Kia Says Consider Value, Not Just Price in Buying a New Car

It’s no secret that in the new normal, people may start to look at private car ownership over taking public transportation. For new car buyers, they must be reminded to look beyond the price tag, and instead focus on value; this is where the Kia Soluto sedan shines.

While the Soluto may be affordable, it doesn’t scrimp on features and is designed to make life less stressful for those who’re constantly on the go. The 1.4-liter Kappa inline-4 engine with Dual CVVT (Continuous Variable Valve Timing) puts out 95 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 132 Nm of torque at 4,000 rpm. Mated to either a 5-speed manual or 4-speed AT, it balances power and fuel efficiency—perfect for those who need a car that does both city and highway drives.

Whether long or short jaunts though, it’s more relaxing with the Soluto’s standard 6-speaker audio system. A 7-inch touchscreen infotainment with Bluetooth device pairing as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto comes standard allowing the occupants to stay connected even on the move.

Apart from being free from distracted driving, driver and passengers are given peace of mind thanks to safety features like rear parking sensors (for the EX) and a standard reverse camera—amenities that go a long way in easing stress.

As a brand, Kia’s received recognition for design, safety, quality, and performance from the likes of JD Power, Interbrands (Best Global Brands 2019), the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, and the World Car of the Year awards. With the Ayala-owned AC Motors backing it up locally, the Kia Soluto comes with a 5-year or 100,000-kilometer warranty and 24/7 Emergency Roadside Assistance. It’s certainly a stylish and feature-packed ride that doesn’t break the bank.

The Soluto starts at just P 665,000 and tops out at P 755,000.

Kia Gives Picanto Sharper Styling, New Engine for 2020

Kia has given its city car, the Picanto a refresh this 2020, with tweaked styling, an upgraded engine, and more tech than ever before.

Called the Morning in Korea, the 2020 model gains a new grille, headlights, and front bumper. The headlights, though still illuminated by traditional halogens, can be optioned with LED DRLs. The four-point motif is similar to the Forte GT’s. The front bumper has been re-shaped to look more like the upscale GT Line, while the rear gets sportier, and more angular lines including some faux exhaust cutouts. Other new touches include high-gloss black accents, LED taillights, a chrome belt molding, and new alloy wheel designs in 14-or 16-inch sizes.

Inside, not much has changed with the 2020 Picanto. A choice between a black and gray interior still exist, but a new “iconic” theme package has been made available. This model comes with an all-black interior with orange highlights. And despite its positioning as an entry-level city car, it comes with a myriad of features including an 8-inch floating infotainment screen, a new 4.2-inch TFT color display nestled in the gauges, and even a smartphone app remote control. Other premium features (at least for the Korean market) include heated/ventilated seats and automatic climate control.

In terms of flexibility, the 2020 Picanto impresses with its full flat seats. With the 60/40 split-fold rear bench folded, it can accommodate up to 1,010 liters of cargo.

For 2020, the Picanto debuts a brand-new engine. The 1.0-liter Smart Stream G 3-cylinder engine makes 76 horsepower at 6,200 rpm and 95 Nm of torque at 3,750 rpm. While that doesn’t sound impressive, with just 995 kilograms to pull (at its heaviest), it makes for a sensible urban car. Mated to a 4-speed automatic (the sole transmission available in Korea), it does up to 14.4 km/L in the city, and 17.6 km/L on the highway. A turbocharged version of the same engine is expected to join the line-up as well.

In terms of safety, the Picanto builds up on the current model’s stellar equipment and adds things such as tire pressure monitoring, driver’s knee airbag (for a total of 7), torque vectoring system, lane keeping assist, blind spot monitoring, and even driver attention warning.

With production and sale already starting in Kia’s home market of Korea, it’s just going to be a matter of time before the 2020 Picanto reaches the Philippines. This will likely happen sometime towards the end of this year, or perhaps nearly next year.

2020 Honda City Scores Perfect 5-Star ASEAN NCAP Safety Rating

The all-new 2020 Honda City managed to score a perfect 5-star ASEAN New Car Assessment Program (ASEAN NCAP) safety rating.

