[OPINION] The good, bad (and sad) about the next gen Toyota Tamaraw

First, the good news. Toyota Motors Philippines (TMP) invested P5.5 billion to be able to produce the next generation Tamaraw in the Philippines, specifically in its Santa Rosa plant in Laguna, south of the capital. 

That will translate to more jobs, higher tax collections, more exports and forex earnings, and other economic benefits. 

Now, the bad. 

First, the design. 

Many Filipinos are disappointed over the design of the the next generation Toyota Tamaraw, which was shown by Toyota Motors Philippines (TMP) President Masando Hashimoto to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. last Friday, October 25. 

As many netizens have pointed out, the new Tamaraw is unlike the old one that Filipinos have come to love — it’s essentially a pickup truck, not a wagon like what is popularly known as the Toyota Tamaraw FX. In fact, in Thailand, the Tamaraw is called Toyota Hilux Champ, in reference to the Japanese carmaker’s Hilux pickup.

When the motoring personality James Deakin, after posting a photo of the next gen Tamaraw, asked his 1.1 million Facebook followers in August 22, 2023, “What do you think of the new generation Tamaraw? This baby will be built right here in the Philippines!” he got over 700 comments, and most of them were disappointed. 

Here are some of the responses:

“That’s not a Tamaraw FX, that’s a truck!” said Alex Miguel.

“I prefer the SUV type. Para naman hindi Tamaraw FX sa itsura (That doesn’t look like the Tamaraw FX). Please, Toyota, make a 4×4 version of the old FX,” said Knowell Poly’Paul.

“Ayos po sana pag-naka porma, kaso ba’t ganun yung style ng katawan, ‘di po katulad ng dati na parang MPV [multi-purpose vehicle],” said James Magdaraog. (It looks stylish but why is the style of the body like that, it’s not like the old one that’s like an MPV.)

“Ang layo nga e, syempre gusto natin medyo malapit sa itsura nung dati (It’s very different, of course what we want is something close to the one before),” said RY Adriano.

“Parang pasadya look, para sa akin the look failed (It looks custom-made, I think the look failed),” said Jack Pineda.

There were only a handful of positive comments, with some noting that the Tamaraw would be more powerful than the old, able to carry heavier load.

“I see a lot of improvement there. Looks like it has a bit of a LEGO theme, but nevertheless good looking,” said JB Balatian.

“Fast and the furious look,” said Cornelio Cruz. 

When I used to work in the Manila office of a Japanese news organization, one of my bureau chiefs actually bought a light blue Toyota Tamaraw FX (similar to the above photo) in the mid-1990s, and because it was a wagon, he used it to bring him to formal functions, used it for his private family travels, and we used it for news coverage. 

He was proud to have owned a Toyota made in the Philippines and commonly used by ordinary Filipinos. In fact, he even wanted to bring it (or a jeepney) to Japan except that it wouldn’t pass their emission standards and other transport regulations. 

The Toyota Tamaraw FX could sit (though not comfortably) 11 people: three in front (including the driver); four in the middle; and four at the back. That’s the reason why it was used as a regular taxi and later as point-to-point UV Express. It became so popular that people used the term “FX” — even if it was a Mitsubishi Adventure or an Isuzu Hilander —  to mean taking a taxi to commute to work or school and back. 

When Toyota Motors Philippines was building up consumer interest in the next generation Tamaraw, it released materials that showed how people loved its design as a wagon, such as in this video below:

Several things come out from these videos of Tamaraw FX owners: the vehicle’s reliability, “good at carrying,” availability of parts (thus easy to maintain), and most of all, affordability. 

As President Marcos Jr. said in his speech in Malacañang: “It is a vehicle that has transported many of our people from home to their destinations, to school, to work. It provided our people a comfortable yet affordable means to commute. For small entrepreneurs and drivers, it served as a dependable partner in improving their livelihood and their businesses.” 

Tamaraw FX owner Nelan Aten-an, a vegetable supplier in the northern Philippine province of Benguet, said it best: “Even if it used for business, we still must maintain the unit [clean] since we also use this unit for our family errands and leisure…Eto, pwede papuntang SM (We can use this to go to SM malls)…. I can also pass it on to my children.”

TMP encouraged old generation Tamaraw FX owners to send photos of their much-loved cars and many did, proudly showing the mileage the vehicle had reached through the years.

