[775] The New Suzuki Jimny

I literally saw just now an article about the new Suzuki Jimny. After seeing the confirmed look for the latest model, the Jimny suddenly vaults into the top of the list of vehicles I would want to own in the Philippines.

It used to be the Toyota Innova that I considered best family car for the Philippines. Times change, and so does opinions. The Innova is huge and most parking spaces aren't getting any wider or longer. I've driven around and my 2001 Rav4 is just the right size for going around Metro Manila. The catch is, it guzzles gasoline.

Before the Jimny I was seriously pining for the Ford Ecosport. Any model, to be precise. I considered it the ideal successor to the Rav4 I was using. It may not be four-wheel drive but the size is almost the same and so is the space.

The new Jimny, however, looks good. I'm just basing it on looks alone. It just looks great, period. And hopefully it becomes a bit roomier inside than the previous model.

I was lucky enough to ride the previous generation Jimny way back in 2004. It was cramped, specially for someone my size. I sat in the back. I also managed to test how cramped it would be if I set the driver seat to fit me then sit in the back. Still cramped. So that is one of my complaints with the Jimny.

The fact that it is only a 3-door vehicle is also an issue. More of safety concerns about exiting the vehicle in a timely manner.

Aside from that, the new Jimny looks ideal for Metro Manila. Small, tall, and hopefully fuel-efficient.

My birthday is just around the corner...

Out.

[754] Fuel Economy

"7.67km/L on my Rav4. Biggest change? I was driving.

Edit: Previous top ups (including this one) 7.67km/L, 5.09km/L, 6.6km/L, 6.16km/L, 6.51km/L.

Driving style affects consumption A LOT. Also traffic. One other notable change was leaving the house earlier to bring my daughter to school to avoid traffic. Ten minute difference was a major factor."

- My Facebook post earlier today.

I drive a 2001 Toyota Rav4 AWD with a 2.0L 1AZ-FE engine. It is obviously an old car, and for quite a few years I've always had an issue with the fuel consumption.

This past week I had to drive my daughter to school and pick her up. This was a bit concerning for me since the price of gasoline here is relatively high right now and I know that the Rav wasn't exactly a fuel efficient car.

As a quick reference, I've heard that some 2nd generation Honda Jazz get 8 - 10 km/L consumption in heavy traffic. 8 - 10 km/L! How I wish I could experience that consumption.

Anyway, I had noticed that I was spending quite a lot almost every week for the gasoline of the Rav4. And now that I had to use it everyday to bring my daughter to school, I knew it was time to see if I could improve the consumption. As you read from my FB post above, I did.

The biggest change that happened was I drove it almost exclusively. My driving style is quite different from my Mom's driver, who normally brings my daughter to school and fetches her. I anticipate when to let off the accelerator. I try to make sure I keep the engine revving smoothly. And when it's an open road I make sure I move near the street legal top speed. Also, I stay in my lane and avoid snaking in and out of traffic.

Another change that greatly helped improve fuel economy was leaving earlier. Traffic sucks in the Philippines. Ten minutes is a big deal in traffic. We left ten minutes earlier, around 5:50 am and we normally got to my daughter's school around 6:20 am. Before when they left around 6 am they would get to school around 6:45 am or so.

Finally, I'm not sure if this helped but I put in 100 octane fuel instead of the minimum recommended 95 octane. Hopefully putting in a higher octane fuel helped de-clog the fuel lines or clean the engine. I don't know. For all I know using higher octane fuel did no difference.

You can imagine my surprise when I computed for the consumption of the Rav4. I was very pleased with it, but I also know that consumption will go back down once someone else starts driving my car. Oh well, at least I was able to get a little more bang for the buck in my last top up.

Out.

Family Car Wishlist Update

It's been a while since I posted an update of the top family cars I'd want. Well, here goes a new set. As for my category for choosing them, it's about practicality, fuel-efficiency, bang-for-buck, and aesthetics. I'm also giving special consideration to ride height, since I've experienced a couple of flash floods driving around the metro again.

So here we go for the nth time...

1. Kia Soul 1.6L CRDI A/T (SRP Php1,020,000.00)- A new ride takes my top spot, and rightfully so. A bit pricey at over Php1M, but it's a five-seater with decent ride height and boot space. The current version is also a diesel engine with a 6-speed automatic transmission, so this will hopefully be a fuel-efficient car. It looks nice too, but it might look too dated in the future. Or look too much like a car for young folks instead of a mid-30's family man.
2. Toyota Innova 2.5 E Diesel A/T (SRP Php1,062,000.00) - Still hanging in my top list of family cars. This one stays because of the space inside, including the third row, and because Toyota. I'm not too fond of the latest Innova's look, but aside from that it's still the practical family car you can rely on. Unless I'm wrong and the myth about Toyotas being nigh indestructible is all wrong.
3. Ford Everest 2.5L 4X2 XLT A/T (SRP Php1,390,000.00)- This comes in at number three because of my boss. I've ridden and even driven on occasion his old Everest and am amazed at how practical, fuel efficient, and decent it is. We've used it to haul almost anything related to work, and it just keeps going and going no matter how heavily loaded it is. Biggest downside is the price. So far it's the priciest of the bunch.
4. Honda Jazz 1.5 V CVT (SRP Php808,000.00) - The smallest of the bunch, I didn't bother to choose the higher end models despite the lack of fog lamps. Besides, the Php100k you save from choosing V model you can probably use to add foglamps either from the dealer or from an aftermarket source. I am still impressed with the Jazz's folding seats and the variations you can do to maximize the space inside the car. However this would suffer in flash floods, hence the drop to fourth.
5. Suzuki SX4 Crossover A/T (SRP Php899,000.00) - This rounds out my top five family cars I'd want. Similar to the Jazz, I'd want this because of the price, looks, and space inside. The ride height seems higher than the Jazz so this might be able to wade slightly deeper floods. The Jazz just gets higher consideration because Honda.

And there you go. The latest update to my top five family cars. You'll notice I'm not even going for the highest spec among them, despite the fact that usually only the higher spec cars get the fog lamps.

Why am I so obsessed with fog lamps? Because I need them at night for better visibility. Considering the price difference between vehicles with and without fog lamps, I'd rather go for the ones without and use the savings to buy aftermarket fog lamps and other accessories I'd need for the ride.

Out.