Tabla de contenidos para June 2018 en Torque

“THE MINI COUNTRYMAN IS THE PERFECT GETAWAY VEHICLE FOR ESCAPING THE CITY AND VENTURING INTO THE UNKNOWN.” Skyscrapers, shiny windows and bustling streets make up a modern concrete jungle. Inside, there are also more lamp posts and traffic lights than trees. And speed bumps instead of rock formations. The chirping of birds is drowned out by the honking of vehicles. And for urbanites, the only “beaten paths” are the ones that lead to their favourite restaurants, cafes and watering holes. But for urban dwellers who are explorers by nature, the confines of the concrete jungle are stifling. Being here makes you yearn to be free. You are exactly who the MINI Countryman was created for. It is the perfect getaway vehicle for those looking to escape the city and venture…

JAGUAR E-PACE 2.0 versus MINI COOPER S COUNTRYMAN 2.0 versus VOLVO XC40 T5 MOMENTUM 2.0 ONLY two of the three vehicles we’ve gathered here are actually the entry-level SUV models in their respective lineups: the Jaguar E-Pace and Volvo XC40. The Countryman is the sole SUV in the MINI range. However, this doesn’t change the fact that the three contenders are all similar in size, performance and price. So, if you’re considering one, you’re probably thinking about the other two cars as well. Sure to give buyers plenty to think about is the Volvo XC40. It may be the brand’s smallest SUV, but it is stylish, has a long list of standard safety features, and packs a rather potent powertrain, too. The most athletic-looking SUV in this comparison test is…

DRIVETRAIN TYPE Inline-4, 16-valves, turbocharged CAPACITY 1998cc BORE X STROKE 82mm x 94.6mm COMPRESSION RATIO 11:1 MAX POWER 192hp at 5000-6000rpm MAX TORQUE 280Nm at 1350-4600rpm POWER TO WEIGHT 131.5hp per tonne GEARBOX 8-speed automatic with manual select DRIVEN WHEELS Front PERFORMANCE 0-100KM/H 7.4 seconds TOP SPEED 225km/h CONSUMPTION 15.4km/L (combined) CO2 EMISSION 149g/km SUSPENSION FRONT MacPherson struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar REAR Multi-link, coil springs BRAKES FRONT / REAR Ventilated discs / Discs TYRES TYPE Bridgestone Turanza T001 SIZE 225/50 R18 SAFETY AIRBAGS 6 TRACTION AIDS ABS, DSC MEASUREMENTS LENGTH 4299mm WIDTH 1822mm HEIGHT 1557mm WHEELBASE 2670mm KERB WEIGHT 1460kg TURNING CIRCLE 11.4m BUYING IT PRICE INCL. COE $184,088 (after $10k VES surcharge) WARRANTY 3 years/200,000km MOST RESPONSIVE DRIVETRAIN, MOST AGILE HANDLING, BEST INFOTAINMENT SMALLEST BOOT, LEAST COMPELLING LOOKS,…

THREE-and-a-half years after Daniel Craig drove his Aston Martin DB10 into the Tiber River in the 2014 Bond film Spectre, the car has resurfaced (not literally – although come to think of it, that would have been quite something) as the new Aston Vantage. Which actually isn’t so surprising, since the one-off DB10 was based on the Vantage prototype which was then still in its early development stages. The new Vantage’s looks aren’t a mere rehash of the DB10’s, though. The wide, squat, almost thuggish proportions are similar and the production Vantage has lost none of the Bond car’s visual drama, but in detail the cars are quite distinct. Its nose is pointier and lower than anything Aston has done before, and is flanked by small, lozenge-shaped headlamps. Together with…

