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An age-old debate: front-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive?

By The Lenspeed Team

What drives you? It’s not only Caltex, according to Lenspeed

“There are certainly ingredients to help us achieve this intangible blend of mechanical pleasure geared towards putting a smile on your face”

A lazy and humid Sunday afternoon led to this entry, very possibly fueled by thoughts on what makes a car tick all boxes when Lenspeed embarks on an unceasing search for the perfect driver’s car. This time, we delve deeper into the mechanical insights of a vehicle’s drivetrain. More specifically, we leave out the transmission and focus only on driven wheels.

Yes, we will omit all-wheel drive for a full-fledged three-way impression, and will save this comparison for a rainy day (rightly so!). So now we are left with rubbers that are in charge of powering the car from either end of the chassis.

One might opine that RWD will be the obvious choice for car enthusiasts, as most cars of a sportier nature comes with this configuration in default mode. We wouldn’t disagree, because Lenspeed had plenty of fun in cars set in motion by the rear wheels. They typically offer a well-balanced ride, since the weight distribution is often engineered to be more neutral as the bulk of the drivetrain’s weight is tilted to the rear to counter the heft up front for a front-engine vehicle.

There are also advantages for a RWD drivetrain even when the engine is mid or rear mounted. This sensation is more apparent in high-powered vehicles. Cars tend to squat when it starts to accelerate as they labour for grip from the rear rubbers. It plays to their advantage because the engine’s weight helps the car to gather traction on the wheels that are powering the vehicle. This, we feel, makes RWD such a special drivetrain if engineered by the right minds.

Precious wheel time with RWD machines yield positive results most of the time. We spent a day with the BMW 1 Series M Coupe, and were impressed by how adjustable the chassis is, and its ability to handle 335bhp just by two rear rubbers. Mid corner adjustability is superb – you can get the tail wagging with electronic aids switched off just by teasing the throttle and letting the front rubbers work only on directional changes. It’s a natural way of enjoying poise and control in a very confident manner. RWD proves to be triumphant over other drivetrains time and again, and will still be a petrolhead’s default choice in the foreseeable future.

That should leave cars with a FWD drivetrain biting the dust, yeah? Not quite. Lenspeed feels that FWD will always have a place in our heart, not because we spent most of our time driving them, but some are indeed seriously fun propositions. While most FWD cars tend to lean towards understeer when driven on the limit, there are a handful engineered to tackle corners with as much intent as RWD vehicles. Yes, steering inputs can be intrusive at times due to the front rubbers having to cope with changes in direction and sending torque to the tarmac, but this arguably intrusive and synthetic feel can be forgiven as some cars, hot hatches in FWD configuration in particular, offer a particularly unique experience only FWD cars can afford.

We zoom in on hot hatches because they tend to have a shorter wheelbase, and this is key for FWD enjoyment. You can benefit from lift-off oversteer when tackling a sharp bend by going in hard and fast, and subsequently easing off the pedal and directing the front wheels to the intended path. You can cork the inside rear wheel, get it standing on a “tripod” and allow the chassis to work its magic. Of course, this requires more work from “external resources” – narrow and less grippy tyres on a damp surface are preferred. A good example would be the Suzuki Ignis Sport Lenspeed had access to last month, when we took it out for a spin up North in a Gymkhana-like circuit.

There is no secret recipe for absolute driving fun. But there are certainly ingredients to help us achieve this intangible blend of mechanical pleasure geared towards putting a smile on your face. You wouldn’t go wrong with a sporty RWD drivetrain. They can be a handful and a tad too playful at times, but dial it down a notch when that happens, keep all electronic aids on, and you will enjoy a neutral driving experience at a comfortable tempo just like any other drivetrain. If you are in the market for FWD fun, opt for a short wheelbase car, preferably a hatchback (Suzuki’s Swift Sport would fit the bill!), and dispel the myths regarding your daily hauler being relegated to just a boring mode of transport.

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The Simple Plan

By The Lenspeed Team

Can Volkswagen’s Golf in base spec trim deliver more miles for the money in its bid to capture mass-market appeal?

When Volkswagen Group Singapore (VGS) broke the news to us regarding the introduction of a smaller capacity Golf, the Lenspeed team wondered if this could be VW’s secret weapon to drive sales, especially with restrictions and taxes impeding the market’s desire to acquire large capacity haulers. A small turbocharged unit fitted in a practical Golf. A marketing stroke of genius, perhaps?

While this reduction of engine capacity to 1.2 litres to complete VW’s petrol Golf hierarchy at least in the local market tells most of the story, drivers will also not receive standard features found in the 1.4 TSI Golf specified with an “Equipment Pack”, or “EQP” in VGS speak. Lack of keyless entry, an 8-inch touchscreen display, “Park Assist”, LED daytime running lights, bi-xenon headlamps with cornering lights, sunroof, 18-inchers and twin tailpipes might be deal breakers for some, but we at Lenspeed feel that a Golf in its most fundamental trim level has its own appeal. It directs the focus to one that supplies affordable and a fuss free mode of transport in a constructive and practical manner, just like how it was set out to accomplish back in the 70s with the Mk1. The appeal of a Golf based on a unanimous vote from the Lenspeed jury lies in the manner in which it delivers maximum efficiency with minimal fuss.

