Kia Rio vs. Honda Jazz vs. Mazda 3

[kiakulas]

Hi Tsikoteers,

First off is the big question:
Which is best: Kia Rio, Honda Jazz, Mazda 3?

I just got out of college and earning just fine. I decided to get a car for my own and was considering an affordable "starter" car, but not exactly cheap in value and quality. I'm just starting to learn to drive so half the people says I'd rather buy a pre-owned "bump" car and the other half says get a brand new one as I might face more surprising problems with pre-owned, given I'm incapable of finding a "good" used car and fixing a car myself.

Anyway, my choice is down to Kia Rio, Honda Jazz, and Mazda 3. Mazda 3 looks best for me, but is also the most expensive (and I guess a bit on the higher-end). Rio looks awesome, great value for such a low price but the downside is being "Kia". Jazz seems interesting, but largely because it's Honda. Siempre I'd go for the looks din.. hehe.

Please anyone can give advice on which would be the best pick? I'm thinking of fuel efficiency, overall value, and maintenance cost (durability and parts) in the long run. I'm not planning to sell the car in 4 or so years..

Heard Kia has a bad history but now doing well. Honda is pricey to maintain (expensive parts). Mazda - don't know much about it really.. astig lang talaga dating !

Also, I'm new here in this forum -- decided to hop in as with all the posts I read, everyone's very intelligible on the topic and Tsikot is the best place to know it all..

Thanks!!!

[mazdamazda]

Hmmm... tough inquiry... these 3 cars cater to different market segments.

Anyway, if money is no object I'd probably get the Mazda3 for the level of refinement that it has over the other two. It's comfortable enough, good NVH, nice build quality, pretty interior & exterior, etc. In terms of performance, it is the best handling car in class though it is pretty much tamed by the mediocre engine & transmission.

Second choice will be the Jazz... BUT there's a new model just around the corner. But still, it's a solid performer and might have the best fuel economy among your choices. The interior though is bland compared to the Mazda3 and the build quality is kinda iffy for a Honda.

If you really are on a budget, the Kia Rio is a decent choice also. The engine has enough oomph to get around town and it's quite spacious. It looks very European from the outside and is a breath of fresh air from the sea of Vios & Citys out there. Forget about it being a "Kia"... it's a whole new ballgame now when it comes to Korean cars. Their entry-level cars might not be as refined as their Japanese counterparts but they are getting there.



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[badkuk]

the rio's an interesting choice...the only thing i'm concerned about is availability of parts.

have you considered the vios? for me it's the best price/fuel economy/passenger space compromise

[kiakulas1]

Thanks mazdamazda, badkuk.

Medyo magkakaiba nga sila ng segment but I was considering Rio and Jazz kasi di nagkakalayo yung price nila - Rio (600k) Jazz (650k). Naisama ko lang yung Mazda 3 kasi may kakilala akong nagbebenta ng Mazda 3 2006 and I was only to pay the rest of the loan.

The main concern really is which of the three would be most economical to own and maintain. We can also throw in, considering they're all almost the same price, which would last longest and would provide most features. But for the looks, I'm hands down to Mazda 3!

Vios is a nice one - actually I was considering Vios earlier but dropped it somehow because I was trying to avoid a very "common" car as it sells very well and I guess almost everyone owns one.

Rio seems a bit rare, kaso yun nga, baka rare din yung parts so in the long run I might suffer unavaialblity of parts, or kung available naman, baka masyadong mahal. Anyone has an idea about the Kia parts availability/affordability?

How about Mazda and Honda?

(By the way, I lost my password for the "kiakulas" account so I created a new one.. it's still me)

Thanks!

[mo_lester69]

don't be too worried about parts availability of kia. they have been here in the philippines for quite some time already and with the growing number of kia branches in the country as well as other kia models (like carens and sportage) you see in the streets, i dont think it will be a problem. plus, im sure mura ang parts ng kia.

i own an opel astra and i was worried too about parts availability before buying it. i did a little research and found at least 3 sources for parts aside from the GM casa. ano pa kaya ang kia diba which is less uncommon than an opel?

bottomline, parts and maintenance should not be a concern for kia or any other cars not named toyota and honda. ilan beses ka lang ba magpapalit ng major parts diba? im sure after around 6-8 years you will think of selling it again and by that time, dun pa lang talaga lalabas mga problema ng kotse.

re mazda, good choice din yan if the 2nd owned car you're looking at has low mileage and still looks brand new. di naman kelangan laging brand new.

if you're after fuel efficiency and long term reliability, then go for the jazz. we own one and fc is really good. sobrang matagtag lang, nakakaawa idaan sa lubak. saka marami na rin naka-jazz sa kalye.

