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Moreover, although the brakes did work, they did not bite with enough ferocity to make any late-braking maneuver a confidence-inspiring endeavor. Nonetheless, if pressed hard and long enough, the four-wheel disc brakes acted well with the standard anti-lock braking system, making this 2309-kilogram vehicle stop dead effectively. We picked up the F150 just before lunch and by the time we reached Libis in Quezon City we were famished. After driving this truck only one meal could be considered appropriate—so we looked for the biggest, juiciest steak we could find. Jason: Friday, September 28 2001 (Night) After spending practically the whole day in motor vehicles, either as driver or front passenger, I wasn’t too sure if I wanted to drive the SuperCrew from the east end of Metro Manila, Marikina, to its north end, Balintawak, just short of entering the North Expressway. After all, Friday night deserves its reputation as the most traffic-plagued time of the week. I soon discovered that my fears of driving this particularly humungous vehicle in heavy Manila traffic were unfounded. Effort-wise—steering and pedals—the SuperCrew was as easy to drive as a Camry. Perhaps more relaxing, because of its towering eye height and growlingly responsive V8 engine. Seeing above cars and even other trucks allowed me to anticipate traffic and pick out the best lanes to maneuver the 5740 mm-long beast. No amount of anticipating, though, could help once I reached EDSA near the North Expressway. Traffic going to the tollway clogged all the lanes, and even if I wasn’t going to enter the tollway, I was just as stuck. At times like these, you don’t need a Juicy Fruit; you need a great stereo. Once again, although I didn’t expect it, the SuperCrew delivered. The Corrs were singing live somewhere in Cubao that night, but I could easily pretend that Caroline, Sharon, and Andrea (in that order) were right there in the back seat—good for three, right? Sorry, Jim—you can ride shotgun. The bass was pleasingly loud, and you could actually hear every change of modulation in Andrea’s voice. While the CD player kept me from going mad in the traffic, I slowly eased the truck forward, using the F150’s bulk and height to block other traffic and prevent them from encroaching on my lane. (“Intimidate,” as the brochure suggested.) Apparently, cars and smaller pickups don’t even try to muscle near the F150, but delivery trucks and buses couldn’t care less. Still, we were in a large, comfortable cocoon of a vehicle, and the traffic didn’t bother us as much. As a final touch to dispel our impatience, we opened the moon roof to get a view of the smog...er, stars, rather. |
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