INQUIRER.net executive editor Leo Magno takes the 2009 Ford Escape for a spin. In this review, he discusses the smaller, more economical SUV that costs more than P1 million.
The INQUIRER.net VDO team reviews the Toyota Previa, a luxury minivan worth more than P2 million, via a road trip spanning more than 600 kilometers. With a little twist for Halloween, the Previa goes through the highways as its passengers inquire about the vehicle’s features.
Would you hang on to a Subaru, stand on one leg and raise your arm above your head for six hours without letting go? Well, 28 pople did last Saturday, September 20, at the Greenhills open parking lot in front of the Greenhills Theater in San Juan for a chance to win P50,000.
At the Celebrity and Media Edition of the Subaru Impreza Challenge, 28 contestants from show business and the media placed their right palms flat on certain parts of two Subarus for six hours. This was a teaser for the main event which happens October 10, 11 and 12 in the same area where the winner will be flown to Singapore to compete in the Asian version of the challenge. The winner in the Singapore contest will win a Subaru Impreza WRX.
The record in the Singapore challenge is 77 straight hours, with five-minute bathroom breaks every six hours. In the Philippine Celebrity and Media Challenge, however, the challengers hung on for six hours with a 10-minute break after the first three hours. The winner for Media would get P50,000, then another P50,000 for the Celebrities. Who won? Watch the video to find out!
By Leo Magno
INQUIRER.net
ALTHOUGH the 2008 Toyota Prius can hold its own in terms of stylishness and exterior aesthetics and aerodynamics, it is what lies within this vehicle that strikes me more than its superficial construction.
I’ve never been one to adore form. Rather, I go for substance. And that’s what I found most appealing in this vehicle. My own vehicles are not well-taken cared off on the outside, but their engines are humming like bulls raging to be released on the streets of Pamplona — whether it’s the color-coding car or my own daily road warrior.
Beauty fades. Your cars will get dented and they will get old and ugly. You may even encounter fender-benders and those moronic street kids who steal side mirrors. But with the Prius I couldn’t care less as long as its second-generation hybrid system continues to work its magic whether it’s the high-output electric motor or the internal combustion engine that’s making it move quickly and efficiently.
FOR a fee of P500, a student at the University of the the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City can use a Padyak bicycle for a semester. Some 60 Padyak bicycles are now in use on the sprawling campus, providing students an alternative to taking a public utility jeepney or using a car or motorcycle.
The benefits of using a Padyak are many, including helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enjoying the freedom to move quickly around the campus at one’s convenience.
If the students on the waiting list are any indication, there’s an unmet demand for an environment-friendly mode of transportation on the campus.
Compared with the student population of some 23, 300, the number of Padyak bikes is small. Support from the alumni and groups for the UP Mountaineers-initiated program will certainly boost the number of Padyak bikes in the coming semesters.
TRADESHOW INTERNATIONAL INC. president Sophie delos Santos recounts the beginnings of the Trans Sport Show, which is now on its 17th year.
Video taken by INQUIRER.net online videographer Janie Christine Octia at the SM Megamall Megatrade Hall.
ONE of the cars showcased at this year’s Trans Sport Show is a 1947 MG TC restored by Ben Silvestre.
Video taken by INQUIRER.net online videographer Janie Christine Octia at the SM Megamall Megatrade Hall.
CHECK out this video INQUIRER.net reporter Relly Carpio took of world-renowned precision driver Russ Swift wowing the crowd with his driving skills at the show grounds of the Manila International Auto Show 2008
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For his performances, Swift used the new Subaru Impreza WRX STI and the MI Rally Model, which is an exact replica of the winning Subaru car in the World Rally Championships.
By Relly Carpio
INQUIRER.net
MAZDA has revealed the all-new Mazda MX-5 Retractable Hard Top (RHT) that combines the comfort and convenience of a hard top with the exhilaration of a convertible. The new MX-5 is inspired by the Japanese phrase Jinba Ittai that literally means “oneness between horse and rider.”
Check out the video I took.
Sarah Meier, model and MTV VJ, was on hand for the revealing. Eric Malimban, the marketing manager of Mazda Philippines, expressed his excitement about the third-generation Miata, saying, “the Mazda MX-5 RHT is the epitome of Mazda’s stylish, innovative brand essence and the realization of the Zoom-Zoom spirit Mazda is known for.”
By Relly Carpio
INQUIRER.net
CHANA Automobile Co. Ltd., China’s largest minivan producer, made its Philippine debut on Thursday at the Manila International Auto Show.
Stephen Sy, president of Focus Ventures Inc., Chana’s exclusive Philippine distributor, was on hand for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Chana is offering a wide product range with three distinct categories: the super mini, the minivans and the minitrucks/multi-carry vehicles. All models are equipped with 1.3 liter 16 valve engines. Each comes with a three-year warranty, “which shows our commitment and trust in the product,” Sy said.
Their carrier product is the Benni, a super mini, at P438,000, available in manual or automatic, with power steering, driver’s airbag, ABS, power windows and front and rear fog lamps. The Benni was styled in Italy, and is a survivor of the Chana Trax Experience, where Chana took their vehicles on an 80-day drive for 26,000 kms from China to South Africa.
Chana also offered three 8-seater compact MPVs — the Starlight, Star II and the CM8 — and three compact mini-truck models.
