Reviews to Watch Out For: Ford Fiesta S, Mazda2, Hyundai Tucson Re-VGT, Hyundai Santa Fe, Chevy Spark
Thursday
Oct 6, 2011
I’ve been busy these past few weeks, but we’ve been fortunate enough to have test-driven a handful of cars during that time. So far, we’ve been through the usual review rounds with a Ford Fiesta S, Mazda2 and Hyundai Tucson. These next weekends, we have the Hyundai Santa Fe and Chevy Spark.
Checking out fuel efficiency, carrying capacity, proper inflation of car tires, different engine displacements, trims, features and models does take some time, especially for writers like us with deadlines and assignments. Reviews are coming soon, so watch this space.
Test Drive: Nissan Teana 250XL, Another Look
Sunday
Aug 14, 2011
It’s pretty weird to be giving the Nissan Teana a go when Angelo has already driven it a while back and he has done quite an exhaustive review of the car. However, since Nissan has been kind enough to give another PinoyAutoBlogger another go at its flagship luxury sedan, I’m more than happy to give my two cents worth on the Teana.
Power
The unit’s still the same 250XL unit that Angelo drove a while back. The car packs a 2.5L V6 engine under the hood and the engine is mated to a CVT transmission. Power is sent to the front wheels. The engine supposedly produces 182 hp which means that should theoretically be more than enough but the sheer size and weight of the Teana makes the car seem wanting at times.
Literature pegs the 0 to 100 kph sprint time at 9.6 seconds which is, by 2.5L V6 standards, is quite slow. And 182 hp from a 2.5L engine seems to do the displacement quite the injustice. It also seems to have a problem getting off off the line which I presume is no thanks to the max torque being accessible at the 4,000 rpm rev area.
In normal driving mode, the engine seems to produce power in lumps and you have to rev past 2,000 rpm to get any decent response. The CVT transmission seems to temper how the power is put on the road. With all those ponies to tap, I was expected some torque steer but there was none. The gear changes were sublime enough but this is expected of any modern automatic transmission these days.
Only when pressing the Sport button (which is basically the overdrive switch), does the Teana comes alive. This allows the engine to rev happily past 3,000 allowing the car to really start tapping those ponies to work. Pretty handy when overtaking other vehicles or simply just getting up to speed.
Review: Honda CR-V 2.4 S-X 4WD AT – Drive With Confidence and Comfort With This Versatile Crossover SUV
Monday
Jul 4, 2011
A growing family has growing needs. And that’s just what my family and I are experiencing these days. This includes the need for growing space in the family car. Kids are in grade school. Baby is now a toddler. Strollers have given way to big school bags. Moving to the city’s outskirts has necessitated bringing more stuff in the car than before.
And so it’s just the right timing that Honda has decided to lend us the new CR-V to take out for a weekend spin. It was short-notice, but I didn’t say no when Honda’s marketing manager called me to say the car was ready for pickup within a few hours’ time, even if it meant an hour’s drive in bad weather.
Continue reading …
Review: 2011 Honda City 1.3S AT – No-Frills Sporty Comfort With This Big Subcompact With an Aggressive Look
Monday
Jun 6, 2011
Let me begin this review of the Honda City 1.3S AT with the disclaimer that prior to picking up the review unit at Honda’s Ortigas office, I came fresh out of my weekend-long test drive of the Nissan Teana 250XV V6. Big car to small car. That’s just like my Honda Jazz experience, which came right after reviewing the Nissan Sentra 200 CVT.
With this in mind, I guess I should resist comparing the two review units, as these are on opposite sides of the size spectrum (not extreme, but still opposite). The 2011 Honda City sits smack at the bigger end of the subcompact class and almost nearing the compact class with its dimensions (it measures largest among its contemporaries). And while the City is meant to be a small, fuel-efficient car, it delivers just the right level of performance that you would expect from a car this size. With the City, you won’t be afraid to weave in and out of Metro Manila traffic. But you won’t feel out of place with bigger and more expensive cars on the street, either, with its sporty arrow-inspired look and clean lines.
Review: 2011 Nissan Teana 250XL V6 – Luxury, Prestige & Power at a Reasonable Price
Monday
May 30, 2011
On Philippine roads, rarity gets you attention. Never mind if your car costs PhP 4 million or 100,000. If it’s not too common on the streets, you’re definitely in for head-turning scenarios. That’s what Nissan Teana 250XL v6 gave us for the extended weekend we had the review unit.
[We've updated the post to reflect the model # as 250XL V6 and not 250XV. Apparently, the 250XV model was a limited release sold before the 350XV was available. This writer's lazy eye didn't quite catch the fact that the model we reviewed was an "XL"a nd not "XV."]
