DRIVEN: Proton Exora Bold Turbo, our first impressions

It’s the hottest model of the moment, and the most talked about for sure. It’s also the first recipient of Proton’s long awaited turbocharged engine, the Campro Charged Fuel Efficiency (CFE). It’s the refreshed Exora, the Exora Bold.

After countless sightings, both clothed and naked, Proton finally officially unveiled the Exora Bold and the range topping Exora Prime last Thursday. With an aggressive facelift and a new powertrain that’s so much more appealing on paper, the Exora is making a strong case to be the best MPV under RM100k.

We’ve driven it already – first impressions and full gallery after the jump.

Here’s a refresher on how the refreshed MPV stacks up. The Exora Bold wears a new face that’s well, bolder and more aggressive, mainly due to the “fanged” lower bumper. The headlamps have darkened housings and the elaborate rear lights have a “tinted” look as well.

There’s a subtle bodykit, including a rear diffuser style piece (painted black) and larger 16-inch wheels. The latter plays a big part in the sportier image and its double-spoke design is much better than the plain old one. I quite like this new Elegant Brown hue, too. It looks rather handsome for a big box, and quite premium relative to price point rivals.

Kit-wise, the Premium CVT is well stocked. Two-tone leather seats with matching door cards, leather-wrapped steering, fog lamps, electric foldable wing mirrors, cruise control and reverse camera with rearview mirror LCD are standard. The latter is useful and similar to the system seen in the Kia Forte 6-Speed. The centre stack, which houses a Clarion head unit with Bluetooth and AUX, is finished with “liquid silver” trim. Wood is reserved for the six-seater Prime.

As usual for the Exora, there’s an overhead DVD player (also accepts USB and SD cards) with flip out LCD screen and roof air con vents for every row. A/C fan speed for the rear section can be independently controlled.

The highlight is of course the CFE engine, which is the latest iteration of Proton’s Campro. Following the downsizing method of a forced-fed smaller capacity engine in place of a say, 2.0L NA unit, the CFE puts out 138 hp and 205 Nm, healthy figures by any measure. By the way, CFE did not start life as a Campro CPS, but is massively reworked from the original Campro engine.

Besides the soft turbocharger (0.75 bar), there’s intake VVT (first in the Campro series, not to be confused with CPS, which is more of a valve lift system) and a “torque-based” 32-bit ECU unique to the CFE. On a whole, engineers say that 70% of engine components are new and unique to the CFE. On the spec sheet, you’ll notice a shorter stroke and lower compression ratio (8.9 instead of 10). Look at the diagram for the rest of the changes.

Click to enlarge

Paired to the Punch sourced continuously variable transmission (CVT), 0-100 km/h is done in 11.3 seconds,not 13.3 seconds as previously thought. We now have a hard copy of the brochure, which lists the faster time. The 13.3 figure came from the leaked scan sent to us by a reader, which is an older and not-finalised version of the brochure. Quoted top speed is 185 km/h and fuel consumption at a constant 90 km/h is 7.8 litres per 100 km.

By the way, the CVT unit used here is not identical to the one used in the Saga FLX. The one here (internal code CVT3) comes with a higher torque rating (220 Nm instead of 186 Nm) and the oil cooler is also more powerful (12.5 kW instead of 10 kW) to cope with the higher load. Also, Proton will only use the original CVT fluid (ExxonMobil EZL799) to maximise reliability.

Turbocharged CFE does not have the CPS system, but comes with intake VVT

The CFE + CVT drivetrain completely transforms the Exora experience. Proton’s first full MPV was a good drive all along, bringing a more sophisticated level of ride and handling to the affordable MPV sector. It is also family friendly, comes with more space than price rivals and has all the features one expects for the money. However one major “could be better” point for us was the strength of the Campro CPS mill, or rather the lack of.

You see, the 1.6-litre CPS is the sort of motor that requires “spanking” to get the best out of it, coming alive in the higher regions of the tacho. This isn’t a bad thing in itself, and there’s a certain pleasure to be had in coaxing out the performance, but an MPV isn’t the best vehicle for such histrionics. It is the lack of low end torque that gave rise to the impression of the Exora being “underpowered.”

