Road Test: Nissan X-Trail 2.0 facelift !

This is an unofficial road test done by me for the first time! I know the all-new Nissan X-Trail was launched in Malaysia recently, but the X-Trail which I'm reviewing is the 1st generation of facelifted X-Trail.


I'm sure everyone is familiar with Nissan X-Trail because it is abundant on the road. It grabbed a myriad of awards and outsells the Honda C-RV! Let's find out how good is it, shall we? By the way, the design of the exterior is outdated and need not to discuss it further.

The version I drove was the automatic transmission, 2.0cc with 140bhp engine. First of all, I'm very impressed with the engine. Despite after 3 to 4 years of usage including long journeys to other states, the engine was still very smooth and refined! I love how it accelerate and change gears smoothly, creating a relaxing drive.

However, I do feel that it was (just) a little underpowered with an adult and 2 children onboard, maybe the 2.5cc engine will provide a more powerful performance.


In the handling department, it handled quite well, albeit body-roll was present due to the slightly higher centre of gravity compared to sedan. It kept tidily on your lane while cornering, but it will have slightly understeer if cornering in high speed. Just reduce the speed and it solve this minor problem.


The interior was spacious at the front but a bit tight in the rear. Everything was in the range of reach (good ergonomics). The meter panel was located at the centre of instrument panel, maybe this was the reason why I rarely glance at the speed I was going!

The boot was big enough to 'swallow' your weekend trip to grocery store or even the famous Sweedish furniture mall trip! Moreover, the boot floor is removable and washable! Good for carrying dirty mountain bike after a trip down the muddy road!


It was quite refined on the highway, but the steering was slightly lighter than what I've expected. However, it was a boon during parking where I found the car was fairly easy to be manoeuvered with its light steering, despite its large sized body.

Although it sucked up the large bumps pretty well, the X-Trail struggled to keep the interior a comfortable place to be when it encountered uneven road.

Being a SUV with 4 wheel drive (and can change to 2 wheel drive electronically), X-trail excelled during rainy day. It has excellent traction and stability when going through puddles of water. Thanks to its high seating position, all-round visibility was good and everything was made easier when driving in bad weather.

All in all, it's a value for money car. I can understand why so many people adore the Nissan X-Trail. It's rugged, durable and also a good family car. However, with new competitions like the Peugeot 3008 and 3rd generation Honda C-RV facelift, the 2nd generation Nissan X-Trail will have a tough time to stay at the top!

Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit !

I've played numerous Need For Speed games like Underground 2, Wanted, Undercover and Shift (but I only completed Underground 2 XD). I can say Need For Speed is one of the best racing games we can find in the market.

Need For Speed : Hot Pursuit will be the latest game published by Electronic Arts on November! After a quick check, there will be Lamborghini Reventon, Bugatti Veyron 16.4, Koenigsegg CCX, Pagani Zonda Cinque and many more!


In the trailer we can see there is a McLaren MP4-12C, few Dodge Charger, Porsche Cayenne and Porsche 918 Spyder in the latest trailer!

Check out its latest trailer:




Another trailer:

Real life McLaren MP4-12C looks better than in the game?

Source

Range Rover Evoque & Mitsubishi Pajero!

The Range Rover Evoque is the smallest car in Land Rover's lineup. It's 432 mm shorter than a Range Rover Sport and powered by a 2.0cc turbocharged engine with 240bhp.



Range Rover Evoque is also the lightest of all Land Rover vehicles. It weights 1625kg by using plastic front fenders, aluminium hood and roof panels, magnesium cross car beam and so on...



Victoria Beckham (David Beckham's wife) helped design the interior of Evoque! I can say the interior look elegant and luxurious.
By the way, can you find the gear?

The gear knob will come out after the engine starts! Just like Jaguar XF!

The 5-door version will be revealed in a short time. Hope this amazing looking car will arrive in Malaysia soon!

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The all-new Mitsubishi Pajero reached our shore! Priced at RM282k excluding insurance, this new generation of Pajero is set to bring you anywhere you go, in style and luxury.



This legendary beast is powered by a 3.8-litre V6 engine with 250bhp. Should be more than enough to serve you well in daily usage and some unexpected 'detour' offroad! We can expect it delivers great offroad abilities like its predecessors.

It has six airbags, automatic climate control with air-cond vents for every row (3 rows) and other equipments that normally a luxury car would have. Equipment list is impressive, but the price might not be everyone's budget. It don't think it will be selling like hot cakes even if it's priced at RM250k (just my humble opinion)...

PaulTan and SimonHar...

What do PaulTan and I have in common?

1) We are uber car enthusiast!
2) Both of us are tall.
3) erm... our name is credited side by side in few motoring website??!!


You can check out the websites here and here!!!
Actually I also dunno why they feature my name there...
But I'm really flattered :)


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With the help and support of every Inniter, for the first time, I got more than 100 nangs for an Innit post! Thank guys!



