Group photo with all the media representatives hosted by Porsche Asia-Pacific for the Media Driving Academy at Sepang International Circuit earlier this July

A photo opp with the newly launched Porsche 911 GT2RS

Last year, I had the privilege to attend the Media Driving Academy (MDA) hosted by Porsche Asia-Pacific. They consisted of three courses – Individual, Professional and Elite. As for last year, I entered the Individual course which is the basic course among the lot. It was definitely fun. Why? Because it’s the only time we can break the rules in terms of speeding on the road and it was conducted at the Sepang International Circuit, ideal for racers.

Fast forward to this year (July 2018), I was invited again by Porsche Asia-Pacific where I completed the other two courses – Professional and Elite earlier this month. I met familiar faces especially from the international media representatives in Asia-Pacific.

There were two main highlights for me – the launch of the Porsche GT2RS and the driving experience of the Porsche GT3.

Firstly, the Porsche GT2RS. Wow, wow, wow!!!! A beast among beast, this is a collectors item for Porsche lovers. Car and Driver even labeled it as the chainsaw of the 911 line-up. It has a 700 horse power twin-turbo engine. The previous GT2 model has a hp of 620 so there is definitely a difference. You can tell that the GT2RS is built for speed. The price tag alone is quite high. You’re talking about RM 1.3 million itself in Malaysia. Apparently there’s a Porsche GT2RS on the road in Brunei. Amazing!! Sadly, the GT2RS is only for display for the media and not for a test drive.

Of course, the main highlight of the MDA was test driving the newer editions of the Porsche finest models – 911 GT3 (me likes), 718 Cayman GTS and the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid on the SIC race track.

The favourite among the lot for me is the 911 GT3 – simply awesome and it has a mind of its own. I truly love the handling at high speed as well as the braking. It just gives me more assurance to drive safer especially on the race track.

The instructors were very helpful too and our group (Brunei, Indonesia, Cambodia) was lucky to have William Bamber, brother of Earl Bamber, an accomplished race car driver, who competes for Porsche Motorsport. The hospitality was top notch to begin with and the goodies were awesome too – Adidas racing boots and a racing helmet for completing both Professional and Elite courses.

After all the experiences, I truly understand how magnificent Porsche are in terms of handling, speed and safety. We were given tasks such as the Slolam, the Moose, the Braking and many more. I enjoyed the Slolam one as we did a time lapse for every driver to see who was the fastest.

The second day was much more interesting as we learnt the tracks of the SIC race track from start to finish. I realised how awesome Porsche are on the road. Expensive but you will know where the money is spent on. Unfortunately, in Brunei, it’s not something we can take advantage when we have a monster of a car like Porsche because of the driving laws and also the conditions of our roads in Brunei.

Soon, some selected customers will be having their own session organised by Porsche (Brunei) in early August for the upcoming Porsche Driving Experience at Sepang. I hope they have the same experience as I did and it’s also a great way to showcase what a Porsche can do.

Will I own a Porsche? If the money and timing are right, why not? 😉

Just look at that convoy

My favourite car during MDA experience

Did you realize that the driver side is on the left? Yes, all the Porsche are imported from Europe.

The lead car was always the Porsche GT3

Listening to advices by the instructors at some of the activities

Receiving a pair of Adidas racing boots 😉

These boots are made for racing 😀

Learning how to handle around corners and bends

We had some physical exercises as well. Did you know that racing also involves a good physique such as your hand, neck and body?

Receiving a souvenir from the organiser 😀

It’s time of the year again as Audi (Brunei) will be hosting the 9th Audi quattro Cup Brunei 2018, a charity golf tournament.

The event will happen on the 20th to 22nd July at Royal Brunei Golf & Country Club, Jerudong. All golfers’ registration fees will be donated to the An-Nur Harapan Sdn Bhd, Community Service Council Belait District, Dana Pengiran Muda Mahkota Al-Muhtadee Billah for Orphans, La Vida Bhd, Learning Ladders Society, Pusat Ehsan Al-Ameerah Al-Hajjah Maryam, Seed Foundation Sdn Bhd and SMARTER Brunei.

Registration is now open at Audi Kiarong. Entry fee is BND 240 per team and format of play is Greensome Stableford (best ball).

Lucky draw for all registered golfers included during prize presentation. Closing date is 17th July 2018.

There will be hole-in-one prizes such as the Audi A6 Sedan (Hole 16) or the Audi Q2 SUV (Hole 8).

The winning team will play at World Final at the Golf Club Kitzbühel-Schwarzsee, Austria, from September 23rd to 27th, 2018.

One of the hole-in-one prizes – Audi Q2

Limited Edition GLE Night Package with an additional 2-year Warranty

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Fancy a GLE this July?

Special Offer for the Limited Edition GLE Night Package with an additional 2-year Warranty.

With only a limited number of units, the GLE Night Package comes with a sporty AMG Line and black striking design element. The louvre in the radiator grille and the simulated underguard at the front and rear are finished in high-gloss black. Further highlights include the AMG 5-twin-spoke light-alloy wheels and exterior mirrors in black as well as the roof rails, window weatherstrip and also the beltline trim strip. What more! Book now and register before 31st July 2018, the GLE also comes with an additional 2-year unlimited mileage warranty. Call us now at 2441763/2441777 to book for a test drive or visit Mercedes-Benz Beribi showroom/Autohaus today for more information. You’ll be glad you did!!

