Ssangyong Rexton Sports

Ssangyong Motor Company rings out the new year with a brand new model and this one is, you guessed it, a midsize sport utility truck that is the evolution of South Korea's first sport utility truck since the Musso Sports of 2001. Meet the Rexton Sports, the pickup derivative of last year's G4 Rexton.

2018 Ssangyong Rexton Sports

Let's have a quick history lesson first before getting to know more about Ssangyong's latest SUT. Back in 2001, Ssangyong brought us South Korea's first pickup, the Musso Sports (later called Musso SUT) and while the pickup body is new, it's actually a decade-old Musso underneath and it feels as refined as a PUJ that was still smoking the roads for a lifetime. In 2006 and 2012, there were the Actyon Sports and the Korando Sports and while they're known to be the modern-day equivalent of the banger truck it replaces, the bed seems a bit shorter than its predecessor and annoyingly not the best truck to live with.

Now, come 2018, Ssangyong finally called it quits on the Korando Sports and in return, uses the new and improved G4 Rexton, which was launched on Korean roads last year, for the basis of their best pickup yet, and here it is, it's their best-ever take on South Korea's first pickup truck or ute or bakkie, whatever you may call it.

Like I said, it was actually based on the G4 Rexton except that now, Ssangyong converted it into a pickup truck and the result is the one that used to be a crossover now comes with a rear bed possessing a biggest space than any of the Ssangyong sport trucks of yesteryears, capable of 1,011-litres of boot space, which is great for all work and all play, making it a not-so-dull pickup truck you can use every day. However, there's a big catch; it's not really a one-tonner because it can carry up to 400kg of payload, a hundred less than the Toyota Hilux's 500kg payload limit. Bad mark for Ssangyong there.

2018 Ssangyong Rexton Sports

Under the hood, the Rexton Sports uses the same LET 2.2L turbo diesel engine from its G4 derivative, capable of producing 181PS of power and 40.8kg-m of torque. But unlike the G4, it comes with a choice of a 6-speed manual or an AISIN 6-speed AT. In 2WD models, a 6MT variant can return combined fuel consumption of around 11km/L and that puts it awfully close to the Toyota Hilux.

If you go for the 4WD variant, the Rexton Sports comes with a 4TRONIC part-time 4WD system with three driving modes that can be picked at the flick of a switch. Those going for a muddy Sunday drive can go for the low-range 4WD because this is where it can unleash its offroad potential, which is great when you're taking shortcuts. Thanks to its high-tensile steel plates on the bodywork and ultra-high-tension quad frame, it's as tough as a kid who keeps on playing soccer even when his knees are covered in boo-boos. Brave stuff.

If you're on normal mode, you can switch it to 2WD and have a cozy driving on your point of interest, which is kind of average for a pickup truck of this magnitude. Not good but not bad either so it's a so-so, even for a truck that comes with double wishbones at the front and multilink suspension at the back. While navigating through traffic, the Rexton Sports comes ready with some safety tech such as Brake Assist System, Emergency Stop Signal, Hill Descent Control, Hill Start Assist, and many others, standard and optional alike. When opting for some Smart Driving Package, your Rexton Sports can have Lane Change Assist, Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, and Blind Spot Detection.

2018 Ssangyong Rexton Sports interior

2018 Ssangyong Rexton Sports interior

Unlike any other pickup truck, the Rexton Sports boast a very luxurious interior with very decent legroom at the back. It even has some fancy instrumental panel and an available sat-nav that comes with smartphone connectivity that works with iPhones (via CarPlay) and Android (via mirroring), giving you plenty of reasons to toy around with the interior but because the seats are leathery, if you take it for a leisurely drive around Pyeongchang in time for the games, your butt crack will fall victim to the icy menace when the leather seats are as freezing as snowballs. Better pull your pants up before seating on those, folks.

The Rexton Sports starts at 23,200,000 Korean Won and it comes with four trim levels and two drivetrains. So, thoughts on the new Rexton Sports? Well, it's basically an improvement compared to past Ssangyong pickups of yesteryears since the ancient Musso Sports, it's luxurious on the inside, surprisingly spacious, and surprisingly tough. Downside? The bed is not as tough as the Hilux's, less efficient than the Hilux, and the driving feel is average. With the advent of Rexton Sports, Ssangyong has positioned itself as the recreational vehicle specialist selling only vehicles bearing the Rexton, Korando, and Tivoli banners. The Chairman is now dead and in return, Ssangyong's lineup now only bears a truck, a minivan, and four crossovers. Looks like Ssangyong's going mainstream now and they only focus on recreational vehicles to win back profits.

