BECAUSE it is there, and so take to the Mayon Volcano in Bicol did a group of journalists who were invited to sample the latest Isuzu Alterra variant’s (dubbed the 2013 Urban Cruiser X) new features on a drive around the famed volcano. Of course, the trip also involved a trek up parts of Mayon’s slopes and a tour of the attractions that ring its foot.

The driving part, however, was raised several notches higher for the event’s participants who opted to bring the latest Alterras back to Manila (and to which set I belonged), which meant a 500-kilometer trip that took off from a ritzy resort on Cagraray Island off Legazpi, Albay. You see, the collection of Alterras were already waiting for the group when we landed at the Naga airport one bright morning last week, and all we had to do that day was take a leisurely cruise to Cagraray Island, passing by a Filipiniana restaurant and the church in Daraga.

The following day’s activities were decidedly more strenuous, especially for the Mayon trekkers. For the others, it called for a 200-plus-kilometer drive across the towns at the foot of Mayon, dropping by the church in Tabaco, sampling the local attractions in Tiwi (crafts and food included), a trip to the Mayon Planetarium where grainy videos promoted Bicol, and some touristy posing at—where else?—the popular Cagsawa Ruins.

A flight back from Legazpi to Manila was available the next day, and the majority of the group opted to take it. But for a few hardy ones, soaking up more of the local culture (food, mostly), as well as the attractions of Quezon and Laguna, was the way to go—a 14-hour drive be damned. And suitably capping the trip was a late-night feast at a museum/gallery/restaurant in San Pablo, Laguna. Eat, pray, drive it truly was.

Younger than ever
Surely, the extended road trip also meant loads more seat time aboard the latest Alterra—the aim of the event, after all, was so that Isuzu Phils. Corp. (IPC) could advertise the vehicle’s new kit. According to the company, the Alterra is now aimed squarely at a younger set of execs and business people, or those who work hard most days of the week but enjoy the free days just as well—if not more.

“People presently buying Alterras are usually in their 50s,” IPC President Ryoji Yamazaki said. “So now we have made it fresher with new features; it’s a little bit naughty, a little more adventurous.”

Now what are these new features?

In Urban Cruiser X guise, the Alterra packs a Kenwood audio/video head unit that has a seven-inch, touch-screen panel and iPod/Bluetooth/SD card connectivity, new headrest-mounted, high-definition LCD monitors and a Garmin nav system; a redesigned front spoiler; a large diffuser on the rear bumper that has a reflector in the middle; smoked headlamps and tail lights; reshaped fog lamp housings; black step boards; and clear LED stop lamps. The vehicle’s reversing camera is now mounted lower, too.

Bringing down the Alterra’s bling factor further (notice the abovementioned smoked lamps and black step boards?) is a cabin that is now rendered in black leather, plastics and cloth. The woodgrain accents have now gone black marble-like and the seats and steering wheel now boast of red stitching that contrast their black leather wrappings. The headliner is now black, too.

Under the sheet metal, the Alterra Urban Cruiser X is unchanged—which is not a bad thing, actually—so it is still propelled by a 146-horsepower, 294-Newton-meter 3.0-liter, Euro3-compliant diesel engine that’s boosted by a turbocharger and intercooler, and is fed by a common rail direct injection system. Suspending the vehicle are double wishbones with torsion bar springs and a stabilizer bar in front and Isuzu’s patented Flex Ride MOVE suspension—a fancy set of leaf springs. ABS with EBD, dual airbags and seatbelts for all passengers address basic safety concerns.

The latest Alterra variants come in four-wheel drive with four-speed automatic transmission, rear-wheel drive with four-speed automatic transmission and rear-wheel drive with five-speed manual transmission, and are offered in Starry Black, Mineral Gray and Silky Pearl White paintjobs with optional pearl finish. Prices start at P1.528 million for the monotone and P1.540 million for the pearl option on the 4x2 M/T variant; P1.585 million for the monotone and P1.595 million for the pearl option on the 4x2 A/T variant; and P1.718 million for the monotone and P1.773 million for the pearl option on the 4x4 A/T top variant.

All that’s needed now is a long route over which to drive the vehicle across.