Toyota Vios Vs Honda City

[newrainbow]

I am looking to buy a new car. Toyota Vios or Honda City

Could you please share your experiences if you have one of these cars.

1. Fuel Economy

2. Comfort level - Interior

3. Pricing

or any other tips you could provide regrading purchasing a new car.

Thanks in advance :-)

[Spaniel]

I just bought a Honda Jazz and picked it up last week. We did look at the City but not the Vios so cant help you their with any comparisons although I must say the newly redesigned City looks great andk would be my choice over the Vios. I have purchased several Honda's here over the years and I have found you cant negociate much on the price so when you make your decision, either Honda or Toyota, try to get as many "freebies" as possible. The best would be first year insurance free (which we got with the Jazz) and then it's a range of other things, none of which would be a "deal braker" like undercoating, window tint, car cover, floor mats, lisc plate holders all the way down to insignificant stuff like key chains and a umbrella! Good luck.

[Spaniel]

Also ask the dealer to get you the car manual in English. Honda will do this and I assume Toyota will too.

[torrenova]

Insurance is not free and you would be given a discount if you did not want it. The main thing is to raise the % of cover from 80% to as high as you can (90% or 95%) as this only costs Bt1000 or so and will carry on through the agreed value of the vehicle. Leaving it at 80% means you lose 20% of the value even on day one should it be written off :D

Not disimilar cars so drive them both. Even better, hire each for a week or at least a couple of days. Try to play Toyota of against Honda and vice versa.

You may also get better deals at different garages. For instance, in Isaan, Isuzu rules so fewer deals whereas in Pattaya, Toyota rules so more deals on Isuzu and less on Toyota. Garages only a little distance apart (not in the same town) can be surprisingly different.

[katabeachbum]

I am looking to buy a new car. Toyota Vios or Honda City

Could you please share your experiences if you have one of these cars.

1. Fuel Economy

2. Comfort level - Interior

3. Pricing

or any other tips you could provide regrading purchasing a new car.

Thanks in advance :-)

Almost identical on 1,2,3.

City is a newer model, which probably gives it a higher secondhand value in the future.

City has more engine power and a 5 speed auto.

Either one, a folding rear seat is very practical and not available on all models.

[Plus]

The OP is three years old. I don't think he wants to know the answer now.

City has higher power, but it only matters when pushed to the limit, at usual speeds the numbers are exactly the same, and it's impossible to say which engine performs better when you step on gas just by looking at the numbers.

Reviewers at Bangkok Post always held Vios as a sportier car but I've yet to see Jazz/City owner on this board who'd complain about speed or acceleration, it's rather the opposite.

New City is a very good looking car, a far better selling feature than horse powers.

[onnut]

I would take Honda over Toyota anyday of the week.

[katabeachbum]

I would take Honda over Toyota anyday of the week.

In todays LOS ,me too. In every segment. Jazz over Yaris. City over Vios. Civic over Corolla Altis. Accord over Camry.

So would most buyers in LOS. May numbers just out

Honda skipped to another victory over Toyota with 7268 units over Toyotas 6700 last month.

[Spaniel]

Insurance is not free and you would be given a discount if you did not want it. The main thing is to raise the % of cover from 80% to as high as you can (90% or 95%) as this only costs Bt1000 or so and will carry on through the agreed value of the vehicle. Leaving it at 80% means you lose 20% of the value even on day one should it be written off :D

Not disimilar cars so drive them both. Even better, hire each for a week or at least a couple of days. Try to play Toyota of against Honda and vice versa.

You may also get better deals at different garages. For instance, in Isaan, Isuzu rules so fewer deals whereas in Pattaya, Toyota rules so more deals on Isuzu and less on Toyota. Garages only a little distance apart (not in the same town) can be surprisingly different.

You may be right but in our case the insurance was a freebie. If we didn't take it their was no discounted price for the car. We paid the advertised price of B 650,000.

[chanthas]

I am looking to buy a new car. Toyota Vios or Honda City

Could you please share your experiences if you have one of these cars.

1. Fuel Economy

2. Comfort level - Interior

3. Pricing

or any other tips you could provide regrading purchasing a new car.

