THE NEW BMW M5 (F90)

When BMW brought us the previous F10 M5 in 2011, the speedo boys thought they might have ruined it probably because they dumped the old V10 engine from the E60 in favor of a smaller 4.4L V8 BiTurbo engine but despite that, it remains one of the most enjoyable high-performance four-door saloons of this decade. As the new Mercedes-AMG E63 becomes the new boss of the stable, BMW decided to respond against AMG's will by going all-out with their new M5 F90. So, what's going to be with the new model? Let's investigate.

2018 BMW M5

2018 BMW M5

The new BMW M5 looks pretty much the same as the old F10 model it replaces but it's all-new from the ground up to make sure it's in equal footing with the E63 opponent and that means that the new F90 model is now converted into a four-wheel drive super saloon fit for any forecast. More on that later on but first, let's look at the recipe.

Under the hood, the 4.4L V8 BiTurbo engine from the old model is still here but now, it produces 600PS of power and 750Nm of torque. That's 40PS more than the old model but a little less than the E63 and still, could be worse. The old model's 7-speed double-clutch gearbox has been thrown away and in return, it comes with a brand new eight-speed M Steptronic transmission because while double clutches are awesome in supercars, they're irrelevant in luxury saloons like this and I understand that. With the gearbox and the engine itself, it goes 0-100kph in 3.4 seconds (which is a second less than the old model) and it's electronically limited to 250kph. 305 if you go for an optional M Driver's Package.

Now, let's talk about the all-wheel drive layout of the M5 and why it wants to match the one from the Mercedes-AMG E63 because you might imagine that having a hi-po saloon with a four-wheel drive and electronic power steering will give you arm pains due to understeering but this one is very different because the all-new M xDrive has a trump card on its sleeve; the M Dynamic mode. With this feature, torque goes to the back and the rear wheel slip has increased, resulting in a more lively and more engaging experience while driving. In other words, it behaves like a rear-wheel drive car and it's an all-you-can-smoke buffet. Smoking and if you need more old-fashioned fun, there's an optional 2WD Mode that lets it go like an FR. With such personality, the new M5 is like having two cars in one and I think they're onto something here.

As for the chassis, the F90 M5 has been improved to make it sporty but stable and fit enough for an all-rounder. From its reworked suspension setup, M compound brakes, and other improvements, the M5 is a surprising all-round winner on both the road and track and if you look carefully through the headlines, some might shocked that it was developed at the Nurburgring and everybody knows that the Nurburgring ruins cars but in its case, it isn't. It may be Nurburgring-honed but it feels civilized on the normal roads until the inevitable action hero chase kicks in.

2018 BMW M5 interior

2018 BMW M5 interior

The new M5 starts at 117,900 Euros and that's by no means the most expensive M5 ever made, it's about as pricey as a supercar but the pricing wasn't the least of its problems because while the artificial exhaust note, the gearbox, and the tech overload upset potential buyers, there's the biggest problem of all, EA. The F90 M5 made a starring role at last year's Need For Speed Payback video game and unless you demand BMW to back off EA, there's no way you're getting your hands on the new F90 M5 and that's it. You're going to be tapped out from driving one but we are so jealous enough for this M5. Let's just wait for the dust to settle and when the F90 M5 is free to go, it will be appreciated in the same way we did to the M2 Coupe when it managed to back off EA a few years ago but in the meantime, better stick to the E63 until it's renounced.

Photo: BMW AG

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: China says North Korea pledges denuclearisation during friendly visit

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has pledged to denuclearise and meet US officials, China said on Wednesday after a historic meeting with President Xi Jinping, who promised China would uphold its friendship with its isolated neighbor.

After two days of speculation, China and North Korea both confirmed that Kim had visited Beijing and met Xi during what China’s Foreign Ministry called an unofficial visit to China from Sunday to Wednesday.

After two days of speculation, China and North Korea both confirmed that Kim had visited Beijing and met Xi during what China’s Foreign Ministry called an unofficial visit to China from Sunday to Wednesday.

North Korea’s KCNA news agency made no mention of Kim’s pledge to denuclearise, or his anticipated meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump that is planned for some time in May.

Beijing has traditionally been the closest ally of secretive North Korea, but ties have been frayed by North Korea’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and China’s backing of tough U.N. sanctions in response.

China’s Foreign Ministry cited Kim in a lengthy statement as telling Xi that the situation on the Korean peninsula is starting to improve because North Korea has taken the initiative to ease tensions and put forward proposals for peace talks.

