Let's Do The News! (May 14, 2015)

- Attempts for the return of Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza, despite the ongoing Burundi coup, has failed and he has returned to Tanzania where he was attending a summit.

- Investigations on the derailed Amtrak train in Philadelphia yesterday, which killed seven people, revealed that the train travelled at twice the speed limit by about 106mph and the driver applied the emergency brakes in the event it came too fast. The speed was recorded on the train's black box recovered from the wreckage.

- Hostiles shot down five people, including an American citizen, at a guesthouse located in Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan. The shootout between hostiles and security forces lasted for five hours and then three hostiles are killed.

- 31 people are killed on a fire at a slipper factory located in Manila, the capital city of the Philippines. The fire broke out on Wednesday and spread through the entire factory where over 200 workers were inside the building and welding work was going on near the entrance.

- Two patrol planes from the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force have made a brief landing in Vietnam on their way back from an anti-piracy mission off Somalia.

- Sony announced that the movie adaptation on the Ratchet & Clank video game franchise hits US theaters this 29th of April, 2016, with Focus Features handling the US distribution of the film. Numerous celebrities are joining the cast for the new movie including Paul Giamatti, Monsters Inc's John Goodman, Shake It Up's Bella Thorne, Rosario Dawson, and action star Sylvester Stallone.

- The PS3-exclusive free-to-play flight shooting game Ace Combat Infinity has reached its first year in service and to commemorate their first anniversary, a new update has implemented. In addition to the new "Adriatic Sea Landing Operation" online co-op mission, three fan-favorite aircrafts are added such as the MiG-31B Foxhound, the very unique and very expensive X-49 Night Raven from Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere, and the ultra-powerful Fenrir which comes with the signature Long Range Shockwave Missile (LSWM).

- Getting ready for the 10th anniversary concert of THE iDOLM@STER this July? Looks like you will need some stuff to show some love from your favorite idols from this, Cinderella Girls, or Million Live. First, there's some light sticks which has a color representative to your favorite idol. There are total of 37 light sticks and it costs 1,200 yen each. If you bought a bountiful of light sticks as intended, you buy either a holstered belt for 2,500 yen or a more convenient bag for 6,000 yen.

- Luxury carmaker Rolls-Royce officially announced that they will name their upcoming convertible version of the Wraith as Dawn, after their legendary Silver Dawn convertible from the 1950's. It will be fully revealed this 2016.

- The brand new Seat Leon Cupra ST lapped the Nurburgring in 7:58 dead, making it the quickest estate to lap round the ring and it's quicker than the Audi RS4 Avant. It's even quicker than its 3-door cousin despite the added weight. We're super jealous for this ride!

TTFN!!!

Let's Do The News! (May 13, 2015)

- Rescue efforts in Nepal has resumed after yesterday's quake that killed over 80 people and injured almost 2,000 people, with fears of numbers expected to rise. A US aid helicopter with eight people aboard went missing during yesterday's quake and the search continues.

- According to Pakistani authorities, six gunmen on motorcycles are believed to be from a certain extremist group, killed 43 people and injured 20 others in a gun attack on a bus carrying Ismaili Shia Muslims in Karachi.

- A M6.8 quake struck the northeastern part of Japan on Wednesday morning. The focus of the quake, according to sources, was 46km deep in the Pacific Ocean off Miyagi Prefecture. However, no tsunami occurred.

- According to South Korean intelligence sources, Hyon Yong Choi, the Minister of the People's Armed Forces from North Korea, was executed by a firing squad in Pyongyang late last month for treason after not following orders from ruler Kim Jong Un.

- The Philippine military's top priority is to build a naval base near the disputed Spratly Island, despite the delays caused by funding bottlenecks. The planned naval base allows US, Japanese, and Vietnamese naval vessels to make port calls once the facility in Oyster Bay in Palawan was finished.

- House Bill 5572, which is a bill that prohibits matchmaking through the internet and seeking to outlaw the scheme related to mail-order bride activities, nears its final approval in the House of Representatives.

- Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May are reunited for their new motoring live show called Clarkson, Hammond, and May LIVE. Their live show will start at The Odyssey Arena, Belfast, Northern Ireland, on the 22nd of May, Sheffield, UK, on the 5th of June, Johannesburg, South Africa, on June 12, Stavanger, Norway, on June 19, Australia on July 18 and 25, Warsaw, Poland, on October 24 and will end in London, UK, on November 28.

- The Suzuki Hustler kei-crossover is now available with the S-ENE CHARGE system which allows the Hustler to have a fuel economy of 32.0kmpl.

