Ssangyong Stavic Thread

**pup2** · March 16th, 2008 07:13 PM

OK, so we don't have the best looker around. Pero saan ka pa hahanap ng fully loaded, true people carrier with reliable CRDi engine (at tranny/suspension), flexible seating, and a cargo capacity of almost 1 ton?

Not to mention cost doesn't come anywhere near 1.5M -- so we have more money for customization with a whole lot of change to boot!

Kung wala mang ibang meron nito dito, at least ma inform ko kayo about ours.

Matagal kami naghahanap ng pamalit sa Gen 3 Starex namin -- mahigit 1 year! Ang dahilan ay madami kaming hanap sa aming people/cargo carrier. Una, sawang sawa na kami sa itsura ng Starex na gen 3 kasi pangalawa na namin yun. Pangalawa, dapat matipid na diesel siya at may ilong (out na ang hiace). Pangatlo, dapat flexible din ang seating niya, comfortable, at kumpleto ng features at accessories -- siyempre value for money din (out na ang Gen 4 Starex). At lastly, dapat nakaka karga din siya ng cargo over 800 kgs for certain cargo needs.

Ayun, ang natira Grand Kia Carnival at itong Stavic. Ang problema sa Carnival 700 kgs or below lang ang karga at dahil pricey din yung 'Grand' version, na out na din.

So detalye na lang ang kulang sa Stavic. Ang problema isa lang ang kulay nila na gusto ko -- yung dark blue. Kaso, ubos na daw yung AT. Mabuti may MT pa. So after a bit of haggling yun na kinuha namin for less than 1.2M -- yung AT kasi plus 50K yata eh driver naman kadalasan gagamit.

So far, so good. Mas maganda daw ang ride niya kesa sa Starex namin and while the power is a bit less, so is the diesel consumption at 7.5 (Our Starex rates about 6-7).

The inital 2 service intervals are pretty affordable also at the casa for only 3K pero I heard yung 3rd daw is much higher at 10K ... ano kaya yun?

Sa laki ng natipid ko, nagpakabit kami ng 9.3" wide-screen DVD with TV Tuner na ang control ay nasa dash kasama ng CD/Radio HU.

Kayo, ano feedback (o tanong) ninyo?

**pup2** · March 19th, 2008 03:28 AM

Walang ibang may Stavic dito? Aww,

Anyhow, I drove it for the first time and it was great! Lakas ng engine (stronger than the Gen 3 Starex CRDi), ganda ng NVH, and even the lighting and A/C were cool (pardon the pun). Its backup sensor even indicates actual distance instead na beeps lang.

Other than the looks (which I hope to someday be able to remedy), my only beef so far is the foot-operated parking brake! It makes hanging situations for MT's doubly tough. And I'd mistaken the bonnet release for the brake release twice already!

**pup2** · March 27th, 2008 07:07 PM

Brought our stavic to Baguio for the 1st time. Our driver is now a FAN! The 260 lbs-ft of torque enabled him to zip by just about anyone he wanted to uphill (except for my cuv, of course). Also, the fuel consumption improved to 9 kms/liter.

Hindi pa din masanay with the foot brake, though. Kaya namamatayan minsan pag standing start uphill.

Wala namang masabi ang passengers sa ride -- kahit ako. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the 2nd row passengers get 3-pt ELR seatbelts! The AC's not as cold as our Gen 3 Starex though -- or maybe the dark color also contributed to that. Sabi sa Mythbusters kasi up to 10 degrees ang epekto ng kulay eh. I should've remembered that in choosing a color. Then again, they didn't really have that many to choose from.

**pup2** · April 6th, 2008 05:27 PM

Just took our Stavic on a Bulacan-Pagudpod-Baguio-Bulacan loop. First off, the ride IS pretty darn good. Not as good as my FXT but at least 1st time ko nag Pagudpod na hindi sumakit ang likod ko.

Gabi kami umalis so the trip there was a breeze -- comfy, fast, and cool (buti na lang dahil may sipon ako). Had a good couple of days stay then off to Baguio about 10 am. Unfortunately, pagdating ng Candon, there was a tobacco festival! Stuck in noonday traffic for over an hour REALLY made me wish I got a lighter color coz that AC was stretched to the limit, specially since di namin matodo ang fan dahil it aggravates my cold.

Thankfully, we got through there and got up to Baguio where the van's strength really comes out. And we found that the FC has improved to 9 kms/liter! despite the uphill climb AND the hour-long traffic.

So potential buyers, I suggest you get the lighter colors -- there'd hardly be a drawback kung ganun.

**pup2** · April 12th, 2008 04:58 PM

Update ulit. Madami dami na akong nakikitang Stavic sa street! Just yesterday, I saw 2! One on EDSA near SM City and one on Ortigas Ave. near Medical City. Mga non-tsikot EFG4HSOC members? hehehe.

Our FC has stabilized at 9 kms/liter under almost any circumstance. Not bad for a 5-cylinder diesel with such power and torque -- much better power AND FC compared to our Gen 3 Starex.

Also, napalamig na namin ang AC!! Sobrang lamig na ngayon na number 2 is more than enough in summer traffic! Apparently, it has 2 really fine-mesh filters behind the glove compartment. Tinanggal pareho and voila! Super strong cooling power. Sabi naman nung AC mechanic, puwede naman daw wala dahil yung mga non-MB naman talaga wala nun eh.

Pero gusto ko pa din meron kahit 1 lang na hindi masyado fine mesh kaya pinag eexperimentuhan nung driver namin ngayon. I'll update once we've found a happy compromise.

**pup2** · May 8th, 2008 04:12 PM

No problems to report. I just wanted to say ang dami ko na nakikitang Stavic sa road ngayon! I see one almost everyday, and sometimes 2. The newer ones have bolt-on accessories to distract people from the ugly butt but I bet the discount is less now.

It's nice that more are discovering this cool new van. Sadly, few, if any are members here.