While we can live without these “enhancements”, a crucial tech “upgrade” that would be a huge plus for a car developed to tackle the miles will be the “Coasting” function, which is found only in Golfs equipped with a driver profile selection. What this does is reduce “mechanical drag” by decoupling the engine from the transmission to save on fuel. We tried it in the 1.4 TSI Golf, and it works brilliantly. It’s a perfect basis for comparison here, too. How will a 1.2 TSI Golf (104bhp) with narrow tyres stack up against the slightly more powerful 1.4 TSI Golf (122bhp) with broader rubbers and a “Coasting function”?

With a tyre profile of 205/55/16 compared to the 225/40/18 slapped on the 1.4 TSI with an EQP trim, you will notice more lean from the chassis as it loads up the front rubbers, but there is always a sense of control even when you embark on more enthusiastic driving. Mid corner adjustability is predictable – you can pitch it in and the chassis conveys a sense of reassurance even when it sways towards slight understeer. And with this encouragement from the driver’s seat you will realise that you can chuck it in at a tempo you would not expect to achieve from a five-seater, 104bhp hatchback. This is primarily due to the manner in which it executes a great deal of “flow” – the suspension works in conjunction with the smooth power delivery to cover ground in an effective manner.

The utilitarian Golf certainly feels more urgent than 175nm of thrust on paper, at least right from the get-go. Sink deep into its wave of torque up to 4000rpm and there is more than sufficient poke to keep up with traffic. It displays its love for the open roads too, settling into a comfortable cruising momentum while holding firmly in the highest gear. We were not able to trouble the upper regions of the rev range as much as we would like to, but there is no question that the 1.2 TSI motor feels at home riding steady with the needle hovering just over 2000rpm in seventh. The stability at freeway speed is superb, and more remarkable is the fact that the motor feels relaxed, belying the pint-sized unit resting beneath the hood.

The fuel gauge refuses to settle for less even during more heavy-footed driving, with the MFD consistently recording no less than 12.2km/l even when driven within the congested confines of the central business district. When the roads widen, fuel figures start to land even more in our favour – a 100km, traffic free route yielded 18km/l, not a far cry off VW’s claims of 20km/l. These are numbers that are nearly identical to the 122bhp-powered 1.4 TSI Golf. We anticipated from the start that it would be a fistfight to the finish line, and now we conclude that both are equally efficient haulers and winners in their own right.

At $116,300, it represents superb value considering the current COE landscape. We wouldn’t pitch this variant against premium German hatchbacks though; we even reckon potential buyers of the Mazda 3 (priced at $103k) flocking towards this tempting proposition. And yes, green cars need not be based on diesel motors or even fettled by an electric motor. A simple recipe with ingredients polished by the largest automaker in the world proves that petrol cars can triumph in this relentless pursuit for eco perfection. And indeed, the 1.2 TSI Golf’s main rival might very possibly still be the 1.4 TSI armed with a very neat trick up its sleeve. Nevertheless, both appeal to a different set of consumers. It is astonishing to see how Volkswagen manages to bring forth two similar offers (at least in the local market) without overlaps in the product range – a flexibility that indicates a strong sign of automotive domination. Well played, Volkswagen.

“The appeal of a Golf lies in the manner in which it delivers maximum efficiency with minimal fuss”

“With this encouragement from the driver’s seat you can chuck it in at a tempo you would not expect to achieve from a five-seater, 104bhp hatchback”

“The stability at freeway speed is superb, and more remarkable is the fact that the motor feels relaxed, belying the pint-sized unit resting beneath the hood”

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1000km Report: Bridgestone Adrenalin RE002

By Gerald Yuen

Can this new set of rubbers deliver a more rewarding driving experience? Read on.

After pondering for a couple of months, I finally settled for the Bridgestone Adrenalin RE002 over the Michelin Pilot Sport 3 on the Citroen DS3. It wasn’t an easy decision at first, as the PS3 did no wrong on our previous staff car, the MkV GTI. And since the DS3 is down on poke, the PS3 will certainly be able to cope with the performance of the Citroen without much fuss. But at 20 bucks more pricey per corner over the RE002, I’m not willing to pay a premium for this safety net…

Initial impressions were not entirely promising, to be honest. Inching out of tight spaces with the RE002 proved to be stroll in the park with a lighter steering weighting, and that can also translate to less feel behind the wheel when you load the rubbers up at higher speeds. Slow speed maneuvers were definitely more effortless, but interestingly, as the tyres gather more rotational mass, I could sense more information being fed via the steering – even if it remains light in a very electronically-assisted manner.

Compared to the RE050A that was treated with tender loving care for 60,000km, the RE002 certainly feels less intrusive when corner weights begin to load on the front rubbers too. There’s certainly more roll during initial turn in, but there is more communication between man and machine when I piled on the revs deeper and kept to the intended path instead of easing off the throttle. More on the limit hooning with the RE002 gives me much more confidence than the RE050A.

