Foton, anyone ?

[renzo_d10]

[SIZE=1]disclaimer : i have no plans in purchasing one.
[SIZE=2]
I've been seeing a lot around lately. MPX, View, Blizzard.

And upon reading reviews these quite do well. Blizzard ( 2.8L 4JB1 Isuzu engine. CRDi )

The View ( 15-seater ) & the Blizzard ( pick-up 4x4 ) only sell for 800k++ while the MPX AFAIK is priced at 1-1.1M
[/SIZE][/SIZE][SIZE=1][SIZE=2]
And apparently, the view is being used as an ambulance by PCSO. [/SIZE][/SIZE]

Are these cars reliable enough ? And can be considered as one of the first few China-made cars who are being trusted already by few filipinos ?

[tidus1203]

The MMDA is a huge customer of Foton... They buy the Blizzard pick-up...

[ecozone]

The PCSO - Foton ambulance fleet deal happened during GMA administration..

I wonder if if that kind of deal will be allowed by the present aministration...

[uls]

magaling dumiskarte sa gobyerno ang distributor ng Foton hehe

[_Qwerty_]

hmm parang foton na din yung pinamimigay ni Willy R sa show nya diba..

[locoroco777]

[SIZE=1]disclaimer : i have no plans in purchasing one.
[SIZE=2]
I've been seeing a lot around lately. MPX, View, Blizzard.

And upon reading reviews these quite do well. Blizzard ( 2.8L 4JB1 Isuzu engine. CRDi )

The View ( 15-seater ) & the Blizzard ( pick-up 4x4 ) only sell for 800k++ while the MPX AFAIK is priced at 1-1.1M
[/SIZE][/SIZE][SIZE=1][SIZE=2]
And apparently, the view is being used as an ambulance by PCSO. [/SIZE][/SIZE]

Are these cars reliable enough ? And can be considered as one of the first few China-made cars who are being trusted already by few filipinos ?

kung maalala mo before bro....nagkaron ng promotion ang Foton parang trade up something scheme....ang narinig ko dun is sobrang taas daw ng pagkaka appraise dun sa mga auto nung mga owners na nakipag trade in...some are up to the point daw na parang direct buyer yung appraisal price but I'm not sure about its validity nakwento lang kasi sakin hehe....so madami siguro kumagat dun....sana lang hinde sila nagsisi-si ngayun....

[renzo_d10]

hmm parang foton na din yung pinamimigay ni Willy R sa show nya diba..

Yup. Foton View. 15-seater. 888k as per research.

kung maalala mo before bro....nagkaron ng promotion ang Foton parang trade up something scheme....ang narinig ko dun is sobrang taas daw ng pagkaka appraise dun sa mga auto nung mga owners na nakipag trade in...some are up to the point daw na parang direct buyer yung appraisal price but I'm not sure about its validity nakwento lang kasi sakin hehe....so madami siguro kumagat dun....sana lang hinde sila nagsisi-si ngayun....

External appearance, Foton's aren't that bad. Projector headlamps paired with a big set of headlights. A big grille probably to have a better ventilation ... with a touch of chrome. Interior bits seem okay too, wooden trims, tall backrests for the rear chairs. And for the Foton blizzard, the center console looks like it was from a Ford ( long aircon vents )

According to autoindustriya's review on the Blizzard, the pull seems okay. The power is adequate and is worth the money. However, downside is the idling's kinda bad for a CRDi ... more like of it's powered by an old-school diesel engine.

And atleast, the MPX looks better than the Stavic ...

Here's an excerpt taken off from C!'s review of Foton's ...

It is hard to ignore the Foton Blizzard especially PhP860,000 for this 4x4 variant.

But aside from the price point, and when the road gets rough and the load gets heavy, the Foton Blizzard is a reliable beast of burden.

This MPX has a pair of captain seats that replace the standard bench of the second row. These are fully adjustable and rotate to allow a face-to-face, conference style arrangement. Even with all the seats facing forward, leg room is generous. The rear seat is still a bench and will comfortably sit up to four people. As a top-of-the-line model, all the seats are covered in leather.

Driving the MPX on the highway is where I felt the power from the CRDi turbo diesel engine most. Overtaking was easy; and I hit 130 km/h, even filled with passengers, with no problems. The engine is still on the noisy side; similar to older diesels. I also had to put a little effort in shifting as the stick didn’t slide smoothly into gear. The ABS brakes at times felt inconsistent. Sometimes I’d step on the brakes with little effort, and at other times need to stomp a little harder. The ride however, was very smooth and stable. Even when I suffered a flat on the driver side front tire I hardly noticed any change in the stability.