110 km/h is done at a relaxed 2,400 rpm; toggling the trip computer is a hassle

Enter the turbocharged CFE. With peak torque of 205 Nm coming into play at 2,000 rpm and staying there all the way to 4,000 rpm, the previously lethargic approach has been banished for good. Combined with the instantaneous rise in revs brought by the CVT, the Bold is quick off the line and response is good. The CFE isn’t as smooth revving as the 1.6L Prince engine found in Peugeots and MINIs, but it’s not particularly coarse as well, so all’s good.

Usual CVT rules apply, so when one’s in a hurry, there’s a lot of groan and moan from the engine. But there’s a Stepped Automatic Transmission (SAT) button that causes the ‘box to emulate a six-speed conventional torque converter AT. Press it and you do feel the revs fall back “for the next gear,” but the “gearchanges” are blunt and slow.

With SAT activated, the CVT will try to emulate a torque converter auto ‘box

We first encountered the AT-mimicking CVT in the facelifted Corolla Altis, and Toyota’s rendition remains more convincing. Otherwise, the Punch CVT works decently enough, even if it falls short of Nissan’s CVTs for cohesiveness. Personally, I’m not a fan of CVT, but Proton picked it for efficiency, and you can’t argue with that.

There is another function that eluded most of us journos, the “L” function. Pushing the lever down from D to L is sort of like activating a “Sport Mode”, where the revs rise by about 1,000 rpm with the same throttle opening, giving more sense of urgency along with some added noise. However, I found the physical shift action from D to L a little sticky. Small matter, that.

Drive-wise, the Exora rides well despite the wheel upsize to 16 inches. It showed a steady high speed highway ride and good composure on the poorly surfaced B roads that made up a big portion of our route to Tanjung Jara on the East Coast. Unlike some rivals, there’s no hopping around at the rear, and even the few big potholes we hit met with adequate damping.

Steering precision and feel were a little short of Proton’s usual standards, but just about acceptable for an MPV. However, they could have done better than the GT Radial Champiro tyres on our test car. A tyre swap will be a good investment.

From the driver’s seat, the view out is superb, thanks to the generous glass areas (passengers will enjoy this too) and the new reverse camera with rear view camera display is very useful. I also liked the feel of the chunky leather wrapped steering wheel and the individual fold down arm rest for the front seats.

One inconvenience is the process of jogging the info (range, average FC, etc) on the trip computer. There’s just a single button, so you press it till “ODO” shows on the right display, before doing a long press to switch data on the left display. Quite hard to fully concentrate on the road ahead when doing this.

As a middle row passenger, I was thankful for my personal air con vent (rear section fan speed is independently controlled) and the ability to catch a movie (I didn’t), but felt that the bench was a little short and flat.

With the addition of a turbocharged engine and more kit, it’s easier to forget that the Exora Bold is not a rival to the Mazda 5, Honda Stream, Peugeot 5008 and gang, but an RM80k MPV that fights cars like the Toyota Avanza and Nissan Grand Livina. The Proton is a more sophisticated and well-rounded product than those two – it drives better, has a lot more go, has more space and more kit. If a foreign badge is not a must have, this is the best MPV below RM100k one can buy in Malaysia.

Range Rover Evoque Test Drive Review in Sydney

The Range Rover Evoque is a simple concept, yet one so brilliantly executed. Take everything that makes a Range Rover so desirable, and scale it down into a compact yet refined vehicle to meet the changing needs of the SUV owner.

The LRX Concept stunned us when it first made its debut, and Land Rover shocked us once again once the production Evoque made its debut – it still looks very much the futuristic concept SUV that the LRX Concept was. Like something sleek and sexy plucked out of the future, but roaming our roads today.

In an age where customers are demanding better fuel efficiency and easier maneuverability around town, Land Rover has conjured up a bespoke model that at first impression seems very much befitting of being called a Range Rover, as opposed to pulling a fast one like former stablemate Aston Martin with its controversial Cygnet city car.

The Evoque is also aimed at making the Land Rover brand appeal to a younger audience, as well as balance out the gender ratio. A regular Land Rover or Range Rover product normally sees about 80% male buyers – with the Evoque this has become a more balanced ratio of 50% male, 50% female.

