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A trunkful of joy: Budget sedans worth your hard-earned money

Mark Policarpio · Dec 22, 2022 02:30 PM

A trunkful of joy: Budget sedans worth your hard-earned money 01

Sedans have always been a fan favorite in the Philippines, with people from all walks of life buying them for their comfort and practicality. As such, they’ve found themselves working many different purposes - from humble taxi fleets to hotel service vehicles, and from the practical family car to even the one-make race car. But what can you get for your money? What’s the best bang-for-your-buck sedan available on the market?

Mitsubishi Mirage G4

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One of the oldest continuing models in the Philippines, the Mitsubishi Mirage G4 is a name very closely associated with the budget-friendly sedan market. 

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Used in just about every aspect of Filipino motoring life, the Mitsubishi Mirage has been seen pulling its weight as a taxi, ridesharing vehicle, family hauler, and even as the Hotel transfer vehicle for some 2- and 3-star hotels. So wide is the market for this cheap and cheerful sedan that Mitsubishi hasn’t really updated it spec-wise since its release in 2012. 

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Powered by a humble 1.2-liter inline-3 engine and mated to either a 5-speed or a CVT automatic, the Mirage G4 pumps out a modest 77 PS and 100 Newton-meters of torque. Not groundbreaking, but not terrible either, especially when those numbers are able to pull off an impressive 11 kilometers per liter in the city, which stretches to 23 on the highway. 

Over the years, though, Mitsubishi has upgraded the features of the Mirage to appeal to a market that gets more and more demanding. It may not have cruise control, or power adjustable seats, but it does have Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, as well as a reversing camera and an appearance package that gives it a meaner look. Admittedly, not much, but still something.

Unfortunately, the Mirage is not cheap, at least not compared to others on this list. Coming in at ₱769,000 for the cheapest GLX manual, and an eye-watering ₱929,000 for the GLS Sport, the Mirage is quite expensive - especially for a 10-year-old car.

But when a formula like the Mirage works, it makes sense not to change much. Why mess with a good thing, right? 

Changan Alsvin

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The Changan Alsvin is one of the newest sedans on the market, brought by one of the most recently renewed companies in the Philippines. It may not be battle-tested yet, but what’s a free market without fresh competition?

Powered by either a 1.4-liter inline-4 mated to a 5-speed manual or a 1.5-liter inline-4 mated to a Dual Clutch Transmission, the Alsvin has a healthy yet humbling 100 to 107 PS, and 135 to 145 Newton-meters of torque. In the city, it can get up to 9.5 kilometers per liter, and that climbs to 22 when you get out on the highway. Not disappointing, but not shocking, either.

The Alsvin is a little more capable when it comes to features, though. It may not have Android Auto or Apple Carplay, but it still has Bluetooth connectivity and USB connectivity as well. It even comes with cruise control, a reversing camera, blindspot monitoring, and reversing sensors.

While most of that is common and fair in other sedans in the market, the Alsvin has them all beat when it comes to price. Coming in at just ₱629,000 for the Manual, and ₱739,000 for the top-of-the-line Automatic, the Alsvin is so affordable it should be criminal. 

Kia Soluto

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The Soluto is Kia’s offering in the subcompact sedan segment, and it seems to be the ugly duckling in the group. But perhaps it’s the undiscovered swan, just waiting to grow up?

Powered by a 1.4-liter inline-4 engine and mated to a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic, the Soluto makes do with 95 PS and 132 Newton-meters - enough for its main purpose of city car commuter, and with a fuel consumption at 12 kilometers per liter in the city, and up to 24 on the highway. 

Inside, though, the Soluto is sensibly equipped with modern amenities that the modern driver makes high use of. Things like Android Auto and Apple CarPlay come standard, along with a rear camera and rear parking sensors. Aside from that, it’s pretty humdrum. 

The price tag for this seemingly run-of-the-mill sedan, however, is pretty steep. Sitting at around ₱780,000 to ₱865,000.

As it approaches its 4 year anniversary in the Philippines, the Soluto is poised for either a mid-cycle refresh or a full replacement. Taking a page from the Mirage’s playbook, however, and it may find itself stagnating in the market for the next few years. Who knows, though? Maybe Kia will finally give it some more attractive features. A more powerful engine, perhaps, or maybe a sportier and more feature-packed interior.

Volkswagen Santana

 

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When someone says “German automobile,” the Volkswagen Santana is probably not the first thing that comes to mind. Aside from the fact that it’s built in China, it doesn’t exactly scream Germanic roots, either. Still, it wears the badge, so it should live up to expectations. 

