Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Orphan Black Original Television Soundtrack & Original Television Score

Orphan Black Original Television Score

Orphan Black Original Television Soundtrack


Aired on BBC America since 2013, Orphan Black is a pulse-pounding sci-fi drama series revolves on the tale of Sarah Manning (played by Tatiana Maslany) as she sets on a deadly mission to uncover her origins upon witnessing the death of a woman who looks like her at a subway. This is the series that turned Tatiana Maslany from a newbie actress into one of the most fiercest females on television not just for being Sarah but also the clones such as the desperate housewife Alison Hendrix, intellectual Cosima Niehaus, the very lethal Helena, and Rachel Duncan, among many others. However, it's not just the actress who managed to pull off multiple roles at the same time, it's the explosive storyline that delivers an estranged cast of characters, the most suspense, the most thrills, the most plot twists, and the most fans who called themselves the Clone Club. Everyone's got in the edge of their seats upon watching the hit TV series, knowing what's next for Sarah and the other surviving Project Leda sestras.

For the first time, two soundtracks from the hit BBC America TV series have arrived. First, there's the Original Television Soundtrack which features the Orphan Black theme tune by Two Fingers as well as the compilation of songs as heard from the series. Second, there's the Original Television Score featuring the background musics from the TV show made possible by Trevor Yuile himself.

These two soundtracks from Orphan Black will get you through like piercing Rachel's left eye with a pencil or torturing Donnie with a glue gun so enjoy your oophorectomy...no wait...I mean, enjoy your easy listening because "you're damn right" about enjoying these two soundtracks from the show. Get it? You're damn right.

Orphan Black airs on BBC America. Check local listings.

TRACK LISTING (Soundtrack):

1. Theme From Orphan Black – Two Fingers (0:36)
2. Rain Of Gold – Young Empires (3:16)
3. It Ain’t You – The Ettes (2:23)
4. Earthforms – Matthew Dear (3:33)
5. Mon Ton Ton – Humans (4:38)
6. Shuggie – Foxygen (3:21)
7. Bitch – Merideth Brooks (4:13)
8. Blame Fiction – The Belle Game (3:51)
9. Live In The Bedroom – Tim Moxam (4:53)
10. Head Over Heels – Tears For Fears (4:15)
11. Crazy – Diana Salvatore (3:14)
12. When I Was Abroad – Daniel Romano (2:16)
13. West End Sky – Elliott Brood (2:39)
14. Love Is All Around – The Troggs (3:01)

TRACK LISTING (Score):

1. Orphan Black Theme – Two Fingers (0:38)
2. Previously On (1:07)
3. Kira’s Cue (1:47)
4. We Meet Helena (1:48)
5. Organic Eggs (2:32)
6. Duncan’s Demise (2:00)
7. Unconditional Surrender (2:07)
8. Kira & Intervention (3:06)
9. They’re Killing Us (1:42)
10. An Honour (2:55)
11. Cosima’s Treatment (1:45)
12. Alison Kills (3:20)
13. Marriage of Helena (2:14)
14. I Killed Ainsley (0:49)
15. Seqeunce of Events (1:32)
16. Cosima’s Dying (0:57)
17. Farewell Thomas (1:17)
18. Rachael Meets Duncan (1:31)
19. Maggie Chen Crime Re-enact (3:58)
20. Rachael’s Home Videos (1:40)
21. Endless Forms Most Beautiful (7:19)

Doctor Who Series 8 Original Television Soundtrack



The eighth series of BBC's phenomenal TV show, Doctor Who, sees the maiden voyage of Peter Capaldi as the 12th Doctor alongside Jenna Coleman reprising her companion role as Clara Oswald and over the course of the eighth series, which aired late last year, we seen them taking on a bigger threat at Victorian London, encountered a Dalek with a different personality, teaming up with Robin Hood, delving deeper on Danny Pink's past and future selves, staging a robbery at the Bank of Karabraxos, saving Coal Hill from the Skovox Blitzer robots, uncover the monster lurking in the moon, stopping the mummy from terrorizing the futuristic Orient Express, solving the mystery behind the walls, going through the London wilderness, and it all ends with a face-off against an army of Cybermen and a mysterious woman named Missy, who is revealed to be none other than The Doctor's arch nemesis, The Master. Oh, and there was last year's Christmas special where The Doctor and Clara had a fateful encounter with Father Christmas himself.