So the Evoque is not only more accessible in terms of purchase price and running cost affordability compared to the other Range Rover models, it’s also made the brand more accessible to wealthy ladies, who currently are most likely buyers of SUVs like the Volvo XC60, Audi Q5, BMW X1 or BMW X3.

Land Rover offers two different body styles with the Evoque – a 5-door and a 3-door “coupe”, both of which are available in Malaysia. There are two engine options available at the moment – a diesel and a petrol, both turbocharged 4 cylinder engines. In Malaysia, you can have the petrol engine in either a 3-door or 5-door body while the diesel engine is available only as a 5-door.

The 2.0 liter petrol engine is shared with the Ford EcoBoost family, which is also available in Malaysia in the Ford S-MAX, the facelifted Ford Mondeo, the Volvo S60 and the Volvo XC60. The tuning in the Evoque is the most powerful version available currently – producing 240 horsepower at 5,500rpm and 340Nm of torque from just 1,750rpm. In the Evoque, the engine is rated to consume about 8.7 liters per 100km on a combined cycle.

The 2.2 liter PSA/Ford DW12 turbodiesel is also found in the Land Rover Freelander 2 and globally is used in various Ford, Jaguar and PSA Peugeot Citroen cars as well. In the Evoque, it makes 190 PS at 3,500rpm and 420Nm of torque at 1,750rpm – less horses than the petrol due to the shorter powerband but loads of torque to get the Evoque going.

The Evoque is loosely based on the Freelander platform and even rolls off the Freelander’s production line, but as the Evoque rides lower than the Freelander, parts of the undercarriage design was modified to maintain a level of ground clearance that you would expect from a vehicle with the Land Rover or Range Rover badge. So the new platform is referred to as the LR-MS platform, loosely based on the Freelander’s Ford EuCD platform.

The Evoque also has very minimal overhangs, especially at the rear – this improves approach and departure angles. Quite interestingly, we hear the LR-MS platform can be stretched further about 300mm if necessary to create a larger vehicle to slot in between the Evoque and the Range Rover Sport, should Land Rover ever decide to explore that segment.

Other than the choice of a 5-door and 3-door, there are also different trim levels which change a few design details on the car. There’s the Prestige, Pure and Dynamic trim – and the Dynamic trim is the sportiest design, which at the same time also reduces the Evoque’s approach and departure angle capabilities as it’s the most “road-going” of the three designs.

In Malaysia, the Dynamic Plus trim is available on the top of the line 2.0 liter petrol 3-door “coupe”, while the 2.0 liter petrol 5-door and the 2.2 liter diesel 5-door has the Prestige trim.

The Evoque may look small from the outside, but it is surprisingly very roomy in the interior. Land Rover engineers have done a brilliant job with the packaging of this car, maximizing every cubic inch of interior space possible within the exterior dimensions of the car. Shoulder room between the front two seats are very good – it actually feels like a larger SUV and it felt more comfier sitting in the Evoque compared to some other same-class SUVs.

The rear seats are able to seat two adults more than comfortably, with good legroom. If you’re going to carry more than one passenger often, I’d suggest you get the 5-door though, because while the 3-door has a proper adult-sized rear cabin, it’s quite of a pain getting into the rear, as the sporty design of the Evoque doesn’t allow for an easy entry and exit. Once you eventually climb in though, the space you have is quite surprisingly comfortably.

Plenty of the interior space went to the passengers, so there’s not much of boot space left. Although the official number is 575 liters (550 with the 3-door), it doesn’t seem all that big. No doubt, golf bags will fit very nicely but if you have something to put in of a particular shape, such as a luggage bag (see picture above), you can only fit one, and that’s it. Think of the Evoque’s boot as more of that of a hatch like a Golf or Focus, instead of the typical roomy SUV boot.

But as a city car, this shouldn’t really pose too much of a problem, and the rear seats can be folded down to make for more luggage space. When folded down, luggage capacity extends to between 1,350 liters to 1,445 liters for the 3-door and 5-door respectively.

Perceived quality is very good – there’s leather everywhere, and as a front passenger you’re basically looking at a massive expanse of leather in front of you, with beautiful stitched accents. The dash layout is recognisable as a Range Rover, but scaled down. The center dash area has a Volvo-like slant to it with a small storage area under the curve, but it’s quite a small compartment so you won’t be able to keep much at all.

