Help me choose a brand new car for 2022: Mazda2 / Corolla Altis / Corolla Cross

[janjanjan]

Asking for your opinions to help me choose my first car to buy next year (2022) kapag nag back to office na.

Background lang tungkol sakin, I've been driving for more than 7 yrs, I think. Fortuner m/t, Prado m/t, and Ranger m/t madalas kong idrive. Only driven a sedan once noong may long drive kami ng barkada ko gamit kotse niya. Baka may other inputs kayo regarding sa kotse na sanay akong idrive...

Usual drive routes will be from QC to bgc/taguig/makati/ortigas/eastwood kung saan usual office ng mga IT companies.

This will be my first owned/bought car. I will be daily driving it, also pang out of town during long weekends. Usually me and gf lang ang sakay. Not yet planning for a family.

My car choices are:
1. 2022 Mazda 2 - considering this because of slightly higher ground clearance than the altis. 152mm ground celarance. "fun to drive" as said by all car reviewers. Overpriced ba? Kasi parang sakto lang para sa 5 year free PMS and additional features ng 2022 model. I've been longing in driving a mazda car. Php 1.95m

2. Corolla Altis 1.6 G or V CVT - reviews for the new TNGA platform are all great. The V variant's price is already close from the Mazda 2. toyota badge for reliability. Ang pinaka concern ko lang dito is yung ground clearance na 140mm. Php 1.130m - Php 1.215m

3. Corolla Cross 1.8 G CVT - I think this is the best choice, a crossover with 163mm ground clearance. Kulang nga lang daw sa features sabi ng ilan. Php 1.285m

The max budget I can go for is the price of the Corolla Cross. Baka nagtataka kayo na why not just go for the corolla cross kung may budget naman. Gusto ko sana makuha yung best value for the price depende sa nashare kong details, and also practicality. Planning to use the car long term so reliability is a must.

Yun lang, apologies for the long post. Let me hear your thoughts

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[dr. d]

Asking for your opinions to help me choose my first car to buy next year (2022) kapag nag back to office na.

Background lang tungkol sakin, I've been driving for more than 7 yrs, I think. Fortuner m/t, Prado m/t, and Ranger m/t madalas kong idrive. Only driven a sedan once noong may long drive kami ng barkada ko gamit kotse niya. Baka may other inputs kayo regarding sa kotse na sanay akong idrive...

Usual drive routes will be from QC to bgc/taguig/makati/ortigas/eastwood kung saan usual office ng mga IT companies.

This will be my first owned/bought car. I will be daily driving it, also pang out of town during long weekends. Usually me and gf lang ang sakay. Not yet planning for a family.

My car choices are:
1. 2022 Mazda 2 - considering this because of slightly higher ground clearance than the altis. 152mm ground celarance. "fun to drive" as said by all car reviewers. Overpriced ba? Kasi parang sakto lang para sa 5 year free PMS and additional features ng 2022 model. I've been longing in driving a mazda car. Php 1.95m

2. Corolla Altis 1.6 G or V CVT - reviews for the new TNGA platform are all great. The V variant's price is already close from the Mazda 2. toyota badge for reliability. Ang pinaka concern ko lang dito is yung ground clearance na 140mm. Php 1.130m - Php 1.215m

3. Corolla Cross 1.8 G CVT - I think this is the best choice, a crossover with 163mm ground clearance. Kulang nga lang daw sa features sabi ng ilan. Php 1.285m

The max budget I can go for is the price of the Corolla Cross. Baka nagtataka kayo na why not just go for the corolla cross kung may budget naman. Gusto ko sana makuha yung best value for the price depende sa nashare kong details, and also practicality. Planning to use the car long term so reliability is a must.

Yun lang, apologies for the long post. Let me hear your thoughts

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152 - 140 = 12 mm difference in ground clearance. that's a shade less than half an inch. that's the diameter of our little pinky.
i do not think that amount will amount to much of a difference, in general driving.

but if ground clearance is a big issue for you,
go corolla cross.
read the reviews, po.
a reviewer says the cross is too expensive for what the car offers. not many toys, daw.

test-drive the vehicles, po.
get the more comfortable drive.

good luck.

[hardwang]

Out of those choices, corolla cross is the winner. Most practical because of the bigger space and versatile cargo space. It's also pretty rare for a Toyota, meaning hindi pa nakaka umay tignan.

[Egan101]

Kung compact sedan, get a Civic and be done with it. Decent interior space coupled with decent handling.

If opting for a crossover, I suggest you stretch your budget a bit and aim for the likes of a CX5 or Forester. For the smaller crossovers, the Geely Coolray and Ford Territory are solid options.