2016 Suzuki Hustler

- Boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao has returned to the Philippines with a hero's welcome occurred near the Dusit Thani Hotel, Makati City, where the parade occurred. Despite his loss from Floyd Mayweather Jr., he's still welcomed by his fans many.

- Filipino music legend Mike Hanopol has embraced Judaism and he will be named as the first ever Jewish Filipino this next year. According to news, Mike Hanopol discovered his Jewish roots since the 70's after meeting with his dad in New York. Then, in 1995, he has grown interest with the Torah, the Jewish bible. Soon after, he teaches Judaism to people who want to change their spiritual life.

TTFN!!!

Another strong quake hits Nepal

Once again, the quake-struck Nepal has suffered another tremor as reports told that a M7.4 earthquake struck near Mount Everest in Nepal, just weeks after the more powerful quake destroyed numerous buildings in capital city Kathmandu and over eight thousand people died.

The USGS first reported that the quake, which struck 83km east of Kathmandu, had a magnitude of 7.1 before revising it to 7.4. The shockwaves from the quake felt across northern India, where buildings began swaying for over a minute and people began fleeing to the streets.

On April 25, 2015, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 struck parts of Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, and the city of Pokhara. It is known to be the deadliest of the Nepal earthquakes in over eight decades and it's not just Nepal that's affected. It's also parts of India, Bangladesh, Tibet, and Mount Everest, where avalanches were triggered.

Report: http://m.france24.com/en/20150512-nepal-strong-earthquake-strikes-near-mount-everest

Let's Do The News! (May 12, 2015)

- Tom Brady of the New England Patriots, the football team that defeated Seattle Seahawks at the Super Bowl three months ago, was suspended for the first four games of the season. Gets worse; the Patriots are fined with $1 million and took away two draft picks for deflating footballs used in the AFC title game.

- According to finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, Greece is just two weeks away from cash crisis as the nation's financial situation is "terribly urgent".

- US Secretary of State John Kerry is scheduled to hold key talks in Russia with his counterpart Sergei Lavrov about the ongoing Ukraine Crisis. However, his talks with the Russian leader Vladimir Putin are to be determined.

- Volcanic activity in Mt. Hakone continues and an alert remains in place for a minor eruption at the water's source in Owakudani valley.

- Japanese authorities arrested the son of an organization which supports North Korea and two others on suspicion of smuggling mushrooms from the DPRK. Masamichi Kyo (known as Ho Jong Do) is the second son of Ho Jong Man, the chairman of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, which regarded as a de facto embassy of North Korea, which has no diplomatic ties with Japan.

- Famed boxing commentator Max Kellerman defends boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao, saying that he "manned up" during his fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. two weeks ago.

- Controversial ride-sharing app Uber is now legal in the Philippines, which is the first nation to develop nationwide ride-sharing regulations. The Department of Transportation and Communications will release more details this week regarding to its effort to modernize transportation services and brace for the conveniences provided by app-based transportation services.

- Some weird news; people selling PS4 with the demo of a recently-cancelled Silent Hill game for thousands of dollars. Isn't that something remind you of last year about iPhones with the app game Flappy Bird on it costs over ten thousand dollars?

- Chitoge Kirisaki and Kosaki Onodera from Nisekoi now spawned their own Nendoroid figures from Good Smile Company! They'll be avaialble for you this September for 3,704 Yen plus tax!

Nendoroid Kosaki Onodera

Nendoroid Chitoge Kirisaki

TTFN!!!

Forza Horizon 2: A slap on Europe's faces

The all-new and more powerful Chevrolet Corvette C7 Z06 is the highlight of Forza Horizon 2's Alpinestars Car Pack, on sale now, and now you have two kinds of C7 Corvettes to choose from in-game.



Based on the seventh-generation Corvette, the Z06 has now been helm as the most powerful car ever made by General Motors because of its new LT1 supercharged 6.2L V8 engine which produces 650HP of power and same amount for torque output, that's more than what you get from the old C6 ZR1 and that's about as similar as the McLaren 650S that I just tried a couple of months ago.

Apart from its added power, the new Z06 features most of the components from its C7.R racecar such as carbon fiber roof and hood, dry sump oiling system, hydroformed aluminum frame, adjustable rear spoiler wickerbill, composite floor panels, and titanium intake valves and connecting rods. With stuff like these, the C7 Z06 transforms the Corvette that is fully capable enough to take on Europe's finest sportscars into a Corvette that now behaves not just a muscle car but also a supercar or a hypercar at the same time.



