Nissan UP_SHIFT_its Z_car to 370z for 2009

Click on images to enlargeWhile our fellow Malaysian sportscar enthusiasts are busy lapping up used Nissan 350Zs in reconditioned form with JDM-specs (grey AP imports), Nissan Motor Co. has just revealed the latest incarnation of its iconic Z-car for 2009 model year.

Unlike the dramatic transformation of the R34 Skyline GT-R to R35 GT-R, Nissan seemed to have taken the evolutionary path for its new Z-car, with much of the 350Z' basic shape retained. In fact, I initially reckoned the all-new Z of being like what Audi has done for its A4 transition from B6 to B7. However, dimensions-wise, the new 370Z has actually defied the usual convention of a successor model outgrowing the older model.




Case in point, the new Z's wheelbase is actually about 100mm shorter than the 350Z, compacted by moving the rear axle forward on Nissan's FM platform. In tandem, the overall length of the new Z has shrunken by about 68mm. Thankfully, both width and track have been increased by 33mm and 55mm respectively. In line with this wider-profiled sportier intent, the new 370Z coupe also sits lower by 75mm.



I suppose the real deal with the new 370Z lies beneath its metal sheets, especially with the now upsized VQ-series V6 engine displacing a larger 3.7-litre. Nissan's VQ37VHR engine with VVEL (Variable Valve Event and Lift) is rated at 332 hp @ 7,000 rpm and 366 Nm of torque @ 5,200 rpm, compared with the previous 3.5-litre V6's 306 hp @ 6,800 rpm and 363 Nm of torque @ 4,800 rpm. Approximately 35% of the engine parts are new versus the previous motor. Along with its larger displacement, the new engine is claimed to give better power delivery all the way to the 7,500 rpm redline, improved low-end power and more high-end torque. The new 370Z has also shed 46 kg over the model it replaces, with Nissan engineers revising the coupe's body structure and improving front body torsional rigidity by up to 30 percent.

With higher power output, a lighter body and a new 7-speed automatic transmission or a close-ratio 6-speed manual, the new 370Z should be significantly quicker than the outgoing model, but no official performance figures are available at the time of writing. A more compact lengthwise dimension plus a wider, lower squat should improve agility and handling.







In overview, Nissan revived its iconic Z-car lineage with their reinvented 2002 model. Now - 6 years later - for the successor Z, nearly every piece and component has been rethought or redesigned. With greater use of lightweight body materials (the bonnet is all-aluminium), new engine with more horsepower and improved fuel efficiency, a new 7-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters - or the world's first synchronized downshift rev matching system for the 6-speed manual - and a reworked higher-quality interior, Nissan seemed destined for greater presence - along with the monstrous R35 GT-R - in the sportscar arena.

2009 Porsche Cayman and Cayman S with DFI and PDK!

Click on images to enlarge
Porsche’s Boxster-based coupe – first launched in 2006 - the Cayman and Cayman S, has undergone a nip and tuck for 2009. Beauty is however, not only skin deep for this mid-engine Porsche with an integral metal roof. Yes! You guessed right…like the recently facelifted 911(997), the Cayman range will also get new boxer engines, that fantastic twin-clutch PDK gearbox and higher performance suspension tweaks.

The base Cayman now beats with a 2.9-litre direct-injected flat-six motor capable of 265hp, a gain of 20hp over the previous 2.7L lump. The 3.4L boxer in the Cayman S is carried over to the 2009 model but now sports direct fuel injection (DFI). As such, it can now pump out 320 of naturally aspirated horses, which is a hike of 25hp over the previous S-model.

As with the 911 facelift exercise, both Cayman variants will have Porsche's Doppelkupplungetriebe (PDK) 7-speed automated-manual ‘box which can shift gears quicker with uninterrupted torque delivery. Other added benefit include a lower fuel consumption and lower emissions too. In PDK form, this Porsche ‘entry-level’ sports coupe will zip from zero to 100 km/h in 6 secs flat i.e. 0.1 seconds faster than the 5-speed manual older Cayman.

