30/08/2026
I was driving my ICE yesterday kasi may kailangan akong ihatid sa Clark. On the way back, natraffic ako sa NLEX dahil baha sa may Meycauayan and habang nakatengga, I couldn't help but compare my Kia Carens LX and GAC Aion UT. 😂
The Carens was ₱1.270M back in 2015, while the Aion UT is ₱1.068M today.
Grabe yung march of technology, no?
Yung base-model Carens na ₱1.270M noon, compared sa base-model Aion UT na ₱1.068M ngayon, ang dami nang technology na dati hindi mo maiisip makukuha mo at this price point.
And funny enough, noong panahon ng Carens, marami rin ang tingin sa Korean cars ay “sirain yan, hindi tatagal.” Well, 11 years and 239,000 km later, kumikikig pa rin yung Korean ICE ko. 😂
Pero after only 2 months with an EV, parang na-rewire na rin utak ko.
First thing I missed: ADAS.
Sobrang game changer, especially sa traffic and long drives. Two months pa lang pero spoiled na spoiled na ako.
Habang gapang kami sa NLEX, ang nasa isip ko:
“Eeww, nagga-gas pa ako para gumapang sa traffic?” 😂
Sa Aion, aandar at hihinto na lang mag-isa with the driving assistance active. Sobrang laking bagay pala once nasanay ka.
Second: zero engine vibration.
Ito pala yung hindi mo maa-appreciate until mawala siya. Walang vibration habang idle, walang kumukulit sa katawan mo habang traffic.
Tahimik lang buhay mo sa loob. 😂
Third: the steering.
I always thought magaan na steering ng Carens.
Then I got an EV.
Holy crap. May igagaan pa pala. 😂
But the biggest one? Running cost.
Around ₱1,400 nagastos ko sa diesel balikan ng Clark. Habang traffic, napaisip ako:
“Kung Aion dala ko, around ₱400 lang sana 'to sa kuryente.”
Yung ₱1,000 difference, pangkain at kape na rin! 😂
Ito talaga yung pinaka-nakakabaliw after owning an EV. Every time gumagastos ako sa gas or diesel ngayon, automatic kino-convert na ng utak ko:
“Kung electric kaya, magkano lang sana 'to?” 😂
Lalo na kapag Galant ang dala ko na around 3 km/L tapos Blaze 100 pa ang kinakarga. Masakit isipin. HAHAHA.
Tapos sa EV, mas tahimik, comfortable, may ADAS, at mas mura pa patakbuhin based on my own use.
Of course, hindi completely apples-to-apples. I'm comparing an 11-year-old diesel ICE with 239,000 km on the clock to a brand-new EV. Technology, refinement, age, and even inflation make this an inherently unfair comparison.
But that's a me problem. 😂
Ang point lang: after living with an EV for only a couple of months, sobrang bilis pala magbago ng expectations mo sa kotse.
Things you never cared about before suddenly become things you don't want to live without.
Na-spoil na yata ako ng EV. 😂