Isuzu Philippines Corporation (IPC) recently held a ground-breaking ceremony for what will be its new site in Minglanilla, Cebu.

Having seven seats is always a great selling point here in the Philippines. While that option is normally reserved for MPVs and larger SUVs, even smaller ones are starting to get into the fray. One such entrant, fighting in the compact crossover genre is the Nissan X-Trail. Being the second of three crossovers that offer three rows of seats, the X-Trail can’t claim to have that as a unique proposition. What it can claim though is that it underwent a bunch of tweaks that make it a more convincing choice now. The question is: are they enough to help keep the X-Trail on stride in the highly competitive market?

First impressions are pretty good. The 2018 update has certainly made the X-Trail look much sportier compared to when it first launched in 2015. Gone is the generic soap bar-shape and in its place is a more angular, more aggressive looking face. The larger grille, LED headlights, and chiseled bumpers all suit the “active lifestyle” commonly associated with SUVs without going overboard. Towards the back, the changes are far less obvious but the new bumper and boomerang-shaped LED taillights do the job of adding a bit of character. The final modernizing touches are courtesy of the new shark’s fin antenna (replacing the old school pole-type) and two-tone 19-inch alloy wheels (replacing the 17-inch ones).



Sadly, Nissan’s efforts seem to be concentrated on the exterior since they’ve largely forgotten to modernize the interior. Though there are various soft-touch plastics and even leather on the steering wheel, dashboard, and shifter base, there are also some hard, scratchy plastics too. It’s well-hidden thanks to its texturized finish, but poke long enough and it’s noticeable—lower dash, door trims, center console—they all fall victim to this. Plus, the doors close with a tinny twang making it feel far less premium than a fair few of its rivals.

For the driver, the X-Trail remains a safe, solid bet. The seat itself is cushy and combine that with a tilt/telescopic steering wheel and it’s easy to find a comfortable driving position. The gauges are large and easy to understand as are the various buttons and switches. The latter is also crisp-feeling with precise, positive engagement.



Surprisingly, the most disappointing parts of the X-Trail has much to do with the 2018 update. The Around View 360-degree monitor is a great idea, but cramming the display into a low-resolution, 5-inch screen makes it pretty close to useless. The same goes for Moving Object Detection or MOD. Instead of pinpointing exactly where the moving object is, the system simply alerts you in which general area (front, back, left, or right) it’s in. The driver will then have to decipher it and that’s quite difficult with the miniscule screen. There’s an audible warning, but it’s easily drowned out. It’s the same problem with the blind spot warning system which has too small an indicator and too soft a warning chime.

Honestly, the only thing that worked perfectly is the Forward Collision Braking and Forward Collision Warning system. It’s perfectly tuned to local road conditions with no false alarms or unwanted emergency braking.



As a family hauler, the X-Trail is packaged pretty well for its size. The first two rows of seats are pretty solid with ample head and generous leg room. However, the third row of seats is best left for occasional use. Getting in and out is easy thanks to rear doors that open almost 90 degrees and a second row that tilts and slides forward, but it’s definitely a “knees-up” situation at the back. The second row is adjustable allowing for additional legroom, but even then, it doesn’t make it more habitable.

Perhaps the X-Trail’s weakest point is when it comes to driving excitement, or the lack of it. The softly-sprung suspension gives an impression of it being cushy and plush, and it is over smooth pavement. But the moment it goes over anything slightly rough, it will bob and thud its way through. What’s more, sharp-edged bumps will cause the entire car to shake and shudder, and it takes a moment to regain its composure. The light steering is a godsend in traffic jams or parking maneuvers, but it takes a bit more lock to get it into corners. It doesn’t feel particularly pointy when pushed, and even in the rare instances when it’s up for a dance, it tips and leans heavily into corners. NVH isolation is one of the X-Trail’s strong suits, with the thin glass being the only chink in that armor.



Under the hood, the X-Trail remains mechanically unchanged. It still runs on a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder motor making 171 horsepower and 233 Nm of torque. It feels sluggish off the line but picks up the pace as it gains momentum. Driven sensibly, it’s smooth but fuel economy could be better (5.40 km/L at 11 km/h, 9.35 km/L at 27 km/h). Start prodding the accelerator though and it’ll always feel like it’s a half step behind. Because of the CVT’s need to adjust its ratios, the coarseness of the engine is made obvious.

In value for money terms, the 2018 update does give the X-Trail much more equipment this time. Now, they’ve thrown everything from powered front seats to a panoramic sunroof to a hands-free powered tailgate to all sorts of driver assistive technology under the Nissan Intelligent Mobility umbrella: Blindspot Warning System with Cross Traffic Alert, Forward Collision Braking, Forward Collision Warning, and of course, the Around View Monitor with Moving Object Detection. Honestly, the packaging would have been perfect if not for the lack of a more modern infotainment system with a bigger screen (no Android Auto or Apple CarPlay here) and more standard airbags (it only has, shockingly, two).



With the revised exterior styling, better standard equipment, and slew of Nissan Intelligent Mobility features, the 2018 Nissan X-Trail has become an okay choice in the crowded compact crossover segment. If it were the only one with standard seating for seven, then that would have made it a clear winner. Sadly, there are far more okay choices out there. As it stands, Nissan may have moved the X-Trail onto the right track, it’s just that its competitors have moved on even further.

Setting and breaking lap records on the Nürburgring Nordschleife has become a pissing contest of sorts for car manufacturers. Today, the development of a vehicle, especially those of the high-performance variety, isn’t complete without any sort of mention of lap times at the 22.810-kilometer circuit known as “The Green Hell.” That is, unless you’re Mazda.

GAZ Group, the leading manufacturer of commercial vehicles (CVs) in Russia has officially started selling its models locally through its official Philippine distributor, Gazelle Motors Corp. GAZ is now selling its NEXT minibus and NEXT Citiline frame bus in the country through its own dealer network.