[freespin]

i would go for Kia Rio. 2007 COTY ito at tinalo pa ang vios at jazz. Ganda ng porma nya, very european. I know 5 star crash rating pa sya sa states kaya lng strip off na ang safety features nyan pagdating dito sa pinas. Maganda rin rating ng Rio sa JD Powers reliability rating nito, it got 4 stars out of 5 sa mechanical aspect.

[the one]

Kia Rio

Mazda3

Honda Jazz

[kiakulas1]

Sa totoo lang, I'm starting to get convinced that Kia has improved enough to make me worry less about quality and durabilty. And given the price range of Kia cars, I don't think parts would be as expensive as others nga naman. Any insight from Kia or Rio 2006 owners? Sakit-ulo po ba?

About the Mazda 3 I'm eyeing at, it's only a year old, office-bahay lang ang takbo nun, nakasakay na ko one-time and it's well kept. Kulay lang ayoko sana.. I'm just worried that if I own it, baka ma-drain naman lahat ng budget ko sa usage and upkeep.. Is it really expensive to own a Mazda car?

Based on the photos, Jazz looks less appealing than the sedans, though still looks catchy in person. At 50k more, parang you get less features/specs pa against Rio. So I wanted to know kung di nalalayo ang quality and economy ng Rio sa Jazz.. kasi kung hindi, maybe Rio would be better?

On the sidenote.. I talked to a Kia dealer and he's willing to throw in some freebies.. Is that common (or is it fishy)? Lahat po ba ng dealer puedeng hiritan ng freebies?

Thanks for all your replies!!

[orly_andico]

The Mazda is bigger than either the Jazz or Rio. It is also more comfortable and has a much better suspension (multi-link in the back, not a 1950's era torsion beam like the Jazz or Rio).

In fact it shouldn't be in this comparison at all, since it costs a lot more and doesn't compete in the same price class. Since the Mazda is 1 year old, it still has 2 years to go on its warranty. So I would not be worried about maintenance just yet.

The maintenance costs are almost the same -- talo ka lang sa fuel.

My former colleague gets a consistent 10 km/L with his 1.3L City i-DSI CVT. I get a consistent 7 km/L with our Mazda3. This is all city driving (home to office).

If you drive 30km per day, the Mazda will cost you 200/day or 4400/month (assuming 22 work days). The City will cost you 135/day or 2970/month. That's a 1400/month difference right there. Add that to your amortization.

The Rio should be somewhere in between, but note that the Rio is only available with a manual transmission.

But here's the thing -- these cars are in very different price ranges.

Kia is 590K
Jazz 1.3 MT is 650K (+60K)
Jazz 1.3 CVT is 690K (+100K)
Mazda3 is 800K (+210K)

In practical terms, that means you'll be paying 1000/month more amortizing a Jazz MT, 2000 more on the CVT, and 4000 more on the Mazda. That's on top of the additional fuel cost of the Mazda. (assuming 5-year term)

So the Mazda is the most expensive by quite a lot -- almost 6000 pesos. Only you can decide if you are willing to pony up that much extra cash.

[orly_andico]

Edit: the lesser car dealers always give freebies.

Mazda and Kia included.

Honda has such high self-regard that they never give useful freebies.. you will get floormats and an umbrella from them. And the umbrella has a Honda logo.

In the end it boils down to the budget. I'm partial to the 850K Ford Focus 1.8L hatchback myself, it's in the same price range as the Mazda3 and Ford is so desperate that they give LOTS of freebies.

Wala pa halos kagaya :-)

Really depends on your budget. the Rio is not priced close to the Jazz.

If I were you, I'd figure out how much I am willing to pay every month, then work backward from there.