Keep in mind however that it's still made by China. And unless I don't hear lots of positive reviews about their cars, if I had the money ... I won't still be considering one. On the other hand, if they have successfully met the standards of the " filipino's " then these cars isn't a bad alternative after all.

[uls]

for now, China brand vehicles pwede na pang company service

pang personal not yet

[renzo_d10]

for now, China brand vehicles pwede na pang company service

pang personal not yet

remember the fleet of qq's ? yung sa coke ?

coca-cola initially ordered 500 units, but they canceled half.

kasi yung first 250 that was delivered to them had different sorts of problem on the first few months of ownership.

[eggman]

Sponsor ng Willing Willie ang Foton..Nagpapamigay sila ng Foton View na 15 seater van(based sa LWB na Hiace).Marami-rami narin akong nakikitang Foton MPX sa roads lately so may mga bumibili talaga nyan.

Aircon nya ay Sanden AFAIK..May plans ang local distributor nito na gumawa ng local assembly plant sa Subic by next year or so.

[uls]

remember the fleet of qq's ? yung sa coke ?

coca-cola initially ordered 500 units, but they canceled half.

kasi yung first 250 that was delivered to them had different sorts of problem on the first few months of ownership.

yep dami nga QQ na coca cola

anyway, yung pricing kasi ng China cars and commercial vehicles somewhere in between japan surplus price and brand new Korea/Japan price

before China brands entered the market, companies would either buy Japan surplus or brand new Korea/Japan as service vehicles

the entry China brand gave companies another choice

on paper, it makes sense to by a brand new vehicle if the price of the new vehicle isnt far from the price of Japan surplus

kaya madami companies bumili ng China brand new

eh sirain pala

kaya di parin matatalo ng China brand new ang Japan surplus

[Big_daddy]

The 4x2 Blizzard looks ok enough, but still not enough to convince me to buy a China brand car

[maranello]

we're now a happy owner of a blizzard 4x2, it is now part of our fleet
I'll share some pro's and cons
let's start with the positive: the pick up is sturdy and able to handle heavy payloads, the aircon is cold, it has better rear seat space than a ford ranger/mazda b series, lots of accessories, very fuel efficient,strong headlights and good power delivery

on the negative side: the ride is SUPER bumpy, diesel engine noise mimics that of a 10 wheeler truck, tinny sounding stereo and inaccurate interior/exterior temperature reader on the rear view mirror, cheap interior plastics

so far no regrets that we bought it over hilux j/dmax lt for hauling construction stuff

[Fotonista]

Good day Everyone, first post here and I am an owner of a Blizzard 4X2 NA. It's been with me for 1562 Kms (as per reading) and here's my own review (not an expert) of the pickup.

First Glance:

When I first saw the Blizzard (2009 Model) I fell in love with it's modern yet "macho" look. Exterior looks sturdy, front face looks modern with it's clear headlamp paired with a projector lamps and fog lamps on the bumper, chrome grill (big vent). Side profile not bad also as the signal lamp on the side view mirror adds a cool touch. Though nothing fancy on the rear except for the fog lamps and backing sensor. What I don't like about it is the cheap looking rollbar which they removed on the 2010-2011 model (thank goodness).

Interior has a lot of room for the driver as well as the passengers (ample leg room in front and back seat). Driver door controls are based on the D-Max design (windows, door locks, side view mirror). Steering is sturdy, covered with leather and the top part has a wood finish. Instrument Panel is semi digital and quite bright (which can be adjusted to your taste via it's rolling knob). Entire dashboard is also satisfactory with it's control that are easy to identify, though it's plastic material is not a top notch on my list as it looks in between (Not too cheap nor too expensive). Airconditioning is very good, though the digial temp reading on the rear view mirror is not that accurate. Entire cabin can be cooled in less than a minute on a hot noontime. Front seats are ok (not too good nor too bad) Leather seat is crap (so I am off to getting it dressed with a leather seat cover, care to reco anyone?), rear seats are to upright. Shifter has a wood finish also that matches the steering, height is perfect for me as I rest my elbow on the carpeted center armrest (which is a two part compartment). Glove compartment is really just for Gloves and the manual (Or maybe I am just used to sedan's glove compartment). Audio system has a 2 DIN CD/MP3/WMA/Radio/SD/5 pin Mini USB player with 4 door speakers which I call CRAP (I'd rather listen to an iPod playing on built-in speakers).

First Drive:

Before the purchase, I test drive their 4X4 Turbo variant and power is indeed felt. Hitting Macapagal *150km/h is easy on this 2.8L engine and braking is not hard as well with 5 passengers. Handling is quite responsive and easy. Downside to it is the bumpy ride which rattle the hell in me (worst for the rear passengers). But according to them, the 4X2 NA variant has a softer ride than the stiff 4X4 turbo to compensate for it's spec.

