Average acceleration

BIKE riders, club members, and enthusiasts packed the Philippine International Convention Center as the Shell Bike Fair 2018 culminated in Manila last Saturday.

One of the highlights of this muchawaited event was the search for the Shell Outriders Best Bike Club, a nationwide competition for groups that exemplify the values of a responsible and socially-active riding community.

To qualify for the Shell Outriders Best Bike Club award, nominees should show passion for achieving their goals, exhibit

the riding community, have the mindset to overcome social barriers, and support a cause with a spirit of fun and youthfulness.

A screening committee will then evaluate entries and vote for representatives for each of these participating regions: National Capital Region ( Metro Manila), Northern Luzon, Southern Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Winners were announced during the event with the grand prize at P100,000 cash plus P50,000 worth of fuel vouchers.

“Shell Bike Fair 2018 is our way of solidifying our commitment to the Filipino bikers. Through this event, we hope to recognize the bike clubs’ positive contributions to the community,” said Lorrie Ramirez, Shell Advance brand manager. “It’s their courage that inspires us at Shell. And it is the goal of Shell Advance to help our riders outride any obstacles they encounter by protecting their engines and helping improve the smoothness and responsiveness of their bikes.”

looks. That’s stretching a point. Peek inside and you’ll find a modern interior that exchanges the previous model’s dowdiness for a sophisticated minimalism that lends the cabin a spacious feel. A fixed 8- inch screen that controls Kia’s intuitive infotainment system anchors the center of the horizontally oriented instrument panel. A row of buttons underpins the screen, giving you quick access to the radio, navigation or other functions. Below that resides the dual automatic climate control, which is standard, and a rarity in this class.

The Forte EX test car featured a two-tone leather interior, a long Given that the Atkinson Cycle engine is rated at 147 hp, you wouldn’t expect the Forte to be as sprightly as it proves to be, although overall acceleration is merely average. Interestingly, the Forte’s Sport driving mode, offered alongside Normal and Smart driving modes, learns your driving style and switches between normal and sport modes automatically. Kia’s new continuously variable automatic transmis-

between performance and fuel economy, returning 33 mpg during the test drive.

Unlike most continuously variable transmissions (CVTs), the Kia’s unit was developed in-house and employs a chain

of the delay you typically experience with CVTs. There’s little waiting for the CVT to decide which gear ratio to choose. Also, it can be shifted manually, which works very well. Only on extreme uphill climbs will you remember it’s a CVT. Otherwise, its performance is so adept, you’ll forget it’s a CVT. It’s easily the best one on the market.

ast and Shell’s newest brand ambassador Drew Arellano also shared his personal journey as a rider, the challenges that he encounters while on board his bike, safety riding techniques and how Shell V-Power and Shell Advance served as his

a car that’s capable yet quiet.

And the EX is stuffed with goodies, like heated and cooled front seats, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, multiple USB ports, wireless charging pad and adaptive cruise control.

In fact, the Kia Forte almost everything was either pleasing or better than expected. It’s too bad that brands can blind us to the true value of a product. There’s little doubt that if you’re considering a Toyota Corolla, Chevrolet Cruze or Nissan Sentra you’d be better off buying the Kia Forte. But you won’t of course. A Kia? What would the neighbors say?

Don’t let the brand name put you off; the 2019 Kia Forte is one of the best compact sedans you can buy. Look for it when it goes sale shortly. The Shell Bike Fair 2018 kicked off in Baguio last July with close to 3,000 bikers braving the rains to take part in the event held at the CAP John Hay Convention Center.