BMW i8

A Glimpse of the Future

Before the Unveil

Before the Unveil

BMW has been with us for the many decades with an incredible line of achievements and stories. From aero plane propellers to providing the monstrous engine to the McLaren F1 and now heading into the future of hybrid technology with the brand new BMW i8 which in today’s era is a very intriguing topic today for us petrolheads.

During the Unveiling Night with the Supercars

It is intoxicating to see a very futuristic hybrid sports car being featured and coming to life especially after seeing its concept being featured in Tom Cruise’s Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol film and it has obviously drew a lot of attention.  Ever since I got the news that the i8 is going to be unveiled to the public in my hometown I have waiting for months for the car’s arrival at my local BMW showroom and finally on June 11th I got a call from BMW that it is finally here. At that period I was having my finals but I decided to take a break and take a look at this futuristic hybrid. Sadly that day, I only spent about 15 minutes with my friend, Eric, to witness the i8 because it was really dirty from the shipping and it was going to be put away for the Saturday unveiling night which I wasn’t able to attend.

Fortunately that night, Eric was able to and he has kindly shared his pictures of the night event of the unveiling as well as the attendance of the Supercar Club.

Some quick facts and numbers: 231 horsepower from a considerably and surprisingly small 1.5 liter turbocharged 3-in-line engine, 131 horsepower from the electric motor combined to produce a total 362 horsepower under a six speed automatic Steptronic Automatic transmission.

After the exams on Monday 15th June, I managed to return to the showroom to have a more in depth view of the BMW i8.

First impressions, I think this car looks incredibly good. It’s not just the about the futuristic design but it doesn’t feel too plain nor too excess of that sporty-racy feel, it’s just exquisite and the amazing thing is the design still makes it feel like a BMW despite several new features like the swan-wing doors, the sharp shark-nose grill, the new angel-eyed headlights, the unique chassis design and more of carbon fiber.

Swan-wing doors as any uplifting doors aren’t the easiest things in the world to get in or out of the car especially for very clumsy people with big buttocks like me. Inside the i8, it is all typical BMW, neat and well-organized but personally I wish of the interior was to have more exotic materials carbon fiber. The back seats you can consider them to be very unnecessary unless you have both legless and armless passengers to access them. In addition, the i8 would not be the best of shopping carts, over 150 liters of boot space; just several small bags will make do.

What BMW has done here yet again is another bold move and a rather brilliant one. To be frank, a Toyota Prius is fair enough I have always been skeptical about hybrid technology for sportscars/supercars. I am still one of those dinosaurs with the ideas of the bigger the engine and more the cylinders the better, I think at one point it is still something we petolheads are still obsessed with and I will still standby that but looking at the i8 it is like a message – “Move On!”.

I am not so sure about the other speed titan hybrids like the McLaren P1, the Porsche 918 Spyder and the Ferrari LaFerrari since I have only seen them through my screens and but the i8 has a league of its own and it has convincingly shown us an optimistic future where petrol as we all know is hitting its high scarcity point and it is here to prove that the hunger of speed isn’t over yet. I can understand it does not have the insanity and maybe loudness from V8s, V12s and other thirsty engines but yet again it is time to move on since we still are chasing the obsession of speed. Since I haven’t got the opportunity to test drive it I think I’ll stop here.

I think one of the biggest issues with this car is its hefty RM1.18 million price tag. The BMW i8 sure isn’t built to be your everyday car and there are many other cars in the market you can spend for less or more for a “better value” with more power, practicality and perhaps performance. But if you have extra money lying to afford one sure why not? With a futuristic design this fantastic which draws hundreds to thousands pairs of eyes, with performances which I have heard were positive from those who have driven it and a symbol of the future of speed, personally, even I think it’s worth it provided yet again you afford buying and maintaining the car which is the next question. This is more of a car you drive on your weekends and have fun. It’s definitely an eye-opener and a lot of potential the BMW i8 possesses.

Special thanks to BMW Regas Premium Auto for making all this possible and Eric Sim for the photos.

