Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Looks like Nissan's Infiniti marque goes "S. Vettel"-ish

Thanks to the European presence of Nissan's Infiniti marque, it seems this luxury brand signed up with Red Bull F1 racing team as their sponsor!

Scoop:

How's that for the luxury marque gone "S. Vettel" kind of thing upon signing up with Red Bull F1 racing team as their new sponsor? Never been as sweet as a huge can of Red Bull energy drink!

Good luck on their new partnership!


Orlando vs. Fuzion

GM Korea Chevrolet Orlando


Mitsubishi Fuzion

Well, two crossover wagons can play that game. Both GM Korea's Chevrolet Orlando and Mitsubishi's Fuzion (known in Chinese-speaking countries as the Zinger) truly have in common; SUV ruggedness, minivan space, and sedan driving comfort. Just imagine, if The Covenant Car Company Inc. decided to bring the new Chevrolet Orlando (made in Korea by GM Korea) to the Philippines soon, what would the Mitsubishi Fuzion react?

First things first; in terms of height, the Mitsubishi Fuzion has the height of 1800/1805mm while the Chevrolet Orlando has 1635mm. I guess the GM Korea Chevrolet Orlando is about 20% shorter than the Fuzion, but if you check both of these MPVs' wheelbases, the Orlando wins. The Orlando's wheelbase is about 2760mm while the Fuzion's wheelbase is 2720mm. That's enough wheelbase and legroom for other people to fit inside the Korean-American Active Life Vehicle.

Both the Orlando and the Fuzion can seat up to seven people but thanks to its long wheelbase, I believe that the Orlando is best to fit inside. Accessing the third row seat is made simple by folding the seats from the 2nd row. Both the Orlando and the Fuzion truly have in common.

In terms of performance; the Orlando stacks up against the Fuzion. Why? Because the Orlando's 2.0L Turbo Diesel engine packs a punching 165 PS while the Fuzion's 2.4L 16-Valve Petrol engine packs just about 136 PS. With the Fuzion offered in just 4-speed AT, the Orlando has an additional two gears, making a total for the 6-speed Automatic transmission. The Orlando's also offered in the manual transmission, making it a fun-to-drive MPV like no other.

I strongly believed that the Chevrolet Orlando is the best pick against the Mitsubishi Fuzion despite both of these shared the same experiences; having the ruggedness of an SUV, spaciousness of a minivan, and sedan riding comfort. I guess the Mitsubishi Fuzion will wave the white flag, surrendering to the Chevrolet Orlando.

Let's hope that TCCCI will bring the Korean-made Orlando soon if they have that chance.

Aventador

2012 Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4



So the legends are real; the new age exotic from Lamborghini, the Aventador, exists! 

AMAZING! 

TERRIFICLY AMAZING TO SEE IT BY FANS AROUND THE WORLD!

Previously known as the Jota (next time, don't do some spy shots because names are getting an issue here, just like what happened to some Alfa Romeo the press named it Milano, but the brand calls it Giulietta. I hope the motoring press learned a lesson about spy shots and name guessing. Leave the name guessing to the car companies themselves, OK?), the new Aventador is a massive bull packed with a bullish V12 engine releasing a majestic 700HP of power output and a top speed of 350kph! 

This is the next BEST THING from Lamborghini since the Miura, Countach, Diablo, Murcielago, and the Gallardo! Who's in?

An edge closer to become reality

2009 Toyota FT-86 Concept


Back in the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show, Toyota Motor Corporation unveiled the FT-86 Concept car. The design study follows what will the next Toyota sports car would look like. Of course, due to closer ties between Toyota and Gran Turismo, this concept car was featured in Gran Turismo 5 either a prize car or purchasable car. The FT-86 concept marks the partnership between Toyota Motor Corporation and Fuji Heavy Industries (maker of Subaru vehicles) and it was slated for production early next year.

In the 81st International Motor Show at Geneva, Switzerland,Toyota Motor Corporation beefs up the FT-86 even further with the introduction of the second chapter of the FT-86 concept car called the "FT-86 II Concept", a design study that is almost there to become reality.

2011 Toyota FT-86 II Concept

In celebration of its Geneva debut, Gran Turismo TV pulled the wraps for the concept movie seeing how the FT 86-II behaves in the world of Gran Turismo. That was the coolest image movie I've ever saw.