“THE Q60 BURNS YOUR DRIVING LICENCE LIKE A DESIGNER ZIPPO, WHEREAS THE GT-R BURNS IT LIKE AN INDUSTRIAL BLOWTORCH.” THE only Nissan that commands the respect of Latio owners and Lambo owners alike is the R35 GT-R, new-era Godzilla of high-performance coupes since 2007 when the 3.8-litre monster made its debut at the Tokyo Motor Show. Not even a Japanese Fairlady Z who’s a smoking hot race queen on track-day weekends can hold a candle/cylinder to Nissan’s greatest hit. But there were two spectacular distractions in the past decade, which overshadowed the GT-R in the hearts of 100-octane petrolheads weaned on Playstation’s Gran Turismo – the 2010 Lexus LFA and the 2016 Honda NSX. However, the GT-R remained unbeatable in terms of bang for the yen, because the LFA cost…

“THE NEW T005A ACQUITS ITSELF BETTER THAN THE OLD GR-100 IT REPLACES.” RUBBER at the interface of intimate contact is the primary determinant of pleasure and safety. Shoes, for example. You have your running shoes, your cross trainers, your tennis shoes, your football boots... Good ones can elevate your performance and enjoyment, crummy ones can ruin your ability. Crummy shoes can also ruin your knees. And so it is with tyres. To that end, tyre design is an exact, exhaustive, continually innovative engineering effort. To corral such extremes of physics as that which a car places on its contact points – at high speeds on all manner of different surfaces wet and dry – is no mean feat. Hence, simply looking at Bridgestone’s press release for their new flagship comfort-oriented…

SKODA KODIAQ $168,900 ON THE ROAD Family men in the market for a seven-seater SUV could consider this newcomer from Volkswagen's sister brand. Spaciousness aside, the Kodiaq boasts unique convenient touches that include automatic door guards, brolly storage compartments in the front doors and a detachable torchlight in the boot. At the moment, the only variant available is a 177hp 2-litre with all-wheel-drive, but a more affordable 1.4-litre with 148hp and front-wheel-drive will be available soon. RIVAL: KIA SORENTO MAXUS G10 FROM $128,888 ON THE ROAD Towkays looking for a big business van that comes with a medium-size price tag could consider this Chinese contender, which is big on both passenger and cargo space. Bosses will love the second row, which has captain’s chairs and a 220-volt power point for…

The Rolls-Royce Cullinan, named after the biggest diamond ever discovered, is probably the largest and most luxurious SUV to ever set tyre on tarmac – or on any terrain where the car can roll out the red velvet carpet for ridiculously rich folks. High society can get even higher aboard the Cullinan, whose massive size (5.341m in length, 2.164m in width, 1.835m in height), great weight (2660kg unladen) and HMS Ark Royal levels of vehicular presence make the Bentley Bentayga appear unusually humble and the top-of-the-range Range Rover look strangely agricultural. The Rolls-Royce SUV makes it easy for the landed gentry to navigate their estate or survey the next farm/forest/vineyard/manor on their globetrotting radar. The outdoorsy limo on stilts of silk has a 6.75-litre V12 with 563hp, 850Nm, four-wheel-drive, four-wheel-steering…

IN motorsport parlance, “pole position” is the best spot at the start of a race. For 51-year-old Mike Horn, “Pole2Pole” is his personal best spot in an exploratory journey between the South Pole and North Pole of Mother Earth. He covered over 33,000 kilometres round the world in the past two years, from Europe to Africa, Antarctica, Oceania, Asia, the Arctic, North America and finally back to Europe – alternating between boat, skis, kayak and car, depending on the location and situation. The car needed to be tough enough to tackle the relevant overland legs of the epic expedition. Naturally, it’s a rugged 4x4 off-roader, but it’s neither a Land Rover nor a Land Cruiser. It’s a Mercedes-Benz G-Class, the German “wagen” that’s always on standby to help global explorers…

As you tap on your smartphone, type out e-mails and entertain clients, it’s easy to forget that beneath the sharp suit you’re wearing, beats the heart of a driver. It’s also easy to forget that the sunshine that beams down on the simmering asphalt is also a golden light beckoning you to the open road. As drivers, we desire to bathe in the cultured roar of an engine, operate a rifle bolt-like gearbox and feel the evocative caress of rubber on the road. Deep in our souls is a yearning to know the primal eruptions of pure sensual pleasure that only a visceral driving experience can arouse. In our everyday lives, these feelings are smothered, ignored and almost forgotten. It is time to take off the blazer, strip away the…

