Tuesday, April 18, 2017

The Fate of the Furious

Petrolheads from across the globe have waited for this latest installment from The Fast and the Furious franchise, where street racing and car chases became the epitome of the hit action thriller saga. For the eighth installment, everything is about to change for Dom's crew as this latest chapter takes on a dark, gruesome, turn of events where new and familiar faces collide to topple a common foe and it's not what you think.

The Fate of the Furious
The Fate of the Furious signals the start of the franchise's finale trilogy, which will be followed with the ninth as well as the tenth (the final chapter of the Fast and Furious saga) by the next couple of years. Set after the dramatic events of Furious 7, Dom's crew are now living in a normal life until a mysterious femme fatale, named Cipher (played by Charlize Theron), seduced Dom to betray his only crew he called family and commit terrorism. With Dom now became a renegade, the crew have been summoned by a mysterious government operative called Mr. Nobody (played by Kurt Russell) and joining forces with battle-scarred federal agent Luke Hobbs (played by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) and notorious criminal mastermind as seen from Furious 7, Deckard Shaw (played by Jason Statham), the crew will criss-cross round the world to hunt down the man who made them a family.

With an all-star ensemble such as Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Dame Helen Mirren, Nathalie Emmanuel, Elsa Pataky, Scott Eastwood, and many others, The Fate of the Furious really is an ice-breaker in the world of action thrillers, literally. Mentioned the word "ice-breaker" on it because there's the part where the crew driving on the arctic until they got hounded by a submarine? Anyway, while this film's short on racing, more on car chases, this latest installment still has enough racing fuel to ignite longtime fans and newcomers alike with its signature FF thrills that will keep them hanging up to the very end where everyone will start guessing what happens next until the second part of the FF finale trilogy comes out soon.

Amazingly, the cars in the film can overshadow the cast of characters in F8 and while we might be seeing a wild roster of muscle cars and exotics, this film sees the debut of the "fastest car ever", the all-new 840HP Dodge Challenger SRT Demon. Not bad for a product placement, huh? But this film will be better if these star cars will do the action more than the actors themselves. I mean, this is why this franchise was made for the love of fast cars?

Although this is no longer our average Fast and Furious flick we remembered since the beginning, The Fate of the Furious is the most exhilarating action thriller flick ever ignited for the spring season and like I said, this film is a real ice-breaker because it knows when and where this film will break the ice to deliver the high-octane boost this film needs.

My rating: 4.3 out of 5.

Forza Horizon 3: The Easter Surprise



Over the Easter Weekend, and while in a middle of celebrating Porsche's return to the world of Forza, got this ultra-rare Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 during the Easter weekend Forzathon event and even though today's 911 GT3 RS is a real corker for a track toy, this manual tranny-powered 997 GT3 RS remains a real corker for the purists everywhere and I couldn't disagree more.

Limited to 600 units worldwide, the ultimate GT3 RS is powered by a 4.0L flat-six engine producing 500HP of power, making this the most powerful naturally-aspirated flat-six engine ever made. It was powered by a 6-speed manual gearbox to keep the purists happy to drive wherever they go but it's not just the performance the 911 GT3 RS 4.0 is aftering, it's the track-honed precision that stands out from the rest and with the extensive use of lightweight materials as well as stripping out unnecessary materials such as the rear seat, it weighs 1,360kg with a full tank fo fuel, resulting to its power-to-weight ratio of 3kg/HP. It was the first production Porsche to come with front air deflection vanes, which adds downforce on the front axle and with the combination of the large fixed rear wing as well as other aerodynamic upgrades, it can exert an additional 190kg of force.

No time to chat more about this car because I am eager enough to try this rare Porsche out for a spin!



Nothing said it's as sweet as a Kinder Egg Surprise. He he he... Speaking of which, there are more Porsche cars waiting on future Forzathon events this month. Stay tuned.

Let's Do The News! (April 18, 2017)



- President Rodrigo Duterte's "Build, Build, Build" Team inspects the NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10, an elevated expressway directly connecting the port area of Manila and Northern provinces of Luzon through NLEX.

- 16 people are reportedly injured during the twin blasts at Tacurong last Monday night. Two suspects were arrested by the police after being the last persons to be seen in the area. Authorities also recovered grenades from each of the suspect.

