2007 GBU : Good, bad, Ugly

2007 GBU : Good, bad, Ugly

- In spite of the impressive product line-up Audi has abroad and sales growth it is experiencing globally, the situation for the Ingolstadt boys in Thailand is a little different.

Combined with excessively high import duties and a slowdown in the Thai luxury car market, selling high performance specials isn't on the agenda of Thai Yarnyon.

However, Audi fans can resort to one company to enjoy go-faster models like those in the S and RS line: MTM Thailand which imports Audis and tweaks them to buyers' likings.

Examples are the S3, RS4 that has snatched a place in our top 10 cars of this year and the R8 supercar. Expect more brawny Audis to come in the future through MTM.

- Peugeot has been rolling out some good-looking cars lately. The latest arrival into the Thai market is the 207 range that includes the three- and five-door hatchback, plus CC coupe'/cabriolet body.

Peugeot is proud to make remarks that the 1.6-litre engine is shared with BMW's Mini, although you won't hear the Germans making such a statement which is quite obvious due to Mini's loftier image.

But in spite of sharing the same engine (207 and Cooper has the same 1.6, while 207 GT and Cooper S uses the same turbo version albeit different outputs), the Pugg still doesn't drive as well as the Mini. Peugeots are looking good these days, but aren't great cars to drive anymore.

- Subaru is desperate to increases sales and attempts to bring as many models and engine variations as possible to Thai showrooms, which sounds reasonable due to the heavily tiered excise tax structure. So, a non-turbo Impreza can now be for yours at just over a B1m.

However, the R1/R2 city car is a bit of joke. Costing roughly the same as an Impreza 1.5, the 660cc three- and five-door mini hatchbacks are dreadfully slow, handles vaguely and don't really look any smart as a trendy statement or as an Ecocar wannabe.

- Volvo Car Thailand is quickly catching up with the diesel trend, even though its sales volume isn't as fascinating as it envisions. This year, it added the 185hp D5 unit to the XC90 which makes perfect sense as SUVs are known to be excessively heavy barges.

The number of models getting the D5 treatment now amount to three: the XC90 itself, V70 estate that will be replaced in Thailand next year and the S80 which has already been launched in second generation form. An S60 D5 should be next.

- Luxury car market supremo Mercedes-Benz is feeling the pinch like its competition. The locally assembled A-class hasn't been doing as expected and has forced the Thai MB unit to dump prices by around B400,000. The A's a decent MPV-like hatchback and is now starting to look even better with prices starting at just slightly over B1.5m.

The all-new C-class is looking good, too. After sampling it on Thai road, it's safe to say that rivals should be worried - but not for now as it is still a B4m CBU import. Be patient and wait for the CKD version next year.

The disappointing Merc of the year is the S300 which gets a relatively underpowered V6 petrol head to attract buyers with a B7m budget. And at the same time, Mercedes ceased sales of the equally priced diesel-powered S320 CDI that has nearly as much twist as an AMG variation. Pity.

- BMW is another brand that should be getting more twist, or torque to be more precise. After testing the 330d on Thai roads (it's not on sale yet), we say that this brilliant 3.0-litre turbo-diesel should be positioned as an alternative to the similarly sized petrol variation since both fall in the same tax category.

It's not merely about economy but also grunt and would be a great choice for big Bimmers like the X5, 7- and 5-series. And don't forget that there's the even more powerful 272hp twin-turbo 3.0-litre diesel.

If that's making things a little too expensive at over B5m, there are chances that the all-new twin-turbo 2.0-litre diesel could come to entry-level models of the 5- and 3-series in the future, as well as the X3.

The current single-turbo version used in the 520d - the only oil-burning Bimmer on sale in Thailand - is okay, but is showing its age. Perhaps, it's time for BMW to really show off its engineering pedigree.

- And since we're on the topic of diesel, Ssangyong is the first brand to offer diesel-only in the Thai line-up. The Mercedes-sourced diesels work well in all applications: Actyon, Kyron, Rexton and Stavic.

But Ssangyong's 4x4s aren't doing too well, explaining the possible stoppage of production lines in Korea as reported recently. Kyron sales in Thailand have stopped, and that duty has now been taken over by the trendy-looking Actyon whose fastback styling, however, seriously compromises on luggage room.

But the worse compromise we've encountered was with the facelifted Rexton this year. It got a new multi-link suspension matrix at the rear in hope of improving the ride. Instead, the setting is so plush that it only works well as a city SUV, not a weekend 4x4 as it should be. Great decision, poor execution.

- Ford is quite innovative in Thailand. It started the double-cab trend, single-cab with rear-access panels for the Ranger pick-up and E20-compatible engine for the Focus.

Just recently, Ford hatched a diesel for the Focus five-door - a first for the C-segment class. But it only comes with a manual gearbox which Thais generally don't like.

But Ford really blew their chances away with the second generation Everest. Instead of giving the highly successful Toyota Fortuner a challenge earlier this year, the Everest proved to still be too bland to look at, cumbersome to drive and dynamically off the mark - just like the first model.

- All of Nissan's attention this year was focused on the all-new Navara. As we found earlier, the pick-up is rich in looks, metal and power. But it appears that Nissan's concern was to only make it look good in the showroom. Perhaps, that's what buyers like.

So while the 174hp 2.5-litre turbo-diesel literally makes the Navara fly on the road, it isn't so generous on the wallet at fuel pumps. That's why Nissan's promotion of the Navara didn't elaborate on fuel economy.

The same goes for its body. The Navara double-cab, as an example, is one big beast with the longest dimensions in its class to major on cabin space. But its turning radius is the widest, and that's why you don't see any number about it in catalogues.

Nissan has yet to plug the compromises in the Navara.

- Hyundai has made a comeback this year after a 10-year absence and resorted to the Teutonic way of starting from the top to gain on image-building factors and higher margins as well.

The Coupe' helps lift the brand's image among the youth, the Santa Fe as a mid-size SUV and the Sonata mid-size saloon. As we found out last month, the Sonata is a surprisingly good car to drive. Couple that with lowest in-class prices and a five-year/unlimited mileage warranty.

But the Toyota Camry class isn't necessarily about driving manners and purely costs. With such cars, Thais like comfy rides, luxurious cabins and pampering interior amenities. Perhaps, the next Sonata.