Being different makes a world of difference

Have you ever had one of those days when you felt pangs of nostalgia tugging at your sleeves? I had one on a recent cloudy Monday afternoon. I felt like a kid from grade school and I wanted to visit my elementary school teacher, Dra. Filomena Villar, who moved to Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija, after she retired from teaching at the University of Santo Tomas. I just wanted to know how she was doing as well as introduce her to my wife, Shawie and our 2-year old daughter, Vette. On the side, the road trip would be a good getaway for the family.

However, that particular afternoon we were heading towards the North Luzon Tollway, the weather was dark and gloomy, and intermittent rain showers had been pouring on Northern Luzon. Fortunately, I was driving the Dodge Dakota Quad Cab.

The 4-door, 5-passenger full-size pickup was painted in light maroon metallic, which, coupled with the chromed grille and bumper inserts, makes for a very tough yet elegant combination. The road surface of the North Luzon Tollway has seen better days, but inside the Dakota, we nearly didn’t feel the undulations due to the luxuriously padded leather seats, excellent sound deadening, and compliant suspension system. Despite the high ground clearance, the Dakota had excellent body roll control and directional stability. The long 3330-mm wheelbase effectively minimized the vibrations from running on potholes, resulting in a smooth ride that is quite uncommon among 4-wheel-drive pickups. Equipped with the cool climate control system and the factory-installed Infinity 6-speaker single-disc stereo system, the interior was calm despite the storm outside.

The Dakota could whip up a storm of its own should you decide to floor the accelerator. The 4.7-liter overhead valve V-8 engine with sequential multi-port fuel injection develops 230hp of power at 4800 rpm and 295 Nm of torque at 3200 rpm. The engine delivers this torque to the 4-speed overdrive automatic transmission in a seamless flow of power. Coupled with the improved visibility given by the truck’s height, overtaking on two-lane rural roads that connect Bulacan to Nueva Ecija was done effortlessly. The front-discs and rear-drums brake system came equipped with ABS and the power-assisted pedal gave good feedback when the binders were used to haul the truck down from speed upon reaching the boundary of Gapan.

It was already early evening when we finally got to my former teacher’s home. Miss Villar welcomed us and was pleased that I took my family with me on my visit. She’s a spry 80-plus years old, but she’s still active in laymen apostolic works.

Miss Villar recounted her studies in child education, including her training in Okinawa, Japan. We talked extensively about my elementary class, which she handled from 1972 to 1978. Dubbed the "Pilot class," our section D class of about 40 boys and girls underwent a totally different curriculum than those taken by sections A, B and C of UST Elementary School, or any other elementary school for that matter. She stated that at the time we may not have or didn’t really understand the difference, but over time, our class had a higher comprehension level than the other sections, and we were more driven to succeed in our undertakings. Her different approach in teaching gave us a different approach in learning.

On our drive home, my wife and I talked of the wonderful conversation we had with Miss Villar and the advice she gave in rearing our daughter. We felt that the lessons we learned were extremely gratifying after a long drive. The long drive also gave me some time to contemplate on the virtues of the Dakota. It might have been out of its element in city driving, but it felt utterly comfortable in long-distance driving. It had a different approach towards the utilitarian aspect of pickup designs with an eye towards passenger safety and creature comfort.

After all has been said and done, being different can truly make a world of difference. (The Dodge Dakota Quad Cab is being sold locally by Norkis Automotive Resources at P1.45M.)