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The most unrefined petrol car I’ve driven - Vitz KSP130 3cyl 1.0l

My point here being Japs have not mated Turbos with Hybrid or PHEV tech in any significant scale yet and are lagging behind their {luxury} European counterparts who are doing it in a large scale to achieve tax breaks and fuel efficiency goals with far better safety tech. Though the manufacturer price of these high end vehicles might be almost twice the price of a similar Jap vehicle the tax/duty benefits and the final cost makes these modern euros more appealing ( CIF value expressed as a fraction of the total cost to acquire). One can only presume that plenty of C & E 300de Mercs will be finding their way here at least on retirement permits. Most of the budget ICE vehicles and sub 800 cc hybrids that the ever evolving duty cum luxury taxes are progressively promoting to be imported are death traps considering the developing road network and expressways. Kei cars designed for town use in Japan are plying highways with varying road conditions and major expressways whereby being utilised beyond their intended purpose and safety limits.

Hello there! Friends, which of these two is better for use as a family car that will be driven both in-city and outstation, anticipating family trips and stuff like that? WagonR seems to have more backseat space, overall more legroom and some nice additional features, but how does it compare with the more powerful Picanto in terms of driving - acceleration, stability, quality of suspension, etc? I know that the used market has better specd cars but as a first-time car buyer I really don't want to deal with shady sellers, have no warranty or live in a garage for the foreseeable future. Thanks for your replies in advance!

Take ages to service the car, I generally give in the morning and pick up in the evening, Prices are reasonable, they require oil change every 5000 km / 6 months although book says 10000km / 1 year Accident repairs are costly make sure you have good insurance.

Thanks, everyone. Yeah, it sucks that ABS isn't offered across the range in SL at present. Didn't it become standard in the industry many decades ago?

Apart from ABS you get better seat material, 3 adjustable head rests with three point seat belts for three rear passengers, alloy wheels and audio controls in the steering. I had the same dilemma when i brought the car but opted to ABS as i did not want to compromise on safety.

This is wrong. What A*W sells is a rebadged version of WagonR FZ. I too was in the same boat as you few months back. Ultimately made the decision to go with the agent imported WagonR. I would like to give my exeperiance in case you opt to go for a WagonR. WagonR is a fast moving car or as our mudalils say "sata gala yanawane, market badune". Therefore you will come across all kinds of shady units dressed up for sale. I have seen a car with only 100km in the odo but has almost 20+hours in idle stop timer? (most probably the guy who reset the odo forgot to reset this timer?). But the one that shocked me most is an unit which was bought by a very close friend of mine from a popular place. It seemed like a proper little car until I stepped on the foot break (hand break) When you press down on WagonR foot break you hear Tak Tak (wheel locking sound) sound which I think is a mechanism designed to keep the paddle from coming up. This is very audible and you could almost feel the tactile feedback when pressing down. But in my friend's car which was sold to him as a brand-new car had no tactile feel and the Tak sound is alomst non existent. You could hear it but it's day and night compared to mine. Think of how many successive operations this particular mechanism had to undergo. And it was a so called zero milage Brand new car. So if you decide to go with WagonR consider this.

YES. Aside from obvious safety issues, reselling a lower grade Picanto will be difficult, potential customers would definitively be put off by the lack of ABS in a car made in 2019.

Whether the extra money is worth to have ABS...My opinion is yes.......I will gladly trade all the other stuff like the stereo and the carpets and funky head and tail lights for ABS. It is sad that in this day and age ABS and Airbags are still not a standard feature across all the grades for markets such as Sri Lanka. Do the calculation as to how much your monthly payments, depreciation,etc... would differ if you go for the highest spec one as opposed to the low grade. My guess is it won't be too much of a difference and that difference would be worth the peace of mind.

Thank you very much, everyone, for detailed replies. Only the highest grade Kia in SL has ABS, which is around 3.5 million. The lower grade manual and automatics are 3 million and 3.2 mil respectively. Is it worth spending 2 to 5 lakhs extra for the ABS, because I don't care about the other stuff which are not significant?

We are currently running both cars brought brand new from agents. As iRage mentioned they are two different cars Kia has a more bigger feel than the size suggest, rides, handles much better. Comfortable and very predictable handling you can throw the car around corners without any drama. Very stable at high speed. Only down side is since the car has very good dynamics you tend to drive fast and as a result fuel economy suffers expect 10kmpl city 15kmpl urban. If you go for the highest grade you will get 2 air bags and ABS, no climate control so a/c will be a pain to control Wagon R has more space inside due to its shape and boot and rear seat space and be adjusted which is a plus. Engine is a pain if you want to drive little spiritedly and very loud (little wheezy brat). Not stable after 80kmph, can get caught in cross winds. Will do 14kmpl city 18-20 kmpl urban 2 air bags, ABS, stability control (must in this due to awful handling) To sum it up I love the Kia, my wife and kids the WagonR

When you say Wagon R brand new I hope you are planning on buying it from the agent A*W (what they call WagonR Premium Hybrid). The zero mileage Japanese imports with warranty sold by the car sales people cannot be trusted. Although both cars look like small hatchbacks they fall in to two different categories. The Picanto is a compact hatchback whilst the Wagon R is a kei-car which is pretty much the smallest city car that has restricted power and engine capacity (by law). Personally for family usage I believe the Picanto will be a better choice. The shape of the body might make it seem like the Wagon R has no space but the Picanto is a tad bit bigger in terms of dimensions (the Wagon R really does not have much space for luggage with the rear passengers. The Picanto on the other hand does have sufficient space for luggage larger than a few grocey and duffle bags even with the rear seat up). The Picanto is heavier than the Wagon R...so on long trips you will feel less road fatigue on the bodies (human bodies). Yes the Wagon R is a comfy car but for city usage...long drives you do feel the road vibe. On the other hand, the Wagon R will be quite economical on petrol, especially in the city (being Hybrid). The electric motor will give you a lot of oomph from start...BUT it will be high revving at high speeds which also adds to the strain the body feels on long trips. Unlike the old model the new Wagon R does a lot better on pulling up hills and stuff with a load. The WagonR (atleast the Japanese version) comes a bit more well equipped in safety features. If you are going to be driving in the city 90% of the time..then go or the Wagon R but look in to renting a car for long family trips (I know some people who do that and this method is not that expensive). If you want to have a single overall car....then go for the Picanto

Im bumping this thread up due to the plethora of new members who have joined autolanka to look for 1000cc options. Please note that if you are seeking what car to buy advice, please let us know your requirements. An example for a good question is: I am looking to buy a 1000cc hatchback car which can carry 5 family members and I normally drive 500km per month. I prefer good fuel economy but can compromise on comfort. Examples for poor questions are: 1. Should I buy a 1000cc Vitz or Baleno? - no requirements given 2. I need a car that is powerful, good fuel economy, comfortable, cheap to maintain and has good resale value - you cant have everything from one car 3. Should I buy BMW 520D or 318M Sport? - not an apples to apples comparison Also please don't ask us to choose a car for you. You wouldn't ask your friends to choose your life partner. Expect us to give advise to help you choose. At the end, it's your decision. Oh... if you seek our advise, you cant compare that with what car sale guys say. This is like going to a kattadiya to seek treatment for arthritis. If you wish to take kattadiya's treatment, don't come to us.