All New Toyota Prius PHV

Because the world radically changes due to the economy, problems in the Middle East, the politics, and the relentless war on...well, whatever that is, people are switching to fuel-efficient cars to adapt themselves to the times. Toyota responded to the times by creating this new-generation Prius PHV, which sets the standards in the market for plug-in hybrid vehicles.

2017 Toyota Prius PHV

Well, this is basically a Toyota Prius with extended range courtesy of its plug-in hybrid powertrain that reminds you of the great Chevrolet Volt. So, what's it all about? Following the success of the previous Prius PHV, which is based on the previous third-generation model, this new Prius PHV, based on the current fourth-generation model is a commitment for Toyota's goal of reducing whole fleet CO2 emissions by 90% in the next four decades through the salves of hybrids, electric, PHEVs, and fuel cells.

2017 Toyota Prius PHV

2017 Toyota Prius PHV interior

To help differentiate the Prius PHV from a normal Toyota Prius, the new model features a different exterior design that promises to look more futuristic in the eyes of the masses while drawing inspiration from the exterior design from the MIRAI fuel-cell vehicle. On the utmost side, it looks more sophisticated to look at than a normal Toyota Prius. On the interior, it's been given a Tesla-esque dashboard that sticks to its futuristic theme of the new model. See anyone who drives the new Toyota Prius and chances are that the kinds of people you met are either environmental activists, Scientologists, Democrats, Tories, Socialists, college professors, IT experts, or maybe the Happy Science people that you once had a chat with them on the dinner table. Hmmm...

2017 Toyota Prius PHV

Although as revolting as the ones you had a chat last night, the drivetrain is somewhat a revolution in every way. Thanks to its new TNGA platform, the new Prius PHV promises to be very promising to drive courtesy of its clever aerodynamics, low ground clearance, better handling, less body roll, and better rigidity compared to the previous Prius PHV. It even has a signature MacPherson strut front and new double wishbone rear suspension that promises a sporty driving feel which is not bad for an eco car for the masses. Believe it or not, it was the first mass-produced car in the world to use a Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic tailgate to reduce weight for better fuel efficiency.

The new PHV's Dual Motor Drive System allows the driver to take advantage of its 1.8L 2ZR-FXE petrol engine and a heavily improved electric motor that allows this car to travel by about 10.54km/kWh. Which means, with the improved system, fuel efficiency is expected at 37.2km/L and 68.2km of electric range.

Apart from the performance, the new Prius PHV offers another revolutionary features that sets the PHEVs apart and in addition to its Gas-Injection Heat Pump Air-Conditioning and Battery Warming System, the first ever solar panel exclusive on the PHV is applied on the roof which generates electricity to charge the hybrid system battery even when left stationary. Sounds ideal in case of heavy traffic as long as sunlight is visible in the skies. Depending on weather conditions, solar charging can increase the V driving range by up to five kilometers per day. That's about a thousand kilometers of all-electric driving per annum. This is great if you're driving on the hot summer months in Manila, Dubai, Los Angeles, Delhi, or any other hottest cities of the world. However, if you're living in places that rain such as Seattle, Louisiana, Whitby, or the rest of the Scotland Yard, that seems less likely and you're going to resort charging it at home or at a charging station nearest you. Using a Type II mode III Mennekes connector, it takes less than two hours to fully charge the Prius PHV or over three hours with a normal household plug socket.  Here's one for you; what happens when you use it as an alternate power source for your home in case of a blackout? That's a science project you're going to take on very soon.

But in the meantime, the Prius PHV features Toyota Safety Sense P with active safety tech such as Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection function and Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist function. These features are also a step ahead to the future for the new Toyota Prius PHV.

The new Prius PHV starts at 3,261,600 Japanese Yen plus delivery charges and while this is more expensive than a normal Toyota Prius, it's the cheapest PHEV in Japan and you can afford one over the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.

When the first Toyota Prius was launched in late 1997, the term hybrid has been introduced in the world of motoring and thanks to the Toyota Prius, more and more cars have gone under the hybrid green route. Now, 20 years on, and the Prius continues to evolve in new and almost exciting ways while becoming as influential as Japanese pop culture some petrolheads are disgusted by it. The new Prius PHV pushes the Prius to greater heights with its efficient powertrain that takes them further while enduring today's trends. 2017 maybe the year of the Prius, because this is the year the Prius celebrates its 20th anniversary, but for those eco-minded people, it's becoming a celebration we are unfazed by it and the new Prius PHV is just the start of something new for the history of the Toyota Prius.

