Suzuki -Third Generation- MR Wagon (MF33S) Wit

It's been two years since Suzuki launched the third-generation MR Wagon, which I think it's the geekiest of the kei cars targeted for the geeks. Although, the front view looks kinda disappointing to me because it kinda looks like it's been in the state of panic, what's redeeming to me is the fancy gizmo on the interior called the TOUCH PANEL AUDIO in which I can do the swiping on the touch panel.

Wait a minute, if the face of the current MR Wagon wasn't quite stylish, how about adding a different kind of cocktail for the current MR Wagon? Yep, it's time to welcoming back the stylish version of the MR Wagon called the MR Wagon Wit.

2014 Suzuki MR Wagon Wit

Well, for the new MR Wagon Wit, it seems that the disappointing front view as seen on the standard model has been wiped out from its misery and now it kinda looks like an...uh...honey I shrunk the Nissan Elgrand. Really, this new MR Wagon Wit now looks like a mini-Elgrand to us? Yep, it really looks like a Nissan Elgrand to us and it seems that the new front view really wants us to play some optical illusion tricks to us. Feels like we're living in the fun house without the house prefix...and the fun. Sorry.

2014 Suzuki MR Wagon Wit

So, implementing for the 2014 model year, both the normal MR Wagon and the brand new Wit model gained Suzuki's ENE-CHARGE and ECO-COOL as implemented on last year's new Wagon R. In case you are wondering how ENE-CHARGE and ECO-COOL works, do you want me to sound like James May? If not, you know the drill. If yes, let's make it shorter, okay?

Suzuki's ENE-CHARGE provides a regenerative braking system that converts kinetic energy during deceleration into electricity stored from its lithium-ion battery, which is used to power the vehicle's electrical components while ECO-COOL is an air-conditioning system that keeps cool air flowing even when the engine was shut off by its idling stop system, relying on the fan that blows air over a cold sink in the aircon's evaporator into the cabin. Get it now? Good.

Anyway, thanks to the ENE-CHARGE and ECO-COOL, both the normal MR Wagon and the MR Wagon Wit can accumulate a fuel consumption based on JC08 Mode standards of 30kmpl. I repeat, 30KMPL. 3-0-K-M-P-L. Surprisingly, that matches the fuel consumption of the current Wagon R with ENE-CHARGE and that's not all because starting now, a turbocharged 660C DOHC VVT engine is now an exclusivity for the Wit and with the promising 27kmpl, the turbocharged Wit is about 1kmpl more than the turbocharged Spacia Custom. You heard that right.

2014 Suzuki MR Wagon Wit interior

2014 Suzuki MR Wagon Wit interior

Of course, on the interior, you can still expect the same peripherals from the standard model as well as the available Touch Panel Audio which I find this gizmo to be my favorite until the Peugeot 208's touch screen struck me through but for the new Wit, having learned its lesson from its big sister, the Alto Lapin Chocolat, the interior is now sporting a two-tone color for both the seats and the panel so you can expect a fair bit of class and glamour lurking through the new Wit.

So, if the normal MR Wagon's not quite perky for the geeks, would you consider one? Well, because of all of that Holy Guacamole around here, the new MR Wagon Wit starts at around 1,290,450 Japanese Yen. Simple as that,

Photo: Suzuki Motor Corporation

Liz Uy, IHAW NA!

The stylist for the stars, Liz Uy, was the guest for the day on July 15, 2013's Banana Nite's IHAW NA segment and geez, this never gets even more stylish!

That's all for Top Gear Korea Season 4

Well, Season 4 of XTM Top Gear Korea has finally come to a conclusion. It's been fun...

We've seen presenters comparing high performance SUVs, doing a lap time party, we see the future of Korean police cars, Vin Diesel makes a surprise appearance, a new Range Rover vs a man in a wing suit, hosting a new rally championship, the boys are tuning a Hyundai Genesis Coupe to create the TGK 520, a Chevrolet Trax vs BMX riders, making public service announcements against distracted drivings, and creating a new kind of tyre for different kinds of cars.

