Never used a rio. So i cant say.
I have 3 vios, the first, second and third generation. It bringa me from point A to point B in relative comfort, is enough for my family of 4 with small kids.
The gen2 vios is 1.3J. The daily heavy traffic nets me anywhere between 11-13km/li using the cheapest taxi fuel available. This is makati to farview and vice versa. Usual PMS costs only about 6K per year using regular oil, serviced DIY or at gas station. The suspension fix was one time and cost about 8k. Had this at the 6th year of ownership. I also had clutch change somewhere 8th year.
Acceleration is so-so. I dont drive fast ao ita okay. Front seat gives me back ache on long drives. Tolerable since i rarely go for long rides.
My sister owns the civic 1.8S. Its fast, consumes gas faster. I love the way the seats hug my back and the fast acceleration. We had the recurring clutch master problem. Clutch master leaks first, then the secondary. The fix is to replace. I think this costs about 8k if i remember correctly. I get around 7-8 km/liter, same route as vios. For some reason, the civic costs a bit more to maintain since it doesnt sound right using the regular oil the vios uses. I love the looks of the civic.
So my verdict: practical car id go with vios.
If i want the extra power and money to burn, i'd get the civic.
Personally, id get the vios (obvious naman, tatlo meron ako), but borrow the civic when i want power.... But since my family is growing, im getting the new innova.... Its diesel too.
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