Category: Cars

Toyota C-HR by Karl Lagerfeld

Post author By Uygar Kilic
Post date May 28, 2020

Karl Lagerfeld was one of the most iconic fashion designers during his lifetime. His iconic black and white attire and distinctive style during every season always left a mark on fashion. Recently, Toyota Thailand decided to offer a limited edition version of C-HR by Karl Lagerfeld.

To be honest, I have no clue about what a C-HR is and what it does. From the looks of it, it looks like it is one of the hybrid SUV, coupe, and sedan vehicles. People love it, and the company is making it. I have no comment.

Anyway, the Karl Lagerfeld edition of the C-HR looks far better than the original, and it has a distinctive look and feel. Sadly, this edition is only available in the Thai market. I am sure that it would be worth giving this vehicle a try in the European markets.

Photo Credit // Toyota Thailand

Tags Karl Lagerfeld, Toyota

Cars

Autosport International 2020

Post author By Uygar Kilic
Post date May 27, 2020

This year was my ninth-time at Autosport International Birmingham. I still can’t believe how all those years have passed so quickly. It has become a tradition for me to visit Autosport every January, and this year I didn’t break this tradition. As always, Autosport International 2020 was amazing, and there were amazing cars. Like every year, I stuck by at Porsche stand. I also enjoyed the retro Formula 1 cars – I still can’t quite believe how the F1 drivers in the 1980s and early 1990s were able to drive these cars.

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Tags Autosport International, Autosport International 2020

Cars

The Future of Mobility: Citroen AMI ONE

Post author By Uygar Kilic
Post date May 26, 2020

I am writing this article in May 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Public transportation is nearly empty most of the time, while the government has suggested people to avoid it. The alternative to public transportation typically ends with private transportation, which for most of us is a car. Yet using a car for a short commute is too much and sometimes even a small car can be a huge hassle to park.

Citroen AMI ONE could be a solution for the personal transportation issue, both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. It is small, cute and manufactured by Citroen (I am hoping that it won’t breakdown). It is fully electric and the ideal size for the urban commute.

Ami One Concept reaches a top speed of 28mph (45km/h) with zero CO2 emissions. With a range of 62 miles (100km)

I think the future of commuting will rely heavily on public transportation and vehicle like the Citroen AMI ONE. What do you think?

Tags Citroën, Citroen AMI ONE

Cars

Ferrari Roma is Here

Post author By Uygar Kilic
Post date May 25, 2020

Ferrari recently revealed a new entry model called Roma. The exterior design of the Roma highly resembles Aston Martin’s Vantage and DB11 models. According to Ferrari, Roma is a brand new car, although the majority of its platform is based on Portofino excluding the unnecessary metal folding roof. I wouldn’t say I like the folding metal roof as they are too heavy and use too much space.

Roma is powered by a 3.9-lt V8 which is also seen in the 488, SF90, GTC4Lusso T, Portofino, F8, and Alfa Romeo Giulia (V6 version). The engine produces 620PS and is coupled with an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic. Unlike the Portofino, there are five stages on the Manettino switch, which makes the Roma a proper Ferrari.

Another beautiful thing with the Roma is the opportunity to remove all modelling and branding from the car. Ferrari focused on a clean and minimalist design for the Roma, and the removal of logos was part of this process. I would highly recommend it, and there is no point in showing everyone you have a Ferrari, and it signals a lack of self-esteem.

The clean design ended up with hidden active aerodynamic parts similar to the Porsche 911. If they don’t have any functionality, the aerodynamic parts are hidden. I love it!

The interior looks more like a Mercedes-Benz in that it has lots of screens and buttons, which I also like. Ferrari is moving towards a better driver experience through its infotainment and other electronic systems. Existing Ferrari models lack this, and they continue to feel like the gadgets have been retrofitted to a 1990s Ferrari (my opinion).

Overall, I like the Roma; it has all the Ferrari features, but nothing has been sacrificed. The engine is perfect, the design is impressive, and it represents the future of Ferrari.

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Photo Credit // Ferrari

Tags Ferrari, Ferrari Roma

Cars

Why The Bugatti Veyron’s Top Speed was 407 kph?

Post author By Uygar Kilic
Post date May 11, 2020

In 2005, Bugatti revealed the ground-breaking Veyron 16.4. It boasted 1001 HP, and was capable of reaching 407 km/h, but why 407? Reaching 400 km/h was more than enough. In those days, there was no other car manufacturer capable of delivering 1000 HP or reaching 400 km/h. Why was Bugatti obsessed with 407 km/h?

