| Reviews |
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| MotorMuse Review - Kia Sportage |
| Type: reviews |
Date: 08/09/2010 |
A taste of luxury is an intoxicating thing, but all too often it's a fleeting pleasure. The finer things in life tend to come with even finer price tags, way beyond the likes of you and me.
But not always. You see, the luxury gap has closed so much in the SUV world that the dreams of a few years ago are now a tangible reality for those of us without magic self-refilling wallets. Especially if you're looking at the… more |
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| MotorMuse Review - Fiat Punto Evo Multiair |
| Type: reviews |
Date: 03/09/2010 |
Compact hatchbacks are no longer what they used to be nowadays. The best thing is, most of them provide big car convenience and specification, in a small package. It's a boon to own, and designed to be cost-efficient to run for the urbanites, you can never go wrong with one.
That should explain its expanding popularity among the motoring masses. From first time car buyers to young families, and even to retirees, everyone seem to slowly favour them now.
Spoilt… more |
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| MotorMuse Review - Volkswagen Scirocco R |
| Type: reviews |
Date: 01/09/2010 |
While the whole world is busy with hybrids and whatnots - which bores the general public to death anyway - Volkswagen decided to give us all something much more exciting.
Well this should cause all you greenies to bite your nails, but for us dying breed of adrenalin junkies, a car like this is simply a God sent.
You see, regular cars we normally see on the roads are just plain boring. Hybrids sound too bourgeois and they’re so bloody… more |
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| MotorMuse Review - Volkswagen Polo Sport |
| Type: reviews |
Date: 30/08/2010 |
While test-driving Volkswagen’s diminutive turbocharged Polo Sport, the reverse sensors refuse to work.
Not that it mattered anyway, simply because the Polo is already so compact and easy to drive, it’s a wonder why anyone would actually need reverse sensors to park one. On that note, it’s appalling to see how reverse sensors have become a staple in any small cars, even on a - get this - Chery QQ.
You see, the Polo is a hatchback with a length… more |
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| MotorMuse Review - Skoda Fabia |
| Type: reviews |
Date: 25/08/2010 |
Let us all be honest here. Skoda’s new Fabia is nondescript and won’t set your adrenalin pumping one bit. And with that, most will opine that it’s just another hatchback slapped with a European badge and then tagged to a ridiculous-for-its-size premium asking price.
Actually to be fair, it’s more than that. The magic lies mainly under its skin.
Well, it’s no secret that Skoda’s luck has been turning for the better ever since the Volkswagen Group bought them over.… more |
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| MotorMuse Review - Porsche Cayman S |
| Type: reviews |
Date: 23/08/2010 |
Not too long ago, drivers could only choose between the manual and automatic transmissions. Some car makers tried to spice things up by coming up with semi-automatic transmissions – essentially a manual transmission but without the clutch pedal.
It wasn’t until the arrival of the revolutionary twin-clutch automatic transmission that things started to get exciting. Audi was the first to introduce it on the first-generation Audi TT 3.2, and other car makers very soon caught on to it.
Porsche debuted… more |
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| MotorMuse Road Trip - Driving to Cherating |
| Type: reviews |
Date: 20/08/2010 |
There’s this “fear” among some Singaporean car owners who seem to think that you can’t go far in a small car. They would rather fly or take the bus, which is a shame really, as they’re missing out on the pleasure of driving long distance. Let’s face it – driving in Singapore and its neighbour, Malaysia is very much different, as in Malaysia, you get more interesting sceneries along the roads.
Especially if you decide to skip the highways and… more |
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| Motormuse Review - Toyota Camry Hybrid |
| Type: reviews |
Date: 18/08/2010 |
To young drivers, the thought of buying a Toyota Camry is probably about as exciting as an invitation to watch the grass grow. Amongst local towkays and family men however, it is simply a sensible choice for a car.
From a practical standpoint, the Camry offers plenty of space and refinement for its segment. The Toyota badge means it's reliable, and the fact that the Camry is seen as a step nearer to Lexus, doesn’t hurt either.
But until the… more |
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| MotorMuse Review - Nissan Qashqai+2 |
| Type: reviews |
Date: 17/08/2010 |
Since its inception in 2007, the Nissan Qashqai has been well received by the car-buying public across the globe, particularly in Europe - hardly surprising for this compact crossover SUV was conceived with the European consumers in mind.
After all, it was styled by Nissan’s European design office, while Nissan Technical Centre Europe was responsible for the engineering development.
Back to the present, the Qashqai was recently treated to a mild mid-cycle facelift, but more importantly, there is now a… more |
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| MotorMuse Review - Lotus Elise 1.6 |
| Type: reviews |
Date: 12/08/2010 |
Previously, the Lotus Elise came only with two different engines - a Toyota-sourced 1.8-litre that’s either naturally-aspirated, or for the more adventurous buyer, a supercharged one. My personal favourite has always been the supercharged variant, as (a) it offers one of the best bang-for-buck performance, and (b) makes me feel more manly driving one (also because it looks bloody good when you drive it sideways).
