GTAm

I think the Grand Vitara is one of the the best looking small SUVs on the market. The X-trail is too old, The Forester is known to be heavy on fuel. Judging by how good the new Swift is I think the Vitara will be good too even though I have not driven one. So I'd vote for the Vitara. But like Devinda says the Rexton 2 offers great value and the unbetable diesel economy. So go drive both and then decide.

Heh heh..... as a former art and design student, I admire good design mate. At least these guys are trying to make things look good which can't be said of other Korean companies. Actually it was designed by a German who was the former Audi designer. But the main thing is the Korean management made the descision.

Isn't this car quite cool? I hope they don't change too much on the production version!

Oh Sri Lankans are so averse to change and so steeped in fake traditions there's no point even discussing it. The plight of our country says it all. Anyway your right, it's only a matter of time (maybe about 15-20 years) that Indian and Chinese cars catch up with the rest of the world in terms of quality and people begin to accept them as alternatives to Japanese and European cars. However it will be interesting to see how the existing manufacturers adapt to this threat. Most manufacturers have tied up with Chinese companies and many have also started manufacturing or at least assembling in India. Hola is right when he says that Tata buying out possibility could become a reality in the future. Scary but yes it could happen. If they do I hope they'll change the stylist first And anyway the car industry is so crazy too. In the 80's Nissan was Japan's no.2 car maker, and Renault was in trouble. In the recent past Renault rescued Nissan and brought it back from certain bankruptcy. Who would have thought a Government (Solialist mind you) owned European car co. will buy a privately owned Japanese manufacturer??

Bit of a night club atmo when it comes to chicks' outfits who come for that service as well. I have not been there for a while though

There are loads of VeeDub mags available. Check on the net and you can ask a book shop like Vijitha Yapa to get it for you. Also try the old book shops at McCallum road. You'll get all the info needed about mods.

Hey IJ we seem to have mis-understood each other a bit. No worries mate. It depends on how you measure greatness. I was thinking more on the lines of how much innovation and contribution to motorsports the brands of that country has made. But if its financial strength you can't argue with Japan and Toyota even if you forget all the other manufacturers. As for the future it's getting crazier by the day. The pace of growth of the Chinese and Indian markets mean that whoever has the best foot hold there will be winners. And then again there's so much money being made by their local companies that some of them could swallow up western or even Jap manufacturers. Scary thought I know

Strange but I can't seem to remember the colour of the Bentley. I think it's smoky blue. I see it occasionally at St. Theresa's Chuch Thimbirigasyaya for the 6.30pm Sunday service. Not sure who the owner is. But the Rollers also pack that massive lump but without the Turbos the Bentleys have. The car in the pic is an E. That guy has an S500 that's badged as a 55.

They were/are all too big. More cruisers and nothing to do with sports cars. Its a classic case of excess. When an S class is too common etc.... But this one actually looks elegant compared with the W140 Cl which looks a bit slab sided? Biggest motor in SL......hmmmm how about those Rolls Silver Spirits and Bentley Mulsannes which pack a 6.75 litre V8?

Hey no offence at all. But the fact is that Honda and Toyota LOSE MONEY on every Insight and Prius sold. Why do you think we are all not driving hybrids?? The tech is too costly STILL. They want a pre-emtive position in the markert. And don't get me wrong, this is not a bad thing from a marketing perspective. But......everyone has this tech and they are not convinced that this is the future. Toyota and Honda are very cash rich companies. They can take the hit. As for your jibe at European car companies. I am not a share holder in any and really don't care or get offended like you did when I talked about the Japs. To me they are all companies. Just for you info though....the world's two most profitable car companies are European...Porsche and BMW. Porsche will soon buy control of VW. From the Japs Toyota is the most profitable and should become the worlds biggest car company this year. Honda is very profitable too. But the others are far from being in rude health. Nissan nearly went bust a few years ago and was saved by Renault and is now controlled by them. Mitsubishi is still hemouraging cash like crazy and if the new Lancer fails they'll probably go bust. Subaru is an unhealthy fly waiting to be swallowed by Toyota who took a small stake in it last year. Mazda is controlled by FoMoCo. Suzuki is quite independant, Daihatsu fully owned by Toyota. I hope you understand that just because a company makes loses that need not mean that their products are terrible or if they make huge profits that they make the best cars, although there could be a correlation in many cases! Since you mentioned about US magazines.....................actually the rest of the automotive world (except the US and now it seems SL as well ) knows how glossy they make everything look, just like everything else in America. American mags are well known to give vague reviews to not hurt the advertising by manufacturers and those journalists get loads of freebies, again just like every other industry in the US. Just ask a guy called Jim Kenzie who was banned by Toyota from driving their cars for years as he tended to give accurate reviews. Jeremy Clarkson might be assasinated if he moved to the US! As for Alfa Romeo running into financial trouble. FYI they still are in financial trouble. But I don't see how that has any relevance here. Hope I have not offended you now

Yep the Maser is a wreck and looks like it will stay that way. Sad.