28th June 2014 - Mercedes AMG

Mercedes CLA AMG

Germany is home to numerous brands of manufacturers and divisions for fast cars. One of the most popular brands of them all is Mercedes together with their hardcore division known as AMG. Over the past few years AMG has been known in making hardcore and beefed up versions of current selling models like the Mercedes C, E, S class models and many others. These cars are well known to have massive engines like the V12 and V8 Bi-Turbos (twin-turbocharged). Now they have introduced a newer version known as the CLA45 AMG.

It was unexpected as there was no official unveiling but the CLA45 AMG was in Kuching about less than a week ago. It was 28^th of June on a Saturday which was my birthday so my Dad and I went to have a look at the new CLA.

 I think this car is one of the prettiest cars Mercedes is currently producing. In the front it looks completely new and modern. But at the back I think it looks even more exquisite with the wavy brake lights together with the curvy body. With the CLA45 you get all the AMG packages such as the multi-spoke alloy wheels and red accents on the side mirrors and the radiator grill. Overall I think it is a very pretty car and I think it looks even better when you encounter face to face instead of looking at it through your laptop or smart phone.

In the interior, it looks pretty straight forward; you don’t get a spaceship console with so many buttons which I quite like. You also have contrasting red stitching to the black interior which gives a nice sporty and young touch. In the front it is quite easy to get into especially if you are an average height Malaysian like me so goes the same to the back seats but you have to duck a little as you get in because of the curving structure.

I think the most intriguing thing about this vehicle is the engine. Usually we know Mercedes AMG builds massive engines like the over 6-litre sized V8s and V12s. The CLA45 AMG however has just a 2 liter turbocharged engine (hand-built) which breathes out 360 horsepower and 450Nm of torque. The 0-100kmph is said to be staggering 4.7seconds. It does have a lot of power for a considerably small heart compared to its other brethrens. With the aid of the AMG sports exhaust it still sound and feel like an AMG-tuned Mercedes, that brutal, angry, growling noise. In Malaysia, the calling price is around Rm390,000 which to be honest I would say “cheap” for an Mercedes AMG because I was expecting it to be at least half a million ringgit.

It has also been brought to my attention that the CLA is doing very well in Malaysia especially the standard CLA200. In Kuching alone, there are currently over 30 orders within a month since its official unveiling. The CLA45 AMG on the other hand around now 3 said by the salesman. In addition, the CLA200 has currently a very long waiting list which can last almost a year.

Until when I can get you an official test drive will I return with more details of the CLA whether it is the 200 or the 45 AMG model. For now I think what I really love most about the CLA is the fresh new look. It has this elegant and modern feel to it when you see it. The CLA would be an ideal car to have in the towns like Kuching as it is decently sized and a big boot and decent occupancy for four people.  I just love the design of this car. It is just a very pretty thing!

If I do buy such a car I think silver is just not the right color for such a young sporty sedan. I think this car will look good in bright violet or in pacific blue and with black contrast to the Mercedes emblem and grills. But that is just me!

7th July 2014

Bentley Flying Spur – Kuching

Bentleys are popular in little towns like Kuching here. I guess they are more manageable and also a better car to drive especially in Kuching with bumpy roads and a lot of potholes.

It has been a couple of months in Kuching I spotted this new white Bentley Flying Spur in town. Usually I would pick dark ocean blue or even candy apple red for these kind of Bentleys but to my amazement it looks pretty good white.

Personally, I am more of a Rolls Royce fan but a Bentley is without doubt still one of those luxury prestige cars you would love to just drive around in town at the same time draw some eyes to you yourself.

Next update: Mercedes CLA45 AMG.

Thowback – 2013 Porsche

Porsche Panamera Turbo

In Kuching, one of the most popular luxury fast cars is the Porsche Panamera. I can say I can spot at least one Panamera without fail in a week. Most of them are brown and personally I find that to be of an odd color for a sporty fast car. I was fortunate enough to get into the Panamera twice. One was last time when my friend took me for a spin in his white Panamera and it what really stunned me was for a considerably big car it can really fly! I mean we hit around 170kmph in just seconds. I know there are supercars that can do way faster but what an incredible acceleration for a big car with quite a big boot, four seats, a big engine and a roomy cockpit. I was at one point “OH MY GOD!” and holding tight in my seat with adrenaline rush when my friend was accelerating hard and manually shifting the smooth dual-clutch gears. That was indeed fun and that fun ended up with a speeding ticket. I guess we were going so fast that we didn’t spot the police behind the bush with the annoying speed camera with a 70kmph limit on a nice stretch. The stock Panamera is said to be very quiet even though it has a big powerful engine but my friend nailed that problem thanks to a custom exhaustand so that is a good thing.

