Toyota Wigo

The interior of the entry-level 2023 Toyota Wigo J model is gray and black. The lower part of the cabin is in black while the headliner gets a gray treatment. The cabin looks nice and uncluttered and is easy to keep clean. The Toyota Wigo is more inclined towards practicality than being premium. That’s why Toyota has kept things simple with this compact hatchback. A lot of hard plastics have been abundantly used in the cabin. While the plastic bits aren’t great to touch, they don’t look cheap either. It caters more to durability since the Wigo is a daily commuting car.

While the 2023 Toyota Wigo seems small from the outside, inside it’s a different story. The interior is rather spacious compared to other entry-level hatchbacks in the Philippines market. There’s enough legroom and headroom on all seats. But the Toyota Wigo isn’t exactly a five-seater. It’s more comfortable for four occupants. Even if the front seat is fully pushed back, there’s still enough legroom and knee-room on the rear seat. The Wigo does compromise on elbow room if three adults occupy the rear seat. The third passenger has to squeeze in and long-distance travelling then becomes uncomfortable. The second row doesn’t have any center armrests. The rear seats get door-mounted bottle holders and that’s the only amenity. It’s understandable that Toyota wanted to keep the production cost low to offer a more affordable, mass-market car.

Like all compact hatchbacks, the two front seats of the Wigo offer the best travelling comfort. The steering column comes with no adjustability and finding the perfect driving position could be a bit challenging. The driver has to manually adjust the seat to reach the wheel. The analog dials are large and easy to read.

Passenger and boot space 

The cabin of the 2023 Toyota Wigo is roomy and spacious. It doesn’t feel crammed like many of its competitors. Noise insulation levels inside the cabin are at an acceptable level. That’s because of the eco-tires and the thinner sound deadening. Some engine noise does enter the cabin while travelling at a higher speed. It doesn’t distract the occupants during a highway trip. Within the city, the Wigo’s sound insulation does its job well, leading to a comfortable ride.

The Toyota Wigo’s suspension system isn’t the best in class but does a good job to lend a smooth ride. Unlike the more premium hatchbacks, it’ll be wrong to expect a plush ride quality from the Wigo, considering the car’s size and wheel profile. But the DNGA-A platform and the suspension system offers a composed and well-balanced ride, irrespective of the road condition.

The Wigo comes with 60:40 foldable back seats to reveal 422 liters of boot space. It’s among the highest in its segment. 

Comfort and entertainment

The Toyota Wigo comes with a new 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment unit with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support. The touchscreen is quick in response and also serves as a reverse camera. While the resolution needs some improvement, the camera does serve the purpose. On bright and sunny days, the light often drowns the camera’s view. Passenger amenities in the Wigo include automatic climate control, push-start system, a USB port, and a 12-Volt socket. 

The 2023 Toyota Wigo still looks pint-sized from the outside. But it’s wider and longer than its outgoing model. The facelift version comes with a new grille and bumper treatment. The new design, with a larger opening, now cuts into the front bumper. The new-generation Toyota Waris, from the front-corner, looks like its cousins Vios and Yaris. The daytime running lights (DRLs) are vertically positioned in the Philippines version. Other markets get a horizontal treatment for the DRLs.

The new Wigo looks sportier than its outgoing version. Toyota has added a new body kit to the car. The hatchback now sports a refreshed side skirt, new front chin, hatch-integrated spoiler, and a new rear bumper that completes its sporty look. The rear lighting is now all LED. From the profile angle, the car doesn’t look too small. The 2023 Toyota Wigo runs on 14-inch wheels. 

What are the dimensions of the 2023 Toyota Wigo?

The car measures 3,760mm in length, 1,655mm in breadth, and 1,515mm in height. The wheelbase is of 2,525mm. The bigger dimensions give increased cabin space and a larger cargo area. 

What is the ground clearance of the 2023 Toyota Wigo?

The car has a ground clearance of 160mm.

The 2023 Toyota Wigo is meant for city driving and usually returns a mileage of 10.5kmpl in start-and-stop traffic. The fuel efficiency on the highway increases admirably to around 20kmpl. While the city number isn’t high, the Wigo is still a decently fuel-efficient car.

The 2023 Toyota Wigo is an easy to drive car. The hatchback offers a pliant ride on urban roads. The steering itself in non-telescopic and non-adjustable. That may initially affect the handling. But with its compact size, the Wigo can turn any corner easily. The suspension is well-tuned and the bumps and potholes aren’t felt inside the cabin. Though the Toyota Wigo is a light car, the steering somewhat leans to the heavier side and requires a bit of a practice to handle it on a straight line. 

The 1.0-litre powertrain is a capable performer. In fact, it’s a perfect engine for hatchbacks that are usually driven on city roads. On the highway, the motor may feel underpowered and the Wigo does lose steam after a while. Hatchbacks like these aren’t highway cars. But the Wigo still manages to retain a stable speed and balance on the highway. Braking is instant and the wheels have great road grip.

