Northern drives with Suzuki’s new Vitara and Nissan’s new X-Trail and Urvan Premium

LA UNION — The province of La Union (and Thunderbird Resort, in particular) seem to be making a renaissance, at least as far as automotive ride-and-drive events are concerned. While the last car event I attended here was more than three years ago, I recently found myself driving to and from this picturesque locality twice in two consecutive weeks. 

The first one was for the new Vitara, the new crossover from Suzuki harking back to the original Vitara (minus the “Grand”) of a quarter-century ago—years before the appearance of the first-generation Toyota RAV 4 and Honda CR-V.

The new Vitara (now made in Europe, Hungary to be exact) stays true to Suzuki’s small SUV ethos—in design, if not in sheer off-roading ability (it’s front-wheel drive only)—as it emphasizes modern design trends aimed at the style-conscious millennial market.

First, you’ve got a palette of eye-catching paint finishes. Suzuki pairs some of these bold colors with an even bolder white- or black-roof combinations in the best Mini Cooper tradition. You’d almost expect a Union Jack design (Rising Sun design?) on the side mirrors or roof—just like in Minis. 

But it’s not just the snazzy paint jobs. The exterior styling of the Vitara exudes a strong yet sophisticated presence achieved through the modernized Suzuki SUV signature clamshell hood.

The new Vitara belongs to the sub-P1 million front-wheel-drive subcompact crossover class, which includes the Honda BR-V, the Chevrolet Trax, the Nissan Juke, the Ssangyong Tivoli, and the bestselling Ford EcoSport.

Style-wise, the Vitara holds its own in this class—and not just because it’s the newest. It truly possesses a successful design that looks good from any angle. I wouldn’t call the styling spectacular, but for the size and price, it will certainly give many potential buyers a compelling reason to seriously consider it.    

Daytime running lamps with vertically placed LEDs are standard in the GLX model. Luxury car-like LED headlamps with a blue projector cover come standard with the GLX. Generously sized 16- and 17-inch alloy wheels and tires fill up the Vitara’s wheelwells properly. 

Best of all, it performs just as advertised. It may have only a 1.6-liter petrol engine, but like in most Suzukis, the 115hp/156Nm motor is spirited and willing—never feeling strained or out of breath even while maintaining a 120-km/h cruise or overtaking slower cars on TPLEx with three people and their gear on board. The engine was impressively refined and even produced a sporty growl at 4000 rpm and above. The paddle shifters of the six-speed automatic (available in all variants!) were a boon in stretches when spirited driving is desired. 

Another reason to Snapchat your friends about is the Vitara’s fuel consumption, which indicated an impressive average of 12-15 km/li. during our admittedly traffic-free 500-plus-kilometer drive. 

Riding comfort and handling, too, were beyond reproach. It’s a small car (even if it’s among the biggest in its class) but it never exhibited any ride choppiness or harshness on bumpy roads and delivered confidence-inspiring handling in La Union’s sinuous national road. 

Head-turning styling and above-average performance can attract specific people, but having a comfortable, luxurious, feature-rich interior is a universal want. In this regard, the Vitara over-delivers.  

The interiors combine muscular contours and a sporty feel. The instrument panel conveys a youthful look with its upper linear design that includes a round clock and a matching round air outlet. The seats use high-quality fabric, with the GLX featuring a combination of leather and suede-type fabric for an even more upscale feel. The GLX also features a panoramic sunroof designed with two glass panels that boasts the biggest opening in its class. All variants feature audio steering controls while the GL+ and GLX models also feature a footwell lamp and keyless push start system.

The new Vitara’s Infotainment audio system features hands-free connectivity, navigation, Bluetooth audio and a USB port. The GLX enables on-the-go connectivity through its Wi-Fi support while a MirrorLink function links a smartphone with the car’s Android system (with a 10-inch touchscreen for the GLX—the biggest in its class—while GL+ and GL variants have a seven-inch touchscreen.

The luggage space can accommodate up to 375 liters, expandable by lowering the luggage board or removing the dividers on both sides of the luggage area. To accommodate large suitcases, the rear seats can be folded to make way for up to 710 liters.

The Vitara GLX boasts a six-point airbag system comprising of dual, curtain and side airbags for the driver and passenger. It also features cruise control with speed limiter, ultrasonic sensors in the front and rear bumpers with reverse camera that detect obstacles during parking, an automatic light system that turns headlamps and taillamps on and off, and automatic wipers triggered depending on the extent of rainfall and vehicle speed.

The Vitara’s Electronic Stability Program (ESP) automatically controls the engine torque and brakes upon detection of wheelspin to ensure the driver maintains directional control. The Hill Hold Control helps the driver to prevent the vehicle from rolling backward on an uphill climb.

