At first glance, this looks like just any other facelifted Ford Focus done up in white sitting in Sime Darby Auto Connexion’s car park by the Federal Highway. But it’s actually something new – find out more on what it is after the jump.

It’s a Ford Focus 2.0 TDCi! I know alot of us more educated motorists have been asking for a new era where we can enjoy the really nice low rev kick of torque and the better mileage that the turbodiesel engines that Europeans seem to love in our daily rides.
When the government upgraded our diesel to Euro 2 last year, it opened some doors for some better diesels to be brought in. Diesel engines that are lighter, smaller and more refined – a newer generation of diesel engines compared to the truck engines that we get in our sub-100K pickups. I know of a friend who bought a Nissan Frontier purely for its diesel engine as he had to travel alot, he wasn’t really interested in a truck.

And then BMW introduced their 320d. It had loads of shove over the 320i and could go over 1,000km per tank if driven frugally. Finally, a diesel compact executive to be enjoyed. You needed deep pockets but not as deep as pockets as 530d or X5 3.0d owners. But it was still priced over RM250k, though during promotions you could get pre-registered units for lower than that.

The leather-wrapped steering wheel with its’ four spokes stands out. The instrumentation is mounted on the wheel. It is easy to use without making any frequent trips to the owners’ manual. Seating space at the back is very comfortable with plenty of legroom that seems larger than most of its’ competitors.

The 2009-2010 Ford Focus TDCi Hatch with its competitive price also scores highly on the safety front and comes with front, side and side curtain airbags. Additionally it has ABS anti-lock brakes, electronic stability control and traction control.

Even when you consider the usually thoughtful Ford Focus prices, this model will still face strong competition in the market. The most direct rival to this impressive little car will no doubt be Holden’s Astra where the 1.9-litre turbo-diesel goes almost head to head with the 2009 Ford Focus TDCi Hatch. The Hyundai i30 will be yet another competitor in this rough small car segment.

The test vehicle was the $38,700 D-Max LS-M 4×4 crew-cab, which improves on the Toyota HiLux SR dual-cab diesel’s standard equipment list with ABS, air, cruise control, one-inch-wider wheels, four extra speakers, projector-lens headlights, a roof console and a three-tonne towing capacity.

Other goodies include cruise control, wheel arch flares, alloy wheels, leather steering wheel rim and shift knob, electro-luminescent instrument cluster, trip computer and projector headlights and front fog lights. Both the five-speed manual and four-speed automatic transmissions are special low-friction designs to help save fuel and run quietly.

The Isuzu is not super-refined but is comfortable and competent as a town and country machine. It comes into its own by carrying fridges and the like, weekend runs to the rubbish tip or highway transport capable of dealing with all types of road conditions. The ride is firm and when unladen the rear end can crash and skip through potholes.

It adequately tackled mountains roads, although the steering is a bit ponderous and needed a lot of turning through the twisty bits. My off-road testing was across Black Mountain Rd between Kuranda and Julatten in North Queensland, but I was disappointed. After all the recent rain I was expecting some wet and slippery conditions but apart from some big puddles the journey was uneventful. Not once did I have to engage 4WD with the gutsy turbo-diesel easily climbing up and over a couple of steeper sections of the track.

VIOS is one of the youngest creation by the ever dazzling Toyota. The car was first introduced in 2003 and is still out in the markets of China and South East Asian countries. Vios is a 4-door subcompact sedan. It came out as a replacement for the Toyota Soluna. Subcompact cars is the choice of most Asian countries. They want small ones to be able to maneuver on heavy traffic-stricken small roads. And Vios satisfied them. This is the reason why Vios is still in demand on countries such as Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Mainland China.

The Toyota Vios in Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, and Malaysia, and Taiwan is powered by 1.5 liter 1NZ-FE engine with VVT-i. In the Philippines, the engine is just 1.3 liter 2NZ-FE engine while in China, it is sold with an 8A-FE engine. Vios was first assembled in Thailand at the 1 million square meter Toyota Gateway Plant in Gateway City in the Province of Amphoe Plaeng Yao, Chachoengsao. Thai engineers and Toyota Japanese designer’s collaborated to come up with a level lower subcompact car. The ergonomics in the region focuses on keeping everything inside a car within reach of the driver.

The first generation was inspired by the Toyota Platz where Vios got its body panels. Another car that inspired its design is the E120 Corolla. In Indonesia and Thailand, it serves as a racing vehicle, mainly used in the Touring Car Championships. Vios are also restored as taxicabs in both countries, Philippines and Malysia.

Philippines is the country where Vios is highly purchased. Car enthusiasts prefer it because of its small size. Philippine versions has three grades the base 1.3 J with a l4 2NZ-FE engine, VVT-i, 13″ steel wheels and a central instrumental digital display. It is mated to a 5-speed manual transmission.

The face looks familiar, but Land Rover’s popular Discovery has been given a radical makeover –under the skin! The new Discovery 4 comes with fresh engines, a revised chassis and an impressive array of advanced technology.

We drove the flagship diesel – the 3.0-litre TDV6 HSE. It offers 54bhp more power than the entry-level 2.7-litre, and also delivers 600Nm of torque. That’s matched only by the mighty new twin-turbo powerplant in the BMW 740d. As a result, the Discovery’s 0-62mph sprint time has been slashed by 2.1 seconds to 9.6 seconds, while the car has a lighter, more agile feel that belies its size and practicality.

The design has been brought right up to date, with a Range Rover-style hexagonal twin-bar front grille, new LED lights front and rear and body-coloured wing mirrors. It’s lost some of the Tonka toy appeal that made the Discovery 3 so imposing, but still leaves a lasting impression.

The Discovery model has been around since 1989 and the current Discovery is the fourth reincarnation to date. The Discovery 3 has won nearly 100 awards around the world, making it one of the most awarded 4×4 ever built. In a way, the Discovery 4 must feel like Lewis Hamilton’s younger brother, not only does it have extremely high standards to live up to, but it has to better them too.

The Mazda 6 is powered by one of two engines — a 2.5-liter four-cylinder generating 170 horsepower and 167 pound-feet of torque or a 3.7-liter V6 that cranks out 272 hp and 269 lb-ft. The four is paired with either a six-speed manual transmission or a five-speed automatic, while the V6 is only available with a six-speed automatic.

The 6 is available in seven trim levels: i SV, i Sport, i Touring, i Touring Plus, i Grand Touring, s Touring Plus and s Grand Touring. Models with the “i” prefix come with the four-cylinder engine, while models with the “s” prefix come with the V6. Base models are respectably equipped, while higher trim levels come with such niceties as alloy wheels, xenon headlights, Bluetooth connectivity, dual-zone automatic climate control and an audible blind-spot monitoring system. Major options include a sunroof, an in-dash six-CD changer, satellite radio and a navigation system.

The S Grand Touring trim package is the top of the Mazda 6 lineup and this one came equipped with the only available options, the technology and navigation packages. That makes it as fully kitted as a 6 can get with an MSRP right around $33,000. The car had Mazda’s 3.7 liter 272 HP DOHC 24 valve V6 with variable valve timing mated to a 6 speed automatic with available tap shifting.

Equipment included power and heated leather seats, dual zone automatic climate control, glass sunroof, high end Bose audio system with six-disc changer, 10 speakers, sat radio, a nav system, auto dimming mirrors, rain and snow sensing wipers, stability control, blind spot warning, xenon headlamps with leveling controls (more on that later), smart key fob system, sills that light up with the Mazda 6 logo and more. Personal settings for you and your significant other are stored in memory. On the outside were 18? aluminum rims with wide 235/45 tires.