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And to think I already thought Suzuki’s Jimny was (somewhat) rugged (in a nice kind of way). But then came along the Grand Vitara, a somewhat mean-looking/performing vehicle, and, well… I’ll have to do some reconsidering. On the outside, the car actually looks… Spartan (if not – to be very blunt – common). Yes, I’d say that just as expected from Suzuki, this one is also not boxy, and its curves give it a sporty appearance. This is “helped” by the car’s 188mm ground clearance (thank you 17-inch alloy...

That it’s a long-ish vehicle was my first impression of Ertiga, what may well be Suzuki’s take on Chevrolet Spin or Toyota Innova or Toyota Avanza or Honda Mobilio (among others), people-carrier multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs) that ALMOST look like extended hatchbacks (and in some ways are “packaged” as such). And I suppose in many ways this is the very appeal of Ertiga – i.e. that it “looks” like a family (or at least a big group) car without looking staid (say, like a van). On the outside, the Ertiga reminded me of Suzuki’s...

Pretty sexy may not (always) be associated with hatchbacks (HBs); but if HBs can be pretty sexy at all, Suzuki’s Swift may well be one epitome of this. Consider the red (they “officially” refer to this shade as “Blazing Red Metallic”) unit that arrived at my doorstep in Las Piñas. On the outside, the color is a must-mention; it isn’t at all tacky, instead, it’s of a shade that may easily remind one of… that eye-catching outfit worn by THAT “girl in the red dress” in “The Matrix”. It is also not as boxy as, say,...

Butch. The one word to describe Suzuki Jimny. That was my first impression of it, that first time I saw a unit traversing the roads of Tagaytay, seemingly calling for attention as a somewhat masculine – albeit in a cute way – car a la Jeep Wrangler. That word returned to me when the unit to test arrived in Las Piñas. Look-wise (from outside), the Jimny is somewhat of an attention-grabber, with a rugged retro look that could easily remind one of the likes of the early Wranglers or early RAV4 or – perhaps also more aptly – those...

First thought to come to mind when I first saw the Suzuki Celerio 1.0 CVT (unit for testing delivered at Axis Residences in Mandaluyong City): This is one small car. And this, of course, goes without saying, considering that this is a hatchback (HB), what is now a “regular”/“norm” as far as city driving is concerned. Look-wise, the Celerio isn’t necessarily bad looking, even if it’s NOT a traffic-stopping beauty either. The front has sexy angles (i.e. “petite” comes to mind), complete with a grille (with the...

To be blunt, the first time I “encountered” Suzuki Ciaz was through an ad – there, the model unit was tan-colored (apparently they refer to this shade as “Prime Dignity Brown”) that, at any other time, may look okay, but didn’t do it for me because the shade reminded me of (sorry to say this) poop. So it was with abated breath that I waited for the unit to drive test to arrive (at my tita’s place in BF Resort Village in Las Piñas). A white unit (they call the shade “Pearl Snow White”) arrived, and I was pleasantly surprised...

I’ve been using the Fitbit Charge 2 for almost two months now and I must say I think I am more conscious about my physical activities now than before I used the tracker, which is an upgrade of the Fitbit Charge HR.     I haven’t tested the Fitbit Charge HR so I can’t make a comparison but the company says the Fitbit Charge 2’s display is four times larger than its predecessor. I guess the advantage with a bigger screen is you can see more data at a glance and get better notifications from your smartphone. The first thing...

A premium but affordable smartphone. This is how I would sum up my review of the Alcatel Idol 4S that comes with a virtual reality headset.  Clearly, Alcatel is riding on the VR wave because you don’t only get a headset (it’s plastic, not a cardboard headset like Google’s) but an armada of VR games, 360 videos, and photos pre-installed in the phone. The headset has a back and a select button to let you control what you see on the phone’s 5.5-inch quad HD AMOLED display once it’s attached. Because I easily get nauseous, the...