For lower-end cars of that era, it wasn’t too unrealistic, but higher-end stuff back then didn’t persist with 2v DOHC setups.
1 Like
Sorry, I confused it with QFC19 due to being held in the same era.
3 Likes
Just looked and got foiled by the +2 in each category…I had 0 in aero, originally, then realised and put the 2 in…and, my alzheiners kicked in so, forgot about taking 2 off somewhere else. 
2 Likes
oh wait carol’s back
Prelims pt.1
Prelims
Plot
As usual, Jocelyn was watching TV via Astro satellite when her son, Andrew called her via phone:
"Ah boy, how’s California? Why are you talking to me?
They are talking about a lot of things, and suddenly the new car purchase was mentioned
“Mum, heard that you are getting a new car for MyRide?”
“Yes, any good ideas for the car?”
“I found this good website online called Drivers.com that gives good car reviews and purchase guides. Might give it a try.”
After the call, she took out her phone, and start searching for the website.
MyRide Plus - What cars to choose and why?
Carol Lee (@Carol_Lee), 16th July 2018
Kuala Lumpur
With the lack of competition on the ride sharing platforms since Uber’s demise in April, its kinda sad to see we’re not having a proper competitor to the increasingly dominant Grab application. Until now.
Enter MYtec. This startup came out of nowhere with the MyRide recently, creating an new alternative for the Grab with a great focus on higher-quality ride sharing for the Malaysian public. And as far as I can say, its awesome, cheaper fares, better rides, just lack of options. There are two tiers of MyRide for now, and here we are focusing on MyRide Plus, which focuses on C and D segment vehicles and better quality drivers. The new tier does have a good response from many, although from a bit smaller crowd because of its higher fees and requirements.
And okay, we knew it, you are interested on the new tier? On here, lets evaluate the cars we bought from the market, and see which ones are the good choices for the MyRide Plus driver.
FWM Ruger GS - @Vena.Sera423
The first car in the list is FWM’s latest sedan which was launched in 2016, complete with a V6, 4 seats and some good sportiness. I do like how it looks, despite there are much better looking cars out there.
Verdict: Not Recommended
Unfortunately, good sportiness isn’t the most important thing for the job. It’s expensive to repair, its thirsty, its not that practical (due to 4 seats), its not all that reliable and its pretty expensive to own. It drives good and its somewhat comfortable, but it isn’t enough to prove anything for the job.
Montagne Pyrénées X - @the-chowi
The French company Montagne has just launched a new SUV with a 2.4 turbo I4, 6-speed automatic, excellent looks and loads of stuff for the market.
Verdict: Not Recommended
Despite its good looks its not the best choice for a MyRide. It expensive and literally has the highest service costs due to its load of tech, yet the car itself is somewhat underwhelming considering how it is. That said, its pretty comfortable, so its more for people with families who wants something fancier, but not for a hailing app driver.
Auburn Cesium XS - @nate21
The Auburn Cesium sedan was just replaced for 2018, and oh boy, the design looks pretty…boring. Inside, a 2.0 liter inline-4 combined with an 8-speed automatic means that it isn’t wowing anyone’s hearts and minds soon.
Verdict: Not Recommended
And sure it did. Lukewarm performance, meh practicality and low comfort combined with average reliability and efficiency means that your customer isn’t going to sit on it anytime soon. At least when things go bad it shouldn’t cost fortunes to fix.
Faenza Chagall 4t - @randomtuner
Italy’s Faenza is finally selling the new Chagall to our shores, and its weird low-light design surely didn’t caught my eyes. What was inside this RWD sedan is a 226-hp inline-4 turbo and a 7-speed sluchbox, pretty standard affair.
Verdict: Not Recommended
Oh boy, yet another boring car strikes again. Its pretty uncomfortable, its hard to drive right, its isn’t that reliable and its safety kit isn’t enough for the road. And it’s not even cheap to buy one. Avoid.
Airman Tonopah EX5 - @nightwave
Airman’s latest SUV does wow someone in all the wrong ways, as it looks way too horrible that I have nightmares after seeing one OTR. Inside is less horrible though, with a 5-cylinder engine and a 8-speed automatic on its helm.
Verdict: Not Recommended
Still, its not good at all. Its really uncomfortable, even compared to the already uncomfortable Cesium, and the ancient engine meant that fuel costs would be high. It does have some good points like excellent safety and good reliability, but that doesn’t really save the car from its horrible looks.
Atera Imagine 2.4i - @HybridTronny & @yurimacs
Atera has got us an all-new variant of the venerable Imagine mid-size sedan, and oh boy, it looks great. A 2.4 liter inline-4 powers the car, with typical kit and options you could expect on a mid-size sedan.
