Challenged by an Old Flame

A couple of days ago, I came across a Ford Focus 2.0L sedan hogging the fast lane. While I didn't tailgate the Focus, the guy behind the wheel must have felt challenged, because he sped off.

It was as though he had something to prove or he just felt good about driving the Focus really fast, or both.

To be honest, I can relate. After all, the Focus is one of the best handling cars I've ever driven. So, I can easily relate to the feel-good factor of the car.

Did I give chase in my Kia Forte 2.0L? No, I didn't. While my Forte has a more powerful engine, I'm determined not to press it too hard.



You see, the one thing I learnt driving my old Focus S2.0 hard is that, while the engine and chassis can take it, the transmission may not. Sure enough, despite being certified as a "sport" model, the Focus S2.0 transmission went kaput even before reaching 100,000km.

So, while I still drive fast, I'm determined not to destroy my Kia Forte's transmission by driving the car too hard.

Which would I prefer to be in, now that I've had a feel for both cars? The Focus or the Forte? Well, of course the Forte.

While my red "Looker" can't handle corners as good as the Focus, it is so much more value for money, especially in terms of spare parts. Being a far more popular car, the Forte won't face the kind of supply chain problems that drive the spare part prices of the Focus up to unreasonable levels - unreasonable because they are comparable to those of luxury marques such as the BMW, Mercedes and VW.

Yes, I kinda miss driving my old Focus S2.0, but I'm not going to be spending on another unreasonably pricey Ford. Not when there are other options around (more of this later).

Toyo-duh! for Show-offs and Fools

Oil prices are going up and up. Yet, some people remain hung-up on big-engine fuel guzzling SUVs, like the Toyota Landcruiser V8.

Why? Oh! Why? They're either show-offs or fools.

"Hey, I can afford it. No matter how high the fuel prices go, I'm rich. See my Toyota V8 and go green with envy!"

Yeah! You wish. All I see is a fool who doesn't know how better to use his money.

Even if you're a millionaire, and especially if you want to remain a millionaire, you're going to have to think more on how best to make your money work harder. This is why it is estimated that 80% of the world's millionaires own and drive second hand cars.

Visit http://www.bloomberg.com/energy and you'll see first hand the oil prices' slow but steady march up to and beyond the USD100 per barrel mark.

And if you're really a smart millionaire, not someone who inherited his daddy's riches or became rich overnight because of sheer luck, you'll know to put money in a car with an engine that's been downsized like any of VW's TSI cars that come with small engines and turbo chargers. Alternatively, you'll invest in a hybrid car and, if you're really rich, an electric car.

What you don't do is squander your wealth on a Toyo-duh! V8 that even Americans who are hung up on SUVs with big engines are no longer into much.

Speaking of which, I came across an idiot who recently bought one. The big ugly thing wasn't just fugly, it was also damn slow for a V8 (perhaps because of its inferior power-to-weight ratio).

Yet, the dick behind the wheel must have thought that he had the divine right to hog the fast lane and the middle lane at the same time. So, I flashed him with my high-beam.

He got mad and got into a pissing competition with me. Not surprisingly, his V8 lost to my naturally aspirated 2.0L Kia Forte SX simply because of my Forte's superior power-to-weight ratio.

That makes buying the Toyo-duh! V8 doubly stupid. Not only does it guzzle fuel, it's not very quick on the roads.

Move aside, slow-coach...

Kia Forte - Last of the Straight-Up "People's Choice" Cars

At the recently held 'Car of the Year Carnival' by Cars, Bikes & Trucks (CBT), the Kia Forte was voted as the "People's Choice" by visitors. This was probably due to the Forte's design appeal and affordability.

A close second was the Hyundai Sonata, which missed winning the award by a small but substantial margin, according to CBT.

I predict that, next year, the "People's Choice" would be a hybrid car.

Why? This is because, in Malaysia, hybrid cars are beginning to be priced at the mid-range car level, if not less.

Yes, the cost of replacement batteries for a hybrid car is a factor to be reckoned with, especially when their replacement price could be about the same as that of replacing an automatic transmission (brand new). Nonetheless, with petrol and diesel prices steadily going up, the ability to cut back on the use of transportation fuel would result in tremendous savings - the hybrid car driver would pay far less for fuel, resulting from driving in the city and suburbs in full-electric mode.

And since the Malaysian Government won't have to dish out higher fuel subsidies (in total) due to reduced fuel consumption, the hybrid car driver enjoys substantial tax breaks, thereby making the hybrid car a value-for-money proposition.

That is to say, as a result of tax breaks given by the Malaysian Government, a hybrid car would cost about as much as its non-hybrid equivalent, if not less.

For example, the Honda Civic Hybrid, which reportedly performs like a Honda Civic 1.8L, is being sold for about RM109,000, which is cheaper than the Honda Civic 1.8L, thanks to the tax breaks provided by the Malaysian Government.

What's more, with the launching of the new Honda Insight Hybrid, prices of hybrid cars could go down even more.

Then there's the Proton Exora Extended Range Electric Vehicle, which is expected to go into production soon. When it does, it might be even cheaper than hybrid cars or cheaper than mid-range cars.

These are exciting times for Malaysian motorists. While the steady increase in oil prices is continuing to put pressure on the cost of living, the standard of living of many Malaysians who rely heavily on private transport can be sustained thanks to the timely affordability of hybrid and electric cars.