Thursday, October 20, 2011

4J10 - the new-generation MIVEC engine

4J10 engine


Applicable on the 2012 Mitsubishi RVR and the 2012 Mitsubishi Galant Fortis lineup is the new generation 1.8L MIVEC engine coded as 4J10. So, what's up with the new 4J10 engine made by Mitsubishi?

For a kick-off, the new 4J10 engine is a new 16-valve SOHC 4-cylinder engine that produces 139PS/6000rpm of power, and 17.5kgf-m/4200rpm of torque. This helps the car to attain the maximum fuel economy of 17.0km/L based on Japan's 10-15 Mode test cycle. New to the 4J10 engine is the new AS&G (Auto Stop & GO) feature, a first from Mitsubishi Motors. The new Auto Stop & Go feature is an idling stop system which helps the 4J10 engine to shut off automatically when the car's stop at the red light. This provides optimized fuel economy and lower carbon footprints.

This new engine will be deployed globally and soon, I hope the Philippines will get this new engine also.

On November 30...

2012 Subaru Impreza teaser


On November 30, 2011, Fuji Heavy Industries will launch the all new 2012 Subaru Impreza in Japan.

Using the "New Value Class" concept that best describes the new model, the 2012 Subaru Impreza will feature two versions at first. The hatchback version will be called Impreza Sport while the sedan version will be called Impreza G4. The Impreza Sport provides sportiness as a hatchback while the Impreza G4 is a Genuine 4-door.

I repeat, the new 2012 Impreza series will arrive this November 30, 2011. Stay tuned for more...

Second-generation Hyundai i30

European flair and Korean reliability is what Hyundai's best at when it comes to create better looking cars with the finest features. For the Hyundai i30's full model change, this will make European engineers envy over this hatchback It made them so envy, even the Volkswagen Group CEO got jealous over the new i30's silence.


2012 Hyundai i30


The all-new Hyundai i30 is the second addition of Hyundai's new Premium Youth Lab (PYL). In case that most don't know what PYL is, this is the new sub-brand targeted for the young Korean adults in their 20's. This brand was launched since the Hyundai Veloster debuted in March 10, 2011 and BLU Premium Youth Lab members provide special perks and privileges. It uses the "Aero Active" concept as its basis on its design and with its "Fluidic Sculpture" design philosophy, the all new i30 is made to be highly attractive and some say that it was inspired from the Veloster. We might even think that we are going to nickname this the Veloster with 5-doors, you know what I mean. Although the front view its impressive, the back view is somewhat a little bit rubbish, it's like when the designers faced the common sentence "Finish or not finish, pass your papers", get it?


2012 Hyundai i30 interior


A lot of people commenting about the new interior because the new i30's big space got the attention of the Volkswagen Group CEO and he got so jealous that why European car makers didn't do the same thing as Hyundai because of its European flair and Korean reliability but whatever. The new i30 features loads of interior features such as a 7-inch intelligent navigation system, large TFT Supervision Cluster, dual-zone climate control, and panoramic sunroof. Customers can be benefited with the new i30's interior because this has more space than the previous model and the rear seats can be folded to create three seating arrangements suitable for luggage purposes, perfect for the adventurous drivers who wanted to take some time off.

Two engines are available on the new i30 such as the Gamma 1.6L GDI engine and the U2 1.6L VGT engine. First, the GDI (Gasoline Direct Injection) 1.6L engine produces 140PS/6300rpm of power and 17kg-m/4850rpm of torque. This helps the car accumulate a maximum fuel economy of 16.3km/L but with the Hyundai i30 1.6 GDi BlueSaver grade, this reaches a fuel economy of 17.3km/L thanks to its innovative idling stop function which helps the Gamma 1.6L GDI engine to shut off automatically when stopped. The U2 1.6L CRDi-VGT engine produces 128HP/4000rpm of power and 26.5kg-m/2750rpm of torque. This helps the engine to accumulate 23km/L of fuel economy, if the 6-speed manual is equipped. GDi variants are equipped with a standard 6-speed automatic transmission but CRDi-VGT variants of the new i30 come with either a 6-speed automatic or a 6-speed manual transmission.

The new i30 comes with the new Flex Steer system that allows the driver to choose from three driving modes; Comfort, Normal, and Sport. The Comfort mode provides easy driving on normal roads, Normal mode for balance, and Sport mode to provide quicker handling on the corners of the earth. From the corners of Monaco, straight Belgian roads, Canadian forests, and the twists and turns of Switzerland, we are sure that hardcore drivers may want to switch the i30's Flex Steer on Sport Mode with a hint of exclamation mark. The new i30 also has SPAS (Smart Parking Assist System) that allows the car to park all by itself hands-free and we won't regret it about its safety feature.

The new Hyundai i30 comes with nine color variations such as Creamy White, Sleek Silver, Hyper Silver, Pink Shell, Hazel Brown, Tropic Red, Santorini Blue, Black Bean, and Phantom Black.

