My Motor Show report, for what it's worth (no pics sorry)

[fish fingers]

I went along yesterday, not that busy. Arrived 4.30 and stayed til 9pm. I'd recommend taking the train to Mo Chit and just jumping in a cab(around 140 baht inc toll), and use the minibus link to BTS on the way back(30 baht).

Ok, definitely the most popular new car BY FAR was the Ford Everest SUV. There was a long queue just to got onto the stand to see it. I couldn't be bothered to queue. Big car. masculine, lots of chrome bits. The new Ranger update didn't impress me that much, altho the interior is a step up.

Other popular cars at the show were the Honda HRV and Mazda 2.

I wasn't completely convinced by the Mazda 2. It looks great with lots of bling gimmicks like head up display, altho some inevitable hard plastics

headroom and legroom (I'm 6'2) were surprising good but…. the front seat position is far too close to the side window/pillar! slightly claustrophobic and I'm sure I'd hit my head against the pillar on rough thai roads.

Another bone to pick with Mazda Thailand ..why won't you supply info on the release dates for the CX5 update and new CX3 ?

The best I could get for the CX3 was "around end of year or early next year"(!!). Thailand is a big market for them. With little to no info and long delays on new and updated models, they are losing massive sales to Honda and Ford as a result.

There were not many special offers price wise. Most were insurance or interest free packages. Honda were offering 0% interest at the show on the new facelift CRV (very nice interior quality). The Top spec HRV waiting list is down to 3-4 months, and they are def taking orders. This was in contrast to what the slightly snobby sales lady at the Ekkamai showroom told me last month.

The base HRV looked fairly good value compared to the mazda 2 IMO - I think for the show there was a special sticker price at less than 800k but correct me if wrong.. Space inside was amazing to be honest, felt virtually as big as the Mazda CX5. It also looks upmarket..I've noticed lots driving around Thong Lor recently.

The new BMW 2 series Active Touring was a bit of a dark horse. BMW didn't put it on a special stand, so I almost missed it(M spec model). Have to say it had the most comfortable alcantara seats and one of the best quality interiors of all the cars at the show. The driving position was good, seats are quite narrow but held you firmly and really cozy inside ! And I have a bit of a scoop- the sales guy next to the car explained the price quoted in the thai Press might be reduced; he suggested around 2.45M for M spec which is not too bad.

Also BMW are offering a Z4 base model at a new low price of 3.5M and the 320i Luxury is down to 2.35M I think, altho it might not come with Nav at that price. 1 series update comes later this year.

The one thing I would say about BMW Thailand is their 5 year package with some models softens the high prices. Also their approved used cars are surprisingly cheap. I'm also going to plug a BMW sales guy who really impressed me, Prasit Ramsak (Eve) @Millennium Auto /Siam Paragon. Very helpful and knowledgeable, pleasant and unpushy.

Not a big fan of Merc, but the new Mercedes C class def has the best interior in its segment, very comfortable and high quality, altho I still hate the 'tablet' display, it looks like something that was bought cheap on amazon

Biggest rip off of the show was the Porsche Cayman. If I remember correctly the base model was nearly 9M! 180,000 gbp. Thats just plain silly. Compare that to 'just' 7M for a G Wagon.

Volvo seem to be pricing their cars ever higher, and their stand was rather posh with some very pretty girls. I sat in a couple of V60's inc the new spec T5 and thought it was quite hard to get in and out of, and find a comfortable driving position. The central storage box was so high that it made the armrest uncomfortable. And very thin, cheap plastic on that part - which was weird, as the rest of the car was highish quality. Who wants a huge plastic bin between the front seats?

Mini had the new 'One', which gladly looked less like a slapped fish in the flesh. New 3 cylinder engines and starting at just under 2M for the One, altho the base Cooper seems the best value. The new 5 door looked truly horrible, with strange and v ugly door seals. These are made in UK with better interior (soft) plastics compared to the thai built Countryman.

Mini were doing an offer where if you pay through a certain bank at the show, you'll recieve two return tickets to the UK on Thaiairways.

Subaru showed the new Outback. It didn't seem to get that much attention ( everyone was on the Ford stand) and the showgirls had to work hard. One of my favorite cars is the Subaru BRZ, and it still looks great. The rumours are that this car just isn't selling. I love it. My only gripe is the clutch pedal location and slightly italian driving position , which would probably give my long legs cramps (gotta be a manual!). Prices seem to have dropped ( 2M for MT) and I reckon could be negotiated a lot further. Quite tempting IMO.

