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Only a 1.7-litre 4-cylinder SOHC engine is available and this is a brand new engine. The odd capacity (1668 cc, with a bore of 75 mm and a stroke of 94.4 mm) was said to be chosen after studies into the best engine size for a car in this class. In designing this engine, the engineers aimed for compactness and lightness while enhancing drivability.

The engines come in two variations and both have four valves per cylinder and Honda’s own PGM-FI electronic fuel injection system. However, for the Civic VTi, there is also Honda’s VTEC mechanism which makes it possible to close off one intake valve during low and medium rpm for better fuel economy. Furthermore, when in this ‘12-valve’ configuration, torque is also better for added responsiveness. However, when the driver indulges in harder driving, both intake valves open and more air-fuel mixture can be introduced to meet increased demands.

The power outputs are impressive although it should be remembered that these are not 1.6-litre units. On a compression ration of 9.9:1, the VTEC engine delivers 96 kW (130 ps) of power at 6300 rpm at the front wheels. This means that actual engine output would be higher but the point was clarified by the engineer involved in the Civic development, who said that this is the way the industry now presents such specifications. Torque peaks at 4800 rpm with a maximum of 155 Nm. For the non-VTEC engine, the power output is 88 kW/120 ps at 620 rpm with 150 Nm of torque at 4500 rpm.

Only automatic transmission is available and the electronically-controlled transmission installed is an ‘intelligent’ unit like that in the CR-V. It has ‘Grade Logic Control’ which reduces gear changing on uphill and downhill drives. At the same time, the system also helps to give some engine braking on downhill drives by not shifting into top gear right away and instead maintaining a lower gear. Like all modern automatics, the transmission also has a lock-up clutch which activates during cruising. This creates a mechanical link instead of the power-robbing hydraulic link, reducing fuel consumption.

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As would be expected, the new body structure is more rigid and more resistant to bending. This has been achieved by making the body frame parts with larger cross-sections, and adding stiffeners and reinforcements. Noise and vibration levels have also been lowered (Honda engineers have always found Malaysian motorists as being very sensitive to noise!) with the use of various insulation materials in strategic areas.

The greater strength of the body structure complements the higher safety levels provided for Civic occupants. Like many new Honda models, the latest Civic has G-CON, a technology developed by Honda which focusses on impact absorption and distribution. Honda’s own crash test standards are very high and in some cases, exceed even the toughest international requirements. The Civic has passed crash tests involving full frontal collisions at 55 km/h, offset collisions at 64 km/h, side collisions at 50 km/h and rear collisions at 50 km/h. At lower speeds, the front bumpers can withstand impacts of up to about 5 km/h without deforming.

Airbags are not provided, probably to keep the price down but the doors have side impact beams and all five occupants have seatbelts.

While striving to give the occupants the best protection during an accident, Honda designers also gave much consideration to pedestrians and other road-users who may be involved in the accident with the Civic. Various areas of the bodywork have been designed to cause less severe injuries to pedestrians.

On the Civic VTi, an original Honda ABS is standard. This 4-sensor. 3-channel system is supplemented by Electronic Brake Force Distribution and Brake Assist, the former ensuring more balanced braking while the latter enhances braking efficiency by maximising the force applied. The brake system is vented discs in front and drums at the rear.

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Four months after its launch in Japan, Honda’s 7th Generation Civic is introduced in Malaysia as a locally-assembled model. This is about half as short as it would usually take for an all-new model to be assembled locally. The reason for the speedy introduction is due to the use of the AICO program among ASEAN countries which allows for the free and easy exchange of components. As such, the need to source from only Malaysian suppliers is less critical and components sourced from other ASEAN countries is also recognised as ‘local content’. Many of the components in the new Civic come from Thailand, where Honda has more extensive manufacturing operations.

The new Civic generation – voted Japan’s ‘Car of the Year’ recently – represents a return to the original concept of the model which first appeared in the early 1970s as ‘a car for the citizens of the world’. Like the original Civic, the new Civic has been developed on the philosophy of “Man Maximum, Machine Minimum” but with the added concept of being a “Smart Compact”.