But surprisingly, their recently introduced “entry-level” variant is really something else.
Here’s why. Firstly it’s… more |
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| MotorMuse Review - Audi S5 Sportback |
| Type: reviews |
Date: 07/08/2010 |
To the layman, it may seem like Audi has merely given two more doors to the S5 coupe to create the new S5 Sportback. But is it really the case?
Get up close and personal with the new four-door car and you will soon realise that it is actually not as similar to the coupe as its looks imply.
First and foremost, the S5 Sportback has a totally different motor underneath its aluminium bonnet from the coupe. In place of… more |
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| Little Evan the Big F1 Fan |
| Type: reviews |
Date: 04/08/2010 |
Since he caught on the F1 fever from last year’s inaugural SingTel Singapore Grand Prix, Evan has been collecting a library of F1 books, DVDs and magazines.
“I like F1 because the cars can go very very fast. I have well over 30 F1 books and magazines now. Each time we go out I will ask to go to the book store to get the latest. I also surf the Internet and recently just pre-ordered the latest F1 Nintendo Wii… more |
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| MotorMuse Review - Kia Soul |
| Type: reviews |
Date: 04/08/2010 |
Kia’s new Soul, in all honesty, doesn’t deserve the name “Soul”.
Let’s face it – a mass-produced car is just designed to be appealing to a regular consumer. If you want soul, well, you should look in the direction of Alfa Romeo.
Instead, Kia should have been much more adventurous and call it “Funk”. Now, if you were to look closely, the Funk… Err… I mean Soul, has an exterior that really is funky. The sort that will appeal to… more |
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| Local Race Driver Series: Yuey Tan |
| Type: reviews |
Date: 03/08/2010 |
Yuey Tan used to watch the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix when he was living in Adelaide, Australia as a boy. It was there that he developed the interest for motor racing and subsequently received proper driver training at the Porsche Sport Driving School in Mount Cotton, Australia, where he completed all five levels of training on how to control a car at high speeds.
Back in Singapore, he became a member of the Porsche Club Singapore and regularly joined… more |
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| Michelin Pilot Sport 3 tyre launch |
| Type: reviews |
Date: 03/08/2010 |
The new Michelin Pilot Sport 3 (PS3) tyre comes on the heels of its highly-successful predecessor, the Michelin Pilot Sport 2.
The PS3 launch event took place at the Kaeng Krachan circuit in Hua Hin, Thailand. We were given the opportunity to try the tyre under different conditions at various stations set up around the circuit.
Excellent Sport Handling
Using the BMW 325i sedan, we drove round a pre-defined route which had sharp corners and bends that allowed us to… more |
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| MotorMuse Review - Toyota Alphard |
| Type: reviews |
Date: 02/08/2010 |
In Singapore, it is not uncommon to hear drivers replacing their vehicles with multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs) when they start their own families – even when they are awaiting the arrival of their first-born.
Just why do they need an MPV that can seat up to eight people when there are only the two (three when the baby arrives) of them? Well, a maid will inevitably become an unofficial member of their family, while the remaining seats will go to either… more |
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| MotorMuse Review - BMW 535i |
| Type: reviews |
Date: 01/08/2010 |
In this world, there are two types of drivers: the Sunday driver and the Monday driver.
We all know what a “Sunday driver” is. Those sort who drive leisurely on a Sunday even on the fastest lane without caring what’s behind them. So what’s a “Monday driver” then, you ask? Well, these are the bunch who drive to work on a Monday morning, still thinking it’s a Sunday – nonchalantly hogging the fastest lane and causing delays for others during… more |
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| MotorMuse Review - Audi TT RS Roadster |
| Type: reviews |
Date: 23/07/2010 |
If you’ve read the Audi TT RS coupe review by our Editor previously, you would have known that he actually thought that the TT RS was a pointless car. That is until he actually drove the car and in a funny twist, came away impressed.
I, on the contrary, can’t wait to put the TT RS through its paces ever since Audi gave the green light for its production. After all, I came away from the test drive of the… more |
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| MotorMuse Review - Skoda Yeti |
| Type: reviews |
Date: 21/07/2010 |
I never fancy SUVs, and as mentioned in my previous review, like my cars to be quirky. So when Skoda offered me this new Yeti, it seems there’s just something they’re trying to tell me.
You see, the Yeti is considered an “SUV” to most. Sure, it makes sense – sporty-looking, and you can utilize it in so many ways. But then, it doesn’t look like your typical SUV – there’s no cue of a, say, CR-V, Vitara or Forester.… more |
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| MotorMuse Review - Mercedes-Benz E350 Cabriolet |
| Type: reviews |
Date: 20/07/2010 |
If you're a fan of horror-meister Stephen King, you've probably come across the novel Christine.
For the uninitiated, Christine is a story about a car (a red 1958 Plymouth Fury, to be exact) that's possessed by an evil spirit. In the novel, Christine is purchased by a geeky secondary school kid named Arnie who's always being bullied.
But as Arnie slowly restores her, he goes from being shy to assertive (perhaps “arrogant” is more appropriate) and ends up with the… more |
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