31 October 2012
COTY 2012 - 2013 Test Fest Day 5: Ford family gathering
Words by Jade Lu | Photos by Hans Gerald Chua
We have finally reached the final day of the 2012 - 2013 Car of the Year Philippines (COTY-P) qualitative testing for 2012! It was our privilege to test the latest car models from different manufacturers, and that made each test day special. Last Saturday’s was quite unique, as all the cars we tested were from Ford: Explorer EcoBoost 2.0 XLT, Fiesta 1.4 AT Sedan, Focus 2.0L Sport + and Titanium +, and the Ranger 2.2L Duratorq 4x2 AT and MT.
With only six cars to drive that day, we were relatively more relaxed and could take each car for a leisurely ride, especially the Explorer. There was even time to demonstrate the Ford Focus’ Active Park Assist feature. There were much ooh’s and ahh’s. It goes without saying: A day testing a one-make lineup really makes one understand the brand as a whole a bit better.
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Car of the Year
Words by Christopher Kho | Photos by Hans Gerald Chua and author
Now that we've finished a third of the Qualitative Tests, it's finally time to take on the big boys of the 2012 - 2012 Car of the Year Philippines (COTY-P). At the break of dawn, nine behemoths lined up at this year's official test venue at the Eton Centris, Quezon City last October 20, 2012. It was a tough battle between the Americans, Japanese, British, and surprisingly, the Chinese. Summing up all their values, we had more than P20 million worth of sheet metal to play with that day.
CATS Motors, Inc. returned with their luxurious Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited and Dodge Durango Citadel. Also making their second appearance at testing this year is Honda, this time bringing the all-new CR-V 2.0 LX and 2.4 EX. And despite being a Japanese automaker, the Odyssey 3.5 V6 AT and Pilot 3.5 V6 AT that Honda brought with them were undoubtedly American. Meanwhile, all eyes were on the firenze red Range Rover Evoque. Priced at well above P5 million, this compact crossover was a toy we all couldn't get our hands off. But the real surprise of the day were the Great Wall Hover H5 and Wingle H5. First tested in 2010, the two Chinese utes came back after a fresh facelift and a new CRDi engine.
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Car of the Year
18 October 2012
COTY 2012 - 2013 Test Fest Day 3: Return of the Kings
Words by Christopher Kho | Photos by Hans Gerald Chua and author
Honda and Subaru are no strangers to the Car of the Year Philippines (COTY-P). In fact, both Japanese automakers have won the prestigious award twice in the past. The Accord took the prize in 2004, followed by the previous generation Civic in 2005. Then, it was Subaru's turn to take a back-to-back title with the Impreza STI in 2008 and the Legacy 2.5L GT in 2009. So, it was a chance for these Japanese giants to face-off once again at the third day of the Qualitative Testing for the 2012 - 2013 COTY-P, last October 13, 2012 at Eton Centris in Quezon City. Of course, we didn't forget about the trio of American brutes brought by CATS Motors Inc.
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Car of the Year
11 October 2012
COTY 2012 - 2013 Test Fest Day 2: The Korean conundrum
Words and photos by Christopher Kho
Blessed with good weather, the members of the Car Awards Group Inc. (CAGI) once again assembled at Eton Centris, Quezon City for yet another day in the search for the 2012 - 2013 Car of the Year Philippines (COTY-P). Last week's test proved that traffic around the designated test route stayed light throughout the day, which gave us the liberty to drive and enjoy each of the cars a bit longer, knowing that we wouldn't be wasting so much time in a standstill. So, with only six beautiful cars on the list, the second day of the Qualitative Testing was one worth enjoying.
Dominated by the Koreans, the day's list included lightweights from both Kia and Hyundai, plus one rather luxurious Scandinavian sedan from Volvo. Kia brought all three variants of their Rio: the 1.2 LX MT sedan, 1.4 EX AT sedan, and the 1.4 EX AT hatchback. Not to be outdone, Hyundai finally went public with their long-awaited Accent 1.6 GLS CRDi VGT hatchback. They also brought along the cute little EON 0.8 GLS that will go up against last week's Alto K10. Finally, Volvo spoiled us in absolute luxury with their new turbo-diesel-powered S60 D3.
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Car of the Year
06 October 2012
COTY 2012 - 2013 Test Fest Day 1: A good rainy start
Words and photos by Christopher Kho
At last, the search for the 2012 - 2013 Car of the Year Philippines (COTY-P) has begun. Attended by almost 30 eager motoring journalists, the first day of the Qualitative Test Fest was held last September 29, 2012 at the new official test venue in Eton Centris, Quezon City. And despite the heavy downpour, we forged on to put all these new cars to the test. Although thankfully, the generous people from Eton Centris were kind enough to provide us with tents to shelter us from the weather.
The first seven vehicles were a mix of mini cars, compacts, and a mid-size sedan. Lifan returns this year with a revised LF320 EX - a mini which we also drove last year - and the new seven-seater LF6201 Foison van. Meanwhile, Suzuki's entries include the more powerful Alto K10 and the all-new Kizashi. Lastly, Mitsubishi looks strong in their attempt at the strongly-contested compact car battle, bringing three variants of the 1.6L MIVEC-equipped Lancer EX: the GLX MT, GLX AT, and the top-of-the-line MX AT.
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Car of the Year
After a successful launch last September 21, 2012 at the Eton Centris in Quezon City, the Car Awards Group Inc. (CAGI) is all-set to search for the 2012 - 2013 Car of the Year Philippines (COTY-P). Now on its 9th edition, this year's awards has more than 70 new cars vying for the prestigious title, which is one of the biggest turnout in its history.
The award is open to all new passenger and commercial vehicles launched in the Philippine market between November 1, 2011 and October 31, 2012. Vehicles that have received a minor model change within the period (also known as a “facelift”), on the other hand, must have a revision in either the drivetrain, suspension, or engine to be eligible. They are then grouped into categories by size, class, and price.
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Car of the Year
Eton Centris recently turned-over the symbolic key to the Car Awards Group Inc. (CAGI) as the new official launch and test venue for the 2012 - 2013 Car of the Year Philippines (COTY-P). The launch party will be held on the 21st of September, 2012, while the Qualitative Testing for this year's search will commence on the 29th of the same month and continue for six to nine consecutive weekends.
Located on the corner of EDSA and Quezon Avenue, the 12-hectare luxury lifestyle destination is comprised of commercial establishments, restaurants, office buildings, residential condominiums that is slated to be new central business hub of Quezon City. And more importantly, it'll become the home to one of the largest BMW showrooms in the region in the near future, as well as a planned upcoming Volvo dealership. All of these factors makes Eton Centris the perfect venue for the 9th edition of COTY-P.
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Car of the Year
The long wait is finally over. After spending a total of eight test days under the sun, several weeks tallying score sheets, and countless sleepless nights in anticipation, it all boiled down to one special awards night as the Car Awards Group Inc. (CAGI) hailed a new a successor to the Car of the Year title last March 29, 2012 at the 8th Manila International Auto Show (MIAS). Selecting through a total of 36 nominees and 11 finalists, the Hyundai Elantra is now the 2011 - 2012 Car of the Year Philippines (COTY-P).
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Car of the Year
