Shall I go Hybrid or stick to the good old gas guzzler variety?

[Leongsam]

my VW also recalled. but the problem persist. sigh... make me regret giving up the manual transmission honda. now cannot buy manual transmission new car as no dealers sell manual models anymore.

The auto gearbox on my Toyota has lasted 250,000 km with regular servicing and is still shifting perfectly. Stick to the Toyota/Honda/Subaru and you won't go too far wrong.

 

[sleaguepunter]

The auto gearbox on my Toyota has lasted 250,000 km with regular servicing and is still shifting perfectly. Stick to the Toyota/Honda/Subaru and you won't go too far wrong.

my boss has a subaru, i drove it often and let just say i not impress by it. toyota and honda much better.

 

[Leongsam]

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<div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=247849812006041" data-width="466"><div class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=247849812006041">Post</a> by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LexusNZ">Lexus New Zealand</a>.</div></div>

 

[virus]

oh pleaze..... another useless toy in the form of auto seat for expensive rebadge toyota. why spend $$ on the back seat when you are not seated there. it's throwing good $$ after bad.

go for the mitsubishi triton. it's dirt cheap. you can get a dozen for the same price.

 

[Leongsam]

[video=youtube_share;Y-50FHEzc4w]http://youtu.be/Y-50FHEzc4w[/video]

 

[Leongsam]

go for the mitsubishi triton. it's dirt cheap. you can get a dozen for the same price.

I've tried the Triton and its SUV derivative the Challenger. It's not a pleasant drive. It's noisier than my clanky old Toyota Hilux and the Turbo lag is very pronounced.

I already have a dirt cheap means of getting from point A to B with my Hilux. What I'm looking for is something to pamper my senses. I have an urge to spend money and the Lexus NX is ticking all my boxes at the moment.

 

[Leongsam]

[video=youtube_share;hWZRFlM0Wo4]http://youtu.be/hWZRFlM0Wo4[/video]

 

[eatshitndie]

http://www.autonews.com/article/201...-offer-a-235-hp-turbo-or-194-hp-hybrid-in-u.s.

"lexus ct" luxury with toyota "rav4 underpinnings".....

http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1091400_2015-lexus-nx-compact-crossover-revealed

"underpinning the nx is a modified version of the platform found in the toyota rav4"......

 

[Leongsam]

http://www.autonews.com/article/201...-offer-a-235-hp-turbo-or-194-hp-hybrid-in-u.s.

"lexus ct" luxury with toyota "rav4 underpinnings".....:p

Someone with a manufacturing background like me actually views that as a "plus" factor.

Lexus takes a proven Toyota design which has a proven reliability record based on the hundreds of thousands of new RAV4s that are already on the road. If there any weak points, they'll be identified and fixed as quickly as possible.

The rock solid foundation is then tweaked by Lexus to add luxury, performance and advanced features. The end result is the NX although I'm a bit wary about the Turbo which is new to Toyota. They have never been down that route before with a petrol engine. The Hybrid technology already has a good track record in the Prius and the RX.

On the other hand, brands like Porsche don't have mass production equivalents so each new model is designed from the ground up and is usually plagued with issues that are resolved as the model ages.

EG the first Cayennes were one of the least reliable SUVs on the market. As the years have passed, the bugs have been resolved and the current model is going to be as good as it gets.

 

[Froggy]

Boss this NX's spindle grille looks even better than my current GS and RX, looks fierce.

I agree with you about the dislike of CVT, its wussy and uncharacteristic.

I've owned 2 Camrys before and I never think Lexus is a rebadged Toyota, big difference.

Boss, you talked about safety of the NX over your pickup truck and I wish to highlight the VDIM in the Lexus, had saved me quite a few times in both Singapore and Thai roads. Current high end Toyotas like the Camry Hybrid and some Alphard have this feature now.

 

[Leongsam]

I've owned 2 Camrys before and I never think Lexus is a rebadged Toyota, big difference.

I have never thought that way either. Those sorts of comments invariably come from the green eyed monsters who can't afford a Lexus.

They're the same ones that get all worked up over trivial issues like the CPF minimum sum.