Having said that, I’ve only covered 1000km with the RE002. With a treadwear rating of 220 (compared to the RE050A’s 180), this set of rubbers should be able to insure me till well over six figures of mileage. I’m pretty satisfied with this acquisition so far. It’s not the grippiest, but that allows me to explore the limits of the tyres especially when they are only 205mm wide. Less tarmac contact, more room for mid corner adjustability. That’s the way we like it.

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Fiesty utilitarians: Touran 1.4 TSI & Touran 1.6 TDI

By The Lenspeed Team

Marketed as the “seven-seater sports car” in Singapore at its launch campaign, the Touran was an oddball from the very beginning, providing serious performance in an admittedly dull exterior packaging. We like to bet that the Tourans you’ve seen on the road have been surprisingly quick off the line and even around corners, which is totally at odds with its traditional three-piece box shape. We suppose Volkswagen always had a sense of humour.

Until early 2014, Tourans in Singapore came only with the twincharger petrol engine, which for the purposes of this test is rated at 170bhp and 240Nm in the 2009 example Lenspeed sampled. This engine, already heaped with praise by international media, is truly a gem, sprinkling the Touran with more sparkles of magic than it would have you believe.

Early this year the TDI version was released, which provides an interesting backdrop to the already-excellent TSI version – would you pick a diesel Touran that, while traditionally having a lot more torque, is only 10Nm up from the petrol Touran? Add the fact that it is 65bhp down from the TSI’s output, and the comparison gets interesting – let’s find out.

What is common between these two cars is already half the battle won in the MPV market. Shedloads of space, including foldable and removable second and third row seats, means that the Touran fulfills its brief well. Its chassis is stiff and it shows with tidy, agile responses, offering utterly predictable answers to unevenness on the road. Blessed with a multi-link rear suspension setup, the Touran genuinely handles like a slightly bigger and taller Golf – no small feat considering its broader job scope. It is an undeniably good drive, as much as you want to dislike the car because of its looks. It definitely over-delivers on its visual promise.

Driving these two cars back to back is revealing, however. Saliently, the petrol engine offers staggering amount of performance from the get-go. Thanks to its supercharger, it overcomes the lag associated with both a small and a turbocharged engine, offering a low-end power delivery that outshines even that of the diesel’s, at least until the latter’s turbocharger kicks in. Yet, because its turbocharger has already spooled up in the later part of the rev range, the TSI continues to pull all the way above 4,000rpm, after which it starts to lose its momentum but not its eagerness. It’s more willing to rev all the way to its redline than the diesel, although there is hardly any need to. Even after 76,000km, the TSI engine felt like it has lost none of its horses, putting up a very, very impressive performance that constantly surprises one who has not tried a twincharged engine for some time.

The TDI offers no such surprise. It’s expectedly punchy, but not before you overcome a pronounced lag in the low-end that is simply absent in the TSI. This is a surprising finding for a diesel engine, which has always banked on low-end torque as one of its main selling points. One has to remember, however, that the twincharger is no ordinary petrol engine…

Given an extended period, the TDI version starts to grow on us. While offering performance that is more sedated, it was certainly paying off in terms of fuel consumption. The long-term average fuel consumption for the TSI was 9.5km/L, while the TDI managed 11.5km/L, even achieving 25.1km/L on one particularly economical journey! There is without a shadow of a doubt that the diesel engine is more economical, despite being ragged hard. It’s a grizzly sort of motor, but also one that feels pretty reliable and fool-proof.

Although both cars are equipped with different gearboxes – the TSI has a 6-speed DSG while the TDI has a 7-speed DSG – the differences are nearly imperceptible despite what has been said about the 7-speed box being more jerky and indecisive. If anything, the 7-speed box feels slightly faster in its shifts, although perhaps slightly less willing to kick down a gear.

Before I took these two cars out, I expected the Touran TDI to be the superior car by a comfortable margin, which is fuelled in no small measure by the hunger set upon the Singaporean driver for efficient diesel engines that have been out of our reach for so long. But in reality, this twin test has shown that petrol engines have made a strong comeback in the last couple of years thanks to forced induction, providing a power delivery that naturally aspirated petrol engines can never achieve before. While these new-fangled petrol engines cannot quite match the fuel economy of diesel engines just yet, if the Mk7 Golf 1.4 TSI is any indication they are definitely improving by leaps and bounds with each generation.

“Either way, you’ll be driving one of the finest MPVs in the market…”

In this case, the conclusion would be this: if you want a seven-seater (sporty) car, you’d enjoy the TSI version more. If you want the ultimate practical seven-seater car, the TDI version is just that. Either way, you’ll be driving one of the finest MPVs in the market, even if they are a little long in the tooth now…

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Goodwood FoS 2013: The best cherry picks

By James Wong

Attending the Goodwood Festival of Speed (FoS) has to be every petrolhead’s must-do in their lives. The UK’s automotive industry may have declined in the 80’s and 90’s, but recently it has witnessed a sterling revival and today not only is the industry one of the most vibrant in the whole of Europe, British car sales have also been more resilient than the rest of Europe’s. The British simply love their cars. The result is that interest feeding back into the FoS has been overwhelming, leading to a crowd of hundreds of thousands heading towards the South Coast over the festival weekend. It is a massive undertaking logistically, something that is certainly unprecedented from when the FoS first began life at Goodwood House. But it is a well-deserved interest – you will not see another festival like this anywhere else in the world, where every form of motorsport converge together in a shared spirit of the love of machines. That is why people from all over the world also fly in to attend the festival.

