I have observed a lot of people in forums asking “Kaya po ba umakyat ng Baguio?”. It seems that most drivers are having second thoughts whether their cars can climb up high places in the Philippines especially in the province. What options do we have?
Your Options
It doesn’t really matter what car you choose for the purpose of frequent driving to high or elevated roads and places. As long as you have a powerful engine and well-maintained parts, your car can pull you up no matter what.
Toyota Wigo
This small car is able to climb various places in the country as indicated in most car forums and sites. Baguio, Tagaytay and Balamban, Cebu are no match for its climbing power. With some baggage and two passengers, Wigo can truly go high places.
Honda All New BR-V
There was a showcase trip to Baguio to show off the vehicle’s capability. With the 1.5 L engine and DOHC, it was no sweat to reach the country’s summer capital. The CVT transmission did not have any problems even on changing elevations of the Asin-San Pascual route which is more challenging than the usual Marcos Highway trip.
Mitsubishi Montero Sport
If you have the budget, why not get an SUV? The Montero Sport is an ever reliable SUV and you can bring it along to higher uphill provinces with ease. Its main advantage is the spacious cabin which means you can bring along your friends and family. It has Active Stability and Traction Control system (ASTC) which is ideal for winding roads and uphill driving.
Places
There are elevated provinces in the Philippines. In Luzon alone, you can find the Mountain Province, Benguet (Baguio City), Tagaytay in Cavite and some parts of Rizal. All these places have higher elevation parts where cars can have difficulty climbing.
What Should I Look For?
If you are living in the city and would like to go home to your province or even for an out of town trip, you may want to consider these factors if your place is elevated or is higher than the usual flat area.
Engine Power
Of course, the more powerful your engine is, the better it can pull up the car and passengers upward on an elevated road. In this case, an average of 1.5 L to 2.0 L engine displacement would be ideal. horsepower will also contribute to the capacity to climb.
Weight
Some people are worried that smaller hatchback cars will not be able to climb Baguio or Tagaytay at the very least. This thinking is baseless since all types of vehicles can do it as long as they are in good condition and the driver is skillful.
In fact, these lightweight cars may have an advantage in climbing since the mass will not be a contributory factor to gravitational drag. Of course, it depends on whether you have cargo and the number of passengers.
Tips: For manual transmission, shifting to 1st gear is ideal when climbing uphill according to Wikihow. For automatic, one may shift to D1 or D2 if they are available. Otherwise, the car itself will simply shift to what is best depending on your driving condition.
This is what I personally like about automatic transmission cars because it is less of a problem when going to higher places.
What car are you eyeing for your next trip up?