Cool Cars of the Philippines

     If looks are your thing to kill for, the eight year period between 2010 and 2017 could be Mercedes-Benz's bloodiest year, with the C207 as the culprit. Lauded as one of the most beautiful cars of 2010, the C207 takes the cake with its sleek and sporty proportions. However, when tuned up and modified with an appropriate budget, the C207 becomes murder.       Exuding flair as style meets sophistication, the C207 was a special kind of E-Class, not due to its design or its equipment, but due to it being built on a C-Class platform, Mercedes's smaller saloon. Manufactured in the same factory as the C-Class in Bremen, the C207 blasted its high-performance rivals during its eight year period with its 3.5L V6 engine.       Generating a mighty 300 brake horsepower, coupled with 370 Nm of torque, the C207 had a top speed of 250 km/h, while having a 0 to 100 acceleration between 6.4 and 6.5 seconds. While it had a nuke for an engine with phenomenal oomph, inside, the interior was muc

    2008, the year of financial instability and the year Jaguar and Land Rover were sold to Indian automaker, Tata. Although said to be a controversial decision by many enthusiasts and fans, the XF was the first Jaguar to finally relinquish its rather old and cheesy retro design for a more modern and contemporary choice. Its discontinuation of dated look paved way for its more stylish appearance, now looking like it belongs in the right century, as some reviewers lauded.      The XF first started its development at Whitley Design and Development HQ in hopes of replacing the archaic S-Type. Initially, the XF had been planned to utilize an original all aluminum platform, however due to time constraints, the XF made use of a heavily modified Ford platform, much like the X-Type and its Mondeo chassis. The XF was then launched and production began in September of 2007, in Birmingham, England.      One of biggest changes in terms of design over the S-Type was the new and improved grille, a l

     Since 1996, the Honda City was a 4-door subcompact sedan known for its affordability. It was seated a rank below the Civic and was sold in a number of developing nations, from Thailand, to South Africa, and all the way to Brazil. Often overlooked, the City was always seen as its older brother's cheap counterpart, or the poor man's Civic. However, with the release of the new City, some say it may have found its rightful place.      But before 1996, the City started out as a cheap economy hatchback sold around Europe and Australia. However, almost 40 years after the dissolution of the hatch variant, the city car returns as the replacement for the Jazz, carrying a longer body, a lower roofline, and a more German sense of fashion.      The City's rear takes inspiration from the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, but takes its sloping roofline from the Audi A1. From the sides, it takes appearance of a mini-CR-v with a resemblance to the proportions of a Suzuki SX4, albeit less SUV and

     With most people, looking for an offroad vehicle may lead them to the various selections of SUVs, pickups, and trucks. However, these popular Ford Rangers and Suzuki Jimnys aren't the only offroaders capable of leading you through an unpaved, bumpy trail. Vans rarely come into the picture of a hot mud day or a four hour long trail through the desert, but they have been known to excel well at that hardy job. One particular van, with a strong cult following trailing behind, is the Mitsubishi Delica Space Gear, also known as the L400.      The Delica Space Gear was the fourth generation in the Delica lineup. Built from 1994 to 2007, the resilient Space Gear varied greatly from its predecessor due to its inclusion of its more aerodynamic bodywork. Its NASA rocket-like body gives it a spacious and roomy interior, one reason it became immensly popular in the country for big families.      Its new body also gave way to a quieter and more comfortable ride. Due to the relocation of the

     Sticking to the theme of large American vehicles, kept in another class far from the full-size luxury sedans were the full-size vans, an equally as large market serving the demand for utilitarian transport and families on holidays. Despite small vans, such as Toyota LiteAce and the Nissan Vanette, being all the rage here in the Philippines, larger vans from the American continent imported and sold here as well. One of the most popular models of these larger vans that can still be seen occasionally around here nowadays was the Ford Econoline.      It may come as a surprise to those unfamiliar with our streets that such a huge van was desired once before in such a small country. But during Ford's return to the Philippine market, the Econoline was a coveted choice for many wealthy families then, due to its spacious interior and imposing presence.      This one however, was no ordinary Econoline. The Centaurus LTD was an RV conversion model outfitted with an increased number of lu