My comment:
With its catchphrase "never-ending ideas", the new Hyundai i30 provides never ending ideas for the driver to come up on the road because of its design, space, technology, and performance, something that the Germans failed to have, even the Japanese. The new i30 is the second member of the new Hyundai Premium Youth Lab brand and it provides three key goals; Shift the Grade, Show your Identity, and Save your Money, referring to its performance, design, and ecology.

Unfortunately though, it is not yet confirmed to bring it to the Philippines because of the previous model's slow sales. Also, the 1.6L GDi engine and the 1.6L CRDi-VGT engine are not strong enough on the Philippine roads. There is a 10% probability that it will come...as a gray market somewhere at either Pitstop Motors or Hancars.

The new i30 has something that European car makers never have...

Photo: Hyundai Motor Company

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Dance with Hybrid - Forza 4 style

This hybrid's too eager to be featured
on next season's Top Gear!


Because of the theory that the ratio of "Miles Per Gallon" championed over "Horsepower Per Ton", the introduction of hybrids and electric vehicles on Forza Motorsport 4 really put a twist on this flagship racing sim. The Lexus CT200h (chassis code: ZWA10) is one of them. It maybe classified as a hybrid but this compact hybrid hatchback truly has its darker side. It sure is the "Darker Side of Green" that breaks the status quo.

Up close and personal with
the Darker Side of Green

The price for the Lexus CT200h on Forza Motorsport 4 starts at 25,000 CR and this car is powered with the 1.8L 2ZR-FXE engine sourced from the Prius that produces 134HP of power and 169lb-ft of torque. The biggest redundancy on the CT200h was its CVT because this car would be somewhat a little bit slower than I expected. Just because this car has a disappointing CVT feature does not mean you can't have something special for this hybrid hatchback.

CT200h races through the Alps

Tuning the Lexus CT200h is like putting up the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle and it needs incredible tuning logic skills to push the CT200h class to its equal position. It might be easier to push this hybrid on the F200 class, E275 class, D350 class, or C425 class but pushing this on B500 to A600 is a very difficult task. Sadly though, you can't push the CT200h tuning even further to meet your demands.

Taking a day-off at Silverstone

What I like about the CT200h is its handling. In its F200 class, the CT200h has an agile handling despite the wheezing noise of its hybrid drivetrain and CVT. When I tried this on the Top Gear Test Track, it performed quite well on the Chicago, Hammerhead, and Gambon. Respectively, this is one of my favorites in real life but in Forza 4, it needs consideration whether I should accept the way the Lexus CT200h feels or not. We sure know that we are ready to "Dance with Hybrid" but sometimes, it may end up being nothing or in Top Gear terms, RUBBISH. If I were Jeremy Clarkson putting the CT200h on the Cool Wall, let's put this on COOL for a while but if this gets rubbish, I may end up putting this on UNCOOL.


Mazda Axela's Prison Break



Mazda USA released a new TV commercial for the 2012 Mazda 3 (Mazda Axela in Japan) with SKYACTIV technology.

Dubbed "Prison Break", the Mazda Axela SKYACTIV escapes the deadly life sentences of 40MPG cars suffered from poor performance, hybrid drivetrains, and the ratio of practicality triumphs over performance. This car is all about performance triumphs over practicality.

Check out pics for Behind The Scenes:

SIDE NOTE: BGM used is all-original. We can't tell you what's the title, so sorry. I repeat, this is an original music used on the ad.

Renault Z.E. commercial - Gas powered everything



Inspired from the Nissan Leaf TV commercial from the United States, this new commercial from Renault Z.E. takes us on the world of "Gas-Powered Everything". Of course, this ad from Renault Z.E. took that idea from Nissan. Oh well, that's the way the Renault Nissan Alliance does...




Feel free to ask which of these "Gas powered everything" ads has a point but besides, they have the same motif. I'm getting confused..

Driving Music (What is the name of the song on car commercial?) Volume 14

Agh! When I woke up after an afternoon nap, seems that our blog's been under attack by some predator who lives in Delta, Pennsylvania. This online predator attacked me with this message:

"who does the music on the mazda skyactiv prison break commercial"

Heh? Mazda Skyactiv Prison Break commercial? Hey! Never seen that and no, we can't answer this you idiot.

Besides, does anyone have proof that you saw the Mazda Skyactiv Prison Break commercial?

With such intrusion happened, I have no choice but to prep up another five Driving Musics (Car Commercial Songs) for us to enjoy. Let's see...

5) WORLD OF FANTASY by Capsule - the song heard on the latest Pionner Carrozzeria Cyber Navi Japanese TV commercial.

4) Surf Beat by Dale Dick - the song heard from the Renault Ovalie special edition line-up French TV commercial

3) The Imperial March from Star Wars Episode V OST - the song heard from the Volkswagen Passat "The Force" TV commercial

2) Finding Beauty by Craig Armstrong - the song heard from the Subaru Legacy Touring Wagon Japanese TV commercial back in Summer 2003.

1) 1ere Gymnopedies by ef - the song heard from the Subaru Legacy B4 Japanese TV commercial back in Summer 2003.

..and there we have it folks. Another set of Driving Musics to enjoy. If attacks happened again, I'll be there...