Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet (C213) vs AMG E63 (S213) Estate

Not too long ago, Mercedes-Benz brought us the above average E-Class Coupe which shares the same features as the saloon version but with less doors for that grand touring feeling a bachelor would want to feel, although not as exciting as it seems, and with the new Cabriolet version, looks like there's a similar feeling you're going to experience in the open-top version of the two-door version of the E-Class.

2018 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet

Like the coupe version, the all-new E-Class Cabriolet from Mercedes-Benz is all about cruising in a different approach for those who want to savor the moment when it comes to their weekend drives and because it offers the same choice of engines as the coupe version as well as the 9G-TRONIC gearbox, especially the the more powerful 3.0L V6 biturbo engine equipped with ECO Start/Stop on the E400, there's no telling how do you live with the open-top variant that is crisper to drive as the coupe version, even though it weighs more due to stiffer bodyshell structures for health and safety.

With the AIR BODY CONTROL multi-chamber air suspension, the E-Class Cabriolet can accommodate just about everything while driving such as raising the body when going over speed humps or lowering it if you are feeling ballsy through the corners. Whichever way you're going, you'd be sure that the Cabriolet isn't the most fun car to drive but the most civilized way of having a relaxing getaway from the city.

As a convertible, the E-Class Cabriolet features exclusive features such as the available AIRCAP electric draught-stop system, the AIRSCARF neck-level heating system, a specially-developed climate control, and a MAGIC VISION CONTROL that works well on the Cabriolet even when cruising on the rainy weather. All is nice but while it features the same safety tech as most of the E-Class variants, feels like the Cabriolet wants to do the talking for the driver for the time being and that sounds a bit average, especially when you look at the price tag that the Cabriolet starts at 54,228 Euros.

Yes, that car maybe nice to drive on the open roads but it can be somewhat average for the car enthusiast in you and because it's getting cold outside, cars like these would be pointless to take it out for a drive so instead of taking this cabriolet on the road in case the weather's gone windy, rainy, or chilly, perhaps you should go for one of these...

2018 Mercedes-AMG E63 Estate

This is the new Mercedes-AMG E63 Estate and with prices start at 112,907 Euros, it can be as pricey as supercars but this isn't a supercar, it's a balls-out station wagon that offers the same thrills as the saloon but with some added boot space for some stuff you bought in a middle of Boxing Day.

It maybe made for Boxing Day shopping but since this is the AMG, you can expect the same 4.0L V8 BiTurbo engine where in the S version produces 612PS of power and 850Nm of torque while mated to a nine-speed AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT. It maybe limited to 250kph but for an additional cost, the limit can be raised to 290kph, which is ten less than the saloon version. I wonder why...

Still, even though it's a tad slower than the saloon, this is as enjoyable as the Ford Focus RS because 4MATIC+ four-wheel drive system with the fully variable torque distribution that makes it behave like two cars; either rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive when needed most. Along with the three-chamber air suspension system, rear differential lock, AMG Sport speed-sensitive steering, and the AMG high-performance braking system, this all-weather AMG estate handles like a double-edged sword. It may not be perfect as it feels but all that AMG action pays off to create a super wagon that can outlast a parent-teacher conference or two.

As said, the E-Class Cabriolet is not an exciting car to drive but fit enough to relax a city dweller on a long drive but if you are brave enough to take on everything, you would go for the E63 Estate and with all that power and dynamics, this sounds like a hearty challenge brave enough for you to take on.

Photo: Daimler AG

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: President Moon visits Pohang

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has paid a surprise visit to Pohang, which was hit by a M5.4 earthquake last week.

He starting off by visiting a local high school and then met a group of high-school seniors who took the earthquake-delayed college entrance exam on Thursday.

President Moon also visited one of the local gymnasiums where thousands of people displaced from their homes have been staying since last week.

Meanwhile, the United States is planning to deploy six F22 Raptor fighter jets to South Korea next month to take part of a joint military drill. This comes just a day after the US government redesignated North Korea on the list of states supporting terrorism.

According to Seoul's defense ministry officials, these jets will take part in a SoKor-US air force exercise in December. They will fly to the Korean Peninsula from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan and may also be joined by up to four F-35A fighter jets.

