Fave Cars for Fave Destinations II

Tagaytay City via Volvo X90

Tagaytay City is a favorite destination for those seeking a quick escape from Manila’s heat. Just a few hours are all you need (depending on temperamental traffic, of course) to find relief in the higher altitude and cooler clime.

For that 55-kilometer trip, I would suggest taking the Volvo XC90 – a proper, seven-seat SUV; a robust performer propelled by a naturally aspirated, 3.2-liter, in-line six. Featuring all-wheel-drive, the XC90 boasts 243 hp and 320 nM – more than ample chutzpah to take you up more than half a kilometer uphill.

The elevated seating position afforded by this big SUV gives you a great perch to survey the action, while providing the confidence to maneuver its big frame through winding road.

Gone are the days when Volvo was known for safety and not much else. The XC90 is a regal, elegantly styled vehicle with a commanding presence. Imbued with a multitude of bells and whistles, it surely conveys the continually changing ethos at the Swedish brand. But that doesn’t mean engineers have made safety take a back seat to all the embellishments.

A whole suite of driver support and safety systems will give you unrivaled peace of mind up as you journey up to Tagaytay with your family. The XC90 has Roll Stability Control and Roll-Over Protection Systems – the former “intervenes in situations when the car senses a risk of rolling over,” while the latter, should a rollover does happen, protects the passengers through a “network of beams in the body structure” to distribute and absorb forces. A sensor also activates belt pre-tensioners and inflatable curtains.

These and more safety features are certainly good to have as you wind up the rather constricted Santa Rosa-Tagaytay Road, which can be a little tricky and hazardous owing to oncoming traffic. The XC90 does all the safety thinking for you, so you don’t have to think (too much) about it.

Pagsanjan, Laguna via Toyota 86

A lot of excitement preceded the Toyota 86 launch. The pocket rocket from Japan – developed in conjunction with Subaru (which came out with its own BRZ) was a breath of fresh air to the stable long devoid of sporty aggression and performance.  Unveiled in June last year, the 86 (styled after the 1982 Toyota AE86), is a rear wheel-driven sports car powered by a growling two-liter, four-cylinder Boxer engine good for 200 hp and 205 nM.

Provided you don’t have a lot of stuff to lug or people to ferry, you can expect a fun drive to the city of Pagsanjan in Laguna. I expect you to adhere to the speed limits throughout, but I can promise you’ll have a hard time doing so. The agile 86 promises performance and a point-and-shoot (meaning you point it, and it shoots there) aplomb not usually expected at its price point.

The 92 kilometers of road you take from Manila to Pagsanjan, Laguna is full of sections where you can test the 86 for acceleration and grip. Traffic can get a little testy near Calamba and Los Baños, but these are but distractions you can live with. Besides, slow-moving traffic affords the locals more time to gawk at your car. The 86 is an attractively muscular car with a lithesome, almost gazelle-like gait – a tempered tantrum, if you will.

The one drawback to the 86 is the lack of passenger space – particularly at the rear. Smaller human specimens can fit in there comfortably and peacefully; taller people might have a problem.

But that’s okay. No one ever pretends to prefer a sports car because of its space. It’s all about performance, baby, and the 86 will deliver in spades as it delivers you and a companion to the land of the bangkeros. If my grandfather were alive, he probably wouldn’t mind getting driven in one of these to pay our ancestral home a visit. And he’d probably let me floor it, too.

Laoag, Ilocos Norte via Honda Odyssey

Honda calls its all-new iteration of the Odyssey an “ultimate family vehicle.” Anytime you can put some 300 kilometers of asphalt in your rearview mirror and not feel exceedingly body-blown by it, well that earns a “family” tag in my book. Driving the Odyssey from the northeastern most point of Luzon towards Laoag in Ilocos Norte was a surprising joy for me. I never expected the kind of performance it delivered – keeping up with our speeding convoy of vehicles while hugging curves and handling bumps with panache and grace.

Powered by 3.5 liters of V6 ability, the Odyssey is no minivan pushover. It packs 250 ps – plenty of punch to motor its eight passengers in comfort and safety. Speaking of power, the Odyssey boasts powered sunroof, tailgate, and sliding doors for enhanced convenience. Honda even thought of the elderly - through lower ground clearance that facilitates their entry and exit. It has plenty of accouterments for good measure, too, such as leather seats, a 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, moveable passenger seats, a cooler box, and a multi-information display.

Before reaching Laoag, you can enjoy passing through the scenic 1.3-kilometer Patapat Viaduct in Pagudpud, which rises more than 100 feet above the Pasaleng Bay. From there, it’s another comfortable drive towards the Bangui Wind Farm and its 20 iconic Vestas that tower more than 200 feet into the Ilocos Norte sky. These white structures are V82 1.65-MW wind turbines that greet the incoming wind in a nine-kilometer stretch of shoreline off Bangui Bay, fronting the West Philippine Sea. It can get a little warm in these parts, so thank your lucky stars you’re blessed to be in a comfy, capable, and cool Odyssey.

Siquijor via Isuzu D-Max

If you’re so inclined, you can easily drive around an island in no time flat. I’m talking about Siquijor Island and its 72-kilometer loop.

However, getting to Siquijor itself might take some time. Located in Central Visayas, you get from here to there after 45-minute plane ride from Manila to Dumaguete’s Sibulan Airport. From there, it’s onto a waterborne “fast craft” or, should you wish to assume a leisurely pace, via pump boat or the so-called RORO (roll-on, roll-off) ship.

Siquijor is the country’s third-smallest province in population and land area (next only to Camiguin and Batanes), and was previously called Isla del Fuego (“Island of Fire”) during the Spanish colonial times because of the numerous swarms of fireflies that once inhabited the island.

Conscripting the Isuzu D-Max to tour you around Siquijor (still with some stretches of dirt road in its stretch of asphalt) is a wise decision. Its 4JJ1-TC iTEQ Direct Injection Common Rail with Turbo Intercooler EURO 2 engine is up for the task. Generating 146ps of strength and 294Nm of torque, it is surefooted and capable. For a workhorse of a pickup, it’s smartly appointed, too. Black leather seats, a bed liner, lighted scuff plate, a step board, a front chin skirt, magnesium alloy wheels, and an LCD screen are just some of the goodies.

The Siquijodnons are warm, hospitable folk. Aboard the D-Max pickups, they would wave back quickly and with a smile if you wave at them. Siquijor also has, deserved or not, harbors a reputation for being a land of healers, magicians, and even aswangs – the local equivalent of the vampire. Thankfully, aside from a number of nocturnal toads, insects, and one benevolent snake, we saw nothing supernatural for the duration of our jaunt there. Rather, it was just supernaturally beautiful.