Land Rover has resisted overblinging the interior – the choices of materials are classy and mature, with no overuse of chrome. Some interior designers tend to abuse chrome to make the switches and knobs of the interior feel like knock-off jewellery – the Range Rover Evoque stays clear of this. Most of the surfaces are matte or brushed. There’s also ambient lighting scattered about the cabin for a nice effect at night – you can see some of these lights in the image above.

Our test drive session started off at the Sydney Opera House, through the city. Driving through the city in stop and go traffic, our first impressions was that the Evoque has remarkably good NVH insulation. We set off in the diesel model and we could barely hear a clatter from inside the cabin at idle! Push off from a standstill and you get a nice smooth tone – the only thing that’ll remind you that this is not a petrol lump is the fact that the pitch never goes as high as you’d expect it to while gunning it because of the much lower redline.

City maneuverability was good, though as you’d expect from how the car looks like from the outside – rear quarter visibility wasn’t that good. The Evoque’s roof and shoulderline has the angles of a sports car, so expect outward visibility of a sports car as well. Side mirrors were huge though, so that helps.

We took the opportunity to try out the in-car entertainment and navigation system. With competitors using knob-style devices to control the screens in their cars, it’s easy to mistake the rotary gear selector knob (first seen in the Jaguar XF) for what you’d use to control the computer. The Evoque shares its in-car computer with Jaguar models, so what you have here is a nice touch screen interface with relatively large buttons so it’s easy to touch what you intend to select. Ergonomically, the interface is pretty tight.

Other than reading audio CDs, there’s also Bluetooth audio, USB audio as well as an iPod interface so you’re spoiled for choice when it comes to audio inputs. The iPod interface not only allows you to browse through your songs but it can also access your iPod’s customised playlists and etc. You can’t do the more advanced stuff like Genius mixes and etc though.

The audio output is pretty rockin’ as well – our test units were equipped with a Meridian sound system which delivered great clarity and punchy bass and remained crisp and clear up to insanely loud volume levels. No signs of rattling from the interior from the heavy bass thumping at this point – but then again we were driving new cars.

There are two different levels of Meridian systems available with the Evoque – a 380 watt 12 channel system with 11 loudspeakers (including a 2 channel subwoofer), or a more powerful 825 watt system with 15 channels driving 17 loudspeakers including a subwoofer, centre and surround loudspeakers.

Anyway, soon we out of the city to enjoy the country roads en route to Hunter Valley, a famous wine-making region near Sydney. We had the opportunity to test drive the marque’s previous smallest car – the Freelander – and found it to be surprisingly a fun drive. The Evoque is even better, thanks to the fact that it’s lower slung (27mm lower) and has both a stiff chassis and a suspension tuning that’s more to the firmer side of things.

But while this may mean loads of fun on the bends, I found that the ride can get slightly fidgety on rough patches. Our Malaysian spec Evoque wears 20 inch wheels with low profile tyres, which contribute to the Evoque’s good looks, but it remains to be seen how the car will ride on Malaysian roads.

The high shoulder line of the doors helps mask the commanding driving position and help convey a “sports car” feel to you when you’re seated in the driver’s seat. Land Rover also did a brilliant job at tuning the Evoque’s electric power steering as it didn’t get into the way of a fun drive – if you don’t notice that a car has an electric power steering system, it’s a mark of a good configuration with a natural feeling weight and ratio at different travel speeds.

The top of the range Dynamic Plus 3-door petrol model in Malaysia has Adaptive Dynamics, which has magnetic dampers that can adjust its settings about a thousand times a second. Unfortunately we did not have the opportunity to try that out as a car equipped with Adaptive Dynamics didn’t get cycled along into our possession as we swapped cars and drivers at pre-designated points throughout the journey.

In the models we got to try, the Evoque’s seats are very shapely, are amazing to look at and feel nice to the touch, but if you’re not built like a couch potato American, the side bolsters may not feel cosseting enough to support you during corners if you’re into that kind of thing. Not everyone – especially significant others from my experience – are into big side bolsters though.

