It is the perfect car for the newbie driver

I was a sophomore in college when I first took the wheel of the Volkawagen Polo–one of the first vehicles VW Philippines launched when it was revitalized by the Ayala Group in 2013.

The Polo was for me an amazing car. I recall my test driving it with glee for its unadulterated performance, compact size and most important, its excellent fuel economy. It also mattered that back then the brand had just returned (for a second time) and people were very curious about the un-round, un-Bettle car that had a VW badge. Will the Santana live up to its predecessor?

2023 started with a test drive of the latest version of the Volkswagen Santana, this one the 180 MPI AT S. priced at P805K, making it one of the most affordable, well-decked out, reliable, most rugal sedans in the Philippines.

In China, where the car is built, the Santana is a workhorse–employed in almost every field requiring robustness and reliability. The Santana nameplate, in fact, has been in that country since 1983 and is up to this day a staple car in terms of production and consumption.

VW’s positioning of the Santana as a newbie car, or for me, as an introduction to the basics of what owning a Volkswagen is, encapsulates the essence of the vehicle. The look is immediately premium, the stance is visibly solid, the way the doors open with a reassuring “click” and close with an even more reassuring “chug” gives a feeling of confidence, something new car owners like.

Then settling into the car, the firm seats and the warm feel of the fabric, the pronounced attention to detail with the restrained use of chrome, as well as the red lettering on the dashboard and various information sources, these are all indications of the unique simplicity of the Santana.

The Santana sedan’s side profile looks like a two-and-a-half box, instead of the normal three-box configuration. The rear trunk lid is short (in keeping, I guess, the profile that made the Santana what it is when it first came out–a notchback) but reveals massive space when opened. That space is large and the bottom trunk lip low, that I used it to carry four 25-kilo sacks of rice.

This happened when, one early January morning on a drive to Candelaria in Quezon, the opportunity for P800 per sack high-quality dinorado rice comes upon me as I drove across the various road links in the province that would eventually be off-ramps and connectors to new South Luzon expressway extension. I didn’t want to pass off the deal because it was good only for that day. The 100-kilo load proved easy for the Santana.

The Santana replaces the Polo, at least in the Philippines. That is an important footnote because, VW positions the Santana as “your first Volkswagen” taking over that duty from the VW Beetle, another reliable, live-almost-forever car. By doing so, VW PH clearly makes the Santana as a base jump for brand intenders, and thus it needs to make the experience both exacting and exhilarating.

And my own experience tells me they are doing a good job. Though I have not experienced the entry level 1.4-liter with a manual transmission, the automatic variant is very satisfying, with a 1.5L engine mill and rather simple 6-speed automatic transmission delivers power with no delay. It isn’t a tire burner but it gets the job done extremely well. The numbers say it clearly, 111PS at 6,100 rpm and 145 Nm of torque at a mere 4,000 rpm.

VW calls it BlueMotion, and that is that automatic transmission that sort of learns a driver’s driving style or habits. It not only reduces strain on the engine and transmission in stop-start traffic but also reduces stress on the driver.

Now how does that work as a first dib into a VW?

Well first, it is a very basic car. One that a first time drive would like to have because there is so much space and opportunity to personalize. Second, it is a VW which has successfully positioned itself as a premier brand, throughout its model line-up. Third, this premium-ness that fancies the newbie car owner who now is offered (until the end of January) the biggest possible cash discounts.

In its latest promo, VW offers the Santana MPI MT with a P136K discount cutting down its price to a mere P550,000. The Santana 180 MPI AT gets a P70K price off for a net SRP of P735K for the S version while P878K for the SE. This makes the Santana sedan, the most affordable VW to date.

When glanced upon by the un-initiated, the Santana grabs one to be the Jetta. The front lines, the way the bumper is sculpted match the headlights and chrome-accented grille with uncanny similarity. The Jetta is currently not in VW’s stable anymore and the Santana is not the replacement. The resemblance however, is comforting and reassuring because the Jetta not only excellent genetic material in terms of design, the build philosophy carried out in the Santana. All business, no bling bling.

I’d like to compare my driving experience with the Santana to a Nokia feature phone. This vehicle is designed to rival other subcompacts like the Honda City and the Toyota Vios, but with a decidedly German, and very Volkswagen feel. When I say feature phone, I meant that it does not have all the goodies but the essentials are well-executed. For example, a feature phone has to two-day battery life akin to the Santana’s excellent fuel economy numbers. I traveled a total of 541 kilometers on a half tank of petrol. Imagine that. That is about 20 kilometers per liter, 80 percent highway driving. Not bad at all–and will a full load of passengers (not sacks of rice). This is the kind of refinement a newbie buyer will appreciate from a basic car.

