Myvi EE - Getting More Stylish

The Perodua Myvis can be really stylish, provided you know how to do one up. Fortunately, doing one up doesn't take a lot of effort (like in the picture on the left).

Just slap on a set of 15-inch rims with low profile tyres and your Myvi would look like it can take on Beemers and Benzes.

Perodua knows this all too well, which is why it began producing the Myvi SE range.

For a lot of people though, Perodua's attempt to stylise the stock standard Myvi would still fall short. For one thing, the SE range sports a different grill and bumper design.

For another, the 13-inch sport rims are still too small.

Not surprisingly, Perodua has come out with the Exclusive Edition (EE) range to cater to those who like the stock standard looks but want the additional features found in the SE range, like leather seats, better sound system, other leather trimmings and side skirting.

And while you don't get 15-inch rims, the EE model comes with 14-inch rims, which is better than what the SE model gets fitted with.

As for price? Well, the Perodua website at http://www.perodua.com.my/index.php?section=ourcars&page=myvise doesn't say what it is exactly, but it should be about the price of an SE model or slightly more expensive.

Of course, with other Myvis, the major drawback of the EE is its underpowered engine, which could do with a turbo to boost it. But that's another story...

S40 2.0 Powershift - Tempting But No

Each time I see a new Volvo S40, my heart skips a beat. Despite the fact that the model has been around a few years now, it can still turn heads.

Now that the S40 2.0L variant has been launched, the S40 is all the more desirable for those who have always wanted one. Though not as powerful as the 2.4L version, the 145Bhp S40 2.0 "Powershift" is, well, a Volvo.

As Volvos go, the S40 won't be going out of style any time soon. For that matter, I suspect the S40's shape would be about as evergreen as the old 240.

At RM170,000+, the difference in price between the 2.0L version and the 2.4L version is a paltry RM1,000+. But in the long run, you save on fuel with the 2.0L version, by about 14% according to Volvo, which is a lot when you add up your fuel bill.

Yes, it's a slower car compared to the Ford Focus S2.0, in that the Volvo S40 2.0 Powershift takes 9.8 seconds to get from 0-100Km/h, compared to the Focus' 8.4 seconds. Nonetheless, the S40 2.0 has a higher top speed of 205. This means that, on long stretches, it'll leave the Focus S2.0 behind (the Focus S2.0 has a top speed of about 190Km/h).

Of course, for a speedster like me, the S40 2.4L would be the better choice. However, I'm no longer in the market for a new car.

In spite of all my blogs about wanting to buy a new car sometime soon, I recently had a dream; one that I took as a sign from Allah to be grateful for what I have.

That is to say, in that dream, I am driving an old Datsun bone rattler and I'm happy and grateful for what I have. Compared to the Datsun, my darling Focus s2.0 is so much better.

In fact, when I first started out in working life, all I had was a beat-up Mazda 626. If I could be happy and contented then, I should be able to be happy and contented now.

So, I'll stick with my Focus S2.0... for now.

Don't Buy Wheels Weekly

Having missed out on my weekend reading of NST's "Cars, Bikes and Trucks", I decided to buy what I thought would be a promising alternative - Wheels Weekly. At RM3.90, this weekend car magazine in newsprint sports the British Union Jack on its marque, but upon a closer inspection, I found it to be filled with broken English, such that I couldn't help but wonder, "Is this mag for real?"

For that matter, the poor editing and language style are reminiscent of those found in a college magazine produced by students who haven't quite gotten the hang of English.

For instance, on page 6, in the article, "Rapist Tries to Outrun Porsche Vigilantes with Chevrolet Aveo - Failed," (Oct 2009, Issue 3), the last sentence reads, "Some however, said the women was lucky Ryan didn't bought a 911 GT3 RS - Where it didn't came with rear seats."

OMG! Who the heck sub-edited this article? And was the editor sleeping on the job?

OK, so people make mistakes. Even the best publications let slip a few typographical errors every so often.

But come on! Such blatant grammar errors are just too much - at least for me, and that's because I edit for a living and I don't want to have to mentally edit something when I'm not working!

