[quote=SKYjack,May 30 2012, 11:15 PM]
I went with the 408 NA firmly in mind. In Seramban they only had the turbo unit,so tested it. The rest of the story you know la. After that I was not interested in the NA at all. Btw bro, the difference in monthly payment is oly $100+ don't forget road tax is $300 cheaper. So do consider the turbo seriously,and you may get tired of the NA due to it's low power.

Road tax is yearly while loan commitment is monthly. It boils down to the fact whether I need the power and since I'm not the speeding type, I figure that I don't need the turbo and 2.0 should be sufficient since it has the space and comfort that I'm looking for. My hesitation is only on the 4 gears and lack of ESP on the 2.0. Got any advice from sifu here?

You will feel the "rage" when encountering @#$hole doing 80km/hour on a fast lane on a 2-lane highway and hogging it, mod cars F1 wannabe, going uphill on the NSE highway, ferrying 3 - 4 person on a large sedan, going up Genting Highlands/Cameron Highlands, kena tiong by C or D segment cars when you are driving within the speed limits and on the middle lane of a 3-lane highway, impressing your alpha male frens, using old single lane highways dominated by lorries, and the list goes on ...

Besides, the 408 is not a "new" as it was released in 2010 in the Latin Americas and OEM last year in China. Have tried searching the depollution problem on the 408, but so far have not seen any reports...

What is ESP and what is 4 speed?

I drive pretty fast with my 308T, corner like crazy and the ESP only once lite up when I was going 30km/h (!) in Tesco parking after it rained.

4 speed is very crude compared to 6 speed, but then, what is 6 speed? I can only say it gives smoother acceleration/deceleration. The FC between 308T4 and 308T6 are very similar, cornering is also a problem with 6 speed...since they are so many gears, you will be changing it like crazy to find which is best for what. Tiptronic isn't actually similar to a manual stick....far from it. 4 speed cornering is easier, just drop 1 gear. And most importantly, 6 speed gearbox service cost is 10X more than 4 speed.

ESP (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_stability_control), saves you even when you are traveling at 30km/hr to avoid skidding. Imagine without ESP, and you are picking up speed on a slippery road... Without ESP, beast case scenario, you skidded and knock into a wall or object, car damage & repair$$$. Worst case scenario, heavy rain and you are coming down from the curvy, hilly Genting/Cameron Highlands and you skidded and plunge into ...

As for having a 6-speed, it has more ratio for the engine to play with. Like you say, gives smoother acceleration/deceleration and thus enjoying better FC. As for performance and cornering, I doubt it helps much on improving the performance and handling part...

Just my 2cents...

4 speed and 6 speed similar fc? What's your rpm at 110kmh?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvHxqYDWe6M This is what happens without ESP. Or this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcZBNJbu3aQ It's just better to have it, just in case. What if you have to turn very quickly (too quickly) because someone else makes a stupid mistake... or you do it? ESP can safe you.

A 4 speeder is fine for a big and powerful engine. But a small one profits from more gears, cause it is easier to keep it in the right range. A 4 speed may give you a certain speed at 1200 rpm or at 3000 rpm... either you don't have enough power to even keep the speed (a powerful big engine has enough power at 1200), or you are doing 3000 rpm (wasting fuel, noisy) just to keep the speed, although 1600 would be more than enough.

Also most 4 speeds are old torque converters which aren't very efficient in the first place, wasting a lot of power. I have 2 cars with a 75 hp 1.4. One has a 4 speed manual, one a 5 speed manual. Both weight about the same. The manual accelerates much better (the first gear is shorter, second too, third and fourth as well). It goes faster (though aerodynamics play a big role here too), I can often trot along at 1200 rpm, change long before reaching 2000. The auto would often have to rev much higher. Oh, and fuel consumption is almost half for the manual, despite driving that car faster (though without aircon usually). 7 vs 12 liter/100 km.

