DRIVERS GET THE BENEFITS OF GOOD LOOKS, SIZE AND SPEED ON BOTH MODELS
September 2017 THE CANBERRA REPORTER | 7
Edited by ARNALDO DE LEON
MOTORING | TECHNOLOGY
NEW CARS
Yaris v Polo match-up delivers
DRIVERS GET THE BENEFITS OF GOOD LOOKS, SIZE AND SPEED ON BOTH MODELS
WHENEVER we think of a subcompact that gets you from one point to another, Toyota always pops in our idea bubble with that solid reliability, top standard safety features and a very good price point for what it delivers. The handsome alternative according to most car aficionados with almost the same price, is the Volkswagen Polo Urban. Will that pretty face match the crowd favourite Toyota on many aspects? Head to head with what matters most, the engine of the Yaris Ascent is the classic reliable 1.3 liter fourcylinder petrol that puts out 63kW of power and 121Nm of torque. It is a pretty dated engine mated to the 4 speed automatic FWD. Reliability comes at the price of keeping the same engine for succeeding models. On the other hand, the Polo Urban with a 1.2 liter turbocharged Bluemotion Technology Start / Stop petrol engine mated to a 7 speed DSG transmission, produces 66kW and 160Nm of torque on its entry level model. Driving both cars around Canberra, higher speeds belong to Polo’ s unique European car trait of being more stable as you go faster. The occasional bumps on the roads make the Yaris the comfortable choice as its shock absorption using a softer suspension is superior to the Polo’ s sportier option. The Yaris ups safety with 7 versus the Polo’ s 6. Both cars come with stability controls of their own. Both cars are rated 5 star on the ANCAP. The Yaris will be much cheaper to service at around $ 140 compared to $ 413 for the Polo. With the price around $ 19,500 for both, I’ m going with the car that I can look back to with a smile after parking, the one that leaves me with a grin while the turbo boosts me to the speed limit. •
In the red corner a left is Toyota’ s’ Yaris Ascent. In the blue corner at right is Volkwagen’ s Polo Urban.
DANCESPORT
The Streetbucks.
In the hunt for gold
By MARCO SELORIO
THE Philippine national street dance team is coming to Sydney, Australia to try and capture Hip Hop gold at the 14th Annual World Supremacy Battlegrounds( WSB) Dance Championship. More than 400 Filipino street dancers plus support staff and families are expected to make their way to Bankstown Sports Club on October 5-8 to compete against some of the best teams from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, USA, Malaysia, Singapore, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. Last year, 16 Filipino crews made the grand finals. FMD Xtreme from Marikina City bagged the only gold for the Philippines, the Open Division title, the most prestigious division in WSB. An estimated 1,500 dancers will be fighting it out across sixteen age divisions during the four-day international meet. Superstar celebrities judging or performing at WSB include Buddha Stretch( Michael Jackson and Will Smith music video choreographer), Henry Link( Elite Force USA), Lil Pat( Philippine Allstars), Parris Goebel( Jennifer Lopez, Justin Beiber choreographer) and Royal Family of New Zealand. Filipinos across the globe will get a chance to watch their national team online. World Supremacy Battlegrounds will be livestreamed again via Facebook. •