Verdict: Recommended
Yeah, its boring, with middling comfort and safety, and a high purchase price but the Imagine has good drivability and practicality, decent practicality and low repair costs makes it a good choice for a MyRide tool. Just don’t expect too much for it.
FMC Aracari SE - @Lanson
The new compact hatchback from FMC does look okay, has a good performing NA inline-5 and a dual clutch transmission, and its pretty loaded, but does it work in this case?
Verdict: Not Recommended
Nah. Its only good things are high practicality and a low price. Everything else is okay at best, and I don’t think it works as a MyRide vehicle. But I feel like some improvements could have helped it too since there aren’t anything too bad about it.
Shenhua Mandau - @ErenWithPizza
Been in market since 2016, the Shenhua Mandau comprises a middling-looking sedan with some middling inline 4 and then some.
Verdict: Not Recommended
Other than its sportiness, I can’t find anything remarkable about this car to me. Okay practicality, okay repair costs and meh comfort and drivability. But the kinda-high price makes it a no-go since I expected more.
Mara Kavaler 2.3 LKE - @AndiD
The large fastback from that Archanan cheap car specialist has been on Malaysia since a while now, and its pretty cheap that it got to the point its styling was designed by cheap amateur designers. Back on that point, it has a cheap engine too but its loads of stuff actually makes it somewhat good.
Verdict: Recommended
Woeful design aside, the car is surprisingly good at being…a good car. Excellent reliability, good comfort and a solid base combined with affordable fees makes it an excellent choice for MyRide Plus.
And this is only the first part of the list, see you in the second part, stay tuned.
Confirmed finalists:
19 Likes
Prelims pt.2
MyRide Plus - What cars to choose and why?
Carol Lee (@Carol_Lee), 16th July 2018
Kuala Lumpur
On the last part we talked about which cars we can recommend for your MyRide application. However, the first batch of reviews aren’t that great, with only 2 recommendations given.
Anyway, here’s the second part for our list! We have included more vehicles on the list here, which were not yet shown last time.
Zephorus QNE - @Riley
Another Italian company Zephorus has sent its new QNE to the public in this country. This small hatch gets a torquey 2.0 inline-4 turbo and some neat looks.
Verdict: Not Recommended
Its a hard time to give an opinion for this one honestly, with good looks, excellent stuff, surely it will be a recommended pick, eh?
But, nope. Its kinda uncomfortable (even with premium stuff), and being too expensive to fix and own means that its a tough pill to swallow. So, a no then, unless you had loads of cash to spend.
Turból k4 20 - @donutsnail
The Turból k4 was available in Malaysia since years ago, but with a new bold styling and improved drive train helps the compact crossover become much more competitive than before.
Verdict: Recommended
This crossover turns out be a strong contender for a MyRide haling machine, with a good specs all-around, especially on reliability and safety fronts. I only wish its a bit more practical though, especially for a SUV.
Pusilanime Polymorphous 2018 - @Maxbombe
Luxury-focused Pusilanime has some cool cars lately, including its Polymorphus sedan, with a huge V6 engine, striking retro-inspired design and loads of cool stuff to do.
Verdict: Not Recommended
Too bad its too flawed for such a job. Bad fuel economy, terrible practicality, and a borked ride meant that its not a good idea to drive one of these for a hail-riding app. I mean, its cheap, but there’s our idiotic road taxes making you spend more later.
Armuth Alsatia A180 - @Lurka
Armuth’s Alsatia compact sedan finally gets a new launch for 2018, with some great design, a 180-hp 2-liter inline 4 and a luxury HUD to spare. (and some weird press photos too, they really should hire a better one to do the job)
Verdict: Not Recommended
Another hard one, to be honest, in fact much harder to choose from than the Zephorus, but I decided against it as well since its not that reliable due to the kit, and practicality a bit underwhelming. Excellent drivers car, maybe, excellent MyRide car, not so.
Haruta DT6 - @Tsundere-kun
A funky-looking sedan from Haruta, this newly-launched sedan has a non-turbo 2.0 four running on a 8-speed auto with FWD and some high-end kit on board.
Verdict: Recommended
Haruta’s latest sedan does impresses me a lot on a lot of things. Despite its weird looks, average practicality and safety, the car excels in a lot of places that is enough to give a recommendation for the service.
Primus Merit 200 Platinum - @Happyhungryhippo
The Merit was available in 2 variants for LHD and RHD markets (for some reason, we got the RHD one here since, well, we’re using RHD), and this one was on sale since 2015, with a 1.6 turbo four (which is exclusive to some countries including us), and a 9-speed auto.
