Hyundai Sonata (LF) Hybrid

A few months ago, the Hyundai Sonata has been given its full model change under the LF codename and for this new generation, it focuses on four terms; RUN. TURN, STOP, and PROTECT. RUN refers to the engine choices, TURN refers to the handling characteristics although this new model now comes with some multilink cleverness, STOP and PROTECT refers to the safety features. It was launched prior to the upcoming 30th anniversary of the Sonata next year since its debut late 1985 and while the rapidly-growing carmaker has big plans for the Sonata's 30th birthday next year, they've added a new Hybrid model to the mix.

2015 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid

The new and improved Sonata Hybrid still emphasizes on four terms; RUN. TURN, STOP, and PROTECT, while delivering its own blend of fuel-efficiency for the roads of today. On the exterior view, the Sonata Hybrid features a different look than the standard model judging from its different front grille, new alloy wheels, and a new rear lamp design that is very different from the standard model.

2015 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid interior

On the inside, it looks pretty much the same as the normal Sonata and it's lavishly equipped with cutting-edge technology that will seduce you to its connectivity whim. Plus, it's surprisingly comfortable as well even in the back seats just like the original. The only difference in the Hybrid model is this 4.2 Color TFT LCD on the dashboard that monitors how I'm driving. It monitors how fuel-efficient am I driving, the range, the mileage, and so on. There's so much to explore about the new interior from the driver's point of view.

2015 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid speedometer

Now, let's talk more about the biggest improvement on the hybrid drivetrain. For the brand new Sonata Hybrid, the 2.0L Nu engine as seen from the previous YF Sonata Hybrid model has been given the GDi treatment. Yes. It now comes with Gasoline Direct Injection so it's now more powerful than ever with 156PS of power output. This new engine is mated with an electric motor generating 38kW of power and an improved Li-ion battery with 13.3% higher capacity and relocated under the boot floor for added space at the back. Sounds good enough for us and with the 6-speed automatic gearbox, the new model delivers a combined fuel economy of 18.2km/L. That's two times less than its rivals from Japan but don't be fooled because it's much more engageable to drive rather than those CVT-powered hybrid saloons from this class.

2015 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid

Just like the normal model, the new Sonata Hybrid comes with some optional safety features including the Forward Collision Warning System, Advanced Smart Cruise Control, Lane Departure Warning System, Blind Spot Detection, and not to mention the Advanced Smart Parking Assist System where you can let the parking all by itself when it spots a vacant parking space. Looks like this hybrid saloon really sticks true to its promise that its petrol-powered version delivers.

The new Sonata Hybrid starts at 28,700,000 up to 32,000,000 Korean Won plus additional costs for optional extras depending on the variant.

Available colors: Ice Mint, Ice White, Platinum Silver, Polished Metal, Night Sky, Remington Red, and Phantom Black.

Photo: Toyota Motor Corporation

CHRISTMAS 2014 - What is a Simbang Gabi?

We begin our special CHRISTMAS 2014 post with a little question that foreigners travelled to the Philippines got their heads scratching for the answer. Just what is a Simbang Gabi?

My first day at this year's SIMBANG GABI

Simbang Gabi (mass at night) is a novena of Masses in honor of the Mother of God to prepare for the celebration of the birth of Our Lord, Jesus Christ. This celebration dates back in the 1500's and it's part of the Spanish friars' plan to catechize the Filipinos on the birth of Our Lord and on Mary's role in the Incarnation. For the year 2014, it started since the 16th of December 2014 and it runs until the 24rd of December, 2014 and like all Simbang Gabis in the past, the masses started at early dawn (think 5:00 AM in the Philippine Standard Time or so).

Well, since I don't want to turn this into a history lesson, let me tell you about my first simbang gabi experience since last year. You see, when me and my grandparents went to the church on the first day of Simbang Gabi, I was skeptical at first but when others starting to think that if whoever completes all nine days of Simbang Gabi gets to grant a wish, it was like I'm accepting this challenge and I'm on it.

Nine days of Simbang Gabi is like nine episodes of Brainiac Science Abuse Season 4 for me because like that discontinued show I mentioned, masses take about an hour or so to finish and surviving the night (or day because they all starts at early morning) is an easy task but behaving in the church during the duration of the mass is a challenge. I was trying to act normal but all the urges are trying to distract my behavior so I try to fight it until this mass is over. No one says it's that easy.