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Offer stands till 31st July 2018

Double Grandslam: The Audi S5 Coupé was recently named the best premium sports coupé in the Middle East Car of The Year MECOTY awards in Abu Dhabi where 16 media representatives from several Middle East countries subjected the nominated cars to a multistage selection process over a period of ten months.

The Audi S5 Sportback also won Taiwan’s Car of The Year award for Best Large Sedan of 2018. The award is presented by “CarNews” magazine, the country’s most popular automotive magazine. Among the more than 30 jurors were automotive journalists as well as car enthusiasts, scholars and lifestyle journalists.

Catch these two award winners at Audi Kiarong today to see what the fuss is about!

Test driving the latest Mercedes-Benz C180

Another privilege to have driven the Mercedes-Benz C180, its latest version. I asked permission from Jati Transport, the authorised distributor of Mercedes-Benz in Brunei Darussalam, if I could drive one of their models for a commercial shoot and they offered me the Mercedes-Benz C180.

The exterior has a different feel compared to its predecessors. I’m pretty sure those who owns the previous C180 will notice the variance of the exterior. The lines, the edges and even the convex and concave surfaces have redefined the C180 model into a more vibrant first impression.

I was also happy with the interior environment of the C180. As always, a high quality finish and materials and it also gives a cultured sports styling and finite details. I like it – simple and elegant.

A few new features to share with you with the new C180. First is the “Active Lane Keeping Assist”. The system can identify an unintentional drifting out of lane, send a haptic warning (steering-wheel vibrations) to the driver, and can help to return the vehicle to the correct lane by selectively braking individual wheels. So this ideal if you are driving along the highway and have the slight tendency to lose focus. This is a great feature to keep you alert on the road.

The other feature is the “Active Blind Spot Assist”. The system makes one of the biggest dangers in road traffic visible – vehicles in the blind spot. If changing lane, for example, it can warn the driver and apply selective braking to individual wheels to avert a potential collision.If a vehicle is detected within the monitored range, a warning symbol is displayed in the driver’s exterior mirror. Should the driver overlook the warning and start to change lanes, the ESP® system can intervene actively and guide the vehicle back into the lane.

Verdict: With an affordable price for the new Mercedes-Benz C180 and not compromising with quality, this is a good purchase. Furthermore, there is the special promotion where you can get BND 1,000 voucher for Mercedes-Benz Service and maintenance, merchandises, accessories and grooming services. Visit Jati Transport Showroom or their Autohaus today.

Check out the grill

The interior feel of the new C180

Always a comfort ride. You can’t go wrong with a Mercedes-Benz

Check out the new Mercedes-Benz C180

Mohd Shahrom bin Hj Sharbini (right) with his family and representatives from Brunei Shell Marketing and Boustead after Mohd Shahrom won the Nissan X-Trail in the final draw of BSM #BeliHelix II promotion

The five lucky winners were being feted

Brunei Shell Marketing Co Sdn (BSM) awarded its lucky winners for the recent #BeliHelix II promotion which was held at Times Square Shopping Centre two weeks ago. The promotion received an overwhelming entry of 15,000 from 8 February 2018 to 30th April 2018.

Hjh Siti Kurshiah Hj Anuar, Head of Commercial welcomed the winners and distinguished guests during her welcoming remarks and thanked all the customers for buying Helix products.

Mohd Shahrom bin Hj Sharbini, 40, was the lucky winner of the new Nissan X-Trail after being abled to start the engine after his third attempt. It was a close call between Mohd Shahrom and Hj Mohd Yusuf bin Hj Besar, the oldest person in the final draw as both attempted to ignite the engine of the SUV. In the end, the former was successful.

Also present during the final draw was BSM Managing Director Pg Shamhary Hj Mustapha and representatives from Boustead.

Goh Maycil won herself a Hong Kong tour package for two persons as the 1st runner-up. Second runner-up won a BND 2,500 cash card while the other consolation winners won a Macbook Air and Samsung LED TV respectively.

One of the consolation winners

Hjh Siti Kurshiah Hj Anuar, Head of Commercial during her welcoming remarks

Jati Transport Sdn Bhd currently is having a Mercedes-Benz Hari Raya Special in conjunction with Ramadhan and the upcoming Hari Raya celebration.

Receive up to BND 2,000 Mercedes-Benz voucher when you book and register any Mercedes-Benz passenger car from now until 30th June 2018. The gift certificate of up to BND 2,000 will be given to all new car buyers which they can use to exchange for all new car buyers which they can use to exchange for all Mercedes-Benz merchandises, service & maintenance package, accessories and grooming services.

Call them at 244 1763 / 244 1777 or visit their showroom at Beribi showroom or the Autohaus.

Autohaus showroom

The models that you can test drive 🙂

Audi Brunei to hold weekend showroom open day

As the month of Ramadhan is just around the corner, TCY Motors as the local Audi dealer welcomes the public to its Kiarong showroom this weekend to have a look at what’s on offer and test drive any of the Audi models available.

Special seasonal offers on almost all Audi models include free oil-service packages (worth $250.00) and shopping vouchers valued from $500.00 to $3000.00 (for purchase of the Audi TT Coupe). The promotion is valid until end of June.

The weekend open day will start from 9.00am to 6.00pm on Saturday and Sunday, everyone is welcomed with coffee and snacks available.