“… you will not see another festival like this anywhere else in the world”

I attended FoS last year and wrote an article for a magazine while at it. However, while at FoS I also took nearly 2,000 photos, and eventually only a handful were published. What a waste, right? Well, while we all wait in anticipation for 2014’s shindig this weekend, here’s a little photo-taster of the Fos. The photos came in handy after all!

At the FoS you can count on seeing all the latest super cars, and I do mean the latest. This was the developmental McLaren P1, almost a year ago…

And this 991 GT3, before it got recalled for its burning engines!

You’ll also get to sit in all of the latest models. Inside the press centre there was the Ghibli to fiddle about with, and this is an interesting piece of unpolished wood trim in the car. Can’t imagine how it’ll look like 20 years from now!

We also felt cossetted in Audi’s quilted leather in the new RS7.

You’ll see experimentals like the Volkswagen XL1 too. This, by the way, is the carbon-fibre lined engine bay of one of the most efficient cars in the world. You can sure see where the weight saving comes from.

Back then Tesla was just launching in the UK, and these are the two third-row rear seats of the otherwise conventional Model S. Today Tesla sells the RHD Model S in the UK.

A big part of the FoS experience is camping at the same time throughout the weekend. Or glamping, as in the case of this Vanquish and its motorhome, or the Rolls-Royce Phantom below…

Make no mistake – day trippers who drove their cars down have no less impressive machinery. Touring around the visitor carparks is a show in itself – cars that you love are everywhere. People who come for the FoS after all are likely to be similar to you and me…

Porsche was the title sponsor for 2013’s event, and they decided to hang 3 of their cars in the air. Nifty.

Rallying is one of the motorsports widely represented at FoS, and many people miss the opportunity to sneak into the forest to watch these cars pass by you at just a stone’s throw away. You get so close you can even feel the vibrations from the loud unrestricted exhausts. Think Group B level of spectator-ship. Beware of the dust though – you may come out done and dusted!

Of course, not everybody enjoys the dust, and this guy must be sulking in his Maser!

Oh, and if you love your classics, you’ll be well catered for too. There’s a whole grassy field filled with priceless specimens.

Yeehaw!

What a sweet looking Speedster!

Oh, and if you love your Lambos (looks at Ken)…

Besides a hillclimb, you can also see your favourite cars doing their thing around a narrow circuit that crosses much of the grounds. They’ll be civil sometimes, but to please the crowds burnouts are common!

If you so wish, you could go off-roading with a 911 (see what I mean by anything goes at the FoS?)…

Or you could see Sir Stirling Moss in his priceless Merc.

Or how about a 458, but not quite – Eric Clapton’s one-off SP12 EC…

This press LFA has certainly made its rounds in the UK!

And there’s that, the best pictures I have. I have so many more, but hopefully this will give you a good idea of how it’s like. It may feel like a haphazard place, with a million things happening at the same time, so my advice is to pick and choose carefully what you want to see the day before. You’ll be so distracted on the day itself you may end up watching something you don’t really want to see and missing your favourite part of the show. Also, you can’t see everything over a day – choose your areas to focus on for each day to minimise walking. It’s a real effort to be walking up and down that hill if you don’t plan your days!

There is something for everyone at the FoS. It’s an incredible experience to be savoured – don’t miss it! One last Top Tip: book accommodation way in advance. I got lucky and managed to find a place in a university hostel, but most people book almost a year ahead.

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MULTI-PURPOSE MISSILE

By The Lenspeed Team

Lenspeed gets its hands on Volkswagen’s most potent Golf R

510km in three days with the Golf R, and Lenspeed should be more than ready to give a balanced review of Volkswagen’s seventh-generation Golf pumped with turbocharged steroids. To be honest, we were wishing for a back-to-back comparison with another hot hatch, but when the subject comes in the form of VW’s most powerful Golf R, it should be sufficient to carve a story capable of whetting any petrolhead’’s appetite.

Our test unit came with a mileage of 7750km, which means that it has been trashed and tested by other journalists. Not that we’re complaining, because we prefer to try one that is past its run-in period – that’s normally the time when the car starts to reveal its true character.

Stepping into the cabin reveals familiar features found in other variants of the Golf hierarchy, only to be reminded by a couple of “R” logos adding to the badge snobbery.

Inner workings disclose a couple of important mechanical tweaks to justify the price tag over the Mk7 GTI too. The springs are firmer than the Mk7 GTI and sits 5mm closer to the tarmac, and it also comes with the flexibility to toggle with the suspension setup. And probably the most costly input for the R will be the Haldex all-wheel drive system that sends torque to the rubber in need of more grip faster than a blink of an eye.

