Suzuki Celerio claims it can go 32 kilometers to a liter.

Whether it’s brand new or second-hand, buying a car can be quite a gamble. With the sharp increases in the cost of unleaded gasoline, many buyers are compelled to buy diesel-fed cars because the price of diesel is lower than gasoline. However there are several factors that you need to consider, not just the price of the fuel. Diesel may be cheaper but the maintenance can be a killer in the long run. Not to mention, the noise and environmental effects of the release of sulfur in the atmosphere which diesel engines burn along with other particulates.

Here are four important factors to consider when buying a car. If fuel-efficiency and mileage are  at the top of your list, then look for the following:

1. Power-to-weight ratio. Don’t be intimidated with this uber-scientific term. It’s really very simple; it refers to the number of pounds that every horsepower needs to carry. It’s lb/hp. If you’re a scrawny kid standing at 5 feet carrying a backpack of 10 kilos, that’s quite a chore, especially when you need to use the stairs to the 3rd floor. However, a guy standing at 5’11″ can even run up the stairs with the same 10-kilo weight without breaking a sweat. Cars are no different. Many of us think that a 2009 1.3-liter Nissan Sentra is more economical than its 2010 2.0-liter Sentra 200 counterpart. Think again. When filled with passengers, the 2.0 liter may prove to be more efficient in the long run. It will run better, without the grunts and groans of a 1.3-liter engine that will continually operate at maximum capacity when filled with passengers and cargo. Any engine that operates at maximum capacity will always use more fuel than an engine that operates at normal capacity. It is best to identify your needs before pouncing at the deal.

Sells for P1,100,000 for the AT model

2. Coefficient of drag. This has nothing to do with men in women’s clothing. When you want to go fast, you will want to experience less friction with the air so you won’t flip and turn turtle on the highway. Drag is that force that pulls you back and slows you down. Also known as air resistance, this is the force that manufacturers work hard to minimize most especially in sports cars and air planes. In measuring the Cd, the lower the number, the better. Ergo, a Fortuner will have a higher Cd compared to a Yaris. A 2010 gasoline-powered Fortuner would certainly consume more fuel than a 2010 Honda CRV. A 2010 Mazda 3 sedan would consume more fuel than a 2010 Mazda 3 hatchback because the latter does not have to deal with the overhang and is more aerodynamic. Now you know why those rally car drivers prefer hatchbacks.

More expensive than the sedan but a better car overall

3. External factors. This is my way of saying ‘stay away from the cars that have all those metal thingies attached to the roof and trunk,’ if you want fuel efficiency and mileage. If you intend to travel on the NLEX at 40 or 50 kph, then these attachments are negligible. However, if you’re a speed monster, these accessories tend to pull you back stronger and compel you step on the gas pedal more if you want to cruise at 100 kph. Also look at the tires. Thinner tires make your car go faster. By thin I didn’t mean balding or worn out. See picture below.

borrowed image from www.tamparacing.com

borrowed image from www.tamparacing.com

4. The Human Factor. Whatever you drive, a large percentage of fuel efficiency relies on you, the driver. Whether it’s automatic or manual transmission,your car will be just as fuel efficient as much as you allow it to be. When idle in traffic, AT drivers should put the gear in N to save gas. MT drivers should not step on the clutch all the time, only when changing gears. Finally, drive smoothly. Avoid the jerking motion when driving and don’t overspeed only to brake after a short distance. Doing this is harmful to you and your wallet. The car behind you may not be able to brake as fast and next thing you know, you’re in a C-collar wondering what the hell happened.

I hope you find these tips helpful. I suggest you go see online ads before venturing out. Also try to make sure you talk to the car owners themselves and get the middleman out of the way. More often than not, the owners are more flexible with price than the car dealer, though car dealers can give you some measure of after-sales service as opposed to the owners. Weigh your needs and be prudent with your purchase.

