‘TIS THE SEASON (AGAIN) FOR AN INFORMED CHOICE

STV HOLDS PRECHRISTMAS TESTDRIVE EVENT ANEW TO HELP CAR BUYERS MAKE A BETTER PURCHASE

Let’s face it: rising fuel prices and the latest hike in public transportation fares are tearing a hole in our wallets — and it’s not gonna stop anytime soon.

Suddenly, for many car drivers, a P1,000worth of gasoline loaded into the tank can no longer last the usual week in their gasguzzling four wheels. What they need is a more fuel-efficient machine that will give more bangs for their bucks.

For commuters, the extra P1 in the base fare means having a portion cut from their child’s school allowance or school supplies budget. It would be more economical, albeit safer and healthier, if the family commuted together instead of individually — in a new seven-seater MPV.

Amid the ongoing belt-tightening and penny-pinching this season, it would be great to receive the gift of a more fuelefficient and family-friendly vehicle that could give them the extra mileage. But how do you choose the perfect car to give yourself and the family this Yuletide season?

The public need not fret anymore as Sunshine Television, producer of longrunning automotive TV show Auto Focus, is staging starting today its Phoenix Petroleum 2018 Auto Focus Pre-Christmas Multi-Brand Test Drive Festival at the SM Mall of Asia Concert Grounds in Pasay City. The fourday extravaganza of everything cars will showcase 12 auto companies each fielding a number of new vehicles for the buying public to test drive.

A ONE-STOP SHOP FOR EVERYTHING AUTOMOTIVE

Considered as the country’s biggest testdrive event, the Auto Focus Multi-Brand Test Drive Festival happens twice a year every April and November and has established itself as the respected one-stop shop of the motoring industry in showcasing their latest vehicles to buying public.

Ford, Honda, Isuzu, Mazda, Mitsubishi, MG, Nissan, Peugeot, SsangYong, Subaru, Suzuki, and Toyota will each have their respective booths in the festival grounds, where the motoring enthusiasts and car buyers can examine the features of their latest vehicles, experience their performance firsthand, and inquire about prices and available financing options.

STV chairman and CEO Ray Butch Gamboa explained: “We have been holding events of this type since 2005 not only for the benefit of local manufacturers and distributors, but even more so for the general motoring and car buying public. Buying a car and selecting a particular model suited to one’s purpose, preference and budget can actually be a long-winded process. This may require multiple visits to various dealerships, test driving and comparing varying models, and working out the best financing options. Usually, these can’t be done in a day, or even two.”

He added: “If the prospect is to go to a single location, see and test drive a wide range of competing brands and models, be assured, and get the best financing deals from manufacturers and distributors, then the best place to go to would be our festival. Practically everything one has to do to buy

a model of choice can conveniently be done at the festival. No more hopping from one dealer showroom to another because all the exhibiting brands will only be a few steps from one another.”

The festival is once again made possible through the support of presenting sponsor Phoenix Petroleum, the country’s fastest growing fuel company. The company’s partnership with STV began last April during the Auto Focus Summer Multi-Brand Test Drive Festival. It has set up a replica of its gas station at the festival, where it will showcase its different fuels and lubes as well as offer special prizes to festival visitors who will participate in a number of games and challenges that will be held there.

NEW WHEELS TO LOOK FORWARD TO

Each brand will have something new to offer this time around as new editions of their usual models, as well as entirely new models, were launched these past 10 months. Ford will be showcasing its new Ford Ranger Raptor that lives up even better to its “Built for Tough” reputation through a bunch of high-tech features and improved performance. Likewise, Honda will present a sleek-looking HR-V and Civic Type R, while Isuzu will present its new D-Max and mu-X, which are now powered by the new RZ4 Blue Power engines.

Fans of Mazda will also get to try the performance of the fourwheel drive CX-9 Touring Sport and the rest of the vehicles in its lineup such as the CX-3, CX-5 and the MX-5. If you missed the launch of the Xpander last March, you can experience it firsthand this time around as Mitsubishi brings the much talked about MPV in the festival. You can also try its rival Rush, which Toyota unveiled in May, and compare the two in terms of performance and features.

The festival will also be a treat for those waiting for the new Navara and Terra, which Nissan recently launched. Those looking for a passenger van that can be used for business will also get to examine the Nissan Urvan, which recently won Van/MPV of the Year in the Auto Focus People’s Choice Awards.

French carmaker Peugeot is making the 3008 and 5008 SUVs as well as the Traveller MPV available for test drive, while Korean auto brand SsangYong will offer different versions of its beloved Tivoli crossover and Rodius SUV. Japanese brands Subaru and Suzuki will also have a number of vehicles on the tray, such as the new Dzire, Jimny and Vitara for the latter, and the new Forester, Impreza and Levorg for the former.

A newcomer in the festival is MG (Morris Garages), the former British automotive brand that was given a new lease in life by The Covenant Car Company. The brand will showcase the MG ZS, MG6, and MG RX5, all of which embody the tradition of top-notch craftsmanship and design that Morris Garages started in 1924.

As with previous iterations of the Auto Focus Multi-Brand Test Drive Festival, the SM Mall of Asia Concert Grounds has been transformed into a large test drive course that simulates different road conditions, thus bringing out each vehicles’ performance and putting to the ultimate test its features for the buying public to experience and evaluate. Highly trained and experienced marshals will man the test-drive course, ensuring a safe and orderly conduct of the test drive.

The Auto Focus Pre-Christmas Multi Brand Test Drive Festival powered by Phoenix Fuels with PULSE Technology will be open from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. throughout its four-day run at the SM Mall of Asia Concert Grounds. Admission is free.