Week Of 15th August: COE Premiums Reach New Highs In Nearly All Categories, We Find Out Why The EA888 Engine Is So Good, and Fiat 500 mReview!

We test the Maserati's mild hybrid-equipped Levante SUV, Toyota launches the latest Sienta in Japan, and we cover the National Motor Sports Festival 2022 - all this and more, on this week's recap!

If you're looking for a condensed list of our weekly round-up, we have:

1. mReview: Fiat 500 - La Dolce Vita
2. August 2022 COE Results 2nd Bidding: Increase In Premiums Across All Categories Except For Category E
3. A Love Letter To VAG's EA888
4. Motorist Car Buyer's Guide: BMW 216i Gran Tourer M-Sport
5. Illegal and Legal Car Modifications | Talk Cars Sing Song Podcast

Continue scrolling to read a condensed version of the articles! Otherwise, you can click on the links above to bring you to the respective article or video!

mReview: Fiat 500 - La Dolce Vita

Instantly recognisable due to its distinctive egg body shape. It's cute, it's petite, it's the Fiat 500.

But, when you think of Fiat, most locals will remember the Doblo and Fiorano as decent cargo vans, or the Bravo which was actually quite a fun manual car to own. Not many would breathe a mention of the 500, probably owing to the fact you don’t come across one often on the roads.

Tucked in a corner of the Fiat showroom and sharing the dancefloor with another fellow Italian brand,  this is the only model being sold and on display. So, is this car as hyped as everyone claims it to be?

Read on to find out!

August 2022 COE Results 2nd Bidding: Increase In Premiums Across All Categories Except For Category E

In the 2nd COE bidding exercise for August 2022, Cat A closed at $87,889, Cat B at $112,001, Cat C at $59,090, Cat D at $11,101, and Cat E at $112,001.

Cat A (Cars up to 1600CC & 97KW) received 835 bids and saw a $7,889 increase from the previous exercise. It closed at $87,889.

Cat B (Cars above 1600CC or 97KW) saw 665 bids and increased by $5,000. It closed at $112,001.

Cat C (Goods Vehicle & Bus) received 196 bids and increased by $3,001. It closed at $59,090.

Cat D (Motorcycles) had 673 bids in total and saw a $101 increase. It closed today at $11,101.

Lastly, Cat E (Open Category) received 273 bids and saw an decrease of $999. It closed at $112,001.

A Love Letter To VAG's EA888

We believe that the Volkswagen Group’s venerable EA888 truly deserves a spot in the Internal Combustion Hall of Fame.

And for good reason too - but more on that later. For starters (no pun intended), we need to dissect just what gives a specific motor the credentials needed to attain almost-legendary status on the internet. When broken down (not literally, and again, no pun intended), these power plants seem to share various traits that the petrolhead netizen reveres.

Read on to find out more!

Motorist Car Buyer's Guide: BMW 216i Gran Tourer M-Sport

Prior to the launch of the front-wheel drive BMW 2 Series Active Tourer, BMW was known as a marque that primarily built rear-wheel drive cars.

The 2 Series Active Tourer was first launched in 2014, and a seven-seater Gran Tourer, as featured, was added to the line-up in 2015. These cars (chassis code F45 and F46) heralded the German automaker's first forray into front-wheel drive, as their products up to this point had either been rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive only. 

Keen to buy a 2 Series Gran Tourer? Read our comprehensive guide first here!

Illegal and Legal Car Modifications | Talk Cars Sing Song Podcast

In the second installment of the Talk Car Sing Song Podcast, Jackie will be discussing with the guests Aiden (@nediadien) and Thern Yang (@TheBigSoup) about illegal and legal car modifications in Singapore. What are the repercussions of certain restrictions and what are some legal mods that just don't make sense?

Read More: https://www.motorist.sg/article/1626/week-of-1st-aug-byd-atto-3-review-price-movements-in-coe-premiums-and-free-ev-charging-on-national-day

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