A couple weeks ago I took a brand new Toyota Vios for a test drive over the weekends. You might recall that I myself actually own a Toyota too, one that is manufactured some 18 years ago and still running fine, a testament of the longevity of this brand.

This Vios is not exactly just any Vios on the road, but top of the line TRD Sportivo version that comes with all the extras that are normally associated with after market upgrades.

TRD Sportivo with aerokit and 10 spoke alloy wheels

As some of you might aware, Toyota Vios comes in 5 different variants. There’s the entry level 1.5J with manual transmission and automatic transmission. 1.5E that has 14″ alloy rims instead of entry level’s steel rims, 2-DIN MP3 CD player instead of 1-DIN CD player and 1 air bag.

Optitron meter cluster, sports gear knob and TRD Sportivo seat fabric

Then there is 1.5G Auto with 15″ alloy rims, dashboard integrated audio, 4 disc brakes, leather gear knob, and dual airbags. The TRD Sportivo differentiate itself from the G variant with TRD Sportivo 10 spoke alloy wheels, special Sportivo sports paneling, TRD Sportivo scuff plate, TRD Sportivo carpet mat, Optitron amber cluster, as well as a more aggressive looking aerokit and optional suspension kit that is more suited for spirited driving.

The car also has a pretty nifty multi information display, there’s the odometer, trip meters (2), instantaneous and average fuel consumption (I was getting around 10.5km/liter with some aggressive driving), average speed, and driving range. The last feature will prevent me from repeating the whole out of fuel nonsense again.

seats 4 comfortably

Other features include a pretty smart power steering that is light during low speed and tightened up as you increase speed, handy for parking but safer on highways. The trunk can be opened with the remote control too (comes with immobiliser).

I took suanie, horng, and kerol out for a test drive and there isn’t really anything to complain about the car. Interior noise is minimal, the aircond works well, seats comfortable, and even the built in 6 speaker sound system was quite impressive. Check out the following short video.

Of course, I had to put a car with the TRD Sportivo badge to a more interesting test – DRIFT! (actually for a front wheel drive, it is called power slide)

I found an empty parking lot, put the pedal to the metal, and did a few hand brake turns. I must say the car passed with flying colors. check out the video below.

p/s: please don’t try this at home, and certainly not with your dad’s car.

The Toyota Vios TRD Sportivo goes for RM 90,900 on the road (including insurance) for private owner, I think you might even pay slightly less if you actually have NCB, something I don’t currently enjoy. The entry level 1.5J (M) is going for RM 69,825 on the road.

The full price list and specs can be found at Toyota’s website here.

Tags:  horng,  kerol,  lunch money,  suanie

Posted by KY | 28 Comments »

A couple weeks ago I swapped my bike for a new Satria Neo CPS from Proton Center of Excellence for a 3-day test drive.

The Satria Neo is arguably one of the best looking hatch backs out on the road, and the CPS version has a few improvements that makes this even more so. The unit I came in a shiny black coat with the bigger rear spoiler, body kit, and the new 16″ rims that looks quite a lot better on the car compared to the original Neo’s “blink blink” rims.

Proton Satria Neo CPS

On the inside, the improvement in workmanship can be clearly seen compared to some previous models. The dashboard is clean and minimalistic while sporting blue and yellow illumination that makes reading the speedometer and tachometer very easy in low light condition.

I particularly like the two-tone semi-bucket leather seats for the driver and front passenger. They are not only visually rather stunning, but strikes a balance between comfort and seat position rigidness when you need to keep yourself from sliding off the seat around a fast corner.

Interior of the Satria Neo

The in-car entertainment unit scrolls out a “PROTON SYMPHONY” text whenever it is turned on, and while the sound system isn’t particularly high end, it does carry itself pretty well. No upgrades shall be necessary if you’re not an audiophile.

The one possible downside of the interior, depending on your body height, is the relatively low headroom for driver and front passenger. At 5′6 I am still quite comfortable with it, but I reckon those who are over 6′ tall would have a harder time especially if you are those who likes to sit closer to the steering wheel.

the 16″ Sports Rims with 195 50 R16 tyres

Other than styling and slight interior changes, the Satria Neo CPS differs from the regular Satria Neo in another crucial item, the engine. While the regular 1.6 Satria gets 110hp (112ps), the 1.6 liter Campro CPS engine in this car gets 125ps at 6500 rpm and 150 Nm of torque at 4500 rpm. That’s a good 10% increment achieved by a variable valve lift system in the new motor which Proton refers to as Cam Profile Switching, hence the acronym CPS. This is similar to DVVT, VTTI, VTEC and other technologies.

Rear shot, Proton Satria Neo CPS

3 days and some 200 km later, I must say that the car did not disappoint. Handling, especially around the bends was very good, the car felt steady and there is minimal body roll. Sound insulation is another aspect that I really like about this car, while you can hear the engine roar above 4-5k rpm, outside traffic noise is rather muted (view video taken in the Smart Tunnel below).

