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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.

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The MMDA has been hell bent on arresting each and every speedster driving along Commonwealth Avenue and I don’t fully agree with them on how to make the “killer highway” safer. Speeding, they say, is a textbook case of reckless driving. Again, I don’t agree.

Sure, almost all of the collisions on Commonwealth involves idiotic and reckless drivers but to focus solely on speeding as a manifestation of recklessness is unfair to drivers who can speed up responsibly.

If you can stay within your lane and allow for the proper stopping distance needed between you and the vehicle up front, you can definitely safely drive even at speeds in excess of 100 kph. If every driver out there can do this, then there’s really no real problem upping the speed limit.

Besides, modern cars can safely go beyond that speed and have way better stopping power and shorter stopping distances since the old highway codes and manuals were written.

The real problem is that most of the other drivers with whom you share the load are idiots with kamikaze driving styles. The MMDA should just focus their attention on these idiots.

I say that the MMDA should focus their efforts not (solely) on speeding but on jerks who have erratic or truly reckless driving styles. Drivers who do not yield for right of way. Drivers who change lanes abruptly and not using signal lights. Motorcyclists who weave through traffic. PUV drivers who can’t stay within their designated lanes.

Thing is, given their equipment and capability, catching speeding vehicles through their speed guns is probably the MMDA’s most profitable venture to date. At Php 1,200 per pop, they are bound to make millions in a week at their claimed rate of apprehension.

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Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc., the official Hyundai distributor in the Philippines maintains a positive sales outlook for the year, with a 6% growth in May compared with the same period last year. This growth has been mostly fueled by commercial vehicles and SUV sales.

Hyundai sustains its momentum, as it posted total sales of 1,643 units in May this year or 6% growth from the same month last year. By category, sales of light commercial vehicles rose by 16% while that of passenger cars declined slightly by 3%. By models, the boost came largely from Tucson which expanded by 52% and the new models, Sonata and Elantra, which sold 75 units and 291 units, respectively. This brings sales performance for the first five months of 2011 to 3% growth or 8,062 units.

Hyundai is focusing on channel partners for fleet purchases, and this includes banks, projects and other commercial operations. Meanwhile, the company is confident that 2011 sales outlook will further improve, due to economic growth in the country.

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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.

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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.

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The Philippine auto industry has undoubtedly been largely affected by the Japan Earthquake last March 2011. Most car part importers have become very cautious in predicting future sales and have decided to lower them and optimize production thru a myriad of ways.

One of these manufacturers is Honda Car Philippines, Inc.

“Currently, we are on an indefinite ‘yellow flag’ status—meaning we are on an alert mode—because of the fluidity of the situation. We will conduct a monthly review [to assess the situation],” Voltaire Gonzales, head of Honda Cars Philippines sales department…

He also said the company might not be able to reach the 17,600 units predicted this year.

However, the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (CAMPI) has said it will remain with its forecast since sales will pick up come the latter part of the year. According to Elizabeth Lee, CAMPI President, they will stay the course:

“Despite the difficulties we face due to the lack of supply of some vehicles and parts, we are optimistic that we will be able to recover the lost sales given the full-year outlook.”

The Philippine auto industry will know by next financial year-end report as to who was right.

Brought to you by car hire Cyprus. Article via Manila Standard Today | Image StaraBlazkova at the Czech language Wikipedia [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], from Wikimedia Commons

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With my next PMS (preventive maintenance service) coming up, I’m beginning to think whether or not having the car “casa” (or dealership service) maintained is the most economical way of owning a car. If you’re driving a five-year old car or older, the quick answer will be no. Casa maintenance won’t be worth it. But for cars under warranty, should you risk it?

Let’s face it. Casa maintenance usually costs higher since they charge for each and every work and you have no choice between repair or replace since casa, and you’d be stuck with genuine parts too.