- The top advisers of US President Donald Trump will meet on Tuesday to discuss whether to recommend that he withdraw the United States from the Paris climate accord, a White House official said on Monday. A White House official said Trump’s aides would “discuss the options, with the goal of providing a recommendation to the president about the path forward.”

- Meanwhile, Trump is seeking changes in the visa program to encourage companies to hire only Americans. Two senior officials said Trump will also use the “buy American and hire American” order to seek changes in government procurement practices to increase the purchase of American products in federal contracts.

- Following the UAL passenger incident last week, an Illinois lawmaker introduced a bill to ban the forcible removal of travelers from flights by state or local government employees.

- South Korea will downgrade its bird flue alert level by one notch from the highest level starting this Wednesday as no new cases have been reported for about two weeks.

- Acting Brazilian president, Michel Temer, said that some of his ministers undergoing investigation are likely to resign following the corruption scandal.

- As announced at last week's Star Wars Celebration, the upcoming fourth season of Disney XD's hit TV series, Star Wars Rebels, will be its last season. Also, Warwick Davis will guest star in the upcoming season for the show.

- A studio executive confirms whether a footage of the late Star Wars legend Carrie Fisher will be featured in the ninth and final installment of the Star Wars ennealogy, due in 2019.

- The Jaguar F-Pace is named 2017 World Car of the Year.

- McLaren-Honda's Fernando Alonso will not be racing at the Monaco GP and instead, join Andretti Autosport for the upcoming 2017 Indy500 race.

TTFN!!!

Forza Horizon 3: Himmel Mancheese



In case you never know, Porsche returns to the world of Forza and with their new six-year partnership agreement, looks like we'll be seeing Porsches in future installments and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Since Porsche was freed from EA exclusivity, most games are willing and able to feature Stuttgart's finest not just for action racing but for racing simulation to demonstrate Porsche's true capabilities and for the Forza franchise, this is a welcoming feat.



The opening salvo of Porsche's return to Forza is the latest 911 (991) GT3 RS, as seen on Forza Horizon 3's Porsche Car Pack of April. This is known to be one of the fastest track cars Porsche ever made and finally, the 911 everyone wants to get on the groove, especially in the Land Down Under.



The GT3 is the stripped-out model that took Porsche decades of German engineering that brought into this and like its normal model, the 911 GT3 provides some stylish design and spartan driving manners with its organic bodywork, "mild" driving feel, and a decade-old philosophy. The GT3 RS model pushes the GT3 to the extreme by dropping 10kg of weight from the normal GT3, increase the flat-6 engine's size from 3.8 to four liters, and feature unique aerodynamics that makes the track weapon more potent on the racetrack and because it lapped the Nurburgring in under seven minutes and 20 seconds, it's surprisingly faster than the Porsche Carrera GT supercar of 2003.

I miss the 991 911 Turbo from the previous installments but to me, the handling is a bit harsh and mild for a high-powered 911 and now, with the 911 GT3 RS, although it's not as powerful as the Turbo, the handling is really magic to me and finally, some "himmel mancheese" to get our mouth on. This is definitely the 911 everyone's wanting for, although the PDK is out of context for the track toy, and driving the 991 911 GT3 RS is by no means the actual representation of a childhood memory where someone is playing Ridge Racer V and their favorite car was the Himmel EO. This is like that RRV favorite because like that, its stylish design and spartan driving manners makes them very hard to resist such temptation and who can blame them?

Speaking of which, this car got featured in The Grand Tour where Jeremy Clarkson compares it with this...





This is the BMW M4 GTS which I found this on FH3's Alpinestars Car Pack. Like the GT3 RS, this is a stripped-out version of the BMW M4 that rids of everything that doesn't help with driving such as a radio of course and some rear seats, add some unique aerodynamics inspired from its DTM racing champion, and to top it all, arm the six-cylinder in-line turbo engine with water injection to deliver 500HP of power. All sounds great but it's about eight seconds slower than the 911 GT3 RS on the Nurburgring and in The Grand Tour's Eboladrome, two seconds slower than the GT3 RS as well.



