24/05/2026

theSunday Special XV ON SUNDAY MAY 24, 2026

How technology is changing modern car buyer expectations BUILDING on my review of the

They first added augmented sounds of gear shifts to the Civic hybrid about three years ago. The Civic runs on the same powertrain as the Prelude, and it has a system that

Honda Prelude in the past two pages, a car that comes with never-before seen technologies, it had me wonder ing about modern day car buyers.

WRITTEN BY KESHY DHILLON

These days, it seems like car buyers are only inter ested in a handful of features such as the size of the info tainment system, accelera tion times, type of audio sys tem and others like the size of the panoramic roof. Where did we get it so wrong? What happened to buying a car for the way it drives? What happened to appreciating a car for its mechanicals like its engine? Driving the new Prelude was a nostalgic event for me. It took me back to the early 90s when I drove my first ever sports car; the third generation Prelude. It came with four-wheel steering, which completely blew my teenage mind back then. It took me some time to understand it, but I felt the system working as the car cut through corners on a knife’s edge. I’ll never forget how I felt back then, just like how you never forget your first kiss. Fast forward to 2026, I am now in my 40s and driv ing the latest generation Prelude around Sepang Circuit. Once again, it is a techno logical wonder. Honda’s S+ Shift is a revolutionary new system that mimics gear shifts for a car that does not come with a gearbox. Just to bring you up to speed, the powertrain of the Prelude includes a 2.0-litre Atkinson cycle engine, an electric generator and an electric motor that sends power directly to the wheels. Because the electric motor drives the wheels, there is no need for a gear box. Power is immediate and linear; it is like driving an electric car. But therein lies the prob lem. There is no joy in driving a car without the huffing and puffing of gearshifts. It is a sensationless, sterile feeling. Honda recognised that as well and worked on fixing it.

mimics the sound of gears shifting that is piped into the cabin through the speakers. It sounds good, but you know it is fake. Some liked it, but the social media war mongers had a field day criticising it. Honda did not just give up but set out to build on that. And now it comes with something called S+ Shift. This does not only create the sound of gears shifting but also comes complete with power cuts as the aug mented gears shift upwards or downwards. Imagine shifting gears in a manual car. You will first engage the clutch, which cuts power to the engine, then you select whichever gear you want to be in. You feel that very short loss of power. The S+ Shift feature in the Prelude works that way as well, but it shares more in common with Porsche’s PDK or Volkswagen’s DSG dual clutch systems. It is quick, precise and you feel a short but satisfying thud when the system cuts power as it selects the next gear. I applaud Honda for this engineering genius. This is what car makers are all about – innovation. We live in a time where too many car makers are simply copying what the other car maker is doing and making it cheaper. Very rarely do we see true inno vation like what Honda has just achieved. The Honda Prelude makes a return after two and a half decades, and now it is more of a Grand Tourer (GT) rather than an all-out sports car. Never discount Honda because when it truly mat ters, the company delivers every single time. Don’t believe me? Just search which engine pro vider powered Max Verstappen to his four world championships.

AMG after dark Nightfall edition arrives with stealthier styling and local assembly

MERCEDES-BENZ Malaysia has launched the 2026 Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 4Matic Coupe Nightfall Edition, priced at RM518,888 on-the road without insurance in Peninsular Malaysia. The Nightfall Edition is locally assembled (CKD) and marks the second Nightfall Edition model introduced here, following the GLA Nightfall Edition. As the name suggests, the main changes are visual. The GLC 43 Coupe Nightfall builds on the AMG exterior Night package with AMG Night package Exterior II, adding dark chrome detailing across the radiator trim, model badges on the fenders and rear, as well as the rear Mercedes star. It also gets an AMG fuel filler cap in silver chrome with AMG lettering and black accents, along with AMG Real Performance Sound. The latter allows drivers to adjust the engine sound character, ranging from Balanced to Powerful. Like the standard GLC 43, power comes from an AMG (M139L) 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo charged engine producing 421hp and 500Nm.

The engine is paired with a belt-driven starter generator that provides an additional 14hp boost when needed. The 48V mild hybrid system also enables coasting and energy recuperation functions. The GLC 43 4Matic Coupe does 0 to 100kph in 4.5 seconds, with a top speed electronically limited to 250kph. The GLC43 is also equipped with rear-axle steering of up to 2.5°, AMG Ride Control suspen sion and AMG Speedshift MCT 9G transmission. Other exterior equipment includes 21-inch AMG Y-spoke alloy wheels, silver-painted brake calipers, Digital Light headlamps and a pano ramic sliding sunroof. Inside, the cabin features AMG sport seats in Artico man-made leather, AMG carbon-fibre trim, an AMG Performance steering wheel in nappa leather, MBUX with AMG-specific displays and a Burmester 3D surround sound system. Mercedes-Benz Malaysia is also offering the GLC 43 4Matic Coupe Nightfall Edition with Agility+, starting from RM6,688 per month.