Glenn Serrano’s Tamaraw FX GL 1996 model had notched a whopping 814,00 kilometers, while Perez Lou Aldrick’s Toyota Revo DLX Diesel 2003 model had traveled 402,239 kilometers. 

On Facebook, there are quite a number of Tamaraw FX communities who show off their well-used cars, with some looking for buyers of their beloved wagon.

Jeffrey Baylon shared an image of his 1996 Toyota Tamaraw FX Deluxe with a 2.0 liter diesel engine. He said he had taken the car from Kawit, Cavite in Southern Tagalog region to Sipocot, Camarines Sur in Bicol. The 718-kilometer drive took around 10 hours one-way with a diesel consumption cost of P3,600, he said.

Another Facebook post (below) by Lumang Oto Old Car Junkies showed a 1977 Toyota Tamaraw KF10 pickup owned by Dennis Soriente.

“This truck has been used by the Manila Hotel Laundry Service Department. It was eventually auctioned in 1983 and was acquired by its current owner’s uncle. It then became a work truck for their LPG business from 1985 to 2012. It was eventually parked and sat for the next 7 years until it was recently revived.  The truck instantly started after 7 years of hibernation,” the netizen said.

This particular model is the same as the orange jeepneys used in the Vito Cruz/Taft to Philippine International Convention/Cultural Center of the Philippines route in Pasay City, which went on for perhaps over 3 decades since the eighties.

Conversion models

In fairness to TMP, it has given buyers many options that would allow them to do most of the things they’ve done with the old generation Toyota Tamaraw. The new Tamaraw can converted into a patrol van, an ambulance, school bus, and service van. The Tamaraw dropside can be converted into a food truck, camper van, and mobile store.

TMP showcased some of these in the recently concluded 9th Philippine International Motor Show last week.

But conversion brings out the other disappointment with the next generation Tamaraw: cost. 

As lamented by netizen Florentino Santos, “Mas maganda yung dati pang masa, ‘di pang mayaman lang makakabili nyan.” (The old one was for the masses, only the rich will be able to buy that.)

“Toyota Tamaraw with racing specs? Last time I heard, the Toyota Tamaraws were the affordable workhorse back in the day,” said Alan Trinanes. 

The new Toyota Tamaraw is expected to cost around P900,000, basically the same as its retail price in Thailand. Thus, if you want to convert the new Tamaraw FX for family use, you’d have to spend perhaps from P50,000 to P200,000 to spruce up (e.g. improving the interior and changing the tires to mag wheels) the Toyota Tamaraw Utility Van, which will have a rear air-conditioning system.

Many Tamaraw FX owners had hoped for a price range of around P600,000 to P700,000 if TMP wanted it to be a vehicle of the masses similar to the old generation Tamaraw FX. Currently, only Suzuki Philippines sells a new wagon, the Suzuki APV. Its cheapest model, the 1.6 GA manual transmission, retails for P743,000, while the premium model — 1.6 GLX manual transmission — sells for P955,000.

Fortunately, TMP’s new generation Toyota Lite Ace panel van, is cheaper than the Suzuki APV, at P695,000.

However, unlike its counterpart in Japan, Toyota subsidiary Daihatsu’s Gran Max Cargo GL, the Lite Ace panel van doesn’t come with side rear windows, rear seats, and rear air-conditioning. Buyers would have thus have to spend at least P20,000, depending on what accessories to add. This has become business opportunity for those in the car accessory business, such as Atoy Customs, which has upgraded a Lite Ace panel van for P46,000.

The expected high cost of the new generation Tamaraw FX means more business for the second-hand car market. Those in the middle to upper-lower income groups would have to buy the old generation Tamaraw FX or the Toyota Revo FX if they want an affordable Tamaraw that’s also “pang SM.” 

The Japanese are known for closely listening to customers, so I am surprised why the company has not been able to meet customer’s expectations with respect to the Toyota Tamaraw’s design and cost.

When Toyota Motors chairman Akio Toyoda visited the Philippines in 2023 for TMP’s 35th annniversary, he said he didn’t care if Toyota was still number one in sales. “My greatest wish is simply to be number one in the hearts of our customers here in the Philippines,” he added. 

Toyoda-san, the next gen Tamaraw FX just doesn’t cut it. Why not import more Daihatsu kei (light)cars here, Filipinos are going to love them! – Rappler.com