Affordable sedan shootout: Kia Soluto vs. Tata Manza

Traditionally, sedans and hatchbacks have been the vehicles of choice for first-time car owners as these are the forms taken by the most inexpensive of models.

And it's a good thing that our local car industry has been flooded by a multitude of options from many brands. Competition, of course, ultimately benefits the consumer.

If you're on the lookout for a new (or first) vehicle, one of the low-cost yet reliable choices is the Kia Soluto, which was launched by the Korean car brand in 2019.

Meanwhile, truck maker Tata Motors has also joined the sedan scene in the country with the introduction of the affordable Tata Manza.

Both the Kia Soluto and the Tata Manza feature a classic sedan exterior. The Kia Soluto is embellished with electric adjustable mirrors with LED side repeaters, projector fog lamps, and rear combination lamps. Meanwhile, the Tata Manza sports Tata’s trademark grille, three-barreled headlamps, and chrome ornaments. It is also quite bigger in dimensions compared to Soluto.

The Kia Soluto’s interior features a spacious cabin which is made comfortable by leatherette seats with generous headroom and legroom. The coziness inside is enhanced by the car’s air-conditioning system that can easily be adjusted with the rotary temperature control and 360-degree rotatable air ducts. Meanwhile, the Tata Manza’s air-conditioning system can be managed effortlessly through its adjustable one-touch climate control. For a more relaxing ride, the sedan is installed with an in-cabin noise cancellation feature.

Enjoy limitless streaming of your favorite songs with the Kia Soluto’s Apple Carplay and Android Auto connectivity feature. The vehicle’s audio system has controls that are mounted on the steering wheel so you can easily configure it while staying focused on the road. As for the Tata Manza, you can connect your phone to the car’s audio system through Bluetooth. Just like the Soluto, the Manza is also equipped with steering wheel audio controls.

Both sedans have with power windows. They also similarly provide cabin compartments where you can keep your essentials while on the road. The Kia Soluto has a glove box and cup holders, while the Tata Manza can additionally  carry your stuff in the storage under front passenger seat and cup holders on the rear seat center armrest.

The high-performing engine of the Kia Soluto is mated to a four speed automatic transmission, while the Tata Manza’s engine is mounted with a 5 + 1 speed manual gearbox.

The Kia Soluto gets additional points when it comes to driver assistance features such as rear camera display and rear parking distance warning, which are not available on the Tata Manza.

The number of safety and security features in the Kia Soluto and the Tata Manza may not be as big as the other popular (and more expensive) sedans, but it is quite convenient for the vehicles’ budget-friendly price. The Kia Soluto is equipped with front airbags, anti-lock brake system (ABS), immobilizer, child anchor and child proof door locks. Meanwhile, the Tata Manza has dual front airbags, ABS with electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD) function, side impact protection beams on front and rear doors, remote central locking, and child safety lock on rear doors.

We list down the specifications of the top trims of the Kia Soluto and the Tata Manza so you can further compare the two affordable sedans.

SPECIFICATIONS	Kia Soluto EX AT	Tata Manza Quadrajet Diesel
Overall Length (mm)	4,300	4,413
Overall Width (mm)	1,700	1,703
Overall Height (mm)	1,460	1,550
Wheelbase (mm)	2,570	2,520
Minimum Ground Clearance (mm)	150	165
Fuel Tank Capacity (L)	43	44
Curb Weight (kg)	1,066	1,100-1,210
Number of Cylinders	In Line 4	In Line 4
Displacement (cc)	1,368	1,248
Maximum Output (ps / rpm)	95 / 6,000	90 / 4,000
Maximum Torque (Nm / rpm)	132 / 4,000	200 / 1,750-3,000
Transmission	Four Speed Automatic	5 + 1 Speed Manual Gearbox
Brakes	Front: Disc Rear: Drum	Front: Ventilated Disc Rear: Drum
Suspension	Front: McPherson Strut + H-type Sub-frame Rear: V-Beam Coupled Torsion Beam Axle	Front: Independent, Lower Wishbone, McPherson Strut Type with Coil Spring and Anti-roll Bar Rear: Semi-independent, Twist Beam with Coil Springs and Hydraulic Shock Absorbers
Tire Size	185 / 60 R15	170 / 70 R14
Steering Wheel Column	Manual Tilt	Tilt-adjustable
Power Windows	With	With
Power Door Locks	With	Without
Remote Keyless Entry	With	With
Power Outlet	With	With
Air Conditioning	Manual	One-touch Climate Control
Audio System	Seven-inch Touchscreen; AM/FM Radio, MP3 with USB and Aux-in Ports	Integrated 2-DIN System with USB Port
Audio Connectivity	Bluetooth, Apple Carplay and Android Auto with Voice Control	Bluetooth
Rear Camera Display	With Static Guidelines	Without
Parking Distance Warning	Rear	Without
Front Airbags	With	With
Anti-lock Brake System	With	With Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) Function
Anti-theft System	Immobilizer	Immobilizer
Side Impact Protection Beams	Without	Front and Rear Doors
Seatbelt	Front: Three-point with Pretensioner and Load Limiter Rear: Three-point, Two-point	Front: Three-point Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) Rear: Three-point Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR)
Child Anchor	Upper and Lower	Without
Child Safety Lock	Rear Doors	Rear Doors
Available Body Colors	Clear White, Titanium Silver, Blue Stream, Aurora Black Pearl, and Marcato Red	Cavern Grey, Porcelain White, Jet Silver, Spice Red, and Infinity Black
Price	P755,000	P738,000

 

Photos from Kia and Tata