Posted at 9:28 pm November 01, 2012
Tags: Automobiles, Car Accessories, Software Solutions
By Joel Pinaroc
MANILA CITY, METRO MANILA?If there?s one thing that is constant in the metropolis, it would be the horrendous traffic plaguing almost all of the city?s major roads and thoroughfares.
It was quite a surprise then that automotive giant Ford extended an invitation to us to drive two new variants of the?Ford Focus around Metro Manila in a convoy one afternoon.
We were supposed to visit some old landmarks, and with Halloween just around the corner, were supposed to take spooky pictures which will then be ?judged? by Ford representatives in a friendly ?competition? as part of the themed drive.
According to Ford, this was not a test drive, strictly speaking, but a way for us to enjoy the ride and take a look at the features of the new car, which was launched a few months ago.
We were a small group divided into two teams. I was at the wheel of the Ford Focus Sport hatchback with two more persons as passengers, while another group boarded the Ford Focus Titanium sedan.
A Ford Everest served as the lead car, while another Ford vehicle served as the tail car.
But the weather did not cooperate and the onset of the metro ?rush hour? did not help either as we started easing forward the spanking new cars out of Ford?s offices at the Bonifacio Global City.
The steady rain all but eliminated our chances of taking those spooky pictures compelling the friendly staff at Ford to simply do away with the photo competition and change the convoy?s route from several destinations across Metro Manila to just one. We started by slowly navigating an area in Taguig directly going to the Skyway.
Like what Ford representatives told us, the new Ford Focus Sport was indeed ?torquey,? with a sudden press of the gas sure to induce a nice ?kick? courtesy of a 2.0-liter engine.
Good thing too, that we passed by Skyway, for there was no chance for us to test or feel the speed of car, even for only a few minutes with the city traffic.
Acceleration was pretty decent, and a glimpse of the speedometer showed that we have gotten from 0 to 80kph in less than 10 seconds while we were on the Skyway. The burst of speed was cut short because we had to exit to Buendia Avenue.
As expected, the traffic was quite heavy after exiting from the Skyway. Good thing though that the new car has many interesting features (not just eye candy) which kept us entertained while jockeying for position against tricycles, jeepneys, cars, trucks, and buses.
Using the on-board communications devices which include a digital console synced with a mobile phone and on-board Internet access, we were able to coordinate with the rest of the convoy whenever one car veered off the pack.
The audio system is notable, and most of the commands in the digital console can be controlled via the buttons found on the steering wheel. A nice?voice command feature allows the driver to directly play MP3 music.
Good thing I have Alex Villafania, one of loQal?s reporters and a certified techie, as a passenger, who was there to tinker with the digital console and cellular phone and directly communicate with the rest of the convoy. ?Most of the communications was via SMS, which were then displayed in the console and not just in the cellular phone.
Alex and I agreed though that it would take longer than a ride around the city to fully appreciate all the features of the new Focus, not just the communications features and how these would work on longer rides and locations outside the metropolis.
We would have also loved to test the ?Active Park Assist? feature, as well as the ?Blind Spot Information System.? We also did not have the chance to test the car?s ?Active City Stop? feature, which allows the car to automatically apply the brakes in slow traffic (the car is running under 30kph) if it detects the vehicle in front of it has suddenly stopped.
Most of these features are now standard to the Focus, since the new line was?launched early this year but it would still have been very interesting to try them all. Overall, however, we were kept entertained by the digital console and the nice audio system as the hours passed.
The automatic transmission ensured that we had a smooth ride, as the convoy traversed Buendia Avenue going to Roxas Boulevard to proceed to our destination, which was the?La Cocina De Tita Moning inside the Malacanang complex.
The convoy snaked its way to traffic to Ayala Boulevard, passing by the grand Manila Hotel and Luneta Park. We made a right turn going to Taft Avenue and had a glimpse of the Manila City Hall, and after a few more challenging turns, headed to Arlegui Street going directly to Malacanang.
It was an interesting and rather challenging ride through the city?s infamous traffic. The ride was capped by an interesting tour of the?La Cocina De Tita Moning, which gave us a glimpse of ?Old Manila,? and a nice dinner and chat with Ford representatives and other participants.
(Photos taken from the Ford Philippines Facebook page)
Related stories:
For car buyers, it?s the tech talking in the new Ford Focus
Ford aims to train Filipino car ?specialists?
At Ford, car and driver stay connected more than ever
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