Gone are the days when the only electric vehicles that ever existed are golf cars. For a third-world country,  the efforts of the Global City administration are laudable for using electric tricycles to ferry people from building to building. They’re quiet, smokeless and fun to ride. Not to mention free. Or used to be. I think they now charge P5.00. Still cheap, if you ask me.

The city of Makati hasn’t gone too far with their efforts and the E-Jeepney has been spotted  in Legaspi Village carrying passengers to and from various office buildings in the Central Business District.  I recently tried riding these E-Jeepneys and it was a fun experience. It was very quiet and there were no vibrations. Now if only they had Wi-fi… (just kidding).

We are at the frontier of a revolution; a revolution in alternative energy sources. In first-world countries like US and Japan, government incentives abound for those who are willing to do research and development initiatives towards the development of cars that run on alternative energy sources. A big deal in the US is the public debut of the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, a car that runs on both electric power and gasoline. It has a gas generator that charges the 16-kWh lithium-ion battery pack and once it’s full, you can start turn off the gas engine and run on electric power for the rest of the trip!

In Japan, they already released the Toyota Prius and it has debuted in the Philippines. A Prius here sells for P2,250,000 or roughly US$51,000. A hefty price tag just for driving green.  Nissan, another Japanese car manufacturer, came up with the Leaf, a braver, more revolutionary vehicle in that this one has absolutely no gas engine. It has 80-kWh of power under its hood and is cheaper than the Chevy Volt. Something to think about.

As a Pinoy motorist, I can only wait for the EVs to come to the Philippines and wait further still for the prices to come down to Earthly levels, well enough for the ordinary motorist to afford. If that happens, then maybe Meralco will be the new enemy. It already is, as things go.

This is the kind of fun we had the Autocross 2010 at the Clark Speedway last August. Shown here is Dante Ward learning how to use sports mode on the 2010 Subaru Legacy Sedan. Indeed, a powerhouse of a sedan. The 2010 Subaru Legacy is one of the most coveted sedans in the market today. According to the marketing guy, it is currently sold to the tune of P2,048,000 apiece. See the features below:

• Aluminum Subaru 2.5 Turbocharged Boxer Type Engine
• Symmetrical All Wheel Drive
• E5AT
• Bilstein Shock Absorbers
• 225/45R18 Tires
• Vehicle Dynamics Control System (VDC)
• Brake Assist
• SRS dual Front, Side, Curtain, and Knee Airbags , Seat Belt Alarm for Passengers
• Tilt Adjustable &Telescopic Steering Wheel
• Hill Hold Function
• Paddle Shift
• SI Drive
• 10 Way Adjustable Electric Driver’s Seat with 2 Position Memory
• Adjustable Electric Front Passenger
• Leather Seats
• HID Head lamp
• Sun roof
• Twin Muffler
• Electric Parking Brake

Considering the things that this car can do, I don’t see why the price would be unreasonable. After all, it’s a Subaru.

The Subaru Legacy is like the Clark Kent of sedans. Outside it looks like an ordinary sedan, much like any other. Inside, there’s something super about it. In our trial run, the Legacy went from 0 to 120 in 4 seconds! And Dante wouldn’t even really floor it! You will have to excuse my French, but when that car went into sports mode, it just took my breath away.

Inside the car is not much to look at. Same bells and whistles that you would see in a Toyota or a Nissan, but under the hood, no one is created equal. Subaru has perfected the All Wheel Drive technology and has minimized the yaw movement of a car during cornering, giving the driver more control to prevent skids caused by oversteer and understeer.

Now the next question is, how do you get a Subaru Legacy or any car for that matter? If you have the money, you can always pay in cash, but what if you don’t? Then an auto loan is in order. I also have an existing auto loan and the processing time for it was a whole lot faster than expected. Here’s a quick guide on what to do when getting an auto loan.