In any case, with such poor English, it boggles the mind as to how Wheels Weekly could be a British magazine produced locally. If it is, well, it'd better get its act together or it'll lose readers from the get-go - readers like me.

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Addendum: Hmm... apparently, I touched off a few raw nerves with this entry. I wonder if any of my FB friends are involved with this publication. Oh, well... what can I say? I suppose I could have been more tactful, but it wouldn't change the facts I pointed out.

Ford's Autoconnexion Still Uses Crappy Castrol Motor Oil

Here I am at Ford's Autoconnexion service centre again, waiting for my car to be serviced. Again, I'm wondering why I should bother to come back here once the 3-year warranty period for my Ford Focus S2.0 is over.

Why? It's because of my sheer displeasure with Castrol motor oil.

Yes, Castrol sponsor's Ford rally teams and has been a key player in Ford's string of successes in WRX. But that doesn't mean Castrol motor oil is necessarily good for my Ford Focus S2.0.

My bad experience with Castrol began when Ford's Service Centre in PJ offered to put the Castrol Edge 0w30 oil into my engine to make it lighter and smoother.

Bull! For a while, the engine felt lighter, but then, it became jerky and inexplicably rough.

So, I swapped the stupid 0w30 oil for the Castrol Magnatec 10w40 oil. Although the roughness and jerkiness dissipated, they didn't really go away.

In fact, at times, the engine became really jerky and rough.

What the hell?

Out of desperation, I bought a 4L bottle of PETRONAS Syntium 3000 5w40 motor oil and topped up my Focus' engine oil.

Lo and behold, the jerkiness dissipated to almost non-existent.

No doubt the damage by Castrol motor oils has been done, the Syntium 3000 managed to rehabilitate my engine, albeit slowly.

So, here I am, at Ford's Autoconnexion service centre, waiting for my car to be ready. As soon as it's done, I'm going to whip out the Syntium 3000 and, in plain sight of the supervisors and mechanics, top up my engine oil with it.

Early next year, I'm going to have a little chat with the manager of the service centre. If he won't let me use Syntium 3000 fully for the next oil change, I'm taking my business elsewhere...

Two Weeks of Virtual Hell at the Towers

The last two weeks were horrid - budget planning cycle presentation (and grilling), publication deadlines, little sleep, etc.

So, what do I do the first chance I get to be on leave? I'm working on my laptop using wireless broadband!

Have I gone nuts?! I can't seem to wind down.

I've become a trained monkey! Work! Work! Work!

And I'm enjoying it! Oh! The horror...

Looking back, the two weeks of virtual hell wasn't all bad. There were moments of comic relief among my staff.

And then, the two weeks culminated in my company's Policy Address by the President & CEO.

One of his most memorable remarks is this: "I would have failed the corporation and I would have failed my conscience if there is no one within this organisation who can replace me..."

For that, I truly admire him.

Yes, I'm rambling, but I'm blogging again.

Next entry would be on cars.

Stay tuned.

My Work, My Life

If life is so revolved around work, why is it that people say that those who work so hard don't have a life? If what they say is true, why work if you want to live? And yes, that's a rhetorical question.

Most people spend their childhood preparing for their working life through education, both formal and informal. Why?

Most people see education as the means for getting out of poverty, both absolute and relative. Why?

For most people, life's rewards don't always come on a silver platter. And this is why work often defines a person's dignity.

As Sade used to sing in one of her chart topping songs:

Papa's been laid-off,

Mama's been laid-off,

Billy can't get a job,

For too long, too long,

Ooh can't get a job, Billy can't get a job,

Oooh, they gotta listen to the blues...

These lyrics were so moving to me that, when I was just starting out in life, I was grateful for whatever job I had, no matter how crappy it was.

Nearly two decades later, after accomplishing more than I ever thought I could, my work is still my life because I don't want to listen to the blues, ever.

My family needs a comfortable roof over our heads. My children need good, wholesome education.

And I need to retire in comfort.

So, I'll do whatever it takes to ensure that I don't lose my life....