Suzuki S-Presso, Toyota Wigo, Honda Brio: which small car is best for the big city?

Commuting in the city has become a tough task for many workers in the Philippines. If ever you’re going to be stuck in traffic — especially with the coming holidays — wouldn’t it be better to get caught in the jam inside your own vehicle? 

That said, we’re checking out the Suzuki S-Presso to see how well it suits city traffic. In addition, we will also be looking at two other options from similarly respectable Japanese carmakers, for those in the market for a small yet capable city car. Our contenders include the following nameplates: 

• Toyota Wigo 
• Honda Brio 

Now, let’s size them up: 

	Suzuki S-Presso	Toyota Wigo	Honda Brio
Overall dimensions (length, width, height; in millimeters [mm>)	3,565 x 1,520 x 1,567	3,760 x 1,665 x 1,515	3,811 x 1,682 x 1,487
Wheelbase (in mm)	2,830	2,525	2,405
Ground clearance (in mm)	180	160	137

Looking at the above numbers, all three automobiles appear to be small enough to easily maneuver tight city streets. They also boast decent road presence for when they need to be driven on the major thoroughfares in the metropolitan area. 

It is worth pointing out that out of all the small vehicles in the list, the Suzuki S-Presso has the most ground clearance, which makes it a good choice, since most car owners today are faced with many lightly flooded city roads. The higher distance between the ground also allows it to better conquer the typical potholes and speed bumps that are prevalent in our road system. 

The longest of the three is the Honda Brio, but it clears the ground the lowest, which might be a pro or a con — depending on who you’re asking. The low ground clearance helps it achieve good balance and center of gravity, but may make daily driving a little challenging. 

As for the Toyota Wigo, it seems to strike a good balance between size and ground clearance, which is why it may be a popular pick for many car buyers who want a compact city car. 

With the vehicles’ dimensions out of the way, let’s check their exterior features. 

Exterior 

The Suzuki S-Presso has a fascia with an attitude, fitting for a small car with a big character. At the fore is a five-slot (albeit small) grille decorated with the “S” badge at the center. The headlamps flanking the grillework use halogen technology, which is pretty decent. 

Below, the front end of the compact hatchback has horizontal air vents to ensure proper ventilation for its pint-sized powertrain. The front bumper is chunky and looks somewhat durable. 

The side profile of the Suzuki S-Presso looks clean with body-colored door handles and black trims on the pillars and side mirrors. The carmaker could have added some cladding on the wheel arches and on the bottom section of the doors to kind of round up its “ready-for-anything” look. 

It rides on 14-inch alloy wheels with a two-tone design. They are wrapped with 165/70 series tires. 

At the rear, the Suzuki S-Presso is very hatchback-like. Looking literally like a shrunken-down sport utility vehicle, it has a good-sized window, a discreet roof-mounted spoiler with an integrated third brake lamp, and some C-shaped taillights. 

The tailgate opens wide and gives access to a generous luggage area with a high loading height. Notable too is its rear bumper that echoes a similar design to what can be found at the front. 

Meanwhile, the Toyota Wigo comes with plenty of sharp lines and offers an aggressive-looking mini car that can take on whatever the city throws at it. 

The latest iteration of Toyota’s best-selling hatchback offers a larger grille above which is a chrome garnish with the marque’s iconic emblem at the center. Flanking the said trim are two sharp-looking headlamps. On the sides of the lower front bumper are two fog lamps. 

Its sides are also clean-looking, highlighted only by blacked-out pillars and side mirrors with a black accent. Like the front end, the windows of the Toyota Wigo are strong and angular. 

The hatchback rocks 14-inch monotone wheels with 175/65 radial tires. 

At the back, the Toyota Wigo carries the same design language with a squared glass that houses an integrated brake lamp, angular taillamps, and a discreet bumper that mimics the shape of the front grille. 

As for the Honda Brio, it simply screams attainable sportiness. Its fore has a sharp design with the nose fitted with a grille that boasts a latticework with large honeycomb patterns. At the middle is a chrome garnish with the Honda emblem. Onto its sides are headlamps with integrated turn signals. 

The bottom grille has horizontal slats with the cheeks of the compact car housing its front fog lamps. 

Honda has fitted the Brio’s sides with dark-colored side mirrors and black pillars. Some side sill garnishes add some level of sportiness to the automobile’s overall appearance. 

At the back, the Honda Brio has a prominent roof-mounted spoiler atop the decent-sized rear glass. It also gets a combination taillamp and a sharp-looking bumper with diffuser-like trims underneath. 

Winner 

All three compact cars have their own characters, but we have to give this round to the Suzuki S-Presso due to its having better road presence than its competitors. The elevated ground clearance and somewhat stout stance make it a vehicle that’s easy to spot, whether on the road or in the parking lot. 

