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Tuesday, November 29, 2011

2012 Green Car of the Year winner: Honda Civic Natural Gas

2012 Green Car of the Year winner is the Honda Civic Natural Gas


By Sebastian Blanco RSS Posted Nov 17th 2011 12:10PM

The 2012 Green Car of the Year award was snagged from the electric and diesel jaws of its competitors by the Honda Civic Natural Gas. In a year full of standard gasoline powertrain alternatives, the Civic beat out the Ford Focus Electric, Mitsubishi i, Toyota Prius V and the Volkswagen Passat TDI.

Green Car Journal hands out the award and its rules state that the GCOTY needs to have a "quantifiable environmental achievement," market significance and "newness." Any car that has these clearly defined features and is available for sale by January 1, 2012 can be a nominee, and the list of finalists is whittled down by GCJ editors and selected industry and environmental experts.

Over the last four years, the GCOTY was won by a hybrid (the Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid in 2008), diesels (the Volkswagen Jetta TDI in 2009 and the Audi A3 TDI in 2010) and a plug-in hybrid (the Chevrolet Volt in 2011). In our informal poll we put up when the five finalists were announced a month ago, the Focus Electric dominated the field.







VIDEO:

2012 Automobile of the Year: Audi A7

2012 Automobile of the Year: Audi A7
From our January, 2012 issue / By Joe Lorio / Photos by A. J. Mueller


Sometimes, the Automobile of the Year is a dramatic about-face for its manufacturer. Other times, it is a car that breaks new ground technologically. Some years, it is a spectacular upgrade from its predecessor. This year, it's none of those things.

Automobile Magazine's 2012 Automobile of the Year, the Audi A7, does not represent a dramatic change of pace for its maker. Audi has been building handsome, fast, and rewarding luxury cars for some time now. Anchored by Audi's Quattro all-wheel drive, bristling with of-the-moment technologies, and surrounding its passengers with an artfully crafted interior, the A7 is exactly in keeping with the cars that this brand has been turning out. As editor-in-chief Jean Jennings said, "It's the culmination of everything Audi has promised."


Read more: http://www.automobilemag.com/features/awards/1201_2012_automobile_of_the_year_audi_a7/index.html



MOTORTREND 2012 Automobile Of The Year Winners

In this blog entry, I'm covering MOTORTREND Magazine's Annual "of the year" awards. Here's the winner of 2012 Motortrend (US) Automobile of the Year:

CAR OF THE YEAR: VW Passat




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SUV of THE YEAR: LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER EVOQUE


TRUCK of THE YEAR: To be announced soon...

2012 Motor Trend Car Of The Year! Picking A Winner


If Car of the Year juries were seated like criminal trial juries, Volkswagen's lawyers might have used up their peremptory challenges dismissing the lot of us. They'd claim we had been poisoned by the launch coverage of the company's supersized Yank-tank B7-generation Passat. Harsh auto-show lighting made the car look like a freshened version of Chevy's little-loved Impala; early punditry slammed the interior as drab, plain, and cheap-looking; and news that the moaning I-5 we loathe in the Golf-class cars would be the mainstream engine seemed like strike three.

Making things worse were VW's concurrently announced plans for world domination, which, combined with the above impressions, seemed to suggest that VW was saying "Vee unterschtand zat to sell lots of zees cahs to you fat Dummkopfs, zay need to be bland like Camry."

Unlike GM and Ford, which are consolidating regional platforms and introducing world cars, Volkswagen's larger new Passat will sell only in North America and China. The car and the strategy raise serious questions: Can an American-born-and-bred Passat be German enough to please the VW faithful? Can anything with a VW badge pry large numbers of people out of their Accords and Camrys? Can such conservative styling turn the heads of the legions on their way to Hyundai? Out on the test track, in the high-desert sunshine, three Passats spanning the range of powertrain and trim levels did their best to answer these questions, presenting evidence in each of our six criteria and gradually whittling away at our editorial preconceptions. Let's read the court testimony.



FOR more info, pictures, stories:


OR

Peugeot RCZ is Maybank NST CBT Car of the Year 2011!

Peugeot RCZ is Maybank NST CBT Car of the Year 2011!


SOURCE: Click me!

The Peugeot RCZ has been named the “Overall Car of the Year 2011” as well as the “Coupe/Cabriolet of the Year 2011” at the New Straits Times/Maybank “Car of the Year 2011” (COTY) Awards.



