Babies you can ride the car

Yuri the Schnoodle, Tasha and Gorby the Toy Poodles, Nik the Mini Schnauzer and Vodka the Bichon — these are my faithful companions in the house, in my room and, alternately, in any of the pet- friendly places on weekends.

So, how I could I refuse the generous offer of Anika Salceda, assistant vice president, corporate communications of Ford Group Philippines and Patricia Dimaano, communications group, Ford — when they asked my if I would like to take a weekend trip with my doggies in the all-new Ford Explorer?

I’ve been hearing about the all-new Ford Explorer since I am a really big SUV aficionado and because the vehicle was recently named the Truck of the Year for 2011 in North America by a panel of international journalists. 

“It’s a proud moment for Ford, our employees and our customers to have the Explorer named North American Truck of the Year,” said Mark Fields, Ford president of The Americas. “Winning this honor for the third consecutive year confirms our One Ford plan is working to deliver vehicles people truly want and value, with industry-leading quality, fuel efficiency, safety and smart technology.”

The North American Truck of the Year award recognizes vehicles based on factors that include innovation, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction and value for the dollar. A jury of 49 veteran automotive journalists from the United States and Canada vote for the vehicles, which must be “all-new” or “substantially changed” from the previous model to qualify for the award. 

Ain’t she a beauty: The all-new Ford Explorer

But any driver knows that awards are only something we hear about, until we get to test the vehicle.

One By One

Pet-lovers like me normally take one, or perhaps two, of my doggies out on a weekend — if I am going out alone. If I have pet-friendly friends tagging along, then I can safely take two of my doggies.

Anika (who has two Dachshunds named Carmi and Mandy) shared with me that one of the most important values of Ford is that it cares for the safety of the passengers in the vehicles — be they humans or pets. Matter of fact, she said that when she takes her two Dachshunds out for pasyal on weekends, she asks her husband to do the driving so she can sit with the doggies and make sure that they are safe in the car.

When I have a new pup, I normally take time to get it used to riding the car. I have done this for all my five doggies (one at a time). This way they all know that when they do ride the car, they have to sit or lie down while I am driving. It is not hard to teach a pet, if you start them getting used to car rides at a pup age. Since I do spend a lot of time out on my own, I truly enjoy my bonding moments on weekends, which are best spending chillin’ with my doggy loves. I had one weekend with the all-new Ford Explorer. I made up my mind that I would visit the pet-friendly places around Metro Manila. An out-of-town trip was out of the question because I have made quite a few of them, with doggies in tow, and have been rejected from entry.

And, besides, to test the drive-ability and parking ability of the all-new Explorer, I wanted to get into some tight spaces in parking lots. After all, with an SUV as muscular and “big” as the Explorer — small drivers such as me like to feel that we control the car, not the other way around.

Enough space: The driver’s space in the Explorer

All Aboard

It was an early Saturday morning. Vodka the Bichon and Tasha the Toy Poodle were ready for a trip to Bonifacio High Street. I asked one of our helpers to join me on this trip, as I wanted to make sure that we would travel safely. A double-click on the car remote opened the rear door.

I opted to make the third row a bed. A push of a button in the rear of the folded the third-row seats — making an instant bed ready for the two doggies. They jumped in and, together with our helper, I did the driving and they did the riding. 

The car engine started at the push of a button. “The Explorer is a perfect example of what the new Ford vehicles will be like in the future,” I recalled Anika saying. “It is loaded with technology and features that will become a staple in all Ford vehicles in the future.”

The center console is equipped with My Ford touch. It is what Ford calls the driver connect technology. This means that the center panel (the one with the speedometer) and the center screen can be integrated so what you see what you want, based on what you prefer.  

I fiddled with the center screen and customized the Bluetooth connection with my cell phone. Simple. The touchscreen is quick to respond so I did not have any trouble surfing through the stations to get a good radio station. 

I also checked on the train management system. This is a dial located in the middle console, which allows the driver to customize the suspension and the capability of the car depending on the terrain.

We made it to Boni High in 10 minutes, traffic being light on an early Saturday morning.

I enjoyed driving the Explorer because, although it is a big SUV, I felt that I had control of the car no matter the situation.

Go ahead, back up: The rear view from the consol screen

The real test for me is always to determine how easy it is to park an SUV. And, I mean a big SUV like the all-new Ford Explorer. It was easy. Just to take the SUV to a test, I did back-in parking aided by the rear view, which came into the center screen whenever I backed up the car. Easy.

That done, I tried diagonal parking. I also had an easy time with this given the maneuverability of this Explorer. Estimating how much space I had to work with as easy too because of the great views I could get from the rear and side view mirrors.

Explorer parked, Tasha, Vodka, our helper and I walked around Boni High. It was truly a fun drive, and more fun to be able to have bonding time.

Next Stop

On Sunday, we opted to make the trip to Eastwood. Now, parking here can be a challenge since the buildings have narrow drive-ups and the spaces for parking seem small. But the Explorer passed with flying colors.

As I sat at one of the coffee shops in Eastwood, I thought back to what Anika and I had discussed about the Explorer. “What we at Ford would prefer is to find out how our customers use the cars,” I recalled Anika saying. “Not just how the car gets them from one place to another, but rather how our vehicles fit their lifestyles.” Safety comes first with Ford. This is why the company always has the safety of its passengers in mind. Kids should be buckled up — adults, too. Babies have their seats and must be in them when riding a car. These safety tips are common for most drivers. Yet more and more people are including their pets in the drives they make on weekend. A testimony to this is the increasing number of pet-friendly places that combine shopping, eating and open space for pets and humans.

Ford Group Philippines assistant vice president, corporate communications Anika Salceda

And, just as important as the human riders are the pet riders. Anika brought up the topic of pet safety in cars, sharing that she is a firm believer that pets should always be safe in the Ford.

Sweet weekends are made of these: pets, spaces where they can run free and safe rides in the all-new Ford Explorer.