“The all-new Civic brings to Malaysian customers Honda’s most advanced technology,” said Satoshi Toshida, Managing Director of Honda Motor Co, Ltd and also President/CEO of Asian Honda Motor, during the launch of the new model in Kuala Lumpur today. “It sets new world standards which, collectively, we call the ‘Civic Dimension’.”

Development of the new Civic focussed on maximizing interior space, increasing driving comfort, giving greater safety levels, increasing performance while reducing fuel consumption and very importantly, lowering toxic exhaust emissions. In fact, where emissions are concerned, the new Civic is considered a Low Emission Vehicle (LEV) and its levels of toxic elements in the exhaust gas are claimed to be as much as 80% lower than what present Malaysian standards (based on the European Step 2 standard) require.

Although there are two bodystyles for the new generation, Honda is only assembling the 4-door sedan for the Malaysian market as demand for the hatchbacks have never been significant. Two versions with five colour choices (only metallic finishes) are offered, both with 1.7-litre engines. Of these two, the Civic VTi comes with a 16-valve SOHC VTEC engine.

The new Civic styling is contemporary with the headlight design adding distinction to the front end. The car’s proportions are well balanced and great effort has gone into achieving higher levels of quality and minimising gaps and panel tolerances. Aerodynamics are, however, class average at 0.30 Cd although that is not really an issue with consumers.

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The all-new Honda Civic arrives in the showrooms today, following its launch at the JW Marriot Hotel in Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, this morning. Full details of the car, which is the current Japan ‘Car of the Year’, are not available at this time but it is known that only the sedan is being introduced as a locally-assembled model and has a 1.7-litre VTEC engine with extra-low exhaust emissions. ABS with Electronic Brake-Force Distribution (EBD) for more effective stopping is also standard and an intelligent 4-speed automatic transmission is provided.

According to a Honda source, the new Civic’s pricing has been carefully planned taking into consideration customers’ expectations and feedback so it will be a ‘surprise’.

AUTOWORLD.COM.MY will have a full story on the new Honda later today.

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Auto Bavaria has started selling the new BMW 325i model as a locally-assembled model. The latest 325i is a recent addition to the BMW line-up worldwide and replaces the 328i. According to Auto Bavaria’s GM of Sales & Marketing, Tunku Badlishah, the new model has the improved M54 straight-six engine which develops 141 kW/192 bhp and maximum torque of 245 Nm at 3500 rpm. Its acceleration from 0-100 km/h is claimed to be 7.2 seconds. The new generation six-cylinder engine’s torque curve is also much ‘beefier’, with at least 85% of maximum torque consistently available between 1500 and 6000 rpm. This means more usable power as a step on the accelerator provides all the desired overtaking power on the road.

“Given the introduction of the new and improved engine, coupled with innovations such as the Electronic Accelerator Pedal and competitive pricing, we expect the new 325i to enhance BMW’s position as the leader in its market segment,” he said. The Electronic Accelerator Pedal is a ‘drive-by-wire’ feature which does away with the conventional cable linkage and transmits the driver’s pressure on the accelerator pedal by electronic signals.

The new 325 is said to set new standards in terms of performance, fuel economy and drive comfort. Its optimised adaptive automatic transmission management ensures greater spontaneity and motoring comfort as the transmission can ‘sense’ the driver’s style and provide the correct shifting regime.

Maintenance cost is lower than before due to optimisation of the new engine. The Double-VANOS camshaft drive system is maintenance-free and designed to last the lifespan of the engine. Under normal running conditions, the air filter and long-life spark plugs need changing only after about 100,000 kms while the average oil change interval is approximately 23,000 kms (the on-board computer calculates oil changes based on certain criteria of usage).

Tunku Badlishah pointed out that despite its reputation as a performance saloon, the BMW 3 Series recently underlined its leading position in passive safety by emerging as the best car in its category in a series of crash tests conducted by the independent Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in Washington DC, USA.

