Three pickups deliver the goods to 5th-class town with 1st-class view

Three beastly haulers strike a cool pose at the Dyanarra Viewpoint in Banaue, Ifugao.

Narrower than a one-way alley, the Bilig mountain trail leading to the jump-off point to Palan-ah Falls has an eroded portion that requires the keen guidance of a navigator. Here, we take turns navigating the part that leaves no room for error.

MANILA, Philippines–Nine thousand moving parts. Nine hundred total kilometers traveled. One hundred school kids. Forty hours of total travel time. Fourteen office volunteers. Five personal computers donated. Four tattoos from a 96-year-old tribeswoman. Three awesome pickups. One breathtaking province.

These are all the numbers scrunched up into three days of non-stop ooohs and aaahs during our outreach-cum-adventure-cum-tattoo-trip to the province of Kalinga in central northern Luzon.

But the numbers alone don’t give this exhausting yet fulfilling trip justice. The numbers don’t reflect the tens of thousands of life-or-death decisions made as the three of us drivers who brought three trusted 4×4 pickups from Manila to Tinglayan town and back negotiated the countless twists and turns of the provinces of Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Banaue, Mountain Province and Kalinga.

The numbers can’t paint the smiles on the faces of the children and teachers of Luplupa Elementary School, who received school supplies and five personal computers donated by the Philippine Daily Inquirer, its employees union, and other members of the Awtdor Club composed of current and former Inquirer employees, and their spouses.

The numbers can’t begin to trace the simultaneous feelings of pain and accomplishment on the faces of members of our group after fearlessly volunteering their (flawless) skins so that a 96-year-old tribeswoman in Buscalan town, named Whang-Od (or Fang-Od to some), could imprint on them—forever—the dying art of tribal tattooing using charcoal and pomelo thorns.

I was one of the tough trio that tirelessly drove for 19 hours from Manila to Tinglayan, an expansive, picturesque, though fifth-class, municipality in Kalinga province. The three of us, including 20-year Inquirer veteran driver Gerry Simbajon Jano and ex-Inquirer editor Aries Espinosa, carried precious cargo: 11 warm bodies who would fulfill various roles in the “dispensing” of the donated items. With us were information technology boys who would set up the PCs in the classroom and make sure they were working. The ladies in the group would help in putting order to the entire trip, including handling our accommodations and food, and getting rowdy kids in line during the outreach portion. Others took on the task of taking videos and photos to document the group activities. One member would coordinate with the school and town authorities, and gather pertinent information to make a story that would make it to our paper’s news pages. Everyone chipped in their time, talent and financial resources to this trip, and everyone had roles to fulfill.

SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED But more than that, the Inquirer’s IT boys made sure the donated computers were properly installed and running.

THE RIDE ENDS, THE WALK BEGINS With the pickups safe and secure, Inquirer employees cross a hanging bridge that leads to Luplupa Elementary School.

The three pickups that we used—The Mazda BT50, the Chevrolet Colorado, and the Toyota Hilux—had a very specific objective: to be the vehicles that would safely and comfortably bring us and our cargo to Kalinga and back. And they were perfect for the driving conditions that met us as soon as we parted ways with the world-class Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) in Tarlac. The pickups had varying “ages.” The Colorado was 17,050 kilometers old, the BT50 was 24,300 km, and the Hilux, the oldest of the three, had already logged in 29,640 km in its odometer. But knowing that these beastly specimens came straight from the stables of The Covenant Car Company Inc. (TCCCI, the exclusive importer and distributor of Chevrolet vehicles in the country), Berjaya Auto Philippines (the exclusive Philippine distributor of Mazda vehicles) and Toyota Motor Philippines, respectively, we were confident that these three were in tip-top shape.

The pickup trucks, all automatic transmission, diesel-powered 4x4s, had varying engine sizes as well: 2.8 liters for the Colorado LTZ (featuring six-speed transmission, four-cylinder, 16-valve Duramax engine); 3 liters for the Hilux (DOHC variable nozzle turbo intercooler, four cylinders, 16 valves), and 3.2 liters for the BT50 (featuring a six-speed transmission, five-cylinder, 20-valve engine).

