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

December 1, 2025

The Radar RD6 Is One Promising Pickup (Not Truck)


Have you been in a ladder-frame SUV and a unibody crossover afterwards? Try it out on the same roads and you’ll feel the big difference in ride comfort. This is why for a long time, I’ve been envious of markets that have the Honda Ridgeline, and now there’s also the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz. These are unibody pickups that have crossover-like ride comfort – at least from the reviews I’ve seen abroad.

The Jetour T1 i-DM Is For The More Subtle Adventurer


I’ll spare you from any tito references this time around and just say that for all that it is, the Jetour T2 is indeed a good SUV. However, one can’t deny it’s not for everybody. Sure, it’s pricey but aside from that, it’s also too obvious. The very macho silhouette, over-emphasized flares, and the Jetour badge at the grille isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. This is where the Jetour T1 comes in.

November 30, 2025

Review: 2026 Toyota bZ4X AWD


It took Toyota long enough, but they’re finally launching their first battery electric vehicle in the Philippines: the 2026 bZ4X. Still a firm believer in gasoline electric hybrids (they have the widest selection in the country after all), they think that now is the right time for them to dip their toes in something motivated purely by electrons. Considerations, they say, involve several factors. What those are is a topic for another day; fact of the matter is that the bZ4X is finally here, and this is how it drives.

Bibimdrive: A North Trip with the Kia EV9, Carnival HEV, Sorento HEV, and Sonet


More is indeed merrier for this recent Kia trip I had. The usual 1 car in focus was off the table and instead they had us drive 4 of their cars to the far north. It was a good mix between different powertrains that I can’t help but compare it to one of my go-to Korean dishes.

3 Things That Make The Changan Nevo Hunter K50 A Threat To The Status Quo


Rain is said to be the great equalizer in racing. For us in the motoring beat, it’s the great hassle. Changan prepared a good drive for us towards Quezon with the Q05 SUV, Hunter pickup, and a preview of the A05 sedan. The rain hampered our activities and so I was limited to the Hunter pickup.

November 24, 2025

Review: 2025 Toyota Camry 2.5 V HEV


All signs point to the executive sedan segment—the D-segment in industry parlance—dying in the Philippines. With just a total of 414 units moved for the first nine months of 2025, it represents just 0.1 percent of all new cars sold. The sportscar segment, with 721 units sold in the same period, is double that at 0.2 percent. As Filipino car buyers change preferences to favor crossovers and SUVs, those who are sedan holdouts have far few choices now, and lording over them all is the Toyota Camry.

November 13, 2025

The Ford Mustang Mach-E Is A Well-Executed Machine With A Flawed Name


You are looking at one of the most controversial new cars to come out in quite a while. It’s managed to cause quite a stir for one thing: the name. Ford’s marketing team thought it brilliant to use the Mustang name—an iconic nameplate with a long and storied history—for its first fully-fledged battery electric vehicle. What they didn’t realize would be the amount of backlash they got afterward. Watch our YouTube impressions here.

October 28, 2025

The Porsche 911 Turbo S Is The Supreme All-Rounder


If there’s one car that’s been resistant to change, stubborn even, it’s the Porsche 911. Throughout its more than 60-year history, its basic formula hasn’t changed. Throughout the generations, it’s a careful evolution of the same basic formula—the engine is mounted at the back and power being sent to the ground (typically) through the rear wheels. However, every so often, the formula is tweaked a bit more be through the introduction of all-wheel drive, turbocharging, and the water-cooled engine. With the latest 992.2 generation, electrification can now be added into the formula. Read on to read our impressions, or watch our drive.

October 26, 2025

Review: 2025 Tesla Model 3 Standard Range RWD


Tesla. Such a complicated car company making rather uncomplicated cars. At times, it’s hard to separate Elon Musk’s—it’s CEO and “Technoking”—occasional tirades and the EVs he’s making to the point that people form strong opinions on a Tesla without even sitting, let alone driving one. Honestly, I was one of those people given my experience, at least when it comes to a Model 3, was limited to just Uber rides around Europe. However, that has all changed and after spending four days with one, the hype—not the hate—is most definitely real.

October 13, 2025

The 2026 Kia EV5 Is An Authentic, Accessible EV Compact SUV


The compact SUV segment is, by far, the most popular automotive segment in the world. If a carmaker would want to gain market share, this is the space to compete in. Apart from having the right form factor that fits well with the freeways of North America to the tight parking spaces in Asia and Europe, it mixes in this practicality with dollops of tech and style, as well as a dash of handling goodness. It’s why there’s a lot hinging on Kia’s electrification plans and the EV5. Watch our first impressions.

