Let Me Try Again

Let Me Try Again has killed less people at beer gardens than singing My Way.

And with an opening like that, I am in effect eating humble pie and squirming back to the “Golden Pond” of motoring from where I had earlier made an exit because of the growing discord and unpleasantness. But my editor Manny de los Reyes has made me realize that as journalists, “we take the good with the bad” and leaving does not accomplish much it simply makes space that others will occupy; good or bad. The price for that is one must eat a slice of humble pie.

So I now return wiser and more determined to contribute not just articles but to help build relationships based not just on professional caliber but personal respect.

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Honda’s + Factor 

How do you improve on something that is already tried and true and has consistently been judged as an excellent product? When I received an invitation to the launch of the new Honda City E NAVI + the first question I needed to answer was how Honda Cars Philippines Inc. (HCPI) could possibly improve on something “Perfect” for its class.

As it turns out, a publisher and a senior editor I spoke with at the event were already quite satisfied with the Honda City and finds the model as the “proper sort of car” especially for the upwardly mobile executive who needs a sensible vehicle that is presentable, reliable, fuel efficient and not something that costs a ton which gives you the same amount of damage related worries such as ding, dents, scratches and maintenance driving around Metro Manila. Perhaps the best assessment came from the publisher who simply said: “I’ve always liked it.”

With that much endorsement and its history of commercial and motoring success, how do you improve on the new Honda City? The answer lies on the + symbol. While going over the new City, it was clear that quality and buyer demands have been met with the same standard of excellence as with past models of the City. The model retains the same ample leg room front and rear that tall or big guys like me always look for.

Unlike other cars that have too much clutter on the dashboard, the new Honda City reflects technical simplicity with three main dials enough to give you all the onboard information while controls are kept to a necessary minimum. The top end models also feature leather seats along with added safety features that won six awards for Honda at the recently concluded ASEAN New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) Grand Prix.

In particular the Honda City topped the small family category and the over-all category for Crash Worthiness Performance / Adult Occupant Protection because the new Honda City features Anti-lock Brake System with Electronic Brake Force Distribution (ABS with EBD), Vehicle Stability Assist, Dual Air Bags for both driver and passenger, as well as their now standard seat belt reminder not just for driver but front passenger as well.

However there is nothing minimalistic in the design of the new City; in fact this model incorporates technology that only exists in planes and helicopters and that is what the E Navi+ is about.

The E NAVI+ is the latest onboard navigation system on the Honda City provided by Garmin Navigation, the company that makes radars and navigation instruments for commercial airlines, military sea and air transport all over the world. By putting it on the E NAVI+ Honda’s incorporates technology that they already use in the Honda Jet as in aircraft, as well as their top-of-the-line Goldwing motorcycles.

The Garmin Navigational system are audio-visual systems that gives drivers and passenger navigators 3D map viewing on a 7-inch VGA sliding touch monitor. According to Honda, the system is especially designed with “Expressway Exit Guide, route information view, with “photoreal” lane assist helping you “when the vehicle arrives at a complex intersection.” Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it because I know how many times I’ve almost missed my exits on the Skyway and how annoyed I get when I realize I need to do a quick lane change at the very last second!

Prices for the E NAVI+ start at P816,000 for the manual transmission and P856,000 for the CVT (automatic) transmission. I can imagine the long lines at the dealers already!

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When it comes to European brands I have to confess my shameless desire for Jaguar cars. So when the Soong dynasty sponsored a “hot date” I quickly forgot about my compressed spine and the shooting pains.

The event was the launch of the Jaguar F-type Coupe—grandchild of the legendary classic Jaguar E-Type that Enzo Ferrari called the most beautiful car in the world. After waiting what seemed to be hours, the Soongs: Willie, Marc and Jason finally rolled out a hot orange 2-door sports car that was the steroid driven version of the E-Type. Just to pump up the adrenalin, they actually got the famous model and beauty queen of product endorsers, Ms. Georgina Wilson, to drive out the F-type dressed in an eye-popping outfit. For a minute she stunned as all, she grabbed the limelight, people gave out an oooh and an ahhh and then the crowd turned to the car and “dumped the girl.”  Sorry, but not even the beautiful Georgina can stand up to the curves, the purr and certainly the lineage of such a classic beauty as the F-type. 

Yes, Jaguar actually managed to do justice to this model. It was not an extreme departure from the legendary design but it was packed with all the power, safety and creature comforts any serious car enthusiast would want in a modern-classic power car.  The impact was just so stunning that within an hour Willie Soong was already announcing the sale of two units. Mind you the first buyer was a lady probably in her late 30’s and a guy who decided to buy himself a birthday gift that evening.

At around 7-something million at five years to pay with an initial down payment, it’s not that impossible to own one. All you have to do is give up the rest of the insignificant toys and unnecessary luxuries to enjoy what I’ve always said is the true measure of luxury: a Jaguar F-Type.

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Shifting from luxury to sensible, don’t miss the Foton Big Show at the World Trade Center this weekend starting on Friday, October 17. Especially check out the Foton Thunder that’s been transformed as a serious 4x4 offroad model as well as the Foton Traveller, which is the perfect large family-business van that is on one my list of favorites.

For those of you looking for practical vehicles for agricultural or commercial applications it would be well worth it to visit the show. After seven years, Foton Philippines is clearly here to stay and has continuously worked at expanding their business and improving their customer service each year. Unlike brands that have left, I know that the group is now looking into long-term deployment. Get to know them this weekend.