Which is the best buy: Kia Carens, Hyundai Accent, Toyota Vios or Honda Civic 1.8

[wiper]

i would like to buy a new car. At first I set eye on a kia carens. I would to know the FC of carens both AT and Manual. I have test drive it and its very satisfactory but later on when I decided to order one . I noticed the ground clearance both in the front bumper and rear bumper is too low while comparing my other car (innova and 1995 civic Lxi). I am afraid that when seating capacity is in full Load (7 persons) while encountering humps or big hole(lubak) will it hit the car bumper or underchassis. Please enlighten me for those who have carens. My second choice is the hyundai accent considering that fuel consumption can reach up to 30km/l in mixed city driving. Is this true, can anyone there who have the accent can affirm to this claim.Considering that these 2 Korean car is more expensive than the Japanese car. I opted for the vios. CAn someone tell me whats the FC for the 1.3 and the 1.5 variant both A/T and manual. As well as the fuel consumption of civic 1.8 A/T and Manual.

[teeyoh]

i would like to buy a new car. At first I set eye on a kia carens. I would to know the FC of carens both AT and Manual. I have test drive it and its very satisfactory but later on when I decided to order one . I noticed the ground clearance both in the front bumper and rear bumper is too low while comparing my other car (innova and 1995 civic Lxi). I am afraid that when seating capacity is in full Load (7 persons) while encountering humps or big hole(lubak) will it hit the car bumper or underchassis. Please enlighten me for those who have carens. My second choice is the hyundai accent considering that fuel consumption can reach up to 30km/l in mixed city driving. Is this true, can anyone there who have the accent can affirm to this claim.Considering that these 2 Korean car is more expensive than the Japanese car. I opted for the vios. CAn someone tell me whats the FC for the 1.3 and the 1.5 variant both A/T and manual. As well as the fuel consumption of civic 1.8 A/T and Manual.

sir wiper: It depends on how the car functions for your personal use. Be it for family, economy or pang single drive. Pick the car na gusto mo talaga and somehow within your budget.
For family use only: Kia Carens or Toyota Innova
For economy na pwede ring pang taxi: Toyota Vios or other Hyundai subcompacts
For looks: Honda Civic 1.8 S A/T

[newblue]

carens kung lagi kayo out of town saka madami ka lagi sakay. kung 2 to 4 lang naman ang laman ng oto, civic ka na lang.

[ram0722]

Get a civic even when you'll use it often for out of town trips or for daily work..2 thumbs up sa reliability..that is if you'll not exceed 5 people who'll ride in it with you..

[1D4LV]

i would like to buy a new car. At first I set eye on a kia carens. I would to know the FC of carens both AT and Manual. I have test drive it and its very satisfactory but later on when I decided to order one . I noticed the ground clearance both in the front bumper and rear bumper is too low while comparing my other car (innova and 1995 civic Lxi). I am afraid that when seating capacity is in full Load (7 persons) while encountering humps or big hole(lubak) will it hit the car bumper or underchassis. Please enlighten me for those who have carens. My second choice is the hyundai accent considering that fuel consumption can reach up to 30km/l in mixed city driving. Is this true, can anyone there who have the accent can affirm to this claim.Considering that these 2 Korean car is more expensive than the Japanese car. I opted for the vios. CAn someone tell me whats the FC for the 1.3 and the 1.5 variant both A/T and manual. As well as the fuel consumption of civic 1.8 A/T and Manual.

Among your choices, i would go for the Carens. why? At almost the same price as the Civic, you can get a CRDi engine which translates to an excellent fuel consumption and the space to boot. Trust me, you need the space even though hindi ka pamilyadong tao. It is also great for city driving. Yung issue mo sa lubak because of the low clearance, ingat na lang. Maski kanino naman pwedeng mangyari yan eh. so you have to observe excellent judgement while driving.

The Vios also is a good choice, but....as i've mentioned above, you will appreciate the cost of diesel and the efficiency of the fuel consumption of the carens and the space that you have in hand. mahirap kasi na kakailanganin mo ang space dahil may biglang out of town kayo, pero kulang ka sa space.

[IMm29]

If you'll be needing the space, get the Carens. Its fuel consumption should make it an ok everyday car.
But if you don't need the space, since you've got an Innova already, get the Accent or Vios for their fuel consumption. I think the civic's 1.8L engine is quite thirsty. But if you want the power go for it.

