Photos by Ulysses Ang

The moment the Toyota FJ Cruiser parked into my garage, I couldn’t help but grin like a high school kid. It’s like seeing my first Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, only this time it’s with a two-ton (1,948 kilograms to be exact) SUV. Naysayers will immediately point out that the FJ Cruiser isn’t practical: it’s huge, cramped, and thirsty; but this SUV manages to transcend these adjectives. Driving the FJ Cruiser is like dating a Victoria’s Secret Angel—you don’t go out with her because of her cooking skills; you date her because she’s hot. That’s the kind of magic spell the FJ Cruiser casts on you. It makes you live your childhood dreams of driving a real-life Tonka truck.

Gran Turismo fans, rejoice. Chevrolet is giving you the chance to live your gaming fantasies in real-life, assuming of course you can accord a 2015 Corvette Stingray. Announced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), it’s a fully integrated system that enables users to record high-definition video with telemetry overlays.

Ford Motor Company has released the C-Max Solar Energi Concept, an electric car that takes electric cars to the next level by being independent on the electricity grid for fuel. Instead of powering its battery from an electrical outlet, the C-Max Solar Energi Concept harnesses the sun by using a special concentrator on the roof that acts like a magnifying glass. This magnifier then directs the sun’s rays onto the solar panels located on the roof.

Lamborghini unveiled the successor to the highly-successful Gallardo—the Huracán. Like other Lamborghini models, the Huracán is named after a famous Spanish fighting bull—this one named after the Spanish Conte dela Patilla breed that fought in August 1879.

The US army is looking to replace the aging AM General Humvee with something a bit more robust and, perhaps a sign of the times, a bit more environmentally-friendly. One front-runner is the Ultra Light Vehicle (ULV) developed by the Tank Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center or TARDEC. Of course, light-weight is a misnomer since it weighs in at 6,312 kilograms. Priced at US$ 250,000 each, the ULV is a diesel-electric hybrid powered by…a Subaru engine!

Happy New Year! It’s now officially 2014—the year of the horse. And like that graceful animal known for its speed and agility, this year is bound to be filled with new and exciting cars for every budget. Though car manufacturers are known to be tight-lipped about their whole-year plans, we just had to peer into our magic crystal ball to give you 12 fun-to-drive cars in 2014.

As 2013 comes to a close, it’s actually a great opportunity to look back at the year that’s gone by and to gauge where CarGuide.PH has gone.

This site started out as my personal take on the Philippine automotive industry. Though automotive websites and blogs have become much more crowded compared to when I started 15 years ago, I feel blessed by you, my loyal readers, who sought out my voice amidst the choir of voices. Therefore, I’d like to open this message with a big thank you from all of us at CarGuide.PH. I hope you all continue to stay with us to we see what exciting stuff we have in store for this year.

2013 has been tremendously successful for CarGuide.PH. This year, we’ve gone to more places and driven more cars than ever before. Throughout our journey, we’ve met new friends and got re-acquainted with old ones. This year, we’ve finally gotten an invitation to attend the Tokyo Motor Show—considered to be the most sought-after assignment in the automotive industry. We’ve also gotten recognized once again. At The 2013 Henry Ford Awards, we won Best Smart and Safety Feature Story and Best Published Photograph while being nominated for Online Blog of the Year yet again.

The most important milestone, however, is an explosion in our readership. This year, we’ve seen our best numbers. We now average 44,000 unique visitors (a total of 69,000 individuals) and more than 210,000 page views a month. These numbers are enough to cement us as the third most-read automotive website in the Philippines. And yet, CarGuide.PH is run and maintained by one, yes, one person. Moreover, we’ve seen a drastic increase in our Facebook presence with more than 8,500 Facebook likes on our official page. And our car manufacturer friends can request verified, third-party certified information on our hits at any time.

Through all the successes, 2013 was also beset by tragedies such as the Visayan earthquake as well as the destruction brought about by Super Typhoon Yolanda. We’ve done our part by donating both in cash and in kind to various relief agencies. We’ve also extended help to our personal friends and relatives who were affected by these two natural calamities.

We don’t know what to expect this year, but we’re very excited. We’re pleased to let you know that CarGuide.PH is remaining independent in the near-future. We’ve secured our domain name for the next 5 years. We also remain steadfast in giving you the most up-to-date and most relevant news on the Philippine automotive industry.

