Harga Honda Mobilio Ditawarkan Mulai Rp.159 Juta

Harga Honda Mobilio Ditawarkan Mulai Rp.159 Juta. Honda Mobilio yang merupakan mobil Low Multi Purpose Vehicle (LMPV) pertama yang ditawarkan oleh PT. Honda Prospect Motor (HPM) telah dirilis harganya sesuai tipe yang ditawarkan. Untuk tipe E M/T dijual dengan harga mulai Rp159,5 juta, tipe E CVT ditawarkan dengan harga Rp189,5 juta.

Honda Mobilio. Majalah Otomotif Online | Harga Honda Mobilio Ditawarkan Mulai Rp.159 Juta.

Honda Mobilio.

Honda Mobilio dijual mulai Rp159 juta

PT. Honda Prospect Motor (HPM) merilis harga resmi varian Low Multi Purpose Vehicle (LMPV) pertamanya, Honda Mobilio.

Varian terendah yakni Mobilio tipe E M/T dijual mulai dari harga Rp159.500.000 sedangkan varian teringgi yakni Mobilio Prestige dijual Rp198 juta. "Dengan dimulainya produksi, kami juga bisa mengumumkan harga untuk Honda Mobilio," kata Marketing and After Sales Service Director PT HPM, Jonfis Fandy di Karawang, Rabu (15/1/2013).

Untuk harga Tipe E M/T, mobil ini dijual dengan harga Rp179 juta sedangkan Tipe E CVT dijual dengan harga Rp189,5 juta.

Pengiriman mobil menurut Jonfis akan mulai dilakukan pada 25 Januari dengan ditandai 160 handover Mobilio. "Selanjutnya akan kami lakukan pengiriman secara bertahap," katanya.

Mobil ini dilengkapi dengan mesin 1.5 L i-Vtec yang mampu mengeluarkan tenaga 118Ps dengan torsi 14,8 kg.m.

otomotif.antaranews.com

Contest Drawing Update

Hello, everyone! On January 4th I announced my first giveaway drawing, a SolaDyne Solar Lantern. When I first thought of this giveaway, I thought the response would be overwhelming, but it's been anything but. To date, only 19 members have enrolled. I'm not sure why the numbers are so low, but it is what it is. Maybe folks think that the odds of winning are low, but they really aren't. They're actually pretty good. I know that blog giveaways are often difficult, most folks simply don't want to bother, but I thought this one would be different with the cool gift and all. I guess not.

For this contest to continue, I really need to get at least 50 members to enroll. That leaves us with 31 before the drawing date of February 4th, so please get the word out to family and friends. Reaching that target makes for pretty good odds for winning, 50-1. Much better than the lottery. That's for sure. Thanks, Mike.

Product Reivew: Rugged Ridge XHD Hood Catches

Rugged Ridge's black aluminum XHD Hood Catches

There's no such thing as a perfect vehicle.  The Jeep Wrangler JK is about as close as you'll ever find, but even it has its shortcomings.  For instance, its suspension is too low.  It doesn't come from the factory with 35-inch-tall tires.  And its rubber hood catches allow the hood to flutter in a strong headwind.

Most serious Jeep owners install a suspension lift kit and bigger tires, but not enough of them upgrade their hood latches.  When new, the original rubber hood latches work fine, but as the rubber dries out and they lose their elasticity with age, they can allow hood flutter when traveling at a high rate of speed.  Even at normal highway speeds, a strong headwind or an oncoming truck can blast enough wind through the Jeep's radiator to pressurize the underhood engine compartment and force the hood to lift.

The original plastic and rubber hood catches

It may be disconcerting to watch the hood bounce up and down with every big gust of headwind, but the hood isn't going to fly open all of a sudden; not only would both rubber hood catches need to break, but the central metal hood latch would also have to fail.  But even so, I wanted to upgrade my Jeep's hood catches to solve this annoyance.

There are a few aftermarket upgrades available for the JK, TJ, and earlier Jeeps.  The most popular is the Daystar Hood Wranglers.  These are a pair of polyurethane replacement straps for the original rubber straps.  They don't stretch as much as the rubber ones do, and the polyurethane is reported to better withstand weather and ultraviolet breakdown over the years.  They're very easy to install and at only $25 a set, it would be silly to replace your worn out old rubber ones with a set of fresh rubber ones from your local Jeep dealership.

