Chevy Spark, Hyundai Getz, Kia Picanto comparo - Inquirer

[niky]

This is probably a must-read if you're considering one of the three. Unusually good work for the Inquirer.

[SIZE="4"]The 'highs' and 'lows' of budget cars[/size]
By Tessa R. Salazar
Inquirer

LAST week Inquirer Motoring began its head-to-head comparison among three of the most conspicuous budget cars available in the country today--the Hyundai Getz 1.1, Kia Picanto 1.1 and Chevy Spark 1.0. All priced below P500,000, the cars were test-driven and scrutinized in an attempt to reveal the estimated cost of running and maintaining these so-called "budget cars."

Now, we reveal the prices of original equipment manufactured parts that would most likely be changed more frequently over the course of the cars' useful life (please see chart). The full service menus offered by the "casas" (authorized service centers) can be checked at the dealerships.

Since no two drivers are alike, Inquirer Motoring cannot predict exactly when the maintenance checks would be conducted. It all depends on how you drive, how long your vehicle runs at a given time, and the road conditions you subject your cars in. Everything here are estimates.

Generally, oil filters are replaced every 5,000 to 7,500 km. Other mechanics would put that into a time frame of about four times a year, or every three months. Other frequently replaced parts would be fuel and air filters, spark plugs (four in each car) and the V-ribbed belt or alternator belt.

Other parts needing periodic changes are the power steering belt, clutch disc, clutch cover or pressure plate, clutch release bearing, windshield wipers, brake pads in front, shoe and lining brakes on the rear.

Our best advice to potential buyers of these budget cars is to check with the dealers on:

o How much the said parts would cost within the warranty period (usually that's the first three years or 100,000 km-whichever comes first).

o How much the labor and parts would cost for servicing your car beyond the warranty period.

Initial impressions

There are certainly some things to expect when you buy cars cheaper than half a million. So we wouldn't be surprised if the dashboards of all three were made of plastic and roof linings were made of carton-molded ceilings. Hyundai Asia Resources Inc. revealed that the dashboard is made mostly of plastic with PVC foam and rubber while the headlining is composed of HS-felt (fiber), PE Powder (plastic) and fabric.

Kia Motors Corp.'s overseas service team in Malaysia revealed that the dashboard is made of polypropylene (PP) and the roof lining is made of nonwoven fabric.

Kia stressed that PP is being used for the dashboards of entry level vehicles contrary to the more expensive cushioned dashboard usually being used for pricier cars which are made of polyuretane (PU).

According to GM, the Spark's dashboards and roof linings are made of "special" materials.

Some portion of the Getz's interior side panels were upholstered which is more expensive than that of the Picanto and the Spark.

Upholstery fabrics for all three look the same, but the fabric of Getz looks better. The upholstery durability, however, becomes a toss-up among the three.

For carpet-flooring quality, Getz gets the "red carpet" treatment because of its thicker density. Hari claims that Getz's floor carpet is 45 percent fiber, 35 percent polyester, 15 percent polyethylene (plastic) and 5 percent latex (used in rubber).

Picanto's floor covering is nonwoven fabric that underwent a needle punch process.

Picanto gets points for seat softness. But for lumbar support, Getz is it.


EXACTLY 987 liters of extra space are added when seats are folded. - Getz


'Butt' test

The Getz is the more "family-oriented" car among the three. It has the biggest in space seating (five 150-lb plus adults can sit in relative comfort). We could pack in three burly adults at the back seats of the Picanto and Spark, but we could hardly close the doors on the Picanto, and the passengers' breathing got noticeably more constricted when we closed the doors on them in the Spark.

For the do-it-yourselfers, engine maintenance and examination comes easier with Getz for its roomy engine bay. The engine space is obviously meant also for the bigger Getz engines--the 1.4-liter gasoline and the 1.5-liter common rail direct injection (CRDi) diesel.

You will have to use a child's hands and arms to tinker with the engines of Picanto and Spark, though. Picanto engineers countered that since the vehicle is fitted with a small engine, and most of its electrical and electronic components (sensors and actuators) are easily accessible as they are located within the front and topside of the engine, then hobbyists and "tinkerers" should have ample space to work on.