The new 325i is priced at RM247,898.55 (personal registration, excluding insurance) and is available with six colour choices- Biaritz Blue, Diamond Black, Meer Green, Siena Red, Steel Blue and Titan Silver.

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During the past few days, eight motoring journalists from UK have been testing the Proton Waja in Malaysia and they have been impressed by it. The journalists tested the car at Proton’s test track as well as drove it to Lumut and back, and also had a spin around the Sepang International Circuit.

Speaking at a press conference this evening prior to their departure, the journalists unanimously praised the Waja, identifying the ride and handling as the most impressive areas. Ray Hutton, a veteran journalist, noted that the character of the Waja was unlike any previous Proton model he had tested.

“It is far better than any other Proton, apart from the GTI, of course, and that is surprising for me,” he said, adding that with the 1.8-litre engine (which the journalists did not test), the Waja should be a ‘world-class car’.

Mr Hutton, who had last visited Proton when the Wira was launched, also noted the substantial change that had taken place at the national carmaker’s factory, particularly in R&D. “Being British, I am naturally proud that Lotus, which is a British company although it is now owned by Proton, has a role in Proton’s product development,”he said.

Expanding on Mr Hutton’s remarks, Chris Wright, International Editor for Automotive News, an industry publication, observed that although there are other manufacturers in the region which make a lot of cars, Proton stood out as the only one with R&D capability that allowed it to develop its own models.

While complimenting most of the car’s design and engineering, all the journalists were not as impressed by the build quality which they considered ‘inconsistent’. There were also some negative comments about the quality of some of the materials used inside the car and one journalist said he felt the seats were uncomfortable.

Responding to the comments, Tan Sri Tengku Mahaleel, Proton’s CEO, said he was happy with the generally positive remarks and considered them as encouragement for the company which is relatively young. He felt that it was important for the company to receive feedback, both on the good points as well as the bad ones, in order to make better products.

He said that the comments on build quality were already noted by the company from feedback by Malaysian consumers and a lot of attention was being given to the matter by the factory as well as its suppliers. As to the seat design, he told AUTOWORLD.COM.MY that a redesigned seat is already done as Proton had heard received a lot of feedback on the matter from owners.

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With 343,173 units sold last year, Malaysia continued to have the largest new vehicle volume in ASEAN. The country’s total industry volume also accounts for a third of all new vehicles sold in ASEAN. This finding is based on the estimates of 2000 sales of motor vehicles in the main ASEAN markets which was compiled by the Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA).

The Malaysian industry maintained its leadership in spite of a 218% spurt in Indonesia sales last year as a result of relaxation of import rules. From a volume of 93,814 units in 1999, total sales last year rose to 298,633 units. Singapore also registered a significant increase in sales of 58% to 84,889 units. Sales in Thailand grew by 20% to 262,189 units from 218,330 units.

Commenting on this year’s sales expected for ASEAN countries, Aishah Ahmad, who is also the president of the ASEAN Automotive Federation (AAF), said that for the two large markets of Indonesia and Thailand, the performance is not easy to determine at this time due to the political conditions in those countries. The same goes for the Philippines which had a 13% growth in sales last year.

In terms of segment sizes, Malaysia still has the largest passenger car segment. According to figures compiled by Automotive Resources Asia (ARA), an industry consultancy based in Bangkok, Malaysia’s passenger car sales account for about 85% of total vehicles sold but in Thailand, only 31% of vehicles sold are cars. And of the commercial vehicles, 84% are pick-ups, making the country the second largest pick-up market in the world after the USA. In Indonesia, commercial vehicles also dominate and take about 85% of the total sales. In the Philippines, however, commercial vehicles account for 65% of total sales.

ARA’s data (up till November 2000) shows that Proton and Perodua volumes together accounted for 28% of all vehicles sales in ASEAN for the first 11 months last year. Toyota had 21% while Mitsubishi held 12%.

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With a total of 343,173 new vehicles registered last year, there was a 19% increase over 1999’s total industry volume. The figure was only about 7,000 units lower than what had been forecast by the Malaysian Automotive Associate (MAA) during its mid-year review in 2000.