Corvettes are always known to be the king of American sportscars and claiming that can take on Europe's finest but they are sometimes a letdown because of its American-ness. With the new Z06 though, that's a totally different story because while this is strictly an American-made car, it doesn't feel at all like an American car because it's been honed in the world's toughest racetracks including the Nurburgring and Le Mans, resulting to a half-decent supercar that deserves a slap on Europe's face and I do mean a big slap.

Anyway, enough chitchat because I am giving the new Z06 the run of its life on Forza Horizon 2 and because of my Horizon champion status, like everyone else, I can choose which location to start the championship of my choosing so I'd pick Nice Massena for a championship the new Z06 might like but first, some makeovers have to be done to keep it as race-prepped as possible.



Now, I know what you're thinking but please give them a chance because 2015 is not just Forza's 10th birthday, it's also The iDOLM@STER so I gave my C7 Z06 some iM@S credentials that suits its personality and look! Iori Minase!

Yes, I know, I was planning to made that design in time for Iori's birthday but I'm doing this to win back every petrolheads' hearts because they're starting to shy away from the once petrolhead-loving 765PRO ALL STARS from THE iDOLM@STER and migrated to μ's from Love Live. Because this new Vette is a match for anyone bearing the title of "Iori Minase's Producer", this should do the trick. Anyway, with the C7 Z06 ready to slap some opponents' faces, it's time for the road trip to Nice.



And there goes the championship the C7 Z06 had entered...



Success! Wait, there's another Horizon Finale coming up? Anyway, looks like the C7 Z06 has finally proven its point that it can slap on any opponents' faces without warning and I have strong belief that we are trying to win the spectators' hearts from seeing this design that I made.

So, what's my next move? Only time will tell as the journey continues...

F1 2015 - Spanish GP

Image: Getty Images

The continuing prominence of the Silver Arrows at the F1 2015 season still blazes on in the highly technical Circuit de Catalunya in Spain but this time, it's the German ace Nico Rosberg that steals the spotlight having managed to cross the line 16 seconds ahead of his teammate Lewis Hamilton while Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel was placed 3rd.

In the driver standings, Hamilton's still leading by 111 points while Rosberg's 20 points behind and Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel is 3rd place overall by 80 points.

The next race is at Monaco on the 24th of May, 2015.

FIA Formula E - Monaco

Monaco has been the background for various motorsport events and for the first-ever FIA Formula E Championship, the race of zero-emission racing machines have touched one of motorsports' finest racetracks with some thrilling results from inevitable crashes to close-quarters combat as they racers overtake themselves in tight situations.

Sebastien Buemi from e.Dams-Renault, thanks to his pole position during qualifying rounds, zapped his way to his next win while Audi Sport's Lucas di Grassi placed 2nd and NEXTEV TCR's Nelson Piquet placed 3rd.

Andretti Racing's Scott Speed was penalised to twelfth place due to his excessive power usage.

Highlights:



On the Driver Standings, di Grassi was still in the lead by 93 points while NEXTEV's Nelson Piquet remains 2nd overall with 89 points, and Sebastien Buemi is 3rd overall by 83 points.

The next race is at Berlin, Germany, on the 23rd of May, 2015.

Let's Do The News! (May 11, 2015)

- Back to the Mediterranean migrant crisis; the European Commission will make a proposal that all EU member nations should take in refugees under an EU quota scheme. It is estimated by the United Nations that 60,000 people have already tried to cross the Mediterranean this year.

- Greece says they are hopeful that Eurozone ministers will recognise the fiscal progress that the country has made. During a meeting in Brussels, Belgium, on Monday, Eurozone finance ministers continue negotiations with Greek politicians on a deal to release a portion of billions of bailout funds.

- Typhoon Dodong (Noul) weakens as it moves out of land mass and it's forecasted to leave the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Tuesday. As of now, Signal No. 3 is in effect on the Babuyan and Calayan Group of Islands and Batanes, Signal No. 2 in Northern Cagayan, and Signal No. 1 in the rest of Cagayan, Apayao, and Ilocos Norte.

- Visitors and tourists are keeping away from the section of the renowned hot spring resort in Mt. Hakone following its continuing volcanic activity since late April.

- 22 people are killed in a gun fight between Albanian insurgents and policemen in Macedonia last Saturday after police launched a search on the armed group in the northern town of Kumanovo.

