Friday, May 31, 2013

Top 10 Cars Every Girl Should Consider Owning

Top 10 Cars Every Girl Should Consider Owning
Top 10 Cars Every Girl Should Consider Owning
Listen up, ladies! If you’re in search for the perfect car – we might be able to help you out. We know that not all women have the same taste and preference in cars, but we’re looking at a range of cars that you should definitely consider.
From hatchbacks to SUVs, we’re listing them all! Based on comfort, safety and some other quirky notes – you might find yourself something intriguing.
We’re listing out 10 different cars we think you ladies should definitely consider owning if you’re in the market.
2013 Ford Focus S
10. Ford Focus – from RM 115,903 (OTR with insurance)
Ford collaborates with technology to bring Ford Focus to a whole new level. With a dashboard that boasts clear-to-see dials and displays that are easy to use as well.  The car isn’t too big and is designed for extra ride comfort. With seat height and two-way steering adjustments – it’s making life a whole lot easier.
The Ford Focus is just average looking on the outside, but the specs and the features in the car as pretty impressive for the build and price that it is at. The Focus Hatchback comes with standard items including 16-inch alloy wheels, leather steering wheel with audio controls, rear parking sensors… and a whole lot of other standard things.
But what features really stand out? One thing that really catches the eye is that active parking assist! With the push of a button, the car will automatically scan the empty parking spot with ultrasonic sensors and steers you in perfectly.  So, basically, you don’t have to worry about parking – because the Ford Focus will do that for you.
On top of that, there is the Ford Sync that is operated via voice control – so instead of clicking around while driving, you can just state your demand, and it will automatically do it for you. Whether it’s replying a text message, or adjusting the air conditioning – you don’t have to lift a finger.
FUN FACT: The Ford Focus also has a ‘Active City Stop’ system which, should the car in front of you stop because of an emergency, then the Focus will sense it, and automatically brakes if you don’t do it in time. Talk about extra safety.
2013 Audi Q3
9. Audi Q3 – from RM 258,000 (OTR without insurance)
Similar to the Honda CR-V, the Audi Q3 is also an SUV that’ll make you look like a boss on the road. A little more rough and tough looking than the Honda CR-V if you ask us, but it is still a car women should consider.
It’s a sporty yet classy looking SUV that’ll definitely turn some heads while driving through the highway.
The Audi Q3 offers a range of features like park assist, a panoramic glass roof, BOSE surround sound, a built in navigation system and so many others.
FUN FACT: There is a start-stop system within the car that reduces fuel consumption by witching the engine off when the vehicle is at a standstill.
2013 Volkswagen Beetle
8. Volkswagen Beetle – from RM139,888 (OTR without insurance)
The Volkswagen Beetle is just your typical fun and cute car. Not only is it shaped in a quirky way, it also has features that will make that driving experience a lot more fun. The design of the iconic Beetle has evolved throughout the years, and it has kept up with its shape, but has improved in terms of technology, offering all kinds of gadgets and features.
FUN FACT: Did you know, that the currently sold version of the Volkswagen Beetle is not know the ‘The New Beetle’? That name refers to the outgoing model. The new Beetle is just called, ‘The Beetle’.
2012 Honda CR-V
7. Honda CR-V – from RM148,800 (OTR with insurance)
If you’re a fan of SUV’s and big spacious cars, then you should definitely consider the Honda CR-V. Yes, it’s often referred to as a soccer mom’s car, but it’s with good reason; the CR-V is superbly versatile, and gets any kind of driving job done. If you’re a woman with children, then this kind of car is perfect for you. If you’re a single woman, there is still reason for you to gaze your eyes on this beauty. Think about it – road-tripping in comfort and class; it all goes pretty well together.
Plus, who says a woman can’t own a big and strong car, like the Honda CR-V? If parking is what you’re worried about (especially here in Malaysia), there is a reverse camera and loads of parking sensors to help you around tight spots.
Driving a big car gives you a little more confidence on the road and driving a big and classy car – well… that just takes it to a whole new level.
FUN FACT: The new Honda CR-V has an Eco Assist guide, which helps drivers achieve more efficient driving.
2013 MINI One
6. MINI One – from 146,800 (OTR without insurance)
The iconic MINI is one that cannot be missed out. Especially the MINI One – it’s brought up to a whole new level and offers a lifestyle experience that is worth every penny. Not to forget, it’s just the kind of car all girls want to be in; stylish, classy, funky, modern, MINI!
