tuks

Whoa sounds shady man. You really don't need to stop for anyone unless they are in uniform and have a check point set up (even mobile check points have to be clearly marked). If this happens again I'd just ignore the buggers and and drive by to the nearest police check point to report the incident.

Hey there, well since you've already bought it: Enough said, I'm sure you know what you're talking about. Congrats on your purchase.

Nice article. Well done machang. Am envious as hell. Must have been amazing to sit there and listen to all those war stories about 'racing back in the day'.

So Hola are you going to fess up about the April 1st joke over the 20,000 permits or what?

I'm sure these bra thingys don't really help. Major stone chips etc. are bound to cause damage even through the vinal, bug splatter is easy enough to wash off and and who gives a rat's ass about minor stone chip damage? (Besides its easy enough to fix chipped paint; there's even DIY kits for that now) More importantly it looks like shit. As for focusing on removing bras of the right variety as opposed to installing one on your car: Now that's more like it.....

Actually a good current example of a sucessful Hybrid is the Lexus GS450h as first mentioned by 'ucscsades'. Not only is it a beautiful example of a sleek executive saloon but its actually faster than its competition in that class (the comparitive class being other models from Lexus as well as Mercedes, BMW and Audi) and due to the tax conscession it picks up for lower emissions it works out to be roughly $2000 cheaper to buy up front. (this does not take into consideration the lowered fuel consumption which will increase overall savings over its useful lifespan)

April Fool's Day Good one.

Bugger you took the words out of my mouth! Yeah, these petty diversional tactices are merely temporary. Any attempts to maintain this type of diversion will in the long run casue them to fall behind and lose market share. (Really this is already happening, what with GM, Ford and Chrysler going bellyup in variying degrees) In support of that: Economics is really the only driver of corporational change. Corporations only change when things become uneconomical or unviable. So when better performing technologies come out like the Lexus GS450h and are brought to market (this car is actually faster AND cheaper than the traditional gasoline offering) other manufactures will have to adapt and compete or die. As for the Tesla, lots of promise in that. Its rumoured that the intial tests are showing that it's faster and cheaper than Porsche Boxer S that its considers direct competition. Can't wait to see if these claims are true. If it is then again: the competition will either die or step up.

Hey can anyone provide insight on the petrol-gas conversions done in SL? Are these cars actually cheaper to run on the long run? Is it really better for the environment? Any long-term maintenance issues?

Yeap that's the idea, a nice subtle sleeper to thrash the rice boys with.

Yeap me too. I could even see myself driving this (minus the spolier of course).

Nissan Sentra SE-R ? And (its a streach but) perhaps even the the Dodge Neon SRT-4 ?

A Grand Cherokee a better buy than a Prado or Montero? I beg to differ. It does have a cool sleek exterior and is well priced (comparatively) but: 1. Gotta agree with the 'Devinda Z' on the interior. Its bland, uninspired and quite dated. 2. Chrysler engines and transmissions are fickle, and in my opinon won't stand up to our driving conditions very well at all. (spare parts are going to be expensive too as they'll be imported from europe) 3. As for the Grand Cheeroke being an off-roader well great, if you consider driving down a by-lane in Dehiwala off-roading; for anything more serious look elsewhere. 4. In a year or two people are going to be on to the fact that these are high maintenance vehicles with limited off-road capabilities and the second hand market will fall. 5. Its American. To sum up: Its great if you want a 'poser' vehicle for a year or so primarilly for use on tarmac with a large engine for bursts of speed. If you intend on keeping your ride past its warranty periods and plan on driving it hard outstation or on an estate - you're better off getting something else.