Subaru updated the Legacy range - new engine for JDM

Subaru has rolled out the updated Legacy model for the US and China market at their respective motorshow, but only now they are introducing the updated Legacy for their homeland Japan. While the exterior updates are common across the globe, namely the revised front bumper design that comes together with the new hexagon grille, the interesting bit of JDM car is the new drivetrain, namely a new 2.0L DIT which is essentially a FA20 engine as in the Subaru BRZ/Toyota 86 but with the Toyota-sourced D4S dual injection (port and direct) ditched and replaced with Subaru-owned direct injection system with a turbocharger. Output is phenomenal at 296hp@5600rpm and 200Nm of torque between 2000-4800rpm. Is this a prelude to the faster version of the highly-acclaimed BRZ? Even if the answer is yes, it is the powertrain that we are interested in, as this turbocharged FA20 in Legacy application is hooked to the CVT gearbox.

Other engine available in the range is the FB25 2.5L boxer-four engine kicking out 173PS@5600rpm and 235Nm@4100rpm, turbocharged EJ25 2.5L producing 285PS@6000rpm and 350Nm@2000-5600rpm. The one remaining drivetrain is a horizontally-opposed 3.6L flat six engine punching 260PS@6000rpm and 335Nm@4400rpm but this engine option is only available for the Outback  . All engine are paired with CVT, bar the flat-six engine which is hooked to a conventional 5 speed automatic gearbox. All model are four wheel driven.

More photos after the jump.

Mid-range version introduced for Proton Inspira - 2.0 Executive

The slow-selling Proton Inspira has been given an intermediate variant that combines the power of the MIVEC 2.0L with the pared-down specification of the 1.8L version.  We also heard that the 1.8 CVT has been discontinued so if you want the 1.8L version of Inspira, you have to settle down with the manual shifter. We think this is the strategic move to distance away Proton Inspira 1.8 CVT from the recently launched Proton's homegrown Preve.

Specification wise, the car continues to be powered by MIVEC 2.0L with CVT gearbox equipped with paddle shifter. However, the exterior addenda found on the 2.0 Premium version such as the skirting and spoiler has been eliminated. Alloy wheel too has been given a new design. Leather seat meanwhile is unfound. The introduction of this new variant also marks the entrance of Elegance Brown color to the Inspira range. Price has been set at RM86,800, a smidgen more than the 1.8 Executive CVT which was priced at RM85,015.

Meanwhile, there is no official news from Proton yet about this new version, although the advertisement is already up on Mudah.my.

Pic source: funtastickodesign

Peugeot 408 spotted - 2 variants will be offered

Seems that the testing session is over for Peugeot 408. The car has been spotted for quite a long time, which is quite surprising as the car is not a totally new car that required millions of miles to rack up development time. Peugeot 408 was introduced to the world at 2010 Beijing Auto Show. Anyway, the shots revealed that there are two versions, one is badged Turbo and the other one is badged 2.0.

Does this means that Nassim will commonized the excellent Prince 1.6L THP engine that is powering almost all of Peugeot cars in Malaysia now? Hopefully we can get this engine as well as being paired with the 6 speed automatic transmission that is in service for the rest of Prince 1.6 THP engine. In the China market, Peugeot 408 is powered by a pair of option, namely 1.6L(106PS@5750rpm & 142Nm@4000rpm) and 2.0L(147PS@6000rpm & 200Nm@4000rpm) engines. Transmission choices are 4 speed automatic or 5 speed manual.

To recap, Peugeot 408 sits on the Peugeot 308 platform but with extended wheelbase. The car measures 4,680mm long, 1,815mm wide and 1,525mm tall. The wheelbase has been extended from the base 308 to 2,710mm long. For more photo of the Peugeot 408, head to MMN previous article about Peugeot 408 HERE.

More of the latest photos after the jump.

Fahrradi Farfalla FFX - first ever zero emission supercar?

From the dramatic body proportion to the one of the most sensual curvaceous styling surfaces, Fahrradi Farfalla FFX looks every bit as the the Italian supercar at its best. Surely this thing can keep up with Ferrari 458 Italia on the straight and blew the Lamborghini Gallardo in fine mountain long sweeper and overtake the Audi R8 at the tight chicane of Monaco. Until you see the width (or the lack of it) of the tyres and you'll sense something is not right.

Produced by the same producer who came up with the Ferdinand GT3 RS which looks like the Porsche 911 but weights in mere 100kg and has no engine for economic reason. I guess every material engineer would even kill for the any innovation that can make a usable supercar that weights as much as its driver. Same stories here.

Underneath the svelte Ferrari-inspired looking exterior body, lies, well, a bicycle. The Fahrradi nomenclature is actually derived from Fahrrad which is bicycle in German speaks, while 'i' was said to be derived from the Apple society. The minimization of inertia is derived with the chassis constructed with light tubes and bonded together with adhesive. 

Means of propulsion is provided by two man, while the quoted power is unsurprisingly two men, basically a portion of horsepower. To make the matter more interesting, the rotational motion of the paddler not only translated into the forward thrust, but also connected to the gearing that flap the gullwing door, akin to the wing beat of a butterfly. This gives the "car" its second name ie Farfalla that is butterfly in Italian

The manufacturer has gone to the extent of creating a promotional video for the FFX, adopting the same theme as the Schuey-driven Mercedes SLS inside a tunnel whereby the car sticks to the roof due to the sheer downforce. More photos and a video can be found after the jump.

2012 Honda CR-V Speculative Malaysian Specs

The 2012 iteration has been launched in many countries since last year. In its homeland Japan, Honda CR-V was launched back in November 2011, some months after the US introduction. Closer to our neighbourhood, Singapore has gotten their CR-V in March 2012. When is Malaysia turn?

However, for sure the car will arrived here sometimes this year. Since there are a few permutation of CR-V model available, which one we will get? MMN uncovers this, purely based on the historical data of the drivetrain and trim package that usually being CKD here.

While Singapore gets both 2.0L and 2.4L model, it is very likely that Malaysian CR-V will be 2.0L only. This is the trend that has been observed since the third generation Honda CR-V made it to Malaysia. While the JDM model channelled their drive to the front-wheel via CVT gearbox for 2.0L version, this setup will be ditched for Malaysian market, as CVT is more suited to the short distance and start/stop slow driving typical to Japanese driving pattern. Singapore version are both front-wheel-drive only for 2.0L and 2.4L, so Honda Malaysia might adopt the same strategy to reduce the cost and improve fuel efficiency, both paired to the 5 speed automatic gearbox.

As for the interior, the latest Honda CR-V does come with 5" TFT Multi Info Display screen at the top of the dashboard, standard for Singaporean-bound CR-V, and option for the many other markets. Judging by how Honda Malaysia specced up Honda Accord and Honda Civic, we will very likely to loose this features. Instead, the basic American trim has been observed to have a storage box at the top of the centre console. The audio system could be an out-sourced item as Japanese car always put the option of selling a non-audio equipped car so fitting a locally sourced audio system should be a breeze. However, the USDM Honda CR-V is equipped with build-in audio system that follow the same design trend as the latest Honda Civic which can be seen in our gallery after the jump. As for the seat, our current Honda CR-V is fabric upholstered but there's nothing wrong with it as it is quite plush.

Other than the trimmings and drivetrain package, Honda CR-V should be almost identical worldwide. Hence for other details, refer to MMN coverage for the Honda CR-V Japan launch for more technical details HERE. The summary of the probable specification of the Malaysian 2.0L Honda CR-V and a small gallery of Honda CR-V 20G can be found after the jump.