In closing, we would like once again to sincerely extend our thanks to all our readers and supporters. Without you, we wouldn’t be where we are today. Happy New Year from us at CarGuide.PH!

Cheers,

HARI Foundation, Inc. (HFI), the corporate social responsibility (CSR) arm of Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc., (HARI), in partnership with HARIBON Foundation, unveiled its fully-customized classroom-on-wheels dubbed the “HARI Ecovan” last December 16, 2013 at the Hyundai Headquarters in Makati City in Hyundai’s continued effort to promote environmental awareness and biodiversity among students in the Philippines.

Enthusiasts were crying, "sacrilegious" upon hearing news that BMW is splitting the M3 sedan and coupe into the M3 and M4. A nod to BMW's current model nomenclature, the M3 stands for the 4-door version while the M4 is the 2-door version of BMW's popular high-performance compact. Still, they've successfully silenced the critics with the performance characteristics which BMW has just released.

UPDATE: Eagle-eyed readers will notice the absence of Hyundai / Kia in EPA's list of fuel-efficient manufacturers. This is because of an on-going investigation by the EPA that Hyundai and Kia may have bloated their fuel-efficiency figures. However, based on preliminary data, Hyundai's values are 28.3 MPG (12.3 km/L) and Kia's at 25.8 MPG (10.96 km/L). This could mean Mazda could have its thrown usurped by Hyundai.

Despite not having a single gasoline-electric hybrid or plug-in electric vehicle in its line-up, Mazda has scored the title of being the most fuel-efficient automaker in the US according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s Light Duty Fuel Economy Trends. Mazda improved its 2013 model year line-up to 27.5 MPG (11.69 km/L), a 0.5 MPG improvement compared to last year. At the same time, Mazda is also the lowest CO2 emitting car maker with just 324 grams of CO2, down 4 grams from last year.

Fifty—that’s how many new cars were launched in 2013; and that number is certainly on the conservative side. So picking the best five among the newly launched is a hard task, but one that we’ve been doing for the last two years (2012, 2011). As always, we only have two rules to be eligible for CarGuide.PH’s Top Picks of the Year: first, we should have driven it and second, it must be mainstream—so don’t expect to see cars selling above PHP 6-million to appear in this list.

Let’s get it on for CarGuide.PH’s Top Picks of 2013. The list begins, in preferential order, after the break.

Photos by Ulysses Ang

The last time anyone took a serious look at the Mazda MX-5, the Toyobaru twins haven’t been conceived and the Hyundai Genesis Coupe was nowhere in sight. At the time, it was solely the only Japanese sports car you can buy, unless you count the ridiculously overpriced Nissan 350Z. That was some eight years ago, and now, the market place is very different. You’ve got the Toyota 86, the Subaru BRZ, the Hyundai Genesis Coupe, the Honda CR-Z and to a lesser degree, the Mini Roadster, the Peugeot RCZ, and the Ford Mustang all gunning for the same less than P 3-million sports car crowd. What hasn’t changed? The Mazda MX-5.

To all our loyal readers and supporters,

We wish you all a Merry and Blessed Christmas! Thank you for all the support that you have extended through the year and hope to continue to read and support us through the years to come!

Always remember to stay safe and NEVER drink and drive.

Cheers!

In September, the Volvo Concept Coupé was launched to critical acclaim and many awards, and represented the world’s first insight into Volvo Car Group's (Volvo Cars) new design direction under Senior Vice President of Design, Thomas Ingenlath. It also showed one interpretation of how the proportions and versatility of Volvo Cars' new Scalable Product Architecture, that will underpin all medium and large cars in the company’s future, could look.

After staging the Peugeot Eco Fun Run four times over the past few months, official Peugeot importer and distributor Eurobrands Distributor Inc. (EDI) formally crowned the fuel economy kings.

MUGEN fans, rejoice. Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. (HCPI) has just announced the availability of a limited edition City decked in original and genuine MUGEN accessories this Christmas season.

