Piston.my

Reviews

In case you didn’t know, cars are categorised into various segments based on their sizes. The list of segments begins with the A-segment which comprises the smallest cars in the market such as the Perodua Axia, Proton Saga, Perodua Bezza, and the Hyundai i10 just to name a few.

Moving up the ladder, we have the B-segment which comprises models like the Honda City, Toyota Vios, and the MG5, followed by the C-segment which the Proton S70 here is a part of, alongside models like the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla Altis, and the Mazda3. 

If we keep going, there’s the D-segment with mid-sized executive sedans like the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, the E-segment with cars like the Mercedes-Benz E Class, limousines such as the BMW 7-Series, sports cars, MPVs, and SUVs.

While most of these models compete with each other in the same segment, there are a few special models such as the Proton S70 here which also compete with cars in other segments. 

(more…)

When it comes to people movers, there are a number of good choices for Malaysians. Our vibrant automotive market has solid foundations and a good part of that stems from our business-friendly environment that seems to attract new brands on a near monthly basis.

But there are brands that have been entrenched in the Malaysia for decades, and among those brands is Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia (MMM). Though it may have been operating in the background for the past couple of years, the Japanese brand has consistently been in the top five of the national sales charts, and that too with a two car portfolio. (more…)

When the diesel subsidies were removed, everyone expected the pick-up truck segment to take a significant hit. While pick-up trucks are great workhorses for all industries, a significant slice of the segment bought pick-up trucks for lifestyle purposes. Whether it was for hiking, fishing or for general use, pick-up trucks are a great companion.

So, when the subsidies were removed, the sales of pick-up trucks were expected to slow. And while some did off-load their trucks or cancelled their planned purchase, the segment did not slow down as drastically as expected. In fact, the segment is still vibrant, just not as before. (more…)

With so many different marques and models these days, cars are beginning to look and feel the same. Particularly electric vehicles with their minimalist interiors and gargantuan screens, almost all of them use the same design language. 

But occasionally a brand will introduce a treasure of properly built cars. No, we are not talking about electric vehicles, we are talking about pure petrol-guzzling masterpieces which we enjoy driving.

Let’s take Toyota for instance. They have been known to make reliable and fun cars since the beginning of time. One of the most popular models that any car enthusiast will know is the Toyota Supra. However, one other model is as iconic or maybe even more iconic than the Supra, the Toyota AE86. 

This car will always have a special place in our hearts, and it has become a unicorn of sorts. The AE86, especially with the Initial D livery, which is from a Japanese street racing manga series, will always turn heads anywhere it goes. 

But after it was discontinued, fans and enthusiasts were left wondering if Toyota would ever bring back the 86 nameplate with a modern twist. In 2011, the Toyota made many dreams come true when the 86 made a comeback with its debut at the Tokyo Motor Show and the fans went wild! The 2+2 sports car is the product of a joint development between Toyota and Subaru which named their car, the BRZ. 

There are subtle differences between the two which help differentiate them such as the bumper, wheels and light designs. But that is a topic for another day. We are here to talk about the current generation Toyota GR86, which is the sportier and more refined version of the GT86. 

For starters, this is an entry-level sports car and if you are in the market for a fun car on a budget, this would be the ideal one. 

Under the hood, it runs a 2.4L horizontally opposed four-cylinder boxer engine that produces 237PS and 250Nm of torque. Now that does not sound like a lot for a sports car but it is good enough. Not a lot of people get that this car was not built for speed but rather for pure driving pleasure. 

It has sufficient power to slingshot you out of corners and some quick overtaking on highways. It does 0-100km/h in 6.3 seconds with the manual transmission and 6.8 seconds with the automatic transmission. The version we tested was the automatic with paddle shifters. Now I know fanboys are going to say that the manual variant is much more fun compared to the auto one and I would agree.

However, the automatic transmission can be fun as well. It is still a GR86 after all. 

As fun as this sports car can be, it can also double as a daily driver. For starters, the GR86 does not have a loud exhaust which means there is no droning noise inside the cabin that can annoy you on long drives or when idling. 