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Remember my post on Lisa Lavie and Jason Chen? Well, somehow Lisa Lavie found out that I blog about her and twitted to me in Twitter!

This is so cool!

Sexiest Cars in 2010 !

It's going to be the end of year 2010! A lot of awesome cars has launched all over the world. As a car enthusiast, I'm thrilled to see so many talented and magnificent new cars are making their way to our garage.

Below is few sports car which I feel is some of the sexiest cars on Earth!

#1 Nissan 370Z

The 370Z, successor of the ever-popular 350Z has one of the best design of a small sports car could have! Check out its 'shark fin' at the front end! Its headlight and taillight also incorporated the reverse L design, which I think is quite unique and sporty!

I met this 370Z displaying in 1Utama shopping centre some time ago, so I had a chance to test drive sit in it. Its interior was grey, gorgeously wrapped in leather, with a low seating position and a long hood. Beautiful!

#2 Mazda Shinari concept

Who doesn't fall in love with this car?! What a beauty! Can you see its 'emotional' eyes and 'teeth-grinding' mouth?

Although it's still a concept, I can see that the design is quite production possible. The Shinari shows off Mazda's new design language, which I feel is much more sportier than the current Nagare design language (remember current Mazda face with a 'smiley'?).

#3 Audi R8

To me, Audi R8 is still the best looking Audi in town! Everyone is amazed with its daytime running LED headlight and also its distinctive side profile styling.

Although R8 is available in a convertible version, the Spyder, the converti

ble is not as sexy as the coupe above. I still prefer the coupe version with smooth roofline...

#4 Chrome-coated Bugatti Veyron

Car enthusiasts will certainly know the Bugatti Veyron. Its super sport version is the fastest production car on Earth, with a 1184 horsepower engine and a top speed of 431km/h! That's faster than an F1 racing car!

Personally I feel that the chromed Veyron above is the coolest among all versions of Veyron. It looks elegant while still maintaining its sporty characteristic.

#5 Lamborghini Reventon

Last but not least will be the Lamborghini Reventon! The design of this aggressive looking machine was inspired by a jet fighter. Many would agree that although the lines of the Reventon are cluttered, they are beautiful in their own ways. Not many cars' design can achieve this 'beauty in ugly' effect...

What a great piece of engineering!

Volvo S60R - Sexy (but safe)!

Volvo S60R and V60R is the sportiest Volvo ever! In the R-Design chassis, Volvo had sharpened the steering and the agility of the S60 and V60!

On the inside, the driver and front passenger sit in sports seats in which the backrest from the S60 and V60 is matched by an all-new seat cushion with even closer side support than before.

Let the picture do the talking:

S60R

V60R

Lotus Elite Concept - Lotus New Face !

Here is the first taste of what you can expect from Lotus in the near future! It's a 2+2 seater, front engined rear wheel drive coupe.

The Elite gives us our first glimpse of Lotus’s new ‘face’. As you can see, the front end features an oversized central grille, joined with sharp looking LED headlights and twin lower air intakes.

Side window profile reminds me of Renault Laguna coupe's. But the similarity end there. The side profile is absolutely stunning! The design created a bit of 'forward motion' to the car!



Too bad there's not interior shots available. For the rear, we can see something different from Lotus. It looks sporty too with its triangular exhaust pipes! The panoramic roof is a nice touch!

It will get a twin-clutch semi-automatic ’box and hybrid drive, featuring electric motors and a front-mounted F1-style Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS), which gives an extra 50bhp when the driver activates a ‘boost’ button on the steering wheel.

2010 Waja front shot & paddle shift !!!

Finally we have a new front spyshot on the new 2010 Waja codenamed P390A, which is based on Mitusbishi Lancer!

Not bad looking!

What's interesting is Proton will be offering paddle shift! My guess is probably only for 2.0cc version of Waja. As far as I know, some variants of Civic and Lancer (2010 Waja's competitors) are offered paddle shift as standard.


From what I can see, the paddle shift is mounted on the steering column and not on the steering wheel. Which means the paddle shift will stay in its original position when the steering wheel is turned, and this might not appeal to every driver.

Prices excepted to range from RM75k for the 1.8cc to RM100k for the 2.0cc engine Waja.

Source

BMW 6-Series Coupe Concept!

A new 'concept' by BMW. What you are seeing is the upcoming BMW 6-Series which is based on the 5-Series.

The front include the futuristic looking LED headlight, but in my humble opinion, the shape of the headlight is not sharp enough for a coupe. It suits the 7-Series but not that sporty on a coupe...


Smooth silhouette, flowing roofline, long bonnet and 'forward looking' shoulder line make up a sporty looking side profile.



The rear, in the other hand, look conservative. But at one look, we'll know that the infamous Bangle's Butt is not there, signaling the 'Bangle-era' is over.



Finally they did something right with the interior this time! The 'waterfall' centre console is the most prominent design in the cabin. Something's different than other BMW's interior, i think.

