2023 BMW i4 Review – Electrifying Brilliance, For Drivers

A bad habit of mine, or a habit deemed bad by the many companies I work with, is my innate need to hand-wash the cars that are lent to me at some point through the period I have them, often right before I return them. I’ve been told time and time again that it isn’t necessary as they either have a fleet manager to have the cars sorted upon return, or that they have people in-house who wash their cars ahead of them being lent to members of the press.

The thing I find about washing the cars I have is that it gives me a moment to reflect on the time I’ve spent with them in a quiet, controlled, and considered way. Every bug I clean off the grille is a reminder of a drive, every water stain a reminder of inclement weather, and every bit of dust and every smudge in the interior a reminder of me getting to grips with a new car. It all comes back to me, and due to the manner with which I do things, it doesn’t overwhelm. 

A mistaken assumption often levelled at motoring journalists is that we get familiar with cars almost instantly, and that nothing flummoxes us. That couldn’t be further from the truth – as cars have gotten more complicated and electronic especially, more and more functions get drowned in an ocean of touch-sensitive screens hiding menus upon submenus upon submenus. This is often why I can be found idling for 20 to 30 minutes at a time in carparks just fiddling with the infotainment system in order to discover just what’s hidden in the maze of menus, and then setting the car up exactly how I’d like it. 

This is an area where electric vehicles particularly fall foul. In the transition from combustion to electric, more and more carmakers have taken the opportunity to try and reinvent the wheel. Buttons and switches have made way for bigger and more complicated screens (which also negates people complaining about cheap-feeling items), leaving poor sods like me jabbing away at them for an eternity at a time. 

Now yes, I’m aware that owners will very rarely have to face this. If you’re lucky and you have a well-trained sales advisor (something that I’ve recently discovered are few and far between) you’d have been given a comprehensive on-boarding process when you take delivery, and you’ll get used to everything quickly enough. But I’ve always been of the mind that if it requires more than two days to familiarise yourself with something, then it’s most likely an error of design, engineering, or just the work of an overeager interior designer aiming for ‘minimalism.’

This was what I found particularly infuriating in the BMW iX, the firms’ flagship ground-up born-electric luxury sports “activity” vehicle (it’s not an SUV, they affirm). In their drive to minimise everything, they’d relegated many of oft-used functions into the expansive touchscreen display, including things like the adaptive cruise follow distance and even the settings for brake regeneration. This was such a peeve that eventually I just stopped using the systems altogether and kept it 100% human-driven at all times, right before the Android Auto decided to absolutely freeze me out requiring a remote-triggered system reset. How fun.

So when I was given the keys to their new i4, the electric interpretation of the 4-Series GranCoupe, I walked up to it with a touch of trepidation. I was already feeling a sense of dread come over me as I recalled my time in the iX – I don’t often get to drive BMWs, let alone electric ones, so this was the freshest memory I had of the experience. But as I approached the four-door coupe the lights came on as it sensed the key getting closer, flashing the LaserLights and illuminating BMW’s ‘Light Carpet’ system on the sills, which was almost distracting enough to make me overlook its gormless grille. 

Being an ‘electric car conversion’ of sorts, having been engineered off an existing internal-combustion model rather than built off a bespoke EV-focused platform, the i4 benefits from very classic proportions. There’s an expansive bonnet designed to hide a huge twin-turbo inline-6 in the G80 M3, but here it instead houses a sea of plastic. In some models there’s an electric motor beneath, but in the eDrive40, there’s just a reminder that a little more planning could have freed up space for cable storage. Moving down the side, the 19-inch diamond-cut alloys look slightly small, their 255/40-section tyres looking like healthy doughnuts rather than the sliver of rubber one would expect from something that looks so sporty. And at the rear, following a gently-tapering roofline, you’ll find a hatchback framed by a pair of rather expressive LED taillights and a complicated rear diffuser. 

Ignoring the grille, which is so offensive it made me consider gouging my eyes out several times, it all seems rather inoffensive. But I get the impression that the typical BMW design language where the body appears to be stretched thinly over its chassis is somewhat gone. The i4, and subsequently the 4-Series, appears far more bulky than the model that it replaces. There’s more metalwork, more heft, and BMW has done little to try and hide it. The designer, Anne Forschner, says that this deliberate addition of visual heft is to give the car a more substantial presence – I never saw that as an issue in previous iterations of the 3-Series (and later the 4), but what do I know. 

