Honda City versus Toyota Vios in the Philippines

Planning to buy a car that’s fuel efficient?

Here’s a comparison made by a certain DarkVenom:

I had the same problem before. Toyota vs Honda. Masa vs Class (like everybody is saying). I started testing several brand new cars and ended up choosing from 4 cars namely Vios, City, Altis and Civic. I’m an image freak also rooting for Honda because I want to avoid the Masa image also of Toyota. After several surveys, online forums and recommendations from different people, I ended up buying Altis and I never regret it.

Here were some inputs that I considered:

“Image”
Toyota = Masa image..yuck jologs..Civic – conyo, class…etc (screw this mentality)..Not because I have Altis. According to mechanics and car specialist even buy and sell people, generally it’s true Honda reigns in Private cars, well back in the late 90s but today its Toyota who’s winning the image race. I am also a resident in the US and behold most people have vios and corollas than civics ( I think i haven’t seen any city yet). Check also some car shows online and see how Toyota shines over Honda. Design wise, Vios wins by a mile over City.

“Resale Value”
Honda sells higher than Toyota. I also heard this a lot but after checking with some 2nd hand retailers and owners even online ones, both brands have the same price. It always boils down to mileage, car condition and other factors. If you’re really planning to sell your car in the future, think of it this way, how many honda enthusiast buy cars? 1, 2?…how many toyota enthusiast buy cars? 1, 2? Now how many “taxi” businessman and public authorities buy toyota cars? Hundreds, Thousands… See my point? So the “Masa” image is also an advantage after all…

“Tibay ng Kaha”
Most people that I asked preferred the old city/civics than new ones because of metal thickness and durability. In terms of durability and driver safety I go for Toyota, not to mention my bumper was hit by a bus on the side, the bumper didn’t have any deformation. You can even check it yourself. Toyota cars are by far thicker than Honda. See how totally wrecked a Honda when you see it in the news?

“Space” and “Power”
Try to call some people and check if 3-4 people will comfortably fit at the back. Overload it with people then test drive it. See if the car’s engine will have a hard time. I tested 1.3s 1.5s which is why i ended up 1.6 Corolla Altis. You’ll never know but there will come a time that your car needs to be overloaded. If you plan to go to Baguio, go for 1.5 higher.

“Fuel efficiency”
It’s hard to trust people with regards to this one because we have different driving styles. Determine it on your own when you test drive brand new ones.

“Price and Maintenance”
If City and Vios have the same price. Then I go for Vios because of parts availability and cheaper maintenance. Not to mention surplus on a tight budget.