The ‘big daddies’ of vans: Big van mega test part 2

Last week, motioncars-Inquirer Motoring began its series of some of the most spacious class 1 people carriers in the country.

Featured were a 15-seater commuter Toyota Hiace and an 18-seater Nissan Urvan VX on a “sky-high” ride up to Baguio, Sagada, and Banawe in Benguet, Ifugao, and Mt. Province up north.

To conclude this series and as Father’s Day weekend approaches, we now feature the biggest vans among the lot: Foton View Traveller, Grand Starex Limousine and Isuzu i-Van.

Over the past months, Inquirer Motoring embarked on trips using vans, with each trip different in destination and purpose from the one before it. And yes, we can say with certainty that vans significantly up the fun factor when it comes to those long road trips. No other vehicle category can carry more people and cargo on the same number of wheels.

Big vans with big hearts

Just when you think big vans couldn’t get any bigger, a manufacturer springs a surprise. Well, it’s the season of Godzilla, and when big groups just can’t break up, give them what they deserve. Here are three of the biggest vans that are about to make a big statement on our streets today.

Isuzu i-Van

THE ISUZU i-Van has a swing door.

The Isuzu i-Van scored major CSR pogi points when it became Isuzu’s vehicle of choice in the automaker’s extensive outreach efforts for the victims of Supertyphoon Yolanda late last year. The i-Van extended its vibes of goodwill and hope even to fellow motoring

scribes who initiated their own relief and “Oplan Hatid” drives for the typhoon-stricken provinces in the Visayas using the spacious and dependable i-Van. Looking more closely at the i-Van and its durable engine, it isn’t surprising why it’s the unanimous choice for outreach projects: The humongous interior and cargo area.

The i-Van—the body of which is locally manufactured—is surprisingly easy to drive, what with the gentle feel of the steering wheel and its bus-like positioning. The proliferation of side and front view mirrors protruding from the fascia reinforces the image that one is driving a truck more than a van.

The body feels “heavy” though, and it shows in the sluggish acceleration. According to Isuzu drivers, the i-Van can yield 8 to 10 kilometer per liter in fuel mileage, a respectable figure considering the heaviness of the body.

Driving—and parking—the i-Van will take some getting used to. The body is long, and the side view mirrors add length and width to the maneuvering challenge.

Passengers will find it easy to hop in and out of the van, what with possibly one of the lowest stepboards among all vans. The narrow swing doors, as opposed to regular sliding doors for other vans, could be a disadvantages in tight parking spaces, though.

The noise, vibration and harshness is among the roughest of all the vans. One also gets to feel that the chassis was built primarily for cargo, not for passengers.

The backseats of this test unit are fixed and cannot be reclined, nor are they equipped with seat belts (However, since the body is locally made and customized for each buyer’s preference, the prospective owner can have seatbelts fitted into their units).

Future buyers also need to make sure the air-conditioning provides enough cooling power even to the rearmost passengers, the configuration of the air-conditioner vents for the back passengers seem adequate.

The cockpit area could use some more driver amenities such as cupholders and coin compartments.

The standard 16-seater i-Van is priced at slightly over P1.284 million, while the 18-seater goes for P1.292 million.

Hyundai Grand Starex Limo

THE HYUNDAI Grand Starex Limousine

Early last year, Inquirer Motoring drove the high-end (literally high) of all the Hyundai Starex variants, the Grand Starex  Limousine. With enough stretch space for 10 large adults, the Grand Starex Limo can certainly pass for a mobile home for a celebrity on road tours or on location shoots.

Quite fittingly, among all vans that we’ve driven so far, it offers the most opulent and right-at-home interior amenities. Comfortable captain’s seats for the middle row, expansive

windows (which can be covered with Venetian blinds for privacy on demand) and built-in 21-inch LCD with 6.5-inch-thin film transistor display, touchscreen-enabled can provide unlimited escape time for passengers stuck in interminable traffic. Throw in a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio component, and the landslide victory of the senses feels so real.

The mood control in the Grand Starex Limo can be easily accessed via a center console for the LED room lamp, TV, and air-recirculator. To prevent the vehicle from being “hotwired,” an immobilizer has been installed, coupled with a keyless entry with burglar alarm system.

Inheriting the engine DNA of the Starex GRX and Grand Starex, the Grand Starex Limo is powered by a 2.5-liter, CRDi VGT diesel engine, enhanced by the 16-valve DOHC (Double Overhead Camshaft) technology. In principle, Hyundai’s CRDi technology works by injecting a small amount of diesel during the injection process, thus reducing fuel expenditure and engine noise and vibration. On the other hand, the VGT augments and regulates engine boost and flexibility, thus minimizing lag and improving fuel consumption. Moreover, it inhibits the emission of toxic fumes in compliance with environmental protection acts. The Grand Starex Limo A/T, which went for P2.8 million, is no longer offered by Hyundai Asia Resources Inc. However, the regular Grand Starex costs from P1.3 million to P1.848 million.

