PDI Motoring staff picks its best drives for the year

We’re not called the Born To Test Drive bunch for nothing.

Being given first dibs on the newest cars from the biggest auto manufacturers makes our jobs in the motoring beat different from those high-paying, white-collar careers. After being handed keys to shiny demo units with just a few kilometers on the odometer, there is always that familiar “best things in life are free” line we say before we head off to our chosen destinations either on local or foreign roads. As a group, we felt that we’re not yet ready to declare this one car is the best in its segment and, for the meantime, we leave that to other groups which have templates on testing procedures. However, we wanted to start something and we thought of individually choosing our best drives for the year.

Alvin Uy: Ford Mustang

I choose the 2012 Ford Mustang V8 variant because this much-awaited American icon has all the elements of fun, excitement and provenance of a great four-seater coupe. The back seat fits snuggly two persons and is good for short distance trips or even a quick out-of-town getaway.

Inside the cockpit, it has a cool 4.2-inch LCD screen that can be navigated through a five-way control button located at the steering wheel and the V-8 variant offers a Track App, showing real-time performance that measures g-forces, acceleration times in quarter-mile and 0-60 increments, and displays braking times, complete with automatic and countdown starts. It is also equipped with Ford’s SYNC system, giving the owner a hands-free, voice-activated in-car connectivity. Ford’s award-winning system allows one to connect to almost any mobile phone or digital media player to the Mustang via Bluetooth.

With all those toys fitted in the car, here’s the game-changer—the price. The Ford Mustang which is available in two variants—the 3.7L Mustang V6 Premium and the 5.0L Mustang V8 GT Premium with pricing is set at P2.499 million for theV6 and P2.899 million for the V8 variant.  With this kind of pricing, it currently out-prices all the other cars in this class.

Botch Santos: Bentley and FT 86

My best ever drives of 2012 are two cars which utilize very different means of achieving the same goal: ultimate driver’s satisfaction. Both cars also provided the best driving conditions on some of the most challenging roads I faced this year. Both cars could not be more opposite as well, it’s a uniquely interesting point to ponder.

First off is the big, bad Bentley Continental GT Speed, a car that costs far more than most people’s houses, and one might say just as big. It’s a large, 2-door 2+2 coupe that offers the very best in terms of creature comfort and performance. While it occupies a segment with many other competitors, the Bentley remains to be unique in its persona and character.

Weighing in at 2,300 kilograms, one might writeoff the Bentley to be an over-bloated land boat. But step on the throttle, and the twin turbo W12 engine transmits 800 Nm of torque and 625 HP through its all-wheel drive 8-speed transmission, propelling you from 100 kph to 280 kph in as much time as most cars accelerate from 30-100 kph.

The air suspension soaks up the bumps well, and the enormous carbon ceramic brakes, measuring at 405mm front and 365mm rear underneath equally enourmous 21-inch forged aluminum wheels with bespoke Pirelli performance tires have enormous reserves of grip seemingly in the domain of race cars. On the tight, slick and slippery Alpinstrasse south of Munich headed towards the German Alps, the Bentley felt right at home as the rear helped turn in the front wheels with gusto on tight turns. On the A8 and A99 Autobahn routes, the Bentley is a god, swallowing miles with ease and bullying supercars of other marques to submission and letting me overtake with ease. When I turn 60, I will buy one if I had the money, as that age range is Bentley’s target market for their top-model cars.

The other most memorable drive of 2012 is that of a humble Toyota costing a little more than your average compact sedan. This is the Toyota 86, an affordable rear-wheel drive sports car that Toyota miraculously approved for production, and even more miraculously, imported to our country for the ridiculously low price of P1,550,000 (manual).