Verdict: Not Recommended
The Merit has its…well, merits, including an above average practicality and safety, but the car itself is just…okay. Not good, okay. Its not as easy to drive nor its reliable enough to suit it for the job. Not recommended.
Takamo AsightX eDynamics Sport - @vouge
Takamo’s latest SUV-hatch combo with a long-ass name loaded with pretty much the latest features, while combining it a 153 hp inline-4 turbo and a 8-speed automatic. On paper, it looks pretty well with its fluid lines and a striking front-end.
Verdict: Recommended
The Takamo is one hell of a car, its excellent in many things, its very fuel efficient and it looks very beautiful makes it a excellent recommendation for the vehicle despite its somewhat slow acceleration and meh repair costs. Buyers should try one of these before registering, anyway.
Trèmaux Bezier 1.4 TSe 170 - @LS_Swapped_Rx-7
A pretty recent release from the French automaker, the car comprises a new engine and a pretty advanced safety kit packed under a dated, yet still elegant design. (and the funniest engine name ive got on an entry ffs)
Verdict: Recommended
The design of the Bezir could be a bit more modern honestly, but the Bezier is an excellent car with balanced stats, despite the average service costs and comfort. A great deal for the average MyRide driver.
Arlington Airacruiser Premium - @Texaslav
Arlington’s newest liftback sedan which is set to launch here recently, and despite its weird (but still pretty acceptable) looks, its still a looker inside with a newly-updated N/A inline-4 with a 7-speed advanced automatic.
Verdict: Recommended
The Airacruiser is one of the better MyRide cars to choose from. Low safety and somewhat underwhelming design affects the car but in general the car is pretty balanced with good practicality and a generally balanced spec sheet for what it is.
Hinode Tempest 250 Prestige - @S_U_C_C_U_L_E_N_T & @Falling_Comet
A tastefully designed rear-wheel drive sedan by Hinode which is on sale in here since 2014. This is a lower-end model complete with a 2.5 liter inline-6, 6-speed auto and loads of kit. Honestly, it is probably the most beautiful car in the bunch.
Verdict: Recommended
With excellent safety, acceptable service costs and striking design, The Tempest is a great car to drive yourself or send people to other destinations with. Its an excellent driver’s car for the MyRide driver. Beware the fuel efficiency though, as it churns fuel a little bit crazy.
And these, are the comprehensive list of cars to choose for your next MyRide Plus ride. When the next time you need something to buy for the your future MyRide Plus side gig, just read this article.
Finalists confirmed:
@HybridTronny & @yurimacs
@AndiD
@donutsnail
@Tsundere-kun
@vouge
@LS_Swapped_Rx-7
@Texaslav
@S_U_C_C_U_L_E_N_T & @Falling_Comet
17 Likes
I know salt isn’t generally encouraged - let alone salt relating to a car that has advanced to the finals as of now - but can you elaborate on what was so weird about my entry’s design?
2 Likes
I would say the design is fine, but I felt it was a bit unsuitable for the body.
2 Likes
I guess RWD killed me, a very unpopular choice. The only taxi car that had that after the end of the Crown Vic was the Mercedes E, and in Germany they are no longer in use these days because Toyota is cheaper at identical reliability.
Since the Merit is a sport sedan, the drivetrain was a bit overambituous for Malaysian standards, therefore a slight reliability disadvantage, and yep that RWD killed drivability stats but, you know, because brand lore.
2 Likes
The roast on the photos 
Guilty as charged, I barely have time so I just quickly snapped some.
Thanks for the driver’s car compliment 🩶
1 Like
Finals
After some digging, Jocelyn went for car shopping around the Internet. She got the list from an automotive website that was recommended by her son Andrew, and after some findings she did a list of the cars and drove them via test drives from dealerships, and wrote them down on a journal.
At the same time, Cindy, her daughter came back for a semester break and she took her to find the cars she wanted by taking her to various dealerships.
Journal - Day 1
Atera Imagine 2.4i - @HybridTronny & @yurimacs
Location: Atera dealership, Kepong, Kuala Lumpur
Jocelyn first entered an Atera dealership in nearby Kepong to test drive the all-new Atera Imagine. She liked the design, which is conservative yet elegant, and she is also impressed with the performance of the vehicle thanks to its powerful engine. She didn’t liked how it drives on the road as she feels its too harsh and felt the safety system should be as plentiful as the other kit. She isn’t impressed with the price as well as she felt the car should be a bit cheaper considering its shortcomings.
