Power Wheels Magazine A Notch Above
Twenty-five years ago, I left my job as Customer Relations Head and National Sales Trainer of Nissan Motor Philippines (NMPI) to work as the Operations Manager of Brightpoint Philippines, the largest mobile phone distributor in the country. A few months into my new day job, I started moonlighting as a writer upon the invitation of a good friend, Manny delos Reyes, who was then the Editor-in-Chief of Gadgets Magazine. I later met Junep Ocampo, who was then the Motoring Editor of The Philippine STAR Business Motoring Section, and he invited me to contribute stories and photos to the newspaper. As a 35-year-old gearhead and budding motoring journalist, I thoroughly enjoyed driving and reviewing different types of brand-new vehicles, from sedans to sports cars, vans, SUVs and pickup trucks.
The author taking the driver’s seat during a media drive in 2002.
At the time, the midsize pickup truck market was the exclusive purview of the Japanese car brands. The most common model available was the 4-door double-cab short-bed pickup with a 4-cylinder diesel engine, 5-speed manual transmission (M/T), and rear wheel drive (2WD or 4×2). The more upmarket pickup truck models came with power steering, power windows, central door locks, power side mirrors, air-conditioning, an AM/FM/CD stereo with 4 speakers, and faux leather seats. Some manufacturers offered a 4-wheel drive (4WD) version, which were intended for mining companies or the more affluent off-road enthusiast. American truck brands were just beginning to offer midsize trucks after coming in with full-size luxury trucks and SUVs.
The author poses with his Dodge Dakota SLT 4×4 double cab full-size pickup truck test unit at the then-relatively empty Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in 2003.
An Entirely Different Landscape
Today, I consider myself as “self-employed” after my wife Shawie and I became business owners. Manny is now the Motoring Editor of The Philippine STAR Business Motoring Section as well as the proprietor of 2nd Opinion Magazine while Junep has his own PR and media company. As the Editor-in-Chief of Power Wheels Magazine (this very website that you are currently logged into) I still get to drive and review different types of brand-new vehicles, which I still enjoy doing as I approach my 60s. However, the motoring journalism landscape has changed with digital outfits, bloggers and vloggers outnumbering and outpacing printed publications and traditional medium. Power Wheels Magazine was not immune to the changes in the publication business and has likewise migrated from print media to digital in 2018.
The author and his wife Shariffa “Shawie” Dizon flank Rosita Sy, dealer principal of JAC Cars Quezon Avenue during its inauguration in March 25, 2025.
The landscape of the Philippine auto industry has also changed after 25 years. There are now more than 100 car brands, including electric vehicles (EVs), with around 30 distributors in country. Chinese car manufacturers are beginning to outnumber and outpace the traditional Japanese, Korean, European, British and American car brands. While the formula for the base-model midsize pickup truck remains the same – 4-door double-cab short-bed body, 4-cylinder diesel engine, stick shift, and 2WD – the dynamics has changed. The Japanese and American brands are increasingly being challenged by Chinese manufacturers, who equip their trucks with more luxurious amenities and safety features yet offer prices that are more accessible to the Filipino buyers.
We Needed a Pickup Truck to Pickup Stuff
These thoughts of personal nostalgia and the changes within the Philippine auto industry came to mind while I was driving the 2025 JAC T8 PRO 4×2 Comfort pickup truck. We were borrowing a pickup truck to move our daughter Vette’s stuff from her condo in Alabang back to our house in Quezon City. William Uy, the dealer principal of JAC Cars Quezon Avenue, decided to lend us their T8 PRO test drive unit instead of one of their service vehicles. “That way, you can review the JAC T8 PRO 4×2 Comfort under actual hauling conditions while you transport your daughter’s things”, William quipped. Of course, we happily agreed, especially since we know that my daughter’s stuff will not exceed the pickup’s 900-kilogram payload capacity. Besides, it’s just around 40 kilometers from Alabang to QC, so the drive will be a quick and easy one.
When we went to JAC Cars Quezon Avenue to pick up the pickup (pun intended), we expected to drive away in a “usual” midsize pickup truck with a 4-cylinder diesel engine, stick shift & clutch, and 2WD. What we did not expect is that we found our Titanium Gray T8 PRO looking particularly muscular. Its large black front grill, LED headlamps with DRL (daytime running lights) and front fog lights combine to resemble a strong-jawed tough guy who’s squinting mischievously at you. The contoured panels of its 4-door double-cab short-bed body radiates a strong macho image with its black fender over-riders, standard step bars, black SMC roll bar and two-tone 12-spoke 6-lug 18-inch aluminum alloy wheels fitted with meaty 265/60R18 tires.
Two and a Half Decades of Evolution
It was when we climbed into the T8 PRO that we were reminded of the 25-year evolution of the common midsize double-cab pickup truck. While there still are two front bucket seats and a bench seat for three at the back (leather seats in the T8 PRO), the instrument panel is now a 7-inch color LCD screen instead of mechanical analog gauges. While the multi-function steering wheel is still round, it now has several control buttons on the spokes. While the transmission is still a stick shift, it is now a 6-speed manual with hydraulic clutch, which is a lot easier to shift, engage and disengage. Where there was a hand brake lever at the center console, there’s now an electronic Parking Brake with Auto Hold.
Where there was a 1-DIN or 2-DIN stereo at the center console, an infotainment system with a 10.4-inch floating central touchscreen now resides there. We can now safely take a call while driving with the Bluetooth hands-free phone system, and listen to continuous music playing through 6 speakers by plugging in a USB or using Apple Carplay or Android Auto. Sure, pickup trucks already had 12-volt power outlets in the past but these were mostly used for cigarette lighters. Aside from the 12V outlet, the T8 PRO also has 2 front USB ports and a rear USB port where occupants can plug and charge their mobile devices. These features weren’t common 25 years ago but neither were rear aircon vents or one-button all windows up & down function for the power windows.
