It’s looking like Audi will bring its performance-minded “RS3” to the states. But don’t expectthe European version. I’m Jerry Reynolds, the Car Pro with your Automotive News in sixty seconds. Audi is all but confirming a US version of the 5-door 367-horsepower “sport-back”that recently launched in Europe. But America will likely get a 4-door compact sedan variation of it. Meanwhile, Audi says the US will see the “Q8”, after its European launch in 2017. It’s a higher-end version of the redesigned “Q7”. Cadillac’s next generation “SRX” will probably make its debut this fall, with anew name. It’s expected to be called the “XT5”. Sales of the “SRX” are down, but it remains Cadillac’s biggest seller in the US. Cadillac also plans to bid farewell to its “ELR” hybrid coupe. I’m Jerry Reynolds, the Car Pro, have a great week.
this is the 2018 Jaguar XF Sportbrake a wagon version of Jags midsize luxurysedan now other luxury brands like Audi andBMW have been running for the exits in this class in recent years as they’vedropped wagons from their lineups and that got us thinking what is this cardoing in America right now of all times does it offer something different thatthose now gone luxury models didn’t that might get shoppers to reconsider one ofthese over an SUV let’s find out if you hang around car enthusiasts long enoughyou soon learn that many have an affinity for wagons preferably with amanual transmission and a diesel engine or in other words the automotiveequivalent of a needle in a haystack the XF Sportbrake doesn’t offer a dieselengine but it does have something for the enthusiast driver with itssupercharged v6 engine which offers effortless acceleration unfortunatelythe engine works with an 8-speed automatic transmission that’suncooperative when you want to get the most from that v6 is power full throttlekick downs are a drawn-out affair as the transmission is in no hurry to downshift to a lower gear the XF Sportbrake stays flat and planted in corners butnumb steering feels a downer you can tell Jaguar wants this wagon toappeal to driving enthusiasts but all-in-all I don’t think there’s enoughhere for them the XF sedan starts at a little less than $50,000 but to get thesport brake body style you have to spend considerably more like around $22,000more add in optional features and it gets even more expensive the as-testedprice of this sport break s is around $85,000 that kind of pricing puts thesport brakes squarely in competition with luxury models from Audi BMW andmercedes-benz but compared with the German offerings the sport brakes cabinlooks decidedly mainstream both in its overall design and in the type ofmaterials used you only have to look as far as the delightfully luxurious cabinof the Mercedes e-class to see all that you’re missing here the XF Sportbrake ismore successful however when it comes to carrying passengers and cargo front seatcomfort is good and the side bolsters keep you firmly in place in fast cornersand the back seat is big enough to comfortably carry it out passengers -if you need more space than the 31 point 7 cubic foot cargo area offers the backseat folds flat with the cargo floor for a total of 69 point 7 cubic feet it’s auseful obstruction free space the only thing compromising its utility somewhatis the shorter opening because the cars raked roofline the SUV has replaced thewagon as America’s family vehicle but wagons still have that utilitarianfamily hauler image even though they’re now nothing like the ones of years pastthe XF Sportbrake drives the point home it’s stylish and sporty with the samelow slung stance as its sedan counterpart and has anintimidating-looking front end with gaping grilles finished in Firenze –redpaint piano black accents and black wheels it turns heads it wasn’t thatlong ago when Jaguar exclusively sold cars but the British brand has jumpedinto SUVs in recent years first with the mid-size F pace model and more recentlywith the compact e pace with the popularity of SUV soaring the move makesa lot of sense but we still don’t know what this thing is doing stateside eventhough its silhouette closely resembles the F pace it’s low ride height is thecritical difference in the thing that will prevent it from ever being morethan a niche model in the USyou
can Hyundai’s new luxury division Genesis repeat its magic from the g80and g90 sedans in a smaller less expensive package with the all-new g70well after three days behind the wheel the answer is yesthe g70 holds up on the driving front but like with the G 80 and g90 the realmagic comes beyond that so let’s start with those driving aspects the g 7ecomes with a four cylinder or a v6 engine both turbocharged there’sautomatic transmissions across the board but with the four-cylinder you can getan optional six-speed manual the rear-wheel drive there’s all-wheel drivewe drove a whole bunch of those combinations in the hills of southernMaine as well as at Club Motorsports that’s a racetrack two and a half miles15 turns 250 feet of elevation change in central New Hampshire we also droveseveral versions of the G 70 at an autocross course next to the racetrackso lots of experience in the car and I gotta say it’s not the most fun craftcar in the class but certainly holds its own a little bit lazier steering turninga little more body roll and maybe some competitors like the Jaguar XE the AlfaRomeo Giulia but certainly still within the realm of fun to drive fairly neutralchassis dynamics to get into corner big sweeping corners a little bit ofundersteer coming in but then it kind of maneuvers you can sneak the tail arounda little bit if you want it’s fairly predictable very good brakes there’soptional Brembo brakes on the g7 T’s that we drove at the track I took themthrough ten laps still held up even on the tenth lap not too much brake fadeand the cars very very composed bonhomie on the straightaways at a hundred milesan hour doesn’t feel skittish doesn’t feel like the tail is gonna I want tomove around on you even coming and braking in a straightall very very good stuff shows a lot of care went into chassis engineering forthis vehicle now you get on public roads there’s three suspension setups there’sa two fixed suspensions fixed rate shock absorbers there’s adaptive shockabsorbers that are optional the base suspension is comfort to you sort of andthen there’s a sport-tuned version now we’ve driven two of those three kind ofthe base two versions not the adaptive setup yet and the g70 is firms certainlybut comfortably so lights again barely control doesn’t really beat you up as afeel to chopping even over broken pavement now about those drive trainsthe 2-liter turbo 4-cylinder has decent power good building kind of sensation asyou