00:00 [whoosh]
00:01 So just a month ago, Honda Cars Philippines launched the updated City and the facelifted Brio.
00:06 And today, we are driving from BGC all the way to Batangas to try out these new cars.
00:11 First off, we're going to try out the Brio all the way to the Batangas Racing Circuit,
00:14 and after then, we're going to drive the new City.
00:16 So we're going to try out these new cars in various road conditions.
00:19 We're going to try the new City on the highway and see what these new cars are all about.
00:23 So we'll get back to you later once we hit the road.
00:26 [music]
00:37 Just a quick update, we are now here at Caltex, Mamplasan.
00:40 Probably took us about half an hour to get here from BGC.
00:44 And the trip meter shows 31.6 kilometers, and we were doing 18.3 kilometers per liter.
00:51 That's actually pretty decent considering there were three people on board with a lot of cargo
00:56 and with a folding bike in the trunk.
00:58 So driving the Brio from BGC on S-Tex with moderate traffic, it still feels as solid as ever.
01:04 Mechanically, it hasn't changed.
01:05 It's still that fun hatchback that's easy to weave through traffic or on the highway.
01:10 But from here, I'm not sure how far Batangas Racing Circuit is,
01:14 but probably it's going to take us about an hour and a half or an hour or so.
01:18 [music]
01:40 So we are finally here at the Batangas Racing Circuit.
01:44 And as you can see, we brought a lot of stuff and I brought everything.
01:48 But anyway, even with all this stuff, even with another person on board and a folding bike,
01:55 in total, we got 15.5 kilometers per liter if I'm not mistaken.
02:00 Still not sure what we're gonna do, but they've set up some cones as we saw as we entered.
02:07 So I'm sure this is gonna be a lot of fun today, this afternoon.
02:10 So let's get inside. It's getting hot.
02:13 So lunch is done and we're gonna start with the afternoon activities.
02:16 There are four.
02:18 First one is the EcoSpeed Challenge.
02:20 So basically, you're gonna drive around the track with the Brio and the City,
02:23 and they're gonna do 50-50 points for the time and the fuel economy.
02:27 So it's not just about going fast, it's about going quickly and efficiently,
02:31 as quick and as efficient as possible.
02:33 Second exercise is the linoleum test where we're gonna drive the City on a slippery strip of linoleum
02:41 with some soapy water and see just how the technology, just how the stability control comes into play.
02:47 That's gonna give us an idea of just how the technology actually works in a car.
02:50 It's pretty cool. I've never done something like this, so I'm eager to see how it's gonna look like.
02:56 And after that, we're gonna reset the track and we're gonna do a Gymkhana.
03:00 So we're gonna time our runs and I've made a wager with Charles.
03:05 So let's see who's gonna be a faster one here.
03:09 Neither of us know what we're doing, so this is gonna be fun.
03:12 None of us are Gymkhana experts anyway.
03:15 And after everything, we're gonna do a moose test.
03:17 We're not gonna be driving this one.
03:19 It's a bit dangerous even if you're just driving a sedan or a hatchback
03:22 because you're gonna go at speed and just swerve as if you're avoiding a moose.
03:27 For the first one, we're gonna be driving.
03:29 The second one, we're not gonna be driving.
03:31 For the third one, we're gonna be driving it, and for the moose test, we're just gonna be passengers.
03:34 There's some dark clouds out there.
03:36 There's some overcast here. Hopefully, it doesn't rain today.
03:39 It was extremely hot earlier.
03:42 I'm happy with what the sky looks like right now.
03:44 Anyway, we're gonna start in a bit.
03:46 So we're gonna do some preps.
03:48 [music]
04:13 Okay, so we just finished our EcoSpeed runs.
04:16 And both Charles and I had a go in the City and the Brio.
04:21 So the scores for this one are gonna be combined.
04:24 So like I said, we can't mess it up because it's gonna suck for both of us.
04:29 We both got around 230 thereabouts for both of us in both cars.
04:34 And fuel economy was a bit off for one of the runs because Charles got 7.something in the City and I did 9.something.
04:42 I never really thought I'd bring a City or a Brio to a racetrack.
04:47 But it was fun because it's manageable power, but it handles well.
04:50 Both of these cars handle well, especially the Brio. I really love this small hatchback.