Check out the FT-86 II Concept in action at:

Who knows, the FT-86 II Concept will be soon be featured on the next GT5 update!

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Turn "amok" into "lamok" with Alpha Bert!

With all the Mental Hospital jokes offered all week on Banana Split, there was a second episode of our newest alphabetical superhero, Alpha Bert. At the beginning, a "siga" runs amok, terrorizing everyone in the neighborhood, even the woman. Good thing, Apha Bert is here. I we say "amok", he means this is the word of the day: "AMOK"

Turn AMOK into LAMOK!

Volunteered by a damsel in distress, he managed to turn "AMOK" into "LAMOK", turning the siga into a tiny mosquito.

Palm Phone Microchip!

In case you didn't know, Ryan Bang as everyone's favorite inventor, Igor Stojokovic Krystic, invents the world's first "Palm Phone Micro Chip" on Tekkie Muna! With the Palm Phone Micro Chip, communication is now in your fingertips, literally. Wow, wanna have that one but this is going to be messy...LOL

Thank goodness Banana Split called those who are hooked on the Tekkie Muna segment "Tekkie Addicts!" (^o^)

Monday, February 28, 2011

The roar of an angel beckons GT5

Lexus LFA at Fuji Speedway


Gran Turismo 5 was the second video game to feature the almighty Lexus LFA, the ultimate limited-to-500-units-worldwide dream car created by Toyota Motor Corporation. Even in Gran Turismo 5, I still experience the same LFA goodness from its rival video game I tried earlier. The only thing the LFA surprised me is the sound of the 1LR-GUE engine starting
Racing through the streets of Tokyo


I really love the sound of the LFA's 1LR-GUE engine starting up. Makes me want to listen to the start-up noise over and over again until I pass out. Anyway, questioning the LFA's true grit is a hard act to follow but in the hands of a GT5 player, it's sure is a collector's item, making it a part of his or her dream collection.

LFA vs. NSX at Suzuka

When tuned to the max, the Lexus LFA exceeds the 700 HP mark, weight is  on the 1233 kg basis, and Performance Points is 589. Well, that was from mine and results may vary. Every time when I race with my LFA, the sound of the 1LR-GUE engine sounds so crispy. On cockpit view, it tells me when will I shift. Green means it's getting closer to be shifted and red means time to shift!

Cruising through Madrid, Spain

Well said, I love the way the Lexus LFA behaves on GT5. This was one of my favorite Japanese cars to try out and enjoy any way you want. It's great to have fun enjoying "the roar of an angel" here on this game.

Kuya Jobert examines the diamond ring...

Kuya Jobert examines the diamond ring


Pokwang's taking a visit to Kuya Jobert for Damoobs. On "Damoobs ni Kuya Jobert" for the February 28 episode of Banana Split, Kuya Jobert examines the diamond ring to see if its real or fake. Aside from checking the diamond just by tapping it, he licked at the diamond. Looks like Kuya Jobert's getting some kind of "diamond obsession" because he thinks this is super salty and super delicious. Pokwang said she found it on the canal! EEEEWWWW!!! Kuya Jobert's licking some diamond found at the canal! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!

Those kasambahays, housemaids, and domestic workers who watched Banana Split but before that they faced problems like this kasambahay

Troubled kasambahay

Someone's here to help and her name is "Ate Etang" in a segment called "Dear Etang"

Ate Etang

On another episode of "Dear Etang", Ate Etang read a letter from a troubled kasambahay because instead of getting a phone number of someone her "amo" told her to get his number, it's just "address number". Guess this kasambahay has no address because she got fired. Ate Etang's advice is to get the street name, zip code, and barangay name for the address. Convenient if you got fired by your "amo" for sure.

ANG TV! "DOO WA DIDDY DIDDY DAM DIDDY DOO"
PATROL!

Of course, due to lack of energy at the end of Banana Split's Ang TV Patrol, we saw Melai again on this segment. Back to basics, huh?


GM Daewoo (GM Korea) Chevrolet Aveo

2012 GM Daewoo (GM Korea) Chevrolet Aveo

The second out of the eight Chevrolet vehicles announced by GM Daewoo CEO, now GM Korea CEO, Mike Arcamone, is the Chevrolet Aveo (쉐보레 아베오). In other countries considering this is the new generation Aveo, and in North America with will be known as the Chevrolet Sonic (and the Sonic will be built in Michigan), the South Koreans seek the Chevrolet Aveo name as a debutante and it will be built in the Bupyeong plant in South Korea.