get past 3,000 rpm all the way up to redlinereally I don’t see why anyone would need the bigger engine but something you’regonna want it and it’s got just explosive power regardless of rpmGenesis says it hits 60 miles an hour in just four and a half seconds that’scompetitive with cars like the Audi s4 that the MW 340i the Mercedes seen 43the AMG version and just lots and lots of power we were going uphill with twoadults aboard and gearing back at like 17 1800 rpm now the v6 comes with an8-speed automatic standard that’s available on the forest loan and you canalso get a manual the automatic is a really really good transmission I don’tsay that about a lot of 8-speed automatic setup shifts very seamlesslysmoothly often don’t even know that it’s up shifting but then when you need morepower dig into the gas just a little bit itkicks down one two years really really quick doesn’t delay a very very nicedecisive transmission probably better of a choice than the manual now I like thefact that they’re offering a manual transmission on the G semi that’s niceto have in a sports sedan because a lot of sport sedans are just doing away withmanuals all together but the six-speed manual is just not the most wellexecuted transmission kind of loose clunky shifter here biglong gates just doesn’t feel all that engaging it is nice though that throttleresponse is very good that’s really important for a rev-matching if you wantto drive a manual properly but like I said before the g7 is real appeal comesbeyond the driving aspects they have interior quality pretty competitive forthe segment I got to say a nice detailing on things like the centerconsole where sections that face the driver have this sort of low glasswrapping on them a very good level of attention to detail a lot like you seefrom Audi along the center portion of the – there is a vinyl wrapping ofstitching that standard that’s not optional you don’t have to pay extra toget some kind of interior upgrades package to get it that’s nice to seealso standard lots and lots of practicality here there’s an 8 inchtouchscreen you know you know stuff you have to do here with a knob or atouchpad – you can just reach up and do your thing it has standard apple carplayAndroid auto HD radio there’s physical volume and tuning knobs on theshortcut-keys here big knobs here for your climate controls very very easy touse lots of storage space – there’s this generous cubby here ahead of the gearshift underneath to be the center armrest you and automatic transmissioncars there’s enough space even for a 16 ounce water bottle overhead you’ve got asunglass holder I mean any non luxury car owner is gonna think well what’s thebig deal you get into a lot of luxury cars and they just drop the ball onstuff like this in the name of luxury for some reason I really like that the G70 didn’t overthink it now in terms of backseat space a little bit on the tightside there if you’re looking for that cars like the Audi a4 have a lot more ofit than the g7 II do and I’m 6 feet tall I do wish there wasa little bit more width here to kind of split out my knees but lots and lots ofadjustment range for the driver’s seat where I stick to Drive I’m about 4inches ahead of all the way back now when the g70 goes on sale at the end ofthe current season that’s summer of 2018 it’ll start around $35,000 a prettydecent value when you consider that that big multimedia system and a full suiteof safety features are all standard it’ll top out around $50,000 we’re toldagain a decent value when you consider that many of the G seventies Germancompetitors go well north of that mark once you add the bells and whistles nowI know what a lot of you are thinking Genesis and untested luxury brand maybeyou’d rather stick with Lexus or Mercedes Benz or BMW especially since alot of these G 70s at least initially are basically going to be sold out ofthe back of unday dealerships with maybe some differentiations showroom typestuff going on but can’t hide the fact that it’s still at a big Hyundai store Igot to say though you got to get over that because the g 70 is a very wellrounded entry in a very competitive class definitely worth adding to yourlistyou
it’s Tuesday thanks for joining us I’m Jennifer Fong coming up Lincoln’s leadgenerating location but first your morning headlines the united states automarket will be greener than ever next year according to a new forecastanalysts at Edmonds say electric plugin and traditional hybrid vehicles willaccount for 4. 4 percent of the market in 2018 compared with an estimated 3. 2percent this year the firm also predicting that plug-in hybrid saleswill double in 2018 and that plugins will outsell traditional hybrids by theend of next year Jessica Caldwell admins executivedirector of Industry Analysis says even if Tesla fails to meet full productioncommitments for the model 3 until mid summer 2018 still will be a hallmarkyear Col ball adding quote their price of batteries is coming down evey rangeis rising and shoppers will have more choices than everEdmonds predicts total US sales of sixteen point eight million new vehiclesin 2018 down from an expected seventeen pointtwo million in 2017 BMW transforming its iconic four-cylinder headquarters towerin Munich Monday to resemble for upright batteries the project done incollaboration with a local cultural organization it coincided with BMWsannouncement that it had reached a target of selling 100,000 electrifiedcars around the world this year that’s up more than 60 percent from 62,000 lastyear sales benefiting from stronger demand in Western Europe and the US formodels such as the i3 and the 2 Series plug-in hybrid active tourer one otherBMW note the automaker says the production version of the all-new x2will make its world debut and next month’s Detroit Auto ShowBMW showed the coup like crossover in concept form at lastyear’s show also hitting the Detroit stage will be the 2019 I eight coupe thehybrid is slated for sale in the spring along with the x2 and the i8 roadster BMdel be revealed last month in Los AngelesSubaru vowing today to improve oversight of its final vehicle inspections thisafter revealing that uncertified staff had carried out tests of new cars forthe domestic market for decades that disclosure led to the recall of threehundred ninety five thousand vehicles in its latest report to the governmentpresented today Subaru says it will improve training and monitoring andcommunicate the importance of compliance to staff it says management and staffdid not fully appreciate the importance of the final inspection in legal newslawyers for General Motors urging a federal bankruptcy judge in Manhattan tothrow out a settlement it reached in August the settlement would