 

[Froggy]

They're the same ones that get all worked up over trivial issues like the CPF minimum sum.

Boss, I beg to differ for many Singaporeans this is certainly not trivial but a life changing adjustment each time the goal post is shifted.

 

[Leongsam]

Boss, I beg to differ for many Singaporeans this is certainly not trivial but a life changing adjustment each time the goal post is shifted.

If they bought themselves a Lexus, they'd soon realise that in the grand scheme of things, the CPF minimum sum is no longer important.

 

[Froggy]

If they bought themselves a Lexus, they'd soon realise that in the grand scheme of things, the CPF minimum sum is no longer important.

Ha ha ha ha ha you're funny boss. Cheers and happy playing with your new toy.

By the way many had asked me to get rid of the truck as there will not be anymore big flood in Bangkok which is the purpose I got this, I'm very reluctant as I still love the truck. It's done only 20k in 2 years and is grossly under utilized but just felt I need a truck funny right a man and his truck.

 

[virus]

I've tried the Triton and its SUV derivative the Challenger. It's not a pleasant drive. It's noisier than my clanky old Toyota Hilux and the Turbo lag is very pronounced.

I already have a dirt cheap means of getting from point A to B with my Hilux. What I'm looking for is something to pamper my senses. I have an urge to spend money and the Lexus NX is ticking all my boxes at the moment.

Of cos noisy. That is the sound of a bad dude not some wuss. Cant imagine a harley gang driving furiously down the road like a bicycle gang

 

[eatshitndie]

If they bought themselves a Lexus, they'd soon realise that in the grand scheme of things, the CPF minimum sum is no longer important.

my eyes are still set on the tesla model x. i was planning to splurge on the model s, but a few fires caused me to pause. there's no fatal problem with the car so far for thousands that are sold (it is the safest car by far and rated 5-star by the ntsb; only car to achieve that accolade), however, its low profile and low clearance from road is not what i like. the battery is built at the bottom frame of the car, and sharp metal debris or objects on the road can pierce the battery "armor" and cause a short, which can cause a fire. the model x has a higher profile and bottom clearance is more than twice that of the s. plus it's time to go fully electric as i'm beginning to see "free" charging stations almost everywhere. and yes, cpf doesn't factor anymore at this stage of life.

 

[Leongsam]

Of cos noisy. That is the sound of a bad dude not some wuss. Cant imagine a harley gang driving furiously down the road like a bicycle gang

I wanna listen to my fancy sound system. I don't care if it's noisy outside. I want a quiet interior with minimum road, wind and engine noise.

 

[Leongsam]

my eyes are still set on the tesla model x. i was planning to splurge on the model s, but a few fires caused me to pause. there's no fatal problem with the car so far for thousands that are sold (it is the safest car by far and rated 5-star by the ntsb; only car to achieve that accolade), however, its low profile and low clearance from road is not what i like. the battery is built at the bottom frame of the car, and sharp metal debris or objects on the road can pierce the battery "armor" and cause a short, which can cause a fire. the model x has a higher profile and bottom clearance is more than twice that of the s. plus it's time to go fully electric as i'm beginning to see "free" charging stations almost everywhere. and yes, cpf doesn't factor anymore at this stage of life.

All cars can potentially catch fire and I would have thought those with gas tanks would be far more dangerous.

The biggest issue I have with electric cars at the moment is range and time taken to recharge. If I drive 150km for a day of fishing and get home before dinner for a quick shower, do I have to then wait 2 hours before I can leave the house again for a 30km trip to dinner?

I'm sure this issue will be solved pretty soon. In the meantime, I want to burn some fossil fuel.

 

[Leongsam]

My head tells me to go with the Lexus NX but boy is the Macan a real beaut!! I was at the showroom last Saturday when it launched.

---

Sporty Porsche Macan is a thing of pure joy

By Damien O'Carroll
5:00 AM Wednesday Jun 25, 2014

Porsche NZ says 80 Macan SUVs have been ordered already.

Not too many years ago the very idea of a Porsche SUV was an unutterable horror to many. Then one saved the company and that all changed.
It was like the whole Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer story -- everyone teased the Cayenne until it proved its worth and saved the day. Except there weren't as many red noses or magical flying reindeer involved. This was pure, hard-headed business -- Porsche needed a volume profit-maker to save it, and the Cayenne SUV was just that.