There’s another variation of the seats (see picture below in red leather) that are available on the Dynamic Plus trim, which means in Malaysia it’s installed in the top of the line 3-door petrol 3-door Evoque. It doesn’t look like it has significantly more side bolstering though.

Being a dieselhead (we have a total of three turbodiesel company cars here at Driven), I was surprised to find myself liking the petrol version more than the diesel. The diesel has gobs of shove when you start off and the engine note is very smooth – very unlike a diesel – but it tapers off very quickly, while the petrol engine starts off slightly weaker but rode its torque curve very well into the high ends of the rev range. It also feels more responsive.

However, neither the petrol or engines are overwhelmingly fast. I came away with the impression that perhaps the Evoque needs to have a higher end model with a more powerful engine, some kind of Evoque Sport if you will. At that price range, I expected to be blown away but the pace ended up feeling a little lacking. The gearbox is also a regular 6-speed automatic, and thus behaves like one – smooth with well thought out ratios, but shifts are not particularly quick and snappy.

Is the Evoque still a fun drive? Yes, but is it going to set your heart racing? It’s more likely to do it with its super good looks than an exciting drive. But then again that was never the Evoque’s promise to a buyer to begin with. It’s still way sportier than a big lumbering Range Rover where you’re more likely to feel like you’re sitting ON a big leather throne rather than IN a sporty cockpit like you would feel in an Evoque.

Our route throughout the country roads of Hunter Valley also took us to a big riding ranch where Land Rover had set up an offroading track for us to try out the Evoque’s off roading capabilities.

As I mentioned earlier, the Pure and Prestige trim has better approach and departure angles of 25 degrees and 33 degrees respectively, while the Dynamic’s sportier bodywork reduces this to 19 degrees and 30 degrees for approach and departure respectively. The Evoque’s maximum wading depth is 500mm. Front axle obstacle clearance is 215mm while rear axle obstacle clearance is 240mm.

The offroad track took us through various different off road situations – from as simple as a grassy dirty track to some very steep and tight inclines, both uphill and downhill! We also drove through a small river – at first just across it but later we got to a point where we snaked along in the middle of the river on the riverbed along the water flow, which was pretty fun – the key is not to stop or the Evoque’s weight will make your wheels will sink too much!

It was on this off roading track that we got to try the two buttons on the small control panel below the gear selector knob that allows you to control the Range Rover Evoque’s Terrain Response system, a highlight of all Land Rover products.

Terrain Response is a feature that Land Rover introduced on the Discovery in 2005. It basically allows the user to select a few modes according to what type of surface you are driving on. Terrain Response will control systems like DSC stability , the electric throttle, Hill Descent Control, Gradient Release Control, Hill Start Assist and Roll Stability Control to suit the type of surface you are on.

On the Evoque, you’ve got the Dynamic mode (only when Adaptive Dynamics is fitted to the car), the General mode, the Grass/Gravel/Snow mode, the Mud/Ruts mode, and the Sand mode. Land Rover set up signboards indicating what mode we should switch to on different areas of the off-roading track.

Most of the offroad modes actually dampen the throttle input significantly so it’s easier to feather the throttle for the precise inputs you need during tricky situations. Sometimes you also need to dial down the stability control a little as your Evoque’s wheel has to slip to get along on certain surfaces. We used the Sand mode on the riverbed.

As the Evoque doesn’t have a low ratio transfer case, the Rock Crawl mode that’s available on the Terrain Response system of other Land Rovers is missing.

In any case, even though the Range Rover Evoque may not have a low ratio gearbox (neither does the Freelander, BTW), an air suspension system that can raise ride height to comical levels or any other high tech offroading gizmo, it’s still able to do some light offroading, much more than your typical C-segment hatchback is able to do, but of course not as hardcore as a true offroading machine.

All in all, congratulations are in order for Land Rover for successfully doing a small Range Rover right, one with the desirability dial turned on really high. I’m still very curious to see how our Malaysian spec Evoque performs on Malaysian roads with its massive 20 inch wheels, but as there are no media test drive units in Malaysia yet it will have to wait. I’m also curious as to how the car drives and rides with the Adaptive Dynamics suspension system. And who knows, perhaps a shoot-out story next?