require thecompany to pay a billion dollars to car owners suing over faulty ignitionswitches and Hyundai says it’s labor union in South Korea has agreed to atentative wage deal Lincoln is in the process of rebuilding as it aims totriple its annual sales to three hundred thousand vehicles globally by 2020 partof its plan to reach that goal opening retail centers that don’t sellanything and putting them in areas where people are not aware of the brandour reporter Mike Martinez recently visited one of those spaces in FashionIsland a high-end outdoor mall in Newport Beach California the winkinexperience center has room for three vehicles and allows visitors to schedulea test drive configure a virtual car or order an espresso this space is a fewdoors down from a Tesla gallery and a short drive from a big BMW store and alarge mercedes-benz dealership however Lincoln officials tell Martinezthat’s the perfect location to court new customers officials saying 60% ofvisitors are not familiar with the brand at all but that often changes once theyspend some time there in fact the center has helped deliver about 700 leads toLincoln dealerships so far this past spring Lincoln opened its secondExperience Center in Frisco Texas Ford’s luxury brand plans to add morespaces in the future but no word on where through November Lincoln’s USsales are up about 2% to roughly one hundred thousand vehiclesand that wraps up at this edition our first shift we’ll see you back heretomorrow morning
The X Factor welcome in on this Monday face with slumping u. s. car sales and dealers demanding fresh productBMW rolled out a new version of an existing model todayBanking on its success to help power the company’s revivalBMW debuting a redesigned 2018 x3 compact crossover at the company’s massive SpartanburgSouth Carolina plant the updated model will be built on a new architecture and offer an EMperformance model for the first time the x3 sunveiling came in conjunction with the celebration of the 25th anniversary of theAnnouncement of BMWs intention to build a plant in Spartanburg it is BMWs biggest factory in the worldEmploying about nine thousand peoplethe site builds the x3 x4 x5 x6and starting next year thex7 large crossoverBMW CEO Harold Kruger says the company will make a major investment in the plant and add jobsaltogetherThe BMW Group has invested eight billion u. s. . Dollars into plant Spartanburg to date andLadies and gentlemen. I’m delighted to sayWe are investing the furtherSix hundred million u. s. . Dollars in our manufacturing infrastructure up to 2021The introduction of the redesigned x3 is just one move BMW is making to reverseerosion of its US sales which have fallen from a record high in2015 two losses in 15 of the past 18 months losing its luxury mark crown in the processBMWs new US chief Bernard cunt is tasked with taking the brand to the next levelKelley Blue Book’s studies show while BMW is attracting shoppers to showrooms the brand isn’tConverting as many of those shopper to buyers as it shouldit is the last week of June and that means we’ve almost reached the halfway mark of the2017 sales year our senior correspondentJesse Snider is keeping an eye on the hottest US sales races and today we look at passenger carsthe real question is can the toyota camry continue to be America’s best-selling car andthe problem forToyota is that the Camry has a complete new model coming out and it’s coming out in mid-year andIf they bobble that if they don’t have enough of the of the new Camry in timeIt could fall off the perch and as you can see the Toyota Corollaand the new Honda Civic are hot on the Camrys heels as Jesse points out aCamry slip would not be a total tragedy for ToyotaThat’s because the Camry spot could be overtaken by a sister model instead of a competing nameplatesBack to the Camry for a moment it took the top spot in the annual cars. comAmerican-made index or am I in?2016 but that wasn’t the case in2017 one big reasoncars. com this year revamp the index to de-emphasizeoverall salesInstead the 2017 Amianalyzes factors including vehicles assembled in the US with high domestic parts contentPredominant u. s. sourcing for engines and transmissions and high USmanufacturing jobs supported per vehicle at the top of the list the Jeep Wrangler Wrangler Unlimitedfollowed by the Jeep Cherokee Ford Taurus Honda Ridgeline and Acura RDXAlphabet self-driving vehicle unit way moe has reached a deal withRental car giant Avis to manage way Moe’s fleet of autonomous vehiclesbloomberg reports Avis will service in-store way most chrysler pacifica minivans in phoenixThat’s where way mo is testing a rye hailing service with volunteer members of the publicAvis gives way Moe a potential asset that rivals such as uber already have and that is a network ofTraditional cars and customers that could be transformed into an autonomous transport service over timeTo industry veterans are teaming to help guide automotive startupsAnd the investors funding themLongtime advisor Marianne Keller an auto retailing expert Glen Mercer say they’ll counsel startups on the quotenuts and bolts of auto industry operations andFinally we’re getting an inside look at the 2018 Nissan LeafSpy photos revealing a more conventional style to the dash with the two-tier layout goneThe second gen leaf is expected to arrive later this year thatIs our time for today? Have a good one and we’ll see you tomorrow
The Volvo XC60 is perhaps one of the most important cars to Volvo and I saythat because the previous XC60 did tremendously well in many of its major marketsThis as you can tell is the second-generation XC60 and it looksnothing like the older model In fact, this baby is entirely new from the ground upThis very unit right here is the top-of-the-line T8 Twin Engine Inscription PlusIt’s fully imported from Sweden and is priced at RM373,888It rides on the new Scalable Product Architecture platform that’spurposely designed to accommodate a plug-in hybrid system but there’s also anon hybrid option like the T5 Momentum that we’ll be getting soonI’ve already done a full walk-around video of this car so if you want to watch that videoclick on the link in the description box below But for you first-timers I’llbriefly run things down once more On the outside the XC60 is basically a shrunkendown version of the XC90 Here in the T8 guise it gets this unique chrome grillewith the Iron Mark badge, 19-inch 10-spoke dual tone alloy wheels and dual exhaust pipesThe wheels can be upgraded to 21-inch items and we’re told that theprice of it together with the tyres starts from around RM15kThat’s not too bad right? Standard items include these full LEDheadlights with Thor’s Hammer LED daytime running lightsActually