All three segments of the industry – passenger cars, commercial vehicles and 4WDs – continued to register growth. With 282,103 units of cars sold, the increase was 18% over 1999’s volume while for commercial vehicles, a 29% growth saw the total volume increasing to 33,752 units and for 4WDs, the 20% growth translated into 4,589 more units sold for a total of 27,235 units.

Proton and Perodua continued to dominate (although Proton’s share declined by 1.7% and Perodua’s share declined by 0.3%), while non-national makes did not register any significant increase in share although their volumes increased. Only Ford showed significant movement, thanks to its-hot-selling Ranger which propelled the make from seventh position in 1999 past Honda to take sixth position overall. Ford’s focus on the pick-up segment which does not have the attention of Proton or Perodua has obviously proven the right strategy. In 1999, it sold 963 units for a share of 4.2% (of the segment) but in 2000, its volume rose to 4,358 units for a share of 16%.

PASSENGER CARS
Not unexpectedly, Proton and Perodua took the lion’s share of 92.6%, with only Toyota, Nissan and Honda registering shares of more than 1% in this segment. Perodua sales were almost a third of the combined volume of the two national companies while Proton Edar (formerly USPD) sales accounted for 20.3% of total Proton sales.

Among the non-national makes, Honda sold the most passenger cars (4,550 units/1.6%) while Mercedes-Benz overtook BMW, outselling its rival by 162 units. With more aggressive marketing and the direct involvement of the principal, Volvo sales also increased significantly, going from 642 units in 1999 to 1,552 units, an increase of 141%. It’s interesting that among the top ten passenger car makes, after Proton and Perodua, three are Japanese brands but five are European (M-B, BMW, Volvo, Citroen and Peugeot).

But not all makes had increased passenger car sales. Ford, though having risen one position in overall sales, saw its car sales fall by 32% while Daihatsu, which had only the Charade Espri to sell, sold half the number of cars compared to 1999. Citroen sales also declined by 17% to 583 units and Toyota sold 2.9% fewer cars.

COMMERCIAL VEHICLES
The MAA’s forecast for this segment was nearly spot-on as it grew by 28.9% from 1999’s 26,171 units to 33,752 units and accounted for 9.8% of all vehicles sold.

Toyota remained the segment leader with almost nearly 30% share and 10,089 units sold (43% more than the 1999 volume), while increasing its share by 2.9%. Generally, the positions remained unchanged for the top four players (Toyota, Nissan, Hicom and Daihatsu) but Perodua managed to overtake Ford this year with 2,392 units sold. In fact, Ford – probably with its old Econovan line running out – slipped two positions down to seventh and lost 2.4% share with its 1,499 units sold.

4-WHEEL DRIVES
In spite of significantly higher prices – especially for the large 4WDs like the Toyota Land Cruiser and Isuzu Trooper – sales went up by 4,589 units or 20% over 1999. The MAA had expected only a 14% increase for a total volume of 25,000 units but 27,318 units were sold.

The increase was largely due to Ford’s Ranger and its equivalent, the Mazda Fighter. Ford sales, in particular, grew to 4,358 units or 4.5 times that of its 1999 volume. Toyota sales also rose substantially by 2,358 units, increasing its segment share to 16.6% from 9.6% a year earlier. However, Ford’s improvement in segment share was more impressive: 4.2% in 1999 to 16% in 2000.

Perodua, which used to lead with its Kembara, saw a smaller volume of 12,109 units and a 19.5% loss of share. This decline was due to its limited production capacity which meant that Kembara production had to be scaled back when the Kenari was added to the line-up in May. But after the middle of this year, when the expansion work is finished and capacity goes up to 150,000 units a year, it should be possible for the factory to increase Kembara output.

LOOKING AHEAD
Although there has been a pessimistic outlook these past few months, seemingly reflected by the state of the KLSE (or as a result of it!), the MAA is forecasting continued growth in industry sales this year. It won’t be as high as the 19% that occurred between 1999 and 2000 but it is expected to be at least 11% for a total volume of 380,000 units.

