Battle of the Subcompact Cars (Mirage, Fiesta, Wigo, Brio, etc.)

[jeDi13]

I am assuming you wanted to compare the super subcompacts, not the subcompacts, because of your examples in the thread title.

I don't own one, but just like you, I am also considering buying one of them. To make the story short, based on my research on pure paper stats and info, Mirage GLS CVT is my winner. The Wigo comes next, not because of its features, but its price. If you won't be travelling long enough (< 7,000 kms per year) to take advantage of the Mirage's fuel efficiency, then I suggest go to Wigo because of the cheap upfront purchase price. But you may also would want to take a look at the Picanto and i10. Both cars have good features as well, and maybe their aesthetics are your personal preference. I did not bother with the Alto and Celerio, for personal preference reasons. Lastly, I didn't bother with the Brio as well as it's very pricey for its class, unless you want the "prestige" badge and you simply love the Hondas.

[Prince Ng]

I am assuming you wanted to compare the super subcompacts, not the subcompacts, because of your examples in the thread title.

I don't own one, but just like you, I am also considering buying one of them. To make the story short, based on my research on pure paper stats and info, Mirage GLS CVT is my winner. The Wigo comes next, not because of its features, but its price. If you won't be travelling long enough (< 7,000 kms per year) to take advantage of the Mirage's fuel efficiency, then I suggest go to Wigo because of the cheap upfront purchase price. But you may also would want to take a look at the Picanto and i10. Both cars have good features as well, and maybe their aesthetics are your personal preference. I did not bother with the Alto and Celerio, for personal preference reasons. Lastly, I didn't bother with the Brio as well as it's very pricey for its class, unless you want the "prestige" badge and you simply love the Hondas.

What is with the 7,000 km/yr mark?

The way I see it, less fuel consumed is always good? Am I wrong?

Well, the Brio does have a bigger engine and it has 4 cylinders, instead of three. Also, more HP and torque. If you want that kind of setup then you have to pay premium (?). Yes, the Brio is a wee bit over priced, at least the lowest variant is P599K, but I still need to see the specs to check if its worth it really.

The Wigo is a good idea but I prefer something in the range of Mirage hp and torque, for that "just in case" moment. I wonder if you can turbo the Wigo. Hmmmm...

[dct]

Mirage ang the best for me. Parang jack of all trade. I suggest this pag only car lang. Pero pag secondary, ok na ang wigo. Cheap price

Brio ang mahal. Vios na yun mas malaki pa. Premium DAW kasi e

[jeDi13]

A vehicle with an average mileage of 10T km/yr is, well, the average. So when your vehicle only travels less than that is considered low mileage car. Considering that the TOTL Wigo costs Php 534K only as compared to the Mirage at Php 648K, the Php 114K difference is already worth a lot of gas and will take you to lots of places. I would even guess that you can't consume all that money in gas in just a year. Add to that the PMS cost of a Mirage over the Wigo. So I say, get your priorities straight, and think about what you really want and/or need.

Less fuel consumed is always good? I wouldn't say yes, especially if the price difference is too high and I won't be making the vehicle a high miler to break even with the cost.

I am surprised you wanted some oomph but you're looking at subcompacts. Don't expect too much from them, as they are built for economical driving. And economical driving's a different world with the oomph you're looking for. Closest that you can get is the Fiesta Ecoboost, but that's on a different class already.

Anyway, in the end, it all boils down to your priorities. Good luck in finding the right vehicle for you and don't forget to enjoy.

[chyll2]

What is with the 7,000 km/yr mark?

The way I see it, less fuel consumed is always good? Am I wrong?

Well, the Brio does have a bigger engine and it has 4 cylinders, instead of three. Also, more HP and torque. If you want that kind of setup then you have to pay premium (?). Yes, the Brio is a wee bit over priced, at least the lowest variant is P599K, but I still need to see the specs to check if its worth it really.

The Wigo is a good idea but I prefer something in the range of Mirage hp and torque, for that "just in case" moment. I wonder if you can turbo the Wigo. Hmmmm...

it terms of upfront cost, wigo is cheaper but in terms of fuel consumption or daily cost, Mirage will win.


i think the 7k mark per year is the reference as low mileage. If you will spend more than 10k mileage a year, then I suggest go for Mirage since mababawi mo agad yung added cost (of jumping from Wigo price to similarly package Mirage).

[jut703]

I remember computing the fuel efficiency vs. upfront cost of the Wigo and the Mirage in another thread before.

Anyway, I'll give it another go, with the ff. assumptions:
1. Wigo 1.0G AT SRP - 534k
2. Mirage 1.2 GLS CVT SRP - 648k
3. Wigo 1.0G AT FC (90% city, 10% highway) - 11.98 km/L*
4. Mirage 1.2 GLS CVT FC (90% city, 10% highway) - 14.82 km/L*
5. Gasoline price at Php 52.00/L

* according to James Deakin. Unless you're better than Deakin, I'll take his numbers as reliable

Even if you travel 10,000 kilometers per year, it will still take you 14 years to offset the SRP difference of the Wigo and Mirage, even if the Mirage is more economical. That doesn't include the difference in maintenance cost, but it should be minimal.

Lowering that to 7,000 km per year increases the time to 18 years before a Mirage becomes more economical.

My point is - if you want to have the lowest running cost for a brand new car, get a Wigo. However, I think the Mirage is the better car overall so it's worth the extra cash.

I also wanna add that if you want the lowest running cost (incl. upfront payment), cheapest way is to go secondhand and get a gen 1 Vios. Even with more maintenance, it'll still be cheaper than going brand new. Also has more power and space compared to the Wigo.

[Egan101]

For the mini cars, I'd go with the Mirage. It strikes a good balance among the usual car attributes, same as what jut703 stated.