Tabla de contenidos para May 2017 en Torque

“I DON’T WANT THE OTHER DRIVERS TO LOOK AT ME AS A YOUNG GIRL. IT’S BETTER IF THEY THINK I’M AN OPPONENT, SAME AS THE OTHERS.” RACING DRIVER AUDI SPORT RACING ACADEMY BORN in 2000, Vivien Keszthelyi is probably the youngest female racing driver in the world. She started her motorsport vocation when she was just 13 – not in a kart, but in a touring car at Hungaroring, the F1 circuit in her home country of Hungary. She continued to gain her spurs in the Swift Cup Europe series, where the teenager needed a special licence to compete. In her first two years as a budding racer, she won 25 of the 60 races and finished on the podium for the 35 races she didn’t win. Last year, the…

HAVE always loved station wagons. Fold the rear seats down and you’ve essentially got the carrying capacity of a small van, and even with the rear seats up, you can still pile your gear right up to the rooflining – so there’s no problem carrying potted plants, bicycles, extra children, whatever. In fact, the most useful car I’ve ever owned was a nondescript 2005 Subaru Forester XT, which served brilliantly as a family do-it-all for a few years – there was never a load it couldn’t handle. It was so good that I even bought a second one some years after we sold the first. Add a wicked turn of speed to the estate car’s sensible, family-man persona, and you have a tantalising recipe for a hilarious automotive in-joke. Volvo…

When you need to make an impression, nothing beats a Swiss timepiece on your wrist. After all, if a watch is a reflection of its wearer, then a Swiss watch says that you’re dependable. If you’ve got the Tissot Ballade on your wrist, you’re not just telling others that you’re reliable. This automatic timepiece also says that you’re smart and classy. The Tissot Ballade is powered by the Powermatic 80 movement, which offers up to 80 hours of power reserve – a feature normally seen in high-end watches. This movement has been further improved with a silicon balance spring, which increases antimagnetic properties and enhances the timepiece’s consistency. When it’s time to show off your sporty side, do it with the Tissot T-Race MotoGP™ Automatic Limited Edition 2017. Inspired by…

MINI’s first-ever hybrid model is the Countryman S E. It combines a 136bhp 3-cylinder petrol engine driving the front wheels with an 88bhp synchronous electric motor powering the rear wheels, giving a nett output of 224bhp and 385Nm. This practical plug-in hybrid vehicle goes from rest to 100km/h in 6.8 seconds. On paper at least, the Countryman S E seems like an interesting alternative to the top-of-the-range John Cooper Works Countryman, which offers 231bhp, 350Nm and 0-100km/h in 6.5 seconds.…

Busy executives who want to kick back after a hard week could head down to Drinks & Co. Kitchen in Holland Village. True to its name, the establishment features a heady selection of alcoholic beverages, but diners can also satiate their hunger with pizzas and delectable tapas, which include bruschetta with beef ragout & olives, and wagyu meatballs in tomato sauce (both pictured above). Korean-barbecue fans searching for their next meal could check out Seorae, whose revamped menu now features Budae Jjigae (a spicy Gochujang stew) and the Kkochi Platter (above). Said dish features a variety of skewers filled with ingredients such melted cheese, kimchi and spicy enoki wrapped in premium pork belly. Seorae is located in Plaza Singapura. Meat addicts looking for their next fix could consider heading to…

THINK OUTSIDE THE TOOLBOX Toyota has built a boxy and funky 4x4 utility vehicle for Gen Y urbanites who are into easy-breezy adventures and casual activities. The car is called FT-4X, which stands for “Future Toyota Four-Wheel-Drive Crossover”. Created by the automaker’s Calty design studio in Newport Beach, California, with a focus on “rugged charm”, the FT-4X is compact yet capable and simple yet sturdy. Imagine a downsized FJ Cruiser with upsized fun and unique functionality. The designers worked with the notion that the base camp for Gen Yadventurers d - in-automobiles tends to be the destination itself, making the tailgate an essential part of the escape from the realities of millennial life. Hence, the FT-4X party trick which is Multi-Hatch. It can be opened two ways – horizontally in…

COUPES have been running alongside saloons long before SUVs (sports utility vehicles) became all the rage. If you’re a driver who places more emphasis on style instead of practicality, a coupe (or convertible, for that matter) remains an ideal ride. Outwardly, the Audi A5 is the most innocuous. Instead of shouting for attention, it is discreetly elegant. But despite its relatively low-key exterior, the A5 actually has plenty to offer inside, as we shall soon discover. The Infiniti Q60, on the other hand, looks nothing like the Q50 saloon it is based on. The Q60 is a head-turning grand tourer, with sensuous curves to die for. Apart from its striking design, the Q60 also promises a sparkling drive. Among the three coupes, it is the Lexus RC200t that looks the…

