Believe it or not, Triumph’s Tiger line of motorcycles has been around since the 1930s, built back then under Triumph Engineering, and then later by Triumph Motorcycles Ltd from 1993 onwards.

From the present-day company’s rally-pedigree Tiger 900 in 1993 to various models in the interim, we come to the most brawny adventure bike in Triumph’s line-up, the Tiger 1200, here in Rally Explorer guise.

Folks, this is a big boy.

Sittin’ High

It looks mean, tough and ready to conquer pretty much any surface that can be thrown at it. Hand guards, an aluminium sump guard with moulded upper, engine protection and fuel tank protection bars mean you can bush-bash and not fret.

With ground clearance this good, the Tiger 1200’s go-anywhere credentials will not leave you wanting no matter the terrain. Jaunts up north and further off the beaten track are wholly doable.

Illuminating your path off the beaten track is a full LED headlight with adaptive cornering lights and a built-in daytime running light (DRL). If that isn’t enough, there’s also a pair of LED foglamps to further light the trail.

Just above it sits a manually adjustable windscreen. One simply needs to grab its handle and pull upwards or push downwards to adjust, and it’s simple enough to do on the move.

Part of its great ground clearance comes courtesy of the standard-fit Showa semi-active suspension with 220mm of travel.

The rear shock features automatic preload adjustment and can lower the seat height by up to 20mm by pressing the ‘Home’ button on the right handlebar controls for one second.

Wish I’d known about this sooner, for it would have made getting on and off the bike much easier. Not a biggie though, for it was easy enough to mount up via the foot pegs, and then retract the side stand once seated.

Oh, and the other part of its great ground clearance comes from the foot pegs themselves being moved up and closer to the bike.

Stopping duties fall to twin Brembo Stylema 4-piston monobloc radial callipers with 320mm floating discs up front, and a solitary Brembo single-piston calliper clamping down on a 282mm disc in the rear, aided by ABS. They’re strong and feel reassuring right out of the gate.

I like how the wire-spoke Akront rims add a classic touch to the Tiger 1200. Measuring 21-inches in front and 19-inches in the rear, they’re wrapped with off-road-looking Metzler Karoo Street rubber in 90/90-21 and 150/70 R18 sizes fore and aft respectively.

Even though they look off-roady, their on-road manners are impeccable.

Ergonomics on board are well executed, as are rider aids. Controls are well positioned, falling naturally to fingers, and easy and intuitive to use. A seven-inch full-colour TFT display can be customised to one’s liking and displays pertinent information clearly.

Them’s the basics. Let’s ride.

Flyin’ High

Riding the Tiger 1200 is easy, since it is very ergonomic and one can get used to it quickly.

Moving off requires little effort, thanks to its 1,160cc triple-cylinder engine putting out 150hp and 130Nm of torque. Drive is sent to the rear wheel via a low-maintenance driveshaft, so no worries about having to scrub and oil a chain.

Power delivery is very linear, and one is always aware of the driveshaft whirring away down below with the gearbox. It isn’t unpleasant in the slightest, and adds to the visceral experience that adventure biking is sure to bring.

Aiding the ease of riding is the Triumph Shift Assist quick shifter which lets the rider bang up and down through the gears clutchlessly while on the move. Use this to your advantage, and the engine note goes from gruff to a wail and into a howl at the top end.

Then bang in another gear and do it all over again.

Through it all, the Tiger 1200 remains unflappable. Straight-line stability is good, and the bike remains planted and solid-feeling. But it also cossets the rider, thanks to the semi-active Showa suspension.

Bumps and ruts picked up by other bikes are pretty much non-existent on this Tiger, and one can sail smoothly down the road.

Helping out the rider are some creature comforts. There are six ride modes to choose from, such as Rain, Road, Sport and Rider, to further fine-tune the throttle response and handling characteristics of the bike. Standard cruise control is there for longer and quieter stretches of highways.

