motoringdaily - Tumblr blog

motoringdaily · 1 year

Text

Toyota GT-86 Review.

By Emmanuel Omeri.

I recently got the chance to drive a rare car in the Kenyan market; the Toyota GT86. It is also known as the Scion FR-S or Subaru BRZ depending on which part of the world it was sourced from. It is a car that is meant to be fun but within the speed limit. You do not have to be doing any crazy speed to have fun in this car.It is not fast. It is also not the most comfortable in its segment. The rear legroom is almost non-existent.

First thing you realize is how low it sits. If you’re horizontally challenged, getting in and out of this car will be a work out . With my height, I had no issues getting in and out of the car. However, for people above 6'0 you will need to be almost as flexible as a gymnast. But once you’re inside, you realize the front is quite spacious. Driving position is excellent! Sporty but with a clear view of everything around you.

So now the part that’s interesting; how it drives. First thing I noted was how stiff and tight the suspension is. 100 metres into the drive and I could already tell it is one of those cars that you don’t have to brake before going into a corner. This is aided by the fact that it does not gather speed at an alarming rate when driving in a straight line. So when you get to corners you don’t have to shed a-lot of speed or brake. You just turn the wheel and it does as instructed. For our Kenyan roads with so many hazards when driving at high speeds, this really makes sense. You can a have a smile or two at 100kph. Just downshift before a corner, enjoy the induction noise, no brakes and accelerate out of it! You can slide it too if you wish. It is rear wheel drive anyway.

Now to the more technical bits, the engine. No plastic covers here. You see everything. It has both subaru and toyota labels. The engine produces about 200hp at 7,000rpm. The peak torque of 212nm is at 6,400rpm. Simply put, the engine comes alive at 6,000-7,000 rpm. That is where the car starts to feel fast on a straight line.Transmission was a 6 speed automatic and it was actually quite good. It loves to kick down since it knows this car needs to be at high rpms.

In conclusion, this is a car for someone who likes to have fun on the road but doesn’t necessarily want outright speed. And considering that you can get it at less than Kshs 2M, it makes it one of the bargain sports cars in Kenya.

2 notes · View notes

motoringdaily · 1 year

Text

Toyota Urban Cruiser Review.

By Emmanuel Omeri.

When you say you drive a Toyota, certain aspects like peace of mind, reliability, and good resale value come as a no brainer. The same can be said about the Urban Cruiser. It is not as expensive as other Toyota SUVs. In the subcompact SUV segment, the Urban Cruiser comes as an underdog. It is unlikely to be the first choice, but should be a considered option.

Offered with the Toyota Urban Cruiser is a single-engine option – a 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated K-Series four-cylinder petrol engine. It makes 103bhp of power at 6,000rpm and can be had either with a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic transmission. The one you see in the picture is the latter. This new engine also does duties on quite a few vehicles released currently and has proven to be not only refined but also quite fun to drive. It’s silent on the idle with no vibrations whatsoever to a point that you’d need to double-check whether or not the engine is on.

Although set on a firmer side, the ride on the Urban Cruiser is far from being uncomfortable. It manages to absorb small irregularities and bad roads with so much ease. At slow speeds, you might feel harsh bumps and sharp potholes on the inside. But go faster and the ride does improve considerably, taking in bumps with more composure. It rides on 215/60 section tyres which further help achieve its comfortable ride quality. Thanks to its 198mm ground clearance, you won’t have to think twice before taking on those massive speed bumps or taking it out where roads cease to exist.

Stepping nside the Urban Cruiser, it has a familiar air to it. There is an all-black cabin that is welcoming and straightforward with so much functionality. There are hard plastics used all around with only a single silver insert over the glovebox and a piano-black surround on the centre console breaking the monotony. You sit upright on well-cushioned and supportive seats with good visibility all around. That combined with good ergonomics help the Urban Cruiser become very easy to drive. Behind the steering wheel sits a twin square-pod instrument cluster. But the infortainment screen at the centre looks old and outdated, especially when rivals are offering all-digital clusters these days.

Now to address the elephant in the room, the Toyota Urban Cruiser is a rebadged Suzuki Vitara. I expected some more cosmetic changes to set the Toyota apart from the car it is based on but the Japanese manufacturer seems contented with just a tweaked grille. Apart from that, everything else has remained unchanged. Wearing a Toyota badge definitely has its benefits; higher warranty (100,000 km compared to the Vitara's 40,000km), better after-sales and reliability and an overall hassle-free ownership experience. On the downside, unlike some of its rivals, there’s no option for a diesel engine. Also, it has maintaimed the old torque converter system when most of its competition has switched to new and efficient technology.

As mentioned above, the Urban Cruiser is not likely to be the first choice for someone looking to buy a sub-compact SUV since competition is really stiff with well-established local car dealerships like Ford, Mahindra XUV300, and new capable rivals like Kia Sonata, Nissan Qashqai, Renault Kiger and many more on the way. But the merits of the Urban Cruiser win over its shortcomings and that definitely should not be overlooked.