Having managed to survive nine days of simbang gabi, I try to grant my wish and what's that wish I'm granting is everyone's guess but it involves "freeing the world from possible threats" or something because our world's facing a massive resistance from a massive stretch of land and someone's watching from up high, too. That's why I'm wishing to free this world from both of these threats and we're going to witness it.

Anyway, that's my simbang gabi experience and for this year, things are going to be very different because I already done my first day and tomorrow, I'll be going for my day two of the nine-day Simbang Gabi at our nearby church. Until then, happy Simbang Gabi, everyone!

Let's Do The News! (December 16, 2014)

Welcome back. Here is your current sitrep:

- At least three people are reported dead, including the gunman, after armed policemen put this Sydney cafe siege to the end. According to some reports, the hostage taker behind the siege, named Man Haron Monis, had list of grievances against people oppressing Muslims.

- A US law firm is preparing a nationwide class-action lawsuit against Takata, and other carmakers over the defective airbag system. Over 50 damages suits have already been filed against the said Japanese car parts maker and some of the Japanese carmakers, including Honda and Toyota.

- Health authorities in Japan's Miyazaki Prefecture confirmed the H5 strain of bird flu in chickens from a local poultry farm. They've conducted genetic tests after 29 chickens that died on Sunday and Monday and they found the toxic strain of avian flu in 3 of 5 samples. Japanese officials are on their effort to prevent the widespread of this latest avian outbreak.

- According to the United Nations, over tens of thousands of civilians are killed in South Sudan during a year of warfare and the nation's top leaders are putting their "personal ambitions" ahead of the future of their nation.

- A few days ago, there was a viral video about an airport police who berated a taxi driver after he refused to surrender his license at the NAIA Terminal 3 and netizens wondering if that cop did smashed the taxi's windows or so they thought. Now, the Philippine National Police's Aviation Security Group disowned the said airport cop from the viral video.

- The Reporters Without Borders reported that a total of 66 reporters were killed from barbaric attacks this year and 119 were abducted due to conflicts in Ukraine, Libya, and the Middle East.

- Jaguar Land Rover tries to prove that the future is now thanks to science because they'll be developing their brand-new 360 Virtual Urban Windscreen system, which features a Transparent Pillar System and the Follow-Me Ghost Car Navigation System which took inspiration from video games.

360 Virtual Urban Windscreen system

- Bandai Namco Games streamed a promotional video of their upcoming Ace Combat 3D Cross Rumble + game for the 3DS, which is set to go on sale next month. This updated version of the 2012 3DS game features compatibility with Nintendo's amiibo figures which gives them special aircraft depending on their amiibo figure of their choosing.



- Seishiro Tsugumi from the Nisekoi anime series gets her very own Beach Queens figure from Wave, joining the ranks between Kosaki Onodera and Chitoge Kirisaki. She'll be available this June 2015 for 6,200 Yen.

Beach Queens Seishiro Tsugumi

- Click here to check out the latest trailer for the upcoming Shake, Rattle, and Roll XV, which is the official entry to the 2014 Metro Manila Film Festival opening in Philippine cinemas Christmas day. In this latest installment of the hit horror anthology franchise, we can expect a snake creature lurking through the mall, a family turned into monsters, and a tiyanak hijacked a plane. Expect thrills, spills, and a few laughs this film delivers.

TTFN!!!

FIA Formula E Championship - Punta del Este

On the third round of the inaugural FIA Formula E championship, held at Punta del Este, Uruguay,we saw former F1 racer who represents the e.dams racing team, Sebastien Buemi snagged his first win of the season after managing to fend off against two Brazilian racers, one is China Racing's Nelson Piquet Jr. and the other is Lucas di Grassi from Audi Sport ABT.

Here are the highlights from last weekend's ePrix:



The next race will be at Buenos Aires this 10th of January, 2015.

Toyota MIRAI (JPD10)

The year 2014 brought us one of the most important cars in history since when it first made and here it is. Meet the MIRAI. The Toyota MIRAI to be more exact and it's probably just another four-door Toyota but don't be alarmed.