Daystar Hood Wranglers

The downside to Daystar's Hood Wranglers is that they still utilize the OEM plastic latch, mount, and buckle pieces.  Since plastic breaks down and becomes brittle in the sun, and also succumbs to general fatigue, I wanted to find a better option.  After lots of research, I chose the Rugged Ridge XHD Hood Catches which dwarf the OEM hood catches, are proven to be a huge upgrade in strength and durability, and are surprisingly affordable.

Every part of these extra-heavy-duty hood catches is metal.  Rather than simply utilizing a flexible material for the strap, these hood catches have a fully adjustable turnbuckle with jam nuts to allow simple adjustment and prevent them from coming loose.  The billet aluminum hardware is powdercoated black, but they are also available in silver, which not only doesn't match anything on the Jeep but are also more expensive.

OEM Jeep hood catches next to Rugged Ridge's XHD upgrade

Everything you need is included in the box:

Clear instructions and quality packaging

Installation is very easy - remove the original hood catches and install the XHD Hood Catches in their place:

Re-use the rubber hood bumper on the new base bracket

The bottom bracket has one supplied nut, countersunk bolt, and washer.  It utilizes two alignment pins, just like the original bracket.  Getting a 1/4-inch ratchet with a 1/2-inch deep socket behind the fender is the trickiest part of the entire installation.

Easily accessible nuts for the hood latch

The hood-mounted upper bracket is easily removed and replaced since the two 10mm nuts are readily accessible on the underside of the hood.  New bolts, washers, and nuts are supplied in the Rugged Ridge kit.

After loosening the jam nuts, rotating the buckle to adjust its length and tension, and retightening the jam nuts, the new Rugged Ridge XHD Hood Catches secure the hood down with a solid, reassuring clunk.  There is no way the billet aluminum and stainless steel hardware will stretch or crack like the original rubber and plastic parts do, and hood flutter is a thing of the past.  The oversize and attractively-styled XHD Hood Catches give the Jeep a subtle yet powerful visual upgrade that won't look weathered and worn out after a few years in the sun.

Rugged Ridge has a lot of dealers so you shouldn't have any trouble sourcing this kit, but pricing varies considerably.  The kit retails for $130.99 but the best price I found is on Amazon.com where you can also read numerous glowing reviews from other Jeep owners.  I paid around $78.00 and I consider it money well spent.

Jeep Wrangler on Fifth Gear

Fifth Gear is a British motoring show along the lines of Top Gear.  It does not have the U.S. distribution that Top Gear does through BBC America, or its own American version corresponding with Top Gear America, but you can still access all the shows on Final Gear.

In the following segment, they compare a new Jeep Wrangler JK to the original Willys Jeep:

Jeep Wrangler on Top Gear Korea

Top Gear is an international phenomenon - a car show so good, it appeals even to non-car enthusiasts.  Most car guys are familiar with the original British Top Gear, Top Gear America, and Top Gear Australia due to the series' availability on Final Gear.  There isn't much of an audience in English-speaking countries for Top Gear Korea, but that doesn't mean their episodes aren't worth watching.

Behold Top Gear Korea's segment on the Jeep Wrangler JK:

While the host is obviously an inexperienced offroad driver, it's still an entertaining video with a Korean take on the successful British formula for automotive entertainment.

The Story of "Stomper" The Rescue Rubicon

A silver lining has emerged from the black cloud of the devastating tornado that destroyed Moore, Oklahoma on May 20, 2013.  The story of Bryan Hutton and his 2012 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon "Stomper" begins with them leaving their home on Ohio to visit family in Oklahoma.

They got caught in the tornado's path.  Their Jeep was locked in the garage while the family hid in their storm cellar.  Once they emerged after the tornado passed, they found nothing left of their neighborhood.  The Jeep was buried in what was left of the house.

Hutton started checking other homes for survivors and soon realized that the Jeep could be very useful in rescuing people from the rubble - if it could start up and drive.  He dug through the rubble and was able to get the driver’s door open just enough that he could reach in and push the clutch pedal in with his hand and then turn on the ignition.  The Rubicon fired right up.  He reached in and jerked the shifter into reverse.  The Rubi begin to dig and claw its way backwards out of the debris and out of the garage.  Once it cleared the debris he was able to get it stopped in the driveway.

He cleared the wood and other debris out of the Jeep and drove up and down the neighborhood on three flat tires, offering help in any way he could.  He used the Jeep's Warn VR8000 winch numerous times to uncover people trapped under debris.  He transported injured people to medical personnel.  He delivered food, water, clothing, and other supplies to people.

