A consumer’s top picks of 2015

NISSAN JUKE makes one feel so young.

2015 HAS been an exciting year for the Philippine automotive industry as it looks headed to surpass its 310,000 sales target.

For consumers, it was a compelling year, too, since the car manufacturers and importers vied with one another in launching new nameplates, all-new models or refreshed ones.

The wider range and variety of choices offered this year made naming the three top picks more difficult, even though from the start, premium vehicles retailing for P2 million or more were excluded from this survey.

The year’s top picks were selected by this consumer based on outstanding value for money, versatility and personality.

Here are my top picks of 2015, in no particular order:

Nissan Juke

Despite its junior size, the Juke subcompact crossover has the biggest personality in the Nissan lineup.

In fact, it is the second-best-selling Nissan in Europe and has gained a cult following worldwide, including the Philippines, in spite of or precisely because of its funky, quirky flamboyance.

The clamor from Nissan Juke fans to make it locally available may have prodded Nissan Philippines Inc. (NPI) to launch it in the market come January 2016.

The Juke’s entry in the hottest market segment, the subcompact SUV/crossover, pits it against the EcoSport, one of Ford Philippines’ best sellers, and the recently launched Chevrolet Trax.

The Juke served notice of its arrival when it won the Best Subcompact Crossover/SUV award in the 2015 Car of the Year (Coty) Philippine competition of the Car Awards Group Inc. (Cagi).

2016 FORD FOCUS The 1.5 EcoBoost makes a difference.

Although it looks like no other car on the road, the Juke is actually aerodynamically designed in that its drag coefficiency is 0.35.

Its boomerang front headlights are said to have been inspired by the Nissan Z car. The Juke is the only motor vehicle on the road with boomerang LED headlights and boomerang LED taillights.

I remember that when the first-generation Juke came out, The Wall Street Journal’s Dan Neil, whom I consider the best motoring columnist in the world, wrote admiringly that the Juke accelerates “like a bat out of hell.”

Neil was referring to the Juke with a turbocharged engine. In other markets like the United States, the 2015 Juke is powered by a 1.6-liter, direct injection, turbocharged and intercooled gasoline engine packing 188 horsepower and 239.71 Newton-meters max torque.

In comparison, the Juke to be sold in the Philippines comes from Japan with a naturally aspirated 1.6-liter inline four-cylinder, 16-valve DOHC gasoline engine producing 116 HP and 154 Nm peak torque.

The less-powerful, nonturbo engine, among other things, is the reason why NPI was able to lower the Juke’s retail price to only P980,000.

The only thing the PH version shares with the US version is the CVT (continuously variable transmission) driving the front wheels.

Nonetheless, the naturally aspirated 1.6-liter engine is adequate for nimbly navigating urban traffic since the Juke weighs only 3,000 pounds (1,360 kilograms), and drives like a car.

To make it affordable and competitively priced, NPI removed “fast” from the Juke’s “fun, fast and not furious” description, but the “fun” part definitely remains, and in spades.

MAZDA CX-5 SKYACTIV SPORT Agility, poise and grip

Moreover, the Juke to be offered here has other attractive features, such as 17-inch alloy wheels, supportive, comfy seats, intelligent key, pushbutton start/stop, rear parking camera, cruise control, antilock braking system (ABS), electronic brake force distribution, brake assist, dual front airbags, multicolor integrated control system touchscreen and 2 DIN display audio with six speakers.

Not to mention attitude and the personality to match.

2016 Ford Focus

Back in 2011, Neil compared the 2011 Ford Focus and the 2011 Hyundai Elantra, setting the two apart from other compact cars as being “in a class all their own.”

But, he wrote, the Focus has “more leg” than the Elantra.

The good news is that for 2016, Ford Motor Co. has added even more leg to the Focus by dropping a turbocharged direct injection 1.5-liter EcoBoost powerplant into the engine bay, thereby improving its output to 180 HP/6,000 revolutions per minute and 240 Nm max torque from as low as 1,600 rpm all the way up to 5,000 rpm.

What’s more, the outgoing model’s dual clutch power shift was replaced with a six-speed automatic transmission (AT).

The AT is supplemented with electric power-assisted steering (EPAS), which adjusts the level of assistance depending on the driver’s speed to help maintain control in case of unstable roads or challenging weather conditions.

Thanks to EcoBoost, the Focus performs more smoothly than the previous model did with the 2-liter engine.

The 2016 Focus is light and nimble on its feet despite its thick, ultrahigh-strength boron steel-reinforced body structure. Light on its feet plus heavy doors that close with a solid clunk—what an awesome combination!