The Colorado comes out of the Kalinga and Bilig mountain trails unscathed.

So that we could all get a feel of each vehicle, drivers and passengers switched vehicles at predetermined points during the trip. Obviously, the group came up with their favored rides.

Tale of the tape: space

The three pickups also varied in size, albeit just so slightly. The longest was the BT50 (5,365 millimeters) versus Colorado’s 5,347 mm and Hilux’s 5,260 mm. The BT50 also has the longest wheelbase with 3,220 mm, followed by Colorado’s 3,096 mm and Hilux’s 3,085 mm.

The Colorado was the widest at 1882 mm, followed by the BT50 (1850 mm) and Hilux (1835 mm). The tallest was the Hilux at 1860 mm followed by the BT50 (1821 mm) and Colorado (1790 mm).

The differences may be slight, but when you stay inside the cabin with three or four other people for up to 20 hours straight, those small differences add up to a lot.

The red Hilux stands out in a sea of mountain green

As expected, the Hilux passengers felt the tightest legroom compared to when they were in the Colorado and the BT50. However, despite the BT50 being the longest, the box compartment between the driver and the front passenger became a major space hindrance for the middle back passenger, as the compartment protruded into his space. The Colorado was a surprise winner here, because, aside from being the widest, its back middle passenger didn’t have to knock knees with a center box.

Stove top vs old school

Both the BT50 and the Colorado have the modern stove-type switch from 4×2 to 4×4, and vice versa (for shifting on the fly). The old Hilux stubbornly holds on to a separate, smaller 4×4 gear stick beside the A/T shifter. Personally, I felt more confident and secure with the Hilux’s transmission setup. Call me old school, but I like to use some force when I want my metal beast to run on all fours instead of two, and turning a knob is just too suspiciously easy for me.

I did get to use that force on the Hilux on the way to Tinglayan. It was past 8 p.m., and my convoy was negotiating a tight left turn on an extremely narrow dirt road. The Hilux’s front right tire dug into the eroding road’s edge which dropped off into a 300-foot (91.44 meters) ravine. As my passengers alighted from the vehicle to assess the situation, they found out, to their horror, that the tire was already suspended in mid-air. Unfazed (I do have amassed quite some experience driving offroad over the years), I calmly but forcefully engaged the stick to 4L and lurched the Hilux forward until all four tires were on dry land once more. Nothing to it, I told my passengers as they got back inside the cabin.

KALINGA CONQUERORS The blue Mazda BT50, the white Chevrolet Colorado and red Toyota Hilux get a well-deserved beauty rest at the Sleeping Beauty Inn and Restaurant, after going through 19 hours of wildly varying driving conditions. PHOTOS BY TESSA R. SALAZAR

Overall, though, when it came to handling the winding paved roads, I preferred the BT50 over the other two. The BT50 was particularly stable and enjoyable in sharp turns and winding mountain passes, and generated the oomph on the uphill runs. I understood why, a bit later, when I browsed its specs sheet and found an array of ride-enhancing features: Roll Stability Control, traction control system, hill launch assist. My passengers also preferred the BT50 on the basis of the interior and exterior designs, as well as the quality of the audio entertainment system.

Hands down, for consuming the least amount of fuel, it would be the Colorado (and understandable, too, considering it has the smallest engine). Its welcome bonuses include a backing camera appearing in the rear view mirror and generous butt space for the three rear passengers.

The Hilux scores pogi points for me because of its use of nonleather seats, which retains less heat after being parked under the sun for a prolonged period.

Drivers’ choices

For his part, Aries would choose to drive most the Colorado. His passengers would also prefer riding the Colorado for what they perceived as a “softer ride,” more leg and elbow room.