2015 Toyota MIRAI

Judging by the way it looks, the MIRAI kinda really looks like an ordinary car and it's like driving a Toyota for normality reasons. Although this is a normal car, the MIRAI, true to its name, proves that the future is now thanks to science, and thanks to science, the MIRAI is the brand's first hydrogen fuel cell vehicle.

In the past, carmakers like Honda and BMW first introduced fuel-cell vehicles but their FCVs were only available for lease. For the MIRAI, this is the first-ever FCV to be available for sale to the motoring public. They can purchase one now at their nearest Toyota or Toyopet showrooms all over Japan but the pricing starts at 7,236,000 Japanese Yen. However, first-time buyers won't need to worry because the Japanese government will subsidize 2,252,900 Yen so it's now priced at 4,983,100 Yen or under $50,000.

2015 Toyota MIRAI interior

2015 Toyota MIRAI interior

Get ready because it's going to be one heck of a science lesson right about how the MIRAI works as an FCV for the selected masses.

Because hydrogen is highly flammable, the MIRAI stores its hydrogen in two hydrogen tanks made of CFRP and a fiberglass-reinforced plastic layer for the outer shell. These two hydrogen tanks can store a combined 122.4L of fuel or 5kg of hydrogen. It's capable of doing 650km of driving range. That sounds plenty although actual driving mileage can vary.

The hydrogen fuel that powers the MIRAI is measured in kilograms and one kilogram of hydrogen costs 1,100 Yen and filling up takes three minutes or so. Although hydrogen has the same price as petrol, it will never run out because hydrogen is one of the most abundant chemical substances in the universe.

Mind you, if you're going to refuel it with hydrogen at your nearest hydrogen-filling station, it's just like filling your car with petrol and the only difference is because this is under pressure and you'll have to lock it with the lever. This is important stuff because if you don't, you'll be spilling hydrogen on the floor. Yes, we heard that lecture from someone but take serious precautions because you might think that hydrogen really is water but not all hydrogens are created equal.

Unlike petrol-powered cars that emit smoke for some reasons, the only emission from the Toyota MIRAI is water but some say, it's safer than drinking milk so...who wouldn't dare to drink water out of it but for the love of all things holy, don't. I wouldn't mind drinking water out from that car because...it's like tap water to us so I'm not very sure if it's safe to drink one out from the MIRAI's emission.

2015 Toyota MIRAI

Performance-wise, the MIRAI is not bad for a family car with four doors and four seats. I mean, this saloon develops 155PS of power, which is more than what you get from the lease-only Honda FCX Clarity, and its top speed is about 175kph so it's not half bad. Although I'm not going to pretend that it's a lot more fun to drive than any other petrol-powered saloon but it feels like a sports saloon as I corner one through the bends.

The MIRAI may be an awful car to look at but as one suggests, it's the clever car that will save your weekend cars, much like when the car is invented to save the horses. That's logical stuff because when horses got rode by humans, they're starting to feel the exhaustion and the pain but when the car came in, they're free to do whatever they want. The same thing happens with petrol-powered cars and with this fuel-cell car, looks like those amazing gas-guzzlers will have their lives prolonged for a while.

I believe that the new Toyota MIRAI is now one of the most important cars for a centennial and it really fits to the lifestyle we're facing now. Think about it, we have lots of memories going around with our own cars. We get in, drove it as far as we like, we fill it with petrol, and we kept going and going. That is the cycle of what a petrol-powered car does but when others are looking for a replacement, say electricity, it feels like we're reverting back to the stone age once again.

With this car, today's going to be a great day thanks to science.

Available colors: Two-Tone Pure Blue Metallic, Two-Tone White Pearl Crystal Shine, Two-Tone Precious Silver, Two-Tone Precious Black Pearl, Two-Tone Dark Red Mica Metallic, Two-Tone Dark Blue Mica.

Photo: Toyota Motor Corporation

Let's Do The News! (December 15, 2014)

Welcome back. Here is your current sitrep:

- The Olongapo City Prosecutor's Office charged US Marine Private First Class Scott Joseph Pemberton for murder of a Filipino transgender Jeffrey "Jennifer" Laude. A 23-page resolution of the preliminary investigation, as confirmed by City Prosecutor Emile delos Santos, recommended murder raps against this US soldier. Although premature, the city prosecutor said there were "aggravating qualifying circumstances" to charge Pemberton.

