Help pls! Final poll before buying a new car! :)

[sawsawmaster]

*boogie18 Yes, mahirap talaga makakuha ng 1.6 Hatch both ambiente and trend. Sa Ford Alabang dapat ako kukuha but hindi nila alam kung when magkakameron. Then sa Ford Global and Ford Edsa wala na ding hatch na 1.6 AT. Nauwi ako sa Ford Libis, and ang sabi sa akin ng SA na swerte ako kasi napunta sa akin yung last supply ng hatch nila.

I got it at 99k downpayment all in and at 29,295 monthly for 3 years.

Btw, Ford Alabang is offering me 89k dp all in with free Blackberry for the sedan pero di ko pa rin kinagat kasi hatch talaga gusto ko.

[jut703]

Between your choices, I'd narrow it down to the Altis 1.6V and the Accent CRDi.

Altis:
SRP (less 70k discount): 900k
Annual fuel costs (assuming 9 km/L city and 12,000 km/yr): Php 66,666
Avg annual maintenance (assuming every 5k km PMS at 6k per PMS): Php 14,400
Total cost for 5 years: 1.305M

Accent:
SRP: 838k
Annual fuel costs (assuming 12 km/L city, 12k km/yr): Php 40,000
Avg annual maintenance (assuming 5k PMS at 8k per PMS): Php 19,200
Total cost for 5 years: 1.13M

Over the span of 5 years, you save almost 200k with the Accent. You can argue that the Altis will have better resale value, but I doubt the difference between the two will be greater than 80k in favor of the Altis.

Cost aside, here's my take on the two, based on my experience with a 2.0 Altis as a daily driver, and also having driven the Accent and Altis 1.6:

The Altis is much more comfortable than the Accent - it isolates you from the world in a more serene manner, most evident with how it handles potholes and humps. It also has comfy seats, so it's really a good car to be in should you find yourself stuck in EDSA traffic on a rainy Friday night. It's also got better NVH, and certainly feels more solid when going over triple-digit speeds on the highway than the Accent.

Despite being one of the smallest compacts in the market right now, it's still more spacious than the Accent hatch (which has noticeably less interior room than its sedan counterpart). You could also load more things in the Altis' cavernous trunk compared to the tiny boot you get with the Accent.

Of course, the Accent has the advantage when it comes to power - that diesel just buries you to your seat. Not to say that the Altis is slow, but it's merely adequate and certainly pales in comparison to the Accent. The transmission of the Altis reacts much slower too.

I haven't driven the Accent hard on corners, but for the Altis, you get a pretty underwhelming experience with its soft suspension and numb steering. That's not to say I haven't had fun with it through twisty roads, but I've driven much more engaging cars.

One last thing I'd like to note is that the Altis is a more "respectable" car, being a compact and a Toyota. The Accent, despite its incredible powerplant and chic looks, is still a subcompact and generally looks cheaper to the eyes of the lay man. Oh, and about the comment of more things going wrong with more electricals - well, none of the fancy toys of our 2.0V Altis has gone wrong in the course of 3.5 years. Probably in 10+ years, but if you're changing cars in 5 years, it shouldn't be a problem.

Overall, if you just want a daily drive that's frugal and cheap to run, go with the Accent. If you're willing to pay a bit more for comfort, class, and refinement, go for the Altis.

[boogie18]

Sir jut703 these are almost the same things that crossed my mind... thanks for the review... i think at this point im torn between being practical and paying for comfort... but the more i get stuck in trafic the more im leaning towards comfort... how is the space of altis? Not too sikip ba?

[3ple4]

Na-resolve na ba yung automatic transmission issue ng Ford Focus?

[a9828]

jut703, how different is the 2.0V from the 1.6 altis? i contemplated on that before and was thinking if the price difference (around 200k) was worth it. does the additional power actual give it a more spirited ride and better power to weight ratio?

[jut703]

Sir jut703 these are almost the same things that crossed my mind... thanks for the review... i think at this point im torn between being practical and paying for comfort... but the more i get stuck in trafic the more im leaning towards comfort... how is the space of altis? Not too sikip ba?

