AUTO MANIA: by Dr. Iain Corness [email protected]

Nissan Teana - all the bells and whistles and no chauffeur’s hat

Nissan Teana

The more luxurious end of the auto market is well served in Thailand, with the three locally produced large sedans (Honda Accord, Nissan Teana, Toyota Camry) all competing at the top end of the Thai production market. And competing very fiercely, with all three offering models from an entry level 1.3 million (all with 2 liter engines) through to range toppers 1.8 million (Toyota and Honda), and Nissan at 1.6 million, all with 2.4 to 2.5 liter engines.
The subject of this month’s road test is the new Nissan Teana, and a sparkling white demonstrator was given to me by the Pattaya Automobile Co. (on Sukhumvit Road, about 50 meters past the Ambassador City and on the same side). The model chosen was the fully loaded 250 XV which has a ticket of 1.57 million, a 2.5 liter engine and an imposing list of options.
When NASA put a man on the moon 50 years ago, the computing power for the lunar landing was less than the computing power of today’s motor cars. I can tell you that the Nissan Teana has enough computing power to put a man on Mars. It is like a smart phone on wheels, with ‘e-everythings’ designed to enhance the driving experience. After driving the Teana for two days there were still items I had not fully explored, but then again, there are items in my smart phone which remain a mystery too!
First impressions of the Teana from the outside are very positive. There is continuity of styling from the previous Teana, but actually it is a total skin change. A change for the better, as the styling is much improved, with the accent line remaining high, and not sinking in the tail as the previous model. It has an imposing appearance, so much so that the valet parking boy at the Sheraton placed it in pride of place at the portal. And valet parking boys have seen everything, remember.
There are motor noters all over the world who will waffle on about the handling and performance of any car they are testing. I only go down that route when it is a sports or performance car I am testing. The Nissan Teana is not a sports saloon like a BMW M3, for example. It is a refined luxury limousine, designed to take you and your family from A to B in supreme comfort, and it does that wonderfully well.
Ensuring your comfort, the seat is infinitely variable in position, as well as the steering wheel. Once you have found your ideal seating position (and lumbar support) you set it in the memory and you never have to set it again. Just push the button and the car does it all for you. There are two settings, just in case you let someone else drive your Teana! A really nice feature is when you turn off the engine and open the door, the seat slides back to make your exit much easier. It is simple things like that which make driving a much more pleasant experience.
The Teana is very quiet at highway speeds and to fill the void there is a nine-speaker Bose sound system giving perfect clarity. The GPS screen is large enough to be viewed, without taking eyes off the road, and the information screen very legible and easy to read. Around view monitors show you exactly where the car is positioned, making shopping center parking less hazardous.
The safety side has not been ignored, with a whole alphabet of acronyms from VDC, TCS, ABS, BA and EBD. These are electronic controls to make the chances of you falling off the road or not braking hard enough or sliding in wet and greasy conditions very much less. Lane departure and blind spot warnings are displayed on the central information screen complete with audible notification. Primary safety. Secondary safety is covered by six air bags.

Teana interior

Driving the Teana was a breeze. Separate air-conditioners for driver and passenger ensures there is no argument over temperature control, the CVT auto transmission smooth and seamless and the steering light, but still positive.
The interior features a herd of cows and some plastic wood, as is the norm these days. The rear seat splits to provide a ‘ski hatch’ or for other long items. This car has been well designed. Fuel consumption was a very reasonable 8 km per liter around town.
From the driver’s point of view, it is extremely quiet, comfortable and a pleasure to be behind the wheel. Whilst the previous model Teana was driven by chaps with chauffer’s hats on, this one you want to drive by yourself.
Should you put a Teana in your garage? You certainly won’t do much better, and at the price, it makes the Europeans far too expensive an option. I would certainly be happy to have a Teana in my garage.
Nissan is also moving its Southeast Asian headquarters from Singapore to Thailand as part of a six year business plan so you can expect good service from the brand.
When I returned the Teana to K. Orakorn at Pattaya Automobile Co. Ltd., the message screen said “Goodbye”. I hope it felt sad at the farewell, because I certainly did.
Test car was supplied by Pattaya Automobile Co. Ltd., a new Nissan dealership with all the infrastructure required for sales and service.
 

