Toyota Wigo: First drive

THE WIGO is Toyota’s fuel-frugal mini-compact entry.

THE WIGO’S peppy 1-liter, 3-cylinder twin cam engine

After a spectacular media launch in Cebu last Wednesday starring popular singers Martin Nievera and Regine Velasquez, Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) released the Wigo to motoring journalists for testing after their return to Metro Manila. I was one of the lucky few who got first dibs at Toyota’s entry in the fiercely competitive mini-compact segment.

The Wigo is obviously Toyota’s challenge to the Mitsubishi Mirage, which has become Mitsubishi Motors Philippines’ best seller after the Montero Sport and has captured pole position in the small eco-car market. It was so successful that Mitsubishi introduced a sedan version called the G4 in 2013, a year after the hatchback’s launch. At the cocktails where the Mirage G4 was revealed, I spotted TMP president Michinobu Sugata and asked him about industry buzz that the world’s biggest auto manufacturer was going to field a fuel-frugal little car to overtake the Mirage in the Philippines. Sugata smiled and would neither confirm nor deny the speculation.

A TOUCH-SCREEN multi-information display dominates the dashboard.

Now that TMP has gone all out to introduce the Wigo to first-time car buyers and entry-level mobility consumers, that rumor has been confirmed. The Wigo is manufactured in Indonesia, which is actively participating in the global small eco-car program like Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam. The Philippines as usual having missed the boat, imports the fuel-sipping mini-compacts from other Southeast Asian countries.

TASTE TEST. The fuel efficiency of the Wigo along with other motor vehicles will undergo testing by the Car Awards Group Inc. (Cagi), organizer of the annual Philippine Car of the Year (Coty). Meanwhile, I had a taste test of the top-of-the-line Wigo G over the weekend. Aware that the Wigo is propelled by a 1-liter, three-cylinder, DOHC, 12-valve engine producing 64.11 horsepower (at 6,000 rpm) and 85 Newton-meters (at 3,600 rpm max torque), I didn’t expect much in terms of zero to 100 kilometers per hour acceleration. But surprisingly enough, the little car proved to be a peppy drive given its modest horsepower and torque. However, the 1-liter engine with electric fuel injection gets very noisy when you hit 40-60-80-100 kph and its ability to reach 150 kph remains to be seen.

CARPETED cargo space behind the rear seat

Not that the P534,000 Wigo G is expected to perform like a P2 million plus Mini Cooper. The Wigo deserves to be evaluated according to the purpose for which it was created: to offer young consumers and those buying a new car for the first time an affordable alternative to the accident-prone, polluted air-inhaling motorcycle and unreliable, crowded, uncomfortable public transportation system of Metro Manila and other urban centers.

Aside from an attractive exterior with snazzy front fog lamps, chrome outside door handles and side molding plus a rear spoiler with integrated LED type high mount stop lamp, the Wigo G has 14-inch alloy wheels, a smooth-shifting four-speed automatic transmission and electronic power steering.  The windows, door locks and outer mirrors are all-power, but the key is the manual type. No such things as keyless entry and power start-stop button on this ride.

INTERIOR. Inside, hard plastic dominates the dashboard but the silver-framed instrument cluster and multi-information touch-screen display sort of save the day. People who stuff their cars with small items like cell phones, sunglasses and soft drink cans will like the nine bottle and cup holders fore and aft, the side pockets in all four doors and the seatback pockets behind the front seats. The air conditioning system cools the cabin efficiently. The rear seat is spacious with adequate legroom and headroom, but it is the folding bench type that does not split 40/60 to increase flat cargo space. The seats are covered with two-tone fabric: light gray and dark gray.

A WIDE bench-type back seat with plenty of legroom. Photos by Aida Sevilla-Mendoza

In the Wigo G, the audio system consists of an AM/FM radio with CD, MP3, USB, aux and Navi-ready, iPod and video playback capability and four speakers. All Wigo variants are equipped with driver and passenger airbags, but only the G variant has ABS, antitheft engine immobilizer, stabilizer and wireless doorlock.  The brakes in the G are ventilated discs with drums at the rear. Both the  MacPherson strut suspension up front and semi-independent torsion axle beam at the rear are supplemented by coil springs to help cushion the ride. But since the Wigo is a mini-compact, don’t expect it to have the riding comfort of a subcompact or compact car, particularly over potholes and other road surface imperfections.

Summing up, the Wigo is a driveable entry-level little car that achieves the purpose for its being, which is to provide affordable and convenient private transportation around town for the young, budget-conscious generation. With the nation rapidly motorizing, the Wigo’s future looks bright. So before the Wigo was unveiled at the Waterfront Hotel ballroom in Cebu last week, I asked TMP president Sugata how many Wigo units they aim to sell every month in the Philippines. Five hundred initially, he answered, but that number could go up after TMP begins manufacturing the Wigo locally. But making a new investment for that, Sugata quickly added, depends on the Roadmap (Motor Vehicle Development Program) which the entire industry hopes will finally come out this March. Meantime, the country’s best-selling vehicle is still the Toyota Vios, more than 2,000 units of which are sold every month, according to Sugata.