The bulk of the growth is expected to be in passenger car sales (12%) with commercial vehicles and 4WDs likely to show 5% and 6% growths, respectively.

Explaining MAA’s rationale for the forecast, its president, Aishah Ahmad, gave these five factors that it felt would contribute to more sales in 2001:

1. Malaysia’s continued economic growth of 6%;

2. Minimal vehicle price increases this year;

3. Softening of the yen against the Malaysian currency;

4. The likelihood of domestic lending rates remaining low; and

5. Continued easy availability of H-P financing and low interest rates.

Note:To obtain a chart with details by make and segment, please send email chips@autoworld.com.my. Please indicate if you would like the format of the chart in Excel (XLS) or for viewing in your web browser (html).

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    Although demand for sport-utility vehicles (SUVs) in the US seems to be slowing down, Volvo is still keen to be represented in that expansive segment which, during the 1990s, continued growing when the other segments stagnated or contracted. Right now, the only offering the Swedish company (part of Ford’s Premium Automotive Group) has is the Volvo V70 Cross-Country, a rugged-looking stationwagon derivative of the S80 platform which has 4WD, but within two years, there is to be a true SUV which Volvo president Hans-Olov Olsson promises “will have what it takes to compete with the very best in the SUV segment”.

    While the designers are finalising the styling and the engineers prepare the mechanicals, Volvo has decided to get some feedback from consumers on their expectations of a Volvo SUV. In order to inspire their thoughts, the company has the Volvo Adventure Concept Car (ACC) which contains features that are being considered by product planners.

    “Consider it like a “thermometer”, a tool for assessing expectations and demands the market has of our future model,” explained Dieter Laxy, head of marketing, sales and service at Volvo. “It is important to hear the views and comments of our customers while we still have time to make precision adjustments to the product.” Mr Laxy stressed that the ACC is not what the forthcoming Volvo SUV will be like and is merely a concept car.

    WHAT SUV BUYERS EXPECT
    The feedback will help the designers fine-tune the model which is presently being developed based on five assumptions of buyers’ expectations:

    – Driving characteristics should be on par with those in a well-balanced car, especially in the area of road feedback and driving safety;

    – There must be first-class protection for all the occupants in an accident – but there should not be substantial effects on the other vehicle involved in the accident. This is a controversial issue because SUVs are larger than sedans and studies have shown that the sedan occupants often get severe injuries. Resolving this issue is a top priority for Volvo;

    – The engines should be powerful and responsive but have competitive fuel consumption and operational economy;

    – Exhaust emission levels should be comparable to normal sedans, with the target being that the Volvo SUV, which will be larger, will meet the tougher US ULEV and ULEV II standards.

    – Generous interior space is desired but within a reasonably-sized body. In a number of customer surveys, SUV customers mention “exactly the right size” and Volvo wants to be certain which format is the right one.

    DESIGN LANGUAGE
    The styling concept of the ACC follows that of the new S60 sedan with its cab-forward profile which positions the driver’s area further forward. A muscular image is apparent but it is done without ‘aggressiveness’. Volvo’s chief designer, Peter Horbury, wants to offer a design that is not as ‘macho’ as most other large SUVs, aiming from something ‘masculine’ which can create a sense of security.

    “This is important in view of the fact that many SUV buyers are women and they like the feeling of safety and being in control,” he said.

    AIRCRAFT CABIN AMBIENCE
    There are parallels to a jet aircraft in the cabin. The front seats are high up, giving a commanding view all round with the dashboard set low. And rather than following the utilitarian style of some other SUVs, the high-riding
    ACC has four first-class seats and an exceptional equipment level that includes a refrigerator, TV and world-class audio system. Entertainment and temperature can be individually tailored according to the taste of the occupant of each seat.

    “It’s like flying comfortably in First Class. You can travel from coast-to-coast in the USA, with your business colleagues or your family, without being deprived of any comfort or convenience,” said Mr Horbury.

    But you’d still have to find a rest area when nature calls. “Well, I’d better amend that statement then as there is naturally no lavatory!” he quickly added.


