Tabla de contenidos para February 2019 en Torque

BMW 3 SERIES THE 3 Series is BMW’s bestselling model, with over 15.5 million units sold since the model was launched in 1975. You could say it’s the iconic brand ambassador for the Bavarian automaker’s mantra as the “Ultimate Driving Machine”. But these days, is being a good drive good enough? Recently, the 3 Series’ rivals in the junior executive segment have been gaining ground. For example, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class is like a posh little S-Class, Audi’s A4 offers the feel of the larger A6 at an attractive price point, and Jaguar’s XE has established a new benchmark for ride-handling finesse. Against such competitors, can the 3 Series still retain its crown? BMW didn’t want to mess too much with a winning formula. Not surprisingly, the latest G20 3 Series’…

PERCEPTION is a funny, sticky thing. Nobody will argue with you when you say that the Kia Optima is one heck of a taxi, or that the Rio is a quality little runabout for remarkable little money. But a sporty rear-wheel-drive fastback from the same Korean carmaker to be spoken about in the same breath as a BMW? No way. Well, what better way to entrench your brand’s credibility as an engineering force in the luxury arena than by picking a fight with the BMW 3 Series? After all, the junior executive model is notoriously difficult to get right. Fail, and the view that Korean automakers can do value but not luxury will harden and persist. But if you succeed at muscling your way into that exclusive little clique, in…

How do I check the health of my car battery? There is a status indicator, with a label printed next to it, saying black is okay (green tick) and yellow is not okay (red cross). Right now, the status indicator shows black. Do I also need to check the electrolyte level? It is difficult to do this as the battery compartment is cramped and the battery is too heavy to lift. My car is an eight-month-old Volkswagen with a Stop-Start system. As long as the battery condition indicator is black, you need not worry. Cars with a Stop-Start function demand a higher level of electrical energy because the frequency of starter motor operation is much higher. Such cars come with more efficient alternators, heavy-duty starter-motors and specially designed batteries. In…

PORSCHE CAYENNE S 2.9 versus MASERATI LEVANTE S 3.0 versus JAGUAR F-PACE R-SPORT 3.0 GRACE, pace, space. That’s what our contenders in this roundup have to offer in spades, should you have the cash to spare. Even if you’re just gawking and not shopping, the sheer visual spectacle of the trio here shows just how accomplished modern sporty SUVs have become. The Maserati Levante S is easily the most stylish of the lot. The brand with a trident certainly knows how to dress sharply, and the Levante S in black is as rakish and menacing as a mafia don with a fedora. With its barking exhaust the loudest in the trio, it certainly knows how to make an entrance too. No one knows speed like the autobahn-pounding Germans, and the…

HAVE you ever taken a car for a drive, poked around its cabin and thought to yourself: dang, this car’s pretty good? Those were my exact thoughts after driving the rather accomplished Skoda Karoq around for a week. The smaller of the two Ks in Skoda’s lineup of SUVs, the Karoq shares its handsome, chiselled features with the larger Kodiaq, but is a characterful car to drive in its own right. Like most of today’s Volkswagen Group small SUVs, the Karoq is built on the group’s MQB platform, shared with several other VW group cars including the new Audi Q3. On design, the Karoq’s ruler-straight lines and near-total lack of curves look almost Germanic. The sum of all that is hardly boring. It’s a smart-looking, well proportioned and handsome car.…

PREDICAMENT. You’re in Stuttgart, home to Porsche, and someone hands you the keys to a 718 Cayman GTS, yours for the next 3 days. Where do you go? A first-world problem, I know, but one which confronted me in mid-October. The obvious answer was to head for some great driving roads, but which ones? Being in Europe, there are so many amazing stretches – usually draped, Instagram-worthy, over spectacular mountainous landscape – that it was genuinely hard to choose. There are some stunning examples in Spain, Portugal, Italy and the south of France (the Route Napolean was particularly tempting) but all of them would have required dreary, time-sapping motorway hauls to get there from Stuttgart, wasting precious driving time which could have been better spent exploring other roads closer to…

You buy a premium sporty SUV for three reasons: the ability to carry passengers (and their luggage), comfort for all no matter where you go, and the blazing speed at which you can transport said passengers. Our three contenders deliver grace, pace and space in large doses. Even though the cars are volume sellers for their respective brands, the vehicles themselves are well sorted and great fun to drive. The Levante S is the most rakish and raucous of the lot. Maserati, keen to sell its sporting prowess in a more practical package, is taking the first steps to build a name synonymous with other sporting luxury stalwarts, and it seems to be working. However, some questionable interior choices and an astronomical price tag make it difficult to wholeheartedly recommend…

THE tyres in Michelin’s Primacy touring range are regarded for their comfort, low noise, and longevity. The Primacy 3 was even a leading contender for dry and wet braking and wet cornering grip. However, the competition has also improved with technological advancements to their tyres. So, how does the new Primacy 4 better the Primacy 3 and its competitors? For a start, Michelin conducts performance tests on its new models using brand new tyres as well as those that have been substantially worn. According to Louis Giraud, Vice President Marketing B2C East Asia and Oceania: “Michelin is a step ahead. We want to demonstrate that our performance is maintained even with mileage and time.” Michelin commissioned TUV Rheinland Thailand Ltd to test new and worn (at 2mm remaining tread depth)…

NISSAN SERENA E-POWER PRICE ON APPLICATION Hot on the heels of the Nissan Leaf electric hatchback is the considerably larger Nissan Serena e-Power MPV. Powered by Nissan’s range-extending e-Power technology – where the car’s petrol engine only ever charges the battery for the electric motor – the Serena e-Power is unbelievably frugal, being able to travel 26.2km per litre of fuel according to Japan’s JC08 cycle. Large and fuel efficient transport – what’s not to like? ■ RIVAL: TOYOTA PRIUS+ JAGUAR I-PACE FROM $346,999 ON THE ROAD Jaguar says its first all-electric vehicle is an SUV and a “five-seater sports car” all in the same breath. Blurred lines aside, what’s crystal clear is that the I-Pace is a shaping up to be a truly thrilling drive. It takes 4.8 seconds…