A few weeks ago, the fifteenth birthday of the Veyron 16.4 was celebrated, and Bugatti duly revealed some of the secrets. The most interesting was the top speed. So, why 407 km/h?

Ferdinand Karl Piëch specified the 407 km/h speed. He was the mastermind behind the revival of the Bugatti brand and the delivery of more than 1000 HP from a W16 engine. And he wanted to break the 406 km/h limit. Here is the story.

In the 1960s, Piëch had developed the iconic Porsche 917. It won the 24-Hour Le Mans race in the 1960s and reached 406 km/h on the Hunaudières Straight. For Piëch, Veyron had to go faster, and the easiest way to achieve this goal was simply to reach 407 km/h.

Piëch was the brain behind the VW Group’s decision to buy Bugatti, create the VW Phaeton and, indeed, many other outstanding feats of engineering. According to some rumours (and simple calculations), the VW Group lost nearly £5 million on every Veyron sold. But no doubt they recovered the loss through the servicing bills, and also through the Chiron.

Tags Bugatti, Veyron

Cars

New Porsche 911 Turbo S Flaps

Post author By Uygar Kilic
Post date April 24, 2020

Porsche recently revealed the latest generation of the iconic Turbo S. It produces 650 horsepower from a 3.8-lt six-cylinder boxer engine. It only needs 2.7 seconds to reach 100km/h! This car is fantastic and also it is a stealth supercar; Porsche 911’s are well-known for being understated supercars. You can park them anywhere and people will not even notice them. The Porsche 911 is not like a Ferrari or a Lamborghini that shouts too much.

With the new Turbo S, there are some cool front cooling flaps and rear spoiler movements, like an aeroplane. Next time, you spot a Porsche 911 Turbo S on the road, you will know where to look!

Configurations at a glance:

Porsche 911 Turbo S: Porsche Active Aerodynamics (PAA): rear wing in performance position

911 Turbo S: Porsche Active Aerodynamics (PAA): rear wing in speed position

Porsche 911 Turbo S: Porsche Active Aerodynamics (PAA): rear wing retracted

Porsche 911 Turbo S: Porsche Active Aerodynamics (PAA): front spoiler lip extended, cooling air flaps open

911 Turbo S: Porsche Active Aerodynamics (PAA): cooling air flaps closed

Porsche 911 Turbo S: Porsche Active Aerodynamics (PAA): cooling air flaps closed

Porsche 911 Turbo S: Porsche Active Aerodynamics (PAA): cooling air flaps open

Photo credit // Porsche

Tags Porsche, Porsche 911 Turbo S

Cars

End of the Bentley Mulsanne

Post author By Uygar Kilic
Post date April 23, 2020

Around January this year, Bentley announced that they had ceased production of their Mulsanne model, and that a new model wouldn’t be replacing it. Sadly, everyone is now obsessed with SUVs and ignores sedan cars. As a result of this trend, Bentley sold only around 500 Mulsanne vehicles last year: higher than the Rolls-Royce Phantom but far less than the Arnage. The Arnage used to sell around 1,200 units per year.

Customer tastes have significantly changed over the years; to be honest, an SUV is a really good vehicle. Regardless of its brand, you will get lots of boot space, all-wheel drive, good handling, and the vehicles are spacious and comfortable to be in. SUVs are the most suitable vehicle for humankind, however, people like me still avoid them as much as possible. SUVs are nice but they are not as good in terms of handling as a sedan car. The Bentley Bentayga is an excellent SUV, but it is not like a Mulsanne.

The Mulsanne is meant to be ending production now, during spring 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic production has been postponed to the end of summer 2020.

Only 30 units of the final edition of the Bentley Mulsanne will be produced and they will be powered by the iconic 6.75-lt V8 engine, which produces 530 horsepower! This engine has been in production since 1959 and will be gone for good after the last Mulsanne.

Honestly, I love the Mulsanne! It was heavy and relatively slow, but it was like a living room on wheels. Despite its size and weight, it was a really good handling car. You won’t be able to chase a Porsche 911 with a Mulsanne, but you will enjoy a more engaging driving experience than even a Rolls-Royce Phantom can provide.

I have shared some of my photos of Bentley Mulsanne from HR Owen Bentley dealer in Mayfair, London.

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Some of the photos credit // Bentley

Tags Bentley, HR Owen, Mulsanne

Cars

Does the Aston Martin DBX Look Like the Ford Kuga?

