5 cool rides for one hot summer

THE 301 doesn’t scrimp on the features that matter most.

Peugeot 301: French and frugal

AND MIGHT we add, elegant. For long summer drives in the countryside with your significant other (OK, bring along your nosy young son and daughter, too), consider this affordable European sedan.

The badge might sound French, but the assembly is Spanish. The Peugeot 301, positioned as an “elegance-is-attainable” marque, contains enough European touches, but without burning a trou in your pocket.

At a price of just P1.090 million for the automatic tranny (the manual goes for P990,000), Peugeot’s gasoline-powered entry-level sedan takes you to town in style, and your wallet still loaded.

And true to its value-for-money proposition, the 301 doesn’t scrimp on the features that matter most: four airbags, an electronic stability program highlighted by an antilock brake system, electronic brake-force distribution, and emergency brake assist, as well as anti-slip regulation and dynamic stability control.

It’s also generous with interior space. Legroom is adequate even for large Asians, and the trunk is cavernous. Additional linear space of about 35 inches can be added to the trunk when the rear seats are folded forward.

Though it isn’t much of a looker, the 301 exterior styling isn’t a pushover, too, taking its design cues from the more premium 508. This means it retains a measure of elegance and chrome accents characterizing Peugeot cars.

The drive? The gasoline-powered version doesn’t hold a candle to its diesel-powered twin (which took this author on an exhilarating spin up and down Baguio not so long ago) as far as acceleration and engine responsiveness goes, but the same ride characteristics—ease of driving, accurate and reactive steering, firm but comfortable suspension—are present in both variants.

And yes, despite it being gasoline-powered, this 1.6-liter EC5 301 turns up admirable fuel efficiency (20 kilometers per liter on the highways, at speeds within the 80-100 kilometers per hour range).

THE TOURAN is intended for both work and play.

The spirit of Touran lies inside

IN A WAY, the Volkswagen Touran is much like its famous occupant, Pope Francis, who rode along in this MPV when he went on this historic visit to Manila early in 2015, in the sense that both are styled in simplicity, but heavy on substance.

You wouldn’t take a second look at it, if not for its Volkswagen badge, but be assured that every inch of this utilitarian vehicle is German-engineered. And now, it has been blessed as the ride of choice of the Pope, so this would perhaps provide extra divine weight for those out for Visita Iglesia this coming Lenten break.

This writer was lucky enough to drive the Touran twice, and every time, the powerful 2.0 TDI four-cylinder in-line common-rail turbo direct injection diesel engine (mated to the six-speed DSG), fuel efficiency, and ride comfort was, well, heavenly. Even when fully loaded with passengers, a fuel mileage of 24 kilometers per liter was achieved on highway runs. And on long drives, the “springiness” of the acceleration, as well as the ride comfort, was retained.

The Touran is intended for both work and play, with lots of cargo space (from 121 to 1,913 liters), depending on the seat layout (there are over 500 different seating configurations). The middle-row seats need some getting used to when it comes to folding them, though. Friendly advice to would-be owners: Do read the manual and explore all corners so you can find out the little niceties, such as hidden stowage areas and the technicalities of seat folding.

Space, power, comfort, fuel efficiency, German engineering, and the Pope’s blessings, all for P1.775 million? Indeed, looks can be deceiving.

EVERYTHING is new, except for the legendary air-condition system.

Your own mini-pilgrimage with the NV350

SO, YOU’VE got up to 18 people willing to go on a road trip with you to sacred spots in and outside the city. Nobody wants to be left out. No one wants the group to be broken into a three- or four-car convoy. What to do? Well, roll out Nissan’s redesigned Urvan, the NV350, and no soul will be left out in the cold, or sun, this summer.

Everything is new, except for the legendary Nissan air-conditioning system, which has even been improved with the 12-vent circulation system installed off-center on the vehicle’s ceiling for rear passengers, the rotating vents for front passengers, and the new heater function that helps swing the interior climate the other way during the cold season, or when the van ventures up the chilly mountains.

The trade-off for being able to accommodate so many passengers is that these passengers must not be taller than 5’ 7’’. Otherwise, they’ll have to spend their time with their legs and knees cramped in.

