BMW'S TWO-DOOR, four-cylinder 1,796cc 316ti ($233,000) always seemed a runt of the marque when compared with the glorious 7-series, the popular Z3 3.0i and the aggressive-looking M3. Friends insisted otherwise and urged me to look at the Ambra (metallic orange) 316ti in BMW's showroom (40-42 Yam Ping Road, Causeway Bay). They have a point. The bi-xenon-headlight, badge and grille front confirms the compact's pedigree and I was impressed by the 316ti's headlight-washing system, the exterior mirrors' foldability and the rain-sensitive windscreen wipers. The integration of the foglamps into the front air dam and a third brake light in the rear window frame also readies the car for our summer rains. The dashboard is simple, drive visibility is fine and the bench back seats fold forward to accommodate plenty of luggage via a wide rear hatch. Rear-seat space is tight, making the four-door, 1,995cc 318i ($308,700) a better buy for school commutes. The 316ti is more relevant as a professional Dink runabout or a family's second car than as the hyped boy's racer. The 201km/h top speed is impressive but it hasn't the poke to win many drag races on the Shek O Road, with a 10.9-second standing start to 100km/h.
THE NEW JAGUAR S-Type R V8 was well-advertised last week but only five of the R V8s are for sale in town and they will all go, despite the dealership's irritating habit of covering display models' seats in plastic bags. With one busy salesman, a cleaner and me, the showroom's only vibration came from the pneumatic drills from roadworks near the Harcourt House showroom. The Big Cat purrs 400bhp at 6,100rpm, has race-engineered Brembo brakes, super-sport suspension, 18-inch sport alloy wheels, dynamic stability control and lots more.
ON TO MERCEDES-BENZ distributor Zung Fu (33 Hysan Avenue, Causeway Bay) and the launch of the CLK Coupe. Sales manager Michael Leung (above) and marketing colleague Edith Cheung proudly showed off the Elegance and Avantgarde's V6 240, 320 and the V8 500 options and I urge car lovers of all budgets to press their noses against Zung Fu's window to be hypnotised by the perfect mix of leather and chrome in the Avantgarde's interior and a grille that gleams an understated grrrr! The Elegance range starts at $445,000 for the 2,597cc 240 and tops at the 4,966cc, 306bhp Avantgarde ($695,000).
LEAVING A TRAIL of drool, I checked out the new Mini Hong Kong showroom (178 Gloucester Road), where a chequered-roofed Mini MT ($148,900 - the quaint design is $2,000 extra), a grey Mini Cooper S ($210,000) and the blue, striped Mini Cooper AT ($175,300) all flirted in the funky neon of a very hip interior. Do drop by.
MEANWHILE, RELIANCE MOTORS up the road backed the Honda Jazz 'He' and 'She' promotion, a marketing masterstroke since Lion Motors' 1,400cc Peugeot 206 Skyline ($102,400) put fellow tiddlers the Jazz ($105,000) and Toyota's Echo Verso ($109,000) on alert this spring. Reliance Motors is adding a spoiler, air dam and fog light set with 15-inch wheels, leather steering wheel and automatic air-conditioning, free with the 'He' version, while the 'She' comes with the red interior lining, traditional seat stitching options and a stylish gear knob. The promotion should alert cut-price rivals such as Daihatsu, which offers a quirky red-chequered 1960s rally-look Gino, all of 659cc for $79,800, and the lads' shifty 1,297cc YRV ($105,800) sporty wagon. Hang in there for more competitive deals in the runabout range after the World Cup.