Hey, since these two are featured in the show and compared, how about I can compare these two at the only place in Byron Bay I know? How about, you guessed it, The Grand Tour Sprint? Yep, the sprint track with the words "Grand Tour" on it. Sounds catchy but let's get on with it.



And now, the results...

2016 BMW M4 GTS (493hp/442ft-lb/3,329lb/51%/2,979cc/S1 849) - 2:27.381
2016 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (493hp/339ft-lb/3,131lb/39%/3,996cc/S2 929) - 2:18.906

Hey, The Grand Tour is right about the M4 GTS slower than the GT3 RS. Although I like the way BMW made their response against the track-focused Porsche, they really made a hash of it and there's a metaphor for this one but I don't know what that is.





Feeling pleased about the 911 GT3 RS, I did something special for this Porsche and yes, you get the point. With the design ready, the 911 GT3 RS is ready to take on other 911 drivers in the city for a little cars, coffee, and a race.





Although it lost the comparo, the M4 GTS doesn't want to be left behind so I made a little familiar design for this car and while the 911 GT3 RS is busy wowing the other 911 cars, the M4 GTS will have to hang out with the other city delinquents. Poor girl...



That, ladies and gentlemen, is what you called the Himmel Mancheese.

Monday, April 17, 2017

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: Prosecutors charged President Park for bribery


South Korean prosecutors charged ousted leader Park Geun-hye and Lotte Group chairman Shin Dong-bin with bribery in the latest twist to a corruption scandal that rocked the nation for months.

The probe has already convulsed the biggest conglomerate, Samsung Group, with its chief Jay Y. Lee under arrest for bribing Park and her friend, Choi Soon-sil. All three are being held at detention centres.

Prosecutors accused Park of colluding with Choi to receive 7 billion won from Lotte for favours, they said in a statement. Park was also charged with abuse of power and coercion by pressuring big businesses to contribute funds to non-profit foundations, the prosecutors said.

Lotte denied the allegations as well as the Park, Lee, Choi and Samsung Group.

Source: Reuters

Let's Do The News! (April 17, 2017)


- According to the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Abu Sayyaf Group beheaded another hostage during the Holy Week exodus. The hostage was identified as Noel Besconde, a 45 year old crew member of the fishing boat that the terrorist group ambushed last December 2016 in Celebes Sea.

- President Rodrigo Duterte sponsored the baby of the OFW from Saudi Arabia. The OFW named Jobelyn Tayad is one of the 150 OFWs who went home to the Philippines following Duterte's Middle East visit. The Saudi Government gave amnesty to these undocumented OFWs.

- The Philippine National Police CIDG filed a case against two security aids of drug suspect Jun No who escaped last Saturday while confined at the East Avenue Medical Center.

- In case you missed it, US President Donald Trump blocked the White House visitor list to the public, sparking security concerns.

- The torch relay for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics will commence this November.

TTFN!!!

F1 2017: Bahrain GP


The Easter Holidays are nearing its end and the Formula 1 2017 Bahrain Grand Prix really ends the Easter Holidays with a bang, although Easter is not unusually present in the Middle East (well...almost), especially in Bahrain.

As sparks literally fly on the best drivers in the Bahrain Grand Prix, there are some trouble occurred during the heated nighttime race such as Kevin Magnussen from HAAS faced mechanical failure from his car that sent him out from the race, as well as Red Bull's Max Verstappen, William's Lance Stroll, Toro Rosso's Carlos Sainz, among many others.

Behind the misfortune, Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel crushed both the Mercedes-AMG drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas to snag his second win of this season. Not bad for a German plotting for a comeback.

After three races this season, Sebastian Vettel's leading with 68 points while Hamilton's seven points behind Vettel, and Bottas' in 3rd place with 38 points.

The next race is on Sochi, Russia, on the 30th of April.

Top Gear S24E06

Top Gear S24E06

The highlight of the sixth episode of the 24th series of Top Gear sees Chris Harris and Rory Reid embark on their first-ever Cuban adventure. With Harris in the Maserati BiTurbo and Reid's in the Chevy Camaro, the two set off in a Latin American country to explore more about the rich automotive culture and history of Cuba that dates back to the Bay of Pigs Invasion that changed everything about car ownership in Cuba.