In the eDrive40, the i4 is powered by a 340PS/430Nm electric motor mounted over the rear axle, powered by an 83.9kWh lithium-ion battery, capable of rocketing the car from rest to 100km/h in just 5.7-seconds, and onward to a limited top speed of 190km/h. Testing that regularly will not yield the 590km of maximum range the car claims, but you’ll then likely appreciate the 200kW DC fast-charging capability that can rejuice the swoopy-roofed electric sports car from 10% to 80% in just 31-minutes. On an 11kW AC charger, it’ll take about eight and a quarter hours to go from flat to full. 

A quick aside on safety, the i4 eDrive40 is equipped as-standard with the Driving Assistant Professional suite, which tacks on autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control with traffic-jam assistant, lane-centring assist with lane-change assist, blind-spot monitoring, side-assist collision prevention, and rear cross-traffic alert with automatic braking. There’s also a 360º camera with multi-angle view, which changes the viewing angle automatically based on the situation the driver puts the car in. All quite swish. 

Equally swish is the cabin, much to my surprise. Instead of doing away with all the buttons, BMW’s only removed the HVAC controls and placed them in the iDrive system, leaving everything else as-is. So the meaty M-Sport steering wheel still houses all the adaptive-cruise functionality I’d expect, along with the necessary switches to manipulate the 12.3-inch drivers’ display and full-colour heads-up display too. Everything inside feels overengineered and pleasing to use – the indicator stalks move confidently and with a nice action to them too, as do the iDrive controller and light switches. The confusing graphics of the instrument cluster remain, and no amount of fiddling can change that. I much prefer the seemingly-infinite customisation offered by Mercedes-Benz with their MBUX system, which no matter how you set it up, is still easy to read and understand at a glance. At least the full-colour heads-up display means I don’t have to look at the instrument cluster too often. 

There’s an assumption that electric cars are banal and uninteresting to drive. A fair assumption, given that the majority of Malaysians would have at this point interacted with vehicles like the BYD Atto 3 or, more recently, the Dolphin. Maybe if you’re adventurous you may have driven a Hyundai Ioniq 5 or Kona EV, but these are all cars where the most engaging part of the drive is the electric propulsion. This is not the case in the i4.

When you’re familiar with BMWs (which I am very privileged to say I am), you will understand that there’s an ineffable quality to the way they change direction, manage their heft, and sit poised on the road. Despite the sheer heft of the i4, which tips the scales at nearly 2.2-tonnes, you really don’t feel it from the drivers’ seat. The electric motor and its instantaneous torque make light work of propelling the car from a standstill, and the steering offers a heft along with its strong serving of accuracy. It isn’t communicative by a long shot – but in today’s world, we’ll settle for the pin-sharp nature of the i4’s controls quite happily.

On technical, tight B-roads, the i4 demonstrated that it was not to be scoffed at, with the same kind of agility and eagerness one would more readily expect from an M340i. The immediacy of the power paired to the harmony from the steering wheel, working in concert with the grippy M-Sport seats and their adjustable bolsters meant that it felt every bit a drivers’ car. And Hans Zimmer didn’t need to chime in to replace the iconic inline-6 soundtrack I’ve come to expect from something with the Bavarian roundel – I shut off the ‘Iconic Sounds’ and found myself using the brake regeneration function to slow the car down into corners. 

A word to the wise: I only attempted this after having driven the i4 for several days. If one isn’t fully accustomed to the nature of the brake regeneration, the progression of the throttle pedal, and the mapping of the brakes, you could very easily launch yourself into a hedge. But I assume most owners would acclimatise themselves with their cars quite quickly, which speaks to the intuitive nature of the driving experience. Speaking of the brakes, gone are the days where cars would hurtle their passengers back and forth as they switch between regenerative braking and friction braking – this is a smooth operator insofar as stopping is concerned. 

