Piston.my

Tan Chong Euro Cars

TC Euro Cars (TCEC) has announced the ‘Renault Test Drive Challenge’ offering participants the chance to win an Apple iPhone XS and other attractive prizes. On top of that, customers who purchase a Renault during the campaign period will walk away with an additional year-end free gift of Raytech Solar and Security tint worth up to RM1,800. The sole franchise holder for Renault vehicles in Malaysia is also extending fantastic promotions on limited units of the Renault Koleos premium SUV and Captur urban crossover.

Through the ‘Renault Test Drive Challenge’, participants who test drive any Renault model at a Renault showroom is automatically in the running to win one of the 85 prizes available. A total of five Apple iPhones XS, 50 petrol gift cards worth RM100 each and 30 exclusive Renault gift packs are up for grabs. The ‘Renault Test Drive Challenge’ runs from 7 November to 31 December 2018 and is open to all residents in Malaysia aged 18 and above with a valid driving license. All participants will receive a special gift upon completion of the test drive while stocks last, however, each participant is only entitled to one contest entry for the challenge.

Winners of the ‘Renault Test Drive Challenge’ will be determined in a draw after the contest ends and results will be announced by 31 January 2019. “As 2018 draws to a close, it’s time to start gearing up for the new year. In the spirit of this outlook, we dare all of you to step out of your comfort zones and away from the familiar to take the ‘Renault Test Drive Challenge’ and be in the running to win yourselves some cool prizes,” said Tiffany Tan, General Manager, TC Euro Cars Sdn Bhd.

More…

Great year-end deals on limited units!

TCEC is also offering incredible deals on limited units of the Renault Koleos and Captur models. Limited units of the Renault Captur pre-facelift for model year 2018 are on offer at RM89,999[1] while the facelifted version for model year 2018 is available at RM98,9991. For additional value and customer peace-of-mind, both models also come with a free five-year or 100,000km (whichever comes first) service package, inclusive of parts and labour.

Limited units of the Renault Koleos 2WD for model year 2018 are available at the promotional price of RM169,8401 while the Signature 2WD for model year 2018 is selling at RM184,8881. Under this promotion, the Koleos also comes with a free five-year or 100,000km (whichever comes first) service package, inclusive of parts and labour. Customers who book within the campaign period will enjoy an additional year-end free gift of Raytech Solar and Security tint worth up to RM1,800.

The year-end campaign is valid for vehicles registered from 7 November through 31 December 2018, while stocks last. All prices stated are on-the-road, without insurance, for Peninsular Malaysia and private registration only. All Renault core models also come with a five-year full manufacturer’s warranty with unlimited mileage.

Experience a Renault Captur with GoCar

Building on TCEC’s partnership with car-sharing platform GoCar Malaysia, the ‘Renault Test Drive Challenge’ is also extended to any customer who books and drives a Renault Captur from the GoCar fleet during the campaign period. To further sweeten the deal, the Renault Captur under GoCar is available at a promotional rate of RM109 per day (normal price is RM189 per day) for the duration of the contest. For more information about Renault in Malaysia, please visit www.renault.com.my or www.facebook.com/RenaultMalaysia.

[1] Limited units are available at tax holiday rates, available on a first-come, first-served basis.

No, I’m not kidding, nor am I on drugs; I really liked this SUV from Renault, despite the marques less-than-perfect heritage in the country. It’s an affliction that’s not unique to Renault of course, just about every carmaker represented here has a skeleton or two in their respective closets, but some like Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Citroen, etc. have fared worse than others, and that was no fault of the cars actually. They weren’t properly homologated and ‘tropicalised’ for our climate, as I mentioned in my in-car video below…

This is not one of those cars. Through the Renault-Nissan alliance, at least they got this one right unlike the old Alfa Romeo Arna, because the Koleos represents the best of both worlds; Japanese reliability coupled with French panache. The aforementioned Arna got that one bass-ackwards, so let’s try and forget that monstrosity shall we?

In the time I had the Renault Koleos, I clocked up more mileage than any test-car I’ve driven this year, as the photos attest, I legged it out of town. On the open highway, the Koleos – despite its CVT – proved to be quite a remarkable cruiser, effortlessly tackling even the more twisty bits once I said adios to the highway.

Power from its 2.5-litre in-line 4-cylinder is rated at 171Ps and 226Nm, and while these may not be huge numbers, the Koleos does put this grunt to good use, especially when it comes to long-haul highway drives, averaging about 8.3L for every 100km, while attaining speeds well in excess of the national highway limit. The feather in its cap though is the All-Mode 4×4 iTechnology drive system.