Thanks in advance :-)

when me and the mrs was living in thai we bought a brand new vios,july 2oo8

1.5 e safety model(airbags,abs).

the car wasnt bad looking,big inside,big boot,

but the car really was gutless on power,put your foot down(auto by the way)and the engine made abig roar and it was

like the car wanted to go backwards,lol

if we had our choice again would go for the new city,the body shape nocks spots of the vios shape.

fuel economy wasnt bad though,would regualy travel from rayong to udon fill the tank to the top with gasoil 95,

approx 1100 bt and still would have quarter tank left,not bad i thought.

price new was 619000bt dont no how much city is.

when we wanted to sell the car it was hard work advertised it everwere even on tv no replys thouh and the car was only 10 m0nths old and priced it at 515000bt and in mint condition!

i found a dealer in bkk who took it off my hands for 480000bt not bad.they do hold their price but you just got to find aprivate buyer,i needed to sell asap as we needed to relocate back to london,and were the british pound fell out of bed wen we exchanged money from thai bt to gdp iwas pleasntly surprised at the money i got back not far off what i paid for it,result

[barryofthailand]

I have driven both. The Toyota's are much better than the Honda's in many respects. I have owned the Altis, and now own a 2009 Vios. Excellent gas mileage on the highway 17 kilometers per litre. The air condition vents are large allowing a large volume of air, verses small in the city. The leather interior is excellent standard equipment on the G model. I paid 639,000 Baht out the door. I paid for my own insurance 17,000 Baht. I got all options for free, including spoiler, window tint, scuff plates on both front doors, car cover, dash cover etc. I have bought Toyota's since 1988, and never had a problem.

Barry

[Digitalbanana]

The OP is three years old. I don't think he wants to know the answer now.

How do you conclude that? The post looks new.

But for what its worth, 3 years back when I drove both, Toyota was my choice on the 3 questions although the City was cheaper I think. I found the ride and fuel worse though. These days I think looks wise City has it, but I have yet to drive either of newest models.

[Plus]

I think I mixed up threads, this topic is indeed new, thanks for correcting.

In todays LOS ,me too. In every segment. Jazz over Yaris. City over Vios. Civic over Corolla Altis. Accord over Camry.

So would most buyers in LOS. May numbers just out

I don't think current sales numbers are indicative of any sustainable trends.

Car sales all around the world are falling, sharply - that's a trend. Local Honda sales are growing - that's an anomaly that needs explanation.

I think Honda sales are boosted by brand new City, though it would be interesting to see how other models are stacking against each other, too.

[Plus]

Just read in the news that Toyota explained their two months slump on backlog of orders, and there's Fortuner post right now that says you have to wait two months for delivery.

[BigSnake]

Per my good Buddy Jimmy, the Toyota Vios is the way to go. (P.S.) he has two Vios

[katabeachbum]

I think I mixed up threads, this topic is indeed new, thanks for correcting.

In todays LOS ,me too. In every segment. Jazz over Yaris. City over Vios. Civic over Corolla Altis. Accord over Camry.

So would most buyers in LOS. May numbers just out

I don't think current sales numbers are indicative of any sustainable trends.

Car sales all around the world are falling, sharply - that's a trend. Local Honda sales are growing - that's an anomaly that needs explanation.

I think Honda sales are boosted by brand new City, though it would be interesting to see how other models are stacking against each other, too.

Honda has for past 12 months caught up with and now passed Toyota sales. IOW this trend started before the financial crisis. The trend is the same in every segment, and is just like I would personaly choose car today. I think its a sign of a more mature car market demanding higher spec, and among thai buyers Honda also seems to have a higher image. No taxi or airport limo.

BTW Fortuner is not a car, its a SUV (people carrier on frame in LOS with huge tax exeptions) so not included in these figures.

Both Toyota and Honda are clever in LOS. They have reduced production to keep a backlog on all popular models. Keeps the prices up both new and secondhand. Other manufactorers have piles of vehicles in stock. 10-12 weeks to get a Civic according to one neighbors recent booking.

[Plus]

Honda has for past 12 months caught up with and now passed Toyota sales

That is true, but before the crisis Honda was creeping up very slowly, on the back of new Jazz, Accord, and City while Toyota has done their upgrades earlier, and they were very evolutionary in nature.