“THE OPTIONAL AIR SUSPENSION CAN RAISE THE LANDIE DISCO FOR MUCH MORE GROUND CLEARANCE TO OVERCOME SEEMINGLY IMPOSSIBLE TERRAIN.” THE latest fifth-generation Land Rover Discovery is not to be confused with the Discovery Sport, which was the successor to the smaller Freelander. The model lineup of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is trilineage – the Range Rover, the Discovery and the Defender. The Discovery Sport occupies a rung below the Discovery. The Discovery – or Disco as it is affectionately called – still sits between the luxurious Range Rover and the utilitarian farmer’s-favourite Defender. But JLR has upped the ante in this mid-size SUV segment by giving the Disco the interior refinement of the Range Rover – well, at least that was the brief. It seems that some farmers want to…

The original two-door Mini came to the motoring world in 1959, way before many of you were born. Soon after, faster Cooper and Cooper S versions, a pickup and a station wagon came along. It was the wagon, benefitting from an extended wheelbase, squared-off roof at the rear and twin swing doors at the back, which became the Austin Mini Countryman (below). Those were the days when parents would pack their children and clothes to drive off into the “country” for the weekend. Families have not grown in size (more the opposite these days in Singapore), whereas human beings have grown not just physically, but also in their desires for comfort and convenience. Hence, the big ’man that is the young and roomy Countryman – born in 2016, launched in…

RENAULT GRAND SCENIC $135,999 ON THE ROAD Family men searching for a convenient, efficient and relatively stylish MPV could consider this seven-seater, which has second- and third-row seats that can be remotely folded, and a 1.5-litre turbo-diesel that supposedly returns an average fuel economy of 25km per litre. However, that figure might be rather optimistic in light of the Grand Scenic’s standard 20-inch wheels, which are the biggest on any MPV today. RIVAL: CITROEN GRAND C4 PICASSO VOLVO V90 CROSS COUNTRY $248,000 ON THE ROAD Buyers who like the rugged look of an SUV but don’t want the extra bulk could consider this station wagon instead. The V90 Cross Country offers more surefootedness than a V90 estate with its extra ground clearance, all-wheel-drive and an “Off Road” setting in the…

THIS KIA IS MIA STEVEN CHIA What happened to the Kia Picanto? Why has Kia stopped selling the supermini in Singapore? The last model recorded was from 2005-2010, and I believe the second-generation Picanto has been available in Europe but not here. Can you help me check whether there’ll be any chance of this model resurfacing on our tiny island? My wife is looking for a simple car that could ferry our kid and perform simple chores from point A to point B. The Picanto definitely fits the bill! Just for your info, I have been a subscriber of your magazine since 2011. Keep up the good work! Torque We checked with the authorised dealer, Cycle & Carriage Kia. Their divisional manager told us that they’re not considering the…

FOUR hundred horsepower. That figure in the Q50 Red Sport’s moniker makes one thing very clear: Infiniti aims to outgun and undercut the opposition. The regular Q50, which has a turbocharged 2-litre inline-4 and 208bhp, is Infiniti’s contender in the unforgiving junior executive saloon segment, which was pioneered by BMW’s 3 Series. I only have lukewarm feelings for that car, though, for it neither feels complete nor engaging enough to seriously worry the Germans. However, 400bhp has the potential to change perceptions. But to do this, the Infiniti must beat Mercedes-Benz and its more established AMG division. The C43 is one of AMG’s attempts at broadening its appeal by providing an option for buyers who are on a tighter budget and/or not keen on being “hollered” at by their car…

NORTHERN Norway’s desolate whiteness will drive perfectly sane men to poetry or drink. Or both. Its monochromatic landscape is astoundingly beautiful and dismally bleak at the same time. You want to embrace and escape it all at once. Shoreless peninsulas where mountains soar straight out from the sea. Massive bays lay claim to land scooped away by ancient glaciers. There are so many of these here that the old Norwegian word for it – fjord – is adopted worldwide. Elsewhere, the horizon fades as whitened plains blend seamlessly with foamy clouds. It is in this frozen backdrop that Audi chose to introduce its flagship Q model to a select group of customers and journalists. The SQ7 is a steroidal SUV powered by a 4-litre diesel V8 force-fed by two turbochargers…

1_ Enthusiasts who want a smartphone that’s as speedy as a sports car could consider the Samsung S8. Powered by an industry-first 10nm processor, it supports download speeds of up to one gigabit per second, so important files can be downloaded quickly. Those who like watching movies on the go will also appreciate the device’s Mobile HDR capability, which supposedly makes films, photos and games look better than ever. $1148 2_ Shutterbugs who are into portraiture could check out Sony’s 100mm F2.8 STF G Master lens, which has a circular, 11-bladed aperture and a unique optical apodisation element that is claimed to produce smoother bokeh. Sounds like it might work for car photography, too. $2259 3_ Virtual reality fans who want to immerse themselves into fictional worlds may want to…