Miki’s Fortress of Silence

Honda Freed Indonesia is officially launched, and behold the wonderful good news about the car.

The car, as I predicted is priced reasonably starting from Rp. 237 Million and topping out at Rp. 257 Million… I missed the pricing by about Rp. 3 Million as I predicted the car will be priced at Rp. 240 Million and Rp. 260 Million respectively.

The ground clearance, as I predicted also raises for about a good 5 mm, from the original Japanese Freed spec of 160 mm to 165 mm. Thanks to the use of a healthy 15″ rims and tires.

It’s not as tall as I expected, but remember, Toyota Alphard has only 170 mm of ground clearance for its top of the line model. So a 5 mm difference wouldn’t be too much, when Freed bottoms out on a section of road, most likely the Alphard does the same.

The car came exclusively with 7 seater configuration with optional advanced safety mechanism for the top of the line version.

Both version comes with 5 gear automatic transmission featuring Grade Logic Control which holds gears on uphill and downhill roads, shift holding mechanism which… Well, holds the gear when turning, which is nice to have although not necessary when you are not driving fast and furious. Finally, the autobox features torque converter lock up… Which I cannot fully comprehend technically… Suffice to say, Wikipedia article on it says fuel efficiency, so we go with that one.

The main engine power is still 118ps, same with the Japanese domestic model. Powerful but definitely needs RON 92 grade fuel, no thanks to its high compression ratio of 10.4:1. You can still uses lower grade Pertamina Premium fuel, but probably that power would go to waste… So if you want to unleash the full VTEC experience, stick with 92 grade fuel.

The main difference between the entry level and the top of the line Freed is the addition of:

• Dual SRS Airbag (the entry level doesn’t have any airbag)
• Front row armrest
• Convenience hook behind the front seat
• Sunvisor with vanity mirror
• Finally, automatic sliding doors

For that much (Rp. 20 Million), the additional feature is actually quite a bargain. Just for that automatic sliding door, I see yuppies community will bought it at volume.

For the Asia Pacific region, this trim line will probably the same for you guys living in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Philippine. So, enjoy it for all your needs

So that’s that folks, my next family car for sure.

Source:

Honda Freed Indonesia official specification

It’s official, Honda just refreshed its famous lean 7 seater MPV, the Stream.

Notable improvement (for all models) are:

1. Refreshed front and rear bumpers.
2. Retuned suspension settings.
3. New “smoked” rearlights.
4. The addition of the RST trim.

The RST trim is quite a turnaround, and can be called the biggest twist in the story. Honda already gives the RSZ trim for Stream which is the highest trim level, but here it is, RST… Is it a downscale of RSZ? Or an even upscaled RSZ? Not quite!

The RST is actually the “performance” variant of the RSZ. Sporting bigger 17″ rims, it has reduced weight thanks to the removal of the third row seat… Yes, they remove the seat. Instead of putting a turbo engine which enthusiasts has hoped from the obvious T… They just remove the seats! Making Stream RST a wagon or some sort. Oh, and they retune the suspension for sportier driving.

The engine still comes in two flavors, the 1.8L i-VTEC @ 140ps and 2.0L i-VTEC @ 150ps… So, calling the RST a “sporty” wagon should be unjustified.

Pictures will follow… A lot of crap going on right now…

Source:

Official Japanese Honda Stream refreshed

Okay, since I have a lot of unapproved messages and readers asking about the new Honda Freed price in Indonesia, I’m going to one up Honda Indonesia and try to guess the Freed price. Frankly, I didn’t know the price, I have contacts in the “inner circle” but not that kind of inner circle, just friends at the dealership and media, so my best info will be your best info from local auto magazines.

I don’t know much how Honda Indonesia established their product price, but it is safe to assume that the Freed will be priced around Jazz price. Why? Because:

1. Honda Jazz and Honda Freed are both locally assembled.
2. Honda Freed is basically a stretch Jazz.
3. Both car shares the same engine and transmission.

The most expensive Honda Jazz, the RS, is priced at Rp. 221,5 Million. Now taking into account that the Freed is basically a stretched Jazz, the Freed shares most of its inner working with Jazz such as engine, transmission, and even suspension. The latter might be modified to handle Freed extra weight, but it is still the same McPherson Strut front and H-Shaped torsion beam back. So the changes might be just a different absorber and spring size.

