petronas twin tower in the making - part 01/06

PANAS! GAMBAR PROTON P3-21A DIDEDAH! MESTI TENGOK!

 - Proton P321A

Ini adalah produk terbaik Proton! Memang confirm terbaik! Lepas ni sesiapa yang kutuk Proton selama ini akan ternganga dan tak berani nak kutuk lagi! Tak lama lagi dah...tungguuuu... 

R3 Artiga in the metal and on show at Proton Power of 1

Say hello to the R3 Artiga… again. We previously saw this concept car in Shanghai) and now the Artiga is here, at the Proton Power of 1 in all its metal glory.

There’s a bit more information about the Artiga this time around. We already know that the engine is a supercharged Campro unit that’s good for 180 hp and 240 Nm of torque. The Artiga can do its 0-100 km/h sprint in 7.6 seconds and hits maximum speed at 235 km/h.

The Artiga sports Cusco Zero-3G height and damping adjustable coil-overs at the front and rear, possibly to take advantage of the partnership between Proton and Cusco (read about ithere). Stopping power comes courtesy of Endless ventilated rotors and four pot calipers, but only for the front. The rear is equipped with solid brakes.

It’s not a pure concept car per se; you can see that it is a Satria Neo underneath all that extra body kit. The grille and light assembly has also been revised to make it look more aggressive. The one big difference is the ‘eyebrow’ (indicators?) is now in amber instead of the ‘clear’ as seen in Shanghai. It is eye-catching, nonetheless.

No pictures of the interior though. The car is locked tight when I was making my rounds.

But the Artiga is not here just for show. Proton R3 is conducting a survey to see just how much you like the Artiga and what you think can be improved. Could Proton R3 be launching what could be the hottest Satria Neo yet?

VIDEOS: Proton releases set of P3-21A teaser clips

We showcased this full teaser video earlier by manually recording it from a TV screen at the event itself, but now we’re procured the full HD 1080P versions of the individual teaser clips, which Proton has uploaded online.

UPDATE: We’ve condensed all eight videos into a single continuous video, which we’ve embedded above, to make for easier viewing. If you want to view each video individually, you can find them after the jump.

Proton P3-21A “Sneak Peek” teaser box at Power of 1

Proton P3-21A “Sneak Peek” teaser box at Power of 1

It’s almost becoming a tradition for Proton to tease its upcoming models in a “sneak peek” preview box, where the car being teased is hidden in a box, with small peek holes allowing one to catch bite-sized glimpses of what’s inside. This has been done for the past few models already, with the most recent one being the YES 4G edition Proton Inspira at Bukit Bintang.

The P3-21A is the latest car to be teased with the sneak peek box, and you can find it at the company’s Power of 1 event at Bukit Jalil, which runs daily from 10 am to 10 pm until this Sunday, March 18. Do make your way there to check out the exhibits and performances, but for those who are out of state, we’ve snapped some pictures of what can be seen inside when you do take that sneak peek into the box!

2012 Toyota Avanza launched – RM64,590 to RM79,590

2012 Toyota Avanza launched – RM64,590 to RM79,5

UPDATE: Hi res gallery of studio images added

UMW Toyota officially launched the new Toyota Avanza hours ago. This is the second generation Avanza introduced in Indonesia late last year, and our Avanzas now come from that neighbouring country, no longer assembled by Perodua in Rawang. You should know plenty about it already – we covered the Indonesia-spec car and also posted up a scan of the official UMWT brochure in December.

Here’s a recap. This full model change Avanza comes after 140,000 units of the first gen MPV have been sold in Malaysia since October 2004. The Avanza was a pioneer in the affordable MPV segment, and was once the best selling non national vehicle in Malaysia, outselling passenger cars. This new one wears more sculptured styling for a more dynamic outlook relative to the original. More 3D, car companies like to say.

The profile is also less upright, and the lights at both ends wrap around the body. Current Avanza owners will also notice that the door handles have changed from the lift up type to the grip type, which looks and works better. The wing mirrors have a more streamlined look and incorporate turn signals. The windscreen washer nozzles have been relocated to below the glass for a smooth bonnet.

