| MAZDA MX-5 : Small wonder |
| Looking at the car side-on, you will see that the driver is sitting at its exact mid-point. This is deliberate, to benefit weight distribution and so that the driver feels at the centre of the action during cornering. |
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| MAZDA2 1.5 : Love at first sight |
| Clean lines from its sinewy flanks converge on a front that conveys sportiness without aggression, friendliness without frivolity. It has the smiley face that modern Mazdas wear but on the Mazda2, it seems to be beaming. |
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| BMW 1 Series 116i cars |
| The automobile industry is increasingly a brave new world. Gone are the days when the luxury manufacturers made only three-box cars. Merc and BMW have already cranked out luxury hatchbacks during the last year, and there are others in close pursuit. |
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| Better Late Than Never – 2013 Ford Mustang GT (Part 2) |
| A chassis squeak developed before the third service. If we didn’t have to drive over four large “sleeping policemen” to get to C/D’s Galactic Headquarters every morning, the squeaks might have gone unnoticed; perhaps they never would have appeared. |
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| Better Late Than Never – 2013 Ford Mustang GT (Part 1) |
| We’d petitioned Ford for a long-term Mustang ever since the 2010 model made its debut. This fifth-generation Mustang felt like a reborn car, even if its solid axle is to automotive componentry what the polyester leisure suit is to modern menswear. |
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| Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Edition 507 |
| It’s hard to fully enjoy some-thing when you know it’s almost over. Production of the current Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG is drawing to a close, with the sedan gone by midyear, though the coupe will be around into 2015. With the end looming, every drive of this C63 coupe felt bittersweet. |
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| The wait for the new Mazda 3 |
| The wait for the new Mazda3 continues. It launched late in 2013 across in Australia, but Mazda NZ has decided to hold off on introducing the car here, and will be on sale sometime in March. |
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| PEUGEOT 308 ALLURE : A French toast |
| Peugeot claims its new 308 hatchback can. Those figures would have been impressive even for a bigger car with a hybrid drivetrain, but are nothing short of astounding for a hatch with such a modest engine. |
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| Ahead with this Q |
| A 1.4-litre engine may seem a tad inadequate for a car like the Q3, even though it is the smallest model in Audi's family of SUVs. But as it turns out, the Q3 1.4 is a regular Energizer Bunny that might put some bigger- engined rivals to shame. |
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| Loss-making Phaeton to be upgraded |
| With Volkswagen having embarked on a big cost-cutting drive, industry experts are baffled by the "people's car" maker's plans to spend millions of euros upgrading a loss-making luxury saloon. |
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| Expressway trial for driverless cars |
| That silver blur zipping along the Bavarian autobahn may eventually be piloting itself, under a project to test driverless cars on at least one stretch of Germany's famously unrestricted highways. |
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| Aston Martin SUV in the works? |
| Aston Martin Lagonda is considering its first crossover as the maker of the US$184,000 (S$248,600) DB9 sports car plans to refresh its line-up in the biggest investment plan in the British marque's history. |
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| The new X5 of BMW |
| BMW alone makes a diesel engine packing three turbochargers. We wondered why until we drove the new X5. Its taut, terrific and will now well-off outdoorsy types |
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| The new Outlander PHEV of Mitsubishi |
| Mitsubishi will claim the hybrid high-ground later in the year when it introduces the new Outlander PHEV to its range. It’s a plug-in hybrid with pretty impressive credentials yet it comes with a price tag that won’t render it a showroom wallflower. |
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| Ferrari 458 Speciale – Extreme Sport (Part 2) |
| For all the Speciale’s changes, it’s still the 458′s super-quick steering that requires most acclimatization –it’s fighter-jet agility remains shocking and it takes a few corners to realise that, yes, you really can keep your hands fixed in place on the steering wheel, even though tight hairpins |
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| Ferrari 458 Speciale – Extreme Sport (Part 2) |
| The dual-clutch gearbox responds to commands on the steering column-mounted paddles more promptly than before, even though Italia owners might scratch their heads and say, ‘um, but the shifts are already instantaneous’. |
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| 2014 Chevrolet Stingray Convertible – Home Run, Take Two |
| This part of the two-lane back road was particularly rough, yet the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray convertible showed absolutely no shake or rattle. It just rolled along, as rigid, tightly wound and complaint-free as Kim Jong Un’s family Christmas gathering. |
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| BMW M3 Coupe – M Duo Powers On |
| BMW may have broken 26 years of naturally aspirated M3 tradition with its new model, but while the new F80 version with its direct-injection, twin-turbo inline 3.0-litre six offers just a minor increase in power, it delivers a whopping 150Nm of extra torque (550Nm) over the outgoing 4.0-litre V8, realised between 1800 and 5500rpm |
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| LS3-powered Chevelle SS – Doin’ ’65 (Part 2) |
| The frame was unsalvageable, and the body needed extensive sheetmetal replacement. As a result, after the car was media blasted, they added new quarters, new floors, trunk floor, fenders, and hood. |
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| LS3-powered Chevelle SS – Doin’ ’65 (Part 1) |
| Maryland native Bill Kuhn wanted a piece of that action, so in ’64 he pulled the trigger on a new SS ragtop. Fresh from a stint in the military, he had one ordered, and was ready to take delivery of it. |
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| Audi A3 Sedan – So much more than a boot |
| You love your parents, but don’t wish to be exactly like them. They continue writing embarrassing notes on your dormant Facebook wall, while you’re mostly active on Twitter. They think brown rice contains good carbs, whereas you’ve been eating quinoa since that final year at university. |
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| BMW X5 – A Midsize Luxury SUV |
| The new, third-generation X5 is all about evolution, not revolution. And it’s not hard to see why. The car that invented the Sports Activity Vehicle niche back in 1999 has been a strong seller ever since its launch – the second-gen model posting steady sales despite its imminent replacement. |
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