first car, hatchback preferred: fiesta or yaris

**porkchops** · March 12th, 2012 12:11 PM

Hi, soon to buy our first car this month. We preferred hatchback since we would like to bring our 2 cats (2 carriers) on our trips. We are not interested in SUVs and MPVs. We are already paying for our new home so we do not want to spend more on the car.

Our options boils down to the Ford Fiesta or Toyota Yaris. We are almost inclined to the Yaris because of the brand strength. But we do love the look of the Fiesta. We are aware of the issues of the Fiesta (seen on FCP page, this forum, and the FB page) but how many have their Fiestas working flawlessly up to this time? Can anyone give a guarantee that we will not regret owning the Fiesta?

How about the Yaris? Does this have their share of issues (cant find any user/owner forums/pages for this one). The Yaris is also up for a minor facelift (no definite date yet, but someone said in another thread that it will be this March) but is the rear lights and bumper tail lights worth the wait (looked up the toyota thai page)?

The Manila Auto Show event is also coming. Will there be more promos/discounts/freebies when we buy from there?

thanks

**mda** · March 12th, 2012 12:17 PM

Correction:

The Yaris is not up for a minor refresh.

New body sir, coming very soon (as quoted from the other thread). April daw.

If you're looking for everyday practicality over porma (although the Yaris is by no means ugly), then go for the Yaris.

**porkchops** · March 12th, 2012 12:34 PM

Hindi naman kami napapangitan sa Yaris. Maganda sya rin sa amin (on certain paint color), pero mas pogi ang fiesta hehe (my wife prefers the white fiesta).

So yung 3rd gen na mismo ang dadating sa atin? Parang ayaw ko sa kanya (mukhang maliit na 2012 avanza ang harap). Mas gusto ko yung current gen na nasa atin.

**niky** · March 12th, 2012 12:49 PM

The Fiesta has better trunk space than the (current) Yaris, but rear seat space is similar.

The Yaris has better economy in the city, but on the highway, the Fiesta's longer gearing makes it superiour at highway speeds. That's if we're comparing AT to AT. Personally, if you want to avoid any possible issues with the Fiesta, get the 1.4 hatchback, as that is just as quick as the 1.6 (manual transmission versus heavy DCT) and gets better economy in city driving.

Having driven all variants of the Fiesta, I regard the 1.4 hatch as the best balance of performance, usability and price. It looks good, it's economical enough and the price is terrific.

The only big advantage in going for the 1.6 Sport is the voice command and sports suspension. The voice command is a nice toy, but that's all it is, and the sports suspension merely makes the ride choppier than the standard. (and the standard suspension on the 1.4 is already very, very good).