I keep calling it Thor’s Hammer but it doesn’t even look like it – it just looks like aweird T but it still looks good and very distinctly Volvo so call it whatever you want I guess?Keen observers will notice something different aboutthis car and that’s because it comes fitted with this exterior styling packFor RM8,288 you get this aluminiumfront and rear skid plates, silk metal side mirror caps as well as AMG style exhaust tipsThe real pipe is hidden somewhere behind so it’s still purely aestheticsTf you choose to go with this styling pack just keep in mind that afoot sensor for the tailgate release will be moved to the left side of the carjust under this sensor right hereNow I really like getting in and out of the car – it’s really convenientIt’s not too tall like the XC90, but just about nice enough for everybody to get in and out ofIt’s really convenient – Volvo says it’s because of this under wrap doordesign which makes the lower portion of the car here much thinner hence the convenienceIt’s great for older people too, except that the rear doorsdon’t open as wide as it should – shameIn here as you can probably already tell is quite swanky and veers towards the minimalistic side of thingsunlike the old car with the chock full of buttons, the dash here looks really nicevery neat and also very classy The only physical controls on the dashare for the media, front and rear defoggers and emergency signalEverything else is digitised into this 9-inch Sensus Connect touchscreen display includingthe dual-zone climate control With this you can access just about every featurethat comes with the car such as the active safety features, 360-degreeall-round view camera, head-up display adjustment and even the entire owners manualGood luck with that!The dashboard design as a whole probably won’t impressthose who prefer the German way of interior designing but I think thisapproach will age a little better Quality wise it’s right up there amongthe best in its class although I think new Audi Q5 which is not here yet by the waystill takes the cake for the best overall build qualityIf you know Volvo then things like this little Swedish flag on the edge of the seat is a givenbut here they’ve gone a step further by putting it into the chrome strip whichoutlines the metal mesh trim and if you find this combination a little bit toobland or not contrasty enough then I suggest you go with the open pore Driftwood trimIn other markets you get a choice of a two-tone interiorThe top part black and the bottom part white Personally I like that the most comparedto this all-black theme that we have here in this press unit simply because it’smore luxurious that way but at least Volvo is offering a maroon brown option for the seatsSpeaking of seats it’s unfortunate that we don’t get nappa leathersettling instead with this regular leather seatsIt’s not bad but it’s not impressive either, plus the grain on theleather makes it look rather cheap Comfort wise it’s supportive in all theright areas and there’s even an extendable thigh support for both seatsOver to the center this entire portion looks as though it’s beenlifted off the XC90 and only the Inscription trim comes with thiselectronic glass gear shifter The T5 Momentum will get the regular stick typeOh an interesting thing I learned is that this steering wheelis actually the R-Design steering wheel and there’s perforationon the sides and also explains why there’re paddle shifters as wellThe only thing missing is the R-Design badge down hereBut you know what I really really like about this car? It’s this 15-speaker Bowers & Wilkins sound systemIt is literally hands-down the best sound system in its class and it’s onlyavailable if you choose the Inscription Plus trim – one way of telling if your carcomes with it is through this speaker this tweeter actually, from the top andthe yellow diaphragm in the speakers right hereI’m not kidding guys, this stuff is really the bomb and if you play lossless audio files through this USB portright here you’ll be able to hear every layer of a song and the instruments that make itJust get itBack here I’ve got the driver seat adjusted to my driving positionand as you can clearly tell there’s lots of legroom, good headroomand decent visibility out There’s only one air vent built into each side of theB-pillars right here and I don’t quite like how cheap it feelsAnd if you’re a restless guy like I am who fidgets a lot during a long-distance drive this narrowfoot well can be a little bit of a problem but otherwise I think it’s pretty livableThere’s no booster seats back here, just a couple of ISOFIX anchor mountsplus a nice little storage area for you to keep your phone underneathyour seats away from prying eyesFor practicality the XC60’s boot space is 505 litres large That’s only about 10 litres larger than the older modelbut still quite a bit smaller than the Mercedes-Benz GLC and upcoming BMW X3Ilike the fact that the seats can be electrically folded if you need more spaceto lug your stuff around and the models with the air suspension get theoption of manually raising or lowering the boot heightUnderneath the boot floor you will find a tyre repair kit and no, this car does not run on run flat tyresBefore we start talking about the driving experience let’s first talkabout the engine under the hood Primary propulsion comes from a 2. 0 litrefour-cylinder engine that’s turbocharged and supercharged to produce 320 hpand 400 Nm of torque That alone is more powerful thanmost of its rivals in the class so that really says something and on top of thatthere’s an electric motor mounted over the rear axle producing 87 hpand 240 Nm of torque Together the plug-in hybrid system makes about407 hp and 640 Nm of torque That’s a lot a lot of power on paperbut it doesn’t really feel like it because the very nature of this car issupposed to be as fuel efficient as possible instead of chasing down someMercedes-AMGs or some sports cars But the power is there as a really nice bonusThe cool thing is you know that the car is capable, you know that it cando 5. 3 seconds to the 100, but when you’re cocooned in this much luxury you justlose all the care in the world – you don’t want to speed so much in a car like thisbut it’s good to know that it can I spent about 4 days with the carand every night I leave it to charge around 7 to 8 hours to get a full chargejust to be safe – Volvo says depending on the charging output when you get 2 to 7hours but I just leave it overnight because that’s my routine and Volvo saysyou can get 45 km on a full charge Realistically though, I’m getting35 and the instrument meter here the battery gauge in fact is pretty accurateNow I believe the discrepancy has a lot to do with the car’s weight because thisthing weighs 2. 