Platinum Cardholders Test Exclusive Brabus
The cars of Brabus, the German tuning and customization specialist, are very exclusive and in Malaysia, only 25 were sold last year by Naza-Brabus Motor Sdn Bhd, the official importer for the cars. So it’s hardly surprising that a test-drive is not something they would offer to just anyone who walks into their showroom.
However, for the Platinum members of a global credit card company, the company made an exception and offered a rare opportunity for a test-drive, albeit only of the Brabus CLK270-D4, at the Naza-Brabus Motor Gallery in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, yesterday. This particular group of credit card holders are in the upper income bracket which are in a position to afford the RM550,000 (basic price without insurance), if they like to own one.
Part of the reason why the test-drive was organized was also to get people to experience the new generation of turbodiesel engines. No longer are diesels poor alternatives to petrol engines as the new common-rail direct injection (CDI) fuel delivery system offers not only higher output, especially torque, but also more refined operation.
Brabus, which specializes in increasing the performance of Mercedes-Benz models, has also given attention to developing more powerful versions of the Mercedes-Benz CDI engine and for 2.7-litre turbodiesel engine of the CLK270-D4, output is over 200 bhp and there’s as much as 450 Nm of torque at 2600 rpm. With this sort of performance, the factory claims that the car can accelerate from 0 – 100 km/h in 7.9 seconds as well as reach a top speed of 235 km/h.
But Brabus does more than just boost performance in Mercedes-Benz models as it also develops accessories to make the cars more exclusive and sporty. These accessories are also available separately for Mercedes-Benz owners to add to their cars.
The same 2.7-litre engine is also available in the E270 CDI-D4 Sedan (W211) and E270 CDI-D4 Stationwagon, both of which are also imported by Naza-Brabus Motor. The engines qualify as ‘Green Engines’ in Malaysia are therefore enjoy a 50% rebate on annual roadtax.
Also available ex-stock is the Brabus SL 55 K8 (actually only one unit is left). It has a pricetag of RM1.7 million (basic price) and a special package will be given to the buyer. In conjunction with the event, there will also be extra privileges for the first three customers who used their Platinum card to make a downpayment for the CLK270 CDI-D4. These include a 6-day/5-night trip to Germany (worth RM20,000), a Brabus accessories voucher worth RM10,000, and a designer item from the credit card company.
All units sold by Naza-Brabus Motor have tropical specifications to ensure suitability for the warmer conditions in Malaysia. They also come with a factory warranty and full after-sales support is provided by an authorized service centre in Klang, Selangor.