Mara Kavaler 2.3 LKE - @AndiD
Location: Mara dealership, Kepong, Kuala Lumpur
She later went to a nearby Mara dealership where she tested the Kavaler. On the outside, she hated the design as she felt it was too simple and dated for his taste, but she understands it as the car was really cheap for what it is. Also, she is impressed with the reliability and repair costs for the car, but it was quickly overshadowed by its sluggish performance, low drivability and safety. Because of it she decided not to get it for now as its a bit too dreary-looking.
Turból k4 20 - @donutsnail
Location: Turból dealership, Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur
The final trip for the first day is on another dealership, which is a Turból one located in nearby Mont Kiara. Despite the large grille, she liked how it looked, as she felt like it “plays the part”. Inside, she was surprised on how impractical it was, despite excellent comfort and reliability. She also felt that the car was a bit too borky despite having AWD (the only one, infact), and its kinda expensive for her taste. However, she decided to take note of it, as she felt like it a strong option for her.
Journal - Day 2
Haruta DT6 - @Tsundere-kun
Location: Haruta dealership, Petaling Jaya, Selangor
On the next day she went to another dealership selling Harutas on nearby Petaling Jaya. She was mixed with the styling, with she felt that the front looks nice, but everything else needs some tidying. Inside, she felt that the car is not that safe considering there was a fatal accident involving the car she heard on the news the day before, and practicality needs some work to make it better. Despite this, its pretty cheap to own, it’s pretty comfortable and pretty economical as well, and thus making her satisfied.
Takamo AsightX eDynamics Sport - @vouge
Location: Takamo dealership, Petaling Jaya, Selangor
She later went to another dealership on the same area, this time a Takamo one locatred nearby. The car looks fantastic, as she said, as she loved the dynamic, yet effective design the car had (despite misplaced rear door handles). However, she felt that the costs of owning one is a bit too high and the car is a bit sluggish on roads. But, it was justified with its excellent fuel economy, comfort, practicality and drivability. Overall she was highly impressed and she is considering to choose it for the job, but not before exploring other options.
Trèmaux Bezier 1.4 TSe 170 - @LS_Swapped_Rx-7
Location: Takamo dealership, Petaling Jaya, Selangor
At the end of the second day, she went to the dealership selling Trèmauxes, which is also located in Petaling Jaya. She isn’t vibing with the early-2010s styling vibe of the car but regardless she is still a fan of the design due to how clean it is, but when she drove it she felt a bit too uncomfortable to drive and its service costs are a bit too high for her needs. However, it was pretty economical and practical, leaving her somewhat impressed with the car as well.
Journal - Day 3
Hinode Tempest 250 Prestige - @S_U_C_C_U_L_E_N_T & @Falling_Comet
Location: Hinode dealership, Subang Jaya, Selangor
The third day starts with a trip to a Hinode dealership located in Subang Jaya nearby the Sunway area. The rear-wheel drive sedan caught her eye well due to its sleek lines and a cozy layout. A test drive however revealed something: despite its sportiness she isn’t really vibing with the car due to its drivability, low comfort, thirst and terrible practicality. It has some excellent safety and sportiness, however. She decided not to order it, but she still puts it into the list anyway.
Arlington Airacruiser Premium - @Texaslav
Location: Arlington dealership, Puchong, Selangor
The final one was the Airacrusier which she test drove in the only Arlington dealership in the area located in jam-prone Puchong. The design was deemed to be a bit unsuitable for the car’s body therefore somewhat unpalatable for her tastes. She liked how easy and comfortable on how it drives, and the fact its pretty quick on the roads but she is a bit worried for its abysmal safety ratings. Nevertheless, she still decided on it as she drives pretty carefully on the road anyway.
She then quickly finalized the purchases, and she decided on something that she liked.
August 2018
As usual Jocelyn went to school via car. However, she isn’t driving the Audi she owned as usual, but with a new car, which is a brand-new Takamo AsightX! And of course she planned to start her ride sharing career later this afternoon, with that car obviously.
and a different color because she likes white
Congrats for @vouge to win this event by creating something that suits her needs for MyCar Plus!
Finalists by ranking:
Epilogue
Years after the event
With worsening conditions, the couple still managed to stay afloat with Jocelyn continuing her work and Grab rides and her husband managing to stay the business afloat while finding new ways to supporting them.
However, bad things still came nevertheless. The Movement Control Order which imposed on 2020 - 2021 affecting pretty much everyone, the first one because of COVID and others because of some political BS. James’s company finally went belly up because of that, and Jocelyn’s final years of her career has been cut short too by the impending events. The couple struggled hard to stay afloat by selling a lot of their possessions (including her Audi), and Jocelyn continuing her ride sharing career with James joining the fray as well.
