Best of the Decade

February 17,2010

Editor’s Note: Being the only car magazine existing and still existing from 1998, motioncars.com has driven plenty of cars. Here’s a run down of the best and most significant cars Jason’s tested in the past decade.

2005 Honda City

Back in the mid-00s, driving an econobox was a form of punishment. Stripped barer than Kate Winslet (in any of her movies), a subcompact sedan was only one rung up from riding a jeepney. Then the second-generation City arrived and changed all that. With a model-specific twin-spark 1.3-liter engine mated to a CVT, it contained features genuinely appreciated in the small-car class. The gasoline engine supplied peak torque just off idle, providing diesel-like pulling power and fuel economy. The CVT allowed electronic override of its program, with seven virtual “gears” selectable via steering-wheel switches. Electric power steering featured fingertip maneuverability while parking while tightening up nicely at highway speeds. Its unabashedly high-tech styling was not for everyone (we loved it) but the strange form followed high function. Trunk space was a massive 500 liters, and the rear seats could fold, flip and tumble to carry anything from a potted plant to a German shepherd. Suddenly, you didn’t buy a small car only because you had no other choice.

2002 Honda CR-V

When the covers were pulled off the Honda CR-V, there was a mere murmur of approval. What caused the gasp of surprise was the price: then at P966,000, that model was equipped with automatic transmission version, 2.0-liter i-VTEC engine, dual airbags, four-wheel disc with ABS. (The Toyota RAV4 with similar equipment was then selling for P1.35million.) The reason for the cut-rate price was a loophole in regulations that allowed zero taxes on commercial vehicles that could seat ten passengers. Of course, it took an imaginative and sadistic mind to squeeze ten seating positions within the compact confines of the CR-V. But on a long drive to Laguna, we proved that it could carry ten adults. Nevertheless, many rear seats and front benches were chucked out, to return the CR-V back to proper five-seat configuration. The cheap interior bits took some of the luster off the CR-V, but it was an affordable, well-equipped SUV for the well-heeled masses.

2008 Audi R8

Audi was well-regarded as a maker of excellent sedans, but it wanted something more exciting. Perhaps taking a cue from subsidiary brand Lamborghini, the company surprised the world with its wild, mid-engined exotic. The aluminum space frame allowed for lighter weight and such styling cues as those side blades behind the doors. A V8 mounted just behind the driver bangs out 420 bhp through a Quattro all-wheel drive system. The interior is typically Audi: roomy, well-built, and black. The car is quiet and docile in city traffic, patiently waiting for the opportunity to rip on open roads.

2006 Ferrari 599 GTB

The premise of the 599 was simple but bewildering: build a car with the performance of an Enzo but with the comfort of a touring car. That meant mounting the engine in front, for more cabin space. As for the engine itself, it actually does come from the Enzo, a 6.0 liter, 8000 rpm, 620-bhp V12. A Formula-One derived semi-automatic transmission bangs out shifts in the blink of an eye. On Italian country roads, it was as comfortable as any luxury sedan, and on the Fiorano test track, it shrieked like the company’s racecars. The 599 is an F-16 fighter jet with a business-class cockpit, a certified future classic from the stables of the Prancing Horse.

2001 BMW 3 Series

The 3 Series seemed to us like a questionable choice versus its larger Japanese competition, but one drive was all it took to convince us otherwise. The telepathic steering and powerful brakes made it a likeable companion on everything from a drive to the convenience store, to an all-day drive to the provinces. Turning disadvantage to its favor, compact dimensions and short overhangs lent it a nimble feel that larger sedans simply couldn’t match. In 330i guise, this sedan was as fun as a sports car, power-sliding its way out of corners with a tip of that precisely-calibrated throttle. Of all the cars in this list, this one inspired the most confidence. Everything, from the discreet styling, to the size, to the cockpit layout, seemed perfect. The successor car debuted in 2005, better in nearly every aspect, of course, except that it was nowhere near as much fun.

2006 Honda Civic

After an underappreciated seventh-generation model that had the dubious distinction of being knocked off the top spot by the Corolla, Honda came out swinging with the eighth-generation Civic. Packing exterior styling straight out of Star Trek, the car looked like a concept car that actually made it intact into production. The interior boasts of massive interior room, thanks to minimal intrusion from mechanical bits, clever dashboard design, and a completely flat rear floor. The dual-tier instrument panel with its huge digital speedometer still looks supremely high-tech. Last year’s facelift consisted of a grand total of one item: the taillight design, because simply put, nothing needed changing. Nearly four years after its launch, the current Civic is still unchallenged as the most well-thought-out compact car.

2009 Hyundai Genesis

Everyone knew that Hyundai could do “cheap,” then discovered that Hyundai also did “reliable.” Then, with this car, the company suddenly also did “desirable.” A genuine rival for such benchmarks as the Nissan 270Z and Ford Mustang, the Genesis coupe brings that coveted halo effect to the brand. One welcome Hyundai touch is its affordability: the base four-cylinder model starts at compact-SUV prices, and even the top-spec V6 model slots in at below P2 million. The rear-wheel drive configuration signifies that this is a genuine sports car. Hyundai buyers usually walk into the showroom thinking of the Starex or Tucson; now they have a Korean car they can actually fantasize about owning.

