Friday, May 20, 2011

BMW M Power is here in Manila!

BMW 1-Series M Coupe '12


Have you heard of the awesome news? BMW M Power is finally in the Philippines via Autohaus BMW in Libis, Quezon City!

Scoop:

No need for gray market M car because at Autohaus BMW, they officially serve the X5 M, X6 M, and soon the limited model 1-Series M Coupe!

What do you think?


Thursday, May 19, 2011

A Malaysian Honda commercial does YMCA but it does serve a lesson...



Here's a weird but funny TV commercial from Honda aired in Malaysian TVs. From this commercial we saw Malay comedian Douglas Lim and his gang on what if you drive your Honda to a not-so-authorized Honda service center.

What we learned from this ad is never trust to an unauthorized service center that offers good service at super expensive prices. Only Honda Authorized Service Centers are the ones you can trust when it comes to Honda care. Not at the H-O-N-D-I, Hondi!

Rate Ko: 3.5/5

A Lexus IS 350C in Akatsubaki colors...

Lexus IS 350C at Westfield


While me and my family done shopping at the Westfield South Center, I saw a Lexus IS 350C wearing its proud "Akatsubaki" color, or should I say Red Mica Crystal Shine? (Laughing) Did I say Akatsubaki? You mean the IS that Houki Shinonono used on Infinite Stratos? (Laughing) Did I said something wrong?

Houki Shinonono from
Infinite Stratos

Uh-oh... Better not laugh now because Houki understands what's this and yes, she's an extremely high-blood teenage girl. She's even more aggressive than the roar of an 2UR-GSE engine! I'm sure everyone understand that Houki's a tsundere, right? She's a tsundere but more tsun-tsun, less dere-dere.

Anyway, the Lexus IS C is a perfect balance of tsun and dere or should I say style and performance. Here in Japan, it's available in either a 2.5L or a 3.5L V6 engine. 6-speed Super ECT with Paddle Shifters is standard. I would rather get away with the Lexus IS C than being kicked out by Houki Shinonono.

The 2011 Accord minor change arrived...9 months late since its Japan debut!

2011 Honda Accord Inspire


Yes, I know. The Honda Accord Inspire CP3 Phase II (the second phase of the CP3 Honda Accord Inspire launched in Japan since December 2007) was arrived in Japan since August 26, 2010 and it took us, Pinoy Honda fans, 9 months to wait till Honda Cars Philippines officially brought the Honda Accord Inspire CP3 minor change!

Scoop:

Let's see what's in store for the 2011 Accord. Well for some reasons, it sports a new grille inspired from the USDM Accord Coupe, and it featured Bluetooth connectivity exclusive to the 2011 Accord 3.5L variant. What remains the same is the interior, and the choice of either a 2.4L or the VCM 643 3.5L V6 i-VTEC engine.

Pricing starts at 1.7 million pesos for the 2.4L variant and 2.05 million pesos for the VCM 643 variant. If you guys don't know what's VCM 643, that's the Variable Cylinder Management that allows the V6 3.5L engine to run on either 6, 4, or 3 cylinders.

That was too close. And I'll mark the 2011 Accord's arrival as...

TARDY!

Ssangyong Chairman H New Classic

Well, we have to admit it that despite over 14 years of existence since its debut on October 1997, garnered its first minor change on September 2003 as "New Chairman", and offered a flagship spin-off called Chairman W since February 2008, the Ssangyong Chairman H became an aging premium sedan that was once criticized for being a carbon copy of the Mercedes Benz W124 E-Class or even the Cadillac Deville since the Chairman gained a minor change on 2003. It was similar with the Ssangyong Chairman W, which is a clone of Mercedes-Benz W221 S-Class. For 14 years of existence, it seems most Korean car enthusiasts are getting to forget about the Chairman H. However, things have changed in 2011 after Ssangyong Motor Company was taken over by Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd., one of India's first-class car manufacturers, because the aging Chairman H is ready to face its second childhood.


2012 Ssangyong Chairman H


Under the name, Ssangyong Chairman H New Classic, the aging premium sedan is now made even younger with some styling cues inspired from its flagship spin-off, the Ssangyong Chairman W. Despite its flagship look, it still won't cover its aging weakness because this is the second time the Chairman received another minor change.


2012 Ssangyong Chairman H interior


Despite the new exterior won't hide its aging weak spots, the Chairman H New Classic offers an all-new interior that offers first class comfort. Despite the interior is heavily inspired from the Chairman W spin-off, my understanding that the Chairman H New Classic's interior is definitely a clone that combines the interior from the Dodge Journey/JC minor change and the Nissan Fuga (Infiniti M37/M56) Y51. Good thing it's better to be Korean than being a Chinese clone car with a clone interior.


2012 Ssangyong Chairman H


The Chairman H New Classic is powered with the XGi3200 in-line 6 DOHC 3.2L engine that releases 222ps/6,600rpm of power while the entry level XGi2800 in-line 6 DOHC 2.8L engine that is capable at releasing 200ps/6,600rpm of power output. The Chairman H New Classic is equipped with the E-tronic Benz 5-speed automatic transmission that can be set to Manual Mode for enhanced driving feel. It is mated with an Electronic Stability Program (ESP) for enhanced stability amidst different driving conditions.

The Ssangyong Chairman H New Classic is offered in three exterior colors such as Classic Black, Diamond Silver, and Grand White.

My comment:

The Ssangyong Chairman H might be an aged Korean premium sedan that mimics Benz but with the new minor change and a "New Classic" sub-name, the aging sedan from Ssangyong Motor Company is ready for its second childhood and for those who can't afford the luxurious Ssangyong Chairman W should consider the Chairman H New Classic for now. I think this may be not a good car for the Korean politicians and executives but I think this would make a good taxi for the Korean roads. Don't expect the Ssangyong Chairman H New Classic come face-to-face against the Hyundai Genesis sedan because it will hurt more than what you expected.

Photo: Ssangyong Motor Company

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Looking back at the Best MOTORing finale

Best MOTORing June 2011 Volume


Well, we can't hardly forget that the Best MOTORing June 2011 DVD (on sale since April 2011) marks the end days of Best MOTORing. The finale featured the Lexus LFA supercar for the very first time, which makes it a eccentric timing to feature Lexus' ultimate supercar in the final volume of Best MOTORing. On the finale, dubbed as "Final Battle in Fuji Speedway", the Lexus LFA, the Nissan GT-R R35 Phase II, Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, Porsche 911 GT2 RS, and the Ferrari F430 GT3 come clashing for a 3-lap finale at Fuji Speedway.


The winner is... the Nissan GT-R R35 Minor Change! Second place was the Porsche 911 GT2 RS and third goes to the first-time Lexus LFA. The Best MOTORing series will surely be missed! がんばろう、ベスモ!

Eh? Family Guy creator mulls Flintstones revival?

Family Guy DVD Volume Eight


Check out this interesting news:

According on that article, Seth McFarlane (the mastermind behind Family Guy, American Guy and Cleveland Show) considers about the return of The Flintstones, a class cartoon we remember when we were kids.

"So it's appropriate that events have come full circle, allowing me to produce the newest incarnation of this great franchise. Plus, I think America is finally ready for an animated sitcom about a fat, stupid guy with a wife who's too good for him,"

Also, they are consider to give it a try this year and slated to be released on 2013. It will be a collaboration between FOX and Warner Bros, owners of the Hanna-Barbera franchise.

Are we going to expect that happen from the Family Guy creator? What do you think? Will this work?