Tabla de contenidos para October 2017 en Torque

Honda and MINI have unveiled battery-powered runabouts which are as cute as a button cell. Both are promising prototypes destined to become eco-friendly production models in 2019. Honda’s Urban EV Concept is smaller than the Jazz supermini, but far jazzier in terms of styling. The proportions, stance and details (especially the exterior lamps and lighting effects) of the concept hatchback make it look like a funky blend of Tamiya RC car kit and Tamagotchi gadget. Those rear-hinged doors reveal an equally funky interior. There’s a “floating” dashboard with a slab of digital display, a space-age steering wheel, extremely simple controls, and door-mounted screens that serve as side mirrors. Inside the den-like footwell are two pedals straight out of sci-fi manga. Natural fabric and modern wood decorate the cabin. The MINI…

EVERY hot hatch wants to be king and overthrow the Golf GTI. Which is why recent times have brought louder styling, bigger numbers and fancier names from rivals. Volkswagen is happy to soak up the noise – making others try so hard is but a testament to the GTI’s superior formula of pace, composure and useability. Hence, the 2017 GTI recipe is kept confidently the same, with the subtlest of updates to a performance icon. Fresh facial decoration adorns the GTI’s otherwise stealthy mug. Along with the rest of the upgraded Golf range, the GTI gets new LED lights and reprofiled bumpers. If you think being fast means a nose ring, tattoos everywhere and spiky red hair, look elsewhere. More John Wick than Marilyn Manson, this hatchback is not, nor…

WHEN the Nissan Note was introduced here in 2013, it was only the second supercharged Japanese model to hit Singapore’s roads since the Subaru Vivio RX-R. But to many motorists, what made the Note noteworthy back then was its price. With COE premiums at stratospheric levels, the supercharged variant we tested (a cheaper naturally aspirated model was and still is available) had a whopping $140,800 price tag. Today, the updated Note is no longer beyond the reach of supermini buyers. The range-topping supercharged DIG-S model you see here retails for $81,800 (at press time). But before it can even compete with segment rivals, the Note must take on the Pulsar, its larger and more powerful sibling, which costs just $10k more. Those of us who are of a certain age…

You don’t have to be an off-road junkie or commando to wear a Luminox Navy SEAL 3500. Designed with input from the renowned American special forces group, this timepiece has a stainless steel case back, while its body, bezel and bracelet are made from a carbon compound for light weight and durability. Apart from its rugged construction, the Navy SEAL 3500 is water-resistant to 200m. But at these depths, conditions can be murky and telling the time might be next to impossible. Fortunately, this watch has tritium gas tubes on its hands and hour markings. Tritium, a self-powered gas, glows in the dark and can last up to 25 years. $695 If traffic jams and reckless drivers are driving you to hit somebody, you should pause, take a deep breath…

ONE thousand one hundred and twenty one horsepower. That is the combined power output of the three sports saloons in this story. Had the 1121 sporty horses from Germany and Japan been simultaneously unleashed in anger, they might have caused serious damage to the Golden Mile Tower carpark floor. Jokes aside, these three powerful turbo saloons are capable of serious performance. The most muscle-bound contender in this shootout is the Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400. With 400bhp beneath its bonnet (hence the name) and a more traditional rear-wheel-drive layout (the others are all-wheel-drive), the Q50 isn’t just gunning for its rivals – it wants to draw blood, quickly. The least potent car in this comparison is the 354bhp Audi S4. But it is significantly more muscular (by 21bhp and 60Nm)…

THE fact that Volkswagen’s hybrid Golf wears a “GTE” badge suggests it is a member of the performance-oriented family together with the GTI and GTD. The Golf GTE’s hybrid powertrain comprises a petrol turbo engine and an electric motor, and my drive impressions suggest that the badge is well-deserved. The current Mk 7 Golfs were recently given an update, or rather, a cosmetic makeover. There are new LED lights front and rear, plus restyled bumpers, while the cabin has received the latest version of VW’s infotainment system for those who expect the latest technology for their in-dash “tablet”. The VW designers have given the GTE a sporty front grille with finned intakes that you normally find on the GTI, plus a bespoke blue trim line that runs along the lower…

DO NOT SCRIMP ON TYRES, BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN YOU WILL NEED MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE FROM THEM. When is it a good time to change tyres – every three years, or after clocking 30,000 kilometres? The best gauge would be the wear indicator, a raised nub found between the main grooves of your tyres. Once the tyre surface is level with the indicator, it is time for a change. It does not matter when this happens or after how many kilometres of driving. But if your car has clocked 30,000 kilometres and the tyres have not reached the wear indicator, you should still consider changing them, because the rubber may have hardened and grip may be compromised. Do not scrimp on tyres, because you never know when you will need…

FOR the past seven years, Torque On The Move (TOTM), began in the morning and ended at noon. This year, the eighth edition of TOTM started at sundown and ended at midnight. The change was inspired by the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix, the original night race, which marked its 10th year in 2017. In theory, a night event would be less hot, since it avoids Singapore’s scorching daytime weather. However, it did not take long for the participants to discover that the heat from the competition was as hot as ever. And because this year’s start and end point was at Carros, located in Kranji, the total distance that teams would have to cover was also much longer and harder compared to previous TOTMs. Traffic congestion also posed a…