How many horses needed for a Mustang?

2015 Mustang

Ford Motor Company has found itself a winner with the reborn Mustang, leaning on the original, a classic in its day. While some models were full-blown snorting Mustangs, the cheaper ones were very mild. The first Mustangs in 1964 were powered by the Falcon six cylinder engine developing 101 BHP, hardly a sniff, let alone a snort.
However, the new 2015 Mustang has performance, as well as looks, but despite unveiling the car at the Detroit show, Ford did not reveal the power plant outputs.
It now looks like we’ll have to wait until the Mustang’s 50th birthday bonanza in April to finally have a proper grasp on the power, but Autoevolution has revealed new top speed figures in the interim.
Mustang chief engineer Dave Pericak in Detroit said that the drivetrain refinement led by the new model’s independent rear suspension has enabled engineers to loosen the electronic speed-limiter for both 3.7 liter V6 and 5.0 liter V8 engines, along with the new 2.3 liter EcoBoost four.
“The top speeds have been increased at every level. The V8 does 249 km/h, the V6 doing 195 km/h, and then the Ecoboost base doing 195 km/h, but the EcoBoost Track Pack will do 233 km/h.”
These represent marginal gains of 13 km/h and 11 km/h over the equivalent live-axle fifth-generation Mustang V6 and V8 models, but does mean there is a significant increase in power and torque with this sixth generation Mustang.

Autotrivia Quiz

Mercedes Benz 540K.

So to last week’s quiz. Judging by the number of entries for the quiz, you are finding these “what car is this” a little harder to ‘Google’, so last week it was again a pre-war vehicle. Power 115 BHP from the straight eight engine, but engage the supercharger and you had 180 BHP. Max speed 169 km/h. Four speed manual gearbox with pre-selector on 3rd and 4th gears. What was it? It was one of my favorite cars, the Mercedes Benz 540K.
So to this week. What is the connection between Ernst Heinkel - German Nazi aircraft designer, whose company produced the world’s first turbojet aircraft and jet plane, as well as the first rocket aircraft; Felix Wankel - German engineer, inventor of the Wankel engine and Erwin Rommel - German General and Field Marshal of World War II? I know they are all Germans, but there was something else they had in common.
For the Automania free beer this week, be the first correct answer to email [email protected].

David Brown resurrected?

A new classic British sports car is to be released during 2014 with the name “David Brown”. This will quicken the hearts of enthusiasts all over the world, but there may be some confusion over the name, an almost hallowed name in British car history. It was David Brown who bought both Aston Martin and Lagonda in the 1940s and whose initials have designated some of the brand’s most desirable cars with the DB series, but that David Brown died more than 20 years ago.
The “new” David Brown is a British businessman and car fan, who is apparently dissatisfied with what’s on offer in the sports car segment, so he has decided to produce his own, launching a new brand with a production model to be unveiled in April showing what he says is a new approach to the classic British sports car.
“I wanted all the impact and style of a classic sports car, but with modern capabilities and conveniences. This is what I want in a car, but it’s not something anyone really offers, so I’ve created it myself.”
He will put the car into production under the brand name David Brown Automotive - albeit in limited numbers. “I thought that if I’m looking for this, others might be too,” he said.
The car, codenamed ‘Project Judi’ for now, will be released closer to launch, but Brown said it will “combine a classically-inspired exterior design, with the latest in performance, dynamics, technology, comfort and refinement.”
To help him, Brown has secured Land Rover’s former chief designer - who served there for 19 years until 2005 - from whom he has commissioned a completely original design, sourcing bespoke British suppliers for interior trim and materials, and combining “the latest manufacturing techniques with traditional craftsmanship.”