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    Having driven another hybrid car before (the Toyota Prius), when the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the Insight, Honda’s hybrid car, I was quick to give Asian Honda Motor (ASH) my positive reply. Actually, I almost missed the rare chance because I was scheduled to go to Calgary, Canada, to drive some Volvos in the snow. But spring came earlier than expected (I tell people it was really because of global warming) and the snow melted so the desired condition for the test-drive was lost, leading to Volvo deciding to cancel the event.

    However, the Insight drive was not to be the usual sort of test-drive and in return for the chance to drive the unique car, journalists were expected to help ASH register a fuel economy record during its 2,000-km journey from Bangkok to Singapore. The effort would be monitored by officials of auto clubs from Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, enabling it to be logged in the international record book maintained by the FIA. All data was based on the tripcomputer which comes as a standard fitment in the Insight instrument panel.

    BANGKOK TO THE BORDER
    Two Insights were used, a red one being the official ‘record car’ and a green one as a back-up which could also be driven by journalists. The Thai journalists drove the leg in Thailand up to Hatyai and put in an impressive effort, considering that their drive was on country roads and not just a jam-free highway. On their 1,082-km route, they were able to average 43.01 kms/litre (about 121 mpg) with one driver achieving an incredible 60 kms/litre (almost 170 mpg) over a 70.5-km stretch!

    At Hatyai, the Insight’s 40-litre plastic fuel tank – which was only down to the halfway mark – was topped up. A group of journalists from Singapore took over and drove the car 471 kms to the designated stop at the overhead restaurant neat Sungei Buloh, on the outskirts of KL. Having heard about the Thai’s results, the Singaporeans were intent on doing better and from a member of the group, I was told that the ‘kiasu guys even took out the floormats to reduce weight’! They were really determined and went at a snail’s pace, taking some 13 hours to reach KL! One driver was said to have achieved up to 50 kms/litre (141 mpg) and if I remember correctly, the average for the leg was 43 kms/litre or so.

    THE MALAYSIAN ‘EFFORT’
    For Malaysian journalists, the route was 320 kms long and entirely on the N-S Plusway. As with the Singapore journalists, a police escort (a Volvo T5 stationwagon) was provided which proved very useful getting through the morning jam along Jalan Ipoh. Not being a VIP, I have never had the pleasure of a police car clearing traffic for me (actually it was for Asian Auto’s Mel Lee whom I sat with in the green Insight) but I must say it was real nice! Those journalists who were not driving had to follow in a bus.

    The drivers for the red Insight had been decided earlier and someone from Fleet Auto had the first go from the Kah Motor head office to Seremban. Not being clear on the purpose of the drive, he drove at a fairly brisk pace which didn’t help fuel economy and he got 29.3 kms/litre (83 mpg). In any case, some of the members of the Malaysian group felt they preferred to drive the Insight at a reasonable pace rather than sweat it out trying to achieve a record. The diplomatic response from the Japanese was that it was up to them.

    Mel, not restricted by the need to set any record, decided to assess the sporty side of the Insight and it was quite an eye-opener. From the Sg Besi toll plaza, he stepped on the accelerator and the car gained speed smoothly. Not quite electric car-like in character but very impressive for a 1-litre engine; of course, the electric motor came on to boost power so the performance capability was more like a 1.5-litre engine pushing a body that weighed less than a Proton Iswara. Cruising at 110 km/h, the car was doing around 19 kms/litre (55 mpg) which wasn’t anything to shout about but it was interesting that in the 40-km stretch from Jalan Ipoh to Seremban, the mixed driving style (high and low speeds plus some jams) returned an average of 27.4 kms/litre (77 mpg). And that included one blast up to 175 km/h which was close to the 180 km/h the car is said to be capable of.

    Other cars with 3-cylinder engines I’ve driven have usually had the ‘motorboat noise’ under hard acceleration but with the Insight, the engine noise was muted and it was the special Bridgestone tyres (40% lower rolling resistance) that seemed to make the most noticeable noise. There was also some wind rustle around the door mirrors but as we cruised along, I couldn’t avoid thinking about how smoothly the airflow around the car must have been.