The second time where I got to actually have a detailed look was last year around August where I was having a barbeque party at my friends house and her Dad happened to own another Panamera, which is another brown. So my friend was kind enough to lend me the keys to have a look and take some photos of the big but immensely fast German car. When I first saw it on the Internet the pictures and the prints the car looks really low and sleek, it looks amazing, however when I got to actually meet it face to face it is actually big and quite bulky. If I’m honest it is not one of the best looking four door cars since Porsche announced this car is designed to be like the 911s. The front looks fine but the back somehow looks very round like the end of a loaf of a French loaf. I mean there are many other cars that you can buy that looks better, sportier and even more elegant than this car for example like what they showed in Top Gear of the Aston Martin Rapide and the beautiful Maserati Quattropotte.

However, the Panamera is overall cheaper and in my case less expensive than the Aston Martin and the Maserati. It is also proven faster and more powerful than the two. The main thing I like about the Panamera is that it is actually a proper Porsche which when you first look at the design of the exterior it has the distinguish Porsche looks. Inside, it is very well made and sophisticated. It is easy to access in or out of the car; you just have to mind your head especially the back doors because of the curve structure. I guess the main problem I was not used to when I was sitting on the front seats were the numerous buttons on the center console. For any normal car we have the air conditioning, radio and some safety feature buttons which are friendly and distinguish to operate, but the Porsche I did get quite a few question marks in my head what some of the buttons do. I guess if you are going to own one do read the manual first before driving it.

Overall, the Panamera is a good everyday car if you’re the one who loves driving fast and if you would like some room to move about. As a plus, this car has a big boot so it means if you are the shopping type you can plenty of space to put your shopping bags or your groceries. It’s around 15 cubic feet of space there! On normal mode, the Porsche really is comfortable thanks to the adaptive suspensions. Hopefully the next time when I do get to test a Panamera I’ll definitely post something about it.

P.S. Please stay tuned as I have a surprise mostly about supercars this coming two months. I’ll try post them as soon as possible. Cheers and Happy Saturday!

Throwback – March 30, 2013

Kuching Supercars gathers at Swinburne University Sarawak Campus

As you might know I study at Swinburne Sarawak Campus here in my home town. Usually you don’t get much news of supercars rolling in for a show in Universities but the amazing fact was last March 2013 it actually happened right at my Uni.

The University was holding a carnival with games, dance performances & food. The Kuching Supercar Owners Club actually came to join the fun along to capture the eyes and bring the crowds of students, lecturers and staffs. I was a little disappointed all the supercars didn’t fully turn up. Usually there are more supers like the F430s, 458s, Audi R8, Ferrari 599s and Bentley Supersports. However, it was the first time I actually had a good detailed look around the arancio atlas Lamborghini Aventador. We also have the two Lamborghini Gallardos and a Ferrari F430 Spider. Then we have a couple of Porsches like the Cayman and Panamera and a Bentley Flying Spur.

I was there like 80% of the time in the Swinburne Carnival to admire, taking some pictures and talking to people about the cars even though it was a really hot there and I was sweating mad but looking and chatting with friends and strangers was a real joy so I didn’t care and the other 20% of the time is food and join some of the games.

I seriously hope they do this gathering at the University more often although disappointedly this year 2014 there wasn’t any supercar gathering during this year’s carnival. I pray the next coming carnivals the owners can bring these gorgeous cars. It’s nice to see loads of people crowding and just admiring cars even though not all of them are car fanatics. This event was definitely one of the most memorable of the Kuching supercar gatherings I have ever been although there were not many of them.

It’s late but big thanks to Swinburne Council and The Kuching Supercar Owners Club in making this wonderful event possible.

P.S. More to come on the Kuching Supercars Owners Club.