Tips on how to get an auto loan

1. Identify the bank.  There are so many banks in the Philippines that offer auto loans, but not all of them offer the same perks.  I recommend that you get your auto loan from a bank that offers flexible terms of up to 60 months because most other banks only offer till 48 months. Find one that offers low downpayment and high loanable amounts of up to 80% of the car’s price tag. Finally, choose a bank that allows convenient modes of payment.  You need a bank that will give you enough wiggle room for your income bracket.
2. Have your requirements on hand. Naturally, the bank will call you and ask you all kinds of questions related to your work and if you are married, they will also ask questions related to your spouse’s work and income. They just want to make sure that you are gainfully employed and will be able to make your car payments.
3. If you don’t understand anything, don’t be afraid to ask questions. Normally, the vehicle’s sales agent will be able to help you out with these things. When you walk into a showroom they will be able to provide you with a sample computation. Get those big calculators and start doing the math yourself to avoid surprises. Union Bank’s website allows you to compute your monthly payments based on the downpayment you can afford. Try it!
4. Ask your friends which bank they went to for their auto loans. Chances are, you will get some first-hand information on how to handle mortgage payments, insurance and important car care tips. Remember that getting a new car is a responsibility as it will also pay for itself in the long run by providing comfort and security for you and your family when you travel to work, school and on holidays. It’s never just a car, it’s a member of the family.

Volvo cars have been known to be safest cars in the world, thus the most amazing innovations are available in the 2010 Volvo S60. Volvo has been pioneers of what the automotive industry has made into standards for most of the world’s cars, such as the 3-point safety belt, laminated windshields, padded dashboards, Side Impact Protection System (SIPS), City Safety™ and pedestrian detection with full autobrake.

Volvo’s City Safety

This is a feature that automatically stops the car when it is traveling at 15 kph or less. If the car is traveling at 32 kph, City Safety applies the brakes to make the vehicle slow down and lessen the impact. To help you understand it better, I got a video from youtube. See it to believe.

Pedestrian Detection

This is one of the most revolutionary features on an automobile, Volvo has made the pedestrian detection a reality though the new S60. It works much like the City Safety only it detects people. For a car to detect other cars and people, expect a lot of science and research have gone into the development of these features. With a certain number of meters, the S60′s brakes move closer to the disc allowing for a more responsive braking system and automatically lowers the chances of injury during low-speed and possibly prevent death in high-speed collisions.

I would personally buy a Volvo, if I could afford. The price of the new S60 in the Philippines is P2.8 M for the entry-level S60, which comes with a four-cylinder engine. Though the pedestrian detection system does not come standard with the 4-cylinder model, the City Safety does. Still a good buy if you are after safety and staying alive when in vehicular accident. In Europe as well as in the US, insurance premiums have gone down for car buyers who go the Volvo way. Not sure if it is that way over here. Still, the S60 is a good buy for its safety features, creature comforts and the looks it gets from passers by.

Unleash your wild side with the new Volvo S60.

The recently concluded Philippine International Motor Show (PIMS) was a big success. It generated sales and it renewed an interest in automotive innovation. One of the most noticeable is the PIMS theme which is “driving the green road.” True enough, there were a lot of Hybrid versions to existing models and some new ones too. I’ve been very interested in these hybrids for the longest time and at PIMS  found what I was looking for. Presenting, the Toyota Prius.

It sports a 1.8 liter gas engine but with an electric generator that powers the mechanical parts. The Prius is what is known as a Full Hybrid. This means it can go from regular internal combustion engine t electric vehicle and you wouldn’t know the difference. All thanks to Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive.

It’s what’s under the hood.

(photo taken from wikipedia.org)

Yeah, I was looking for the radiator too. The car show people closed the hood so soon and I wasn’t able to take a picture.

More than just good looks, the Prius goes 23 kilometers for every liter of gasoline, an approximation by a Toyota salesman. It’s got beauty and brains, a sure winner.

The Hybrid is different beast altogether. If you plan to own one, better be ready to fork out P2.25M for one unit. I know, it’s expensive, but the fuel economy of the whole Hybrid thingy is pegged at about 24 kilometers to a liter of gas!That’s like traveling from Quezon City to Ortigas and back for as little as 45.00 pesos! And still there’d be enough gas left for another trip.

