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Cars are becoming more and more homogenised. No, I'm not saying that cars are becoming identical, but as more and more cars become electrified and more EVs come to market, they will tend to feel the same. You see, consumers want cars that are quiet, spacious and convenient, and manufacturers are giving us just that. Some of us (not everyone looks at the list of standard safety features, sadly) want safer cars, too, so carmakers are bundling in more safety and driver assistance functions. So, most modern cars today are easy to drive and have numerous amenities that cater to drivers and passengers. But if you love driving, you would have surely noticed that driving a modern car doesn't deliver the same engagement that driving say, an older manual car does. Congestion, the enemy Can you drive a manual sports car today? Yes, enthusiasts do. But not me, because it's not rewarding to drive a manual car when my daily commute to and from the office happens during peak hours. The mere thought of repeatedly shifting from first to second and second to first, with some second to third thrown in from time to time, twice a day, is abhorrent. It is a chore. One might ask, "Well, why not go for late-night drives then?" After 8-10 hours at work, which also involves a fair amount of driving (test cars), I need to rest. A fatigued driver is a dangerous one. The writer gearing up for his first ride on his first bike Swopping four wheels for two So, how can a keen driver still feel engaged? Interestingly, one alternative is to ride a motorcycle. If you've never ridden a motorcycle before, imagine this. In a car, with an automatic transmission, you can pretty much just look out for traffic and steer. Only your right foot needs to work, and you're insulated and physically protected. On a motorcycle, you'll need all your wits and your senses (including whatever sixth sense or premonitions you can muster) to keep yourself safe. Looking out for other traffic is just beginning, because you need to even predict 'car and driver language' based on how a vehicle is being driven. And we haven't even gotten to operating a bike with a manual gearbox. An ignition that needs an actual key, analogue gauges, and yes, a 10,000rpm redline For the uninitiated, the clutch is a lever on the left handlebar and the shifter is a peg below your left foot. The accelerator is on right handlebar, which you twist towards you to accelerate. In front of it is the lever for the front brake and below your foot is the pedal for the rear brake. Your entire body is involved in riding a bike, and this is especially true when going around corners. And if sightlines in a car are important, they are everything when it comes to riding - where you look is where the bike will go. On a bike, looking the wrong way could end with you becoming a part of the scenery or taking an unwanted dip in a longkang. That's more than enough to keep me alert. Risky, but that's life in general If you're a biker, you'd undoubtedly have heard all the questions about risk and danger, especially given how vulnerable one is on two wheels. Is driving safer? In a sense, yes. But how much safer, actually? To me, riding a motorcycle is as risky as riding my bicycle on the road. So is crossing the road. Even walking on the pavement is dangerous, especially if there are cyclists are intent on zipping by you. I could as easily trip while walking as I could bump my knee on a table leg (it just happened again today). If I were to analyse every action I intended to take and anticipate its danger potential, I'd literally be stuck at home, which by the way is where most accidents occur. If you think most cars are becoming staid and uninteresting, I recommend taking a bike lesson (or two). Even if you're a die-hard manual sports car enthusiast, you may end up finding the experience to be an eye-opening, and perhaps addictive one.

How many times has a traffic light turned yellow as you approach an intersection, and you are uncertain if you can make the light or not? To speed or slam brake? What is really our best choice? Timings of yellow light are different at each junction, i've experienced some as short as 2 seconds, once yellow come out, it will jump to red on next blink. Kinda stressful whenever passing a green light that has been on for quite some time. I prefer seeing a red light that is on for very long. And as i reach, it will turn green Will it be better to have those LED timing indicators for cars (like in some countries), showing how long before the light will turn red? Maybe we can petition for them

1. The gear stick when I tried to shift gear!!! Going pass former City Square towards town near junction of Paya Lebar n Geylang. 2. Couldn't find reverse gear in my brother's old Beetle 3. Cockroach flew into my face from aircon vent!! 4. Big fish jumped onto my feet from big pail on passenger side floor on my way home after good catch at the pond 5. Targar roof came off from Bertone X/19 6. Blood dripping from radiator after I started the engine --- cat sleeping in warm engine bay chopped by radiator fan in winter

http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/singaporeseen/motoring-goondus/driver-swerves-into-car-on-pie-then-speeds-off-like-nothing-happened It's quite common to have both drivers changing lane at the same time, eg. lane 3 to lane 2 and lane 1 to lane 2 . The above link posted on stomp is a classic example. The driver that change from lane 4 to 3 did not practice defensive driving, and the Cefiro driver that change from lane 2 to lane 3 did not check blindspot and accident happen. So a lesson learn from this is that, Please practice defensive driving and check blindspot when changing lane.

Think that there are no need for blind spot mirrors actually if the can adjust your side mirrors correctly and adjust your driving style to always look at both the rear and side mirrors. Also read about it somewhere before. Agree?

It was an upscale mall at orchard No drop off only taxi stand. It was drizzling but not raining. So of course traffic police could rebut and say that it's not heavy rain so my mom doesn't need shelter I feel scared of driving now

Hi all, need your advice on a dangerous situation which I had encountered twice. My office car park has steep and curving ramps. On two occasions, while I was driving the upward ramp, the car in front of me stopped. When my car moved off from a standstill while on the upward slope, it could not move and the rear wheels kept spinning so much that smoke appeared and there was thick rubber smell. I had to resolve the problem by reversing and moving up again. Fortunately no car was behind my car. I called my regular mechanic and asked whether it was due to tyre problem and he said it may not be the case because I had changed tyres a year ago. He said the ramp surface may be too smooth or as it was a curve, one of the wheels was not in contact with the road. However, I have never seen other cars having the same problem in the same car park. My car is rear wheel drive and I had tried to engage low gear whenever I went up slope in the car park after the first incident but it happened again. Do you think I should change a new set of tyres with better grip? I search online and read that when negotiating an upward slope after a standstill, a better way is to drive up gently instead of gunning it up as sending too much power to the wheels will cause tyre losing traction. Other suggested reducing tyre air pressure for better grip. Any constructive advice is most welcome. Thank you.

After you polish it? or after you play the new ICE? When it carried me thru some winding roads, free of traffic, where petrol is cheaper than here!!! or when the echoes of the exhaust rocked the side walls in a long tunnel, blasting with the high energy which wont be shamed by the riffs in a live concert.

What is your user experience of this new "upgrade" on TPE at Punggol exit? For me, at first I thot the expansion is for all vehicles but to my surprise, only open to public buses. after spending so much money and time which causes so much inconvenience during the construction, the traffic situation still didn't improve. To me, its a complete waste of money. hopefully LTA can look into this! http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/new-bus-stop-along-tpe/1482104.html

I was just wondering. What are the cars available in singapore, new or used, that are affordable driver's cars. I know some will say a used BMW or used Lotus or used Porsche. But there exists a large group of people who cannot be seen driving such flashy cars, even if they can afford it outright. Public image or taxation issues prevent them from being seen in such cars. So what are the humble, but no less pleasurable, alternative? I will start off with: - Toyota Mark X - Suzuki Swift - Mitsubishi Evo - VW Golf GTI Any more?