Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe (C213) and All-Terrain

It's the weekend, you're a regular E-Class man, you want to go out but knowing that the normal saloon or estate is a bit too vanilla to you or the full-blown AMG model cramps your style. Well, there are two possibilities you might come across; it's either you are single or you're a dad doing stuff from your sweetie like picking up stuff from the store and taking kids to a practice. Don't worry because Mercedes-Benz offers these kinds of E-Class for a certain kind of E-Class person who's not into either a saloon, estate, or an AMG.

2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe

2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe interior

Let's start for the bachelors first because for these kind of persons, this is the E-Class they'll be going with; the all-new Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe. Starting at 46,493 Euros plus tax and delivery, the new E-Class Coupe offers the same tech and features as the saloon version but with less doors and a much sleeker posture to stand itself out from the rest of the E-Class lineup. 

Under the hood lies a wide range of engine choices just like the one from the saloon version such as a 2.0L petrol, 2.0L diesel, and the more powerful 3.0L V6 biturbo engine equipped with ECO Start/Stop on the E400, producing 333PS of power and 480Nm of torque, shooting this one to a 0-100kph time of 5.3 seconds and limited to 250kph. All of these engines are mated to a 9G-TRONIC nine-speed automatic transmission.

To make it handle like a sports car, the new E-Class Coupe has a lowered suspension with selective damping so it can behave either like a luxury car in terms of comfort or a sports car in terms of agility. While it was basically an improvement compared to the previous E-Class Coupe, you can still feel its regularity from within and while this is basically a sports car fit for bachelors and bachelorettes, it doesn't feel the enjoyment as expected on the legendary CLK-Class, the E-Class Coupe's predecessor.

It may not be as thrilling as it hoped for but this E-Class Coupe isn't about being a fun-to-drive sports car, this is all about being smooth on the weekend drives and it doesn't need to go fast to see how much of a Mercedes this car is because it's all about the posh parties, the reservations at the fancy restaurant, a trip to the opera house, or whatever fancy you're going right now for the weekends. The new E-Class Coupe is all about mixing business and leisure for those who are all talk, all go, and it's a showcase of what this car can do when you're still a bachelor or a bachelorette.

2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class All-Terrain

Now for the moms and dads alike; here is the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class All-Terrain, a clear example of why wagons can get easily radicalized into crossovers.

To help differentiate it from the normal E-Class Estate, the All-Terrain features a twin-louvre grille, black wheel arch covers, raised suspension, and pretty much everything about it, and the only engine offered for now is a 2.0L diesel engine with 194PS of power and mated to a 9G-TRONIC gearbox as standard. There will be a six-cylinder diesel engine coming soon but for now, the first-ever E-Class All-Terrain features DYNAMIC SELECT with five transmission modes with a special All-Terrain mode which offers settings for off-road driving and couple that with its 4MATIC all-wheel drive system, you got yourself a go-getter that can get around any weather and any road condition, whether you're in a frozen lakebed or in the Australian Outback for some wrangling. Nothing like trying to make your mamas proud, huh?

While on the subject for being a mom or dad's car, the All-Terrain's real beauty is the spacious interior and with the rear seats present, it has 670 litres of boot space. Not only it is a very accommodating sports utility wagon but also a very spacious one for those who are planning to buy some camping gear on a nearby sports shop (or a thrift store in case they have one).

Price? The All-Terrain starts at 58,102 Euros, that's more than the Estate it was based upon and slightly more than its Audi A6 allroad quattro rival had. It maybe costly to own than either of these two but no matter the pricing, the E-Class All-Terrain is all about making memories families and travel bugs alike. Benefitting from the same stuff from today's E-Class, the All-Terrain feels like everyday's a great day, unless Murphy's Law chewed through the leash like wolves.

And there you have it, if you are single or you're a dad doing stuff from your sweetie but you're an E-Class kind of person knowing that the normal saloon or estate is a bit too vanilla to you or the full-blown AMG model cramps your style, these new variants are for you.