- The all-new Dodge Viper ACR, the flagship track-weapon and street-legal model of the Viper supercar, has been revealed with its most powerful 8.4L V10 engine in its disposal, producing 645HP of power, as well as enhanced aerodynamics and some weight loss, resulting to a top speed of 177mph and handling G-force of 1.5Gs in high-speed turns. Game on, Z06 Vette.

2016 Dodge Viper ACR

- The Mercedes-AMG GT will make a starring role as Kamen Rider's future Rider Machine called the .NEX Tridoron in the summer movie Kamen Rider Drive: Surprise Future, opening in Japanese cinemas this August 8. Expect your favorite sentai hero to get his new wheels for the movie, kids.

.NEX Tridoron for the upcoming Kamen Rider Drive movie

-  Having been around for seven years in our hearts and minds 126 episodes, five one-hour specials, three Emmy awards, and an epic Disney Channel Original Movie aired last 2011, our ever-favorite inventive stepbrothers, Phineas and Ferb, will have their last day of summer as the final episode of the hit Disney TV series will air on the 12th of June on Disney XD. Prepare your tissue boxes, folks, because the series finale will be the one thing to remember for.

- In case you missed it, controversial presenter Willie Revillame aired the pilot episode of his new variety show on GMA7 titled WowoWin. This show is his comeback after his near-two-year absence on television.

- Sexy actress Diana Zubiri and model boyfriend Andy Smith are officially married last night at a garden wedding at New Manila, Quezon City.

TTFN!!!

Darla meets Vice and Negi

Darla is Kris Aquino's sidekick during her weekday trips on Kris TV and she's...what Negi is to Vice Ganda on Gandang Gabi Vice. Last night, everyone's favorite assistant on Kris TV appeared to meet up with Vice Ganda as well as his sidekick, Negi.

Isn't it great to see two sidekicks from two TV shows from ABS-CBN met up face to face?!

The Cute Wall (Volume Six)

Now, the moment of truth is time because it's now time to do...THE CUTE WALL!



(applause)

How great it is that we're doing this segment again after so many days. So, who's first?

Oshawott

It's this little fella from Pokemon. It's Oshawott! Isn't it cute?

Yes, it is kinda cute for a critter who wears so many makeup to impress almost anyone. I mean look at his face, it's all white! It's like he's spending all night putting too much facial powder without even knowing!

(audience laughing)

Well...okay, I'll give you that but did you know that Ash had one in the BW anime?

Uhh...

Anyway, he's a water-type Pokemon and he's one of the starters in the BW video games like Snivy and Tepig. He's got that scalchop that he always uses as a weapon or to be more precise, his Razor Shell attack.

Razor Shell?! Does he know how to use it well?

Well, not most of the time. Oshawott gets barbecued most of the time when he gets first.

(audience laughing)

Much like you. You always jump into conclusions recklessly.

Oh, all right then. So, where should we put Oshawott?

(indistinct chatter)

I bet Oshawott should be at the...well, NAKAKAGIGIL because with such cute face, there's no arguing about its pretty looks when Oshawott tries to look...like a pretty girl or boy.

(audience laughing)

Okay, NAKAKAGIGIL it is then. Now, will you excuse me, I need to get to the loo for a while...

Hurry up, then, because I'll be featuring another cute character. Oh look!

Minions

(applause)

Now, who would invited those minions here? Oh wait, I do speak minion here so...(gibberish)

(gibberish)

(audience laughing)

(gibberish)

(gibberish)

(gibberish)

(gibberish)

...what's going on here? Oh my! Who are those?

They're Minions. Gru's Minions from the Despicable Me movies. Looks like most of the Minions wanted have their spot in the Cute Wall but sadly there's only four places. Okay, I know what to do with those...

Several hours later...

Okay, now we have four minions. So...(gibberish)?

(gibberish)

(audience laughing)

Right, so what we're going to do is to tell those minions to dress up as cute as possible.

And then, we're going to rate them how cute they really are?

Precisely! All right little banana brains, time to dress up!

Several hours later...

So, Minion A, I think that's a very good outfit but it needs some little work so I'll have to send you to the NOT CUTE sport. As for Minion B, well, looks like he's having problems with his outfit. Sadly, I had to put you in the SERIOUSLY NOT CUTE sport. Now, we have Minion C and Minion D. Looks like it's going to be a heated battle, eh?

Yes and both of them are in their cutest but there can only be only one so if I were going to choose which one...I'll go for Minion C. Congratulations, your NAKAKAGIGIL spot has reserved for you!

