Mid-range Conti car...

[Kelpie]

Octavia II will be priced at about $75-80k i think if the Ambiente is brought in. Same 1.6FSI engine & 6 speed auto tiptronic as the Golf.

Its OMV should be up there with Golf if not Astra.

 

If they bring in the Classic, which i suspect they will... that's using the 8v 1.6SR 102PS unit. If that's the case,,... it could be as low as $65-70k.

But then spec will be very low.

 

1. I think $75-80k is a tough price to compete with more established Jap and other conti cars. Some popular cars have low OMV and specs but people buy them because of brand. Branding wise, Octy is not strong in SG. Given this range, one can look at Civic SI 2.0L or VTI-S 1.8 or Focus 5 doors.

 

2. I think bringing in classic is a better bet for them.

 

Regards,

[Passerby]

agree. 1st choice is Focus too. But, when it is for reliability,

trust the Skoda (it belongs to VAG). Heart ==> Focus, Head ==> Octy.

how i wish i can have both..

[Passerby]

interesting....er, where is the rating of SG's Most Highly-rated Toyota ??

[Kelpie]

agree. 1st choice is Focus too. But, when it is for reliability,

trust the Skoda (it belongs to VAG). Heart ==> Focus, Head ==> Octy.

how i wish i can have both..

 

Perhaps when the new Octy arrived, you can compare it with Focus and may be by then, heart and head go to Octy.

 

Regards,

[Koolaba]

Most of the Toyotas sold locally are assembled in Thailand. The Toyotas that form the statistics in the mentioned website are assembled in Europe or Japan. Hence we cannot make a 1 to 1 comparison from here.

[Cbx750p]

My 2cts worth :

 

Meriva - OUT

Nice family car but the plasticky feel and high stance may not suite everyone.

 

Astra 1.6 HB

Very very good interior, handles like a gem ! Some may not like the MTA gearing but once used to it, it is very easy to drive. I owned the Corsa 1.2 Easytronic for 3 years. No major problem. Nice car and easy to operate transmission. Price of maintenance is comparable to most authorised agents. Autoeuroka is serious about doing the automotive business with so many brand under one house - Saab, Porche, Rolls Royce, Mini, Rover and Opel ! The technical support is excellent !

 

Corolla Altis

Very popular car but maybe too popular. If you are don't mind being the average Joe in town and loose your car in the carpark because there are so many similar Altis around, this may not be a good bet. Servicing the Altis at Borneo may be not be cheap especially when it is considered Japanese. Check out what some Altis owners have to say here http://www.sgaltis.com/

 

Skoda - Octovia

Nice but Skoda brings back bad memories for me ! You want to drive a Cech in Singapore ? Try not to buy a white Octovia....people may try to flag you down thinking that you are driving a taxi !

 

Mitsubishi Colt Plus

Colt Plus what ? Another Japanese so it should be out of this Mid Conti comparison.

 

Honda Airwave

No ! Stay away from the parallel importers ! They cannot provide good back up service and parts would be a nightmare !

 

Chevrolet Optra Estate

Ah! .... a car close to my heart ! I am driving the sedan model ! Yes, the Optra is a KorThaiCan ( Korean designed, Thai made , ameriCan branded ) ! The export version are all equipped with Continental suspension. Drive one and you will be convince how continental the handling is. The interior space is incredible. Read up on my review here http://www.mycarforum.com/reviews/reviews.pl?id=966. Only reservation some people may have is the plastic interior. FC is another issue people have but at 11.5 km/litre for the auto ( light foot driving only ), I think it is reasonable enough. Service is in town from two independent authorised dealers. The parts supply cannot be better. The service know how....it is basically a simple Korean engine based on German technology and Australian made ! In terms of value for money...you cannot be wrong buying this Babe !

 

Renault Megane

You got to be kidding ! When was the last time you seen a new Renault on the road ? The business is so bad, Peter Kwee is putting the business up for sale ! This is gonna be complicated later on when it comes to warranty and who is responsible for what ! Who is gonna to provide the service and reliability is a big question in terms of parts, service back up. As far as the Megane is concerned, I hate the look of the car ! Have to admit that the comfort level inside the car is okay though but I don't like the look especially the very ugly rear end !

 

CBX

Edited May 31, 2006 by Cbx750p

[Miles]

strangely enough, i have owned both focus and vag mk4 platform cars (namely - bora, which shares 80-90% of parts with octavia) before... and i think it is the reverse.

 

focus (mk2) is more reliable.

but vw is more desirable.

 

but if close my eyes and drive.... i prefer the focus anytime.

[Guest66]

Post: My 2cts worth :

 

Meriva - OUT

Nice family car but the plasticky feel and high stance may not suite everyone.

 

Astra 1.6 HB

Very very good interior, handles like a gem ! Some may not like the MTA gearing but once used to it, it is very easy to drive. I owned the Corsa 1.2 Easytronic for 3 years. No major problem. Nice car and easy to operate transmission. Price of maintenance is comparable to most authorised agents. Autoeuroka is serious about doing the automotive business with so many brand under one house - Saab, Porche, Rolls Royce, Mini, Rover and Opel ! The technical support is excellent !

