Before the Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord, there was only one executive car of choice, and its name is Mitsubishi Galant.  This nameplate has an almost mythical ring to it especially in conjuring up images of a sharply-styled and sporty sedan that’s capable as it is comfortable.  However, somewhere along the road to the present day, it has lost its way; ending up in executive car limbo in the process.

Go ahead. Stare as much as you like. What you’re seeing on these pages is the 2009 Toyota RAV4. We’re not kidding! That’s how “subtle” the changes are, considering the nips and tucks done here we supposed to keep the RAV4 fresh against the slew of its newer competitors including the exemplary Subaru Forester. We’re not saying that the RAV4 is a terrible car though. In fact, despite being one of the first to arrive among the current crop of compact crossovers, this “cute-ute” remains fairly commendable, though it has truly fallen from our graces.

Success plays mind games on people.  Sometimes it pushes you to do greater things, sometimes it makes you complacent and sometimes it makes you do silly things.  Take Michael Phelps for example: the sheer weight of eight Olympic gold medals hung around his neck had caused him to smoke pot.  In front of the camera no less.  And much like Phelps, Suzuki is leaning towards downright silliness.  The sheer success of their Swift sub-compact has caused them to move up the automotive ladder.  They set their sights on the Mazda3 and the Honda Civic with (drum rolls please) the SX4 Sedan.  That’s a pretty tall order considering that the SX4 has a wheelbase of just 2,500 mm—making it even shorter than even Honda City.

Sixty-six horsepower isn’t something to get excited about.  After all, the last time I’ve driven a car with that little hood ponies was an early 80’s Toyota.  And let’s just say the memories aren’t so great: each time we encountered a steep enough incline (and it’s not that steep), we had to turn off the air conditioning just to reach the top.  But times certainly have changed and with the advent of modern technology such as fuel injection, computer-controlled transmissions and so forth, having 66 horsepower isn’t as limiting as it used to be.  Take for instance the Hyundai i10—a car that’s unarguably one of the most exciting I’ve ever driven.  Exciting?  The Hyundai i10?  It’s easy getting caught up in prejudices with small and cheap cars in general; and I too fell victim, having put very low expectations from this P 558,000 car.  But believe me, the i10 made me appreciate that fun-to-drive doesn’t necessarily mean having the most horsepower or having the flashiest badge

Everyday traffic in Manila is such a finicky creature.  One moment, you’re cruising the length of EDSA at about 80 km/h and the next; you’re stuck behind the Love Bus.  You think you can escape it by leaving earlier (or later) or by taking another route, but after sometime you realize: traffic here doesn’t follow a particular time or place.  It comes and goes at will and no amount of u-turn slots and bus lanes can fix it.  The best you can do would be to make the daily commute much more bearable: a roomy and comfy cabin, a compliant ride and a nice stereo would be welcome things to have as you crawl next to everyone else.  But what about the times when things are moving faster?  When you wished you had a quick car with excellent performance and strong brakes to haul you in?  It may not be more than 14.28 percent of any given week (that’s Sunday to you non-mathematicians), but as an enthusiast, you just want that extra kick available when you need it the most.  Luckily, there’s the Subaru Impreza WRX—a car that’s equal parts comfortable and racy; an automotive equivalent of Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde.