Riding the teenie-weenie hottie hatches

(Conclusion)

FROM left, the Hyundai Grand i10, the Chevrolet Spark, the Mitsubishi Mirage and the Toyota Wigo

Which among today’s most recognizable subcompact hatches tickles our fancy the most? We took turns with the Hyundai Grand i10, Chevrolet Spark, Toyota Wigo and Mitsubishi Mirage hatchback, and brought in the Ford Fiesta EcoBoost 1.0 just for (the) kicks.

Small isn’t necessarily weak, and cheap. More and more Filipino motorists are discovering the power and efficiency of econo hatches—you know, those deceptively itsy-bitsy-teenie-weenie subcompact cars that those in their regular-sized sedans and SUVs are itching to overtake but just can’t, because those tiny buggers pack their own punches under the hood.

In one Saturday, under the sweltering heat of a summer sun, Inquirer Motoring tried four of the most visible entry-level subcompact cars in the local market—plus the 2012-13 International Engine of the Year winner Fiesta 1-liter EcoBoost. We were thinking big fuel mileage out of these small cars.

THE MIRAGE delivers the best brake test results.

Our group of five drivers (Charles Buban, Eisele Buntua, Tintin Ang-Buban, Aries Espinosa and this writer) assessed the cars standing before us: a factory-fresh Hyundai Grand i10 1.0 S 4 A/T (courtesy of Hyundai Pasong Tamo) with just 118 kilometers on its odometer; a Chevrolet Spark 1.0LS A/T that logged just 300 km; a Ford Fiesta 1.0 EcoBoost engine A/T that ran for just 2,084 km; a Toyota Wigo 1.0G A/T at 2,846 km; and a Mitsubishi Mirage GLS 1.2G hatchback A/T with the most street “experience” at 11,534 km. All of them were relatively new, with wear-and-tear not playing a significant factor here.

•Price tags

Toyota comes out as the lowest bidder here, offering the Wigo variant in our possession at P534,000, followed by the Spark at P573,000 and Grand i10 at P588,000. Mirage, the only hatch here with a larger displacement engine at 1.2 liters, is priced at P648,000, while the Fiesta EcoBoost comes at a hefty P898,000.

•Fastest

THE WIGO: true to its advertising slogan of “easy to own, easy to drive, easy to enjoy”

Informal (but safe) acceleration (0 to 100 kph) and braking tests (80 kph to 0) were conducted by Ferman Lao using the Car Awards Group Inc.’s (Cagi) testing instruments. Cagi conducts the annual Car of the     Year-Philippines.

The fastest in acceleration during our repeated runs turned out to be the Fiesta at 11 seconds; followed by Mirage at 15.5 seconds; Wigo, 18.6 seconds; Grand i10, 18.6 seconds and Spark at 22.3 seconds.

•Stopping power

The best brake test results came from the Mirage (27.4 meters), followed by Fiesta (30.9 meters), Wigo (31.4 meters), Grand i10 (42 meters), and Spark, which needed all of 43.4 meters to reach a standstill from 80 kph.

•Most fuel-efficient

THE GRAND i10 makes you feel that you’re not inside an entry-level hatch.

For the fuel mileage, we conducted five fuel top-ups— four to measure city driving and the last top-up to measure the highway run. All five vehicles ran in a convoy, on a roughly 100-km route around Metro Manila, with drivers changing vehicles at every fuel top-up. We obtained the average fuel mileage for all the vehicles for the four top-ups for the city runs.

The Spark emerged as the most fuel-efficient in the city runs, with an average fuel mileage of 10.94 kilometers per liter, followed closely by the Grand i10 at 10.89, then the Fiesta EcoBoost at 10.26, Mirage at 9.98 and the Wigo at 9.82.

For the highway run—a loop on the Coastal tollway—the Fiesta EcoBoost turned in the biggest number at 16 kpl, followed by the Spark at 14, the Mirage at 13.16, Wigo at 13.8 and Grand i10 at 10.16 kpl.

•How it looks outside

THE SPARK: most fuel-efficient in the city runs

For the exterior styling, it is understandably the Fiesta which tops the looks department. Which is just as it should, being that this turbo-powered hatch is just P100,000 shy of a million, which effectively boots it out of the entry-level category and into the “big boys” club of the 1.3- to 1.6-liter class. Of the four budget cars, the best looks is a toss-up between the Grand i10—appealing because of the borrowed cues from its sibling Elantra—and the spunky Spark.

•How it is inside

Again, the Fiesta felt more business-class inside with its interior amenities. It is, for all intents and purposes, a luxury car, and a sophisticated pocket rocket at that. And we knew instantly where the extra P300,000 went—to places where the driver and passengers need them the most. Aside from its audio (single in-Dash CD, AM/FM, MP3, AUX-IN, USB connectivity), there’s the SYNC feature with Bluetooth and voice control. It also has six speakers and a one-touch up/down control for the driver. It may not have been the most spacious among the five hatches, but we were still able to squeeze in four large and seven small boxes in there, as the photos will show.

FASTEST in acceleration is the Fiesta at 11 seconds. It has the best looks, too. Photos by Eugene Araneta

For a more “festive” yet safer drive, the Fiesta offers the driver the powershift six-speed automatic with select shift, sport-tuned suspension, SRS airbags for driver and passengers, an antilock brake system, electronic stability program, hill hold and hill launch assist and rear parking sensors, the works.

This isn’t saying, though, that the four entry-level hatches failed to spring their own pleasant surprises in the styling and features departments. The Grand i10 didn’t scrimp on its interior amenities, in particular. Its interior, with two-tone touches, is dignified and doesn’t feel like cheap plastic. Just like the Fiesta, we were able to fit in four big boxes and seven small ones. Its rear-passenger opening is remarkably wide.

The Mirage may have simpler interiors, but it does come with a quite sophisticated start/stop button in its top-end variant. It also doesn’t hold out on the safety features: dual SRS airbags, RISE body (reinforced impact safety evolution), antilock brake system, ELR seatbelts and immobilizer system. The unit we used had a four-speaker audio system, 8-inch LCD screen and a working GPS navigation system. For space, we were able to fit four big and six small boxes here.

The Spark’s interior is consistent with its exterior styling: funky and well put together. For instance, its instrument panel seems distinct from the main dashboard, looking more like a creative aftermarket external-gauge installation.

For Zen-like simplicity, the Wigo has it. You get the sense that it’s a no-nonsense hatch that’ll take you where you need to go without you having to fumble over the controls—quite literally a plug-and-play kind of car. Its interior has a high roof line, and it looks like it has the widest rear opening among the five cars. We were able to fit in four big boxes and 10 small boxes.

Despite the most affordable price tag, the Wigo still offers SRS airbags for both driver and passenger. The 1.0G A/T has antilock brake system, too.

•The drive

We felt more of the engine vibration with the Wigo than with any of the other hatches, though. The vibrations felt more pronounced when the aircon was turned on. Road noise is also more audible with the Wigo compared to the other cars.

The Spark, for its part, is slow getting to standard highway speeds (take note of the acceleration test). The engine seems to need to “spool up” before the power oozes out. We determined that if a Spark driver would need to overtake another vehicle, that driver would have to allow for enough time and space. The engine noise and vibration also seem to creep into the cabin as the RPM labors to get to its power band.

The Mirage, despite already having logged more than 11,000 on its odometer, held its own against its newer counterparts in the noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) categories.

The road noise insulation for the Grand i10 needs some improvement, as road noise easily penetrates the closed cabin during travel. The feel of the steering wheel is very light so women drivers might find this favorable.

As expected, the more refined Fiesta EcoBoost is quiet and well-insulated. Minimal vibrations were felt. The bigger and wider tires made it feel stable at highway speeds. Aided by a turbocharger, the Fiesta naturally comes out as the most responsive in the drive and came out second-best in the braking test.

•Verdict

If you can manage to add an extra P300,000 to P400,000 to your budget for entry-level hatches, then the Fiesta EcoBoost is your pocket-rocket of choice. But then, having almost P900,000 at hand will make you think twice about buying a tight-fitting hatch over a more spacious 1.5-liter sedan.

The Mirage is solidly built, but with the price tag of nearly P650,000, it may find itself having a hard time convincing buyers of 1-liter hatches that the extra 200 cc of engine displacement is worth the added P100,000 on the price tag.

We may brand the Grand i10 as the “escape artist,” because it truly goes head over heels in making the driver and occupant forget, for as long as it possibly can, that they are inside an entry-level hatch. If elegance and luxury are an escape, then the Grand i10 is your “escape pod.”

The Spark looks more Japanese anime than American subcompact—and that’s a compliment. That it doesn’t look average is a boon to potential subcompact hatch buyers who want uniqueness in spite of the tight budget and space. It looks well built, too. Just don’t go about town raring for a drag race.

The Wigo is true to its advertising slogan of “easy to own, easy to drive, easy to enjoy.” Years from now, many motorists will fondly remember the Wigo as their first real brand-new car; the hatch that welcomed them to the maddening world of traffic jams and colorful street characters. And in a Wigo, you will truly get the opportunity to appreciate what’s happening outside, because, hands down, it’s the easiest of the five to drive.