Toyota added a neat little feature to still give you the thrill of flooring it. As you reach certain RPMs a symphony of engine sounds is fed to the insides of the cabin through the speakers. It is augmented and though it may be fake, we liked it. However, if you’re not a fan of it, you can simply take the car to a mechanic and unplug the wiring that enables those sounds to come through. 

There are a few different drive modes available which are normal, sport, snow and track mode. The snow mode is basically an off-road mode if you ever happen to drive on dirt or mud, it reduces wheel spin which keeps the wheels from slipping and sliding. Turn it to sports mode and the throttle mapping changes a little bit which sharpens the throttle and allows you to keep it at high revs. This is best used when you’re on an open highway and have an itch to go a little faster.

Track mode is a whole different level. Switching it to track mode will change the  digital instrument cluster to a progressive visual rev counter to get you into that racing mentality. But, you should really just use this on a track or a controlled environment. This mode allows you to do what the car is meant to do. You can throw it around corners and let the rear end kick out which allows you to drift into and out of corners. 

The 18-inch matte black alloy rims are wrapped with Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres as standard which are not bad but most people who buy a GR86 usually swap them out. The road noise on the Pilot Sport 4 can be very noticeable at times but not to a point where it becomes annoying. Performance-wise, it is acceptable as it keeps the car planted in corners and does not skid during hard acceleration.

The suspension set-up on the front has a MacPherson Strut with stabiliser bar and the rear is made up of a Double Wishbone stabiliser which is a solid setup for the GR86 because of how much the car can handle during extreme conditions. Let’s just say, this car took the corners of Ulu Yam like a champ! However, the only complaint about this is that you can feel every bump on the road. 

But thankfully, the seats are comfortable enough that this did not bother us. We can guarantee that the Ultrasuede leather seats are comfortable because this writer got stuck in a 10-hour traffic jam on the way to Penang! Now the rest of the interior is what I love about this car. There are no unnecessary screens and functions that you find in most cars nowadays and there are physical buttons for all the necessities. The touchpoints feel solid, are of good quality and nothing feels cheap or flimsy.

You get an eight-inch display audio system with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and dual-zone automatic climate control system with dual LCD toggle displays which is more than enough technology needed in a sports car. Everything is straightforward and easily accessible.

The USB ports are located inside the centre armrest for some reason. My thoughts are that if they had placed the drive mode buttons somewhere below the air conditioning controls, they could have freed up some space for the USB ports to go there. But it is not a big issue, it still works. 

Now the big question is, can you fit rear passengers? The short answer is no. There is barely enough space to fit a kid at the back let alone grown adults. The only way to utilise the rear seats is to either use them for baby seats because it does have ISOFIX points, put small bags, and items or fold them down to get more boot space. 

Speaking of boot space, it has 226 litres of it, which is decent enough for a small sized sports car. We managed to fit two luggage, a laptop bag a few other grocery-sized bags. But as mentioned before, if you need more space, you can always fold the rear seats. 

With all that weight that the car is carrying, us included, was the fuel efficiency good or bad? We can say that this car is perfect for long drives and daily use around the city. It has a 50-litre tank and we travelled from Subang Jaya to Penang to Ipoh and back to Subang with only three fuel stops. We got an average of 11.7L/km which was not that bad given the fact that we were stuck in traffic most of the time, and boxer engines are not exactly known to be fuel efficient.

As for safety, Toyota never lacks in this because even for sports cars, all the essential safety features are there. You get blind spot monitoring, lane departure alert, pre-crash system which helps you stop the car before, well, crashing into anything. You even get adaptive cruise control and seven airbags. 

So, if you happen to be looking to get into some sports car action, this may very well be a good car to start with, that is, if your pockets are deep enough. Because with all these amazing features and just the car being an icon of the automotive world, it does not come cheap. The manual transmission variant is priced at RM295,000 and if you opt for the automatic transmission, it will cost you RM305,000. 

Will we pay this much for a GR86? Well, as a kid, I dreamt of owning a red sports car and if I get the chance, yes, I will buy a Toyota GR86.

 

Specifications

Engine: 2.4L horizontally opposed 4-cylinder boxer

Power: 237PS

Torque: 250Nm

Transmission: 6-speed Automatic with Paddle Shifters

Price (as tested): RM305,000.