(applause)

Awesome! Looks like we've picked the cutest Minion of them all in this segment. Right, time to add someone new to the board.

Star Butterfly

Who on Earth is that?!

Star Butterfly! She's from that new show titled Star vs. the Forces of Evil!

Is that really Star Butterfly? Because by the looks of her, she's like Mabel Pines who is over 9000.

(audience laughing)

Over 9000?

9000% in craziness, ugliness, and...uh...well, that's about it. She's crazier than Gravity Falls' Mabel Pines!

(audience laughing)

Okay, then how can you describe how crazy or ugly she is?

If you look at Mabel Pines, you can see that her ugliness comes with her braces and her goofy attitude but when you look at Star, she's more of a hideous wreck than Mabel Pines. Just look at her! Headband with some devil horns on it, magic wand that looks like they stole from an anime I once knew, the same Mabel Pines stupidity. Oh My G!

(audience laughing)

Looks like I would rather get smooched by Mabel rather than Star...well, I wouldn't mind getting chased by Star or Mabel because...

(clears throat) So, where would you put her Mr. I-Don't-Like-Ugly-Ladies?

I tell you where we should put Star...

(audience laughing)

There you go! SERIOUSLY NOT CUTE because she's as hideous as Mabel and no girl would ever want to be like these two.

You're always spouting about things you don't understand eh?

(indistinct chatter)

(POW!)

Ow! What was that?! And how did...Star ended up in...the NAKAKAGIGIL spot?

Told ya. Don't underestimate Star. She's one heck of a buttkicker when it comes to kicking bad guys' butts with her klutzy magic powers. Before you know it, she hit you with a narwhal.

(audience laughing)

Narnia?

No. Narwhal. Nar-whal. Narwhal blast!

This girl's so G-R-R-R...

(audience laughing)

She also hit you with a heart attack after that.

Okay. Let's leave her in the top spot she deserves. So, who's next?

Serena's Pancham

(ooohh)

Hold on...is that Pancham?

Yes but more specifically, Serena's Pancham from Pokemon XY!

Oh dear, looks like the Cute Wall is constantly flooded with every cute Pokemon known but anyway, I love Pancham so much because, he's cute and tough at the same time.

Okay, I agree with you but there's a problem.

Why? What's the problem?

Chespin's in the NAKAKAGIGIL board and if we put Serena's Pancham on that board, we're expecting a big feud between them.

(audience laughing)

I see! That's because Chespin and Serena's Pancham don't like each other. So, any suggestions?

Well, to be safe...CUTE. We'll put this little panda bear on the CUTE spot so he won't start a fight with Chespin that spells trouble in the board.

(audience laughing)

Good thinking. So, who else we got?

Uh...that's pretty much it, I'm afraid.

(audience laughing)

That's it?

Yep. No more. Oh wait! There's someone else!

Who is it?

Amethyst

Eek! Amethyst! Why did you brought her here?!

To try to explain what I'm on about. She's from Steven Universe, right? She's a crystal gem like Garnet and Pearl. And guess what?!

What?!

She's the perfect epitome of annoyance!

(audience laughing)

But...I don't find her to be annoying...

Oh yes she is. Imagine if I put Amethyst, Star, and Mabel in front of the cockometer, can you guess who can cause the cockometer to explode the most?

Uhh... Let me guess...Can we use the cockometer?

Okay. First, let's have Mabel. So, how would Mabel explode the Cockometer?

(BOOM!)

Her brace-filled ugliness blew the cockometer in less than three seconds. So, what about Star?

(POW!)

Star's Narwhal Blast destroyed the cockometer faster than Mabel's ugly face in less than a second. Now, how about Amethyst?

Several minutes later...

Clearly, this will take time so let's call her less annoying than the other two.

(audience laughing)

Sadly, I don't find Amethyst to be annoying and I'm a bit wrong but better still, I know a place we'll put Amethyst.

Where?

NOT CUTE.

(audience laughing)

Time for the recap!

SERIOUSLY NOT CUTE:

Raichu

Whisper

*Minion

NOT CUTE:

Dopey

Kwazii

*Minion

*Amethyst

CUTE:

Pichu

Plusle

Minun

Pachirisu

Emolga

Dedenne

Mokona

Mog

Catbug

Bashful

Froakie

Fennekin

Harukasan

Stuffy

Tunip the Vegimal

Minccino

Piplup

Sylveon

Queen Delightful

Axew

Jibanyan

*Minion

*Serena's Pancham

NAKAKAGIGIL!!!:

Pikachu

BMO

Bijou

Poof

George

Happy

Chespin

Doc McStuffins

Mabel Pines

Sofia

Cottonee

*Minion

*Oshawott

*Star Butterfly

#BGSantacruzan

On the May 8, 2015 episode of Bubble Gang...

