i got the polo and i feel just like u

Hello all,

Have been keenly following this interesting thread, and think I should finally add my 2 cents to the discussion. Since I'm a newbie, lemme quickly introduce myself.  Have been driving for >20 years; current cars are an MPV and 2009 Camry.  Used to own a Honda, and had a few Protons in the past.

Have been looking for another D segment car for over a year (yes, really!) and have test-driven all the 3 cars in mentioned in this thread.  My thoughts...

1) Ford Mondeo -- this face-lifted, 2011 version with 2.0 Ecoboost really had me salivating since it came out.  Scoured the web for anything I could get my hands on, and eagerly awaited its arrival in Malaysia.  What's there not to love? A kick-a** engine with more torque than you know what to do with.  A legendary reputation of being rock-solid reliable (at least in UK and Europe), and a series of pictures that are awesome.  The reviews I read sang praises, compared it against the Passat (and beat it mostly), and based on that, there was nothing much to not like!

The test-drive was an eye-opener.  I'm not sure if its due to all the anticipation built up over the months... but the experience was a bit of let down.  To be sure, there was plenty of torque and power on tap... but the drive, while feeling solid and assured, was surprisingly harsh.  Bumpy even!  In 'real-life', the car looked a lot less exclusive than in the photos.  There was plenty of room both front and back, but lacked the exclusive overall feel.  The boys loved the voice-control feature, but it felt more like a gimmick than anything to me.

Then came the reality check.  This is Malaysia... other than the Fiesta, which recently did exceedingly well, nobody else is touching Ford's passenger cars with a ten-foot pole.  This year so far, Paultan.org (Aug) reported only 22 Mondeo 2.3l version sold.... that's even lesser than the Cherry Tiggo, or Audi A8, or Beemer X5....  even the Freelander sold slightly better!  The 'killer' happened when I asked the salesmen from VW and Peugeot, what they felt about the Mondeo.  They gave me this puzzled look... like "why are you even comparing with that'?
2) VW Passat -- test drove this the same week it was launched.  Wow, imagine owning a German marque that's not a pocket rocket or little cream-puff on steroids, but a full fledged D-segment at below 200k!! Okay, granted the engine's smaller (than the Mondeo's), and with it, fewer horses, but this *is* VW... it has to be bullet-proof or awesome or something, right?!

Unfortunately, all the brushed aluminum inserts, the 7-speed DSG, or the classy analogue clock on the dash does not add up to much, if the overall body looks as exciting as mud.  Passat CC this car aint!!  The car accelerates effortlessly, drives like it's vacuumed to the road, but is just about as exciting as ..... a Camry!

I went in and out of the car... looked at it from all possible angles, far and near... and as much as I tried to like, want, love the car.... I couldn't.  It just lacked that passion!  Sorry, VW, I love your Toureg, think your Golf is amazing, but Passat?  Boring, sigh!

3) Peugeot 508 -- had not really bothered much when I first heard about it.  1.6l engine woh, sure or not? That's just marginally better than the T&H's 2.4 liters... how fun can that be?  A friend suggested I checked it out, and my first (biased) reaction was to scoff it off. 

But since I was seriously looking at getting a car, I could not ignore all the hype and excitement the 508 had been generating.  And I was pleasantly surprised to find how my original impression of it could be so wrong!  The car looks amazing in the flesh.  Okay, granted, the rear-end takes a bit of getting used to, but surely it still looks a WHOLE LOT better than Accord's ugly butt!  The 17-inch rims look great, and the overall swooping lines just somehow works nicely.

Stepping into the drivers' seat felt like getting into space ship, or at a stretch, a Beemer 5-series.  All the blinky lights,  switches and fittings together with the head's up display come together nicely.  Among the 3, this car really makes you feel like you're in an executive-class car, and justifies the price-tag it's getting.  In Europe, reviewers are comparing it against the Mondeo (yes, its still the benchmark) and Passat, and in some cases is even mentioned in the same breath as the Audi!

I liked the drive -- a lot.  It may not be as punchy as the Mondeo, but is certainly more fun than the Passat.  Just a nice balance, I think, of technology, handling, performance and pricing!  Its not stellar in any particular area, and will probably not do too well if you're always throwing your car into tight corners in b-roads.  But the 95% of the time, I can imagine myself thoroughly enjoying this car.  The only scary bit is Naza's after-sales.  But my thinking... if I survived 10+ years of Proton (non) service, surely I can survive whatever Naza throws at me?!?

So my conclusion?  If you're brand conscious and have a Toyota (i.e. Ah-pek) mentality, you'd probably want to go for the Passat.  If you fancy yourself a closet racer and don't care two hoots about resale value, the Mondeo it has to be.  And if you like a bit of everything, while attracting admiring looks when you drive by, you probably can't go wrong with the 508!

For me, its the 508.  I've plonked down the booking fee, and should get it in the next week or so.  Good choice?  Dunno leh... only time will tell!

The A6 is supposed to have a very hard suspension, while the BMW 5 series can do both hard and soft. A4 I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised if it is hard too.

@chuakz: But you might buy the Camry for the soft ride and not resale value, and those who do that should look at the C5. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiSwy3APt3g Maybe you remember the test of the C6 vs the 5 series BMW on Top Gear, where they drove on a dirt track.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn_CDmpdxfc Another video of a C5 on a poorly surfaced road, unfortunately the camera wasn't firmly attached to the car.

Taiwan already have specs of the Camry 2012.
If not mistaken, I don't see anywhere stating 10 airbags.
Not even 7 airbags if not mistaken.

2.5 DVVTI is so... yesteryear...

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Added on December 31, 2011, 6:18 pmI tested the Mondeo twice recently.
First test was with wife and daughter, did not turn on sports mode

At reasonably fast pace, the car was utterly stable, while being so... waftable as some put it. Potholes and humps were taken with superb poise.
Also, the steering had lots of feel and feedback, with rather immediate direction input. Not to mention a quick steering too.

On my second testing, I was trying to "play play".
Sports mode on, throttle response was much sharper and faster turbo spool up, I'd say turbo kick was earlier than Golf TSi which I also tested recently.
It also rev higher up the rpm meter, and all these while, feeling very composed inside.

The manual shifting was a bit odd, push forward (up) for downshift, push backwards (down) for upshift.
At 7.9 seconds dash, probably faster to let the electronics to handle the shifting? At least till I get familiarized first...

But the most impressive feat was how it handled our bad roads.
I tested it at the federal highway showroom, and the industrial roads were bad.
The comfort of the car is much better than my Estima 3.5