2019 Honda N-Box Custom
What does Honda's little bag of tricks bring to the kei table?
(SEPTEMBER 2019) The eponymous Kei car. I initially didn’t see the appeal of these tiny, boxy cars. They’re a size and power restricted category in Japan (Max dimensions of length (3.4m), width (1.48m) and height (2m). Engine size is also limited to a diminutive of 660cc and 63 horses). They’r...
Published on 01 Feb 2022
2019 Suzuki Baleno GLX 1.0T
The return of the Baleno nameplate!
(JULY 2019) In 1995, Suzuki trotted out the Baleno nameplate and attached it to a variety of their cars in different markets. The Cultus was the first one to be rebadged as a Baleno, followed by the Liana Aerio and more recently the SX4. It wasn’t until 2007 that India’s Maruti Suzuki produced a...
Published on 31 Jan 2022
2004 Suzuki Swift Sport
Ain't your regular ol'Swift!
The search for a used hot hatch in Sri Lanka is always a tricky one. After swimming through the sea of modified Toyota Starlet GTs, options are somewhat limited, particularly if you don’t want to spend exorbitant amounts just on badge value. My criteria was to find something that would fly under t...
Published on 30 Jan 2022
2019 BMW 330i M-Sport
Say hello to the G20 3-Series
(AUGUST 2019) The BMW 3 Series is a car that needs no introduction, but it won’t be fair to kick things off without a glance at the nameplate’s previous iterations and how they have contributed to the development of the latest model, known by the chassis code G20.Starting with the E21 in 1975, t...
Published on 29 Jan 2022
2019 Volkswagen Polo 1.0TSI
Does this cheeky little VW punch above it's weight?
(JUNE 2019) The Volkswagen Polo has long lived in the shadow of the highly praised Golf since it hit the market in 1975 as the smallest car in the Volkswagen range. The first generation was in fact a rebadged version of the Audi 50. Seen as the cheaper, smaller, less well-appointed alternative, the ...
Published on 26 Jan 2022
2019 Mitsubishi eK Wagon
Can Mitsubishi's talented gem cut it in Sri Lanka's fierce kei market?
(AUGUST 2019) Here I am testing out a Lilliputian Kei car from Gullivers stables of Monteros, Eclipse Crosses and Xpanders at United Motors in the form of the Mitsubishi eK wagon. Kei cars are all the rage in Sri Lanka after the customs duties were based on engine capacity and hence diminutive engin...
Published on 24 Jan 2022
A Copen with Bite!
What happens when a doctor takes a scalpel to a Turbo Kei…
Daihatsu’s second generation LA400 Copen was introduced to the world in 2014, as the automaker’s two-door kei roadster. Being a kei, it was bound by pretty strict rules including a length of no more than 3.4 metres, engine not exceeding a dinky 660cc, and most importantly, a power output of not ...
Published on 22 Jan 2022
Toyota Alphard Executive Lounge
A white van you won't mind being inside!
(MAY 2019) How many ways are there to carry passengers in great comfort? Well, that depends. You could go for a top-range, top-dollar (which makes it top top top rupee) European luxury sedan from any of the major manufacturers for the sake of outright technological prowess and above all else, the st...
Published on 20 Jan 2022
2020 Mitsubishi Xpander Cross
Is this yet another jacked-up MPV?
(JULY 2020) What comes to mind when you think of Mitsubishi? Their fearsome World War II aircraft the A6M-Zero? The go-anywhere Pajero (sorry, Montero, as Pajero translates to a derogatory term in some Spanish-speaking countries)? The Lancer Evolution that remains the mainstay of the SL-GT racing cl...
Published on 19 Jan 2022
2020 Mahindra KUV100 K6+
Could this locally-assembled Mahindra be fun motoring on a budget?
Published on 03 Jan 2022