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This Blog Is Full Of It

01 January 2005

Cars

Cars I have driven.

Opinion on cars will change as I become more well versed with these vehicles.

Car model - Version - (Year) - Owner

  1. Audi A4 1.8T B6- Test Drive Unit(EON)
    2. A fabulous mixture of class and power. Gearbox fabulous. A shame AWD cannot be turned off.
  2. Audi A6 2.0 C4- Goh Wen Loong
    3. Electronics a little trashed up. Lacking in power, comfortable though.
  3. BMW 318i (E46) A - Michelle Tse
    4. The gearshift was very smooth though the engine lacked torque.
  4. BMW 328i (E36) A - Tan Beng Ghi
    5. Old school BMW by today's standards. The Ultimate Driving Machine
  5. BMW 520i E60 - Tan Beng Ghi
    6. Would be near perfection if it wasn't for its dismal engine displacement.
  6. BMW 735i E 32 - Gary Murrell
    7. Interior quite beaten up, though the stance of a 7-series is still present. ABS shot to bits, brakes bite strongly; though with proper braking control, can be quite potent.
  7. Daihatsu Charade 1.0M - Chow Ming Foong
    8. Badly maintained.
  8. Honda Accord 2.0 (3rd Generation) - Foong Chee Yan, Joshua
  9. Honda Accord 2.3A (6th Generation) - Chow Wai Meng
    10. Age shows itself in 'bells and whistles' electronics. Otherwise car just as brilliant as new. Wonderful handling.
  10. Honda Accord 2.0 A (7th Generation) - Chong Tin Chuai
    11. Very comfortable car. Vehicle can be pushed without occupants' knowledge.
  11. Honda Accord 2.3 A (7th Generation) - Tan Tai Chiew
    12. An upgrade of the 2.0 model
  12. Honda City 1.3M SX8 - Tan Yee Hou
    13. Extremely economical without skimping on the power; handling nowhere as good as a Civic though.
  13. Honda City 1.5 VTEC (4th Generation)- Evelyn Chiang
    14. CVT gearbox was very impressive. Kept the engine at 5,000rpm while under hard acceleration. 7 speed mode should be avoided.
  14. Honda Civic EK9 1.6 Type R - How Cheng Hong
    15. Contrary to popular belief, engine had sufficient low end torque for daily driving.
  15. Honda Civic ES 1.7 - Sourced through Nicholas Chay
    16. The power delivered gave us the impression that it was a 2.0 engine. No shit.
  16. Honda Civic EX (1993) M - Mrs. Chong Tin Chuai
    17. Excellent gearbox. Brakes abit of a letdown though
  17. Honda CR-V (First Generation) - Christopher Tock
    18. Lacking in speed. Engine vibration is high, not a trait in most Honda vehicles driven.
  18. Honda Jazz 1.4 IDSI CVT - Yap Mun Hoong
    19. Vehicle feels smooth. Short drive, inconclusive.
  19. Hyundai Atos 1.0 M - Rental Unit
    20. Terribly maintained vehicle. Requires revs to maintain smoothness
  20. Inokom Atos 1.0 A - Lai Tong Jiun
    21. Quite a contrast compared to the rental unit. Gearbox is a let down though.
  21. Kia Carens 1.8 - Jolene Lai
    22. My first proper Korean drive. Interior was quite decent, no squeaky parts. Gave me a good impression. Ride was decent; though engine lacked power.
  22. Mazda 6 2.0 - Tan Lin Lou
    23. Car felt solid and powerful. Tiptronic levers shifted in the right direction.
  23. Mercedes 300E W124 A - Lee Yau Fei
    24. Pretty beaten up. E280 trashes this car off the straight line.
  24. Mercedes E280 W124 A - Tan Peng Sam
    25. Stock Merc. I frequently bully souped up Wiras and Kancils with it.
  25. Mercedes E280 W210 - Chan Leng Wai
    26. Throttle response is much better than the W124.
  26. Mercedes S320 W220 - Koh Kian Hong
    27. Car was very comfortable, but drive wasn't engaging. I didn't quite like this, surprisingly.
  27. Mitsubishi Grandis 2.4 - Leslie Yeo Choon Hsien
    28. A very smooth and impressive drive. More suited to a relaxing, comfortable drive. Engine is impressive for a 2.4 unit.
  28. Mitsubishi Lancer 1.4 - Liew Chun Ching
    29. Old school tank. Steering is way heavier than Asyraf's Corona (see below)
  29. Nissan Sentra 1.5 A - Tan Lin Lou
    30. Pretty powerful engine. Others untested
  30. Nissan Sunny 1.3 B11 - Chan Wai Yeen
    31. For once a gearbox that intimidated me.
  31. Nissan X-Trail 2.5 - Tan Wei Fang
    32. Excellent chassis and engine. Pedal feel somewhat disappointing.
  32. Perodua Kancil 850 Ezi (1st Generation) A - Tan Yee Wei
    33. Short wheelbase translates to fun on gravel traps
  33. Perodua Kancil 850 (M) (2nd Generation) - Kimberly Lim Sook Teng
    34. Better than the old version in many ways
  34. Perodua Kelisa 1.0A - Thum Yuet Lai
    35. Surprisingly entertaining. "Engineered for fun" wasn't just all talk.
  35. Perodua Kelisa 1.0M - Rikman
    36. Parking lot test. Inconclusive
  36. Perodua Kembara 1.3A - Chow Yuet Sim
    37. Malaysian 4x4.
  37. Perodua Myvi 1.3A - Nicholas Chay
    38. Brakes seemed over servo-ed, which made nose dips pretty common.
  38. Perodua Myvi 1.3 M - Natalie
    39. Lack of practise in handling a clutch makes accomodating for high clutch biting point difficult. Was a wicked drive though.