The 2023 Toyota Wigo is hauled by a naturally-aspirated, three-cylinder, 1.0-liter petrol engine that produces 65PS maximum power at 6,000rpm and 89Nm peak torque at 4,400rpm. The motor is mated to a five-speed manual transmission (MT). The car is mounted on the Daihatsu New Global Architecture (DNGA-A) platform. Daihatsu, incidentally, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Toyota. The DNGA-A underpins all Toyota and Daihatsu A-segment cars sold in the Asia-Pacific region. Toyota claims that the new platform has brought more stability to its vehicles. While the new platform will be used to mount crossovers and hatchbacks, it would be also deployed for autonomous and all-electric models.

The 2023 Toyota Wigo’s rear and front suspensions comprise of a semi-independent torsion axle beam with coil spring, and a McPherson strut respectively. Most entry-level hatchbacks, irrespective of the manufacturer, uses a similar suspension setup because of their compact size.   

Is the 2023 Toyota Wigo available in diesel?

No. The car is available with a 1.0-liter petrol engine only. 

The 2023 Toyota Wigo is a well-equipped car in terms of driver-assist features and safety equipment. It has antilock braking, crash sensor, child safety locks, vehicle stability, control, parking sensors, and power-adjustable rear view mirrors among others.  While new Toyota Wigo is yet to be tested by the ASEAN NCAP, the pre-facelift model scored 12.84 points in adult occupancy protection and achieved 82 percent compliance for child occupancy protection, making Wigo one of the safest cars in its class.

How many airbags does the 2023 Toyota Wigo have? 

The car comes with two airbags for the base model

How many cameras does the 2023 Toyota Wigo have?

The entry-level hatchback comes with one parking camera.

Value for money

The 2023 Toyota Wigo is a well-equipped car in the compact hatchback segment. It offers a nice, pliant ride on city roads and highways. The 1.0-liter powertrain is frugal. The Wigo comes from one of the most trusted automobile brands in the world. At a starting price of ₱609,000 is a real value for money car to buy. 

Warranty

The 2023 Toyota Wigo comes with a five-year/150,000km warranty, whichever is earlier. An additional two-year warranty can be availed by paying a premium. That aside, Toyota is offering one-year free insurance on all models of the Wigo.

Are original spare parts of the 2023 Toyota Wigo available in the Philippines?

All original spare parts of the Wigo are available at the Toyota’s dealerships and workshops. Maintenance is expected to be headache-free because of Toyota’s brand worthiness. 

2023 Toyota Wigo vs Honda Brio

The Honda Brio is one of the closest competitors of the Wigo in the compact hatchback segment. The Brio comes with a more powerful 1.2-liter petrol engine, compared to the 1.0-liter unit of the Wigo. The power and torque output of the Brio are understandably higher than the Wigo. But the ride quality of the Toyota Wigo is better than the Brio because of its new platform. At ₱863,000, the Brio is priced much higher.

2023 Toyota Wigo vs Suzuki S-Presso

The Suzuki S-Presso can be called a true segment competitor of the Toyota Wigo. Both cars come with the same capacity engine. Both have an almost identical power output. But the Wigo is better equipped than the S-Presso in terms of features. Also, the Wigo’s ride quality is much better than the S-Presso. But the latter has a lower maintenance cost with spares being more easily available. With its sporty looks, the Toyota Wigo is ahead of the boxy-design S-Presso. The S-Presso is priced higher at ₱660,000 than the Wigo, despite being less-equipped.

2023 Toyota Wigo vs Kia Soluto

The Kia Soluto isn’t a direct rival of the Toyota Wigo. It’s a more premium car in the Philippines hatchback segment. The Soluto comes with a more powerful 1.4-liter petrol engine with power and torque output much higher than the Wigo. The Kia Soluto is a well-appointed car with lots of features and great tech equipment and is priced much higher at ₱865,000.

Is the 2023 Toyota Wigo worth buying?

The new-generation 2023 Toyota Wigo is a great package for people wanting to buy their first car or a second vehicle for the family. It’s a compact, daily commuting car that comes with a fuel efficient petrol engine and nice ride quality. With increased length and breadth, the car is spacious where four passengers can travel in great comfort. The Japanese automobile major has added a number of features in the Wigo to make it attractive among first-time car buyers. The company has managed to keep production costs low, making the Toyota Wigo one of the most affordable cars in the entry-level hatchback segment. The Wigo is backed by Toyota’s extensive service centers. The car is easy to negotiate on packed streets, while on the highway it offers a composed ride. Body roll is minimum because of the low ground clearance. As a city-focused car, the hugely improved 2023 Toyota Wigo is definitely worth a buy.