Photo: Toyota Motor Corporation

My Ex and Whys

My Ex and Whys

If you liked the success of LizQuen that dates back from being Xander and Agnes from Forevermore, Tenten and Serena from Dolce Amore, and their movie appearance in Just the Way You Are, you're in for a sweet post-Valentines treat because even though Valentine's Day is way over now, there's still more time for the month of love because their long-awaited return on the cinematic scale will keep you craving for more on LizQuen.

Titled My Ex and Whys, Enrique Gil and Liza Soberano plays the role of a blogger named Cali and his ex-girlfriend named Glo. After a heartbroken moment from a distant past that changed their lives forever, the two met each other again for a certain commitment and as the film progresses, how will the two deal with the bitter pain from their pasts and find the answers to the biggest questions of their lives.

Cathy Garcia-Molina returns to direct the latest LizQuen love story for the big screen and with some scenes shot in South Korea, every single LizQuen moment has never felt so exciting and so alive when they've been placed to another country to see how much fun their chemistry will work just like what they did back in Italy in the Dolce Amore TV show. Although this isn't like what they did on their past exposures to TV shows and movies, it isn't half bad at all to see the two getting their act together. From their fateful encounters, their bonding moments, their sudden revelations that changed them forever, all the way to the reconciliation that will heal the wounds of their past, every moment is a gift for LizQuen and this film deserves all the love fans deserved.

Is this film worth the wait for LizQuen fans worldwide? Don't be hasty but it's a good fun finding out.

My rating: 3.9 out of 5.

Let's Do The News! (February 15, 2017)

- The Freedom of Information Bill has successfully passed through the House Committee on Public Information. In the consolidated version of the FOI bill, all government offices are required to release information that includes their contracts and the Statements of Assessments, Liabilities, and Net Worth of their officials.

- In the Jee Ick Joo murder case, the Philippine National Police recently met with South Korean police officials to present the recent developments on their ongoing investigation of the kidnap and slay of the Korean businessman. According to PNP Chief Director General Ronald Dela Rosa, the letter sent by Jee's wife states the slain businessman's family's desire for the PNP investigate the case.

- Employees of PAGASA-DOST broke silence about Project Noah, which is set to end at the end of February. In a press conference, officials and employees expressed displeasure over allegedly offensive posts of Save Project Noah Movement in social media. Ramon Agustin, President of PWEA, said that there are some people who call into question the capability of forecasters and employees of the weather agency.

- A White House official said that US President Donald Trump asked for National Security Adviser Michael Flynn's resignation following concerns that Flynn misled VP Mike Pence. Yesterday, Michael Flynn quit his post because he had inadvertently briefed then vice president-elect Pence and others with incomplete information regarding his phone calls last December with the Russian ambassador.

- As torrential rains continue in Northern California, there's a risk of a possibly spillway at the Oroville Dam. About 180,000 people were ordered to evacuate due to the possible dam spillway.

- The new Pagani Huayra Roadster has been unveiled prior to next month's Geneva Motor Show world premiere. Despite being an open-top equivalent, the Mercedes-AMG V12 BiTurbo engine now produces 764HP of power and 1000Nm of torque. Because it uses some of its components from the BC, the Roadster weighs 80kg less than the hardtop Huayra. It is limited to 100 units, each costing 2.4 million dollars, but before its announcement, all 100 units has officially sold out.

2018 Pagani Huayra Roadster

- General Motors is in talks with PSA Peugeot Citroen for possible takeover of Opel and Vauxhall.

- Top Gear returns on BBC Two and BBC Two HD for its new season this 5th of March.

- The Forza racing franchise now scored over a billion dollars of worldwide sales for six Motorsport titles and three Horizon spinoffs, making it one of the most successful video game franchises from Microsoft.

- Everyone's favorite time-jumping adventurer Tracer spearheads the Overwatch Nendoroid lineup, modeled after characters from Blizzard's hit first-person multiplayer shooter game! You can now place orders on the star of the hit online multiplayer games elsewhere and will be delivered this August!

Nendoroid Tracer
(Classic Skin Edition)

- In case you missed it, the official trailer for the upcoming TV drama Destined To Be Yours, starring Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza, has gone live! Check it out before it airs this February 27th!

TTFN!!!

THE IDOLM@STER LIVE THE@TER FORWARD 03 Starlight Melody

THE IDOLM@STER LIVE THE@TER FORWARD 03
Starlight Melody

This is it. The final installment of THE IDOLM@STER LIVE THE@TER FORWARD CD trilogy has arrived and will this be thorough enough to convince yourselves to get hooked to the 765 Millionstars from THE IDOLM@STER Million Live app game once and for all? Don't get daft though but our folks from Lantis will keep making some more Million Live CDs just for the persuasion of IDOLM@STER aficionados everywhere to support Million Live, which sees some minimal effect to the franchise aficionados who are still stuck with their love for Cinderella Girls and Side M boys rather than the whole 765 PRO ALL-STARS and their 765 Millionstars.

