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Is 'tiny living' really irrelevant in Singapore?
dailydoseofcoffee posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
I discussed the possibility of living in tiny houses in Singapore in an earlier blog post. But as we know, it isn't an option to begin with – no thanks, of course, to our lack of land space. Someone also pointed out that the idea of tiny houses is "romanticised" – which, I don't deny (but hey, that's why it's a dream). While it's clear tiny houses aren't going to work out here, the concept of 'tiny living' is; not just physically but also mentally. Anyone who has lived enough years locally would observe that homes have become smaller. I take myself – an inhabitant of this island of a few decades – as an example. I may have had to spend about a minute to get from one end of an old house to the other. In a newly built flat with the same number of rooms though, I might well only need half that amount of time. These gut feeling estimations aside, are we imagining the relativity of the size of our living spaces? Or is this truly the case? According to research meticulously done by Stacked Homes, HDBs have i n d e e d gotten smaller over the years. This, however, doesn't apply across the board. 3-room flats are seemingly spared from the "shrinking" phenomenon. Through the test of time between 1966 and 2019, the average size of HDBs with three rooms has stayed faithful more or less to the magic number: 68 square metres (sqm). The same cannot be said of their 4-room counterparts, which tend to be a popular pick among Singaporean families. Just how much have local homes shrunk? Apparently, where we stand on the scale of time will tell a different tale of size. In the 70s and up to the 80s, 4-room HDBs saw sizes that ranged from 80 sqm to over 100 sqm. Then the 90s came and 4-rooms started averaging 100+ sqm. Somehow this trend did not persist into the 2000s. Today, the size of 4-room HDBs lurk around the 90 sqm mark and has remained so since. One explanation that's commonly dished out to justify the downsizing is quite literally the increasingly few people occupying the houses – the modern nuclear family. If there's going to be at most three persons living in a flat, why bother packing in space that accommodates five? From an urban planning vantage point, this is strategic and optimum. Yet as the ones who live in these homes, it's possible for us to get the impression that our lives also got "downsized". Those who knew what once used to be will feel this more acutely. Say you've lived in a large house for more than half of your life; having to move into anything smaller would naturally lead you to feel like you're made worse off. But judging from how the numbers have been trending, variations in our home sizes are likely not going to sway the graph in a vastly different direction – at least not in the foreseeable future. With physical constraints featuring strong in the grand scheme of things, how do we circumvent the perceived feeling of reduced quality of life? How do we make peace with what has become our reality? I reckon a change of perspectives can, for example, by going tiny. Rather than 'tiny living' in the context of tiny houses, I'm suggesting applying the notion to maximise our living space and our lives constructed within. This will require two things. We're already familiar with minimalism: Owning less and living more as a result. The other key element in the equation is to increase the number of uses for each space. This can be achieved through interior design, either by a remake of the home layout or furniture that allows for versatility. Singapore isn't the only city that's confronted with urban planning challenges. Places like Paris, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Milan are one with us in this problem that plagues densely populated, highly developed cities. Some have found solutions to much success and that means so can we. In a series of a few blog posts, we'll take a look at some of these cleverly designed homes (a.k.a my personal favourites) with fresh perspectives we may not otherwise have thought about. So, keep your eyes peeled! - Denise- 3 comments
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Mercedes has been coming out with several new variants using smaller (sub 2.0L) engine for its passenger vehicle lineup of late and there seems to be no end to the trend, in view of tighter emissions and fuel economy requirements by EU and other countries. I have to admit that I am surprised when I learnt about the "new" C160 at the beginning of this year and E180 shortly after that, both having a 1.5L inline 4 turbo-charged unit under it hood, producing 129ps / 210Nm and 156ps / 250Nm respectively. And the naive me thought these are the limits. I am wrong, as the CLS260 has just been introduced in China, and spotted the same 1.5L inline 4 unit under the hood, but producing 184ps / 280Nm this time with a help of the mild hybrid setup. Coupled with a 9 speed automatic transmission, it can accelerate to 100 km/h in 8.7 seconds and reach a top speed of 250 km/h. Fuel consumption is rated at 7.2 L/100 km (13.89 Km/L), which is decent to say the least, for a car of this size (~5m in length) and weight (~1.8 ton). While the spec look very impressive for this entry variant, but taking into consideration that the selling price is unlikely to be more than $30K different from the CLS350 due to COE, VES and other vehicle taxes, while saving in road tax is "negligible" since the CLS350 is actually powered by a 2.0L turbo engine (instead of 3.0L as many have expected), it is not a good deal after all. What is your take? Will we be seeing a 1.5L S280 soon, or even a GLS300? I sincerely hope it will not happen. BTW, rumor mill is saying that the next C43 AMG and E53 AMG will be using a 2.0L unit... ...
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Recently walked past the That CD shop at MBS and it used to have two units there...one a restaurant cum bistro....and the other unit selling cd's.....seems like they are downsizing, as the papers recently mentioned they've closed the branches at Tanglin Mall and Paragon....Seems like most cd shops are so out of fashion these days...
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Previously, the only petrol engine available for the Mercedes GLK class SUV is a 3.5-litre V6. But starting from June this year, the European market will be offered with the GLK 250 4MATIC, which is equipped with the 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder borrowed from the A250. It produces 208bhp with 350Nm of torque. The engine is mated to a seven-speed 7G-TRONIC PLUS automatic transmission that sends the power to all four wheels. The engine is fitted with a start/stop function as standard. Although the engine capacity has been slashed by as much as 50 percent, the compact luxury SUV is no slouch. According to Mercedes, the GLK 250 sprints from 0 to 100km/h in a swift 7.9 seconds before reaching a top speed of 215km/h. It returns an NEDC (New European Driving Cycle) combined fuel efficiency of 7.5-7.7L/100km with CO2 emission of up to 180g/km. If you like the GLK's latest proposition and that masculine looks, you might be disappointed to know that the SUV is currently not in Cycle & Carriage
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Toyota reported to be changing focus to downsized, turbocharged engines
SYF77 posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
Toyota partnered with motorsports specialist GRMN and come up with a turbocharged version of the Vitz (Yaris) at the recent Tokyo Auto Salon. Although the display is a one-off event, Toyota is said to be shifting its focus to downsized, turbocharged gasoline direct-injected (T-GDI) engines. Although Toyota is the leading producer of hybrid engines, the market is small compared to the number of T-GDI motors out there. Take a look at Saturday's edition of The Straits Times and I'm sure you will find acronyms such as "TFSI", "TSI", "EcoBoost" and "TwinPower Turbo". Although Toyota has used direct-injection and turbocharging technologies in certain models, other carmakers like Volkswagen have implemented them in their entire engine lineup. A small Japanese business daily paper reported that T-GDI engines could appear in domestic models such as the Crown as soon as 2013, and they could be marketed to China and Europe as well. Automotive analyst of Deutsche Bank Kurt Sanger told The Detroit Bureau, "We expect it (America) to be a potential market for such technology to further increase the competitiveness of (Toyota) products." Other sources believe that the next-generation Toyota Corolla is likely the first all-new model to receive a T-GDI engine. -
[extract] Following the footsteps of Ford, Citroen has recently introduced its new PureTech family of three-cylinder petrol engine with capacity of 1.0-litres and 1.2-litres. Unlike Ford's EcoBoost, Citroen's power plants are naturally-aspirated and hence they produce a more modest output ranging from 68bhp to 82bhp. These new range of engines will be fitted on the C3, DS3 and C-Elys
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[extract] Ford is currently working on a 150bhp version of the 3-cylinder 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine. Speaking to Auto Express at the launch of the facelifted Ford Fiesta, EcoBoost chief engineer, Andrew Fraser, said: "I
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Perhaps to prove that their 1.0-litre three-cylinder EcoBoost engine is truly a compact unit, Ford chose to transport it in a hand-carry cabin luggage on its way from Detroit to the Los Angeles Airport. The winner of the 2012 'International Engine of The Year' award claims to occupy only the footprint of an A4 size paper when it was launched. From the photo, only the empty engine block is carried and hence it should not be too heavy. Fortunately, the car engine passed the transportation security screening without any problem. The engine is on its way for the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show. Ford is showing the engine to the US market in preparation for its launch in the 2014 model year Ford Fiesta. The tiny turbocharged 1.0-litre engine is the epitome of downsizing, churning out 125bhp with 200Nm of torque on overboost. In addition to the face-lifted Fiesta, the engine is also powering the Focus hatchback and the 4.8m all-new Ford Mondeo. Ford proves that great things do come in small packages!
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After all the talks regarding a BMW three-cylinder engine, the luxury car maker has released fresh details on this new engine range. It will be available in both petrol and diesel versions and is set to debut in a production model next year. The new engine family has an aluminum block and can be mounted longitudinally or transversely. It features technologies such as double vanos infinitely variable camshaft control, valvetronic variable valve timing (on petrol variant), direct injection (common rail on the diesels) and up to three turbochargers. The petrol engine will have outputs ranging from 121 bhp to 221 bhp with an accompanying 180-240 Nm of torque. Its diesel brethren will generate between 80 bhp to 181 bhp and 225-330 Nm of twist. According to BMW, each cylinder has a capacity of about 500cc and the power plant is designed for thermodynamic efficiency with smooth and quiet operation. The engines are equipped with a torsional vibration damper which reduces vibrations. "Because the frequency of the sound of a three-cylinder engine increases 50 percent faster than that of a four-cylinder, the engine is perceived as being extremely vivacious and sporty," said BMW in a statement. The new 1.5-liter turbocharged engine is expected to power the all-new 2014 Mini and the BMW i8 hybrid supercar. Now that we have a 1.0-liter Ford Mondeo, don
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2013 Ford Mondeo will be equipped with 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine
SYF77 posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
[extract] I hope you are sitting tight now as the following news may make you fall off your chair. The new 2013 Ford Mondeo which measures over 4.8m will be offered with the 1.0-litre three-cylinder Ecoboost power plant. The Blue Oval brand has confirmed the news ahead of its -
Aston Martin looking at 4 or 3-cylinder engines to meet emission standards
SYF77 posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
[extract] In the quest to meet the tightening emission regulations, Aston Martin CEO, Dr Ulrich Bez, hinted at the possibility of four or even three-cylinder engines as long as the product does not undermine the brand -
Recently, I read from an advertisement on The Straits Times that the C-Class C180 Blue Efficiency sedan will receive a new 1.6-litre turbocharged engine. Erm, but don't we already have a 1.6-litre C-Class sedan in the form of the supercharged C180 Kompressor Blue Efficiency ? This spurred me to demystify what this new engine is all about. Codenamed M274, this new turbocharged 1.6-litre engine is the longitudinally mounted version of the M270 which has already made its debut on the new generation A-Class. The M274 is developed for use in rear-wheel-drive platform. The advent of the M274 will lead to a gradual phasing out of the current M271, a turbocharged 1.8-litre with up to 201bhp. The combustion process of the new engine is based on the third generation Mercedes-Benz direct injection system which was introduced last year with the BlueDIRECT V6 and V8 engines. It will feature a Camtronic two-stage variable valve lift. The direct injection system pressure is up to 200 bar and is variably optimized according to the engine
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[extract] Recently, Ford introduced the 1.0L Ecoboost 3-cylinder engine in the Ford Focus. If you are surprised at how a 3-cylinder lump can power a car the size of a Focus, you may fall off the chair to learn that the new BMW 3 Series could get 3-cylinder engines in the next couple of years according to BMW
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[extract] Ford is taking the concept of downsizing to a whole new level with the introduction of the company
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If you are thinking of owning an all-new 2012 Lexus GS saloon but wish to pay less road tax, here is your chance. The new entry-level model for the GS saloon has been revealed in the form of the GS 250, equipped with a 209 hp 2.5-liter V6 Dual VVT-i engine featuring D-4S direct port injection. The base car was shown recently at the China International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou. The GS 250 is the third model in the new GS lineup after the GS 350, which is powered by a 3.5-liter V6 delivering 306 hp and the GS 450h that links a 3.5-liter Atkinson-cycle V6 to the Lexus Hybrid Drive for a combined system output of 338 hp. The base 2.5-liter engine is capable of pushing the GS from 0-100km/h in 8.6 seconds and on to a top speed of 230km/h. The 2.5-liter is mated to a close-ratio 6-speed automatic transmission that features sequential manual shifting mode. According to Lexus, the GS 250 returns a combined fuel economy of 8.9L/100 km with CO2 emissions of 207g/km. Despite being the least powerful model of the range, the GS 250 is available with the optional F Sport Package that adds cosmetic touches such as a refreshed bumper, 19-inch alloys, sportier suspension setup and more direct steering wheel system. Lexus said that the new GS 250 will be available in several markets around the world including China, Japan and Europe. More specific details will be released nearer the date of the launch next year. I am pretty sure that Borneo Motors would welcome this model with open arms.