The eighth season really is a brilliant start for the 12th and so is the music prepped for the whole series. Now, you can finally listen to Series 8 background musics whenever you like with the original soundtrack where most of the music was crafted by the BAFTA-winning Murray Gold himself and performed by the ever-talented BBC National Orchestra of Wales. This three-disc compilation is a must have for every Whovians who witnessed the 12th Doctor's maiden voyage from saving Victorian London to his encounter with Santa Claus.

You have everything you need so, as what the Twelve says, shut up. Buy this OST anytime you want.

For UK customers: https://silvascreenmusic.greedbag.com/buy/doctor-who-series-8-original-tel-0/

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Let's Do The News! (May 19, 2015)



- The trial over the negligence charges of sacked Thai PM Yingluck Shinawatra has begun and during the brief hearing, she has pleaded not guilty on her charges but if found guilty, she will face over 10 years of imprisonment.

- Onto the Greek debt crisis, the nation's finance minister Yanis Varoufakis said that the debt deal with the nation's international creditors is due next week. Greece's bankruptcy is imminent and they are due to make a payment of 1.5 billion euros to the International Monetary Fund on the 5th of June.

- US Secretary of State John Kerry mulls that the US and China are discussing the imminence of further sanctions against North Korea.

- The Japanese government wants the US to explain what caused the US Marines' MV-22 Osprey aircraft to crash-land in Hawaii on Sunday. The accident killed one person and wounded 21 others.

- Continuing on the investigation on the burnt slipper factory in Valenzuela, the city's government issued a provisional business permit to Kentex Manufacturing Corp, despite lacking the fire permit from the Bureau of Fire Protection. Last May 13, 72 people died when the factory burned down by accident.

- Veteran actor Robert De Niro revealed that he and his partners from Nobu Hospitality are planning to open the Nobu Resort in Manila in the near future. He was in Manila during the inauguration of the Nobu Hotel in City of Dreams Manila yesterday.

- The Lamborghini Aventador LP750-4 SV lapped round the Nurburgring at 6:59.73, making it the only Lamborghini that can break through the seven-minute barrier round the Green Hell.



- Subaru announces a hybrid version of the Impreza Sport hatchback which is powered by a 2.0-liter SUBARU BOXER engine, coupled with a hybrid electric drive system. It's set to go on sale this Summer 2015.

2016 Subaru Impreza Sport Hybrid

- Uzuki Shimamura from THE iDOLM@STER CINDERELLA GIRLS gets her very own Nendoroid courtesy of Good Smile Company! She's set to go on sale this September for 3,900 Yen.

Nendoroid Uzuki Shimamura

- DID YOU KNOW? There's going to be a spin-off from the Disney Channel TV show Jessie coming soon and it's called BUNKD.


TTFN!!!

Monday, May 18, 2015

Let's Do The News! (May 18, 2015)


- Shia militias backed by Iran are going to recapture the city of Ramadi, which was taken over by the Islamic State terrorists on Sunday. About 500 people were killed when the Iraqi military left their posts in the city, 70 miles west of Baghdad.

- Nine people are reportedly killed and at least 100 arrested after a shootout between rival biker gags in Texas. The carnage occurred at the Twin Peaks Sports Bar and Grill in a shopping area called the Central Texas Market Place.
- An MV-22 Osprey aircraft from the US Marines crash-landed in Hawaii, killing one person and injuring 21. According to the Marines, 22 personnel are aboard the aircraft when the accident occurred.

