Bad Beginning

Happy New Year to everyone but I do not have a real good beginning. Last night was New Years Eve and like many others I went out and celebrated. On the way home, I was really really sleepy swaying on my way home. I tried my best to reach home safe but I failed. I was close to the divider and railing, and suddenly I hit something on my side mirror. It folded and broke the mirror. I was horrified about my New Year present. Now along with the heart break I have to spend some money to get a replacement. First, I have to get a replacement, get it painted and install it. Definitely gonna cost a bomb. "Happy" New Year to me.

After waking up and further checking on my car, I realized that I was far from right about the situation of my car. There are 3 lines that starts from below the side mirror all the way to the back. There are bumps on my door along the line. It is really a bad sight on my beloved Celica. I can conclude that while I was sleepy and close my eyes for a second, my car hit the metal railing and drag of it. Thus, the damage. 

Next in Line

The side mirror cover and rear lights were just the beginning of the restoration work. Today it is the wiper's turn to be restored. I remember the last time I changed the wiper was when I was 18 or 19 years old and that was 4 to 5 years ago. That is a long time but wiper only gets changed when it stops wiping properly and has a scratching sound. I thought that the wiper was still working fine because my brother did not mention anything about the wiper. However, recently I realized it made a sound when wiping and what is worst is it appears rusty from the inside. So, the years have been bad for the wiper and I went and got some new silicone wiper blade. The size used by Vios is a 20" (500 mm) and a 16" (400 mm). Replacing the wipers is essential especially in this country where rainfall can be very severe and often. This is something that can be replaced easily and I just replaced it without waiting. It definitely looks better than the rusted ones but I have yet test it out. I hope that just because it is cheap it does not mean its low in quality. 

About Time

It has been 3 months since the Tucson joined my family and the Vios is now full with battle scars only driven by me occasionally near my house area and by my dad when he and mum goes out for groceries. There are a few post regarding the scars made by my brother when he was driving it and the time to rejuvenate the Vios has finally come because my sister is now at legal age to drive. A crap car is not what a teenage girl would look forward to fetch some friends to go shopping and it is up to me the car nut to help improve its condition.

What I did was ordered some parts of my friends to replace the faulty ones. I got a side mirror cover for when my brother got hit by a lorry causing the cover to be missing. It was left bare like that for quite some time and it is really not pretty. Luckily I usually drive the Vios at night so no one can see properly. Surprisingly the cover was very cheap but it needs a coat of paint before I can install the cover and I think the whole car needs a new paint job too as the color has faded after 5 years under the hot sun.

The second part I ordered was a rear light for the Vios. Now, this problem has been there even longer before until I do not remember how long ago it was. There must have been a leak with the sealant and water went in the lights. It is now constantly fogged in one part and it is like an aquarium with water inside. I hope nothing alive is in there. The new lights cost a bit but it is a must for the sake of my sister and the car. It is my brother's fault for not taking care of the car. I hope his Tucson would not turn out like his previous car. the Vios.

This is of course just a small beginning because the Vios really needs a lot of work done before it looks decent again but then again, my sister might just wreck the car like my brother or worst. Such a dilemma. However, it is a must to restore it. I will do my best.

Hybrid Trend Part 2

I remember my dad told me years ago that Toyota is the king in Japan and Honda have a small market share there. I am not sure how true that is but in Malaysia, Honda is still the No.2 brand. Being No.2 means that Honda is not far behind with the hybrid line of cars from Toyota. Indeed the competition is high and Honda brought in some hybrid cars from Japan to Malaysia. The 2 hybrid cars are the Honda Insight and Honda CR-Z.

Honda Insight
Similar to Toyota Prius, the Insight is also a 5 door hatchback with similar shape. However, it has a smaller 1.3l engine assisted with Honda's IMA battery with a total of 95 bhp. The Insight sold like pancakes since its launching beating Toyota at the hybrid game because the Insight is cheaper at below RM100,000 and have a smaller engine. Smaller engine is a good thing when the Malaysian government based road-tax by the engine size meaning cheaper road tax. It all seems good but Toyota's sales is not pressured by that fact because cheaper cars might give an image of a lower quality car. Luckily that only affects a small percentage of the consumers. Personally, it attracts despite the cheaper price and the smaller engine where even the compact Toyota Prius C have a bigger engine. On the outside the facelift Insight looks not great but still impressive and the interior looks luxurious enough but nothing new.

Honda CR-Z
The Honda CR-Z is a hybrid that truly change the hybrid impression for consumers especially the young ones. It is a sub-compact coupe and has a bigger engine than the Insight, a 1.5l engine with IMA creating 120 bhp. What is so special about this hybrid car is the overall image it carries. It is a coupe that translates into a sport or performance car for many minds and being the only hybrid car in Malaysia to have a 6 speed manual transmission, it instantaneously transform the CR-Z into a modern day sports car with the benefit of good fuel consumption and good to the environment. The IMA battery assisted the 1.5l engine giving it good performance but only when the battery is fully charged.

