Mapa had to fly from his homebase in Basi City in Negros to test the 1.6-liter, 116-horsepower Exalta in the roads of northern Luzon in the company of Willie Ingles, Andy Ferreira and Boy Fuentes.
Mapa had already tried that Exalta early in the month-long run, but hasn’t been able to savor the luxurious ride and superb handling up north in Ilocandia.
"My decision to fly to test it (Exalta) was worth it," said Mapa, who drove from Solano, Nueva Ecija, to Tuguegarao, Cagayan. "I was also able to see the fine tourist spots up north."
When the Ilocandia crew arrived at Nissan-Mantrade, the Caltex Havoline odometer had a reading of 17,194 kilometers. Ingles then turned over the keys to the team headed by Juvy Catajoy for the Exalta’s return trip to the Visayas via Bicol.
The true worth of the Exalta’s ABS with electronic brake distribution was displayed in Roxas, Cagayan, when a wayward calf suddenly sprung out of a side street.
"Were it not for the ABS with EBD and four-wheel disc brake of the Exalta, we would have definitely struck the calf," said Ferreira, who is a newspaper columnist and a professor at the Asian Institute of Management.