Vios G AT, Honda City VX, Altis G MT and Elantra E MT

[Kestana]

Ford's maintenance cost is just about the same as Honda so it is still acceptable.

Really? All I hear about from friends who bought Fords in the past few years is how expensive the casa is. P20K+ for the Ranger's PMS at 30K km is very expensive. Workmate also complained a few weeks back that his 2013 Focus cost P18K on his recent PMS. We've also had Civics before and they were pricey (especially because of the frequent suspension bushing replacements), but they cost nowhere near this much even if prices were adjusted for today's value.

* thread starter

Have you considered the Nissan Sylphy? The base MT model at P812K is fairly well equipped (ABS, EBD, dual airbags, stabilizers, etc). There's also a CVT-equipped model at P915K. It's the most spacious in its class afaik, although the interior and dashboard is very plain. The rear seats are very posh and have rear AC vents too. Don't know anyone who owns one though, but reviews say the CVT variant is very fuel efficient.

Edit: Just read the hilarious comments section of the Sylphy review at CarguidePh. They're labeling the Sylphy as the DOM's car of choice because "it's a compact with the amenities of a mid-sized sedan".

[Egan101]

Really? All I hear about from friends who bought Fords in the past few years is how expensive the casa is. P20K+ for the Ranger's PMS at 30K km is very expensive. Workmate also complained a few weeks back that his 2013 Focus cost P18K on his recent PMS. We've also had Civics before and they were pricey (especially because of the frequent suspension bushing replacements), but they cost nowhere near this much even if prices were adjusted for today's value.

No idea about the PMS cost of the Ranger or the Focus but there are a few Ford dealerships who are notorious with their pricing. FCP members usually don't suggest Ford BGC or Alabang as they are not that friendly in terms of pricing. Most FCP members now prefer Ford Manila Bay. I paid about 6k+ for my 20k PMS just recently. I paid about the same with our 2009 City and Jazz when they were still under warranty, except during the major periods (40k, 80k) which really cost a lot more. We started maintaining these Honda cars on our own after the warranty thus costing us less compared when brought to the dealerships. There are also Honda casa (Alabang) which are not advisable to go to as they have poor service.

Also, I have heard from friends that diesel vehicles are not that cheap to maintain. Some of those turbo diesel engines require about 7 liters of oil. Using fully synthetic oils on them (at 500-600 per liter) will surely be some amount to consider.

The Sylphy is really quite underrated. The TOTL 1.8V Sylphy offers the same goodies as the Altis 1.6V but at a lower price.

[Kestana]

Also, I have heard from friends that diesel vehicles are not that cheap to maintain. Some of those turbo diesel engines require about 7 liters of oil. Using fully synthetic oils on them (at 500-600 per liter) will surely be some amount to consider.

The Sylphy is really quite underrated. The TOTL 1.8V Sylphy offers the same goodies as the Altis 1.6V but at a lower price.

We have a 2014 Kia Sorento CRDi and it requires almost 8 liters of oil. It also requires PMS every 5K km, compared to every 7.5K km for gas-fed Kias like my Soul. But its PMS doesn't cost anywhere near as much as the Ranger as per my scheduled PMS pricing though admittedly it has not reached 20K km yet. But there's no denying that diesel power is enjoyable and worth it imo, and you'll earn money spent on the oil and maintenance back on fuel savings anyway. Acceleration is exhilarating since torque is plenty. 436 nm of torque is about the same as you'd get on a 911 Carrera GTS btw.

I believe the Sylphy/Sentra is underrated as well. Too bad Nissan Ph's reputation took a massive dip in the past decade. It's not pretentious and it's purpose built to be a comfortable cruiser. Its level of equipment for the base model (P812K) is great and I think it's a perfect Honda City alternative for a bit more since most people buy the City for the comfort. Also, a US-based review of the Sylphy says its CVT variant gets substantially better fuel economy than its MT variant. The review is below:

[cast_no_shadow]

City VX owner here, got the car December last year. Originally we planned to get the Vios G AT.

Nataon lang na sumilip kami sa Honda to check the competition, as for me wala nilamang Vios sa City (no offense sa vios owners out there) exterior, interior toys and tranny since its a CVT already.