And once you’ve tired of driving your i4 like berks like to drive their 3rd-hand BMW 316i’s with aftermarket M bodykits, you can do what they can’t: Settle into a relaxing, quiet, comfortable cruise home. The i4 enjoys incredible levels of refinement, far beyond even a 530i, owing to the need to insulate the cabin further thanks to the removal of the noisy power thing under the bonnet. With the standard-fit level-2 semi-autonomous driving capabilities offered on the i4, you really can cruise for hundreds of kilometres without breaking a sweat as you enjoy the frankly brilliant Harman Kardon audio system. 

What BMW has demonstrated is that they haven’t thrown out the fun by canning the internal combustion engine. In typical BMW fashion, they’re leading the way in the luxury segment by clearly stating that going electric doesn’t mean even the slightest loss of character – if anything, it is an opportunity to build upon the reputation your brand already enjoys and cement its place while the world changes around you. The BMW i4 may not be the brands’ flagship electric vehicle, but it is a masterful example of how the drivers that BMW owners tend to be will still get our kicks, even when the dino juice runs out. 


GALLERY: 2023 BMW I4 EDRIVE40 M-SPORT (G26), M BROOKLYN GREY

BMW X3 M Competition, X4 M Competition Arrive – 510hp, 600Nm, From RM887k

Not content with just the flagship M8 and M8 GranCoupe, BMW Group Malaysia also introduced two more accessible variants to the M lineup in the form of the X3 M Competition and X4 M Competition. These two machines are targeted more at customers who need a splash of practicality to go along with their driving thrills, as despite their raised ride heights and rooflines both the X3 M Competition and X4 M Competition are geared at the sort of owners who actually go to the track. 

“For over two decades, the BMW X range has been unrivalled in the high-performance mid-size segments, having pioneered some of the most advanced four-wheel drive technology in the industry. Tonight, BMW Malaysia is thrilled to be introducing two additions not just to the BMW X fairy but also the high-performance lineup – the first-ever BMW X3 M Competition and BMW X4 M Competition.”

– Harald Hoelzl, Managing Director, BMW Group Malaysia

The BMW X3 M Competition and BMW X4 M Competition further expands the BMW X portfolio of powerful Sports Activity Vehicles (SAV) and Sports Activity Coupes (SAC) respectively. Both bring a whole new level of speed and performance to the segment, with their new BMW M TwinPower Turbo engines capable of 510hp.

In addition to power, the new high-powered SAV and SAC are also equipped with advanced driver assistance systems and intelligent in-car connectivity features. This includes the Driving Assistant Plus that offers optimal support during sporty driving.

The BMW X3 M Competition and BMW X4 M Competition both appear with the characteristically-M design elements, complemented by the sporty aesthetics of the BMW X. The powerful front section of the vehicles are made up of a distinctive front apron and a large, hexagonal air intake – built to ensure optimal ventilation for the front brakes under high thermal loads. The BMW M models also feature adaptive LED headlights with high-beam assistance, along with full-LED taillights as standard.

A long bonnet and wheelbase, steeply-raked windscreen, and slightly-rectangular wheel arches lend the new models an exceptionally sporty silhouette. The M Sport exhaust system – recognisable by its four black-chrome tailpipes, adds an unmistakable sound when going full-throttle and at high-revs. The new BMW M models also run on 21-inch bi-colour M light alloys equipped with Adaptive M suspension.

Black kidney grille surrounds, side gills and wing mirror caps are also standard to the models. Individually, the X3 M Competition features a slim rear diffuser in high-gloss black and an M-specific roof spoiler. The X4 M Competition on the other hand features a black spoiler at the rear.

Both the SAV and SAC feature a number of M-specific components for a more engaging driving experience, improving performance and handling dynamics. The strut brace up front improves stiffness when subjected to strong lateral acceleration. Complemented by adaptive dampers, stiffer stabilisers, an Active M Differential and M Compound Brakes, the X3 M Competition and X4 M Competition are some of the sharpest driving tools out there both on the road and on the track.

Both cars are powered by the same 3.0-litre straight-6 twin-turbocharged petrol engine, producing an identical 510hp and 600Nm. Power goes to all-four wheels via an 8-speed M Steptronic automatic gearbox capable of lightning-fast gearchanges.

Both cars can hit 100km/h from rest in just 4.1-seconds too – do bear that in mind if you have kids in the back.