That was back in the early 2000s, and now that the Cayenne is firmly established, even loved, Porsche has launched a Rudolph Jr of sorts. A medium-sized SUV to take on the likes of the BMW X3 and Audi Q5. It is called the Macan and Porsche in New Zealand is expecting some pretty big things from it.

Porsche in New Zealand is in the middle of a strong resurgence after its drastic drop in sales during the financial crisis. In 2005 the company had local sales of 240, in 2009 this plummeted to 109. Over the past few years sales have climbed back up to 187 last year and this year, with the addition of the Macan for the rest of it, Porsche NZ boss Greg Clarke is predicting 290 sales and its biggest year ever. For 2015 it is even more confident, with a target of 340.

The Macan's unique bonnet surrounds the headlights entirely. Photo / Damien O'Carroll

According to Clarke, 80 Macans have been ordered already, despite the buyers not having seen even one in the metal, let alone driven it.
This says a lot about the confidence both Porsche and the buyers have in the Macan. And after having driven it ourselves, it is a confidence we can truly understand.

The Macan will land in New Zealand as two models with three different engines. First up is the Macan S, available with a choice of either a 250kW/460Nm 3.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V6 or a 190kW/580Nm 3.0-litre variable turbine turbo diesel. Both engines are hooked up to Porsche's 7-speed PDK dual-clutch transmission and all-wheel drive system.

The Macan S comes standard with bi-xenon automatic headlights, an electric tailgate, automatic dual zone climate control, cruise control, 14-way adjustable electric front seats, a 7-inch touch screen that doubles as the display for the satellite navigation and backing camera, 19-inch alloy wheels, PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management) and a multi-function steering wheel with shift paddles.

The Macan S with the diesel engine will cost $118,000, hits the legal speed limit in 6.3 seconds and consumes 6.1L/100km of fuel, while the petrol costs $121,000, hits 100km/h in 5.4 seconds and downs 8.7L/100km of petrol.

The Porsche Macan is jam packed with options. Photo / Damien O'Carroll

The second model in the line-up is the Macan Turbo, which packs a 3.6-litre twin-turbo petrol V6 with 294kW of power and 550Nm of torque. The turbo 3.6 is also hooked up to the 7-speed PDK transmission and the 4WD system and will do the 0-to-100 sprint in 4.8s, while its fuel consumption is a combined figure of 9.1L/100km.

The Macan Turbo comes standard with an impressive amount of standard kit on top of the S spec, including air suspension (optional on S models) with PASM, 20-inch alloy wheels, Porsche's active Dynamic Lighting System, 18-way adaptive electric front heated seats, a Bose surround sound audio system, an Alcantara roof lining and a brushed aluminium interior trim package. The Turbo hits the streets at $156,000.
The local launch saw us pilot all models of the Macan from Auckland to Rotorua in some fairly horrendous conditions. While this is not ideal for an importer wanting to show off how pretty its newest vehicle is, it was perfect to demonstrate just how good the Macan is in difficult conditions.

First up we tried a petrol Macan S with optional air suspension (among many, many other options). The petrol engine is belligerent and strong, with a deep bellow that resonates pleasantly in your head (and, to be honest, in your trouser area as well ... ). It belts off the line with supreme authority and the 7-speed PDK transmission is a slick and fast wonder of engineering.
<nzh-inline-gallery id="143749" position="center" media-id="15631691">
Next up was the Turbo -- and what an absolute belter it was. The extra grunt from the bigger, more powerful V6 left you in no doubt that this was a "proper" Porsche (not that the S did a bad job of that anyway) and the incredible seats kept you securely held in place at all times.</nzh-inline-gallery>
Then we drove the S Diesel, both with the optional air suspension and with the standard steel springs, and we have to admit the steel-sprung car easily won us over.

While the air suspension is good, the standard steel-sprung car had a remarkable feeling of well set up purity about the way it handled. It felt lither and more eager than the air suspension-equipped cars, and was an utter delight to throw into a corner. Not that the cars with air suspension were slouches, because the Macan boasts a wonderfully responsive chassis and sharp, eager steering. Body roll is virtually non-existent and the Macan behaves and responds like a car not only much smaller, but also much, much lower and considerably more sports car-like.