DRIVETRAIN TYPE Inline-4, 16-valves, turbocharged CAPACITY 1969cc BORE X STROKE 82mm x 93.2mm COMPRESSION RATIO 10.8:1 MAX POWER 251hp at 5500rpm MAX TORQUE 350Nm at 1800-4800rpm POWER TO WEIGHT 149.1hp per tonne GEARBOX 8-speed automatic with manual select DRIVEN WHEELS All PERFORMANCE 0-100KM/H 6.4 seconds TOP SPEED 230km/h CONSUMPTION 13km/L (combined) CO2 EMISSION 176g/km SUSPENSION FRONT Double wishbones, coil springs, anti-roll bar REAR Multi-link, coil springs, anti-roll bar BRAKES FRONT / REAR Ventilated discs / Discs TYRES TYPE Pirelli P Zero SIZE 235/55 R18 SAFETY AIRBAGS 6 TRACTION AIDS ABS, DSTC MEASUREMENTS LENGTH 4425mm WIDTH 1863mm HEIGHT 1652mm WHEELBASE 2702mm KERB WEIGHT 1683kg TURNING CIRCLE 11.8m BUYING IT PRICE INCL. COE $185,000 (after $10k VES surcharge WARRANTY 3 years/100,000km MOST HIGH-TECH DASHBOARD, BEST BUILD QUALITY, MOST PRACTICAL CABIN MISSING SOME…

“THE 911 GT3 RS MAY BE A BEAST, BUT PORSCHE HAS TRAINED IT WELL.” THERE, in the email invite to the press drive of Porsche’s latest 991.2 GT3 RS, was the thrilling promise – “test drive at the Nurburgring”. Driving the legendary, fearsome 20.8km-long Northern Loop (Nordschleife) of the Nurburgring racetrack in Germany is on every petrolhead’s bucket list. And to do it in the new GT3 RS, no less – I thought Christmas had come early. But a few days before my trip, the sheepish clarification came – I would not be sampling the GT3 RS on the fabled Nordschleife, but on the newer, shorter and more sanitised Nurburgring Grand Prix track next door. Visiting the Nurburgring and not driving the Nordschleife is like going to Morton’s and just…

“AN ELECTRONIC PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM FREES UP SPACE IN THE AISLE BETWEEN THE FRONT SEATS.” I plan to get a car. I realise that many new cars today have electronic parking brakes. It appears to me that traditional handbrakes are safer since they are manually operated and not subject to electrical or electronic failures. Also, in case I have to perform an emergency stop, it is easier for my hand to grab and yank the handbrake than for my fingers to seek out and fiddle with a small lever to operate the electronic parking brake. Are handbrakes safer? More and more car makers are opting for electronic parking brakes because it frees up space in the aisle between the front seats. From a safety point of view, the parking brake…

THE CAR MAKETH THIS MAN GUO ZHIWEI I refer to Lynn Tan’s column in your May issue [Her World Of Motoring: The Car Maketh The Man]. I couldn’t agree more with her final statement in the story – “It is, first and foremost, how you perceive yourself driving a particular car that made you buy it in the first place.” I’m like the man in the article’s picture, driving a DS4 Crossback (unfortunately, no longer sold by C&C). I like the car due to its flashy “bling bling” headlamps, its sportier small-crossover look and, most importantly, its badge which is hardly seen on the road. It just reflects who I am. Driving-wise, the DS4 runs on diesel, which gives me 800 kilometres per full tank and is high on torque…