    From the Seremban rest stop to Ayer Keroh (64 kms), B.H. Chan of the Chinese magazine, Motorcar drove and he gave the economy run effort his best shot, sweating till his shirt was drenched. His hard work got the consumption up to 35.9 kms/litre (a tad past 100 mpg).

    For the next sector of 75 kms to Pagoh, Kevin Yap (no relation of mine!) of Torque took over. He had skipped classes at Taylor’s college to participate and was very enthusiastic about trying to set a record. Given the ‘sauna room environment’ inside the Insight, no one wanted to accompany him and he also felt it would help as it would mean less weight in the car. Kevin’s stretch was actually quite challenging as it was along a gentle incline. Applying various strategies he had thought about and remembering some tips given by an Insight project engineer, Kevin was able to take the consumption up to 53 kms/litre (150 mpg). The Honda people were delighted as the average consumption improved to 38.7 kms/litre.

    Leeps of Autocar ASEAN did the 65-km drive from Pagoh to Machap and made some effort to get a good consumption figure, running the first 2 kms without the a.c. When he found the consumption seemed to be stable at around 36 kms/litre, he decided to get more comfortable and switched on the a.c. Steady cruising, which was a key to good economy, maintained the figure and when he stopped the car, the meter showed that he had averaged 36.1 kms/litre (101 mpg). Not bad… and his shirt only had spots of sweat.

    SWEATING IT OUT
    I had the last leg from Machap to Skudai, a distance of 49 kms. Having been a participant of economy runs in the 1980s (see separate story),Douglas Choong, one of the officials whom I knew from those days, expected me to set a record. I had talked about it at length with the Insight engineer and Mel had also suggested that the trick was to make the electric motor come on frequently so as to reduce usage of the engine. I tried that but it didn’t work because you have to accelerate to induce the electric motor to assist and as you accelerate, even slightly, it means burning more fuel.

    Getting into the driver’s seat, I quickly found a comfortable position. For all its pseudo-futuristic image, the Insight feels pretty much like any Honda inside. The only thing is that the instrument panel is ‘space age’ with graphic and digital displays. The tachometer is presented as a semi-circle and as the rpm increases, bars illuminate on the circle. In the upper middle section is the large digital speedometer and below it is the Fuel Consumption Display (FCD). This is the trip computer and shows real-time consumption as well as average consumption, as well as the distance travelled. A dual read-out makes it possible to determine the average consumption over a given section or for an entire trip. Computations for the FCD are based on fuel flow in the PGM-FI system and road speed, which gives fairly accurate data and owners in America have found it to be within 1% accuracy.

    To the right of the instrument panel is the IMA System Indicator and the fuel gauge. The indicator shows the battery condition, recharging status and amount of assistance provided by the electric motor. There is also a shift indicator with arrows that light up to warn you to shift up or down if you want to get good fuel consumption.

    The inside of the Insight feels like any other car but when you want to start driving, a major difference becomes apparent. Turn the ignition key and… nothing happens. Actually, the electrical circuits are energised and the engine is ready to run but because of the auto-stop feature, the engine does not start running when the gearbox is in neutral. To fire it up, you need to step on the clutch and get into first gear. Only then does the engine hum to life and the car moves.

    Keen to get a good figure as well, I chose to sweat it out and ran without the a.c and shut the windows tight. It was about 4 pm in the afternoon and the cabin temperature rose quickly. The FCD told me that I was doing around 40 kms/litre (113 mpg) and I tried various ways of driving to see if I could improve it. The horizontal bar graph display which showed real-time consumption shortened and lengthened as I drove, telling me how economically I was driving. Ease off and it lengthened to the right side all the way to 60 kms/litre but the moment I applied pressure on the accelerator pedal, it would shorten as fuel flow increased. Slowly the average consumption got better and after about 30 kms, I had gotten up to 47.2 kms/litre. The best way of driving, I eventually decided, was to maintain a steady speed which was around 40 km/h.