04:55 Both of us, all of us, were conscious about braking, about stepping on the gas too hard.
05:01 And for us noobs, we didn't really know exactly what we were doing, but it was really fun.
05:07 If I had the chance, I would want another run.
05:10 But yeah, they're gonna score us later and hopefully, hopefully, we don't really finish last.
05:18 So a linoleum test is basically one side has traction, the other side doesn't.
05:24 And this shows us how our ABS works, our stability control, and our traction control.
05:30 So we'll do the exercise at a speed of 40.
05:34 We have a blue cone over there that we'll use as our braking marker.
05:37 And as you can see, they're putting a soapy water to give us a no traction sign.
05:41 Now, when I get to 40, I'm gonna slam on the brakes, roughly at the blue,
05:47 and you'll see that all I'm gonna do is control the car with my fingers.
05:50 So the reason for this is obviously if one side of the car is losing traction, it will normally tend to spin out.
05:58 But with a lot of our technology nowadays, it's so much easier to control cars.
06:03 So let's give it a try.
06:05 So again, I'll just use my fingers.
06:06 Back up to 40.
06:08 Off the gas.
06:10 Now, brake.
06:12 So you can feel the car sliding.
06:15 And now, we're gonna launch off of this slippery surface where you'll see traction control keep us straight.
06:21 So again, use my fingers.
06:23 There you go.
06:24 You can hear it spinning.
06:25 You'll feel the traction in a bit.
06:26 There you go.
06:27 So yeah, this is just a simple way of showing how everything works.
06:32 In real-life scenarios, it could be a puddle, it's raining, there's a puddle, and you're off-roading on your right,
06:38 you can still be able to control your car.
06:40 So that's pretty cool.
06:42 Yeah.
06:43 Those are the features that you know are there but you don't exactly understand how they work because you never see them in action like this.
06:50 You never really get it.
06:51 Yeah.
06:52 But you don't really know the day-to-day driving they're actually working for you.
06:56 Yeah.
06:57 That's true.
06:58 A lot of drivers don't think about it, but when that light flashes, it's working.
07:01 Yeah.
07:02 Blue.
07:15 Nice.
07:16 Stall.
07:21 Nice.
07:22 Yeah.
07:24 Nice.
07:25 Turn all the way.
07:27 Then left hard.
07:28 There you go.
07:30 Just the momentum.
07:31 A little bit here.
07:32 Turn in.
07:34 Nice.
07:36 Right.
07:38 Perfect. Left.
07:39 And you're gonna do.
07:40 There you go.
07:42 Nice.
07:43 Turn in.
07:44 Turn in.
07:46 Nice. Go, go, go, go, go, go.
07:47 Brake.
07:49 Alright.
07:55 Thank you, man.
07:57 Nice.
07:58 So for the Gymkhana, I lost the bet by 0.5 seconds if we're not mistaken.
08:06 Charles finished the Gymkhana course in 40.5.
08:11 I did it in 41.
08:12 So yeah, I lost the bet.
08:14 But it was fun.
08:16 It really showcased just how well the Brio handles because I wouldn't do that in a higher-riding car, for example.
08:25 Or even the City.
08:27 I doubt I'd have as much fun or even I doubt the City would handle as well as the Brio does because it's just so compact.
08:35 It's so light.
08:36 It's Violetta.
08:39 You have a handle there just in case.
08:44 Ready?
08:47 Okay.
08:49 So you're going up to what speed?
08:51 Around 80.
08:52 Let's see if my phone flies.
08:56 You got good grip.
08:57 Okay, it's Violetta.
09:04 But all that braking feeling you got, that's all the car.
09:09 I didn't touch the brakes.
09:11 Oh, okay.
09:12 So I'll try to take a video of your foot on the way back.
09:16 I'll take a video of the brake pedal.
09:19 You want the foot up here?
09:21 Yeah.
09:22 That's good enough.
09:23 That's pretty cool.
09:24 So in violent turning situations, the car slows down on its own.
09:35 Well, what it does is it actually keeps you from spinning.
09:39 If you try doing that without the system.
09:44 With a violent turn, you're just going to spin out.
09:47 Yeah.
09:48 So it brakes for tires, it brakes individually to keep you from spinning.
09:57 So it'll brake like 80% here and 20% here.
