So 1st June has come and gone, and true to form, the prices of cars did indeed drop, significantly, even before the actual date of implementation in may cases. Well, this got me thinking, what’s the best deal out there right now, if we disregard the two national brands? I guess I’ve given the game away with the featured image above, so let’s dive right into why I picked these two; one Japanese and one Continental, and believe it or not, they are somewhat related…
The Honda City…
As far as the B-segment of the car market is concerned, and especially for first-time car buyers, in the non-national car market you’d be hard-pressed to find a better deal than the Honda City i-VTEC right now. Post 0% GST, prices for the Honda City start just RM70,000-ish (S variant, less with on-going Raya bonus incentives) and end at around RM84,000 (Hybrid). Touted at launch last year as offering C-segment features in a B-segment car, this is not an empty boast.
Across the range, be in the S, E, V or Hybrid, the Honda City comes packed with a host of active and passive safety features such as airbags, anti-lock brakes, brake assist, vehicle stability assist, hill start assist, and emergency signal stop. This is most heartening because oft times, car makers only offer all these important safety systems in their range-topping model only. That kind of commitment and responsibility to the consumer alone makes the Honda City more than worthy of its now even lower asking price. Here’s my in-car video…
As you can see, despite my disdain for CVT gearboxes, the one in the City is quite easy to live with, and since it has paddle-shifters on the multi-function steering-wheel, it also allows a little bit of fun if you’re so inclined. However, just leaving it in D and letting the ‘box do the work is perfectly fine. It’s one of the better CVTs out there for sure. Of course, there’s always the City Sport Hybrid with its 7-speed DCT to opt for, if you wish. The new prices for Honda vehicles can be found here.
Then again, if you want something completely different, have a look at this….
The Renault Fluence…
No, I’m not on any medication or recreational drugs. I got to thinking about the Renault Fluence after returning the Renault Koleos recently (full review coming soon), and it just so happened that TCEC (Tan Chong EuroCars) had sent out their post 0% GST prices on that day. You can check that report here.
I really did think my eyes were playing tricks on me when I saw that the Fluence was now RM40,000 cheaper. It’s not just from the GST exemption of course, TCEC is having a special Raya 2018 promotion, which in addition to the 0% GST, offers some amazing rebates as well. As such, limited units of the Renault Fluence 2.0 are going for under RM80,000 now. No, that’s not a typo…
So where the Honda City offers “C-segment features in a B-segment car”, the Fluence is a “C-segment car at a B-segment price”. See? Told you they were somewhat related… Okay, maybe that’s a bit of a stretch even for me, but you see my point right? Here’s a C-segmenter that’s actually cheaper than the mid-range Honda City E variant, and just RM10k more than an entry-level Toyota Vios! Here’s my in-car video of the Fluence…
In addition, TCEC offers one of the best after-sales incentives which include:
- Free service and maintenance (parts and labour) for five years or up to 100,000km, whichever comes first
- A five-year manufacturer’s warranty with unlimited mileage
- Complimentary 24 hours roadside assistance*
- Pick-up and delivery during scheduled maintenance at Renault service centres
- Mobility service of replacement car in the event any part is not available for over 48 hours at authorised service centres, subject to availability
*only available for customers who purchase their insurance under Tan Chong Insurance Business Stream (TCIBS)
Conclusion: So as you can see folks, there are plenty of great deals out there at the moment, and these two just happen to be my choice, from the Japanese and Continental segments, and no, neither Honda Malaysia nor TCEC Renault ‘sponsored’ this post, just in case you were wondering. – Chris Wee.
Honda Civic & Renault Fluence Photo Gallery…