Its astonishingly beautiful form, powerful stance and supermodel shape gave the RCZ an exquisite look that surpasses cars more than double its asking price of RM218,888 (OTR with insurance).


The RCZ’s shape has already won it the 2010 Red Dot Design Award and the title of “2009’s Most Beautiful Car of the Year” during the 25th Festival Automobile International.

To back up its supercar proportions, the RCZ is powered by a refined, yet powerful 156hp 1.6-litre direct-injection turbocharged engine, which has been winning engine of the year awards for its category.


Readers and show visitors voted for their favourite Car of the Year from the 44 new cars nominated for this year's COTY awards.

The winners for the New Straits Times /Maybank 2011 COTY Awards were announced at a gala dinner at The Saujana Kuala Lumpur, hosted by the New Straits Times and title sponsor Maybank Berhad.
Its smooth shifting six-speed automatic transmission, on the other hand, fits perfectly with the RCZ’s refined nature.

The RCZ was named as 2011’s “Overall Car of the Year” as it received the most votes from the COTY judging panel of nine judges, citing its head turning looks, stylish interior, competitive pricing, as well as refined handling dynamics and comprehensive safety features.

Three car brands - Hyundai, Nissan and Jaguar - each picked up double wins in this year’s COTY Awards.

The i10 1.25 Kappa and Santa Fe 2.2 VGT picked up the “Compact Car of the Year” and “SUV of the Year (Above RM150,000)” awards respectively for Hyundai.
Judges were impressed by the i10’s refinement and build quality, while the Santa Fe managed to get nods of approval from all judges for its excellent cabin space and good fuel economy.

Nissan, on the other hand, took home the “Executive Car of the Year” and “Pick-Up Truck of the Year” awards with the Nissan Teana and Navara King Cab.


The Teana’s smooth and comfortable nature made it the car all the judges wanted to go home in after a hard day’s work, while the powerful Navara King Cab wooed the judges by its performance and economy.

Both Jaguar’s new diesel powered models, the XFS 3.0D and XJL 3.0D, swept the “Premium Executive Car of the Year (Above RM300,000)” and “Limousine of the Year” awards.

Although powered by the same three-litre diesel engine, both the XFS and XJL show that diesel power is no handicap even when it is tasked to meet the power demands of a sporty executive sedan and the required refinement worthy of a limousine.

This year’s COTY Awards marks a landmark year as the Great Wall Motor’s Haval H5 becomes the first China made car to win a COTY category award, the “SUV of the Year (Below RM150,000)” Award, in COTY’s 10-year history.


The Perodua Myvi got its due recognition as the people’s champion when it was voted as the winner of this year’s “2011 People’s Choice” Award.

The 2011 People's Choice Award was based on votes received from the NST/Maybank Car of the Year 2011 People's Choice Contest published in the New Straits Times from Oct 20 to Nov 13.



The winners were selected from 44 new models or re-engineered facelift models introduced between October 2010 and October 2011.

When picking the winners, the judges took into account criteria such as exterior and interior design, comfort and ergonomics, performance, safety, emotional appeal, and after sales service including the comprehensiveness of its warranty.

The Overall Car of the Year winner was selected from the list of 14 category winners.

The Car of the Year Awards is the country’s first motoring award and this year’s awards marks the 10th anniversary of the awards which was launched in 2002 by Cars,
Bikes & Trucks, the motoring section of the New Sunday Times, as a means to acknowledge achievements within the motoring industry.

The event is endorsed by the Malaysian Automotive Association.












NST/Maybank Car of the Year 2011 Winners:

Overall Car of the Year & Coupe/Cabriolet of the Year – Peugeot RCZ
Compact Car of the Year - Hyundai i10 1.25 Kappa
Premium Compact Car of the Year – Volkswagen Polo TSi
Family Car of the Year – Kia Forte 2.0SX 6-speed
Executive Car of the Year – Nissan Teana
Premium Executive Car of the Year (below RM300,000) – Skoda Superb
Premium Executive Car of the Year (above RM300,000) – Jaguar XFS 3.0D
Performance Car of the Year – Renault Megane RS250
Limousine of the Year – Jaguar XJL 3.0D
MPV of the Year – Ford S-Max Ecoboost
SUV of the Year (below RM150,000) – GWM Haval H5
SUV of the Year (above RM150,000) – Hyundai Santa Fe 2.2 VGT (Diesel)
Pick-up Truck of the Year – Nissan Navara King Cab

Special Mention Awards

Eco Innovation Award – Toyota Prius
Automotive Man of the Year – JP Chin
People’s Choice Award – Perodua Myvi

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Going to Kuching 25 to 28 Nov

I, Jeff Lim's going to Kuching from 25 to 28 November hence no Update as I won't be bringing my Laptop along. Why Kuching?