As quite often is the way with these things, we came away from the Macan launch loving the cheapest and dearest variants the most.
The basic $118,000 diesel on steel springs is a pure, chuckable and thoroughly enjoyable thing, with more than enough standard spec to keep you completely happy for its price. And the $156,000 Turbo is a belligerent belter with proper high-speed transcontinental cruising abilities and a serious turn of handling when required.

Although Porsche may sell more SUVs these days than sports cars, it still retains a definite focus on being a sports car manufacturer. And ironically that shows more clearly than anywhere else in its SUVs, particularly the Macan. It simply shouldn't be as much fun as it is. But it is.

Because it is a Porsche.

By Damien O'Carroll
- NZ Herald

Copyright ©2014, APN New Zealand Limited

 

[Leongsam]

Let's forget about the losers who worry about trivial matters like CPF savings and talk about issues that are far more relevant to a rich and successful country like Singapore instead.

---

The fastest, sexiest sport-ute on the market comes at a very hefty badge premium


<header>

By David Booth Originally published: 9 hours ago

</header>You’ve heard none of the hue and cry that accompanied the launch of the Cayenne. No Chicken Little “Porsche’s sky if falling” doomsday prophecies lamenting the diluting of the storied brand. Nor even the questioning of marketability that accompanies every model that threatens to stretch any brand. Indeed, the anoraks that decried the arrival of Porsche’s first SUV back in 2000 have uttered not a solitary peep at the arrival of this, Stuttgart’s second sports utility vehicle.

That’s, of course, because the Cayenne has been successful beyond even Porsche’s wildest dreams (the company sold more than 77,000 in 2012 alone), responsible — along with the four-door Panamera — not just for the survival of the brand but the kind of profitability that has allowed the company to expand its much-ballyhooed lineup of sports cars. Purists might blanch at the thought, but there is a 918 Spyder because Porsche has made so much money selling Cayennes. Ditto for seemingly uncountable variations of the 911 and something as relatively low on the sales volume chart as the Cayman. Those cars might never have seen the light of day if the people enthusiasts deride as dilettantes hadn’t been parking Cayennes in their garages in record numbers. So, don’t expect much controversy to accompany the introduction of Porsche’s latest profit-generating “truck”, the Macan.

Certainly, the naysayers will find little to complain about the Macan’s execution. Oh, there might be tut-tutting that it’s based on Audi’s Q5 — true but with substantial alterations — or that it might eventually be available with diesel and/or even four-cylinder engines. But, as delivered, the Macan Turbo is, as befits anything wearing the Porsche crest, the most sporting of SUVs.

The Macan’s cabin will come as no surprise to anyone who has sat inside a recent Porsche. The centre console is dominated by the performance modifying buttonry — suspension, traction control, etc. — that surrounds the gear lever.

The Turbo — a confusing moniker since both models are, in fact, powered by turbocharged V6s; a 3.0-litre for the S, a 3.6 for the Turbo — boasts a class-leading 400 horsepower (the S but 60-hp less) and can accelerate to 100 kilometres an hour in less than five seconds (the S is about half a tick behind). And while that’s slower than anything else wearing a Turbo badge in Porsche’s lineup, lack of power will never be a Macan complaint.

One thing that is surprising, however, is that those 400 horses are not the important number on the spec sheet. The Turbo boasts 406 of those foot-pound things and they’re available at such a low 1,350 rpm that one seldom sees the tachometer swing past 3,000 rpm in the course of everyday driving. Indeed, the seven-speed PDK consistently short shifts keeping the V6 in the lower echelons of its rev range; one really has to be deep in the throttle before you’ll get any serious engine revving. And, if there’s any disappointment at all to the Turbo’s performance, it’s that the twin-turbo’ed V6′s low-rpm response is so impressive down low that you expect it to build to an almost 918 crescendo at higher rpm when, it fact, it goes flat above about 5,000 rpm. Nonetheless, 4.8 seconds to 100 klicks — 4.6 with the Sports Chrono package — is amazing stuff for something that portends to go off-road.

