The month of June being a busy month is a surefire hell of a month for a home-based self-employed dad like me. This month took up most of my time preparing the kids to go back to school after a two-months vacation but unlike the month of May, June is aimed to be dads’ month by way of celebrating Father’s Day. As this is a busy month for a hands-on parent like me, celebrating Father’s Day in June seems to have escaped my mind due to other priorities and there is an always lingering question why Fathers Day is set in June and not on April so as to have more free time with the kids because its summer vacation months like the Mother’s Day on May.
Being a busy dad as a full-time small auto shop entrepreneur and a content provider for a fast-growing media publication, the simple eventful surprises on this occasion is nice to have especially when you don’t expect it and it comes as surprise. A week ago before Father’s Day, I received a message both from my editor-in-chief and Ford’s PR team that I will have a haircut and pampering with my favorite son in a posh men’s saloon in Makati while they lend me another variant of the Ford Everest as my travel companion for the great weekend ahead.
The pampering with my 17-year-old son Jerald happened at Felipe and Sons in Leviste, Salcedo Village, Makati when Ford Philippines booked us a “Cut and Rinse” package. It was fitting perk given by Ford as it is quite evident that Jerald and badly needed a haircut since we were both busy as auto mechanics and car restorers guys.
Felipe and Sons Barberdashery is an establishment that caters to all the grooming and styling needs of the modern gentlemen. A place where a man could get a proper shave and a clean haircut, fit a well-tailored suit and a crisp white shirt, and maybe enjoy a glass of fine whiskey, or if too early, a cup of freshly brewed coffee. Their barbers and tailors have been carefully selected not just for mastery of their respective crafts, but more importantly, for their attitudes. In the course of my haircut experience, I asked the barbers the meaning of Felipe and Sons, and they said, “Felipe is the Philippines, and we are all his sons. Just like our fathers before us, and their fathers before them. The heritage gave the shop the inspirations as we remember our fathers and grandfathers as models of propriety, in how they acted and in how they dressed. As a barbershop and haberdashery, Felipe and Sons stand to safeguard this heritage. Just as all dutiful sons are expected to.“
The hair-pampering took an hour to finish for both of us as Father and Son package and the experience is quite relaxing and soothing. Evident in our photos that the Father’s Day gift given to us by Ford Philippines is so much rewarding that from now on we are now interested to do our hair maintenance in Makati despite its worrisome traffic and lack of adequate parking spaces to park on.
Father’s Day celebration is not complete without the Ford Everest. For this Father’s Day weekend, we were afforded to drive a different variant which is the Trend 2.2-liter 4×2 AT. We drove the Ford Everest in along Daang Hari and Muntinlupa and showed the car to my own dad who happens to own and still maintain a 1st-generation Ford Everest.
The Trend has a smaller 2.2-liter diesel powertrain compared to the Titanium 3.2-liter 4×4 AT which we tested previously, but driving it in city roads does not really expose many differences in terms of power and maneuverability. It still pulls strongly from the low to mid rpm ranges, which means it does not need to be revved hard in order for this heavy SUV to move.
With a starting price of 1,718,000, it is still one of the most well-equipped SUVs out there, featuring dual-zone climate control, 8-inch SYNC3 touch screen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, leather seats, reverse camera, stability control, among other things.
Compared to the Titanium we drove before, this Trend has smaller 18-inch alloy wheels, automatic halogen headlights with daytime running lights, and body colored door handles. As far as mid-level specifications go, you’re not missing out on much compared to the highest variant.
The purpose of this Father’s Day drive is for relaxation, but the mechanic and engineer in me cannot lose the chance of testing the powertrain of the Trend compared to its higher Titanium variant. I took the Everest with my daughter Jheanna to Tagaytay Highlands to see how this SUV performs when dealing with inclines.
Granted, Tagaytay is not as challenging as going up to Baguio. Still, climbing the uphill roads of Tagaytay became a good testing ground for the Trend with its 2.2-liter Duratorq diesel engine with a maximum output of 160 hp @ 3200 rpm and maximum torque of 385 Nm @ 1600-2500 rpm, with power sent through a 6-speed automatic transmission. The difference of 40 hp versus the 200 hp output of the 3.2-liter Titanium is not felt at all, with just enough power to go up and down Tagaytay. It’s all really because of how the torque is concentrated on the lower rpm ranges that makes it so usable in most situations. Perhaps when it comes to overtaking, it loses steam easily at the higher rpm ranges, but for 90% of the driving situations the Everest will go through, this is more than enough.
It was a worthwhile father, son, and daughter kind of road trip to celebrate Father’s Day. Siblings have their own way of expressing their preferred exclusive time with their dad. My son prefers to drive around the city, while my daughter prefers the out-of-town drives. Whatever the drive, the Ford Everest more than delivers whatever the situation.
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