All three are potentially more brake efficient because of their hydro-vacuum systems. This system assists the foot so the driver won't be pushing too hard on the brakes to get ample braking power. Getz, however, has bigger discs in front. The bigger brake discs coupled with the hydro-vac result in even more stopping power. Again, the reason for this must be to allow for the other bigger engines of the Getz.

Picanto should reveal its advantage in flooded streets. Air intake of the air cleaner is higher compared to the Getz and Spark. For cars of lower clearances, the potential for scooping in flooded water is possible.

The Getz's radiator is noticeably bigger, leading us to believe that this car is less prone to overheating. GM engineers countered that every vehicle would be prone to overheating if not properly maintained, adding that with the size of the Spark engine, a large radiator would not be needed.

Only the Spark puts in a three-point seatbelt for the rear middle passenger, which is rare even in more expensive cars. Getz and Picanto just put lap belts there, which are not ideal for a child to be strapped in. Crash analyses show that lap belts could result in broken pelvises for more fragile passengers such as children.


SPARK trunk space is 170 liters or 845 liters with folded seats


Also, only the Spark has the third rear brake light and a rear wiper. On the downside, the Spark is the only one not equipped with power locks. Its power windows are available only for the front passengers, as well. The rear windows are manually operated. It puzzles us no end why the makers of the Spark wouldn't go all power in this department, considering that the Spark is the priciest of the three.

Fuel capacity/drive

The Getz is the heaviest among the three, owing again to the larger provisions of the engine bay to accommodate its larger engine versions. Its curb weight is 994 kg, the gross vehicle weight is 420 kg; Picanto's curb weight is 928 kg and its gross vehicle weight is 1,350 kg. The Spark's curb weight is 795 kg and its gross vehicle weight is 1,270 kg.

These three minis were subjected to an 80-km rough fuel mileage test on a rainy Tuesday afternoon with varying traffic conditions. On a route that started from UP Diliman to Sta. Rosa, Laguna via C5 and South Expressway, we test-drove the cars, making sure that we utilized all forward gears and our rpm did not exceed 2,000.

During the first 40-km run, the Spark showed itself as the most fuel-efficient followed by the Picanto and Getz. For the second run which took us from Sta. Rosa to Makati (another 40 km), the Picanto this time emerged the most fuel miser followed by Getz and Spark. When the average of the two runs was computed, the Spark emerged as the most economical, but that was expected, considering its lower weight and size.

Suffice to say, the three cars needed only about half of fuel the bigger sedans would normally consume for the same distance--a significant savings in fuel any way you look at it.

Clutch play

The Picanto's clutch pedal is harder to depress compared to the Getz and Spark. The Spark clutch pedal, on the other hand, is so soft you might even feel it isn't there. It was revealed that the Picanto's and Spark's clutches are driven by cable.

Cable clutches might be less expensive to install than hydraulic ones, but then cables have a tendency to snap.

Kia engineers countered clutch cable durability depends on the quality of the material used. They added that majority of concern regarding clutch cable is not about snapping but the cable rubbing the inner lining of the cable shield (nagiging maganit) making it hard to press the clutch pedal. Kia added that hydraulic clutch system is better in terms of ease in pressing the clutch pedal. So why did Getz use the hydraulic system and the other two the cable system?

The Getz clutch is hydraulic and deep. The Spark's almost-not-there clutch meant that its cable is set straight, as opposed to the Picanto's clutch cable which is set in a curve. The problem arising from this "crooked" cable is not just the difficulty in stepping on the clutch, but more important, in the resulting inconsistency of the clutch and gas pedal mix. Those who drove the Picanto experienced first gear stalling on more than one occasion because of this setup.

Getz offers the most visible dashboard instrumentation. The Spark's instrumentation panel is set at the middle of the dashboard, not directly behind the steering wheel. This setup might take some getting used to for some drivers.