October 8, 2025

The Ford Territory Hybrid Provides A No Worries Motoring Experience


Usually when a car transitions into electrification, it’s more of a drag and drop thing. Drag this car to the lab, drop a hybrid powertrain, and then release it to the public. Ford did things differently with the Territory Hybrid. They timed it to go with a refresh, making the package even more remarkable. It got new bells, whistles, and clothes to go with that fresh electrified setup.

The Toyota Hilux GR-S Legitimizes The Gazoo Racing Badge


Toyota has been putting the GR badge in many of their cars. Most of the time it’s more of an aesthetic touch-up, but other times there are mechanical improvements too. Remember when the then Vios GR-S had a 10-speed CVT? Then they made the Fortuner GR-S with a revised rear suspension.

October 6, 2025

2026 Kia PV5 Is A Well-Thought Of, Sci-Fi Looking EV Van


Kia believes electrification—the full-bodied one and not the half-assed hybrid kind—is in full swing. They even think it’s gone from the early adopter stage to the mainstream. This way of thinking has distilled into their BEV line-up which has diversified at an astonishing rate. But, while the focus has been on the EV range, the Korean automaker, sorry, mobility company, has also identified a market whitespace: all-electric commercial vehicles. Aiming to be one of the first movers in this space, they’ve come up with the PV5—the first member of a planned all-electric commercial vehicle family. Watch our first impressions.

September 25, 2025

Review: 2025 MG One 1.5 CVT Lux


I don’t know exactly what MG had in mind when they came up with the MG One. When it was launched, it was sized like the MG HS (which was offered at the time), and even shares similar price points and features. MG seems to admit to it as much since its name, which spells out “ONE” doesn’t fit in with the rest of the line-up’s alphanumeric naming convention which uses Arabic numerals like 3, 4, 5, and 7. Perhaps, I’d get the full picture when the all-new MG HS comes in, but for now, it begs the question: does it make sense for MG to spawn off a separate product line based simply on how it looks?

September 17, 2025

The BYD Tang DM-i Is A More Attainable Flagship That Cut Some Corners


BYD is focused on having an offering in almost every segment here in the Philippines. They already have something for MPVs in the eMax 7, compact crossovers in the Sealion 6, compact EV crossovers in the Atto 3, and an attainable EV in the Seagull. It’s only natural that they set their sights on a market where the old guards still reign supreme—the 7-seater midsized SUV segment.

September 10, 2025

The Suzuki Fronx Is A Solid Smile Machine


Three years after the Vitara made its exit, Suzuki Philippines is once again dipping their toes in the small crossover market. Suzuki revamped their crossover formula for this one in that it seemingly pushed practicality back in the list of concerns and focused on contemporary safety, driving fun, and fuel efficiency.

September 9, 2025

Review: 2025 BMW X3 30e xDrive M Sport


What’s the most important model in BMW’s range? If you’re thinking the 3 or the 5 Series, you’re wrong. That title, at least when it comes to sales, is the X3. Given its importance, BMW could have played it safe and gone with something evolutionary. No doubt, it’ll still sell. Instead, they’ve done the opposite and made the G45—the codename of this new X3—as far removed from its predecessor. Call it then a preamble of sorts, but whatever it is, the X3 is a good luxury SUV with some noticeably rough edges.

September 1, 2025

Review: 2025 Nissan Z NISMO


For all intents and purposes, the Z shouldn’t be here. With Nissan in dire straits, financially at least, they could have given the world another crossover; only they didn’t. In an automotive miracle that would make Lazarus proud, the carmaker bankrolled the creation of the current-generation Z—the RZ34. This alone proves to you that one, there are some car guys amongst the bean counters in Yokohama, and second, that the Z’s mere existence should be a course for celebration.

August 26, 2025

Riding Chinese Opulence With The Li Auto Mega


Li Auto immediately positioned itself as a premium brand when they arrived here in the Philippines. Not only that, they are focused on their Range Extender Electric Vehicles like the L7 and L9. So, when they invited us for a drive, I was thinking of getting my hands on either of those.

August 25, 2025

Review: 2025 GWM Ora 03 500 EV


GWM has a knack for coming up with quirky car names. From the same company that brought the world the Wingle, the Cool Bear, the King Kong Cannon, the Florid, and the Big Dog comes this: the Ora Good Cat. Only, it’s no longer the Good Cat; it’s the Funky Cat. No, scratch that. It’s now known as the Ora 03. Ultimately, credit goes to the Chinese brand’s global ambitions for the very sensible name change, all of which happened in the last five years or so. Whatever you decide calling it—Good, Funky, or otherwise, the product is a cutesy, retro-styled compact hatchback that’s full of design flair, but saddled by forgettable dynamics and an overprotective ADAS system.