 THE Porsche Media Driving Academy was introduced in 2015. Designed for journalists in the Asia Pacific region to improve their driving skills and to experience Porsche’s models at their peak performance on a racetrack, Porsche Asia Pacific has gone to great lengths to spoil the journos. "I LOOKED FORWARD TO MORE PILOTING OF PORSCHES AT THEIR HIGHEST LEVELS ON THE SEPANG RACETRACK." It is a three-level course – Individual, Professional and Elite. Having been “Individual-ised” last year, I was ready to be a Pro. I looked forward to more piloting of Porsches at their highest levels on the Sepang track, without fear of being charged in court for what would have amounted to dangerous driving if executed on a public road. And knowing that we would be the first journalists…

DIESEL CARS IN SINGAPORE PROBIN DASS I enjoy reading your magazine whenever I get my hands on a copy. Your August issue featured your regular Group Test, this time comparing three MPVs powered by diesel [Renault Grand Scenic versus Citroen Grand C4 Picasso versus Volkswagen Touran]. As you may be aware, diesel enjoyed decades of undeserved popularity in Europe, mainly because of good mileage and low carbon dioxide emissions. However, Europe has now realised that diesel is actually very harmful to the environment and human health. As a result, Europe has now rejected diesel and is looking to a future where cars are powered by electricity or hydrogen. In light of the scientific facts against diesel, your magazine should not be promoting diesel cars in Singapore. We are not forward-looking…

“THE PASSAT HAS BEEN THOROUGHLY ENGINEERED AND REFINED TO BE A PARAGON OF SOPHISTICATION, PERFORMANCE AND DEPENDABILITY.” What is progress to you? Looking upon our skyline bathed in the glow of dusk against the Singapore River, it is hard not to be impressed. We have come a long way and developed technologies beyond our ancestors’ wildest dreams. This technological progress also means that when it comes to automobiles, you don’t have to compromise. Your car is so much more than a metal shell on wheels – it is the culmination of an unrelenting march towards an ideal. The Volkswagen Passat is not just any executive saloon. Its elegant and striking presence is like a sharp suit that hints at the luxury within. Indeed, the Passat has been the benchmark for…

BIRDS of prey successfully capturing their elusive quarry are a sight to behold. An owl silently slicing through the air as it nabs a field mouse, or an eagle grasping a poisonous and slippery sea snake in its talons, are nothing short of awe-inspiring. Scenes such as these run through my mind as we line up the new 2-litre Toyota Harrier Turbo alongside the latest 2.5-litre Mazda CX-5. It’s hard not to think of the Harrier as a bird of prey in this story. Its front badge is that of a hawk in flight, perhaps streaking towards its prey. But three years ago, I’d never have made such an analogy about the Harrier. That’s because the only model then, which was only available through parallel importers, has a rather weedy,…

 BRITISH carmaker Land Rover picked Norway, famed for its Viking history, for journalists to test its newest car. The location could not be more apt. “THE RANGE ROVER VELAR HAS EVERYTHING A MODERN ADVENTURER WITH A VIKING SPIRIT WILL WANT.” While Vikings may be just a chapter of Nordic history, the new Range Rover Velar has everything a modern adventurer with a Viking spirit will want. The famed hardiness of Viking longships has taken Viking raiders and traders across the treacherous North Atlantic Ocean as far west as Newfoundland and across the Mediterranean Sea to what is modern-day Turkey and Middle East. For this road trip in Norway, our “Viking longship” was the Velar. Viking longships have a distinctive design – long, graceful body with a dragon-shaped bow and a…

TO an enthusiast, an automobile isn’t just a machine – it’s a living and breathing being. But to regular folks, a car is an appliance that takes them from point A to point B. One thing that both camps can agree on, though, is the fact that cars are investments that need to be protected. Just like how you shouldn’t buy an automobile from an untrusted dealer, you shouldn’t purchase insurance from a fly-by-night underwriter. For visitors heading to this month’s Cars@Expo, one company worth checking out is AAS Insurance Agency (AAS-IA), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Automobile Association of Singapore (AA Singapore). With a history spanning more than 100 years, most Singaporean motorists have come to know AA Singapore as a provider of roadside assistance services. In fact,…

Tyres are the car’s only connections to the road. Each tyre’s contact patch, roughly about the width of the palm of your hand, has to provide grip, transfer power and absorb surface imperfections. The new Bridgestone Ecopia EP300 doesn’t just fulfil this criterion. It goes further by being a tyre that does it all. Apart from providing grip and helping to ensure a comfortable ride, the Ecopia EP300 also offers lower rolling resistance. This means your engine doesn’t have to work as hard to turn the driven wheels, thereby saving fuel. Now, enthusiasts might tell you that eco-friendly tyres are a poor choice in rainy weather. But the Ecopia EP300 makes no compromises when it rains. Because its optimised crown shape and rounded rib edges have the advantage of delivering…

MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS COUPE PRICE ON APPLICATION Unlike its predecessor, which was based on the C-Class, this latest model is underpinned by the E-Class saloon, enabling it to offer greater spaciousness and refinement compared to its predecessor. The seats, for instance, are plusher than ever, while backseat occupants now enjoy adjustable headrests and additional legroom. Like its saloon sibling, the Coupe can be specified with the optional Widescreen Cockpit – a pair of 12.3-inch HD displays that dominate the dashboard. RIVAL : BMW 6 SERIES COUPE BENTLEY CONTINENTAL GT FROM $939,000 ON THE ROAD This third-generation grand tourer is roomier, more high-tech and more powerful than before. The instrument panel, for instance, is actually an all-digital affair despite its analogue facade, and the infotainment system boasts an attractive 12.3-inch touchscreen display.…