Alien face for an earthly space(ship). The Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid has landed. 2001. No, not the movie A Space Odyssey (imagine if this had been a Honda review ha ha), but the year the first Hyundai Santa Fe rolled off the production line. Now in it's fourth iteration, the facelifted Santa Fe Hybrid is definitely a sight to behold compared to the generations that came before. In its price range, the ...
Read MoreGood Likeable Bread-van. Anyone remember the Alfa Romeo 145 Quadrifoglio/Cloverleaf from the 90s, lovingly referred to as “the bread-van” by enthusiasts back in the day? This author couldn’t help but affectionately feel, while walking up to it, that GLB 35 is the modern-day ‘bread-van’ interpretation in compact SUV-guise, with two extra doors and one supposedly extra row of seats. In Singapore’s market, GLB 35 occupies a pretty unique niche. The Cupra Ateca sits ...
Read MoreHonest. Characterful. Playful. Smaller cars have featured quite regularly in this author's life. Having learned to drive in a 1980's Daihatsu Charade, and still regularly driving an original Perodua Kancil when staying with relatives in Malaysia, there is a certain simple, straightforward and unpretentious charm with how smaller cars go about doing their thing. And when setting eyes on the Q2 for the first time, those memories came flooding back. At first ...
Read MoreHigher-riding handling-machine, and also a family-hauler. Before starting the article proper, let’s get some declarations out of the way first. This author: is a handling and performance-biased automotive enthusiast;has a rather special place in-heart for Alfa Romeo - not Saab-levels of special, but special nonetheless;was extremely reluctant to return the test vehicle at the end of the drive review. One can probably already see where this article is headed, and with good reason. When it ...
Read MoreAs the fanciest model to use the Volkswagen Group MQB Evo platform, is the A3 Sportback worth the extra dough? We check out what extras it offers over its siblings. We’re no strangers to the Volkswagen Group’s new MQB Evo platform. Having driven the 8th-gen Volkswagen Golf and the 4th-gen Skoda Octavia, it’s now turn to sample Audi’s version of the triplets. Ok, technically they’re part of a quadruplet, as the ...
Read MoreWho says transporting one’s kinship has to appear mundane? Let’s get this out of the way first — traditionally, this author has not been a fan of Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs). However, as age and corresponding physical issues start setting in, a higher-riding vehicle makes more sense in terms of ease of ingress and egress. Does that mean SUVs are only good for those with back, hip and/or leg issues? No, not ...
Read MoreHandsome looks, superb handling and an excellent new infotainment system make the facelifted Jaguar F-Pace one of the most desirable medium luxury SUVs around. I have a confession to make: SUVs and crossovers aren’t really my bag. In fact, I generally detest the genre as a whole. I like to judge cars on their fitness for purpose, and when it comes to SUVs, I struggle. With the exception of genuine mud-pluggers like ...
Read MoreThe all-new Honda Civic puts what’s important into focus and makes you think about what features we really need. There are certain metrics by which we can measure where society is or is heading to. I’m old enough to remember that in the 1980s, there were many TV commercials that were about detergent. Housewives would worry about getting stubborn stains out of their children’s and husbands’ collars. By the end of ...
Read MoreIn a sea of SUVs, the seldom-seen station wagon smartly stands strong. And the Skoda Octavia Combi is one of the strongest there is. Admittedly, I’ve always been favourably partial towards station wagons — aka estates — even back in the days when Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) weren't really a thing. Being able to carry the family pet, the weekend furniture shopping from IKEA, and the kitchen sink in one fell ...
Read MoreThe 8-seat SUV makes for a stylish alternative to minibus-style people movers. When it comes to vehicle design, there seems to be an unwritten rule that dictates an inverse proportion between the number of seats it has and how it looks. I submit aircraft as an example, a single-seat fighter jet versus the Airbus A380. When it comes to cars, how about the new two-seat Lamborghini Countach v a 40-seat coach? So ...
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