A Fruitful Afternoon

So, finally I test drove a couple of cars. The first was the GLC 250 and the second, the GLE 400 Coupe. The Coupe was a hit.

Although there were plenty of people there, the event was well organised with plenty of things to see and do while you wait for your turn to drive. The fact that we had a friend who worked for Mercedes helped to smooth things over and waiting was never an issue. We had lunch and sat around while waiting for our turn, and it was certainly worth the wait.

The first drive was pretty basic. The lady who took us around did the necessary sales pitch and within 15 minutes we were done. But when it came to the Coupe, despite being the only Coupe available for the test drive, we were given plenty of time. I had the chance to drive further than the first time as well as trying out the Drive Assist system at the car park. And it worked wonders. Unfortunately it only detected space for side parking for us. No reverse parking this time.

Let me take you for a ride!It's no Formula 1There were a few features which caught my eyes. Yes, it had the blind spot detector. Plus it had a 360° camera system which on display would give a bird's eye view around your vehicle.

The Eco-friendly system also stopped your engine when you were stationary and automatically start it again when you hit the accelerator. The brake locks when you were stationary, so that you would need to engage the handbrake when you stop. Handy if you were going uphill.

Then came the suspension. It tied up to the gear system and you have options of comfort and sports. The suspect ion would increase your height if you select comfort making going on bumps on the broad unnoticeable. You can switch it to sports mode, which would bring the car down - the lower the centre of gravity - for extra stability when taking corners at high speed. The changes were there to be felt.

The Coupe also had an anti-roll system which made taking sharp turns a breeze. And the 333 bhp, 3L V6 twin turbo engine certainly was no slouch. The only problem was it cost more than half a million Ringgit! A slight drawback!

We were back in one piece!More things to see insideIn the end, I must say that Mercedes did good job in organising the event. They took care of you from the moment you park - there were complimentary buggy to shuttle you to and from the car park. There were things for the kids to do to keep them occupied while you do some serious driving and of course there were food and drinks in the decent surrounding of KLPAC. You can't really neat that on a warm Sunday afternoon. A decent way to spend some time off!

Afternoon at KLPAC

One of my friend works for Mercedes-Benz and they were doing a test-drive event on some new models this weekend. They were showcasing three new models - the GLE, the GLC and the GLE Coupe.

It was a family orientated event, complete with plays and rides the kids while the parents do the test-driving. I drove the GLC earlier and was waiting for the Coupe over lunch.

I thought Anita wanted to try that ...Lunch. And it was really nice!Anita and her churrosIt was still empty when we arrived but people were trickling in while we were waiting. Anita as usual went to have a look at the food truck. Lunch were provided of course and the setting around KLPAC was just nice for chilling.

Weather was also pretty nice and warm, threatening to rain earlier. Not much breeze unfortunately.

More in the test-drive later as I was still waiting for our second go.

Final Thoughts

Echoing what I mentioned in the previous posts, Urbanscapes 2011 was fun, but I personally felt that 2009 was better. This unfortunately had a lot to do with the venue. Why? An arts festivals should be outdoor isn’t it? But not if your niche is audiovisual. You would need a combination of the two. At KLPAC, there were indoor audiotorium, indoor concert arena, indoor exhibition area and studios, to supplement the outdoor party, complete with an outdoor concert stage as well as a more organised DJ area and grassland for party, as well as a separate area for food and stalls. It was just a perfect venue for this kind of festival.

KLPAC was also right in the middle of town, in an oasis so to speak, with Sentul Park at one end, and a lake, with a koi pond for good measure. Parking was also much more organised, and should you be late and had to park outside, the walk into KLPAC was also a pleasant one. There were better toilet facilities, the area for the various events were near each other. Should it be raining, one just need to scamper into ether the main building or the annex. Imagine if there was a thunderstorm at Astaka. We had to evacuate the field I was sure. There was also plenty of area at KLPAC for you to wind down indoors, not to mention a comfortable area for solat.

If I was allowed to vote, definitely I would go for KLPAC.

What were the positives? Plenty of toilets for a start, and not to mentioned the excellent sign postings and cleaning attendants - plenty of them around. The organisers were also very helpful. We had crew form KLue checking up on us to see if there was anything missing that we needed fixing for the day. The soggy field did not dampen the enthusiasm of the punters. The vast size of Astaka field however gave the illusion of not many people attending. I was sure there were just as much. Everybody who did turn up were in good spirit however.

