Blazing trails in a Bowtie: Chevrolet starts the year right with the first ride and drive event of 2013

MANILA, Philippines - Chevrolet’s exclusive importer and distributor, The Covenant Car Company, Inc. (TCCCI) started their 2013 with a bang after a fun-filled ride and drive activity that featured their two newest “babies,” the Sonic subcompact and the Traiblazer midsize SUV. Although launched in the latter half of 2012, this is the first time most of the motoring media has sampled Chevrolet’s latest offerings. Overall, the consensus was these two cars are impressive, proving that Chevrolet is off to a great start this year.

Gymkhana with the Chevrolet Sonic

The day started with a specially-prepared gymkhana course at the Cotsworld Village in Tagaytay Highlands featuring the all-new Chevrolet Sonic. Designed to highlight the Sonic’s excellent handling and nimble driving dynamics, the Sonic had to navigate through a series of tight twists and turns while drivers had to complete some physical challenges. All this and you had to be mindful of setting a consistent lap time (the winner must match the 2 minutes and 10 second time—no more, no less). And what made the challenge even more exciting? No timers, stopwatches, or mobile phones were allowed.

Nonetheless, this shouldn’t be a problem for the Chevrolet Sonic which is imbued with “driving fun” from the get-to. At its core, a new 1.4-liter ECOTEC engine which provides efficient power. With 100hp and 130Nm of torque, it gave the Sonic ample thrust through the tight and hilly course, while the segment-exclusive 6-speed automatic (with manual override, to boot) made the most out of the engine’s power band.

Putting all that power to the road is a European-tuned suspension featuring independent MacPherson Struts upfront and a torsion beam axle with a double-walled V-shaped beam at the back. Although this chassis is already tried-and-tested in the segment, the Sonic sets itself apart by having a stiff and rigid body structure with a unique “flat top frame” cradle that ensures optimal stiffness in the front portion of the car. Plus, the electric power steering system is surprisingly responsive while the five-spoke 16-inch alloy wheels with generous 205/55R-16 tires provided excellent grip.

After setting a time of 2 minutes and 11 seconds (which was still not enough to win the challenge), an Oceanic Blue Sonic hatchback was also on-hand for people to get acquainted with. Though the five-door is the sportier, hands down; both models are clearly youthful and eye-catching with a wide and planted stance. Upfront, the Sonic has Chevrolet’s signature dual-port grille and exposed four-cluster headlamps. From the side, the raked body lines suggest movement even when the car is stationary and from the back, the five-door has its rear handles “hidden” in the C-pillar area suggesting the style of a three-door hatchback.

This youthful appeal is carried into the Sonic’s interior which is headlined by the motorbike-inspired instrument cluster complete with a Driver Information System display.

The ice-blue lighting and “cobra head” shift knob for the automatic reinforce the sporty feel while the dual cockpit design provides adequate interior space to accommodate five adults. And though the Sonic is already blessed with a large cargo capacity (466 liters for the sedan, 253 liters for the hatchback), the back seats actually fold down in a 60/40 split allowing for an even larger luggage capacity.

Aside from its driver-centric and practical interior, Chevrolet has equipped the Sonic with high-tech convenience features such as Bluetooth hands-free connectivity with audio streaming capabilities. In addition, it has a full-featured multimedia entertainment system with CD, auxiliary input, and even USB ports that allow popular devices such as MP3 players, iPods, and iPhones to be connected. It even comes with a 6-speaker sound system as well as steering wheel mounted controls that offer easy audio management with just the touch of a finger.—Ulysses Ang

Off-Roading with the Chevrolet Trailblazer

There is great fun in the art of off-roading, and things start getting even better when it’s done in a car-comfortable and feature-loaded SUV such as the Trailblazer. It’s bequeathed with the four-cylinder, Euro-4 compliant Duramax family of highly efficient 2.5- and 2.8-liter turbo-diesel engines. The model that I drove in Chevrolet’s special off-road track at the Katsura Subdivision in Tagaytay Highlands had a 2.8L engine mated to a six-speed automatic transmission with driver shift control, and the earthy course was actually a construction site-turned-off-road-adventure-track, designed to especially highlight the many delightful features the Trailblazer had to offer.

This new model of the Trailblazer was developed for the Asian market in tandem with the new Chevrolet Colorado, and GM has invested US $300million in its Rayong, Thailand assembly plant to produce the two new vehicles. It was created by GM South America’s Design Center in Sao Caetano do Sul in Brazil, and shares a number of design cues with its Colorado sister.

Each Trailblazer during the event, had an onboard instructor who was there to guide us safely through our off-road course. And as soon as we got to the dirt road, my instructor instructed me to engage 4x4 mode, emphasizing that we didn’t need to come to a full stop as the SUV had convenient shift-on-the-fly.

Our first obstacle was a steep descent, and it was there to showcase my favorite feature yet: the amazing Hill Descent Control (HDC). The technology can be activated by a simple press of a button on the console, and once engaged, will allow the SUV to carefully descend the steepest hills on its own – without you having to step on the brakes at all. By using ABS technology to control each wheel’s speed while descending, the HDC allows you to take a break from the jerky pedal-pushing, and takes you down at an ideal pace, while you can focus on sizing up the terrain.

Another cool Trailblazer feature that was highlighted during the course was the Hill-Start Assist (HSA).  This technology prevented the vehicle from rolling backwards (when you let go of the brakes) for a good four seconds, while climbing a slope, thereby giving you ample time to step on the accelerator and prevent that freaky rollback moment from happening. By automatically engaging itself whenever a gradient of 3 or more is detected, the HSA shields you from the workings of gravity and spoils you with a generous window of reaction time.

Finally, the off-road activity also showcased the Trailblazer’s independent, 5-link rear suspension system, emphasizing capability amidst car-like handling dynamics and exceptional drive comfort (especially considering that we are at the SUV D-segment). The Trailblazer also uses coil springs all throughout the vehicle.

Before our 2-day event came to a close, TCCCI President and Managing Director Atty. Albert Arcilla shared that, “This event is a glimpse of what Chevrolet has in store for the Philippine market this year. We gained a 20% increase in sales in 2012 (from 2011 YoY) and these two new models along with our existing product line puts us on a solid footing to grow a stronger brand and business this 2013. With the Trailblazer and the Sonic leading the way, we hope to capture the market’s need and desire for performance-oriented lifestyle vehicles.”—Angel Rivero