Review: 2015 Porsche Boxster

Photos by Ulysses Ang

There’s a saying that within every adult, there’s a kid lurking somewhere. Of course, this saying is open to interpretation from anyone (e.g. second childhood), but I personally believe that this saying is specifically made for people who drive Porsches. Why Porsche? Compared to the rest of the sports car world out there, Porsches are the most refined, sophisticated, subtle, and no doubt most drivable in everyday life. On the other hand, the brand has also produced barely road-legal machines.
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Review: 2016 Ford Focus 1.5 EcoBoost Titanium+

Photos by Ulysses Ang

Blame APEC. The week with the Ford Focus was supposed to be one of fun and frugality; instead, it ended up as one filled with frustration. And it’s not because of the car. More than anything, it did make the horrendous Manila traffic crawl actually comfortable, but it didn’t validate the one thing that should’ve marked the Focus’s biggest improvement: fuel economy. Yes, with an average speed of 11 km/h (actually dipping to single digits by Friday), the Focus 1.5 EcoBoost eked out just 5.28 km/L.
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Review: 2015 Chevrolet Captiva LS Diesel

Photos by Ulysses Ang

Despite its name, it seemed like the Chevrolet Captiva was merely content as the wallflower of the compact crossover segment. While everyone else boasted head-turning good looks or formidable performance (or both), the Captiva had an available diesel variant and seven seats. Sure, it was enough for a select few to part money for one, but the vast majority of Filipinos passed on it. Well, Chevrolet has finally understood that having a diesel and seven seats maybe good for few, but an updated styling and some spec tweaks are much more important. Enter the 2015 Captiva, a compact crossover that’s now slicker than your average.
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First Drive: 2016 Mitsubishi Montero Sport GT-Premium (w/ Video)

Photos by Ulysses Ang

You can’t help but think that all this talk about Dynamic Shield design and Mitsubishi’s SUV vision at the 44th Tokyo Motor Show only served as previews to the main event: the 2016 Montero Sport. Forget the glitz and the glamour of the concept cars and JDM models—this is the one of the most important and most awaited cars of 2016. After a two-hour bus ride to Fujinomiya, a small town near Mt. Fuji, a fleet of Montero Sports stood proud. Contrary to other media drive events, there were no rules here. As long as non-drivers stayed away from the track, you can flog it as hard as you’d like. Flogged it everyone did and everything is right with the world.
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Review: 2016 Mazda MX-5 2.0 Skyactiv A/T

Photos by Ulysses Ang

It’s amusing how carmakers become obsessed with whoever can build the fastest, most powerful, or best handling car out there. Often, they’ll start quoting things like horsepower, torque, and even Nürburgring lap times. That’s all well and good, but unfortunately, in their quest to build what factually is the best car disregards the most important aspect: the driver. In their plan to build a car with blistering acceleration and rib-hurting lateral g’s, it becomes cold and distant to drive. Yes, it’s fast, but it doesn’t feel enjoyable to the man behind the wheel.
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Review: 2015 Toyota Hilux 4x2 G M/T

Photos by Ulysses Ang

Sometimes, you just don’t see the point of pickup trucks especially if they’re used for more than just hauling stuff. Consider this: our roads are overly crowded and then you just had to drive a five-plus meter long vehicle that offers about the same level of interior space as a compact and a versatility factor reduced by about 40 percent given the cargo bed isn’t useful in the urban jungle (unless you want your stuff getting wet or stolen). It makes you think: you should have gotten an SUV in the first place.
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First Drive: 2016 Subaru Levorg 1.6 GT-S

Photos by Ulysses Ang

Repeat after me: turbocharged wagon. That should be reason enough why you should consider getting the Subaru Levorg over any other executive car offering out there, but allow me to explain further. See, the executive tourer/shooting brake/wagon segment was pretty much cornered by Subaru with their Legacy GT wagon a few years back, but its demise meant you could only get that fix with a Mazda6 Sports Wagon or an Outback. Sure, these are pretty good machines in their own right, but they’re not turbocharged wagons. Now though, everything is back to normal and you finally get a sort-of-Legacy wagon.
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Review: 2015-2016 Mazda CX-5 AWD Sport

Photos by Ulysses Ang

The first of the full Skyactiv line of vehicles, the Mazda CX-5, first introduced in 2012, is still at the top of its game. It delivers a driver-centric experience without sacrificing practicality and efficiency. It’s a rare breed of car that’s both a personal and popular choice; something the husband and the wife won’t disagree over. Simply put, Mazda didn’t need to revamp it. It’s good as it is and still sells briskly. Except, the Mazda3 happened and since then, the company has had to sprinkle the same sort of updates particularly because the CX-5 commands a price premium over its non-crossover stable mate.
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Foton's Game Changer: Upclose with the Toplander

