Cool Cars of the Philippines

     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 executi...

     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 o...

     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...

     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.  ...

     Continuing on the cutesy yet short of strange designs originating from Japan bore a fad, the boxy, spacious yet aerodynamically inefficient works supplying us with a string of hatchbacks imitating its design, such as the previously discussed Toyota bB, the Honda Element, the first gen Mazda Demio, and even a couple coming from its neighboring countries, such as the Korean Kia Soul and the Chinese Great Wall Haval M2. One of the most popular models carrying this design trend was the Gen 2 Nissan Cube.      The Nissan Cube first started out in 1998 with a more Wagon R-esque design, simple yet easy on the eyes. 2002 was the year it featured more of a heavily blocky look. Its cubic structure, combined with more angular and curved surfaces gave it its "chocolate box" and "cut and paste sticker" look, in order to attain its target market directed towards the youth, using its unique looks that can easily get anyone to fawn over it.      Built u...

     It's no brainer that much of the strange and unconventional design choices pertaining to cars have originated from the land of the rising sun. From their Shakotan-styled auto shows, featuring heavily-modified and illogically-designed tuners, to their factory-made Toyota-configured WiLL cars, comprising of looks made to entice the youth of Japan. In the sea of eccentric-looking vehicles, came the second gen Toyota bB.      The Gen 2 bB, given the code QNC20, was unveiled in Tokyo back in 2005. Despite Japan being its main and a part of its small market size, it was rebadged under numerous different names, such as the Daihatsu Materia and the Subaru Dex, to name a few. Its design was cited to have been made similar to a music player, such as the Sony Discman, once again to entice the younger generation of Japan. The redundantly-named car continued its production until the end of its model's lifetime, in 2016, far outliving the lifetime and the popularity...

     For Porsche's first performance SUV, an automaker known for their zippy sports cars, the Cayenne GTS wasn't all that bad, as it was even once Porsche's number one selling product. However, after more than ten years, a look back at the Cayenne's first iteration shows that it was a fine, accomplished SUV that paved the way for the crossover utilities of ultra-luxury and supercar automakers today, such as the Bentley Bentayga and the Lamborghini Urus.      The Cayenne joined the market in 2003 as Porsche's first utility vehicle. However, it was not exactly greeted with welcoming arms the year it was announced, to put it lightly, with many Porsche fanboys most likely wincing in disgust the moment it was shown, thinking it was the point of Porsche's downfall, or their worst product since the 964. However, its mix between a family SUV and a performance car, is an experiment that can be called a success.      Its unique design, featuring an aer...