Now, in my opinion the CR-Z really changed the opinion of a hybrid car for the average drivers. How you may ask ? In part 1, I mentioned that most of the people perceive hybrid cars to have a image of low performance, bad design and expensive to maintain. To a certain point, those might be true but the CR-Z totally changed that. I have personally seen a CR-Z in action. It has high acceleration and could bring car bigger than it to shame with its low weight. This bring many enthusiast to pay attention to the CR-Z with turbo and supercharger kits developed for it. In Japan, there is a Mugen version with a supercharger in it and this proves the position that CR-Z is in the eyes of enthusiast. Many is confidence with the potential it holds simply because of its brand and the long line of Type Rs. The price of around RM116,000 for the manual and RM120,000 for the CVT version is cheap for a performance car and expensive for an average car. It certainly helps Honda selling them and with many young drivers wanting a sporty ride, it increases the hybrid market share.

Others
The 5 cars I mentioned in part 1 and part 2 are hybrid cars that existed purely as a hybrid car and not a variant of existing cars. However, there are more hybrid cars available in Malaysia than these 5 cars but they are based on other cars. Honda has Civic Hybrid and Jazz Hybrid which is just a variant for the Civic and Jazz. Porsche has a hybrid version of its Panamera and Cayenne and Lexus has hybrid versions of its GS, LS and RX models and many more examples form other makers. These models are not discussed here because firstly these are not a hybrid only cars and secondly, these have huge engines that cost expensive road tax. Purchasing these models does not contribute much to the trend because of the small amount.

Honda's Emblem

Toyota's Emblem

In conclusion, in the 21st century the hybrid trend can no longer be ignored and the many are starting to accept the fact that we need to care more about the environment. In addition, hybrid cars are no longer in a stereotype and have proven to be quite a vehicle as can be seen when big car makers invest and make a hybrid car. Among these 5 choices, for luxury it is the Lexus CT200h, for sportiness the Honda CR-Z and for the other 3 it has to be with the budget constraints of each person.

Hybrid Trend Part 1

Over a decade ago, Hybrid cars with both a petrol engine and a battery was starting to catch attention in the far east particularly in Japan. Since then, there are many car makers that have spent millions in research and development in this area, producing a few models of hybrid car. At first many doubted the idea. Some were concerned about its performance, some were concerned about practicality but most were skeptical with how long can a hybrid car last before it needs large sum to maintain its part especially the battery ? 5 years, 10 years or 20 years ?

Currently in 2012, there are 3 large car maker in Malaysia that have a have a monopoly in the hybrid scene. You could say that in Japan, Toyota is the leading maker that experts in mass produced hybrid cars especially with the famous and well received Toyota Prius. Up until now there has been 3 models and Malaysia seen its first locally sold Prius in the form of the 3rd generation. Sales has been successful with many on the road and this gave Toyota the confidence to bring in the Prius C (Toyota Aqua in Japan) to our shores. Lexus, the luxury arm of Toyota also have a well-received hybrid model, the CT200h. These hybrid cars have increased in numbers as the tax incentive and subsidies are making hybrid cars below 2000cc cheaper and don't mention that it is very environmental friendly. Let's take a look at Toyota's hybrid line. I am not going to discuss about technical data and technology talk.

Toyota Prius
The current Prius sold in Malaysia is the 3rd generation of its kind and in 2011 it received a facelift.  Prius is a 5 door mid-sized hatchback with a big boot suitable for family use. Personally when I saw it the first time it was a love-hate relationship. I love the modern design and the interior but hated the entry level 15 inch cover type steel rims. Now with the facelift, the exterior is more futuristic and looks better but the rim remains a disappointment. It has a 1.8l Atkinson cycle engine paired with an electric motor generating 134 bhp with one planetary gear drivetrain. Who would buy one ? With its body shape, it does not appeal to young drivers but with the eco friendly idea of less fuel consumption and usage of recycle materials in the interior does strike a curiosity. Whatever the reason is to buy one, it all started with the Prius. The thing about this Prius that I like is its hybrid system that allows you to run completely on the electric motor with its EV mode. Something that I expect from a hybrid car and with Toyota it has been a long research period making it a reliable car. It is selling from RM140,000.

Toyota Prius C
The Prius C is a sub-compact hatchback built on the Toyota Yaris platform with a smaller engine of 1.5l with Atkinson cycle paired with an electric motor producing 99 bhp. Everything about the Prius C yells a smaller version of the Prius from its size to its engine size. On the outside, it appeals to younger driver with its small size and the interior is very similar to the Prius. It was brought into our shores after the success of Prius but also to compete with its competitor, Honda as Honda has cheaper hybrid cars than Prius. Personally, I think it looks ugly on the outside but the rims is alloy and better than the more expensive Prius which confuse me a lot. Now with a younger body style and lower price under RM100,000, everyone can now afford a hybrid car compared to before as the Prius is quite pricey. Since its launch, there are many Prius C on the road mostly driven by youngsters. Whether it is for the environment or the looks, it does help save the Earth.

Lexus CT200h
Lexus is from Toyota but stands on a different level namely the luxury class. With the success of Toyota's model and tax incentive, Lexus had to bring its player into the hybrid game. They came out with the CT200h. Among the other 2 models discussed here, this is the one that catches my eyes the most. I have been in one before for a test drive and it was quite impressive. The exterior is both futuristic and appealing and the interior is nothing short of luxury. I am quite impressed with it and it is the cheapest Lexus model from RM 170,000 being the most expensive among here. It uses the same engine as Prius and owning one gives you the hybrid technology and luxuries of a Lexus, the best of both worlds. This appeals to the higher society and many have been spotted on the road. I would definitely buy one because of the look and luxuries especially the meter that would change color depending on driving mode. Actually, there are more hybrid models from Lexus but are a variant of their petrol range and is not in the tax exemption range.