One of the hazards of the Prius are pedestrians. The car almost has no noise, thus would be dangerous for passers-by who might get hit. Drivers would have to be vigilant because people might just walk in front of you, especially in Manila streets where many pedestrians text while crossing the street, relying mostly on external noise and honking horns to guide their way. Overall, it’s a “politically correct automobile.”

Dear readers, I finally got around to publishing my story about one of the most beautiful SUVs available in the Philippine market today, the Mitsubishi Montero.

The Mitsubishi Montero scores the biggest upset since the Toyota Fortuner, the Hyundai Accent and the Chery Cowin LPG put together. Unlike the Toyota Fortuner, the Montero as been around since guys started using hair gel. It started out as a gasoline version of the Mitsubishi Pajero in the North American market and people thought it was just another name for a Mitsubishi L200 pickup on steroids. Not so.

There is more to the name game than you think. From a distance, it looks like a Mitsubishi Strada with the rear tail light of the Mitsubishi Fuzion. Not too classy? Take a look under the bonnet and behold, the same 3.2 4M41 Common Rail Diesel Engine used by the 2009 Mitsubishi Pajero! So what’s the difference aside from some extra tweaks and less luxurious leather upholstery? The Montero is P1,670,000 or US$37,111 cheaper than the Pajero. The Montero GLS SE 4×4 is also P21,000 or US$467 cheaper than the Toyota Fortuner.

Gone are the days that SUVs were a bumpy ride even on highway roads. They’ve traded coil springs for the usual leaves, but sacrificed on the ability to carry heavy loads. Why so? Will anyone buy a Montero to use as a cement carrier? I don’t think so. The SUV is the new sports car of the 21st century. It is meant to carry people, kids and picnic baskets. Wide windows so that you can see and be seen. It’s all about the creature comforts of road trips and still have torque to spare for the shift-on-the-fly Super Select 4WD. Because in the 21st Century, you need not get out of your vehicle with a wrench just to lock the front hubs so you can switch to four wheel drive. The Montero lets you do it with one shift, even at 40kph.

I love the interior. It feels like a car and drives like a car, but unlike a car, the Montero lets you go through a .6 meter deep flood and not lose your cool. In emergency cases (I’ve seen this first-hand), it can go through a one-meter deep flood without a hiccup. Though you still have to dry your brakes when you’ve gone through it. The controls are on the steering wheel and you don’t have to take your eyes off the road. Fuel consumption is wonderful at 9 to 10 kilometers to a liter overall, highway and city driving, and because it is Euro IV compliant, it is a friend of the environment.

Some things I don’t like about it though. Most SUVs have dual evaporator airconditioners, but the rear airconditioner control and vents are on the rear right side of the third jump seats. Not very efficient cooling unless you’re sitting right next to it. This reminded me of the 1988 Mitsubishi Pajero we used to own that didn’t have rear airconditioner vents. It would never cool the interior totally on a hot summer day, but was chilly in the evenings.

Though it rode like a car, the test vehicle’s steering wheel shook whenever the Montero went on idle during a traffic stop. The L300′s 4D56 didn’t have that kind of vibration despite being the first generation CRDi back in the late 1980s. Idling is automatically set and I never understood why the steering shook so bad on traffic stops. I am hoping it was just the test vehicle.

Here are some basic information on the Mitsubishi Montero as shown by the Motion Cars website.

Model: GLS SE 4×4           GLS 4×4                   GLS 4×2
Price:   P 1,720,000       P 1,480,000       P 1,380,000

Happy New Year folks! To kick start 2010, I will share with you my experiences with the Volvo S80, first generation.

Last Christmas day I went home to the province with my sister and we went home in style. In a white Volvo S80, a mid-sized sedan that comfortably seats five people, that has rear air condition vents with automatic climate control system. Pretty neat, I thought.

