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Showing posts with label Driver's Seat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Driver's Seat. Show all posts

March 17, 2024

First Drive: 2024 Lexus LBX


You could say that a lot is riding on the Lexus LBX. Not only is it Lexus’ first three-letter named model after the LFA supercar, but because it’s the cheapest model in the entire range (it’s priced at P 2.968 million), it’s a gateway model for potential would-be brand converts. No pressure then for the Lexus Breakthrough Crossover, huh?

March 5, 2024

Toyota Yaris Cross: Made For Life's Surprises


The Toyota Yaris Cross made serious waves when it first launched last year. Just when you thought that Toyota had got all its bases covered, it hits the market with a wildcard. As the brand’s newest compact crossover, it offers the right mix of function and style that befits the creative and adventurous generation of today. In addition, it adds to Toyota’s wholistic thrust of bringing a safer, more sustainable future even to first-time car buyers.

February 18, 2024

Review: 2024 Nissan Z Premium AT


Let’s stop for a minute and admire what Nissan has done here. In an age where electrification has become the auto industry buzzword, they’ve come up with something leftfield with the all-new Z. Eschewing any motivation via electrons, it’s got a big, honking V6 driving the rear wheels. There’s even standard limited slip diff, performance brake (pads), and a no-cost option for a stick. It’s as old-school as a sportscar’s going to get and just thinking about it gets any enthusiast, myself included, all wet.

February 10, 2024

Review: 2024 Volkswagen Tharu 300 TSI SEL


Did Volkswagen Philippines just lie to us? Didn’t they promise that they were done with their so-called “Chinese experiment”? You know, when they brought in second-rate, Made for China vehicles to stay relevant in the local market? If that’s the case, what the hell is a Tharu? Shouldn’t we get a showroom filled with Golfs, Tiguans, and such? Alright. I get your anger, frustration, and all that against “Das Auto” but you know what? They’re not lying. Also, more importantly, regardless of its origin, the Tharu’s a solid drive for the most part, and that’s all that matters.

February 4, 2024

Review: 2024 BMW Z4 sDrive20i


Credit Toyota and their decision to resurrect the Supra for the existence of the third-generation BMW Z4, but whatever the result stemming from the boardroom meetings of the two carmakers, don’t discredit the fact that this is actually available at BMW showrooms. Just when the market appeal for roadsters has softened, this G29 is the best version to have come out of Munich; well, technically the Magna plant in Austria, but who cares. It’s a return to fighting form and one that has it nipping at greatness.

2024 Hyundai Stargazer X: The MPV From The Future Takes Road Trips A Notch Higher


One of the good things that resulted from the pandemic is that it reignited a love for the open road and a passion for adventure. Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen a steady rise in people going on roads trips, the opening of beautiful camping grounds and boutique resorts, and the eagerness of the Filipino to explore more of the country than taking flight.

January 27, 2024

Review: 2024 Honda CR-V RS e:HEV


Throughout its six generations, the Honda CR-V has never been afraid to experiment. From offering an underfloor picnic table in the first-generation model, cramming ten seats in the second-generation model, to a diesel engine and seven seats in the fifth-generation model, this compact SUV is designed as if it’s got a feel of the market’s pulse as a whole. With the sixth-generation model, Honda has done it again with the introduction of two things: the RS badge and a strong hybrid system called the e:HEV.

January 21, 2024

2024 Subaru Outback 2.5i-Touring: Versatility Without Bounds


Subaru is renowned for producing some of the most practical and well-designed vehicles on the market. Quite frankly, I have not encountered a single Subie that hasn’t been used, abused, and yet, maintained as well-loved family cars, one way or the other. This statement applies to not only its bestselling SUV, the Subaru Forester, but also to its range of performance cars, such as the Subaru WRX and BRZ. In fact, if there is one thing that I find to be unique to Subaru, it is the brand’s consistency in offering up cars that are reliable and can satiate an enthusiast’s drive for power and precision.

Review: 2024 GWM Haval H6 HEV Supreme


Chinese carmakers, pay attention. This is your gold standard. The past five years or so, we’ve seen brands sprout up like mushrooms all from the Middle Kingdom. And like fungi that thrive in dark, damp places, none of them deserve to be in the limelight. They’d be great for a couple of days or so, but something always throws you off. Until now. The GWM Haval H6 shows us that when they get their act together, they could make pretty compelling cars.

January 14, 2024

Review: 2024 GWM Haval Jolion 1.5 HEV


Don’t judge a car solely by its cover, or in this case, its sheet metal. If I were to render verdict on the GWM Haval Jolion based on its looks alone, I’d say it’s uninteresting; and no amount of posing it with celebrities or influencers will change that. Just look at it—the design looks a half or even a full generation behind its competitors. The halberd-shaped taillights and what look to be the biggest turn signal lamps ever fitted in a production car (for the record, it’s the entire lower triangular part) notwithstanding, it apes the previous-generation Mitsubishi Outlander. You know, a compact SUV launched way back in 2012. But thankfully, this review isn’t as shallow as that, and with proper seat time, this “small SUV” from GWM comes across as a serious threat to Japanese and Korean stalwarts.

