Elantra 1.8 or Honda Jazz 1.5 EX AT or Ford Focus Sport 5dr or OTHERS

[TholitzReloaded]

IIRC, the Ford Focus 2.0 TDCi is now under 1 million after discounts (originally at 1.126M).

Even with the new model coming up, I still think it's a good buy, because the new model doesn't come with a diesel yet. No final word on when the updated Duratorq diesel will reach the new Focus, but I'm betting it'll take at least a year.

Reliable?
Well, no widespread complaints over the course of half a decade, so I'd say it is.

Fuel efficient?
Definitely. No other compact car can consistently get 9 km/L in moderate to heavy city driving. 20 km/L on the highway is possible too, if you're up for it.

Comfortable?
Er, not the most comfortable in its class, but you wouldn't call it awful. The ride is on the firm side but you won't be juddering around bumps and humps. Seats aren't hard (unlike the awful FD Civic seats) so long drives shouldn't be all too tiring.

Good legroom?
Again, not the class leader, but definitely not tight.

Overall, the Focus TDCi's trump card is still the fact that it's one of the best handling cars in the segment, and it's one of the only cars that you can drive around like a maniac all day yet still end up using little fuel.

Oh, I like its rather timeless design too:

Well said I couldn't agree more. I'm also looking at Focus, Fiesta or Jazz as my 2nd Car, but not having enough budget for my 2nd car i was thinking that Focus TDCI is just pricey compared to Fiesta 1.6 or Jazz.

[sabawballs]

Hi RazorWolf! Welcome to Tsikot forums.

Anyway here are my opinions and experiences on both the Elantra and the Jazz. Take note that i'm no expert as well with regards to cars maybe average to below average on knowledge regarding this.

I've tried both the Elantra (from my friend's) and Jazz (i own one) both the latest model (2012). Also i am very familiar with your daily route since i'm from the area of Alabang and studied before at Lasalle Canlubang.

Jazz
- Better Fuel Consumption (FC) in short trips (Alabang - Sta. Rosa)
- More Fun to drive
- Ride is more on the stiff side but still comfortable
- Kinda expensive for a subcompact car at 899k (Japan CBU) (857k for the Thai)
- Have the punch for a 1.5L engine
- Lots of cargo space especially when rear seats are folded
- Head room is not a problem because of high ceiling
- Hard to get discounts from dealers since it is already standard (but can still squeeze in some freebies depends on how you talk to your SA)
- No problem on parts

Elantra
- Huge body
- Good legroom
- Have those sound system goodies
- Softer ride compared to the Jazz
- Also have a punch for a 1.8L
- Better for long driving because it is more comfortable

Depends on really on what you need and priorities. Personally i'm still not sold with Korean Cars but dont get me wrong, they have been really improving for the past generations that it is already a close competitors of the Japanese branded cars.

I'd say if you are more on the comfort and a luxury feel, i'd go for the Elantra. If you are looking for a machine that is fun to drive and a "utility like" vehicle, go with the Jazz.

If you will be going for the Focus, i'd say go for the diesel variant already hands down. Also you may want to take a look on the Altis

My dilemma before was choosing between the Jazz, Elantra and the Altis. But due to my needs and wants, i chose the Jazz.

HTH! Cheers!

[jigs_xix]

*RazorWolf,
Try to include from your list the Toyota Corolla Altis 1.6L. At less than 1M pesos, this is your safest choice and suits most of your needs.

Leg room and comfort? You mentioned that you're 5'10 and overweight (no offense) so you need a full size compact sedan. I don't think you'll find it comfortable to drive the sub-compacts especially on long drive.

Not for resale? You want a car for keeps. Toyota Corolla can easily last for 10 to 15 years or even longer. Toyota car parts can easily be found everywhere. Quality and reliability = Toyota.

Fuel consumption? The Corolla Altis has 1.6 liter engine. However, fuel efficiency really depends on the driving style.