The salesperson recommended the 4X2 NA variant since I'll be using it mostly for city driving (and it's the only variant I can afford, ha ha). Bought it at 673K and no regrets so far. Fuel consumption is also very good, I was able to run 724km on my first full tank (46.32L) which is about 15.6km/L and 701.25km on my second full tank (42.5L), roughly 16.5km/L. So far, fastest that I've pushed this is 130km/h *3500++ rpm, haven't really maxed-out it's potential, I'll probably try it on sctex one of these days. Utility vehicle with a sedan tag price running on diesel, I am very happy with it!

I got the same comment from my relatives and friends when we bought our first korean car 11 years ago: Naku, matagtag yan, kalampagin, sirain ang piyesa, mababa resale value, etc. etc. I don't care before, and definitely don't care now... It's what I can afford and it's me who's going to use it. Our "kalampagin-sirain-low resale value" korean car lasted 11 years with minimal issues, parts are widely available up until now, gave me more than 200,000 kms, brought me to different places, surpassed the Pagudpud to Manila non-stop drive several times and was able to sell it at a good price. For me, it's all about how you take care of your car kahit saan pa gawa yan, as long as you follow the basic rules in car maintenance, it will not give you headache. Siguro for those who can afford those expensive make and models this one is a turn-off, for me it's more than enough (what can I do, I'm a cheap bastard )

I proved them wrong with my Korean compact, hopefully I'll prove them with this Chinese hauler. Only problem ko for now is the available accessories... I can't find any bed liner or flat bed cover and rain visor kasi wala daw kasukat (discriminated?).

[niky]

The first buyers of Foton pick-ups complained about the quality of the body and equipment. There were also questions about the engines, though they already offered "Isuzu" engines even back then.

The use of Isuzu compatible engines in the current Fotons at least ensure that those parts won't be too difficult to find, but Foton's quality is hit-and-miss. The View is absolutely prehistoric. The MPX is actually good enough. The Blizzard is very utilitarian, but the quality of those we've driven is better than the View, and since the body is light, it's quite nippy, despite the low output of the engines.

The thing I don't like are the weak brakes, the poor brake proportioning valving and lack of ABS. It's way too easy to lock up the rears on the View when it's unladen, which may cause accidents. The Blizzard is more stable and the MPX is unaffected by these issues.

[biscuit]

mabuti n din naman n may mga chinese car brand n pumasok dito s atin at least may mapagpipilian n tayong mga cheap bastard(as fotonista said)..kailangan lng talaga sa ngayon ay magtanong s mga tsikoteers car experts!!

[renzo_d10]

ha-ha. Your review is more than enough as well. You clearly managed to tell the pros & cons of the vehicle, which I wasn't expecting from you since at first I though you were just another biased freak praising your car. :hysterical: For that, well done sir.

You could try seatmate or leder interia for your leather/ette needs. They can upholster all seats according to your preference.

Oh by the way, can you share some pictures of your loved ride ?

[Fotonista]

Will post some pics of my pickup once I've had the time to take one. I forgot to mention pala, on my 1000km checkup, I told them about the problem with my hard starting from time to time (especially pag mainit yung panahon), they immediately changed the fuel pump assembly kasi sabi nila yun daw ang cause of the problem.

Also, the 1st batch of the 2011 units of Blizzard use a "china" brand of batteries, I told them that sometimes I am having issues with the dome light flickering, pinalitan nila ng Motolite Gold yung batteries, sabi kasi ng chief mechanic nila baka daw magka problem pa in the future, mabuti na mapalitan na (so far nawala yung flickering ng dome light).

* Sir Renzo, san yung leather interia? Probably a bit OT, pero any good upholster you know that is near Marikina Area?

Thanks.

[OTEP]

If its isuzu based maybe the ironman and old man emu suspension kit will work on it? Medyo pricey nga lang.

[kramterrag]

Engine-wise, ok naman ung hatak ng blizzard. Mejo kelangan lang talaga i-fine tune ung performance. wala pa ko masyado idea kung ano solution for the NVH level. Maingay nga tlaga sa cabin at ramdam ung vibrations sa steering wheel, pedals and shift knobs and matigas ung suspension. Next plan for my unit is to install sound deadeners and a good sound system para mabawasan ung noise sa loob ng cabin.

baka may mga inputs po kayo mga bossing kung pano i-fine tune si foton blizzard ^_^
all suggestions will be greatly appreciated.