The Bavarian automaker’s second-generation mini MPV continues to break new ground for the brand. Image credits: Tom Kirkpatrick MALAGA, SPAIN – The 2 Series Active Tourer may not fit the description of the classic BMW. It is, after all, a front-wheel drive mini-Multi Purpose Vehicle (MVP) made by a brand that was once synonymous with sporty, rear-wheel drive sedans and sports cars. Breaking out of its comfort zone however has apparently paid off ...
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The Volvo-spawned EV brand makes its debut in Singapore with Polestar 2, a compact sedan which offers something different from the popular American brand. Competition, it has been said in horse racing circles, improves the breed. The same is certainly true with nearly everything else; smartphones, delivery apps, and certainly cars as well. The latest example is the car tested here, the Polestar 2. If the car vaguely looks like a Volvo ...
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Hyundai has taken a gamble with the new, boldly-styled Tucson Hybrid SUV — and it’s paid off handsomely. As a bread-and-butter car brand, Hyundai might be one of the boldest out there. They might be going with the trend of electrification, with the Ioniq Electric and Kona Electric; at the other end of the spectrum though, they’ve the same number of models with a stonking 3.5-litre V6 engine. Aesthetically, too, Hyundai’s latest Sensuous ...
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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 ...
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Good 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 ...
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Honest. 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 ...
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Higher-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 ...
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As 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 ...
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Who 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 ...
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Handsome 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 ...
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The 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 ...
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In 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 ...
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The 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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With lively handling, Johnny Depp-esque styling and a practical cargo capacity, it’s hard to fault the refreshed entry-level MINI. There’s a scientific study that’s proven men look up to eight years older with facial hair. You’ve definitely seen the meme — shave a bearded man, and boom — he becomes a kid. Traditionally, MINIs are targeted at the young and young-at-heart. Funky colours, endless customization options, and cheerful styling. On this new ...
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MPVs have been on the wane in recent years, no thanks to the proliferation of SUVs, which makes the introduction of the new Kia Carnival here a BIG deal. Quite literally. Fitness for purpose is a hallmark of good industrial design; products exist to fulfill users’ needs, so it stands to reason that the better product is the one that does a better job of fulfilling those needs. Which is why I ...
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