It is, for the most part, an honest car that doesn’t promise to be the best, the fastest, the quickest or whatever moistest you and I can think of. It only promises one thing, you will have a fantastic time behind the wheel of the 86 as you flick through the gears with gusto, feeling the boxer engine’s unique sound and vibration as you climb up the revs and row through the gears. It’s a simple, light-weight sports car that will teach you the basics of driving properly quick, without electronic aids nannying your movements, nor the reserves of grip all-wheel drive offers, or the familiar understeering that a front-wheel drive car gives. RWD is, for the most part, alien to the current crop of driving enthusiasts. It doesn’t come packed with loads of electronics although there is ABS and VDC to keep you safe should you get too vigorous and naughty.

At 1:30 a.m. on a deserted mountain road in Subic Bay, it might as well have been heaven, as I found myself working the gears furiously, the tail twitching to remind me that I was in a RWD sports car each time I’d run over damp sections of the road or a clump of dried leaves scattered randomly. The suspension feels like a proper sports car, with a fluidity in motion, yet conservative in movement as the well-controlled light-weight chassis resisted pitching, yawing and rolling each time I flicked the steering wheel and transferred weight around its four corners. I’d buy an 86 right now if they could get me a manual version in white. And if I had the money.

Charles Buban: Hyundai Elantra

It was a long holiday and my wife and I were raring to go for a long drive. And so we settled to go 400 kilometers away from Manila. Interestingly, Hyundai Asia Resources Inc.  lent me its 1.6-liter Elantra compact sedan the week we planned for our trip.

While I was hoping to drive an SUV for our day-long trip, I figured that the  Elantra looked more enticing specially after reading its specs:  it burns much less gasoline and its 128 HP Gamma Multipoint fuel injected Dual-Continuously Variable Valve Timing engine is a factor I can use in overtaking a couple  of slow-moving trucks.

Leaving Manila at around 1 a.m., we arrived in Paoay, Ilocos Norte, three hours ahead of our expected arrival. After visiting the famous 300-year-old Paoay Church and trying Herencia Cafe’s pinakbet pizza, we decided to proceed to Laoag, Ilocos Norte, where we bought our favorite longganisa and sukang iloko.

With several kilos of bagnet  (which we bought in Vigan) completing our long-distance shopping in Ilocos, we decided to head back to Manila that same day, completing a 20-hour road trip that became much more bearable because of the Elantra’s impressively supple ride, reliable JVC entertainment system (I had no problem playing my iPod), and great exterior looks.

Interestingly, while this has also been my most memorable road trip this year, the Elantra also became my latest favorite long-distance ride. Minus  the mountainous trails and rocky paths, the Elantra is  a good option if you want to ditch the idea of bringing an SUV to your favorite long-distance destination.

Jason Ang: Subaru BRZ and BMW 528i

Driving a car within the parameters of a parking lot is normally not a cause for great excitement. But strange things happen when a bright blue Subaru BRZ is around. On a tightly-wound course laid out in a parking lot, the BRZ was a revelation. As promised, its low-mounted boxer engine made the car very stable even when looping around a skidpad with the electronics turned down. The naturally-aspirated 2.0-liter engine was good for 200 HP, was eager to rev, and made quick work of accelerating the lightweight chassis.The BRZ, like its identical twin, the Toyota 86, is a thrill to drive from low speeds all the way to full throttle on a race track. The price of entry is reasonable and within reach of anyone who can afford a Japanese executive car.

The BMW 528i proved to be the ultimate touring machine while driving in the United States. The 5 Series is the ideal size, with enough room inside for a family drive, while still being highly maneuverable and easy to park. Bumper to bumper on the streets of Manhattan, and cruising sedately on the tree-lined freeways of Virginia, the 528i was always comfortable while still feeling very responsive to driver commands. The turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder was frugal, with enough torque to keep up with the fastest traffic on the highway.

Jeanette Ipapo-Tuason: The Ferrari California

In my short stint as motoring columnist, I was lucky enough to attend the Ferrari California launch in Maranello.  The opportunity presented itself when we went to Europe last May for my husband’s race in Nurburgring, Germany; since we like to mix business with pleasure, we ask Marc Soong of Autostrada Motore if we can scoop a story in Italy.  Fortunately and with a bit of flying here and driving there, we arrived at the Ferrari Factory.