Never ko kinonsider na kumuha ng MT tranny, budget wise abot kamay na ng City VX yung G MT na Altis pero yung AT malayo talaga agwat nung time na bumili kami ng kotse and i can no longer stretch my budget more, magagalit na talaga si budget officer ko.

If you're considering the Altis G MT, go get it. Sabi nga ni Jut subcompact pa din ang City.

[JohnM]

Got the 1.5 3 after testing the City, Jazz and Sylphy. At the price of the City and Jazz we decided to step up a bit and go for a compact. The Sylphy was nice but it just felt too big and we didn't like the light-colored interior especially with kids and puppies as potential passengers. Yojin3 was the clincher.

[JayPi.23]

If you're Ok driving an MT car, the Altis G M/T is a very good choice and best value for money for an all-round family car.

If you want a fun to drive car for 900k, the Fiesta Ecoboost is like a daily go kart. Unless you're too aggressive on acceleration and braking, FC will be around 9-10 km/L on city driving. It can do 20 km/L on the highway assuming you cruise at 80kmh doing less than 2000rpm. I have achieved 15 km/L averaging between 100-120 kmh. It is not as spacious as the City or Jazz or Vios but its driving dynamics and performance are much more than the rest of the competition.

Thanks for the response. I also want the Fiesta Ecoboost but I guess it might not be suitable nor would look good for my age. If I'm at the mid 20's to early 30's will be getting this one or the Jazz.

[JayPi.23]

my altis G M/T averages around 8 kpl in heavy traffic, 9.8 in moderate traffic, 10.5 in mixed city/highway traffic and around 11.5 in highway traffic....

best i got is 15 kpl in pure highway driving, minimum speed is 60 kph, maximum is 110 kph.... depends on how you shift and how you maximize the 6 speed manual tranny.

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my altis G M/T averages around 8 kpl in heavy traffic, 9.8 in moderate traffic, 10.5 in mixed city/highway traffic and around 11.5 in highway traffic....

best i got is 15 kpl in pure highway driving, minimum speed is 60 kph, maximum is 110 kph.... depends on how you shift and how you maximize the 6 speed manual tranny.

Good figures for the Altis! Would you also share if there are known issue/s for the current model? Or perhaps what are the "cons" of your ride? Thanks!

[JayPi.23]

I was in a similar situation a few months back, and ended up with an Altis G MT.

My thoughts on your choices:

Vios G - at 880k (840k net of discounts), it's not really good value for money, especially if you consider that the City VX is priced the same but is a much better car. If you want a Vios, the 1.3E is the best value variant as it has almost everything the G has at just a little over 700k for the MT (after discounts). I did 7.5-10 km/L in city driving for my Vios E AT, and the manual should fare better.

City VX - at 890k (with occasional discounts of up to 30k), it's an expensive subcompact, but definitely the best all-rounder among all subcompacts. It's got impressive space - legroom is as good as the Altis, but elbow room is still lacking. It also has fancy features like push-button ignition, bluetooth connectivity, touch screen HU, an abundance of 12V sockets front and back, etc. But of course, at the end of the day, it's still a subcompact, and I'd rather get a compact for the same price.

Elantra E MT - gone are the days when Hyundais were good value for money. At 888k, the Elantra E is so bare - no foglamps, 15" rims, no aux/USB/iPod connectivity, no steering wheel controls, just 1 airbag, no ABS/EBD, manual airconditioning, no telescopic steering adjustment, no keyless entry, no 60/40 split rear seats, and so on. Heck, the base Altis E has more features. It's got a good engine, but a good engine alone isn't enough to make the Elantra E a good buy.

Altis G MT - gone are the days when the Altis was merely a safe and boring choice. It's actually really good value for money, and for most people, it's quite a looker. It has all the basic features that the Elantra doesn't have, though the City still has more fancy toys. However, what the City doesn't have is a larger cabin and a better ride. And of course, the Altis looks classier and is a notch above, as it's a compact vs the subcompact City. Maintenance is very cheap, as with most Toyotas. The Dual VVTi engine is quite a surprise too - good fuel economy but at the same time can get to 200 kph and has great power delivery throughout the rev range. The suspension is the same as before, but has been retuned to have less understeer and body roll.

