Tamaraws in the wild
I didn’t expect to see myself behind the wheel of a short wheelbase Toyota Tamaraw dropside pickup truck, cruising along the roads of Puerto Galera in Mindoro, as the majestic sun set at the horizon right behind us.
Just a year ago we were just writing about the comeback of this “wonder vehicle” from Toyota. Now, we were feeling the prowess firsthand of this 4970mm long , 1711mm tall workhorse, powered by a 2.0L 1TR-FE four-cylinder gasoline engine that produces 138 hp and 183 N-m of torque.
This was one of the units in a convoy of Toyota Tamaraws Toyota Motor Philippines brought along in Mindoro for the first-ever “Lakbay Tamaraw” Drive. More than a dozen of us motoring journalists, paired by twos, tried our hands onboard the different variants of this vehicle for the three-day sojourn.
“This is our first ‘Lakbay Tamaraw’ activity and what better way to hold this than here in Mindoro,” said TMP executive vice president, Jing Atienza during a speech at the Toyota Calapan dealership on the first day of activities, wherein the dealership’s president, Ernesto Tan, together with his friendly staff warmly greeted their guests.
“This is the perfect venue for having this since this is the home of the Philippines’ tamaraw,” he then added.
For starters, the tamaraw or “Bubalus mindorensis” is a critically endangered dwarf buffalo species, endemic to the island of Mindoro in the country. The tamaraw population has drastically declined in recent years due to habitat loss and hunting, with only around 500 individuals remaining.
Atienza further explained that TMP is likewise dedicating time and effort in protecting and preserving the animal through their Tamaraw Conservation Program.
On the other hand, TMP vice president for marketing services, Elvin Luciano said, “We conceptualized this media drive with the Tamaraw at the forefront to first and foremost pay tribute to the now critically endangered tamaraws.”
According to him, they wanted to spread that sense of urgency to protect the tamaraw and the environment.
“And you, our media friends, are in the position to help us spread the word,” he continued.
Roll on roll off
The convoy of participants, which consists of the media and the TMP executives and staff, first embarked on the journey through the Roll-on/roll-off, or RoRo. Here, more than 20 vehicles were shipped from the Batangas Port all the way to Calapan in Mindoro, which took about two hours.
We were able to experience the efficiency of this transportation system, which allowed us to relax and enjoy the trip even more.
From here, we were assigned to various models of the Tamaraw, wherein we drove them from the shipping vessel all the way to the roads of Calapan before having our lunch at Toyota’s dealership in the area.
After lunch, we enjoyed every moment with the vehicle as we traversed the long and winding roads of the province, while at the same time appreciating the beauty of the scenery.
Awed by the Tamaraw
Another thing worth mentioning about the media drive is the vehicle itself.
I’ve tried other utility vehicles before and nothing can compare to what it can offer.
First, since the vehicle is based on the unique platform called IMV 0 (IMV Zero), the same platform shared with the Hilux and Fortuner, it’s more balanced and stable. Handling and maneuvering it along Mindoro’s winding roads feels planted.
The vehicle my co-driver, BusinessMirror’s Randy Peregrino, and I drove the short-wheelbase Tamaraw, which offers better maneuverability in tight spaces and a tighter turning radius compared to the long-wheelbase (LWB) version.
It’s available in several variants, including dropside, aluminum cargo, and utility van, all equipped with a 2.0L 1TR-FE gasoline engine and a five-speed manual transmission.
Specifically, the dropside M/T starts at P757,000, followed by the aluminum cargo M/T at P808,000, and the utility van M/T at P1,010,000.
We were specifically surprised, if not awed by how the vehicle behaved on the road and thus, we believe that it truly is worth every buck, not mention every time one uses this for cargo and utility.
Better place
Another activity that made our hearts full was when we partook in a brief outreach program for a small school in Puerto Galera, Mindoro. Here, TMP donated school supplies, chairs and tables to the kids of Pagturian Mangyan Elementary School, leaving the kids with warm hearts and brimful smiles.
In the end, we learned that this first-ever “Lakbay Tamaraw” Drive was not just meant to try their vehicles on unfamiliar terrain, but to also do something worthwhile and meaningful for the environment and local wildlife.
With this, it’s best to end this piece with what TMP’s Luciano said, “It is our mission to leave each place we visit better than we found it.”
“Here, we are creating the very first memories for the Lakbay Tamaraw. And moving forward we look for more unforgettable ones,” he then concluded.