“It is our consistent stand to be committed to denuclearisation on the peninsula, in accordance with the will of late President Kim Il Sung and late General Secretary Kim Jong Il,” Kim Jong Un said, according to the statement.

North Korea is willing to talk with the United States and hold a summit between the two countries, he said.

“The issue of denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula can be resolved, if South Korea and the United States respond to our efforts with goodwill, create an atmosphere of peace and stability while taking progressive and synchronous measures for the realisation of peace,” Kim said.

Kim Jong Un’s predecessors, grandfather Kim Il Sung and father Kim Jong Il, both publicly promised not to pursue nuclear weapons but secretly continued to develop the programmes, culminating in the North’s first nuclear test in 2006 under Kim Jong Il.

Source: Reuters

Let's Do The News! (March 28, 2018)

- Philippine National Police Ronald Dela Rosa's birthday greeting for President Rodrigo Duterte remains to be about the administration's brutal war on drugs. In his message for the President, Dela Rosa said that the PNP ‘will never get tired of paddling the ship’ as long as Duterte is at the helm and is steering the ship until it reaches a drug free destination. Duterte celebrated his 73rd birthday in Davao City on March 28 and he was joined by his close relatives and friends.

- Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg plans to testify before US Congress, according to sources, as he bows to pressure from lawmakers insisting he explain how 50 million users' data ended up in the hands of a political consultancy. Lawmakers in the United States and Europe are demanding to know more about the company’s privacy practices after a whistleblower said consultancy Cambridge Analytica improperly accessed data to target U.S. and British voters in close-run elections.

- British PM Theresa May called for a “long-term response” by the West to the security threat from Russia as NATO followed member states in expelling Russian diplomats over the poisoning of a double agent in England.

- The Islamic terrorist who killed four people in southern France last week has been summoned by the nation's domestic spy agency prior to the attack for an evaluation to see if he should remain on a government watch list, according to reports. Moroccan-born Redouane Lakdim, who was shot dead by security forces as they stormed a supermarket where he was holding hostages, had been on the intelligence services’ official Fiche S watch list since 2014, prosecutor Francois Molins said on Monday. He was believed to have links to local Salafists, Molins said, but had shown no signs of preparing an attack.

- The first-ever Cadillac XT4 compact crossover was unveiled prior to its New York Auto Show premiere.

2019 Cadillac XT4

- Toyota Motor Corporation officially announced that they will bring back the RAV4 to the Japanese market in Spring 2019 as the new-generation model was unveiled ahead of its New York Auto Show premiere, running on Toyota's TNGA platform and comes with new features.

The next-generation Toyota RAV4

- Jaguar unveiled the F-Pace SVR, which comes with the supercharged 5.0L V8 engine producing 550PS of power, capable of going 0-60mph in about four seconds and onwards to  176mph.

2019 Jaguar F-Pace SVR

- The Audi RS5 now comes with the new Sportback model, inheriting the same 2.9 liter TFSI V6 biturbo engine from its coupe equivalent, now in a liftback look.

2019 Audi RS5 Sportback

- The Mercedes-AMG C63 range minor change now comes with a new AMG Speedshift MCT 9-speed AT.

2019 Mercedes-AMG C63 Coupe

- General Motors warned that GM Korea might face bankruptcy by the end of April if union doesn't agree to concessions.

TTFN!!!

THE IDOLM@STER MILLION THE@TER GENERATION 06 Cleasky

The sixth installment of the MILLION THE@TER GENERATION range inspired by THE IDOLM@STER Million Live! Theater Days app game has arrived and this latest installment is as clear as the sky with the featured duo all prepped up for fans like you.

THE IDOLM@STER MILLION THE@TER GENERATION 06
Cleasky

The duo in question is known as Cleasky, comprising of Elena Shimabara (CV. Asuka Kakumoto) and Miya Miyao (CV. Choucho Kiritani) and they are all warmed up for you to perform two new songs such as 虹色letters and 想い出はクリアスカイ. There's also some audio drama parts featuring some new adventures inspired from the first song you just heard.

For limited quantities, this CD will grant you a chance to either take part of the Million Live 5th live or the upcoming launch event of the upcoming M@STER SPARKLE installment coming next month.

Enjoy listening to this latest addition to the range and be sure to keep playing THE IDOLM@STER Million Live Theater Days for more!

