Road trips, bad eggs, new cars

Last week, I drove around 1,300 kilometers over the course of four days, up Baguio, down Baguio, back and forth La Union, and through Ilocos Norte to try out the fine beach of Pagudpud and see the impressive Bangui Wind Farm at last. Operational only last year, these wind turbines line up along the coast for three kilometers, driven by the winds from the South China Sea and generating around a third of Ilocos’ power requirement. According to the website, that’s roughly what SM Megamall consumes, so it does boggle the imagination somewhat that one of the country’s best-known shopping centers is that hungry when it comes to kilowatts.

Unlike that mall, parking is never a problem in Ilocos. Neither is lodging, at least in the off-season. Cottage-style resorts, inns, and homestays are now a feature of tourist-friendly Pagudpud, making the trip worthwhile for road trippers who’d like a change from good ol’ "Bora".

Lent the keys to Nissan’s X-Trail 250x, we positively tore the road to and from the place; our return trip took a mere ten and a half hours, including pee breaks and coffee stops. One thing I particularly got to appreciate was those "Hyper Roof Rails", something I thought was a needlessly expensive feature until darkness hit on the National Highway. I’m sure you’ve experienced flashing your high-beams to oncoming motorists who won’t give you the courtesy of putting their lights on low-beam. For these most obstinate and pig-headed of motorists, I sent them a warning flash with the regular high-beams, and if they didn’t oblige, I pressed a button and blamm-o(!), the "Hyper Roof Rails" sent out enough candle-power to make them think they were about to hit an 18-wheeler. There really is some justice on the road.

Of course, back in Manila, I was reminded of why I don’t think motorcycles will ever be accepted by the average motorist. I drive 70 kilometers to and from work every day, and there isn’t a single day that I haven’t experienced a near-miss with a biker. Not to offend the responsibly riding readers out there, but there are just too many bad eggs giving the motorcycle commuter a bad name.

There’s the "frustrated motocross racer/messenger", weaving in and out of traffic and who couldn’t care less how his riding messes up other people’s lane. There’s the left-lane hogging "Sunday rider", cruising along at 50kph beside the truck occupying the (slower) middle lane, mindless of the long queue of cars behind him. And of course, there’s the tricycle king, sneaking in and out of slow traffic, occasionally bumping and scratching hapless cars, and exacting exorbitant fees on commuters for much more than what the actual length of the ride should cost in time and fuel.

All in all, it’s sad for the biker who obeys the rules and follows road etiquette. Statistically, you’re bound to get into an accident the more that you ride on hostile, public roads. When you do, few motorists will be sympathetic to your injuries because they’ve experienced too many annoying incidents with bikers who treat the road like it’s their personal property.

After too long a wait, Mitsubishi finally unveiled the next generation Galant mid-size sedan last week. Back in the 90’s, the Galant was one of the few choices that buyers had for executive-class sedans. With the introduction of the Honda Accord and then the Toyota Camry, the Nissan Cefiro, and lately the Mazda6, the Galant fell farther and farther behind in space, design, and refinement. Prior to the recently-launched "240M", the last Galant was introduced in 1997 and had to soldier on until 2004 — too long a tenure for image-conscious buyers to take seriously.

Today, the Galant 240M (240 because it’s a 2.4-liter engine, "M" for MIVEC) is a size and price comparable with the Camry and Accord. Exterior styling is, ahh, "dignified", but the interior is very good, as tasteful and ergonomically sublime as Mitsubishi’s impressive Grandis MPV. Aside from the 162PS engine, the same as the Grandis’, other highlights include a sequential-shift "Sportronic" transmission, High Intensity Discharge headlamps and, of course, power everything including an 8-way driver’s seat and folding mirrors with integrated turn signals. Mitsubishi has abandoned the youthful character of the old and slightly rough Galant for something in between the mature, predictable persona of a Camry and the interior, Old School comfort of the Cefiro; another car in need of a completely new replacement.

Also launched in the same week (same day, in fact) was BMW’s 320i Executive saloon with "Comfort Access". Seemingly designed for the overburdened car owner, the technology unlocks the car without your having to press anything on the key fob. Let’s say you just came from another bazaar, arms full of shopping bags. As long as you’ve got the key fob somewhere on your body, just lightly rest your finger on the door (or trunk) latch and the darn thing will unlock for you. Get in, press the starter button, and you’re off to the next bazaar without even having to put the key into the ignition. Useful? Yes. Indispensable? Of course not, but it adds even more snob appeal to set you apart from your Audi and Volvo-driving friends.