[mazingerZ]

I have talked to several taxi drivers with Hyundai Accent units and they told me that at the most mga 14-15 kms/liter lang. Mixed City/highway driving na. Advertising claim lang atayung 30kms/liter ng hyundai. Carens na lang bro, maganda ang dating at maiba ka sa rest ng crowd. CRDi na, pampamilya pa hehehe. . .

[Horsepower]

I agree, Carens CRDi is the best choice.

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Accent

30Kms/L is obviously pure highway driving.

I have not yet tested an Accent but I was able to do 21km/L on the 2.2L SantaFe which is also CRDi VGT powered. In city, it can only do 10-12km/L. Hard driving (which taxi drivers often do), it can only go 6-8km/L.

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Malakas po pala ang Civic 1.8? I thought it would be more efficient since malakas na ang engine and you probably don't have to rev too much to get it going.

[wiper]

I agree, Carens CRDi is the best choice.

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Accent

30Kms/L is obviously pure highway driving.

I have not yet tested an Accent but I was able to do 21km/L on the 2.2L SantaFe which is also CRDi VGT powered. In city, it can only do 10-12km/L. Hard driving (which taxi drivers often do), it can only go 6-8km/L.

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Malakas po pala ang Civic 1.8? I thought it would be more efficient since malakas na ang engine and you probably don't have to rev too much to get it going.

Thanks for all your suggestions. Maybe I will opt for the carens if the fuel consumption could reach 12km/l . For those who have carens , can you give me more input as well as those civic 1.8 users too. I am more concerned in the Fuel consumption. thanks again

[itlog na pula]

hi wiper, i've got a carens ex crdi at. got it a little over 2 weeks ago.

when we (my wife and i) were looking for a suitable vehicle, we put together our "wants and needs".

my wife wanted the legroom (she's a bit tall kasi but not "model-tall") and the extra carrying capacity.

actually 3 lang kami sa family (me, her and our 4 year old daughter) and usually ride at the back with her child seat. i have a lancer itlog and it is quite cramp out back. kaya another compact sedan wasn't an option.

and when we do go home to her hometown in angeles city and take out the rest of the family there, we come up to 6 people. and so we needed a 3rd row for this purpose.

sa akin naman, i only wanted 2 things: fuel economy and convenience. that's why i wanted diesel and automatic transmission.

so when we put our needs together, the carens was the obvious choice.

i'm getting 11.5km/l on two top ups lately. i'm sure this could be higher but since break in period pa, i'm following instructions on the manual to not stick to a fixed speed. and it's tough trying to control your right foot with all the power at your disposal! but seriously, if i were to use my driving style (econo driver kasi ako), i'm sure the stats would be higher. and considering matic pa siya.

as for the ground clearance, it's actually "higher" than my lancer (based on specs). the carens is 156cm while the lancer is 150cm. actually i had two concerns, the angle of approach (meaning the front bumper seemingly having too much overhang) and the length of the wheelbase relative to the ground clearance.

so far i haven't had any problems with this and like someone who posted in the carens thread before me, i'm learning to live with it. hindi pa naman ako sumasabit sa mga humps (knock on wood). i haven't tried those "monster humps" at don bosco makati pero one of the test drivers at signet mandaluyong said he tried it and there weren't any problems. ingat lang naman talaga, like any other car (new or old). i just slow down when approaching humps or anything similar and avoid potholes when i can.

the ground clearance is a common concern by most people but i'd like to think hindi naman issue. maybe because of its size (it's almost as tall as a hyundai tucson), most people would like to see the ground clearance higher. but it's not an compact suv and was designed for another purpose.

the handling is excellent (mas magaan pa steering wheel feel than my 96 toyota lite ace) and the suspension is car-like (hindi kasi molye sa likod so hindi stiff).

as for the korean stigma, it really isn't much of an issue to me. a lot of people seem to put emphasis on this pero remember the japanese had the same problem in the beginning. but clearly, kia (and hyundai) have made lots of improvements on their vehicles. i think it really is more on the after sales service that puts more of the worry in me. but remember, euro and japanese brands here sometimes have issues with quality service too.

of course from time to time you think about it but looking at the great styling, i know we made the right choice.

hope this helps.

[AlbertB]

hi wiper, i've got a carens ex crdi at. got it a little over 2 weeks ago.