That's a CL600. 6.0 V12 engine and a coupe based on the W140 S-class, successor to the W126 SEC (like my one). Pity no one ever brought a single W220 CL Coupe. Which IMHO is one of the most elegant Mercs of recent times.

Actually I think it's hedeous. One of Zagato's poor attempts.

I have seen some of them and most are in truly pathetic condition. I would find it hard to call that a real desirable collection. Mr. Freddie Alles has a great collection including a gorgeous Alfa Giulia GTV 1750, E-type Jag, Rolls, Citroen DS and 2CV, Daimlers, Mercs, Fiats, and lots more. There is another collector called Piero who has a huge collection but again not all are in proper condition. But he has a Aston DB2!!!!

Excuse me but you seem to be reading to much Honda propoganda. Are you aware that still hybrids are loss making for Toyota and Honda? They lose money on every Prius and Insight sold. But they want to stay ahead to be first in the market should costs come down through continuous research. The industry is still not sure if Hybrids are the future. That's why other manufacturers are not rushing in. A recent US study showed that if you consider a car from the inputs at time of manufacturing, and the life of the car, actually a Prius is more detrimental to the environment than a gas guzzling Range Rover Sport! This feature was carried by CAR magazine last month. Hybrids have a good image because all the Hollywood bimbos drive one. Again Japs are better at marketing than invention and innovation! That said VW has made a breakthrough last month in Fuel cell tech which will make it more feasible. Right now the near term future could be diesel/electric hybrids. But many manufacturers say that eventually fossil fuels will have to be replaced.

Are you talking of the new Chrysler Hemi? I'm really not v sure how American it is. But what I know is it actually does not have hemispherical cylinder heads like the old Chrysler Hemi from which the name was derrived. Petrol (or Gas in American) was so damn cheap there that they never had to bother. $1 per gallon it used to be. And they probably know diesels as suitable only for large trucks and farm vehicles. So the image of diesel must be real bad. But Mercedes sells diesel cars in the US.

Toyota actually has the cash to buy Ford and GM combined. Btw you must have read about the possible GM-Chrysler Merger!? Scuicide for both I think!

I'm not really an SUV person but I really like the Disco 3 not to mention the Range Rover (not the sport) and the Toureg with a V10 TDI please!

I have been there a couple of times but there's no Lambo there. There is a red Esprit though.

There are modern US engines with cams but they are usually developed at their European operations. For example the GM V6 was developed by their German subsidiary Opel. Or are sourced from Japan like Ford, who buy Mazda engines. As for DC since Daimler owns Chrysler they share technology but Merc only gives them the last generation tech for Chryslers current range. For example, W210 plartform and some engines for the 300C. 2nd question no its very unlikely that a push rod will come close to Jap or Euro engines that rev well. Also there's the question of response. Pushrods are lazy and easy going, power delivery is much quicker on a multi cam multi valve. If you want torque then there are the European TDI s. The US is no where when it comes to Diesel tech and anyway that might be cultural thing. Yes the 450h is cutting edge. It's Jap. But US is now trying to catch up fast. Have you read about the Chevy Volt??

Are there any Integra Type R s in SL? I mean real ones with the lightened body and 187bhp?

The E-type. About the push rods that's just it. They are torquey because of the usual large capacity and long stroke. They just don't rev like a OHC for example. And they are heavy lumps and lack efficiency. As it's low tech its cheaper to make. I like the Corvette C6 actually and if I lived in the US I might even buy one considering that bargain price/performance ratio. But it does not push the envelope further. And I might want something cutting edge soon. I guess its a matter of taste and what you really want. I mean its like lots of young folk still listen to Gold FM ! I like to be a bit more progressive in my choices,

The US is the single biggest market for premium brands and so for Maser as well. Maser produces a small quantity of cars a year. Only 5500 if I remember right. They want to take it up to 8000 with the recently introduce Q'Porte Automatica and the eventual target is 10,000 by 2010. These are very small numbers compared to well established brands like Porsche who are in the six figure production numbers. It's not easy to design a love it or hate it car under these circumstances. If it fails commercially the whole team might get replaced. This year Maserati is expected to make profits after 17 straight years of making losses!!!!!!!!! How would you like to be responsible for the 18th? If you look at their history they've gone bust more times than you can imagine. All because they were crazy about racing like any Italian company. They earn to race. That philosophy has had to change if they want to survive. So it should not be all about money (I bet Toyota won't agree ) but without money you can't survive. So a very uncompromising design is out. But this is good. I hope we could see it in the metal. It will look stunning I'm sure. But let's wait n see.

It must be an SL. There is no SLR in SL heh heh

Not sure mate. But hey why not join the Beetle club. Call the Motor Mag and speak to Nimal he's a member. They have fun and track events. Slow but fun I'm sure.