01 December 2010
A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing | 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart
Words and photos by Christopher Kho
When the body of a four-door sedan is mated with the entrails of a rally car, you get a special mixed-breed road-going racer. It may look tame and harmless from the outside, but growls like a wild animal on the inside. And that’s exactly what Mitsubishi and its motorsports division, Ralliart, has brewed up with the 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart.
The Ralli Experience
You might have noticed that the Ralliart bears a striking resemblance to the typical Lancer EX GT-A. Bravo. Give yourself a good pat on the back. Besides the fierce-looking vented hood, a larger rear spoiler, twin exhausts, and little knick-knacks here and there on the outside, there are very little visual cues that tell the two apart. Nevertheless, it doesn’t keep us from salivating over what’s to come, as all the hard work Mitsubishi and Ralliart has put in was focused beneath the hood and under the chassis.
Published in
Sportscar
25 October 2010
Reaching for the Top | 2011 Hyundai Sonata 2.4L GLS Premium
Words and photos by Christopher Kho
South Korea has established itself as one of Asia’s economic powerhouses. Joining the ranks of Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore, they are regarded as the four Asian Tigers. Feeding this hungry tiger’s appetite is a constant influx of wealth coming from its electronics, automotive, and shipping industry, not to mention the growing influence of K-pop music and the overflowing supply of Koreanovelas. The impact of South Korea has surely reached a global level, and their achievements have gone as far as hosting their own leg in the Formula 1 this year. And as if F1 wasn’t momentous enough, they’re working their way to the top of the world with a little help from Hyundai.
Published in
Mid Size
10 September 2010
SX4 Crossover Shakedown | 2010 Suzuki SX4 Crossover
Words and photos by Eric Soriano
There are only a handful of locally available cars with World Rally Championship (WRC) DNA and the Suzuki SX4 Crossover is one of them. The SX4 WRC joined the tough, highly competitive rally wars during the 2008 and 2009 seasons but unfortunately had to pull out at the end of 2009 after poor global economic conditions rendered the Japanese carmaker’s WRC program no longer viable.The name “SX4” is derived from “Sport X-over (crossover) 4-wheel drive” since the SX4 Crossover in some countries are equipped with four-wheel drive just like the WRC car. And so, if you come to think of it, appending “Crossover” to “SX4” has about the same ring to it as saying, well, “major major”. However, neither the local-spec five-door SX4 Crossover nor its SX4 Aero sedan fraternal twin has four-wheel drive so the name is a bit of a misnomer.
Published in
Compact
24 July 2010
The Evil Twin | 2010 Subaru Impreza 2.5L WRX Sedan
Words and photos by Christopher Kho
Back in January, we were given the privilege to test the Subaru Impreza Sedan. With it came a 2.0 liter 148 horsepower boxer engine, a four-speed automatic transmission, and a 1.2 million-peso price tag. It proved to be a practical four-door sedan that possesses killer good looks and a rally-bred drive train. We had endless hours of fun sitting behind the wheel. It drives smoothly, runs fast, and handles exceptionally well. In short, we were impressed.
By the day’s end, its sporty muscular looks and pin-point accurate handling got our hearts racing. But we felt that there was something missing from this great package. We were left itching for a bit more power and a proper manual transmission to get every single drop of excitement out of it.
Published in
Sportscar
Words and photos by Christopher Kho
Ever since its advent, the pick-up truck has been and always will be predominantly used for utility. It’s the industrial revolution’s gift to farmer John that led him to trade in the good ol’ trusty horse and carriage for a set of four wheels. And after almost a hundred years since the first pick-up ever rolled off the production line, people have found more and more ways to exploit its versatility. It’s more rugged than a van, more practical than a delivery truck, and more ravishing than the two combined.
Despite all the benefits that a machine may offer over its live counterpart, nothing can really replace the loyalty and kinship of a noble steed. Enter the Mitsubishi Strada GLS. The 2010 edition of the Strada 3.2 GLS Sport is a new buck ready to be broken in.
Published in
Pickup
06 May 2010
Well Rounded | 2008 Grand Vitara 2.4L 4x2
Words and photos by Kris C. Lim
Motorists nowadays are becoming more conscious on what they’ll need to drive. The thing is, most of them don’t really care about the fads and the price tag, but rather on the capability and value of its usage.Consider the Suzuki Grand Vitara. Since its local debut in 1994 with its first-generation 1.6L engine, the Vitara was not really a total crowd-drawer. But that was the time when compact SUV's were not yet as popular as passenger cars. As the trend slowly changed, as with the buyers, more motorists started to learn to be more eccentric with their vehicles. (Sort of seeing an avid golfer change his pair of golf shoes and replaced it with Sunday biking shoes, for instance)
Published in
Crossover
15 April 2010
Why 2 is Better than 1 | 2010 Mazda 2 1.5L Hatchback A/T
Words and photos by Christopher Kho
Holy Week is a yearly holiday all Christians around the world observe as it commemorates our Lord and savior Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection. Filipinos pay tribute to this momentous occasion by means of traditions passed down through generations. And for people like me who are weary from long busy workweeks, Holy Week translates to a four-day long weekend earmarked for some well-deserved R&R.
As much as I would want to spend the entire four days on a beach, soaking up the sun with matching cold tropical drink in hand, I’m still recuperating from the post-financial trauma I sustained during Christmas and Valentines Day. So the only thing I could afford at the moment was a leisurely out-of-town day trip with my significant other.
Published in
Subcompact
27 March 2010
More for Less | 2009 Ford Focus 2.0L TDCi A/T
Words and photos by Christopher Kho
At an early age, my parents taught me the rudiments of saving up for a rainy day. So day-by-day I would muster up what’s left over from my daily allowance. I even restrained myself from spending on unnecessary things to save more, but it was nothing a grade 3 student could be happy about. Instead of squandering uselessly on sorbetes and fishbol manong sold by the roadside after school, I chose to save what’s left of my allowance and just looked on in envy at my classmates enjoying the delicious treats. And even at that tender age, I knew that sorbetes or fishbol was not something you could share, especially sorbetes. From that point on, I was made to believe that it bears a price to have fun. That is, until I got to drive the Ford Focus TDCi.
Published in
Compact