[quote=kejusan,May 30 2012, 11:52 PM]
[quote=SKYjack,May 30 2012, 11:15 PM]
I went with the 408 NA firmly in mind. In Seramban they only had the turbo unit,so tested it. The rest of the story you know la. After that I was not interested in the NA at all. Btw bro, the difference in monthly payment is oly $100+ don't forget road tax is $300 cheaper. So do consider the turbo seriously,and you may get tired of the NA due to it's low power.

Road tax is yearly while loan commitment is monthly. It boils down to the fact whether I need the power and since I'm not the speeding type, I figure that I don't need the turbo and 2.0 should be sufficient since it has the space and comfort that I'm looking for. My hesitation is only on the 4 gears and lack of ESP on the 2.0. Got any advice from sifu here?

[/quote]
The turbo model is not all about speed only. Leather seats make it much more plush. I've said about the precise streering,which is very important to me. There are many subtle differences. More importantly the turbo model is packed with safety features. You said you are not the speeding type,which means you are cautious and prefer safety.
When you factories savings on road tax and savings from fuel,your monthly payment may be the same, or will differ very little. Don't forget the turbo model comes with 6 speed. Everymile you travel out station will cost less. Now surely that puts a smile on your face!

Poison...

Is the FC for turbo really good? I believe the maintenance cost for turbo and 6 speed gearbox is high.

yeah.. my initial concern as well.. any 308THP owners have the maintenance schedule to share?

I believe FC for turbo engine solely depends on how you drive. For me, I'm getting 7.8L/100km with a combined drive of 50% city 50% highway. That's good for a D segment car, but I drive at a constant 110kmh on highway. And in the city, I rarely touch the throttle and just let it roll on D in the heavy traffic. Fuel capacity for 508 is 70L, and I usually refuel with around 10L left, and that 60L lasts about 630km-700km. On 100% highway, it can last 900km no problem. There's 1 time when I'm always going 200kmh+ on MEX to work, and the FC was around 9L+/100km and can only last for 560km

My 4-speed THP consumes around 11~12 litre per 100KM. Moderate to heavy traffic.

I'm not sure about maintenance cost for the gearbox as I'm yet to reach 60K of mileage. But yes, the cost for 6-speed will be higher than 4-speed.

308thp eh. Really good in torque, that's my main concern....FC for stop-go in town is not that good. Better fc for non stop driving, as at highway. Best fc highway 90-110kmh. X syok at all, i rather tekan minyak and burn some fuel. Normal maintenance nearly rm400 per 10000km/6 month. Also eat rubber. Should look also on donuts for satisfying driving experience; that is RM400 and above (depend on specs).

This post has been edited by cokelatpanda: May 31 2012, 11:06 AM

Hehehe........I guess you have set your mind on the NA, in which case,go ahead you'll love the car. Good luck bro!

refer to 408 and 508 brochure, even they use same engine (1.6 thp), why the fuel consumption for 408 is higher compare to 508?
408 is (8.2l/100km) vs 508 (7.1l/100km).
I thought since 508 is bigger car, so the FC should be higher than 408. what happen?

This post has been edited by afag: May 31 2012, 04:21 PM

408 uses a newer version of the engine. the power is higher and there are upgrades to the engine itself so while it is still the same block, the internal components are a bit different. as for FC, i would suggest that you take it with a pinch of salt as the testing methods in europe don't really reflect real world usage and could be conducted in controlled conditions. best is to buy with faith and then only see. or, wait for someone to buy then ask what the real world FC is.

ya, you're right.

the 1.6turbo i dont think is any fuel saving than normal 2.0 car la but power confirm good la.

I give you a very simple scenario and you tell me. You are crusing 110kmh on the highway on your 408. Would you use less fuel on 4th gear or 6th gear.

This post has been edited by SKYjack: May 31 2012, 07:59 PM

i'm not sure.

is 4inches longer or 6 inches longer?

This post has been edited by turbocharged: May 31 2012, 08:15 PM

I'm not sure.
Some apparently say there's no difference!

skillful maybe?

This post has been edited by turbocharged: May 31 2012, 09:19 PM