The interiors of the X3 M Competition and X4 M Competition welcome passengers with an iconic M interior ambience that is both sporty and elegant. Front passengers are greeted with M-branded entry sills, as well as comfortable sports seats with active seat ventilation, lumbar support, and illuminated ‘M’ badging on the headrests. The M leather steering wheel reflects the “superior performance” of both these cars, with shift paddles, red M Drive buttons, and a red start/stop button. The sense of intensity are then complemented further by the redesigned M gear selector and three-level controls for the engine, damper, and steering responses.

Additionally, the new BMW M models include carbon fibre trim, contrast stitching in ‘M’ colours, M seatbelts, pedals, and kneepads. The digital instrument clusters in both cars are also unique to them, with M-specific layouts and formats that are designed to engage and excite.

As these two cars are still activity machines in nature, they’re still reasonably practical. The X3 M Competition offers about 550L with the seats up, but can be expanded up to 1600L with the seats down. On the swoopy-roofed sibling, standard luggage capacity measures in at 525L with a grand total of 1430L available with the rear seats down.

Speaking of the rear seats, the X3 M Competition offers backrest adjustment for the rear-seat passengers, as well as retractable sun-blinds for the rear side windows for added comfort.

Both cars offer a bevy of connectivity and convenience features, such as a colour heads-up display with M-specific displays, and Parking Assistant Plus with Surround View and Remote 3D Service. Infotainment is served up via a 10.25-inch Control Display that can be operated via a central iDrive controller, touch input, or Gesture control. They’re both also offered with ConnectedDrive services as standard, equipping Concierge Services, Teleservices, Remote Services, Intelligent Emergency Call, and Apple CarPlay as standard too. No Android Auto though, but music is played through a Harman Kardon audio system with a 600W amplifier, nine channels, and 16-speakers.

Intelligent assistance systems such as Driving Assistant Plus and Parking Assistant Plus are also bundled into both models, along with Comfort Access with an automatic tailgate. There’s also a wireless charger for smartphones somewhere in the cabin…

The X3 M Competition and X4 M Competition are both available in 6 exterior colours and, depending on the chosen finish, can be had in either black, orange (more like a light-tan), or grey Merino leather upholstery.  

The new BMW X3 M Competition and BMW X4 M Competition are available from all authorised BMW dealerships from RM886,551.58 for the former, and RM904,276.60 for the latter. Retail pricing is on-the-road without insurance, as well as a 5-year unlimited-mileage warranty and free scheduled servicing. 

GALLERY: BMW X3 M COMPETITION & X4 M COMPETITION MAKE DEBUT AT M TOWN

GALLERY: 2020 BMW X3 M COMPETITION

GALLERY: 2020 BMW X4 M COMPETITION

BMW Unveils M8, M8 GranCoupe – 4.4-Litre V8, 600hp, 700Nm, From RM1.45mil

BMW Group Malaysia decided to usher in the weekend with a bang with the arrival of no less than four new M cars in a bespoke setting they called ‘The Secret Garage at M Town,’ modelled after the secret garage in the M Division headquarters in Munich, Germany.

The flagship introductions of the night were the M8 Coupe and the M8 GranCoupe, the two- and four-door performance flagships of the BMW lineup. The former marks the first-ever ‘official’ M8, with only one prototype of a proposed ‘BMW M8’ in existence locked deep in the BMW M garage. The M8 GranCoupe arrives as an accompaniment for those who want the style, agility and performance, but need a couple of extra back seats as not to completely disregard the practicality demands of daily life. 

“At the BMW Group, M is the Most Powerful Letter in the World, as it represents the high-performance vehicles born out of pure passion for motorsports. This fascination for power, speed, and dynamics has put M on the map since 1972. Today, we are pleased to bring together superior aesthetics and unimaginable power via the first-ever BMW M8 Coupe and first-ever BMW M8 GranCoupe, right here in the Secret Garage and M Town.” — Harald Hoelzl, Managing Director, BMW Group Malaysia

The arrival of the M8 marks a whole new level of performance, as it benefits from the most powerful engine developed by BMW M. The M8 Gran Coupe makes use of the same engine too: A 4.4-litre TwinPower Turbo V8 producing no less than 600hp and 750Nm, with power going to all-four wheels via an 8-speed M Steptronic automatic paired to an M xDrive all-wheel drive system. The Coupe can dispatch the century sprint in just 3.3-seconds, while the GranCoupe is only a blink slower. 