It's due to my Church Convention. "Hope Malaysian National Convention". 2000+ people from 35 Hope Churches ALL OVER MALAYSIA will join this Convention at Pullman Hotel.



Really, looking forward to this Convention.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

White surges to become world's most popular car colour

Sunday, November 20, 2011

PHILADELPHIA: White and pearl white have caught up with silver to share top spot as the world's most popular car colour.In its annual Automotive Colour Popularity Report, automotive car brand DuPont revealed that 22 percent of car buyers around the world opted for white, the same amount that plumped for traditional favorite silver.

The growth in popularity means that black or black effect cars are in second place globally, with 20 percent market share."While white/white pearl has historically been a popular colour for vehicles, we've seen a bigger shift in its popularity this year than DuPont expected," said Nancy Lockhart, DuPont colour marketing manager.White was the most popular colour in North America for the fifth consecutive year, DuPont found, but it failed to topple black as the colour of choice in Europe, despite surging five percentage points over last year on the back of what DuPont describes as "inspiration for the ecological megatrend."


Its growth was at the expense of gray and silver, which took third and fourth place in Europe, while blue scraped into fifth place.Japanese buyers also opted for white the most, but other Asian countries preferred silver, which topped the market in both China and South Korea, making it the most popular colour overall in Asia.Other regional trends saw South America opting for silver and Russians choosing a surprisingly high proportion of green models, which made up seven percent of the Russian market but just two percent globally.

The world's most popular automotive colours(Data from 2011 DuPont Automotive Colour Popularity Report)
1. White/White Pearl and Silver tie, 22 percent
3. Black/Black Effect 20 percent
4. Gray 13 percent
5. Red 7 percent
6. Blue 6 percent
7. Brown/Beige 5 percent
8. Green 2 percent
9. Yellow/Gold 1 percent
10. Others 2 percent

- Relaxnews

Today 20.11.2011 is...

Today, 20/11/2011 is a special day. Like 11/11/11, 11:11:11 it happened once in 100 years.

20/11/2011. 2011hrs...

How cool is that...

Saturday, November 19, 2011

ANNOUNCING NEW Forum to this blog...

Thanks everyone for your continuous support. This blog's been having consistent 800 unique visitors daily. To celebrate this, I, Jeff Lim, is please to announcing new Forum to supplement this blog. I just created a NEW Forum on 19 November 2011, 1911hrs. The Forum website address is:

http://otoreview.forumup.com.

OR

http://otoreview.forumup.com/index.php?mforum=otoreview


Feel free to explore and enjoy this forum. Do give feedbacks/suggestions.

NEXT STEP: Facebook page... I'm working on this... Launching By January 2012.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

LONGTERMER #3, Vol 5: Proton Waja 1.6 4G18P (A)

 LONGTERMER #3, Vol 5: Proton Waja 1.6 4G18 (A)


In this blog entry, I'm updating my ride, Proton Waja 1.6 4G18(A). This is the 5th update.

Firstly, I managed to parked my Waja at "Podium" parking at my Office in Wisma Genting (see pictures below) on 18 October 2011.



Later, on the same day (18 October), I traded in my stock Waja rims for recond rims taken from Persona Hi-line (see picture below) from "WE Automobiles" in Pandan Mewah, Ampang.
(Picture above: The rims I bought.  Before and after reconditioning.)
Above: Before. 

Above and Below: DURING.

Above: After, Below: The Tayar Shop



I paid RM180 for the rims including Alignment and balancing. While at it, I requested for Oil change RM15 for oil filter and RM10 for labour. The Engine oil, Castrol Magnetec Semi Synthetic, I bought from a Shop in Section 20, Sea Park (the one facing Maybank) for RM93 only.