Photo: Daimler AG

Let's Do The News! (May 25, 2017)

- Government troops battled numerous militants linked to the Islamic State group holed up in a besieged city in the southern Philippines after attempts to secure volatile areas met heavy resistance. About 100 soldiers were sent to retake buildings and streets in mainly Muslim Marawi City held by Maute terrorists, which has pledged allegiance to Islamic State.

- Following the Marawi siege, Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific announced that passengers bound for Mindanao are advised to refund or rebook their tickets. Affected passengers with flight dates from May 25 until 31, 2017 have the option to refund or rebook their tickets within 30 days.

- Indonesian president Joko Widodo urged people to remain calm following yesterday's suspected suicide bombers killed three policemen at a Jakarta bus terminal in an attack authorities said bore the hallmarks of globally inspired Islamist militants. Ten people were hurt in the twin blasts that were detonated five minutes apart by the two suspected attackers in the Indonesia capital late on Wednesday evening, police said.

- British authorities stopped sharing information with the United States regarding the Manchester suicide attack following leaks of details of the investigation that has angered the government, according to reports. Right now, reports told that the suspect behind the attack believed to be traveled to Syria.

- Egypt banned 21 websites, including the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera Media Network for "supporting terrorism", according to reports.

- In case you missed it, Chinese automotive giant Geely has bought Proton and Lotus. Geely owned Swedish car maker Volvo over seven years ago and with both Proton and Lotus now under Geely's control, they have big plans for both.

- Honda teases their next-generation N BOX kei minivan, set go on sale in Japan this fall.

Teaser for next Honda N-BOX

- Actor Kim Woo Bin was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer. His agency was confirmed and sent an official statement to reports about the South Korean actor's condition.

- The teaser trailer for the Castlevania animated series coming to Netflix this summer has arrived.

TTFN!!!

FH3 Blizzard Mountain: Range Rooney Holiday

Although I had finished Blizzard Mountain, I'm always more than welcome to come back to do some R&R in the winter wonderland in case I need to get my hands full on the Horizon business and while spending some free time in the frozen funland, I think it's time to call in an old friend to do some business.



And look what I have. It's the good ol' Range Rover I've been saving on the holiday vacation and while it has some bents and bruises since the very start, it's still very usable and serviceable to do some goodwill on and off the road.

So what am I going to do with this on a place like this? Well, I've called on some of the best Land Rover and Range Rover owners across the Land Down Under and take on Blizzard Mountain like there's no freaking tomorrow. This is the turning point to demonstrate just how off-road capable these Land Rovers and Range Rovers are.



I am very familiar about how this latest Range Rover works as well as its 5.0L Supercharged V8 and its latest version of its Terrain Response so I shouldn't have to worry about driving one and for a place like Blizzard Mountain, this can be a walk in the park for this luxury offroader like the Range Rover. So, here goes...





Ah, nothing like having a little holiday than taking a Range Rover on Blizzard Mountain for some rest and relaxation. Another way to beat the crud out of our everyday stress.

What is ETIDAL?

ETIDAL or Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology was established as a result of international cooperation in the ongoing fight against the so-called Islamic State terrorists. Situated in Riyadh, the capital city of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ETIDAL's aim is to confront and prevent terrorism by cooperating with governments and promote a culture of moderation.

On May 22nd, 2017, in the Saudi capital, King Salman, US President Donald Trump, and other world leaders inaugurated this Global Center for combating Islamic extremism that plagued the globe. Almost 50 world leaders, mostly representing Muslim countries, attended the inauguration. ETIDAL will have numerous experts spanning across the globe specializing in tackling extremist views. ETIDAL will analyze languages and dialects used by Islamic extremists and develop advanced analytical models for digital media platforms.

ETIDAL Opening ceremony:



Since its recent establishment, ETIDAL will serve as the guiding light and global hub for global efforts against Islamic extremism. It will have unprecedented technical superiority, unequivocal excellence in Ideology Research, novel and innovative software tools, technology that works in all different languages and dialects, and international cooperation.

