2016 Mazda 1.5S AT vs Suzuki Ciaz GL AT vs Honda City 1.5 E AT

[sientobente]

We are in the market for a subcompact sedan for less than 800k. My wife and I already created a shortlist. We are not interested in the Vios 1.3AT since my parents already have one. Considerations are:
Fuel Economy
Spacious
Fun to drive
Reliable

What's your vote and why?

[WallyWest]

Someone will inevitably suggest a Vios. Lol.

Tapatalked

[JohnM]

The Mazda 2 checks all your boxes except for the back seat space

[claytonyu]

We are in the market for a subcompact sedan for less than 800k. My wife and I already created a shortlist. We are not interested in the Vios 1.3AT since my parents already have one. Considerations are:
Fuel Economy
Spacious
Fun to drive
Reliable

What's your vote and why?

I would choose a mazda over any suzuki

[niky]

The Mazda2 is the most fun, but the Honda City ticks all the boxes. The only question mark is the CVT transmission. It's supposedly more durable than the old dry clutch CVT, but only time will tell.

[Egan101]

The City matches most of your considerations but it's not that fun to drive.

[niky]

The City matches most of your considerations but it's not that fun to drive.

The electric steering has no feel, but it's relatively sharp and handling is pretty nimble. Not as exciting a steer as the Fiesta or Mazda2, but pretty good, depending on the wheel-tire combo.

With the E variant, the bigger tires and smaller wheels will hurt handling, but you can always change the tires out for something nicer.

[Egan101]

The electric steering has no feel, but it's relatively sharp and handling is pretty nimble. Not as exciting a steer as the Fiesta or Mazda2, but pretty good, depending on the wheel-tire combo.

With the E variant, the bigger tires and smaller wheels will hurt handling, but you can always change the tires out for something nicer.

Very true, Niky! The EPS on the Honda smaller cars lacks feel. We have the previous generation City and Jazz (VTEC, GE chassis), both cars never seem to excite me with its steering response. They are good city cars though, fuel efficient and easy to drive, not to mention spacious for a small car.

Both cars though are not as agile and quick as my Fiesta Ecoboost.

[Walter]

Practical, fun to drive and on a budget criteria is a very hard to find vehicle, you can only have 2 of those criteria at best.

[sientobente]

Dropped by Mazda C5, the 1.5S AT which is their lowest sedan variant for the M2 is really bare. In place of the LCD in the middle, it was replaced by an ugly integrated radio. I was already expecting that leg space will be sparse on the M2, but even the shoulder space feels less than my Swift. Yojin3 is an excellent proposition though even if Mazda does not offer any discounts on this model. Hopefully, their neighbor Suzuki C5 gets the Ciaz on display so I can check it out.