- The ancient ruins of Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Central Syria, is in danger as ISIS militants have seized part of the city at one point.

- Japanese figure skater, Mao Asada, announced her return to the figure skating competition after her one-year break.

- Philippine President Benigno Aquino III met up with the House of Representatives twice over the weekend to ensure the passage of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law as the chamber's ad-hoc committee votes today on a revised version that retained or reworded several key provisions that were unconstitutional.

- The all-new, sixth-generation, Chevrolet Camaro, has been unveiled and it features new improvements over the previous model and three new engine configurations; a newly-developed 2.0L turbo, a 3.6L V6 engine derived from the upcoming Cadillac CT6, and a 6.2L LT1 V8 engine from the C7 Corvette.

2016 Chevrolet Camaro

- The #28 Audi Sport Team R8 LMS driven by Christopher Mies, Nico Müller, Edward Sandström and Laurens Vanthoor is the winner of the recently-ended 2015 Nurburgring 24-hour endurance race, leaving the #25 BMW Team Marc VDS Z4 GT3 placed 2nd and the #44 Falken Porsche 911 GT3-R placed 3rd. These podium finishers were at the top-rank SP9 class. This is the third time Audi emerged as the winner of the Nurburgring endurance race.

- The female idols from The iDOLM@STER had their fun. Now, it's the boys' turn to sizzle the center stage as there will be a first live concert to commemorate the first year of service on THE iDOLM@STER SideM mobile game. The concert is titled "THE IDOLM@STER SideM 1st STAGE ~ST@RTING!~" and it will be held at the Maihama Amplitheater this December 6, 2015. The concert features the boys from Jupiter, DRAMATIC STARS, Beit, and High x Joker.

- For the 2017 season, all Formula One cars will be faster and have mid-race refuelling back on the strategy as well as loud engines, just to bring back the spark to the fans.

TTFN!!!

Driving Music (What is the name of the song on car commercial?) Vol. 68



Hi, person who's busy searching for commercial songs,

Due to a copyright claim, your search query has been blocked in some countries. This means it's time now for another round of DRIVING MUSIC, but it will be limited to my choosing.

Search query: 2015 mazda 3 commercial song
Includes: Audio content
Claimed by: the commercial itself

Why this can happen:
 - Your search query might contain copyrighted content.
 - Copyright owners can choose to block your query that contain their content.

10) Ah by Superfly - from the 2014 Honda Odyssey commercial

9) Ombra Mai Fu by Jackie Evancho - from the 2015 Honda Odyssey commercial

8) Winter song ~dancing Snowflakes Version~ by Dreams Come True - from the 2005 Honda Odyssey M Aero Edition commercial

7) It's Not Unusual by Tom Jones - from a 2001 Honda Odyssey commercial

6) Alphen (Beach Groove Mix) by Nausicaa - from the 2005 Hyundai Verna commercial

5) Niji by RIP SLYME - from the 2003 Toyota Ipsum commercial

4) The Big Country Main Theme by The Philharmonia Orchestra - from the Toyota TOYOTOWN "Mr. Hybrid Harrier" commercial

3) Sky Symphony - from the Toyota Curren commercial

2) 5 Years Time by Noah and the Whale - from the VW USA Golf Sportwagen Commercial

1) Abdelazer Suite・Rondo - from the 2014 Daihatsu Move commercial

Driving Music from Leopaul's Blog is the segment where solves every car enthusiasts' questions about the title of the song of car commercials...with the risk of MATCHED THIRD PARTY CONTENT on their status. Acknowledge or dispute, it's your choice.

Sunday, May 17, 2015

VW Golf Alltrack, GTD Variant, and R Variant

The latest-generation Golf Variant maybe more of a new Golf with some added luggage space big enough for your thrift shop hauls that can't stop you from hoarding some more but if you think the normal Variant's not your taste, there are so many Golf Variants to choose from but which one suits you?

2015 VW Golf Alltrack

Well, not exactly one of these. Yes, this is the Golf Alltrack and what this is is a Golf Variant with some added ground clearance and some tough cladding to think this is as tough as...your dad's harsh mouth when he talks you back.

This is like a normal Golf Variant, you get the same Golf interior, the same Golf looks, the similar cargo space from the Golf Variant, and the choice of engines. There's a 1.6 TDi engine produces 110PS of power, and a 2.0 TDi engine with two configurations with the latter producing a more powerful 184PS of power output. 

While the Golf Alltrack, like any other hatchback-based crossovers built only for city use, has front-wheel drive standard, some models (especially more powerful ones) come with a nifty four-wheel drive layout and a 6-speed double clutch gearbox which shifts faster than normal manual gearboxes but can be somewhat complicated for the joyous ones.

The idea of having a Golf Alltrack is because you wanted a so-called sport utility vehicle but you can't afford either a Touareg or a Tiguan or the upcoming Passat Alltrack, which is just like the Golf's only a little bigger, and thanks to its 30,200 Euros starting price, you can really afford one than any of those VW sport utilities. However, because it's available with a diesel-only lineup, there's no sense of fun while driving one or is it?

2015 VW Golf GTD Variant

This is also a diesel-powered Golf Variant but this is the Golf GTD Variant, the big-booted version of the Golf GTD, which is known as the GTi's diesel cousin. Now, if you were sitting here and asking why VW didn't made a GTi version of the Golf Variant and there's a really good reason for this one. Although the Golf GTi has always been the king of front-wheel drive cars, VW doesn't have the time to spawn a Variant version of the GTi but instead use its diesel cousin to spawn why? Could this be another one of their automotive conspiracies? Oh well, but still the GTD Variant comes with the same 184PS TDi engine from the normal GTD hatch and can be mated with either a 6-speed manual or a double-clutch gearbox.

The GTD Variant, like its hatchback equivalent, balances performance and fuel efficiency in a not-so-difficult matter, It can do 0-100kph in 7.9 seconds and a top speed of 231kph, so this is a fast diesel-powered wagon for a stop. Handling wise, the GTD Variant is more fun to drive than the Alltrack thanks to its XDS+ E-diff lock, ESC Sport function which makes the car more sharper in the bends, and progressive steering which makes steering a lot more easier than normal Golf Variants. Oh and before you can spout a word, yes, it still roomier inside boot space remains as usual for a Golf Variant.
 
Price? You can have one for 31,975 Euros and while this is almost 2,000 Euros more than the Alltrack, this hot station wagon is just the right car for the job because it can be convenient to drive on the day-to-day basis, it can be fun in the open roads, and overall, it's better or is it?

2015 VW Golf R Variant

This is the most powerful station wagon in the VW range and this is the Golf Variant that can really blow almost every Golf Variant in the range. It's called the Golf R Variant and this station wagon is made with only one purpose in mind; POWERRRRRRR....

It's got a 2.0L TSi engine that produces 300PS of power, it's got a 7-speed double-clutch gearbox, and it's got four-wheel drive. These performance figures transformed the R Variant from a normal, soccer-mom friendly station wagon, into a super wagon that likes to lick the apex and because of being a new Golf, we are becoming extremely jealous because...how come we don't ride the latest versions even though the lucky ones just had?

It's not about the expensive 42,925 Euro pricing but it's because of the fun factor that we're somewhat lacking due to market reasons, mostly Americans. When VW launched this one at the LA Auto Show last year, the Americans thought they want to have one but sadly, VW pointed out that this one's not for sale. What just happened? Why would they launch a car in the location that is not made to be sold in the first place? That's another conspiracy but hey, since this is a German car built in Germany, it sure knows how to speak German in terms of its character. It maybe prone to understeering but it feels so accessible in the corners and it really gets you through like sipping a bottle of Red Horse Beer upside down.

