Managed to arrange a day to head up North to Malacca for lunch and desserts. The drive up was very pleasant, with a temperature of 26.5c according to reading off the MFD. With the cloudy skies holding up, I couldn't ask for a better weather.
Last minute checks at home.
Took the opportunity to have a quick photoshoot while waiting for my uncle to arrive.
Fresh and ready to go.
Topping up Touch n Go card and pee break after the toll station.
Taken from my uncle's car.
Too much reflection. =(
Taken by my Auntie. Very stock looking.
Car still looks clean after 200km.
Topping up before our journey back home.
Kinda like this shot.
Cooling down after 450km. Beginning to dig the NSH. =)
Thank you James for bringing me up, Jeff for accompanying me to buy my helmet and much more, Shawn for organizing this trip, Ben for allowing me to kpo during your pre track preparation, Enshao for the alarm clock and Reuben for letting us see something else other than GTI for 6 hours. =)
Left Singapore in the afternoon of 8th May for Sepang.
Sepang Drag Battle commenced at around 2030hrs. Cars prepared themselves for a couple of practice runs.
Noise from the decatted straight pipe exhaust of countless Honda eg6 and Protons was extremely loud, and the sound was amplified probably due to the echo coming from the grandstand shelter.
We waited and waited for cars from our local tuners to strut their stuff. Spark Motorsport's Rex was one of the highlight of the battle. It sounded like it packed some serious horses under the hood. The huge turbo was located in the left headlight area for better cooling.
The driver waited for a good 6 seconds before he was flagged off. The high cams were working overtime, side planted exhaust produced countless back fire similar to a machine gun and all it wanted was for the signal to dump the clutch and propel forward.
Initial acceleration looked ok until we saw trails of oil on the drag strip. From then on, the Rex couldn't recover and it had to make a disappointing and painful journey back to the Paddock.
A few minutes later, we noticed two cars with LED strips. We knew that the Godzillas were here to play. As they lined up at the starting point, you can feel the tense atmosphere at the grandstand. Will the R35 live up to its name? Can the Supercar shake off the competition? No it cant. It looked sluggish during take off probably due its 1.8 tonne body. An old Suzuki Swift torque steered its way to victory, leaving the Godzilla to find a corner to hide.
We managed to salvage some local pride with ST Powered's yellow Evo 9. It's blistering pace was good for a sub 11 quarter mile drag. The best timing for an eg6 was around 11.5 seconds.
On the whole, it was an eye opener to see so many heavily modded cars in the Sepang F1 circuit.
With numerous awards under her belt, the VW Polo rides high among the more desirable hatches at present.
First impressions
The Polo doesn't look like the base model VW at all. Its angular lines and relatively flared wheel arches provide a mean stance from whichever side you look from. Chrome bits in the front grill enhances its bling factor. Crystal clear headlights definitely stands out from other models competing in the compact hatch class. You can notice that the Polo took some of its styling cues from the mk6 Golf. Its front lip reminds me of those on the Golf R. I'd dare say that the lip looks like an aftermarket product.
Once settled down
VW did not cut down on the quality of the Polo's interior. Everything, right down to the handbrake, feels typically German. Front driver and passenger have ample space and one wouldn't feel claustrophobic in it. Sterring wheel stitching is top notch and the instrument cluster is simple and easy to comprehend, allowing the driver to focus on the road most of the time. I was rather impressed with the digital fuel readout right smack in the middle of the driver's display. Its small improvements like these that goes a long way to winning a potential buyers' heart.
VW's DNA
VW's 1.4 engine has proven to be ultra efficient. Step on the throttle and the gearbox and ECU will adapt to the driver's driving style. Mated to the 7 speed dsg found in the 122hp mk6 Golf as well, the lightning quick shifts will prove a joy to drive in places with heavier traffic as compared to the older torque converter gearboxes.
Overall
VW knows whats best for their customers. Every car is built to appeal to different segments. The zippy Polo can very well thrive in congested Singapore.