January 7, 2024

Review: 2024 Honda CR-V 1.5 V Turbo


P 2.1-million—until now, I find this price tag hard to swallow, especially when I’m talking about the Honda CR-V. Whether the P 361,000 gap between this, the entry-level CR-V 1.5 V Turbo, and the HR-V RS Turbo is tied to inflation or some potential product slotting in-between, but whatever the reason, it does put this compact SUV under pressure. With a low sticker price no longer a USP, what could be the reasons be for people to consider the all-new CR-V?

January 2, 2024

Review: 2024 Lexus RZ 450e


Lexus may have been the pioneer when it comes to electrified vehicles, but they sure bided their time in coming up with a bespoke battery electric vehicle. However, faced with tightening emissions standards and a view of luxury centering around sustainability, it’s something they can no longer ignore. And with a promise to shift to 100 percent electric by 2035, Lexus needs to put a standard down—a measure by which they (and others) could see where the brand’s headed. This is the primary mission bestowed on the Lexus RZ 450e and one it’s managed to both accomplish and fail at.

January 1, 2024

Review: 2024 Nissan Almera VL Turbo


In a stroke of genius, Nissan rid the fourth-generation Almera of its ugly-as-sin styling and added a dose of sportiness to transform this forgettable sub-compact sedan into one of our segment favorites. We loved it so much that we named it one of our Top 5 Picks in 2021. Fast-forward to today and we have the updated Almera. Now, I don’t know about you, but I feel like with this update, it’s managed to both take a step forward and a step back.

Review: 2024 Hyundai Custin 1.5 T-GDI Premium


Normally, it’s hard to get excited about MPVs. After all, they’re generally designed to do one thing and one thing alone: ferry people. However, for Hyundai, they’ve managed to build a brand around MPVs with nameplates like the Starex (now Staria) and Stargazer becoming recognizable to your average Filipino. With the local auto industry already spoilt for choice in the SUV and crossover segment, the Korean automaker has wisely doubled down on people carriers and their latest offering is this: the Custin.

December 11, 2023

2023 GAC GS3 Emzoom Vs Honda HR-V V Turbo


By now, you’d probably think the Honda HR-V is my favorite punching bag; after all, it was the subject of our first head-to-head comparo I did early in the year against the Hyundai Creta. And it was a comparo that, to say the least, produced an upset with the Creta 1.5 GLS Premium winning over the HR-V 1.5 S. Now, here’s my second comparo of the year, and this time the mid-grade HR-V V Turbo is going against an unlikely rival in the GAC GS3 Emzoom.

November 19, 2023

Review: 2023 GAC EMKOO 1.5T GL


It’s hard to take a car called “EMKOO” (yes, it’s properly stylized in all caps) seriously. At first, you’d think it’s some shoddy cosmetic brand you get at a tiange or maybe it’s the name of the latest boba pearl or yogurt drink fad from God-knows-where. Whatever mental image you come up with, the last thing you can think of is a car. But here it is. It’s the second in GAC Motor’s “Shadow” series (after the EMPOW); does it drive as well as it looks? Read on.

November 15, 2023

First Drive: 2024 Honda CR-V


If there’s one thing you could say about the Honda CR-V is that it’s comfortable in its own skin. In each of its six generations, there was little need to reinvent the basic recipe. Whereas its competitors all tried to reimagine themselves, this compact SUV stuck to its guns of being a practical, family-friendly compact SUV that happens to be a great all-rounder. This has allowed Honda to carefully refine the formula, improving its strengths, while reducing or eliminating its weaknesses in the process. There’s a Japanese term for that—Kaizen—and the all-new CR-V is an embodiment of that.

November 12, 2023

Review: 2023 Ford Ranger Raptor 2.0 Bi-Turbo 4x4


From a practical standpoint, the Ford Ranger Raptor shouldn’t make sense. Who, in their right frame of mind, would want to drive a pickup truck that’s wider, less practical, and designed for high-speed dirt driving—the sort of terrain the Philippines doesn’t get? A lot of you, apparently. So much so that the Philippines is home to the second most number of Ranger Raptors sold globally, the world leader being Australia. With such a pedigree attached to it, can Ford manage to repeat the first-gen’s success with this all-new next-generation Ranger Raptor? Mostly.

November 5, 2023

2024 Mitsubishi Triton First Impressions: Setting A New Standard For Pickup Trucks


I drove a pick-up truck and, surprisingly, I liked it.

5 Reasons Why The Honda City And Brio Deserve A Look


Admit it: we rarely get excited when it comes to entry-level motoring. Sure enough, they’re often dismissed as mere appliances on wheels—they get you from Point A to Point B fine, but they do so without raising the pulse. However, if there’s one carmaker that goes against the grain, it’s Honda.