The Santana is Volkswagen Philippines’ entry into the subcompact sedan market, and its attempt to steal away some of the fleet vehicle sales from the industry stalwart, the Toyota Vios. Coming into the market with quite a respectable price range, going from ₱686,000 to ₱948,000. It’s not the cheapest on the list, but it’s not the most expensive either.

Inside, the Santana may not be as well appointed as the Jetta from before. However, it still has a pretty refined interior, albeit unremarkable - it’s hard to comment on a black interior, after all. For toys, it comes with the essentials - Android Auto and Apple CarPlay on the higher trim levels, Bluetooth, USB, and not much else. No cruise control except on the top-of-the-line version, and not much in the way of safety features - this was designed to be used in fleet sales for taxi companies and company service vehicles, so it was never intended to be luxurious.

Under the hood, it’s par for the course when it comes to the Santana. A 1.4-liter inline-4 powering the base model, with 90 PS and 132 Newton-meters on tap, and a 1.5-liter inline-4 powering the other models, with 111 PS and 145 Newton-meters. Unlike the Santana GTS, however, the Sedan isn’t offered with Volkswagen’s trademark DSG. It only has either a conventional 5-speed manual or 6-speed automatic combination.

It may not be the best in its class, but it’s still a viable alternative for people looking to start up a fleet and want something other than the Toyota Vios.

Toyota Vios

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The Toyota Vios is the industry standard when it comes to the subcompact sedan market. It’s been in the market for so long that it’s impossible to go anywhere without seeing at least five of these sedans on the road - be it taxi, hotel vehicle, Grab ride, or private vehicle. 

It’s not hard to see why either, since the Vios is one of the most reliable cars on the market - part of Toyota’s reputation in the country, it seems. Aside from that reputation, the Vios comes with a 5-year warranty to guarantee quality for those who buy them brand new. 

Under the hood, though, the Vios leaves quite a bit to be desired. Most of the available models offer only a 1.3-liter inline-4 engine mated to either a 5-speed manual or a CVT. This combination makes a maximum of 99 PS and 123 Newton-meters of torque, a far cry from the 1.5-liter inline-4 engine in the range-topper, which puts out 107 PS and 140 Newton-meters. 

Inside, the Vios does come with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, but that’s about it. It may have a few speakers and some bits and bobs for convenience, but on the whole, it’s pretty spartan. For safety, it’s equipped with traction control, hill start assist, reversing camera, and a clearance sonar on the top-of-the-line GR-S variant. 

Where the Vios falls down is in pricing. The base model, with nearly no features, is ₱686,000, and the most expensive, though well-equipped in comparison, costs a hair under ₱1,050,000. Despite the car being so expensive, it’s still the King of the subcompact sedan market, at least in terms of sales.

GAC GA4

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The GAC GA4 is one of the country’s cheapest premium sedans currently on sale, and it kind of needs to be to entice buyers who may be on the fence due to its Chinese origins.

That said, the GA4 is a decent runabout, making good use of a 1.5-liter inline-4 or a 1.3-liter turbocharged inline-4, mated to either a 6-speed automatic or a 5-speed manual. With either 114 PS and 150 Newton-meters, or 137 PS and 202 Newton-meters on tap, the GA4 is quite powerful for its segment, and that has made it quite successful in endurance racing. It’s even earned a combined fuel economy figure of 14.2 kilometers per liter - not bad, but not stellar performance.

Inside, however, the GA4 is every bit the premium product it touts itself to be. Equipped with mirror link, Bluetooth, cruise control, parking sensors, a 360-degree camera, and a built-in Nav system, the GA4 is decidedly well-equipped, and no one can really say otherwise. 

Underneath, this sedan comes with a whole host of safety and convenience features normally reserved for a higher class of vehicle. Automatic LED headlights, Puddle lights, rain-sensing wipers, multifunction steering wheel, traction control, and hill hold assist are the main stars on the features list.

The best part of this sedan is that it’s priced at quite a reasonable ₱858,000. Not the cheapest car, but by far the best bang-for-your-buck sedan on the market.

Honda City

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A prominent member of this list is the Honda City, a mainstay in the subcompact sedan segment. 

No, it’s not the cheapest. It starts at ₱938,000 for the cheapest S variant and ₱1,078,000 for the most expensive RS variant.

But what you get for that money does make it worthy of being on this list.