Drivers of the M8 Coupe and M8 GranCoupe can choose between three different drive modes depending on the mood: There’s ‘Efficient,’ ‘Sport,’ and ‘Sport Plus’ to choose from, which are all pretty self-explanatory. Each mode changes the V8’s response to the pedal, and alters the sound of the flap-controlled exhaust system. There are also paddles behind the steering wheel too, to induce even more aural histrionics (or, you know, for greater control over the performance). 

The M xDrive system is worth mentioning too, because it’s no rudimentary all-wheel drive system. It splits torque between the axles depending on the driving conditions and chosen settings, but it is rear-biased by default. The 4WD Sport mode will channel more power toward the rear, while the 2WD mode keeps the power on the rear wheels alone. The 2WD mode can only be activated with the stability control off, to ensure maximum engagement for drivers intent on raising their blood pressure. 

Both cars also feature adaptive dampers and a double-wishbone front suspension, while the rear features a 5-point multilink setup. Both the Coupe and GranCoupe come with M Compound brakes with blue brake callipers, along with the M-exclusive integrated brake system (which bundles brake activation, brake boosting, and braking control all in one). 

Compared to the cooking BMW 850i M-Sport (which has the same 4.4-litre V8 by the way), the M8 and M8 GranCoupe feature unique flourishes like twin-spar door mirrors, a carbon-fibre roof, flared front wheel arches with M vents (with ‘M8’ on them), an M8 rear diffuser replete with a unique twin-twin exhaust pipes with chrome finishers. The car also rides on 20-inch twin-colour alloys with staggered widths. 

The interior of the M8 & M8 GranCoupe (we paraphrase but it’s described as the ‘confluence of luxury and performance’) comes with full Merino leather upholstery, M Sports seats with illuminated M8 logos in the headrests, replete with letter on the dashboard and door cards. There’s also a unique gear-lever and a red starter button (because it’s a performance car, obviously). You’ll also find the BMW Live Cockpit Professional system front and centre, with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster ahead of the driver, accompanied by a high-resolution 10.25-inch touchscreen display in the centre, as well as a full-colour heads-up display projected onto the windscreen. 

You’ll also find soft-closing doors on both M8s as well as an electric tailgate, while you can also get the car with a Digital Key if you have a supported smartphone from Samsung. 

The BMW M8 and M8 GranCoupe also offer quite a bit in the way of active safety: Both cars are equipped as standard with the BMW Personal CoPilot system which bundles in Driving Assistant Professional & Parking Assistant Plus, offering lane-keep assist, side-collision protection, lane-charge warning, cross-traffic alert, reversing assistant, and other little helpful features. 

The BMW M8 Coupe and BMW M8 GranCoupe are officially available in Malaysia priced from RM1,452,960 and RM1,455,145 respectively, both on-the-road without insurance and with an SST exemption (50% reduction, as these cars are both fully-imported). For the money you also get a 5-year/unlimited mileage warranty, as well as free service throughout the same period. 

Befitting a flagship, the new M8 and M8 GranCoupe can be had in as many as 7-colours, while the BMW Individual suite of customisation options also remains open for engagement and a sense of individuality. 

If neither of these cars really tickle your fancy, owing to their nature as slinky-roofed style-focused machines, perhaps the BMW X3M Competition and X4M Competition might be more your speed. Launched on the same day, the two new compact M ‘Sports Activity Vehicles; may be more your speed. 

But be sure to check out @MsianMotoring for more updates as they come. 

GALLERY: BMW M8 COUPE & BMW M8 GRANCOUPE MAKE DEBUT AT M TOWN

GALLERY: 2020 BMW M8 COUPE

GALLERY: 2020 BMW M8 GRAN COUPE

2020 BMW X5 xDrive45e Lands – 3.0 I-6, 394PS, RM441k Without SST

A year after its pure-combustion sibling made its debut, BMW Group Malaysia has finally unveiled the long-awaited X5 xDrive45e PHEV, which will take the place of the mightily-successful F15 predecessor model. Dubbed the G05, the new X5 PHEV has big shoes to fill – thankfully, it seems to be intent on doing so just fine.