As a recap pricing-wise, the Evoque is priced at RM393,888 for the top of the line 2.0L Petrol Coupe Dynamic Plus, while the 2.0L Petrol 5-Door Prestige goes for RM363,888 and the 2.2L Diesel 5-Door Prestige is priced at RM353,888, all on-the-road excluding insurance.

Look after the jump for a mega photo gallery of the Evoque.

New Ford Ranger T6 Test Drive Report from Chiang Rai

This will be an exciting year for the pick-up truck segment. Malaysia will get the Chevrolet Colorado, whichwe recently drove in Thailand, and Mitsubishi’s Triton VGT should be coming real soon. Already starring in roadshows, mid year will see the launch of the all new Ford Ranger, our topic of discussion here.

We first laid eyes on the handsome new Ranger (code named T6) in March last year, when Ford gave it anASEAN debut at the Bangkok Motor Show. Production of the Ranger is ongoing as we speak, having already had a Job 1 Ceremony at the AutoAlliance Thailand (AAT) Rayong plant.

Thailand, as one of the few production hubs for the model (others are South Africa and Argentina), will naturally get the first batch. Our turn, according to Sime Darby Auto Connexion, will be the middle of this year, but the company has already started promoting the truck. There’s also the Malaysian leg of the Global Ranger Challenge, where you can win one for yourself.

How does the new Ranger fare against the current crop of trucks? Does it slot in or above? Full report after the jump.

As mentioned, we first saw the T6 Ranger in the metal at last year’s Bangkok Motor Show, where many in the regional press pack were wowed by the T6′s modern good looks and macho style. It’s much bigger than the old one, too, and with the hardware to bring Ford back to the top of the pickup pack.

At 5,359 mm long, the T6 is a substantial 186 mm longer than the old Ranger. And to maximise cabin size, the double cab’s wheelbase now measures a class-leading 3,220 mm, which is 220 mm longer than before. This can only be a good thing, since the ageing Ranger’s rear quarters has been exposed to be tight and hard to access by newer, bigger rivals such as the Hilux and Triton.

When it arrives, the Ranger will be the biggest truck in town, eclipsing current big guy Nissan Navara for size. But Ford designers have made the most of the bulk on offer – instead of appearing big and clumsy, the T6 is handsome and imposing, retaining the customary ‘Built Ford Tough’ machoness of the name despite being more rounded (check out the rake of the windshield) and thoroughly modern in outlook. To these eyes, it’s easily the best looking truck on sale today.

Good looks aside, let’s not forget that many still use trucks as workhorses or dual purpose machines. Along with the larger cab, the T6 boasts a bigger bed as well – L x W x H dimensions are 1,549 x 1,560 x 511 mm, versus 1,530 x 1,458 x 465 mm, so it’s a gain for all.

The truck class may be ‘one-tonne,’ but the Ranger can haul up to 1,333 kg, and the vehicle’s maximum tow rating tops out at 3,350 kg. Ford says the Ranger’s frame is twice as stiff as the previous model.

More importantly, the T6 Ranger is a great truck to drive, and the experience behind the wheel is significantly different from the truck it replaces. For one, the driver’s seat offers a much higher and commanding view than in the old Ranger, and there’s no escaping the feel that you’re driving something really big. And as usual for Ford, the seats are good in terms of position and support, which is not a “standard feature” in this segment.

Speaking of comfort, the old Ranger’s small rear door and tight rear quarters handicap has been eliminated. With the new shape, access is so much easier and head/legroom is good, even for the tall.

The truck’s height mean that it’s quite a climb for the less mobile, but the Ranger is now finally on par with the Triton and Hilux in this. I also like the fact that the bench isn’t set too low, hides two “secret compartments” and has a pouch in the middle for mobile phones.

Back to the driver’s seat, it doesn’t take long to notice the crisp, more direct steering. This more “connected” rack combines with a much firmer ride to give the Ranger surprisingly good handling. It doesn’t feel nervous when you turn up the wick and body control is better than expected. The Ranger is a more precise tool than before, without a doubt. The stiffer ride works well on tarmac, but not so much off road, where jolts pierce harder than before.

Of the two coming soon trucks, the Chevrolet Colorado is the hooligan – brash, but great fun in the right mood – whereas the Ranger is the polished performer, at least that’s what I felt driving both on the hilly roads around Chiang Rai.