Keeping the revs low does have positive benefits, though. One presumes it helps fuel economy, though the Macan Turbo’s 14.2 litres per 100 km in the city and 10.1 highway figures seem strikingly consumptive, that highway figure, for instance, worse than what Porsche claims for the Cayenne Turbo, two pistons richer and some 325 kilograms heavier. It is important to remember, though, that the Macan is using Natural Resources Canada’s new, more stringent five-cycle testing regimen so direct comparisons are not yet possible.

Nonetheless, keeping the revs down at least reduces the thrashiness typical of a V6 and, indeed, the Macan’s powertrain may be more impressive for its sophistication than its performance.


From all angles, the Macan is definitely a very sexy sport-ute.

The same impressing-beyond-its-humble-origins applies to the chassis. Yes, the 2,807-millimetre wheelbase is essentially the same as the Q5′s and, yes, the various suspension links and geometry are also identical (Porsche says that they were fully prepared to change it all, but that Audi did such a good job that they left well enough alone), but pretty much everything else has been Porschified. Dampers and spring rates are notably firmer, the tires are bigger and wider and the steering ratio is noticeably quicker. Porsche also incorporated its own electronically-controlled all-wheel-drive system that offers, says the company, more variation in torque splits than the quattro system’s mechanical diff. Whatever the case, the Macan features a decidedly rearward torque split, a trait emphasized when it is equipped with the company’s PTV torque-vectoring system (a $1,700 option). Not having a racetrack at my disposal, I did not test the efficacy of this last, but I can say that the overall result is a taut ride with precious little body roll and turn-in that is almost sports-car-like. Indeed, if there’s a reason to opt for the Macan’s comparatively small cargo space (17.6 cubic feet which is barely bigger than some sedans), it is its lithe, athletic steering. A few will complain that the steering is too heavy, but that extra effort results in steering feel uncommon in the SUV ranks.

The Macan’s cabin will come as no surprise to anyone who has sat inside a recent Porsche. The centre console is dominated by the performance modifying buttonry — suspension, traction control, etc. — that surrounds the gear lever. The upper console has all the multimedia gadgetry and there’s more to be had on the steering wheel. Truth be told, it’s all just a little too busy for my liking. Despite my ambivalence towards the multimedia controllers that proliferate these days, I found myself wishing some of this “noise” were programmed into the central computer, trotted out for the one or two times a month that one might access the sports suspension button or decide to pair yet another phone.

Another departure from my normal road tests will be to comment on the Macan’s exterior styling. Normally, since beauty is so much in the eye of the beholder, I would let the accompanying pictures speak their thousand words. But I find the Macan so fetching — and not just for an SUV — that I feel obliged to comment. Depending on your viewpoint, it can be seen as the Cayenne distilled — it looks lithe while the Cayenne always seems a little football-lineman-gone-to-seed to me — or perhaps a big Boxster wagon. I see a little of BMW’s odd little M Coupe in the Macan, slightly boated yes, but pugnaciously sporty nonetheless.

Pricing for the 2014 Porsche Macan Turbo can get very high, very fast. A fully optioned out Macan will cost you just over $100,000.

With performance worthy of the badge, styling equal to the best of the segment and aimed at the fastest growing segment in the luxury market, the Macan is well positioned to continue the success hewed by the Cayenne. Faults are few, though, in the case of the Turbo version at least, significant. For one, the Lane Keep Assist program is simply wonky as all get out. Unlike, say, the Mercedes-Benz system on the S-Class, which could convince you that the era of autonomous driving is nigh at hand, left to its own devices (i.e. taking your hands off the wheel), the Macan snakes down the road like a pre-Oprah Lindsay Lohan weaving down Sunset Boulevard. Not only does it bounce from lane marker to lane marker like a drunken sailor, but its resistance to simply approaching painted lines is quite obtrusive. I tested it just long enough to become suitably annoyed and then shut it off.