More interestingly, the 2009 Cayman S with PDK (using Launch Control) will be capable of century sprint figures of sub-5 sec now (4.9 sec to be exact) whereas the predecessor with a manual 6-speed shifter ‘only’ managed 5.9 sec. The previous Tiptronic S fitted Cayman S does it in 6.1 sec. Improved suspension geometry and damper settings have enhanced the 2009 Cayman/Cayman S’ handling and agility, while maintaining comfortable levels of ride pliancy. Expect Porsche Communication Management (PCM) as standard whereby the interface of the infotainment-navigation system is by way of a touch-screen LCD, not some cumbersome blob of rotary-knob-and-cursor-buttons variety. Impressively, Jaguar is the other premium auto maker utilising such smarter, simpler, more intuitive and hence safer-to-use touch-screen LCD interface. Lexus is the other luxury automotive brand employing similar solution to their in-car navi-infotainment system, in their GS and LS models.

The refreshed Cayman models are slated to go on sale by Q1 2009 in Europe. For Wheels reckon it will be Q4 2009, or even Q1 2010, for right-hand drive models to make it to Malaysian shores. Expect PDK to be standard equipment for all local Cayman models, with a likely 15% - 20% price premiums over the pre-facelift Caymans.

You may want to read these:

Porsche World Roadshow 2007 - Part 1
Porsche World Roadshow 2007 - Part 2

European Car of the Year 2009: Opel Insignia

The Opel/Vauxhall Insignia has won the European Car of the Year 2009 (COTY), an accolade conferred by a panel of 59 automotive journalists from 23 countries.

To be eligible for COTY, a car must be launched within the past 12 months and must be available in at least five European countries. The judging panel reviewed criteria such as design, safety, handling and performance. Other important factors considered were technical innovations and value-for-money. The competition’s first stage was in October 2008, when jurors voted and short listed seven finalists from a field of 37 contenders. From these 7 finalists, the COTY panel of judges then voted a second round to pinpoint the overall winner.

Points garnered by the Opel Insignia for COTY 2008 were 321, while the Ford Fiesta was just short of one point of a tie, at 320. Third place went to the VW Golf Mk6 with 223 points. The other COTY finalists were the Citroen C5 with 198 points, Alfa MiTo scored 148 marks, Skoda Superb managed 144 points and Renault Megane registered 121 points.

With this European COTY 2009 award, the Insignia is the third Opel/Vauxhall model to have earned such a prestigious recognition. For the record, the Opel Kadett clinched the title in 1985. Following this, the Omega found repeated success in 1987. Thereafter, Opel has not been able to overcome the awards drought, until now.

NST-CBT Car of the Year 2008: May the best car wins!

This is the seventh year Cars.Bikes.Trucks has organised the Car of the Year (COTY) and being the first, the CBT team had surely gained a lot of experience to make the event better than the previous years.

For this year, the list of judges has grown and CBT have invited a few judges from other industries. This is done because cars are designed not only for car nuts, but for everyone. Including those not from the motoring industry will shade new perspectives in the COTY judging process.

As usual, only new models or those with significant updates (facelifts which includes technical changes, revision of pricing or ownership of the brand) can enter the COTY. Judges will have to get acquainted to all the nominees and with more than 60 cars, this can be quite a challenge.

Winners will be announced during the official event dinner on 27th November 2008.

The COTY Nominees for 2008 are:

A) Entry Level Car
1. Chevrolet Aveo Notchback
2. Hyundai Accent
3. Hyundai i10
4. Naza Forza
5. Proton Saga
6. Toyota Vios

B) Premium Small Car
1. Fiat Bravo
2. Honda Jazz
3. Renault Clio 1.6L
4. Volvo C30
5. Proton Satria Neo R3

C) Family Car
1. Chevrolet Optra Magnum
2. Hyundai Elantra
3. Nissan Sylphy
4. Proton Gen2 CPS
5. Proton Persona IAFM
6. Proton Waja CPS
7. Suzuki SX4 Crossover
8. Toyota Altis

D) Executive Car (below RM200,000)
1. Honda Accord 2.0 / 2.4L
2. Mazda6 2.5L
3. Peugeot 407 CKD
4. Volvo V50 2.4L