1-tonnes But if you ask me whether I feel theweight driving this car around, honestly I don’t because it’s really powerfulThe easiest way of telling whether your engine is alive or not is to turn your audio downand even then sometimes I find it difficult to tell because it’s justreally quiet and then is a mark of a well-made plug-in hybrid systemAfter spending so much time with the car I find that the 8-speed automatictransmission still has some way to go before it’s properly fluid in theway of gear shifts – I think the gearing ratio can be adjusted to make full useof the power band and it’s not quite BMW in a sense but it would be perfect if it isAnother thing I don’t quite like about the car is braking feel andhonestly I feel that it’s one of the car’s weakest links – it’s a realchallenge to modulate the brake pressure it’s either I brake too little or too muchit’s very difficult to get that sweet spot and it can be very annoyingwhen you’re in stop and go traffic And sometimes when you brake you get a lotof oscillating movements especially when you want to park your car and you feelthat there’s a little bit more space for you to drive upfrontYou know it’s funny how Honda can do such a wonderful job with the City and Jazz HybridSo Volvo I honestly think and feel that youshould do something about this – you should pay a little bit more attentionto the braking department But having said that it’s considerably better thanthe XC90 so there is some progress to give Volvo some creditIn terms of steering, there’s not much feedback at all from the road but it’s not unusualbecause it’s a Volvo after all and honestly it doesn’t bother me as muchthe turning radius is actually pretty decentdespite riding on 19-inch wheels so that bit got me a little bit surprisedas for ride quality this car is fairly comfortable – we have a hump coming up here andyeah damping is not too bad – it absorbs the bump really well and based onprevious experiences models with the air suspension will tend to be a little bitmore plushy compared to the dynamic chassis that will come with the CKD versionsThe downside to this is that like I said earlier you get a lot ofrocking motions so I guess it takes some getting used toThe body tends to roll a fair bit more at higher speeds compared to the Mercedes-Benz GLCbut not at the expense of traction so that’s not a cause for concernthe CKD versions will not get air suspension at all no matter which modelyou choose, not even the top trim so the ride will be stiffer but we really haveto drive that first just to be sure Last but certainly not least is the safety systemIt’s the whole deal and you get everything Volvo has to offer includingmy favorite Pilot Assist system – simply click on the button here on the leftside of the steering wheel and what it does is it basically drives on its ownat speeds of up to 130 km/h and it can even steer for you if you’ve got thelane keeping system on It’s quite literally the best thing ever and it’sgonna make all that long-distance driving a lot more pleasant, a lot moreconvenient and a whole lot less tiring Just think of Pilot Assist as a moreadvanced version of adaptive cruise control and you won’t be far offspeaking of which this car also gets adaptive cruise controlBy the way the Pilot Assist feature that’s available on the Mercedes-Benz S-Classand BMW 7 Series and granted its smoother on them bothbut they’re not really in this price range and category are they?The very fact that Volvo has decided to put Pilot Assist in a car like this and in a price range like thisis commendable and I don’t think any other SUVs out there has this featureNevermind SUVs not even carsTo top it all off, there’s other stuff like City Safety, pedestrians, cyclists and large animal detectionas well as blind spot monitoringSo at the end of the day the XC60 T8 Twin Engine packs a lot of powera lot of safety tech and a lot of style That’s a lot for you to consider and rightfully sobecause I think in my opinion the car is a lovely place to be in and if I hadto choose it would be this over the Mercedes-Benz GLCBut it’s also worth knowing that this car is 20% more expensive than the GLC 250 but this hasthe added advantage of a plug-in hybrid system, at least until the GLC 350e comes alongThe good news is the CKD versions will be rolled out in April and pricingfor that starts from RM298,888 for the T5 Momentumto RM343,888 for this version, minus the air suspensionFor that kind of money what car would you rather buy?That’s all for this round of review – thank you for watching, this has been Matthewand I will see you in the next one
Hi everyone, Driven is back, powered by PETRONAS Primax! This is the episode you’veall been waiting for, featuring the new Perodua MyviWe’ve already reviewed this car in full detail when it was first launched late last yearIn short it’s a massive, massive improvement over the old modelBut the question is, should this really be the default small car for all Malaysians?We’ve lined up two of its closest rivals to settle it once and for allThe Proton Iriz was designed from the get-go as Proton’s answer to the all-popular MyviWhile it has completely missed the mark in terms of sales, we think it’s still one ofProton’s best products to date, and it’s going to be interesting to see how thelatest Refined version stacks up against Perodua’s new MyviThe second alternative isn’t from a Malaysian brand but from Kia. The all-new Picanto may be from asmaller class but it packs a lot of impressive features into its small frameand the best part is, it’s priced to go head-on with the two local modelsAs for the Myvi there isn’t really much left that hasn’t been saidIt’s already raking up the sales with Malaysians buying them by the thousands every monthNow that many buyers can’t be wrong, can they?Trust me, this is going to be the definitive video if you’re choosing between these three carsWe’ll be comparing all the vital aspects from performance, ride and handling,practicality, refinement, safety, specs as well as qualityOf course, the all-important detail which is how much these cars cost when you go to the fuel pumpswill be answered as well. Everything you’ll ever need to knowabout these three cars you’ll find out todaySo Matt, take it away!Well guys, I’ve been dying to say this. Welcome to Driven 2018 – now cue the musicThe third-generation Myvi is all new inside and out, giving the nameplate afresh new image since the 2005 original. The winning formula hasn’t changed muchso it’s still a practical, dependable and most importantly affordable car for many MalaysiansThe top spec 1. 