Auto underdogs worth a second look

I went through a whole lot of test units for most of the year in 2012, many of which surprised me. Surprised because some of them were just so good, I’m aghast they are not selling in

huge numbers. Here’s a handful of them:

1. Mitsubishi Lancer 1.6 EX GLX A/T. A big, well-refined, roomy car that is superbly comfortable, this model has a decently punchy engine yet delivers an almost comparable fuel consumption figure to smaller B-segment cars. How can one NOT like the Lancer? The larger size means it is far more stable, compliant and comfortable on the highway, where cruising speeds of over a hundred are dispatched easily. It has ABS-equipped brakes, dual SRS airbags, with a modest but more than adequate 115 HP and 154 Nm of torque, mated to a 4-speed INVECS II automatic transmission. Midrange is quite meaty, which is where we spend most of our time driving. It’s no canyon carver, but when you consider that a fully loaded B-segment car is only P20,000-30,000 less than this car, it makes you wonder: Why not spring for the bigger, more spacious car that gives comparable gas mileage anyway? Once you get the typical fantastic Mitsubishi discount though, the price disadvantage of the Lancer over the B-segment cars is nullified. Get one, it’s really, really good.

2. Subaru Legacy GT 2.5 Turbo. I can understand why not too many people buy the Legacy since the ride is much firmer (especially the pre-facelift Legacy’s which came with the Euro-tuned Bilstein suspension), the offbeat boxer exhaust note can be annoying to the uninitiated, and the long, low nose means scraping your driveway or the office parking ramp is a common occurrence. But what the Legacy offers that its competitors do not is excitement; the Legacy is arguably the most exciting executive sedan below P2.2 million to drive, with the added panache of being a Subaru rather than your usual humdrum Japanese sedan. You can tune or modify it too, adding an easy 50 HP and 80-100 Nm of torque on top of the already available 265 HP and 350 Nm of torque by simply adding the right parts (intake, turbo-back exhaust, a boost controller, some intercooler piping and an ECU reflash or piggyback ECU). And even with an additional 50 horses, the Legacy doesn’t feel overwhelmed by the increase in power as the chassis, brakes, steering and suspension are designed to cope with far more power, helping retain the Legacy’s overall balance. With SI-Drive, the Legacy is a most practical, comfortable and capable high-speed, long-distance tourer that is superbly built inside and out, practical and roomy.

3. Suzuki Kizashi.A light middle-weight executive sports sedan, the Kizashi has a whole lot going for it: a powerful, responsive and gutsy 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine with 180 HP and

230 Nm of torque, impeccable build quality thanks to its Japan-made underpinnings, roomy interior mated to a compact exterior, blood-thirsty and responsive steering, sport-tuned suspension and excellent seating position, the Kizashi is probably the king of the underdogs. The PR video of the Kizashi showed footage of the car undergoing testing on a race track which, although unsaid, looks very much to be the legendary and infamous Nordschleife or Northern Loop of the Nurbugring in Germany, considered as the world’s longest, hardest and toughest race track. If the Suzuki Kizashi can handle itself well at the ‘Ring, then it should have no problem coping with our local roads. Perhaps the harshest rumor I’ve heard about the Kizashi is that Suzuki spare parts tend to be very expensive and hard to come by. But I have actually yet to hear of any Suzuki vehicle sold locally (thus discounting the old, converted, grey-market import Suzuki light commercial vehicles) that has been problematic. To sum it up, the Kizashi is three-fourth of the way to a full-fledged rally-replica from Mitsubishi or Subaru, for one-half of the price.

4. KIA Carens. Ok, so technically, the Carens hasn’t been on sale for quite a while, with an all-new diesel-powered Carens coming sometime in the summer. But even during its prime, how come nobody ever bought the Carens? In Europe, MPVs like the Carens sell by the hundreds of thousands. It offers the interior space and utility of a typical SUV, but without the exterior bulk, heft and conspicuous consumption of an SUV. The Carens isn’t only practical, but easier to drive, cheaper to buy, maintain and use on the road, and fits far more tight and cramped car ports prevalent in many of today’s condominium and townhouse developments as space in the urban setting becomes rarer and more expensive. Hence, everyone will need a five-seat multipassenger/multipurpose vehicle that has a highly versatile interior and yet fits easily in a typical new housing development. Peugeot’s 3008, like the upcoming All-New KIA Carens, will be popular choices for people who can’t afford the price (and size) of owning a typical SUV but need the interior space and versatility as well as flexibility. As for the Carens itself? Well, the look on people’s faces when you overtake them in an MPV that has 140 HP and crucially, 314 Nm of torque, is simply hilarious. It’s got dual airbags and ABS brakes too, and with Peter Schreyer (former KIA design chief previously of Audi fame who is now KIA’s first ever non-Korean big boss), single-handedly transforming KIA into the sexy starlet it is now, expect the All-New Carens when it comes to life in May this year, to be a real knockout.

5. Toyota Yaris. Admittedly, the inclusion of the Yaris seems biased on my part as I own one myself. But in reality, it’s hard not to include the Yaris. The Vios four-door sedan seems to overshadow the Yaris five-door hatchback, but truth to tell is the Yaris is the more prominent vehicle globally. It has tiny boot space, but still comfortably carries four adults perfectly even over long distances. It is almost four inches shorter than its key competitor, the Honda Jazz, but wheelbase, width and height are within a hair’s gap of each other. Those four inches will matter as these will allow the Yaris to fit in even smaller, tighter spaces. Dynamically, the Jazz has more polish, but the Yaris is just as comfortable to pootle about around town. The biggest difference, though, is the price: the Yaris checks in at P771,000 whereas the Jazz and its other competitors such as the Ford Fiesta are pushing into the P820,000 range, which is a whole lot. You also get the awesome D-shaped flat-bottom steering wheel in the current facelifted Yaris, which comes with TRD T-Sport front and rear bumpers as standard.

All of these cars are highly practical, desirable and versatile. The best part is that they might be available to you at a bargain due to their slow-selling volumes. Head over to your nearest dealership, haggle like crazy and drive one of these babies home today. I know I’d happily drive home any of these cars (aside from the Yaris, of course, which I already own).

E-mail the author at botchilah@yahoo.com.