Hafriz Shah-Inside Track

  • Volkswagen Touareg TDI or Porsche Cayenne Diesel?

    Fresh of Volkswagen's fast moving block is the Touareg TDI, the firm's first diesel-powered offering here in Malaysia. Globally renowned for its TDI engines, it's good to see Volkswagen Group Malaysia finally taking the diesel plunge after years and years of delays. Only time will tell whether the letters TDI will be as popular with VW's local following as TSI and DSG are, and with the Amarok pick-up truck due to be released in the near future, it's looking good for Volkswagen.

    Recenty launched Volkswagen Touareg TDI

    I'm not that big a fan of diesel engines but I'll have to admit that for heavy SUVs, they make a lot more sense than their equivalent petrol variants. If I'm going to buy a Volkswagen Touareg, I'll walk past the V6 FSI and Hybrid models and go straight to the TDI. The only issue here is though, would I want a Touareg TDI in the first place?

    At RM488,888 the new Volkswagen Touareg TDI is priced perilously close to the RM580,000 Porsche Cayenne Diesel, which of

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  • It's now uncool to be a petrolhead. Why is that? I must have missed the memo.

    Love thy car (Hafriz Shah)

    Cars are just not in fashion anymore. Tell anyone you're a car nut and you'll be seen as a recluse. Say that you're a gadget freak on the other hand, and you'll be idolised.

    Our car reviews do, perhaps more than everything else, focus on the things that matter to a driving enthusiast. But does any of it even matter to the general public? You know, the ones that see a car as a mere means of transport and nothing more — those that are attracted the Toyota Camry, Honda City, Nissan Sentra, etc. I think not.

    Today, cars need eulogising. Not only is the car under threat from environmentalists, but car and car people also don't get featured intelligently in mainstream media anymore. We're a non-subject. We're analogue in a digital world, hardware in a software economy. We're trad.

    When was the last time a new car launch made the front page of the papers? I'm beginning to think that showing up at a Sunday drive

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