PETER Quintus is one of those folks who not only represents a brand, but seems to embody its characteristics, too. The brand in this case is M, the division of BMW responsible for creating high-performance models. Naturally, Peter talks in a fast and animated manner. But at the same time, his responses are confident and precise, too. The 57-year-old German, who is married with a daughter, began his career in the technical service department in BMW Motorcycles in 1987. Three years later, he moved to Rover Germany and worked as a senior manager for the Technical Service and Warranty department. From 1992 to 1999, Peter was the director for aftersales at Rover Germany. Following that, he was the vice-president of the BMW Group’s International Technical Service and Training, a post…

VISITING an ENT specialist clinic some time ago, I had to go through the usual registration procedure. Apart from the usual personal particulars, the receptionist also asked for my occupation. I replied, “Writer,” to which she asked, “You mean like a journalist?” The two are often used interchangeably, but I believe there is a distinction between them. However, I figured that it was simply a formality, so I told her “Yes”. She did not seem convinced, but wrote that down on the form anyway. Her next question was whether I had been subjected to any loud noises. I thought about it for a while and answered, “Not recently, but I used to visit construction sites.” Her questioning expression prompted me to go on to explain that I used to be…

DRIVETRAIN TYPE Inline-4, 16-valves, turbocharged CAPACITY 1997cc BORE X STROKE 83mm x 92.3mm COMPRESSION RATIO 9.5:1 MAX POWER 246hp at 5500rpm MAX TORQUE 365Nm at 1200-4500rpm POWER TO WEIGHT 134.3hp per tonne GEARBOX 9-speed automatic with manual select DRIVEN WHEELS All PERFORMANCE 0-100KM/H 7 seconds TOP SPEED 230km/h CONSUMPTION 13km/L CO2 EMISSION 174g/km SUSPENSION FRONT MacPherson struts, coil springs REAR Integral-link, coil springs BRAKES FRONT / REAR Ventilated discs / Discs TYRES TYPE Pirelli P Zero SIZE 245/45 R20 SAFETY AIRBAGS 6 TRACTION AIDS ABS, DSC MEASUREMENTS LENGTH 4395mm WIDTH 1984mm HEIGHT 1640mm WHEELBASE 2681mm KERB WEIGHT 1832kg TURNING CIRCLE 11.9m BUYING IT PRICE INCL. COE $187,999 (after $10k VES surcharge) WARRANTY 3 years/100,000km SPORTIEST COCKPIT, BEST RIDE-HANDLING BALANCE, MOST LOW-END TORQUE TIGHTEST BACKSEAT, TALLEST BOOT-LOADING HEIGHT, HEAVY FOR ITS…

COMING face to face with Lamborghini’s Urus is almost a surreal experience. Despite various performance SUVs which have come your way, the idea of a Lamborghini offroader is still alien. So, seeing one up close is almost like seeing a hippo with wings. Interestingly, the Audi-owned Italian brand had an SUV before – the LM002, built between 1986 and 1992. But it was too niche and too long ago. It was also a time when SUVs were considered to be the purview of farmers, hunters and soldiers. The Urus, however, comes at a time when the world cannot get enough of SUVs. At first glance, the car appears milder than its concept version. Gone are the high-mounted trapezoidal tailpipes integrated with the rear bumper, the sharp-edged rear three-quarter windows, the…

TANK UP & CHOW DOWN Fusion cuisine fans may wish to check out Neon Pigeon’s new Spring menu, which has 12 new dishes with Japanese-inspired flavours. Said dishes include Duck Tonkatsu, which is served with ponzu sauce, crispy soybeans and pickled cucumber. For dessert, try the Seaberry Bombe. Made from sea buckthorn, this mousse is presented with a sweet matcha sponge and glazed with white chocolate, topped with toasted meringue and chocolate buckwheat crumble. Executives looking to unwind after a hard day’s work could consider heading to Propeller, a rooftop bar in Bay Hotel. Apart from new cocktails, the bar’s updated menu now offers fare such as Indonesian grilled chicken and vegetables, lamb rack and roasted potatoes, as well as Marmite chicken and Doritos pizza (left). Diners who want to…