MY 1st time Driving a Diesel car... I was HOOKED.

On 31 March 2010 (Yesterday), I boldly stepped into Ford Showroom in Jalan Ipoh (Sime Darby Auto Connexion - SDAC) just to find Mr. K H Teh (the Sales Executive I met during SDAC Sunway Pyramid Roadshow 2 weeks back).

Thanks to Mr. Teh, I actually, TEST DRIVEN the Ford Focus TDCI (Turbo diesel model) for a GOOD 35 minutes. Call me Wierd but this is the FIRST TIME in MY LIFE DRIVING A DIESEL ENGINED CAR!  Man, I was INSTANTLY IN LOVE with diesel cars.  Why is it so?

It's because the torque kicked in at a LOWLY 1600rpm (hence Power Easily Accessible).  It won't go up to 2500rpm.  Thus ensured LOW Fuel Consumption.  More on that later.  This is POLAR opposite to Petrol cars where torque normally came in between 2500rpm to 4500rpm.

According to the trip computer, a RM30 (17.7L) tankful is good for 300km.  That's AS GOOD AS NGV Powered and I dare to say very close to Hybrid Vehicles.

Back to the Topic, The Ford Focus 2.0 TDCI.  This car is available only as a Hatchback body (NO SEDAN AT MOMENT) and in 2 colours only, BLACK or WHITE and is priced at RM128,888 OTR (Ie. RM10k extra VS Petrol versions).

Now let me tell you how "FUN" it is to Drive this car.  The soft diesel clatter can be heard at start up, but once you are in the car, it's whisper quiet. The Power delivery is SMOOTH and LINEAR.  It happily cruises around from 1500rpm to 2500rpm around TOWN (Thanks to the 6 Speed DUAL CLUTCH GETRAG Powershift) AND slightly higher 1700 to a LOWLY 2100rpm (at 125km/h) - side note I was "Chasing a Toyota Caldina GT4" and managed to Keep up. This is on a stretch of Jalan Kuching - Duke Highway - Sprint Highway - Jalan Ipoh.  Cheeky me was also "Chasing" an Alfa Romeo 156 2.5 V6 (for 500m before he ZIGZAGGED away (from most right lane to most left lane and turn left) using the Ford Focus TDCI.

The beauty of this car is HOW it HANDLES.  The Handling is Razor Sharp, SWEET.  The car EAT CORNERS for LUNCH.  Thanks to its Unique Control Blade Multilink Rear Suspension.  To complement this, the Focus TDCI also comes with ABS+EBD+BA (Brake assist) +TCS (Traction Control) +ESP (Electronic Stability Program).   More on Safety wise, this car achieved a MAXIMUM 5 star NCAP Crash Rating. and DUAL Airbags.

Under the Bonnet lies a Potent 2.0 DURATORQ Turbo diesel engine with Common Rail Direct Injection producing 134PS@4000rpm AND a WHOOPING 320Nm or Torque at mere 2000rpm.
Acceleration was well within the claimed 0-100km/h of 9.6 seconds.  It certainly feels THAT FAST.  (In fact a FULL 1 Second faster than the Focus 2.0 Petrol version with 4 speed Auto). 
Top speed is claimed 200km/h.

Almost forgot, the Creature comfort of the car.  It came with FULL Leather Seats, Chilled Glovebox, Dual Zone Electronic Climate Control, Rear Air Conditioning vents, Audio control on steering wheel, tilt and telescopic (4 way) adjustable steering wheel wrapped in Leather.  It also comes with 8 way Power adjustable Driver seat, 2 DIN MP3 In-dash 6 Disc CD Changer with 6 speakers.  Lastly, my favourite feature 385L boot space with 60:40 Split Fold rear seatbacks (Useful for IKEA Shopping).

Man, I LOVED THIS CAR.  I wish I got the money to buy this car.  But after 35 minutes, I RELUCTANTLY have to RETURNED the KEY to Mr.Teh (The Only Chinese Sales Consultant in the Jalan Ipoh Showroom).  HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Sales Executive.

Without further ado, here's MORE Photos:

Above: Another Colour combination. White with Blue Stripe (Extra RM600). Below, The one I test driven, Black with Silver stripe.

Above: KINETIC DESIGN Body shape.  Below: Wheel size are 6.5Jx16 Alloy with 205/55R16 tyres.

 

That's all folks, thanks for having the time and patience to read this Blog Entry of mine.  An original Jeff Lim's production.  Ie. My Original Work.  Before I go, here's my Parting shot: