Honda Hybrid Family Roadtrip 2013 to Ipoh

Hey guys, If you've been following my Instagram lately, you would have seen me posting pictures of me driving around with this red baby last weekend :)

I was given the opportunity to drive around with this super awesome Honda Hybrid CR-Z in Milano Red. I'm pretty sure when I was driving around, there were heads turning to admire my sleek sexy ride. And what made it even more awesome was that it's a lady at the wheel!

Our Honda Hybrid Convoy before heading up to Ipoh :) It was an awesome trip with these people :D

We were all given the opportunity to spend 3 days 2 nights with our Honda Hybrids, so we decided to roadtrip over to Ipoh for the Honda Hybrid Family Road Trip 2013 roadshow happening in Tesco Taman Teh Ten Seng :) Together in our Hybrid family, we had the Jazz, and Civic, so there were two of each :)

The Honda Hybrid cars come with three driving modes, they are the Sports, Normal, and Econ Mode. So  what's the difference between these three modes?

Sports mode: Gives a more powerful acceleration and swift steering feedback
Normal mode: For balanced performance and prudence
ECON mode: Cruise along as you help conserve the environment by prioritizing fuel economy

Check out the dashboard..isn't it cool? Everything at the touch of a button, and super convenient. There's even the USB port where you can charge your phone or plug in a USB and play songs from there.

The Illuminated Advance Sports Meter cluster with Ambient Meter provides information on motor assist/battery charge, energy flow, instantaneous fuel economy and remaining fuel based on driving pattern. The color of Ambient Meter changes according to driving mode; red for sports mode, blue for normal mode and green for ECON mode.

As you can see here, the meter is currently green in colour, which means we are saving fuel and in ECON mode!

It was really easy driving the CR-Z, that I got used to it pretty fast. After our breakfast at McD, Charmaine and I left to meet the others at the Rawang R&R. The wheel was very steady, and before I know it, I was already cruising along at about 130km/h. Had to slow down to keep to the speed limit :p You wouldn't even feel the speed in this car! That's how awesome it was.

In just under two hours, we finally made it to Ipoh and I saw the unmistakeable IPOH signboard :)

My eco score when we arrived at the Honda Hybrid Roadshow :)

Welcome to the Honda Hybrid Family Road Trip 2013 in Ipoh!

Lining the roadshow, there were mural paintings of the roadshows that they have done for the previous states. It was awesome to see all the different ideas on display here, with a recurring theme which is the Honda Hybrid and Eco :) Couldn't find the Ipoh one though, mostly cos it's not finished yet.

When we enetered the tent, we went to the Hybrid Discovery Zone where we were educated on Honda's Green Auto Technology Milestone and how a Hybrid car actually works.

Green auto technology has actually started since 1972, and it has evolved throughout the years. The Hybrid technology was finally developed in 2007 with the launch of the Honda Civic Hybrid. In 2013, Honda has the widest range of Hybrid cars in Malaysia (CR-Z, Jazz, Civic, Insight) and they're offering the longest battery warranty period in Malaysia, which is 8 years!

One of the activities in the roadshow is to try out the Tandem Bike, where its main purpose is to let you feel the power of 2 (engines). First, only 1 person is instructed to ride the bicycle. It was extremely hard and tiring to generate speed with only the power of 1 person (I know, cos I was that person). Next, you gotta ride with your partner to generate speed with the power of 2 people. The result? A LOT EASIER because you don't need to work alone!

 Pic thanks to Hishyammudin :)

That's me trying it out with Charmaine >.< pretty hard stuff if you're not a cyclist :p It took us awhile, but we finally managed to light up the green lights and could stop.

So how does the Honda Hybrid actually utilise the power of 2? It's pretty simple actually, they utilise the IMA Hybrid System! The IMA Hybrid System is Honda's electric motor and battery coupled with an Intelligent Power Unit (IPU) to augment the petrol-driven engine for powerful acceleration. The IPU controls and regulates the power of the IMA to optimize performance relative to fuel economy in the CR-Z Hybrid.


So there you have it, their super efficient fuel and battery saving Hybrid system that also augments powerful acceleration! Two thumbs up :D

Another activity they had was the Honda Formula E, where you are given the experience to feel how it's like to drive a Hybrid car and how you should drive to ensure fuel efficiency. When you've achieved fuel efficiency, the dial will automatically turn green!

The Build Your Hybrid Challenge was where you are given 30 seconds to complete a hybrid car, so you gotta know your car parts well and be quick with a touchscreen! If you're quick and manage to complete the challenge, you'll get to win yourself a prize :D

A quick rundown of how the Honda Hybrid car works:

• To start a hybrid car: Engine operates with electric motor assist
• During low speed cruising: Electric motor operates alone
• Acceleration: Engine operates with electric motor assist
• During high speed cruising: Engine operates alone
• Braking: Charges IMA battery
• Standstill: Automatic idle stop (this is the feature I love best)

There were other Honda Hybrid cars on display at the roadshow, and you can clearly see the engines in these vehicles.

In a nutshell, why should you buy a Honda Hybrid?

• Saves fuel, thus saving money and preserve the environment
• Honda Hybrid car offers 8 years battery warranty
• The cost and time required to service a hybrid car is almost the same as normal range car
• Since it doesn't purely run on battery, the car can still move on fuel even if there's problem with the battery

I used to tell le bb that if I ever trade in my Milo Tin, I would get a Honda Jazz Hybrid. But after driving the CR-Z, I have changed my mind. I want a Honda CR-Z Hybrid!!!

Apart from showing us what a Honda Hybrid is capable of doing, there were also booths located outside the tent that showed us what WE can do. There was a game booth and we played some games where we could win some recyclable pens and recycled bags. As they say, it's not the destination that matters, but the journey. Definitely, we had lots of fun playing the games, and I could feel all of us bonding with each other as we raced against time and the game master.

If you had a fancy to test drive any of the Honda Hybrid cars, this service is also available, just register at the booth, and a smooth driving experience is all yours!

After we had our fill of fun and games at the roadshow, it's time for us to head over to explore the beautiful heritage sites of Ipoh! After all, what good is a roadtrip if you don't at least visit the places that makes Ipoh unique and distinct from the other states right?

Ipoh is famous for their temples embedded in caves and the mountains, so we decided that the best place would be Gunung Rapat, as I have passed it many times before but never got a chance to go in to take a look.

We first stopped over at the Nam Thean temple, surrounded by lush greeneries and nature. It is a really peaceful place, that even though it was surrounded by roads, I could still feel the peace. It just has an ability to filter out the noise pollution from the nearby roads, and I felt that I could stay there forever.

We then made out way to the Lin Sen Tong Temple, and over there I found this munkey! As le bb was in KK climbing the mountain, I thought it would be funny to strike a pose and put this up on Instagram :p looking for my munkey >.<

Surrounded by the lush greenery calls to mind that these wonders of nature will not be here forever. If we do not do our part and preserve the environment, then it will not be available any more for our future generation to admire and get inspiration from.

This is when the Honda Hybrid eco mode really hit home for me. We have to preserve our environment, because after all, "We do not inherit the earth, we only borrow it from our children"

Our last stop in our heritage trail is Kellie Castle near Batu Gajah. I have always wanted to go there but could never find a time. For a small fee of RM5, you get to experience the remains of a castle that was built by William Kellie Smith for his wife, Agnes, which, as you probably know, remains unfinished.

 I have always loved a good history behind a relic, and this one is as good as any :)

The building at the back bathed in light is the Kellas House, where William stayed with his wife Agnes, and two children (Helen and Anthony). In 1904, the couple decided to extend their living quarters and the construction for Kellie Castle began. However, they experienced a string of bad luck and all his investments gone bad, causing him to lose his money.

