Mar 06
Recently, we came across a car show in SM City. This time, instead of a sedan, a hatchback was being featured – the Hyundai Getz. Now, if you read my previous post about the Aveo sedan, you’ll see that it takes a lot for me to get impressed by a car. So initially, I wasn’t at all with the Getz, but my wife egged me to take a closer look.
Up close, this Hyundai subcompact car looked interestingly sporty. The interior brandishes the same two-tone color and texture that we loved in the Aveo sedan. The space ofcourse was incomparable to the sedan but amazingly enough, when I jumped in the driver’s seat, I was surprised to find a spaceous leg room. The 3-spoke steering wheel lacks the music control buttons in the Aveo but otherwise feels good to touch. It will still take a bit of getting used to with the dashboard controls though but it doesn’t look bad at all. The plastic material of the dashboard gives a synthetic (but almost cheap) feel to the touch. After all, let’s not forget. It still is an econocar. 
Outside, the car looks less feminine than the Picanto. It has an angrier looking front face. The black trims across the body (body side molds) add excellent contrast to the color and give a more sophisticated look to the Getz (something that the Picanto designers could definitely look into).The engine, on the other hand, is definitely a stride slower than the Aveo sedan’s. The Getz sports a 1.1 L displacement SOHC engine – a rather poor comparison to the Chevy’s E-TEC II DOHC engine (VTEC equivalent in Honda). But then again, the Aveo Sedan is not an econocar. Chevy’s econocounterpart, which is the Spark, I feel will not hold a candle to the Getz at all so I did not compare it to the Spark at all. Furthermore, the Getz showcases different engine variants. It comes in 1.4 L and 1.5 L versions, with the latter sporting the CRDi DOHC type. (The CRDI technology is the same technology used in european top cars like BMW, Mercedez and Audi.)
The price, however, is a serious consideration. The P468,000 1.1 L Getz costs even less than the 1.1 L Picanto (P490,000). That for me is a big advantage for the Getz. However, the 1.5 L version with the CRDi DOHC engine, comes with a price tag of P628,000 – a slight disadvantage because at this range, it will be taking on the much bigger competitors like the Honda 1.5 L VTEC City (P700,000) or the 1.4 L E-TECH II Aveo sedan (P640,000), or even the 1.5 L G VVTi Toyota Vios (P687,000).For a while I seriously considered buying the Getz… but then again I remembered why I didn’t take the Aveo Sedan in the first place – obligations. Huhu!
Jan 22
Everybody dreams of having their own car. Some go for the sporty-looking ones. Some go for the big ones – I mean the really mean-looking, and imposing road monsters. Others dream about petite, cutey, almost feminine econocars. Me, I just wanna have a new one.
It’s not that I hate our red 1989 Mitsubishi Lancer. Heck, I love it. But, let’s face it. A few years from now and it would pass as a vintage car.
Forgive me for sounding like I don’t care for our car. Believe me I do. We’ve been though a lot together, and she’s proven herself worthy in more than a few occasions. I just think that cruising is still going to be so different when you don’t have to worry about overheating engines, malfunctioning air-conditioning system, or mysteriously self-unlocking doorlocks. (Yup – we’ve been through some freaky times together, but I still love her.)
It’s just that I can’t help but dream about something new. It’s nice wondering about the feel of a brand new set of wheels – the sweet scent of new leather; the unique look and texture of the 2-tone black sporty seats; the smooth, non-sticky texture of a new dashboard; a bigger leg room; the grip of a sporty 4-spoke steering wheel with music control right at your fingertips; the gentle rock of new suspensions; the powerful roar of a VTEC-equivalent 1.4 L displacement engine; and ofcourse cruising at a pocket-friendly gas consumption rate of 19 km/L. Unfortunately, this dream comes at a hefty price – a whopping 640,000 pesos.
Yup! The dream I’m talking about is Chevy’s new Aveo Sedan. GM’s Chevrolet now competes with the best models of the 2006 sedans with its new member, the Aveo Sedan. With the close feel of a Mazda 3, this new Chevy goes head to head with the Honda and Toyota leaders of the Philippine market today – the City and the Vios.
