Why Filipinos love their tiny rides

Metro Manila, 7:30 a.m. Rush hour. SUVs are lined up like sumo wrestlers at a buffet, honking and impatient. Then, a Suzuki S-Presso gets ahead through a narrow opening. That is the quiet power of the small car.

For years, Pinoys have had a love affair with compact rides. From the Toyota Wigo to the Honda Brio, to the Renault Twizy that looks like it came straight out of a sci-fi film, we have grown fond of them over the years.

Small cars shine brightest on the battlefield, aka traffic. They slip into spaces other drivers would not even dare attempt.

And if you ever circled SM Mega Mall’s parking lot for 45 minutes, with a Wigo or a Swift, that impossible and bizarre space beside the pillar near the mall entrance suddenly feels made for you, while the Fortuner is still doing laps.

They are also champions when it comes to fuel efficiency. Small cars sip politely, never gulp. The Mitsubishi Mirage or Suzuki Celerio will not make your wallet cry every time you stop at the gas station.

Driving a Mini Cooper feels like being the star of your own movie. Strangers smile at you. Pedestrians wave. And someone will ask if Mr. Bean is around the corner.

We, Pinoys, take things further with our own twist on compact mobility. Up in Baguio, there’s the Jeepito. The world’s tiniest jeepney. Built from scraps but full of spirit. Filipinos can make anything small, ridiculously cute and lovable.

There is also the Renault Twizy, that futuristic bubble you spot in Bonifacio Global City. It looks like the lovechild of a golf cart and a spaceship.

Small cars come with trade-offs. The cargo space is barely enough for your groceries if you shop at Divisoria or S&R. Most small cars will think twice before wading into floodwater. There are times when buses and trucks don’t even see you.

But the thing is, we love them anyway. Because small cars reflect who we are. They are resourceful, witty, and adaptable, just like Filipinos.

At the end of the day, cars don’t have to be massive to matter. They don’t need to tower over traffic or show off horsepower. What matters most are the cars that stay reliable to carry our little victories every day and teach us that even the simplest rides can take us closer to the life we’re building.

The problem with the big, flashy, luxurious ones is that sometimes, they end up in the news for all the wrong reasons. And spending Bentley money because it comes with a free umbrella is the kind of logic you only hear after three bottles of beer for us mere mortals.

For that kind of money, the umbrella should be able to stop the rain and summon the sun. It must have the power to part the floodwaters the moment you point it like Moses.

Now that’s the kind of flood control project we would actually believe in and rally behind.

Until then, we’ll stick to our small cars and our cheap umbrellas from Divisoria.