Post author By Uygar Kilic
Post date April 11, 2020

In an effort to escape their current financial quagmire, Aston Martin have officially revealed their first SUV to the world: the Aston Martin DBX. When the brand was sold away from the Ford Group, Aston Martin couldn’t quite find their feet. As a result, they have been suffering from severe financial difficulties for nearly half a decade.

One of the primary reasons for this is that their vehicles have not been on the same level as their competitors. Aston Martin cars are lightweight and powerful, but they don’t offer the sophisticated grand tourer experience as alternative vehicles. For example, there are no driving assistance technologies available with the Aston Martin vehicles. As Daimler AG owns 5% of Aston Martin, I thought we would see more Mercedes-Benz technologies inside new Aston Martin vehicles. Indeed, the gearbox, engine, and infotainment technology of the DBX are borrowed from Mercedez-Benz.

Sadly, Aston Martin are not doing well. This may lead to another company-wide financial crash unless DBX saves the company. However, the DBX entered to the market rather late. At first glance, Aston Martin’s brand identity doesn’t align well with sports utility vehicles, but SUVs make lots of money. Instead of investing in Formula 1 and other unnecessary projects, Aston Martin should have introduced the DBX years ago. This formula saved Porsche!

Although the Ford Motor Company no longer own Aston Martin, the DBX looks like it came from the same design studio as the third generation Ford Kuga. A pair of untrained eyes might not see any difference at all, as, from the outside, both cars look very similar. The Ford Kuga is much smaller than the DBX, but they look largely the same. Sadly, Ford will be taking benefit of this similarity. The subjective value of the Kuga will be increased thanks to DBX!

Photo Credits // Ford and Aston Martin

Tags Aston Martin, Aston Martin DBX, Ford, Ford Kuga

Cars

New Land Rover Defender?

Post author By Uygar Kilic
Post date March 28, 2020

I have been long anticipating, the release of the new Defender’s short wheelbase model, to be able to cover it in my blog. The Land Rover Defender is one of the most iconic SUVs on the market. Sadly, however, production of the original Defender ceased in 2015; I was fortunate to be present at the auction of the last vehicle.

The Defender was undeniably a great SUV, it was designed for a purpose, and it performed really well. It failed to offer however, a three-differential lock set up, hence, you had to rely on the centre locking differential. This limitation was a contradicting side of the Defender, in my opinion. It was designed for a harsh, rugged, off-road experience and this was how it was marketed. It never featured an option of rear and front locking differential. Conversely, the Toyota Land Cruiser, Jeep Wrangler and Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon were successful in providing the invaluable three differential lock set-up. The first-generation VW Touareg and even the Porsche Cayenne had a limited number of three differential-locked versions.

Based on my observations at JLR, the justification for this was that it was essentially an internal politics of avoiding the rear-differential lock.

The new Defender looks a bit awkward and is designed more for the smooth and pristine roads of Mayfair, rather than deep inside the Sahara dessert. On the other hand, you will have the option to manually switch between ‘on’ and ‘off-road’ settings. Finally, you can lock differentials manually. Notably. these were not available in the previous version.

You can have an ugly, long, wheelbase or a cool, short, wheelbase. The short wheelbase is always the optimal choice for off-road as it provides better angle and navigation of obstacles. SUVs with longer wheelbases typically get stuck whilst going over obstacles.

The pricing starts from £40,000 to an eye-watering this £80,000. I think the mid-version is the best and if you can, try to avoid the large wheels. Ensure you choose the option with the latest tech for on-road usability.

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Photo Credit // Jaguar Land Rover

Tags Defender, Land Rover

Cars

Porsche Will Print Your Fingerprint on your Porsche

Post author By Uygar Kilic
Post date March 10, 2020

Personalisation and sports cars; two notions that are heavily entwined. Anyone with an aspiration to own a sports car will talk about how they would personalise it. For some people, this is choosing a specific colour, whilst others, myself included, are more interested in personalising a sports car with the latest tech.

Porsche decided to push the boundaries of this trend in personalisation and decided to offer something really personal; your finger print. For €7500, Porsche will give you the opportunity to print your most personal and private detail onto your car and share it with everyone.

Whilst we are all aware that Apple devices require a fingerprint scan to enter, and we are not entirely clear whether this fingerprint scanner stores any information, printing your fingerprint on your car is probably the most awkward (and ridiculous) idea to enter the automotive industry. We are currently living in the world of data protection where people are incredibly hesitant to share any of their personal details. I really wonder who would choose to print their finger print on their cars? I am sure someone will do it, but the majority of people? Unlikely!

Photo Copyright // Porsche

Tags Porsche