Experiencing Art with the Honda City
In its continuous celebration of over 10,000 City sales, Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. recently conducted a test drive activity among the media to relive the winning features of the City that the market has loved.
The third generation City has successfully changed the rules in its class, both in style and in performance, since it entered the local market in January 2009. Bearing modern design, superior performance and enjoyable comfort, the City presents class-leading features that are once reserved for higher models.
Featuring cutting-edge styling, streamlined grille harmonized with sharp headlights and a masculine contour that neatly blends with its over-all refined finish, the City is undeniably a work of art. With this, the itinerary for the test drive activity was specially designed to better appreciate art and the sophisticated styling behind the design of the City. In doing so, the road trip headed towards the art capital of the Philippines, Angono, Rizal, via Laguna loop.
The day started with a test of the powerful performance of the City’s i-VTEC engine along the South Luzon Expressway. With a maximum power output of 120 ps for the 1.5 liter variant and 100 ps for the 1.3 liter variant, the City tackled highway driving with ease. Apart from its ably spirited performance, the i-VTEC engine also delivers fuel efficient driving performance by switching valve timing depending on the driving conditions for better combustion. To further enhance fuel efficiency, the City also comes with 5-speed automatic transmission which helps reduce engine revolution and stress. Meanwhile, fun and easy tracking of one’s fuel consumption is also possible with the fuel economy meter displayed on the instrument panel.
First stop was a comforting lunch at Ugu Bigyan Potter’s Garden in Tiaong, Quezon. Ugu is the town’s celebrated ceramics artist. Part of his garden is a showroom for his pottery creations. He even demonstrated how he lithely crafts his ceramic pieces. His dinnerware sets and decorative pieces are also being used in some of the premier resorts in the country.
The group then headed to Rizal by passing different towns of Laguna. The City’s front McPherson Strut and rear H-shaped torsion beam with stabilizer suspension comfortably handled the winding, moderately uphill and downhill roads in Laguna. With lush green scenery along the way, this test drive activity was also a much-needed breather from the urban jungle.
As the sun began to set, the group finally set foot in Binangonan, Rizal and rested.
Day two proved the Honda City’s agility in handling busy streets as the group went for a city tour around the province of Rizal. The tour of Rizal showed how brilliant the locals were in the field of art. The tour started with a visit to the oldest art work in the Philippines- the Angono Petroglyphs. The Angono Petroglyphs, said to date back in 3000 BC, showed human figures, frogs and lizards engraved on the rock wall. Through the years, erosion may have caused some figures to be indiscernible. Next in the itinerary was a visit to YAB Design. YAB Design produces life-size figurines made of polyester resin. First glimpse to its manufacturing plant can be mistaken into entering a theme park as life-size tyrannosaurus dinosaur and dragon welcome your way. YAB Design export to top brands abroad. Lastly, the tour ended at the Blanco Family Museum. The museum housed the painting collection of national artist, Jose “Pitok” Blanco, his wife and seven children. Under the guidance of Mr. Blanco, the paintings showed the skill improvement of his children through the years.
Apart from remarkable sales, the third generation City also received positive reviews and accolades. In 2009, the City was hailed as the Subcompact of the Year during the Auto Focus People’s Choice Awards and Car of the Year Awards.