It’s not just a facelift as some believe. The new Avanza is 20 mm longer and 30 mm wider than before, while front and rear tracks are up by 20 mm. The platform has been carried over, and the RWD layout remains. Toyota says that RWD gives better maneuverability via a better turning circle, which is best in class at 4.7m. The range topping 1.5S has a different grille and bumper (larger intake) than the G and E specs.

Under the hood lies the familiar 3SZ-VE 1.5-litre VVTi engine. It puts out 103 PS and 136 Nm, which is less than before because this engine adheres to Euro4 standards, according to UMWT. In case you didn’t know, Malaysia is one of the few markets that are still on Euro2; our neighbours and markets like China and India have progressed.

So perhaps it’s too much of a hassle to “customise” a Euro2 engine for us – the official line is that UMWT is not sure when the Govt will jump from Euro2 to Euro4, so they decided it’s better to bring in the latter.

The 1.3L model, which can only be had with a 5-speed manual gearbox, makes 91 PS and 117 Nm of torque. This K3-VE VVTi powered variant is the lightest, naturally, at 1,070 kg. The range topping 1.5S weighs 1,105 kg. There’s no manual option for the 1.5L engine – a four-speed auto is mandatory.

Despite the slightly lower figures, acceleration is improved and fuel economy is better than before, so it’s win-win for the consumer. FC wise, the new Avanza 1.5 is rated at 12 km/l (7% better) while the 1.3 model does 12.6 km/l, which is 9% better than before. Toyota attributes this to lower rolling resistance tyres (by 10%), improved aerodynamics, lower weight (15-20 kg depending on variant) and the adoption of Electric Power Steering (EPS).

UMWT further tells us that noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) has been improved over the old car, and the suspension has been retuned to offer better ride comfort, including for the last row. For NVH, Toyota has added a resonator to the air cleaner hose to reduce engine boom at high rpms. The 1.5L gets a revised exhaust pipe design to further lower noise.

Kit wise, the 1.5S and 1.5G comes with 15-inch alloys (185/65 tyres), fog lamps, multi info display, tilt steering with audio buttons and a 2-DIN head unit with AUX, USB and six speakers. ABS, EBD and dual airbags are also included.

New features across the board include a one-touch tumble down function for the middle row seats, which now can be slid fore and aft. The top of the centre stack has an additional air vent; this one blows re-cooled air to the rear blower for better cooling performance. The interior theme is black for all variants and there’s a new meter design. Look at the brochure scan for the full spec break down.

Click to enlarge spec sheet

Price wise, the Avanza 1.3 is priced at RM64,590, the 1.5E at RM72,590, the 1.5G atRM77,290 and the 1.5S at RM79,590. These are on the road prices including insurance, for metallic colours. The options list has two items – Toyota Standard Solar Flim and an Aerokit.

Rahsia Janggut Di Sebalik Sunnah Rasulullah

Sabda Rasulullah SAW, ”Cukurlah kumis dan peliharalah janggut.” (HR. Muslim)

Kajian terhadap janggut menyerlahkan satu lagi bukti saintifik tentang apa yang disunnahkan oleh Nabi kita sejak lebih seribu tahun dahulu.

Dr Jamnul Azhar Mulkan, seorangdoktor perubatan, pemilik rangkaian klinik juga seorang pendakwah, dalam satu ceramah, mendedahkan hasil kajian yang sangat luar biasa mengenai khasiat janggut.

Ia bukan tunggul gerigis, bukan penyeri atau penyerabut wajah tetapi jauh lebih hebat daripada itu.

Menurutnya, kajian oleh saintis dari Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Amerika Syarikat yang berjudul The Amazing Fact of Human Body mendapati janggut lelaki mengandungi hormon testosteron yang amat diperlukan bagi kesuburan wanita. Ia mampu menstabilkan kitaran haid selain menggalakkan pertumbuhan telur wanita.

SUBHANALLAH!

Caranya bagaimana? Hanya melalui sentuhan. Jadi kepada sesiapa yang belum punya anak kerana ada masalah kesuburan, ataupun jarang anak dan mahu dirapatkan lagi, mintalah suami simpan janggut, dan belailah selalu janggut suamimu itu.

Ini sekali gus jadi bukti apa yang disaran oleh Islam sejak zaman silam, boleh dibuktikan secara saintifik akan hikmah dan kelebihannya.