It’s Car of the Year time again

The year 2005 was a momentous one for both the Philippine automotive industry and the motoring beat that covers it as cars and trucks from just about every local manufacturer and distributor passed through the hands of close to 50 journalists from print, broadcast and Internet media over several weekends to determine which vehicle would be the 1st Philippine Car of the Year (COTY).

We have all heard or read about Cars of the Year for the U.S., Japan and Europe. There are also respective Car of the Year awards for Australia, Thailand, Malaysia and a host of other nations, big and small, whose automotive industries range from the mature to the developing. (Like ours, their award-giving bodies are composed of members of the motoring media.)

Well, one look at our showrooms gleaming with all manner of sedans, hatchbacks, wagons, coupes, sports cars, vans, SUVs, and pickups with nameplates ranging from Toyotas to Chevrolets to Ferraris to Hyundais and you’ll see that our industry is every bit as diverse and vibrant as that of more affluent countries — our much smaller sales volume notwithstanding.

The collective efforts of the Car Awards Group Inc. (CAGI), which is behind the Philippine COTY Awards, culminated in the Honda Accord 3.0 V6 being crowned as the 1st Philippine Car of the Year. (There were ten other category awards.) For the second edition of the awards, the Accord 3.0 and the other category winners will be defending their crown. Losing vehicles, meanwhile, are automatically excluded from the tests unless they have undergone a facelift or at least a minor change in specifications in the succeeding year.

The first year’s test fests were held at the picturesque Eagle Ridge Golf and Country Club in Batangas which, despite its excellent roads and facilities, was a logistical nightmare for the journalists, professional test drivers (who performed the instrumented testing) and manufacturer representatives due to its sheer distance from Manila. Remember that we held the tests over seven weekends and needed to bring all the cars, people and test equipment to the site in perfect coordination, weekend after weekend. Kudos to COTY co-founder and last year’s president Armin Amio and the COTY officers and members who shared their time and energies for pulling off that maiden effort with minimal hitches.

As president of this year’s COTY Awards, I’ve endeavoured to make life a bit easier for all concerned. This time around, the official test fest for the 2nd Philippine Car of the Year, which kicks off this weekend, will be held at the much nearer Forest Hills Golf and Country Club in Antipolo. The roads inside Forest Hills are a nice combination of short straights, sweeping curves and tight corners. They also have a lot of elevation changes, some of which are very steep, which should reward cars with good torque, traction and braking. There are also some parts which are a bit rough to simulate real world bumps and potholes. It doesn’t have the long paved stretches of Eagle Ridge but presents a driving environment more akin to what a car buyer would face in the real world.

The test fests will be held on the last three weekends each of January and February, which means that we start testing this weekend. Jan. 14 and 15 are reserved for compact cars. These are compact sedans and wagons with engines ranging from 1.3 to 2.0 liters. (Last year’s winner was the Ford Lynx, which unfortunately is no longer available, having been supplanted by the new Ford Focus.)

To rationalize the gray areas concerning AUVs, crossovers and other people movers, we decided to create a Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV) category to cover all these genres. This is in line with what our colleagues in the region have done.

Another change compared to what we did in the first year is to classify the vehicles more according to price rather than engine displacement. This is because price differentiation more accurately reflects actual purchase preferences. A buyer looking at 1600cc Corollas and Civics, for instance, wouldn’t include a BMW 316i just because it has a similar engine displacement.

On the test equipment and procedure side, I’m happy to note that our procedures and overall method of selection are not too different from our contemporaries in other countries. Even the GPS-based Datron test equipment which Top Gear Magazine is providing is state of the art. We also don’t have any lack of experienced drivers and testers.

Still, we will place greater emphasis on qualitative as compared to quantitative testing. Buyers will be more concerned about how a car rides, handles and brakes in different driving environments, how well it controls noise, and of, course, how well it is built. I doubt if a buyer will choose Car A over Car B because it corners 0.15G’s better than the other or because it accelerates to 100 kph 0.8 seconds faster than its rivals.

Overall, we hope to apply all that we learned from last year’s proceedings to further improve the quality of testing to come up with what we can proudly proclaim is the Philippine Car of the Year.

We hope that our testing and overall results will ultimately benefit the car-buying public in making informed purchase decisions. Manufacturers that provide high-quality cars will, of course, reap the awards for their efforts. (The awards night will be held about a week before the Manila Motor Show which is slated this April, where the winning cars will hold their first public appearance.) Till then, we look with eager anticipation over what the next several weekends of testing will reveal.

The best thing about backseat driving is the healthy exchange of opinionated banter. Some of you agree with what we write, others don’t. Still, this is the venue we all share…

I hope that the local government of Las Piñas would do something about the terrible traffic along the Alabang Zapote Road especially on weekends. — Jeff Novicio

Bought a brand new car a brand new pickup truck and just bought a Subic SUV which is just as good. I should know, Dong. More than you do, perhaps. — 09194140887 (Perhaps. Far be it for us to force our opinions upon you, our discerning readers. You are entitled to your own opinions — and top ten lists of the good or bad — after all.)

Please review the Suzuki Swift, Honda Jazz VTEC and the diesel-powered Hyundai Getz. Thank you and more (horse?) power! — Gerald Balingit (As you can see in our lead story, your wish is our command. We’ll have to get back to you on the Swift and Getz much later, though. We have yet to get our eager hands on test units.)

What’s the latest technology on hydrogen cars? — 09182925007 (Are you guys mind-readers or something? Manny de los Reyes is working on a hydrogen story as you read this.)

Hey, can you feature old SUVs such as the late 80s Pajero, Trooper and Patrol, please? Thanks. — 09173800430 (No promises at this point, but we’ll give it some thought.)

Why don’t we educate Filipinos on the importance of the TBN in motor oils for them to know the real quality of the oils they use? — Boom Blanco

The waiting shed at Scout Reyes corner Roces Avenue in Quezon City doesn’t serve its purpose because of the presence of a billiard table where some guys play with gusto. — 09165519239

Pedicabs are traffic obstructions and road hazards. — 09178531454

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.