|
WHO said
the stick shift was dead?
Don’t
tell that to Toyota people like Raymond Rodriguez and
Jing Atienza. Formula One freaks themselves, they’d be
the first to tell you the stick shift is here to stay.
In fact,
Toyota has just invested nearly P5 billion in
stick-shift production.
Through
Toyota Autoparts Philippines (TAP), the R-Type manual
transmission production will be augmented at the Toyota
Special Economic Zone in Santa Rosa City, Laguna.
Do you
know that TAP is the global production and supply hub
for manual transmissions of Toyota Motor Corp. (TMC)?
TMC is, of course, the mother company in Japan of all
Toyota networks worldwide.
The new
transmission expansion is a core part of the Toyota IMV
(Innovative International Multipurpose Vehicle) series
vehicles.
I had
the happy experience of driving a stick-shift Altis a
while back; and, boy, what a drive.
It’s
been quite a while since I had handled a manual.
To drive
it again is like diving back into the old town river
where, as a carefree lad, you learned how to swim.
Unmindful of consequences.
Murky,
snarling waters amid the rain.
Dangerous.
No
wonder our Moms and Dads would always warn us not to
swim in rivers.
But boys
will always be boys.
Like
college freshmen, they try everything, including dating
matrons.
Like
renegades gone berserk, they defy orders.
I
continue to defy norms—but, rather, cautiously now. You
get to mellow, indeed, as time goes by.
These
days, you and I must therefore not race our cars or
we’ll be quickly accused of being indifferent to the
times. Racing makes you a gas-guzzler.
These
are, indeed, cruel times caused by the prices of crude
oil that have yet to stabilize at the pump.
The
Altis manual gave me the chance to explore its
much-ballyhooed, brand-new capabilities—not just in
staying power but, more important, in fuel efficiency.
Startlingly enough, the 1.6-liter Altis stick shift was
exceedingly fuel-efficient.
What I
did when cruising Edsa or Commonwealth was to quickly
reach Gear Four. Next, in almost an instant, at 60 to 70
kph, I’d go neutral.
The
gliding, wow, it’s like you are simply floating. The
engine power of Toyota simply gives you a feeling of
contentment.
Fuel
efficiency, in case you haven’t discovered yet, is now
anchored on neutrality. Go neutral as much as possible.
Avoid too much braking. And you’ll cut fuel consumption
by almost half.
This
new-generation Altis has the usual roomy interior. What
I like best in it, though, is its armrest when you are
not shifting.
The
sounds, great!
When you
are used to the “‘matic,” why, the Altis stick shift
wouldn’t be a hassle at all. You could hardly feel the
transition.
But
anyways, haven’t we all been—I mean the baby
boomers—products of the stick shift?
So be a
sport. Try going back to the stick shift. And feel the
difference—all over. Again. |