On paper, it surges to the century mark in five seconds with the help of 280bhp and 380Nm. And yes it does feel fast. Once you get over the initial turbo inertia, you get whisked away by the mid range punch that sucks you in the horizon, huffing and puffing away till redline and only backing off until you ease off the pedal. It is a car that sweeps through straights with blistering pace, and more often than not it makes you feel like a champion behind the wheel.

“If you keep it neat and tidy, there is a fluid rhythm to the chassis that works seamlessly with the suspension, and this positive stroke of mechanical genius from the underpinnings allow you to toggle with throttle adjustability in mid-corners.”

It has the soundtrack to complement its quick strides too. Exhaust notes are “synthetically enhanced” by the speakers for more vocal “charisma”, but to be honest it still sounds better than a muted cabin (I’m sure our acoustic specialist Chor might have a word with me after this!). You get a boomy bellow under 2000rpm before the turbo settles into rapid-fire mode. In full swing above 4000rpm the resonance in “Race” mode is enough to send tingles down your spine and echoes throughout the emptiness of the night – it is loud, very loud, and most of the time you will hear it before you even spot a hint of Lapiz Blue lurking in the shadows.

When ploughing through gears on the limit even on full-bore upshifts, there are no hints of torque steer, and with the help of the latest generation Haldex to sprawl torque on all fours, you could even chuck it round a sweeper on boost and the electronics will sniff out the corner in need of more traction. It’s mentioned that this trickery can send 100% of the torque to the rear axle, something that we have yet to explore in a controlled environment. But if you keep it neat and tidy, there is a fluid rhythm to the chassis that works seamlessly with the suspension, and this positive stroke of mechanical genius you get from the underpinnings allow you to toggle with throttle adjustability in mid-corners. There’s sufficient fun to be had with this MQB-derived chassis, even though it’s more reassuring than outright captivating.

If you are looking for more mid-corner adjustability, the Mk7 GTI would suffice, as it has that innate ability (possibly due to a lighter drivetrain) to be playful. You could get the tail washing wide and enjoy some lift-off oversteer as you pitch it in hard with help from the quick steering rack, but yet it possesses the finesse from the chassis to keep things well sorted. The Golf R, on the other hand, is reassuringly fast, and on a properly wet switchback, we doubt many this price point can match its savage cross-country pace. Effortless motoring for the petrolhead does not come much better and faster than this.

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TRIPLE S CONCOCTION

Text By James Wong, Photos By Amrit Changaroth

I find it a bit of a struggle to wake up at 715am every day. However, like all petrolheads out there, I tend to make an exception when it comes to driving. I have woken up like clockwork at 4am at Switzerland to catch the first sunlight for mountain roads, 5am in Singapore to hit the B-roads just when the sun rises, and I’ve never really complained. Neither has my body. I find it incredulous, none more so than my alarm clock which has had more than its fair share of snooze snubs.

Along a fabulous piece of B-road one faithful morning, there lies an even more terrific thing – an empty area of tarmac that, according to banners put up by possibly nobody, is used for drifting events. I’ve never seen any drifting event held there, and I am happy for it. It’s a place where it’s safe to put a car through its paces, where there are cones and tyres already in place for you to set up your own course. In short, there cannot be a better place to drive to within 2 hours of Singapore…

So, three cars assembled for the short blast, incidentally all with a real fetish for the letter ‘S’. Suzuki and Subaru are the brands, and Suzuki Ignis Sport (SIS), Suzuki Swift Sport (SSS) and Subaru S204 are the models. Call them the Triple S.

Every road trip seems to have its eventful twist, and each of the Triple S had their fair share of white-knuckled moments. Along the B-road, the SSS was traveling ahead of the S204 and a truck, and disappeared left on a blind corner. Moments after, I (in the S204) saw the truck braking and as the road became visible, the SSS was nowhere to be found!

Before panic set in, I saw it scurrying back onto the road, slipping nonchalantly in front of the truck as if nothing happened. Over the intercom we had to ask incredulously, “What the heck happened?!”

As it turned out, rear tyres as bald as a monk gave way mid-corner, possibly due to a sandy surface and water seeping through the grass. The car oversteered, and went into the hedge! Thank God the casualty was only a frayed bumper and a missing number plate, but we did go retrieve the number plate later.

The next moment happened when an innocent squirrel stood firmly on its paws on the road, having what must be the best nuts in the world as it didn’t want to move when the S204 approached it… Quickly deciding that I didn’t want any squishy bits to bring home with my car, I swerved, got onto a dirt patch along the side of the road and oversteered a little before the sterling AWD brought me back to the road with little sweat.

The SIS was spared any incidents when we reached the tarmac area. Given the experience of two drivers on the trip of driving the wheels off their cars, they quickly devised a track layout and we started time trials. I had a go in all 3 cars, and it was pretty clear that power is of little importance here. The SIS, with its short wheelbase, gave an agility that likened it to a sniffing dog onto a treat trail. Its gearing was perfect for the conditions, giving short bursts of acceleration that, while wasn’t fast, was enough to thrill the driver and reward clean shifts. At some points, going into gear 1 and then pulling the handbrake was necessary, which is where the SIS excelled again as it yawed on its front axis like a natural. Cocking up the inside rear wheel was, of course, something the SIS did everywhere it went. It sounded the business too.