5 Advance model with allthe bells and whistles is priced at a reasonable RM55,300That’s less than the old oneThe Iriz 1. 6 Premium meanwhile is a little bit more expensive at RM56,950The car Proton launched in 2014 was certainly ahead-turner but crucially it was flawed in many areas so it wasn’t the game changerthe company had hoped it would beIt has taken Proton a long time to perfect its Myvi fighter but it has nowbeen significantly refined under the skinBelieve it or not, the Kia Picanto is the most affordable car here at RM49,888Now in its third generation the Picanto hasn’t grown by much butit has matured into a much more accomplished product with a more mainstream appealLike the Iriz, there’s high hopes placed on this model as it’ssupposed to account for 50% of Kia’s total sales in MalaysiaNow as usual we’ll start off with looks. 99. 9% of the design of the Myvi was done locallyand I love what they’ve come up with. I like the body kit and I also like thedesign of the 15-inch wheels, but there’s one thing that I don’t get, which is thelack of LED DRLs – now even the highest spec model doesn’t come with itIf I was a designer, designing a car for the Malaysian local market, I woulddefinitely have them on. But maybe Perodua is keeping them for the facelift modelNow the overall good looks continues to the back, especially with this integratedrear spoiler and the wide bumper inserts, but there is one thing thoughthe body kit, which comes with the car does not extend to the rear bumperThe Iriz, well, it looks just like the older Iriz, save for new black highlights on the roof, here aswell as on the grille, which also gets a nice 3D Proton emblemWell it’s just too bad Proton didn’t give this a proper visual faceliftIn terms of looks, I don’t think the Iriz is particularly eye-catchingbut you know what they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholderBut I must say one thing though, now that the Myvi has dropped its tall hatchbackproportions for a more modern and matured look, kinda makes this car looked a littlebit outdated don’t you think?On looks alone, the Kia Picanto would be my pickbecause it just looks so funky and fresh and the LED DRLslook absolutely gorgeous here. One more thing, the colour options available onthis car is a lot more interesting than the other two cars. But on the other handit’s kind of spoiled by this whole low-spec look of it with the small wheelsand body coloured door pillars. As for the back, well, it really does remind you of the Perodua Axia, doesn’t it?But on the inside there’s no mistaking this fora Perodua because it just looks so unique. The Picanto may look low spec on theoutside but it doesn’t from inside here because of this big touchscreenAnd other than the fact that the side aircon vents feel a little bit cheap to operatethe rest of the cabin has impressive build quality, especially for the moneyIt’s all hard plastics of course. I mean you’d have to be dreaming to expect anysort of soft touch here, but the fit and finish feels far better than the other two local carsAnd the leather steering wheel especially which i think is veryvery important because it’s the only thing you touch all day, feels of ahigher quality compared to the other two carsIf there’s one complaint, it’s this fabric seats, but then again I think goodfabric is much better than fake leatherWell the leather on the Myvi is not so bad butI do feel that the steering wrap, well it could have been done better but overallthe design of the dashboard is very nice. I feel that it’s the best dashboard designthat Perodua has ever come up with and at the center area over here it’s a bitmore driver focused and the dual layered design gives it a bit of a modern touchPersonally I don’t really like this airbag cutout over here – it kind of looks out of placeBut there’s good reason for it – now if let’s say you get into anaccident and the airbag deploys, after that you need to replace the entireairbag and you only need to change this area of the dashboardYou don’t need to change the entire dashboard which can be very expensiveNow overall considering everything in terms of quality I feelit’s very decent at the price point and if you compare it with the Proton I feel it’s better too. Ah yes, Proton build quality It’s actually not as bad as you think hereand it is definitely better than older Proton modelsThe textured plastic they use here look alright and it doesn’t feel too cheap if you touch on them hardBut the thing is it’s still not as polished as the Myvi andespecially the Picanto, and if you look hard enough you’re gonna find a few misaligned panelsAs for the design itself I honestly think it’s alrightthere’s a newfound sense of symmetry which I like and you know the all-blackscheme here looks much better than all the Persona’s half-black, half-grey approachNow for the seats itself I think it’s one of the best Proton has madeThere’s enough lumbar support and thigh support but I think largerindividuals are gonna find it a little bit too cosseting. On the bright sideyou’ve got Martini racing stripes How cool is that?Now let’s talk about the rear accommodation, and I’ve got to tell youthat the Myvi wins in this department. The legroom is the biggest and thecenter hump over here it’s also small and very less intrusive and the bestpart of everything, which is something that I really love, is this – you can recline the backrestThe proton is definitely smaller in the back here withjust about enough legroom for adults but then again it has shapelier, morecomfortable seats which can be very crucial for long distance journeys andit’s definitely better than the Myvi’s flat benchAs for the Picanto, well there’s no escaping the fact that it’s from a whole class smaller – it’s really really tightback here and it’s also far narrower than the other two, so you can forgetabout fitting three adults in the back. As for the seats themselves, I’ve hadflat park benches that are more comfortable than than thisThis lack of space continues to the boot too – rated a t255 litresIt’ll fit no more than one big bag and the load lip is unnaturally high tooSurprisingly however, this is not the smallest boot hereThat inglorious honour falls to the Iriz with just 215 litres of spaceIn the real world, it’s not as tiny as it sounds, and you can always fold the rearseats for extra space. But if you want to travel with 5 on board plus all their luggage,this isn’t the car for youAnd that’s precisely where the Myvi comes inWith 277 litres it has the largest boot here with the widest and deepest cargo bayby far – simply put if practicality is your biggest concern, get the Perodua MyviNow there are more reasons to get the Perodua Myvi. For example the 1. 