E Premium Executive Car (above RM200,000)
1. Jaguar XF
2. Lexus GS300 Facelift
3. Mercedes-Benz E230 Avantgarde
4. Honda Accord 3.5L V6
5. Mercedes Benz C230 Avantgarde Advance
6. Lexus IS 250
7. Audi A4 1.8T

F) Limousine
1. Mercedes-Benz S500 CKD
2. Lexus LS460 SWB

G) Performance Car (below RM300,000)
1. Hyundai Coupe FX
2. Mazda MX5
3. Volkswagen EOS
4. Peugeot 308GT
5. Honda Civic Type R
6. Peugeot 207CC
7. Renault Megane CC
8. Renault Megane F1 R26
9. Renault Clio RS
10. VW Polo GTI

H) Performance Car (above RM300,000)
1. BMW M3
2. Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution (X)
3. Volkswagen Golf R32
4. Audi TT
5. BMW 135i
6. Mercedes Benz SL350
7. Mercedes Benz SLK200

I) Midi MPV
1. Grand Livina
2. Honda Stream
3. Mazda5
4. Toyota Rush (2WD)
5. Kia Rondo

J) Large MPV
1. Hyundai Starex 2.5CRDi VGT
2. Mercedes-Benz R280
3. Renault Grand Espace
4. Chery Eastar

K) SUV
1. Chevrolet Captiva 2.0D AWD
2. Perodua Nautica AWD

L) Premium SUV
1. Audi Q7
2. Mazda CX9
3. BMW X6

M) Pickup Truck
1. Mitsubishi Triton 2.5L Lite
2. Mitsubishi Triton 3.2L Auto

The panel of COTY judges are:

Yamin Vong
Editor, Cars, Bikes & Trucks and
Chairman, Panel of Judges, COTY 2008

Hezeri Samsuri
News Editor, CBT and BH Auto

Paul David
Technical Editor, CBT

Thomas Huong
Senior Writer CBT

Lee Pang Seng (Leeps)
Editor for Auto International and contributor for a few other local publications

Justin Ong
cars.my

Shamsul Yunos
Contributing Editor for Bike Trader and contributor for a few local publications. He has published his own book on getting the best (fuel economy) from your car.

Chew Wooi Foo
ShangHai Business Monthly

Yani Fadzil
Deputy Editor Harper’s Bazaar

Dato Dr Teoh Siang Chin
An activist in the medical fraternity on health and safety issues regarding the transport industry. He is also an accomplished motorcyclist and car enthusiast

Professor Sulik Sulaiman
Uniiversity Darul Iman Malaysia, Faculty of Design, Innovation and Technology

Dr Max Long :)
A private medical doctor, an automotive contributor and has an automotive blog: For Wheels

Awesome Drive: The FD2R Civic Type-R

I am sure you have heard all the superlatives by now…like it’s quicker than the DC-5 Integra Type-R on track laps and that Malaysia is the only country where the JDM Type-R sedan is officially being exported to.

Truth be told, I wasn’t really enthusiastic about this dressed up (or stripped-down for that matter) 8^th generation Civic in a white tuxedo, with matching white ‘socks’, not at least initially. Seeing that the new Lancer Evolution (X) was also up for sampling with its turbocharged output of 295ps/366Nm, the Type-R is ‘only’ worth a 'nerdy' 222ps and 215Nm. With Mitsu Evo’s WRC heritage plus an armamentarium of S-AWC, AYC, ACD, TC-SST, ASC, Sports ABS et al, I had a foregone conclusion that the relatively cheaper Honda will be a plain walkover, even before the ignition key or start button is turned or pushed on respectively. I guess you would too, wouldn’t you?

