Made in China. Much like the gate behind it, the Chana Benni is made in China, with much-paid attention to aesthetics for a pleasing appearance.

THE official arrival for China-made vehicles was last year, when Chery Cars made a splash with their fuel-efficient yet affordable “econo-mobiles.” But a new kid in the China camp—Chana—made itself known during summer’s Manila International Auto Show, with its Benni subcompact car. Can it transcend the currently negative image of locally available China cars?

                Outside, the look resembles an egg on four wheels, with a front end resembling a squashed 2004 Peugeot 307 and a lopped-off derriere reminiscent of a 2003 Daihatsu Mira. A tinge of sportiness is seen in the 14-inch five-solid spoke rims, and helping the car attract onlookers is the test unit’s energizer yellow paint.

                Inside, plastic silver inserts on the center dashboard, the aircon (A/C) vents nearest the manually adjustable side mirrors, the door armrests and on the five-speed M/T stick break an otherwise matte black colorway. The cloth seats are a bit hard on the back, and plugging anything into the lighter socket is a bit risky. Inserting anything into the said socket doesn’t have a snug fit, popping loose after a while. The body paneling parallel to the driver’s left knee is a bit dislodged, and the foglamp buttons are located four o’clock aft of the A/C vent direction knobs, an unusual location for an exterior lighting switch. Speaking of the A/C, the number fonts on the blower knob are hard to see, with potential to move the knob to a higher blower speed than what you originally intended. Then again, that drawback can be good for dates should the interior get a little colder, especially on rainy nights. 

                Storage, on the other hand, is relatively decent given the interior dimensions. The glovebox is small and the door storage bins are narrow, but the front cupholders can fit a large McDonald’s soda cup and the sole cupholder behind the parking brake accommodates a two-liter Absolute mineral water bottle. The trunk area can handle three large duffel bags and has two storage bins (with netting) that can fit a small ladies’ handbag. Also, the rear backrests fold flat to fit a large maleta plus the aforementioned three large duffel bags. The latches that make the fold-flat feature are hard to find, though, since they’re painted flat black and near the rear wheel arches.

                Surprisingly, the Suzuki-sourced 1.3L is peppy, helped a lot by low power­band entry (2,500 to 2,750 rpm) and small steps between gears. At 2,500 rpm on fifth gear, there’s a whine from the fuel pump that turns into a drone by 3,500 rpm, making it sound like a beat-up AE 101 (1993 to 1997 Toyota Corolla) taxi. The results are pleasing—a 179-kph top speed, 9.20 km/l (two days mixed driving) and 6.73 km/l (two days city driving). 

                The tranny has a lot of quirks, too. The clutch has a stiction that makes gentle inputs tricky. A lot of gas pedal effort is required to get the car forward from rest. First- and second-gear throws are notchy and there’s a lot of shift shock.

                The handling and braking are decent, but also have their share of major quirks. Traction holds up to 90 kph and there’s little body roll, but the ride is a tad firm but not harsh. The steering wanders a lot to the left, highly unusual for a unit that saw 1,200 kilometers before this writer going behind the wheel. The side mirrors are wide, but need a little more height. It’s disconcerting to only see (in full) passenger cars coming up to you, but not utility vehicles. There’s ABS, but it takes a long time to wake up, and the brake pedal travel is a tad long. The good news is that there’s an airbag, but it’s nestled within the steering wheel. It’s a wonder how the Benni passed the Chinese equivalent of the Euro NCAP safety tests.       

                Chana’s company logo is similar to the Star Trek logo. With the Benni, it can proudly say that it has built a car that can rival other subcompact brands. To take a page from Star Trek, the Benni can boldly go where no Chinese subcompact has gone before.

THE official arrival for China-made vehicles was last year, when Chery Cars made a splash with their fuel-efficient yet affordable “econo-mobiles.” But a new kid in the China camp—Chana—made itself known during summer’s Manila International Auto Show, with its Benni subcompact car. Can it transcend the currently negative image of locally available China cars?

SUPERCHARGED!

That’s the way they described the new lineup of vehicles Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. (TMPC) launched on Monday at the A. Venue on Makati Avenue.

There’s still hope for a green world

PEOPLE have witnessed heat waves in Paris and the UK, a tsunami in Phuket, droughts and floods in Eastern Africa, monsoons in India, snow in Buffalo, El Nińo in Southeast Asia, receding glaciers in the Himalayas, as well as recent hurricanes and earthquakes all over the globe.

IF the success of the recent Petron E10 Premium Run held on September 17 and 18 would be used as a gauge, then the newest biofuel-compliant product of one of the biggest local oil companies is expected to be a hit with motorists in the next few weeks.

AS you most probably know by now, Singapore will debut this year as the third country in Asia to host a Formula One Grand Prix—the first two being Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur, 1999) and China (Shanghai, 2004).

WHAT’S with Formula One?  Why does everybody talk about it? What makes it click?

From the man in the street to the corporate exec, from the CEO to the tycoon, F1—particularly the race in Singapore—would be on their lips from today, Friday up to Sunday, when the 14th leg of the World F1 Championship finally roars off to its much-ballyhooed hoopla.