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As someone who drove many times Galant 2.0AT, Lancer MT/AT, Colt AT, Corolla MT/AT, Altis AT, Vios AT, Alfa 147 1.6MT, and can sort of appreciate 'soul' and 'passion' in alfa speak, I test drove Avante 1.6 and 2.0 today. (not bashing Hyundai or Avante, just trying to give my objective view). Verdict: Bland. 1.6 Very similar to Altis, in that it's a get-you-from-pt-A-to-B kinda car, but differs in that the engine is louder, and acceleration is linear. Need to go step by step as it climbs up, cannot skip any steps. Otherwise, except that I find the interior plastic a bit cheaper, it is very similar to Altis. Steering is very light at low speed (in my opinion, good esp for parking). $60,398 list price (w/Sunroof) with $2K no-questions-asked discount. all colors available (in-stock) except metalic sand (aka champagne) which Komoco does not bring in. 2.0 during acceleration, power below 2.5K RPM is similar to 1.6 model. then it jumps to 3.5-4K RPM and power kicks in (and engine screams appropriately). all this is during i almost floor the pedal. $67,398 list price (w/Sunroof) with $2K no-questions-asked discount. only silver and indigo blue available (in-stock), SE cannot give me a date if i choose to wait for a diff color. Sunroof Sunroof is two layers: external glass 'door', and internal fabric 'door'. the latter you've to open manually. external door, you control by 3 buttons. 1) open, to slide door back, 2) tilt (to get reverse air intake), and 3) close, to slide door forward. when opened, there is a wind deflector, so there won't be mad rush of wind into the cabin at highway speeds. everything is as per standard in-built sunroof that i had previously, except that when both doors are closed, and i press OPEN to open external door, by right, external door should drag internal door to open as well. in Avante, this does not happen. die die, internal door must be opened manually. and bec sunroof extends slightly beyond the back of your driver seat, your arm motion is slightly awkward, at least for me. as per the list price, the sunroof costs $2K. summary: $7K diff for an engine that feels diff only above 3.5K RPM (and of cos the exterior color) COE: 3-bid non-guaranteed. Financing: Maybank (default) or DBS. 2.8% interest regardless of loan amount and period. Insurance: HSBC. Age group: 36-40. $893/yr for 1.6 model, $1,131/yr for 2.0 model. Example: $60398 minus $2000 discount minus $10K down gives $48398. Loan 2.8% for 8 years gives $618 monthly. all above without negotiation.

The first time I drove an Alfa Romeo, it was a 1.6 147 manual (not selespeed). It was mind-blowing. I've never encountered an engine that respond like that. I am not an Alfa owner, so the word I'd use is only a technical one - it is soooo freaking FREE-REVING. With a foot only slightly heavier than that used for highway 100km/h cruising, I was at 5000-6000 RPM when I thought I was at 3000 RPM to change from 1st gear to 2nd. The RPM is ... gravity-defying! (in a rush to get off traffic light sprint, i accidentally hit the RPM limiter of 7200). And the engine note as the RPMs go up... it's heaven. When alfa owners say 'passion' and 'soul' of driving abt their cars, i think i can understand, i think i know what they're talking abt.. and i can only dream. on Fri 6 Jul, i went to test drive the Civic 1.8. i've heard Honda's MT gear is slick as butter, so i opt for MT first. It is soooo freaking FREE-REVING!! OMG! Exactly like an alfa. i thought i would never feel such an engine outside of alfa.. i was wrong. and the short-shift gear stick .... my gooodness... short, precise. it is better than the alfa! i can rest my elbow on the armrest and it won't affect my gan-cheong "racing" mood. after all the passion has died down, i believe i know what is the secret. (i'm no mechanic) - it is drive-by-wire. See here. [ol][*]the throttle wire tells the ECU[*]ECU takes other aspects into consideration [*]ECU tells engine what to do[/ol]In "normal" cars, step #2 is missing. hence, RPM is limited by "gravity". SE tells me the clutch is also drive-by-wire. it's benefit is that when you clutch-in for a gear change, yr RPM does not drop, it is held there for the 1-2 seconds while u shift the stick. u do not lose speed, u do not lose RPM! ... wah cool! ... Has any alfa owner driven a Civic MT lately?