At the end of the day, there's no better car but you need to find a car that fits you the most. This is your first car and you have no plans of selling it. I suggest that you have to invest time and effort to study the cars available in the market. The best showroom is the road. Try to observe the cars around you during your commute. Search the internet, go to the dealer's website, read some forums and test drive as much as you can. Goodluck on your purchase.

[RazorWolf]

*RazorWolf,
Try to include from your list the Toyota Corolla Altis 1.6L. At less than 1M pesos, this is your safest choice and suits most of your needs. ...

... You mentioned that you're 5'10 and overweight (no offense) so you need a full size compact sedan....

... At the end of the day, there's no better car but you need to find a car that fits you the most. This is your first car and you have no plans of selling it. I suggest that you have to invest time and effort to study the cars available in the market. The best showroom is the road. Try to observe the cars around you during your commute. Search the internet, go to the dealer's website, read some forums and test drive as much as you can. Goodluck on your purchase...

*jigs_xix
- Thanks for the Altis suggestion. I'll add it to my cars to look into list.

- About the overweight comment, no offense taken, Sir. There's a lot of us out there and we buy cars too, haha.

- Dealer's websites (checked), Internet research (doing that), observing cars on the road (check). I'm making my first purchase research as thorough as possible. Hopefully, TSIKOT will be my main resource of good, sound, unbiased advised. And so far, I'm quite happy. Thanks!

[vefyjeph]

And I thought I was really a late bloomer. Hehehe. I never thought of buying a car till I was 28 as I was contented in just borrowing my dad's Crosswind. Computer ang interest ko in my early years. Now I am trying to learn about cars.

The first car I bought was the Civic FD. Unfortunately, it got total wrecked after 1 year of use. So car hunting ulit. Ngayon what I got is the 1.6L Elantra, out of budget na yung 1.8. If the new Civic FB was priced under 1M baka yun ulit kinuha ko. Kaso too pricey now eh.

If I have enough money, I wanted those SUVs or CUVs (Montero, Fortuner, Sportage, Tucson). The reason is, nadrive ko na yung civic ko dati sa baha. Sayad na yung tubig sa ilalim ng floor ng kotse. I can hear the plok plok sound. And I was pissed sa mga jeep na kasabay kasi patigil tigil pa sa daan samantalang ako ay kinakabahan na kasi baka tumaas pa baha. Importante kasi lakad kaya pinilit tawirin baha. And then since malapit na election, marami karsada ang sinisira para gawin. Parang nakakaawa yung kotse ko noon kapag dumadaan ako sa mga sinirang daan na ito.

Kaso wala kaya compact car ulit.

Since I have an Elantra, suggest ko sa iyo is Elantra. hehehe.
Or pwede rin Kia Carens kaso MPV class ito (7 seater). Pero diesel engine sya. Around 950k ata.

[GTi]

I'd suggest you get the Elantra 1.8GLS. It looks and feels really upscale. Really very much bang for the buck. 150hp 1.8L engine can battle it out with most of the 2.0L compacts in the market too, and still be more fuel efficient.

Or, if you don't mind the old design, there's the Focus 2.0TDCi. Sure you don't get lots of toys, but then that's what Banawe is all about. What it does have are all the good qualities expected from a Euro hatch coupled with an excellent diesel engine paired with that gem of a dual clutch transmission. Its devilishly fast, even in stock form, and yet still extremely fuel efficient. It sips less fuel in km/L than all of the compact sedans in our market. And then the fuel it sips is P10/L cheaper than the fuel used by all the other compacts in the market too. This makes it equal parts ideal daily commuter and equal parts weekend/track day/vacation car. Only shortcomings I can think of are the higher maintenance costs as compared to its gasoline powered competitors and its apparent lack of space.

[Starex_Gold]

Focus 2.0TDCi. Sure you don't get lots of toys, but then that's what Banawe is all about.

Sino nagsabi?

Eh power folding side mirrors lang kulang ng Focus TDCi hatch eh.

Dual zone auto climate, full leather interior, 6disc in-dash, SW audio remote, rear fog light. Asan ang kulang na toy?