Available colors: Grand White, Fine Silver, Marble Grey, Indian Red, Maroon Brown, Atlantic Blue, and Space Black.

Photo: Ssangyong Motor Company 

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: North Korea confirms delegation for inter-Korean talks

On Tuesday, top-level officials from the two Koreas will come face-to-face for their first inter-Korean talks in over two years.

Ahead of talks, Pyongyang confirmed on Sunday its list of delegation team that will represent the Kim Jong-un regime. On Sunday, Pyongyang said its five-member delegation will be headed by Ri Son-gwon, chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland.

The North's delegation also includes Jon Jong-su, the vice chair of the reunification committee, as well as vice sports minister Won Kil-u. Pyongyang's notification comes a day after South Korea confirmed its five-member delegation - that will be led by Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon.

Source: Arirang News

Let's Do The News! (January 8, 2018)

- Some devotees of the Black Nazarene started holding the activities in observance of the annual religious celebration. About 18.9 million devotees of the Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno are expected to join the traslacion or procession commemorating the transfer of the image of the Black Nazarene from its old home in Intramuros, Manila to the Minor Basilica of the Nazarene or Quiapo Church. It is held every January 9.

- BAYAN secretary-general Renato Reyes said a fake news claiming his son, a child, crashed a sports car, diverting the public's attention from government controversies. A website claimed that the BAYAN leader's 23-year-old son crashed his Toyota 86 along the NLEX.

- Philippine embassies and consulates abroad have reported a spike in applicants for new passports valid for 10 years on its first day of implementation last week. On the first working day this year, the Philippine embassy in Madrid generated 67 passport applicants for the 10-year passport. Officials said the number of applications is the highest in the embassy’s recent history for a given day.

- Over a hundred more people in the Philippines are afflicted with HIV after engaging in paid sex. The HIV/AIDS Registry of the Department of Health reported that the 116 new HIV cases, acquired through “transactional sex,” brought to 924 the number of individuals who acquired HIV through paid sex since January last year.

- A certain travel magazine lauded Cebu for its clear waters and warm climate. Conde Nast Traveler magazine included Cebu in its list of “10 Warm Places We’d Rather Be Right Now,” which featured warm-temperature destinations that editors of the magazine are dreaming about during the winter season.

- Former Trump administration chief strategist Steve Bannon released a statement reaffirming his support for the commander in chief and praising Trump's eldest son as "both a patriot and a good man. Bannon provoked Trump with comments to author Michael Wolff describing a June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower in New York between Donald Trump Jr., Trump campaign aides and a Russian lawyer as "treasonous" and "unpatriotic."

- Syrian government forces and allied militiamen are advancing on the largest remaining rebel-held territory in the country's north, forcing thousands of civilians to flee toward the border with Turkey in freezing winter temperatures.

- Ongoing floods in Germany prompted authorities to impose new shipping restrictions on Rhine. Persistent rainfall and melting snow have led to a gradual rise in river levels in western Germany over recent days. Authorities had already restricted shipping on upper reaches of the Rhine and on two of its major tributaries, the Moselle and Neckar rivers.

- Radiohead is suing singer Lana Del Ray for allegedly copying parts of the band's 1992 hit song Creep. The copyright claim is said to relate to Get Free, from her Lust For Life album.

TTFN!!!

Winners of the 75th Golden Globe

Looks like the year 2018 kicked off with an awards night thanks to the Golden Globes and the 75th outing of this annual awards celebrating the best of TV and movies is generating more noise than it were last year because most of the celebrities, nominees or non-nominees alike, are stepping up for their "TIME'S UP" approach because to them, the time for oppression is up in the face of today's events that turned the world upside down.