There’s also a blindspot monitoring system that blinks amber below each mirror to warn of unseen traffic, and this is the first time I’ve seen this on a motorcycle. It’s not gimmicky and actually works very well.

There’s no getting away from this bike’s width. Lane filtering is best left to larger gaps, but it can be done if one is prudent and sensible about it.

Its 30-litre fuel tank means amazing range for a motorcycle between fill-ups, but it also adds to the heft of the bike.

However, despite its 262kg wet weight, and by using the counter-steer method, the Tiger 1200 can smartly tip into a lean and carve-up curves with those Metzler donuts remaining grippy on the blacktop.

Practicality is catered for, with suitable mounting points already set up for panniers and a box, so your next adventure is but a ride away.

Should You Buy One?

At $58,800 before COE and insurance, the Tiger 1200 Rally Explorer offers a lot of kit for the money. Add to that its three-year unlimited mileage warranty and you have even more reason to consider it.

It looks rough and ready to rumble, but it remains really comfortable. It can sing throatily and set your nether regions tingling with glee. And it can do the daily-ride duties well. That’s a really compelling package if you ask me.

Head on down to the showroom and take a test ride. I’m pretty sure you’ll come back with a big smile on your face.

Only serious bikers need apply because the Tiger 1200 comes across as a serious adventure bike.

Photo Credits: Joel Tam (@carboy_365)

Technical Specifications

Triumph Tiger 1200 Rally Explorer

Engine:  liquid-cooled, 12-valve DOHC, 1,160cc inline 3-cylinder
Gearbox: 6-speed manual with Triumph Shift Assist
Clutch: hydraulic, wet, multi-plate, slip and assist
Driveline: driveshaft
Power: 150hp @ 9,000rpm (100hp in Rain Mode)
Torque: 130Nm @ 7,000rpm
Fuel Economy (combined): 5.1-litres/100km or 19.6km/litre (claimed)
Fuel Tank Capacity: 30 litres
Wet Weight: 262kg
Width: 849mm (handlebars), 982mm (handguards)
Wheelbase: 1,560mm
Unladen Seat Height: adjustable 875mm/895mm
Rake: 24.0-degrees
Tyres( front):  90/90-21
Tyres( rear): 150/70 R18
Brakes (front): twin 320mm floating discs, Brembo Stylema 4-piston monobloc radial callipers
Brakes (rear): single 282mm disc, Brembo single-piston calliper
Suspension (front): Showa 49mm, semi-active damping upside-down (USD) forks
Suspension (rear): Showa semi-active damping monoshock, with automatic electronic preload adjustment
Price: $58,800 (before COE and insurance, accurate at the time of this article)
Contact: Triumph Motorcycles Singapore

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Kudos to Hyundai for daring to make a brazen and blunt-looking sports utility vehicle (SUV), which contrasts well with other softer, rounder SUVs in its segment, with its chief price competitor being the Mazda CX-60.

The previous generation Hyundai Santa Fe was muscular, but noticeably rounder. This new Santa Fe TurboHybrid is still muscular, albeit boxy and butch-looking, and we think all the better for it.

Blunt or rotund, that seems to be the nearly SGD$300,000 question.

Battleship-esque

Head-on, the Santa Fe TurboHybrid’s sheer frontal area looks ready to indiscriminately bulldoze lesser vehicles out of its way, accompanied by suitably sinister-looking and striking ‘eyes’ courtesy of ‘H’ pattern daytime running lights (DRLs) in the LED headlight assembly.

Everything is really upright here at its bluff nose and contrasts well with the raked windscreen, with the bonnet betwixt serving to look like a mountainous plateau in the process.

Wide haunches mark out the wheel arches, further strengthening this large SUV’s musculature. Meaty 255/45 R20 tyres wrap around black 20-inch multi-spoke rims and make this vehicle look well-planted on the blacktop, especially in the test car’s Earthly Brass Matte hue.

Make no mistake about it – this Santa Fe TurboHybrid is visually and actually spacious, thanks to its now-longer 2,815mm wheelbase, and bodes well for its occupants.