5 litreDual VVT-i engine that’s positioned up front. It is not the exact same enginethat’s found in Toyota Vios, but it’s from the same family and in factit’s built in the same place in Seremban. If you drive this car back to backwith the old one you’ll notice that this is a much smoother car to driveEspecially the 1. 5 litre engine, it feels stronger and driving past the nationalspeed limit, it’s not a problem, it doesn’t feel like it’s going out of breathand it’s also a big improvement compared to the 1. 3 litre as wellCompared to the other two here, the Myvi 1. 5 falls in the middle in terms of engine outputsIt makes 102 hp and 136 Nm of torque whilethe Proton’s bigger 1. 6 litre motor offers 107 hp and 150 Nm of torqueThe 1. 2 litre Picanto is naturally the weakest one here withjust 83 hp and 122 NmAll that translates directly into actual performanceWe recorded a 0-100 km/h time of 11. 3 seconds for the Iriz, which isslightly quicker compared to 11. 5 seconds for the Myviwith a 13. 5-second time, the Picanto is a whole two seconds behind the two more powerful carsSo yes the Iriz is the fastest car here. Say what you want about Proton’s CamProengines but this latest VVT version is actually pretty goodAll the vibration from before is mostly gone now and it feels really good when you plant your foot downSome of you may or may not want to believe this, but Protons enginesaren’t as old-school as some of you might have been led to believeIts power advantage more than makes up for the extra weight which in this case isnearly 200 kg more than the Myvi and PicantoBut the good news is you don’t really feel it from behind the wheel13. 5 seconds may feel like an absolutely eternity getting from 0-100 km/hBut I’ll tell you what, the Kia Picanto doesn’t feel all that slowIt helps that it’s the lightest car here, dipping under one tonne, so even with just a1. 2 litre engine it does not feel all that underpowered like how the Perodua Axia does. Unless you compare these three cars back-to-back you willnot feel the power deficit of the Kia Picanto – I mean none of these threecars are performance cars anyway so they don’t have to feel like a GTI to driveAs a city car, the Kia Picanto is more than powerful enoughOne big advantage for the Kia is its transmission – it may only have a four-speed automatic butit’s the best one here. It up shifts very very smoothly, far better than the Myviand as soon as you flick your right foot down, it reacts very quickly with thedownshift and off you go. There’s very little of that lag, annoying delay thatyou get in the other cars. I’ve always maintained that having a 4-speed autothere’s nothing wrong with that, as long as it’s done rightand this is the perfect example of that. I mean yeah it sounds a little bit lame just havingfour speeds but if it works it worksNow the 4-speed automatic in this Myvi is not as good. It hasn’t changed much really compared to theoriginal Myvi from 13 years ago. The performance is a bit old-school it’s abit clumsy, for example if you’re driving uphill it tends to hold gear longerthan it should or when you are driving and you give it a bit more gasit tends to downshift roughly to a lower gear and high revs. And overall when youcompare it with the four-speed automatic on the Kia Picanto, it is not as smoothSo where does that leave the Iriz with its Punch CVT then? Well it’s hard tosay really because on one hand it’s a massive, massive improvement over theolder model – you no longer get a 1. 5 second delay when you want toaccelerate but it’s down to half a second now so it’s much quicker and muchmore responsive as well. But on the other hand it’s not as direct or immediate asa conventional automatic. A lot of people seem to think that CVTsare more modern than torque converters, but in this case I much rather prefer thefour-speed automatic over this any day of the weekOn the bright side, the Iriz still has the best ride and handling package here which is expectedof Proton, really. It’s a real joy to drive especially through the cornersThis steering wheel itself might be electrically-assisted and might be alittle bit too big for my liking but hey it has the best feel in this groupSimply put, if you enjoy driving, the Iriz is the only car here that’s actually any fun to driveNow the thing is, fun driving may be important to people likeyou and me – enthusiasts. But for your everyday driver, all you want is a carthat’s reliable for you to drive from point A to point B and the Perodua Myvidoes that perfectly well. So overall it is not a car that you can have a lot offun with when you’re driving behind the wheel but if you’re just like any otherdriver, it’s perfectly fine and Perodua knows this well!The Picanto falls right in between the other two cars – it’s not as enjoyable to drive as the Iriznot by a long shot, but on the other hand it’s not as numb as the Myvi eitherAnd it strikes a really good middle ground I think and the way it handles willimpress pretty much everybody whether you like driving or notIt just feels so effortless, so secure, so nimble and yet so relaxing to driveBetter yet is just how comfortable the Kia is. This may only be an A-segment hatch but it has thebest ride here. It’s the only one to have that coveted big car feelespecially in the way it handles low speed bumpsIt doesn’t rock you about so much, it just stays solid and stableAs far as ride comfort is concerned, this is nothing short of outstanding!Now as much as we would like to talk about our two local car makers havereached global standards, the difference in ride here really proves otherwiseBasically our two B-segment hatchbacks can’t even match a true world-classA-segmenter that is the KiaNow it’s not to say that the Perodua Myvi is not a comfortable car, because it isIn fact to most drivers they would find this perfectly acceptableThe thing is it has a bit of a stiff suspension setupbut the bump absorption is good and it’s better than the previous modelOverall, it is a more controlled car but the thing is when you compare it against theKia Picanto it feels like it’s one class belowwhere technically, it’s supposed to be the other way aroundThe Proton Iriz fares slightly better in this aspect as the ride feels a little bit more sophisticatedthan the Myvi. It’s not as great as the Picanto though, which is a shame but it’sstill impressive in its own right. Those who have never tried or sat in anyProtons before should really experience it yourself to see how far Proton has comeWhat I’m most impressed about this car is its refinementThe older car was loud – you know you can hear the engine,the transmission drone and the vibration it was just reverberating throughout the entire carBut all that’s gone now because the engineers have revised the positions ofthe