For Honda it was a comeback after Toyota stunned the market with Camry, and way before that with Vios and Altis.

Good news for Honda is that new City looks nothing like the old, though it's essentially the same car, while Vios and Altis upgrades make them look old.

Still any kind of growth in these times is a fluke, by default, especially if a company hasn't rolled any really new models.

[gmac]

I've had a new City for the past 6 months and am very happy with my choice. Had previously hired Toyota Vios on a couple of occasions and really very little to choose as far as performance, fuel consumption goes. I made my choice based on style and prior knowledge of the good service provided the local Honda dealer in Pattaya.

[katabeachbum]

Honda has for past 12 months caught up with and now passed Toyota sales

That is true, but before the crisis Honda was creeping up very slowly, on the back of new Jazz, Accord, and City while Toyota has done their upgrades earlier, and they were very evolutionary in nature.

For Honda it was a comeback after Toyota stunned the market with Camry, and way before that with Vios and Altis.

Toyota stunned the market with Camry, yes. But thats almost 3 years ago. Since that Toyota has been keeping selling old tech, and Honda has presented modern tech and increased sales.

Good news for Honda is that new City looks nothing like the old, though it's essentially the same car, while Vios and Altis upgrades make them look old.

The new City doesnt have many parts common with the old, so it can not be essentially the same car. Engine, auto, suspension, wheelbase, body, interior, lights, brakes, you name it. Vios and Altis are still running the same old engines and autos.

Still any kind of growth in these times is a fluke, by default, especially if a company hasn't rolled any really new models.

Yaris is older than Jazz. Vios is older than City. Altis is using older engines and autos than Civic. Camry is older than Accord. Probably why Honda has become the car market leader in LOS.

[Plus]

Yaris isn't older, maybe by a few months, it's a new platform comparing to the original used in first Vios. Altis indeed uses older engines and trannies, but it's got a lot more goodies like GPS and Start buttons that matter a lot more to Thai customers than transmissions.

And Camry - visually new Accord is a rip off in many ways, it's not a leader in any sense, just a good alternative to very sucessful Camry. Or wannabe bimmer, as they tried to sell it in Europe.

[SantiSuk]

If you take a Thai friend or family that's not close and trusted watch out. They will get a commission from the dealer and it will one way or another add to the cost of the deal to you. If you trust your girlfriend to tell you what the commission is and to give it to you (or share it) then you will get a cheaper car.

It finally clicked with me today why my Gf's family keep pitching up at the dealers with me - it's to make sure no one else in the family shafts them on the side deal that is being done with the dealer. You should have seen their faces when I said that I was going back to the dealer in Bangkok (commission to girlfriend of 5k and price 10k cheaper) and away from the Ubon dealer (commission to girlfriend and family of 19k - albeit not much on a 1.3m Fortuner - and price to me 10k dearer). They are still bitching about it outside as I write this!

Amazing Thailand

Edited June 25, 2009 by SantiSuk

[Nurse]

If you take a Thai friend or family that's not close and trusted watch out. They will get a commission from the dealer and it will one way or another add to the cost of the deal to you. If you trust your girlfriend to tell you what the commission is and to give it to you (or share it) then you will get a cheaper car.

It finally clicked with me today why my Gf's family keep pitching up at the dealers with me - it's to make sure no one else in the family shafts them on the side deal that is being done with the dealer. You should have seen their faces when I said that I was going back to the dealer in Bangkok (commission to girlfriend of 5k and price 10k cheaper) and away from the Ubon dealer (commission to girlfriend and family of 19k - albeit not much on a 1.3m Fortuner - and price to me 10k dearer). They are still bitching about it outside as I write this!

Amazing Thailand

So you are saying that your GF's family are hotly disputing who can make the most money out of you ?

maybe you should find a nice nurse.

[katabeachbum]

Yaris isn't older, maybe by a few months, it's a new platform comparing to the original used in first Vios. Altis indeed uses older engines and trannies, but it's got a lot more goodies like GPS and Start buttons that matter a lot more to Thai customers than transmissions.

And Camry - visually new Accord is a rip off in many ways, it's not a leader in any sense, just a good alternative to very sucessful Camry. Or wannabe bimmer, as they tried to sell it in Europe.