Scoring 86.54 points overall, the all-new City is awarded with the organization’s highest safety rating using the revised (and stricter) 2017-2020 assessment. The City received 44.83 points in the Adult Occupant Protection (AOP) category, 22.82 points for Child Occupant Protection (COP), and 18.89 points in the Safety Assist Technologies (SAT).

Honda’s newest sub-compact sedan is fitted with 4 airbags, ABS with EBD, seatbelt reminder, and stability control across all its variants in Thailand resulting in the high score. That said, it’s understood that Honda will also offer them as well on variants to be sold across Southeast Asia as well. Blind Spot Visualization (in this case, Lane Watch) is also available in certain variants as well.

MIROS Director-General and ASEAN NCAP Chairperson, Ts. Dr. Siti Zaharah Ishak said: “We are excited to have another 5-Star car in the line-up of ASEAN NCAP assessed vehicles. Although the City was assessed twice prior to this, we can see there have been significant improvements in the number of safety technologies that are equipped in this new model as a standard fitment. I am also pleased that in addition to the existing safety assist technologies ASEAN NCAP is assessing, which will be available in variants that will be launched soon, Honda has also added an Emergency Stop Signal technology that consumers will benefit in mitigating any unwanted collision.”

The 2020 model marks the third Honda City assessed by the ASEAN NCAP in which the first was in 2012, while the second in 2014. In both occasions, it has shown 5-star safety performances.

Polymetal Gray Arrives for the 2020 Mazda2

Polymetal Gray Metallic finally comes to the smallest member of the Mazda family, the Mazda2, this April (at least if you live in Japan).

As a quick refresher, Polymetal Gray Metallic is specially designed to maximize Mazda’s new Elevated KODO Design. This new color expresses the “hard feeling of metal” at areas where light strikes and the “unique luster of resin” in areas where it doesn’t. This ever-changing light/shadow expression is what Mazda says gives this shade an entirely different personality compared to previous colors.

Originally developed for the all-new Mazda3, it’s since been made available in a wider variety of models such as the MX-5, and even the CX-5. Now, the Mazda2 gets it as well, but only as part of its new “White Comfort” special edition.

Available in Japan, and solely with the Skyactiv-D 1.5-liter diesel engine, the Mazda2 White Comfort slots below the Mazda2 100th Anniversary Special Edition in terms of hierarchy, and is purely an aesthetics package that’s evocative of the “crisp essence of the northern country.”

Aside from its aforementioned Polymetal Gray Metallic exterior color (it’s available in other colors as well), the Mazda2 White Comfort also gets “Pure White” leather seats combined gray cloth. This same white leather is found on the door panel and knee pads as well. White leather aside, it also introduces Grand Lux—a suede-like material on the dashboard (and door panel) akin to the Mazda6 as well as steel blue accents in place of the brushed aluminum ones.

With Thailand being the source of Mazda2 models in the Philippines, it’ll probably take a while for the new color to arrive locally. That being said, it might be a great idea for Mazda Philippines to introduce Polymetal Gray Metallic as part of its newest “Special Series” that previously included the Kabuki, Midnight, Katana, Midnight, and Java edition. The 2020 Mazda2 was launched for the Philippine market last December.

The 2020 Hyundai Accent Goes High-Tech (w/ 14 Photos)

After teasing the world with the first images of the refreshed 2020 Accent two weeks ago, Hyundai has now released all the details surrounding its sub-compact sedan.

The launch, which was supposed to have been done at one of the Accent’s most important markets, India, was scrapped due to the government’s lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19 there. So instead, Hyundai opted to release all the information online.

Known as the Verna in India (and also in Hyundai’s home market of Korea), the 2020 Accent gets a redesigned frontend that uses more geometric patterns and lines. The new cascading grille is now larger—shaped similarly to the ones seen in the new Sonata and Elantra, new side view mirrors with LED turn signal repeaters, and at the back, a rear bumper with a built-in diffuser and LED taillights. On higher-end variants, LED headlights with daytime running lights are standard, as are diamond-patterned 16-inch wheels with 195/55 R 16 tires, while the turbo swaps the dark chrome grille for a high-gloss black one along with a twin-tip muffler design at the back.

