Quick comparo: Honda Brio vs Toyota Wigo

The market may have gone crazy for crossovers, but there’s still a need for pocket-sized runabouts that are equally as affordable to buy and run.

After all, we’re still not quite past the COVID-19 pandemic, so quite a number of buyers could be wisely practicing the ultimate form of social distancing by switching from crowded public transport to personal transport.

On the other hand, buyers could be choosing small cars as a daily driver from Monday to Friday, while their big SUVs and pickup trucks await the more arduous tasks and drives they may be taken to on the weekends.

Underscoring the public’s demand for small cars are the most searched hatchbacks on ZigWheels Philippines. These cars come in different brands, price ranges, but share the ingredients that make the hatchback an appealing choice as an only car or a secondary one — fuel-efficiency, roomy and practical inside space, and exterior sizes that don’t take more space than what’s necessary.

They’re small cars that fulfill a big purpose.

Among the most visible small hatchbacks on this website — and on the road, for that matter — come from Honda and Toyota with their Brio and Wigo, respectively. And the Brio and Wigo are not only frequently searched, the two are commonly compared as well, as our ‘Popular Cars comparison’ tab would show.

What could partly account for the popularity of the Brio and Wigo are their badges — now household names associated with reliability. More than that, the two cars surely offer more beyond their nameplates. There are two ways to know more about the 2022 Honda Brio and Toyota Wigo: the helpful tools of this website and this detailed guide for the two vehicles.

Variants and prices

The 2022 Honda Brio range starts at P650,000 for the Brio S MT variant. Up the range, this follows the Brio V CVT at P742,000, then the Brio RS CVT at P798,000. At the top of the shop sits the Brio RS CVT Black Top — which we’ve recently tested, by the way — that breaches crossover money at P808,000.

What Toyota claimed as “the Philippines’ best-selling entry-level” hatchback has reasonable prices of entry. The 2022 Toyota Wigo starts at P573,000 for the Wigo E MT trim. The Wigo G MT and AT variants cost P639,000 and P674,000, respectively. With all the trimmings and bells and whistles, the Toyota Wigo TRD-S retails for P705,000.

If we compare the prices of the top-of-the-line variants of the former and latter, the sum shows a six-digit figure. Imagine what you can have with the money you’ve saved.

Key convenience and safety equipment

The 2022 Honda Brio S MT keeps it simple with a 1-Din audio system with Bluetooth and USB connectivity. Sound is piped to four speakers. For safety, the Brio S MT uses power door locks and two airbags.

On top of the keyless entry for this variant, the Honda Brio V CVT adds to these an immobilizer and speed-sensing door locks. From the Brio V variant upwards, a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment with Bluetooth and USB connection is provided.

Apart from Honda RS exterior and interior styling add-ons, the 2022 Honda Brio RS variants are made unique by their power-folding mirrors with integrated turn signal lights, front seats with adjustable headrests instead of the fixed ones in the lower Brio variants, and two tweeters on top of the standard four.

You get the essentials inside the 2022 Toyota Wigo E MT. Here, there’s a 2-Din radio with auxiliary input, USB, Bluetooth, and even a CD player. Entering the car and starting its engine is done manually. Adjusting the side mirrors is also a do-it-yourself affair in the Wigo E MT. The variant also has two airbags and reversing sonars.

The 2022 Toyota Wigo G MT and AT share many features. Among these is the LCD air conditioning controls, touchscreen display audio, steering wheel audio controls, keyless entry, push button start, and power adjustable and folding side mirrors with turn signals. On the safety front, the Wigo G cars get a reversing camera, immobilizer and alarm.

The 2022 Toyota Wigo TRD S packs some unique features aside from a body kit. One of these is the Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and voice command integration to its infotainment. Most notably, exclusive to the Toyota Wigo TRD S is a dashboard camera that can record any untoward incidents in front of the car when need be.

Looking closely at these two, the car with the modern equipment such as phone mirroring and dash cams seems to have the edge.

Exterior

While the 2022 Honda Brio S MT wears 14-inch steel wheels with wheel covers, it shares fender-mounted turn signal repeaters with the Honda Brio V CVT that is fitted with 14-inch alloy wheels. The grilles of these two models have a chrome and honeycomb finish.