In the event of a collision, the new Vitara has an impact-absorbing design. For further protection the Vitara’s Total Effective Control Technology (TECT) absorbs impact and the seatbelts use force limiters to mitigate collision forces on the occupants’ chests.

The new Vitara retails for P1,048,000 for the GLX; P938,000 for the GL+ and while prices for the GL are yet to be announced.

Driving blind with the new Nissan X-Trail

It’s not everyday that representatives of a car company install blackout panels on the windshield and front windows—completely preventing you from seeing anything ahead of the car—and making you drive around an orange cone-strewn course. 

In fact in my over 20 years of testing and writing about cars, I’ve never been permitted, let alone be asked, to drive a car without seeing where I’m going.

But that’s what Nissan Philippines asked of over 20 journalists last weekend to demonstrate the new X-Trail’s suite of cutting-edge electronic driver aids known as Nissan Intelligent Mobility (NIM).

 I got to drive the X-Trail, in its current platform, three years ago in Yokohama, Japan. More than a dramatic departure from its two boxy predecessors, it was a revelation in driving comfort and luxury-car refinement and fit and finish in a mass-market product. It actually comes close to Nissan’s luxury car Infiniti brand in terms of overall build quality, smoothness and refinement. 

Now the third-generation (make that version 3.5) X-Trail continues to offer an unparalleled experience thanks to NIM.

Nissan Philippines, Inc., enjoying an unprecedented record growth pace of 48 percent from 2015 to 2016, has released an enhanced version of the popular compact SUV with new Nissan Intelligent Mobility features and styling upgrades. The new X-TRAIL is the first Nissan vehicle in the Philippines to be integrated with the largest range of available advanced Intelligent Mobility technologies.

“The Nissan X-Trail offers enough room for families and groups who love to go on road trips,” says Nissan Philippines President and Managing Director Ramesh Narasimhan. “With Nissan Intelligent Mobility, our customers can enjoy each adventure as they drive safe and sound. We want them to treat the new X-TRAIL as a partner that looks out for them so they can have a fun and hassle-free time on the road.”

For the “blind” drive, we relied on Nissan’s Around View Monitor that provides drivers with 360-degree and bird’s eye view perspectives. The full-color display provides sightlines that allow drivers to see the path of the vehicle as he or she turns the wheel to see the relative distances of the car from surrounding objects in real time. Needless to say, every participant managed to negotiate the very tight course without hitting any of the cones. If this helped us driving blind, imagine how much it’ll be of assistance when you’re driving in the tight confines of most parking spaces. No need for parking boys to stand outside your vehicle telling you when to stop.  

Another exercise had us in the X-Trail as another vehicle drove alongside it. Moving Object Detection and Blind Spot Warning sends a visual alert (a yellow warning light near the side mirrors) when the other car is beside you and an audible beep when you signal for a lane change and a vehicle is beside (and slightly behind) you. Goodbye, blind spots!

We also got to witness a demo of NIM”s Forward Collision Warning and Intelligent Emergency Braking that sends a visual and auditory warning when approaching an object in the vehicle’s path, and automatically brakes to avoid collisions at speeds up to 30 km/h.

When reversing, Rear Cross Traffic Alert alerts the driver to unseen vehicles passing crosswise behind the X-Trail.

Finally, the 4x4-I System automatically adjusts power distribution to give drivers full control of the vehicle as they take on challenging road conditions.

All these advanced features used to be science fiction years ago, and was only available in expensive European luxury sedans and SUV’s until just recently. But now they’re all available in the new X-Trail.

Available in Premium Corona Orange, Marine Blue, Pearl White, Gun Metallic, and Diamond Black, the new X-Trail also has updated interior and exterior styling. It boasts of a new front fascia with integrated fog lamps, bumper, the signature Nissan “V-Motion” grille, and revised headlights with LED signature daytime running lights, as well as new 19-inch wheels, a fin-type antenna, and a new sunroof.

The new door and instrument panel finishers, new shift knob design, revised center console, and the console lid define the car’s plush interiors. Other design modifications include a new and surprisingly small flat-bottom steering wheel (which could be at home in a Porsche) with a modernized interface, and leather-booted transmission shift lever. Adding to the convenience of customers is the motion-activated tailgate that allows customers holding grocery bags in both hands to access the rear compartment without using their hands.

The Nissan X-Trail is available in both 4x2 and 4x4 variants, and are priced at P1,399,000 and P1,728,000, respectively.

We also got to ride to and from La Union in Nissan’s plush and spacious new Urvan Premium, now sporting a bolder front end with a new grille, headlamps and bumper and boasting cleaner-looking concealed rain channels. It also now has a new 5-speed automatic transmission and comes with collapsible fifth-row seats for a more flexible people-cargo configuration. Last Friday’s Nissan Urvan article in the Car of the Year supplement showed a photo of the pre-facelift 2017 Urvan. This is the correct photo. Expect a more detailed test drive report soon.