Despite the MINI being a relatively small car – it is designed so that all passengers and the driver can sit with total comfort and space.
MINIs are known to be somewhat of an ‘exclusive’ car – but in our opinion, this is an exclusive car within reason; it’s a great lifestyle complement.
FUN FACT: Due to popular demand, MINI has re-released the MINI One for a third time!
2013 Mazda 2 Sedan
5. Mazda 2 (Sedan) – from RM 70,668 (OTR without insurance)
There are two choices when it comes to the Mazda 2. You can either opt for a hatchback or a sedan – but we’re suggesting a sedan! Why?
It’s a simple, yet pretty elegant car that suits a businesswoman. It’s spacious in all the right places, and if you’re a fan of sedans, then this is a car you should definitely look at. It doesn’t look too sporty, but still gives that edgy kick, which will make you feel like a classier woman.
Some sedans are considerably oversized, but there’s something about the Mazda 2 Sedan that is just about the right size. Though, it isn’t the highest performing car in the market – it does the trick of bringing you around, and maintenance cost isn’t too high.
As for the equipment – the Mazda 2 comes with steering that is leather wrapped, audio switches, split folding back seats, ABS, and two airbags.
FUN FACT: When Mazda designers were planning the Mazda2’s design, specific attention was given to making the car easy to see out of; improving overall visibility around you!
2013 Honda CR-Z
4. Honda CR-Z – from RM 119,000 (OTR with insurance)
Some girls want to get that little bit of edge – and that’s the kind of edge you can find in a Honda CR-Z. Not only does it look sporty and sleek, it’s also a hybrid! That means you’ll be helping out the environment, while looking good at it, too.  The car sits two people comfortably, so if you’re not the type of driver who likes to take people out, then it’s perfect. It’s a powerful car, with a good grip.
On a side note, it comes in such pretty colours – we really like the purple fuchsia tone! So pretty!
FUN FACT: The new Honda CR-Z has an addition to its three driving modes; the Plus Sport System. With a full charge and when pressed, the system unleashes even more power to the wheels for more electric acceleration.
2013 Suzuki Swift
3. Suzuki Swift – from RM 77,888 (OTR with insurance)
The new Suzuki Swift takes a step up in the dimensions and has also added a few more specs that bring it to a completely new level; it’s bigger for space, but lighter in weight, and still just as affordable.
Not only has it shed lots of weight from the outgoing model, the Suzuki Swift is generally the perfect car for the city because it’s easy to use, comfortable, has good fuel economy, and most importantly, it’s small, which really helps when it comes to parking.
With small cars, you tend to worry that it may sometimes be not strong enough or is too lightweight. But in the new Suzuki Swift, you forget the size of the car, because you feel safe and protected in the it. You instantly get a sense of the build quality which feels solid and safe.
FUN FACT: The new Suzuki Swift has cut down the weight of the car by 30KG but has expanded in dimension. In other words, it’s more spacious, but a lot lighter too.
2013 Kia Rio
2. Kia Rio – from RM 73,888 (OTR with insurance)
It’s cute, it’s small, it’s comfortable and most of all... it’s affordable. The new 1.4-litre Kia Rio holds a whole range of standard equipment’s that you usually don’t see in a B-Segment car. With LED daytime running lights, bending headlamps, electric folding mirrors, a sunroof, and really sporty 17-inch alloy wheels, the list does go on for a bit.
If you’re looking for a list of potential cars to get you around the city, whether you’re working or studying, we definitely suggest the Kia Rio – because it’s a simple car with just the right accessories that you need for a very affordable price.
FUN FACT:  It comes in two trim levels – EX and SX. The SX specs to the car, adds on a front fog lamp, sunroof and Kia’s “Supervision cluster” instrument panel, auto air-con and a Smart Key with a push start button – which makes it a very equipped B-segment car.
2013 Peugeot 208
1. Peugeot 208 – from RM85,888 (OTR with insurance)
This sleek new car was just unveiled at the Sunway Surf Beach, Sunway Lagoon by Nasim Sdn Bhd.
It’s a well-built car that doesn’t look too girly, but still has a soft touch to it. It’s neither too big nor too small for you to roam the streets of the city comfortably, or make a quick escape out of town; as we've found out lately with our test drive to Tanjung Malim.
The new Peugeot 208 comes to us with the option of a three- or five-door, and seats five very easily.
As for the gadgets, don’t be surprised to fall in love with the seven-inch HD touchscreen, Arkamys sound system, and cool exterior and interior design. Pretty neat, huh?