So, the extra cost for Honda mostly comes in the form of sheet metal, plastics, and window, given as the Freed is bigger than the Jazz. Also for the automatic sliding door mechanism…

Do mind that Honda Indonesia only assemble the cars here, that’s why we call it CKD (completely knock down). So a lot of contents are still imported. Remember the basic economic equation of orders? When you buy something from period A, you sell it with period A price + margin. So if Honda purchases Freed components then when the dollar is at its highest, it’s not their fault… It’s the forex speculant’s.

So how much do you think the Freed will be priced? Personally, I guess the price will start at Rp. 240 Million, and topping out at Rp. 260 Million. This is actually a very conservative guess because even at Rp. 240 Million, Honda will sell a ton of this car. Because with just a premium of 8% from Jazz RS, you got a bigger capacity car and I see LOTS of Jazz RS running around Indonesia capital.

Why a conservative guess again? Because of the competition. At Rp. 240 Million Indonesian can just buy Toyota Innova, the venerable car of choice in Indonesia; 8 seater, 2L engine, enormous utility, high ground clearance. Then at Rp. 270 Million you can buy yourself an entry level Nissan Serena; 7 seater, 2L engine, bigger than Freed,  same exquisite FF platform. So, Honda Indonesia needs to play its card right. Thankfully, Honda brand equity in Indonesia warrant a price premium, although not much… Pricing the Freed over Nissan Serena level will be suicide, and Honda Indonesia should know better. So that’s why I personally guess the price will not go over Rp. 270 Million.

For trim level I’m guessing that Indonesian Freed will have two trims. The standard and top of the line. With automatic as standard, and the top of the line model featuring automatic sliding doors. The seating capacity will be strictly 7 seater captain seat variant.

With the economy is still in the red and buying capability of the market still low, it’s best for Honda to aim for the top with the Freed. 7 seater cars are synonimous with luxury people movers such as Honda Elysion, Toyota Alphard and Nissan Elgrand. With Freed’s premium pricing strategy, it’s best for Honda Indonesia to target a specific market than to cater to wider demographics.

But still, these are just plain guessing. I’m not affiiliated whatsoever with Honda Indonesia. So, the car is on track to its release date and the car is already booked in many dealers, have you booked yours today?

News so flashy it blinds your eyes! Honda Freed has received the best selling minivan status in Japan for 5 straight months from November 2008 to March 2009. Thus, Freed insane popularity in Japan has warrant Honda engineers to mildly refresh the car in a very discreet fashion. Very discreet actually, you cannot see it and it might just count as an addition of a trim level.

First and foremost, the Freed does receives an extra trim level dubbed “just selection”… According to Google effort. However, Yahoo Babel Fish translate the trim level as “jiyasutoserekushiyon”, and if you add some cing-cong language there, then “jiyasuto” is pronounced as “jay-su” or sounds like just and “serekushiyon” is pronounced as “se-rection” or sounds like selection (Japanese words doesn’t have “L”).  So, Google might have the edge here… Or Honda just have something about erection on Freed latest trim.

G Just Selection profile

Anyway, the “Just Selection” trims ads HID as a standard item for the G trim and the G Aero receives standard 15″ aluminum wheel and heated windshield wiper… Get it right folks, heated wiper, not heated windshield, although the heating element is on the windshield. The logic behind this is to make the wiper melts snow particles to reduce tearing effect of the blade on the long run.

You just don’t believe me do you…

As for the price, the standard G is priced at 1.699 Million Yen, while the “Just Selection” is priced at 1.794 Million Yen. A difference of 95K Yen or US$1K, and you get factory warranted HID lights, nice enough. The G Aero “Just Selection” have a different of 132K Yen or US$1.2K  from the basic G Aero… Nice enough, but I don’t think the heated wiper will help non snowing countries.

So a trim level addition? Pfft… Not worth having “minor update” status. Wait! I forgot to mention that all Freed captain seat version now have their second row seat to slide an extra 40mm/4cm, and map lights and grab rails as standard.

Now I wonder if Honda Indonesia will incorporate the above additions for the Freed imminent release… At least the grab rails and extra sliding distance, because both really adds another value towards the car. Safety while entering the car, and extra leg room if needed .

Oh, and for you Indonesian readers, I have some bad news about Freed’s price. I heard news from the street that the price is hovering steady at Rp 270 Million when the Freed launches. Wowza… At that price point you can get a brand new (old gen) Nissan Serena or Toyota Innova for less. But it’s still up in the air as it’s just a word from the street, and who knew… Miracles do come true you know, at least I’ve witnessed a couple.