Luckily, at this point, their children came back to Malaysia, with Andrew returning to start a startup in Klang Valley after a successful run in Silicon Valley and Cindy graduated from university and wanting to find a job. Together, with James and Jocelyn, they founded StarWork, an application focusing on job searching of wide range of choices for the WFH era.
The venture is an instant success and today StarWork is one of the most used applications in the country. They managed to gain support from various major companies and even, as of today, expanded to Singapore and Indonesia with expansions to Thailand and Philippines coming soon and even Australia are on the cards as well.
And the couple? They are both now retired with the money earned from StarWork (their children mostly manage the company now), happily working as the “advisors” for the successful application made by their children. Jocelyn had stopped driving for MyRide since early 2022, but she still missed the times driving that Takamo she had, so she kept it.
Data: CSR153.xlsx
And well, this marks the end of CSR 153, hosted by me for the first time. Hope you got a nice experience.
To the next challenge, boys and girls.
21 Likes
The car by vouge already looked like a winner from it’s design.
5 Likes
Extras
Out of all entries:
Earliest entry: @Vena.Sera423 (posted on Feb 15, which is 2 days before the actual event started)
Latest entry: @S_U_C_C_U_L_E_N_T & @Falling_Comet (posted around 2 hours before the extended deadline)
Largest .car file: @Texaslav - Arlington Airacruiser Premium at 335 KB
Smallest .car file: @Jaimz68 - FM HiWay at just 30 KB
Most powerful entry: @RAZR - 2018 Manda Vivace 20iDT at 377.2 hp, which is a whopping 126.9 hp more powerful than the second most powerful entry
Least powerful entry: @Knugcab - IP Dryad at 129.6 hp, which is just 0.1 hp lower than the second least powerful entry
Cheapest entry: @Elizipeazie & @Hilbert (cheapest at 13400 AM$)
Most expensive entries: @Vena.Sera423, @the-chowi, @Riley and @HybridTronny & @yurimacs (all at max price limit, thankfully nobody broke that limit)
Most lightest entry: @Elizipeazie & @Hilbert - Malamoto Vir Fortis 1.4T
(1238.9 kg)
Most heaviest entry: @donutsnail - Turból k4 20
(1759.5 kg)
Amount of 3-cylinder engines: 2
Amount of 4-cylinder engines: 20
Amount of 5-cylinder engines: 2
Amount of 6-cylinder engines: 4
Amount of turbo entries: 13
Amount of N/A entries: 15
Amount of slushbox automatics: 1
Amount of advanced automatics: 22
Amount of DCTs: 4
Amount of manual/auto-manuals (which would be a bin in here): 1
Not a priority in this CSR, but…
Amount of cars with “detailed” interiors: 12
Amount of cars with “simple” interiors: 5
Amount of cars with no interiors: 11
That’s it.
16 Likes
A “slushbox” is another word for a standard automatic transmission (not an electronically controlled advanced one).
Such equipment makes sense for comfort-focused builds from the 50s right up to the 80s, but by the end of the latter decade, they begin to lose their effectiveness as advanced automatics take over.
1 Like
Thanks @BannedByAndroid for hosting this round of CSR.
In terms of hosting am going to pass it down to @Tsundere-kun.
2 Likes
I would not be able to host either so passing the burden torch to @Texaslav.
Massive shoutout to @BannedByAndroid for the smooth and drama-free CSR round. This round is excellently executed, especially for a first time CSR host!
7 Likes
Thanks for the round @BannedByAndroid . If possible, can you go into detail on my car’s design to help me suck less at making any 2010< car?
2 Likes
Burden, is it. I’ll take it. CSR154 coming atcha asap.
11 Likes
The front end looks clean, but it looks a bit too simplistic, and by 2018 you have designs that are much complex and sometimes aggressive, which means you need a bigger grille, much more larger bumper side vents and lights that aren’t looking too simple anymore.
The rear end is a bit concerning though. The license plate holder could be a bit larger, and the lights felt kinda too simple, as like the front, you need some design that are a bit more dynamic and complex than what’s on your car right now.
TBF I loved my design as its pretty nice to look at, but yeah, it really needs some work to make it better.
3 Likes
Can I get a similar detailed one on mine, more than just “unsuitable for the body”?
1 Like
The front looks pretty fitting for the era, and I dig the split front grille, but because of the body’s design it felt a bit unfitting and could have been better if the upper end is on a higher position.
The side looks pretty fine, no big issues here. despite it being a bit too rounded for what it is.
The rear end looks great, although I would do a bit more to fill that lower part.
3 Likes