The Altis is fine - you can fit 3 in the back without much of a squeeze, though knee room is smaller than the Civic's. It's about spacious as the Focus, but the Focus' front seats feel more cramped because of the bulky center console. Compared to the Accent though, the Altis is noticeably roomier, especially in terms of width (elbow room).

jut703, how different is the 2.0V from the 1.6 altis? i contemplated on that before and was thinking if the price difference (around 200k) was worth it. does the additional power actual give it a more spirited ride and better power to weight ratio?

The 1.6 feels adequate - you won't feel that it's underpowered, but it doesn't have the same athleticism as, say, the Civic's 1.8.

The 2.0 is much quicker. I drive the old 4AT version, and that could do 0-100 in about 10 seconds. The CVT on the current one is even faster at a little over 9 seconds. What I'm trying to say is, the Altis 2.0V is a fast car - in a straight line. It still has the same numb steering and soft suspension as the lower end variants so it does take a bit of practice to master how the car handles through corners. On normal city driving though, the 2-liter is definitely torquier than the 1.6 and you need less revs to move about.

[sawsawmaster]

I am no expert but I think the transmission of my Focus is better and smoother than the transmission of my brother's Fiesta. TS kung kukuha ka naman ng Accent CRDI, sobrang haba naman ng pila for an Accent CRDI AT

[niky]

The current Corolla 2.0 has a better suspension than before. At least it doesn't feel like taking your life into your hands if you suddenly swerve left then right. That would cause the old 2.0 to fishtail. The new one is more stable.

But if all you want is comfort, comfort, comfort, you have to try out the Civic. The suspension isn't quite as perfectly controlled as the Focus, but it's very, very supple. In fact, the Civic out-Altis's the Altis. It's soft, wafty and serene. And the back seat trumps everything else on your shortlist. In ECON mode, it even dulls throttle response so that acceleration is smoother and less abrupt.

If you're an old Civic lover, you'll hate it. If you're looking for something comfy, you'll love it.

Then again, if you're driving alone, there's nothing wrong with the comfort level of something like the Accent or even a Honda Jazz. Good elbow room, relaxing to drive, good power. Only problem, really, is the long waitlist for the Accent CRDi AT. Don't get the gasser... the suspension is too soft and bouncy. You won't feel secure on those days you take the Skyway. And the CRDi MT sucks for the daily grind. The clutch feel gets erratic when you're sitting in traffic.

The Accent CRDi AT has a steady suspension, a very easy to use transmission, and muscular but easy-going performance. Sure, it's a lot of money for a subcompact, but it's a pretty good subcompact, and costs a lot less to run than any of your other choices. The only reason I wouldn't buy one is if I had to seat five people constantly and needed space in the cargo area for more than a baby stroller and a few bags of groceries. Yeah... a big stroller fits, but not much else.

[boogie18]

thanks Niky! yeah i tried the civic as well... seems nice to drive din. un lang super barat sa discounts ng honda, thought i could have gotten additional for the fleet discount, but even that they made almost impossible to get.

[E240]

Hi guys, going to buy a car very soon! i guess this will be the last time i get to post to gather opinions... so far i have narrowed my choices to the ff:

Toyota Altis 1.6V
Hyundai Accent CRDI A/T
Ford Focus hatch back Trend
Honda Civic 1.8 S or E

Main considerations are FC, Driving comfort, maintenance (cost of ownership), resale value (probably will sell in 5yrs) and I guess whatever will give me value for money.

Appreciate your feedback and help!

Thanks!!!

For me civic muna kasi mas ok pag medyo gusto mo spirited driving d sya under powered at ok feeling steering nya. Yun lang plasticky ang loob na face lift na nga agad ito sa US at interior materials napalitan narin. Sa resale lang ito makakabawi kasi asa pilipinas tayo.

Next altis kung safe side ka at gusto mo sobrang gaan manubela kasi boring at under powered lang. Gwapo narin yung pinaka latest na facelift.

Third ford focus sharp ang handling neto at for me pinaka gwapo inside and out, talo lang sa resale. Di lang ko lang alam FC neto.

In my ipinion di ko sasama accent ibang class ito eh, dapat elantra.