So, there you are. These three utterly different versions of the Golf Variant maybe feel different but they really are the same cars. The Alltrack maybe focused to be a cheaper alternative to VW's list of crossovers while the GTD Variant balances performance and efficiency at the same time and the R is all about performance in different angles. If you have to choose between these three, which one?

Photo: Volkswagen AG

Saturday, May 16, 2015

"Salon Gorgeous Hair, Everyday"

On the May 15, 2015 episode of Bubble Gang...

- IKAW AT ANG INA takes on..."walang forever" posts.

- "Huli Ka" gags

- You don't wanna hear what your boss says when he joins your little talk...

- More advices from Tata Lino!

  • Inimbento ang cellphone para sa komunikasyon, hindi ito ginawa para magimbento ng relasyon.
  • Aanhin mo ang ganda kung ang ugali'y walang kuwenta? Aanhin ang katawan ay experience na lang diyan.
  • Hindi porke't di makatingin ay aswang na. Baka gusto lang mag-aswangin yung nobya mong maganda.
  • Ang babaeng iniwan, pag maganda ang kalooban, gumaganda ang kaanyuan, nakakajackpot ng mayaman.
- IyoTube in Atat by Ron Henley and Muriel

- Bubble Gang does TRESemmé Expert Selection by spoofing this commercial as CRAZimee. Salon Gorgeous Hair, Everyday.



- The advantages of being a pangit.

- The Tolpu Bros. are addressing a complaint from a man who deals with a man who can't go down for numerous reasons in T3 Nyo!



- Boys stealing each other's businesses.

FH2 Storm Island: Range Rover revisited

rr

As you may recall, this is the Range Rover that is part of Forza Horizon 2's NAPA Chassis Car Pack and yes, I used that car in previous championships a few moments ago so why am I driving it again? It's simple because since I'm in a middle of my Storm Island journey, I used this car again to test out its offroad capability that most offroaders do when things get dirty.

Since the championship that I'll be taking involves more of SUVs like this, I decided to try it out and continue my road to the Island Finale.

rr (2)

I am not changing my low-vis Eli Ayase design that I just made for the Range Rover, which is very fitting for this full-size SUV, but instead I fettled with the performance by adding specially-made parts suitable for Storm Island challenges such as rally tires, rally suspension, and low-range gearbox. Right now, this is much slower than my previous one I used while on the road to the Horizon finale but it feels so offroad-capable.

Now, it's time for the show!



Elichika may not forgive me for what I did but the Range Rover is very happy, knowing that its off-road capabilities have been put to greater use.

With the Range Rover wins the championship I've just signed up, my road to the Island Finale is drawing nearer and the journey continues...

The Mad Max Concepts that never were

Mad Max Fury Road has finally hit theaters and the iconic Ford Falcon "Interceptor" has once again revving its "last of the V8s" to the hearts and minds of moviegoers and car enthusiasts alike but aside from the added rave, there are some rants going on about the film and also this...how come those Mad Max Concepts we saw four years ago never saw the light of day?

2011 Ford Mad Max Concept

2011 Ford Mad Max Concept

It all started back at the 2011 Australian International Motor Show in Melbourne when Ford Australia and Top Gear Australia held a competition where thousands of car enthusiasts from all over the Pacific where they have to vote which will be the next Mad Max Interceptor and there goes the two possible candidates. These two would-be candidates for the Mad Max Interceptor have designed by Ford and Top Gear AU to help celebrate the revival of the Mad Max franchise.

The first one was designed by Nima Nounan and the second one is designed by Simon Brook. These two Interceptors are the product of their endless imagination, cutting-edge technology, and cunning weaponry. They are equipped with industrial-strength weaponry like tasers mounted in the front of the cars to fend off enemy bikers. It also comes with a titanium-lined body shell to interrupt police scanners and wheels with extendable spikes to shred off the tires from hostile vehicles.

