Everyone remembers their first car; and whatever the make or model, there are always fond memories attached to them.  In my case, the most vivid ones were those associated with learning to drive.  My dad’s Corolla bore the brunt—stalling the clutch, almost hitting curb.  Though I’ve driven other cars since, my most memorable four-wheeled experience always goes back to this gutless 55 horsepower, beat-up 4-door tin can. 

In the decades that followed, cars have become more powerful and complicated.  In the process, the once character-filled basic transportation models have lost what’s most important: their soul.  In 2008, you have to spend at least a million to get something that’s fun to drive and well, cheerful.  Well, maybe you haven’t met the Chana Benni.

Walking up to the Benni at the Focus Ventures office (Chana’s Philippine distributor), it certainly looks familiar like seeing an uncle during those annual family gathering.  It can’t be helped.  Uncle Benni has some hints of Chrysler, Honda and even Mercedes-Benz built into its city-car profile.  It’s certainly lanky with a high roofline and narrow footprint.  There are attempts to mask it by the blacked-out trimmings, but you cannot deny its city car looks.  Upfront, the headlamps are nicely detailed with projector-type low beams that have fog lamps as standard.  Large rhomboid brake lamps dominate the rear, and though they don’t use LEDs, the three-bulb pattern does a good job mimicking it.  Benni’s sporty too with the standard rear spoiler and rear fog lamp at the back and the 14-inch shoes on each corner.

But like some relatives you meet during those reunions, Benni has a somewhat darker side: it’s interior.  While the exterior is modern in execution, the interior’s somber and shiny.  Even with the gray fabric seats and silver trimming, it does little to uplift the cabin.  Though the materials are made of cost-cutting hard plastics with exposed screws everywhere, generally the build quality is good—on par with the Koreans.  It looks fairly modern too with the curved treatments on the dash and center console. 

Though you won’t want caught dead riding Uncle Benni (shame on your dirty minds), a 170-cm frame fits comfortably on the front seats.  Though the cushion’s on the flat side, the tight fit assures support in most of the needed areas.  The driving position, though nowhere near as perfect, is at least designed for Homo sapiens.  And Benni wants you to be fit and sporty too, so those with sumo-sized frames will certainly not fit.  Though it’s a five-door, it’s best to call Benni a 2+2 since the rear seats are best left for kids and the vertically challenged.  That said, at least everyone gets their own seatbelt.

It actually looks nice...well proportioned with all the modern automotive touches like projector-type headlamps, multi-reflector tail lamps and a bee-sting type antenna.

Spacious in front, cruel at the back--that pretty much sums up the Chana Benni from the inside.