There had been numerous power tests on this season but the most interesting ones were the power tests took place at the BBC Top Gear Test Track. In one episode, TGK presenter Kim Jin Pyo arrives at the BBC Top Gear Test Track to try out the new Aston Martin Vanquish and then in the next episode, he even tried out the McLaren MP4-12C round the track.

For this season, the fastest car round the Top Gear Korea track was the Audi R8 with the lap time of 1:28.27

Season 4 sees the arrival of the Volkswagen Polo R-Line 1.6 TDi, which replaced the VW Golf VI as the basis for the show's STAR LAP TIME segment. There has been numerous guests such as Lee Jang, 2AM, Lee Sang Min, Son Ho Yang, Kim Joon-hyun, Park Shin Hye, Kim Min-Jung, Ja Tae-hyun...there were 19 celebs thrashed the VW Polo R-Line 1.6 TDi round the TGK track and the quickest was Lee Jang, with the lap time of 1:55.25

Source: http://topgearkorea.interest.me/Index/26/Contents/View

Well, that does it then. Thanks for everyone who watched TGK Season 4. See you soon. The Stig will too...

Top Gear S20E03

Top Gear S20E03

Episode 3 of BBC Top Gear Season 20 is a big one because the boys went to Spain, driving three convertible supercars. Jeremy Clarkson drives a McLaren MP4-12C Spider, Richard Hammond drives a Ferrari 458 Spider, and James May drives an Audi R8 V10 Spyder.

In the end, don't mind about the 458 Spider revealed as the choice for the cost-conscious convertible fan because...when it comes to speed, all three takes it. For quietness, the R8 and the MP4-12C takes it. For discretion, economy, value, and equipment, the Audi R8 Spyder takes it. Who cares?

Still, for the fun of it, Sherlock Holmes takes on the Top Gear Test Track. You're talking about Sherlock's Benedict Cumberbatch here. Yep, he's the STAR IN A NEW REASONABLY PRICED CAR of that week and he did it in...1:47.8.

#gbbaha

On the July 14, 2013 episode of Goin Bulilit:

- What's OOH? What's EEW? It's on OOH! EEW!

- Baha gags

- Meet Motorcycle Man, a superhero who hates rain.

- Tanong ko lang, Bakit may nalulunod na pusa sa baha?

- Goin Bulilit music video of Buko

- D3 Detergent Bar

- Tanong ko lang...Bakit ang damit na naaarawan, mabango?

- Is there someone here to help?

- Tanong ko lang. Ano kaya ang epektib na rain dance?

- The forgetful man...

- Ready Get Set Goin!

Let's Do The News! (July 14, 2013)

JM: And now, the news and it seems that we're in the sea of disappointed faces because...um...what just happened to them? I wonder why.

JC: Well, James. I tell you why is this happened. Maybe they've watched last night's....um...

RH: Gravity Falls? It's the one where Dipper, Mabel, and Soos chasing down some kind of...um...demon summoned by the show's main villain, Lil Gideon, through Stan's memories.

JC: I was gonna said that but...Oh! No wonder I'd expect a sea of disappointed faces from the fans when they caught up the part where...um...Anyway, Richard, about that demon that summoned to hunt down the secret, I was just wondering that it kinda looks like the...um...some kind of cult-looking triangle that you'd expect on the US Dollar bill.

JM: Or perhaps, it kinda looked like the cult conspiracy known as the Illuminati.

(audience laughing)

JM: If you were the kind of people who read one of Dan Brown's novels, then you'd probably known what an Illuminati is or by watching a movie called Angels and Demons. Anyway, the Illuminati-looking...spirit we just saw...

RH: Uh, James, actually, that spirit's named Cipher. Bill Cipher. The spirit that was summoned by that little jerk from the mystery book in order to track down the deed to the shack, much like what SpongeBob's Plankton do when it comes to steal the secret formula. Sounds familiar?

(audience laughing)

RH: Anyway, later on, on the showdown between the guys vs. Bill Cipher, our heroes just thrown everything they've got to stop him until he quits but they've warned them about a prophecy's going to happen.