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Monday, May 27, 2013

Samsung to unveil new Galaxy & ATIV devices on 20th June

130528-samsung-london-20-june-event
Samsung has kicked off a teaser of its upcoming event that’s happening in London on the 20th June 2013. It doesn’t say much except that they will be premiering its Galaxy & ATIV line up which is their branding of Android & Windows based devices.
What could these be? For Galaxy, we would expect Samsung to announce their long rumoured Galaxy S4 mini, Mega and Active. Meanwhile on the Windows front, we expect a new range of Hybrid tablet/notebooks and smart phone to replace the current ATIV SMART PC & ATIV S. Another speculation is that a new Galaxy Camera might be in the works including super camera phone which is said to be called the Galaxy S4 Zoom.
The event will be streaming live at Samsung’s YouTube Channel.

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Yes offers Samsung Chromebook with built-in 4G WiMAX

130526-yes-4g-samsung-chromebook
Yes has recently launched a new device in a form of a Samsung Chromebook which comes with built-in 4G WiMAX connectivity. Running on Chrome OS, the Samsung Chromebook is powered by a dual-core Exynos 5 processor with a 11.6″ display that does 1366×768 pixels resolution. Weighing just slightly over a kilogram, the Chromebook boasts a battery life of 6.5 hours. In terms of storage, it gets a SSD storage of 16GB with complimentary 100GB Google Drive cloud storage for 2 years.
The Samsung Chromebook is priced at RM1,299 outright with RM100 Yes Credit. Alternatively, it can be yours from as low as RM988 with 24 months contract of Yes 88 Plan that offers 3.5GB at RM88/month. However there’s an upfront advance payment of RM311 required, which means you would need to prepare RM1,299 at the time of purchase.
The idea of having a 4G connected laptop isn’t entirely new in Malaysia. P1 has offered WiMAX embedded laptops and netbooks 3 years ago without much success. The biggest challenge back then was mobile coverage and pricing which was a premium over the standard non-WiMAX offering. As far as mobile connectivity is concerned, Yes WiMAX network is capable of seamless connection while on the move and it all boils down to the appeal of Chromebook’s cloud based OS. Being heavily reliant on internet connectivity, it is different from the usual Mac/Windows laptops experience.
For more information, head over to Yes’s 4G Chromebook page.
Watch the Samsung 4G Chromebook promo video after the break.