The staff from Ford Australia's R&D spent numerous hours which gained a strong media following in other countries and Top Gear AU has followed the progress of the would-be future Interceptors from the concept stage to the Computer Aided Designed. They've even documented it in the magazine where readers being asked to vote on which concept they prefer.

Sadly, with Top Gear Australia gone and Ford's Australian division will cease their production operations within a few years, these two Mad Max Interceptor concepts never seen the light of day but at least, these product of their imaginations are worthy of being a tribute to Mad Max's iconic car that fights to its last drop of petrol.

Mad Max Fury Road


The Mad Max franchise has captured the heartless minds of every petrolhead since the first one came in the late 1970's because of its unique storyline, ruthless cast of characters, terrifying vehicles that turned into instruments of death in the dystopian future, and of course, the adrenaline delivered from the first three movies. Amazingly, it was the Aussie-built Ford Falcon that wowed our hearts and minds and when everyone talked about the classic Ford Falcon, they can only think of the Mad Max movies.

After thirty years, at last, the story of Mad Max has been reborn to the new generation of car lovers and movie lovers alike, hoping that one day, their cars will be just like what they saw in this film, packed with terrifying stunts, terrifying cast of characters, unique storyline that traces its roots from the original, and a new Mad Max in the form of actor Tom Hardy.

Like in the original Mad Max movies, it's set in a dystopian future where humanity has declined and people are now behaving like animals, fighting to survive the wasteland. This movie also stars Mighty Joe Young's Charlize Theron as Furiosa and Warm Bodies' Nicholas Hoult as the maniacal Nux, among many others.

Keeping true to the past installments, the recipe for destructive carnage still remains but now with some added explosions that will keep moviegoers wanted for more. "What a lovely day" it is but despite its added thrills for the newborn action thriller flick, there is some questionable stuff going on around here.

Past Mad Max films feel more Australian because of its outback setting fit enough to portray a post-nuclear wasteland but now, it doesn't feel like it is set on the outback anymore but rather a more distant landscape which is suitable for the wasteland that is a lot different than the past films. Outback or not, the different landscape didn't really matter in the storyline which is worth terrifying than the past installments.

Here's the thing. If you watch this film for the first time, make sure that this is the first and last thing you watch because this film feels more traumatizing than disaster flicks but if you're brave and looking for some thrills, for you, this film is the epitome of hardcore and once you finished watching this film, you would really come back to see it again for some more.

In conclusion, this film is not suitable for killjoys or buzzkills but for people who had some fun times, this is the one to watch. You can count on it.

My rating: 4.7 out of 5.

Friday, May 15, 2015

The Honda Shuttle's predecessors

2016 Honda Shuttle

With the launch of the all-new Honda Shuttle, let's take a trip down memory lane to examine some of its predecessors. Little did you know that the Shuttle name in the history of Honda was first used on its station wagon variant from the third-generation Civic? Hmm? Anyway, time now for the history lesson before getting to know more about the new Shuttle from Honda.

Honda Civic Shuttle (AJ/AK/AR) (1983-1987) - In the 20th of October, 1983, Honda launched a five door estate version of the third-generation Civic. There's also a commercial version of the Shuttle called the Civic Pro which is suitable for business use in the Japanese domestic market. It was available with a 1.3L SOHC CVCC engine developing 80PS of power and a 1.5L SOHC CVCC engine developing 90 or 100PS of power. Available gearboxes, depending on the variant, are either a 4-speed manual, 5-speed manual, a 3-speed auto, or a 4-speed auto.
Honda Civic Shuttle (1983-1987)

Honda Civic Shuttle (EF2/3/4/5) (1987-1996) - Based on the 4th-generation Civic, the Shuttle model comes with a 4-link double wishbone suspension as well as a hyper 16-valve engine with something called Programmed Fuel Injection (PGM-FI) system. IIt was launched in Japan since 1987 and it comes with either a 1.5L SOHC or a 1.6L SOHC engine, mated with either a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic. In 1996, it was replaced by the Orthia and then later in 2004, the Airwave.

