2019 Jaguar i-Pace
We check out Jaguar's electric SUV on Sri Lankan roads
(NOVEMBER 2019) When you first set your eyes on the i-Pace, the first question that comes to mind… is it a car or is it an SUV. But when you start driving it; and indeed if you are lucky to be living with one, you will soon realize that it is neither a car nor an SUV. It is indeed a crossover. And...
Published on 16 Feb 2022
2019 Honda Accord 1.5T
Is the latest Accord downsized...or rightsized in the engine department?
(AUGUST 2019) The Honda Accord is among the best-selling cars in the United States – along with its arch nemesis the Toyota Camry – as well as in most other countries where it competes with its arch nemesis. Today, the tenth generation Accord is larger, more technological and spacious. But it ha...
Published on 07 Feb 2022
2019 Isuzu D-Max
Isuzu's contender in the pickup space is tough-as-nails, as you'd expect from the brand
(SEPTEMBER 2019) Fun fact – googling “Isuzu” brings up the following suggestions; lorry, Gemini, Tipper, Trooper and Fargo. Even those not mechanically inclined whatsoever can probably tell you that the name Isuzu is synonymous with the words heavy duty and workhorse. A great many have been fe...
Published on 03 Feb 2022
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