When the Scion brand debuted in 2002, its mission was to appeal to young buyers with stylish cars boasting affordable pricing, abundant customization options and the promise of reliability backed up by the reputation of Toyota, its parent company. Largely missing from that mix, however, has been performance. Now, a decade later, all the right elements have been combined for the all-new 2013 Scion FR-S. Co-developed with Subaru (which makes the twin of the FR-S, the Subaru BRZ), the FR-S ups the performance ante considerably above the Scion tC, the next sportiest car in the Scion family. The FR-S is powered by a 2.0-liter flat-4 ("boxer") engine that sends 200 horsepower to the rear wheels through either a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic transmission. That's not a lot of power for a sporty car nowadays, and suitably, acceleration is merely acceptable. Yet, the FR-S's light weight, compact dimensions, low center of gravity, sublime steering and beautifully balanced chassis add up to enough fun that you won't mind when a Mustang V6 pulls away from you at a traffic light.
The parts are just that much bigger. “Now, everything has special parts. There’s a huge amount of electronics in the door panel,” she tells us, “and the seats are very complicated. We have to develop more systematic solutions for troubleshooting to make sure we know there is a problem. Once the X7 has made it out of the factory and on to the road, it’s clear how far BMW’s SUVs have come. While the original X5 feels luxurious, the advances in technology are clear. But creating a line of SUVs doesn’t mean BMW, and its Spartanburg site, has ignored its social and environmental responsibilities. In 2018, 97 per cent of the plant’s waste was reused, recycled or recovered, and since 2006 the facility’s energy consumption has decreased by 61 per cent. In the X3 assembly hall, BMW has implemented a fleet of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles to deliver parts to the production line. These move around almost silently, and emit nothing but water as they go about their business. So, 20 years after the first BMW sports utility vehicle was produced, Spartanburg is gearing up to build its five millionth car. Given the market’s unceasing appetite for SUVs, that milestone is likely to be just around the corner.
Myk Belmonte and your Ultimate Used Car Guide celebrates it by featuring vehicles produced and assembled in the Filipinos. Our first featured car for this month is a gem made by Filipinos, bet you didn't know this is exported to our ASEAN neighbors. In general, Ford vehicles get low resale values in the Philippines due to their gas guzzling nature (this is technically not true). With that in line, you can have a recent model Lynx in the price ranges of P150,000-P320,000. There are no mechanical changes done, so I advise buyers to focus on the overall condition and standard features available. Modified and abused units are a big no-no, so steer away from these. To tell the truth, cost of maintaining a Ford is not a pain to the wallet. Parts of original, replacement, and third party are accessible, but with this being a discontinued model, expect to wait for some components to arrive. If you're eying for a Ghia variant; check if the power folding side mirrors function, the sunroof operates properly (standard among 2002 and later models), and if the CD changer works.
MAF Sensors are sensitive, especially if the previous owner placed after market air filters or gas saving devices. Describing the Lynx can be either stately looking or executed in a tacky fashion. Pre-2002 models do have 15 inch silver coated rims that can look ugly if it has scratches. While the front portion of the vehicle looks decent to the eyes, the rear area doesn't jive with the rest of the body. 1999-2001 vehicles possess a banana shaped tail lamps that can elicit comments of "awkward looking", this has been remedied in a 2002 update. The luxury car theme continues inside, with the Lynx having a luxury focused interior that even put the Japanese competition into shame. Silver-lined interior trims are standard among earlier models, bronze shaded ones replaced the silver ones in 2002. And the Ghia trim had items reserved for higher priced vehicles that come as standard. A 6-disc CD changer (the iPod and MP3 killed this), a moonroof (just pray it doesn't rain), and leather seating (useless if you live in Tugueguerao). The driver seat padding is much better on post 2002 units, while passengers have ample room in the rear.