I accidentally broke the "rear right" door handle. Within 24 hours I bought replacement at the Same Spare part shop in Section 20, Sea park for RM25, painted in matching Arctic blue. Paid RM20 extra for installation = RM45 (see pictures below).



Also, like last month, the Fuel Consumption is consistent, hovering between 7.1km/l to 9.06km/l. This Waja seems to prefer EssoMobil over shell and petronas.

Lastly, my sister passed me her Ambi Pur Car but Without cartridge. I bought a refill "Vanilla Bouquet" for RM10.90. (picture below)



Without further ado, let's proceed to logbook:

Mileage as at 11/10/11: 131,656km
Mileage last month: 976km

Mileage today: 132,646km
Mileage this month: 990km

FUEL CONSUMPTION:

ALL TIME:
Best: 12.8km/L (RM14 cents) - 100% Highway. (NKVE)
Worst: 7.1km/L (RM25 cents) - 100% City. Stuck in KL traffic for 50mins to and up to 2 hours fro for a 15 km journey. Shell RON95

This month:
Best: 9.06km/l (RM20.4 cents) 70% highway, 30% city. Esso RON95 (27 October)
Worst: 7.1km/l (25 cents) 100% city driving (Shell RON95) 20 Sept

EXPENDITURE:

1) Petrol: RM212.60 (Average 21.4 cents/km)
2) Parking: RM60
3) Reload touch and go RM10
4) Car Wash: RM6
5) New recond Rims + Alignment + Oil filter + labour = RM160+20+15+10 = RM205.
6) Castrol magnatec engine oil: RM93
7) Bought and install door handles (RM45)
8) Ambi Pur car refill RM10.90

TOTAL: RM611.80.

Before I go, here's some parting shots:

Above: What a coincidence...  Parked at Taman Aman, Paramount.  took Putra LRT to work.
Above: AFTER THE RIM CHANGE.   DOES IT LOOK GOOD? 

That's all folks, thanks for having the time and patience to read this blog entry.  Jeff Lim's original work.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

600th post: NEW changes to this blog...

In this blog entry, I'm CELEBRATING as this is the 600th post. I would like to announce NEW Service in this blog. I now "Sell" A to Z of New and recond cars in Malaysia. But this is NOT THE POINT.

In the next 2 months, I shall create a Forum and Facebook page. As I observed in Lowyat and Motortrader forum, there's a few of you popped the following questions:

1) Vios/Mazda 2/Fiesta/Forte 1.6/Persona 1.6. What car shall I buy?

2) Accord/Camry/508/Mazda6/Mondeo. What car shall I buy?

3) Which MPV below RM150k shall I buy?

4) I have RM200k, what car shall I buy?

5) I have RM50k, shall I buy new or used?

I'm here to provide a solution to your needs. I shall provide "Free" service (by appointment AT LEAST 7 days in advance). I will accompany OR bring you to TEST DRIVE ALL your shortlists in 1 day and help you to buy your Ideal car. After you buy your IDEAL car, satisfy with my service then only you give me A)"FREE WILL DONATION", B) Recommend 5 friends to me.


This service is for Klang Valley only as I'm now a 1 man show. Just E-mail me your Details at otoreview@gmail.com. Eg.

i) Who are you, brief background/intro, occupation, any kids, what are you looking for in your Next car (eg. Automatic 8 seater MPV with Sunroof), price range you can afford and LASTLY, When you need to buy the car. I won't entertain "Canvassers" OR "Timewasters". Only serious enquiries only.

2a) Tell me where you lived so that I can arrange the showroom near to your house. Better still if my Salesman provide door to door service, he/she can drive the car to your doorstep (house of office). Eg. Sat 10am = Fiesta, 10.45am = Forte 1.6, 11.30pm = Vios. 12.15pm = Mazda 2, 1pm = Persona 1.6 OR Inspira 1.8 CVT.

2b) AFTER Helping you to find your Ideal car, I shall post successful "Case Studies" in this Blog. (eg. what car you shortlist, test drive process, purchasing process). You can request anonymity.

3) I also provide consultation (eg. Market value) if you want to sell your car.

