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Footdown

BMW

Jams for Tiida

Honest Motors has also grasped Hong Kong's car-cramming potential. After Footdown highlighted several world record claims for passenger capacity last week, the Nissan dealer is challenging motoring writers to a squeeze-off at 1/F InnoCentre, 72 Tat Chee Avenue, in Kowloon Tong, next Saturday, says its spokesman, Chan Wai-to. The 3.30pm cramming contest, billed by the dealer as the Tiida Roominess Competition, will follow a seminar by Nissan rally driver Guo Haishen, and will probably be won by the media team, without the help of our size 45 feet.

The stunt is intended to highlight the space in the Tiida hatchback, but we don't need to be welded out of one to know it has all the room a family needs in Hong Kong, with comfy seats for mum and dad and adequate rear comfort for a couple of children and granny or a maid. The Tiida is easier to park than a seven-seater van that offers an extra row of seats to families who think they need the space, but rarely use it.

The hatchback also mocks all but three of the Environmental Protection Department's (EPD) list of 11 'green' vehicles that have been eligible for discounts in first registration tax since April 1. The

1.5-litre hatchback emits 138 grams of CO2 per kilometre, which is more than the EPD-approved Honda Jazz hatchback (98.8gpk), Toyota Prius (104gpk) and Subaru R2 (108gpk), but it spews less than the EPD-approved manual BMW Mini Cooper (163gpk); Nissan Serena 2.0 seven-seater (176gpk) BMW 120i hatchback (181gpk), the 2.3-litre Mazda8 eight-seater (190gpk); the 3.3-litre V6-powered Lexus RX 400h hybrid (192gpk), Honda Stepwagn 2.0 (202gpk), the 3.2-litre V6 Volkswagen Phaeton (293gpk) and maybe the Binz E350 (gpk unknown). The Tiida (HK$124,900) also drinks 16.8km per litre of petrol; the EPD-approved Mazda8 van (HK$255,083) runs at 11.2km/litre.

Rolls-Royce armours Phantom

Gun-shy rappers, jittery junta chiefs and timid tycoons can now commute in a Rolls-Royce Phantom that's armoured to VR7 level, the highest protection rating against armour-piercing bullets and grenades. Virtually indistinguishable from the standard version, the armoured Phantom features hi- tech fibre composites and special-purpose steel in its bodywork, while the glazed area is of thickened glass, the marque says.

A polycarbonate layer is fitted to the inside for extra passenger protection, and the limousine's aluminium chassis and suspension components have been strengthened to cope with the additional modifications' weight, it says. 'Like all Rolls-Royce models, the Phantom Armoured begins life at Goodwood, while the special armouring process is carried out off-site by an approved coachbuilder,' the marque says.

Studio of swish

You can see and test-drive the Mercedes-Benz CL 63 AMG, E 63 AMG and the SLK 55 AMG Black Series next door to the Maybachs at the 'Mercedes-Benz Performance Studio' at 60 Repulse Bay Road, the marque says. A classic 190 SLR and 450 SLC are also displayed.

That's impressive, but we urge Mercedes-Benz Hong Kong to stock a couple of Smart ForTwos in Repulse Bay, too, and present them, as impulse buys, by the Maybach and AMG checkouts. The 698cc Smart ForTwo (HK$138,800) is a fine drive, built for Hong Kong, fugs just 127gpk, and deserves more prominence than a chic but distant showroom in Hung Hom.

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