Slab-sided doors further add to the effect of solidity, and the C-pillar cleverly hides an Assist Handle that makes clambering up to access roof-mounted items that much easier, much to the delight of active outdoorsy folks I’m sure.

Round the back, one is yet again greeted by another pair of sinister ‘H’ patterns, this time in devilish red, in the chunky taillights sitting in that mahoosive electric tailgate.

If at this point it hasn’t yet sunk in, heft is the theme of this new Santa Fe TurboHybrid.

Stern

The gargantuan tailgate swings electrically upwards to reveal 628 litres of luggage space with the third row of seats stowed. Yes, third row. More on that in a bit. Just remember to park a little further away from a wall.

Fold the second row away, however, and you’ve just liberated a cavernous 1,949 litres of HDB flat-moving ability. Be prepared for friends to ask for your assistance when shifting house.

Back to the third row, it’s sufficient to accommodate younger children for longer commutes or squeezing in adults for shorter jaunts to and from the office during lunch. This space gets its own cupholders though, which is a nice touch for the young’uns.

Midship

The second row is generous in its proportions and can be adjusted forward to liberate more legroom at the rear if the third row is in use, or aft for more legroom in the second row itself.

The centre console features a rather deep drawer for storing knickknacks, and no doubt will serve the family with children very well.

As will an aircon vent on either B-pillar to keep second-row occupants cool, and a USB Type-C port integrated neatly into the rear side of each front seat for mobile-device charging duties.

Two cupholders feature on each door just forward of the armrest, while another bottle holder features lower down. Lots of drink storage back here. Manual sunshades for the rear windows serve to keep occupants nice and comfy on boiling hot days.

At this point, the panoramic sunroof in this Calligraphy variant bears mentioning. I think Hyundai has done it rather cleverly.

The sunroof is offset more rearward to allow both rear rows of passengers a direct skyward view, and the shade for this portion of the sunroof is electrically operated.

The forward section has a manual sunshade which is easily operated from the driver’s or passenger’s seat and allows natural light to filter in without reflecting off the trim or screens.

Fore

The front seats themselves are supportive and comfortable. Featuring heating and cooling, as well as electrical adjustments with two memory settings for the driver, getting the seats into one’s preferred position is a cinch.

The steering wheel is also electrically adjustable and features the requisite steering-mounted controls for audio, telephony, adaptive cruise and scrolling through various pages in the instrument screen.

As expected of a modern Hyundai, two large screens sit side by side on the dashboard. The instrument cluster is cleanly laid out and is aided by a Head-Up Display (HUD) showing speed, adaptive cruise and blindspot monitoring information.

Beside it sits the 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system, featuring wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Again, it’s cleanly laid out and easy to get to grips with. The audio system plays nice and loud without becoming fatiguing.

Accoutrements

Just below that sits the aircon control panel, which features a neat combination of both physical and haptic-touch controls and works simply and easily. Other manufacturers who love to use touchscreen controls need to look to this system as the gold standard when it comes to a modern, yet simple and intuitive implementation of climate controls.

The glovebox is of a good and usable size, and there’s also a smaller cubby for UV-C sterilization just above it. Simply push the button next to the infotainment screen to reveal this hidden pathogen-destroying space for your mobile phones, wallets, pens, et al.

Not one but two wireless chargers feature in the centre console of the Calligraphy variant to keep both driver’s and front passenger’s phones topped up. Just behind that sit two cupholders, complementing the bottle holder in each front door.

Finally comes the centre console, or what Hyundai calls ‘Bilateral Multi-Console.’ Don’t expect any high-level ministerial meetings to occur though. ‘Bilateral’ means the console lid can be opened from both the front and the rear, giving everyone access to the rather sizeable space within.

Underway

There’s no getting away from the Santa Fe TurboHybrid’s size, but it’s neither insurmountable nor intimidating. Helping out in this respect is a rear-view mirror that can be switched to serve as a screen for the rear-view camera if one prefers.