JC: What is it?

RH: (imitates River Song) Spoilers.

(Audience laughing)

JC: Anyway, after the battle, there's the part that caused the a sea of disappointed faces from the fans. It's the one that Lil Gideon has the upper hand because he's got the deed and obliterate the Mystery Shack once and for all. Pity. So, what will happen on part two?

JM: Uh. Jeremy. Um...(whispers)

JC: (bleep)!

(audience laughing)

JM: I said some other week because next week. It's going to be pre-empted (I think) by some new DCOM titled Teen Beach Movie, the one with the Aussie-born Maia Mitchell and the dude who played Austin from the TV sitcom Austin and Ally, Ross Lynch.

JC: Wait. Maia Mitchell? Isn't she the one who guested on the Phineas and Ferb Musical Cliptastic Countdown special a few weeks ago?

JM: Yes. Yes she was. Anyway, about that new DCOM, due this Friday, it's about bikers vs. surfers in the beach. Well, catch this summer treat on Friday, okay? Save the date.

(cheers and applause)

JM: Anyway, let's talk a typical food what poor Filipinos eat. For three decades, galunggong or round scad was the typical food poor Filipino families eat because of its pricing and it became an indication about how poor the Philippine economy was from the Cory Aquino period. Now, it seems that galunggong is no longer the poor Filipino's fish anymore because what I just heard that thanks to climate change and the politics, prices for galunggong rose from P59.8 per kilo in 2003 to P107.7 per kilo last year, according to the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB).

JC: So, which means, what I found from the data from the NSCB that the poor Filipino's fish was now...wait a minute...it's "Tilapia" or St. Peter's fish because of its pricing retailing for P96 a kilo last year, likewise up from P59 in 2003. But even though Tilapia is cheaper than galunggong, I think it's still delicious when it's fried. Mmmm....fried tilapia.

(audience laughing)

JM: Don't forget, even though Tilapia is now a poor Filipino's fish, the undisputed poor Filipino's meal of all time was...pancit canton because of its 8 peso pricing or more. I learned that from the Word Of The Lourd article. The More You Know.

JC: Yeah. The More You Know, James. The More You Know.

(audience laughing)

JC: Okay, now while we're sticking in the Philippines. Does everyone heard about the MMDA's proposed new color coding scheme that will ban your car twice a week?

(audience murmuring)

JC: Anyway, what the MMDA said this is a proposal that would keep it off the road twice a week. Based on the reports I saw, vehicles with plate numbers ending in the following digits will be banned from the metro's streets on the following days:

1, 2, 3, 4 on Mondays;

5, 6, 7, 8 on Tuesdays;

9, 0, 1, 2 on Wednesdays;

3, 4, 5, 6 on Thursdays; and

7, 8, 9, 0 on Fridays.

RH: Wait, what? Twice a week? But why?

JC: Beats me. Mr. Francis Tolentino said that they're adopting "what is being implemented in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil" in reference to the proposed adjustment to the number-coding scheme, or the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program as it is officially known. I don't know. Does Rio had that kind of color coding?

(audience murmuring)

JM: I dunno!

(audience laughing)

JC: Anyway, twice a week? What a total pain in the (bleep)! Why is the MMDA trying to implement such schemes that was made to lessen the traffic but sadly it keeps getting worse? Don't you know that it's those big buses and trucks carrying cargos are causing all this?

(audience laughing)

JM: Uh...

JC: Come on. This isn't solving anything about banning our cars on the road twice a week. It's gonna be...

(BABBLE ALERT)

JM: What was that?

JC: I don't know. I got a message from my smartphone. BABBLE ALERT if you know what I mean? Let's see...hmmm....hmmm...hmmm....oh...

JM: What is it?

JC: Says here that cops in Vancouver, Canada, confirmed that actor Cory Monteith from Glee found dead earlier at the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel. He's the dude who played Finn Hudson on Glee when the series aired on FOX four years ago.

RH: Oh...Too bad...