Under the skin you’ll find a brand new chassis, upon which sits a brand new powertrain. Gone is the strained 2.0-litre 4-cylinder that was the bugbear of many owners (of both the X5 as well as the pre-LCI G01 7-Series PHEV), and in its place stands a beefier 3.0-litre straight-6 mill. Aside from providing the soundtrack that any self-respecting BMW owner should demand, it also puts out a more meaty 286PS and 450Nm, making it a pretty brawny thing alone even before you consider the added pep that the plug-in hybrid side of the powertrain offers.

The X5 xDrive45e also comes with an electric motor, sandwiched between the 3.0-litre petrol mill up front and the ZF 8-speed automatic gearbox. That motor provides on its own an additional 113PS and 265Nm, though BMW claims the combined output looks like 394hp and 600Nm. Despite the sheer size of the G05, the plug-in hybrid X5 can sprint from 0-100km/h in just 5.6-seconds, before going on to a top speed of 235km/h.

The new G05 doesn’t just have performance stats to offer, but proper eco-friendly credentials too. Thanks to a new 24kWh battery, the G05 X5 can run zero-emissions for 77km on a full charge (according to BMW Malaysia). As a result, it is reasonable to assume that most Malaysian owners who keep their X5’s juiced-up will be able to complete most of their weekly runs on pure electric power alone, contributing to a low 2.5L/100km claimed fuel consumption figure. The only drawback to this is the charging times: Due to the enormity of the battery, the X5 xDrive45e requires 6.8-hours to charge from flat to full via a Type-2 3.7kW connector, but plugged into a standard 230V 3-point domestic plug it’ll take about 11-hours. Yikes.

Inside, the cockpit of the New BMW X5 xDrive45e M Sport is stylishly fitted with Leather Vernasca upholstery for a touch of elegance. The interior also features M leather steering wheel, an electrically adjustable steering wheel, Sport front seats with memory function for the driver’s seat, four-zone automatic air conditioning and the instrument panel in Sensatec. Excellent music for driving is further boosted with the 464W 16-Speaker Harman Kardon surround sound system.

The new SAV comes with a boot capacity that can be easily increased from 500 litres to 1,720 litres. The new SAV also comes with automatic tailgate operation with contactless opening and closing functions, along with a two-section tailgate for ease of loading. The top section can be opened electrically, while the bottom section is released manually.

The highlight of the new BMW X5 xDrive45e M-Sport is the BMW Live Cockpit Professional with Gesture Control and Intelligent Personal Assistant. The BMW Live Cockpit Professional combines the 12.3-inch Fully Digital Instrument Display with an equally large touchscreen Control Display. Rear passengers will be able to enjoy the Rear Seat Entertainment Professional with a 10.2-inch touchscreen monitor. Wireless charging is also offered for added convenience on the road. Next-level driving assistance is offered via the BMW Personal CoPilot, which includes Lane Departure Warning and Lane Changing Warning. The system also features Frontal Collision Warning with braking intervention, Rear Crossing Traffic Warning, Rear Collision Prevention, as well as speed limit info.

The BMW X5 xDrive45e does a very good job of lowering the local cost of entry into the X5 range – at RM440,745 it is significantly cheaper than its pure-combustion brother, which debuted in Malaysia at RM618,888. That said, the greener sibling will face very, very stiff competition from the beloved & respected Volvo XC90, which was recently refreshed to improve its overall packaging as well as its price, which tops out at RM409,888 for the fully-loaded T8 TwinEngine Inscription Plus variant.

All new BMW X5 xDrive45e’s will be available with a 5-year/unlimited mileage warranty, as well as a separate 8-year/160,000km warranty for the plug-in hybrid powertrain. Additionally, you get free scheduled services for the first 5-years of ownership too.

The 2020 BMW X5 xDrive45e is available with the Balloon Financing Plan via BMW Group Financial Services Malaysia, with monthly installments starting from RM5,028 (based on an 80% loan over a 5-year tenure). The new X5 PHEV will be available for viewing in showrooms beginning this Saturday, the 20th of June.


ED: It’ll be interesting to pit the German newcomer with the steady and unflinching Swede, don’t you think? Let us know in the comments below, or on our Facebook page. Maybe that will get BMW Malaysia’s attention…

6 SST-Free Bargains You Must Snap Up – Peroduas, Toyotas, BMWs, Volvos

Buy a new car, save the economy. Who could argue with that?