The Dream Begins…
Last November, I almost bought one myself. Andrea and I were just walking in Sta. Lucia East Mall when we happen to come across a car exhibit. And there it was … Chevy’s new Aveo Sedan. To be totally honest, it was actually my first time to intently listen and talk to a car sales executive. I’m not sure if it was the car’s total look, or its impressive features, but for some reason I was just so captivated.
Imagine! With a considerable P640,000 price tag, the Aveo Sedan comes with ABS (Antilock Breaking System) and EBD (Electronic Braking Force Distribution) System already. The E-tech II engine inside has a volume displacement of 1.4 L and sports the same valve-timing control as Honda’s VTEC. Accessorizing the package, the Aveo Sedan has a pair of slightly more accented foglamps, a CD player (not a CD changer yer but it has a compatible jack for multi-media accesories like your ipods), and a set of sporty 14-inch alloy mags which adds a muscular and sporty look to it. To say the least, I was impressed. Don;t believe me? Just take a look. See for yourself.
I wanted to sign up an application form for a car loan so bad. (Optimistic side now on steroids!) If “the powers that be” deem that we should have it, then it will be given to us – at least that was my battle cry. So I went ahead. I signed.
The Dream Thickens …
After a week, 3 banks called us and told us about our loan. IT WAS APPROVED!!! OMG! I was going to get my new Aveo Sedan. But I had to be calm. Approved applications don’t automatically mean free cars. I had to approach the whole thing objectively. I wasn’t about to bury us in debts. I had to seriously consider the FINANCES.
So hoping we would find something similar but less costly, my wife and I went and looked for different car dealers for other models and other brands. Alas, we found no model that came relatively close to the Aveo Sedan except for one. Honda’s 2006 City was probably the Aveo’s toughest rival. The exact model of the City that matched the Aveo’s specs was nothing less than Honda’s top-of-the line City model. It was a 1.5L VTEC-powered City that was priced at P700,000 bucks. The catch with this rival City – the downpayment. With the same financial scheme as that of the Chevy, the initial cash out was 50,000 – 80,000 more. It seems that the choices were slowly being narrowed down… or so I thought.
The Dream is Interrupted …
So why in the world am I still driving the red lancer? Why didn’t I buy the Aveo Sedan? … The answer, which came to us as a surprise realization, was very simple. We’re expecting a baby this January. And without an idea of how much our expenses could just shoot up with the arrival of our most awaited angel, I just couldn’t risk it. I just had to give up the dream… at least for now.
The Dream Continues …
Whenever I drive I still couldn’t stop thinking about how different it would feel driving in the Aveo. I’ll give up the dream for now, but I promise I’ll have a new car. Maybe next year, maybe the year after next… someday…
Nyahaha! I want the car already!!! Oh Aveo !!!
Up close, this Hyundai subcompact car looked interestingly sporty. The interior brandishes the same two-tone color and texture that we loved in the Aveo sedan. The space ofcourse was incomparable to the sedan but amazingly enough, when I jumped in the driver’s seat, I was surprised to find a spaceous leg room. The 3-spoke steering wheel lacks the music control buttons in the Aveo but otherwise feels good to touch. It will still take a bit of getting used to with the dashboard controls though but it doesn’t look bad at all. The plastic material of the dashboard gives a synthetic (but almost cheap) feel to the touch. After all, let’s not forget. It still is an econocar. 
Outside, the car looks less feminine than the Picanto. It has an angrier looking front face. The black trims across the body (body side molds) add excellent contrast to the color and give a more sophisticated look to the Getz (something that the Picanto designers could definitely look into).The engine, on the other hand, is definitely a stride slower than the Aveo sedan’s. The Getz sports a 1.1 L displacement SOHC engine – a rather poor comparison to the Chevy’s E-TEC II DOHC engine (VTEC equivalent in Honda). But then again, the Aveo Sedan is not an econocar. Chevy’s econocounterpart, which is the Spark, I feel will not hold a candle to the Getz at all so I did not compare it to the Spark at all. Furthermore, the Getz showcases different engine variants. It comes in 1.4 L and 1.5 L versions, with the latter sporting the CRDi DOHC type. (The CRDI technology is the same technology used in european top cars like BMW, Mercedez and Audi.)