Large side mirrors and a generous glasshouse mean that outward visibility is good. Engage the respective turn signals and a blind-spot camera is displayed on the instrument cluster. Lane changes are therefore easy and much more secure.

A 360-degree camera system helps with getting into parking spots. Remote Smart Parking Assist allows one to move this SUV forward or backward from outside if someone has parked too close.

I was impressed with how the previous Santa Fe rode so comfortably without the use of air suspension or adaptive dampers. That theme carries on here with this Santa Fe TurboHybrid. This will, no doubt, keep the family happy for longer journeys.

Although huge, this SUV can put in a surprising turn of acceleration when needed. Moving off smartly from traffic lights is possible thanks to its self-charging hybrid system in combination with the turbocharged 1.6-litre engine.

Together, they make 215hp and 367Nm of torque, which is plenty for daily driving duties. Not only that, but the powertrain is also frugal for a vehicle this size and mass.

Hyundai quotes a combined WLTP average efficiency of 6.9-litres/100km or 14.5km/litre. Utilising the pulse-and-glide technique, I was able to achieve a weighted and normalised average of 5.39-litres/100km or 18.6km/litre across both the street and highway routes.

Naturally, your mileage may vary with use-case and driving style, but good efficiency is achievable with smooth, not slow, driving.

Should You Buy One?

While it’s comprehensible that some may be put off by its size, there’s no escaping the fact that this is one SUV that will get noticed on the streets. No worries about losing it in a shopping centre carpark, then.

That it’s packed to the brim with excellent safety features, useful tech and some luxury touches at its price point makes the Santa Fe TurboHybrid a true value proposition. Add to that the 10-year or 150,000km hybrid powertrain warranty and you’ve got yourself an excellent family vehicle.

It’s rather easy to drive, comfortable, pretty frugal and will serve your family’s needs well for years to come. The only small annoyance is the driver attention monitor being a little too eager to bing and bong.

Tell you what – let Grandpa, Grandma and the kids loose on the Santa Fe TurboHybrid in the Hyundai showroom, and let them tell you if they like it. Pretty sure they will.

That would make the purchasing decision that much easier, wouldn’t it?

Photo Credits: Sean Loo (@auto.driven)

Technical Specifications

2024 Hyundai Sanfa Fe TurboHybrid Calligraphy

Engine Capacity: 1,598cc inline four-cylinder turbocharged
Combined Power: 215hp @ 5,600rpm
Combined Torque: 367Nm @ 1,000-4,100rpm
Drive: front wheels
Transmission: six-speed automatic
0-100km/h: 9.6 seconds (claimed)
Top Speed: 180km/h (claimed)
Kerb Weight: 2,025kg
Fuel/Battery Capacity: 67-litres
Fuel/Energy Economy: 6.9-litres/100km or 14.5km/litre (claimed)
Range: up to 971km (claimed)
Price: S$277,999 with COE (accurate at the time of this article)
Contact: Hyundai Singapore

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At the value-end of the electric vehicle (EV) market, one finds a slew of offerings such as the BYD Atto 3, Citroen e-C4 and Hyundai Kona Electric. Amongst them, one also finds the Opel Mokka-e from the Stellantis stable.

Being so spoilt for choice, does the Mokka-e have what it takes to sway buyers to this German compact crossover?

die Außenseite

One first notices how the Mokka-e sits somewhat higher off the ground. This makes ingress and egress a much easier proposition than compact sedans and hatchbacks.

The design language here is rather clean, interspersed by black plastic trim and a blacked-out front emblem and roof that play nicely against the test car’s White Banquise paintwork.

Murdered out 17-inch rims wearing 215/60 R17 Michelin Primacy 4 tyres help raise visual aggression levels a tad while contrasting nicely with the bodywork.

