12 Best Things I Love about Piolo & Mandy, our Ford Everest

1.  Power.  This is very important to me since we always go on road trips and traverse the highway.  I need surges of power for overtaking and speed runs.  Piolo never fails to impress.  Even at top speed, i can still punch on the gas and go much faster.  Piolo is a 2014 M/T Ford Everest 4x2.  I've wanted him since 2012 but settled on getting a Ford Focus coz I'm a cheapskate...but I just couldn't let it go!  So at the end of 2014 we finally purchased him, right before they rolled out the new model/body.

2.  Seats.  Of all the SUVs I've ridden in, Ford has the widest and most comfortable seats.  This is very important especially for our epic road trips that have us driving around 8-12hrs/day.  The front seat needs to fit a person and his or her full-sized pillow.  When city driving, I'd like to be able to put my bag right beside me.  

3. Tray table and cup holders.  We love eating in the car to save time...or we just love eating, period.  This vehicle has 10 cup holders (including those on the doors)!!!  I appreciated this even more when I rode a small car recently.  It's so hard to move and do anything else when there's a cup on your hand.  How can I eat fried chicken while I'm holding a cup in a moving car? :)  The tray table infront of the passenger seat acts like a buffet table slash oven where we place fries while eating our burger or leave some food to be heated by the sunlight.  

4.  Maintenance.  I haven't had any problems with Piolo.  I only go to the casa for his scheduled maintenance.  I compared this to other (branded) SUVs of people I know and they seem to be spending more.  They are the same age, or even newer than Piolo, but already needed their aircon, brakes, or some other parts changed.  They say maintaining other brands are much cheaper but I look at the bigger picture.  Ford may have a higher service fee but: 1. not as often as other brands and 2. parts last longer.  I can't help but rave about Ford because of Mandy, my husband's 2007 M/T Ford Ranger XLT 4x2.  Mandy was with us from 2007 till 2015 through a lot of our epic road trips and NEVER did it break down on us inspite of it not going through periodic and proper maintenance.  Mandy was truly used and lovingly abused....city traffic, highway speed, rough terrains, uphills, stream (That's right, no S, once only.  I often need to remind my husband it's not a 4x4).  

5.  Diesel consumption.  On a good day (no traffic), Piolo runs at 11km/L.  Even in traffic or whenever we stay in the car just to bask in the a/c, consumption doesn't go too far from that. 

Mandy somewhere going up Mt. Pulag / Piolo in Baler

6.  Riding comfort.  It all started with Mandy...Out of all the pick-ups I've ridden before, the Ranger was the least bumpy.  Because of this, I assumed Piolo's ride will be even better because it has a different suspension system and heavier.  And so it is!  I also got to compare this with other SUV brands (newer models and even of higher specs) and Piolo is still the best.  I'd feel sleepy whenever I take long trips on other SUVs and tell my husband it felt like I was being swayed side to side like riding a boat.  He says it's the body roll and that even he doesn't feel 100% safe maneuvering those vehicles because they didn't feel as stable as Piolo.  Please note that whenever I mention other SUVs, I am referring to those that are in the same class/level/price range as the Everest.

7.  Aircon.  Piolo's aircon is really good.  It keeps the entire vehicle cold enough even when jampacked on a hot day.  I also love the multi-directional aircon grilles that I can easily rotate, adjust or close.  

8.  Space.  It's sooooo spacious!  From leg room to head room, length, and width, it's a sure winner!  Whenever I check out cars in a showroom my first question is, kakasya ba pinto sa loob?  That's not a joke.  Bruce (my Ford Focus) can accommodate a door by folding the backseat and passenger seat, same goes for my car before that.  My profession often requires me to load big or a lot of items in my car so I really need all that space.  Instead of relying on the delivery system of some stores, being able to load some furniture/items in my car makes things faster.  And have you seen our height?  We need the leg room!  Space is the major reason why I did not wait for the 2015 model.  Viewed it again 2 weeks ago and as soon as I got in, no, no, seriously, no.

9.  Side mirrors.  The side mirrors are huuuge!  Makes things a LOT easier.

10. Easy to clean.  I love how boxy it is!  I love big, boxy cars in general, with some exceptions.  These boxy cars usually equate to roomier interiors that are so easy to clean inside out.  It's so easy to vacuum Piolo because of the folding seats and roominess, that I don't have to be in an awkward position to reach every nook and corner.  

    

11.  Customer Service.  From the very first time I walked in the showroom, to purchasing, pickup, and maintenance, I highly applaud Ford Global...from our agent who took care of everything, to the periodical check-up reminders, and mechanics.  This is truly the service that had us coming back to the same branch and agent for other friends', family's, and our succeeding purchases.  My husband and I got to use another pick-up brand last year and really fell inlove with it.  But after seeing and experiencing their service center, forget it.        

12.  Interiors and dashboard.  Honestly, the dashboard isn't as hi-tech or streamlined as the newer models.  I would rather have beige than gray interiors.  This is where nostalgia and being sentimental kick in...Piolo and Mandy's interiors and dashboard look exactly the same!  So many miles and memories were made with Mandy, who was there with us since day one.  We paid much attention to the journey, not just the destination.  I can't imagine driving thousands of kilometers using a vehicle that's anything less.  So, really, the best thing about Piolo is how much it sets the tone of future road trips to come by reminding us of how carefree we used to be.