The XV is now about 4 years old, and they had some mildly updated versions in nice colours which looked pretty good. The interior gets sat nav but still looks very dated.

If you want an incredibly cheap car, check out the new MG3 hatch. It was VERY plasticky (the steering wheel controls on the Xross are cheap children's toy quality) but the overall design looked pretty good and a base price of under 500k is kind of hard to ignore! What is also hard to ignore is the 3 star NCAP rating but for town driving only it might be worth the risk.

Another good value offering was the Chevy Colorado High Country edition with brown leather interior and some nice alloys

For Bike Candy head to Ducati, Their new scrambler is ace.

Oh, and the best looking showgirls were (in no particular order) Bentley, Volvo and Yamaha.

Edited March 26, 2015 by fish fingers

[Thian]

Of course they were all at the cheapest SUV, big car for the cheapest price. Who needs durability?

Also i don't understand why Thai like the Fortuner so much, it is still a pickup and not comfortable at all.

Who cares that they even can't park those cars in a parkinglot or make a U-turn without blocking 2 lanes of the opposit road.

I won't go to the motor show because i hate to stop ever 3 steps because somebody has to make a picture of the girls. Motorshow in Thailand is more a look-at-my-camera show.

Also the sales are very ignorant, if you ask anything which allready is availlable in another part of the world they are clueless. Carsalesmen in Thailand always act like it's their first day as a sales.

[fish fingers]

Had a bad day?

[fish fingers]

EDIT - I meant Rolls Royce, not Bentley. Doh.

[Cbr150r]

Nice report!

[dunks]

An interesting and comprehensive report, thanks.

I would STRONGLY advise against Millennium autos. We bought a benzine 320i 2014 model last year. Had numerous elecrical problems which culminated in a complete failure if the i-drive system within 4 months after paying 2.75 Mill.

Needless to say I was massively unimpressed.

Noone at Millennium Lad phrao would take my calls not sales, not customer service, not the GM.

Only offered to fix the vehicle not replace it. No courtesy car provided. TERRIBLE, EXCEPTIONALLY RUDE 'not my problem, I dont give a shit' service.

We use German Autos in Chaengwattana now. They are excellent.

Good luck if you choose BMW. My next vehicle is back to Honda. If I buy BMW again it will be the S1000R ?

[rawhod]

Great read...thanks.

(Normally I give up half way through a long post, but not with yours)

[Sviss Geez]

"Biggest rip off of the show was the Porsche Cayman. If I remember correctly the base model was nearly 9M! 180,000 gbp. Thats just plain silly. Compare that to 'just' 7M for a G Wagon."

Why would anyone want to make a comparison between a Porsche Cayman and a Mercedes G Wagen? They're hardly aimed at the same market.

[fish fingers]

Why would anyone want to make a comparison between a Porsche Cayman and a Mercedes G Wagen? They're hardly aimed at the same market.

I was making a price comparison, not a car comparison. Altho Porsche made a tank once.

[mortenaa]

An interesting and comprehensive report, thanks.

I would STRONGLY advise against Millennium autos. We bought a benzine 320i 2014 model last year. Had numerous elecrical problems which culminated in a complete failure if the i-drive system within 4 months after paying 2.75 Mill.

Needless to say I was massively unimpressed.

Noone at Millennium Lad phrao would take my calls not sales, not customer service, not the GM.

Only offered to fix the vehicle not replace it. No courtesy car provided. TERRIBLE, EXCEPTIONALLY RUDE 'not my problem, I dont give a shit' service.

We use German Autos in Chaengwattana now. They are excellent.

Good luck if you choose BMW. My next vehicle is back to Honda. If I buy BMW again it will be the S1000R ?

Those I-drive are in all new cars. Never had a single problem with them. Im on my 3rd BMW in Thailand now, and luckily I choose a farang owned dealer. Top notch service! My biggest problems with my cars so far as been some rattle sounds, which has been fixed easily.

[mike324]

Why would anyone want to make a comparison between a Porsche Cayman and a Mercedes G Wagen? They're hardly aimed at the same market.

I was making a price comparison, not a car comparison. Altho Porsche made a tank once.