For this final installment, the spotlight is now on Starlight Melody consisting of Tamaki Ogami (CV: Eri Inagawa), Mirai Kasuga (CV: Haruka Yamazaki), Shiho Kitazawa (CV: Sora Amamiya), Umi Kousaka (CV: Reina Ueda), Keiko Watanabe, Matsuri Tokugawa (CV: Ayaka Suwa), Fuka Toyokawa (CV: Rie Suegara), Akane Nonohara (CV: Saki Ogasawara), Serika Hakozaki (CV: Momo Asakura), Konomi Baba (CV: Minami Takahashi), Arisa Matsuda (CV: Rie Murakawa), and Miya Miyao (CV: Choucho Kiritani). As always, expect five new songs and six new drama parts to get to know more with the Scorpio, Aries, Taurus, and the Gemini batch of the Starlight Melody cast.

Sound so much in so little listings but let's hope that with this installment as well as Sunshine Rhythm and BlueMoon Harmony, rest assured that they're convinced to stay with the ever-growing 765 PRODUCTION family because if not, the world of THE IDOLM@STER Million Live will keep on growing and so is the long range of CDs in their arsenal. Better said than done but even though the LIVE THE@TER FORWARD trilogy is complete, expect more to come from the 765 Millionstars from Million Live.

TRACK LISTINGS:

01 ドラマ1「開演のご挨拶」
02 リフレインキス
03 ドラマ2「MC01～その頃舞台裏では」
04 Sweet Sweet Soul
05 ドラマ3「MC02～その頃舞台裏では」
06 メメント?モメント♪ルルルルル☆
07 ドラマ4「MC03～その頃舞台裏では」
08 永遠の花
09 ドラマ5「MC04～その頃舞台裏では」
10 Starry Melody
11 ドラマ6「終演後～その頃舞台裏では」

Remembering James Cameron's Titanic 20 years on...

It's Valentine's Day and if you and your date are spending the rest of the day doing a movie marathon at home, there's one date movie that will definitely end all date movies once and for all this Valentines Day and that particular film is the legendary Titanic, which is written and directed by James Cameron and starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. This film came out since 1997 and it's time to honor the film's 20th anniversary. So what's so special about this legendary film?

Titanic

As anyone would know, this love story is more of a fictional take on the RMS Titanic incident, a tragedy that struck in the 15th of April, 1912 when it collided with an iceberg and then catastrophically split into two, marking it one of the worst maritime disasters in world history, with only 306 people dead according to reports. Because of the Titanic incident, it inspired numerous documentaries and TV shows, including the one with Philip Seymour Hoffman on it, but nothing is more so than James Cameron's take on the Titanic incident that scored him and this film 11 Oscars and earned over two billion US dollars in the box office.

Ask anyone what is the best take on the RMS Titanic incident of 1912 and the answer is going to be the film with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in it because THIS is what they think about Titanic and because of Titanic's success, it became a pop culture phenomenon across the globe. It even got spoofed by numerous TV shows worldwide as well. Do you know any TV show that has a Titanic reference on it, I dare say?

What's the secret to this film's success? Well, given the fact that this film is about three hours and 14 minutes, which is one of the longest films to date in cinematic history, the real secret lies to the main characters of the film, Jack (played by DiCaprio) and Rose (played by Winslet). From their first encounter to the heartbreaking moment following the catastrophic sinking of the Titanic, every moment has became a treasure for the movie watchers everywhere and who can forget the iconic lines in this film such as "I'M THE KING OF THE WORLD!" or "paint me like one of your girls" that makes it relevant even as of today? 

Between you and me, there's so much we can really relate on this legendary late 90's film because how the love story between Jack and Rose developed can be very relevant to all the real-world and fictional love stories of today. Feels like they're the originators of modern-day love stories, if you know what I mean and apart from the legendary love story that will be remembered forever in the history of movie love stories, Titanic delivers a powerful blend of suspense and plot twists that really grips the viewers with questions and answers this film can deliver and it's hard to fathom every gut-wrenching moment you've encountered while watching this film.

Me and my family watched this film and we loved it. We loved the storyline, we loved the chemistry, we love the suspense, we even love the film's theme song "My Heart Will Go On" performed by Celine Dion as well.

With twenty years passed since the film shown in cinemas last 1997 and as all great movies come and go, rest assured that James Cameron's Titanic will be forever marked as one of the all-time greats in cinematic history and a legend in its own right. That is why this Titanic film is a date movie to end all date movies and we all have to give Sir James Cameron our heartfelt thanks for creating this legendary masterpiece in cinematic history.

