Gege Goes To: AutoRevo Weekend Drive 2014

There is an online automotive media in Indonesia called Bos Mobil and they have an online digital magazine called AutoRevo. I don't know about the magazine, but the website mainly tells about cars, from new car information to lifestyle of car owners. Since it's all about cars, on May 17 and 18, they held an audio competition in, kinda surpisingly, my hometown. It was located on The Breeze in BSD City, Serpong. With that aside, they also held a test drive event called AutoRevo Weekend Drive 2014. Feel curious, I came there to find out.

I, with my brother, came there in the morning and as usual, it was rather quite. But, hours later, people starts came attending the event. Heard from the organizer talking to someone, it turns out that this event had been held since last year. I never heard about it, but anyway.

The event was a bit like Parade Test Drive at Otobursa. But, instead of very short obstacle course, this one had a course in the parking area and around the BSD City Marketing Office road. So it was more enjoyable. You can even take it to the limit because the road was somehow slightly empty. Apart from test drive, there were also a car showcase inside The Breeze.

Now, the cars. There were quite a lot, but not as many as Parade Test Drive. There were 9 cars you could choose to test from 5 manufacture. They were:

Chevrolet:

• Aveo
• Spin

Ford:

• EcoSport

Kia:

• Rio
• Sportage

Suzuki:

• Ertiga
• Karimun Wagon R

Toyota:

• Avanza Veloz
• Corolla Altis

We only tested 4 cars. And here are some of the mini review, which, once again, not that thorough. Sorry for that.

Suzuki Karimun Wagon R (GX, M/T)

Spec:

1.0L inline 3-cylinder DOHC

Power: 68 ps

Torque: 90 Nm

Transmission: 5-speed manual, no automatic option

Also available in cheaper GA and GL variant

Pros:

• Good steering
• Spacious backseat leg room
• Comfortable seats

Cons:

• No headrest on backseat
• Clutch pedal is too light

Chevrolet Aveo (LT, A/T)

Spec:

1.5L inline 4-cylinder DOHC

Power: 100 ps

Torque: 130 Nm

Transmission: 6-speed semi-automatic, also available in 5-speed manual

Pros:

• Spacious backseat leg room
• Comfortable seats

Cons:

• Quite heavy steering
• Weird suspension feel
• No reach setting on steering wheel

Toyota Avanza Veloz (A/T)

Spec:

1.5L inline 4-cylinder DOHC VVTi

Power: 104 ps

Torque: 13.9 kgm

Transmission: 4-speed automatic, also available in 5-speed manual

Pros:

• Good steering
• Comfortable seats
• Better driving view from the previous generation
• Good engine response

Cons:

• Throttle response is too light
• Better suspension than previous generation, but still not good enough

Toyota Corolla Altis (2013 model, V, A/T) *tested by my brother

Spec:

1.8L inline 4-cylinder DOHC Dual VVTi

Power: 151 ps

Torque: 19.4 kgm

Transmission: CVT with 7-speed Sport Sequential Shiftmatic & paddle shifter, no manual option

Also available in cheaper G variant with 6-speed manual transmission only

Pros:

• Nice suspension
• Good handling response
• Comfortable seats
• Spacious back seat leg room

Cons:

• Brake pedal is too small for A/T cars
• Paddle shifter position is not good