Inside, the 2020 Accent gets improved touchpoints with more chrome, and two available color schemes—two-tone beige-and-black or all-black for the turbo. New for this update include new gauges with a full-color 4.2-inch multi-function display, a larger 8-inch infotainment screen with a 6-speaker Arkamys system, Qi wireless charging, passive keyless entry with smart trunk function, auto-dimming rearview mirror, vented front seats, and automatic climate control with built-in ionizer and rear vents.

For this refresh, Hyundai has given the Accent three possible engine choices. It starts off with a 1.5-liter normally-aspirated 4-cylinder engine with 115 horsepower and 144 Nm of torque. Moving up, there’s a 1.5-liter U2 common rail direct injected diesel with 115 horsepower and 250 Nm of torque. Finally, there’s a 1.0-liter turbocharged gasoline engine with 120 horsepower and 172 Nm of torque. All engines can be paired with a 6-speed manual, but the normally-aspirated gasoline gets a CVT, the diesel a 6-speed automatic, and the 1.0-liter turbo a 7-speed dual clutch with paddle shifters.

For safety, all variants now get dual SRS airbags, ABS with EBD, and rear parking sensors as standard equipment. On the higher trim models, it gets 6 airbags, stability control, front parking sensors, rear parking camera, tire pressure monitoring system, and rear disc brakes.

The 2020 Accent (Verna) has gone on sale in India with prices starting at 817,867 Indian Rupee (~ P 554,850) and tops out at 1,407,871 Indian Rupee (~ P 955,155.52). With India serving as the Philippines’s source of Accents, it’s just going to be a matter of time when it makes it to the local market as well.

Suzuki Gives the Dzire Sub-Compact Sedan A Nip-and-Tuck This 2020

Suzuki has just launched a refreshed version of its Dzire sub-compact sedan in India, and with that will only be a matter of time before it reaches the Philippines.

The 2020 Dzire is characterized by its new front clip. The grille is now larger—Suzuki officially calls it, Single Aperture Grille—and framed with LED headlights with daytime running lights. The front bumper has been reshaped as well together with the fog lamp housing with have chrome accents. New two-tone 15-inch alloy wheels complete the changes outside.

Inside, not much has changed with the Dzire. It still retains its beige-and-black color scheme as well as the trademark rear air conditioning vent. New for 2020 though is the colored multi-information display, cruise control, and at least for the Indian market, a smart infotainment system.

Mechanically, the Dzire gets a revamped version of its 1.2-liter K Series engine. For 2020, it gets the Suzuki DualJet technology, Dual VVTi and idle start/stop. Power is slightly up to 90 horsepower, but torque remains at 113 Nm. Transmission remains a choice between a 5-speed manual or the automated manual Auto Gear Shift (AGS) system. Cruise control is now offered on the higher variants as well.

The Dzire also comes with dual SRS airbags and ABS with EBD as standard equipment, while vehicle stability control is available on the higher-trim variants as well.

Toyota Gives the Wigo a Sharper Look, More Features This 2020

Toyota is refreshing its A-segment hatchback, the Wigo for 2020. The Japanese carmaker has given it a sharper look outside and improved interior materials inside. The refresh, which was just launched in Indonesia, is also coming to the Philippine market within the year.

Known as the Agya in Indonesia, the 2020 Wigo gets a new front bumper giving it an angrier-looking snout. The headlights have also been tweaked as are the taillights with an “Altezza-like” look. A new wheel design and side mirrors complete the changes. Inside, the Wigo gets a digital-type A/C system (it’s still not automatic climate control though) similar to the Rush, available passive keyless entry with push start/stop, and a new instrument cluster.

In the Indonesian market where the new Wigo goes on sale first, it comes with a choice between two engines: a 1.0-liter 3-cylinder with 67 horsepower and 89 Nm of torque, or on high-trim variants (including a spiffy TRD), a 1.2-liter 4-cylinder with 88 horsepower 107 Nm of torque. These powertrains are mated to either a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic.

For the Philippine market, it’s expected that the Wigo will continue to receive the 1.0-liter engine option. Having said that, if Toyota Motor Philippines wants to take a crack at the market currently dominated by the Honda Brio (and the Suzuki Swift), they might opt to also add the 1.2-liter variant to their line-up as well.