|
THE
legendary Henry Ford has said it himself: “I am not an
inventor, I am an innovator.”
Although
he is the acknowledged king of the motorcar, Ford was
also known as among those who pioneered in building
America’s freeway in the early 1900s.
Ford
never admitted it, but common sense tells us that he
labored to help make the American freeway a reality so
that his car business would flourish.
No road,
no car empire to dream of.
Presidents listened to Ford’s innovative genius and, as
the rest of the Western world reeled in the depression
era in the ’20s, America was busy constructing the
freeway all across America, making it the engineering
marvel of the century.
America,
if not the world, is forever indebted to Ford.
It is
amid this backdrop that Ford vehicles today are among
the most sought-after worldwide. Every Ford ride carries
with it the indelible label of undiminished pride of
quality transcending a lifetime 10 times over.
Recently, I bumped into Glenn Dasig, the dapper Ford
honcho, at the Top Gear third anniversary at
Silver City
and, without batting an eyelash, he surprised me with,
“How about driving our Ford Explorer for a week?”
“Wow! An
Explorer,” I said to myself. I’ve seen one being driven
a while back by a good friend of mine, Commo. Danny
Pizarro, the former president of the Riviera Golf Club.
And it looked cool. The commodore said he adores it like
his putter!
“Why,
I’m flattered,” I said to Glenn.
“Ikaw
pa,” he said.
In two
weeks, the Explorer was right at my doorstep.
I wasted
no time. I hopped into it, drove it around the city and,
in just a few minutes of city cruising, I was sold.
It is a
magnificently handsome SUV with the
Hollywood machismo of a Sylvester Stallone. Yet, it drives like
a car.
The
Explorer is a wondrous heavyweight like Muhammad Ali,
but it soars like a power-packed featherweight like
Manny Pacquiao.
I am a
motorman who is not very particular with looks, although
this is not to say that the Explorer is not as
attractive as a head-turner metal like, say, a Honda
CR-V or a Prado or even a Pajero. Sure, it’s elegant
and dignified all at the same time—but still, I always
go for performance, never the perorations of physical
beauty.
 The
Explorer, also known as the Eddie Bauer 4x2, is action,
all power, from take-off to cruise control.
I love
everything fast as I do things fast, too, except eating
and drinking. I love to enjoy my meals, as every meal
to me is almost a celebration. I nurse my drink as
though it’s my poetic muse.
But I
write fast. And I admit I acquired the habit from
constantly being chased by newspaper deadlines since I
became a Bulletin sportswriter in 1974.
I pushed
this Explorer, one of America’s bestselling SUVs of all
time, to its limits. It survived me before I found out
later that its second-generation independent rear
suspension was the key: It tackled rough terrain and
uneven road surfaces with flying colors.
With its
four-wheel independent suspension monotube shocks
ensuring a jolt-free ride, I likewise found the
Explorer’s 4.0L SOHC V6 engine pumping out 210 hp and
344 Nm of torque to my liking—especially in full speed.
With its five-speed floor shift automatic transmission,
the V6 meets strict Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle II
standards.
Inside
this lovable monster, I found an audio input jack that
made it easy for me to listen to my MP3 player,
embellished by a six-CD changer. And do you know that
you can stuff in 3,500 lb into this hunk, with leather
seats to boot for seven people aboard?
It’s a
bit pricey (P2 million+), yes, but for the capable, the
Explorer is a value-for-money buy. As I keep saying,
quality has always been expensive.
I know
it’s a hard-to-get hunk for us ordinary mortals, but for
the well-heeled and the new rich, this is one Ford babe
worth owning. |