In normal driving conditions, all the power from the engine goes to the front wheels, however, during times of hard acceleration, or when the on-board computer detects any wheel-slip, it instantly sends power to the back wheels. You can actually monitor this in real-time thanks to a graphic in the instrument cluster that constantly conveys the front and rear torque-split in percentages. But for actual off-road driving, the Koleos comes with a 4×4 Lock function that instantly enables a 50:50 front/rear torque split. Pretty cool. For the full specifications list, click to download this brochure: KOLEOS BROCHURE 2018

Now here’s the best part… thanks to the 0% GST implemented on June 1st, and before the SST kicks in later this year, the Renault Koleos is yours for only RM189,000! Psst! The Koleos 2WD variants are even cheaper. We recently highlighted the new pricing for Renault vehicles in Malaysia, and you can check them right here.

The full press release on the Koleos can be downloaded here: New Koleos, Renault’s Flagship SUV, Now Available In 4WD

If you’re looking for a full-size SUV, you simply have to check this one out. Take it for a test drive, because to me it’s like a hidden gem among a sea of other more popular SUVs, and it really, really deserves its time in the limelight. I loved it.Chris Wee.

Renault Koleos 2.5 Photo Gallery…

So 1st June has come and gone, and true to form, the prices of cars did indeed drop, significantly, even before the actual date of implementation in may cases. Well, this got me thinking, what’s the best deal out there right now, if we disregard the two national brands? I guess I’ve given the game away with the featured image above, so let’s dive right into why I picked these two; one Japanese and one Continental, and believe it or not, they are somewhat related…

The Honda City…

As far as the B-segment of the car market is concerned, and especially for first-time car buyers, in the non-national car market you’d be hard-pressed to find a better deal than the Honda City i-VTEC right now. Post 0% GST, prices for the Honda City start just RM70,000-ish (S variant, less with on-going Raya bonus incentives) and end at around RM84,000 (Hybrid). Touted at launch last year as offering C-segment features in a B-segment car, this is not an empty boast.

Across the range, be in the S, E, V or Hybrid, the Honda City comes packed with a host of active and passive safety features such as airbags, anti-lock brakes, brake assist, vehicle stability assist, hill start assist, and emergency signal stop. This is most heartening because oft times, car makers only offer all these important safety systems in their range-topping model only. That kind of commitment and responsibility to the consumer alone makes the Honda City more than worthy of its now even lower asking price. Here’s my in-car video…

As you can see, despite my disdain for CVT gearboxes, the one in the City is quite easy to live with, and since it has paddle-shifters on the multi-function steering-wheel, it also allows a little bit of fun if you’re so inclined. However, just leaving it in D and letting the ‘box do the work is perfectly fine. It’s one of the better CVTs out there for sure. Of course, there’s always the City Sport Hybrid with its 7-speed DCT to opt for, if you wish. The new prices for Honda vehicles can be found here.

Then again, if you want something completely different, have a look at this….

The Renault Fluence…

No, I’m not on any medication or recreational drugs. I got to thinking about the Renault Fluence after returning the Renault Koleos recently (full review coming soon), and it just so happened that TCEC (Tan Chong EuroCars) had sent out their post 0% GST prices on that day. You can check that report here.

I really did think my eyes were playing tricks on me when I saw that the Fluence was now RM40,000 cheaper. It’s not just from the GST exemption of course, TCEC is having a special Raya 2018 promotion, which in addition to the 0% GST, offers some amazing rebates as well. As such, limited units of the Renault Fluence 2.0 are going for under RM80,000 now. No, that’s not a typo…

So where the Honda City offers “C-segment features in a B-segment car”, the Fluence is a “C-segment car at a B-segment price”. See? Told you they were somewhat related… Okay, maybe that’s a bit of a stretch even for me, but you see my point right? Here’s a C-segmenter that’s actually cheaper than the mid-range Honda City E variant, and just RM10k more than an entry-level Toyota Vios! Here’s my in-car video of the Fluence…

In addition, TCEC offers one of the best after-sales incentives which include:

  • Free service and maintenance (parts and labour) for five years or up to 100,000km, whichever comes first
  • A five-year manufacturer’s warranty with unlimited mileage
  • Complimentary 24 hours roadside assistance*
  • Pick-up and delivery during scheduled maintenance at Renault service centres
  • Mobility service of replacement car in the event any part is not available for over 48 hours at authorised service centres, subject to availability

*only available for customers who purchase their insurance under Tan Chong Insurance Business Stream (TCIBS)

Conclusion: So as you can see folks, there are plenty of great deals out there at the moment, and these two just happen to be my choice, from the Japanese and Continental segments, and no, neither Honda Malaysia nor TCEC Renault ‘sponsored’ this post, just in case you were wondering. – Chris Wee.

Honda Civic & Renault Fluence Photo Gallery…

Archive

Follow us on Facebook

Follow us on YouTube