Dropping into the SSS, it was startling how similar some things were, like the upright seating position (giving great visibility) and the ease of controls. However, the SSS felt more mature and better built, adding a slight heft to its handling that deprives it the razor sharp responses of the SIS. It however had a more confidence-inspiring steering feel, and definitely felt like a proper hot hatch, again cocking up its inner rear wheel as it resolutely held its line rather than understeering severely. It’s no doubt the SIS felt more natural in the narrow confines of this circuit though.

As I drove the S204 on this circuit I gathered that, like many enthusiasts think of Subarus, there is a inherent understeer bias. What surprised me was how difficult it is to quell it to get a clean lap; with the DCCD left in Auto the car simply preferred to understeer into the hedge rather than move power around to fix it. As such I felt backing off the throttle was necessary, although I much preferred to power through and let the car ‘sort itself out’. I tried the same lap again on different settings on the DCCD, this time heading down the progressive chart and finding out the difference. Although with each lap the difference was hardly noticeable, by the time I reached the opposite end of the scale from Auto, the car was much cleaner on its lap and power was being distributed more efficiently to neutralise the handling. By then however, my front tyre sidewalls were already melting, and mechanical sympathy stopped me from going further!

Although the S204 clinched the fastest eventual lap time, the clear winner from behind the driver’s seat is the SIS. From ground up, it was built for situations like this and it was completely at home. Pity this specific model is going to be scrapped in two weeks…

Anyway, we left off where the SIS has no incidents, but before it got back to Singapore it unfortunately wasn’t spared. On the B-road back, a serious off-camber corner nearly drove the car into the oil palm plantations, and upon reaching Gelang Patah the car started leaking coolant fluid. A stone struck the radiator, just a small wound, but enough to give the car the thirst of a parched athlete. It limped back to Singapore and stopped periodically to get its coolant topped up!

All in, it was an incredible Saturday morning that showed thrills are never too far away from our island. We just need to know where to look.

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A BRAND NEW M3, YOURS FOR LESS THAN S$300K

By The Lenspeed Team

We’re in no doubt that S$300,000 is a lot of money, but if you’ve been tracking car prices in Singapore closely like Lenspeed has, the list prices fresh off the press of the F30 M3 and F32 M4 will certainly get you sitting up and paying attention.

At $226,800 (without COE) and $236,800 (without COE) for the M3 and M4 respectively (as of 22 June 2014), the M3 can now be had below the psychological $300k barrier inclusive of a $61,899 COE from the latest bidding – a first in a long while for an M car, if not the first time in history. As far as our memories can bring us, a E46 M3 still asked for circa $340k back in the day…

Whatever wizardry BMW M has employed to get the prices so low, we’re definitely not complaining. With the equivalent RS4 breaching nearly half a million dollars, both M cars are currently an absolutely bargain.

We’re making a good guess that these M cars would probably be sold in poverty spec, allowing their prices to stay so competitive – and maybe also leading to a lower OMV. But seeing as how Singaporeans care more about the badge than what options their cars have, this is a sound strategy to drive volume.

Heck, we can already hear the cheque books being thrown on the leather-lined tables…

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TO HELL AND BACK

By BLT

BLT takes to the treacherous Nürburgring Nordschleife … and returned home alive

Like any racetrack, the Nürburgring Nordschleife inspires both exhilaration and trepidation. But for me, it represented more of an enigma; a bucket list item any petrolhead needs to strike off his list at least once. We’ve all seen the Top Gear videos of Sabine Schmidt and Jeremy Clarkson going at it on the ‘ring. We’ve seen the manufacturer test videos of their cars doing a blistering lap time. And yes, we’ve all seen the epic crashes and YouTube ‘fail compilations’ of exotics crashing when flogged too hard from corner to corner.

Even with all those premonitions and expectations, I wasn’t scared. I was confident. I wouldn’t call myself a veteran, but having driven many Californian racetracks in fast cars and gotten second in a Porsche race day, I arrived in the sleepy town of Nürburg with my head held high. To me, this was just another track, albeit one with a lot of unnecessary hype and fuss. She was just another conquest.

Boy was I wrong, though it would take me a day to realise it.

After checking in at the Tiergarten Hotel (owned by none other than the Sabine Schmidt’s parents), my friends and I thought it wise to do the Ring Taxi to whet our appetite. We were hooked instantly. The instructor took his M3 E90 to limits beyond what BMW must have intended and we did an impressive 8:30 with four people on board. My friend and I then decided to rent Suzuki Swift and do a ‘practice lap’ each in anticipation of the next day’s race. My friend pulled a 12:15 on his first lap, no small feat considering he had never driven left-hand-drive before.

At the helm, I pushed that little car harder than gravity intended and started passing car after car. My proudest moment was when I managed to pass a latest-gen Porsche Cayman S in the inside line. The thrill of passing a 300+bhp car in something with 200bhp less pleased me almost as much as my respectable 10:23 timing, and I went back proud to the Schmidt hotel proud of my achievements and hoping I would run into Sabine to boast about my exploits.