Now, almost a month after sampling the Honda Malaysia’s officially marketed Type-R, I am still like a kid yearning to able to toy around with it again someday, even if I have to beg, borrow or steal it! The sweetness of its K20A - in Spec-R state and tune - cannot be described in words. It never gets breathless and is probably the best N/A 4-pot in the world. This epitome of Honda’s internal combustion engineering (much like the NSX-R) sounded like it can spin and sing happily all day, all night, at its 8,400rpm redline. The scream of the wild-cam VTEC past 5000rpm was reminiscent of the facelifted 911 Carrera 4/4S - though on a toned-down, lightweight scale – and needless to say, an auditory delight. Along with the stripped-off insulation materials of the anterior wheel wells, firewall, dashboard and floorpan, I reckon this is about as connected as you can get - between man and machine - in a road legit car. Yes, in this sense the Type-R resonates a purer driving experience than the Mitsu in red.

And oh! The close ratio manual gearbox with its quick action, perfectly weighted short shifts definitely played a significant role as well. With gears 3rd through to 6^th keeping the rev bumped up circa 4500rpm and beyond, the K20A-R is kept at its sweet spot, raring to rocket the Championship White (you can't have it in any other shade!) Civic at a moment’s notice of your right foot. These relatively low gearings apparently also kept the drive from hovering anywhere near the K20A-R’s inherent torque dip in the 3500rpm whereabouts. Neat.

The Civic Type-R’s steering is accurate and sharp off-centre but never jittery on a high speed run. In fact, the rack is very nicely weighted for a FWD set-up. I maxed out at an indicated 186km/h before the speed limiter kicked in by executing what felt like fuel starvation. Never have I ever imagined that a FWD vehicle can have such tremendous front grip, knowing the limitations of having both front donuts executing propulsion forces, apart form the obligatory steering and braking duties. The limited slip differential (LSD) is beautifully and discreetly working in keeping the FD2R faithful to its intended cornering line, with nary a tyre chirp or whimpering. Credit also has to go to the standard issue Bridgestone Potenza RE070A incorporating semi-slick tread compound. The traction is so enormous that I couldn’t ruffle the rear axle from its leeching claw to the ground.

Comfortably noted were the excellent bucket seats. Recaro-made or not, the pair in front is better sculpted to most of us Asians, as opposed to the more premium Recaros in the Evo X, which hugs tighter at the scapulas (shoulder) and thoracic rib-cage. Spotted in the big, proper sedan-size practical boot is an extra strut brace across the rear seat backrest.

The biggest bugbear of the FD2R has to the unyielding damping (read: stiffness) of its suspension. This translates into an utterly harsh ride across lumpy tarmacs. Sometimes to the extent of hopping over speed humps at its rear. Also, the Type-R can be choppy on some poor motorway’s undulating surface at speed. But the FD2R isn’t exactly made or tuned for straight line motoring. It’s actually quite track-ready and is utmost happy on B-roads. So will the driver ever be, with that silly glee on his/her face along with moist tears of joy, as he/she strings up the corners one after another. Savouring an experience that is going to be etched long and hard in the temporal lobe of his or her grey matter.

On Test: 2008 Honda Jazz 1.5V Modulo

It is with the Jazz model in 2002/03 that Honda reinvented the supermini genre with unprecedented versatility, exceptional space, decent drive and desirability factor unheard of for a hatch this size. Honda upsized the Jazz in August this year with its 2nd generation in Malaysia, with an updated 1.5 i-VTEC motor plus a 5-speed auto 'box, instead of CVT.

How well this cute hatch drives is relevant to a lot of Honda fans in Malaysia, seeing the very same drivetrain will be featured in the upcoming all-new 3rd gen City sedan, due mid-December 2008. Has the new Jazz found new wind and added vigour with its 120ps powerplant? Watch this blog for a test report soon...

Peugeot 407 Test Drive Campaign: Part Deux

To those who have missed the recent Peugeot 407 Test Drive Me campaign, fret not. Nasim Sdn Bhd has planned a second round of the 2008 Peugeot 407 Test Drive Me campaign at more venues with a lineup of more fun activities.

All are invited to participate in the latest installment of the Peugeot 407 Test Drive Me campaign at Peugeot Blue Box Glenmarie, Peugeot Bangsar, Peugeot Klang, Peugeot KS Blue Box, Peugeot JB (Plentong) and Peugeot Penang - from 10am until 7pm - on 15 & 16 November 2008. For more information on the event, contact Peugeot Careline at 1-800-88-6292.