The Santana is also all together, a different definition of basic.

One would think basic meant cheap fabrics and plastics, the Santana provides the driver and passenger with a more select experience. This means well chosen, breathable, robust seat fabrics, a height adjustment feature for the driver’s side, textured finishes and just the right amount of chrome, a sunroof and a Blaupunkt audio system (which in as option for the entry model). The straight-forward three-spoke steering mounted on an adjustable steering column wheel isn’t fancy but isn’t distracting either. There are no USB ports but the horizontally positioned power socket on the front console is as good as any. It also has a pollen filter in the air-conditioning system as standard.

Handling-wise, the A/T Santana is easy to drive and pretty straightforward. The smallish (by today’s standards) tires and wheels isolate a lot of the minor road imperfections but also transmit the hum of the rubber and the jarring vibrations of the road–say certain stretches of the South Luzon Arterial Road (STAR) which is cracked and pockmarked in a long section just before the Batangas exit. It is very easy-to-maneuver when driven within the city and despite a lack of fancy driver aids, brings out the skills when parking and getting into tight spots.

And one last thing, Volkswagen dealers are compelled to stock at least 3-months worth of fast-moving parts, along with the highest levels of service through its extensively-trained and qualified technicians. The dealerships have you covered even outside their premises, as they offer free 24/7 Emergency Roadside Assistance (ERA). This makes the Santana sedan (or any VW) a car with a tour-of-duty. Once tried, it should spur own its owner to upgrade to the next VW experience. — with Raymond B. Tribdino

I wasn’t expecting a Christmas sled this fancy but Santa has his way of changing things for the better. I was eagerly waiting for the Maxus T60 4×2 pick-up for this year’s Christmas sled–the perfect one for the boxes of donations we expect to help deliver. Last year it was a Kia Dropside 4×4 Dual Cab truck we used to move all the toys and clothes to two charities we helped with.

That being said, Santa’s sled this year ran on horsepower, not reindeer power–that’s 168 hp and 250 Nm of torque. Couple that with a 7-speed DCT. And you’d think you’d get a really quick sled. In fact, it won’t break your neck accelerating, but it won’t disappoint either. The 1.5-liter, 4-cylinder propels the car quickly enough, and because it is an SUV, the larger proportions make for a lot of cabin space which also makes room for a lot of cargo which means more boxes for donations on the way to the Josefhime Foundation in Antipolo and Caritas in Manila.

You might think my earlier description means that this MPV can’t go. Far from that. This car is no sloth and will get up to speed when needed. But it does it with finesse and decency. There is another version of the D60 that has a 7-seat configuration but the one we tested only has 5 seats. Does this increase the cargo space in the rear? Not at all, with the rear seats folded on the 7-seater variant, the space is almost the same. This I found out after examining the 7-seater version in the showroom.

Coming to that showroom visit, I passed by Maxus in Alabang on the way back from the Intramuros office of Caritas. The car is on promo–with a P104,000 cash discount. No, the discount does not only come when you buy in cash. Purchasing through installment (which is what 90 percent of car buyers do) still gets a huge discount and is applied to the SRP. The really knowledgeable people at Maxus Alabang answered all my questions very well, even the hard technical ones about the advantages of the DCT system.

There are other available promotions using BPI Auto Loans which vary from variations of down payments (to which the P104K discount is applied and one can get as low as P14K down payment) but I’d rather go for a 30 percent down then apply the discount then and low monthly payments payable for up to 60 months. As of this writing I have a standing application, which I requested to be processed at the start of 2023. Five stars for Maxus Alabang. They never made me feel like a peso sign, no pressure selling, no “you might regret not buying now” techniques. And all this amidst the hard-sell Christmas season.

The D60 interior it tops, both within the Maxus lineup. In comparison to the Korean and Japanese offerings, it is at par with most, though features wise it may even be said it is better in content–cupholders for example, but loses out with things like USB sockets upfront.