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[travajante]

Subcompacts, like the 2DJ Hatch we have, are a good 2nd car. We got it coz we needed a smaller 1 for heavy traffic use. The 2: Easy, fun drive, tuneable & very reliable. Non-CVT means lesser care, no ticking timebomb & better for longterm ownership. It's my go-to over the larger vehicles we have if I don't need to haul stuff or passengers. If Mazda manners are on top of your wishlist, the slightly larger & taller option would be the CX3. 2liter Skyactiv w/o iStop. Even more fun than the 2, but priced above your budget. Check offers as its about to be cancelled. And....Yojin5 means nothing out of pocket for maintenance the 1st 5years.
Another good nonCVT small car that can get you anywhere is the Jimny. A real 4x4. I'd put this atop those 3 on your list. Just don't expect it to be economical. And the mods, if you're into them, will be constant temptations.[emoji4]
For a lone car, more space would be more practical. Cost-per-cubic-meter-wise, they'd give you more bang4buck.

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[EQAddict]

How about the chinese crossovers? Geely or MG? If you are looking for value for money, performance, features, etc...those have it in spades and are within your budget. Also they have large dealership networks already so service should be okay.

Or the city 5 door hatch?




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[travajante]

How about the chinese crossovers? Geely or MG? If you are looking for value for money, performance, features, etc...those have it in spades and are within your budget. Also they have large dealership networks already so service should be okay.

Or the city 5 door hatch?




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But....

Planning to use the car long term so reliability is a must.

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[dr. d]

come to think of it,
are there already long-term reviews of the china cars?

[Walter]

Long term, just get a Toyota ... Corolla Cross ...

[Egan101]

Long term, just get a Toyota ... Corolla Cross ...

Ticking time bomb daw yung CVT.


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[rico_yan]

Buying a vehicle is a major financial decision, let alone your 1st car purchase pa. Based on your original post, I've summarized in bullet points so I can understand your specific needs.

Asking for your opinions to help me choose my first car to buy
- Usual drive routes will be from QC to bgc/taguig/makati/ortigas/eastwood
- I will be daily driving it, also pang out of town during long weekends. Usually me and gf lang ang sakay.
- I've been longing in driving a mazda car.
- Toyota badge for reliability.
- Ang pinaka concern ko lang dito is yung ground clearance
- best value for the price depende sa nashare kong details, and also practicality.
- Planning to use the car long term so reliability is a must.

My first take away, you said you'll drive it daily around the metropolis. So I'd put emphasis on reliability, driving experience, and practicality (gas consumption, traffic, parking, maintenance).

Because of your bad experiences in 2 out of town trips, ground clearance became a consideration, hence the addition of Corolla Cross in your choices. My suggestion is you narrow down the choice between Mazda 2 vs. Corolla Altis.

I think your heart says Mazda, but your head says Toyota. So I'd test drive both Mazda 2 and Corolla Altis. When you're on the driver seat of each car, ask yourself: Is this the car I'd like to drive almost daily to work, to out of town trips? Which car would you rather spend a big chunk of time & money?

If being on the driver seat of Mazda2 satisfies that longing, then game over. One may argue about reliability of a Toyota badge. If you're up to date with PMS schedule and drive responsibly, you'll be fine with Mazda just the same.

But if you're leaning towards Corolla Altis, remove Mazda2 out of the equation and test drive Corolla Cross next. Then ask yourself the same thing, which of the two Toyotas would you rather spend time & money?

Since you're in no hurry to buy, you have the luxury of time. You're doing the right thing: asking questions and researching. Good luck on your buying adventure!

[janjanjan]

My first take away, you said you'll drive it daily around the metropolis. So I'd put emphasis on reliability, driving experience, and practicality (gas consumption, traffic, parking, maintenance).

Because of your bad experiences in 2 out of town trips, ground clearance became a consideration, hence the addition of Corolla Cross in your choices. My suggestion is you narrow down the choice between Mazda 2 vs. Corolla Altis.

I think your heart says Mazda, but your head says Toyota. So I'd test drive both Mazda 2 and Corolla Altis. When you're on the driver seat of each car, ask yourself: Is this the car I'd like to drive almost daily to work, to out of town trips? Which car would you rather spend a big chunk of time & money?

If being on the driver seat of Mazda2 satisfies that longing, then game over. One may argue about reliability of a Toyota badge. If you're up to date with PMS schedule and drive responsibly, you'll be fine with Mazda just the same.

But if you're leaning towards Corolla Altis, remove Mazda2 out of the equation and test drive Corolla Cross next. Then ask yourself the same thing, which of the two Toyotas would you rather spend time & money?

Since you're in no hurry to buy, you have the luxury of time. You're doing the right thing: asking questions and researching. Good luck on your buying adventure!

You certainly got it right, sir! Thank you for that. I'll narrow down my choices between the Mazda2 and Corolla Altis.
I am thinking na baka pwede naman muna ako makipag swap ng kotse sa dad ko kung kinakailangan sa out of town trips hehe.