Nissan Philippines lent us the midrange model of its flagship Teana a few weekends back, which came in Deep Amethyst Purple. This being the most expensive car I’ve reviewed so far, I was wowed when the car was delivered. It seemed like a treasure cove of gizmos, gadgets, bells and whistles.
Mayor Bistek tests e-Trikes
Wednesday
May 11, 2011
With the interest of his constituency in Quezon City, Mayor Herbert “Bistek” Bautista is trying out e-tricycles, or better known as e-Trikes, and is thinking of replacing its current roster of gas-guzzling, smoke pollution emitting tricycles.
Here are some details on the e-Trikes:
- It costs PHP 117,000 per unit.
- It can travel 100 to 130 kms on a single charge
- It can carry up to four persons
- It takes eight hours to charge
- The charger is solar-powered, using 2,500-watt tiles
Transportation fares should be similar to how much the operators charge with four or two-stroke engines.
The e-trikes were developed by the Kasangga Party-list and Netherlands-based Technostrat Design and Research Corporation it also includes Winace Holdings Philippines as project partner.
Article via: Manila Bulletin | Image via Philippine Star
Review: Hyundai i10 1.2 AT
Tuesday
Apr 26, 2011
I started writing this review a year ago but never really finished it. Shame, really. Laziness and procrastination aside, I decided to put off a review of a car straight out of the casa and be blinded by the new-car blinkers. A year ago, after being all too anxious about replacing my old clunker, I decided to go against conventional financial wisdom and get a car loan for a new car.
With a meager budget, the only cars that fit my finances were the Hyundai i10 and Getz and the Suzuki Celerio and all that’s cheaper (like the Suzuki Alto and the Chery). Wanting a compromise of a hint of creature comforts and performance, I decided to go with the i10.
The i10 was first introduced locally with a 1.1L GL (MT and AT) and a 1.2 GLS (MT and AT) variants. Seems pretty redundant since Hyundai still had a small car offering in the Getz. Now, there’s a new i10 but it’s basically the same machine underneath aside from revisions in the front and back ends with new lights and bumpers. A rear spoiler seems to come standard on the 1.2L as well and they seem consistent with Hyundai’s aggressive design language.
Since it’s been almost a year since I drove it off the dealership lot, I’ll focus more on how it is as a car to own. I haven’t really done hardcore power tests and since it’s my car, I won’t even dare try to give it the full beans. Not that I haven’t tried having some fun in it.
Philippine Car of the Year 2010/2011: Chevrolet Cruze
Friday
Apr 8, 2011
As we reported last time, the Philippine Car of the Year will be taken from the Category Winners. And the winner is the Chevrolet Cruze!
The Chevrolet Cruze was chosen by the Car Awards Group (CAGI). According to CAGI president Ferman Lao: “It makes a good choice. It’s more pro-consumer and I don’t think there’s another car in the local market that is relatively affordable with all the gadgets it has. It really has a lot of things going for it,”
It might not be the fastest, nor technologically-advanced as most cars, but it certainly is the most affordable from the other finalists.
[Article via: Top Gear PH | Image via: ChevroletCruze (CC by 2.0)]
Honda Jazz 1.3S AT 2nd Generation Review (First Impressions)
Friday
Jan 28, 2011
I haven’t even had the chance to sit down and finish my review for the Nissan Sentra 200 CVT, and another car has honked its horn on the driveway asking for a write-up: the Honda City 1.3S AT. Well, I actually had to take a cab to pick it up from the Honda marketing office, but that’s another story.
The second-generation Honda City 1.3S AT was actually released in 2009, and so this review might come in a bit late. But as they say, better late than never. These are actually just first impressions, as I still have to make a verdict much later, after I take this little pocket rocket out for a spin in these next few days.
Nissan Sentra 200 2.0 CVT Review (First Thoughts)
Friday
Jan 21, 2011
Today, I’ve had the pleasure of driving the 2010 Nissan Sentra 200, courtesy of Nissan Motor Philippines, Inc. I get to keep the Sentra 200 for a weekend (and more)–something that was supposed to have happened last December, but delayed due to scheduling conflicts. Nissan delivered the car at my driveway this afternoon, and boy was I greeted with a spacious surprise.
The Nissan Sentra 200 is a rarity in Philippine roads these days, which is a huge disparity from how numerous its older brethren are, ranging from the so-called B13 LEC or ECCS models, the B14 “Series 3,” and the more recent B15 and N16. In fact, Nissan is still selling the N16 alongside the B16 “200″ model, as a lower-cost variant.
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