Brotherly Duel

"With a new engine and gearbox, the Camry 2.0 will blend the best coffee beans in town. Hell, it should be called Toyota Starbucks instead." - Julian Kho

When I was 13-years old, I wanted to be a barista. To be precise, I wanted to be a barista wearing a black polo T-shirt, a black cap, a green apron with what appears to look like a medusa logo on it and a penchant for spelling people's names wrongly on purpose and getting away with it scot-free.

I wanted to froth milk and pretended I gave a rat's tutu about it while I ogle at some pretty customer, pour the coffee in with absolute precision into the cup and pretended to form a nice and distinct shape of a leaf or Santa's tummy, and serve the nice cuppa latte to my colleague who will then call out the wrongly spelled names.

Only problem is I became a writer.

For one, I realised that the coffee they sold at the joint where the people wore a black polo T-shirt, a black cap, a green apron with what appears to look like a medusa logo on it and a penchant for spelling people's names wrongly is bad. Not too sure if it's the grinder, the coffee beans they used or how they frothed the milk but if the 2.0-litre Camry could blend coffee beans, it would be the best in business.
 
While it holds true to many that there will never be a replacement for displacement, it also stands factual that having a 2.5-litre over a 2.0-litre will cost more grief to your pocket, thanks to poorer fuel economy, higher road tax and, obviously, a steeper price tag ($164,888 as of 5^th June 2015).

Plus, unlike the 2.0-litre 'coffee blender' you see here, there's really nothing new about the 2.5-litre variant. So why on earth would you want to pay more for a machine that doesn't have new features? The 2.0-litre machine gets a new VVT-iW (wide) engine and a new six-speed automatic 'grinder', two more cogs than its predecessor. What does the 2.5-litre get? A new look? More space? What good can come from just a 2.5-litre's physical appearance when it should be the emotional appeal that sets your heart grinding and your body twerking?

As a failing writer who failed to become a barista, I can only tell you this: If you want to be happy, get a good machine because having a good cuppa kopi is as close to happiness as you can possibly get.
"Never settle for anything less than what you really want." - Regan Ong

Obviously, you don't have control over all of your life events, but upon reflection, you discover that you do exert quite a bit of influence because you have the power of choice. However, very often you settle for less and rationalise it away. You are just inches from what you really want, but then you fall back.

So let's take the facelifted Toyota Camry as an example. You know that the smaller 2.0-litre VVT-iW engine can do wonders with better fuel efficiency, garner a lower road tax and of course an overall cheaper price of the Camry 2.0 ($159,888 as of 5^th June 2015) as compared to the Camry 2.5.

But think about it. You are effectively sacrificing 13bhp and 32Nm of torque that can be had with the bigger car.

Okay, maybe the figures look insignificant. But how about three more airbags for better safety? Maybe you would like the auto-folding side mirrors for extra convenience, too? Hell, I'm sure you and your front passenger will warmly welcome the ventilated seats in this hot and humid climate, or the rear sun shade that allows all on board to bask in a much cooler cabin. And if you happen to swop the 'driver' role with the wife or son, you will appreciate a memory function for your seat. Needless to say, 17-inch wheels do look better on the car.

While you can do without all these goodies and still get from point to point in a safe and fuss-free manner, they can be acquired for just $5,000 more.

Sometimes doing the right thing ain't doing the right thing. While logics will always help you make safe and sound decisions, being illogical can sometimes make you happier. Know that life is way too short to settle for anything less than what you really want.