We like: Performance, Comfort, Exterior and Interior Looks

We don’t like: Not parked in our garage.

Heritage, as it would seem, is an important thing in the automotive business. It is quite common to hear or read about car companies talking about their achievements through the years either through an advertisement somewhere or through a carefully curated press release.

These chest thumpers usually centre around achievements in the world of motorsports, safety technologies, performance, design and sales figures. (more…)

“What do you think of Haval? The cars are quite cheap, and I am thinking of buying my mother one,” said the Managing Director of one of the companies I used to work for over a decade ago.

“It has everything she needs in a car, and it is quite well priced, it makes more sense than a Proton,” he continued.

This conversation took place back in the early 2010s, a time when barely anyone was talking about cars from China. And the companies that did import them only did so half-heartedly, with little in the form of aftersales support.

Fast forward a little more than a decade and the global automotive landscape is an entirely different one. (more…)

Some of us are a superstitious bunch. Whether you are a non-believer or a hardcore believer, there are some belief’s that we hold on to. Perhaps it is something that has been passed down through the generations.

Or perhaps it is because Malaysia is a wonderful melting pot of cultures and traditions which, over hundreds of years, have resulted in our believes being passed on from one culture to another.

I am not sure about you, but I still turn my rear-view mirror the other way if I am driving down a dark road all by myself at night. But that is partly due to the iconic Malay horror movie – “jangan pandang belakang (don’t look back).

And then there is the occasional night drives on Karak highway where I still tend to look out for that rare yellow beetle. But that is folklore, I know. (more…)

For decades, Volvo had led the way when it comes to technology related to passenger and vehicular safety. The company took safety so seriously that it released the patent for the seat belt which its engineer invented back in 1959, an act that ultimately saved countless lives all over the world.

Volvo is as iconic as some of the most well-known brands, and it does it all in a typical Scandinavian way – understated and un-obnoxious. Those who drove a Volvo rarely drive anything else. And even if they do, they often return to Volvo at one point or another. (more…)

The Proton X70 has been a sales story of epic proportions ever since it was introduced back in 2018. Featuring technologies that others could only dream about back then, the X70 was accepted with arms wide open by Malaysians, and thus demolished the Malaysian automotive c-segment.

Since then, the Proton X70 has been made available in 11 countries with over 100,000 units sold, making it the most popular premium SUV in its category.

In fact, the X70’s donor car, the Geely Boyue is a success story by itself, with over 1.8 million units sold in 49 global markets.

(more…)

Honda has done many things right with its cars, which is why there are thousands of Honda fanboys out there. This writer is one of them. Whether it is a performance-based car or a comfort-based car, Honda excels in both.

The 10th and 11th generation Honda Civic, however, successfully combines both. It is just that the 11th generation does it better. 

The Civic dates back to 1972 and came equipped with a 1,169 cc four-cylinder water-cooled engine and featured front disc brakes, reclining vinyl bucket seats, simulated wood trim on the dashboard, as well as optional air conditioning. 

At that time, that was impressive. But this writer grew up with the fifth generation onwards and during my school days, we used to take a friend’s Civic EG9 and hit the car meets. On Friday nights, we used to get on the highways to just listen to that engine opening up when the V-TEC kicked in was pretty much what stole the heart of this writer. 

It was not that comfortable because the older ones were more performance-oriented builds. Those who had them most definitely did not keep them stock because it was almost impossible to do so. 

Along came the eight-generation Civic which introduced performance and a little more comfort. Keep in mind that we are not talking about the Type R’s. We are keeping it to the standard variants here. The eighth gen made quite a name here as enthusiasts who could not afford the Type R variant would buy the standard ones and convert or modify it. 

When the ninth generation was introduced, it was a bit of a letdown because it looked like it was marketed more towards working-class people. Although it had the FK2 Type R, the car itself was not that memorable.

Now the 10th-generation Civic also known as the Civic “Ketam” here in Malaysia is still one of the most popular generation Civics here. Every corner of the world you go to, you are sure to bump into a Civic. It is at every car show, car meet and race. This generation introduced the iconic FK8 Type R which made those who had the standard variant pump out money for the conversion. This was slightly more spacious and comfortable, yet it was still a beast on the road. 

