. Not a fan of the 1-series, feel the same way about them as I do with people who buy Porsche Boxsters. Cars for the-sake-of-it, instead of in-appreciation-of, I don’t rate.

Boot space could happily fit 2 bodies, or a large Russian man. Golf junkies will be pleased.

The new 535i:

• 306hp/5800rpm
• 400Nm/1200rpm
• 0-100kph in 6.1s

In a sentence: More power than you’ll ever need on Singapore roads, loads of torque available at low range and if you could afford this car, you won’t care about fuel consumption anyway.

Starts from SGD$215,800