Earlier today, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced that as part of the PENJANA COVID-19 economic stimulus package, new car purchases are set to see between a 50% reduction and 100% reduction of their sales & service tax as a way to stimulate sales in the automotive segment. This announcement came as a welcome move by the automotive sector, who are now hoping that things really can go back to normal for them.

As sales tax has long been part & parcel of any new car, many Malaysians are unaware of just how much SST they pay for on a new car. For reference, all new cars are subject to 10% SST – therefore, the ‘discounts’ on a new car can be easily calculated at 10% for locally-assembled or CKD vehicles, while there’ll be a 5% retail price reduction for fully-imported cars.

To give you an idea of what that looks like, we’ve listed down 6 excellent cars from across the spectrum, beginning with everyone’s favourite Perodua Myvi, all the way up to the segment-leading & benchmark-setting Volvo XC90, as well as a reference in between of what a fully-imported purchase would feel like right about now too.

It’s worth noting of course that as SST is applied only to the nett selling price, the figures that we’re suggesting here are likely a bit hopeful – based on what we saw during the last ‘tax holiday,’ we should expect to see decreases between 3%-5% at the most off retail selling prices. But given the current situation, car companies would be remiss not to put their best deals forward to lure customers back into showrooms and into new cars, no?

PERODUA MYVI 1.5 AV – RM48,681 (RM5409 expected reduction)

The Perodua Myvi is a firm favourite for all Malaysians, with the B-segment hatchback racking up an average of 100,000 annual sales every year since its introduction nearly 13 years ago. With lots of space, punchy performance, and levels of safety & convenience kit that would put most of its competitors to shame, the Perodua Myvi is a tough car to beat, which is why it dominates the sub-RM100k segment almost entirely.

Watch our review of the Perodua Myvi here.

PERODUA ARUZ 1.5 AV – RM70,110 (RM7790 expected reduction)

The Perodua Aruz is another one of the Sg. Choh company’s runaway successes, though while the Myvi is famously known as the surprise hit, the Aruz was far more calculated. Dominating the sub-RM100k SUV space and taking the cake as Malaysia’s most popular SUV, the Aruz provides acres of space & practicality, and offers car-like usability & functionality despite the commanding ride height. And paired with traditional Perodua running costs, it’s no wonder that its Japanese sibling (which is built in the same factory with the same powertrain by the same people, mind) is failing to gain traction…

You can watch our review of the Perodua Aruz here.

TOYOTA COROLLA 1.8G (CBU) – RM132,893 (RM6995 expected reduction)

The Toyota Corolla is actually our only fully-imported example car we’re putting in the list, on the account of its great styling, amazing safety kit, and impressive performance. The Thai-built Corolla (now free of the ‘Altis’ name previous generations carried) is an excellent example of what we can expect to see from the Japanese marque going forwards – more engaging design, a more engaging drive, better technology, and the same tried-and-tested Toyota value.

(We haven’t reviewed the Toyota Corolla yet, so there’s no review to plug here…)

BMW 330i M-Sport (CKD) – RM264,420 (RM29,380 expected reduction)

The de-facto choice in the compact executive saloon space, BMW Group Malaysia was wise to quickly introduce the CKD version of this car when it did. Not only did it offer a massive saving over the fully-imported first batch of cars, but it demonstrated the excellent quality control measures implemented by the local assembly plant, proving that there’s literally nothing to lose.

Notably, the G20 3-Series is now a sharper drive than the F30 it replaces, which means it has returned to form as the driver’s choice in the segment. Not that the majority of its buyers seek it out specifically for that, in all honesty.

(We also haven’t reviewed the G20 BMW 3-Series. Do these car companies not like us?)

Volvo S60 T8 R-Design (CKD) – RM266,299.20 (RM29,588.80 expected reduction)

We threw this in here because it’s an absolute favourite of ours at MalaysianMotoring – with restrained styling, mind-bending performance, unbelievable (yet verified) fuel economy and standard-setting safety, the Volvo S60 is a very difficult car to fault. Couple that with a truly refined ride and the ability to outsprint a Mercedes-AMG C43, and this Swede begins to show its more brutish side.