What really made this drive special besides being handed a key to a multimillion peso car and be told to just comeback for lunch, was that the drive was made in the stallion’s backyard.  This was probably where it was continuously tested on.  They gave us a route that traverses the rolling hills of Maranelo, which was so picturesque that you feel like you are in a music video.

The California, Ferrari’s foray to everyday supercar driving is a mix of luxurious comfort with all the trappings and engine roar of a Ferrari.  This particular improvement made the California 30 percent lighter and was given 30  HP more. The new California released a Handling Speciale Package, which includes with a more speed base suspension/stiffer springs, a different steering ration to increase the steering response by 9 percent and an evolved SCM control logic which improves the response time. It also comes with a lot of neat-looking carbon fiber trimmings and a special grill.

Although they very much disagree to this, people say that the California is a woman’s Ferrari; nothing wrong with that; we are as we claim the stronger sex, so we need strong but comfortable rides as well.

Tessa Salazar: Mercedes-Benz GLK

In my 14 years in the motoring beat, driving an SUV on the French Alps was a first, but it wasn’t just the place that swept me off my feet (and literally took my breath away). The technology of my ride was just as exhilarating.

The experience seemed to come straight out of a fantasy movie: Earth-hued chalets, with white snowflakes gently falling on their roofs and on carpets of well-manicured greens, while here and there slivers of yellow sunrays penetrated the gray, overcast sky, like random celestial spotlights. And then here I was entering the scene, driving a Mercedes-Benz on winding passes, around wonderfully unusual rock formations, precariously close to cliffs, through the valleys and forests on my way to charming La Clusaz—a village that is French to the core. No other SUV would have provided me with the best seat in the house.

The high driving position in the newly designed GLK body helped me appreciate the drive and ride even more. The new look combined the classic straight lines of an all-terrain vehicle with the modern design language of the current Mercedes-Benz sedans. The interior featured a completely redesigned dashboard with modified instrument cluster, new colors and materials, as well as hallmark, circular air vents. The new LED ambient lighting lended a classier, more premium look and feel.

Performance-wise, the 7G-Tronic Plus made for a more confident offroad experience, the gear selector lever on the steering column freed up more room for additional stowage space in the center console (for a lady, that’s more welcome space for a purse or “kikay kit”). Though the new gear position does take some getting used to, the layout grows on you. As I told Inquirer Motoring’s readers in my subsequent article:

“My two thumbs up goes to the Comand (Yup, that’s spelled just right), Mercedes-Benz’s onboard link to the Internet, as well as the new apps, and a navigation system with 3D map imaging. There’s also an option for an iPad docking station at the rear bench.”

But hands down, I would say its coolest feature—which is still optional and one which I am so looking forward to seeing in these parts—would be its 360-degree camera. This would outdo any ordinary bird’s eye view any day (or night). The all-around camera (at the time of the drive was not yet installed in the GLK I was driving) would offer a view of the car’s entire surroundings, thus helping the driver maneuver in difficult terrain.?? The type of terrain around the offroad hub in Le Grizzly was a heady mix of rocky, uneven ground and sloshy deep mud.

Turning left to the forested area on board a black GLK, I felt the vehicle’s offroad package (which was optional) at work right away as the sensitive anti-lock brake system and electronic traction system on all four wheels kept me stable and on the right side up.

The experience wasn’t just a game-changer for me. It was life-altering. I knew it also would have been for any other woman with an active lifestyle. Whoever said females and complex machines wouldn’t gel?

Consider this offroad maneuver which was once confined to men and their clunky all-terrain contraptions with their complicated mechanisms: Going down on a steep slope in the Alps, the 4X4 vehicle crawling at speeds between 3 and 18 kph.

Now, with the Mercedes-Benz GLK, all I did was to activate the downhill speed regulation system with just the push of a button, and the vehicle did exactly the same thing, the only difference was that I could look at myself in the vanity mirror at the same time. Pushing the left lower lever down slowed the vehicle down, while pushing it up would speed it up. Everything was made simpler (read: idiot-proof). The entire off-road package controls were also easy to understand.