It all changed the next day when I woke up to the thickest fog I’ve ever seen, or rather, not seen. Indeed, I couldn’t even count my fingers with my hands stretched out. I was as if I were a tick lost in Santa Claus’s beard. The fog was everywhere, and to make matters worse, the fog’s moisture soaked the ground like a sponge. Perfect racing conditions… if one were suicidal.

Despite that, we headed off to the racetrack expecting the competition to have turned tails because of the fog. And even if they were silly enough to persist, how many weekend racers in their GTIs/Lotuses/”pre-F30” M3s were going to be a match for my rental today – The latest generation Porsche Cayman S (981). Fog or no fog, I was going to rock it. Again, I was severely mistaken.

Instead of a bunch of midlife crisis men with salt-and-pepper hair rocking M3s and hot hatches as old as their pensions, the parking lot was filled with chiseled alpha males with cars one only saw on Top Gear. Audi R8s, Latest-Gen BMW M3/M4/M5s, C63 Blacks, Race-Spec Aston Martin Vantages, Koenigseggs, Ferrari 458 Italias, McLaren MP4-12Cs, 650S, even a P1, not to mention a whole assortment of Porsche GT3s, GT3RSes, and Turbos. The value of the cars in that lot exceeded the GDP of some countries. I felt like the guy who brought a Super Soaker up against guys packing bazookas, and actually knew how to use them. All of them had roll cages, fire-retardant suits, helmets, lots of machismo, and perhaps one too many ‘Nürburgring veteran’ bumper stickers. Germany’s motoratti were out in full force. Gulp.

“Up against such competition, the only thing that prevented me from turning tail was the fact that I had already pre-paid for 16 laps; one lap of which was pricier than 10 lap dances from the most exotic of exotic dancers.”

Up against such competition, the only thing that prevented me from turning tail was the fact that I had already pre-paid for 16 laps; one lap of which was pricier than 10 lap dances from the most exotic of exotic dancers. Put in that perspective, the money-conscious Asian American in me (and the only one in the whole race) could not walk away from that opportunity cost. After I signed the innumerable amount of waivers, I was made to put a deposit on my credit card for the replacement value of the car if I so much as scratched it: E$24,900. Yes, “only” a third of what a base Cayman costs, but one too many zeros for my comfort level. I crossed my fingers and hoped it would exceed my credit card limit, thus allowing me a face-saving exit out of the race. Needless to say, it didn’t, and I found myself cursing AMEX as I fired up the car, its raspy Boxer 6 defiantly croaking against its V8, V10 and V12 counterparts in the mist.

“Predictably, I was terrible, pushing too hard on the straights and braking way too late to clip the numerous apexes properly. The 150+ turns, already a challenge in the dry, were downright impossible in the mist.”

I had hired an instructor for the first six laps so I wouldn’t be culpable to doing anything overtly stupid (at least not initially), and he was in charge of teaching me the proper racing line. Michael, a veteran of more than 20,000+ laps and current touring car champion, was the epitome of Teutonic cool as he guided me around the track. ‘Zis ist nicht playzstation, you dzon’t get rezet button!’ he yelled many times as I flew through the corners carrying way too much over-confidence-induced speed. I had to place full trust in Michael, because all the corners were not only blind, but downright invisible thanks to the fog. Yesterday, I remarked to my friends that the ‘ring was almost beautiful, even if one weren’t driving at 250km/h. Now, I couldn’t even see a meter in front of me.

Predictably, I was terrible, pushing too hard on the straights and braking way too late to clip the numerous apexes properly. The 150+ turns, already a challenge in the dry, were downright impossible in the mist. As Michael scampered for the door after his six lap obligations were done (I don’t blame him at all), I tried my best to memorise where and when to turn and make it out of the numerous corners carrying the best possible exit speed. He did a fantastic job of teaching me, but I simply couldn’t memorize all 150+ turns at full throttle.

As luck would have it, the sun came out, but as the mist slowly dissipated, so did everyone’s inhibitions for speed. I found myself up against fast and furious racers relentlessly pushing my 6 o’clock in their 458s, P1s, and GT3s. With the fog gone, it was hard not to ogle at the supercars in my rear view mirror and think I was in a surreal dream – Except the dream was quickly shattered when all of them easily passed me without so much as even downshifting. Dream quickly turned into nightmare as I ended up being overtaken by one of the few hot hatchbacks at the race. How quickly the tables had turned since yesterday and I buried my face (and my dignity) in my hands at lunchtime.

Chain-binging on nuggets and fries, I resolved to give it my best after lunch. My passenger after lunch, Janina, was not used to screaming, but she did. Which, being German, is a big deal for her. That certainly inspired confidence in my driving. My next passenger and travel compadre, Malcolm, had the brilliant idea of navigating with the car’s GPS and with his help, I was starting to rock it. Like a rally team, he would give me directions right before a corner and give me a few milliseconds of much-needed anticipation. I finally felt confident enough to press the “Sport Plus” button on the center console and blew past a few cars.