Astaka was also more accessible by public transport compared to KLPAC, but from what I observed, the majority still took their own car and parked nearby. As for my KLickr friends, we had a blast although it was tiring. Given better circumstances, things could have gone a lot better. Time and budget constraint limit us somewhat, and as I mentioned previously, we made the most out of it in the end. Work commitments did get on my way unfortunately, and I wished that I can spend more effort to make it better. Unfortunately, at the rate I am going,I don’t think I could be contributing mush next year, where ever it would be held.

KLPAC vs Astaka

This pics summed up Urbanscapes 2009, simple, cosy and funI went on quite a bit about how much I felt that transferring the Urbanscapes venue from KLPAC to Astaka in the previous entry. I personally felt that more or less, the event had lost its charm. The main difference was the fact that KLPAC offered an indoor facility. Having the event in a big was restrictive, especially if you depended on visual and audio projection for your presentation. At KLPAC, we would have been able to present using a proper soundstage and projector, away from the hustle and bustle of the loud PA system. Our presenter had to practically shout at the top of their voice to make their ideas to be heard, and it really spoilt their presentation. Not to mention also that the surrounding was too bright for their slides to project as intended. We had to move the projector forward nearer the screen and we ended with a tiny slideshows in the end. Not ideal.

At the KLickrVille, during the 5 Minute Photo Express

http://www.flickr.com/photos/harisrahman/5944721541/in/set-72157627198960682

There was also the humidity and the heat. Indoor facilities at KLPAC offered air-conditioning, as well as proper toilets and most importantly, decent facility for solat. It was too loud at Astaka to do any of that. This certainly put a lot of people off. The Padang Astaka also felt too big and scarce, not the cosy green surrounding if KLPAC. There were plenty of trees there, and there were separate outdoor and indoor concert venue. We were lucky that there was no rain on the day. Rain is something one can cope with but imagine a heavy downpour, with lightning and thunder? Being in an open field was never a great idea. Some might argue that Astaka would be cheaper and hence the cost would not be transferred to the punters. Well, RM 40 for the entrance fee, plus RM 10 for a plain hotdog with a can of Coke was not exactly exactly cheap was it? I found the argument about cost a rather lame one. I believe that if the event was great, people would flock in. I remembered Urbanscapes being really a tight squeeze in 2009. There a charm in that.

Will I return for a similar event in 2012? Of course I would, but that would be to support local outdoor arts activities, something that I felt the great city of KL should embrace. It was clearly a better advertisement of 1Malaysia than any Government vehicles could offer. There were scattered murmuring of another event which happened the previous weekend - *cough* Bersih *cough* - but nobody, except for a guy in a Pikachu suit was wearing yellow. There was even a voter registration booth on site for good measure. Everything was peaceful, and it was a grand day out still. However, I might just hang around for a bit if the venue is Astaka. Should the venue return to KLPAC however, I would snatch for a ticket even today ........

Day for updates

Idlan and Irfan also updating their blogs!8th of August every year seems like a busy day for me every year. It is the date when most of my online services' subscription were up for renewal, from MobileMe to other free services etc. I also took the time to update my SmugMug site. Unfortunately I lack the Javascript skills needed - need to learn some kung foo. Will spend some time scrounging through other's SmugMug sites for ideas. The site has so much potential for update, it's sickening. I also explored some of it's hidden functionalities such as integration into facebook and tweeter.

Apart from that, I also had to run some errands, and Irfan is due for some jabs, hepatitis A I think. Brought him to Pantai to see our Paediatrician. He was surprisingly cool about it. Not a sound during the injection. We then decided to have some tea. After hearing my tales about Urbanscapes, my wife was keen to have a look at KLPAC. We had tea and pasta at the cafe on the ground floor. It was too warm to spend too much time at the Koi Park. Idlan and Irfan ran around the turfs like a madman, simulating Transformers along the way! Unfortunately, of all things, I forgotten to bring with me my camera! Boo hoo! Need to go out to buy some dinner tonight as I don't want Anita to cook. Will blog later on the last day at Pullman later tonight! Please visit my updated .mac photosite and of course my SmugMug installments.