Phew..what a year 2011 turned out to be! It’s a shame my first post for this year also turns out to be the last but I have many grand plans for GirlzTorque in 2012 and I hope you’ll be coming along for the ride.
Please drive safely these holidays and don’t forget about the double demerits! See you on the other side…
The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:
The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads This blog is doing awesome!.
A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 2,500 times in 2010. That’s about 6 full 747s.
In 2010, there were 5 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 19 posts. There were 15 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 894kb. That’s about a picture per month.
The busiest day of the year was May 4th with 43 views. The most popular post that day was Top 10 Tips for Buying a Used Car (and surviving the experience).
The top referring sites in 2010 were twitter.com, facebook.com, linkedin.com, statistics.bestproceed.com, and mambang-x.com.
Some visitors came searching, mostly for hyundai imax, hyundai imax interior, hyundai imax 8 seater, great wall x240, and wacky shoes.
These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.
Top 10 Tips for Buying a Used Car (and surviving the experience) May 2010
Holiday Flashback – Touring in the Hyundai iMax CRDi December 2009
Cruze-ing in the new Holden Cruze CD Diesel and CDX Petrol October 2009
What to do if you accidentally hit an animal with your car December 2009
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Australian Learner Driver Test iPhone App – A Review November 2009
The Newcastle developer of the new inner city Arvia Apartments, has devised the perfect solution for the building’s shortage of car parking spaces and also for inner city living in general.
The Newcastle Herald writes “Arvia Apartments is thought to be the first residential block in Newcastle to have a cars share scheme when it opens in 2011.”
The body corporate will look after the maintenance, booking and hire of the cars so it’s a practical solution for inner city residents who don’t require a car most of the time and also cheaper than owning and maintaining one.
Car sharing is by no means a new concept but the convenience of only sharing with fellow residents seems like an attractive deal to me. My only concern would be driving around town with the tacky artwork on the car!
I want to drive a pair of these wacky shoes!
. Look for a car that suits your needs rather than your “wants”. Consider such factors as your stage of life and income. For example, if you are a student with limited income, you would be best to look for a smaller car that is economical to run, or if you are thinking of starting a family, a car with plenty of room for prams, child seat and easy accessibility.6. Ask for a Safety Inspection Report that is not more than 42 days old. A pass means the car is roadworthy. If you have a friend with good mechanical knowledge, bring them along to inspect the vehicle for you as well as take it for a test drive.
The innovative guys at SoundMan Car Audio had big plans for launch day of the new iPad in the US earlier this month. Watch how they got busy installing the iPad into the dash of a Toyota Tacoma (Hilux in Australia).
Check out the rest of the installation videos on the SoundMan Car Audio YouTube channel to see how they iron out the bugs. Interesting stuff!
Imagine being able to warm up your car on a cold morning before you step out of the house, or cool down your car in a hot supermarket carpark while you’re lining up at the checkout. The Viper SmartStart iPhone app from Directed Electronics enables you to do just that, all from your iPhone or iPod Touch.
As well as allowing you to start your car, this app allows you to unlock/lock doors and open the boot remotely as well as activate the panic alarm/car finder from almost anywhere so long as your car is within range of GSM cellular signal and your iPhone has 3G or wi-fi signal.
Also beta testing is currently under way on push notifications to your phone should your car alarm be triggered.
You need not worry about your car being stolen after you start it remotely as the doors remain locked and you still require the key to drive it away.
The Viper SmartStart app allows you to link to several cars but each car requires a separate SmartStart system installed.
The Viper SmartStart iPhone App is free to download but requires the Viper SmartStart System or (SmartStart module on Viper compatible systems) be installed in your vehicle which retail in the US for US$499 and US$299 respectively plus a yearly subscription fee of US$29.95 for the SmartStart service.
The only bad news is that the Viper SmartStart system is not yet available in Australia but will hopefully be launched here in 2010.
I stumbled across this nifty little product while surfing the net. If you’re constantly losing coins, phones or your m&m’s down the sides of your car seat like I do, then you may see why I got a little excited about the Drop Stop Car Wedge
For US$19.95 plus postage and handling (Drop Stop take international orders) you receive 2 Drop Stops and a Slide Free Pad and LED Credit Card light .
How Drop Stop Car Wedges Work
The Drop Stop squeezes in to fill the gap between your seat and centre console and has a cutout for the seatbelt catch. It’s unobtrusive and unnoticeable, until off course you drop something. Drop Stop claims to fit all size cars and trucks.
I just wonder where my kids will get their money from if I installed a couple of these Drop Stops in my car!
Visit http://www.buydropstop.com/ for more info.
Last year, my family travelled to the Gold Coast from Sydney in the Hyundai iMax CRDi thanks to Paul Wakeling Hyundai. This is my review from the adventure…seems like only yesterday!
The Hyundai iMax is so incredibly spacious - fits 8 people comfortably and all their luggage.
The annual summer holiday road trip conjures up images reminiscent of a B-grade horror movie. Hot and sweaty family members frustrated and on the verge of killing each other. Sharing their limited space for endless hours in a crowded metal box and all to the spine-chilling looping soundtrack of “Are we there yet?”
However, this year’s trip to the Gold Coast was to be a welcome break from that nightmare. This year my family was driving up in the new Hyundai iMax and we were actually looking forward to the trip as much as the destination. Our travelling tribe consisted of three adults, two teenagers and two young children and we had originally planned to take two cars. Now with the iMax we were able to travel together, share the driving and save money on fuel.
Our concern with having only one vehicle for seven people was predominantly luggage space. Many people movers have plenty of passenger room but compromise on space in the luggage area. Our jaws dropped at the sight of the massive 851 litre boot in the iMax which had more than enough room for all our luggage plus a stroller.
We put the booster seat in the third row, loaded up the kids with their pillows and blankets and hit the open road while it was still dark and quiet.
The kids were quick to get comfy in the spacious seats and sleep for the first few hours of the trip. The middle row of seats reclined for additional comfort and there was plenty of leg room. Independent rear seat air conditioning let the kids in the back alter the temperature in their space.
The Hyundai iMax CRDi has a diesel engine which offers amazing power as well as fuel efficiency. With a van loaded up to capacity with passengers and luggage I expected sluggish performance, particularly on inclines, however, this couldn’t have been further from the truth. The iMax travelled effortlessly and smoothly the whole way. Up hills, the diesel engine powered away at speed without the need to go down a gear! I was very impressed.
Diesel has become a popular option for many reasons, but mainly for its fuel efficiency. The distance from Sydney to the Gold Coast is approximately 1,000km. The iMax has a 75 litre fuel tank and does about 8.5 litres/100km. The price for diesel per litre at this time was $1.25 so the total price for the trip up was roughly around $110.00.
Diesel cars chug like small trucks when you’re idle but once in motion the iMax travels smoothly and quietly. The iMax definitely doesn’t handle like a truck either. Reverse parking large cars is a little scary, however, with Rear Park Assist, Power Steering and decent sized mirrors, parking was a breeze.
Other additional stand out features of the iMax include cup holders galore (good sized ones too), practical storage compartments such as over head for sunglasses and dual glove compartment. Sliding doors on both sides, 6-speaker CD/MP3 audio system and interior lights everywhere (even on the driver and passenger vanity mirrors). All this luxury encased in a sleek exterior available in four stylish colours, grey titanium, sleek silver, blue diamond and ceramic white.
Overall, it was very easy to see how the iMax Turbo Diesel Manual rose above the likes of Honda Odyssey Luxury, Mitsubishi Grandis VR-X and Toyota Tarago to take out Australia’s Best People Mover in 2008 (and 2009). http://www.australiasbestcars.com.au and at only around $46,220 drive away it also wins my vote on true value for money.
HOLIDAY ‘MUST HAVE’ : The Schneider roof mounted DVD player. It doesn’t come standard but is truly worth installing for peace and quiet from bored passengers in the back. It includes two infrared wireless headphones and is Playstation compatible.
Enjoy the Christmas & Summer holidays and drive safely!
*Hyundai iMax CRDi courtesy of Paul Wakeling Hyundai Mill Rd Campbelltown – 02 46 28 1444
Keep your furry loved ones from becoming an animal collision statistic
I’ve lost count of amount of times I have nearly hit a cat or dog driving around suburban streets. Each time, I feel an overwhelming relief that I haven’t killed someone’s beloved pet, but I often wonder what I would do if I found myself in that situation. At this high rate of near misses, I figure a collision with an animal is, sadly, almost inevitable.
A research paper by AAMI and Lori Smith Animal Hospital (January 2009), highlights some interesting facts about domestic animal car collisions.
In a sample of 2,503 drivers, half of the respondents had hit an animal with a car. 32 per cent had hit a dog while 23 percent had hit a cat.
Only a third of animals involved in car collision survived. More dogs (70 percent) were seen for treatment as they were more likely to survive the impact due to their size.
The report also revealed that over 60 to 70 percent of the animals presented at the Animal Hospital were not de-sexed which made them more likely to roam the streets. A lot of these animals were also lost or stray with no owners.
So, what do you do if you accidentally hit an animal on the road?
Be alert and drive carefully around suburban streets at night. Cats and dogs often dart out from behind parked cars leaving you little time to stop or avoid hitting them.
Also, remember to keep your own pets safely in your yard or indoors to avoid them becoming another sad animal collision statistic.
Important numbers to keep in your mobile or in the glovebox:
RSPCA :
NSW: 02 9770 7555
VIC: 03 9224 2222
QLD: 07 3426 9999
SA: 08 8231 6931
WA: 08 9209 9300
ACT: 02 6287 8100
NT: 08 8984 3795
TAS: 03 6332 8200
WIRES (for native animals) :
1300 0WIRES ( 1300 094 737)