Source:

Honda of Japan Official Freed Update Page

Dear valued readers, if you have been paying attention to my tweets (yes, I’m that cool now), you’ll noticed that I’m going back to school again. This means that my free time which have been constantly hovering at minimum or not available at all will be reduced to… I don’t know… not much available at all?

Progress to some articles will be slowed to heck, but fret not, I will still cover about Honda stuff and everything in between. Some interesting articles will have priorities especially the Freed Versus anything bit but some other articles will have to wait for some other time.

… But watch out for more jumbled wordings because some academic writings will seep in between the cracks or two.

Best regards,

Michael Adhi MBA

Soon, Honda of Japan will unveil its latest model refresh for the venerable Stream. The main Honda Stream website has a clickable picture of the refreshed car. Small, and only shows ¾ side view of the car, but it’s already enough to discern the changes Honda engineers made to the car, at least externally.

As you can see, below is the existing Honda Stream RSZ trim, and further below is the refreshed version.

The old Stream RSZ

Hot wheels! Literally

What can I say really, the “corporate face of Honda” steadily creeps in to every new cars. The “double bumper” style which originates on the FCX hydrogen powered car was first applied on the JDM Odyssey. Then it was applied to Honda rising star, the Insight. Finally, it found its way to the refreshed Stream. Kind of hate the look, as it doesn’t look symmetrical and personally, it distracts the aggressive line set by the previous model.

On a side note… Side note, the side, got it? <tried to hard> Side skirts are new, more aggressive styling and do justice to the aggressive looking Stream. The side panel blinkers also moved from the usual front side panels to side view mirrors.

The rear lights of RSZ received a black-white treatment, replacing the usual red-yellow setup. Very seldom car makers do this, the only car I know having this black-white light setup is Mitsubishi Grandis. Personally I found this setup, making the car very aggressive looking, because most ricers tint their rear lights to make it look cool (albeit stupid). Although it cannot be seen from the angle above, most likely the reverse and side blinkers are transparent with the bulb emitting the necessary colors, and just the housing which is tinted black.

Rims wise, the refreshed RSZ sports a luscious set of part-polished 5 star rims. If the photographer is not putting too much emphasis on the rim lighting, it seems that the car is using part-polished rims; meaning that the outward facing sides are polished from the factory, making the car bling from the get go.

Witty comments:

One thing is clear, Honda Stream is a design success, why? Because Honda didn’t do much in term of design changes. A revised bumper and rims are given for any refreshed car from Japan, but aside from that, the Stream receives little change from the original second generation model. Compared to the completely remodeled head light, rear lights and bumper on the first generation Stream refresh, this generation of Stream is a design go.

So there you have it, the refreshed Stream and all of its glory. Stay tune for a complete write up once the car is officially released by Honda… Soon.

Source:

Honda Stream official site (click on the big “new stream” sign)

Peringatan akan sesuatu yang membahayakan memang sebuah hal yang patut untuk disebarkan secara luas. Akan tetapi, peringatan akan sesuatu yang salah hanya akan menimbulkan kepanikan yang tak berujung.

Sekali lagi saya dihubungi oleh orang tua saya perihal flu babi dan anjuran untuk tidak memakan daging babi untuk sementara waktu. Alasannya adalah, orang tua saya menonton acara berita yang menghadirkan salah seorang menteri dan disebutkan bahwa untuk sementara jangan mengonsumsi daging babi. Tentu saja, orang tua saya langsung percaya karena yang menyatakan hal tersebut adalah seorang menteri… Tidak perlu cerita panjang, saya langsung mengirimkan dokumen resmi dari WHO ke orang tua saya untuk dibaca.

Seperti halnya kasus hoax Phenylpropanolamine, masyarakat kita terkadang memercayai sesuatu langsung dari mulut ke mulut tanpa klarifikasi dahulu… Contoh yang lebih konkrit? Anda cukup berteriak “MALING!!!” sembari menunjuk kepada seorang lelaki setengah baya di tengah kerumunan, seraya pasti lelaki tersebut akan dikerumuni massa dan dipukuli tanpa sebab.

