Winners of the Top Gear Awards 2023

The January 2024 issue of BBC's Top Gear Magazine unveiled this year's TG Awards winners, the first time since the Top Gear TV series went dark "for the unforeseeable future" following Freddie Flintoff's on-set accident late last year.

Winners of the Top Gear Awards 2023
Image: BBC

The Top Gear Awards features questionable but unique titles, which is nonsense to some, to be given to the cars as featured by Top Gear. Unlike most automotive awards, the folks from Top Gear went to a more unscripted approach to determine which is the best car of the year. And now, the winners...

Disruptor of the Year: Tesla Cybertruck

Manufacturer of the Year: Lamborghini

Bargain of the Year: Dacia Spring

Luxury Car of the Year: Rolls-Royce Spectre

Hypercar of the Year: GMA T.50

All The Car You'll Ever Need: BMW M3 Touring

Design of the Year: Toyota Land Cruiser 250

Track Car of the Year: Porsche 911 GT3 RS (992)

GT of the Year: Aston Martin DB12

Family Car of the Year: Kia EV9

Car We're Most Looking Forward to Driving in 2024: Ford Mustang GTD

Performance Car of the Year: Honda Civic Type R (FL5)

Innovation of the Year: Koenigsegg CC850 Engage Shift System

Eco Warrior of the Year: Volvo EX30

Lifetime Achievement Award: Adrian Newey

Retro Hero of the Year: Tamiya Wild One Max

Car of the Year: Hyundai Ioniq 5 N

URL: https://www.topgear.com/car-news/2023-topgearcom-awards/revealed-winners-2023-topgearcom-awards

Congratulations to the winners of this year's Top Gear Awards!

Let's Do The News! (November 30, 2023)

                                    

Your daily round-up of today's news...

- Philippine President Bongbong Marcos will not attend the COP28 climate summit in Dubai to deal with the hostage situation in the Red Sea where 17 Filipino seafarers were held hostage. In his place, DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga will attend the climate summit.

- Public policy think thank Infrawatch PH urged the National Economic Development Authority to cancel Chinese funding for big-ticket infrastructure projects given the ongoing territorial disputes.

- A ransomware group known as Black Basta has robbed at least 107 million US dollars in virtual currency with much of the laundered ransom payments making their way to the sanctioned Russian cryptocurrency exchange Garantex, according to reports.

- American diplomat and Nobel prize winner Henry Kissinger passed away at a centennial age.

- On the sixth and possibly final day of the truce between Israel and Hamas before the resumption of fighting in Gaza, more hostages were released and 30 Palestinian prisoners were also freed from Israeli prisons.

- The Hyundai Motor Group unveiled its new EV drivetrain system called the Uni Wheel system. The new system integrates pre-existing drivetrain technology that has essentially been re-engineered to move the main drive system components to the vacant area within a car’s wheel hub.

- NASCAR signed a seven-year media rights deal with FOX, NBC, Amazon, and Warner Bros. Discovery beginning in the 2025 season until the 2031 season.

- The third-generation Dacia Duster was unveiled. The all-new model runs on the CMF-B platform and is powered by a choice of a 1.6L hybrid, 1.2L turbo with mild-hybrid tech, and a 1.0L turbo bi-fuel engine that can be run on either petrol or LPG.

2024 Dacia Duster

- The third live-action Sonic the Hedgehog movie will hit theaters this December 2024, according to the film's director. The movie's director teases Sonic's arch-rival Shadow's arrival in the movie.

- TOEI announced the 2024 Precure installment will be titled Wonderful Precure!, coming in early 2024.

- ONE PACT announced the official fandom name ahead of their debut. ONE PACT’s fandom name will be “&heart”.

- Police in Newport Beach, California, are conducting an active investigation involving allegations that Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey was involved in an improper relationship with an underage girl.

TTFN.

Toyota Land Cruiser 70 (2024MY Minor Change)

The GOAT in the Land Cruiser history, the 70 Series, returns for the 2024 Model Year, and it's here to stay as the heavy-duty class of the Land Cruiser lineage.

2024 Toyota Land Cruiser 70

Starting at 4.8 million Japanese Yen plus additional costs, the reborn Toyota Land Cruiser 70 is the ultimate no-nonsense JDM offroader for those who believe that today's offroaders are too posh for them or they can't afford to buy a Jeep Wrangler. Whatever the reason, it's here to stay and ready to roll, ripping through the toughest places in Japan.