Ame

In one episode of the IDOLISH7 anime series, the president of the Takahashi Productions appointed Tamaki Yotsuba and Sogo Osaka as debutantes and while concerned about working for IDOLISH7, President Takahashi named the duo of Tamaki and Sogo as MEZZO.

Ame

Yes, while it's hard for Tamaki and Sogo to be part from the others to do their work for the agency they called home, they're doing their best to get their names be heard and if you are a fan of Tamaki and Sogo, here's your chance to listen their duet song fit for the rainy day.

Titled 雨, this MEZZO song really warms the listeners up in a middle of a rainy day and if you can't get enough of more Tamaki and Sogo, there's one more song in this single made just for you. The fans are definitely as hungry as Tamaki for more like this.

The IDOLISH7 anime airs every Sunday nights on TOKYO MX so keep watching for more of Tamaki, Sogo, and the rest of IDOLISH7 for their next steps.

TRACK LISTINGS:
1. 雨
2. 甘さひかえめ
3. 雨 (Off Vocal)
4. 甘さひかえめ (Off Vocal)

Far Cry 5

After exploring through the jungle as a mercenary, surviving through the African nation full of private troops, storming through the tropical paradise, getting the taste of the 80's take of the future, surviving through prehistoric times, and battle against a tyrannical rule in a nation somewhere near the Himalayas, UbiSoft's first-person open world action game, Far Cry, now takes on the Land of the Free, the U.S. of A. More specifically, a village in Montana where a religious cult wreaks havoc in the neighborhood and only you and your friends can rain down fire of fury on the cult.

Far Cry 5 (PS4)

Far Cry 5 (XBOX One)

Far Cry 5 is a Far Cry game unlike any other because it sees a major departure from its predecessors as the game no longer sets on a fictional location (well, sort of) and uses the US state of Montana as the setting. While using a real location, the producers wanted to create a fictional village in the Treasure State just to give a taste of what they're on about. Once a quiet neighborhood, the village of Hope County is overrun by a fanatical cult known as The Project at Eden's Gate, run by the self-proclaimed prophet, Joseph Seed, and his minions known as The Heralds.

For the first time, players can create their own characters before emerging to the hostile neighborhood getting ready to save Hope County from the cult by forming your own resistance. From every visually stunning detail, the countryside, the wildlife, and its inhabitants, Far Cry 5 never fails to impress the players by the looks of it but this is no time to get awe by the stunning backdrops. You are here because you are going to rain down a "fire of fury" on the cult and as the fight progresses, you will be teamed up with some helpful NPCs along the way, each with their own abilities. You can even team up with wild animals as well or connect with an online buddy for some co-op mayhem.

Because this is America, Far Cry 5 never forgets the Second Amendment (sort of) and they come with a wide array of weapons to wreak havoc on the cult from handguns, assault rifles, baseball bats, even heavy weaponry. You can even drive vehicles for that hit-and-run feeling such as a muscle car, a pickup truck, a big rig, even a heavily-armed crop duster plane as well. There's so much fun to do while watching the cult going down in flames because of you and that's just the start of it because while you're not in the middle of the story, you can take on side quests to further explore the nooks and crannies of Hope Country.

Raining down destruction on the cult is only the beginning because later on, there will be DLCs coming your way such as reminiscing the Vietnam War, taking on a horde of zombies, and got suck in to a sci-fi flick, just to add more fun to Far Cry 5 later on.

So, this newest installment, what can I say, although it's too darn scary for a game that reflects the America of today, it's still downright addictive, downright hilarious, and a thrill to play. You can really spend all week destroying the cult not just with your bare hands but with the resistance fighters around you and such stuff is what made it the best Far Cry game in ages, even for newcomers.

Although it's a departure from past installments, the madness still lingers on and Far Cry 5 really nails the sweet spot in an explosive kind of manner. So, have fun burning down the cult-infested village, y'all.

2018 NASCAR Monster Energy Cup - STP 500

With Virginia back to normal conditions after a weekend of rain and extreme icy conditions that postponed the race, Martinsville roars back with the STP 500 race of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

At the end of the first stage, Denny Hamlin takes the stage win from Keselowski, Blaney, Kyle Busch, and Boyer. Then, at the end of Stage 2, meanwhile, Ryan Blaney takes it. In Lap 384, Jamie McMurray got spun out after a close contact by the No. 3 car.

Finally, after 190 winless races, Clint Boyer snapped the streak by winning the STP 500 and he celebrates it with a burnout. What a comeback.

Next race is on Texas Motor Speedway for the O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 on the 8th of April.