The safety nanny may be annoying, but it is hardly a deal breaker. More difficult to justify is the Turbo’s pricing. Although the S model starts at a reasonable, we’re-just-trying-to-get-you-in-the-door $54,300, the Turbo rings in at a positively pricey $82,000. And my tester’s sticker topped out at a seriously usurious $102,685, including $1,670 for a rearview camera (which surely should be standard on an $82,000 compact sport ute) and $3,700 for a set of wheels. Hell, despite forking out 100 large, you’re still making do with a relatively crummy Bose audio system (as opposed to, say, a top-shelf Bang & Olufsen system) and a climate control system with only two adjustment zones (available on a $33,599 Hyundai Tucson Limited and a Toyota RAV4 for even less).

Porsche’s station in the marketplace is indeed exalted. And the Macan is without a doubt the fastest, best performing and possibly sexiest sport-ute on the market. But you’ve got to be pretty desperate for Stuttgart cresting to pay almost $50,000 more than the base price of an SQ5. This pricing premium was the one valid criticism leveled at the original Cayenne (versus the Volkswagen Touareg on which it was based). It remains Porsche’s most significant fault in general and the one chink in the Macan Turbo’s otherwise bullet-proof armour.

2014 Porsche Macan Turbo

Porsche’s pricing is positively off-the-wall

If free market capitalism teaches us anything, it is that nothing has an “intrinsic” value; any product — from a lowly can of fizzy pop to the most expensive of Italian supercars — is only worth what the market will bear. And bear is something the market has chosen to do with all Porsche products, all the company’s cars demanding a premium for their Teutonic engineering. Nonetheless, I have to say that I found the Macan Turbo’s pricing especially egregious.

So I took the time explore what I might buy as an alternative to my $102,865 Macan Turbo purchase. For instance, I found that if I anted up a little less than $15,000 more, I could buy a base Audi RS7. True, they are not direct competitors and Stuttgart’s branding is definitely haughtier than Ingolstadt’s, but the 560-hp Audi is the best thing on four wheels that money can currently buy, so one would be a fool not to consider it.

One could also, for the same money, drive around in the base version of Land Rover’s Range Rover, a brand surely equally prestigious to Porsche and a model at least two rungs higher up the luxury ladder than the Macan. Did I mention that the Range Rover features (costly) all-aluminum construction and a supercharged V8?

Starting with the same brand, one could option out a Range Rover Evoque — the Macan’s equal in style and status if not quite power — and still have enough left over for a well turned-out BMW 428i (without the xDrive all-wheel-drive option, however).

Alternatively, you could get a spunky little Mini Cooper S, a fully-decked out Harley-Davidson Electra Glide and still have enough left over for a Mercedes-Benz GLK … with the V6 and a few options.


There is absolutely nothing wrong with Porsche asking $100,000+ for a fully-optioned Macan Turbo. If people are willing to pay such a premium for the luxury of boasting the famous crest, then Porsche would be stupid not to take their money. On the other hand, one has to believe that there will eventually be a limit to such indulgence. As I see it, the Macan Turbo makes an excellent $70,000 (stretching to perhaps $85,000 with options) performance sport-ute. A hundred large would see me seriously shopping the S model or even Audi SQ5.

2014 Porsche Macan Turbo

The Specs
Type of vehicle All-wheel-drive compact sport utility
Engine 3.6L DOHC turbocharged V6
Power 400 hp @ 6,000 rpm; 406 lb.-ft. of torque @ 1,350 to 4,500 rpm
Transmission Seven-speed PDK
Brakes Four-wheel disc with ABS
Tires P295/35R21 rear; 265/40R21 front
Price (base/as tested) $82,200/$102,685
Destination charge $1,155
Natural Resources Canada fuel economy (L/100 km) 14.2 city, 10.1 highway

Standard features Power door locks, windows and power mirrors, dual-zone electronically-controlled air conditioning with micron air filter, Bose 545-watt AM/FM/CD player with 14 speakers, Bluetooth connectivity, navigation system, Multifunction steering wheel controls, cruise control, information display, tilt and telescoping steering wheel, 18-way adjustable leather front seats, heated front seats, heated steering wheel, 40/20/40 rear folding seats, auto headlights, four 12 volt power sockets, dual front air bags, driver’s side knee air bag, dual front side air bags, side curtain air bags, front knees air bags, Porsche Stability Management (PSM)