On the upside, the cockpit provides extra leg and elbow room with the redesigned interior space. The dashboard’s multifaceted display shows all pertinent info clearly. The shift selector has been placed up onto the instrument panel board, making it easier for the driver to reach while creating more space on the floor area.

Nonleather seats literally add to the cool factor.

The NV350 name was adopted to signify its capacity as a 3.5-gross tonner van, thus trumpeting its loading capacity to sway Pinoy entrepreneurs over to its side.

The NV350 Urvan is powered by a new 2.5-liter CRDi turbodiesel engine, the same engine platform as that of the new Nissan NP300 Navara pickup, mated to a five-speed manual transmission.

The 15-seater NV350 is priced at P1.207 million; the 18-seater P1.220 million; and the cargo van at P1.201 million.

THERE’S more to the new City than meets the eye, or nostrils.

Driving, feeling, breathing well in the City

AT LAST, here’s a submillion priced sedan that takes into serious consideration the wellness of its human occupants.

The Honda City 1.5 E CVT Special Edition, in Ruby Red Pearl color, comes with the Sharp Plasmacluster Ion technology that reduces airborne allergens and microbes, helps remove unwanted odors, and moisturizes the skin. The Plasmacluster resembles a coffee mug that fits into the center console cupholder, and is activated when the unit is plugged into the lighter socket.

But wait, there’s more to the new City than meets the eye, or nostrils. The front door windows are UV cut, which is claimed to minimize the penetration of harmful UV rays and infrared light by up to 99 percent.

The new City is also equipped with a speed-sensing Auto Door Lock system that locks automatically when a speed of 15 kph is reached, and then unlocks when the shift lever is set to Park (P). The key fob has a Panic Button, which when long pressed activates the car’s alarm and flashes the headlights and park lights. The City is equipped with SRS airbags and antilock braking system with electronic brake-force distribution.

The City’s gauges are easy on the eyes, and all instruments and displays are in all their familiar places and easy to set or manipulate. Seat height adjustments take into consideration petite drivers. Nonleather seats are a big plus especially during the hot summer months.

There are just some minor setbacks, such as the air-conditioning vents between the driver and passenger (middle of the dashboard) has too limited adjustments, and the Kenwood audio entertainment system isn’t so user-friendly (but, as expected, the sound quality is superb).

As expected, the City is as frugal as ever at the pumps, its 1.5-liter i-VTEC engine with Continuous Variable Transmission (CVT) able to squeeze out 22.1 kpl in highway driving.

This summer, the City 1.5 E CVT Special Edition won’t burn holes through the ozone layer nor through your pockets, its price tag being just P819,000.

THE CRUISE control offered a pleasant surprise.

MUV over, make way for Xylo

NOT ALL multipurpose vehicles (MPVs) are built alike. And not all MPVs would like to call themselves that. They’d rather be known as MUVs, or multi-utility vehicles.

But semantics aside, the Pinoy summer traveler should give a serious thought or two to India-based Mahindra’s take on the MP—or MU—vehicle, the seven-seater Xylo.

Why? Because India experiences the same climate as that of the Philippines, and Mahindra has made sure that the Xylo is truly well-adapted to tropical extremes.

This author got to try the Xylo during the tail-end of summer last year, and can truly vouch for the cooling power of the Xylo’s air-conditioning system. Apart from offering all seven warm bodies that can fit in this vehicle enough legroom, the rear AC vents and separate controls for back passengers ensure that the driver and front passenger don’t get a monopoly of the cool air.

Don’t be surprised, then, if Xylo passengers start dozing off as soon as the trip starts, since apart from the air-conditioning, the Xylo suspension is made more comfortable with independent coil springs with antiroll bar at the front, and its multilink coil springs at the rear.

This isn’t to say, though, that nothing exciting is left for the poor driver. He, or she, still has the power to harness the 120 horses generated by its four-stroke, four-cylinder CRDi engine with VGT (variable geometry turbocharger). Mated to a five-speed manual transmission, the Xylo has the power to wake up sleepyheads with some seat-of-your pants engine responsiveness. Oh, lest we forget, the Xylo has an environment-friendly Euro 3 rating, and animal cruelty-free faux leather (not animal skin) seats.

For its price of P1.050 million, the Xylo is more affordable than most variants of the leading MPV brand in the market today.