    As I crawled along, I had time to examine some of the other aspects of the car. The rear section has no seat and is entirely for luggage, with some extra space available in a stowage box. The large rear door makes the inside feel airy but I can’t understand why the designers also wanted to include the vertical glass panel in the tail (like the old CR-X and Ford TX3). It may help reversing a bit but I would have thought that the extra weight of the glass was something that could have been left out. In any case, I didn’t like it because it only made the closeness of the huge lorries that roared up behind me more scary! Towards the end, the police guys decided to get behind me (they were in front most of the time) so as to prevent lorries from tailgating me. I really appreciated their patience, especially having to drive the T5 at the same low speed as what I was doing.

    Ride comfort was quite good although the smooth surface of the highway did not present any challenges to the suspension. From the outside, the Insight looked like it had very soft springing but inside, there was no discomfort. The steering felt heavy, perhaps due to the use of an electric power steering system instead of the conventional engine-driven pump.

    The going was really tough and my sweat was coming off me in rivers and soaking not just my shirt but even the seat! The material used for the upholstery is described as a ‘space fabric’ which is light and offers increased ventilation but it didn’t help me and when Mel took over driving later, he complained about the wet seat and sticky steering wheel! The air got so stale that I was forced to open the window briefly and switch on the a.c. for a few seconds – the action being immediately apparent from the worsening of consumption.

    About 9 kms from the finish, something happened. The two arrows of the shift indicator lit up at the same time and the display blacked out. At the same time, I felt the car slowing down and even when I gently pressed on the accelerator, there seemed to be no power. It seemed like the equivalent of an engine stalling and turning the key did not revive it. But with the police car right on my tail, I could not hit the brakes suddenly. I was unable to let them know I was out of power and I was terrified that when I stopped without warning, they would ram into me. In fact, they almost did and when the car stopped moving, I quickly got the bonnet up to see if I could find any fault.

    Not finding anything, I decided to phone the engineer and the only suggestion they could give me was to keep trying and to be sure to get the gear engaged. I tried a few times and the engine returned to life. Relieved, I set off again but when I looked at the FCD, it appeared that my 47.2 kms/litre was gone and the tripmeter had also returned to zero!! I was getting a reading of 39 kms/litre and only had 9 kms left. Furious at the incident, I was determined to get the best I could in the remaining distance and was forced to drive slower.

    By the time I reached the Skudai toll plaza, my driving time had been just under two hours and because of the drastic drop in speed in the last 9 kms, my average speed had fallen to 36 km/h. But I managed to get my consumption up to 41.7 kms/litre (118 mpg) which wasn’t too bad but personally, I was disappointed at the wasted effort. The engineer couldn’t figure out what had gone wrong and my guess is that there was some sort of power surge or something which momentarily zapped the circuits. Maybe future drivers will just have to learn to live with such occurrences if they run electric motors, just as we have to live with the occasional engine stalling.

    With my consumption included, the average for the Malaysian team was 35.15 kms/litre (100 mpg) and for the entire Bangkok-Singapore run, the average consumption was 40.87 kms/litre (115 mpg).

    APPEALING CAR
    The sweating aside, I found the Insight a nice car to drive and the wonderful thing was that fantastic fuel economy was possible even with normal driving. Assuming that it can easily average 35 kms/litre in daily driving, I could save some RM200 a month on petrol and do the environment a favour at the same time. However, for me personally, the Insight is not suitable simple because it’s a two-seater and I do have a family. But since the technology exists, it can easily be used for other types of cars, my favourite being the SUV.

    The only problem for Malaysians is that the high import duties make the Insight way too expensive – at least RM200,000 – and if anyone does buy it, he or she would not really be the type of person needing super fuel economy. In Japan, it costs the equivalent of RM73,500 which is more reasonable so it is up to the Malaysian government to decide if it wants to offer some concessions (like what the governments of Singapore and Japan have done for eco-friendly cars) to encourage the public to buy such cars and in so doing, reduce air pollution.

    Chips Yap

    Technology in the Insight

    IMA Technology in Detail

    Remembering the economy runs of the 1980s


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