Here’s an interesting take on choosing between dealer service or other car shops. Summarized are the factors to consider:

• Cost - Casa maintenance will (almost) always be higher both in parts and service charges.
• Warranty Conditions – Warranties are usually voided when you have the car maintained elsewhere. Is it practical to waive  three-year protection to save thousands of pesos?
• Quality of Work – Dealerships usually have trained personnel and the proper equipment to diagnose your car though this isn’t a guarantee that the dealership will do a fine job with the car.
• Speed of Work – Dealerships take their time in keeping your car while in service.

Aside from the warranty, all indications point to having the car maintained elsewhere. However, if you decide to do so while the car is under warranty, weigh the risks of the major parts of the car (the engine and transmission) giving out and the savings you’d get on having your car maintained some place else. Me? I think I’m sticking with the casa until my warranty expires.

Your thoughts?

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With Japanese import car parts having trouble lately, the local car manufacturers seems to be having a great quarter. One of them is Mazda Philippines as it posts a 13 percent growth this quarter compared to same period last year.

The company has sold 1,080 units in from January to April 2011, which when compared to last year, is a 13 percent increase. April has been the strongest month so far:

In April, Mazda sold a total of 236 as a result of the strong performance of the Mazda2 and Mazda3. The Mazda2 saw April sales of 94 units, up 18 percent versus the same month last year. Year-to-date sales of the popular sub-compact total 335 units, representing a 55 percent increase.

Congratulations to Mazda, we hope the other car manufacturers find a way to emulate them.

Article via Malaya Business Insight | Image By Thomas doerfer (Own work) [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

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The MMDA has decided to get into the trenches again as they have lifted their no-contact policy and decided to go on the road and become a presence again.

This means traffic enforcers may now order speed limit violators to stop and personally issue traffic tickets to them, instead of just recording their information from CCTV cameras and then sending them notices.

Violators face a fine of P1,200.

This follows after the death of renowned journalist and professor Chit Estella-Simbulan a few nights ago after the taxi was riding in was smashed by a speeding bus.

The MMDA will be present again starting Monday, and will continue monitoring even from night to dawn.

Article via ABS CBN News | Image By Mike Gonzalez (TheCoffee) (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons

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The school year is about to open, and if you have a college kid looking to have a great ride, you might just be able to get him that dream car that will be affordable and reliable. The entry-level Nissan Sentra is selling at a low-downpayment of just PhP 39,000 up to May 31. Even the Sentra 200 CVT, which we reviewed a few months back, is selling at a low DP of PhP 68,000. The Grand Livina Elite is selling at a low DP of PhP 88,000.

Check out these prices from Nissan Quezon Avenue. Prices include comprehensive insurance, chattel mortgage, and three-years LTO registration.

Nissan Sentra 1.3 GX STD: PhP 610,000

• Total cash-out: PhP 38,000
• 24 months: PhP 25,123.87
• 36 months: PhP 18,023.74
• 48 months: PhP 14,453.95
• 60 months: PhP 12,436.68

Nissan Sentra 1.3 GX PWR: PhP 635,000

• Total cash-out: PhP 88,000
• 24 months: PhP 25,183.53
• 36 months: PhP 18,762.13
• 48 months: PhP 15,046.33
• 60 months: PhP 13,456.08

Nissan Sentra 1.3 GX AT: PhP 660,000

• Total cash-out: PhP 88,000
• 24 months: PhP 27,183.20
• 36 months: PhP 19,500.80
• 48 months: PhP 15,638.70
• 60 months: PhP 13,456.08

Nissan Sentra 200 STD: PhP 1,050,000

• Total cash-out: PhP 58,000
• 24 months: PhP 44,687.53
• 36 months: PhP 32,058.13
• 48 months: PhP 25,709.08
• 60 months: PhP 22,120.98

Nissan Sentra 200 CVT: PhP 1,150,000

• Total cash-out: PhP 68,000
• 24 months: PhP 47,364.37
• 36 months: PhP 33,978.67
• 48 months: PhP 27,249.25
• 60 months: PhP 23,446.20

Nissan Q Ave has more models with a discounted cash-out. Check them out at www.mynissan.com.ph. So why ride a cab or go for a car rental when you can get a brand new Nissan?

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