The back of Kellie Castle

World War I caused construction of the castle to halt, and the Spanish flu caused all of William's skilled workers to die. When William personally went to Portugal to collect the lift that was to be installed in the castle (reputed to be the first in Malaya), he contracted the deadly flu himself and passed away.

His family never returned to Malaya, and Agnes sold off the estate to Harrisons & Crossfield, which is a company trading in coffee and tea. in Malaya at that time.

If you take a close look, you would see that the building had Indian architecture that were loosely based on Hindu religion. It was said that William had a fascination for it, and even some parts of the castle used raw materials and decorative parts that were imported from India itself.

It is said that if you were to be around at night, you would be able to see ghostly apparitions of the maids roaming these very floors. It was all very spine tingling and cool, but I definitely wouldn't want to be alone at these halls when dusk arrives :p

So back to the roadshow, ws we were told that there will be lots of entertainment that night, we decided to head back to the roadshow to catch up on what they had prepared for us.

 
Upon arriving back at the roadshow, I was stoked to see the One FM and Hot FM Jazz Zoomers on location! This was promising to be a great night indeed :)

 I got the chance to walk the other side of the roadshow where there were arts and crafts corners for children, popcorn stalls, and also Honda Genuine Accessories booths. You could get your genuine accessory parts here at the Hybrid Roadshow and they are all limited editions!

We were entertained by a pool of our own local singers, and we managed to catch Danny One and GINA in action. Danny One is a really funny guy that cracked me up while GINA's energetic dance moves brought me back to a time where I would dance my troubles away and perform at school celebrations.
 

Danny One

GINA

At the end of the day, there was a lucky draw and one lucky dude walked away with a NIKON S2700! That was one of the compact cameras that I was eyeing but didn't buy in the end :p

Remember the mural of paintings of the different locations the Honda Hybrid Family Roadshow  went earlier in the post? I found the Ipoh location mural! It's still half finished when I took this pic, but my mural collection is finally complete :)

All too soon, it was already time to head back, but it was really a trip well spent. I could spend time with other bloggers and on top of that, drive around with a stylish Honda Hybrid CR-Z which, btw is extremely fuel saving. We went to so many places on a full tank, and came back with a quarter tank of fuel left!

Here's where the Honda Hybrid CR-Z went on a full tank *taken from Charmaine, cos she picked up the car for us*

1. Eastin Hotel -> Kepong (14 km)
2. Kepong -> Cheras (20 km)
3. Cheras -> Kota Damansara (24 km)
4. Kota Damansara -> Ipoh (193 km)
5. Tour around Ipoh town (about 50 km)
6. Ipoh -> Kota Damansara (193 km)
7. Kota Damansara -> Eastin Hotel (7 km)

That's a total of 501 km travelled with a full tank over a course of three days :) If I had the thumbs up sign I would hold it up! And that's with almost a quarter tank left. You tell me, is that fuel saving enough?

*All route distances are taken from Google Maps, so there might be some discrepancy there, but it's roughly the distance the CR-Z has travelled*

You  know what I love most about the Honda Hybrid cars? It's the AUTO STOP function where if you brake your car and it's idle (while waiting in traffic, or when the light's red at the traffic lights), the engine auto stops itself and you go on power saving mode :) Really makes me feel like I'm doing the environment a favour, and most importantly I am doing my bit to make this world a better place.

So do you want to drive this little baby? You can also test drive a Honda Hybrid for 3days 2 nights! Just make sure you have a valid MyKad and driving licence and register at http://bit.ly/IQcsrI. You don't have to worry about paying a thing to drive these little babies around, so don't hesitate and register now!

The Honda CR-Z Hybrid 1.5L MT (manual) is priced at RM 119,000 (On-The-Road price with insurance) while Honda CR-Z Hybrid 1.5L AT (auto) is priced at RM 123,000 (On-The-Road price with insurance).

To know more, head over to the Official Honda Malaysia page today!

Til the next time, stay beautiful!

xoxo,

yin