The Honda Accord 3.0 V6 finally got the laurel it long deserved when it stood on top as the Philippines’ first Car of the Year. The 240 horsepower executive cruiser was a surprising winner, even catching Honda’s Assistant Vice-President for Marketing, Arnel Doria off-guard. Mr. Doria was among the hundreds of car manufacturer executives and special guests who attended the lavish awards night dinner held at the Rockwell Tent in Makati City.
According to Car Awards Group (CAGI) member and Manila Bulletin mainstay Aris Ilagan, the Accord certainly deserved the top honor since it cohesively combined luxury and sportiness, providing an entertaining drive whatever the distance. The comprehensive standard equipment coupled with a highly advanced engine and transmission no doubt added points in favor of the Japanese executive sedan. The affordable price tag sealed the deal when compared to higher priced European alternatives.
Unlike other award-giving bodies, the Honda Accord wasn’t awarded based on popular vote. In fact, CAGI has always emphasized the objectivity of the Car of the Year – Philippines. Using American automotive magazines as basis, CAGI has set-up unbiased criteria, awarding points in three major categories: instrumented, quantitative and price factors. The tallying of the votes/points was done independently by the Makati-based accounting firm, SGV and Co.
During the ‘test fests’ held at the Eagleridge Golf and Country Club in Cavite, each vehicle was subjected to instrumented acceleration, braking and quietness tests. 0-100 km/h and 100-0 km/h in both time and distance were measured using a GTech gyro meter while the cabin’s noise was measured with a decibel meter provided by Mitsubishi Motors Philippines. CAGI members were unanimous that these figures held importance in everyday situations given the demands of Philippine roads and drivers. Meanwhile, factors such as ergonomics (driving position, control locations), comfort (seats, ride, audio system, air conditioner), space, luggage capacity, were rated by all the testers from the twenty-plus CAGI member publications.
Each test fest was full of surprising twists—mostly involving the results. For instance, the Chevrolet Optra 1.8 LT actually bested the Mazda 3 2.0R in braking distance despite the latter’s advantage of fatter tires, while the Honda Accord was the clear sprint winner to 100 km/h in its class beating the likes of the BMW 325i Jaguar X-Type 3.0, Nissan Cefiro 300EX and Toyota Camry 3.0V. Of course, CAGI members also proved their driving/drag skills during the test. Lester Dizon of the Philippine Star was the fastest on the manual transmission models while Philippine Daily Inquirer’s Tessa Salazar was the best in braking. The author was commented upon by Andre Palma, the CAGI test guru, to consider a career in drag racing with the best reaction time of the entire group.
While the Accord took the top prize as well as the best executive sedan award, the other winners of the night were: BMW 745Li (best technical innovation, best ultra-luxury sedan); Chevrolet Trailblazer (best full-sized/luxury SUV); Ford Lynx RS (best sports compact); Hyundai Starex CRDi (best van/people carrier); Isuzu Crosswind XUVi (best marketing campaign); Kia Picanto (best value for money); Mazda 3 2.0R (best overall design, media’s choice award); Mercedes-Benz SLK350 (special participation award); Mitsubishi Adventure Grand Sport (best AUV); Nissan X-TRAIL 250X (best compact SUV); Toyota Vios (best super mini); Volvo S60 T5 (best luxury sedan); Volvo XC90 T6 (best safety package). All the winners of the Car of the Year – Philippines will be displayed for public scrutiny at the upcoming Manila Motor Show on April 28-30 at the World Trade Center.
While the manufacturers who have won awards in the first-ever Car of the Year – Philippines could very well enjoy their fantastic achievement, CAGI president Armin Amio did say that this should be a continuous challenge for the car manufacturers of the country. It is about time the country doesn’t just get good cars; rather it should get the best ones. The year’s Car of the Year – Philippines was sponsored by the Automobile Association of the Philippines along with Worldbex International/Manila Motor Show, Standard Insurance, North Luzon Tollways Corporation, Bosch, Bridgestone, Reebok and Coca-Cola.
By Ulysses Ang | Photos By Ulysses Ang and Jason Ang
Originally Published in The Manila Times
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