Monday, May 13, 2013

New Peugeot 308

peugeot-308-2014-04
Some basic figures to start with. The C-segment offering, which sits on the company’s new EMP2 modular platform (which has no less than 116 technology patent applications, so it goes), measures in a 4.25 metres long and 1.46 metres tall, while boot volume is rated at 470 litres. Weight is also down from its predecessor, the new car tipping the scales up to 140 kg less.
In addition to the new exterior lines and flow, the new 308 features a more refined and upmarket interior, in line with the move to bring the marque upmarket in terms of presentation. Elements in the i-cockpit offer improved ergonomics, with a more complete integration of controls translates to fewer buttons and a cleaner dashboard. A 9.7-inch touchscreen is integral to things.
As yet, no mention of powertrain/drivetrain choices, but the automaker says that the new 308 will be more dynamic than the outgoing car, but also offer more in the way of general comfort as well. European sales of the car, which will be built at the company’s Sochaux plant in France, begins in autumn after the showing in Frankfurt.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Porsche signs Maria Sharapova as brand ambassador

Porsche signs Maria Sharapova as brand ambassadorMaria_Sharapova_porsche_01
Porsche has signed Russian tennis star and glamour girl Maria Sharapova as its new brand ambassador for the next three years. The announcement was made at the start of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, which the four-time Grand Slam winner and current world number two went on to win last Sunday.
Sharapova received the keys to a blue Porsche 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet for her triumph, adding to the white 911 Carrera S Cabriolet she won at the same event last year (also pictured below). Before the tournament, she was asked if there is still room in her garage for another Porsche, to which she elegantly answered, “Of course. There is always room for another Porsche.”
“Maria Sharapova is an exceptional athlete. She combines top performance in her sports with elegance and power. These are precisely the qualities that are embroiled in our sports cars,” said Matthias Müller, CEO of Porsche AG of the signing. He forgot to mention that she’s also very, very fit. As a sportswoman, that is.
Infiniti signed Sebastian Vettel as the face of the brand, while Mercedes-Benz is parading Michael Schumacher around as its new brand ambassador. If you ask us, we’d rather take a ride with Maria in her Porsche, thank you very much.