Available only in hatchback this March following with the 4-door variant this May, GM Korea's Chevrolet Aveo is a fun-loving vehicle intended for fun-loving young Koreans looking for some fun-to-drive cars. The outside view features dual crystal headlamps, sporty allow wheels, aggressive design in front and back, secret rear doors just like the Matiz Creative (soon to be renamed as GM Korea's Chevrolet Spark) and some hamburger-shaped grille. Although the hamburger-like front looks somewhat plain to me, the GM Daewoo/GM Korea Chevrolet Aveo looks like it's ready to show the rivals such as the Mazda Demio and the Ford Fiesta who's the man.

On the interior, it looks more similar to the Matiz Creative because of the high-tech dynamic meter cluster. Once you are inside the Aveo, there's no way you will ever go back to your ordinary hatchback again because this looks more enjoyable like you are playing your favorite racing game. Anyway, the rear seats of the Chevrolet Aveo can be folded for added space.

The main engine for GM Korea's Chevrolet Aveo is the 1.6-litre 16-Valve DOHC engine that produces 114hp of power and 15.1kg-m of torque. It comes in two transmission types; a 6-speed automatic and a 5-speed manual transmission. The fuel economy of the Chevrolet Aveo 1.6L 6AT grade is 14.8km/L while the Aveo 1.6L 5MT grade is positively 17.3km/L. Oh my gosh, if that arrived in the Philippines soon (if TCCCI has the chance), we could just go for the manual version because not only this 3-pedal bad boy is fun to drive, its fuel efficient than the Auto variant. If easy driving is just one thing, even the female drivers out there, we could just go for the Chevrolet Aveo 1.6L 6AT grade.

My thoughts about the Chevrolet Aveo:

Koreans prefer fun-to-drive compacts because they are suited on their free-time getaways and GM Daewoo (now GM Korea) has the answer to that. GM Daewoo/GM Korea Chevrolet Aveo is a mixture of business and leisure for the young Korean drivers in their 20's and 30's and guaranteed to be a global success. Like what Mr. Arcamone said, the 5-door hatchback is available in March while the 4-door is expected to be here this May. It will arrive in Europe and Asian markets soon, even in North America as the Sonic.

Do you think TCCCI will bring the Chevrolet Aveo soon? I hope so but I hope they'll offer the manual variant because of its fuel efficiency. I believe this is perfect for a night out at Manila or Metrowalk. A great urban hatchback for the urban egoists everywhere.

GM Daewoo (GM Korea) Chevrolet Orlando

2012 GM Korea Chevrolet Orlando
When GM Daewoo is still in the process of renaming it into GM Korea Company, the Korean division of General Motors launched the first of the eight Chevrolet vehicles to the South Korean market. Six of them will be made from Bupyeong-gu, Incheon, while the two Chevrolet models are imported from the North American market. The first Korean-made Chevrolet that will mark the beginning of Chevrolet and the countdown of renaming "GM Daewoo Auto and Technology" into "GM Korea Company" is the Active Live Vehicle known as the Chevrolet Orlando (쉐보레 올란도).

Made for the global market except the United States and Japan, the Chevrolet Orlando is the first Korean Chevrolet that will help revolutionize the Korean division of General Motors and to bring out the best for Korean families. With the concept of "Active Life Vehicle", the Orlando marks the new category because of its ruggedness of an SUV, sedan riding comfort, and spaciousness of a minivan. Think of it as the Korean-American take on Mitsubishi Fuzion/Zinger MPV.

GM Korea's Chevrolet Orlando is powered with the 2.0L DOHC Turbo Diesel engine, capable of releasing a fresh power output of 163hp and the torque output of 36.7kg-m. The 2.0L 6-Speed Automatic variant has a fuel economy of 14.0km/L while the 2.0L 6-Speed Manual variant has a fuel economy of 17.4km/L. In other terms, driving a manual variant of the Orlando takes you further if you are planning a trip from Manila to Cabanatuan.