The clean design aesthetic carries on to the rump, where one finds a small roof spoiler, sleek tail lamps and one of my favourite features, a black ‘diffuser’ housing the bright red rear foglight below the bumper line.

das Innere

Swing open the hatch to find 350 litres of boot space, and if more is needed, the rear seatbacks can be lowered in a 60:40 split to liberate additional carrying capacity, to the tune of 1,105 litres.

I had the privilege of ferrying two pairs of female passengers in the rear, with one pair in their 20s and the other in their golden years. All rear-seat passengers complimented the good comfort and ride quality of the Mokka-e.

Naturally, longer-of-limbs and shorter-of-torso 1.82-metre tall yours truly wouldn’t be able to sit directly behind his driving position, but it wasn’t an issue for more petite individuals.

Two USB Type-A ports are available in the rear to charge mobile devices, but I found it curious that there were no overhead grab handles or dome lights in the back.

The front seats are manually adjusted, and comfortable for longer journeys. I was easily and quickly able to find my ideal driving position courtesy of the manual adjusters. See, electrical adjustments are not always the fastest.

Then it’s just a simple case of reach- and rake-adjusting the steering wheel to one’s ideal arms-length.

Ahead of the steering wheel sits a 12-inch instrument cluster screen. One can toggle the screen to display myriad information, including a trip computer, navigation and a minimalist display, through a rocker selector and button on the turn-signal stalk.

The 10-inch touchscreen infotainment is basic, but features Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which is what will mostly be used. The audio system, though basic, can play clear and loud.

Climate controls are physical (hooray!) and easy to adjust on the move.

A couple of cupholders can be found behind the centre console, along with an adjustable armrest that, once slid forward, obscures one of the cupholders. You could stow a short stubby can of classic Red Bull there though.

Not a big concern, for the front door pockets, can accommodate larger water bottles.

das Fahren

The Mokka-e is easy to drive and park. Outward visibility is excellent owing to large glass panels, and even reversing without the camera is a cinch thanks to the large wing mirrors.

Those wing mirrors also house blind-spot warning indicators which glow bright orange, so they’re easy to pick up on. The lane-keeping system, however, is a bit too over-enthusiastic and is best turned off via the button in the centre console.

On the move, ride comfort is great, especially in the rear, and the Mokka-e never gets too fidgety. It can even be momentum-driven through a bend or corner, but push it and it will begrudgingly comply under protest. This is a compact crossover for cruising, not bruising.

Cruising comes courtesy of its 132hp and 260Nm electric motor which drives the front wheels.

Propulsion juice comes courtesy of a 50kW battery pack, and the Mokka-e is fitted with an 11kW onboard charger, which can take the battery from flat to 100% in just 4.5 hours at a suitable AC charger.

It can also accept faster DC charging at 50kW, and I was able to charge it from 25%-90% in about 38 minutes, which is good.

Opel claims a WLTP average efficiency of 14.5kWh/100km or 6.9km/kWh. I was able to better this at a weighted and normalised average of 14.16kWh/100km or 7.1km/kWh during my drive.

Considering the 50kW battery capacity vis-a-vis the average efficiency during my drive, around 355km is doable on a full charge. I just wish the battery was slightly larger for 400km of range in between charges.

Naturally, your mileage may vary with driving style and use case, but the key to good efficiency, as always, is to drive smoothly, not slow.

The Opel Mokka-e makes a compelling proposition for those who want a simple, straightforward and cost-effective EV-ownership proposition. It rides well, is easy to drive and park charges relatively quickly and is pleasant to look at.

Does it make the cut for you? Take a test drive and see if the Mokka-e is your flavour of coffee bean.

.

Photo Credits: Sean Loo (@auto.driven)

Technical Specifications

Opel Mokka-e

Unladen Weight: 1,523kg
Battery Size: 50kW
Power: 132hp
Torque: 260Nm
Drive: Front wheels
0-100km/h: 10.1 seconds (claimed)
Range: up to 363km (claimed)
Energy Economy: 14.5kWh/100km or 6.9km/kWh (claimed)
Price: S$181,500 with COE (accurate at the time of this article)
Contact: Opel Singapore

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