It's a left field option but would you consider a Hyundai Kona?

Decent engine performance, slightly above average ground clearance (180mm ata?), fuel efficient, no fancy complex direct injection that gets the intake valves fouled up eventually, no CVT, pretty simple and reliable since not much can go wrong. However it's a bit barebones similar to the corolla cross.

I also think that Hyundai Kona is also a solid choice. Pero mas tiwala lang ako sa known reliable brands like Toyota, Honda, and Mazda.
Although malaki na rin improvements nila compared noong bago bago pa lang sila sa PH.

As for the CVT transmission naman, isa sa videos ni Scotty Kilmer na napanood ko ay sinasabi niyang most reliable CVT kay Toyota at Honda compared sa other brands. Hindi ko lang mahanap yung video for reference kasi ang dami na niyang uploads..

[tigerdoods]

Buying a vehicle is a major financial decision, let alone your 1st car purchase pa. Based on your original post, I've summarized in bullet points so I can understand your specific needs.



My first take away, you said you'll drive it daily around the metropolis. So I'd put emphasis on reliability, driving experience, and practicality (gas consumption, traffic, parking, maintenance).

Because of your bad experiences in 2 out of town trips, ground clearance became a consideration, hence the addition of Corolla Cross in your choices. My suggestion is you narrow down the choice between Mazda 2 vs. Corolla Altis.

I think your heart says Mazda, but your head says Toyota. So I'd test drive both Mazda 2 and Corolla Altis. When you're on the driver seat of each car, ask yourself: Is this the car I'd like to drive almost daily to work, to out of town trips? Which car would you rather spend a big chunk of time & money?

If being on the driver seat of Mazda2 satisfies that longing, then game over. One may argue about reliability of a Toyota badge. If you're up to date with PMS schedule and drive responsibly, you'll be fine with Mazda just the same.

But if you're leaning towards Corolla Altis, remove Mazda2 out of the equation and test drive Corolla Cross next. Then ask yourself the same thing, which of the two Toyotas would you rather spend time & money?

Since you're in no hurry to buy, you have the luxury of time. You're doing the right thing: asking questions and researching. Good luck on your buying adventure!

Best advice. Did TS already got one?


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[Egan101]

Test drive from a Toyota dealer? Good luck with that.


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[janjanjan]

Our T32 X-trail's JATCO CVT still works like new with 106,000 km on it. My neighbor's much older T31 X-trail with 180k+ km on it still has no signs of slippage.

Maybe those with CVT failures have never seen a CVT fluid change?

That's good to hear. Again referencing Scotty Kilmer from one of his videos, Nissan has the worst CVT daw.

Test drive bro. 1week effort of fun lol. It's a million peso purchase. Feel the engine vibrate on all of them. Imagine getting stuck in edsa for 3hrs.

About the cabin size, I prefer the civic front seats over the Honda city's. Black interiors are boring.

Yes sir. Now that I got your feedbacks, I'll do that on 1st or 2nd quarter of 2022.
Sana may maka imbento ng driving simulator imitating the car's ride and the roads para hindi na kailangan lumabas lol.

Test drive from a Toyota dealer? Good luck with that.


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Would you mind sharing your experience sir?

[dr. d]

Would you mind sharing your experience sir?

let me share my experience.
the one and only time i went for a test-drive, was when i was contemplating the wigo.
and i did not test-drive the casa's demo car.
i test-drove the wigo of one of the casa people.
highs.

a few years ago, casa had an appropriately-marked demo innova, parked at the door.
but it had since disappeared since covid.

[StockEngine]

Bro you can message the hundreds of sales agents on fb if their dealership have test units. Also ask if you can schedule ahead of time.

[hardwang]

That's good to hear. Again referencing Scotty Kilmer from one of his videos, Nissan has the worst CVT daw.

I wouldn't really consider the words that are coming out of Scotty's as the be all, end all. Take it with a grain of salt.

Anyway, if you ever decide to go Mazda 2, I'd suggest the hatchback. You won't believe how versatile the cargo space is. One time I've loaded a set of rims in a hatchback, try doing that with a sedan.

[dr. d]

Anyway, if you ever decide to go Mazda 2, I'd suggest the hatchback. You won't believe how versatile the cargo space is. One time I've loaded a set of rims in a hatchback, try doing that with a sedan.

but a sedan probably offers more passenger protection, in the case of a bad rear-ender.

[hardwang]

but a sedan probably offers more passenger protection, in the case of a bad rear-ender.

Dalawa lang naman daw sila most of the time. But that's true.
In my personal experience though, I've used the cargo space of a hatchback more than the times I've been rear ended (which is zero).
Side collisions though, that's a different story.