My thoughts about the Chevrolet Orlando:
The Chevrolet Orlando marks the first of the eight Chevrolet vehicles to be launched in the Korean market. As always told from GM Daewoo CEO, now GM Korea Company CEO, Mike Arcamone said that six Chevrolet models are domestic while two are North American imports. As it gets near, the GM Daewoo Lacetti Premiere and the Matiz Creative will be branded as Chevrolet Cruze and Spark, planned to rename existing models while retaining the GM Daewoo brand on vehicles such as Damas, Labo, and the Alpheon premium sedan.

The Orlando is intended for the global market and it's not coming to the United States and Japan. If The Covenant Car Company Inc. plans to launch the Korean-made Orlando to the Philippines soon, the Mitsubishi Fuzion, Toyota Avanza and Innova, and the Nissan Grand Livina might be shocked to see such a worthy Korean-American contender stepping on the competition. Also, if someone plans a Philippine commercial for the Orlando, leave it to Ryan Agoncillo because he's the brand ambassador for Chevrolet Philippines. If Ryan Agoncillo's going for a joyride in Orlando, he'll bring the whole family for an entire trip around the country with the new Orlando, Chevrolet's Active Life Vehicle created from GM Korea (formerly GM Daewoo). Sales for the Orlando starts at March 2011 in South Korea and soon worldwide except USA and Japan.

Dodge Journey/Chrysler Dodge JC Minor Change

For the second phase of Dodge's crossover utility vehicle, the Dodge Journey (known in Japan as Chrysler Dodge JC) gained an even more aggressive stance to max out its crossover potential and to repel the competition away from boring crossovers.

2011 Dodge Journey


2011 Dodge Journey interior

The revised Journey/JC comes with the new trademark Dodge grille as seen on the third-generation Durango and the upcoming Charger sedan, packed with an aggressive front bumper to bring out its cool appeal. The rear view's also changed with the hint of the DODGE emblem spelled it out like this "D O D G E" and minus the Ram logo. With the aggressive minor change, every young drivers in their 20's and 30's would go gaga for that stylish and handsome crossover.

The interior of the Journey/JC has been heavily redesigned to make it more functional, sophisticated, and high-tech, bringing out every edge of fun factor for the driver. Depending on the variant, the Journey has some of the finest features like Uconnect touch CD/DVD/MP3 player, Infinity Premium Speakers, Uconnect Voice Command, Audio Jack input for most mobile devices, USB port, and SIRIUS Satellite Radio with free 1-year subscription to SIRIUS Radio Service. Best of all, the Journey can seat up to seven passengers. Great for the middle class families and for the hip youngsters for their next road trip.

There are now two available engines offered on the Journey/JC Phase II; aside from the entry-level 2.4L DOHC 16V Dual VVT engine, there is a new Pentastar V6 3.6L VVT engine. Debuted in the latest Jeep Grand Cherokee last year, the new Pentastar V6 3.6L VVT produces 283HP/6350rpm and the fuel economy of 25mpg highway. Most Journey/JC variants with the new Pentastar V6 engine comes standard with the 6-Speed Automatic 62TE Transmission, while the entry level 2.4L variant is equipped with just the 4-Speed Automatic VLP Transmission. The best variant is the new 3.6L variant because of the gears, new engine, everything you need to know.

My thoughts about the Journey:
Revamped to take on new challenges (and the possibility of coming to Europe as the Fiat Freemont), the second phase of the Journey/JC is just one of the many reasons why Dodge is back from the dead. With the new Durango, new Charger, Grand Caravan minor change, improved Challenger, and the Avenger's minor change, it is good to say that the latest minor change for the Journey/JC is just one of them and adopting Dodge's new concept "Never Neutral", they are always NEVER NEUTRAL on North American roads.

I just hope that CATS Motors got the memo and bring either the Dodge Journey's minor change or possibly the Fiat Freemont to the Philippines soon but pricing seems to be an unhappy manner because it might just cost us over 2 million Philippine Pesos for the 2.4L variant and over 3 million pesos for the 3.6L V6 variant.

Photo: Chrysler Group, LLC.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

3DS

Nintendo 3DS

On sale in Japan since February 26, 2011, later on in North America and Europe in late March 2011, the revolutionary glasses-free 3D hand held video game system, the Nintendo 3DS, marks the new genre of portable 3D gaming experience, The Nintendo 3DS is the world's first portable 3D video game console that brings video games come to life in 3D and yes, this new category will shape up the Japanese video game brand and to bring the coolest appeal to the customers.