2013 Toyota Vios launched in Thailand – full details

We now have the full details of the 2013 Toyota Vios, which made it’s global debut in Thailand today. The new Toyota Vios will be on exhibit at the 2013 Bangkok Motor Show this week which we are covering live, so we’ll be back with more live photos soon.
For the 2013 model year, the new Toyota Vios comes with a fresh new exterior and interior. The new Vios looks sharper than the model it replaces, and the big gaping upside down V shaped mouth gives it’s an aggressive look. This brings the Vios in line with Toyota’s new design language for it’s sedans – we’ve also seen this look on the US market Avalon and the US market Camry.
toyota-vios-2013-bangkok-27
On the front, you’ll notice that the Vios now gets projector headlamps instead of reflectors. Projector lenses are said to be better at focusing light, but most people also associate it with looking premium, which is probably the main reason Toyota gave the option for projectors on the Vios. It’s not standard on all models though – you only get the projector headlamps on the 1.5S and 1.5G models.
There’s also minimal air intake openings on the upper half of the face, presumably for aerodynamics. You can see most of the grille area between the headlamps have body coloured paint on it, with only small openings near the headlamps for air to pass thorugh. We are guessing most of the cooling will be done through the lower grille.
toyota-vios-2013-bangkok-20
On the rear, there’s a big chrome bar running between the two tail lamps. The tail lamps look like they’re lit up with a bulb instead of LED. Reflectors positioned at the very edges of the lower bumper area help the car look wider. There’s a very subtle spoiler integrated into the boot shape – you can see the shape of the boot rise up above the Toyota logo. We also don’t see any key hole for the boot.
The Toyota Vios goes on sale in Thailand with a few variants. The lower end E and J models get both 5-speed manual and 4-speed auto transmissions, while the higher end G and S models are only available with a 4-speed auto.
toyota-vios-2013-bangkok-18
The interior now reverts to a layout which positions the meter panel behind the steering wheel, abandoning the centre dash mounted meter panel design of the last two generations. There are two interior colours available – a black version and a beige version, which various different trim levels ranging from piano black trim to a metal lookalike trim as well as flat black trim.
On the surface, the 4-speed auto looks to be the same as the outgoing Vios down to the gear ratios. We’ll only be able to confirm if there are any changes if we get to speak to a Toyota engineer eventually when the car is launched in Malaysia.
toyota-vios-2013-bangkok-21
The engine is the same 1.5 litre 1NZ-FE as well, with a 10.5:1 compression ratio producing 109 PS at 6,000rpm and 141Nm of torque at 4,200rpm. As with the outgoing Vios, the new Toyota Vios uses an EPS power steering system to save on fuel consumption. As for the car’s platform, wheelbase is unchanged at 2,550mm, the same as the outgoing Vios. The suspension system are MacPherson struts at the front and a torsion beam with stabilizer at the rear.
The new Vios is 4,410mm long, 1,700mm wide (including wing mirrors) and 1,475mm tall. The S variant does get larger tyres now – 195/50R16 compared to the status quo 185/60R15 size of the rest of the new Vios range. It has a 45 litre fuel tank and 145mm ground clearance. It remains a pretty light car – topping the cales at 1,075kg for the 1.5S Auto model, with the lightest model being 1,020kg for the 1.5J Manual.
toyota-vios-2013-bangkok-03
In terms of safety features, the 2013 Toyota Vios comes standard with 2 airbags for the front driver and passenger. There is no option for 4 or 6 airbags. ABS is standard on all variants except the 1.5J Auto and 1.5J Manual models. There is no option for ESP Stability Control, an important feature that more and more of its competitors are beginning to have.
Check out our comprehensive photo gallery for multiple studio images of the new Toyota Vios, including tables explaining the differences in specs. Some of them are in Thai language though so we apologize for that. You can also check out our live photo gallery of the 2013 Toyota Vios from the show floor at Bangkok Motor Show 2013.
2013 Toyota Vios Thailand Market Prices:
  • Toyota Vios 1.5S Auto – 734,000 Thai baht (RM77,625)
  • Toyota Vios 1.5G Auto – 699,000 Thai baht (RM74,028)
  • Toyota Vios 1.5E Auto – 649,000 Thai baht (RM68,733)
  • Toyota Vios 1.5E Manual – 614,000 Thai baht (RM64,933))
  • Toyota Vios 1.5J Auto – 589,000 Thai baht (RM62,289)
  • Toyota Vios 1.5J Manual – 559,000 Thai baht (RM59,117)

Mysterious ladies of Shanghai 2013

The Shanghai woman has long captivated many with her mysterious and seductive ways. The image of a slender cheongsam clad lady, always with perfectly coiffed hair and manicured nails, red lipstick, sipping coffee, slowly smoking a cigarette, speaking softly… you get the drift. High maintainance, but alluring.
The ladies we (or rather Harvinder) encountered at Auto Shanghai 2013 may not quite look like the above caricature, but the modern version is equally captivating. They stood tall with the crossovers that mobbed Shanghai, including the BMW X4 Concept which we had exclusive access to, the Mercedes-Benz GLA, the Volkswagen CrossBlue Coupe, the Citroen DS Wild Rubis and the Acura Concept SUV-X, among others.
Honda brought plenty of new metal to the show – the Concept M MPV, Jade MPV and the Crider sedan, the latter two are production models. Toyota showed off the new Yaris (based on the new Vios, not the Euro version) and another Corolla previewing concept.
Other notable world debuts and concepts include the Maserati Ghibli, Porsche Panamera, Audi A3 Sedan, Ford Escort Concept, Suzuki Authentics Concept, Kia Horki Concept and the made-for-males Nissan Friend-ME.
We also spotted some models that may reach Malaysian shores in the near future – the facelifted Nissan Livina range and the Great Wall Wingle 6 pick-up truck are two such cars. Also do scan through the complete Shanghai menu for some homegrown entries, which are fast improving in terms of design.
We hope that you’ve enjoyed the cars, and without further ado, we present you the ladies of Shanghai 2013 after the jump.


































shanghai-girls

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