2005 Toyota Innova

The Asian Utility Vehicle was a brilliant idea: build a multipurpose van on top of a compact truck chassis. Unfortunately, thirty years on, the idea had become stale and had reached a dead end. No amount of boombox stereos and bulging bodykits could disguise that AUVs were, by modern standards, uncomfortable, crude, and clumsy. Toyota saw the writing on the wall and had developed a suitable replacement for its best-selling Tamaraw Revo. Ditching the revered nameplate altogether was a bold move, signifying that this new vehicle had nothing to do whatsoever with its predecessor. The Innova debuted as a body-on-frame minivan that carried eight passengers. Crucially, it modified the Hilux-based chassis for passenger-car use, substituting coils for leaf springs, for instance. The resulting ride and handling was a quantum leap over the AUV. Modern variable-valve gasoline and common-rail diesel engines provided efficient propulsion. The interior, while plasticky, looked and felt up-to-date, including well-integrated switches and controls, and airconditioning ducts integrated into the roof lining. Still, the Innova didn’t forget its tough-vehicle origins, providing adequate ground clearance and capability to wade in 500mm-deep flood waters. The Innova easily took over the Tamaraw as the number one vehicle in the country, with no clear rival five years after its launch.

2005 Toyota Fortuner

For those guys who just couldn’t stomach driving a minivan (see Innova), Toyota came prepared, too. Spun off the same Hilux chassis but sporting a modern, attractive body, the Fortuner slotted in as Toyota’s entry-level SUV. The roomy seven-seat configuration meant that this became a prime candidate for family-car duties.

The only bump on the Fortuner’s record is just that: a disconcertingly bumpy ride. The flipside, though, is secure and tight handling. The 4×4 model, with low range and lockable center differential, proved quite adept at tackling light to moderate off-road duties. For the 99.9% of the Fortuners that would never leave asphalt, it’s good to know that the car fits in most garages, and is easily maneuverable around town. The price tag was also reasonable, starting at just P1.2 million. All that for a seven-seat largish SUV that easily beat its stablemate Prado in performance; no wonder that the Fortuner, like its Innova sibling, took top sales spot in its category in no time at all.

2004 Ford Everest

The Fortuner may be the 2000-kg gorilla of the pickup-based SUV class, but it was Ford which first properly executed the concept, more than a year before the Toyota made its debut. Based on the unbreakable Ranger platform, the Everest had a modern, roomy interior; boxy good looks; and a powerful diesel engine. The middle seat easily tumbled out of the way for easy access to the rear seats. Despite the early promise, the Ford Everest initially stuttered because of the lack of an automatic gearbox. Unfortunately, when this was made available, more choices soon sound their way onto the Philippine market. It’s too bad also that the succeeding generation was not able to run away with the concept since the Everest was a groundbreaking SUV in itself, despite the availability of a common rail direct injection diesel (DuraTORQ) and a new 5-speed automatic transmission.

2003 BMW X5

It’s now strange for a luxury brand not to have SUVs in its lineup, but back in the early 2000s, it was down to just the Mercedes M-Class and this, the BMW X5. Where the Merc was built to a target price, the X5 was built to a target driving experience. The secure handling and impressive road manners of the company’s sedans was successfully transplanted to a tall, boxy wagon. It also looked the part of a BMW, with rugged good looks and distinctive front end (pre-Bangleization). Ditching any off-road aspirations, the X5 “Sports Activity Vehicle” was designed instead for the urban jungle. A full range of X5s were made available locally, but the two favorites remained the 3.0d and the 3.0si which later came.

2004 Mazda3

Mazda bet the farm on a new approach based on a simple slogan: Zoom-zoom. The 3 best exemplified the new approach. The body tautly wrapped around the modern chassis, with all styling elements, such as the taillights and the exhaust pipes given proper attention. The interior was all Knight Rider, with its red instrumentation and sweeping-cursor audio indicators. The 3 was benchmarked on another 3, BMW’s, and it shone through in the Mazda’s pin-sharp handling, and confident road manners. Pricing was also spot-on with the competition. The 3 was not only a new entry in the compact sedan class, it competently laid out the path for a whole car company.

2006 Mitsubishi Strada

Using pickups as family cars was a distinctly American tradition, and one that seemed quite impractical here, until the Strada came along. Boasting of a cabin that belonged in a modern passenger car, with sufficient roomy and easy ingress for five, the Strada was perhaps the first pickup to warrant consideration as a passenger car. The common-rail diesels provided the expected locomotive-like propulsion, while the quick steering and relatively narrow width allowed easy in-town driving.

2007 Subaru Impreza WRX

With the new-generation Impreza, Subaru aimed for a more widestream audience. The previous ugly-duckling econobox was ditched in favor of a more stylish, BMW-like hatchback configuration. One thing that also changed is the lineup of engines—for the better. With its flat-four configuration retained, but now bumped up to 2.5 liters, the WRX engine now pumps out 230 hp. Power to all four wheels means that there’s an abundance of grip, while the twin-piston front discs provide eye-popping stopping power. The possibility of supercar-baiting antics aside, this car was made practical for every day use. There’s space for five adults and a surprisingly comfortable ride. All that for a price considerably below most other toy cars’ pipsqueak-engined entry-level models.

Uly’s Best of the Decade Drives

You may be wondering what about Uly? Well, here’s a rundown of his favorite cars of the past decade (in no particular order):

2005 BMW 320d

2001 Ford Escape

2002 Ford Lynx

2005 Honda Jazz

2006 Honda Civic

2004 Mazda3

2005 Mazda6

2007 Mercedes-Benz C-Class

2006 Mitsubishi Strada

2007 Subaru Impreza

2005 Toyota Innova

2005 Toyota Fortuner

By Jason K. Ang | Photos by Ulysses K. Ang and Jason K. Ang

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