During one otherwise uninteresting afternoon, I received a rather peculiar phone call. “Sir, would you be interested in driving the Foton Toplander in Indiana?” Given the quality of our cellular service in Manila, I was almost sure I misheard the other person on the line. “Sure,” I said. When will you need me to submit my Chinese Visa requirements? “No sir. You won’t need it. This drive will be in Indiana, USA.” A long pause ensued. A Foton drive in the Midwestern US? They must be kidding, I thought. Lo-and-behold, two weeks later, I was actually on a 31-hour plane ride to Columbus, Indiana to see the Toplander.
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Review: 2015 Toyota Camry 3.5 Q

Photos by Ulysses Ang

Why fix if it isn’t broken? That’s more or less the theme of the 2015 Toyota Camry. It’s been the country’s best-selling executive sedan for quite some time. Theoretically, Toyota could put their feet up and call it a day, and it will still sell very well; a nod to the strong recall and reputation of this model. But Toyota’s not giving its competitors any time to catch up. It’s been given a timely nip and tuck just to keep its competitors at bay without straying far from its long-held virtues.
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Review: 2015 Hyundai Sonata GLS Premium

Photos by Ulysses Ang

Automakers generally follow one of two paths in introducing an all-new vehicle. Some take a conservative approach and choose to raise each bar (performance, comfort, efficiency, etc.) marginally, in an effort to please all and alienate none. Others take a strategic risk and focus on specific attributes in an attempt to shift perceptions about their vehicle.
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Review: 2015-2016 Mazda6 Sports Wagon

Photos by Ulysses Ang

Every car enthusiast loves a wagon. Whether or not he’ll admit that in public is another matter, but ask him what comprises his dream garage and 100 percent of the time, there will be a wagon in that list. The common folk now see them as something dorky, especially since you’ve got butched-up wagons called crossovers offering more ‘bang for the buck’. But whatever they put in these raised, cladded wagons, they’ll never be as beautiful to look at or drive. The wagon is essentially the best all-around in the automotive world. It’s a car with all the benefits and none of the side effects; it handles tidily, doesn’t take the space of an entire continent, and offers practical and usable space.
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Review: 2015 Honda Odyssey EX-V Navi

Photos by Ulysses Ang

It’s not every day you get excited about driving a luxury MPV: they’re cumbersome and unwieldy. They’re just too big to drive around Manila and sometimes too big to fit in the garage. And unless you plan to chauffeur drive it (and some motoring journos do this despite an explicit no-no in the test drive agreement) or drive it out of town, they’re at the bottom of any must-drive list. Probably even below a pickup truck. But the all-new Honda Odyssey’s different. For starters, the proportions are actually humane. It’s actually shorter than the Accord. And for that, it gets your attention.
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First Drive: 2016 Hyundai Tucson GLS

Photos by Ulysses Ang

For most people, 2009 doesn’t seem like that long ago. For Hyundai though, this particular year was when everything began to change thanks to the introduction of Fluidic Sculpture and the second-generation Tucson. The swoopy, expressive lines introduced in the compact crossover enabled the Korean car brand to raise its flag not as a manufacturer of affordable utilitarian transport, but as a company that builds fashionable, well-equipped, and high-quality cars.
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First Drive: 2016 Ford Focus 1.5 EcoBoost

Photos by Ulysses Ang and Ford Press

Settling down in my hotel room in Adelaide ahead of driving the 2016 Focus, there was a bottle of water placed on the side table. Contemplating whether or not the 7.50-dollar price tag was worth quenching my thirst, I noticed something peculiar stamped at the bottom: 1.5-liters. Literally, the displacement of the Focus’s new engine was in my hands. Obviously, this was a coincidence, but it also drives home the point of just how small this engine is going to be.
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Review: 2015 Isuzu mu-X LS-A 4x4

Photos by Ulysses Ang

The mid-sized SUV race is one of the most hotly contested ones right now and simply ignoring it means you can’t reach critical mass in terms of sales numbers. Of course, to gain a strong foothold, manufacturers have come up with their positioning be it through performance, smart technology, or comfort. That’s well and good if you’re a large carmaker with equally deep pockets. But what if you’re Isuzu—a name more synonymous with commercial vehicles than passenger cars? In the wake of newer and fresher choices, can the mu-X flourish, let alone survive?
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