So I've blogged a few times already about my ideal two car garage, and now I'm revising it yet again. This is probably the best mix of practicality and looks I can think of, and it will probably be surprising to some of you (if anyone is actually bothering to read my blog posts).
For my updated ideal two car garage lineup I've decided to go with the Suzuki Ertiga and the Honda BR-V. Yes, two rides with similar seating capacities and purpose.
I'm sticking with the Suzuki Ertiga because it's the cheapest among it's peers (Avanza, Rush, XPander, Mobilio, BR-V, APV) but I honestly feel it has the best bang-for-the-buck. Not that I've ever driven one, but then again, most of my car related posts are purely speculative. Anyway, the Ertiga is relatively cheap and spacious and that's why I picked that car.
The Honda BR-V also serves the same purpose as the Ertiga except it has a more powerful engine with better torque figures, as well as more features included in the car itself. I've read that there's a fuel pump issue with the BR-V as well as the Mobilio but I'm guessing that's a problem that is easily addressed. I hope.
Ideally one of the two cars would have a plate number ending in an odd number, and the other in an even number. Also better if one car has it's coding day on a Monday and the other on a Friday.
The Ertiga would be my main ride with the BR-V serving as the coding car, as well as probably the car my folks would always use when they go to and from the province. They usually go mid-week and come back on the weekend so ideally they'd be bringing the car that has coding on Fridays. Plus I'm guessing they'll need the more powerful engine for overtaking slower vehicles and a taller ride height for bad roads.
You may be wondering why I didn't choose other similar vehicles to the two. I'm automatically ignoring the Rush and XPander because I honestly feel they're just both overpriced rides people buy to look rich. The APV isn't an option since there's no automatic variant being sold anymore, which leaves us with the Toyota Avanza.
The only reason why I didn't pick the Avanza is because the 1.5L automatic is over PhP1 million, but the engine has similar output to the Ertiga. It has the smallest external dimensions but has the tallest ride height. Plus I've driven a 1.3L manual 1st generation Avanza and I did enjoy driving it. While the Honda BR-V is rouhgly PhP150k more expensive the features included in the package, at least for me, gives it more bang for the buck than the Avanza.
So why didn't I just pick the 1.3L automatic Avanza? Well, the engine really is underpowered, not that I drive like a maniac. I'd still like a powerplant that can carry something big and heavy without getting taxed too much. Not sure how great a 1.3L Avanza will go traveling to the province and back, but I'm guessing having a slightly more powerful engine will be more fuel efficient.
Out.
