Forte and Mondeo Test Drive

Took a day off on Friday to clear my leave, my car lover friend ask me out for test drive, which we usually did whenever there are some new interesting car released to the market. Ok. The first one that we tested is the Kia Forte. From the looks itself, it attracts me at the first sight. Seriously, the car look good for a C segment car. The sales person told me that the car was designed by the former Audi chief designer, Peter Schreyer. I guess why the car looks more appealing now, as some people said this is the best designed Kia which I somehow agree with it.

Well, so I open the car door and try to sit inside and check out the details. I have to be frank with you that my impression on the interior doesn't turn me on at all. Don't get me wrong, I am not bias with Korean cars like most of the Malaysians. The plastic quality, which the sales person told me it is 'fibre' material, doesn't give me the classy feel in it, that is a turn off point to me. The center console looks so so, I wonder Peter Schreyer also participate in this part of the design or he was given limited budget to work on the interior and material selection for cost control?

My friend submitted his IC and we are out for a test drive. He sold off his 08 Mitsubishi Lancer few months back and now he is driving his 94' Proton Wira 1.5L. Based on his comment, he said that the 1.6L seems very 'responsive'. According to the sales, the engine is using aluminum block and multi point injection which allows you to achieve lower fuel consumption. I try to sit at the back for the first test run and then I take over the steering wheel later. One thing I don't like about this car is, the suspension seems doesn't soak up the minor bumps very well, I can clearly feel the bumps and the road condition like my ex Waja. I believe cars like Civic and Altis will have better ride, but then, I will have to drive them again on the same road to give this Forte a fair comment.

For the starting price of RM75k+, I would say it is still a Ok deal because this car offer very good and important features such as extra airbags and traction control which you don't get it from Japanese cars at similar price. For the budget of less than Rm100k, if you ask me, I think I would prefer the Peugeot 308 1.6L. This is because the car not only comes with a very cool design and very nice quality interior, it also gives the driver a solid ride feeling.

Ok. The next car that I tested is the long waited Ford Mondeo! The car is imported from Belgium, the car was driven by (as a rental car?) Daniel Craig in Casino Royale, besides the Aston Martin.

If you got a chance to look at this car, do check out the door hinges, by looking at it, you can feel the car is pretty solid. Highest achievement of 5 stars crash test result from EuroNCAP. The interior quality material is above average, you get some soft touchy feel everywhere. If you ask me, I think the speedometer of this car can revise a bit so it makes people feel more upscale. The car is loaded with features and so does the price. You know it won't be cheap if it comes from Europe. RM178k+ on the price tag can't give them any advantage when it comes to deal its' competitors like locally assembled Accord and Thai assembled Camrys even though the car is very well received in Europe.

The leather seats of the Ford Mondeo is a bit 'special' I would said, it is a bit different than the leather seats from other cars till I have to ask the sales if this is a genuine leather?

I went and test drive this 2.3L baby after signing some documents. The test drive route is full of cars so I can't fully test drive the potential out of this car. The gear shifting is smooth and you can hear the loud grunt from the 2.3L Zetec engine when you step the acceleration pedal hard enough. Bumps soaking ability is alright and the car feels agile even though with its' size. But if you ask me if I would buy this car, my answer is NO. This is because for RM178k, that is hell lot of money!! Thanks to our government, we get a crappy car with a very steep price.

Finally, my all time favourite for a D Segment car. The new E Class! The new E300 was selling at the price of RM470k+, I think if you add up all the stuff like road tax, insurance, V Kool Elite, the price is closing to half a million Ringgit. Crazy huh?! You can buy a S600 in US for that kind of money.

The grayish color upholstery is nice and luxury. You can tell the car interior pay attention to every single detail, from the paint work till the dashboard. The car door comes with thick and solid door hinges and when you shut the door, you won't feel the car is very heavy due to the way the Mercedes engineers have designed the door mechanism. Continental Sport Contact 3 from Germany were fitted to the cars, I guess these tyres are not cheap either. The car is really a beauty!! Of course, I don't get a chance to drive this baby... wish I can own one! :) Even I get one for free, I think the road tax, petrol, insurance, service and maintenance will also cost me a fortune...