Riding rough with everyday CROSSOVERS
Crossovers have become increasingly popular with Filipinos; after all, they provide the utility of an SUV combined with the driving comforts of a car. Often prized for their good ground clearance and generous space, they are more frequently seen as vehicles that come in handy during the flood-prone rainy season, and whenever one has to negotiate ill-maintained roads riddled with bumps and potholes.
But not very often as vehicles used to do some more serious off-roading, like over mud and lahar. It may not be this market’s main agenda, but it doesn’t mean that these vehicles aren’t capable of it—and to prove this point, Kap and I decided to take the Nissan X-Trail and Honda CR-V out for a fun drive in the sandy fields of Sandbox in Porac Pampanga.
Sandbox is a recreational area that offers a relatively safe and controlled environment to have some off-road driving fun, whether it be in your UTV, truck or crossover. But before heading there, we made sure to load our tanks with Caltex’s new premium fuel – Caltex Platinum with Techron. This gasoline variant is their highest-octane premium fuel that happens to have 50 percent more Techron than its Silver fuel grade. It also so happens that Caltex’s new line of gasoline fuels now has Clean & Glide Technology— friction modifiers that are added into the formula to promote better engine efficiency (thanks to reduced engine friction) and consequently, better fuel mileage.
After having gassed up at the Caltex station right out of the Porac exit of the SCTEX, Kap and I immediately proceeded to the nearby Sandbox entrance and took our crossovers out for some fun in the sand! We first had to traverse wide- open spaces of squishy mud—it had then been raining the last few days—but our crossovers kept good traction and allowed us to easily drive through.
Next, we had to cross into an open valley dirt road that was largely taken over by bushes and tall grass, but the CR-V and X-Trail were high enough to disregard the undergrowth and agile enough to take us through safely. The most challenging part was when the downhill inclines were getting steeper than ever, and the terrain becoming more like a basin of loose, irregularly shaped rocks that shifted each time your tires ran over them. It also did not help that there were occasional passers-by, often on foot, cramping your pathway.
But at the end of the day, our vehicles still managed to conquer the trail, all the way to the part where the path eventually opens up into a riverbed with shallow water running through.
I couldn’t say it was a walk in the park, but indeed, totally still within the climbing capabilities of the 4x4 X-Trail and CR-V. That, and with the support of some experienced driving and among the best fuel power you can get, provided us with the necessary confidence to successfully drive our vehicles through this unforgiving turf.
Ultimately, I think we still prefer to baby our crossovers and would choose rather to load them with sports equipment that we could take along for an adventurous weekend drive. But rest assured, with such a capable vehicle and with the right fuel, challenging road situations like these are not hurdles that cannot be conquered.