Take a breather from all the holiday spending with Volvo’s Drive Now Pay in March Ownership Offer. Enjoy a 90-day bank holiday and start driving your brand new Volvo through this easy ownership program that gives you additional perks such as FREE Chattel mortgage, 3-year comprehensive insurance with acts of nature, 3-year LTO Registration, 3-year Volvo Standard Maintenance Service and a 5-Year Roadside Assistance.

In celebration of Columbian Autocar Corporation’s (CAC) 20th anniversary, the exclusive distributor of Kia Motors in the Philippines initiated a year-long promo to celebrate with its loyal Kia customers. The offering, dubbed as Kia Drive to 20 promo, gives Kia test-drive participants a chance to win the hottest gadgets every month while Kia buyers can win major prizes of brand new Kia cars or trips abroad.

Automobile Central Enterprise, Inc. (ACEI), the official distributor of Volkswagen cars in the Philippines officially adds a new car to its line-up: the Polo Notchback (sedan). The Polo Notchback is currently available in a sole variant: the 1.6 TDI with 105 horsepower and 250 Nm of torque. This engine is mated to a 5-speed manual and is currently retailing for P 950,000.

Toyota Tacloban Team Members led by their (L) President, Mr. Jimmy Yaokasin and (R) Toyota Motor Philippines President, Mr. Michinobu Sugata

Last December 14, Saturday, Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) President, Michinobu Sugata visited one of the manufacturer’s dealerships, Toyota Tacloban in the wake of supertyphoon Yolanda. Along with TMP’s top management, EVP for Marketing Yohei Murase and SVP for Marketing Jose Ariel T. Arias, the company offered gift baskets as a reminder to its team members to celebrate Christmas despite the challenges experienced. TMP also previously sent food and water supply to immediately aid them after Yolanda struck the said dealership.

In a statement, TMP’s President expressed, “The Christmas spirit should live on in spite of the trials faced by our team members. These simple tokens that we have shared symbolize our continuous support and concern for the Toyota family. I am very glad that Toyota Tacloban’s President, Mr. Jimmy Yaokasin also serves as an inspiration to our team members in remaining strong and resilient especially in tough times like this.”
Toyota Tacloban is currently the only automotive dealership that is open and operational in the said district.

Heavy-duty trucks from Isuzu Philippines Corporation (IPC) are now powering an integral part of a reputable engineering company’s various construction and power plant projects across the Philippines.

IPC has recently turned over 20 brand-new units of Isuzu CYZ51 10-wheeler dump trucks to First Balfour Inc., a business entity that belongs to the Lopez Group of Companies. The trucks are to be used for the various hauling and disposal requirements of the top construction firm.

Some car enthusiasts say that we are what we drive. In fact, some even claim that a car is a window into the driver’s soul. So, what does driving a sports car say about you? It might mean that you are: one, someone who’s always at the center of attention; two, a risk-taker; three, a person of power and influence; or four, all of the above. A sports car is a statement piece. Nothing spells out success and wealth more than a sports car.

And now, thanks to an aggressive strategy emphasizing driving fun, Japanese car companies are finally getting into the sports car act, once a segment reserved for European makes and models. And the two most popular examples are the Honda CR-Z and the Toyota 86—subjects of this head-to-head grudge match.

Like a surgeon peering inside a patient, Caltex recently showed how engines that are fed with low quality fuels become dirty in no time. In contrast, the same test showed pictures of how an engine that regularly uses Caltex with Techron are kept clean and operating at optimum levels.

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. (NML) announced the establishment of Nissan Philippines, Inc. (NPI), a new joint venture formed with long time partners Universal Motors Corporation (UMC) and Nissan Motor Philippines, Inc. (NMPI).

NPI, to be headquartered in Manila, will start operations as the new national sales company for the Philippines from early 2014 and will be responsible for strengthening branding, marketing and sales strategy, and dealer operations in the Filipino market. NPI intends to reinforce brand and sales power by broadening the product lineup and strengthening sales and services across the nation.

The final edition of the Philippine Car Price Guide for 2013. We've got a handful of new models that make its way into the Guide:

• Chevrolet Malibu
• Ford Mustang 5.0 V8 GT Premium with Performance Package
• Hyundai Azera
• Hyundai i10 GLS A/T
• Mercedes-Benz S 500 LWB
• Peugeot 508 GT
• Toyota Land Cruiser Prado
• Volvo XC40

See the entire Price List after the break.