EXPERIENCING surprises every once in a while is good for relationships, just like the one Isuzu recently hatched for the motoring media.

It has almost been a year since this writer and her husband had spent time with friends from the motoring media and Isuzu Philippines Corp. (IPC). Popong was invited by IPC to the 2010 Isuzu D-Max Conquers Panay Island event on September 24 to 26, but he didn’t know that I was invited, too. IPC public relations manager Timmy Naval, public relations supervisor Ronald Baladad of IPC and this writer kept it a secret until the last minute at the airport. Anjo Perez of Manila Bulletin was also in on the plan as he picked up this writer’s unsuspecting spouse at around 5:10 a.m. while my sister waited to drive me to the airport several minutes later. After discovering the “conspiracy,” the wide smile on my husband’s face was absolutely priceless.

The adventure truly began when the group flew to Iloilo where we were taken to Isuzu’s 20th and latest addition to its dealership network, where Isuzu Iloilo general manager Rene Tagamolila welcomed the media guests who were accompanied by IPC president Keiji Takeda, executive vice president Yuki Kato, senior vice president Art Balmadrid and product development head Joseph Bautista.

After a sumptuous breakfast, the journalists split into three groups, which took off on different routes to Caticlan—a first in the experience of the motoring media. (Several examples of Isuzu’s vaunted line—the 2010 D-Max, 2010 Crosswind and 2009 Alterra—were shipped to Iloilo courtesy of Negros Navigation for the event.)  The D-Max group took the 277-kilometer west coast route, which visited Miag-ao Church, observed patadyong weavers in Bugasong and passed by Mount Madia-as in Culasi before going on the Bugang River Eco-cruise.

THE artist or writer will always view a piece of infrastructure like the Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) as a thing of beauty—or he is no creative creature at all.

For one, the roadway teems with magnificence that can match the famed world wonders.  At sundown alone, the SCTEx boasts of a breathtaking backdrop of mist-covered mountains and, minus the rains, a soft explosion of vibrant cumulus clouds.

For another, you watch in rapt attention silhouettes breaking through layers, interspersed with shafts of sunlight.  And, if you are chained to the word, you will suddenly find yourself exclaiming with poet Gerald Manley Hopkins: “The world is charged with grandeur!” 

The road revels of man’s innate artistry.

When you reach that portion of the expressway leading to Subic that slices through Mount Jalung, you say, “wow!” and instinctively offer a toast to the SCTEx engineers who, I’m sure, were touched by the muse of poetry—wittingly or unwittingly—when they were themselves busy building their work of immense art.

For, the arts are not the exclusive domain of those who paint or write or sing. Artistry and white magic also touch builders of asphalt and concrete, marketers of products and services, and financial wizards who package a plan to fund such awesome projects.

WHEN the Porsche marque comes to mind, one thinks of their vaunted sports car line.

Whether it’s the 911s, the GT3s, the GT2, the Cayman or the Boxster, the immediate icon in the brain is that of fast, two-door “sleeksters” whizzing around tracks or drifting through mountain roads. Some might want to include the Cayenne SUV, but even citizens of the car company’s country of origin deem it as a false Porsche, despite toting powerful engines, four doors and cargo/people loading ability definitely bigger than that of its sports car brethren. Ironically, the said SUV is the automaker’s all-time bestseller, showing to all and sundry that the manufacturer must diversify its product lineup in order to compete.

Recently Porsche diversification took another step with the arrival of the Panamera, the German car company’s first foray into the four-door saloon market. Built on a platform toting a wheelbase longer than traditional midsize luxury saloons like the BMW 5-Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class but shorter than those of larger sedans like the BMW 7-Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class (the local Panamera’s direct competition), the Panamera breaks the mold for cars bearing the iconic red, black and gold crest.

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SLEEK AND SWIFT When viewed from any angle, the Porsche Panamera looks fast, despite an additional two doors.

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At the rear, the bucket seats can fit six-footers, albeit two only. They can be optioned with eight-way power adjustability, heating, cooling and a refrigerated box—which makes them a legit contender in a market that’s either BMW- or Benz-dominated. On the other hand, the trunk can be accessed via a power hatchback trunk, but space can be a bit wanting—it can fit just four to five medium-sized travel bags without blocking rearward vision.

The Panamera comes in three variants—S, 4S and Turbo—that correspond to drivetrain choice. The bottom end, rear wheel drive Panamera S and the mid-spec/all-wheel-drive Pamanera 4S tote an au naturel (read: naturally aspirated) front-mounted, 400 hp/500 Nm 4.8L V8. On the other hand, the Panamera Turbo’s 4.8L V8 twin turbo puts out an insane 500 hp and 700 Nm of torque, with a manufacturer-claimed zero to 100 kph time of 4.2 seconds.

Despite weighing in at about 1,804 kg (for the naturally aspirated versions) and 1,974 kg (for the Turbo), the saloon is surprisingly nimble. Helped immensely by suspension components all made of aluminum/magnesium alloys—many hollow to save weight. The result is what you’d expect from a Porsche—home on fast roads with sweeping corners, playing in the tight stuff if you insist, but you’re guaranteed to have more fun when the roads begin to unwind. The Panamera’s stopping power is also topnotch, providing the same determined, consistent decelerative force when applied with authority.          

There will always be naysayers, but this iteration of a four-door Porsche is sure to make the sedan experience a lot more fun.