Finally, not one to rest on its laurels was Toyota, unveiling the third generation RAV4 only a few hours after BMW let us play with its Comfort Access-equipped cars. As expected, the new soft-roader is bigger, more powerful, and more refined than before. The monocoque-bodied RAV4 has a better-looking cabin than before, much more head- and legroom, has a sophisticated all-wheel drivetrain, and plenty of power: 170PS @ 6,000 rpm and 22.4 kg-m of torque at 4,000 rpm from a gasoline engine.

Looking at the power figures and checking out the extensive spec sheet, I’d almost say that it’s the most desirable SUV on the market right now. Except for one, un-ignorable detail: the price. A 4x2 will set you back P1.425M, while a 4x4 will cost you a cool P1.785M, or P1.8M if you get one in "White Pearl". That’s quite a lot more than what the old-generation RAV4 cost, and it’s still a pretty good SUV until now. A comparably equipped Honda CR-V, Ford Escape/Mazda Tribute, and Nissan X-Trail are also considerably cheaper than the new RAV4. Methinks the line for Toyota’s own Fortuner will grow even longer this year.

Here are some Backseat Driver reactions from last week.

Attention MMDA or Manila City Hall! Please install traffic lights at Abad Santos corner Mayhaligue Streets to ease traffic. — Al Quizon, Nueva Ecija

Friendly concern to those posting their suggestions and complaints on road traffic. It’s not being pessimistic, but really, our Government won’t hear you! Amen? —09196377017

Paging the MMDA! Buses are loading passengers in the middle of EDSA Northbound near the corner of McKinley Street. Pink fence needed! — 09178128891

Pedicabs are good for the rural areas but not in urban areas. But if they are to be allowed, they must obey traffic rules. — 09178531454

Beware of "TUMBA-SCOOTER" racket along Quezon Avenue near Sto. Domingo Church. Bikers stage collisions with cars then squatters mob the victims. — 09202664571

Can you tell us how to properly use the "overdrive" function in an automatic transmission? Can it help improve fuel consumption? — Franz Lagman, San Pedro, Laguna (Basically, the overdrive function serves to give you another "imaginary" gear to shift into. It lowers your revs so that you don’t push your car’s engine too hard. The overdrive function is especially helpful in keeping you from burning too much fuel during highway driving.)

Bakit mga car lang ang topic niyo? Sana pati trucks like dumps, trailers, tankers, etc. Di ba pang-motoring din sila? Thanks. — 09196654363 (You’re absolutely right, those vehicles are "motoring"-related. However, our focus is on commercial vehicles rather than utility vehicles.)

Why not feature more info on alternative fuels? My Trooper is fueled by 100% biodiesel made from waste vegetable oil. — 09193665165 (Perhaps you missed out on our hydrogen and LPG stories? However, we do have a fuel cell story coming soon.)

The islands at the Guadalupe Bridge should be removed or at least made more visible at night. Accidents may happen. — 09178661117

I have an 06 Hyundai Getz 1.1. The stock tires are sized 165/65 R14. Will changing them with 185/55 R15 or 185/60 R14 tires drastically affect my car’s fuel efficiency? — 09209219663 (It will slightly — but not really drastically — make your car less fuel efficient. However, your car’s handling and road grip will definitely improve.)

LTO Bacolod must not charge Silay renewals a P100 Change of Venue Fee because LTO closed LTO Silay last year! — Albert Dacer, Bacolod City

I thought GMA bashers just appear on front pages, pati ba sa motoring? Let’s just leave that to the politicians and talk about cars. Nakakasawa na yan. — 09175405353

Speak out, be heard and keep those text messages coming in. To say your piece and become a "Backseat Driver", text PHILSTAR<space>FB<space>MOTORING<space>YOUR MESSAGE and send to 2840 if you’re a Globe or Touch Mobile subscriber or 334 if you’re a Smart or Talk ’n Text subscriber or 2840 if you’re a Sun Cellular subscriber. Please keep your messages down to a manageable 160 characters. You may send a series of comments using the same parameters.