4) Here are the lists of car manufacturers I dealing with:

a) BMW (Quill and Auto Bavaria)
b) Citroen (Brooklands)
c) Chevrolet
d) Ford
e) Honda
f) Hyundai
g) Jaguar (Sisma Auto, Pavilion)
h) Kia/Naza
i) Lexus
j) Mazda
k) Mitsubishi
l) Mercedes Benz (Cycle and carriage)
j) Nissan (Jln Ipoh and Section 13, PJ)
k) Perodua
l) Proton
m) Renault
n) Land Rover
o) Alfa Romeo
p) Skoda
q) Toyota
r) Volkswagen (Jln Ipoh and FA Wagen)
s) Volvo
t) Porsche (7 days advance appointment only)
u) Peugeot
v) Ssangyong
w) Chery Alado
x) RECOND/Unregistered Cars (Watan/Emaslink/Mofaz/Naza/Amira Ventures/Cahaya Automotif (Yap Brothers) etc...)
y) Suzuki
z) Arrange for Auto detailing/tinting/UR Bars installation.
(Other cars not listed here please call and give me 1 week... I can arrange. Automobiles only, NO Motorcycles.)

For more information. Call/Whatsapp? me, Jeff Lim, at 012-6852-718 (10am to 10pm weekdays), (10am to 5pm Sat), 3pm to 10pm Sunday only.

That's all folks, thanks for having the time and patiece to read this blog entry. Jeff Lim's original work.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Close up++ Honda Edix/FR-V

In this blog entry, I'm posting a Close up, some external links and a Video review of Honda Edix/FR-V.  The Honda Edix/FR-V's produced from 2004 to 2009 and were brought into Malaysia in 2005 as "WALD EDIX".  Apparently, many were stuck in customs/Port until 2008.  Last check, it was still on sale as "Unregistered units" in Limited numbers by Glory Wheels Sdn Bhd.

Since this is a RARE car, I can't give you the used prices as it's WILLING SELLER and WILLING Buyer market. Ie. varies.

Let's proceed to the links and video:


Links:
Site 1: http://www.autoworld.com.my/v2/news/nb_details.asp?awReviewID=1819&awCatID=RT.ATC.CAR.BTW

Site 2: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_FR-V

Video:
Video 1:



Well, I happened to came across 1 unit at Andere Suria, it's a light blue STOCK 1.7 unit. There's a saying a picture's worth 1000 words.  Here are the photos:

















That's all folks, thanks for having the time and patience to read this blog entry. Other than the Youtube video and the external links, this is Jeff Lim's original work.

Close up/Video++ review: Lexus GS300 GRS190

In this blog entry, I'm covering the Lexus GS300.  The GS300's produced from 2005 to 2008 (in rest of the world) and 2007 till today in Malaysia.  Used prices for Lexus GS300 in Malaysia as follows:

Year:...........2006*......2007*......2008*
Price (RM)......205k......225k.........250k

* = unregistered, less 10k to 15k (depending on condition and mileage) across the board for Used ones.

Note that NEW ones from Lexus Malaysia costs RM420,000 without the Lexus Navigation system and Elec Glass sunroof.  You are looking at RM440,000 OTR with FULL SPECS.  But you get 3 years/100,000km warranty (ie. peace of mind).


Let's proceed to some links about this car followed by videos:


Link 1:
http://www.lexus.com.my/models/GS300/gs300_main.aspx?page=content_price.html

Link 2:
http://www.lexus.com.au/gs300/features/specifications


Link 3:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexus_GS_%28S190%29

Link 4:
http://paultan.org/2008/01/28/lexus-gs300-facelift-launched-in-malaysia/

Link 5:
http://www.edmunds.com/lexus/gs-300/

Link 6: Road Test from Sgcarmart.com/ Singapore spec.


i) http://www.sgcarmart.com/new_cars/newcars_overview.php?CarCode=10165

ii) http://www.sgcarmart.com/news/review.php?AID=243


Video 1:


Video 2:



Last week, I managed to have a "CLOSE UP" of ALMOST FULL SPEC Lexus GS300 (apart from the Elec Glass Sunroof).  This is an early 2008 model imported from UK unregistered with Local AP.  Asking price RM245,000 Nego.

Well, there's a saying a picture's worth 1000 words.  Here are the photos:




































Above: This is the place if you want to buy this car.  Call 012-339-3211.  Mention you were recommended by Jeff Lim for better deal/discounts.

That's all folks thanks for having the time and patience to read this blog entry.  Other than the External links and Youtube Videos, this is my original work.