Top Tip: Hyundai Elantra 1.6 and Kia Cerato 1.6 over similar priced Japanese rivals

Imagine..for the same price as the Vios, you get a stylish aerodynamic small family sedan like the Elantra

If you are looking to purchase a sedan just under RM90,000 and are looking at some Japanese marques you may be looking at the Toyota Vios, Honda City and the Mazda 2. The Vios G sells at RM87,000+, the City V at RM86,700+ and the Mazda 2 at RM88,000+. These three are B segment sized cars and are all powered by 1.5liter engines. You get a compact sized car with average performance from any of these. If you buy either the Vios or the City this means that you are conforming to the norms of society and would just blend into the crowd. Buying the Mazda is better as there would be less of you around.

Why would you want to buy a smaller car like this Vios, built to a B segment price than a larger C segment car priced similarly?

However, there is the option of buying a slighlty larger car, the Volkswagen Polo Sedan 1.6. This is a good car at slightly under RM90,000 too. I would buy this car as it does not have a DSG gearbox and the 1.6 liter engine is a normally aspirated one that should be easy to maintain in the long run compared to its other VW stablemates which run turbocharged units. The chassis too is a stretched polo hatchback platform and actually is quite comfortable. But its width is still betrays its compact or B segment origins.

But do note that there is a Korean option here which is actually fantastic value for money. Hyundai and Kia. These two companies actually give you a nice C segment or small family car sized sedans at this price range. RM85,900+ gets you a Hyundai Elantra 1.6 Elegance and RM89,600+ gets you a pretty good looking Kia Cerato 1.6. Road tax isn't the issue as you only pay RM90 for a 1.6 in Malaysia.

I sometimes think Malaysians tend to seek out Japanese brands due to its brand. But what you get is a smaller car for your money. Whilst I did enjoy my drives in the Polo, the Mazda 2 and rides in the Honda City and Vios, I do feel my drive in a Elantra was more refined and felt more like a big car than the other Japanese makes. The Polo Sedan is also nice with its Germanic feel, but I believe the Koreans have value for money in spades. And they drive better due to being a class segment bigger. And the specs are quite good for an entry level Elantra or Cerato too. All the equipment you don't really need is there like in the Japanese cars. 

Heck, if you look at how these two cars are styled I really wonder why anyone would get a compromised B segment sedan when they can get a nice swoopy looking C segment sedan at the same price. The interior plastics in the Koreans are also from a segment above. This means less plasticky plastics and some soft touch materials (except the Mazda 2 which has a very impressive interior actually).  And if you now did some checking, they are actually as expensive to maintain as the Japanese models and may come with even better warranty too.

Maybe more people should be driving these instead of the usual compact sedans. 

Why would you choose the City, which is a smaller, narrower car than the nicely styled, wider, larger Cerato above?