Toyota Wigo

Overview

With the Wigo, Toyota has shown that it has the potential of making small entry-level hatchbacks which can cater to that segment which is tight on budget but has an aspiration of buying a set of four wheels for family purpose. The Wigo is the most affordable Toyota car in the Philippines, and is available in three different variants and six color options – Orange, Red, Black, White, Silver, and Grey.

Interior & Features

On the inside, things for the Toyota Wigo seem even duller, with a very unattractive layout for the cabin. The car fails to generate a wow feel which a buyer from this generation would expect.

The very simple and staid looking three-spoke steering wheel, as well as the instrument console behind it, make up for a very uninspiring driver’s cockpit. However, the steering wheel comes with buttons for audio controls integrated on it. The center console too looks very dated with a boring and vertical layout, with separate and simple looking housing for AC levers. The presence of a simple touchscreen infotainment system, however, livens up things on the inside.

Apart from the aforementioned features, the Wigo lacks any other prominent comfort and convenience feature which fails to attract many buyers. However, despite its compact dimensions, space on the inside is really impressive.

Exterior

With the Wigo, Toyota aimed at making a small city car which looked chic and smart to attract younger generation buyers more towards it. However, the final outcome has turned out to be a mixed bag.

At the front, the Wigo looks extremely eye-catching with a very busy yet funky design. The car has got a sleek chrome grille which ends on large headlamp assembly, which surprisingly gets projector units within them. To make the car look big when viewed head on, the front bumper comes with a very large inverted trapezoidal air dam and vertical housings for the fog lamps, which look very similar to that of the Toyota Vios sedan.

However, all that excitement vanishes a bit when you move towards the side profile. Except for the presence of machined alloy wheels, the rest of the design looks a bit bland, and the absence of pullback type door handles make it look cheap.

At the rear too, the design doesn’t look too trendy, with a very plain design for the rear hatch as well as vertical tail lamps on the outer edges. However, the roof spoiler at the rear somehow manages to liven up some things.

Ride & Handling

Thanks to compact dimensions and low kerb weight, the Wigo feels very responsive in tight traffic conditions. The agile handling and easy maneuverability of the Wigo makes it a great city car, and thanks to the plush suspension setup, the car feels pretty comfortable for long runs as well. The car runs on 14-inch wheels as standard.

Engine & Fuel Consumption

Powering the little Toyota hatchback is a small 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine, which also happens to be the smallest engine Toyota makes for its passenger cars. The engine, which is being offered with both the options of a 5-speed manual gearbox as well as a 4-speed automatic transmission, produces a maximum power output of 66PS and a peak torque output of 89Nm. The engine might feel a bit underpowered on paper, however, thanks to the low kerb weight of the Wigo, the overall performance feels lively enough.

Braking & Safety

Being a compact and entry-level city car, the Toyota Wigo might lack the presence of high-end safety features. However, the car packs in essentials like dual front airbags, ABS and engine immobilizer.

Verdict

The Toyota Wigo generates a very strong impression of a modern city car when viewed head on from the outside. But a deeper introspection reveals the fact that Toyota has carried out a lot of cost cutting measures and has skipped on many features which could have made it a hit among millennials. Having said that, the car is easy to live with, thanks to fuss free mechanicals, easy handling and Toyota’s unquestionable after sales support and reliability.