Read: http://etidal.org/files/En_Etidal.pdf

Let's Do The News! (May 23, 2017)

- The Regional Peace and Order Council ordered all security forces to tighten checkpoints across the National Capital Region, following the clash between the Maute Terrorist Group and government troops in Marawi City, which is one of the areas in Mindanao now under Martial Law under the order of the President.

- The court suspends the arrest of former MNLF Chairman and former ARMM Governor Nur Misuari. San Pedro of the Pasig Regional Trial Court Judge Maria Rowen MOdesto made the decision to allow the petition filed by Misuari himself.

- Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno ordered all courts in Mindanao to remain open all all Justices to be in their respective offices amid President Duterte's declaration of Martial Law in the entire island.

- US President Donald Trump visits the Vatican on Wednesday to exchange talks with Pope Francis, after the two men exchanged sharp words during last year's presidential elections. Trump’s meeting at the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, his third stop on a nine-day foreign tour due to end on Saturday, is part of his world tour of religions after meeting leaders of Muslim nations in Saudi Arabia and visiting holy sites in Jerusalem.

- Back to the Manchester terror attack, the suspect behind the attack is identified as Salman Ramadan Abedi. A 22-year-old male Mancunian of Libyan descent. Police noted that Abedi's responsible for the suicide attack that killed 22 and injured 59 at the Ariana Grande concert.

- Yesterday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe moves forward with the controversial anti-conspiracy bill despite opposition from the public that feared that this bill could suppress civil liberties. The bill would make it a crime to conspire with others to commit terrorism and a raft of other crimes.

- Sir Roger Moore passed away at the age of 89. Moore was well known for not just being Simon Templar from the TV show, The Saint, but also the third 007 actor who starred in most Bond films than any other Bond actor known from Live and Let Die to A View To A Kill.

- Stuttgart authorities raided the offices of Daimler AG at numerous locations in connection with "preliminary investigations of known and unknown employees due to suspicion of fraud and criminal advertising relating to the possible manipulation of exhaust-gas aftertreatment in passengers cars with diesel engines."

- Saw director James Wan is reported to produce a reboot of the Biohazard/Resident Evil live-action film with Greg Russo reportedly to be its scriptwriter.

TTFN!!!

The Declaration of Martial Law in Mindanao

On late Tuesday evening, during his state visit on Moscow, Russia, Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte declared Martial Law on the Mindanao region of the Philippines following clashes against the Maute Group, which pledged their allegiance with the Islamic State extremists.

Under the 1987 Constitution, the duration of the Martial Law, if declared in an event of a rebellion, will last for around 60 days, but it remains unsure if the President can go beyond that limit set by the Constitution.

To avoid further confusion, presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said that the declaration of Martial Law only applies to most parts of Mindanao, including Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi.

Clashes in Marawi City between government troops and the Maute terrorists continue to erupt and following the harsh situation in Mindanao, President Duterte's Russian visit has been cut short.

Since September 21, 1972, the late strongman Ferdinand E. Marcos declared the whole Philippines under Martial Law due to clashes against the communist forces. It lasted for almost a decade and right after Marcos was ousted from power, the 1987 Constitution was established and the Constitution states that the limit for Martial Law, if declared, is for 60 days.

URL: http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/23/17/duterte-declares-martial-law-in-mindanao

Anti-Distracted Driving Law has been suspended

You may remember that last week, the Anti-Distracted Driving Act has became a law and this implementation causes some major confusion among drivers everywhere. I know, it's very confusing.

Due to such confusion, the Department of Transportation has suspended the implementation of the law after the House transportation panel pointed that they should not be enforcing the law before conducting a nationwide information campaign.

Transport officials admitted that they should have done the whole information campaign thing six months from the effectivity of the act.

So, with the ADDA suspended, how will the motorists react to this turn of events?

URL: http://www.topgear.com.ph/news/motoring-news/addl-suspended-a00187-20170523?ref=latest?ref=home_feed_1