Dokumen resmi dari WHO menjelaskan bahwa “Flu Babi” tidak dapat menular melalui daging babi yang sudah diolah dengan panas minimal 70 derajat celcius. Titik. Hal ini serupa dengan perlakuan terhadap daging ayam yang dicurigai terkontaminasi “Flu Burung”, Anda cukup memasaknya dengan panas yang sama. Seperti kita ketahui, rata-rata orang memasak dengan suhu 100 derajat lebih dengan cara menggoreng atau merebus. Jadi, apabila Anda memasak daging tersebut dengan cara konvensional, tidak ada hal yang perlu ditakutkan.

Adapun dokumen resmi WHO menyatakan bahwa “Flu Babi” memiliki kemungkinan tinggi berasal dari kombinasi “Flu Manusia” dan “Flu Burung” yang menjangkiti seekor babi dan bermutasi menjadi “Flu Babi” atau secara klinis disebut sebagai H1N1.

Untuk informasi lebih lanjut dan lengkap, silahkan unduh/download dokumen resmi WHO dari link dibawah ini…

http://www.who.int/entity/csr/swine_flu/swine_flu_faq_26april.pdf

Perihal penjualan daging babi yang menurun. Menurut saya pribadi, itu hanyalah sebuah euforia tanpa dasar. “Flu Babi” berawal dari Meksiko dan hanya bisa menular dari manusia ke manusia, kecuali manusia yang telah tertular “Flu Babi” berdekatan dengan babi, barulah terjadi kemungkinan sang babi terjangkit virus tersebut.

Tadi pagi saya menonton berita CNN mengenai seorang wanita Korea menjadi “suspect” “Flu Babi”, karena dia baru kembali dari Meksiko. Semua orang yang ada di pesawat tersebut langsung diperiksa secara medis dan wanita Korea ini masih menunggu hasil laboratorium dari Amerika perihal vonis kesehatannya.

Meksiko sendiri merupakan “Ground Zero” atau pusat penyebaran “Flu Babi” di dunia. Jadi, apabila kerabat Anda baru pulang dari Meksiko atau negara-negara tetangganya, terutama Amerika Serikat… Berhati-hatilah apabila mereka merasakan gejala flu… Bukan berhati-hati mengonsumsi daging babi.

Saya hanya lebih cemas terhadap kultur masyarakat yang gemar membuang ludah sembarangan. Karena ludah yang mengering lebih rentan menyebarkan virus secara “air-born” dibanding cara penyebaran virus lainnya.

Sedikit bacaan di kala senggang:

Pernyataan departemen agrikultur Amerika Serikat perihal konsumsi daging babi

Situs resmi WHO

Aman makan daging babi berita MSNBC

This blog might be a leisurely past time for me, but it is indeed a training ground for me to brush up on my english and the knowledges I accumulated over the years.

As such, the blog will occasionally be updated with the latest internet technology available. For this slight update, I’m adding up a twitter feeder on the top right bar, and if you open this blog on your mobile phone, it will automatically displays itself as a mobile website, how cool is that!!! You can watch my witty comments on the go now.

The twitter updates will off course be frequent, and it might just divulge some info on some waited entries on this blog. I also updated my “about me and ze blog” page, you will see a drastic change in my approach in writing, as future blog entry will be much much much much much more light and in some instance might be fun to read.

So here’s for a better future!

Wowza… Not since I wrote about Honda Accord Euro / Acura TSX, there has been more visitors coming to my blog. Well, for all of you dear readers, do enjoy some more pictures, and some revisions (more revisions I mean) for the whole content.

You can find the entry on the Freed’s complete paper review by clicking here or here http://michaeladhi.com/2008/06/17/honda-freed-complete-paper-review/

Hari minggu lalu, saya mendapatkan SMS dari Ibu mertua saya yang menyebutkan seperti ini:

PHENYLPROPANOLAMINE obat influenza(decongestant) ditarik oleh badan pengawasan obat dan pangan Amerika(FDA) pada tanggal 1 maret 2009 karena terbukti sebabkan PENDARAHAN DI OTAK. Berikut obat2 di Indonesia yg mengandung PHENYLPROPANOLAMINE 1.DECOLGEN 2.DECOLSIN 3.SINUTAB 4.ALLERIN 5.BODREXIN 6.CONTAC500 7.COSYR 8.FLUCYL 9.FLUDANE 10.FLUGESIC 11.INZA 12.KOMIX 13.MIXAFLU 14.MIXAGRIP 15.NALGESTAN 16.NEOZEP FORTE 17.NODROF 18.PARASUTIN 19.PROCOLD 20.RHINOTUSSAL 21.SANAFLU 22.SILADEX 23.STOPCOLD 24.TRIAMIN. Bri tau teman2 & saudara

Tampaknya, di era informasi ini masih banyak orang-orang yang tampaknya senang menyebabkan kegaduhan dalam sistem tatanan masyarakat yang teratur. Seperti film Batman: The Dark Knight, dimana sang pengurus rumah tangga setia, Alfred menyatakan bahwa ada beberapa orang yang ingin melihat dunia hancur tanpa keuntungan bagi pelakunya sedikitpun.