There is an uncanny elegance for the D60, in comparison for example to the G10. Probably because it is less compact and has a lot fewer chromed bits around. Someone called it sedate but I call it quiet luxury. The large 9-inch tablet-like infotainment system feels weird at times (I was pushing the icons for the aircon when it had little flip switches to control it) and the radio interface takes some getting used to. (It does vary between the various Maxus models I’ve tested.) This does not take away the functionality, which when one dials it in properly, is flawless and easy.

Keep that gigantic flat tablet-like interface clean and free of fingerprints though, it looks messy. (My 84-year-old grandmother said looked like her iPad… “can you take this out?” she asked so she can clean it.) The seats are firm and the seat material robust. I am unsure what the actual material is but it is easy to vacuum and clean. I do have some peeves about the floor mats but I am unsure if these are standard fare when you buy the car.

Note to reader though: if you get a D60 now, at Maxus Alabang, they will gladly throw in tints and original floormats into the deal apart from the usual 5 years, 100,000 kilometer warranty on the vehicle.

With rear seats folded down (these weren’t fully flat though) 4 balikbayan sized boxes fit with a lot so space, so in order to fit in one more passenger, I kept the right rear passenger seat up and folded the bench side to still get in the 4 boxes of clothes, toys, and art materials and goodies). I can’t find the numbers to describe the cargo room but, with the 3 balikbayan boxes in the cargo bay and one on the folded bench, I’d say that is 500 liters plus another 300 liters. So it could be over 1000 liters of space with all seats down.

Oh, but getting the rear hatch open was initially a mind bender. Until you find that little hand icon with one finger pointing to the bottom of the wiper switch. It is the trunk release button. I guess for Maxus D60 owners this is actually a security advantage. I did require me to get down the car to assist the guard at SM Mall of Asia and at the Marriott Parking area on how to open the trunk lid. No real problem though.

On the drive from Intramuros to Antipolo, with 3 balilbayan boxes remaining, was a test of the Maxus D60 on the uphills of Masinag. It wasn’t a particularly fast ride up as the transmission knew where to stay in the climbs. Let me be clear here, it wasn’t a lack of power, it was just the way the transmission was perhaps handling the load and the twisties and uphills. I did feel the transmission at one point wasn’t as responsive as I wanted it to be. There is a tendency to shift up and down, but I remembered it had a manual mode, and that helped put me in control of how I felt the D60 should run up the hills. It was actually quite satisfying in this mode.

So I kept it M/T mode all the way until the destination. Going back home I decided to take the Laguna Loop up Tanay to visit my Uncle Jowi (at my dad’s request) and take the back roads of Pililia, see the windmills and back home. Here at a continuous and constant speed, without the load the the transmission performs flawless. There seems to be a built-in hill descent control that manages the descent down the hills of Rizal into Paete in Laguna.

It is a monocoque. With its one-piece chassis, does excellently soaking up the cracks and gapes at the Antipolo section of Sumulong Highway and the dips, bumps and potholes at the Masinag side. I did regret at one point taking this route because of the unending roadworks abandoned because of the Christmas break, but it was still a nice, scenic drive free of most traffic–until you turn left to Pagsanjan, past the historic arch and into Sta Cruz, Laguna where I spend nearly an hour crossing the intersection that splits into the capital city of the province.

No matter though, the climate control and the excellent audio was enough to entertain. Waza was funny too with the voice set on “Terminator” mode. Kudos to the fully-independent front and rear suspension and proper road tires that quiet down most of the road noise. I did notice wind nose at speed, but it is expected of the boxy exterior.

As for the exterior, I can just say it is beautifully unique.

The rear taillight cluster is, as an example, a wonderful sculpture, with elegant folds and bends as well as the beautiful crystal finish inside the tail lights and middle finisher that not only reflects and refracts more light at night, is also not blinding to the driver in the rear of the car. It is however dazzling and quite a sight to notice.

It is unfair to say it is a ripoff of some Korean or Japanese car, at a time when all cars look the same. It has a very unique and individual sense of itself–a refined and elegant SUV that is also rugged and very dependable. Running the Maxus D60 was about P1,500 for the round trip translating to an economical 12 kilometers per liter combined, highway, city, and hilly driving. Not bad for a Christmas sled with horsepower instead of reindeer power. — with Raymond B. Tribdino

A huge thank you to the Maxus Team of the Ayala Group led by its president Felipe Estrella, the PR team chief Timmy Naval-de Leon, and our public relations lead Stacey Ann P. Vazquez for this unexpected but much desired, Christmas sled lend.