Cool Cars of the Philippines

     The Kia Rio, hailing from the red-blue pearl of the Pacific rim, its no-nonsense looks, simplicity in build and design, and cheap price may give some buyers a few ideas. However, is the Rio really worth the price? Competing with its Japanese rivals such as the Toyota Vios and the Honda City, the way it fares in the market is a bit more complicated than that.      With the second generation introduced in 2005, the Rio debuted with a platform shared with the Hyundai Accent, and a 1.4L engine. The little car had a bubbly exterior, which came with standard features such as airbags, ABS brakes, and a radio with an AUX jack and Bluetooth support. Previously priced between ₱680,000 and ₱730,000 for the manual and automatic variants respectively, the Rio was a cheap alternative, just like the Accent, when compared to its Japanese counterparts, even being cited as one of the least expensive vehicles to insure, back in 2009, and winning the award for being the "...

     The subcompact crossover segment, making its first mark in the early 2010's, has gone off to become one of the most produced and sold classes in the modern world, and now a new contender has entered the market. With its boxy RAV4-like styling, turbocharged engine, and balance of size and space within, the Toyota Raize could be the next flagship vehicle of the growing larger-than-ever segment.      The Toyota Raize began as a rebadged version of the new Daihatsu Rocky. Once in the Philippine domestic market back in the 80's as the Daihatsu Feroza, the Raize began its production once again in 2019. Offered between the prices of ₱700,000 and ₱1 million, the Raize competes with the Kia Stonic, the Honda HR-V and the Hyundai Venue. While its price may sit it in the middle of its rivals, its zippy engine and abundance of features, unlike many vehicles sold in the Philippines, gives it confidence that it will catapult to the  forefront of the subcompact ...

     This GLA was spotted parked in front of a local drugstore on a roundabout in Quezon City. Pertaining to Mercedes-Benz's European looks, with its wide grille and large tail lights, this mini SUV, although dusty, was a neat sight on the road.      This GLA model, the X156, was the first GLA model to be produced. It was manufactured from 2014 to 2020 and was received well globally in its specific markets, even becoming a selectable car in the Nintendo-developed video game, Mario Kart, along with the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL and the Silver Arrow.      Priced at ₱2.7 million, it competed with the BMW X1, Audi Q3, and the Lexus NX. Despite competing in the SUV market, it was the smallest and shortest in its class. This gave it the handling of a regular sedan rather than a large SUV, one of its leading strengths compared to its rivals.      From the back, its increased ride height compared to smaller Mercedes-Benz models was more dis...

     One of the many unconventional design examples of the electric car, the Renault Twizy. This French microcar was seen parked in front of a garage in Quezon City. Its strange bubble-shaped structure, futuristic looks and general irregularity made it more of a head-turner than a Ferrari F430.      The Twizy, an electric two-seater, was produced by Renault in Spain from 2012 to 2018, before being transferred to Renault-Samsung, French-South Korean joint automaker. (Yes. Samsung makes cars. But that's a story for another time.)      During its heyday within the European community, the little car was sold within numerous European countries. Its cute looks, easy maneuverability, quiet electric motor, and cheap price made it the most popular plug-in electric vehicle in 2019, and by the time its production ended in Europe, it had sold over 29,000 units.      But the Twizy featured here was found to be imported through the grey mark...

     The mean-looking Changan crossover was spotted parked out in the setting sun on a dusty sidewalk. Its aggressive styling reminiscent of a teen boy's drawings, partnered with a color combination of red, white and black all over gave the CS75 Plus quite an assertive dynamic.      The bold SUV you see now first started off as the CS75. It started its production in 2013 as a more tame and conservative version of the CS75 Plus manufactured mainly for the Chinese market. The new version you see today debuted in 2019 as a heavier type of facelift done to the original CS75. The one featured here came with a 1.5L turbo engine capable of producing up to 178 brake horsepower and 265 Nm of torque.       Although the official top speed hasn't been announced yet, its internal engineering has become much more efficient compared to older Chinese cars, such as the GAC Trumpchi GA3, where it was only able to produce 122 brake horsepower on a 1.6L eng...

     In the long, long line of Honda's history of sports cars, quite an interesting addition to its saga was the hybrid Honda CR-Z. One great example of the CR-Z was this one. The car was parked out in the sun right on the sidewalk. Its signs of dust and mud along the sides and below the undercarriage proved it wasn't just for show, this CR-Z had a history of actual driving.      The most notable additions to the CR-Z were its custom bumpers, side skirts and wheels. The front bumper's large vents added a cool airflow straight to the engine and its front splitter, attached below the bumper, was inches away from the ground. Seen right above its front wheel were the bumper's security locks screwed on to the car's front fenders. They were used mostly on loose bumpers as a method to keep ones that are unsteady from falling off.      The rear end of the vehicle looked to be a work in progress. The rear bumper was incomplete, although it wasn't too ...

     This little hatchback, the Chevrolet Spark, was seen parked next to the curb on a small street in Quezon City. The Spark had sporty little touches of modifications found all over its body. This was one car you'd not expect to go out flashy.      The second generation Spark was a small city car produced by General Motors's subsidiary in Korea. Although the Spark in general was first developed by former carmaker Daewoo and produced solely by them for a few years, Daewoo was bought by GM who then continued manufacturing the vehicle with numerous distinct badges and names, such as Daewoo, Pontiac, and Holden.      The model featured here was produced in Korea from 2005 until 2009, except in India and Uzbekistan, where in the former was produced until 2017 and the latter which is still being made until today under license. A very popular car worldwide, the Spark of this generation was officially sold here by Chevrolet and is still being sold ...