     While big, American land yachts haven't been seen regularly on our Philippine streets since the 1970's, it can be said that these large, luxurious vehicles are immediately recognizable as a land yacht the moment they are seen, from their huge, letter-based platform, to their either, tan or maroon vinyl roof. And one of these last land yachts of the century, hailing from Detroit, was the seventh gen Cadillac DeVille.      The featured Cadillac DeVille was its seventh iteration in the DeVille billing, with its first model released way back in 1959. This DeVille was produced from 1994 to 1999. It weighed over two tons and measured over a staggering 209 inches. Its exterior may have been dusty, but it was not short of chrome trimmings, surrounding it all the way to the back.      Inside, the driver cockpit was in a pretty dilapidated state, with parts and bits that have fallen off. However, its touch of exclusivity was not lost, with a wood trim scaling from its front doors to

     Jaguar, the crown jewel automaker of the British Empire. First founded in 1922, Jaguar, formerly known as the Swallow Sidecar Company, developed motorcycle sidecars and bodies of automobiles before branching out to developing fully engineered vehicles. Nowadays, Jaguar is one of the most iconic and valuable automakers in Britain, even supplying vehicles for the royal family of the United Kingdom. However, even though it was an almost century-old carmaker at the time, the Jaguar X-Type was their first foray into the compact executive market.      The X-Type, nicknamed the Baby Jag, was released during Jaguar's tenure under Ford in 2001. Over its eight year production, numbers amassing up to 350,000 were sold to the general public, making it their most sold Jaguar at the time. However, it was also quite problematic at the time, due to its use of the chassis platform of the Ford Mondeo, which many did not take lightly. Unfortunately, despite being produced and sold substantially,

     The Audi A4 is a car which doesn't really need an introduction. It's been around for roughly 28 years and has not changed too drastically since then, still being your sharply dressed, executive 4-door saloon. Produced from 2007 to 2015, the A4 was sold globally and assembled in Audi and Volkswagen-built factories, from Germany, to China, and to even Indonesia. Fairly popular in the upper class world, the A4 B8, the fourth generation model of the Audi was your go-to compact, executive car if you were tired of all the Mercedes-Benz's and BMW's all your friends at the country club had.      The A4's desirable, unrelenting image really made it a car bought for its style. It may have been priced at a hefty ₱3.1 to ₱3.2 million,  but it was a car that really kept its value. Outside, it had its iconic Audi grille, large front vents, and conservative LED headlamps. However, inside, the cabin was abundant with all sorts of standard gadgets for your executive sedan, such

     Ever since the 1950's, Mercedes-Benz has imported, sold, and even built a few Mercedes-Benz models in the Philippines. And ever since then, Mercedes-Benz has been a popular brand for the population, from the upper-middle class to the 1% of the country. However, one model that has been a familiar sight on the streets since its introduction in the mid-1980's, whether you lived in the big city streets or the rural countryside, was the Mercedes-Benz W124.      The W124 first started its development process in the fall of '76, and took a mighty long eight years in pre-production before its release in the March of 1984. It had replaced the previous W123, another hugely popular Mercedes-Benz model that had even been assembled here for quite some time. The W124 had a lot to live up for, but fortunately, it was a massive success and a complete technical marvel at the time.      Despite its vintage style and feeling, the W124 was a technological overhaul in terms of mechanics. I

     In the beginning, the ideal Range Rover was built around three foundations, frugality, reliability, and engineering simplicity. This however changed drastically in the following years. With more demand for lavishness, comfortability, and space, the Range Rover slowly evolved in its 27 years of production to suit these tastes the general public had demanded more and more. And with the introductions of its newer generations, these have become its new principles in exchange for its original foundations. However, the perfect balance for all these demands and premises stems from one model, the 5-door Range Rover Classic.      The Range Rover Classic started its production during the tumultuous times of Rover and British Leyland, the state-owned automaker known for its lack of build quality and controversies, coupled with strikes from its workers during its time. Despite many of its cars falling into obscurity, the Range Rover Classic emerged as a diamond in the rough from the clutches

     Even the boxy hatchback/SUV trend of the mid to late 2000's found its way to the Red Republic. With the Nissan Cube and the Toyota bB at the height of its popularity, a globally unknown automaker by the name of Great Wall Motors, stemming from the city of Baoding, knew what had to be done. And soon after, competing with the Cube and the Kia Soul, the Great Wall Haval M2 was released.      The Great Wall Haval M2 was released as a lifted version of the Great Wall Coolbear, a more city-oriented version of the car with looks matching the Scion xB, a rebadged form of the Toyota bB. Marketed for five years in China, and a few less in the Philippines after coming in a bit later, the Haval M2 had hopes for success. It may have been a bit of a clone, but it still retained the practicality and space buyers wanted from a boxy crossover. Unfortunately, it did not fair well, both in China and the Philippines, and has become quite the rarity these days.      Like stated, the Haval M2 was t