...as for the korean stigma, it really isn't much of an issue to me. a lot of people seem to put emphasis on this pero remember the japanese had the same problem in the beginning. but clearly, kia (and hyundai) have made lots of improvements on their vehicles. i think it really is more on the after sales service that puts more of the worry in me. but remember, euro and japanese brands here sometimes have issues with quality service too.

of course from time to time you think about it but looking at the great styling, i know we made the right choice.

hope this helps.

Hi,

Agree on all points you raised about Korean car brands and about the Carens. So how have Kia Motors' after sales service been?

I have set sight on the Carnival or Carens as a next family vehicle. Any noteworthy or bad experience with service and maintenance?

-- AlbertB

[niky]

From what I've heard, 25 km/l is mixed for provincial users... I've only seen the engine (in the Getz) do 14 km/l in city traffic. I really doubt you can get 30. I have a feeling the guy who posted up that consumption computed improperly.

That said, I don't really like the Accent. The suspension tuning really isn't as good as the Kia Rio or the Hyundai Getz... neither of which are the best in the world, but have a more steady ride... and the electric steering is way overboosted. But in this effect, it's not much different from the Vios. The Vios has terrible electric steering, but at least the suspension is a fair bit more settled than the Accent's.

The Vios 1.5, we got 11 km/l in mixed driving. It can do 20, pure highway, but is likely around 8-10 in traffic. Don't know about the 1.3. Toyota engines are amongst the best gasoline engines there are... which bodes well for fuel economy. But the Accent will have better economy and more power. The interior is a little plasticky for the price, but the new Vios's interior isn't as good as it used to be, either. The only question is the cost of servicing the injectors five years or so down the road.

[alagad]

Mine is a carens LX A/t crdi.
i bought it last may 10, 2008.
my FCs are 8.8km/L, 10.15 km/L and 7.75 km/L based on the 1st 3 full tanks, city driving.
It has run 880kms so far.

my officemate has 1.8 civic he bought last nov2007. his FC is around 8km/L. city driving.

what i noticed with my unit is that it shifts only to 4th gear when it reaches 80kph. you can't force it (using the + - mode) to go to 4th even if going downhill (at 50kph).

it also doesn't have that overdrive ON option. it seems like it is always at the overdrive OFF option wherein if you take off your foot on the gas accel, it slows down(like engine braking).

I have a toyota altis and it has that overdrive ON option. when i step on the gas and release it, it still goes forward like it has reserve force on it. i get 9.5km/L FC. it is 1600 a/t.

another thing about the clearance. yes carens clearance is low. it hits the humps(5 pass only). how much more for 7? i have to lift my carens.

i hope this will enlighten you.

best regards,

alagad

Thanks for all your suggestions. Maybe I will opt for the carens if the fuel consumption could reach 12km/l . For those who have carens , can you give me more input as well as those civic 1.8 users too. I am more concerned in the Fuel consumption. thanks again

[1D4LV]

sir wiper: It depends on how the car functions for your personal use. Be it for family, economy or pang single drive. Pick the car na gusto mo talaga and somehow within your budget.
For family use only: Kia Carens or Toyota Innova
For economy na pwede ring pang taxi: Toyota Vios or other Hyundai subcompacts
For looks: Honda Civic 1.8 S A/T

imho, the Carens can even be a daily driver due to satisfactory FC for its size, and imho, it looks good too.

scratch the Accent off your list. even though it looks good outside, the interiors are too plasticky for my taste. Sumakay ako ng taxi kaninang hapon, accent yung nasakyan ko. Ok lang naman daw FC sabi nung driver. (Diesel-fed). I prefer the Rio over the Accent, honestly speaking.

[tidus1203]

Depende sa use bro. Carens probably if you have a family and need the space (by the way don't automatically choose CRDi, do the math first kasi for me di mababawi yung price difference with gas you have to find out your mileage first so you can justify paying up for a CRDi).

If you are bringing a date or single ka then Civic ako for looks and porma (high resale too)... Forget the Accent, for me ang pangit na nga sa labas, ang pangit pa sa loob (I just don't dig Korean sedans, Japanese pa din ako kapag sedans)... Vios pwede din for the fuel economy and resale is also right up there with the Civic, not as hot as the Civic though and has a taxi aftertaste to it

I don't own any of the other cars except Civic 1.8 AT so I will comment on that only. My FC is 8-9km/L pure city my route is Makati near AIM to QC near Banawe on rush hour... I haven't tried doing highway tests since wala naman akong lakad outside of Metro Manila...