- Istambay, Istambay sa Looban, Kuwentuhan may Kasamang Kantahan, Magkakagulo ang tambayan, Pagdating ng Bagong...VIDEOKEHAN?!

- Santacruzan gags

Reyna Elena

- IKAW AT ANG INA takes on...WOW!

- More lait-lait from Lala Ytera!

- Wife tells her husband some good dreams coming true!

Meaning of Dreams

- Man gets snatched by some kleptomaniacs in the meeting!

- Most boys won't mind about the lady secretary...

- More advice-giving from Tata Lino!

• Kung ang mahalin ka ay hindi kaya, dapat siguro, wag ka nang umasa nang dahil sa pagibig, marami na naging tanga. Ang tanong ko sa'yo, sasali ka ba?
• Yang playtime-playtime, parang pagkain yan. Kapag nasobrahan, lalaki ang iyong tiyan.
• Ang mga kaibigan, hindi parang kuritas na kailangan mo lang pagkatapos mong maglanggas.
• Para sa babae, nagbabago ang lalake. Hindi tunay na lalake ang pabago-bago ng babae.

- Brod Pete and the gang's back to answer everyone's questions (and laughing out loud) in ANG BAGONG DATING DOON INTERNATIONAL!

- Little boy wants to see his mommy does magic with candy before doing stuff he's being told!

Nissan X-TRAIL Hybrid

The Nissan X-TRAIL T32 is now becoming a car that really grinds my gears because since its launch two years ago, there have been more and more people, mostly Europeans, are becoming interested in the latest-generation crossover which combines its so-called toughness that its predecessors got with science that makes it well ahead of the curve. Just when I thought that this crossover had enough making too much exposure, well, it's not over yet because there's a first-ever X-TRAIL Hybrid appeared and this time, it's going to grind my gears even more, or is it?

2016 Nissan X-TRAIL Hybrid

Here it is, then. At first glance, it looks exactly the same as the new model but what's on its heart counts because I'm going to dig deep through its core, evaluating how would the hybrid powerplant became an instrument for added fuel consumption than the base gasoline model.

First and foremost, it's still the same 2,0L direct injection engine that you get from the Serena but now, it comes with the Intelligent Dual Clutch Control system, which is a 1-motor 2-clutch parallel setup, where the engine is mated with a 30kW electric motor, double clutches, and a Li-ion battery. It's capable of delivering up to 20.6km/L of fuel economy based on JC08 Mode standards.

Like the normal gasoline model, the X-TRAIL Hybrid still features the world's first Active Ride Control, which autonomously adopting the brakes and adjusting the engine's torque to help smooth the impact, as well as the world's first Active Engine Braking, which adjusts the engine's torque to slow down while enhancing control and stopping confidence. All seems fine for a family car but these features still grind my gears and I'm seeing too much exposure from this ride, which ironically, is good and comfortable.

For 4WD models, it comes with ALL MODE 4x4-i, which constantly optimizes torque to all four wheels for stability on snowy and other slippery surfaces.

While the normal X-Trail is offered in either a 5-seater or a 7-seater (which I don't like it because of my strong dislikes for crampy third-row seatings), the Hybrid model is available only in 5-seater, which is good news for picky passengers like me, bad news for baby boomers. Well, if you have a baby and if you're planning to occupy the 2nd row seat with some crappy child seats, you're out of luck and you'd better off with the petrol version instead but as for me, I can seat wherever I want and avoiding the fear of getting myself sandwiched by my siblings. It's better and it's more spacious at the back despite the added load due to the battery. You can fit most of your thrift shop hauls and you're not afraid of being a hoarder.

2016 Nissan X-TRAIL Hybrid

The new X-TRAIL Hybrid starts at 2,804,760 Yen for the 2WD model up to 3,011,040 Yen for the 4WD, which is somewhat much more expensive than the petrol variant but not too costly to own than the Toyota Harrier. Although, this isn't one of the most exciting crossovers to drive on your next day-off, this can make a great road-trip crossover fit for your friends and some members of your family. Hopefully, you don't get a baby or else, you'll be better off with a normal, 7-seater, petrol variant instead because the hybrid version is available only with 5-seats,.

Photo: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.