- On the Japanese general elections, the Liberal Democratic Party led by PM Shinzo Abe and its coalition partner, Komeito, scored 326 seats out of 475 in the Lower House. That's one more than they won in the last election two years ago. This win will allow the re-enactment of bills rejected by the Upper House.

- There was a hostage drama occurred at the Lindt cafe in the Australian capital city Sydney. Five people have escaped the building although no one knows how many are in that cafe but reports told, there was a black Islamic flag displayed at the window. The flag in question is similar to the one used by jihadist groups but it's different from the one used by the ISIS in the Middle East.

- The last protest site located at Hong Kong's Causeway Bay has been cleared by the police. They managed to arrested some of the demonstrators upon clearing the last remaining pro-democracy protest site. With all of the protest sites removed, Hong Kong leader CY Leung declared an end to the "illegal occupation activities".

- The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Philippine National Police conducted a surprise inspection in the New Bilibid Prisons as part of their crackdown against illegal activities inside the prison cells and other parts of this maximum security area.

- A few days ago, there was a scandal occurred from Korean Air about the daughter of the company's chairman who stopped a flight to sack one of the airline staff after serving her a bag of macadamia nuts. That name of that particular person is Cho Hyun-ah, the head of cabin service and the oldest child of Korean Air chairman Cho Yang-ho. That "nut rage" made a disgrace not just for her family nor the company but the entire nation of South Korea so she resigned from her executive roles amid violent reactions about her tantrum.

Despite the "macadamia" scandal in Korean Air, sales of macadamia nuts in South Korea have been skyrocketing. It's like this whole scandal occurred was a blessing for these macadamias sold in South Korean stores.

- This week's Jay Leno's Garage highlights the Ronin RS 211, a tuned Lotus with 680HP of power output coming from its 1.8L engine and heavily inspired from the track-focused 2-Eleven.



- The latest update from the Real Racing 3 app game features Scuderia Ferrari's racing machine from the past and the present such as the 1950 375 F1, the 1995 412 T2, and the 2014 F14-T. Three generations, three challenges. Also, the Monza racetrack has been added for this update. So go ahead, check out the latest RR3 update by yourself and experience the speed these three machines has to offer.

- Long John Silver's, one of America's biggest seafood restaurant, lands in the Philippines for the first time at the SM City Manila Ground Floor.

- Here's your first look at the upcoming Terminator: Genisys trailer, which will hit theaters this Summer 2015. Continuing where Salvation left off, John Connor, leader of the human resistance, continues the war against machines but there's a bigger threat coming on him as SkyNet will attack him on both fronts; past and future. This film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Clarke, Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney, J.K. Simmons, Dayo Okeniyi, Lee Byung-Hun, and Matt Smith.



TTFN!!!

Let's Do The News! (December 14, 2014)

Welcome back. Here is your current sitrep:

- Over 20 people died and 88 people missing in the Indonesian landslide.

- The Malacanang mulls declaring non-working holidays next month in an event Pope Francis arrives in the Philippines from Jan. 15 to 19. Philippine Airlines, meanwhile, will close flights to Tacloban on Jan. 17 for the Pope's visit.

- Haitian PM Laurent Lamothe announced his resignation along with several ministers in the midst of violent protests against the Haitian government.

- Meanwhile in the USA, tens of thousands of people are protesting against the killings of black people by white police officers. About 25,000 demonstrators gathered at the nation's capital and marched through Capitol Hill.

- The Japanese general elections are underway and citizens are casting their votes. So far, voter turnout is lower than the previous election held two years ago.

- Four separate Taliban attacks in 2 days killed 21 people in Afghanistan, sparking concerns about the nation's lack of security before most foreign troops withdraw.

- The second-generation Audi Q7 has been revealed and the new model lost 325kg of weight. It's set for its 2015 NAIAS debut next month.

2016 Audi Q7

- The new Audi RS3 Sportback is here and it's now the most powerful hot hatch in the market thanks to its 2.5 TFSi engine developing 362HP of power, more than the Mercedes-AMG A45!

2016 Audi RS3 Sportback

- All 918 units of the Porsche 918 Spyder hybrid supercar have already been sold.

TTFN!!!