On to the latest generation, Honda’s new interior design language which looks great for these set of eyes, also adds a little touch of sophistication. This translates into a more grown-up and matured look. The 2024 Honda CR-V features this same look with the honeycomb-designed vents which again looks pleasing to the eye. To those of you who use the traditional vents to attach your phone holders, sorry but you will not be able to do so with this design. 

This writer is one of those who use those phone holders and at first, I was annoyed that I could not do so but then I remembered that I use that for the sole purpose of navigation and the Civic has wireless Apple CarPlay, so there, problem solved. For the android users, it also features Android Auto Connectivity.

This is accessible through the nine-inch advanced display infotainment screen which is easy to understand as to how straightforward it is. No complications when it comes to navigating through the contents of the infotainment screen which will save you some time in case you are in a hurry and need to get the GPS going. What we like is that the screen serves its purpose of doing the necessities. What do we mean by that? Well, modern cars these days are implementing simple control functions such as air-conditioning settings and drive modes into the infotainment screen. This means extra steps are needed for you to access those functions and while you are driving, it can be distracting.

Honda keeps it simple with physical buttons and controls that are also found on the steering wheel which allows you to make quick changes without taking your eyes off the road. Things such as skipping to the next track from your Spotify playlist can be done even without looking at the steering wheel because you will get used to the feel and touch of where the buttons are located. Speaking of Spotify, the music is channelled back to the cabin through eight speakers which sound decent.

Ever since the discontinuation of the Accord here in Malaysia, the Civic has had some pretty big shoes to fill in terms of comfort and spaciousness. Just for the record, this writer has a big build and comfort is one of the utter most important elements I look for in a car, besides the performance. The Civic did not let me down.

The seats were remarkably comfortable, and the leg space was decent enough for me to not have cramps on long journeys. My passengers had nothing to complain about in terms of spaciousness and comfort and they were amazed by the standards Honda has set for the Civic. 

However, as a driver, there was one minor thing that was bugging me. The field of view from the rearview mirror was not as wide or high as I would have liked it to be. If there are tall rear seat passengers, that would have hindred rearward visibility. It was a minor inconvenience but then again, I remembered a quote that says “The windshield is bigger than the rearview mirror, because where we are going is more important than where we have been.”

Another minor issue is that the car is quite low. This means senior citizens may struggle to get out of the car.

Now that we have got that out of the way, onto the fun part, the performance. This turbocharged 1.5L four-cylinder surprised me in a good way. It allows you to easily touch 200km/h without you even noticing and that is scary. The engine puts out 184PS which may not sound like a lot but it is more than enough. It gives you 240Nm of torque, allowing brisk overtaking and making highway driving more fun.

This may not be an EG9, but it is equally as fun and driving it brought back good memories. There is a very slight delay before the power actually kicks in when you put your foot down so the 0-100km/h will take you 8.5 seconds, slightly slower compared to the e:HEV variant that does it in 7.9 seconds. However, the e:HEV variant has a top speed of 180km/h while the petrol variant can reach 200km/h. 

But of course, speeding is never safe and we don’t advocate it, so we tested out the real-world driving scenarios. This means monitoring the fuel consumption. 

According to Honda, this variant has a 6.3L/km fuel consumption. When we got the car at full tank, we had about 450km of range and we did the real-world driving test for about three days. We got an average of 8.0L/km which is not bad, and when we passed the car back to Honda, it still had about 190km of range left, which again, is still not bad considering the amount of testing that was carried out. 

So, is the Honda Civic 1.5L Turbo still worth the buy? Well, when I handed the keys back to Honda Malaysia, my heart sank a little knowing that it may be some time till I get to drive it again. The pricing of the Civic starts from RM132,000 and goes all the way up to RM168,000. This variant that we tested, the 1.5L Turbo RS is priced at RM152,000, which we think is a good amount considering the quality, performance and comfort that the car is offering. 

Specifications

Engine: 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder, Turbo

Power: 182PS

Torque: 240Nm

Transmission: Continuous Variable Transmission (CVT)

Price (as tested): RM151,900

 

We like: Performance, Comfort, Looks

We don’t like: Field of view for the rearview mirror

Archive

Follow us on Facebook

Follow us on YouTube