Forza Horizon 3: Love, Poetry, and Coffee

Now, in a certain episode of The Grand Tour, Jeremy Clarkson and James May are having a nice Italian road trip with their grand tourers, the new Aston Martin DB11 and the Rolls Royce Dawn. Trouble is, their Italian road trip got ruined by Richard Hammond and the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. Italy is so like two years ago for me but now that all the cars are here in the Land Down Under, there's no perfect time than settling the scores between love, poetry, and coffee somewhere Down Under.







If you can get to decide which method will you woo a dream lady for Valentines Day, it would be like a choice of love, poetry, and coffee. The DB11 is all about the love that you can do everything for her by any means necessary to win the heart of a woman. The Dawn is all about the poetry that shows how much of a knowledgeable person you really are to please a lady. The Hellcat, meanwhile, is all about the coffee that burns the hearts of lovers sipping a cup of joe in a cafe while having a chat.

Love, poetry, and coffee. These are the choices and by comparison regulations, anything fancy should be kept to a safe place such as their upgrades and their designs. These cars can have them back after this comparison but for now, the fight between opera, art, and donuts will be settled to the Grand Tour Sprint, so specially called because it has the words "Grand Tour" on it as if they're having their Australian stopover for the show or this is what I think it is.

Two grand tourers from Britain and an uninvited guest from America. This will be a very interesting comparison because these three got featured in The Grand Tour and now, I got the chance to compare these three to see which method will I woo a lady for Valentines will be the best. It's either love, poetry, or coffee. It's everyone's game now and now, the battle begins!



After their run at the Grand Tour Sprint, it's time for the results!

2017 Aston Martin DB11 (608HP/516ft-lb/4,134lb/51%/5,204cc/S1 805)- 2:37.057
2015 Rolls Royce Dawn (563HP/575ft-lb/5,644lb/51%/6,593cc/A 715)- 2:45.666
2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat (707HP/650ft-lb/4,438lb/57%/6,166cc/A 766)- 2:36.957

By a shocking result, the 707 horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat is a clear winner in this comparison by a second quicker than the DB11!

Which means, if I go for love, I might go for broke to get the girl I want but I could get flunked easily like getting thrown by an Master-level song I'm playing on an certain idol girl app game. If I go for poetry, meanwhile, then my knowledge might bore her for the rest of her life. So, the choice is clear. It's a cup of coffee best served hot for the lovers everywhere. Don't get too much on a cup of joe, okay?

Let's Do The News! (February 14, 2017)

- Retired General Wally Sombero has returned to the Philippines. Sombero was coined as the "bagman" of gambling tycoon Jack Lam in the bribery scandal of two Bureau of Immigration officials. Sombero returned home from Vancouver, Canada, amid the Senate warning to arrest and detain him if he failed to appear in the investigation of the 50 million peso alleged bribe to two BI officials.

- The Senate said they could not stop the warrant of arrest against Senator Leila De Lima in case it is issued. Senate President Frank Drilon and Majority Leader Tito Sotto said the assembly has not to do if De Lima is ordered to be arrested but they assured the Senate will react if the warrant of arrest will be served inside the session hall.

- The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) warned the public to be prepared in case of possible movement in the West Valley Fault. PHIVOLCS Director Renato Solidum, said it cannot be denied that the said active fault system is in the stage of moving that caused the last major earthquake in 1958. Based on that research, the West Valley fault usually moves every 4 centennials.

- The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the Sandiganbayan to confiscate the jewelry collection of former first lady and Ilocos Norte Representative Imelda Marcos. In a resolution of the 1st Division of the highest court last month, it supports the Sandiganbayan Special Division's decision to forfeit her jewelry collection costing up to 153,089 US Dollars.

- The new king of Thailand, King Maha Vajiralongkorn, is putting an assertive stamp on his rule and made sure to the generals running the country that he will not just sit in the background as a constitutional figurehead since taking the throne in December from a father treated by Thais as semi-divine.

- Washington's state attorney general has promised to investigate what caused US President Donald Trump's executive order on immigration that could prompt a rare public examination of how a U.S. president makes national security decisions. Last week, the US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit left the judge's ruling in place without deciding the ultimate merits of either side’s arguments. The Trump administration stressed that the ban is necessary to prevent terrorists from entering the country and is not discriminatory because the text of the order does not mention any particular region.

- Chevrolet's new diesel variant for the latest-generation Cruze has an EPA-estimated mileage of 52 MPG highway when mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox, meaning it is 2 miles more than the Toyota Prius and it can theoretically go over 700 miles on a full tank of diesel.

- The Netherlands is joining the flying car boom as PAL-V launches the PAL-V Liberty flying car.

TTFN!!!