Under the hood, there’s only one engine and transmission option - a 1.5-liter inline-4 with a CVT, pumping out 120 PS and 145 Newton-meters of torque. Nothing remarkable here aside from the Earth Dreams i-VTEC system used by most modern Hondas, which makes them some of the cleanest-burning cars on the road today. And with 8 kilometers per liter in the city, 22.5 on the highway, quite a frugal powertrain too.

Inside, Honda has gone to many lengths to make the City a pleasant and upscale place to be. The soundproofing is very good, the fit and finish of the interior trim and equipment is top-notch, and the materials used feel top-tier. On the dashboard, we find an 8-inch infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as standard, but no cruise control anywhere among the variants of the City. 

Typical with Honda’s premium marketing, the City comes with a host of safety features designed to work best in the shadows, like traction control, hill-start assist, speed-sensing door locks, and a full suite of airbags in the RS variant. 

MG5 & MG6

The MG5 and MG6 are a pair of sedans from MG that look to entice buyers into this Anglo-Sino amalgamation - and they intend to do so with features, comfort, and affordability. 

The MG5 is powered by a 1.5-liter inline-4 engine mated to either a 5-speed manual or a CVT and produces around 114 PS and 150 Newton-meters of torque, while the MG6 is powered by a completely different 1.5-liter inline-4 engine which pushes 166 PS and 250 Newton-meters of torque through a 7-speed Dual Clutch Transmission.

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The MG5 sedan

While the MG5 may sound a little paltry compared to the MG6, it’s actually leaning more towards the average side of the scale for the subcompact sedan market - the MG6 is the true powerhouse of the two, easily dominating other, more expensive cars in its segment. 

Speaking of price, the MG5 starts at ₱658,888 and goes all the way to ₱938,888, while the MG6 has only one model, which goes for ₱1,188,000. The MG5 is reasonably priced compared to others in its category, but the MG6 undercuts many of its rivals, offering the same level of luxury, comfort, technology, and practicality for much less.

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The MG6 still fits the budget category as it comes just a bit above the ₱1.1 million mark.

Technology-wise, the MG5 and MG6 certainly came to the battlefield well-prepared. Both come with Apple CarPlay, but only the MG5 comes with Android Auto. Both come with all the basic creature comforts we’ve come to expect, but at the same time, offer a suite of safety features unique to their disposition. Both the 5 and the 6 come with front, side, and curtain airbags, Traction control, Hill Hold control, Cornering Brake Control, rear parking sensors, and a reversing camera - all features you don’t normally get below the 1,000,000 peso mark. 

The only hindrance to the domination of these clearly well-meaning vehicles is the badge. People know these cars to be Chinese in origin, and while the argument may be valid, claiming the reliability of these cars to be non-existent is to ignore the fact that most cars now are built to break eventually. It’s a conflation of two mutually exclusive facts to think that way. The only way to truly know whether or not these cars will be reliable is to get inside one yourself and see.

Geely Emgrand

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The Geely Emgrand is by far the most popular sedan to hit the market in 2022, primarily because of the popularity of the brand’s SUVs. But in a market saturated with choice, the Emgrand has a hard climb in front of it if it wants to build a reputation in the Philippines.

The Emgrand is powered by a class-standard 1.5-liter inline-4 engine, making 103 PS and 142 Newton-meters of torque, which is par for the course in the subcompact market. This engine is mated to a 5-speed manual in the base “S” model and to a CVT with 8 simulated gears in the more upscale “Comfort” and “Premium” models. Both combinations are capable of really good fuel economy figures, with the Emgrand getting 10 kilometers per liter in the city and 21 on the highway. 

Inside the Emgrand, it quickly becomes apparent that the designers at Geely had upscale thoughts for the interior, making good and effective use of soft-touch materials all over the car. The seats are covered in premium black leather, while the top-of-the-line Premium model gets them in white and blue - a nice change of pace from the convention. 

The technology included in your purchase is also chock full of safety and convenience features for the discerning buyer. No Android Auto or Apple CarPlay here, sadly, but the Emgrand does have screen mirroring and Bluetooth, cruise control, reversing camera, parking sensors, power seats on the top-of-the-line model, and heated mirrors. 

The best part of the Emgrand is that it’s priced at a very reasonable ₱753,000 to ₱999,000. It’s not cheap by any measure, but it’s hard to find another sedan that’s quite as refined as this, and those that are can reach well over the 1 million mark.

Mark Policarpio

Contributing Writer

Mark has been into cars since he was in kindergarten, and he carried that into his college life studying as an Engineer. His outlook on life is the same as his outlook on cars - "When in doubt, power out!"

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