Wednesday, April 1, 2020

We get to know the Volkswagen Lamando on the way up to Baguio

The recently opened Nangalisan/Asin Road that snakes up to Baguio City is not for the faint of heart. It is tight and twisty, with ditches that line narrow sections. If you aren’t careful, some corner exits are dotted with loose gravel and sand. It’s a challenging route, that’s for sure.

If this kind of driving environment scares you, then we understand. But if you enjoy driving with enthusiasm, then this road was built for you. Get into the right rhythm and you will savor every blind hairpin and rapid elevation change. The scenery is breathtaking as well, but it is best left to be appreciated by your passengers. Why? Nangalisan/Asin Road demands absolute focus when you are behind the wheel.

It is ideal, then, that our partner for this journey is the German-engineered Volkswagen Lamando—a driving instrument that wasn’t only built for the highways, but for the twisty stuff, too. Hey, it is stablemates with the iconic Golf, after all. And if you must ask, those Teutonic genes are shared throughout the Volkswagen range, regardless of where the cars are assembled.

We took off from the Quezon Avenue VW dealership for a quick blast to Baguio City for an overnight stay, behind the wheel of a solid contender in the midsize sedan category. As you can see from the photos, the Lamando’s wide stance and low-slung body is very classy. The styling is very subdued, which is consistent with the design language of the brand. This works extremely well, as the sheetmetal will look fresh in the years to come. That’s the advantage of holding back on the flamboyance when it comes to styling.

The two variants of the Lamando were made available to us: the 280 TSI DSG SE (P1,569,000) and the 280 TSI DSG SEL (P1,703,000). The most notable difference is that the top-of-the-line ‘Highline’ Lamando comes with adaptive cruise control. Under the hood of both trims is a turbocharged petrol engine that delivers 150hp which peaks at 5,000rpm, and 250Nm from 1,750rpm to 3,000rpm. Fantastic figures for gobbling up the highways and steep mountain roads with ease. The Lamando gets up to cruising speed with nary an effort, and once the roads gets steeper, the torque is there where you need it.

The advantages of the BlueMotion turbocharged petrol engine are obvious, too. The entire unit is lighter, gets great fuel economy, and has cleaner emissions. When paired to the seven-speed DSG transmission, the Lamando is a very athletic package. Of course, the interior is no less impressive, with its leather seats, active-info display, and infotainment system with eight speakers.

Upon arriving in Baguio City for lunch at Pinewoods, all of the participants were refreshed and invigorated from the drive. No doubt that the Lamando is a smooth operator that delivers on its promise of ferrying passengers in class, style, and comfort. We hope you enjoy the photos from the drive as much as we did pushing the cars capabilities as a mountain-road carver, highway cruiser, and premium sedan.

PHOTO: Volkswagen Philippines