10:01 Maybe trailing 10 just to keep you from...
10:04 Did you let off the gas when you swerved?
10:07 Just a bit.
10:09 All right.
10:10 We're done?
10:11 We're done.
10:12 All right.
10:13 Thank you, Tuto Louie.
10:14 So, what's the next one?
10:16 Thank you, Tuto Louie.
10:18 So for the Moose test, it was pretty cool.
10:21 I found it a lot cooler than the first few exercises, actually.
10:26 It's like the Renault test.
10:28 For the Moose test, Tuto Louie drove up to 80 kilometers per hour, then swerved violently
10:34 both to the right and to the left.
10:37 And the way it worked was that the car applied the brakes for him ever so slightly
10:44 just to keep it from spinning out.
10:46 So we also saw him with his left foot off the pedal and right foot just on the gas.
10:53 And he was turning violently.
10:55 As he turned violently, we felt the car braking.
10:58 So it slowed itself down automatically.
11:01 And that's how amazing these newer cars work.
11:04 That's how these technologies work.
11:06 So just like with the Linoleum test, which is very hard to say, it's hard to pronounce,
11:12 you never really know when these technologies come into play for day-to-day driving
11:16 until you see them in action like this.
11:19 So yeah, it's pretty cool.
11:21 And it really shows you how big Honda is going on safety because it does have this goal
11:28 to eliminate all accidents across the globe eventually in decades' time.
11:33 And with technologies like these, you cannot but wonder that it's possible
11:39 if all the cars had all these techs.
11:42 Anyway, we're done for the day.
11:44 We're done for all the activities today.
11:46 We're just gonna drive a bit to the resort later, and we're gonna call it a day.
11:51 So day two of our drive is about to begin.
11:56 Yesterday, we drove all the way to Lailla.
11:58 As you can see, we're by the beach. We're in Lailla, Matangas.
12:01 We drove here in the Brio, and today, we're gonna drive back to Manila in the city.
12:05 Like I said yesterday, we weren't able to try out the new features just yet,
12:10 so I'm eager to find out just how seamless or how well they work in the city.
12:15 Anyway, we're just gonna make some preparations, just gonna enjoy the sea breeze,
12:20 and just enjoy the waves for a bit before we head out.
12:23 [Music]
12:51 Okay, we're finally on the expressway, as you may have probably heard,
12:55 because the roads here are pretty bad again.
12:58 We're on Stark Hallway, and we're now in the City RS,
13:02 which is the top-spec variant in the City range.
13:05 It has automatic climate control.
13:08 It has a better-sounding speaker system.
13:11 It has paddle shifters, a center armrest, and it's overall an even better interior
13:17 than what the City already offers.
13:19 Right now, we're driving at highway speeds, and I'm gonna try out the adaptive cruise control
13:23 even if the roads are terrible.
13:25 They're so bad.
13:27 Oh my goodness!
13:29 [laughs]
13:30 That sounds bad.
13:32 But anyway, I'm at 100 right now.
13:35 I'm gonna turn on adaptive cruise control and set it to 100.
13:40 There you go.
13:45 You have adaptive cruise on, and you have lane keep assist and lane departure warning on.
13:53 So, well, you still have to keep your hands on the steering wheel,
13:57 but it will help you steer so you can stay in the lane.
14:02 It's actually pretty cool, especially if you're driving in the wee hours of the night
14:07 and you have it on.
14:09 It's gonna help you because when you feel a bit sleepy, if you're dozing off a bit behind the wheel,
14:13 it'll vibrate violently and keep you in the lane, prevent you from hitting anyone.
14:18 Basically, I'm gonna be able to tail the car in front of me without having to apply the brakes,
14:22 without having to apply the gas.
14:24 Right now, it's slowing down.
14:26 No foot on the gas, no foot on the brake.
14:29 It's just adjusting automatically.
14:32 So this part of the drive pretty much completes the entire drive experience for the new City
14:39 because this is a very important addition and, in my opinion, really makes the City
14:44 one of the strongest contenders in the subcompact sedan segment.
14:47 Anyway, for now, we're just gonna continue driving.
14:50 We're gonna do a few more stops before we get to Manila,
14:55 but from here on, it's the home stretch, and I guess that wraps up our drive.
15:01 [music]
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