All aboard the Changan Nevo convoy
IT’S BEEN many years since I last paid a visit to Villa Escudero Plantations and Resort — a popular go-to destination for Filipinos taking their balikbayan friends out for some pasyal (sightseeing). It’s a bit far from the Metro, but still close enough for a well-planned day trip. And I think it is that combination of exotic, local dining — you eat Filipino food right next to a man-made waterfall that feeds into a small hydroelectric plant, while your feet are immersed in ankle-deep water — and driving accessibility that makes this place one of those balikbayan favorites.
This year, I got to return to Villa Escudero driving in a convoy of Changan Nevo plug-in hybrids. The global Chinese auto manufacturer had successfully introduced its Nevo lineup of electrified vehicles to the Philippine market earlier this year, and decided that before closing the fourth quarter of 2025, it would showcase the unique performance and capabilities of the Changan Nevo Q05, Hunter K50, and A05 to the Philippine media. There were five model variants of the Nevo lineup in total, as the Nevo Q05 came in both the Q05 iD and Q05 SE, and the Hunter K50 came in both 4×4 and 4×2 iterations.
I happily joined the long drive, which took off from Changan’s flagship showroom along C5 in Pasig and proceeded straight to Villa Escudero Plantations and Resort in Tiaong, Quezon. The entire round-trip journey was approximately 200 kilometers in distance, and well worth the adventure.
My media team drove the Changan Nevo Q05 SE, and we found it impressively spacious. The seats are comfortable and the car is easy to drive, with no caveats. It comes with 19-inch, five-spoke alloy wheels, a rear spoiler, front and rear fog lights, a shark-fin antenna and full-on LED lights. I like how it offers four electric drive modes: Battery Electric, Hybrid, Range Extended Electric and Intelligent Energy Management (iEM). The last drive mode sort of learns from your driving behavior and then adjusts the car’s energy consumption based on the collected feedback.
Alongside its 1.5-liter BlueCore gasoline engine mated to a dedicated hybrid transmission (DHT) that produces 212hp and 330Nm of torque, the Nevo Q05 carries an 18.4-kWh battery, rated to be capable of providing 115km of driving range in pure EV mode. Additionally, it is rated to offer up to 1,215km of comprehensive range.
As we drove through city roads that led us to the South Luzon Expressway, and eventually into the country roads of Quezon and farther into the mildly off-road premises of Villa Escudero, we found ourselves happy with its handling and performance. It saved us energy through the typically unforgiving morning traffic of the Metro, providing enough power to sail through the expressway and comfortably overtake other vehicles — while keeping us reasonably safe with its advanced driver assistance systems. It’s a good product with its price point set at P1.259 million. The higher-end Changan Nevo Q05 iD sells for a bit more, P1.449 million.
Meanwhile, the Hunter K50 range-extended EV is the world’s first range-extended electric pickup. And in the Philippines, it is the first 4WD electric pickup. Matching its capabilities are its commanding exterior presence and urban-lifestyle kind of ruggedness. The media team that drove it shared that the ride comfort is dreamy for a pickup — and that in itself is a big deal. It also comes with a 7.5-inch digital instrument cluster, 12.3-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (and the Q05 comes with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, too), an eight-speaker sound system, wireless charging pad, and leather-covered power seats — not to mention a 540-degree panoramic camera and other safety features such as Lateral Stability Control, Collision Auto Unlock (important for electric vehicles), and Collision Auto Fuel Cut-off.
The 4×4 variant has Eco, Comfort, Sport, Traction, Custom, Creep, Snow, Mud, Sand and Off-Road driving modes, and its 31.18-kWh battery is rated to provide 131-km driving range on pure electric, which can rise to 1,031km with the range extender. It also offers a V2L (vehicle to load) feature, which basically means that it has dual 220-V outlets which users can exploit to power their appliances. And being a pickup, it has a 2.5-ton towing capacity.
Lastly, Changan’s latest Nevo A05 plug-in hybrid was also part of our media convoy. It comes with a flat-fold rear backrest, six-way electrically adjustable driver seat, six-speaker audio system, moonroof, and multifunction steering wheel — among other features. It gets several EV powertrain modes, such as BEV, PHEV, REEV and iEM. Additionally, you can choose from the more familiar drive modes: Eco, Normal, Sport and Custom. The SRP of the A05 is P1.195 million.
It was an enjoyable opportunity to test the real-world driving experience of the Changan Nevo line. In the end, it says a lot about how far Changan has gone in developing and building their products. After all, they’ve had 160 years of global industrial expertise — 65 of which were dedicated to automotive innovation. Today, we get to enjoy them on our roads, too.
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