Autofun News

DISCLOSURE: Chery Auto Philippines kindly lent me a 2023 Chery Tiggo 5x Pro Hybrid for eight days. It arrived with a full tank of fuel and loaded RFID cards. Hybrid vehicles are on the rise in the Philippine market, with more and more automakers bringing in electrified models to get a piece of this increasingly lucrative pie. Chery Auto Philippines is riding on this trend by introducing the Chery Tiggo 5x Pro Hybrid. It is the most affordable “hybrid” the automaker has in its lineup that offers

Joey Deriquito

Nov 30, 2023

DISCLOSURE: Nissan Philippines Inc. kindly lent me a 2023 Nissan Terra Sport for one week. It arrived with a full tank of fuel and loaded RFID cards. Special-edition vehicles typically bring something fresh to the market. They often have features previously unavailable with the nameplate to differentiate them from the standard model. This is what Nissan Philippines did with the Nissan Terra Sport as it reignites the nameplate with a few aesthetic additions that give the vehicle a new lease on li

Joey Deriquito

Nov 30, 2023

When the opportunity for a long weekend presents itself, you take it as a break from your busy work week. It's a great time to go on a road trip or catch up with friends. That’s precisely what I did with my recent Hyundai Stargazer test unit on loan. It was the perfect opportunity to test if the South Korean 7-seater had what it took to be the ultimate “barkada” mobile and if it had what it took to be a proper multi-purpose vehicle. The road trip we would embark on would start in Quezon City and

Joey Deriquito

Nov 29, 2023

Disclosure: Hyundai Philippines lent us the Hyundai Tucson 2.0 test unit for seven days with a full gas tank and access to its RFID cards. If you have watched F1 recently and are a fan of Ferrari, then you will have probably encountered Carlos Sainz, Jr. singing Smooth Operator. While the song itself is self-explanatory in what it's about, it also applies to a recent test unit that we got in the form of the Hyundai Tucson 2.0 GLS. It may not be the fastest version of the vehicle available, like

Joey Deriquito

Nov 28, 2023

DISCLOSURE: AutoFun Philippines was lent a Porsche Macan for four days. Its RFID came pre-loaded with Php 1,000 of credit, and it had a full tank of gas. Trips in excess of the RFID load were shouldered by the author. HPG: “Ser, may rehistro po ba tayo para sa sasakyan niyo?” Me: Mayroon po. (Presents documents available in the loaner car) HPG: “Ser, wala po atang date of sale yung sales document niyo.” Me: Naku, yan lang po ang naisama sa oto, demo unit po kasi ito, kumpanya ang may-ari, 'di na

Mikko David

Nov 27, 2023

GAC Philippines recently invited us on a quick media drive with the 2023 GAC Emkoo. We took the brand’s latest compact 5-seater SUV on a road trip from P to P (Pasay to Pampanga) within one day. It was a great opportunity for us to test out the vehicle to see if it was really Emcool enough for us as a long distance road trip car. 360 Cam: Parking made easy Before the road trip started, we had a quick activity with the Emkoo to test its 360-degree camera feature, wherein we had to park the vehicl

Joey Deriquito

Nov 27, 2023

Since the beginning of 2023, we’ve been hearing about the arrival of Omoda and Jaecoo, two Chery International brands, in the Philippines. And while we’ve driven models from both brands a couple of months ago on our recent visit to Wuhu, China, we seem to have missed sitting in the driver’s seat of the Jaecoo 7, until now. Omoda & Jaecoo Philippines invited AutoFun Philippine to the mother brand’s international user summit last October. As luck would have it, there was a Jaecoo 7 test drive in t

Mikko David

Nov 9, 2023

When the first generation of the Ford Ranger Raptor launched into the market, Ford Philippines had a hit on its hands as the off-road-ready pickup truck came quickly flying out of showroom floors with buyers clamoring to get a unit. Fast forward to 2023, and the next generation of the pickup has entered the Philippine market with similar fanfare. However, in other markets, the Raptor is available with a twin-turbo V6 under the hood that offers more power than what the previous 2.0-liter bi-turbo

Joey Deriquito

Nov 8, 2023

Disclosure: GWM Philippines kindly lent me a 2023 Haval Jolion Supreme HEV for eight days. It arrived with loaded RFID cards and a Shell fuel card. AutoFun Philippines paid for a carwash. When I was a kid, I swore by one specific brand of orange juice (which I shall not name, but it’s a brand that’s beloved by many). I simply could not have a meal without this overly sugary beverage that greatly contributed to my, shall we say, “portly” physique in grade school. And it had so many artificial ing

VJ Bacungan

Nov 7, 2023

A lot has been said about Volkswagen Philippines’ more recent product lineup. Since the brand shifted its vehicle sourcing from Europe to China in the late 2010s, famous nameplates such as the Polo, Golf, Scirocco, and Tiguan have vanished from the brand’s local lineup. Today, the German automaker’s local distributor has the Santana, Lavida, and the Lamando as its primary offerings. All imported from the Mainland, these models have faced some rather harsh criticism just for being made in China.

Mikko David

Nov 6, 2023