engine mountings and it also has a brand new exhaust systemYou’d be surprised by how all these little things make the cars so much betterIn fact we measured that the Proton is thequietest car here under full throttle as we recorded a maximum noise level ofjust 71 dB compared to 72 dB for the Kia Picanto and 77 dB for the MyviNow who would have guessed that?Peroduas having a vocal engine is morelike a brand characteristic now but having said that it is stillsignificantly better than the previous model and when it comes to idling it isstill quieter than the Proton as well because it does not have a loud fanNow Malaysian traffic being the way it is, that counts for a lot!The Kia meanwhile, is even quieter still at idle – we recorded a maximum of 43 dB at a standstillThat’s a full 5 dB less than the Iriz and 3 dB under the MyviIf you understand sound levels, that’s a big difference! The same story goes for a steady cruise tooWe recorded a maximum of 69 dB for this car at 110 km/h, while the other two cars areslightly louder at 71 dB. Combine that with this car’s impressive rideand surprise, surprise, the cheapest, smallest car here is the most refinedmost comfortable car in this group!To measure fuel economy, we tested the cars withPETRONAS Primax, the Winning Formula that keeps the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Motorsport Teamwinning time and time againDesigned to deliver on track and on the road,this is truly advanced Formula 1 engineering, available at the nearest PETRONAS stationOver everyday driving conditions, the Proton Iriz averaged12. 4 km/litreSurprisingly the smaller and lighter Kia Picantoonly faired marginally better at 13. 6 km/litreBest of all was the Perodua Myvi which managed to return 14. 3 km/litre, or a good 15% better than the IrizAlright, before we wrap up, we’re gonna take a look at each other’s carsto see the five things that we like or don’t like about them. Matt’s gonna startwith the Kia Picanto first, so do your worst, man!Right, let’s do this!I think it’s a shame that we don’t get this sportier GT-line package becausethat looks so much better and the optional Novus body kit that we get isnot. . it’s not nice because it’s really uglyBut it does get full Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, making it thecheapest car in Malaysia to get this. I think that’s awesomeToo bad though that there’s only one USB charging port available and it’s theonly car here that doesn’t offer any for the rear passengersOn the flipside it is the only one of the lot to come with rear disc brakes. Now I know it’s notgonna do much in terms of stopping power for a car this size but it does look nice, right?And lastly, the warranty. All three carshere come with five years warranty but only Kia offers it with unlimited mileageThe other two on the other hand are limited to 150,000 kmNow as part of the 2017 refinement updates, Proton removed quitea few things, one of them being automatic headlights. Why?Now on to the inside, the steering wheel feels a little bit too big, so it gives you that feeling that it is not nimbleNow Proton has also upgraded the instrument panel, giving ita new design but the numbering on the meters – they are a bit too small so ifyou are looking at it while driving at a quick glance, you might miss itStill, I’ll pick the Proton Iriz when it comes to crash safety – one of the reasonsbehind that is a material called hot press forming (HPF). Now this material is used atcertain sections of the car to make it stronger when it comes to a crashThe other reason is that the Proton Iriz comes with something calledimpact-sensing door locks which will automatically unlock the car in case youget into a crash, so it’s easier for you to get out of the car all to be taken outAll three cars have six airbags and electronic stability control all as standardBut the Myvi is the only one to have autonomous emergency braking (AEB)Yes, it may only work at up to 30 km/h but hey it’s better than nothing right?The downside is, having cameras right there does mean that if you do need toreplace the whole windscreen, you have to bring it back to Perodua to recalibrate themSo guys, please check windscreen coverage for your car insuranceWhat I do love is the built-in SmartTAG reader complete with a balance displayand a top-up reminder – I think that’s genius!What’s not so great is the Eco Idle start/stop system. Yes it can save you a little bit of fuel here and therebut having the engine turn on and off all the time can get really annoyingreally quickly. It’s the first thing that I turn off when I get into the carLast but not least, the Myvi is the only one to give you a full-size spare tyreinstead of space savers and not only that, you also get a full-size alloy wheelNow that’s convenient!Okay boys time to pick a winner. So at the beginning of the video we asked the questionShould the Myvi be the default choice for all Malaysians? Well, the answer is not so simpleOur take is, it should not be your only option because there are alternatives – two very good ones, actuallyThe Kia Picanto especially may only be an A-segmenter but it stillmanages to offer the best refinement, best ride comfort and build qualityThe same goes for the Proton Iriz as well – it may not be brand new but the 2017 updateactually made it a significantly better car than it was before. Plus it handlesthe best in this group no doubts about that!So where does that leave the Perodua Myvi? Well that’ll be on top of our listNow the Perodua Myvi deserves every bit of its success because it is a big leapforward for Perodua. Now at the end of the day, good looks and fun handlingwell that caters to a certain group of people only. With the Perodua Myvi, youhave very good fuel economy, you have ample space and you have Perodua’s verydependable brand image, which caters to everyone else right?So for all that, the Perodua Myvi is the best, most complete car hereSo where does that leave the other two cars, Matt?Well as much as I like the Iriz, I think it’s reallystarting to show its age right here especially if you put it against these twoIt’s still very much a relevant option for you to consider if you enjoy drivingbut for those of you who want to get from point A to point B, these two arethe better options. Yep so the Kia Picanto falls in betweenthe two local cars. It may be very small inside but it’s still a very good optionI think for youngsters who want to be different. And let’s not forgetit’s the cheapest car here!So it’s settled then – the Myvi comes out on top, but don’t discount the other twoI hope you’ve enjoyed watching this episode of Drivenpowered by PETRONAS Primax. Thank you so much for watchingWe will see you in the next one!