The nimble handling does not come at the expense of ride comfort. The cabin has been decluttered of the confusing array of buttons on the dash for user-friendly infotainment and connectivity, while improved acoustic materials guarantee a quieter drive.

The premium look and feel of the interior is enhanced by leather seats, an 8-inch color touch screen with USB port, Bluetooth connectivity, and the voice-controlled Sync2 that allows hands-free phone calls, listening to text messages, access to music, and dual zone climate control.

Aside from EPAS, the 2016 Focus is loaded with driver aids like Enhanced Active Park Assist that helps you find suitable parking space, whether parallel or perpendicular, then steers you in and later steers you out.

Another useful driver aid is Active City Stop which automatically applies the brake for you when sensors detect a potential collision ahead at less than 40 kilometers per hour.

Hill Launch Assist prevents rolling backward when you start the car on uphill terrain.

If you have a teenage son or daughter borrowing your 2016 Focus, you can tailor and limit the car settings like top speed and audio volume with Ford’s MyKey.

The 2016 Focus’ host of safety features is as impressive as its high-tech equipment. It has up to six airbags (in the P1.278 million Titanium+ and Sport+ variants), torque vectoring control for extra traction and stability when cornering, and the electronic stability program that coordinates with ABS to help reduce the chances of skidding, sliding sideways and oversteering or understeering around corners.

Summing up, the 2016 Focus is absolutely one of the most engaging cars to drive due primarily to its punchy 1.5-liter EcoBoost turbo engine and nimble handling dynamics.

Whether hatchback or sedan, it has a sleeker, sharper-looking exterior with projector-type halogen headlamps, LED daytime running lights, boomerang taillights and a sporty rear spoiler.

The Focus 2016’s interior is well-crafted, quiet and abundant in high-tech gear. The only drawbacks are the legroom that are inadequate for backseat passengers and EcoBoost fuel economy that does not quite meet expectations.

The suggested retail price for the 1.5-liter EcoBoost Titanium or the Sport is P1.088 million.

Mazda CX-5 SkyActiv

The 2016 Mazda CX-5 SkyActiv is somewhat premium priced at P1.695 million for the 2.5-liter AWD (all wheel drive) Sport and P1.495 million for the upgraded 2-liter FWD (front-wheel-drive) Pro, but they both represent outstanding value for money.

Let us count the reasons why.

First of all, both are engineered with SkyActiv technology that reduces weight while increasing rigidity and thus reaping benefits in fuel economy, performance, handling and safety.

Second, both retain the sensuous yet athletic Kodo–Soul in Motion design language which, together with SkyActiv technology, gained for the CX-5 the Japan Car of the Year award in 2012 and the Best Compact 4×4 and 4×2 Crossover of the Year of the Philippine   Car Awards Group, Inc. in 2013.

The only updates to the Kodo design are the new five-bar shield grille, new adaptive LED headlights with running lamps, new LED bezel fog lamps and LED rear combination tail lights.

Third, both variants have a full suite of active and passive safety features such as six airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist, dynamic stability control, traction control, lane departure warning, tire pressure monitoring system and smart keyless entry.

Fourth, the roomy interior has been improved, a cut above, to almost premium class.

In both the Sport and Pro variants, six-speed automatic SkyActiv drive transmission, black leather seats (eight-way power driver seat with memory, six-way power front passenger seat with memory), steering wheel-mounted audio, Bluetooth and cruise controls, automatic dual zone climate control, Bose audio system (nine speakers in the Sport, six in the Pro), and two power outlets are standard equipment.

Fifth, more upgrades were added to the 2016 Mazda CX-5 such as a Sport mode switch to accelerate response, the MZD Connect Infotainment package with a command control multifunction dial for easy navigation of features via the larger, 7-inch touchscreen, the electric parking brake and the i-Stop system that improves fuel economy by as much as 5 percent.

Sixth, the 2.5-liter inline four cylinder DOHC engine of the AWD Sport delivers 184 HP and 250 Nm max torque, 29 horses more than the 2-liter engine but with the same fuel efficiency, thanks to the i-Stop and SkyActiv technology.

Seventh, cargo capacity increases to 1,852 liters from 966 liters in both variants when the split-and-fold 40-20-20 rear seat is folded.

Bottom line, with its smooth, utterly responsive automatic SkyActiv Drive gearshift, sporty handling, grip and exceptional feel of the road combined with class-leading fuel economy, complete safety features, spacious upgraded interior and cool Kodo styling, the 2016 Mazda CX-5 is worthy of the zoom-zoom brand and well worth its premium price.