Gerry also liked the drive characteristics of the Colorado, especially during the narrow mountain dirt trails when he had to engage the 4×4 drive. But he said he also wouldn’t mind being behind the wheels of the powerful, features-loaded Mazda BT50.

Fang-Od, or Whang-Od to some, is a 96-year-old tattoo artist.

The Mazda BT50, the pickup with the biggest powerplant, hardly breaks a sweat going uphill.

On paper, the BT50 packs the most punch in terms of features—too many that I didn’t get to try them all during the three-day trip. Here’s a mouthful: Bluetooth connectivity (with voice controls), dual zone climate control and cruise control, a suite of safety features such as emergency brake assist, brake override system, antilock brake system, electronic brake distribution and dynamic stability control, the works. The price of P1.49 million is money well-spent on light truck technology.

The Colorado and the Hilux also offer their own impressive lineups of value-for-money amenities (for safety, ride enhancements and entertainment). The Colorado, priced at P1,538,888, highlights its touchscreen audio visual entertainment system as the interface to its stereo, CD, MP3, USB, AVI, and Bluetooth features. It has six speakers. The Hilux’s offers its own 6.5-inch LCD screen, DVD/tuner/MP3 with steering wheel audio controls, Bluetooth, USB and auxiliary inputs. For its exterior, a roll bar, a pair of roof racks and body cladding, and trunk liner have been added. There has been talk swirling around that this current edition will soon be updated. For now, the Hilux price is pegged at P1.505 million.

After almost 300 km of driving from Petron North Luzon Expressway in Bulacan to Bontoc Province, much of it on winding, rolling mountain passes and a lengthy amount of idling time (for power naps, photo ops and restroom breaks), the three fully loaded pickups (through a rough fuel test which is the most doable way to determine the fuel efficiency of a vehicle for regular motorists), the results showed the Colorado yielded 7.61 km per liter, followed by the Hilux at 6.91 kpl and the BT50 at 6.35 kpl. Note that the drivers and their team of passengers changed vehicles regularly along the way.

After 301 km of largely similar driving conditions from Bontoc Province to Kalinga, then down to San Jose in Nueva Ecija, the fuel consumption reading was 9.856 kpl for the Hilux, 8.37 kpl for the BT50, and 7.93 kpl for the Colorado. Note that the Colorado, during a 22-km offroad stretch at Bilig Mountain trail, had been engaged by driver Gerry on 4×4 mode the entire time, unlike the two other pickups which had engaged the 4×4 feature only on particularly difficult portions.

Verdict

FIERCE The Mazda BT50’s head is in the clouds but its wheels stay grounded.

Putting a pickup through its paces in its natural environment reveals a lot about the character and capabilities of the vehicle. This three-day trip to Kalinga has surely been an eye-opener not just for this author, but for the rest of our 14-strong team. For an expedition to be successful, every member must play a role and must carry a purpose. For every hardworking pickup, every single part—moving or not—must have a purpose. The Mazda BT50, Chevy Colorado and Toyota Hilux all did the job for us, literally delivering the goods.

The beauty of having so many choices (obviously, these three are not the only pickup brands out in the market today) is that your exact needs and subjective preferences will all come into play. Personally, I would choose the Mazda BT50 for its ride characteristics, and its value-for-money proposition that prices it at just P1.49 million, in spite of all the goodies loaded into it. Some old-timers in the offroading landscape like our gracious Tinglayan host, ex-mayor Fernando Abay, will not be parted with his trusty Toyota Hilux even if other brutes like the BT50 and the Colorado showed their impressive credentials. The Colorado, despite showing much promise in the design, space and fuel efficiency departments, still has a lot to prove in these rugged parts. Nothing beats a driver-truck relationship formed by years—even generations—of trust and dependability.

Whatever you choose, use your truck for the purpose it is designed for. It’s in the DNA of every 4WD that it should be released every now and then in the wild. Like the cryptic designs Whang-Od indelibly tattoos into our skins, the offroader in the 4×4 pickup can never be erased.