The basis for all this user-friendliness would be the 4Matic permanent all-wheel-drive with the 4TS electronic traction system. The vehicle could now “think” for itself once the system is engaged.??And, mind you, my views here are not my own. From what I gathered from my sources in Mercedes-Benz, many GLK owners around the world are women. Talk about how beautifully rugged women empowerment can be.

Aida Sevilla-Mendoza: The Toyota 86

I had the “best test drive experiences” with just one car: the Toyota 86.  That’s because I got to drive Toyota’s much-anticipated sports car three times: 1) on June 16, a rainy, windy Saturday afternoon on the wet tarmac of the Subic International Airport; 2) on June 18, the following Monday during the formal launch of the 86 at Subic; and 3) last month, when the 86 demo unit was delivered to me for a five-day test drive.

Of the three test drive experiences, the most enjoyable was in the wet and wild at Subic on June 16 after lateral drift champion David Feliciano and his crew had finished drifting four 86 units for a video to be shown at the formal launch. As I mentioned in my June 20, 2012 column, after watching the thrilling performance of Feliciano and his men, we (the Inquirer motoring team) felt timid about taking the 86 out for a spin in front of experts.

But I, for one, couldn’t resist the chance to check out Toyota’s first sports car 13 years after the phaseout of the Supra and the first 2+2 Toyota in the world to be powered by a Subaru 2.0 liter naturally aspirated, horizontally opposed 16-valve, twin cam 4-cylinder boxer engine in front to drive the rear wheels in classic fashion.  Using Toyota’s direct fuel injection technology and paired with either a 6-speed manual gearbox or a 6-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters, the 86 packs 200 PS and  205 Nm max torque at 6,400-6,600 rpm.

It gets even better. The lightning red 86 I was allowed to drive had a short-throw manual stick shift, the gearbox of choice, and there was no nervous marshal to rein in my driving enthusiasm out there on the wet, slippery tarmac.

The secret of the 86’s success is not its speed, which isn’t at all overwhelming, but rather the superb handling and well-balanced characteristics created by, among other things, its boxer engine, low center of gravity, sport-tuned rear wheel drive suspension and 53:47 front/rear weight distribution. So no matter how I tossed it around with the rear end sometimes fish-tailing, the 86 gripped the drenched tarmac, never losing its balance and poise while never allowing me to lose control.

I had never driven a car with such abandon as I did that afternoon since I had never before driven a sports car on such a large, spacious airport tarmac absolutely free of traffic and obstacles.

But I was having great fun doing only about 107 kph. The 86 has a built-in noise generator that filters the intake and exhaust sounds into the cabin, giving the impression that you’re driving faster than you actually are.  After that wet and wild experience driving the manual transmission 86 around the Subic international airport’s tarmac, the following test drives were anti-climactic, even during the five days when I used an orange metallic automatic transmission 86 sporting a gigantic rear spoiler on my daily drives in Metro Manila.

JONG ARCANO: Mitsubishi Mirage

This year’s test drives brought me to as far as Verona, Italy for the Volvo V40 launch, San Francisco for the Lexus LS460 media preview and even  the Bentley Continental GT in Singapore.

The rides were, as the lawmakers said after getting the RH Bill approved, both satisfying and pleasurable with all their technological advancements.

But of the many test drives I was privileged to be given, the new Mitsubishi Mirage turned out to be very special.

The GLS CVT top-of-the-line model was just perfect for the needs of a man-on-the-go like me, often a family driver at the beck and call of a wife and four kids. The 3-cylinder engine handled the long drives to our Cavite home very well and the family never felt uncomfortable with the space that the small car offered.

The clincher was its 21-kilometer to a liter range which offers savings in the long term for a middle income executive needing to scrimp on anything for a big family budget. But more than my personal needs, I’m looking forward to either my wife or  eldest daughter driving the Mirage for the little boys of the family.

And I need not worry of their safety because of the dual airbags and sturdy frame that Mitsubishi designed for its global car.

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