In case you missed the awards night, here are the list of this year's winners;

Best Motion Picture -Drama: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy: Lady Bird

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama: Frances McDormand, "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama: Gary Oldman, "Darkest Hour"

Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy: Saoirse Ronan, "Lady Bird"

Best Director - Guillermo del Toro, "The Shape of Water"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy: James Franco, "The Disaster Artist"

Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture: Allison Janney, "I, Tonya"

Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture: Sam Rockwell, "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri"

Best Original Score in a Motion Picture: The Shape of Water

Best Original Song in a Motion Picture: This is Me, "The Greatest Showman"

Best Screenplay in a Motion Picture: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Motion Picture - Foreign Language: In the Fade

Best Animated Film: Coco

Best TV series - Drama: The Handmaid's Tale

Best performance by Actress in a TV series - Drama: Elisabeth Moss, "The Handmaid's Tale"

Best performance by Actor in a TV series - Drama: Sterling K. Brown, "This is Us"

Best TV series - Musical or Comedy: Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Best performance by an Actor in a TV series - Musical or Comedy: Aziz Ansari, "Master of None"

Best performance by an Actress in a TV series - Musical or Comedy: Rachel Brosnahan, "Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"

Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: Big Little Lies

Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: Ewan McGregor, "Fargo"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: Nicole Kidman, "Big Little Lies"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: Alexander Skarsgard, "Big Little Lies"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: Laura Dern, "Big Little Lies"

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Premiered since last year, Three Billboards is a thought provoking film that stormed every film fest in Venice, Toronto, London, San Sebastian, and San Diego, and now, it scored the most wins than any other film in this year's Golden Globes while the HBO original mini-series, Big Little scores big in the TV show stakes.

Congratulations to the winners of this year's Golden Globes!

Project CARS 2: DAYTONA!! On Ice

With news about Florida experiencing unusual snowy condition going on about a week now, I was just imaging if which part of Florida is heavily affected from a rare blizzard but to my hunch, I think Daytona Beach is just ended up being a winter wonderland and it would be the ideal time to simulate a surreal condition using Project CARS 2.



Thanks to LiveTrack 3.0, Project CARS 2 allows players to create weather conditions on their favorite racetracks to simulate what weather forecast is going to hit on their racetracks. You can make it rain in Dubai, snow in the Nurburgring, players can simulate even the most outlandish weather conditions on their favorite racetrack. Since Florida is on the subject right now due to extreme icy conditions Floridians are facing right now, I think it's time to simulate such an outlandish weather forecast and since a freezing Daytona might upset even stock cars that was born to drive in this place, how about picking something that is fit enough for this icy conditions? How about...a rally car for a change?




This is the rally car I've picked up from Project CARS 2's Fun Pack DLC, this is the legendary Ford RS200, a fire-spitting Group B rally car that causes quite a stir in its category where Quattros rule like gods until fatalities caused the demise of this category. So, what is the RS200 anyway, you might ask?

Known to be Ford's late entry to the WRC Group B category. As the name implies, it was limited to 200 units built for homologation purposes. Just before it reaches its prime time, the Group B giants from Audi, Peugeot, and Lancia are struggling and countless fatalities spelled the bitter end of this category. The result, with 200 units left, they made a road-going supercar capable of going 0-60mph in a sub six-second time and top speed around 150mph, all with full-time AWD.



It's kind of a shame that the Ford RS200 never got the chance to do some rallying ever since the Group B giants flung themselves out of the ring after multiple rally-related casualties but that's the life of being a rally car forged in a category where there's nothing to stop you making the maddest machines to tackle any road condition no matter how dirty it gets. It's fair to say that even with four wheel drive, the engine is mounted in the middle and the end result is a rally car that behaves pretty much like a rear wheel drive car do further concentration is advised when handling a technical vehicle even in icy winter conditions.



Driving a would-be rally car in a frozen Daytona that is ultra rare for Floridians facing right now can be somewhat a challenge and wet tires wouldn't do justice in such conditions. I know this car is all-wheel drive but it's tricky to get into corners when going too fast or when braking too early. In such weather like this, resorting to such tactics won't do any good and it takes some practice to getting used to some outlandish weather forecasts while driving on your favorite track. Having my hand on such freezing conditions, I find it very tricky to handle on such freezing conditions but I'm starting to get a hang of it and I shall show you how I deal with this condition. However, the snowstorm's becoming harsh but still, challenge accepted.



Under extreme freezing conditions, I managed to did it in 2:18.220. Barely made it but I need to refine if I need to master such driving conditions.