“I now understand the allure of the Nürburgring Nordschleife. It’s not so much outright dangerous, but like a sexy vixen in a Bond movie, lulls you into a false sense of security with her luscious curves, then bites your head off right when you get overconfident.”

With our new strategy, I managed to pull a decent 9:53 hot lap. As I was going for another fast lap with my ego glowing, disaster struck. Right as I was about to take a corner at high speed, a GT3 appeared out of nowhere. Trying to cut him off so he couldn’t clip the apex, I pushed a centimeter too hard on the accelerator and the car spun out explosively.

Having been a victim to a few motorcycle and car accidents, I am no stranger to the sensation. Everyone experiences it differently and for me, it’s always in slow motion, yet I am always powerless to change the outcome. As we spun around the Nordschleife like a roulette dice, I remember thinking it was going to be expensive crash and cursed my AMEX again for its high limit. Thankfully, I smashed the brakes and downshifted quickly, stopping the car from catapulting me into bankruptcy and cutting short my ‘idiot drives Porsche into wall’ stardom on YouTube. After we took stock of our near-death experience, I noticed we were half a meter or so away from hitting the metal-plated barrier and becoming another Nürburgring casualty figure.

I was done. Like a sportsman trying to master a comeback and failing repeatedly, my subsequent laps were pathetic. I was scared, and knew it. I came face-to-face with death and blinked. Though my luck had not worn out and I was still in God’s good graces, I knew pushing it would be foolish. Normally I would have continued, but for some reason that day, logic won. As I sat at the starting grid watching others gambling with their lives with every kilometer above 200, I made the decision to stop and turn in the keys. At 12 out of 16 laps, my Nürburgring career was unequivocally and undoubtedly over.

I now understand the allure of the Nürburgring Nordschleife. It’s not so much outright dangerous, but like a sexy vixen in a Bond movie, lulls you into a false sense of security with her luscious curves, then bites your head off right when you get overconfident. I pulled a 9:53, which was respectable, but not noteworthy. Under Walter Röhl, the Cayman is capable of 7:56. I was two minutes away from the car’s true potential. My fantasy of running into Sabine and impressing her were all but the stuff of pipes.

With my self-worth in tatters, I bought some kitschy ‘I survived the Nürburgring’ bumper stickers for my Cayman back home; feeling that I might be able to bandage my ego with them by bragging to other petrolheads back in the States. Indeed, I comforted myself with the solace that I had crossed something off my bucket list without kicking the bucket itself. I figured no one in the States will know about my cowardice, just that I had raced at the ‘ring.

As I walked back across the parking lot past all the supercars and into my friend’s Seat Ibizia, I knew that I would be back, sans overconfidence. I was beaten and humbled, but not out of the fight. Perhaps that is the ‘ring’s true appeal – Once you’re smitten, you never let it go, and I wondered if that was what possessed men like Nikki Lauda to return. As I sat in the car contemplating my comeback, I started asking myself which corners I could improve on, what I would change about my racing line, and what car I would take next time.

What caused me to spin out? Why did I rent a Porsche Cayman when a much more basic car would have sufficed? What on earth had caused me to commit to 16 laps? Even one lap, basically 10 minutes and 23+ kilometres, was an eternity. They say pride comes before a fall, and the Nürburgring was the ultimate experience of my confidence not matching my actual skill. I was, in other words (specifically those of Jeremy Clarkson) ambitious, but rubbish.

At least I have those bumper stickers.

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BRIDGE THE GAP

By Gerald Yuen

Lenspeed’s staff car gets a new set of rubbers

60,000km done on the Citroen DS3, and I must say that one of the most outstanding takeaways from the car would be the OEM Bridgestone RE050A rubbers. With dimensions of 205/45/17, it has the tyre width of a base spec 122bhp VW Golf, and yet its an inch up on size – probably to complement the DS3’s “anti-retro” image. Slapping on rubbers with vital stats of 205/45/16 would certainly make more sense considering the DS3’s ability to maintain a fluid rhythm with the road. But to be honest, I’m not complaining about the ride quality one bit.

With a treadwear rating of 180 (similar rating to the Yokohoma Advan AD08 semi slicks), I was expecting it not to last beyond 30,000km. But simple visual inspections reveal that there is still plenty of thread left. It might be due to my driving style (erm, wheelspins can be counted with one hand!), but even then the rubbers did not show signs of hardening and losing grip even though they often bask under the heat on weekdays in an unsheltered parking spot. But one nagging issue with the front right tyre was all it took for me to decide on a new set of rubbers. High time for a change, perhaps?

It came down to two choices – Michelins’s Pilot Sport 3 and Bridgestone’s RE002. We had the PS3 on the MkV GTI, and apart from the brilliant treadwear (we did 80,000km with pretty hard driving), I did not feel that in tuned with the car. Steering response was numb, and it was even noisier than the Pilot Sport 2 – a tyre supposedly designed for sportier driving. That left me with only one option – the Bridgestone Adrenaline RE002. I’ll be fitting this on later in the week. Let’s see how this will work out.

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