Launched! It’s the first time that Petronas has ever done an official launch in Thailand, and since it’s for motorcycles, what better venue than at the iconic Phuket Bike Week!
It was indeed a full-on razzmatazz affair right at the centre stage of PBW, in fact, the branding for Petronas is so strong at this year’s event, I wouldn’t be surprised if first timers here would mistake it for a Petronas bike event instead of PBW.
More details on the new Petronas Sprinta engine oil launched will come soon, in the meantime, enjoy the sights and sounds of Phuket Bike Week in the videos below!
The new Mercedes-Benz CLS, is the follow up model to the original that broke convention. Merc’s CLS combines the silhouette of a sleek coupe with the practicality of a four door sedan. This new car retains the original’s recipe but forgoes the older sloped-style front end for a contemporary one with elongated teardrop shaped headlights and a large gaping front grille.
At the back, it’s design is similar to that seen on several of the automaker’s sports series models, which is fitting, considering who the car is aimed at enticing. Underpinning the aggressive body, are four-link front suspension and a five-link rear one. Buyers can also opt for the Air Body Control air suspension that offers improved, adjustable and adaptive damping.
For now, the new CLS will only offered with a choice of petrol and diesel V6 engines. Output of the diesel engine ranges from 286bhp and 600Nm of torque to 340bhp and 700Nm of torque. It benefits from CAMTRONIC variable valve-lift control and two-stage turbocharging. The petrol one, coupled with the electric motor develops 367bhp and 500Nm of torque.
Merc has taken the best tech of the S-Class and crammed it into the interior of this CLS. It has a fully digital display system that can be configured to suit different needs, a 64-colour ambient lighting system that changes colour when the climate control system is adjusted. Adding to that, the car is able to alter interior fragrance, lighting and temperature to suit different moods.
Available as standard are the usual range of driving assistance and safety systems that include the Active Brake Assist, Lane Keeping Assist, ATTENTION ASSIST, Speed Limit Assist and the occupant protection system PRE-SAFE®. Strangely enough, Pre-SAFE sound builds upon the others, by preparing ones’ hearing when it senses an impending collision.
If that isn’t enough, you can opt for the optional Driving Assistance Plus Package. It consists of Active Distance Control DISTRONIC, Active Steering Assist, Active Speed Limit Assist, Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic function, Evasive Steering Assist, Active Blind Spot Assist, Active Lane Keeping Assist and PRE‑SAFE® PLUS. Active Distance Control DISTRONIC and Active Steering Assist.
Apart from this, the regular bells and whistles that include headlight beam adjustment and fuel efficient systems come as standard with the car. As of now, there only three variants that are available, which are the CLS 350d 4MATIC, CLS 400 4MATIC and CLS 450 4MATIC. We expect to see a number of other variants being added to the range in the near future.
At the recent MPG (miles per gallon) Marathon, an annual competition in the UK where fuel sipping cars go head to head to prove, which is most efficient, Ford came out on top. Compared to its rivals, the new Fiesta proved to be the most frugal on the 563km event.
Despite having a turbocharged 125bhp engine, the little Fiesta managed to achieve a fuel consumption figure of 41km/l, which overshadows the previous record that was set at 36km/l. This effectively made the Blue Oval’s contender the champion for the petrol category.
As for the diesel category, another Fiesta was crowned champion, allowing Ford to lay claim to the title of the manufacturer with the most efficient cars on the market. The diesel powered Fiesta set a new recorded too, by achieving 52km/l, which was significantly higher than the previous record of 46.2km/l.
This feat was enough to crown the oil burning Fiesta as the overall champion of the competition. And with that, Ford can expect a surge in demand for cars such as these in the near future.
Though the various Fiestas did tremendously well in their individual categories, their respective drivers played pivotal roles that lead to the clean sweep at the MPG marathon. Ex- works rally team Andy Dawson and Andrew Marriott drove the petrol Fiesta and journalist Paul Clifton with Ian McKean piloted the diesel.
Equipped with six-speed gearboxes, both cars managed to exceed their official fuel consumption figures thanks to conservative use of the accelerator pedal and the cars’ frugal consumption of their respective fuels.
Andy Dawson, Ford lead driver on the MPG Marathon, said, “Maximising fuel economy not only saves money, but smooth driving can also be fun thanks to the new Fiesta’s brilliant steering and suspension. Using less fuel also means reduced emissions, limiting motorists’ environmental impact.”
The new Fiesta has been on sale in the UK market since July of this year and to date, more than 15,000 examples have been sold to customers. According to official sales numbers, the Ford Fiesta has been Britain’s best selling supermini since 2008.