The ASEAN New Car Assessment Program or NCAP is now including blindspot object detection as part of its safety assist technology test under its revised ASEAN NCAP 2017-2020 protocol. Blindspot technology (BST) is now a requirement to obtain points for a higher ASEAN NCAP rating and aims to reduce motorcycle fatalities across the ASEAN region.

Ford Philippines announced that despite the implementation of the new excise tax, February retail sales still rose 24 percent from a year ago to 1,860 units driven by its big three: the Ranger, Everest, and EcoSport.

It’s a Friday night and I just want to go home. Just when I thought that navigating through Manila’s stop-and-go traffic would take up most of my problems, Murphy’s Law—Anything that can go wrong will go wrong—strikes and I end up with a flat tire. No matter how well you maintain the condition of your tire, with all the debris on our roads, it’s bound to happen.

Landers members, get ready. Starting tomorrow, March 12 until Friday, March 16, 2018, you stand to get even bigger discounts with the Caltex Crazy Fuel Sale promo.

As Mazda looks to its next-generation of vehicles, they are still looking to improve existing ones in the pursuit of advancing driving pleasure. Announcing their long-term Sustainable Zoom-Zoom 2030 plan last year, Mazda is now looking at vehicles from a “Well-to-Wheel” approach.

Isuzu Philippines Corporation (IPC) supports sports anew through its recent contract signing with the 2018 Philippine SuperLiga (PSL).

Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation (MMPC) has already started accepting reservations for its all-new MPV, the Xpander. And now, to make it even more enticing, MMPC is offering a pre-booking exclusive for those who have made reservations and those who are still planning to reserve one.

Auto Nation Group, Inc., distributor of Mercedes-Benz passenger cars and commercial vehicles in the country, recently turned-over two units of the Mercedes-Benz Pocket Train to Clark Pipeline and Depot Company, their first customer in the Philippines.

Volkswagen Philippines is set to hold the second Cebu activation of the Child Safety Initiative (CSI) road safety campaign from March 9 to 11, 2018 this time at “The Gallery” Level 1 of the New Wing of Ayala Center Cebu.

Who would have thought: reserving a vehicle during the Nissan Mobility Tour can immediately make you feel like a winner. After the Manila and Pampanga legs of the nationwide experiential tour, these two lucky individuals dared to be bold and walked home with an additional P 100,000 off their brand-new Nissan vehicle.

Haven’t you noticed anything with Mazda lately? Despite being a small carmaker (it has about a 4 percent market share in Japan and 2-3 percent globally), they’ve continued to make fresh products year after year. How have they been able to accomplish this?

The celebrated Toyota Supra is back, sort of. Shown at the 2018 Geneva International Motor Show, Toyota finally confirms that the Supra badge is back and affixed to a high-performance sportscar co-developed with BMW. The racing concept, dubbed the GR (Gazoo Racing) Supra Racing Concept, it revives the heritage of one of Toyota’s famous sportscars.

Two British supercar makers unveiled their interpretation of what an “ultimate track-only hypercar” is. World, meet the Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro and the McLaren Senna GTR Concept.

Honda is aiming to reinforce the performance of the Civic Type R by using a squad of racing stars to do what else but break lap records at iconic European racetracks.

Hyundai Motor showed off its “Le Fil Rouge” a concept car that provides a glimpse of the Korean carmaker’s new styling direction moving forward. And while it’s evocative, it’s also very, very familiar. Yes, it pretty much apes Mazda’s Vision Coupe Concept closely.

Subaru showed off the first indications of how a future Levorg sports wagon could look like with the arrival of the Viziv Tourer Concept at the Geneva International Motor Show.

“That looks slick.” This is the typical greeting anyone would have upon seeing the 2018 Suzuki Vitara. Of course, for people old enough to remember, they would remember the badge as having been affixed on a model that pioneered the small, no-nonsense 4x4. With the Jimny now handling that duty within the Suzuki line-up, the Vitara’s been transformed into their new sub-compact crossover offering, and like what everyone else would say, it does look slick.

Based on the human walk—that’s how Mazda describes its i-ACTIV AWD system. It’s a good thing though that the system wasn’t based on me; if it were, then it’d suck. The moment I stepped out of the bus and onto the Kenbuchi Proving Ground located north of Asahikawa in Hokkaido, Japan, I slipped and fell in full view of all the Mazda engineers and experts. It’s reassuring to everyone concerned that Mazda’s all-wheel drive system takes inspiration from more graceful humans.

After celebrating the Year of the Dog, Subaru is continuing to give special offers on its best-selling Forester compact SUV. Go into a refreshing drive this summer with easy own schemes for all Subaru Forester models.

Volvo Philippines set sail to Hong Kong for the first ever Volvo Ocean Race (VOR) stop in Asia’s world city. Winners of Volvo’s All Aboard Holiday Offer as well as the Volvo Alumni Golf Cup 2017 champions were all onboard to partake of the festivities. Top executives from the country’s exclusive importer and distributor as well as sales partner from across the country, were also on hand to host the Volvo clients and their guests, as well as accompany them around the Volvo Ocean Race Village.

Volvo Cars unveiled a special edition of its V90 Cross Country to celebrate the 2017-2018 Volvo Ocean Race. With a limited production run (based on calendar year and not quantity), the V90 Cross Country Ocean Race is inspired by the world’s toughest ocean race with stylistic cues and features that enable its drivers to launch their next adventure.

Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI), official Philippine distributor of Hyundai passenger and commercial vehicles, in partnership with Plan International, is set to inaugurate this April, the Hyundai Dream Center Philippines (HDCP), a world-class training and education hub for developing skills in the automotive industry.