2024 Toyota Land Cruiser 70

Although it's still as good as it was nearly four decades ago, the Land Cruiser 70 features a new front face with a grille that spells TOYOTA on it as well as three horizontal slats below the grille, a tribute to earlier models. Even with a new look, it's still the Land Cruiser 70 the world knows.

2024 Toyota Land Cruiser 70 interior

2024 Toyota Land Cruiser 70 interior

The familiar interior has been revamped with a new instrumental panel, a new steering wheel, a new cup holder design at the center console, USB-C ports, a rear monitor at the room mirror, and new switches below the dashboard, keeping this ancient off-roader updated for the new normal. It still seats up to five people and comes with foldable second-row seats for added boot space for your essentials. Better be overprepared rather than underprepared, some say.

2024 Toyota Land Cruiser 70

Unlike the previous model nearly a decade ago, the 2024MY Toyota Land Cruiser 70 is powered only by a 1GD-FTV 2.8L common-rail turbodiesel engine mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox. It produces 204PS of power output and 500Nm of torque, while the fuel economy is 10.1km/L based on WLTC Mode standards.

Being an old-school offroader with a ladder frame, the Land Cruiser 70 is packed with front coil springs, rear leaf springs, Downhill Assist Control, VSC, and Active Traction Control, an electronic differential lock, hill-start assist control, a part-time 4WD system, and a dual-mode automatic locking hub. Although it's still not suitable for your Tokyo trip, it's still a classic off-roader fit to tackle the path to Mt. Fuji or crawl through the end of the mountain road ahead of someone. That's off-road ingenuity, the Land Cruiser way.

The ancient Land Cruiser 70 Series now comes with Toyota Safety Sense, with a suite of intelligent safety features including Lane Departure Alert, Road Sign Assist, Pre-Collision System, and others.

It's great to have the Land Cruiser 70 back in the lineup as the heavy-duty member of the Land Cruiser family, and this remastered classic is ready to tackle the challenges of the new normal, something that a modern off-roader couldn't think of. If you're looking for an off-roader but can't afford a Jeep Wrangler, the remastered Land Cruiser 70 is the one for you. It's still the GOAT.

Available Colors: Beige, Super White II, and Attitude Black Mica.

Photo: Toyota Motor Corporation

Shake Rattle & Roll EXTREME

Regal Films' Shake Rattle and Roll series has finally returned and this time, fear is set to the EXTREME in the most terrifying installment ever made.

Shake Rattle & Roll EXTREME

Shake Rattle & Roll EXTREME marks the return of the most terrifying horror anthology franchise from Regal Films and nobody's safe from the most extreme installment ever made.

Featuring a powerhouse cast of celebs such as Darna's Jane De Leon, Jane Oineza, RK Bagatsing, Paolo Gumabao, Ninong Ry, Rob Gomez, Phi Palmos, Miggs Cuaderno, Sarah Edwards, Mika Reins, Distin Yu, Jana Tadro, Ian Gimena, and others, the most extreme installment of the Shake Rattle & Roll series features three horrifying chapters that will leave them horrified until the end. A Christmas demon strikes in GLITCH, a bloody feast worthy of becoming viral in MUKBANG, and survivors battling against the afflicted in RAGE.

Packed with blood, gore, drama, and an endless barrage of terror, yes, almost no one will survive the most EXTREME Shake Rattle & Roll installment ever made because such themes will leave the unprepared ones surrendered and only the toughest ones will be left out watching all three chapters from the start to the very end. This movie will throw everything it has, making it the ultimate madhouse of horrors reserved for the bravest and toughest moviegoers willing to survive this fear fest.

This is no doubt the most terrifying movie ever to come out in the Yuletide season and the EXTREME setting is a torturous punishment moviegoers will never forget. 

Are you up to the EXTREME?

Let's Do The News! (November 29, 2023)

                                   

Your daily round-up of today's news...

- All equipment from Smartmatic Philippines is officially banned from all procurement from the COMELEC. The decision stemmed from a petition seeking to disqualify Smartmatic from taking part in the bidding for the poll system to be used in the 2025 national elections filed before COMELEC.

- Senators are moving to pass Philippine maritime zones law to stop China's bullying.

- The Manila government is mulling taxidermy for the recently deceased elephant Mali.

- All 41 trapped workers in a tunnel in India are freed after 17 days and they are taken to a hospital for check-ups.

- Hamas freed another 12 hostages and Israel hands over 30 more Palestinian prisoners in the fifth day of the temporary truce.

- Mnet teases the second season of the I-LAND reality show set to air this April 2024. The new season will be a collaboration with longtime YG Entertainment producer Teddy and his agency THEBLACKLABEL.

- Denver Broncos' Kareem Jackson flies to New York to meet with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to get more clarity about his latest suspension and the way the league enforces its player safety rules.

- Pop singer Sabrina Carpenter draws flack over her latest music video using a New York Catholic church as the background.

- Actress Cynthia Nixon goes on a hunger strike to protest the Israel-Hamas conflict.

- Keith Morrison, the stepfather of the late actor Matthew Perry, broke silence on Perry's death.

- Content creator Sammy Manese dies at the age of 17.

TTFN.

- 

Let's Do The News! (November 28, 2023)

                                  

Your daily round-up of today's news...

- The Philippines has recorded over 200K cases of flu and COVID cases, according to the country's Department of Health.

- The Philippine government is expected to lodge another diplomatic protest against China after its fighter jets orbited a Philippine Air Force aircraft during a recent patrol operation in the West Philippine Sea.

- Senator Risa Hontiveros has filed a resolution urging the PBBM administration to cooperate with the International Criminal Court. The resolution filed by the Senate deputy minority leader came after a similar resolution was filed in the House of Representatives.

- The Israel-Hamas truce has been extended for two days, according to Qatar, according to reports. Israel says 11 hostages have been handed to the Red Cross in Gaza, including three-year-old twins and other children.

- British PM Rishi Sunak cancels his meeting with the Greek Prime Minister as diplomatic row breaks out over Elgin Marbles.

- The United Kingdom has detected its first human case of a variant of the H1N2 flu strain, one similar to the one circulating in pigs.

- The government of Sierra Leone blames renegade soldiers for a series of attacks in Freetown on Sunday that left twenty people dead.

- The reborn Lancia will launch the all-new, all-electric Ypsilon this February with the Lancia Ypsilon Edizione Limitata Cassina, limited to 1906 units.

- Luxury fashion brand BVLGARI teams up with Gran Turismo to unveil its Vision Gran Turismo entry this December 3 as well as its BVLGARI Aluminium x Gran Turismo Special Edition watches.

- The 2024 WEC season will feature 14 manufacturers, 19 Hypercars, and 18 LMGT3 vehicles. Qatar and Imola are added to the list of the 2024 season's race venues. MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi will race at the LMGT3 class with BMW, Mick Schumacher joins the Alpine hypercar driver lineup, and Robert Kubica joins the list of Ferrari 499P drivers this 2024 season.

- The third season of the Netflix reality series, Singles Inferno, will premiere this December 12th. The latest season will be hosted by Hong Jun Kyung, Le Da Hee, Kyuhyun, Hanhae, and former UDT soldier and previous contestant Dex.

- The merger between WWE and UFC was challenged in a lawsuit alleging a "sham sales process". Investors claim that WWE board members favored a merger with Endeavor's UFC to allow Vince McMahon to stay on as executive chairman of TKO Group.

- The BBC's subscription podcast service is launching in 166 new countries.

- Businessman Mark Cuban says he will leave Shark Tank in 2025.

- Veteran actor Robert De Niro expressed upset that his anti-Donald Trump speech at the Gotham Awards got cut out by Apple.

TTFN.

Let's Do The News! (November 27, 2023)

                                 

Your daily round-up of today's news...

- Over 18K families have fled to evacuation centers across the flood-affected regions in the Philippines due to the impact of the shear line and the low-pressure area.

- The Philippine Coast Guard boats used in the West Philippine Sea missions are joining the PH-Japan water cannon and towing drills.

- The search for five missing fishers in Quezon, Oriental Mindoro has been intensified.

- Former senator Leila de Lima called for a “full investigation” of former Justice Secretaries Vitaliano Aguirre II and Menardo Guevarra after the Court of Appeals determined that the Ombudsman dismissed her criminal and administrative complaints against them without due process.

- The PH Bureau of Internal Revenue warns social media influencers to pay taxes or face charges.

- Hamas freed 17 more hostages, including 14 Israelis and an American, on the third day of the four-day ceasefire and plans to extend the deal but Israel PM Netanyahu says that when the four-day truce is over, the fighting resumes.

- The government of Sierra Leone says it's back in control after gunmen attacked a barracks and several prisons in the capital.

- Pecco Bagnaia defended his MotoGP world champion title after the season finale in Valencia.

- The animated movie starring anisong girl group i☆Ris will hit theaters this early summer 2024.

- The ONE PIECE anime series begins its Egg Head arc this January 7th.

- Hong Sa Bin announces military enlistment after winning the Best New Actor award at the Blue Dragon Film Awards.

- TV personality Kris Aquino is undergoing iron infusion following her autoimmune disease diagnosis.

TTFN.