FOOD: Delicious @ Jalan Tun Razak

Delicious is a fine dining restaurant located along Jalan Tun Razak. It's a 2 storeys restaurant but I only went to the upper floor for dinner with my colleagues.

Its interior deco was quite elegant. It gave me a comfy environment feel with their tree branches and bird cage decorations.


The service was ok. However, the waiters' voice were hard to hear due to their different accent and soft voice.

After a short while, our drinks came. This is my Iced Cappuccino:

@RM 9.90, 7/10stars

Then the salad came. The salad was one of the best I ever tasted. I like it eventhough I'm not a fan of vegetables. Maybe it's because they added some sweet sauces on the salad to make it taste sweeter and better.

9/10 stars!

Below is my colleague's spicy Spaghetti (Thai Spaghetti if I'm not mistaken):

According to him, it's a bit too spicy and gave it a 5/10stars.

Here was my English Fish & Chips. It was crispy on the outside and succulent in the inside. Soft and 'fluffy' meat! Comparable to Secret Recipe's!

@RM29.90, 9/10 stars

Total damage: RM373 for 7 person! Although it was quite costly, I would say it worth the money to try it out again. Maybe I'll try its steak someday...

Delicious? Certainly is!

Overall Rating: 8 out of 10 stars

Map to Delicious:


View Larger Map

Delicious @ Dua Residency
Lot 1.1, 1st Floor Dua Annexe
No. 211, Jalan Tun Razak
50450 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 603 2166 2066


*P.S. This is my 300th post!

Are You Moist Enough?

*Based on a true story*

Once upon a time, there was a guy, S, who blame his parents for inherited him bad skin condition. His skin pores were large, skin colour was very dark and dry.

No matter how much he cares about his skin, the outcome still disappoints S :(

To protect his skin from further damages, S will always bring along an umbrella when he need to walk under the scorching hot sun in order to prevent his skin from getting darker and drier.

S work in an office for 8 hours a day. The air-cond in the office dehydrated his skin and lips no matter how much water he drinks!

*Viewer discretion advised!

* I hope he didn't scared you out!

and this!

Can't you see the skin is screaming to be moisten??!!


I'm sure not every guy in this world has the smooth and beautiful skin of Brad Pitt and Zac Efron...


... but skin also need effort to stay smooth and healthy! I'm sure Brad Pitt and Zac Efron cares about their skin and do perform frequent 'maintenance' too!


Ok, back to the story:

At first, S thought Vaseline is used only as lubricant for sex!
However, after Nuffnang came out with this contest (details at the bottom), he found out that Vaseline is also useful in other conditions too!

After searching the Internet for the secret in keeping the skin smooth and healthy, S found out that besides drinking plenty of water to replenish our body and revitalize our skin, he can also use skin products like Vaseline to keep his skin in its best form!

Vaseline's new product range!!!

So, S went to the supermarket, intended to buy some Vaseline products. The good news is he found Vaseline's new range of body lotion, but the bad news is he was under dilemma:

Total Moisture where it replenishes 100% of daily hydration.
Healthy White has a combination of efficacious ingredients to help give you fairer, healthy skin.
Intensive Rescue for promoting the proper environment dry skin needs to repair itself.
Aloe Cool and Fresh with fast-absorbing and non-sticky moisture leaves skin feeling cool and healthy.


Which suits him the best? Of course it's Total Moisture ^_^

His saviour is here!!!

S saw this too and bought it without second thought:

Lips moisturizer to moisten up his lips!

After few days of constant usage of the Total Moisture, the differences were obvious! White lines no longer appear after scratching his skin!

See! How smooth and white the skin is!!!

The end!

I'm sure you guys know the guy in the story is me right? O.o

So, the moral of the story is: with the right product to protect your skin, your skin will look as smooth as this:

I'm sure the Mount Kinabalu behind me will agree :)

A: He has smooth skin isn't it?

B: Agree! But he has no muscle!
A: =_="

The good news doesn't stop here! Vaseline is having a contest for Nuffnangers to blog and tell them "Are you moist enough?" in the most creative way as possible.

Head over to http://nuffnang.com.my/vaseline and follow the instructions to submit your blog post, and the 75 best written blog posts will win a pair of invites to the poolside party. That’s not the only thing you stand to win; check out the list of goodies up for grabs:

Best Written Blog Posts
1st Prize – RM3,000 cash + Vaseline products
2nd Prize – RM2,000 cash + Vaseline products
3rd Prize – RM1,000 cash + Vaseline products
5x Consolation Prizes – RM200 cash + Vaseline products

So, where's the poolside party? It's at Luna Bar! Date is on 2nd of Oct 2010, 5pm-9pm while the dress code is Green, Yellow, Pink or White.



The party will be hosted by Jojo Struys, has performances by local jazz artiste Yuna and stand-up comedy by Kuah Jenhan. With an amazing host, breathtaking venue and awesome performers, I'm sure the party will be fun!


Wait no more! Join now to celebrate our amazing skin! The deadline for this contest is on 1st of October 2010.