  39. Proton Gen2 1.6 A - Chew Kian Aun, Andrew
    40. Decent acceleration. Interior cluttered.
  40. Proton Iswara 1.5 M - Ng Soo Guan
    41. Absence of power steering means excellent feel at the wheel
  41. Proton Saga 1.3M - Lee Chan Bond
    42. Rattly
  42. Proton Satria GTi - Mellissa Lee
    43. Very nice, fuel consumption a little high-ish at RM50 / 200km.
  43. Proton Satria SE 1.5 A - Ng Li Juan
    44. Does not deserve a 'Special Edition' tag. Not much difference from standard Satria
  44. Proton Satria 1.6 A - Chong Shieh May
    45. Modified Satria. Fuel guzzler. Rumoured to be unreliable
  45. Proton Satria Neo CPS - Proton Edar
    Chassis is good; engine and build quality, not so.
  46. Proton Waja 1.6 M - Woo Soon Wai
    47. Tail loose. Scary. Very scary.
  47. Proton Wira 1.3 M Aeroback - Tan Ken Seong
    48. The brilliance of an undamaged gearbox is seen here. Engine slightly underpowered though
  48. Proton Wira 1.3 M Saloon - Kenneth Tang
    49. A highly polished vehicle. Engine surprisingly strong despite all the abuse.
  49. Proton Wira 1.5 A Saloon - Lee Jo Kien
    50. Decently maintained. Needs a wiper change. Aircon wickedly cold.
  50. Proton Wira 1.6 A Aeroback - Cheryl Lim
    51. Engine unresponsive. Shame
  51. Proton Wira 1.6 A Saloon - Tan Teng Sen
    52. Another badly maintained unit. Shame on it or it might shine
  52. Proton Wira 1.6 MIVEC A - Cheng Heng Teng
    53. Wolf in sheeps clothing. Tremendous amounts of power. Shame it runs on an autobox
  53. Proton Tiara M - Soon Zhiyang
    54. Pedal position terrible which is not surprising in a small car. engine rather flappy.
  54. Ssangyoong Chairman - Ng Soo Guan
    55. Very similar to the S-Class; though in essence, nowhere as near.
  55. Suzuki Swift A - Ng Chor Yeow
    56. Luxurious interior. Drives smoothly
  56. Toyota Altis 1.6E (2001) A - Tan Keow Chai
    57. Excellent chassis and engine let down by a flappy gearbox. The large engine bay meant that the car had tremendous modifying capabilities.
  57. Toyota Camry 2.2 Fourth Generation - Chung Lern
    58. Chassis was standard Toyota bread-and-butter, which is pretty okay. Engine lacked the necessary torque to bring it up Genting in a relaxed manner though.
  58. Toyota Camry 2.4 Fifth Generation - Lee Bee Eng
    59. Car was powerful, it would have been a good drive had the braking curve not spike on depressing the brake pedal.
  59. Toyota Corolla S.E. 1.6 A (1990) -Woo Soon Kit
    60. Excellent grip. Decent power. Could do without fluffy carpets inside though
  60. Toyota Corona - Asyraf Lee
    61. Old school car. Driving was an eye opener. It was embarrassing that I did not know how to open the door when it was time to come out.
  61. Toyota Harrier First Generation 3.0 V6 A - Sabrina Chow
    62. Lacks character of continental cars. Flappy gearbox. Its better to leave it in 'D'. Heavenly comfortable though.
  62. Toyota Innova 2.0G (A) - Woo Low Cheng
    63. Despite the initial scepticism, the car is pretty brilliant. Wickedly fast for an MPV
  63. Toyota Landcruiser 4.2D (FJ80) - Yeoh Yee Chong
    64. An exaggeration of the Prado. Excellent economy from the diesel engine, which is rather sluggish.
  64. Toyota MR2 Second Generation - Teoh Kar Yeong
    65. Cramped footwell made heel-and-toe-ing difficult. Otherwise car was fun to drive.
  65. Toyota Prado 2.7 M (1997) A - Woo Low Cheng
    66. Excellent low and midrange power. Gearbox badly damaged. Nonetheless, a very exciting drive, and it was where I learnt most of my driving tricks.
  66. Toyota Vios 1.5E - Evelyn Lee
    67. Alignment was off due to a hit and run accident. Heavy braking was unstable. Misalignment did not detract from the brilliance of the car.
  67. Toyota Vios 1.5E - Tan Suat Kheng
    68. Not strictly a 'new' car, though driving it in Singapore meant that I experienced Singapore traffic, which is much more tamer than Malaysian roads.
  68. Toyota Vios 1.5G - Choo Kwok Thye
    69. Absolutely brilliant car. Steering is heavy enough to communicate with driver. Gearbox is more responsive than the average Toyota's autobox
  69. Toyota Vios 1.5G Second Generation - Thum Yuet Lai
    70. Didn't feel as sweet as the first one, oddly. The steering feedback is still as sweet, thankfully.
  70. Toyota Wish 1.8G - Hee Jin Chong
    71. Engine was rattly. Vehicle was nice to drive on the overall.
  71. Toyota Wish 2.0Q (Thai Version) - Sourced from Lee Yau Fei (not his)
    72. Terrible misalignment to the wheels. Inconclusive. Interior brilliant though
  72. Volkswagen Beetle Type 1, 1300c.c. - Chaw Chan
    73. Old school beetle which would be more suited to a relaxing drive. Gearbox a havoc to n00bs, while any enthusiastic driving would result in a loose tail.

    Image credits: Asyraf Lee

I have driven 67 cars.

posted by Dr. Tan at 12:13 AM