Luxury is…

Still recovering from a wet and cold trip from London, I was once again jumping into a Philippine Airlines flight for yet another “cold” destination: Tokyo. In comparison to the almost 12 hour flight to the UK, the trip to Tokyo would be much shorter and definitely quicker. What worried me was the one and a half hour ride from Narita International Airport to downtown Tokyo. The prospects of a very long drive especially during rush hour brought back memories of my last trip to Japan where we got caught in highway traffic and ended up having to eat dinner and buying “pasalubongs” (coming home presents) at a gas station. Fortunately, the comforts of flying business class thanks to Jaguar – Land Rover helps take your cares away.

Arriving at Narita, I quickly made my way out of the terminal and met up with a Japanese gentleman raising up a name card with my name on it. He was obviously well versed in English and very experienced at meeting guests at the airport. As we reached the driveway he asked me to wait for him to bring the car around and when he did, the car certainly brought a smile to my face. Imagine riding in a chauffer driven all white Jaguar XF 4 door sedan! There are Limos and then there are true luxury vehicles and the Jaguar XF is certainly one of them. Top that off with a white-gloved English speaking Japanese gentleman at the wheel and you begin to wonder what good deed did you do to deserve all this pampering?

I won’t bore you with all the beautiful trimmings, the highest technology, the engine performance or handling because I didn’t get to drive the car nor did get to open the hood. I didn’t have to; I simply sat in the back and during the entire one hour and a half drive from Narita to Tokyo I felt like a CEO who deserved it all. The drive was so smooth, so comfortable and so luxurious that it felt like I simply changed rides at Narita and was still travelling Business Class. By the time we reached the CONRAD Hotel, I was all worked up to get back to Manila to fast track a “restoration” project I was doing on a Jaguar XJR.

Yes, my 12 years plus tinkering with all sorts of vehicles have been marked by Jaguar encounters of the pleasant kind. My first ever project was a 1957 Jaguar Mark VII, a four-door sedan that was as stately as any of the great British luxury sedans of its time. Then I was blessed to get a two Mark II’s and then a Jaguar XK-120 in seven boxes and a chassis, which was followed by a 1994 Jaguar Sovereign then came the abandoned XK 140 that I won in a bidding from the bureau of Customs, then I bought a 1963 E-Type junked “parts car” which we eventually transformed into an all aluminum body and finally the most recent “gift” an XJR that woefully drowned during Typhoon Ondoy. 

What remains is the unfinished E-Type which is still on the waiting list for “Organ donors” and the XJR that now has a running engine, will soon be re-upholstered and eventually repainted “All White” as a testament to my luxurious encounter with the all-white Jaguar XF courtesy of Jaguar-Land Rover. Sometime last year the Land Rover Bug also bit me after participating in the Land Rover Festival of 2013. Immediately afterwards, I purchased a Series III pick up. When I joined the Land Rover Club of the Philippines to do relief work after Typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban, I was further inspired how the old and latest models of Land Rover did the work. Since then I’ve been bugging my Godson Marc Soong of Land Rover Philippines to hand over his twin cab Land Rover that I want for Rescue and Relief work.

During my short visit to Tokyo, I had the privilege of seeing many cars such as the Jaguar F-type, which is the latest and modern rendering of the legendary E-Types as well as the Range Rover Sport. I also listened to many presentations and interviewed many Motoring Executives which I plan to write about in the near future, but in the four days I was in Tokyo what impressed me the most was the actual riding experience on 2 Jaguar XFs. No power point presentations, no technical explanations, and no salesman on the floor pitching features or sexy models smiling away. Just the cars, on the road, showing you what luxury is all about! Whether it’s a classic or the latest offering, one thing is certain all Jaguars come from a “Heritage” of excellence and luxury.

 Thank you to our friends at Jaguar – Land Rover in Manila, Angela Ong from Singapore and the hard working folks in Tokyo, first for reinvigorating the Jaguar heritage in my blood and reminding me what subtle but real driving and riding pleasure is all about. Not flash, not bling, just true comfort and luxury.

***

Judging from my experience as a passenger riding from Narita International airport to downtown Tokyo, I now understand why government officials in the Philippines have been pushing for Clark Airport to be used as a primary landing area. I also now better understand why the public and Key opinion Leaders (KOLs) have persistently opposed the idea of an international airport that’s one and a half hours away.

The mistake of government officials and endorsers for Clark Airport is that they are pushing for an idea that is not within the perspective or knowledge of KOLs or the public.  It’s like using the “Storm Surge” term instead of “Tsunami”. People can’t appreciate what is not common to them. Most people here have not utilized and consciously studied what it’s like to ride/drive a 1.5 hour distance to or from airports such as Schiphol or Narita International airports.

All they know is that most of their 1.5 hour travelling experience is marked by bully bus drivers, private vehicles crawling and blocking the “fast” lane or passing lane, driving through pot holes, bumps and uneven road surfaces that make many parts of the drive unsafe and finally long lines at most toll booths entering and exiting toll expressways. They don’t think in total kilometers driven, they think in terms of levels of aggravation and multiple near misses. The fact of the matter is driving on Philippine Highways is very stressful and uncomfortable even in the most expensive or luxurious vehicles in the market. This explains why many people buy SUV’s instead of high-end sedans; our roads will kill sedans faster than SUVs.

If government officials want public acceptance of opening “far” places such as Clark Airport, Subic etc. they need to deal with their “Customers’ Pain”, in this case the many reasons that make travelling 1.5 hours painful and expensive. Build or assign dedicated lanes or routes that are of Japanese or European standards, regulate and enforce driving rules on those lanes, subsidize toll fees, provide E-pass equipment for free, and insure quick and easy exit point to point. Only by trying it out yourselves several times and proving that it’s really more convenient and hassle free can the idea fly and be embraced by the public. Until then don’t waste your breath and media time on a good idea that stands on top of problems.

***

I heard and read from fellow motor head James Deakin about his campaign to convince the LTFRB to require all commuter buses to install speed limiters. As a result so many people have signed and supported his petition. I also learned that the Chairman of the LTFRB has agreed to meet with James to discuss the matter perhaps to figure out how the agency, the media and the public can work together on the matter.

Since “persistence” and insistence or “Kulit” seems to be the name of the game I asked James to please bring up in their meeting the illegal or unlawful practice of Taxi operators and drivers of making their drivers operate or drive on 18 to 24 hour shifts! I’ve written about why this leads to accidents as well as chemical dependency among drivers fighting off sleep during shifts. Well last week James posted a story where a young lady lost her leg when a taxi slammed into her because the driver fell asleep at the wheel! Enough said. What will the LTFRB do next?