Honda Civic Shuttle (1987-1996)

Honda Fit Shuttle (2011-2015) - Based on the second-generation Fit, the Shuttle name has returned as the bigger version of the Fit. Originally, it should have been launched in Japan since mid-March 2011 but due to the March 11 quake and tsunami, the launch has been pushed to June 2011. It's available only with a 1.5L i-VTEC engine, in either a normal one or in a hybrid powertrain.


Honda Fit Shuttle (2011-2015)

The new Honda Shuttle is now available in Japan and it begins at 1,690,000 for the normal petrol variant while the hybrid model starts at 1,990,000 Yen.

Honda Shuttle

The Shuttle name in the history of Honda has been around since the Civic Shuttle and the Fit Shuttle and for the newest model, the all-new Honda Shuttle, which is an MPV based on the latest Honda Fit hatchback, is all about practicality and efficiency. Just everything what an average Japanese family would need for their imminent summer holiday.

2016 Honda Shuttle

First and foremost, the design for the new Shuttle is an utterly questionable one. At the front view, it looks like it's not adequate for a family-friendly people carrier because by the looks of it, it looks like surgeons gave an ugly man a big, ridiculous, lips. That's so nuts for someone with a horseface and then we get at the back which looks like it came from one of its chief rivals, the Toyota Wish. The old Fit Shuttle is like performing a surgery on a young woman's body and then resulted to an oversized buttocks but the new Shuttle is now becoming more like...Diego's. Yep, that guy from BG but atlit...

2016 Honda Shuttle interior

2016 Honda Shuttle interior

Because the new Shuttle is derived from the long line of Fit relatives including the Vezel crossover, the Grace sedan, and the recently-launched Jade MPV, which has a better-looking design than the Shuttle, the interior looks more similar to its cousins. You get seats for five people, some luggage space for your essentials, and then, the added compartment in the form of a storage unit hidden underneath the loading bay. Now that's convenient if you're going on a fishing trip with your kids at a lake.

2016 Honda Shuttle

The Shuttle only comes with 1.5L i-VTEC engine producing 132PS of power, 155Nm of torque, and 21.8km/L of fuel economy while connected with a CVT gearbox but if you want more range, you can opt with the hybrid variant which comes with the 7-speed dual clutch transmission, 22kW electric motor, and a li-ion battery, resulting to an incredible fuel economy of 34.0km/L, comfortably beating the Toyota Prius Alpha by a long shot. Running on electric motor alone, it produces more torque than its petrol engine.

You can have either a front-wheel drive if you're a casual civilian or if you're feeling under the weather, a 4WD model is at hand. Either way, you can expect the added quality and stability thanks to its amplitude reactive dampers. It's great for city use or in the suburbs but in open roads, it doesn't feel its sporty character from within. Overall, it's boring if you're on a trip in, let's just say, Tagaytay or Subic or Antipolo. It maybe quite a road trip car but for fun factor, it's worth a misery.

As for value of money, the Shuttle begins at 1,690,000 for the normal petrol variant while the hybrid model starts at 1,990,000 Yen so on paper, it's more affordable to own than the Prius Alpha and imagine how much money you save instead of buying the bigger Prius. Besides, with all that double clutch malarkey, this is much more engaging to drive than the Prius Alpha but rest assured, this is not the kind the car you want to own if you're still single or in a relationship. If you're married and had few kids, this is ideal for you or if you do have friends from high school, this is the better choice. Although the design looks more of a horseface to me, the new Shuttle might just be the ideal car for the Japanese family preparing for their imminent summer holiday.

Available colors: White Orchid Pearl, Alabaster Silver Metallic, Tinted Silver Metallic, Crystal Black Pearl, Midnight Blue Beam Metallic, Mystic Garnet Pearl, Milano Red, and Gold Brown Metallic.

Photo: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.