This car is like Dwayne Johnson in a suit. Ever a gentleman, but still able to knock your jaw out at 20 paces.

(Do we not review enough cars on this website? Thank God we’ve already driven the next one…)

Volvo XC90 T8 Inscription Plus (CKD) – RM368,899.20 (RM40,988.80 expected reduction)

Another favourite in the office, but also a favourite among buyers – in the 7-seater SUV space, the Volvo XC90 is not only the segment leader in terms of safety, performance and standard equipment, but it’s also the most affordable of the bunch, outpricing its nearest competitors by about 5-figures at the minimum. And it’s no Turkish prison either, with sumptuous Nappa leather seats, mesmirising Bowers & Wilkins premium audio, a solid crystal gear selector knob, and the sort of ride comfort that would shame everything short of a Rolls-Royce. The Volvo XC90 may have led Volvo’s transformation into the company we see today in the here-and-now, but it’s showing absolutely no signs of aging, or slowing down.

The Volvo XC90 was #Recharged for the 2020 model year – check out our review here.


So our advice is this – if you find yourself with money to burn, a secure job and secure income, now is the best time to buy a car. Not only will you be saving way more than any seasonal promotion, but you’ll also be directly helping our beloved local automotive industry and the millions of people that it employs directly & indirectly stay afloat.

And boy, don’t we Malaysians just love our cars?

BMW Group Malaysia Reports Valiant Show In 2019 – 11,567 Units Across BMW, MINI, Motorrad Divisions

In an event held in the city centre today, BMW Group Malaysia announced their ‘2019 Report Card’ to detail how the Group performed in what’s unilaterally regarded as a ‘challenging year’ in a ‘challenging market.’ Despite the headwinds, BMW Group Malaysia posted some pretty healthy numbers, driven by the 32 model variants introduced in 2019 across the BMW, MINI, and BMW Motorrad arms of the business.

BMW Group Malaysia was keen to underline that it retains its position as the leading electrified-mobility provider in Malaysia, with 3,148 units of electrified BMWs and MINIs delivered in 2019, contributing to the overall total in excess of 17,000 electrified models since BMW Group Malaysia began its electrified offensive in 2015. This was backed up by an introduction of 18 new BMW i charging facilities across the country, bringing the total number of chargers installed by the brand in the last three years to over 30.

“Against the backdrop of a challenging year for the automotive sector, we are proud to have achieved such success within the electrified segment in Malaysia and across the globe – which reaffirms our optimism for the year ahead. We are committed to continue leading the charge for electromobility in Malaysia, especially in light of the upcoming National Automotive Policy announcement that will see electrified vehicles play a prominent role in propelling our automotive sector to greater heights.”

Mr. Harald Hoelzl, Managing Director, BMW Group Malaysia

The success of the Group was driven primarily by the BMW brand itself, with 9,300 new owners recorded in 2019. The new 3-Series racked up 2,514 registrations, of which over 1,000 were made up of the BMW 330e M-Sport. The 5-Series came in as the second biggest contributor, with over 2,000 new owners found in the same period.

The BMW X family of vehicles also made good headway in 2019, with 3,985 units recorded between all its members. The X3 brought back 1,354 sales, with the smaller X1 totalling 1,331 sales. The BMW X5 xDrive40e also played a critical role, with 975 units (or 24% of the overall BMW X sales) recorded in 2019.

MINI on the other hand saw a shift of 1,142 vehicles, with the Mini Countryman contributing over half of all deliveries. BMW Motorrad followed right behind the British marque with 1,125 units shifted too, with the Adventure segment finding over 600 new homes.

Compared to their performance in 2018, BMW Group saw a drop of 2,771 overall sales, or nearly 20% year-on-year. This is in keeping with the shrinkage of premium segment sales over an otherwise stagnant total industry volume. Only Volvo has come out of this rough patch unscathed, charting a growth of over 30% through 2019 while its major competitors had to tighten their belts.

Regardless, it is promising to see that the BMW Group remains committed to the Malaysian market with plans already being laid to make full use of the soon-to-be-announced National Automotive Policy that will hopefully see their Kulim, Kedah plant continue to play a major role in the brand’s presence in the ASEAN market.