Fuel consumption also seems to be pretty good for this car. I collected this car with the gauge pointing at half tank, and returned it with slightly less than 1/4 tank after closed to 200km of mixed highway and city driving.

more photos at flickr set

The Satria Neo CPS goes for RM 57,763 (Manual) and RM 60,763 (Automatic Transmission), that is a lot of car for the money. Price quoted from Proton Edar.

Tags:  car review,  lunch money,  proton,  satria

Posted by KY | 46 Comments »

Thanks to the magnificent suanie and her connections, I was invited to the press screening of the local comedy SELL OUT last night. So horng, Suan, and I reached Mid Valley Gardens last night to find Gareth and Joshua among the few attendees to the screening who neither participated in the movie itself nor attached to any traditional media outlets.

GSC Signatures is my favorite cineplex currently, and it would be great if there are more movie screenings there. Then again, I shall be grateful for not having to pay to watch screenings and premiers, beggars can’t be choosers.

SELL OUT! (2008), directed by Yeo Joon Han

SELL OUT! is a movie about two person, Rafflesia Pong (yes, it’s a comedy) and Eric Tan who work for FONY media and FONY electronic division of the same conglomerate respectively. Rafflesia is a TV personality while Eric is a product designer, both of them share the same two unreasonable and demanding bosses.

Rafflesia’s show about local artists were going nowhere; at the same time, Eric Tan invented a soya bean machine but met with resistance by the two bosses in marketing the device. The advanced on a different direction with Rafflesia getting a break after filming her dying fiance’s final poem on TV while Eric Tan split into two after being exorcised by a particular medium (ala multiplicity style).

The story then proceed on and ended with one (or both of them) selling out after a lengthy process of quite a lot of nonsense that are, well, very humorous at times.

Jerrica Lai played the role of Rafflesia brilliantly, while the Peter Davis was slightly disappointing as Eric Tan, the character was just a bit flat and “kayu” in my opinion. The format of the movie was very bold, with plenty of songs ala musicals in between that, well, could have been executed in a better way (they should be shorter, mostly).

While a lot of the jokes in the movie were very funny and original, some of them were overused and got old after the 4th time. In fact, instead of nearly 2 hours, I really think that the movie would have been excellent had it been edited down to, say, an hour.

That said, Sell Out! is still a pretty watchable movie. Being a local film, it is also expected that the colors/lighting and audio are not always perfect, there is no exception here but at least it was kept in a tolerable manner. I would place Sell Out! in between The Red Kebaya and Mualaf (which I watched in Singapore since it was banned in Malaysia).

Tags:  sell out

Posted by KY | 27 Comments »

Just got back from watching Madagascar 2 a while back, and I must say this is one of the few rare movies that is actually better than the first one.

The story is a bit of a continuation from the previous show. After a short recap of the first movie, Alex the lion, Melman the giraffe, Marti the zebra, and Gloria the hippo embarked on a plane ride to get back to New York with the penguin crews and the lemur king but inevitably ended up in Africa.

The whole story is littered with so many funny moments and stupid jokes it was hilarious. My favorite scene would be the penguin accident (I shall not give any spoilers, but nice touch on the egg!)

Do catch the movie especially if you liked the first one!

Cindy (the infamous MDG winner) and me

I took a picture with the infamous Cindy for a tumpang glamor moment. There were a lot of familiar faces I saw from the Nuffnang/Nokia Silent Halloween party who were there too. Bravo to nuffnang for another awesome movie premier.

Tags:  cindy,  movie,  movie screening

Posted by KY | 30 Comments »

This year’s birthday has been particularly good, after 2 free meals from Suan & ST the night prior, I went to Sushi Zanmai at Gardens on Ringo’s treat (who also gave me a book as gift, thanks ) before heading to watch Gamarjobat thanks to complimentary tickets from Bangsar Actor Studio via Nuffnang.

Hello! Gamarjobat

Gamarjobat actually means “Hello” in Georgian, or “Herro” in Japanese, which is the country the 2 jokers, Ketch and Hiro-pon hail from. One with a yellow Mo-hawk and the other have it red.

This is in fact, my second time watching their show. Last year’s main feature was “The Boxer” which featured a very hillarious slow motion sequence, but this year’s “Western” did not disappoint either. You’ll have to be there at the horse riding and gun shootout parts in person to truly appreciate it. Their signatory fast pace intro and the very funny penguin rock star act adds was equally as hilarious.

The show will stay until 19th October, check the Actor Studio’s site for ticket pricing and schedule. If it is the only live act you’re going to watch this year, make it this one. I’m sure Ringo, Tim, Grace, and Audrey would agree, they were laughing at least as hard as me.

On a semi-related note, I had 2 more free meals in conjunction with the whole birthday thingy. Lorna spent me lunch at Ah Yip’s soup place at Plaza Damas, and Douglas bought me the 1/2 pound set at Wendy’s last night. Five free meals in a row, I must be the luckiest guy!

Tags:  Bangsar,  theater

Posted by KY | 14 Comments »