If the handling has seen a change for the better, the NVH (that’s noise, vibration and harshness) has taken a quantum leap. The Ranger T6 is by far the most refined pick-up truck in town, and highway cruising is as serene as you’d hope for. We consciously tried to pick up noises by turning off the stereo and going pass the highway limit, which says it all.

By the way, achieving good NVH in a truck is much harder than in a car, since they have to fight a brick like shape, diesel engines and knobbly off road capable tyres. A great achievement, this.

After the handling and NVH, the 150 PS/375 Nm 2.2L Duratorq TDCi engine itself doesn’t stand out so much for me, but it’s quietly competent. The VG Turbo equipped mill provides good take off acceleration, is flexible enough and works smoother and quieter than many rival diesels we can think off – and because it’s 0.3 litres smaller than the regular truck engine size, you pay less road tax as well.

The 200 PS/470 Nm 3.2L five-cylinder TDCi powering the Wildtrak is much stronger, but the 2.2L is all the engine you need, really. My dream combo will be the Wildtrak’s visual appeal with the 2.2L engine.

The automatic transmission is similarly inconspicuous, which is a good thing for a self-shifting gearbox. More outstanding is the six-speed manual gearbox we sampled, which has an unusually short throw and nice snick snack action for a truck. We didn’t expect such a “sporty feel”, but hey, no complaints! Nice knob, too.

No complaints on the cabin as well. While the Colorado tries harder to be modern and flash at the expense of ease of use and legibility, the Ranger’s dashboard is more clear and cohesive, while maintaining the sport/tough (think G-Shock) theme. There’s some cool detailing going on too if you look harder, on the right dial’s cowl, for instance.

Storage is a strong point here, since the glove box can swallow up a 16-inch laptop flat. The door pockets can fit 1.5 litre bottles and if you have more stuff, the 8.5 litre centre console bin will do the job. Plenty of cubbies too, and there’s a handy tray below the air-con controls and two power points.

I’m not much of a truck guy, but this is one truck I’d consider owning (800 mm water wading capability good to fight flash floods), more than any other one-tonner on sale today. It’s so complete, we can’t think of anything to find fault with except for the overly hard off road ride. The clincher is the five-star rating from Euro NCAP in a segment lagging behind in terms of safety.

In terms of sales – as great as the T6 may be, we doubt that it will unseat the Hilux as the top selling truck in Malaysia. But product-wise, you’re looking at the new class leader!

Mitsubishi i-MiEV Eco Tourism Pilot Demo Program at Four Seasons Resort, Langkawi

Langkawi seduces, not for the first time. Peering out from MH1438′s window, the cluster of 99 islands in the blue sea that make up Langkawi immediately calms the mind, and brings a smile. And when the Four Seasons Resort is your home away from home, you’ll want to stay for awhile. But we got work to do, so time to get down and dirty.

Or not, because the car we’re here to drive is as clean as they come. Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia, which in October last year became the first to register a full electric vehicle in Malaysia, is launching its Eco-Tourism Pilot Demonstration Program, starring the i-MiEV.

If you don’t already know, the i-MiEV is based on MMC’s i minicar, but there’s no internal combustion engine and no need to refuel, because it’s 100% battery powered and rechargeable. Zero tailpipe emissions, too.

And it’s no fancy concept either – the i-MiEV is a production car already on sale elsewhere, and hopefully one day, Malaysia. It was first sold domestically in 2009, before European sales started in 2010. The little car was launched in North America late last year.

Here’s how the program works. MMM is loaning one unit of the i-MiEV to Four Seasons Langkawi, where guests of the five-star resort can use around the island, for free. No money required, just feedback.

This will go on for two months from 23 February. The stated mission is to gain better understanding of customer behaviour and expectations from an EV. There’s some prestige to be had for both parties too, in my opinion, since everyone is flashing their eco credentials these days.

“Fundamentally, eco tourism means making as little environmental impact as possible and encouraging the preservation of environment when visiting a place. 100% electric with zero emissions, yet offering surprising power and a smooth quiet ride, the i-MiEV is the greenest way to drive in Langkawi,” Tetsuya Oda, CEO of MMM proclaimed.