As Florida's weather starting to go back in such conditions, looks like it won't be too long before Daytona's back to normal racing conditions so the next season of America's favorite stock car racing series begins but it's kind of fun to drive around Daytona on ice. With over a million ways to race, Project CARS 2 is about racing your own way under any weather forecast you want to tackle.

Let's Do The News! (January 6, 2018)

- Earlier in the afternoon, the Metro Department Store and Supermarket in Cebu City has caught fire and local disaster officials said that it may take two days to fully extinguish the fire. In a statement, Metro Retail Group Inc assured the public that all customers and mall personnel have been safely evacuated.

- The northeastern part of the United States, after experiencing the dreaded "boom cyclone", will experience a milder weather patter next week. A storm pushing into California early next week will send mild Pacific air across the contiguous U.S., cutting off the direct discharge of arctic air from Canada.

- ICYMI: Filmmaker Steven Spielberg has revived the Animaniacs cartoon and it's coming to Hulu streaming service.

- As this year's Dakar Rally begins, Peugeot criticizes this year's map rule changes, calling it "unsportsmanlike."

- The upcoming film adaptation of the Love Live! Sunshine!! will be all-new, according to the staff behind it.

- Veteran comedian Rowan Atkinson is set to return in another Johnny English film.

TTFN!!!

Forza Motorsport 7: R35 GT-R - then and now

A decade has passed since Nissan unveiled the R35 GT-R at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show and as supercars get more and more advanced, rest assured that despite its near-outdated looks, the R35 GT-R continues to break its limits until the day comes where it will lay to rest and undergo metamorphosis to become more powerful than it ever was. While we wait for that right time to come for Godzilla, it's fair to say that the R35 GT-R remains a classic for car enthusiasts worldwide because such looks and performance makes it a timeless classic.





Here in Forza Motorsport 7, I've been joined by two versions of the R35 GT-R, the 2012MY one and the latest 2017MY one. They're all slightly different but they're still the GT-R we all know and love.

Starting with the 2012 model, this is how I fell in love with the GT-R because of its incredible results compared against the world's best supercars. In its glorious days, it can mince even the most expensive supercars on the planet, probably thanks to its clever launch control feature. On the track, it can easily upset even the mighty Veyron as well. Now, seems that the luck has changed for the GT-R and as cars get more progressive than ever, looks like the GT-R's days are numbered as demonstrated by such humiliating clips where cars like the Aventador and the 911 Turbo S easily beaten the GT-R like a book.





Even the 2017 model couldn't help despite the added power. Sure it can beat the Honda NSX by a long straight but in the end, a Tesla Model S can beat it easily. Worse, it's even heavier than the previous GT-R I fell in love with and with the traction control off, it really doesn't feel like it's off, meaning dreary understeer is very likely for a 4WD JDM monster. Still, despite its faults, I still love the GT-R no matter what that is. This car has been the national treasure for Japan since sushi, anime, origami, even those dreary hybrids.

Speedo boys have been fallen in love with the R35 GT-R since its return a decade ago and as times change, even their favorite cars when they migrated to more powerful machines the Europeans offered, rest assured that in one piece of their memory, they can still remember the good old Godzilla within them because once driven, forever smitten, even when they switched cars.

So, what can I say? How about putting these two versions for a quick lap round the Top Gear Test Track, huh? Sure, I got all of the ingredients here and all it needs now to see which one is the best.

Roll the tape!



And now the results...

1:20.708 - 2017MY GT-R
1:20.808 - 2012MY GT-R

Well, that was kind of anticlimactic. Despite the added power and the improved performance, the 2017MY GT-R performed almost as similar to the pre-facelifted model it replaces. Judging by this result, there's no denying that it behaves pretty much like it was out a decade ago even though they've improved it everything they've got!

The R35 Nissan GT-R has been on the roads for a decade now and with yearly upgrades ever done to keep Japan's premiere sports coupe more enjoyable for many years to come, it still feels pretty much like the one we fall in love with and even though more and more powerful machines coming out to hunt its bumpers to the last drop, the GT-R is always coming back for more fights and it will keep on fighting even if it loses. That's determination to you.

As the car prepares its imminent metamorphoses, what are your wishes for its potential successor? Be more better than it was before? I believe it is and here's hoping we can look forward for its replacement Nissan's working on. Until then, keep driving the R35 GT-R 'till the very end!