Berita hoax ini bahkan sudah menyebar melalui chat client populer… (gak mau promosi ah)… Cukup untuk dikatakan bahwa saya telah mendapatkan beberapa pesan yang diforward oleh teman-teman saya. Tentu saja, saya membalas pesan ini untuk menenangkan teman-teman saya yang kebingungan dan panik.

Phenylpropanolamine benar merupakan zat berbahaya, menyebabkan pendarahan otak, dan benar telah dilarang oleh pihak FDA.  Namun selain kenyataan pada kalimat pembuka paragraf ini, semua isi pesan mengenai Phenylpropanolamine tidak memiliki basis kenyataan. Phenylpropanolamine sendiri sudah dilarang digunakan semenjak tahun 2000, BUKAN 1 Maret 2009. Karena riset membuktikan bahwa bahan tersebut menyebabkan pendarahan otak pada kebanyakan wanita. Phenylpropanolamine BUKAN obat, melainkan sebuah bahan baku pembuatan obat saja, jelas… Kalimat pembukaan pesan hoax ini sudah salah.

Apakah Phenylpropanolamine digunakan oleh obat-obat yang digunakan diatas saya tidak tahu. Tapi yang jelas, saya baru saja sembuh dari pilek berkepanjangan dan saya selalu minum Stopcold. Mendapatkan pesan ini, saya langsung melihat daftar bahan pembuat Stopcold yang tertera pada bungkusnya. Cukup menenangkan bahwa Phenylpropanolamine tidak disebutkan dalam daftar bahan pembuat obat ini.

Yang perlu diperhatikan dan disimak disini adalah kondisi masyarakat kita yang mudah terpengaruh komunikasi getok tular tanpa melalui proses logika terlebih dahulu. Apakah Anda benar-benar percaya, bahwa Badan Pengawas Obat dan Makanan Indonesia begitu bodohnya untuk meloloskan sebuah zat yang sangat berbahaya ini 9 tahun lamanya? Aturan baku oleh BPOM, FDA dan badan pengawas obat dan makanan lainnya, menyatakan bahwa bahan baku pembuat obat dan makanan harus tertera secara jelas pada bungkus kemasannya. Penggunaan kata “bahan lainnya” pun sudah mulai jarang tertera pada bungkus obat dan makanan. Jadi, apabila perusahaan obat ataupun makanan gagal menyertakan informasi yang lengkap, maka perusahaan tersebut sudah melanggar hukum. Setidaknya, tidak ada bahan Phenylpropanolamine pada obat Stopcold.

Berikut adalah pernyataan resmi dari pihak FDA mengenai berita kebohongan yang beredar ini…

FDA is aware of emails circulating widely that list many products allegedly containing PPA. These emails, however, generally contain dated and inaccurate information and should be ignored.

Dan tanggal berapa pesan tersebut dilansir oleh pihak FDA? 23 Desember 2005. Jauh dari 1 Maret 2009 yang disebut dalam pesan hoax yang beredar.

Pesan saya hanya satu, stop menelan informasi publik secara bulat-bulat bila dilansir oleh sumber yang tak dikenal. Telaah informasi yang Anda terima dengan seksama, cari bukti pendukung lainnya, dan ambil kesimpulan dengan tenang. Saya yakin, Anda pun mencari opini kedua bila pergi memeriksa kesehatan apabila penyakitnya serius… Lalu, kenapa tidak mencari informasi pendukung kenyataan yang Anda dapatkan dari sumber tak dikenal? Mudah percaya bukanlah sebuah hal baik dalam dunia yang penuh dengan kebohongan ini.

Sumber:

Informasi resmi FDA mengenai Phenylpropanolamine

Pernyataan FDA membantah surat kaleng mengenai Phenylpropanolamine

Informasi hoax Phenylpropanolamine