“This fits perfectly into our philosophy of engaging in sustainable practices that conserve natural resources and reduce environmental impact,” Philippe Larrieu, Four Seasons Langkawi Resort Manager chipped in.

We understand that after its stint at Four Seasons, WVY 159 will continue to serve Langkawi at another location. By the way, MMM, as pioneer, went through nearly one year of working with various authorities to help chart a new course in a system where tax is charged according to engine cubic capacity (the i-MiEV has none, remember), among other obstacles.

And of course, there’s the usual process of getting type approval etc. If you’re wondering, road tax for the i-MiEV is RM10 per year, after a 50% EV discount. Not sure how they arrived there, though. Notice the road tax sticker says “49000 W” in place of where the engine cubic capacity normally as – it reflects the i-MiEV’s 49kW motor power.

At the event, we also learnt something new from Takayuki Yatabe of MMC’s EV Business Promotion Department. In a “did you know” moment, the Tokyo based exec shared that the i-MiEV is great as an emergency power source, since its lithium ion battery pack stores the equivalent of one and a half days of the electricity used by a typical Japanese household.

He added that MMC is developing tech that will allow i-MiEVs to supply up to 1,500 watts of electricity to power electric jugs, rice cookers, hair dryers, and other small but vital appliances. Not so useful here perhaps, but Japan is frequently hit by earthquakes, which could knock out electricity supply. In fact, 60 units of the i-MiEV were used for relief purposes in the earthquake/tsunami disaster last year, when gasoline supply dried up.

After all that, I hopped into the car for a spin round the block. Having driven various EVs before, including a pre-production i-MiEV, the stint wasn’t as eye opening as it could be, but it’s still a stark contrast from regular motoring. For one, you twist the key (same design as other Mitsus) but there’s no resulting sound or vibration, only a signal from the instrument cluster that the i-MiEV is ready to roll. Step on it and it glides off with a synthesised whirr.

Yes, the sound on take off and low speeds is manufactured and comes out from a speaker. This is for safety purposes, in case pedestrians can’t hear an EV coming. Apparently, the sound has been agreed upon by all carmakers, sort of like an “official EV noise” if there’s such a thing. Sounds very natural, and I wouldn’t have noticed if they didn’t say, honestly.

Keep your foot on the gas and the ample torque (180 Nm from rest) gets you to highway speeds in a blink. It’s like a powerful regular car, just without the engine/exhaust note we’re accustomed to. The rate of acceleration tapers off once you’re cruising along, but one’s not meant to race around in this anyway. Instead, keeping an eye on the Charge/Eco/Power bar becomes second nature. Lower is better, battery lasts longer.

Everything else feels regular, except that tyre roar becomes so much more apparent when it’s the only noise you hear. The steering felt a little heavy for me, although there’s no big issue with the regenerative brakes (some early hybrids with these brakes had odd pedal feel).

The i-MiEV is a great runabout, and I can see myself driving it everyday without compromise. Measured by the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) the car is capable of 150 km on a full charge. Even if we take 100 km as a realistic figure, many daily routines will be covered, and charging can be done overnight (eight hours at 230 volts). Can’t be that cumbersome, since some people charge their smartphones more often than that!

The only thing stopping MMM is cost. EVs and their batteries are currently expensive to make, and it will be uncompetitive without government incentives in the form of rebates and subsidies. If you’re wondering how long the batteries in the i-MiEV will last – Mitsubishi estimates about 70% capacity by the end of 10 years.

To give you an idea, the Japanese government gives a subsidy of 50% of the difference in price between EV and regular model. For instance, if a 660cc Mitsubishi i is RM100k and the i-MiEV’s natural price is RM200k, the subsidy will be worth RM50k. Currently, the G model i-MiEV is priced at JPY 3.8 million (RM145,017), but after subsidy, the price becomes JPY 2.84 million, or RM108,381. In the US, the i-MiEV is priced around $29k after rebate.

Norway is a great example of how popular an EV can be with support. Tax and VAT exempt, the i-MiEV also pays zero toll and can use bus lanes, making it the best selling A-segment vehicle in the country. Is the future electric? It’s all about the money, at the end of the day.