Meanwhile, Matt LeBlanc's left behind in the Top Gear Test Track to demonstrate Mercedes-AMG's newest track toy, the more potent AMG GT R.

Then, Ross Noble returns to the show to talk about cars, toying around with heavy machinery alongside LeBlanc, and above all, set a lap time in a Reasonably Fast Car.

Sunday, April 16, 2017

Doctor Who S10E01


So, how's it feel? Season 10 of BBC's Doctor Who and it's amazing that the revived program reached a double digit season with a brand new companion named Bill Potts, played by Pearl Mackie, joining alongside The Doctor, played by Peter Capaldi, and his old ally Nardole, played by Matt Lucas.

In the season opener, what was the encounter between the time lord and an average woman changed everything and what was known to be the mysterious puddle became a deadly cat-and-mouse chase until a sacrifice has been made. The Daleks were present on the opener as well for dramatic effects.

It's good to see The 12th Doctor back for more but this season will be the last of The Peter Capaldi Years and while this is too early to tell, there's still more to come for The Doctor, Bill, and Nardole because now is the time for heroes. 

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Subaru New XV (GT)

Subaru's crossover utility hatchback, the XV, is now based on the fifth-generation Subaru Impreza. You know, the latest version with the design that is nowhere near as close to the concept car but won the Japan Car of the Year with its new platform and safety tech that sets the standards for medium-sized cars in Japan. Now, let's take a closer look on Subaru's latest version of the Impreza-based crossover hatch that tries to shrug off against the likes of the Nissan Juke, Mitsubishi RVR, Honda Vezel, and even Toyota's C-HR as well.

2018 Subaru XV
2018 Subaru XV

Like all the others, the all new XV's design has no resemblance from the concept car it was based upon and to them, it looks more like the previous model at all. On the plus side, the XV looks more of a rugged Impreza Sport which was based upon and it's not half bad to look at it especially on the weekends.

2018 Subaru XV interior
On the inside, benefitting from the new platform, the new XV is now roomier enough to accommodate just about everything in the event of outdoor activities, shopping trips, picking up kids after school, and so much more. To help differentiate the new XV's interior from the normal Impreza, it has been given orange stitching on the dashboard so that you know that this is the new XV, not a normal Impreza, per se. Oh, and for additional extra, you can have the XV's interior look more adventurous enough to get their day-off started.

2018 Subaru XV
Like the normal Impreza, the new XV is powered by  a choice of either a 1.6L or a 2.0L boxer engine, both mated to a Lineartronic CVT with a Manual Mode engaged when the Sport Mode in its SI-DRIVE was engaged. Having this feature sounds good to us but just like as experienced in the normal Impreza, it's nowhere near as engaging as the past Imprezas but since this is the XV, who cares about not being sporty for a rugged crossover hatchback? 

A crossover like this one doesn't need to act like a sportscar. It wants to get down and dirty and courtesy of its X-MODE feature, it allows the new XV to increase drivability by optimising integrated control of the engine, Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system and brakes to provide additional control when tyres slip and lose traction on a slippery road surface, including downhill.

In terms of fuel efficiency, the XV promises 16.4km/L of fuel efficiency by JC08 Mode standards, which sounds like mediocre compared to the C-HR, Juke, or the Vezel, but these so-called crossovers can't just match the new XV's character that is not afraid to play rough.

If the XV's all about playing rough, its new safety tech makes it want to play nice on the road, courtesy of its EyeSight Ver. 3, as well as High Beam Assist, Steering Responsive Headlights, and Subaru Rear Vehicle Detection, Because the new XV is using the Subaru Global Platform, pretty much like the new Impreza has, this award-winning platform promises the XV to be more rigid, more maneuverable due to its low center of gravity that benefits most boxer-powered cars, and well pretty much about it.

Should you buy it? The new Subaru XV starts at 2,138,400 Japanese Yen and its surprisingly more affordable than the Toyota C-HR. Sounds good and unlike the C-HR, this new Subaru XV is all about taking out for the great outdoors while trying to cross out what's in their Golden Week bucket list...or doing stuff that's not on the list. Nothing like kicking the bucket list with the new XV.