It would mark the first time the US has deployed six Raptors to Korea at once and is sure to put pressure on North Korea.

Source: Arirang News

Let's Do The News! (November 24, 2017)

- Activist groups slammed President Rodrigo Duterte as a tyrant for ending peace talks with communist rebels and for threatening to arrest “legal fronts” as terrorists.

- The National Bureau of Investigation has been tasked with investigating malversation allegations against former president Benigno Aquino III over budget scandals during his administration. The Department of Justice has ordered the NBI to form a special task force to investigate the alleged anomalies in the Disbursement Acceleration Program and the Priority Development Assistance Fund.

- The search has ended for three sailors missing in the Philippine Sea since a US Navy aircraft crashed on Wednesday, according to the Navy. The C-2A "Greyhound" transport aircraft was traveling to the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier when it crashed. Eight people were rescued quickly and are in good condition, but Japanese and U.S. ships and aircraft had continued searching for the others.

- DREAMers staged protests in the route used for this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, opposing US President Donald Trump's anti-immigrant policies.

- Myanmar and Bangladesh signed an agreement covering the return of Rohingya Muslims who fled across their mutual border to escape violence in the Rakhine state.

- Nissan's Infiniti brand has unveiled the next-generation QX50 crossover featuring the first-ever Variable Compression Turbo Engine.

2019 Infiniti QX50

- Watch Top Gear presenter Chris Harris takes his pick for the top seven contenders vying for the Performance Car of the Year 2017 title.

- The cast and crew of Cartoon Network's hit TV series, Adventure Time, bids farewell to the show with a blow-out wrap part held at the Boulevard3 club in Hollywood. Cast and crew from throughout the years of production were invited to a grand Adventure Time-themed event that included a DJ booth shaped like Finn and Jake’s tree fort, a candy room, and ice sculptures.

- Check out the teaser trailer for the upcoming animated film, Smallfoot.



TTFN!!!

Disney-Pixar's Coco

Last summer, Disney and Pixar gave us their fast-and-furious third installment of Cars and it shows that if you want to get back to the top, you need to stay motivated. It was quite a dramatic installment, isn't it? Now, Disney and Pixar are back for Thanksgiving to give us a heartwarming take on a Hispanic folklore that will captivate the hearts of many moviegoers.

Disney-Pixar's Coco

This is Coco and this is one of the most heart-warming family movies to watch in the holiday season. It's about a young boy named Miguel who wants to be just like a famed musician named Ernesto de la Cruz even though his family prohibits music for ages. Searching for his true potential, Miguel ended up on the Land of the Dead and in his supernatural journey, he encounters a trickster named Hector and they set off in an adventure of a lifetime to uncover his family's hidden past.

In typical Disney and Pixar fashion, Coco never fails to impress the cinema goers with the unique theme focuses on the Hispanic tradition of Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, the colorful backdrop courtesy of its master stroke of animation expertise, the characters that will soon become memorable for the whole family to remember, and the morale that touches the hearts of many. Of course, being new in the list of Disney-Pixar roster, it's difficult to get accustomed to this new kind of family movie because at first, we are getting unfamiliar with how the film progresses but the more we starting to realize, the more we starting to get used to this new Disney-Pixar movie and in the end, it's a story worth sharing for the whole family.

Yes, unfamiliarity is the least of the problem but there's the biggest problem for all, impatient ones. Right before Coco starts like pretty much every Disney-Pixar film in theaters, there's a short film and for this, we get to see Olaf's Frozen Adventure short first before Coco and right after the short, your cinema meal's all out before the movie start and you don't have much time to watch the whole movie, even when your inevitable CR break kicks in. Despite that, Coco is a very interesting family movie to watch in the holiday season because as the theme suggests, it has that "remember me" feeling you and the whole family would enjoy.

My rating: 4.3 out of 5.

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: South Korea-China foreign ministers remark on THAAD

The top diplomats of South Korea and China held talks on Wednesday during which they sought to mend ties ahead of an upcoming summit between their leaders. South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for the talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.