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[extract] Ford CEO Allan Mulally revealed the 1.0 liter 3-cylinder EcoBoost engine recently at the official launch in Cologne, Germany. Mulally believes the new engine will be one of Ford
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[extract] GM
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Ford is adding a new engine to its global vehicle lineups that has the same displacement as most water bottles - 1 liter. The three cylinder Ecoboost engine is the smallest engine Ford has ever built. Ford first mentioned the engine with the Start concept car when it was rolled out at the Beijing auto show last year. Like other Ford EcoBoost engines, it uses high-pressure direct gas injection and turbocharging to get better performance and up to 20% better fuel economy compared with larger-displacement engines. Ford has packed other advanced fuel-saving features in this little wonder, some of which Ford is offering for the first time. A split-cooling system allows the cylinder block to warm up before the cylinder head. This will help save fuel during cold weather or short trips because oil and engine fluid viscosity rises as temperatures fall, so more work and more fuel is required to overcome friction in the powertrain. The exhaust manifold is combined with the cylinder head in a single piece casting instead of bolted on. The one-piece assembly lowers the temperature of the exhaust gases and saves weight. More importantly, the new engine is promised to offer performance that rivals the 1.6 liter 4 cylinder engine used in the Fiesta. Although nothing is official, this implies an output of approximately 120 hp with an accompanying 152 Nm of torque. It recently made its European debut in the Ford B-Max at the 2011 Geneva International Motor Show. The engine can be expected to be used in Ford
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BMW is designing its upcoming family of diesel and petrol engines to share more standardized parts. These new engines, in 1.5 liter, 2.0 liter and 3.0 liter capacities, will share a common engine block design and other parts. "Our goal is to have 60 percent of components shared between engines based on fuel type, and 40 percent commonality between gasoline and diesel engines," said BMW's head of development for inline engines, Harald Unger, at a press event recently. This initiative should help to reduce cost of production. Parts and design features to be shared included fuel intake, variable valve timing mechanisms, injectors, turbochargers and exhaust systems as well as mounting points for both longitudinal and transverse configurations. BMW's new family of engines will also be highly-standardized in terms of displacement, adhering to a paradigm of 500 cc (cubic centimeters) per cylinder with the same standard engine block design. The displacements of the engine family will be 1.5 liter (3-cylinder), 2.0 liter (4-cylinder) and 3.0 liters (6-cylinder), for both petrol and diesel units. The new standardized paradigm will not apply to the larger engines such as the V8, V10 and V12 units, which will continue to have individual characteristics. The new crop of power plants will also feature TwinPower Turbo technology. TwinPower technology features twin-scroll turbocharging coupled with direct-injection and variable valve management that delivers greater output and efficiency from a smaller engine. The technology debuted back in 2009 on the 3.0 liter inline six-cylinder gasoline unit fitted to the 5-Series GT. The technology is also used on other models and larger displacement power plants.
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Could it be true? http://www.autoincar.com/next-generation-h...s-than-1695-mm/
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I changed my profile 55 tyres to profile 50 tires.I know that speedo readings would not be accurate,BUT would it under or overstate my actual speed or mileage readings?If so by how much is the difference?Say if my speedo shows 100km/hr,wat would be my actual speed? Likewise when my odometer reads 100KM,wat is the actual distance I covered?