The Volvo S80

The first generation S80 sports an M on the license plate. Its 2.0 liter turbocharged, inline-5 gasoline engine is more than just a power plant. It’s as nimble and fuel-efficient as a four-cylinder engine, but as powerful and overwhelming as a V6. Trust Volvo to provide the safest and smoothest ride possible. You’ll love the side mirrors. Why? Because there are NO BLIND SPOTS. Higher models sport a camera, but this model is quite spartan. An extended mirror that covers the blind spots did the trick.

I love the seats. I don’t know if it’s real leather or not, but darn it’s plush and soft to the touch. The seats are wide and can be adjusted any other way to make your trip stress-free. The electronic seat adjustments are so convenient. For us ordinary driving folk, these little conveniences mean the world when driving through the mean streets of Metro Manila. Traffic is so stressful especially during rush hour. A comfortable drive really does matter.

Volvo in Manila

If there’s one thing I realized about driving a Volvo, it doesn’t turn heads. REALLY! Most people don’t see it as a luxury car, especially in provincial inroads. Probably because in the province, few people recognize the car. For the person who is concerned for his safety and does not want to be too flashy on the road, the Volvo S80 is the perfect choice.

Volvo S80 Handling

It’s a breeze. There’s power when you need it. For a 2.0 liter engine, it feels like there are more horses than even an average V6. The Volvo’s straight-five engine employs five cylinders, more powerful than the usual 4 or 6-cylinder Japanese engine in a V-formation. Volvo’s five cylinder configuration is fascinating because it’s power married with fuel efficiency. No American car can give you that. On our trip, the mileage computer read consumption at 7 to 8 kilometers to a liter, which combined traffic in the city and highway driving consumption.

Got allergies? The Volvo S80′s automatic climate control system filters all the dust and pollen that will keep you sneeze-free for the rest of your trip. Just make sure you close the vents. I forgot to close it in our way home and I could smell the stench of the Bocaue river and market on our way home. Finally figured it out while we were in the highway.

Remember that driving European cars requires a different mindset. For the lot of us who got used to Japanese compact cars, the switches are not where we expect them to be. The lights are different, such as in the case of the external vents, I thought green meant it was closed while red meant it was open. In fact it was the complete opposite.

1st Gen vs 2nd Gen

The second generation S80 is so different. While it improves the gadgetry of the first generation, it is also more expensive and with more toys to enjoy, like the blind spot camera and 6-speed automatic transmission among others. There is also the price tag. First generation Volvo S80 sold in the Philippines for P2.95M, while the second generation S80 sells for P3.250M for the basic 2.5 liter engine version.

Expensive? It’s worth it.

Last June, I traveled to Manaoag, Pangasinan to have my new delivery van blessed. It was also the first time I was going to drive through SCTEX (Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway). I loved traveling through this highway because there were less cars and the scenery is relaxing. A lot of greenery can be seen and this just relaxes any motorist. The downside is that you need to make sure you have enough gas because there are no gas stations at any point along SCTEX. Well, not for now. I believe fast food joints will soon mushroom on this highway.

Toll fees are not cheap at SCTEX. However, there are savings to be had by taking this highway: savings in both time and money. It was a real joy to traverse. Then, out of nowhere, I saw a long line of Austin Mini-Coopers traveling the same highway.

It was so nice seeing a lot of these classics still in good working condition. The creation of the Austin Mini Cooper was prompted by the world fuel shortage of the late 1950s and 1960s. When necessity becomes the mother of invention, ingenuity takes over production, as what happened to the Austin Mini Cooper.

Manufacturers began experimenting with front-wheel drive with the radiator placed on the left side and not usual wide front mount as seen in most front wheel drive cars. The ride can be bumpy as the Mini has been known to use cylindrical rubber as shock dampers and not the usual coil springs. This actually gives the car a rather bumpy ride, as well as the go-kart feel which the Mini is famous for.

Some of the Minis were obviously without air conditioning which is why they all had to make stops at gas stations. However, those who did have air-conditioning were quite the site to marvel at.

Thanks a bunch to the owners of these Mini Coopers! It was great seeing you and your cars!