Porsche cost the most in terms of $ per horse power, but that's not surprising considering they have the biggest profit out of all car makers too, with that said they are one of the most reliable German cars I driven to date. Porsche Thailand service and parts price is surprising cheaper than BMW. BMW with petrol engines has to be the least reliable, their diesel cars are pretty good. Driven over 120,000 with my 520d and not a single problem, service is quite costly though.

I had 3 Hondas in the past 20 years they are reliable as a rock, not a single problem and one is hitting 600,000 km. Same goes for isuzu, these cars are just workhorses.

Edited April 1, 2015 by mike324

[Fab5BKK]

Porsche are fantastic cars to drive, especially the 911s!

However, reliability could be an issue. When single I owned 2 911s (both bought brand new in 2001 and 2003). Both of them got the "RMS" problem. OK it was fixed free of charge but I can't say they're flawless...

Anyway, having a 911, Boxster or Cayman in Thailand doesn't make much sense (state of the roads...), but a Cayenne could be quite attractive ;-)

Why would anyone want to make a comparison between a Porsche Cayman and a Mercedes G Wagen? They're hardly aimed at the same market.

I was making a price comparison, not a car comparison. Altho Porsche made a tank once.

Porsche cost the most in terms of $ per horse power, but that's not surprising considering they have the biggest profit out of all car makers too, with that said they are one of the most reliable German cars I driven to date. Porsche Thailand service and parts price is surprising cheaper than BMW. BMW with petrol engines has to be the least reliable, their diesel cars are pretty good. Driven over 120,000 with my 520d and not a single problem, service is quite costly though.

I had 3 Hondas in the past 20 years they are reliable as a rock, not a single problem and one is hitting 600,000 km. Same goes for isuzu, these cars are just workhorses.

[fish fingers]

seriously considering a 3 yr old approved BMW - surprised to find out one model in particular sells at a far lower price through BMW than on the used car sites i.e. one2car. Possibly part exchange (guessing)

Edited April 4, 2015 by fish fingers

[ThaiBob]

seriously considering a 3 yr old approved BMW - surprised to find out one model in particular sells at a far lower price through BMW than on the used car sites i.e. one2car. Possibly part exchange (guessing)

What model? I have also heard a foreigner can get financing directly from BMW without the restrictions that a Thai bank imposes?

[fish fingers]

PM'd

[mortenaa]

seriously considering a 3 yr old approved BMW - surprised to find out one model in particular sells at a far lower price through BMW than on the used car sites i.e. one2car. Possibly part exchange (guessing)

What model? I have also heard a foreigner can get financing directly from BMW without the restrictions that a Thai bank imposes?

BMW has their own leasing company here, so yes, that's possible.

[NE1]

I thought the show was to show all things new or relatively new , I thought the Toyota stand was pathetic , I have seen better Toyotas already on the road.

Was it a Toyota stand for getting rid of all the old stuff ?

Agree with you about the girls on the Rolls Royce stand , though they did not have a lot of competition.

Plastic noses , silicon breasts , nivea white faces , underfed , troweled make up , if that is the Thai standard for a " pretty " then they need to redefine the word " pretty "

[fullcave]

I thought the show was to show all things new or relatively new , I thought the Toyota stand was pathetic , I have seen better Toyotas already on the road.

Was it a Toyota stand for getting rid of all the old stuff ?

Yes the all new vigo and fortuner are due any year now...

[dunks]

An interesting and comprehensive report, thanks.

I would STRONGLY advise against Millennium autos. We bought a benzine 320i 2014 model last year. Had numerous elecrical problems which culminated in a complete failure if the i-drive system within 4 months after paying 2.75 Mill.

Needless to say I was massively unimpressed.

Noone at Millennium Lad phrao would take my calls not sales, not customer service, not the GM.

Only offered to fix the vehicle not replace it. No courtesy car provided. TERRIBLE, EXCEPTIONALLY RUDE 'not my problem, I dont give a shit' service.

We use German Autos in Chaengwattana now. They are excellent.

Good luck if you choose BMW. My next vehicle is back to Honda. If I buy BMW again it will be the S1000R

Those I-drive are in all new cars. Never had a single problem with them. Im on my 3rd BMW in Thailand now, and luckily I choose a farang owned dealer. Top notch service! My biggest problems with my cars so far as been some rattle sounds, which has been fixed easily.

3rd BMW in Thailand? How many of those were built in Thailand? Please do confirm that.

I found the quality to be very poor. Especially considering that the price here in Thailand is 300% of what it is in the US.!

I have been and REMAIN, MASSIVELY UNIMPRESSED.