JC: Yeah right. And that's the end of the news. Let's take a look at what the Brits came up on Goodwood.

JM: Yes indeed and let's go first to Bentley with this...

2014 Bentley Continental GT3 Racecar

RH: Yeah. What it is is a track-only version of the Bentley Continental GT, called the Continental GT3. Since this is a race-only version, you can't use it to go for a trip to a Monte Carlo casino, unless you are in the Monaco racetrack or any other racetrack you know.

(audience laughing)

RH: Anyway, it has a 4.0L V8 engine which develops 600HP of power while fitting most of the regulated racing peripherals suitable for GT3 racing purposes. It's rear-wheel drive, has a carbon fiber propshaft, LSD, hydraulic steering, double wishbones, Brembo brakes, anything that makes the Continental GT3 racer a purebred British racing machine that echoes Bentley's commitment for motorsport.

Škoda Octavia (Typ 5E) RS

2014 Skoda Octavia RS and 2014 Skoda Octavia Combi RS

Once again, I'm disrespecting another high-performance version of an everyday car and this time it's the turn of the hot version of the third-generation Skoda Octavia. RS or vRS, whatever you call it, returns for the all new Skoda Octavia and what I'm unaware is that Skoda claims that this new model is the most powerful Octavia in the world (*at this moment in time). Hmmm... The most powerful Octavia in the world, huh? I'm not so sure if this kind of superlative makes sense and to find out, I have to dissect the vRS' potentials one by one by one.

Starting first on how it behaves or misbehaves in a mindless kind of way. Okay, while Skoda says this is the ultimate version of the new Octavia, which is nothing more of a Volkswagen Golf for the elder gentlemen, there are two kinds of engines available for the new Octavia RS. One is a turbocharged two-litre petrol engine and the other one is a two-litre diesel engine which doesn't make any sense for this superlative.

2014 Skoda Octavia RS

First of all, the 2.0L TSi engine, that's what we're focusing at, develops 220HP of power and when mated with a six-speed manual, it takes 0-100kph in 6.8 seconds, that's a 0.4 second improvement over the previous model and with the 248kph flat out speed, it's faster as well. No wonder I was agreeing to this kind of superlative though. Hmmm...This is the most powerful Octavia ever made, I had to be careful not to let my brain explode...

So, what about the diesel version? Well, for the downside, you'll sacrifice power over fuel economy because this diesel engine develops 184HP of power, 0-100kph in 8.1 seconds, 232kph flat out speed, and 119g/km of CO2 emissions, which some say it's a 19% improvement over the old model.

At first glance, I thought I was going to disrespect this machine but it wasn't worth it. This machine really loves to play silly tricks on its sleeves and driving one of these feels like you are in a one way trip to Hallucination-ville. Or perhaps, the way it behaves feels like you've been running through an olympic-sized pool...filled with custard. Whoops. Just saying the old "walk through a pool full of custard" stuff. Where did I heard that from?

2014 Skoda Octavia Combi RS

Anyway, while this is like running through a pool full of custard, it's still a Czechoslovakian sub machine-gun disguised as a laptop. You'd never know what will hit you next but thanks to all those character-building traits, the Octavia RS is made for the mad, the bad, and the downright stupid. Whether if you were in the saloon version, which costs 619,900 Kč, or in the station wagon version, the Combi, which costs 654,900 Kč, the choice of having either a 2.0L petrol or a 2.0L diesel, mated with either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed double clutch AT, it's still one of the best Skodas to have since the Fabia.

2014 Skoda Octavia RS interior

So, after driving this, I had to realize which is funnier than driving the Octavia RS. Is it hot chicks blowing too much caravans? Blokes peeing on a wounded man on the street? Putting a CD on a microwave? I don't know but this isn't all brainy stuff because driving the Octavia RS will give drivers the same feelings you'd expect on the ones I'd mentioned. Even though it has the best of both worlds, your desire to abuse this in the name of science remains inevitable.

Thank you Skoda, and thanks for dropping by.

Photo: Skoda Auto