And did we say that it also comes in a striking Sizzle Orange paint?

Us giving the “W” to the Suzuki S-Presso does not mean the other cars are inferior in terms of looks. It’s just that there are already a lot of compact hatchbacks on the market that share the same style, and the winner of this round offers a unique appeal to small cars compared to its rivals. And speaking of uniqueness…

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Interior 

Inside, the Suzuki S-Presso has a unique-looking interior. Unlike the typical layout, the instrument panel is clustered together with the infotainment system at the center of the dashboard. 

Taking center stage is a seven-inch digital infotainment screen with Apple Carplay and Android Auto connectivity features. Above it sits the digital speedometer with other instrumentation meters. 

No leather seating option is available here. To keep the cost to a minimum, Suzuki swathed the S-Presso with fabric upholstery coupled with vinyl trims. 

Here are some of its other features: 

• Cabin lights
• Bottle holders 
• Manual windows
• Manual parking brake

As for the Toyota Wigo, it uses a traditional layout with an instrument panel that combines digital and analog gauges as well as an eight-inch infotainment system in the middle of the dashboard. 

For its seats, the Toyota Wigo also gets fabric coverings for comfort and utility. 

Below are some of its other appointments: 

• Digital manual climate control 
• Up to four speakers 
• Power windows
• Power doorlocks 

Lastly, the Honda Brio delivers not only in comfort but also in nostalgia, which we will get to in a few. Past its modest steering wheel is a combination of analog gauges complemented by a seven-inch infotainment system set at the console. 

The seats are fabric, but we love the 90’s style pattern, which subtly reminds us of those confetti Recaro seats. 

Here are some other features worth noting for the Honda Brio: 

• Manual air conditioning with digital display 
• Power windows 
• Speed-sensing door locks 

Winner 

Overall, the three city cars come with simple cabins that seem to be geared more towards longevity rather than luxury. Nevertheless, the interior of the Suzuki S-Presso remains a standout since the only similar interior we can think of would be that of the Minis. 

Powertrain 

Under the hood of the Suzuki S-Presso is a 1.0-liter gasoline engine mated to the company’s auto gear shift, which combines the convenience of using an automatic transmission and the fuel economy of manual gearboxes. 

The setup makes the following figures: 

Maximum power output (in horsepower [hp>)	67
Maximum torque (in Newton-meters [Nm>)	90

Meanwhile, the Toyota Wigo is endowed with a similarly-sized gasoline mill paired with a continuously variable transmission (CVT). 

It generates the below numbers: 

Maximum power output (in hp)	66
Maximum torque (in Nm)	89

Finally, the Honda Brio uses a larger engine measuring 1.2 liters. It is also mated to a CVT and puts out the following outputs: 

Maximum power output (in hp)	88
Maximum torque (in Nm)	110

Winner 

For obvious reasons, the winner of this round is the Honda Brio. It is able to generate more power and more torque for quick acceleration in stop-and-go traffic. 

Safety

Safety-wise, buyers of the Suzuki S-Presso can expect the following features: 

• Airbags 
• Seatbelts 
• Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
• Electronic stability program
• Hill hold control 
• Parking sensors 

As for the Toyota Wigo, here are its safety technologies: 

• Airbags 
• Seatbelts 
• ABS
• Vehicle stability control 
• Hill assist control 
• Rear camera 
• Parking sensors 

Finally, the Honda Brio offers the safety features on this list: 

• Airbags
• Seatbelts 
• ABS
• Electronic brake-force distribution 
• Parking sensors 

Winner 

With all small cars packing almost identical safety features, we call this round a tie. 

Pricing

Here are the variants of the listed nameplates as well as their respective price tags: 

Suzuki S-Presso 

Suzuki S-Presso GL MT	P634,000
Suzuki S-Press GL AGS	P674,000

Toyota Wigo 

Toyota Wigo J MT	P615,000
Toyota Wigo E CVT	P690,000
Toyota Wigo G CVT	P735,000

Honda Brio 

Honda Brio V CVT	P827,000
Honda Brio RS CVT	P863,000

Winner 

Judging on the numbers, the winner of this round is the Toyota Wigo since it allows car buyers to enjoy Japanese-engineered cars for a price that’s a little over P600,000. 

Verdict 

The clear winner of this three-way comparo is the Suzuki S-Presso. It offers car buyers a vehicle that can do more than the typical compact hatchback, at a price that won’t break the bank. 

We also love that it still offers a five-speed manual transmission, for people who prefer to drive than be driven. 

Also read: 

Suzuki S-Presso: capable daily driver, decent weekender

More than modest: Honda Brio V CVT

Proper commuter: Toyota Wigo G

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