Quote Originally Posted by niky View Post
The only reason to get a Vios over an Accent 1.4 is the possible difference in fuel economy.

They both have pretty soft suspensions... Hell, I've seen brand new Vioses squatting to the ground with five on-board (dealer plates pa!) while the biggest complaint with the Accent is bottoming out over humps, but the Accent has better steering, a better shifter, better plastics, a bigger trunk, a much bigger interior (even compared to discount "compacts" like the Sentra, it will surprise you...) and more power. Simple no-brainer there. But still... I really hate the soft suspension. O-sulee supposedly fixes that, but I have yet to try it.

If you like them cute and cuddly, the Picanto has the most quality feel amongst superminis, with the i10 close behind (though the plastics aren't as nice and space is smaller) while the Celerio gives the best economy, though the smallest back seat. The Spark 1.0 MT is pretty decent, great legroom and it is more supple than the Picanto and i10 (close to the Getz, the Pica and i10 are rather stiff), but the shifter isn't great and the rear windows aren't powered.

None of the mini hatches have power mirrors, but you can reach the right side mirrors with your seatbelt on... Since you're 5'10", you probably won't even have to lean over. Alloys, you can ply get with the top-of-the-line models, but most of those are AT, except the Spark... But I'd rather get the 1.0 Spark over the 1.2.
Agree ako sa Vios. It really is cramped, having had the opportunity to drive one and also ride in the backseat of one before. At siguro hindi rin magiging maganda ang gas mileage ng Vios 1.3 if driven hard to reach the performance level of the Accent. And since you described the suspensions of both the Vios and Accent as "soft", and the Vios has been in cab service for so many years already. I suppose that level of softness is acceptable enough. But is the Accent's infamous engine knocking issue really such a big deal that it is something that is supposed to deter people from buying it? After all, it is still flying off showroom floors at record speed even after this issue has been found out. On a side note, so far I have seen one 1.4GL Accent cab. And even in cab livery, it actually still does look pretty good!

Now, being 5"11 myself, I would suggest against getting cars below the subcompact class. In order to get an acceptable driving position, I suppose you'd be sliding the driver's seat all the way back, reclining the seatback a good bit and... But if you should insist in getting something from this class, I'd suggest the Picanto. The new one really looks quite good with Peter Schreyer waving his magic over it. Really hope it drives as good as it looks.