0 notes

motoringdaily · 1 year

Text

VolksWagen Golf GTI MK7 Review.

By Emmanuel Omeri.

Now that we have a 'public holiday', here is my review of the Mk7 VW Golf GTI. I have been lucky enough to use one laying around the yard waiting for a potential buyer. I’ll start with a rather famous statement by Chris Harris. He made this statement while reviewing a Mk7 GTI; ‘Anyone who knows anything about cars quietly respects the Golf GTI’ If my experience is anything to go by, I must agree. I get random nods of approval from people quite often.

I was lucky to lay my hands on a relatively highly specced version. It came with the bigger 8 inch touch screen (Some come with a tiny display). I also got electric leather seats. And most importantly it has DCC (Dynamic Chassis Control)

Now DCC is a fantastic piece of kit. You can basically transform your car from an aggressive track biased weapon to an extremely comfortable grand tourer. Most GTIs coming in do not have DCC. I was really lucky to get it.And there is quite a stark difference when you drive the car using the different modes. In sport mode, the chassis becomes stiff, suspension hardens,steering heavy, gear shifts aggressive, exhaust note changes (although it’s a fake pumped in noise).

In comfort it feels like you are driving a midsize luxury sedan. It is Mercedes E class levels of comfort. Everything is just soft and supple. I drove on comfort 99% of the time and only put sport when I found a nice twisty back road where I can safely cause some chaos .

Eco is my ‘I am running out of fuel mode’ . I have used it three times when my fuel range was at less than 10kms and I wasn’t sure how far the next petrol station is. In this mode, the car coasts when going down hill or on a very flat surface.

Enough about DCC. VW really did well in balancing performance, practicality and fuel efficiency. It makes it a car you can genuinely use every day. If you don’t go off-road, it is all the car you need. Probably less than 3% of you will be able to keep up with the GTI on the road. This is a car that will get to 100kph in the mid 6 seconds and achieve a top speed of about 250kph and still be comfortable. Subaru STis & Mitsubishi Evos will perform slightly better but a lot of compromises are made when it comes to comfort, fuel efficiency and everyday useability.

Talking about fuel efficiency. I averaged 9.1 km/l in just over 2,000 KMs of mostly city driving(You can see it’s city driving because my average speed over that distance is 22kph). On the highway, this car will give you 12-15kpl at speeds of 100-140kph.

And it’s good for kids too. It has child seat isofix points and. Boot space big enough for luggage and I think it will also fit a stroller without much of a struggle.

It’s not all rosy though. This car has its drawbacks. And it pains me a bit to say this, but German cars feel like quality cars but they tend to cheap out on things you usually don’t see. For instance, the engine sump is made of plastic. One wrong move and a rock or even a bump may puncture it and you lose all your oil. This can be catastrophic if the driver does not notice. The car also sits quite low. This can easily be remedied though, just fit a sump guard. There are some quality ones from Sump Guard Centre Nairobi.

The car also tends to have coolant consumption issues. This is a widely reported issue globally and most times it is the water pump and the thermostat housing that are faulty. This problem affects most MQB platform cars from Audi and VW. The original manufacturer water pump is very low quality to be honest. You are better off with an aftermarket part. The original can fail even on cars with less than 50,000kms mileage.

The mentioned parts already failed on this specific unit. I replaced the water pump, the thermostat housing, coolant shut off valve and few other bits and pieces. And this is not a cheap car to run at the moment. Expect up to 6 figure repair bills. Or at least high 5 figure bills.I had to import certain things and that is usually expensive. Make friends with someone who knows how to import car parts very fast. You will need him . Also, I always recommend that you have a kitty for your car in case of emergencies.Depending on your car, your kitty should be anywhere between 50k-1million.

However, the gearbox and engine are reported to be quite reliable on the GTI. Some have issues but they aren’t as widespread as the coolant consumption issue.But the most important question, does it make me smile when I drive? Yes! Too much actually.

My recommendation? Just buy your dream cars.

0 notes

motoringdaily · 1 year

Text

A review of the Mazda CX-9.

By Emmanuel Omeri.

I have been fortunate to be among the first people to get a feel of the new Mazda CX9. Having driven the car for almost a month and done over 2000 kilometres of mixed driving, here is my review.

The Mazda CX-9 fills a very under appreciated gap in the Kenyan market. A market that is seemingly on demand in the US and Australia. What do you buy when you want a huge SUV, but you don’t need the heavy duty 4WD equipment like low range and locking differentials?

For most people, this would be easy! Get a BMW X5, a VW Touareg or even a Mercedes GLE! Okay then, what if you want something larger than the X5s? What if you want something more reliable? That niche market is what this car tries to serve. It is a unique market here that only the CX-9 served until recently when Hyundai introduced the Palisade.

Without going into much detail, the CX-9 is bigger in terms of general size than the Land Cruiser Prado, the BMW X5s, VW Touaregs and Mercedes GLE. It is actually about as long and wide as a ‘V8’. Just not as tall. Let’s go to the good stuff now. The good, the really good and the bad. Nothing is ugly here please.

