Raw Brilliance

Only 600 in production. Hail the 4.0.

Good competition

The Lexus GS300 has always been faced with stiff competition from Germany in the mid-sized luxury saloon segment.

Brand-conscious consumers will probably not take a second glance at this Japanese marque. Although German machines boast unrivaled engine refinement, can the 5 series, A6 or the E Class compete with proven Japanese reliability?

I feel that this Lexus will never be labelled as inferior to its Western counterparts.

Worthy of the GTI badge?

The Polo GTI has landed in Singapore. VCS has not made its presence felt yet, notably due to the 9 month waiting time! Apparently, according to my sales rep, VW has not produced enough to be sold in Singapore yet.

First impressions:

Exterior:

This hatch looks like the Golf GTI's smaller brother, without a doubt. The trademark honeycomb grill and red trims sets it apart from the base models. The sunroof is huge and spans half of the roofline, and this helps in adding a sportier touch. In fact, it looks similar to that of the Scirocco 2.0 tsi and even the R variant. The rear looks like a carbon copy of the base model, except for the twin exhaust tips and more angular rear valence. I'm not a fan of the tail lights though.. feel that it looks like a red dice.

Interior:

Mixed feelings were felt once we settled down inside the cockpit. Generous red stitchings can be seen on the steering wheel, gear lever and gear knob, but the central amenities area looks plain and unconvincing. We would definitely welcome a simple lid to cover those exposed bottle holders.

The seats are supportive and we love the alcantara bits which adds a sporty feel to this zippy little hatch. Seating position is spot on and every button is within the driver's reach. There's good driver visibility all round. The rear is very squeezy, but we can't fault VW in this area as its not meant to be a full fledged people carrier.

The Drive:

We were extremely excited for this test drive, more so when we are so familiar with the Golf GTI. We did not expect the driving experience to be similar to that of the larger hatch, but we know that it has to be on par with the Golf in terms of refinement since its a German marque after all.

The 7 speed DSG gearbox seem to be the natural choice for every new production VW nowadays, namely the facelifted Tiguan and Passat. I'm not a fan of the 7 speeder dry dual clutch, and owners of the newer VWs can attest to my view. This gearbox can aid in achieving excellent fuel economy especially when paired with the 1.4 litre tsi engine, but the juddering at low speeds both during down and upshifts will irk drivers during city driving. We could not sense any vibration in our test car, but time will tell whether the gearbox can last.

The twincharged 1.4 litre engine is extremely sprightly during low speeds and drivers will ease through traffic. Overtaking is effortless with just a simple prod on the throttle. There's very minimal lag mainly due to the supercharger doing its job before the turbo gains momentum.

Verdict:

It's fast and it does 6.9sec to the century sprint, but we do not feel a sense of involvement with the car. Is it due to the gearbox, or excessive use of force induction to extract the horses and torque out of this nippy Veedub?

Will you always have the urge to take a detour just to enjoy this car for a tad longer?

Yes.

Is it worthy of the GTI badge?

Its a really tough decision, but I'm swaying more towards the negative side.

Veedub Vee6 love

We gotta love the idling rumble of the v6 =)

Smth the Golf R can never replicate.

Fatlaced Hawaii

Hawaii's car culture =D

Hella Flush Hawaii 2011 from iPhilms on Vimeo.

SLeeKster

We can tell that designers of the new Mercedes SLK have put in much effort in reshaping its newest model.

With styles that reminds us of the jaw dropping SLS AMG, we can't find anything wrong at first glance.

The question is: Although the new model has been rolled out, do u guys want to be spotted in this stereotypically feminine car?

I bet you do.

+Offset

OEM Huffs

Finally got down to snap some shots of the MK6 Detroits.

Bought them from my uncle because he upgraded to Advan RZ!

Have to admit that OEM looks really good.

No more bengsterism.

Are you up for the annual Tax?

How willing are you to part with the hefty diesel tax?

Paying in excess of 3k per year is rather ridiculous.

I'd rather get the GTi which costs the same, and tune it up, with 350nm kicking in at 1750rpm.

Warranty might be voided, but there's close to no risks with the plug and play stage 1 upgrade.

Yes, it might be very efficient, but will u save 3k a year from pumping diesel instead of the conventional petrol?

Unless you are a track whore, I really doubt so.

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Sweet car, nonetheless.

In excess of 1200bhp

Another literary automotive masterpiece by Chris Harris.

Italy's finest on the German Ring. What more can you ask for? Nothing.

Link to automotive Nirvana