Class of 2016: The best vehicles we drove the past year

The past year was a busy one for local auto dealerships as they welcomed several new models to their fold.

Confident with their vehicles, these auto dealerships made sure the Cebu Daily News motoring team was able to test their latest models for a weekend.

Here are the 12 vehicles we liked over the past 12 months:

1. All-new Honda Civic RS Turbo. We fell in love with the 2016 Car of the Year-Philippines and we need just two words to explain why: Honda. Turbo.

2. Volkswagen Jetta. Nothing flashy about this compact but we realized its simplicity and elegance is its forte.

3. All-new Kia Sportage. Bold and beautiful, this crossover turned heads the whole time we had it.

4. All-new Toyota Fortuner. Considered one of Toyota’s top-selling vehicles in the region, this multipurpose vehicle got better. We expect this to rule the segment again.

5. Facelifted Chevrolet Trailblazer. Chevrolet updated its looks so this powerful beast can now compete better with the current crop of SUVs.

6. All-new Hyundai Elantra. Bringing us to a plush resort up north to test this compact sedan was impressive. Driving the vehicle was just as good.

7. All-new Honda BR-V. We got first crack at this 7-seater in Cebu. We think this will sell well in the coming years.

8. Volkswagen Touran. This premium MPV has got some attitude and should make a perfect family car.

9. All-new Toyota Fortuner. This much-awaited second generation lived up to its lofty billing. No wonder it’s starting to dominate the streets again.

10 Facelifted Chevrolet Colorado. Just like its SUV counterpart, the Trailblazer, this workhorse of a pickup truck will still sell well against a tough cast of competitors.

11. Mahindra Scorpio. That the Philippine National Police chose this as their patrol cars already says much about this SUV.

12. Mahindra Enforcer. We underestimated this pickup truck, to be honest. It’s very basic but it certainly gets the job done, trust us.

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