PICANTO'S trunk space is 250 liters or 988 liters with folded seats

[niky]

Frequently changed spare parts


Spark 1.0 Getz 1.1 Picanto 1.1

Oil Filter P193 P162.40 P191

Fuel Filter P520 P190.75 P310

Air Filter

Micro filter pollen filter P405

P891

P297

P947.75 P 472

P740.85

Spark plugs P149/piece P131.40/piece P165/piece

Brake Pads front P2,062 P2,421.20 P1,503.43

Shoe and lining kit-rear P2,410 P1,745.85 P1769.69

Alternator Belt P451 P303.60 P296

Power steering belt P 580 P209.40 P494

Clutch Disc P1,943 P2,097.30 P2,666

Pressure Plate P2,134 P1,490.90 P2044

Release Bearing P1,564 P1028.15 P697

Wiper Blade LH P335 P138.60 P544.37

Wiper Blade RH P335 P92.95 P514.80

Spare parts warranty 1 yr or 20,000 km 1 yr or 20,000km 6 months or 10,000km

Vehicle warranty 3 yrs or 100,000 km 3 yrs or 100,000 3 years or 110,000 km

*Prices as of Aug. 30, 2006


Copyright 2006 Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. - ironic, isn't it? Hope they don't sue me...

Very interesting to note how competitive the Spark is with the Picanto in terms of parts prices. No indication whether these are all casa prices, but I assume they are.

Strangely enough, if you consider parts prices, the Getz, as the biggest car here, would be the cheapest to maintain and run... Weird...

[OTEP]

Bakit magkaiba ang consumables ng Getz at Picanto? If they were both 1.1 models, they'd have used the same part numbers anyway. I guess it's best to shop around as the dealer sets actual prices.

And don't forget the industry standard 5-10% 'discount'.

[basti08]

ok pala maintenance ng Getz...mura.

to think na sya ang accdg sa review, ang pinaka upscale at mas malaki at mas family oriented.

[chuaed]

dapat sinama rin nila iyun chevyrolet aveo hatch... budget car din siya diba... iyun nga lang lampas siya sa 500thousand mark... tsk tsk...

mukhang kung pagpipiliin mas worth it iyun hyundai gets...

[OTEP]

Yup, ok ang Getz. Yun talaga ang vote ko before na-acquire yung Picanto. Yun nga lang in this price conscious end of the market, the Kia Picanto not only has the lower SRP, it also has more incentives.

Though some of the parts prices are insanely over the top.

E.g. the Php500++ wiper arm cost half as much in Banawe. And its the same OEM part complete with hologram, packaging, etc.

I wonder who computed the parts prices for the Kia and Hyundai? If sa Wheels iyan (they sell both brands), I don't really get the difference. hehehe. Maybe they asked two separate dealers.

[BlueBimmer]

yup ok talaga getz, kung nasa market lang ako ng small car ito kukunin ko

[chuaed]

Yup, ok ang Getz. Yun talaga ang vote ko before na-acquire yung Picanto. Yun nga lang in this price conscious end of the market, the Kia Picanto not only has the lower SRP, it also has more incentives.

Though some of the parts prices are insanely over the top.

E.g. the Php500++ wiper arm cost half as much in Banawe. And its the same OEM part complete with hologram, packaging, etc.

I wonder who computed the parts prices for the Kia and Hyundai? If sa Wheels iyan (they sell both brands), I don't really get the difference. hehehe. Maybe they asked two separate dealers.

its clearly obvious, monopolize ng wheels ang pricing ng parts ng kia and hyundai... sila nalang ang pinaka malaki dealer dito... wala na iyun mga autocenters, ganoon din ang signet... natira nalang mga smalltime na dealer...

with regards sa kia i know before alvarez group ang nag handle niyan actually hindi lang kia before dami brands na carry dati mga early like daihatsu, mazda, subaru, bmw... infact before nakikita ko doon sa bicutan plant inaassemble ang bmw 316i..

[niky]

I'd pick the Getz anyway, as it's the most amount of car you can get for the money.

I wanted to post this up last Wednesday already, pero tinamad akong mag-type... hinintay ko lang lumabas sa website nila...

[basti08]

sabi ko na eh... yung Chevy Spark, Daewoo kase yun eh...ang Daewoo ang pinakamahal na pyesa sa mga Korean makes along with Ssangyong.

nagbaba ng transmission yung friend ng dad ko sa MB100 nya last month 35K ang buong gastos. Daewoo and Ssangyong are like twin companies.