2009 Yaris was introduced years ago in the rest of the world. Then they based thai Vios on it in 2002 I think. Yaris was introduced in LOS 2005 or 2006. I just sold my 2006. The engine and auto is actually pre 2000. 2009 had a small facelift, but its still old. Jazz is 1,5 year.

I used to have a 2007 Camry 2,4 and replaced it in march 2008 with an Accord 2,4. Except for the looks of the Camry, the frontseatfans and the keyless entry and go, Accord is better in every way. Much better in some ways.

Seems like car buyers in Thailand disagree with you Plus, since Honda is selling better than Toyota. Month by month.

[Plus]

Seems like car buyers in Thailand disagree with you Plus, since Honda is selling better than Toyota. Month by month.

It wasn't long time ago when for every City there were three Vioses sold.

Doesn't mean that suddenly City has become three times better, though it's definitely a very attractive and very fresh looking - that's what Thai buyers really appreciate, just like they did with Vios and then Jazz not long time ago.

[katabeachbum]

Seems like car buyers in Thailand disagree with you Plus, since Honda is selling better than Toyota. Month by month.

It wasn't long time ago when for every City there were three Vioses sold.

Doesn't mean that suddenly City has become three times better, though it's definitely a very attractive and very fresh looking - that's what Thai buyers really appreciate, just like they did with Vios and then Jazz not long time ago.

only 2 years ago Vios sold 3 times City. City is just much more attractive now, as are obviosly the other Honda models too. Aint many Camrys leaving the showrooms presently. sales figures past 365 days dont lie.

[Plus]

Ok, ok, they sold more Hondas last month.

What will you say if Toyota retakes it's top spot by the end of the year?

[MRFortuner]

I got a Ford Focus though I really wanted a Fortuner.

However, car is really personal preference.

If you say I want to buy car that saves money, take BTS, MRT instead. Cars are liabilities no matter how much u try to saves the maintenance cost, uphold second hand value or stuff like that.

My personal preference is Honda. Toyota gives people the impression that you are old. Honda still have the youth feeling.

my two cents

[keemapoot]

We just ordered a new City. The new City is indeed a very attractive car, and can be tweaked to be extremely more attractive by adding the full skirting option. We just did that, and not expensive. You can also take the base model, change the wheels and add the skirting and have the car look like a million.

The interior is much nicer on the City as compared with the Vios. Much more refined and better fitment.

The Vios is a great car. Well worth the money, but cannot be compared in terms of the "fun factor" when driving the Honda, the extreme good lines and looks of the City, and the desirability factor for resale.

In terms of smarts, yes, indeed Honda has been clever to cut back production to keep prices the same. There are no desperate sales prices. If you get lucky, they have your color available for delivery within 3 weeks or so. Otherwise, it's 2-3 months for delivery, and this is that same at Toyota for the color of your choice.

[katabeachbum]

Ok, ok, they sold more Hondas last month.

What will you say if Toyota retakes it's top spot by the end of the year?

I d say "Good job Toyota". Or " Get back to work Honda".

The Camry Hybrid could be a success, starting end of July. The reduced tourque at higher rpm for the petrolengine is disappointing though. Its unbelieveable how MB has been able to sell E 200 NGT at 3,7 mill baht, so lets see how Camry hybrid works.

They r already doing some promotions, like Limited Yaris with leather, Xenon bla bla.

Single most important tool would be finance. Low down /Low interest. But Toyota dont usually go there, and thats why they are top notch secondhand.

Or, they could provide us with modern engines and autos. They have them in other markets, just dont want to spend 20-30k baht more/unit on production in LOS.

[keemapoot]

Ok, ok, they sold more Hondas last month.

What will you say if Toyota retakes it's top spot by the end of the year?

Single most important tool would be finance. Low down /Low interest. But Toyota dont usually go there, and thats why they are top notch secondhand.

Incorrect. both Toyota and Honda are offering similar finance deals. It depends on the tie-up with the particular finance company or bank, but there are 15% down deals (need two Thai co-signers), 25% down, (no co-signers needed) etc...

Both are toe to toe now on finance terms.