Available colors: Crystal White Pearl, Ice Silver Metallic, Dark Grey Metallic, Crystal Black Silica, Pure Red, Dark Blue Pearl, Quartz Blue Pearl, Sunshine Orange, and Cool Grey Khaki.

Photo: Subaru

Sixth-Generation Hyundai Grandeur (IG) Hybrid

2018 Hyundai Grandeur Hybrid

Last November, Hyundai launched the latest sixth-generation Hyundai Grandeur to commemorate three decades of one of Hyundai's longest-running nameplates in history with innovation fit for today's drivers. Following the arrival of the sixth-generation model, which comes with a choice of petrol and diesel engines, the hybrid variant has arrived for this generation for those who value fuel efficiency without giving up performance.

It looks the same as the normal sixth-generation Grandeur. You still have the same old front view, same old Charger-esque rear view, and the classy interior fit enough for a cut-price luxury saloon, but the Grandeur Hybrid is powered by the Theta II 2.4L petrol engine connected to an electric motor and a li-ion battery as well as being mated with a 6-speed automatic gearbox. It produces 159ps of power output while the electric motor produces 38kw of power, resulting to a combined power output is 210PS and combined fuel efficiency of 16.2km/L. Take note that these figures is as similar to its compatriot, the Kia K7 Hybrid, which has the same powertrain as this.

Like the normal Grandeur, the Grandeur Hybrid features Hyundai SmartSense, which comprises of numerous safety features such as Autonomous Emergency Braking, Lane Keeping Assist, Active Blind Spot Detection, Driver Attention Alert, Advanced Smart Cruise Control and Around View Monitor.

The all-new Grandeur Hybrid starts at 36,830,000 Korean Won and it's slightly more costly than the previous Grandeur Hybrid as well as the Kia K7 Hybrid. Sounds too odd for the pricing of the car that promises fuel efficiency, performance, and tech delivered for today's drivers in South Korea.

Photo: Hyundai Motor Company

Let's Do The News! (April 12, 2017)


- 700 residents of Inabanga, Bohol, were forced to evacuate due to ongoing attacks against suspected members of the Abu Sayyaf Group.

- Days after the deadly Batangas quake, different parts of Mindanao were struck by strings of quakes yesterday. The last was felt in General Santos City with magnitude 5.6 at 11pm Tuesday.

- The EU denied reports that they had suspended free trade negotiations with the Philippines over human rights violations due to President Duterte's war on drugs.

- Some parts of the of the country will spend a rainy Holy Week as a Low Pressure Area has been spotted outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility and could enter by Maundy Thursday. According to PAGASA, there is a very high chance that it will turn in to a tropical depression named Crising. If the direction's maintained, it will affect Eastern Visayas and Mindanao and could make a landfall in Eastern Visayas or the Bicol Region on Black Saturday and or Easter Sunday.

- Neil Gorsuch, US President Donald Trump's pick for US Supreme Court judge, has sworn in to his position despite opposition which resulted the Republicans' abolition to the filibuster of Trump's nominees. In the aftermath of Gorsuch sworn into office, there is a probability that Democrats will win back the Senate in the 2018 midterm elections and if they did, it will increase the chance of blocking the US President's nominees and bills.

- Alleged reports told that over a hundred gay men have been arrested in a "purge" in the Russian region of Chechnya and being held to concentration camp-style prisons.

- After cryptic teasers, the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon has been unleashed and this is the most powerful V8 production car in the world with 840HP unleashed from its supercharged 6.2L V8 engine sourced from the Hellcat, resulting to 0-60mph time in 2.3 seconds and 9.65 seconds in a quarter mile run. It is the first to lift the front wheels at launch and set the world record for longest wheelie from a standstill by a production car at 2.92 feet, verified by the Guinness World Record.

2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon

- The second-generation Buick Enclave crossover has unveiled prior to this week's New York Auto Show premiere. It is the first to feature the new Avenir line of Buicks featuring luxury treatments that set them apart from normal Buicks.

2018 Buick New Enclave

- The first teaser trailer of the upcoming Thor: Ragnarok film has arrived.



TTFN!!!