Foton View Traveller

CAGI’S Best Van of the Year 2013-2014: Foton View Traveller

We can’t end this big, big van section without dwelling on the Car Awards Group’s 2013-2014 Best Van of the Year, the impossible-to-miss Foton View Traveller.

Foton Philippines recently lent to Inquirer Motoring its engineering unit of the 15-seater Foton View Traveller. Still up for some refinements, this early we can say that the View Traveller will give other luxury vans from Japan a run for their money.

The View Traveller possesses the tallest interior space among vans, yet it surprisingly felt stable to drive as we negotiated the twisty highways and slippery roads of Quezon and Laguna.

A 5’3”-tall passenger  was able to stand fully upright inside the vehicle. The curved roof and its height, however, does carry some limitations, especially in finding indoor or basement parking slots. It often exceeds vertical limits of most indoor parking facilities in the Metro. It can’t even go in the class 1 vertical barriers of the Coastal Tollway. Good thing the tellers still charged the van as class 1, even if we were forced to line up in the trucks/buses lane.

The Cummins 2.8-liter engine is impressive in terms of torque, response and acceleration. It has no problem going up to highway speeds (80-100 kph) and in overtaking on provincial roads, even with 8 persons on board and their load of luggage. The turbo diesel kicks in at the second to fourth gears.

Foton Philippines revealed that the View Traveller was built in a state-of-the-art and environment-friendly assembly plant in Wiefang City, Shandong Province, in northeastern China, and represents the next step in the evolution of the original View Traveller. It distinguishes itself from its predecessor with a new body built on an entirely new platform; and a world-class engine from technical partner Cummins, the makers of one of the most reliable diesel motors in the world.

The View Traveller’s 130 HP/280 Nm Cummins ISF 2.8-liter, 16-valve turbocharged, Bosch-CRDI engine can yield a fuel consumption of 13-18 kpl. It has Bosch ABS+EBD, dual SRS airbags and individual three-point, pre-tensioner seat belts.

Just like in the Toyota Hiace test, it was a neat touch for the View Traveller’s gear shifter to be on the center dashboard to free up space between the driver and front passenger. The gearing is quite smooth. However, there are instances when the second and third gear shifts can be quite uncooperative (to reiterate, the one we used was an engineering unit, which is still due for refinements). The reverse gear also takes quite an effort to lock into place.

The overall fuel mileage we got, with a passenger load of 8 persons, plus luggage, and boxes of school supplies and a computer unit, was 8.5 kpl (Combined city/highway run from Makati to Pagbilao, Quezon).

Negotiating curves and bends, the View Traveller is remarkably stable. The steering feel is just right; not so light, and not so tight or heavy especially when up to speed.

The touchscreen entertainment/info system is a nice touch, though still a bit on the crude side. The audio system, by the way, becomes muted when the vehicle is in reverse gear. The backing camera, however, does not automatically activate. It appeared only once during our test drive. It didn’t show itself again in subsequent backing maneuvers.

Some buttons and dashboard information of this unit still lack labels, e.g. the master door lock switch and the odometer and trip meter.

The rear swing-up door opens up too high. Vertically challenged drivers might find it difficult to reach up and swing the door shut.

The rear passenger windows have no option to open. Our only worry here is if the air-conditioning breaks down, passengers can’t open their windows. The cabin crew is totally dependent on the air-conditioning.

The View Traveller will also be quite limited in its parking options. It is so tall you can almost be certain that you will never be able to park in basements and other indoor parking slots.

In terms of spaciousness and ride, the View Traveller is comparable to other luxury vans. However, it’s still a tad less refined as far as interior amenities and entertainment systems go. Still, with a 15-seater humongous van that accelerates fast, stable on highways but with a selling price of P1.299 million—priced almost the same with existing entry-level smaller vans in the market and offering the same safety features found on its Japanese and Korean counterparts: Bosch ABS+EBD, dual SRS airbags and individual 3-point, pre-tensioner seat belts—buyers of luxury big vans should give this Chinese creation a serious thought.

These vans come with a 3-year or 100,000-km warranty, except for the Grand Starex, which comes with a 5-year or 100,000-km warranty.

For details, you can check out Foton (www.foton.com.ph), which has 20 dealers; Isuzu (www.isuzuphil.com) which has 21 dealers. Nissan (www.nissan.ph; with Westgate Alabang dealership at Facebook.com/nissan.westgatealabang) has 28 official dealers, excluding satellite dealers. Toyota (www.toyota.com.ph) has 42 dealers (Toyota Taytay opened last Saturday); HARI (www.hyundai.ph) has 42 dealers.