On Tuesday, Kang said that she and Wang will focus on preparations for the visit by South Korean President Moon Jae-in to Beijing next month. The two sides agreed that the visit will take place around mid-December, with the aim of bolstering ties between the two nations.

The relationship has been soured when Beijing objected to Seoul's decision to deploy the US THAAD anti-missile defense system in South Korea.

Beijing's top diplomat stated the meeting warning Seoul that they need to withhold their end of the agreement - to make sure THAAD does not encroach on China's national security interests.

Source: Arirang News

Let's Do The News! (November 23, 2017)

- Transportation Undersecretary for Railways Cesar Chavez announced this morning that he will step down from his post over the sorry condition of the MRT Line 3. His resignation comes after a coach detached from a train last week and an accident that severed the arm of a passenger who fell onto the tracks.

- Eight years have passed since the Maguindanao Massacre but so far, not one of the 197 accused has been convicted in the death of 58 people. In a case update released yesterday, the Supreme Court said 103 of the accused are still undergoing trial before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221.

- Despite Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno's failure to appear in the trial, a House panel decided yesterday to invite her magistrate-colleagues to understand on issues raised against her by a private lawyer.

- Security in New York City has been tightened in preparation for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

- The recently ousted Zimbabwe Vice President was set to return to be sworn in as the new President after Robert Mugabe announced his stunning resignation during impeachment proceedings against him. Zimbabweans erupted in response Tuesday, cheering and dancing in the streets late into the night, thrilled to be rid of a leader whose early promise after the end of white minority rule in 1980 was overtaken by economic collapse, government dysfunction and human rights violations.

- According to the UN envoy on sexual violence in conflict, widespread atrocities against Rohingya Muslim women and girls have been orchestrated and perpetrated by Myanmar's military and may amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

- Mercedes-Benz teases the next-generation A-Class with an interior shot.



- PS4's GT SPORT will receive a v1.06 update at the end of this month featuring three new cars to be rewarded to all players and additional content. There will be more cars coming next month as well as new single-player challenges.

- John Lasseter, the chief creative officer of Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Animation Studios is taking a six-month leave of absence amid allegations of sexual misconduct.

- ICYMI: There will be a Batman spinoff series featuring popular femme fatale, Harley Quinn.

TTFN!!!

THE IDOLM@STER MILLION THE@TER GENERATION 02 Fairy Stars

For those who enjoyed the Million Live Theater Days app game on their iPhone or Android phones, here comes the newest installment of the MILLION THE@TER GENERATION featuring two new songs as heard from the Theater Days app game.

THE IDOLM@STER MILLION
THE@TER GENERATION 02 Fairy Stars

The highlight of this MILLION THE@TER GENERATION is Fairy Stars and the stars of this album are Chihaya Kisaragi (CV: Asami Imai), Takane Shijou (CV: Yumi Hara), Julia (CV: Aimi), Tomoka Tenkubashi (CV: Kotori Koiwai), Iori Minase (CV: Rie Kugimiya), Shizuka Mogami (CV: Azusa Tadokoro), Subaru Nagayosh (CV: Yuka Saito), Ayumu Maihama (CV: Megumi Toda), Mizuki Makabe (CV: Rika Abe), Rio Momose (CV: Rikako Yamaguchi), Ritsuko Akizuki (CV: Naomi Wakabayashi), Shiho Kitazawa (CV: Sora Amamiya), Momoko Suou (CV: Keiko Watanabe), Megumi Tokoro (CV: Yukiyo Fujii), Chizuru Nikaido (CV: Kanako Nomura), Roco (CV: Atsuki Nakamura), and Tsumugi Shiraishi (CV: Saki Minami).

In this album, you can expect two new songs as heard and if you had enough fun listening to these two new songs, there's a drama part that will take you behind the scenes with the Fairy Stars in a different perspective.

Be sure to collect albums inspired by the Theater Days including the MILLION THE@TER SPARKLE range and be sure to keep playing THE IDOLM@STER Million Live Theaters Days for more with your favorite 765 MILLION STARS.

TRACK LISTINGS:

01 FairyTaleじゃいられない

02 Brand New Theater!

03 ドラマパート「Fairy Stars! -Other Side-」