The Song Remains the Same
Even though French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr wrote, “the more things change, the more they remain the same” in 1849, this adage remains true in 2025. Safety, for example, remains as the primary design element of motor vehicles although it has been enhanced in the T8 PRO with an alphabet soup of active and passive driving aids: ABS anti-lock braking, EBD electronic brake force distribution, ESP electronic stability program, HHC hill-start hold control (so we can ditch the “hanging” clutch technique on uphill drives), HBA hydraulic brake assist, BOS brake override system, TCS traction control system, VDC vehicle dynamics control, and TPMS tire pressure monitoring system.
On the road, the T8 PRO remains as the same pickup truck we all know. Its 2.0-liter inline 4-cylinder common rail diesel injection (CRDI) engine features hydraulic engine mounts and releases 137 horses at 3,600 rpm to propel this 1,855-kilogram pickup truck effortlessly and smoothly around town. While its 5.3-meter length, 1.9-meter width and 1.8-meter height is almost the same as with other pickup trucks, the T8 PRO’s 3-meter wheelbase provides a ride that’s not as choppy as expected from front-engine pickup trucks with independent front double wishbone suspension, rear live axle suspended by leaf springs and 60-series tires. And we’re sure that its 210mm ground clearance and 1.2-meter wading depth will get us out of ruts and floods without breaking a sweat.
What starts with “T” and ends with “O”? No, it’s not TURBO. It’s T8 PRO.
Let’s Put It to Bed
What we were not expecting was the large amount of stuff that Vette accumulated during her two-and-a-half-year stay in Alabang. We had to haul among other things, a refrigerator, bean bag sofa, computer chair, shelves, kitchen ware, pots & pans, cooking utensils, bed sheets, pillow cases, mats, posters, and a lot of stuffed toys, dolls, clothes and shoes. Luckily, the T8 PRO’s cargo bed offers 2.3 square meters of floor area (1,520mm length x 1,520mm width) while the sides of the bed provided ample height (470mm) to secure her belongings. Loading was a bit of a chore with an 890mm cargo bed height but we got everything loaded and tied down securely with ropes attached to the T8 PRO’s cargo tie-down hooks.
With 320 Newton-meters of torque, we drove our fully-loaded T8 PRO on the Skyway at the posted speed limit without any problem. We got home by sundown and started unloading Vette’s stuff. While we were unloading her refrigerator, Shawie took a quick photo to document our day’s activity. (We actually forgot to take photos while we were loading the truck at Alabang.) Meanwhile, I checked the fuel mileage, which showed an average of 10 kilometers per liter (km/L) in heavy Holy Week traffic and 11.7 km/L on the highway with a fully-loaded cargo bed and fully-occupied passenger seats. All the while, we were travelling comfortably inside a cold air-conditioned interior despite the sweltering summer heat outside.
JAC Up the Advantages & Benefits
Compared to popular Japanese 4-door double-cab short-bed diesel-powered stick-shift 2WD pickup trucks that are currently available in the market, the T8 PRO is a bit down on power and torque since it’s not a turbodiesel nor does it have a bigger engine displacement (2.0- vs 2.5- vs 3.0-liter) like the others. But the minimal power deficiency is not noticeable unless you’re drag racing the T8 PRO. Even then, the acceleration is good especially since it’s a stick shift. Another plus is the excellent fuel economy of having a 2.0-liter diesel engine mated to a 6-speed manual transmission.
On the tollways with a fully-loaded cargo bed and fully-occupied passenger compartment, we averaged 11.7 kilometers per liter with the heavy Holy Week holiday traffic.
On the city streets with crawling traffic, we managed a respectable 10 km/L.
It’s the acquisition cost where the 2025 JAC T8 PRO 4×2 Comfort posts a big advantage. With a suggested retail price of P1,063,000, it is priced lower – between P257,000 and P427,000 less – than similarly-equipped Japanese brands. (Imagine the other things you can buy with that amount of chump change!) While automakers continue to improve the features and performance of their midsize pickup trucks, some of them tend to price their trucks out-of-reach of their target market. Meanwhile, the market for these pickup trucks remain the same: The customers may have evolved and now demand more comfort, more amenities and more luxury, but they still consider pickup trucks as “workhorses” and “lifestyle choices”. As such, we think the pickup truck segment adheres to that French writer’s philosophy that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
SPECIFICATIONS
Vehicle Type: Front engine, 2WD, 4-door double-cab pickup truck
Price: P1,063,000
Engine: 2.0 CTI inline-4 Diesel CRDI EGR DOC
Displacement: 1999cc
Maximum power: 137 hp @ 3600 rpm
Maximum torque: 320 Nm @ 1600-2600 rpm
Transmissions: 6-speed manual
Fuel tank capacity: 76 liters
Wheelbase: 3090 mm
Length: 5325 mm
Width: 1880 mm
Height: 1830 mm
Cargo box dimensions: 1520 mm x 1520 mm x 470 mm
Cargo floor height: 890 mm
Payload: 900 kg
Towing capacity: 750 kg
Minimum ground clearance: 210 mm
Maximum wading depth: 1200 mm
Approach / Departure angle: 30.9° and 23.3°
Curb weight: 1855 kg
Front suspension: Independent, double wishbone with coil springs
Rear suspension: Rigid axle with leaf springs
Front brakes: Ventilated discs
Rear brakes: Solid discs
Steering system: Rack & pinion with hydraulic power assist
Wheels: 18-inch 12-spoke aluminum alloy
Tires: 265/60R18