Exterior changes of the Honda Brio RS variants are more extensive. The Brio RS models share Honda's RS design package that includes a gloss black grille with RS Emblem, 15-inch RS design alloy wheels, power folding side mirrors with signal light repeaters, and tailgate spoiler with LED third brake light.

The Brio RS Black Top gets its name from its gloss-black painted roof that costs P10,000 extra over the Brio RS. The black-out roof is the only difference between the two Brio RS cars.

In terms of color options, Phoenix Orange Pearl is exclusive to the Honda Brio RS Black Top. Carnival Yellow is available in that variant and the V CVT, while Rallye Red can be had with the Brio V and S MT. Taffeta White is standard across all Brio variants, as are LED DRLs.

Moving on to the Wigo, its E variant wears 14-inch alloy wheels in dark gray. From this variant on, projector halogen headlights, LED DRLs, and LED tail lights become standard fitment. The Toyota Wigo G trim levels come with 14-inch machine cut design wheels, rear spoiler with LED stop lamp, and front fog lamps.

The top trim of Toyota’s mini hatch revives the Toyota Racing Development name. The Toyota Wigo TRD S shows its sporty intention through a front spoiler whose black details blend with the angular front grille, side skirts, and rear apron. A TRD S badge on its tailgate and decal on the front doors differentiate this Wigo variant.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and it’s up to you to decide whether such aggressive styling touches are necessary in commuter vehicles.

Dimensions

Scant exterior dimensions of the 2022 Honda Brio give you the impression that it’ll be a cinch to drive and park. In terms of length, the Brio measures 3,800 millimeters, with the width and height at a scant 1,680mm and 1,485mm, respectively.

The tale of the tape says the 2022 Toyota Wigo isn’t far off from its rival. Length, width, and height of the Wigo measures at 3,660, 1,600, and 1,520mm. With its added body kit, the Toyota Wigo TRD S is slightly longer at 3,700mm.

Interior and cargo capacity

It’s a monochromatic affair inside the Honda Brio S and V CVT, with that black monotony only broken slightly by the silver trims inside the cabin, especially inside the V CVT model. Inside, the Brio RS models feature orange details in their dashboards and seats that certainly liven up that predominantly black cabin.

With its rear seats up, the Honda Brio allots 258 liters of cargo space. Fold the hatchback’s one-piece seatback down, and that space expands to 710 liters.

The interior of the Toyota Wigo is also jazzed by orange pattern work found in its seats and door cards. Front and center of the dashboard is gloss black and silver trim appliques. Toyota didn’t say how much the Wigo can carry with its rear seats up, but when folded, the carmaker did claim its littlest model can accommodate 421 liters.

Now, who says you need an SUV to carry larger items?

Engine, transmission, fuel economy

Powering all 2022 Honda Brio variants is what could possibly be the largest engine in the mini hatchback segment. Instead of the usual three-cylinder mill, the Brio is motivated by a 1.2-liter four-cylinder, i-VTEC mill that produces 90hp at 6,000rpm and 110Nm of torque from 4,800rpm.

The base model Brio mates a five-speed manual to this engine, while the upper variants use a CVT.

 

As claimed by the local Honda distributor, the Brio could net 24.39kpl. From our tests, the Honda Brio Black Top CVT sipped fuel at 9 to 10kpl in the city and 15 to 22.6kpl on the highway.

The Wigo follows the mini hatch standard. Standard in the 2022 Toyota Wigo variants is a one-liter, three-cylinder engine whose power and torque outputs are rated at 66hp and 6,000rpm and 89Nm of torque at 4,400rpm. The Wigo E comes in five-speed manual only, with the four-speed automatic still soldiering on in the other Wigo cars.

As far as we can tell, Toyota hasn’t revealed the fuel efficiency numbers for its Wigo. From our observation, the automatic Wigo can do 9 to 10kpl in the city and 12 to 13kpl on the open road.

Honda and Toyota at PIMS 2022

Witness Honda and Toyota showcase their products at the 2022 Philippine International Motor Show happening at the World Trade Center in Pasay City from September 15 to 18.

Photos from Honda Cars Philippines Inc., Toyota Motor Philippines, and Dylan Afuang