The hero Jeep, although a total loss as far as insurance is concerned, is not heading to the recyclers.  Inspired by Bryan's efforts and the never-say-die attitude of his Jeep, numerous Jeep aftermarket  companies are contributing to its rebuild, including ARB, Reid Racing, Warn, TeraFlex, Rock Krawler, MetalCloak, Rock-Slide Engineering, Rugged Ridge, DiabloSport, Asfir4x4, TrekArmor, GR8TOPS, Genesis Offroad, RCV Performance, Factor 55, TrailReady, Burnsville Offroad, Race Car Dynamics, and others.  The rebuild is being performed by Crocker Off Road Performance in Phoenix, AZ.

You can follow the story and connect with everyone involved on the Jeep's Facebook page.  Several news outlets are also covering this story, including Jalopnik, Truck Trend, Highline Autos, and C4x4 Magazine.


Here's a great video from RightThisMinute.

The 4x4 Podcast discussed the whole story of Stomper.

Stomper even inspired a Jeep commercial:

Brand Stewardship in Action

If you've been tracking the success of A&E's Duck Dynasty show - you've seen it has had a rapid rise in popularity. The recent snafu with Phil Robertson and his short-term "suspension" has only propelled the show into new dialogues of the social sphere. In the end, A&E was swayed by a viewer boycott and rapid loss of viewership after indefinitely benching the elder Robertson. It just so happens Duck Dynasty is A&E's top-rated show after carelessly shooting themselves in the foot they quickly patched things up and "un-suspended" the conservatively minded patriarch.

It turns out the dedicated followers of the Duck Dynasty show are socially savvy. They put their collective power to use and quickly quelled any notions of canning the lucrative show - as it could not have gone on without the elder Robertson. In the end the nearly 12 million viewers got what they wanted and were "happy, happy, happy."

Swing your semi-auto gaze to another field filled with passionate duck lovers. In our world of high-tech tracking and gadgets that follow our every move - even ducks and geese are not immune to the eagle eyes of hunters, biologists and wildlife refuge officers. Ducks.org has slick Waterfowl Migration tracker - sponsored by Ducks Unlimited and Remington that gives reports on the status and movement of the quacking sort.

Looking up a report in my neck of the woods near Toledo, Ohio shows a report by Gerry Mazur, Avery Pro Staff. His report gives a glimpse to the trials and tribulations of being a duck and goose in the wild when temps are sub-zero.

Hunting: Has been too dangerous to be out.

Species/Numbers: Ducks and geese are working the rivers for open water and near salt piles to stay alive.

Weather: Starting a slow thaw from the dangerous could the last 4 days. wind chills were in the -40 below category and some spots close to a foot of snow.

Let me first say - this is why I prefer a coat with down vs. synthetic. No other material in the world has the insulating properties of down. Human skin is rather lacking. A bit better with beards like the Robertson's, but still lacking. The National Weather Service reports that exposed skin can get frostbite in as little as 10 minutes with wind chill reaching -40 to -60 degrees Fahrenheit. Yikes.

Equally impressive is the fact that Gerry Mazur was out and about checking on the status of ducks and geese in this frigid weather. This kind of dedication is commendable. A real die-hard for ducks.

So what is this "Avery Pro-Staff" designation alongside Gerry's name? Turns out it is a special program for outdoor-minded individuals (aka hunters) that use Avery Outdoors equipment and want to become more than a consumer, but a team member (brand steward). They have very strict criteria for their staff and expect a certain level of dedication to the cause. An application process is posted on their message board, where they stress, "being part of this special team is hard work and will require a commitment of time and energy that many cannot make." They stress being a team player and the seriousness of the calling.

Averyoutdoors.com has a Pro-Staff page that includes biographies of each Staff Member on their site and it appears to be a big part of their marketing program. This empowerment of the masses to be brand stewards and promote the good of duck hunting as well as their own brand is noteworthy.

Proud duck dog from North Texas.

My hope, as a writer and brand steward of the Jeep brand, is that as Gerry is trekking through the tundra tracking ducks along the migratory waterways of Michigan and Ohio -- he would be doing it in a Jeep 4x4. I applaud Avery Outdoors for their nurturing of brand stewards that actively monitor their pro-staff flyways and represent their brand. Well-done and happy spotting!