For us, by us

Driving the locally assembled Toyota Tamaraw in Mindoro

- By Pablo Salapantan

EVER SINCE the launch of the newgeneration Toyota Tamaraw, I had been dying to get behind its wheel. I've always felt that the Tamaraw is something inherently Filipino, a vehicle born out of necessity that eventually became part of countless families and memories — not to mention a reliable business partner as well.

Does this new Toyota Tamaraw have the same magic, the same appeal in 2025? Well, we found out by taking the Tamaraw to the home of its namesake animal endemic to Mindoro.

LAKBAY TAMARAW

In a bid to further spread and keep the Tamaraw lore alive, Toyota Motor Philippines hosted a simple, three-day drive adventure in Mindoro aptly called “Lakbay Tamaraw.” We all met up bright and early in the Batangas City area, had a quick briefing and breakfast run, then boarded the FastCat Ro-Ro (roll on, roll off) bound for Calapan Port.

As we boarded our FastCat vessel, I saw a fleet of Tamaraws in all sorts of guises. There were standard dropside units, along with a smattering of the UV bodies, and some slightly modified versions as well.

After a relatively relaxed and comfortable hour and a half on the water, we arrived at Calapan Port, Mindoro, and our true journey began. I took the first driving stint from the port to our lunch stop at the Toyota Calapan City dealership.