Most people would agree that Mazda has been designing some fantastic looking vehicles since they started this Kodo design philosophy. I think the exterior look is this car’s most attractive element. It looks really good.

Then there is the interior. Mazda did not cheap out! Everything you touch is either leather(nappa), metal or rosewood. No cheap plastics anywhere. The Germans would charge you almost twice as much to get this level of quality. It has almost every modern feature that you actually need in a car. Anything you need, it has it. Want wireless charging? Want apple car play? Want cooled seats? Want a 360 degree camera? Want heated rear seats? Want premium audio? Want a heads up display with maps function and traffic sign recognition? Want lane keeping assist? Want adaptive cruise? Want 7 seats? Electric Tailgate? Its all available.

What about performance? Well, it is not anything exciting in terms of performance (at least for me). But for the people that get excited by Prados & LC200s, this will excite you more. It pulls harder than those. (It will however not keep up with the X5s and Cayennes) Power comes from a relatively small 2.5 litre turbo charged engine coupled with a 6 speed automatic transmission and an All Wheel Drive system. Pretty basic set up but it does what 99% of people need. 250 or 227 horsepower depending on whether you feed it premium or ordinary fuel. It also lashes out 420nm of torque.

Handling and Comfort are also really good. Pushed it around some twisted roads and it did better than i expected. You will never need more unless you are a racing driver. But this is where things seem not so good in my view. For a 2.5 litre engine, fuel consumption is a bit on the higher side. Urban driving gives you an average 7-8kilometres per litre(kpl). Highway driving gives you 7-11.5kpl depending on how you drive.The Germans can achieve this with 3.0 litre + engines with 300+ horsepower. Perhaps its the weight and few 6 gears that make it a bit inefficient. But i feel like Mazda could have done better here and i think they will in due course.

This next issue can be a good or bad thing depending on the kind of person you are. This car was not sold in Japan. So it will never be a ‘Kenya uniform’ . If you want one you either go to CMC Motors- The official Mazda dealer in Kenya or import from Australia. Of course this means it will be an exclusive vehicle to have. CMC reckons that they are only about 60 of them in the country. But it can also mean no parts are available unless you import or get from the authorized dealer.

0 notes

motoringdaily · 1 year

Text

Introducing the cheapest electric car.

By Emmanuel Omeri.

Here you’re looking at an electric vehicle that costs Kshs. 730,000. Yes, that’s right! And out of all automakers, of course Honda is the one that makes it.This affordable van has been announced and is scheduled to hit the market in 2024. It’s said to be suitable for both personal and business commuting.

The minicar is based on the N-VAN which was introduced in 2018. This one, however, is priced from 1 million yen or roughly Kshs.730,000 according to the current exchange rate.

Honda is responding to the increasing demand for personal and business electric cars by making an EV that offers user friendliness, flexibility, and a large storage space.

According to the Japanese automaker in its press release, the new electric van will be very quiet and capable of quick acceleration thanks to its electric powerplant.

There’s still no detailed information about performance; what we know so far is Honda wants to reach a driving range of 200 km or 124 miles.

The company believes that this range is sufficient to meet various needs, including commercial commuting, going to school or work, daily shopping, and hobby use. With a low price tag, Honda expects fast market acceptance of the electric car.

This new light EV is undergoing multiple tests in various business scenarios before its release early next year. Honda’s longer-term plans for electrification include building 30 new electric car models that will be rolled out worldwide by 2030.

Following the reveal of new electric moped designs and Gogoro-style battery exchange stations, we can see that the Japanese automaker is beginning to take electrification more seriously than before.

Now with its new electric van, which is super compact and offers a limited range, it’s trying to make the Japanese EV market – where the van will be released – more lively.

It is no surprise that Honda’s electrification move prioritizes the minicar segment of Japan, since that’s where the company wants to accelerate the spread of EVs, hence why it’s starting to develop light electric cars.

0 notes

motoringdaily · 1 year

Text

Meet the Fastest SUV in the World: a 2 Door Nissan Patrol

By Emmanuel Omeri.

We have a new record for the fastest SUV in the world. All the way from the UAE, meet the Patrol R that recently set a new top speed of 376.16 Km/h, effectively making it the fastest SUV in the world. It was driven by Saeed Al Shamsi at a popular desert racing event in Abu Dhabi, called Tilal Swaihan. This half mile racing event sees some of the fastest SUVs and pickup trucks battle it out for the fastest speed across a 1/2 mile strip.

The Patrol R is based on a short wheelbase Nissan Patrol, it’s built by Dubai based F Performance who have worked on some of the fastest cars in the Middle East. If you remember the popular video of a Nissan Patrol thrashing a Porsche 918 Spyder a few years ago, this is the same car only now that it is faster!

What’s even more impressive is the fact that the Patrol R still features the traditional SUV shape which is the least aerodynamic. The team used duct tape to block the panel gaps around the front bumper, bonnet and front lip thereby reducing drag in this high speed run. They plan to better this record next year using the same car and we cannot wait to see that happen.

0 notes