 

Corolla Altis

Very popular car but maybe too popular. If you are don't mind being the average Joe in town and loose your car in the carpark because there are so many similar Altis around, this may not be a good bet. Servicing the Altis at Borneo may be not be cheap especially when it is considered Japanese. Check out what some Altis owners have to say here http://www.sgaltis.com/

 

Skoda - Octovia

Nice but Skoda brings back bad memories for me ! You want to drive a Cech in Singapore ? Try not to buy a white Octovia....people may try to flag you down thinking that you are driving a taxi !

 

Mitsubishi Colt Plus

Colt Plus what ? Another Japanese so it should be out of this Mid Conti comparison.

 

Honda Airwave

No ! Stay away from the parallel importers ! They cannot provide good back up service and parts would be a nightmare !

 

Chevrolet Optra Estate

Ah! .... a car close to my heart ! I am driving the sedan model ! Yes, the Optra is a KorThaiCan ( Korean designed, Thai made , ameriCan branded ) ! The export version are all equipped with Continental suspension. Drive one and you will be convince how continental the handling is. The interior space is incredible. Read up on my review here http://www.mycarforum.com/reviews/reviews.pl?id=966. Only reservation some people may have is the plastic interior. FC is another issue people have but at 11.5 km/litre for the auto ( light foot driving only ), I think it is reasonable enough. Service is in town from two independent authorised dealers. The parts supply cannot be better. The service know how....it is basically a simple Korean engine based on German technology and Australian made ! In terms of value for money...you cannot be wrong buying this Babe !

 

Renault Megane

You got to be kidding ! When was the last time you seen a new Renault on the road ? The business is so bad, Peter Kwee is putting the business up for sale ! This is gonna be complicated later on when it comes to warranty and who is responsible for what ! Who is gonna to provide the service and reliability is a big question in terms of parts, service back up. As far as the Megane is concerned, I hate the look of the car ! Have to admit that the comfort level inside the car is okay though but I don't like the look especially the very ugly rear end !

 

CBX

Singapore V-Strom Rider

 

Unquote "

 

" Whatever you said....and whatever makes u happy.."

[Cbx750p]

So...what are you trying to put across ? Don't get it

[Yappiez]

Yooo!!

Jimbo! It's me, yappiez 'a.k.a v-strom ass kicker'.

 

Have been lurking on this forum for a while cos thinking of buying a car soon. From the list here, I would prefer the Astra with its semi- auto transmission.

I am hoping that with that I will be able to drive it like riding a bike... i.e, redline before change gear.. hahahaa...

 

What do you think about that?

[Darthrage]

Hi all Bros and Sis,

 

What is VAG? sorry for my ignorance.

 

Cheers

Harry

[Xabby]

vag = volkswagen audi group...correct me if i'm wrong

[Kreasibaru]

you are correct on the vag.

 

dont buy skoda unless they offer the fsi and dsg. 8v tech so old. pls check euro car review sites on 8v vw engine. thats 2 engine gen difference.

 

dont buy ford focus unless they offer the 115hp 1.6 engine with cvt.

 

get the astra = mta just release the accelerator when gear box going to change gears. its a clutchless manual. great car.

 

megane = ugly but very well spec'd. 6 airbags and spacious. a bit slow moving. new face lift coming soon.

 

didnt try the c4. cant comment.

for more conti car review check out www.whatcar.co.uk

[Miketow]

dont buy ford focus unless they offer the 115hp 1.6 engine with cvt.

 

The new generation of Variable Valve engines are not signifcantly more powerful nor less thirsty then the Duratecs we get here in Singapore, I dont think that should be fundamental in decideing against a Focus

 

get the astra = mta just release the accelerator when gear box going to change gears. its a clutchless manual. great car.

 

The Astra MTA is innovative but has put off plenty of potential Astra drivers around the world b/c the need to "relearn" driving behavior - plus jerky shift changes. Only way to aviod MTA is to buy up, the 1.8 version, which then becomes too ex.

 

 

megane = ugly but very well spec'd. 6 airbags and spacious. a bit slow moving. new face lift coming soon.

 

I cant believe the Megane is only 61K!! If only i didint dislike the Renault brand so much, otherwise, I think the Megane is a decent looking/value car - at that price point!

[Kreasibaru]

i beg to differ on your views on the 100 hp duratec engine. even in europe tests involving astra, focus and golf concludes that the focus consumes the most, astra 2nd and golf with the best fc. if the engine is so good why did ford come out with a new one to replace it? its an improvement on both fc and power.

[Miles]

Ti-VCT was not brought in because it is currently not yet peg to an auto box. It is only available in manual form.

I believe when they have pegged it to an auto box (essential for sale outside Europe), it will be offered here.

 

100ps duratec unit was revised from old zetec unit (by using alloy block) but essentially the same engine. its durable as it is chain-cam. Ti-VCT is belt-cam.

[Seiya]

hi to everyone !! i'm thinking for getting my first car....

just wanna find out, is the FC of ford focus really that bad ??

sgcarmart states the FC to be 8.9km/l

[Koolaba]

Hi bro,

 

I have no experience owning a Focus. However, this is some information I can offer you on the FC of the Focus Automatic, based on the figures in this German site.

http://www.autobudget.de/gebrauchtwagen/us...?sv=3757&y=2006

7.8l/100km is the figure.

 

This is based on the average figures obtained from the Focus owners in Germany. Expect the Focus to achieve closer to 10km/l in Singapore's driving condition.