Other cars I considered were the ff:

Mz3 1.5V - objectively, this is actually a great car. It looks wonderful, and has all the features of the Altis 1.6V at 50k less (Bluetooth, push-button, etc). Then there's free maintenance too. Handling and steering was great and this is really a fun car to drive. However, I really wasn't impressed with the power from the 1.5 Skyactiv. It's got good top-end power, but at under 4000 rpm it's pretty ho-hum, much like the older Hondas. Also, the 16" rims are too tiny for the body, and you'll really need to upgrade to the 18" OEM 2.0 rims to look decent, which adds to the cost. And though it seems really minor, I hate the digital tachometer. Digital speedos are fine, but I want my tach to have a needle instead of bars. Overall, the 1.5V feels like a shortchanged version of the 2.0, unlike in the Altis which feels like it was first designed as a 1.6, and the 2.0 was just added to have a big-engined range-topper. The Mz3 was at 965k, while the Altis was just 840k after discounts. I couldn't justify spending over 120k for the Mz3 when I could just get an Altis and spend a little for mods to make mine stand out.

Fiesta 1.0 Ecoboost - it's got the best engine for any car under 1M (as good as the 2.0 compacts), and great handling to match. Has all the features that the City has too (push-button, Bluetooth, etc) plus voice control. This for me is the best subcompact actually. But at the end of the day, still a subcompact priced more expensive than a compact. If you're really after a small car, get this, but if you just want the best all-rounder sedan for your money, there are other options.

Well explained. Might remove the Vios G AT in my list. For the City VX, it looks respectable to me plus as you've mentioned, lot's of other advanced features. For the space, I don't have passengers in my daily trip so not a big issue at all.
The Elantra, I liked it before, looks sporty and decent to me but when I've read about the expensive PMS, might remove this as well.
With the Altis, i liked the FC figures posted plus I'm sure that the maintenance cost wouldn't be a burden. So it might be between the Altis and City. Are there other factors to consider? I don't drive fast and maybe I would also like to hear on the comfort side between the two. Appreciate your response.

[JayPi.23]

Ford's maintenance cost is just about the same as Honda so it is still acceptable. Not sure about issues with the Ecoboost turbo but so far no such things were discussed in FCP unlike the tranny issues of some 2011-2012 Fiestas. Not sure if it's a hard sell but most TOTL subcompacts are already priced about the same. Honda City/Jazz VX+ models are just insane in terms of pricing. However, for a 30k difference over the TOTL Fiesta 1.5L models, the Fiesta Ecoboost is a good upgrade as 30k will not buy you an engine mod to achieve similar torque figures.


*JayPi.23 - a budget of 1M will give you better options. Unless you're paying cash, a price difference of 100k thru Financing will not be that big of a difference in monthly loan payments. A compact is still a wise choice and most compacts are now within the 1M price.

Will be paying it in cash since I'm going to sell my current vehicle and I believe that it is valued from 800 to 900K. I can extend it to 1M if it's really worth it. Do you have other suggestion?

[cast_no_shadow]

Well explained. Might remove the Vios G AT in my list. For the City VX, it looks respectable to me plus as you've mentioned, lot's of other advanced features. For the space, I don't have passengers in my daily trip so not a big issue at all.
The Elantra, I liked it before, looks sporty and decent to me but when I've read about the expensive PMS, might remove this as well.
With the Altis, i liked the FC figures posted plus I'm sure that the maintenance cost wouldn't be a burden. So it might be between the Altis and City. Are there other factors to consider? I don't drive fast and maybe I would also like to hear on the comfort side between the two. Appreciate your response.

Yep great comparo by Jut.

Major factor to consider is subcompact vs compact. Add a little amount sa City, naka Altis ka na. Yan ang palagi mo madidinig dyan.

Sa FC satisfied ako sa City ko, partida mabigat pa paa ko and mainipin ako. City driving it can give you 8-9KM/L.

Have you tried driving the 2 cars? I suggest you try para ma-feel mo din [emoji4]

Will be paying it in cash since I'm going to sell my current vehicle and I believe that it is valued from 800 to 900K. I can extend it to 1M if it's really worth it. Do you have other suggestion?

How about mazda 3?

Honda jazz?



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