Couple wins Suzuki fuel efficiency drive
By LESTER DIZON
Next to passion and great desire, certain qualities drive a man to aspire for new heights.
According to Norihide Takei, Director and General Manager of the Automobile Division of Suzuki Philippines, many of these non-human qualities are inherent in Suzuki vehicles.
After he spoke to thank the motoring media participants at the end of the two-day media drive, he emphasized Suzuki Auto’s three important qualities.
“First and foremost, Suzuki cars are compact, which makes them maneuverable, fun, and easy to drive, especially around the Philippines. Second, Suzuki vehicles are designed to be fuel-efficient, as most of you have proven on this trip. And third, because many people now depend on their cars for mobility, Suzuki cars are reliable.”
These attributes resonated as my wife Shawie and I drove south back to Metro Manila after having a delightful lunch at Souq, a quaint restaurant in San Fernando, Pampanga, which was the last destination of our two-day sojourn from Metro Manila to Bataan and back. Shawie and I were among the thirty-plus motoring media participants invited by Suzuki Philippines for the third installment of their activities to mark their 50th Anniversary in the country.
Suzuki scheduled a media drive for several members of the motoring press to experience the all-new Dzire Hybrid in real-world road conditions.
In the morning of April 29, we gathered at the Suzuki Cars Taguig dealership, where we found 16 brand-new and gassed-up Suzuki Dzire Hybrid GLX CVT units waiting to be driven.
Before the media drive, which was dubbed “Driven by Dzire”, we were briefed by SPH Product Planning and Development Manager Kennedy Adia about the new features and technology designed into their all-new hybrid compact sedan. The power output of the Z12E 1.2-liter 3-cylinder engine is augmented by a 2.19-kilowatt electric motor ISG (integrated starter generator) that is powered by a 0.072 kilowatt-hour (kWh) lithium-ion battery. Sir Ken, as we fondly call him, emphasized that the NHV (noise, harshness, and vibration) technology of the Dzire Hybrid has been improved for driving comfort.
Start Your engines
The media drive started at around 9:30 AM. Shawie and I were assigned to Car #14, a GLX CVT finished in Alluring Blue Pearl Metallic. After familiarizing ourselves with the controls and adjusting the driver’s seat, steering wheel, and mirrors, we strapped ourselves and waited for our turn to drive off the parking lot.
The drive included a fuel efficiency contest, thus some of the more competitive media colleagues immediately drove real slow as we crawled through the heavy traffic around Taguig City, keeping their engine revs and speeds low to save fuel. I asked Shawie if she wanted to do an “Eco Run” and be as competitive as the other participants. Since it was the middle of the summer and the sun was scorching hot, turning off the aircon would be unbearable, while opening the windows would create a lot of wind drag. She smiled at me and joked, “We can try, but let’s keep the aircon on. I don’t want to smear my makeup or mess up my hair. Let’s just have fun!”
Life is a highway
Our convoy of 16 cars immediately broke down once we reached C-5 Road and the East Service Road in Parañaque. Shawie and I followed two other participants up the Nichols Interchange into Sales Road, turning right to Andrews Avenue and making a U-turn to enter the Skyway entry toll booth in front of the NAIA Terminal 3.
We caught the tailend of the morning rush hour traffic until the Skyway’s Buendia exit, after which, it was smooth driving throughout.
I was looking for the fuel consumption display on the instrument panel when Shawie pointed it out. “It’s on the 9-inch touch screen.” Dummy!” Aww…What can I do without her?
The touchscreen displayed a plethora of information, but for the fuel efficiency contest, I kept it on the Fuel Economy display, which showed the range in kilometers, the average fuel economy in kilometers per liter (km/L), and a semi-circular graph that shows the Instantaneous fuel consumption in 10-, 20-, 30-, 40-, and 50-km/L marks.
When we drove off from Suzuki Cars Taguig, our Dzire Hybrid showed an average fuel consumption of 7.5 km/L on the display.
When we crawled in traffic, it increased to 8.6 km/L. However, when cruising smoothly on the highways, we started to average around 16-20 km/L. That only shows how much fuel is wasted when driving in slow, heavy traffic.
Cruise Control + AFE + WIFE
When we exited the Skyway for the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), I began fiddling with the Dzire Hybrid GLX CVT’s cruise control system. I noted how different speeds affected the instantaneous fuel consumption graph. I noted that between 80 to 83 kilometers per hour (km/h), the graph was blue up to between the 30- and 40-km/L mark. When going up inclined roads, it would dip to between the 20- and 30-km/L marks; on downhill portions, it would go full blue up to the 50-km/L mark. Even though Shawie was busy taking photos and videos during the drive, she was curious about my use of the cruise control buttons on the multifunction steering wheel.
After she understood how the fuel economy graph worked, she started watching it. We were still going fairly fast, averaging 80 to 90 km/h. Still, when I needed to move to the leftmost lane to overtake slower vehicles in front, Shawie would warn me that the graph was turning gray, meaning we were consuming fuel at an inefficient rate, thus lowering our average fuel economy (AFE). She kept an eagle eye on the graph and continued to remind me every time it was more gray than blue. I joked that our Car #14 had a feature that none of the other Dzire Hybrid GLX CVTs in our convoy had: Ours had WIFE – Warning Inefficient Fuel Economy, which included a verbal warning and a slap on the nape if the driver (me) did not heed the WIFE.
Getting measured in Bataan
From NLEX, we entered the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) and drove towards the Dinalupihan exit. After exiting the toll booth, we went straight to Mesa Feliz in Balanga, Bataan, for lunch. Once we had our fill, we rested for a while and then drove a few more kilometers to Caltex Diwa-Pilar station along Gov. J.J. Linao Road in Pilar, Bataan, to have our Dzire Hybrid refueled and measured. When we arrived, some participants were having their cars pushed by the Confluence team to the pumps, ensuring no more fuel was consumed.
When it was my turn at the pumps, I started the engine and drove our Car #14 in front of the pump. I thank the Confluence team for their offer to push my car for the sake of the economy run, but I couldn’t, in all conscience, bear to see them drag a 1,400-kilogram car with a hot metal body along with a 170-kg driver and our pieces of stuff under a hot summer afternoon sun. I just told them: “It’s fine. We enjoyed the drive.”
Fun Night at the Beach
After a hearty dinner, the raffle and games started. There were many raffle prizes, of which Shawie and I won a few. Randy Peregrino of Business Mirror won “Best Photo” while Erica De Zuzuarregui of JamesDeakin.Ph won “Best Video Reel”.
And the winner is… All the time, the winners of the raffles, fun games, and contests were announced, Shawie and I applauded, as usual. Sirikit Gavino of the Confluence team laughed at me for using my flip-flop slippers to clap louder. (Blame the Mojitos. – Ed.)
I overheard that someone did 6.98 liters, and I assumed that another, more serious participant did better than that.
The winning car was loaded with 7.11 liters of Caltex fuel, driven for 188 kilometers from Suzuki Cars Taguig to Caltex Diwa-Pilar, and dividing the odometer reading by the amount of fuel garnered a fuel efficiency rating of 26.44 kilometers per liter, much better than the AAP-certified 25.81 km/L.
This meant Shawie and I were the Fuel Efficiency Winners of the event.
What a great way to end a fun day!