The styling of the 3DS derived from its predecessor, the Nintendo DS, to make it more of an enhanced version of the flip top portable video gaming console, A huge change is the addition of an analog stick that made a huge twist in the 3DS. Another thing standard on the 3DS is the new 3D camera, that allows users to photograph everything and watch them come to life in 3D.

What's included in the 3DS is the built-in software made for fun-to-use every time. It even has a Mii Maker to create your own Miis, which is different from creating Miis from your Wii, AR (augmented reality) games, 3DS sound, which allows you to listen to your favorite music and even record your own sounds, Face Raiders, surf the internet, and others that made the 3DS more interesting to handle.

The 3DS is the world's first portable hand held device that features motion sensor and gyro sensor. Moving the 3DS anywhere you want is like the same way you did from a Wii remote! Just be careful not to pull some epic fails on this feature!

The Nintendo 3DS not only plays 3DS exclusive games but also allows backwards compatibility, allowing the will to play almost all existing DS titles (except Guitar Hero), including Pokemon Black and White versions!

List of 3DS exclusive titles include Super Street Fighter IV, PES/Winning Eleven, and Ridge Racer are finally sold separately by the time the 3DS is here. Other titles such as Biohazard/Resident Evil: The Mercenaries, Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater, Legend of Zelda, and other 3DS exclusive games may soon follow. As for now, feel free to enjoy the rich lineup of 3DS titles and see if which 3DS game best fits you. A lot of Japanese 3DS first timers must have pick the Professor Layton game and even the Ridge Racer 3D game. This must be the start of something new...

Those who are in the US and Europe may have to wait 'till late March and when that happens, it will be a great pasalubong for the kids.

WHAT'S GREAT: 3D, borrowed some features from the DSi, create your own Mii, analog stick, motion sensor, and backwards capability.

WHAT'S NOT SO GREAT: Pricing starts at about 25,000 Japanese Yen, $250 or about 15,000 Philippine Pesos when it arrives. Two colors; Blue and Black

Official Site:

Japanese: http://www.nintendo.co.jp/3ds/index.html

English: http://www.nintendo.com/3ds

French: http://www.nintendo.com/3ds/fr/

Spanish: http://www.nintendo.com/3ds/es/

Annoying phone calls? Use the voice changer pill!

James Bang's videochatting to someone


Yikes! Boss is here!

Ryan Bang, as James Bang, explodes to action on the February 26 episode of ABS-CBN's Banana Split! His latest mission is to help a young woman's problem regarding her encounter with an annoying and harassing phone call from her boyfriend!

James Bang explodes in action
She heard a harassing phone call

As the weird gets even weirder, she even encounter some harassing text message like this

...even a harassing text message

If its getting weird, one gadget will help her! It's called the Voice Changer Pill, a pill that changes your voice!

Voice Changer Pill

With the voice changer pill, she sounded more like a man, stopping the harassing phone call from her boyfriend and scare his butt away! Okay, okay, weird stuff about women with manly voices!

Looks like things getting ugly for James Bang

Ha! Ha! Ha! That's what you get from helping a problematic woman, James Bang! Mission Accomplished!

Questions? Problems? Ask Jobert!

If you have complexing questions, one funny man has the answer and his name is "Kuya Jobert Austria" on some sketch called Ask Jobert. We have questions, Jobert answers them in a stomach-aching, hilarious, and upright funny kind of way. Ha! Ha Ha!

The audience laughs at Jobert's answers

We laughed at Kuya Jobert's hilarious answers, especially CPR (carbon potassium radioactive) and SPF (special petroleum fahrenheit). LOL

Knock-knockan!

Banana Split's playing a brand new game to see who's got the better knock-knock jokes in a new game called "Knock-Knockan". In Knock-Knockan, two teams (Team Sabit and Team Sablay) will make knock knock jokes (by any means of singing) out of the words per round. It will be judged by three X's. The team with the fewer X's wins. Loser team gets a punishment (and we don't mean a Sisid Marino kind of punishment).

It seems nobody made a good knock knock joke, even Rasheed, John, Jason, and Ryan. Only Angelica made a good knock knock joke under the "Tulala" word by remixing it. The winner is Team Sablay becaue of the fewer X's according to the game's mechanics.